Seed the City Youth Program
Seed the City is a program for high school students where they can gain work experience in gardening and farming, earn credits towards graduation, and become part of the local food movement in their city. During this 8-week summer program, students build community and... Read more
CRD Parks Survey is Misleading
The CRD’s Regional Parks Strategic Planning process is underway and the need to ensure biodiversity is the primary objective in our parks can not be understated. The CRD’s current public survey (due April 4th) is open to interpretation and written in a... Read more
Old Growth Forest Government Contact Information
Find your MLA’s email here: https://www.leg.bc.ca/learn-about-us/members Premier John Horgan premier@gov.bc.ca 1-250-387-1715 Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources jonathan.wilkinson@parl.gc.ca 1-604-775-6333 Hon. Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary... Read more
Fridays For Future Canada – Global Climate Strike
Join us for the Global Climate Strike on Friday, March 25, 2022 as we demand policymakers and world leaders to prioritize #PeopleNotProfit! The catastrophic climate scenario that we are living in is the result of centuries of exploitation and oppression through... Read more
28-day Lighter Living Groups (4 April – 2 May) – share or register by 1 April
BCers are invited to join a virtual group of 6-10 people who will come together for 28 days to take daily action on personal sustainability and community engagement. Participation is free and groups are supported by experienced facilitators. We’ll use the... Read more
Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief’s Met With RBC
In this toolkit, you will find template emails, shareable graphics, quick links and template social media posts to amplify the response from Gidimt’en Checkpoint. WET’SUWET’EN HEREDITARY CHIEF’S MET WITH RBC In this toolkit, you will find template emails, shareable... Read more
Finish Line Close – Stop Old Growth Forest Now
Stop the logging of Old Growth. Save Fairy Creek. Preserve this valuable resource for the benefit of so many, now and into the future. It must happen. We can not lose the Old Growth!
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Here’s how you can help Ukraine — and the world
I write my weekly columns a week or so before they are published, and submit them five days ahead. So when I wrote my column last week, while there was always the possibility of Russia invading Ukraine, there was still some hope that the Madman of Moscow would not actually do so.
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CRD Parks Survey – FUTURE OF OUR PARKS ON THE LINE!
CRD Parks is NOW seeking public input on a proposed vision, values, mission statement and priorities for our Regional Parks. Recently there has been pressure on the CRD Board to ‘balance’ recreational use with conservation. At a time when biodiversity is globally... Read moreVictoria Action for Just Transition
At the event, the “Ministry of Just Transition” will present a 3-year update on what it has accomplished since its inception in 2022. The climate champions leading the charge will share progress updates on the new programs and institutions they have created by the... Read more
Take a Stand for James Bay’s Cherry Trees
I’m hoping you can help us with this campaign. If you have admired the gorgeous cherry trees on Menzies St. near Niagara, I am sorry to tell you that a developer is going to cut them all down – in order to move the sidewalk over a few feet. And the city... Read more
Highlands community association to host forum on rewilding
The topic of rewilding will be discussed at a forum to be hosted on Zoom by the Highlands District Community Association (HDCA) on March 15 starting at 7:00 pm. As part of the HDCA Speakers’ Series, the Rewilding Forum will feature two local conservation and... Read more
Teal Jones in violation of criteria
A Call for a New Forest Framework in British Columbia Not only do forestry firms acknowledge they permanently destroy majestic old-growth environments, which is NOT sustainable, but they claim they must do so for economic survival. In other words, money trumps the... Read more
Urgent Appeal: Evaluation of Teal Cedar Proposed Management Plan #5
URGENT APPEAL: DUE MARCH 3, Sample Comment LINKS & letters for Comment & Evaluation of Teal Cedar proposed Management Plan #5 for Tree Farm License 46 including Fairy Creek Area
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Housing Requires a Balanced Approach
The “build it and they will come” approach is in line with conventional economic thinking: that more tax income will fund affordable housing and the homeless crisis. It’s overlooked that the current approach to development results in related infrastructure and services consuming the increased property tax revenue.
