Grizzly Bear Hunting Banned
Thanks to Barb Murray and the Bears Matter team for their years of hard work to ban the Grizzly Beat hunt. More than 300 grizzlies were saved this year and hundreds more will be spared each year the ban is in place. Charlie Russell was instrumental for changing how... Read more
Solstice a timely reminder of our place in the universe
I have never lost the sense of awe I experienced one night as a teenager as I lay down in a dark spot and really looked at the Milky Way. It was overwhelming and humbling to realize what a small part of the galaxy our own seemingly vast solar system is, and what a tiny part of all that I am.
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Presentation to Esquimalt Council
Thank you mayor and council for your service to our community and the opportunity to address you. I’m here on behalf of the Community Trees Matter Network and the Creatively United for the Planet Society. We’d like to thank the Township and staff for being proactive... Read more
Victories To Celebrate!
Thank you to all the people and groups taking a stand for our community trees. The Community Trees Matter Network came together out of a desire to bring more voices together in support for our urban trees and forests and to find out what resources and information we... Read more
A Plan to Keep Trees Standing and Speaking for the Sequoia
Council already understands the many reasons to increase the urban forest in Victoria. City staff are already protecting public trees as well as they can with the budget they have. My focus is on protecting trees on private land. So far, my family and friends in... Read moreRecommendations To Make Trees Matter
Members of the Community Trees Matter Network and the Creatively United for the Planet Society have enthusiastically encouraged the City of Victoria to strengthen its tree preservation bylaws and adopt the strategic plan and budget that will see the Urban Forest... Read more
Art, Poetry & Prose Exposed
Eileen Curteis, a Sister of Saint Ann and Victoria resident, has just released her 12th book, Exposed, featuring 58 original works of art and divinely inspired poetry and prose addressing a journey of spiritual healing and enlightenment for our time. Sister Eileen has... Read more
Hardest Working Community Members
At the last council meeting I brought my shovel. Tonight I have my bell, to sound the alarm. We are in a climate crisis! And yet engineers and planners working for the city continue to destroy and remove trees to make sidewalks, sewer pipe lines, roads and other infrastructure. Why is so little value put on trees, our hardest working community members?
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Remembering City of Victoria Election Promises
With mayors and councils making important budget decisions now, these questions are more relevant now than ever. For example, Lisa Helps sent out a campaign news release saying we could celebrate Tree Appreciation Day by planting trees in neighbourhoods all over the city, up to 1000. However, only four were planted this year, about a quarter of the number that was planted last year.
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Gonzales and the Urban Forest Master Plan
We need to remind mayor and council, that in the March 15, 2018 Council Motion, Council agreed that the new Gonzales Neighbourhood Plan needed to strengthen the language with regard to green space and tree preservation, anticipating forthcoming updates to the Tree Preservation Bylaw and implementation of the Urban Forest Master Plan.
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Health Benefits of Trees
Can you imagine a world where a walk in the forest is prescribed by medical doctors to reduce stress? Japan began studying the benefits of ‘forest bathing’ in the early 1980s. Their scientific research has shown that 20 minutes in the forest reduces blood pressure, lowers heart rate and increases the number of cancer-fighting cells in the body by as much as 40%.
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Save Trees From Removal on Finnerty Road
There has been a development sign posted on Finnerty Road (between the roundabout at McKenzie and Arbutus Rd.). There are plans to put in bike lanes and upgrades. This sign has been up for quite some time (at least since the summer) and I have not paid much attention... Read more
Master Forester Ray Travers Honoured by Distrist of Saanich
What a delight to see master forester Ray Travers honoured by the District of Saanich for his work on bringing attention to Shelbourne Street’s heritage trees planted in honour of 600 local Victorians killed during the First World War. Members of Creatively... Read more
A Simple Yet Profound Story & Message
The importance of education around trees and their beneficial impact and interconnectivity with the environment became obvious decades ago while driving past productive green farmer’s fields in North America, and recalling having lived through drought in Zimbabwe in... Read more
Clubs & Recurring Community Events
Want your club or recurring events here? Let us know! All Month CRD Parks hikes, explorations and events for all ages. Change the World on Shaw TV, with Guy Dauncey. Interviews with local people who have big bold ideas and positive solutions for the future. Shaw TV... Read more
Habitat and Housing in Harmony
I recently stood before the Victoria City council and mayor to urge them to implement the Recommended Actions of the URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN of 2013 and that leaders of the local Indigenous Nations of Esquimalt and Songhees be invited to participate in this work. Affordable HOUSING a green and livable HABITAT must be part of Victoria’s Strategic Plan.
