There Is Only One Earth — Deal With It
I have spent much of my life working as an educator, whether as a professor teaching graduate students or as an in international consultant working with communities, organizations and governments around the world. Over the years…
Read More
Why Women Are Key To Solving The Climate Crisis
There’s no denying women are leading the fight to save our planet. In every society worldwide, women and girls are responding more effectively in times of crisis and actively working towards creating a more just and sustainable future for all. Yet, gender inequalities... Read More
How to Reduce Holiday Waste: 50+ Eco-friendly Tips
As someone who has been involved in the world of social media storytelling for environmental causes for over a decade, there is one piece of content that I always look forward to seeing circulate at this time of year: an image from Toronto artist Sarah Lazarovic... Read More
Why Eat Regeneratively, Locally, and In Season
I do not want to overwhelm you, with more information yet I feel that this information is some of what we need to know, so we will have the knowledge to be motivated to do everything possible to secure a future on earth not just for humans but for the whole... Read More
We Are More Than Just An Economy, Stupid
We awake this morning to a Trump world. This, despite his lies, his racism, his hatred, his divisiveness and complete disregard for democratic ways and institutions. He has already declared his intention to become a dictator, stating there will be no need for further... Read More
CRD Biosolids Update
On October 30, 2024, the CRD approved a provisional budget for 2025, which included the establishment of an Innovative Project Work Unit. This decision indicates that the CRD is turning the corner from a focus on waste dumping to a growing emphasis on green... Read More
Have Your Say on the City of Victoria’s 2025 Draft Budget
Each year, the City of Victoria’s financial planning process provides an opportunity for Council to set service levels and approve an annual budget. You are invited to provide feedback on the City’s 2025 Draft Budget to help inform Council’s budget decisions. The... Read MoreEsquimalt-Colwood All Candidates Meeting
Thank you to everyone who attended the online and live All Candidates Debate for the Esquimalt-Colwood riding (includes Vic West and View Royal) co-sponsored this past Wednesday evening at Esquimalt United Church, 500 Admirals Rd., by Creatively United for the Planet,... Read More
National Seniors Day Rally for Climate Action
Despite the drizzle and dampness of the day, a great afternoon was had by all who attended the national Day of Climate Action organized by citizens throughout Canada on October 1st. In Victoria, people of all ages attended this fabulous event featuring numerous... Read More
Why Carbon Pricing is Good for Your Health
It is very clear that pollution causes harm. Oxford Reference defines it as “contamination or undesirable modification of soil, food, water, clothing, or the atmosphere by a noxious or toxic substance,” adding that “any form of pollution can have adverse effects on health.”
Read More
Update on Biosolids Management in the CRD
Currently, 80% of the biosolids produced by the Residuals Treatment Facility located at Hartland are being used as a fuel at the LaFarge cement facility in Richmond. The balance of the biosolids are mixed with sand and land applied at a quarry located at Cassidy near... Read More
Forget ‘Axe the Tax.’ Try ‘Pay the Price’
By proclaiming that the carbon tax “is an existential threat to our economy and our way of life” and that it threatens a “nuclear winter” for the economy, Pierre Poilievre has entered the world of full-on craziness and inverted logic. The reality is exactly the opposite. The “carbon tax” — actually…
Read MoreThe Economy Should Serve Well-Being, Planet Health, Not Dominate Them
In exploring the need for a transformation of our values so they are fit for purpose in the 21st century, I have been using a piece of “scripture” from the World Wide Fund for Nature’s 2014 Living Planet Report. The third realm from my piece of “scripture” is the economy, and the text makes an important but often overlooked point…
Read More
Ecosystems Sustain Societies That Create Economies
Back in April, I was asked to be the homilist at the First Unitarian Church just before Earth Day and to talk about the values revolution that is needed. Now I don’t know about you, but I didn’t even know there was such a a beast as a homilist…
Read MoreTake the Nanaimo Climate Pledge
Ever get the feeling that your family is the only one taking the climate emergency seriously enough to try to do something about it? Want to know that you are not alone or what else you can do? Take the https://www.nanaimoclimatepledge.ca/ Together we can make a... Read MoreFORWARD! for a Frack Free Future
Get ready for a weekend of connection, training, scheming, and dreaming of a Fossil Free Future. Build the power of the BC climate movement for a climate-safe future! From June 7-9, activists, organizers, and changemakers from across the B.C. will gather on the... Read More
Harms of PFAS, the CRD’s contract with Lafarge, and Celebrating the Long-standing Ban on the Land Application of Biosolids
A CTV news story on the pervasiveness and dangers of PFAS, a VicNews story on the ongoing issues with biosolids disposal at the Lafarge Cement kiln, and an op-ed by BioSolids Free BC founder, Philippe Lucas, celebrating the popular CRD ban on the land application of... Read More
Petition Aims To Keep Toxic Chemicals Out of Greater Victoria Environment
The world finally seems to be waking up to the harms of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their slow rate of degradation and associated build-up in animals, humans and our natural environment, PFAS are... Read More
New CNN Story on Long-Term PFAS Contamination of Farms Resulting From Land Application of Biosolids
To the the CRD Chair, Board, Staff and member of the press and public, Here’s a link to a devastating CNN story on PFAS contamination of farms in the US: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/02/us/video/pfas-forever-chemicals-farmland-food-biosolids-digvid Does the CRD... Read More
Governments Need to Limit Plastic Production to Protect Health, Environment
A team led by Prof. Martin Wagner of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology recently reported that of 16,000 chemicals associated with plastic, at least 4,200 “are of concern because of their high hazards to human health and the environment.”
