By LeRae Haynes — Cariboo Auto Recyclers has changed with the times to keep up with and exceed environmental standards. For more than 60 years the company has provided a wide range of automotive services throughout the Cariboo-Chilcotin, helping people replace, reclaim, and recycle. Today,, the company consistently receives gold- and platinum-level certification from the Automotive Recyclers Environmental Association, and has since its very first inspection. “It’s a far cry from the days when my dad used to use old oil to keep the dust down in the driveway,” explains owner Rennie Johnson . “My generation doesn’t come from recycling—I’ve…
Author: thegreengazette
By Lisa Bland — Dear Readers, Spring is finally here! As the light and warmth increase with longer days, it feels natural to jump into action with the buzz of new growth and bursts of reviving energy all around us. Our long winter sleep is finally over, and everywhere life is busy emerging, growing, reproducing, and preparing for new beginnings. Comprehending the amount of activity going on in spring is mind-boggling—plants shooting their roots down into the earth and photosynthesizing the sun’s energy, bugs crawling through the soil, animals digging out of their burrows, the mating dance of almost every…
The Rivershed Society of BC is looking for environmental leaders who are up for the trip—and the challenge—of a lifetime. The not-for-profit organization is inviting people who dream of starting, or who may already be working on sustainability initiatives to apply for the Sustainable Living Leadership Program (SLLP).The SLLP is an eye-opening 25-day educational program that takes participants from the Fraser River’s headwaters near Mount Robson, to where it meets the shores of Vancouver 1,400 kilometers downstream. Traveling by canoe, raft, shuttle van, and on foot, you explore ‘off-the-beaten-track’ parts of BC, learning about the geography, biology, and history of…
By David Suzuki — A scientist, or any knowledgeable person, will tell you climate change is a serious threat for Canada and the world. But the RCMP has a different take. A secret report by the national police force, obtained by Greenpeace, both minimizes the threat of global warming and conjures a spectre of threats posed by people who rightly call for sanity in dealing with problems caused by burning fossil fuels. The RCMP report has come to light as federal politicians debate the “anti-terrorism” Bill C-51. Although the act wouldn’t apply to “lawful advocacy, protest, dissent, and artistic expression,”…
By Cael Geier — The spirit of Indonesia is welcoming. In locals I have met, I find no trace of reluctance to see a foreigner walking the streets, nor do I feel harassed by vendors as I have in other developing countries. A simple greeting and smile are easily accepted everywhere, and returned in kind. I feel extremely grateful, as my experience here has been enriched by the people I have come with—volunteers of Canada World Youth (CWY) and KEMENPORA. Our program, Youth Leaders in Action, is comprised of nine Indonesian youth under the age of 25, each paired with…
By Brent Morton — Williams Lake’s multi-talented Ciel Patenaude, whose brand new exhibit opens on April 2 at the Station House Gallery, took a moment to sit down to discuss her epic new collection. Ciel, imagine you’re in an elevator, on the ground floor, and in walks the curator of a famous gallery. You have 30 seconds to tell her about your current art project before the 14th floor. What do you say? The Knowing is a set of pen and ink prints that were created to help people reconnect with their intuition, personal truth, emotional experience, and internal intelligence system:…
By Darcy Benjamin — Yes, it is Green, and you would be surprised what a positive impact this super plant is making in the world wherever it is allowed to be grown and processed into any of its 25,000 different end uses. No, this isn’t medical marijuana or the kind some people recreationally smoke. You will not get high from smoking industrial hemp. The two are cousins of the cannabis plant, but the difference is in the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content—the psychoactive element. The government classes industrial hemp as cannabis with a THC content with less than 0.3 percent. Hemp has…
By Teena Clipston — The world is abundant in beauty, and I have been captivated by its intensity in many moments. The Rockies of BC have taken my breath away with their majestic grandness that reaches into the heavens; the deserts of Arizona have captured my heart in tranquility; the Grand Canyon and Colorado River have left me in awe with their mystery, and the oceans have taken my heart with their duo personality—able to caress one softly and yet also fiercely take life away. Each of these places is different from the other and teeming with life that is…
By Sage Birchwater — Nobody fills a room quite like Brent Morton. Few musicians touch the heart of culture and the urgency of our times as deeply and vividly as he does. Since arriving in Williams Lake from his hometown of Saskatoon in 2007, Morton has fashioned a vast musical legacy. His powerful voice and rolling anthemic sound clears the bleachers and gets everyone up dancing. His lyrics dissect issues that are difficult to grasp. Inspired by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, and Sigur Ros, Morton’s message is simple yet deeply introspective. Political and prophetic. He dares to question…
