TheGreenGazette
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
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Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
TheGreenGazette
TheGreenGazette Issue # 40
Contents
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
Features: 5/ Beyond Capitalism: Moving forward in Reverse In her book, Capitalism must Die, Stephanie MacMillan describes capitalism as a mode of production that converts the natural world into surplus commodities through the exploitation of labour. - by Lisa Bland 6/ Give Green: Santa would approve There is a story I tell the kids about the existence of Santa—No, I say … the guy in red doesn’t arrive in the night and leave things behind. But the story of his selfless generosity is quite real. - by Jessica Kirby 13/ Science Matters: We can’t dig our way out of the fossil fuels pit Rather than focusing on short-term economic and corporate priorities, though, politicians should first consider the long-term health and well-being of the people they’re elected to represent. When it comes to climate change and fossil fuels, many aren’t living up to that. - by David Suzuki 27/ Small Town Love: Loving small business in Williams Lake 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. - by LeRae Haynes 28/ Buying Fair Trade is a Commitment to Think Fair Trade is a commitment to think. It is a commitment to do our research, and to truly understand why things cost what they do, and why many things should cost a lot more than what we’ve become used to, especially in a commodity market like clothing. - Lisa Hilton 29/ Food and Energy Demand Drives 58 Per cent Decline in Global Wildlife Populations 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).
TheGreenGazette Publisher / Edi tor-in-Chief Lisa Bland Senior Editor Jessica Kirby Contri butors David Suzu ki, LeRae Haynes, Margaret-Anne Enders, Lisa Hilton, Kristin Lehar, Jas min Schellenberg, Terri Smith, Oliver Berger, Jessica Kirby, Guy Dauncey, Bill Irwin, Angela Abrahão, Ron Young, Miriam Schilling, Carmen Mutschele, Dr. Magda Hava, Jonathan Weisblatt, Jennifer Clark, John Dressler, Reuben Dinsmore, Gloria Atamanenko, Sharon Taylor, Lisa Bland, Venta Rutkauska Advertising Lisa Bland Creati ve Directors Lisa Bland / Casey Bennett Ad Design Jill Schick, Rebecca Patenaude, Leah Selk Published by Earthwild Consulting Printing Black Press Ltd. Cover Photo White silence: ID 1121612 © Anton Jankovoy | Dreamstime.com Index Photo Book cover: Journey to the Future: A Better World is Possible. Cover photo: Marsha Batchelor www.journeytothefuture.ca
www.thegreengazette.ca info@thegreengazette.ca TheGreenGazette is published by Earthwild Consulting. To subscribe email info@thegreengazette.ca or visit our website at www.thegreengazette.ca © 2016 all rights reserved. Opinions and perspectives expressed in the magazine are those of authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the ownership or management. Reproduction in whole or part without the publisher’s consent is strictly prohibited.
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19/ A New Co-operative Economy People love the strong sense of community smaller communities create. They love the can-do attitude, the lower price of land, the easy access to nature in the lakes, rivers, and mountains. But if there’s no work, it’s tough to stay. So what might strong community renewal look like? - by Guy
Also in this Issue: 5/Judgment - by Ray Grigg 7/ ECOtique: fairly traded and ethical shopping downtown - by LeRae Haynes 08/ Plastic Pollution: Becoming Waste Wise 10/ Green Business Feature: Keeping Warm with Cariboo Wool Bedding - by LeRae Haynes 11/ Green Up Your Gifts with the Medieval Market 12/ Student of Nature: The work of carver and artist Jacob Moondog - by Venta Rutkauska 13/ Xatsull Trail Development - by Miriam Schilling 13/Spacing the Chorus: A small investigation of extemporaneous particulation - by Ron Young 14/ Ten Thousand Villages: Celebrating local and global communities - By LeRae Haynes 15/ Confessions of a Farmer: Once a farmer, always a farmer? - by Terri Smith 16/ No Time Left to Waste: Recycling in the Cariboo - by Oliver Berger 18/ An Ode to Winter … - by Carmen Mutschele 18/ Snow Time Left to Waste: Ride local - by Oliver Berger
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21/ Sustainable Ranching: Learning applied skills and diversification—by Angela Abrahao 21/ Local Activists Demand that PM Protect Rivers 22/ Baby Festival in Williams Lake - by LeRae Haynes 23/ My First Political Experience - by Gloria Atamanenko 23/ Skywatch - by Bill Irwin 24/ Recalibration - by Margaret Anne Enders 24/ Natural Health Products are not Drugs - by Reuben Dinsmore, ND 25/ Becoming a Canadian Citizen - by Sharon Taylor 26/ In Love with Stuff - by Jennifer Clark 26/ Raising Amadeus - by Terri Smith 29/ The Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystem Restoration Steering Committee: Serving the region since 2009 30/ Creative Voice: Who are we? by Jonathan Weisblatt 31/ Electrosmog: The acid rain of today - by Dr. Magda Havas 32/ A Healthy Gut for a Healthy Life - by Kristin Lehar 32/Letter to the Editor: The green economy in the Cariboo - by John Dressler 33/ Calendar of Events: Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