Read More
Petition: Uphold the Ban on Land Application of Biosolids in the Capital Regional District
The Capital Regional District (CRD) in Victoria, BC, Canada has a long-standing and popular ban on the land application of biosolids. This is a crucial regulation that protects our local drinking water, environment and public health. Biosolids contain PFAS,... Read More
CRD Pressed to Come to a Long-Term Solution for Biosolids Management
Under pressure from the province, the CRD needs to come up with a definitive plan to deal with the mounting quantity of dried biosolids pellets at Hartland. Biosolids are the byproduct of the region’s wastewater treatment processes. As of now, the CRD says…
Read More
Our Addiction to Plastics Will Come Back to Haunt Us
Monday is Earth Day, and the theme this year is Planet vs. Plastics. This is timely, because Tuesday marks the start of a week-long session in Ottawa of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution. So this week, I begin to look at the plastics industry…
Read More
Open Letter to Minister Heyman: Inadequate CRD Consultation and Health/Environmental Impacts and Legal Liability from the Land Application of Biosolids
Dear Minister Heyman, We’re contacting you today on behalf of members of the Peninsula Biosolid Coalition (PBC), a community-based organization made up of regional environmental groups (Friends of Tod Creek, Creatively United for the Planet, Biosolid Free BC…), local... Read More
The CRD Has Until June to Submit a Long-Term Biosolids Management Plan to the Province
Josh Hylden speaks with Philippe Lucas, founder of Biosolid Free B.C. about what a group of Texas farmers has to do with Victoria. Listen here. Read More
Biosolids & Thermal Conversion Frequently Asked Questions
Updated May 29, 2024. What are biosolids? Biosolids are the dried residual sludge created by treating municipal wastewater. What are the main contaminants in biosolids? Heavy metals, micro plastics, pharmaceuticals, and so called forever chemicals that never break... Read MoreThe Forever Chemical Scandal | Bloomberg Investigates
PFAS chemicals are used in thousands of products aimed at making life easier. But the chemicals are now almost everywhere, including in human blood, and are being linked to severe health problems.
Read More
CRD Needs Answers and to Pursue Better Options to Protect the Public and Environment From Biosolids
Dear CRD Chair, Board and staff, In light of the emerging details about the criminal investigation and civil suits against Synagro, we’re very concerned about the lack of CRD follow up on an emerging public health and environmental issue that seems to clearly... Read More
Company Behind CRD Biosolids Sued in U.S. Over Health Issues, Animal Deaths
The company that produces biosolids at Hartland Landfill for the Capital Regional District is being sued by a group of Texas farmers. The farmers claim fertilizer made from a product of sewage treatment by Synagro Technologies’ operation…
Read More
CRD’s Biosolids Maker Sued by Texan Farmers Over Illnesses, Animal Deaths
The company that helps produce the Capital Regional District’s biosolids is being accused of its similar products medically harming Texas farmers and fatally impacting their animals. Synagro Technologies is the majority…
Read More
CRD Under Pressure To Make A Plan For Biosolid Waste By June
The CRD has been punting its management problem down Hartland Ave. for years. Pressure to resolve the region’s biosolids and other solid waste management plan has resurfaced as construction plans to increase capacity at the landfill are underway.
