By Terri Smith – “It was just one of those things where you know that it was meant to be,” says Marilyn Allin of Green Tree Health and Wellness with a smile. She describes the whole experience of buying the business 11 years ago and moving out to BC as one of those times where, “You just put one foot in front of the other even though you don’t know where it’s going to take you, and everything falls into place.” In 2008, Marilyn was living in Ontario feeling like her life was on hold when she Googled, “health food…
Author: thegreengazette
By LeRae Haynes – It’s been a busy, verdant season at Frank’s Plants and Produce in Horsefly, kicked off by Seedy Saturday, the Mother’s Day build-your-own basket event, and the Williams Lake Farmer’s Market. The home-based greenhouse, growing a wide range of veggies, flowers, shrubs, fruit vines, and herbs, is owned and run by Frank Wijma and his wife Carla Bullinger who work to balance family and running a business, and despite facing hurdles and obstacles are finding joy in every day life. The family’s lifestyle reflects the desire to dial things back and still function, says Wijma. “You need…
By Erin Hitchcock – One of the best ways to challenge climate change is by tackling air pollution, and we all have our own unique roles to play. Whether pledging to stop idling, reducing consumption, or actively pressuring for change there is something each one of us can do and we need to start immediately. On June 5, 1974 the first World Environment Day took place urging governments and organizations to preserve and enhance the environment, deepen environmental awareness, and pursue the determination of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Since then, World Environment Day has “helped raise…
Article By Brandon Hoffman, Artistic Director, Arts on the Fly Festival – Arts on the Fly’s annual summer festival is set to fly again, July 12 and 13 in beautiful downtown Horsefly, BC. This year brings a bouquet of exciting new acts to the Cariboo, plus just as many tried-and-true favourites. The Sadies are a good-time rock and roll/country and western band from Toronto, Ontario. Their collaborations, as well as their accomplishments as an independent barn-burning unit, are highly impressive. The Sadies have toured as a backing band for Neko Case, collaborated with Gord Downie and Blue Rodeo, and even…
By Vanessa Moberg – How much can go wrong during your first two weeks living aboard a sailboat? A lot. My husband, filmmaker Robert Moberg, and I made a huge leap in April, moving aboard our 34-foot boat we’ve named “For Good”. We’re on a mission to find stories of hope for the Earth in our tiny home on the big blue, a project we’ve dubbed Sailing For Good. We knew it wouldn’t be a life of sunbathing and sangria, but we didn’t think the challenges would be huge, immediate, and concurrent. Our first priority was training. On our second…
By Guy Dauncey – The summer days bring exquisite shades of green. The bees are out, the ants rush around, and the wind rustles quietly in the tops of the trees.Tiny mauve butterflies flit in and out of the flowers.A fresh-baked rhubarb sponge cake sits on the kitchen counter. Life is sensuous, beautiful, and quite frankly, exquisite. And then Cassandra arrives. She of noble Greek ancestry, admired by the god Apollo, she with the golden locks and the long white flowing dress, reading from her list of warnings: “One million species facing extinction, UN Report finds.” “Plummeting insect numbers threaten…
By Lisa Bland, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief – Dear Readers, The Cariboo is in full blossom and everywhere we look nature is filling in spaces with a riot of green. The return of warmer temperatures brings into focus the desire to make the most of what the season offers and get out into the great outdoors. Along with the inspiration of summer activities, there’s also the ever-present reminder of challenges we are facing collectively as the season heats up. What will manifest this year as a reflection of increasing temperature extremes and climate instability? How much of BC will burn? How many salmon…
By Diana French – On April 22, Earth Day will be celebrated by groups and individuals all around the world. Williams Lake will mark the event with a rally sponsored by Cariboo Chilcotin for Planet Earth at Herb Gardner Park starting at 10:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. There are plenty of issues to rally around. Cariboo-Chilcotin for Planet Earth started as a Facebook group in November, after the release of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) October report. The group helps local people connect and work together on global warming and other environmental issues at…
By Lisa Bland – Ella Parker has always loved rivers, even before participating in the Rivershed Society of BC’s Sustainable Living Leadership Program (SLLP) last summer. She grew up in the Yukon and has extensive river experience, including day- and week-long trips in the summer to the Takhini River with her family and multi-day river trips with high-school experiential learning programs. For Ella, following a life-long love of rivers on an immersion journey into BCs largest rivershed seemed like an obvious and exciting thing to do. “I was drawn to the SLLP program because of the outdoor education component and…
By Lisa Bland – Sasha Makhneva is an environmental science student at Simon Fraser University with many creative talents and interests such as singing, art, drawing, and music. She also loves to explore and go on epic adventures. Originally from Russia and now living in Burnaby, BC, Sasha was inspired by Fin Donnelly, founder and executive director of the Rivershed Society of BC (RSBC), when he completed his 1,400-km swim down the Fraser River to advocate for sustainability and conservation of the Fraser watershed. She applied and was accepted as a participant in the Rivershed Society’s 2018 Sustainable Living Leadership…