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TheGreenGazette Publisher’s Letter:
Beyond Capitalism: Moving forward in reverse
Lisa Bland Publisher/Editorin-Chief
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he past year has been a whirlwind. As I look back at the topics in my news feed, I consider how mind boggling it might have been even five years ago to walk into the complexity of topics, choices, and stimulus we process daily in our lives. Imagine if it was 50 years ago. News headlines such as how humans are driving the sixth mass extinction on the planet, how the world will run out of breathable air unless carbon is cut, that we've permanently passed 400 ppm carbon in our atmosphere, and how we are on track to lose two-thirds of our wild animals by 2020 flash daily against the backdrop of pushing ahead with pipeline and fossil fuel infrastructure, and the concern with robust and healthy economies. It's hard not to feel uneasy, and like maybe it's time those in authority admitted the obvious. In the political realm, in many countries, the elephant still sits in the room. We skirt around the connecting points between our finite planet and our global market economy. This is not to say that some global problems aren't being addressed by advancements in technology and policy change. Solutions such as Tesla's recent launch of solar roof tiles and Powerall home batteries, Sweden's announcement to give tax breaks for fixing stuff instead of throwing it away, plans to ban plastic microbeads, zero waste grocery stores opening up, and plastic bag bans in major cities. Maybe it's just me, but there's a feeling in the air that change might not happen quickly enough. Like a frog in
boiling water, maybe our brains have become accustomed to co-ordinating and normalizing increasingly more divergent incongruencies and creating order out of chaos when they should be registering danger. The feeling that there's not much time to attend to things that really matter is a record playing in the background. When I talk to friends, I hear the same sentiment. As the year comes to a close, I wonder if the pace will ever slow. Where does this road lead, and how did we get here? What is driving us forward? What is at the root of all this? At the crossroads between our free time and our wants and needs, lies money. The need to secure money to buy more time is an imperative. At the root is the commodification of our world and an economic system that depends on constant growth and productivity. The reason we're moving so fast and struggling so hard is capitalism. In her book, Capitalism must Die, Stephanie MacMillan describes capitalism as a mode of production that converts the natural world into surplus commodities through the exploitation of labour. Under this system, one class of people monopolizes production, including other's means of subsistence, and the lower classes are forced to sell their labour to survive. Since agriculture arose approximately 12,000 years ago, class divided economies centred around the private securing of surplus wealth in the form of storable goods—salt, grain, tea, and in today's world, cars, iPads, coffee, etc. In a capitalist system, the flow of commodities from earth extraction to assembly line to landfill forms the basis of the circulation and accumulation of money. In an interview with the BBC, David Suzuki suggests economics is not a science, but a set of values. He goes on to say conventional economics is a form of brain damage, and while impressive in the conversion of raw material into extractive and manufac-
Judgment By Ray Grigg
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e are living in a time like no other in human history. The environmental decisions we make today and in the next few years will determine our planet's climate stability and the direction of human destiny for centuries to come. Perhaps everyone alive at any given moment in the past has thought that they were living at the centre of history. This is not quite true. History changes in irregular pulses, something we know in retrospect by analyzing the unfolding events over centuries and millennia. Today, we live in a pulse of extraordinary intensity. The rate of change – demographically, technologically, culturally, environmentally – is so fast that yesterday almost seems historical. Consequently, each moment becomes pivotal, each decision significant, and each act of amplified importance. We are compelled to such a conclusion by reviewing a globalizing culture that has sped up to a frenzied crescendo, as if everything has accelerated to match the blurring speed of the electron. Human population has been undergoing an unprecedented
