Find out why science is more important now than ever and water is the nexus of climate with two of the world’s leading scientists, Dr. John Pomeroy and Dr. Trevor Davies. Joining them is award-winning author, Bob Sandford…
Who are we? And where are we going on this tiny planet of ours, this bright sparkle of life in a Universe so ridiculously vast? It’s a question worth exploring, if you have five minutes in your busy COVID day. Almost all scientists assume that the Universe is a... Read more
The Highlands District Community Association (HDCA) has filed an application to the BC Supreme Court for a judicial review of the Province’s recent approval of a new rock quarry near the southern Millstream Road entrance to the Highlands municipality. The court... Read more
An opinion piece in this newspaper on June 4 from the B.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Thriving Orcas, Thriving Communities Coalition (composed of a number of coastal communities’ chambers of commerce) warned that coastal communities are on the brink of extinction because they rely on recreational fishing, which is in jeopardy.
In early May I was approached by the Green Technology Education Centre, based in Vancouver, and invited to join its Council for the New Green Economy, to help design a positive green recovery for BC. This we have done. The result was published last week as Rebuilding... Read more
More than ever, vision is needed if we want to change the course of things. We need vision, but also dedication. We need to be whole-hearted visionaries with warriors’ dedication. We need each other to stay on path, to bring into fruition our bold visions.
Do you LOVE gardening? Are you interested in food security, permaculture or just want to grow the best veggies you can? One way to do that is to join us in our Facebook group and add your voice to the conversations and discussions.
1) A cell tower has been removed in Victoria. It was located on Jehovah’s Witness property (2506 Selwyn Rd) , close to Hwy 1 at exit 14. In the early 2000s when the contract was signed the congregation was not aware of the potential for it to cause harm, but... Read more
Greetings to all in these sobering times of conflict and chaos. Decades ago in my youth group days, I was in a group that met with a First Nations Chief to talk about racism. He asked each of us to tell him if we were racist and we all answered with a phrase like “I’m... Read more
During COVID, when gatherings must include fewer than 50 people, government-funding for theatre groups that cater to small audiences in outdoor venues would be a job-creator. Comic play “The Fridge Festival” (see photo) was done outdoors in Fairfield.
The Food Atlas is a community-driven tool for empowering communities to develop and plan around food security resources. The Community Food Atlas is designed to be a self-sustaining tool and is managed by the Island Food Security Hubs in partnership with Vancouver... Read more
As with COVID-19, this demand far exceeds the system’s capacity — only this time, we are talking about the Earth’s biocapacity. So far, we have only seen the ascending part of this chart. But as with any species that exceeds the carrying capacity of its ecological niche, at some point the curve reaches a peak and starts to decline; we might call it “The Great Deccelaration.”
If you are looking for local resources to start growing your own food, then this City-led program may be for you!! This free food seedlings distribution program created by the City of Victoria in partnership with community and non-profit organizations supports... Read more
Hourly paid workers — who generally have low pay, few benefits and not much job security — are now almost two-thirds of the workforce. But while low-wage employment is down 30 per cent compared to a year ago, she adds, it is only down 1.3 per cent among high wage earners.
Ian McAllister is the author of a multitude of books, has been honored by the Globe and Mail as one of 133 highly accomplished Canadians, He and his wife, Karen McAllister, were named by TIME as “Leaders of the 21st Century” for their efforts to protect…
As much as we all have an obligation (I believe) to be responsible environmentally, there is no need to make music the whipping boy for environmental degradation and economic exploitation.
Over 4000 people have signed the Appeal. In case you haven’t or haven’t shared, please do: https://www.appel5gappeal.ca/ 1) As we know, Telus has been pushing its “fiber optic cable” very aggressively, even threatening people with loss of... Read more
Congratulations to the City of Victoria for endorsing the May 2020 Common Vision, Common Action Regional Policy Statement for implementing a regional agenda for social and ecological justice. (see: http://commonaction.mystrikingly.com/ ) The Creatively United for the... Read more
Learn from two of Vancouver Island’s leading foresters about the fascinating history of eco-forestry, its role in nurturing nature’s ecosystems and how we can protect and restore our forests as part of the climate change solution.
Are you living in Central Saanich? Check out the brand new Central Saanich Community Gardens Society. They are look forward to cultivating delightful yet purposeful community garden(s) in Central Saanich. They are currently looking for board members and land! Click... Read more
Get, growing Victoria! – This new initiative is operated by the City of Victoria’s Growing in the City program and aims to grow and distribute vegetable and herb seedlings via non-profit organizations to home gardeners, with a focus on supporting communities... Read more
Parents for Safe Schools is an organization of parents, teachers and students that would like to support your decision to bring this extremely important issue to the attention of Parliament, again. Our elected Government Officials and Provincial Health Officer have... Read more
This is an excellent article from the Beacon Hill archives that describes the Garry oak meadows of Victoria in 1843 and then the human impact of foot traffic by 2005. Please read and pass this bit of history along to all you know. Camas Country By Janis Ringuette... Read more
Feeling cooped up with the lockdown? Imagine living in a 200-ft-tall redwood tree for more than two years. Twenty years ago, Julia Butterfly Hill did just that, to draw attention to the continued clearcutting of California’s remaining redwood forests.