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High levels of inequality incompatible with a well-being society
That is also true globally: “Bonds across countries do not work when bonds within them are broken,” noted the UN’s recent report Our Common Agenda. Which brings me to the World Inequality Report 2022, released in December. The report is published by the World Inequality Lab, based in France, whose major funders include the…
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Say NO to selling our precious public school land and stream
Dear friends, neighbours, Lansdowne neighbours, Bower Creek neighbours, fellow concerned citizens, Please sign this petition to communicate to SD61 Trustees your opposition to the sale of school land at Lansdowne Middle School south campus. This land is needed to... Read more
When it comes to health, inequality is inevitable, but inequity isn’t
The World Health Organization’s December 2021 Geneva Charter for Well-being expresses “the urgency of creating sustainable well-being societies, committed to achieving equitable health now and for future generations without breaching ecological limits.” So far, I have mostly focused on the need to stay within ecological boundaries…
Read moreInside the Fight to Save an Ancient Forest (and the Secrets it Holds)
This PBS video is a powerful testament to the courage and tenacity of determined protestors to protect the old growth forests in the Fairy Creek Watershed and surrounding areas in southwest Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The subtitle, “And the Secrets It Holds” is even more powerful for the film illustrates that forests have more to tell us…
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Shell’s Massive Carbon Capture Plant Is Emitting More Than It’s Capturing
Many fossil fuel companies are championing carbon capture technology as a way to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in order to continue producing fossil fuels for the market. The federal government has committed to placing a cap on carbon emissions from the oil and... Read more
Well-being society needs a well-being economy
In the face of growing disquiet that our current economic system massively harms Earth’s natural systems while creating excessive inequality and insecurity for many, there is growing interest in the idea of an economy that puts people and planet first.
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Open Letter to Ban Fossil-Fuel Promotion in Schools
The negative effects of fossil fuel extraction and use seriously impact human health and the environment. The Canadian Association of Physicians (CAPE) invites the public to sign an open letter calling on the BC Government to ban fossil-fuel promotion in schools. CAPE... Read moreCoasts, Rivers and Communities
Learn how communities around the world are developing new solutions to mitigate risks by working with nature. Water is the essence of life. Rivers are the arteries of life. Coasts are the gateway to the oceans. All three ecosystems are threatened by the climate crisis — more severe droughts…
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Is the Future Really Friendly for Birds?
Public interest in birds has surged throughout the pandemic. People have discovered the joy of watching birds at their feeders, going for a walk in a nature sanctuary, or simply waking up to their singing. With this increased interest has come a greater understanding... Read more
Phase Out Gas Powered Leaf Blowers
A good guy I know named Francis Landy has created a petition to ban gas-powered leaf blowers in Oak Bay. Please sign and/or share it with others via email, Facebook or any form of social media. This cause is very close to my heart as I’ve been made painfully... Read more
Mark Angelo’s “The Little Creek That Could”
The Little Creek that Could is a children’s story written by Mark Angelo celebrating his life long commitment to bringing degraded urban streams back to life. Mark Angelo is a globally renowned conservationist, teacher and writer who is an Order of Canada recipient... Read moreB.C. Securing Watersheds for a Stronger Future
The BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy today released a Discussion Paper on Watershed Security and and associated Fund to support community engagement in watershed management across the province.
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What is a ‘well-being society’? For starters, one that values planet Earth
In the more than 40 years I have spent working in public health, I have been guided by a key realization and two principles. The realization was that medicine, in which I was trained, while important, is not the main factor that contributes to good health.
Read moreHope for Ecosystems
I have recently come across a new source of information, inspiration, and opportunity to act. Endangered Ecosystems Alliance (EEA) is a relatively new non-profit environmental group. They have just been granted charitable tax status. The executive director is Ken Wu. One of the science advisors is Andy MacKinnon. To me, those participants signal knowledge, integrity, courage, and smart ideas.
