– Last year, Fraser Basin Council (FBC), a province-wide charitable non-profit organization, launched a new pilot initiative to create opportunities for young people to get more deeply involved in core environmental, social, and economic sustainability issues affecting their communities. In the first year of the initiative, called Co-Creating a Sustainable BC, the organization welcomed a diverse group of youth (ages 16-30) from two regions in British Columbia: the Thompson and the Sea to Sky regions.Youth participants worked alongside each other over eight months to deepen their understanding of leadership within the context of sustainability and climate change, to identify barriers…
Author: thegreengazette
Environmental Defence has launched its new Toxic Ten Skincare Guide to help Canadians make safer and more informed choices when shopping for cosmetics and personal care products. “Canadians are increasingly concerned about the impacts of toxic chemicals in their bodies and the environment,” says Muhannad Malas, toxics program manager at Environmental Defence. “Our new guide lists 10 harmful chemicals, or groups of chemicals such as phthalates and Teflon-like chemicals known as PFAS, that consumers should avoid to better protect their health and the environment.” “It is critically important that consumers make smart decisions to avoid products containing known and potentially…
– Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Centre in Williams Lake was established in 2012 to provide a place in the community for people to access Buddhist teachings, meditation, or just quiet space for spiritual contemplation. Part of a world-wide network, the centre is affiliated with the parent organization known as the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). The centre has hosted numerous workshops and classes with resident FPMT and travelling teachers and offers peace and insight through Dharma teachings, which develop understanding in how to lessen suffering and bring greater happiness. Part of integrating these teachings into our daily…
By Erin Hitchcock – Seedy Saturday and the Early Bird Farmers Market in Williams Lake, May 2 Little can compare to the first bite of a freshly picked veggie, grown yourself or by a friend or neighbour. You can imagine how it formed from a tiny seed and was nurtured by careful hands, fed by nutrients in the soil, and quenched by the rain and the sunshine. Visitors to the 12th annual Seedy Saturday taking place May 2 in Williams Lake will get a taste of that biological wonder and more as our community celebrates that amazing process and the…
By Gauri Sreenivasan, Nature Canada’s Director of Policy and Campaigns – Let’s face it: we wish there was no need to mark Endangered Species Day. Unfortunately, for now the trends seem to indicate otherwise. In Canada, half of all monitored species have declined (see WWF-Canada’s Living Planet Report ) in Canada since the 1970s, many of them by more than 80 percent. In BC’s central interior that includes species like the Peregrine falcon, white sturgeon, and the mountain caribou. It’s our responsibility to make sure these species continue to thrive, for the health of the planet and for our…
Submitted by Rail Ties Be Wise – A ten-year Electricity Purchase Agreement (EPA) approved Oct 1, 2019 between Atlantic Power Corporation and BC Hydro will allow the burning of more than 2.4 million toxic rail ties per year at an energy plant in Williams Lake, beginning as early as September 2021. This comes despite a concerted effort by local citizens to oppose the Ministry of Environment’s decision to allow rail ties as fuel. The rationale for accepting rail ties as a fuel source is the projected shortfall of available clean wood fibre to run the plant. The EPA stipulates that…
By Nicola Finch, Cariboo Community Natural Burial Association – “There is no reason why the plans we make around our own burial or cremation cannot be in keeping with practices that are supportive of nature and mindful of the environment.” —Green Burial Society of Canada The Cariboo Community Natural Burial Association is a new non-profit organization based in Williams Lake. Our purpose is to establish a natural burial sanctuary here in the Cariboo. Natural or green burial at its most simplistic is direct burial in the ground in a manner that does not inhibit decomposition. There is no embalming, no…
Normally, I avoid deep sky observing around the full moon. It takes centre stage, washing out all the faint fuzzies. Only the brightest stars are visible; like seeing would be from downtown Vancouver. The full moon is very bright in an astronomical telescope, which is designed to gather as much light as is practical. In my 5″ refractor, which has exquisite optics, the view is like what you would see if you were 2000 km away. Features from 2 km and up would be visible. You can see the very smooth area of Mare Tranquillitatis, where Apollo 11 landed. No…
By Tera Grady – Part of the Cariboo Regional District’s Solid Waste Info Series: Becoming Waste Wise February 18th was National Battery Day and Call2Recycle, the stewardship agency responsible for consumer battery recycling, is challenging Canadians to recycle all their old batteries. According to the 2018 Call2Recycle consumer survey, 88 percent of British Columbians knew consumer batteries were recyclable; however, only 44 percent recycled all their batteries in 2018. This equated to a 37 percent return rate, meaning that 63 percent of batteries purchased in 2018 were not recycled. This leads to the question—where did they all go? If you…
