Season 3 concluded with an all-star panel, featuring bestselling author and award-winning public relations professional, James Hoggan. A tireless advocate for ethics in public discourse and Chair of the David Suzuki…
Forest Bathing is a powerful way to connect with Mother Earth and to feel her blessings showering upon you! The next time you are on your favourite forest walk give thanks for all the blessings you have been given by Mother Earth!
Many of the behaviors that we would like to promote have no outward visibility in our communities. When behaviors such as getting vaccinated are not visible to others, we weaken the likelihood that the action will become normative. Unlike vaccinations, wearing a mask... Read more
Learning to grow food at home contributes enormously to food security and our community resilience, and the City of Victoria is responding to a renewed interest in learning to garden. Get Growing, Victoria! provides food seedlings and garden materials to citizens in... Read more
LifeCycles is seeking a staff person to support harvest coordination, distribution and volunteer training for the LifeCycles Fruit Tree and Farm Gleaning Projects as well as manage volunteers for the broader organization. The successful candidate will work as part of... Read more
Greater Victoria NatureHood, a Nature Canada initiative, has launched Nature in the City: Guide to Many Adventures map! The map’s design tells stories of urban habitats, captivating species and local parks to explore. Detailed environmental information is woven... Read more
I was recently gifted a copy of Olga Campbell’s multi-award winning book, A Whisper Across Time, a stunning tribute to her family’s story of the Holocaust told through a sumptuous collection of prose, art and poetry. Olga is a Vancouver writer and artist whose... Read more
In 1948, the World Health Organization defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.” I find it a good and simple definition. One of its strengths is that it fully recognises both mental and social well-being, with the latter inevitably bringing in our relationships with others — our families, communities and society as a whole.
Children of the Trees engages with language, naming, chopping trees, disappearing words, and what might be a better stance to engage with living beings. Love as methodology. The call for saving old growth trees and forests is growing in BC. Join the fight.
The Township of Esquimalt is proposing to take out a loan for $35 million in order to construct a new Public Safety Building. In these challenging times, when funding is required for better access to public services and the need for climate education, mitigation and... Read more
Tuesdays for Trees is a campaign devised by the Climate Action Research Team of Greater Victoria Acting Together. The idea is to have something happen every Tuesday to raise public awareness and pressure decision makers regarding the importance of trees and forests in... Read more
The squeaky wheel gets the grease and that’s particularly true when governments are also faced with corporate pressures. Here is a list of some of the key people to share your concerns with: Find your MLA’s email here:... Read more
We enjoy thanking our mothers on Mothers’ Day, but on the second Sunday in May we can also celebrate more than our own mothers; we can give thought to all the women – many anonymous – whose mothering has benefited humanity as a whole.
I am in Olympia, Washington and my personal focus is on local government reform and restoration infrastructure to support the evolution of regenerative bioregional culture. I’d like to work with you on the development of a network of Public Interest Science and Design... Read more
Some thirty years ago, I coined the phrase “community-based social marketing” to describe a merger of knowledge between the fields of psychology and social marketing. I elected to call this amalgamation community-based social marketing for several reasons.
Climate Education Reform BC has just launched our official Reform To Transform Campaign!! We are a student-led organization advocating for a justice-driven Climate Change Education in British Columbia’s K-12 system. We are presenting the BC Ministry of Education 6... Read more
Reading this I was reminded of a dance protest that I was in a few weeks back in front of the Legislature protesting the Fairy Creek issue as well as old-growth forest logging in the province. Fifty people, all six feet apart and masked, danced a specific routine to... Read more
I was struck by the immense irony of John Horgan’s recent exhortation to young people not to blow it for the rest of us with respect to COVID. The irony, of course, is that he and his government are blowing it for the younger generation by continuing to treat the environment as a resource for industrial activity and failing to protect species at risk.
Since 2012, more than 10,000 people have attended Creatively United’s live zero-waste Earth Day events. Now, every day is Earth Day on CreativelyUnited.org’s free community solutions sharing hub where people can post and see events, information, resources,... Read more
Why have a special day to celebrate and care for the Earth? Shouldn’t we do that every day? Well, as organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970 realized, it’s an opportunity to raise awareness about climate issues, get on the political agenda, and create... Read more
Hats off to all who attended last Saturday’s Sooke rally. And thank you to Rene and Jane for being safety peeps and Wow to banner makers! yes!! We can support the Rainforest Flying Squad and help protect Fairy Creek… We will rally to defend Fairy Creek and... Read more
As a new step in Metchosin’s response to concerns with subdivision of the Metchosin Wilderness Camp, community members have initiated a Go Fund Me campaign, to assist in bringing professional legal knowledge in the practice area of non-profit and charity law, into the... Read more
With the support of MP Gord Johns of Courtenay – Alberni, the BCAFM is bringing a petition forward to the House of Commons asking the Government of Canada to help expand the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program (FMNCP) across the country. The FMNCP connects... Read more
Knowledge Powers Action What specific actions can we all take to lower our carbon footprint and save money? We explore answers to this question and many others. Learn practicable and achievable actions that can move us along…
As youth who grew up unaware of the magnitude of the looming Climate Crisis, our team’s concern arose knowing how complacent our governments and the educational system has remained amidst the downfall and unnecessary destruction of our natural world.