By Lisa Bland – Sammy Penner’s love for the natural world began at an early age. She grew up in an outdoorsy family and has been surrounded by nature all her life. She’s always felt connected to the water. Sammy’s father was a fisherman, their family lived on the Fraser River delta, and later along the Cowichan River on Vancouver Island. Sammy currently lives in Ladner, BC, in the lower Fraser River delta — an area known for rich wetlands with many resident bird species and up to five million migratory birds that stop along this part of the Pacific…
By Lisa Bland – Myka Kollmann grew up in the Bronx, New York and has lived in Vancouver for the past 13 years. She is currently a fourth-year undergrad at UBC studying social justice and environmental studies. Myka enjoys working in her community and being out in nature. She has been volunteering with a local recovery house in Surrey, supporting people living with addictions. Along with her love of cooking, reading, writing, and quiet reflective time, she is considering a career focused on human rights, environmental law, or teaching. Myka heard about the Rivershed Society of BCs (RSBC) Sustainable Living…
By Lisa Bland – Erica Stahl is a public interest environmental lawyer. She grew up in Vancouver and worked at the Canadian Environmental Law Association for two years after completing Law School in Toronto where she obtained a joint Master’s degree in environmental studies and law. She now works for West Coast Environmental Law in Vancouver as the liaison lawyer for the company’s legal aid services. Erica decided to combine her interest in the environment with law because she has always loved nature. “I grew up around the spectacular mountains, forest, and ocean living in Vancouver, and I decided to…
By Lisa Bland – Brandi Wattam is a passionate naturalist. Growing up in Ontario, she spent a lot of time outdoors and canoeing. In BC, she has worked in a number of nature-related jobs including seasonal fruit picking, mushroom picking, treeplanting, and working in greenhouses. Brandi also has a passion for facilitation and leadership, working for Big Brothers and Big Sisters and in an outdoor education centre. She holds certifications in Wilderness and Level 3 First Aid and is a certified lifeguard. “Since the moment I learned about the Rivershed Society of BC’s (RSBC) Sustainable Living Leadership Program (SLLP), I…
By Lisa Bland – Riley Brennan has always felt connected to nature, and she has spent a lot of time recreational canoeing and fishing. She lives at the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser rivers in Prince George and is studying political science, environmental studies, and business at the University of Northern BC. Riley sits on the youth advisory committee of the Fraser Basin Council (FBC) and was sponsored by that group to join the Rivershed Society of BC’s (RSBC) Sustainable Living Leadership Program (SLLP) with fellow FBC advisory council member, Brock Endean. Their SLLP project was to contribute to…
By Lisa Bland – Brock Endean grew up in the rural community of Chase, BC, in unceded Secwépemc territory. He loves to learn and explore the natural world and is currently a youth director on the Fraser Basin Council (FBC). Brock is Métis on his mother’s side and has volunteered and worked with many rural Indigenous communities. He is passionate about community development and youth empowerment. His background and education includes tourism, facilitation, economic development, Indigenous education, and local and international volunteer work. Brock currently runs a consulting firm that specializes in supporting the development of rural communities and non-profit…
By Lisa Bland – Vanessa Scott’s passion for the ocean and water began in childhood. She grew up sailing in the Mediterranean and Pacific Northwest, and her family has lived on the BC coast for four generations. She currently resides in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island and has studied journalism, communications and, more recently, community economic development. She is a passionate writer, storyteller, and advocate for watersheds and salmon. She has also worked extensively in public engagement and environmental activism, and more recently has focused on conflict resolution in communities addressing polarized issues around natural resources and economic development.…
By Lisa Bland – Lisa loves being on and near the water and has lived in wild beautiful places for as long as she can remember. The tidal pools and temperate rainforests of rural communities in coastal British Columbia where she grew up shaped her sense of place, passion, and commitment towards caring for the natural world. Coming from a family history of homesteaders, fishermen, fisheries conservationists, and creative artists, Lisa was inspired to advocate for nature at an early age. Over the past 25 years, she has volunteered with conservation and watershed groups in coastal and inland BC. Lisa…
By Terri Smith – This dressing is often made at Long Table Grocery to dress up any vegetable dish and is a variation of one made by Martin Comtois in the ArtsWells kitchen. Through trial and error and guessing the ingredients we came up with our own version that we now use on everything. We haven’t yet found a vegetable this dressing doesn’t get along with, and it’s good for you! 1 garlic clove 2 Tbsp Bragg’s (or soy sauce) 3 Tbsp lemon juice 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast 3/4 cup olive oil Whirl the garlic in a food processor or…