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explosion. Our greenhouse gas emissions are invoking climate alterations that have not occurred for millions of years. Species are dying in the sixth major extinction in our planet's history. Our oceans are warming, acidifying, and rising. And all this is caused by human activity, by the decisions we are making, and by the things we are doing. It's exciting, even exhilarating. But it's also extremely dangerous. We need to ponder this, and to confront what it means for each of us. Perhaps the first conclusion to suggest itself is that each moment is imbued with a significance that makes us culpable in ways that we have never been before. And history will consequently judge what we have done or did not do, both individually and collectively. So the critical circumstances in which we find ourselves vests each of us with a responsibility that has escaped most others in history. While we will each be judged by our acts of commission or omission, the ones among us who are most obviously responsible will be our political leaders. They will be judged as no others. In such a pivotal point in human history, we have given them the duty to function with the principled and visionary perspectives that
turing processes, and on down the line to wholesale and retail, it is destructive by nature. “Where do you put the ozone layer, underground aquifers, topsoil, biodiversity, in the economic system?” he asks. “They're called externalities. “Well, you might as well be on Mars. It's the web of life that filters water in the hydrologic cycle, and miro-organisms prepare the soil we grow our food in. Nature performs all kinds of services. Insects pollinate all of the flowering plants.” The economy is not the bottom line. In cultural studies, the term fetish describes an object that a society believes to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over others. Fetishism basically assigns value or powers to an object. According to Karl Marx's critique of political economy, commodity fetishism is the perception of the social relationships involved in production, not the actual relationships among people, but as economic relationships among the money and commodities exchanged in market trade. Commodity fetishism transforms the abstract aspects of economic value into objects, or into real things that people believe have intrinsic value. In a capitalist society, cultural goods and services sold in the market allure the consumer with the promise of a rich, creative individuality, but in reality, through commodification consumers have little time for the personal self, and are caught in a constant playing out of a sense of identity through the value of objects. If we move beyond ideas of defining worth through objects, what might we find? Is it possible we might recover some of our humanity? In a Wall Street Journal this summer, Pope Francis stated capitalism is terrorism against all of humanity, arguing that terrorism grows as long as the world
economy is centred on the god of money and not the person, and leads to disenfranchisement and extremism. Physicist Stephen Hawking believes greed is one of the greatest threats to the earth, and that humanity needs to collaborate and change our relationships to wealth and possessions if it is to rise to challenges like climate change, food production, disease, and overpopulation. Many of the articles in this issue of TheGreenGazette speak to ways of simplifying, living in community, and creating new visions for the economy of the future. It seems that at this point in history it's time to stop staring up the steps, and to also start stepping up the stairs. If we are going to figure out a way to manifest a life of simplicity and get off the consumption wheel, when is a better time than now? It brings to mind one of my favourite chorus lines from local musician, Brent Morton of Drum and Bell Tower in his song, “Moths”:
will guide us safely through this precarious time. The prime criteria for judgment will be the way in which our leaders address our planet's environment, probably the most critical element in determining whether the edifice we call civilization functions smoothly or fractures into disarray from ecological stresses. Is this a simplification of our challenges? Perhaps. But simplifications are the condensations of complexities that enable us to discern a sense of direction and devise meaningful action. Without simplifications we get lost in a confusing array of
conflicting, disparate, and distracting details. When we are able to review our history from the perspective of some distant and unspecified future, our present and past leaders will be noted for whether they led us toward or away from the environmental dangers now unfolding around us. This is how they will be judged. And it will be how we will each be judged.
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"And the market floats on bubbles And we know the bubble’s gonna burst so we might try moving forward in reverse so we might try moving forward in reverse." Maybe, like capitalism, it's time to step away from the old ways of thinking and knowing. My goal this coming year is to move towards simplicity, make more home cooked meals, enjoy the company of friends, take more time to follow a creative path, and get closer to some natural capital outdoors. Wishing you a peace-filled winter.
