By LeRae Haynes – Gift giving takes on a whole new meaning when one-of-a-kind beauty is layered with a piece of culture that means something deep and beautiful. Open for a limited time, November 14 to December 23, at the ECO-tique Pop Up Store in Williams Lake you can find home furnishings and décor, clothing, and accessories from places around the globe, featuring fair trade and sustainability and helping to preserve culture and build economies. ECO-tique features collections from three local businesses: Satya Yoga Studio, MamaQuilla Textiles, and Worth Every Penny. It was a big success last year, meeting the…
Author: thegreengazette
By Oliver Berger – Well, it is confession time again. I sucked. I sucked for many years of my life. I would go out for meals, start drinking and could suck late, late into the night. I mean, we all did it, my friends, my family, work colleagues, my boss—they all sucked, too. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I learned a few things about sucking, I reconsidered. I hope you realize by now that I am talking about using straws. In the US alone, 500 million straws are used every single day. They say in Canada we…
By Mary Forbes – Oliver Berger and I just returned from the Recycling Council of Alberta conference at the Chateau Lake Louise. I love my job but some days the perks just blow my mind. We were invited to attend and present on the amazing and inspiring Waste Wise projects and activities of the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society and The Potato House, all local programs that happen right here in Williams Lake. Our presentation was on the first day and was warmly received, although everyone there had to be repeatedly reminded that Oliver and I are not married—I am married…
By Tera Grady – If you live in a community that receives curbside recycling collection, you likely participate in the program. The question is, though: if someone inspected your recycling tote this week, would it receive a passing grade? Considering the District of 100 Mile House, the Cariboo Regional District, and the City of Williams Lake are nowhere close to achieving the acceptable contamination levels set by Recycle BC, there is a pretty good chance you might have some contamination in your recycling bin. For example, the 108 Mile Ranch community had nearly 20 per cent contamination by weight in…
By LeRae Haynes – In a tiny woodland cabin in a pristine and beautiful wilderness, JoAnne Kimmel creates her beautiful, unique, skin-nourishing natural soaps. Owner and creator of Wildrose Lathers, named after the many wild roses in the Nemiah Valley where she lives, Kimmel makes soaps that are lovely to use, and good for your skin. “Making something good for your skin is really important to me,” she explained. “I use things like shea butter and avocado oil, and add herbs and oils that are purely for the benefit of your skin. “I don’t shirk the quality for the price.…
By Kristi Iverson – The South Cariboo Sustainability Society and Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society are hosting two Era of Megafires events (November 29 in 100 Mile House and November 30 in Williams Lake) to help us understand the causes of the fires of 2017 and what we can do to prevent future fires from causing catastrophic damage. The event features a video presentation with Dr. Paul Hessburg created by North 40 Productions. Dr. Hessburg has spent decades researching large wildfires and trying to understand the conditions that cause them. His film presents the ecological and social causes of what has…
By Kristin Lehar – Bone broth is one of those foods that has been around since before civilization and has been a staple food for many cultures around the planet. Like many traditional foods, it got lost somewhere in history when it was booted out by refined and imitation versions. Thus, it has long been a greatly undervalued and unappealing food. But bone broth is slowly but surely making a come back and rightly so because unlike its imitation counter part, true bone broth is loaded with minerals and amino acids that people pay a lot of money for in…
By Terri Smith – One of the most difficult things about being Amadeus’ surrogate mother is discerning which of his troubles are actually problems and which are just the problem of Amadeus: the goat who was never supposed to be here at all. The next step – figuring out how I can help him – can be even more challenging. His most recent trouble is mites. Goats are often itchy, and everything I have read about goats seems to confirm this. Part of it is all that hair they have; it gets itchy when it’s time to shed and they…
By Kate McDonough – This winter has been exceptional, four feet of snow on the frozen ground. Our one-room log cabin down in the Kleena Kleene River Valley is truly isolated, the track was never plowed, and never will be. We have two horses, but they can’t plough their way through the formidable snow. Mike can manage on snowshoes, though. Checking his trapline and weekly hikes to get the mail and supplies, five miles away, keep him fit. And not feeling isolated. He is too exhausted to have a conversation after dinner, but he’s been happily outdoors in the wilderness,…
By David Suzuki – I’m often introduced as an environmentalist. I prefer to be called a father, grandfather, scientist, or author, as these terms provide insight into my motivation. Environmentalism isn’t a discipline or specialty like law, medicine, plumbing, music, or art. It’s a way of seeing our place in the world and recognizing that our survival, health, and happiness are inextricably dependent on nature. To confront today’s environmental crises, everyone – garage mechanics, construction workers, dentists, politicians, and judges – has to see the world through an environmental lens. I recently attended an event with a panel of outstanding…
