Author: Carolyn Parks Mintz with Andy Phyllis Chelsea – Article by Sage Birchwater – Andy Chelsea was chief of Esk’etemc First Nation at Alkali Lake when I first came to the Cariboo-Chilcotin in the early 1970s. In 1972 he and his wife Phyllis launched a sobriety movement that would eventually transform their community and send reverberations around the world. But the struggle to turn a community around where every adult was addicted to alcohol was monumental. The nickname for Alkali Lake at that time was Alcohol Lake, and Andy and Phyllis wanted very much to change that image. As a…
Author: thegreengazette
By Terri Smith – A few days ago, on CBC radio, I listened to an interview with a very intelligent man who eats vegan for breakfast and lunch and vegetarian for dinner. He misses meat all the time, he says, but knows that animal agriculture is one of the biggest polluters of our planet. I agree with him, and yet I’m still going to tell you that you should eat meat. If you want to. But with a very crucial caveat: eat good, local meat. Industrial agriculture is absolutely killing this planet. But that goes for crops like soy and…
By Guy Dauncey – There comes a time in the evolution of every civilization when the Universe sends us a new message. Slowly, it works its way through the multiple layers of a long-established culture. It is buffeted by resistance and repulsed by rulers, but in spite of this, it finds its voice in the songs of poets, the impulses of teenagers, and the dreams of millions. A new ecological civilization, it whispers ever so softly. A whole new era, replacing the industrial dreams that shaped your last three hundred years. A future in which you will understand Nature, in…
By Dr. Chris R. Shepherd and Jordi Janssen Globally, there are 353 species of tortoises and freshwater turtles, and of these the conservation status of 251 species has been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (a comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of species). The assessments highlight the dire straits this group of ancient species is in, with 154 being considered Threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable), and, sadly, a further eight species are already extinct. While this group of species faces a myriad of threats, illegal and unsustainable wildlife…
Human disconnection from and reconnection to nature is the main theme of “Everything is Shining,” artist Jim Savage’s recent exhibition in Wells and Williams Lake. The painting Anthropocene (after Alex Colville’s Horse and Train) is one of the most compelling pieces. The term Anthropocene is increasingly used to describe the current geologic era given the utter domination of humans. Savage’s painting is based closely on Alex Colville’s famous and haunting 1954 painting, which is usually interpreted as depicting mechanization/progress against nature, or free will vs. the inevitability of death, among other meanings. Anthropocene is also informed by one of J.M.W.…
By Lisa Bland, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, The Green Gazette – Dear Readers, The winds of change have shaken the golden leaves from the branches of the trees, and we are steadily moving into the darkness of winter. With the changing season comes the sense of creating order and gathering resources to sustain us as we get ready for the long winter ride. Post-election, it also feels like the dust has settled after all the hype, and it’s time to focus on what lies ahead, for better or for worse. In times of intensity, whether globally, locally, or personally, sometimes the impulse is…
By Sage Birchwater – On August 10, 2019, I hired Mike King of White Saddle Air to take my family on a helicopter ride down the West Branch Valley of the Homathko River. I wanted to show my grandkids where their dads were born and grew up on our trapline in the shadow of Mount Waddington, 80 km south of Tatla Lake. Because there were 12 of us, it took two flights into some of the wildest country British Columbia has to offer. The wilderness is still intact because it’s so rugged and remote. Richard Jones and I bought the…
By Jessica Kirby – Ten Thousand Villages has been a Christmas market presence in Williams Lake for the past 10 years. After a short hiatus, Bethel Cariboo Church is bringing the market back to Williams Lake November 21-23. A sustainable, eco-friendly Christmas is coming to Williams Lake, thanks in part to the revival of the Ten Thousand Villages Christmas Market, held in partnership with Cariboo Bethel Church and its team of tireless volunteers. Previously, Cariboo Bethel Church partnered with Ten Thousand Villages’ head office in Winnipeg, which held a national festival campaign that brings the store to communities across Canada.…
By Erin Hitchcock – As the Christmas season approaches, many increasingly catch the consumerism bug. We hustle from store to store or browse online looking for something to give to our friends and family members, so we make them feel special and appreciated, or even because we feel obligated to do so. Every year on Black Friday scores of people flood the stores to buy, buy, buy. The flurry can become so infectious and out-of-control that, in some places, shoppers have reportedly become violent during the chaos. Isn’t spending time with loved ones more valuable than fighting for a living…