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The Environment Should Be Front Page News
‘Good evening. And now, here is the environment news.” Well, that is a daily news segment we won’t be coming across soon — although we should. But we do hear or see the business news on a daily basis, in fact many times a day.
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The Human Benefit of Trees
Kudos to Michael Meagher for this Letter to the Editor in the Nov. 22nd Times Colonist. “Anyone for a tax reduction on properties that contain trees?”
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Let’s Make It A Great Day Again
It was a great day when the council and mayor the City of Victoria approved the Urban Forest Master Plan in 2013. It is comprehensive, sustainable, and inspiring. The trouble is – it hasn’t been implemented. This plan recognizes the disconnect between what has... Read more
An Antidote to Despair
We are in a climate crisis. Daily we witness or hear about climate disasters all over the world. A recent windstorm in Italy wiped out over a million trees that were 200 years old. Currently in California drought conditions have caused horrific wildfires resulting in a loss of lives, of homes, of trees, plants and wildlife.
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Suggestions For Tree Health and Preservation
Trees perform important eco-services, such as creating oxygen, cooling the air during our increasingly long, hot summers, reducing storm water, and most importantly, they store carbon. Big trees store a lot more carbon than saplings do. Big trees do more of everything on that list than saplings do.
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Development With Vision
Victoria’s lush natural environment is what the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral is to Paris, a crowning jewel. No one would suggest taking the Notre Dame apart stone by stone to the ground and selling it off, however, that is exactly what we are doing to our... Read more
Vancouver Street -Traffic Calming & Active Transportation Project
In May 2018 the City opened the Fort Street protected bike lanes. Earlier this month, the City completed the all ages and abilities (AAA) multi-use path in Beacon Hill Park. Construction of the Wharf Street and Humboldt Street AAA routes is anticipated to start in the... Read more
Healthy Saplings Lead to Healthy Ecosystems
The first three years, especially the first, are the most critical to tree saplings as they don’t have a developed root system to gather water, ward off pests, avoid being trampled or damaged. We lose the benefits mature trees provide when we replace them with... Read more
Losing trees in Victoria: one mature tree equals 269 saplings
We should all be concerned about global warming. We can see the changes happening now; our summers are longer and a lot drier. But I wonder if the City cares. Because I don’t see much evidence they’re trying to save our mature trees, one of the few factors that reduce... Read more
Why Trees Matter, A Lot!
Mankind has embarked on a huge, uncontrolled experiment – we have destroyed about 80 per cent of the world’s forests. More are destroyed every minute. How long can we last without them? Instead of waiting to find out, many people are planting thousands, even millions of trees.
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Proportional Representation: Getting More of What We Want
Would you like to live in a fairer, more compassionate world where community issues are are given consideration and you are inspired to have someone and something to vote for? This fall we will have a historic, once in a generation opportunity to say goodbye to First... Read more
Community Trees: Questions for Candidates
Thank you to the candidates who responded to our tree preservation questionnaire and put themselves forward to run in the 2018 municipal elections. Congratulations to all! Updated October 19th with new responses Dr. Jennie Moore of BCIT recently estimated the... Read more
One-Planet Questions For Candidates
As the Oct. 20 municipal elections loom, I suggest we should be asking all candidates about a very serious issue — in fact, in my view, the most serious challenge we face in the 21st century, both globally and locally: How do we make the changes that move us toward being a One-Planet Region?
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All Things Trees: A Collection of Articles Worth Reading
From climate change to local developments, these links contain lots of great information about trees and keeping our forest communities green.
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Future Proofing Victoria: The Conversation You Won’t Hear During the Municipal Election Campaign
A month from now Victorians will vote for mayor and council. As of this writing, there are 10 candidates for mayor and 29 for council. Perhaps the best that can be said about this flood of candidates is that civic interest in the political process is robust. Sadly,... Read more
Evolution of a Healing Prayer to the Universe
Here is a healing prayer that considers the universe itself to be the creator. It’s a prayer that both theists and non-theists can be comfortable with. The evolution from a Sufi prayer in 1920 to this version is discussed
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We Don’t Pay The Full Cost of Goods and Services
We need to create a societal system that is perfectly designed to enable all the people of the world to live good quality lives within the bounds of the Earth and its ecological systems. What might such a system look like?
