By Jasmin Schellenberg– HEALTHY SNACKS AND WHY Bob’s Red Mill Herbed Gluten-Free Corn Polenta Triangles Ingredients 2 cups freshly ground organic cornmeal (Bob’s Red Mill) 1 cup lime water 4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar 3 cups chicken broth or water 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 medium onion, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary 2 tablespoons pork lard or beef tallow for frying Method Soak cornmeal in lime water for about seven hours. Add vinegar, cover, and leave in a warm place at least 12 hours. Bring chicken stock…
Author: thegreengazette
By Kristin Lehar – With Halloween barely behind us and Christmas just around the corner, the sweets and sugary temptations are not easy to escape. It’s hard not to give in to the shiny, embellished displays of seasonal sweets popping out from every corner at the grocery store and at the same time how many times have we all heard not to eat too much sugar? No doubt we all know why refined sugar should be kept to a bare minimum but here is just one more reason why you should stay strong and say “no” to the sugar displays this…
By Dr. Magda Havas– I’m an associate professor of environmental and resource studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. For the past 25 years I have been teaching university students about the biological effects of electromagnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation, collectively referred to as electrosmog. Since 2000, I have been invited to give more than 300 lectures at medical conferences, at universities, to congressional and Senate staff in the United States, and to community groups. I have presented to the Canadian Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Parliament of Canada’s Standing Committee on Health, about…
By Jonathan Weisblatt – Dear reading one, Hello. Let’s get right to it. If I love you – and I’m working hard at it – then I want to make this collaborative project work. Can you feel me embodying the deep grief I feel while I look at the current state of our human trajectory? I’m frozen with horror at the violence, at humans’ ignorance, cruelty, and carelessness; I’m frozen with fear at my unending complicity and ineffectiveness as I swim and soak in intersecting systems of oppression and the inertia deeper into climate chaos. I wish we would…
Global populations of vertebrates – mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish – have declined by 58 per cent between 1970 and 2012, states a new report from World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Animals living in the world’s lakes, rivers, and freshwater systems have experienced the most dramatic population declines, at 81 percent. Because of human activity, the report states that without immediate intervention, global wildlife populations could drop two-thirds by 2020. “This research delivers a wake-up call that for decades we’ve treated our planet as if it’s disposable,” said Carter Roberts, WWF president and CEO. “We created this problem. The good…
Covering less than one per cent of BC, native grasslands are home to the highest diversity of at-risk plant and animal species. The grassland ecosystems of our province have been negatively impacted by wildfire suppression combined with a continued absence of prescribed fire. The lack of fire leads to the encroachment of trees onto grasslands as well as excessive in-growth of trees in previously open forests. Grasslands provide forage and browse for domestic cattle, elk, deer, and California Bighorn sheep (see photo). Restoration has economic benefits for ranching, forestry, hunting, guide-outfitting, tourism, recreation, and First Nation and non-First Nation communities.…
By Lisa Hilton– Step one: somebody plants the cotton plants. Step two: the plants are tended by field workers until the cotton grows. Step three: the cotton is harvested. Meanwhile, one million cotton workers are hospitalized that year, due to contact with the strong pesticides and insecticides. Step four: the cotton is milled into yarn. Step five: the yarn is milled into fabric. Step six: a clothing item is designed, and this design is communicated to the factory. An order is placed. Step seven: hundreds or thousands of duplicates of this design are sewn on hundreds of sewing machines at…
By LeRae Haynes – Small Town Love Williams Lake is a unique program that brings local, independently-owned businesses to the forefront, supports and promotes them, and reminds us all how important they are to our local economy. Heidi Jakubec, Love Williams Lake champion, said she’s thoroughly enjoyed getting to know local business owners and hearing their stories. Jakubec started on as program manager last year after the Love Williams Lake launch in Boitanio Park. “It’s something I believe in personally; I find it amazing and fascinating,” she said. “I feel so lucky to be asked to take on this program.…
By Terri Smith – Next week, Amadeus’ brother and mother will be going to a new home. It’s going to be strange to now only have one dog, one cat, and one goat. But once again, this is better for Amadeus and for us. Just a few days ago I watched as Amadeus’ brother head-butted him hard enough that Amadeus fell and rolled right onto his back. He was near the fence, and as he fell his horns tangled in the page-wire. He struggled to get up, but couldn’t. Fortunately, I was there to untangle him and help him to…
