I have been struggling since the beginning of the pandemic to find meaning in, and to give value to this transformational moment in the human journey. At last, after many months, I have got as far as an outline, at least, for a personal approach to dealing with the accelerating…
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… well, world peace, of course; an end to poverty, hatred and discrimination in all its forms; reconciliation with Indigenous people in Canada and around the world; serious action on climate change, an end to the ravaging of nature…
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“To Everything there is a Season and a Time for Every Purpose under Heaven…” Eccelesiastes 3:1-8. In this post we look at the purpose of January.
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On Sunday evening, I will gather with others in our neighbourhood at Lights on the Gorge, our annual event to mark the midwinter solstice. We will light some of the trees along Gorge Road, sing songs appropriate to midwinter and the solstice and have a lantern parade for the kids.
Read moreEight cellists from University of Victoria Cello class, under the direction of Pamela Highbaugh Aloni, recently debuted a new composition by Hollas Longton, featuring the poems of Creatively United’s Frances Litman. he commission, funded by the Gail O’Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund, is presented…
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Seasonal Changes
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a poem about the impression that the first snowfall leaves on our relationship with the world…
Read moreSeason 4 of Climate and Artists free webinar series premiered with positively uplifting and inspiring stories from eight fabulous guests committed to regenerating and transforming communities creatively. Learn how…
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Elders for Ancient Trees Weekly Newsletter, Nov. 23/21
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Why are they happening? Preparation and safety tips.These conditions are not just being caused by “natural” disasters. They are “unnatural” disasters that have been exacerbated by climate change and exploitative land and resource management.
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Oh the weather outside is frightful… I’m a Delta, BC resident who writes poetry as a way to explore and understand myself and the wider world. My love of trees, the environment, poetry and the written word continue to inspire me.
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This 7-minute NYT cartoon from Greta Thunberg is excellent at showing how the political and economic systems we have are failing to face up to the existential crisis of the climate emergency. It is up to us to make sure that changes!
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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated almost a year ago: “Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.” In my view, this can only happen if we recognize, as Barbara Ward and Rene Dubos’ 1972 book put it, that there is “Only One Earth” and we have to learn to live within and not beyond its bounds.
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Weekly blog with the latest news and upcoming events from the Elders for Ancients Newsletter.
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In a climate emergency our elected representatives must adopt these 5 actions immediately to make real the protection of nature and the conservation of biodiversity in our parks as the top priority promised.
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The western screech owl joins in a moment of celebration.
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My poem, “The Girl Who Ate Dirt”, is inspired by an intriguing autobiographical detail that Suzanne Simard shares in her book “Finding The Mother Tree”.
Read moreThrough music, dance, song and stunning visuals, the importance of protecting, preserving and planting trees is artfully expressed in this unique collaboration involving members of the Victoria Symphony, the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, the Emily Carr String Quartet and Ballet Victoria.
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I have learned in a visceral way—through relentless confrontation of comfort and exposure to vulnerability—that my culture, and its systems and structures, all derived from patriarchy, is the downfall of humanity.
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It has been a pretty dispiriting election all round. It was called in the midst of a pandemic for no better reason than that the Liberals want to hang on to power. The campaign has been lacklustre, the debates uninspiring and badly organised and, at the end of it all, it seems to me we may well be right back where we started: a minority government.
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Last week, I noted that none of the main parties — those likely to form the next government — have yet recognized and accepted the scale of the global ecological crises we face, to which Canada contributes disproportionately. Nor have they recognized the implications for Canadians and the rest of humanity, including the threat these crises pose to our human rights.
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In a December 2020 speech at Columbia University, the UN secretary general said: “The state of the planet is broken. Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal,” adding: “Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.”
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As anyone who has ever Googled my name could tell you, I was the first leader of the Green Party of Canada in the mid-1980s. That was in part because I had deep roots in green or ecological political thinking, dating back a decade before that.
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Feeling a deep gratitude for the united Fairy Creek front line forest defenders.
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A Timely Reminder. I’m a Delta, BC resident who writes poetry as a way to explore and understand myself and the wider world. My love of trees, the environment, poetry and the written word continue to inspire me.
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STOP! I have been thinking about Fairy Creek for some time, about the issues and the folks involved. These poems are a token of my appreciation to the folk who are out there being visibly committed to the cause of the wellness of trees, our planet and all of us as a whole.
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I was affected by the May 27, 2021 article written by Justine Hunter in the Globe and Mail and in turn wrote a little rhyme. I’m a Delta, BC resident who writes poetry as a way to explore and understand myself and the wider world.
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To become a Child Friendly City, cities should implement a nine-point framework that includes having “strategies for children, regular reports on the state of the city’s children, independent advocates for children, opportunities to listen to children’s views” and other governance measures.
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This poem is a reflection on our annual plague of forest fires and a consideration of what truly must change.
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