Read More
CRD Open House on Biosolids Was Anything But
I’m writing today to express my disappointment and concerns about the recent CRD Open House on biosolids. Since the hosts opted to hide the number of participants, and since cameras, mikes and even the “chat” sidebar were disabled for participants, it was impossible... Read MoreA Helpful Guide to Understand the CRD Biosolids Survey (deadline March 6th)
Would you knowingly eat food, drink water or breathe air that contains toxic chemicals and microplastics linked to cancer that are contained in sewage sludge from Victoria, BC’s wastewater treatment plant? Right now, forever chemicals, which true to their name last... Read More
Update on Disposal of Biosolids by the CRD
The CRD wastewater treatment plant located at McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt produces 10 tonnes of biosolids every day. These biosolids are the residual waste products which are piped to the Hartland Landfill where they are treated into a pellet. The BC Ministry of... Read More
What To Watch, Read, & Listen To – Climate Action and COP28
WHAT IS COP28? COP is attended by industry stakeholders, politicians, researchers and scholars, Indigenous stakeholders, NGOs and other members of civil society. However, these groups are not given the same representation and privileges at COP events and negotiations.... Read More
How To Address Climate Change Impactfully at Your Local Level
Thank you to everyone who recently came out in support in person and online (watch here, starting at 42:22) to learn how individuals and community groups can speak to their neighbours and local governments about impactful and proven solutions to addressing climate... Read More
How To Save Oodles of Precious Water!
Residents throughout BC were recently asked to start conserving water. Bowinn Ma, our new minister of emergency management and climate readiness, said water supply is already extremely low in much of the province. All of Vancouver Island is now at Drought Level 5, the... Read More
We must tax the rich, for the benefit of all
My recent columns on the need to reduce inequality and social injustice by, among other things, increasing taxes on the rich and introducing or expanding wealth taxes, have elicited responses from some people along the lines of “you advocate stealing from the rich.”
Read More
Great Annual Family Christmas Tree Hunt
We set out early in the morning. A wintry sun grudgingly appeared as we piled into the car. Mom and Dad, siblings and cousins made up our party. The roof-rack was securely in place on which to bring home the quarry: the perfect Christmas tree which we’ll flush... Read More
Guide for a Green Weekend! (and Avoid Black Friday/Cyber Monday)
WHAT IS BLACK FRIDAY / CYBER MONDAY? The term “Black Friday” had been used in the mid 1800s to indicate a decline in gold prices that caused a market crash The term became associated with this time of year, right around American Thanksgiving, in the 1950s when... Read More
Ecological sanity and social justice — we can’t have one without the other
More than 40 years ago, in my major paper for my master’s degree, I sought to identify the fundamental principles underlying public health. I concluded there are two: ecological sanity and social justice. The pursuit of these principles has defined much of my work to create a healthier society ever since.
Read More
COP27: The good, the bad, and what you can do
What is COP27? COP27 is the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference aka the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, the 27th COP conference since 1994 The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a treaty through which signing nations agreed to... Read More
Local Climate Solutions Papers
On October 15th, candidates from all across BC will be elected to local councils, school districts, and regional districts. The urgency of the climate crisis is such that we need to elect a majority of climate champions on every council, in every regional district,... Read More
Conventional economic growth is unsustainable
Rising concern about the impact of humanity on the environment led to the first UN conference on the environment in 1972. However, the issue of sustainability itself was barely touched on at the conference, with only one mention in the 80-page conference report. Nonetheless, publications prepared for the conference, such as Only One Earth and The Limits to Growth, as well as the conference itself, led to a much-heightened awareness of the challenges we faced.
Read MoreVoices in Nature Event: June 1 – 18
Pacific Opera, in collaboration with Creatively United and the Gail O’Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund, are presenting a series of free outdoor performances in a variety of Greater Victoria parks during the month of June. Experience nature and live... Read More
Amplifying Youth Voices in the Fight Against Climate Change
The 10 year anniversary of Creatively United for the Planet’s first Earth Day event was celebrated with an incredible panel of youth voices that featured five young Canadian changemakers working in creative ways to help amplify youth voices…
Read More
A progressive tax on all forms of wealth would reduce inequality
A few weeks ago, before Russia invaded Ukraine and began committing war crimes that have shocked the world (in a way that should have but, to our shame, did not shock the world when Russia did the same thing in Chechnya and Syria), I was writing about inequality and health in the context of creating a wellbeing society.
Read More
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.
Read More