By Jennifer Clark – The idea of living simply isn’t new. Whether it was Thoreau writing about living a simple life in the cabin he built on Walden Pond; Edward Abbey documenting the years he spent living in a travel trailer in Arches National Monument in his book Desert Solitaire; Bill Rees and Mathis Wackernagel developing the idea of our “ecological footprint” as a means of assessing the impact our consumption has on the Earth; or, Jim Merkel spurring a new movement in voluntary simplicity when he wrote Radical Simplicity in 2003, voluntary simplicity has been discussed almost as long…
By Sharon Taylor – Canada celebrated Citizenship Week from October 10 to 16 this year, and it was a good time for all Canadians, whether by birth or choice, to reflect on what it means to be a Canadian in today’s complex world. To become a citizen, a person must pay a fee (presently $630), meet certain eligibility requirements, and take a test to “demonstrate an adequate knowledge of Canada and responsibilities and privileges of citizenship.” Most people in the Cariboo region have to take the test in Prince George. They must pass the 30-minute test with at least 16…
By Reuben Dinsmore, ND – I know I’m preaching to the choir here—if you have been to see a naturopathic doctor, there’s a very high chance you’ve benefitted from the recommendation of certain nutraceutical supplements along your treatment journey. And so I invite you to take a moment to send a message to your Member of Parliament to let him or her know the proposed changes to the Natural Health Products Regulations are not acceptable. I wholeheartedly agree there needs to be clear regulations over any product marketed for its health benefits. However, there are various reasons why…
By Margaret-Anne Enders – I generally tend toward the Luddite end of the technologically savvy scale; however, lately I have developed a new respect for a certain piece of technology: my parents’ GPS. Well, not the GPS exactly, but the woman who lives inside it. Surprisingly, she has surfaced as a new mentor for me. I don’t even know her name. I do know that she is a bit old, although she doesn’t sound like it. I’m certain that she pre-dates Siri. I don’t even know her well. I met her a few years ago when my family and I…
By Bill Irwin – The ongoing cloudy and rainy weather eroded some of the observing opportunities this past fall. As we head later into the year, the earlier darkness makes viewing times more convenient. Observing is greatly reinforced by habit but many things conspire to interrupt the processlike having to go to work, unfavourable weather, and the effect of moonlight on the visibility of faint celestial objects. The folklore is that every time you get a new piece of astro gear the weather will be rotten. On a wider basis, the real threat is light pollution, which appears to be…
By Gloria Atamanenko – I was born near Fort Vermilion, Alberta, one hundred miles below the North West Territories boundary, in the farthest north farming district on the continent. Living on an isolated homestead during early childhood, I knew more about Ukraine, my parents’ country of origin, than I did about Canada. Winter lasted over seven cold, snow-bound months, and its long evenings were made interesting by Father reading out loud to his family. Mother and he had lively discussions, and there were more of those during visits with friends. History and politics were their strongest interests, because it was the…
Local activist and chair of the Kamloops Council of Canadians Anita Strong is calling on the Trudeau government to keep its election campaign promise to “restore lost protections” to water by immediately restoring the protections eliminated from the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA). “The Prime Minister made a promise during last year’s federal election campaign to restore federal protections for lakes and rivers,” said Strong. “Mr. Trudeau hasn’t kept that promise and needs a firm reminder.” “Every Lake, Every River: Restoring the Navigable Waters Protection Act,” a report recently released by the Council of Canadians, highlights how the current Navigation…
By Angela Abrahão – The first cohort of students from the Sustainable Ranching Program at Thompson Rivers University is finishing up the program’s very first year, ending with Applied Skills and Diversification. It’s been about experiential learning this summer and fall and we’ve had many amazing experiences. In true Cariboo form we headed west, hands on right away with our fencing component. We had the great privilege of working on a fence at Rafter 25 Ranch with the masterful fence builder, Keith Jones from Kiwi Fencing. You see, there was life before I learned about building a fence and life…
By Oliver Berger – Five years ago, Morgan Day and I worked at Mt. Timothy Ski Area. Like in most seasons, we assisted patrons with their daily riding needs, tended to the lifts, repaired groomers and whatever else needed to be repaired, and built whatever needed to be built. Maintenance life at a small ski area. To get our shredding fix, we would go for the odd run here and there. But we wanted a little more than “here and there.” As kids, we had explored some other ski areas in BC and now, on the odd day off, we…
By Carmen Mutschele – Everything you’ll ever need to know lies hidden in a song… well, almost everything. When I first heard the beautiful song “Si” by French singer Zaz, I could only make out certain words. I looked up the English translation and found that the song speaks of a spiritual revolution and the last verse mysteriously alludes to winter. Maissinos mains nues se rassemblent, Nos millions de cœurs ensembles. Si nosvoixs’unissaient, Quels hivers y résisteraient ? (English translation) But if our bare hands gather, our millions of hearts together if our voices unite what winter could withstand it?…