By Erin Hitchcock – The devastation happening to our world is scary to say the least, but we mustn’t allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by the darkness when so many others are working to illuminate it. People all over the world are pooling together to heal our planet, be it Greta Thunberg and the Fridays4Future movement that has led to millions of people calling for climate justice, or the individual seeking out ways to have a smaller footprint. Finding examples of hope in action helps propel us forward in creating the peaceful and healthy future we want for this world.…
By Diandra Oliver – Growers and food producers from Vanderhoof to One Hundred Mile House are experiencing the exciting growth of the local foods industry with the development of Sprout Kitchen Regional Food Hub and Business Incubator. In July 2019, the City of Quesnel was awarded $500,000 from the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a small-scale food processing and innovation centre based in Quesnel. Launching in the fall of 2020, Sprout Kitchen will be a small-scale food processing and innovation hub that serves the area from Vanderhoof to One Hundred Mile House. While there is consumer demand to buy and…
By Venta Rutkauskas – Definition of reprise 1[French, from Middle French] a: a musical repetition: (1): the repetition of the exposition preceding the development In the fall of 2017, I wrote “The Role of Art in Precarious Times” for The Green Gazette, motivated by a turbulent and fiery year. I sought guidance from artists in the past who had made art as an act of courage, to speak truth to power and expose oppression. Tanya Tagaq, James Baldwin, Banksy, and Nina Simone drove the piece, fierce symbols of art as action in response to injustice. In this reprise, there is…
By Alejandro Frid New Society Publishing Book Review by Sage Birchwater – The latest book by Bowen Island marine ecologist Alejandro Frid carries a message of hope in a world fraught with worrying environmental uncertainty. Five years ago, Frid published his first book on a similar theme, A World For My Daughter: An Ecologist’s Search for Optimism (Caitlin Press 2015). There, the author’s brilliant analysis of the ecological stress facing the planet, measured from the relatively pristine environment of the Central Coast of British Columbia, suggested a dire future. David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and The Art of Battling Giants…
By Ryan Elizabeth Cope – What makes for a great non-fiction read? Is it the way in which authors weave together story with fact, painting a picture that is equal parts thought-provoking and eye-opening? Or is it that the content so often strikes close to home, is so familiar? The below titles share these kinds of commonalities. Each is heaped full of information and is relevant in these changing times. From these titles, we are invited to imagine different ways of living, eating, and doing business. We’re given an opportunity to reconsider how battles are won and what the term…
By David Suzuki – Island Scallops on Vancouver Island has relied on stable ocean conditions since 1989. But CEO Rob Saunders says those started changing a little over a decade ago. Measurements showed dropping pH levels, indicating increased acidity. “We started to notice our larvae weren’t swimming very well,” he said. They weren’t feeding. They were dying at a tremendous rate.” In 2013, acidity spiked near Qualicum Beach and wiped out 10 million scallops, forcing the company to rapidly adjust. Heightened acidity is a well-known consequence of CO2 dissolving into the ocean to form carbonic acid. “The focus for us…
By Guy Dauncey – Many years ago, I lived in London, United Kingdom, in a house four us had bought together. Being self-employed, I was always on the look-out for work. My book The Unemployment Handbook had been published five years earlier, and I had acquired some skills, so I decided to set myself up as a Holistic Careers Counsellor, attracting clients by placing a brochure in a progressive church. By ‘holistic’ I meant work that would bring fulfilment and meaning. The phone started ringing, and I was in business. I would ask my client to write a two-or-three page…
By Jim Cooperman – The arrival of the new decade that finally has a familiar ring provides an opportunity to reflect on the previous one, make predictions about the upcoming one, and compare it to its namesake: The Roaring Twenties. No doubt it will be as roaring as the last one, but more likely the roar will not be coming from the wild dance parties; instead it will emanate from wildfires, intense storms, rising social upheavals, and yet more wars. With so many countries now run by leaders seemingly populist—but increasingly authoritarian and in cahoots with the greedy elites—it is…
By Dr. Chris R. Shepherd and Lalita Gomez – There are 13 species of otters, all belonging to the subfamily Lutrinae. These largely aquatic carnivores are found on all continents, with the exception of the Antarctic and Australia (there are no otter species found east of the Wallace Line that runs through Indonesia). Like many carnivores around the world, the future for many otter species is threatened due to direct and indirect anthropogenic activities. Otters are threatened by habitat degradation, water pollution, channelization of waterways, conflict with fish farmers, loss of prey species, and illegal and unsustainable exploitation for commercial…
By Terri Smith – During my workshops I am often asked what the difference is between GM seed, hybrid seed, organic seed, heirloom or heritage seed, and open-pollinated seed. Here is my short answer. Genetically modified (or GM) seed has been altered in a lab so that the plant will have certain characteristics that misguided growers think they want (my bias is showing, I know). This seed is always patented. Crops from GM seeds may or may not produce food that is fit to eat; it seems the jury is still out on that one. There is an equal amount…