Eradicating Racism
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
Grants Could Woo an Outdoor Audience
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.
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Help Populate the Food Atlas
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
How to Flatten the Other Curves
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.”
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Growing in the City Program
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
Making a Just Transition to ‘One Planet’
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.
Read moreGreat Bear Rainforest – A Case for Managing Ecosystem Values in British Columbia
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…
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The Ethics of Listening to Music–Especially Vinyl–In the Age of COVID-19
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.
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Telus’s “Pure Fiber” vs. a True Fiber Optic Network
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
A Regional Agenda for Social and Ecological Justice
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
Ecoforestry: Nurturing Nature’s Ecosystems – A Call For a New Forest Framework in British Columbia
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.
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Central Saanich Community Gardens
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!
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
The Greatest Health Scandal of Our Time!
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
Camas and Beacon Hill Park
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
Book Review: The Legacy of Luna, by Julia Butterfly Hill
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.
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Manifesto for a Just and Ecological Civilization
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
The Health Costs of Business as Usual
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.
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The Cedar Sound Project
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
The Butterflyway Project
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
Social Tipping Points, Virtuous Cascades
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
Lessons from Pandemics
“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
Wolves: The Takaya Legacy
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
Is social distancing really the best new norm we can come up with?
Until we choose to reconnect with the nature within us, we will perpetuate an inhospitable environment for ourselves.
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Orca Month 2020
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.
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Solid Waste, Air, and Water Pollution
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.
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Donald Trump’s Crime Against Humanity
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.
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Time Sensitive! Stop 5G protest, please join
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
Kindness to Trees in Uplands Park
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
Roar radically forward, not back to a pathological system
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.
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When Climate Met COVID
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
Classes on Reversing Global Warming
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.
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Esquimalt Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Earth Day With Week-Long Online Programming
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
Connections in Kindness Tree Photography
Join us in photographing trees and in connecting our community to the kindness of trees!
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Township of Esquimalt Recruiting Members For Vacancies On Commissions & Committees
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
Helping Those in Need
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
A Tale of Two Futures: Lets Choose the Right One This Time
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?
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Online Educational Resources To Connect Kids With Nature
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?
‘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
Pleas For Urban Nearby-Nature
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”
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Change & Creativity: Creating Possibilities out of Chaos & Uncertainty
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”.
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Resilience Means Bouncing Forward, Not Back to the Way We Were Before
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.
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15 Questions on Emergency Food and Farming Planning for British Columbia
Our food chain in BC is hugely dependent on imports, making it extremely vulnerable. On Vancouver Island, 95% of our food arrives on the ferry. BC has tens of thousands of acres of farmland that are lying fallow, or growing hay for horses that serve no agricultural... Read more
Habitat Loss Is the Pan-demic
It seems amazing that medical and political officials obsess about social distancing but have NOTHING to say about the cause of the pandemic – i.e. nothing about addiction to animal products. (Telling us don’t go outside, but keep buying meat?!?)
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Challenges and Solutions for Engaging Youth in Agriculture
Shelter Farm, a social enterprise operated by The Port Alberni Shelter Society. The farm grows vegetables that provide a source of nutrition for our clients and are sold to local markets. Shelter Farm is also home to the Market Gardener Program.
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Gardening Resources
The Compost Education Centre has moved all their gardening workshops online. Many of them are free! Check them out here: https://www.compost.bc.ca/education/workshop-series/ Linda Gilkenson’s Gardening Tips! You can receive tips by email from this west coast... Read more
Essential Services in BC during COVID-19 Crisis
The Government of BC has confirmed a list of essential services, and some non profits are included in this list. “Essential services are those daily services essential to preserving life, health, public safety and basic societal functioning. They are the... Read more
Volunteers Needed to Help Feed Community Members Most in Need
We are reaching out in hopes that you can help us. We are trying to identify community partners to help us coordinate meal distribution sites to feed our community members most in need. The Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) is working with the Coalition to... Read more
A Different Perspective on COVID-19
There is no question COVID-19 is a serious issue. If we did nothing, hundreds of thousands of Canadians, especially older people, might die and the health care system would be overwhelmed, jeopardizing the health of many other people with other health problems.
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