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Teal Jones Timber Review Period Open
Here’s your chance to review Teal Jone’s timber analysis and management plan for Timber Forest License #46 (Fairy Creek) and submit your feedback. Teal Jones would like you to send your comments directly to them, however, please copy to... Read more
Section of Bowker Creek for Sale
On January 24, 2020, School District 61 Trustees will be deciding on the sale of a parcel of 1.9 acres of publicly-owned land and section of Bowker Creek at Lansdowne South (previously Richmond Elementary School) We have been told that the number of emails the School... Read more
Cell Towers on the Ocean Floor
In 2018, on land and in space, preparations to deploy millions of antennas were very publicly being made and advertised, for “5G,” “Smart Cities,” and the “Internet of Things.” At the same time, and without any publicity, governments, research laboratories, and commercial and military interests were collaborating on plans to create “Smart Oceans” and the “Internet of Underwater Things” (IoUT).
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Fairy Creek Winter Fundraisers
Every dollar donated will directly support: ★ Physical needs for people still at camps, ★ Reimbursements for lost, stolen, and damaged property, ★ Direct support for frontline defenders healing from violent arrests and trauma
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Elders for Ancient Trees Newsletter
Elders for Ancient Trees Update
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Summary Synthesis of Finding the Mother Tree
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…
Read morePrivate Police & Prosecutors
Corporate lawyers, backed by American billionaires, are trying to jail Indigenous people in Northern B.C. for peacefully standing on their own land. Crown prosecutors argued there was no public interest in pursuing criminal contempt charges against Gitxsan hereditary chiefs and family members who allegedly blocked CN Rail traffic in the town of New Hazelton two years ago.
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Online federal consultation on 2030 climate targets closes next week!
Next week the federal government’s online consultation on our 2030 climate targets closes. It’s a crucial opportunity for us to have our say about Canada’s climate targets and the plan to reach them. The consultation was launched under the radar in December, and... Read more
All I want for the new year is…
… 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…
Read moreA Cellobration of Nature
Eight 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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Black Friday is bad for the planet and our well-being
We have just witnessed another Black Friday and Cyber Monday, an orgy of consumerism that kicks off the Christmas shopping binge. Every year, it seems, the consumption-fest gets worse, hyped by a marketplace that encourages greed and over-consumption because it desperately wants us to purchase more and more stuff.
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November 10th Elders for Ancient Trees December 7th Newsletter
December 7th Elders for Ancient Trees Newsletter
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Mother Nature has shown us that ‘business as usual’ is a disaster
Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, has told us “humanity is waging war on nature.” The problem is that wars have winners and losers. But as the events this year have surely shown us, Mother Nature is more powerful than us, and bats last.
Read moreBC Government issues permits to log forest for wood pellets as part of the so-called “bioeconomy”
BC government is issuing cutting permits to log primary forest for pellets in BC’s interior. This is being packaged as part of a ‘bioeconomy’, and is heavily subsidized by the people of BC. Watch Conservation North’s new video to find out more.
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Elders for Ancient Forests Newsletter
December 1 – 7 Elders for Ancient Forest Newsletter
Read moreTransforming Communities Creatively Through Regeneration
Season 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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Regenerative Land Design
Years ago I visited a farm with a friend. The owners were ranging bison on the land and heard I worked in regenerative land design. They asked if I would consider a problem: There was a creek that ran through their property and pasture. They had a question, “how... Read more
Elders for Ancient Forests November 23 Newsletter
Elders for Ancient Trees Weekly Newsletter, Nov. 23/21
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Practising health care as if the planet matters
Last week, I reported on the rally at the B.C. legislature organized by Doctors for Planetary Health — West Coast. The rally was timed to coincide with the COP26, the UN’s climate-change conference in Glasgow, where, for the first time — and at the behest of the U.K. government — health was one of three science priority areas.
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BC Floods: Sharable Infographics and Information
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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