By LeRae Haynes Bringing light and warmth to the world by re-purposing items headed for landfill is only one of the many projects taken on by Williams Lake volunteers for Canadian Food for Children. Local volunteer D.J. is one of those volunteers. At her home in Williams Lake she re-purposes tuna cans and discarded wax, adds wicks, and makes candles to use in places around the world with no light and no heat, either due to extreme poverty or a natural disaster. Volunteers also re-purpose and put together things like things like midwife kits, orphanage boxes, sewing boxes, cleaning kits,…
By David Suzuki – The election may be over, but there’s no time to be complacent. Canadians voters—and many people too young to vote—demanded that politicians take climate disruption seriously. The parties and candidates listened, and, for the first time, climate became a top election issue. Now we must make sure they all come together to keep their promises and step up their ambitions. We must hold elected representatives from every party to account, to avoid the usual scenario where parties and leaders concentrate on what will benefit them most before the next election rather than making serious attempts to…
By LeRae Haynes – Turning concern into discussion and fear into action is at the heart of a Williams Lake Facebook page called How to Save Our Planet—Where to Start. Administered by registered clinical therapist and concerned citizen Kathy Lauriente-Bonner, the page opens discussions about daily-life steps people can take to make a difference. “There is incredible mounting anxiety about climate change and a global extinction event, and as a therapist I’m starting to hear more and more people expressing generalized anxiety about these issues,” she explained. “The predominant theme I hear expressed by people is that they feel helpless…
By Ryan Elizabeth Cope – This winter, instead of reaching for the easy option or quickest option, take a pause and give this idea a try: don’t make excuses; make plans. Plans are what allow us to commit to ideas and follow them through. In the world of low-waste living, plans are essential, however annoying or time-consuming they might be. When a plan becomes a routine, it becomes embedded in the fabric of our being and this is where habits are formed. This is the birthplace of consistent, low-waste living: plans, routine, habits. Low-waste living feels easy when life feels…
By Jessica Kirby, Senior Editor of The Green Gazette – Many of us know the rich, aromatic beckoning of a hot pot of coffee—how it tickles the senses and carefully lures you to its dark, deliciousness in the wee hours. Like all things decadent, not all coffee is created equal, at least not from economic or ethical standpoints. More than 125 million people worldwide depend on coffee farming for their livelihoods, which means the choices we make about buying it directly impact others, not to mention the environment, wildlife, and forests. It’s time to perk up and take note of…
By Jenny Howell – By the time you read this, an election will have come and gone. One thing that stands out this time around is that citizens are ranking climate change as one of the top three election issues. In 2008, Stephan Dion tried to make this an election issue with his ‘green shift’, but he was about 11 years ahead of his time and it flopped spectacularly. It is encouraging that we now have a public more informed about the implications of climate change. However, the really discouraging thing is that according to an Ipsos poll conducted for…
By Amy Quarry Owner, Long Table Grocery – Here at Long Table we base much of our business model on the 12 Permaculture Principles. Originally and most commonly applied to gardening and agriculture, they have immense value in the creation and design of all kinds of systems whether they be agricultural, social, economic, or business structures. Two of the most well-known principles are “Produce no waste” and “Obtain a Yield”. Producing (or reducing) waste is something that is top of mind for many people right now, particularly when it comes to food waste, and something that we take very much…
By Oliver Berger — Well, usually during my “No Time Left to Waste” articles you all read my venting about the serious garbage issues that plague our society. I want to say, thank you for listening. In this article, leading up to the holidays where we should be most aware of our consumption and reduction, I am going to share with you some good news from this year. Loop Resources has come to town partnering with Save-On-Foods in Williams Lake. Their program aims to divert as much edible and non-edible food waste as possible from the garbage stream to the…
By Maureen Pinkney – Now well into its second year, the Crafters’ Market is a destination shopping store. Not only can you get an amazing variety of hand-crafted gifts and everyday items sold by the very individuals that made them, but there is also the ability to buy home grown products. Step into the quaint store right on the main shopping street of Birch Ave in 100 Mile House and you will find a warm and inviting atmosphere of friendly faces, a variety of products, and an indoor pergola warming the center aisle. The concept for the store came from…
One of the simplest astronomical observations you can make is that the stars, planets,moon, and sun all rise in the east and sink into the west. At the observatory, then, the four directions are different. Due to earth’s rotation, the stars move 15 degrees an hour. That is about the length of the handle on the Big Dipper or would be about 30 full moon diameters, which is a lot, although I suspect the moon seems larger than it actually is due to its brightness. You have to be punctual to see objects in the western sky before they disappear.…