By Jessica Kirby, Senior Editor of TheGreenGazette — It may come as a surprise—and a source of great pride—that modern day Canadian craft brewing has roots in British Columbia. According to Ken Beattie, executive director of the BC Craft Brewers Guild, it all began in 1982 when John Mitchell, who owned the Troller Pub in Horseshoe Bay, hired brewer Frank Appleton to supply beer to the pub. “John had this idea after the province-wide beer strike in 1979 left him without a supply of beer for his regulars,” says Beattie. “The provincial government allowed him to brew beer for the…
Author: thegreengazette
Why Electromagnetic Fields and Wireless Radiofrequency Radiation Exposures Matter for People with Autism Spectrum Conditions — By Cindy Sage, MA, Sage Associates, Santa Barbara, CA USA: Co-Editor, BioInitiative Reports (2007 and 2012) — Ask any parent-to-be about their top concerns for a new baby or for their young children and they will often say autism. Parents of a child (or children) with an autism spectrum condition (ASC) can tell you about its impact on a family’s emotional well-being as well as the financial challenge to provide for basic education, treatment, and healthcare. The prevalence of ASCs has grown so fast that…
By LeRae Haynes — Protecting and conserving sustainable salmon stocks and supporting First Nations in becoming re-engaged with their traditional economy is the mission and the primary goal of the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance (UFFCA). In partnership with the Tsilhqot’in National Government, Xeni Gwet’in, and the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council (NSTC), the alliance is establishing an Upper Fraser commercial fishing enterprise base on the Sugarcane reserve near Williams Lake. “Our mantra is quality and sustainability” “At this point we’re working on governance and structure, offering support through equipment, research, and experience,” explains executive director Gord Sterritt, who worked in…
BC Holiday weekend: “Life is a bowl full of cherries,” I announced at a family gathering. We were all having a beautiful time. We were at the family cabin at Quesnel Lake. Early Monday morning, I got up to pee at 3:00 am and I was sleeping on my boat, which was docked in front of the cabin. I heard this continuous roar, like a 747 jet towards the town of Likely. Then I noticed that the boat was rocking, while a minute ago Quesnel Lake was like glass. That’s odd. I knew that Polley Mine was within a few miles, but I just…
By David Suzuki — Bees may be small, but they play a big role in human health and survival. Some experts say one of every three bites of food we eat depends on them. The insects pollinate everything from apples and zucchini to blueberries and almonds. If bees and other pollinators are at risk, entire terrestrial ecosystems are at risk, and so are we. Well, pollinators are at risk. And we know one of the main causes of their alarming death rates. A new report concludes that neonicotinoid pesticides, or neonics, “pose a serious risk of harm to honey bees…
By Jenny Howell, CCCS — Going through some old magazines last week, I picked up a 2002 copy of Harper’s magazine, with an article by Tom Bissall about the demise of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. The Aral Sea was once the world’s fourth largest lake, half the size of England, and supported a thriving fishing industry. The Soviets pursued an earlier Tsarist policy to irrigate Central Asia and grow cotton and wheat (both thirsty crops) in the desert, using water diverted from the Amy Darya and Syr Darya Rivers, which drained into the Aral Sea. As more water was…
Part of the Cariboo Regional District’s Solid Waste Info Series: Ever wonder what happens to your wood waste? It all depends on where you drop it off. If it’s not segregated out of your household waste, it will be transported to your regional landfill and landfilled. If you dispose of it in your local transfer station bin, it, too, will be transported to your regional landfill. If you dispose of it at a landfill in the demolition and construction zone, it will be landfilled. If you drop it off in a wood waste marshalling area it will either be ground…
By Wilf Geier — We recently finished building a house. Before we started, it seemed like the ideas and options were endless. In order of importance, we felt that a solid, well-built house was the most important. Following that we wanted it to be comfortable, highly efficient, unique, and well finished. The original designs were pretty lofty, but then reality set in and the budget dictated what we actually need in a house (what, no indoor pool and skate park?!?). We ended up spending over a year on design, looking at many different layouts that fit our needs, trying to…
By Adam McLeod, ND, BSc — Naturopathic medicine has a wide range of tools that can be used in conjunction with conventional medicine to effectively treat cancer. Many people have this underlying assumption that naturopathic treatments are not “evidence based” because otherwise their oncologist would have recommended them. The truth is that many of these therapies are extremely well documented by scientific studies and the mainstream scientific community does not dispute their effectiveness. The bottom line is that cancer patients do better when they have an integrative health care team and naturopathic doctors are an integral part of this team.…