We are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel coming out of, at least, phase 1 of the pandemic in Canada. In my idleness, I, along with Penny Joy and a friend, have created the attached manifesto for the post-Covid world, to attempt to unify our various social,... Read more
A couple of weeks ago I noted that in addition to COVID-19, other major infectious diseases kill millions of people annually, mostly children, and mostly in low-income countries. But globally, and certainly in high-income countries, infectious diseases are not our major causes of death, disease and injury.
A group of young artists in Cedar have started a digital public art project called the Cedar Sound Project. They are calling for submissions from community members of “field recordings”: sound snippets which document a moment in your daily life during... Read more
Wild pollinators such as butterflies and bees are crucial to human survival. Climate change and widespread pesticide use are compromising their habitat and food sources. The David Suzuki Foundation’s Butterflyway Project encourages to people to step up and help our... Read more
Courtesy of the Times Colonist In a December 2019 interview, Will Steffen, a leading Earth systems scientist and member of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, said: “We need to reach a social tipping point, before we reach a planetary one.” By “a planetary tipping... Read more
“Pandemic-Resilient Community Planning: Practical Ways to Help Communities Prepare for, Respond to, and Recover from Pandemics and Other Economic, Social and Environmental Shocks” Resilience refers to a system’s ability to efficiently absorb shocks. This report... Read more
Takaya led a remarkable life for a wolf. His adventuresome spirit brought him to an unlikely place. His calm demeanour, fabulous good looks, resilience and intelligence brought him fame. For many years he lived alone on Discovery Island, off Victoria, until he swam... Read more
Orca Awareness Month 2020 (June) will be a spontaneous upsurge of creativity spreading the “help whales” message in a time of physical-distancing. We can’t have talks & meetings so will do public art displays. 73 remaining SRKWs have never needed us more.
I’m teaching CIVE 410 Solid Waste, Air, and Water Pollution this summer. I am hoping to connect to people working in solid waste, air, and water pollution who may be interested in sharing a short presentation about their work experience with the students.
In cutting funding to the World Health Organization in the midst of a pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump may think he is attacking a bunch of faceless bureaucrats in Geneva and the World Health Organization’s regional offices around the world.
This Saturday, April 25, is the Global Stop 5G Day and I am hoping that you will participate. What we need to do is to make our politicians at every level hear our voices. Instructions; Copy, paste and fill out this non consent form then Fax individually to Justin... Read more
The classes at Ecole Willows Elementary have been restoring a very unhealthy area in Uplands Park for the past 4 years. It was an area ploughed in the 1850’s to create part of Uplands Farm growing non-native agrarian grasses to feed the cattle. By 2016, there were... Read more
In his daily briefing on April 9, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “Our country will come roaring back.” I understand why he might want to reassure people that everything would be fine, that this is just a temporary, if large, disruption to business-as-usual. But it’s much more than that.
We face not one but three simultaneous inter-connected crises: the COVID-19 Emergency, the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency, and the Crisis of Capitalism. We urgently need connected constructive responses. When you recall the movie When Harry Met Sally, your horny... Read more
You can join with others who are eager to get into action on projects to reverse global warming! Go to bcdrawdown.org to learn more about the book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.
The Township of Esquimalt is doing Earth Day a little differently this year. Typically the day is marked with a celebration at Highrock Park with a focus on children’s educational activities around sustainability and the natural environment. The traditional format was... Read more
The Township is looking for enthusiastic individuals interested in serving the community as a member of the Advisory Planning Commission, Design Review Committee, Environmental Advisory Committee, or Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee are encouraged to apply.... Read more
The City of Victoria’s Business Hub staff have compiled a comprehensive list of resources for businesses at victoria.ca/bizresources. Donate to Boxes of Hope. Every $10 donated provides a warm, healthy meal to someone in need and supports the local restaurant... Read more
Because of Covid-19 we stand yet again at a crossroads of history. Too often in my lifetime we have stood at this same crossroads, and each time we have taken the wrong path. Will we get it right this time?
Take a breather and connect with nature! Check out the Sierra Club’s Google Classroom (code XULWFC2) and website for tons of fun nature-based activities for the whole family! These new resources are not only helpful for parents, but for caregivers and educators... Read more
‘Cabin fever’ is a common expression referring to negative emotions and distress related to confinement and isolation, such as irritability, hopelessness, lack of focus, and even simple boredom. It is not a disease and not dangerous in and of itself, but our mental... Read more
Can we call city parks, even large uncultivated ones, “natural”? Given that over half of humanity now lives in cities, and that by 2050 an estimated 68% will, preservation of large urban green spaces is the only way most kids will grow up without “NDD”
In this article I share some tools and strategies to support you to embrace change during times of chaos and uncertainty that are underpinned by the belief that “embracing change is a creative process that opens us up to new possibilities”.
This concern with the need to protect and restore the economy plays into a narrative about resilience, usually framed as the ability of people and communities to recover, to bounce back to where they were before the event ever happened.