By Bill Irwin – I stargaze, therefore I am. With the holiday season coming, some of you might be considering purchasing a telescope or binoculars. Most equipment designed for nature watching can be used for stargazing, but the converse isn’t always true. Field of view and magnification are the prime specs for binos and telescopes. In astronomy, many objects are faint and quite small, so light gathering and resolving power are major considerations. The bigger the lens or mirror, the more light it picks up and the more detail it can theoretically present. Star images, being pinpoint, are one of…
By Margaret-Anne Enders – Apparently there is a name for it. A phrase that encompasses the gut-churning, oxygen-sucking, confidence-shaking, grief-provoking physical and emotional onslaught that greets those who step onto the path of working for racial justice and equality, who dare choose to stand beside and actively walk with those who are marginalized in our society. It is so real a phenomena that it has its own name. It’s called “sitting in the fire”. I am well-acquainted with the virtue of being able to sit in discomfort, to observe the thoughts and feelings that arise, to feel the sensations in…
By LeRae Haynes – With both National Child Day and National Family Literacy Day on the horizon, the Early Years community in Williams Lake is kicking into action to help families celebrate with two upcoming free festivals. Baby Fest is first, held on November 16 from 3–6 p.m. The event, an information fair, welcomes every baby born here in 2017, providing gifts, prizes, and information on all organizations and businesses with something to enrich and enhance the lives of young families. Put on by Success by 6 and the City of Williams Lake with the help of the Early Childhood…
By Beth Veenkamp, Economic Development Officer, City of Williams Lake – An indicator of economic prosperity in cities is a healthy and vibrant downtown core. This is accomplished when there is good pedestrian traffic that frequents local businesses, which are often independently owned and operated. Usually unique, and often eclectic, downtowns that offer a variety of choices and have a pleasant and bustling vibe are one of the key elements that strengthen the health of a community. Williams Lake small shop owners are working hard every day to keep themselves afloat in a competitive market place where shopping online…
By Vanessa Moberg, Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society – Volunteers are important. Really important. Renowned author and political scientist Robert Putnam has suggested that social capital – defined as civic engagement, cooperation, trust amongst citizens, and working towards the common good – is critical to our democracies, economies, and societal health and well-being. It is also argued that not-for-profits – and the volunteers that run them – are the backbone of social capital, which is essentially saying that volunteers are critical to societal stability. That’s a really big deal. I’ve been lucky enough throughout my career to work for many different…
By Jessica Kirby – Halloween has changed course over the years from an Earth worshipping event focused around the harvest, to a darker, banished-by-the-church abomination, to a well-known child-focused commercial event celebrated around the world. Part of moving away from a natural, harvest-focused holiday to a commercial holiday is that the Earth tends to take on more of a burden. Think about cheaply made, single-use items like decorations made of plastic or tin, one-size costumes of flimsy material, and accessories like pipes or eye glasses made dress-up ready and destined for the landfill. People want affordable, effortless options that help…
Spiral Health is kicking off the first annual Discover Wellness Health Fair & Market in Williams Lake. It will be held Saturday, October 14, 2017 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in The Gibraltar Room at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex. The health fair is about “Inspiring a Healthy You!” It has been a successful event in Quesnel for the past three years showcasing over 30 health and wellness businesses in the community including health food stores, nutritional supplement companies, fitness and yoga studios, various modalities of healing practitioners, delicious healthy food, and more. Informational and educational presentations are offered,…
By Angela Gutzer – “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” —Pierre Teilhard de Chardin This quote brought much solace to me as I entered the world of grief. It helped me elevate myself above the restriction and pain the human condition contains, and free myself from the constricted chains of ego isolation in the chaos of grief to the inner truth of spirit. I had grown accustomed to physical truth. Go to school, get a degree, get a job, build a home, pay debts, and remain in the physical.…
By Jasmin Schellenberg – HEALTHY SNACKS AND WHY Keep school lunches cool and your kids healthy with these mint-lime frozen bottles: Ingredients 1 L home-made Kombucha tea Juice of four fresh limes A handful of fresh mint leaves Method Morning: Combine the Kombucha with lime juice and mint leaves in a jar and leave out until evening. Evening: Strain the Kombucha to take out the mint leaves. Divide the Kombucha into plastic drink containers, leaving at least an inch of space. Close the tops and put upright in AQthe freezer overnight. To use: In the morning put one bottle of…