By LeRae Haynes — Health and beauty treatments go hand in hand with protecting the environment at Adorn and Beauty Naturally. The salon offers pedicures, manicures, facials, waxing, reflexology, a range of massage treatments, eyelash and eyebrow tinting, gel nails and polish, and more. What sets the salon apart, according to owner Jo-Anne Lang, is its commitment to high-quality green Canadian products with no preservatives, toxins, or harmful additives. Lang has been in the health and beauty industry for 14 years, and says that what people expect has really changed. “People know more and care more about the products they…
By Terri Smith — It would seem that readers miss Amadeus. I know, I know: I have said goodbye to that article half a dozen times and then started it up again, but what can I say about popular demand? Starting next issue, I will be submitting a short Amadeus article for each edition as well my new farming article. In the meantime, here’s a little something about Amadeus’ nephew-brother, Baby Goat. Baby Goat’s real name is Caliban, from The Tempest, but he’ll probably be called Baby Goat forever. He was an accident. A few years ago I kept two…
Without music, life would be a mistake” — Friedrich Nietzsche By Jenna Sipponen — Sometimes your body responds to good music with goose bumps, sometimes you just can’t help but sing along, and sometimes it’s proper to just quietly listen. Depending on your music choice, you may have a combination of these experiences. Music keeps us alive in many ways, keeps us happy, and even inspires us to do great things in our lives. Music keeps the party going, and we all have to admit it gets our toes tapping. “Those darn teenaged youngsters listening to their darn rap music!”…
— How do I fix the problem with my well? By A. K. (Sandy) Amy — You’ve had your well water tested, and have received a report from your water testing service provider or laboratory. The report shows that one or more of the parameters tested for does not meet the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. What do you do now? There are as many answers as there are possible problems with well water. These could range from something as simple as installing an inexpensive filter system, to having to drill a new well. In some cases, where a serious health…
By Michelle Daymond — As Food Action Co-ordinator, I have been writing articles on behalf of the Williams Lake Food Policy Council (WLFPC) for a number of years now (and it still amazes me that I have actually been in the Cariboo that long!). As I was thinking about what to write this month, I realized it has been a long time since there has been a description of what the Food Policy Council is, who we are, and what we do. The WLFPC was formed as a result of a Community Food Action Forum held in November, 2006. We…
By Ray Grigg — Choices are one of the many benefits provided by our modern, affluent, consumer culture. A television universe of 500 channels should provide something for everyone’s viewing preferences. Toothpaste? More different kinds than can be imagined. Breakfast cereal? The varieties are overwhelming. Cars? A model with specifications for every possible need. Don’t like the long cold seasons? Just choose a warmer place for a winter holiday. Such choices are more than comforting. Beyond lightening the burden of inconvenience, reducing the stress of adapting, and creating the illusion of security, our choices come with a satisfying sense of…
By LeRae Haynes — When my children were born I learned to cook with meat. I came from several generations of vegetarians, and wanted my kids to have a choice, moral and otherwise, about what they ate. I’m not squeamish and I love to cook, so I started pestering my friends for their favourite carnivore recipes. “It’ll be great,” they said. “It’ll be so easy,” they said. My newfound decision was put to the test when, as the result of a country barter, a giant dead salmon was delivered to my front porch. Eight months pregnant with a toddler in…
By Diane Dunaway — If ever there were a bird that captures our sense of wonder, surely hummingbirds top the list. From their aerodynamic acrobatics to the metallic sheen of their feathers, the smallest birds on the planet exude beauty and joy. Bird books note their feisty behaviour. Hummingbirds are a New World species, 338 all told, that can only be found in the Americas. Four species visit British Columbia, and in the Cariboo we see three: the Rufous, the Calliope, and recently the Black- chinned. It’s expected that the Anna’s will eventually wend their way here, too. Hummingbirds are…
By Jessica Kirby — Thirty years ago, there was no ecotourism. There was tourism, which meant going to unfamiliar places in a recreational state of mind, but the prefix “eco” was reserved for more traditional concepts like “ecology” and “economy,” and not at all for a gentler, and greener way of interacting with nature. Ecotourism in its contemporary expression can mean several things—travelling into delicate, gently touched, environments with light feet and strict respect; low-impact, small-scale travel in relatively undisturbed areas; and, travelling to developing nations to gain perspective and experience for international environmental concerns. In this fast-paced, electronic world…
By Paul Hearsey and Sandy McNie — We have been organic gardeners for many years with as much self-sufficiency as possible as our goal. Our five-acre farm on the coast had large vegetable gardens and fruit orchards. Cash crops of berries and tree fruits provided much of the income we needed to make a go of it. Selling chicken and rabbit meat, and milk from the goats and cows helped. This was all done in agricultural Zone 8, of course. Gardening here in Zone 3 has proven to be quite a challenge, but entirely do-able. Moving to Horsefly has been…