By Troy Forcier — Health Canada states on its website, “the herbicide glyphosate and products containing glyphosate (e.g., Roundup) are registered pesticides in Canada supported by extensive scientific data that meet strict health and environmental standards.” Glyphosate (C3H8NO5P), or N-phosphonomethyl glycine, is a systemic herbicide used in high volume in Canada (0.5-1 million kilograms in 1986 and over 2 million kilograms in 1990). Several staple food crops have been genetically engineered to be resistant to the application of this pesticide and this has allowed farmers more economical control over many weeds. Beyond massive agricultural and garden usage to control weeds,…
By Sage Birchwater — It’s been eight months since the August 4 breach of Mount Polley Mine’s tailings storage facility (TSF) spilled 25 million cubic metres of mining effluent and scour material into the pristine waters of Quesnel Lake. The volume of the spill was so significant that it caused the level of the 266-square-kilometre (103-square-mile) Quesnel Lake to rise seven centimetres overnight. The short- and long-term environmental impact of having this much toxic material dumped into one of the deepest and purest fjord lakes in the world has not yet been determined. Safe to say, this watershed has been…
By LeRae Haynes — Zirnhelt Timber Frames designs, engineers, and builds sustainable hand-crafted timber frame homes, cottages, and commercial buildings, achieving balance between natural products and energy efficiency. The company’s staff builds complete homes from foundations through to finished cabinetry, or supply custom timber work and lock-up packages. Zirnhelt Timber Frames is newly located at 150 Mile House next to Chemo RV and is owned by brothers Damon and Sam Zirnhelt, who grew up in Beaver Valley. The business was launched when Damon and Sam bought a portable sawmill to pay for their university degrees 21 years ago. “We…
By Terri Smith — It’s taken me longer than usual to write this article. It just seems that life is a bit tougher than usual at the moment. I’m guessing many of you may be feeling the same sort of “winter blues.” Christmas month, while a wonderful time of family, friends, and food can also be a bit of a shock to the system and can cause us to spiral down into some pretty dark times if we’re not careful to keep our balance. And then January arrives and cabin fever can start to set in. The dark days and…
By Lisa Bland — Dear Readers, As we journey around the sun and emerge from the depths of winter, it’s comforting to know that green life will soon be stirring. In a land where half our year is spent in winter, and the months of January and February statistically can be the most challenging to us northerners in terms of mental health, good self-care can be a way to get through the slog of winter and prepare for the new energy of spring. For some, this may be a season to be immersed in creative pursuits: dreaming, reading, sleeping, enjoying…
By Pat Teti — Do you like the idea of homemade yeasted bread but think kneading is too much trouble? Maybe you are physically unable or simply don’t want to knead dough. Maybe you have a stand mixer or bread machine that’s not working. Whatever your reason, no-knead bread recipes give you an option by removing a major step in the process. If that helps motivate you, they’re a good idea! Because I enjoy kneading, I dismissed no-knead recipes for years. However, I was curious about the popularity of this bread style so I tried Mark Bittman’s video recipe…
By Adam McLeod, ND, BSc — DHEA is often described as a wonder drug that is used by patients interested in its anti-aging effects. As we age the levels of DHEA in the blood start to decrease so the logic was that if patients were given this hormone then they would be able to partially reverse the aging process. There is evidence to suggest that indeed it improves many of the characteristics that we associate with aging. Supplementation with DHEA is not safe for everyone as it is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer. In response…
By Jessica Kirby — For eight years now, Canadians have been part of an international movement to celebrate the Earth with A Moment of Darkness. With our help, the World Wildlife Federation’s (WWF) Earth Hour has become the largest grassroots act in history, engaging millions of people worldwide to flick off the lights for one hour in March, reflect on the possibilities of collective action, and envision a future without climate change. Earth Hour kicked off as a lights-out event in Sydney, Australia in March, 2007. Seven months later San Francisco ran its own “Lights Out” event, inspiring global engagement…
By Ray Grigg — The pressure is building to reduce global carbon emissions. At each meeting of the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties (COP), the urgency becomes more palpable. The Lima meeting of COP 20 in December, 2014, failed to reach the preliminary commitments necessary for the binding international agreements expected at the COP 21 meeting in Paris in December, 2015. France is getting nervous because its reputation will be sullied if the Paris COP is a failure—French President Francois Holland made this very clear to Prime Minister Stephen Harper during an autumn 2014 visit to Ottawa. With the…
By Devon Chappell — “When maca is consumed the spirits are close. Maca draws in spirits to be birthed.” — Traditional Andean shamans(pacos) Individuals seeking zest and craving an active attitude towards life often swear by the power of food to guide their well-being nutritionally, medicinally, and religiously. No matter the situation, obstacles, or challenges life tosses up, I believe that, other than music, nothing but food has the ability to promote healthy happiness, focus, and physical drive. Have you found yourself in midst of a cold climate or high above the sea where the air is thin and…