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Nature Doesn’t Negotiate
There are some things that we just have to accept. Basic fundamental truths of math, physics, chemistry, and biology are simply not up for negotiation. As humans we have shown that we get these natural laws, or we wouldn’t have been able to create human flight,... Read more
A Victory To Celebrate
Victories are being won that bring power back to the people and help protect our planet and democracy from abuse. This story is one to celebrate. It’s a victory for all of us. — Dear Avaazers, Our hearing just ended, and the judge absolutely DESTROYED... Read more
We need to reform our electoral system, with proportional representation
Beyond my 15 years as an M.L.A. and Cabinet Minister, I was a party activist for another 16 years. I am deeply committed to democracy and, on the basis of experience and commitment, I urge British Columbians to affirm the move from our current ‘first past the post’ system to some form of proportional representation.
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Better Living Through Green Chemistry
The phrase — often shortened to: “Better living through chemistry” — has lodged in the public mind as an unintentionally ironic comment on the sometimes dubious benefits of the chemical industry. This industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the world, according to GreenCentre Canada, which claims that: “Chemistry makes everything we do possible.”
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BC’s Climate Intentions Papers: A Timid Response – and the Twelve Solutions We Really Need
I wish I didn’t have to write this. I count myself a friend of the NDP/Green Alliance, and I had high hopes for the government’s new climate action plans. BC’s Ministry of Environment has published a series of Clean Growth Intentions Papers, with a deadline for public feedback of August 24th, in the heart of this fire and smoke-filled summer.
Read moreWatch Now: Creating a One Planet Community Event
Everyone wondered how we could possibly feature more than 20 presentations in less than two hours, but we did it! Inspiring stories of innovation, collaboration, community and creativity were shared with both a live and livestream audience worldwide around the theme... Read more
My Journey of Compassion
I love that the word passion is in the word compassion. My compassion for the underdog has become one of the reasons why I volunteer thousands of hours to my passion project, Creatively United for the Planet, in support of our community. I suppose I’ve always related... Read more
Book Review: The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet
Jim Robbins was incredulous when David Milarch first told him he was cloning ‘champion trees’ because angels had told him to during a near-death experience. “I thought he was joking or spinning a yarn, but he said it all with a straight face,” Robbins said.
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Film Review of Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees
Call of the Forest is all about the incredible and vital importance of trees. If you want to get motivated to plant trees, this is the film to watch! “For every breath you take, thank a tree,” says Diana Beresford-Kroeger, the Canadian botanist, author and medical... Read more
Healthy Homes – The Basics & Beyond
The environment of our buildings, and especially our homes, is enormously important for us. As Sir Winston Churchill remarked: “First we shape our buildings, then they shape us.”
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Tools For Healthier Built Environments
We are lucky in B.C. to have two useful initiatives to help us create healthier built environments. The first, which I described briefly last week, is the Healthy Built Environment Linkages Toolkit. The second is a B.C. Ministry of Health-funded initiative, PlanH,... Read more
Hope Is A Verb
Thomas Teuwen shares a wealth of information on a variety of topical subject matter from a federal Green Party perspective. We were happy to see Creatively United’s recent Creating a One Planet Region event included.
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Light Pollution: The One Form of Pollution That Can Be Fixed in a Flash
We often do not realize the effects we are having on our natural surroundings. Last fall, Tri-City Greendrinks featured lighting specialist and long-time member of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), Brian Bury, to enlighten us about one of the least talked... Read more
We Can Create Healthy Built Environments
The B.C. Healthy Built Environment Alliance was established by the Provincial Health Services Authority in 2007 to provide leadership and action for healthier, more livable communities.
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City of Victoria Honorary Citizen Awards 2018
What a huge honour to receive a City of Victoria Honorary Citizen Award today at the Victoria Conference Center with so many lovely and well-deserving people as: Marika Albert, Mark Ashfield, Fiona Bramble, Diya Courty-Stephens, Denis Donnelly and Siobhan Robinsong,... Read more