The economy – linked to equity – is one of the 10 principles of Bioregional’s One Planet Living framework. But what sort of local economy do we need that respects both ecologically sustainable and socially just development. A number of different models are being... Read more
Have your say in developing Esquimalt’s first Active Transportation Network Plan! Get involved There are multiple ways to share your feedback! You could check out: Complete the survey to help us better understand the existing barriers, issues, and opportunities... Read more
About 30+ years ago, neurobiologists discovered that the human heart has a brain that has many characteristics and capabilities distinct from the cerebral brain with which it communicates. For a quick look at some amazing properties of your heart, watch this short... Read more
Why do people reject the science of climate change; what are the consequences of accepting misinformation and what role does psychology and the media play in overcoming this resistance? This webinar features internationally…
Last week, I noted three ways proposed by Prof. Graham Smith to reform our democracy to safeguard the future, and dealt with two of them: re-shaping legislatures and constitutions and bringing an independent voice to decision-making.
So great to see such a fantastic turnout for the old growth forest rally at the Victoria Legislature. Thank you to everyone for taking a stand for our forests. Here’s a letter, complete with email addresses to share: Subject: A call for a New Forest Framework in... Read more
Two opportunities to help nature are coming up soon. You may not be aware that in BC, there is less than 1% of the biggest old-growth trees left. Keeping these forests standing is among our best tools for mitigating climate change. Yet government and industry still... Read more
Focus Magazine wants people to let them know about any controversial developments in Greater Victoria. “Are you concerned about a particular development in Greater Victoria? Keep Focus posted and we’ll add it to our coverage. Email focusedit@shaw.ca or use... Read more
The wetlands of Nanaimo are a precious ecological resource. To understand their natural values they need to be properly mapped, classified and monitored. This wetlandkeepers course will give you the tools to help steward our local wetlands. Sign up now for the 2021... Read more
Café Books is very good to me. When they see books in catalogues that they think might interest me, they order them in and then put them aside for me to consider them. One such book is the translation from Icelandic of a new book by Andri Snaer Magnuson entitled On... Read more
Please show your support for the arts, and write an email to the Capital Regional District Board in support of the recommendation to create a Regional Arts Facilities Service. Please encourage your arts loving friends to do the same! A decision will be made at the CRD... Read more
Fairway Neighbours Unite for a Livable Langford While Langford appears to be following the letter of the law, they are certainly NOT following Best Practices for keeping their citizens informed: – Releasing plans and architectural drawings on the Friday... Read more
A lot has happened in our community in the past few years: entire mountainsides clearcut and blasted, residents unable to adequately access council meetings during the pandemic, residents of Danbrook, and Tri-way mobile home park displaced, all in the pursuit of... Read more
The City of Victoria has a range of advisory committees. We’re currently looking to fill up to 12 positions for a two-year term on our Active Transportation Advisory Committee. Candidates should have an interest and passion for sustainable transportation... Read more
Join three incredibly talented and well-established visual artists: Roy Henry Vickers, Roberta Pyx Sutherland and David Ellingsen for an insightful look beyond the obvious, hosted by multi-media artist Frances Litman….
We are looking for eight guinea-pigs. Of the human variety. Might you be one? I am part of a new group called the Nanaimo Community Climate Connectors. We share a deep concern about the growing climate emergency, which is threatening our whole world, and the future of... Read more
Once a year, we put out an appeal for financial support – by Becoming a Member – here! https://yellowpointecologicalsociety.ca/join-us/ Some of our initiatives cost us nothing, but we have costs to keep our various technologies going, and some of our new... Read more
Last week, I suggested that true prosperity is doughnut-shaped, but I did not define what I mean by true prosperity, nor what Doughnut Economics means for this region. I will explore the first of these topics this week and the second next week. One understanding of... Read more
We were featured as artist/changemakers on the Creatively United webinar in the fall 2020, and received many requests for a link to our album once it was released in Jan. It is now available on bandcamp or other platforms & in shops, check our website
When one thinks about morality, it is most commonly associated with the sanctioned values and ethics of a particular religious creed or belief system. Of the thousands of extant religions, Christianity and Islam have by far the greatest number of adherents. The many... Read more
When we talk about giving back to the community, any small or big action can make a great transformation. Either you’re volunteering at your community food bank or giving money to a needy person that creates a positive impact in your town. During the celebration... Read more