Ray Grigg is the author of seven books on Eastern philosophy and has been publishing a weekly environmental newspaper column, Shades of Green, since 2002.
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Give Green: Santa would approve By Jessica Kirby, Senior Editor of TheGreenGazette
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here is a story I tell the kids about the existence of Santa— No, I say … the guy in red doesn’t arrive in the night and leave things behind. But the story of his selfless generosity is quite real. When we think about giving to others – really giving, out of love and the joy we get from another’s happiness – therein lies the essence of the holidays. Yes, I tell the kids, the Santa story is real because the thing he symbolizes is quite real, and if we really give with the heart, we do justice to that story. The holidays are a busy time for the non-profit giving industry, which speaks to Canadians’ attachment to the real meaning of the holidays. Food banks, soup kitchens, and homeless outreach programs across the country rely heavily on Christmas generosity, calling this the time they earn the bulk of donations and can reach the most people in need. If giving in your community, or to another community with needs that resonate with you, you want to be sure your donation is effective and reaches the most people possible. I hate to say it, but the playing field is definitely not level when it comes to financial stability or efficiency in nonprofits and in some cases, it is downright shameful. Money Sense magazine publishes a yearly Charity 100 list, assigning scores to Canadian charities for Efficiency (How much of every $100 donated goes to operational costs), Fundraising Efficiency (What it costs to raise every $100), Reserve (Cash stores), and Governance (Transparency in governance). Receiving a high grade means spending 80 per cent or more of each donated $100 on the actual cause, and fundraising should cost $10 or less for every $100. Of course, no rating system is perfect and the magazine doesn’t rate every charity out there, but it is a decent gauge. The 2016 list shows a number of top scorers in the religious category and among specific branches of the United Way. The more specific the niche, or the more honed on a specific community, the better the performance, which is fantastic because it soothes a Pavlovian response to giving—the more positive change we see in our communities, the more we give. Hospital Foundations show perpetually low scores, usually because of low grades in the Cash stores category, which is understandable given healthcare costs. There are, however, some common Canadian charities that scored high across the board. Free the Children, a foundation started by Marc and Craig Kielburger and later renamed WE Charity, currently focuses on youth initiatives that teach social activism, learning about social justice, and international development projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Though the original 2005 mandate was to raise awareness
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largely because donors choose their projects, and their investments can be used over and over again to fund many different projects. The largest microlending project is Kiva, which spans the globe and is fuelled by a powerhouse board of directors including people involved with Internet sensations like eBay, change.org, WebMD, Airbnb, PayPal, and Apple. Kiva was founded in 2005 in San Francisco with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. People looking to create a better future for themselves and their communities by establishing small businesses can apply for interestfree microloans that are crowdso urced fro m around the world. Loans are exactly that—no interest, direct loans with flexible terms. Most importantly, they are not doPhoto: ID 16766837 © Andrey Kiselev Dreamstime.com nations and they operate of and help change child labour, the cur- on principles of mutual dignity. Projects rent vision is focused on empowering are approved and listed on Kiva’s website young people and changing the world by and crowdsourced for funding. Lenders teaching them to be active global citizens. can browse a project database and contribThe organization brings 92 per cent of its ute to projects that are meaningful to them. earnings to the people and communities it Once a loan is repaid, the funds go back to helps, and only spends $2.92 for every the lender or can be placed towards another $100 it raises. It scored a B on cash re- project. serves because it only banks around two The process is straightforward because months of operating costs at a time, but its 100 per cent of every dollar goes to fundGovernance scored a perfect A+. ing loans—Kiva covers its administrative Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program costs through donations, grants, and spongives 86 per cent of its donations back to sorships. the communities it serves by way of fundKiva has 2.2 million borrowers in 82 ing and subsidies that help kids 4-18 who countries. These borrowers have secured struggle financially become involved in $933.3 million from 1.6 million lenders organized sports through covering equip- since the organization’s inception, and ment, registration, and transportation costs. boast a 97.2 per cent repayment rate. The group spends $8.36 to earn $100, and Nearly 82 per cent of Kiva borrowers are one of its best features is the money earned women establishing small businesses or in each community goes back to that com- going to school with a plan to establish munity, giving donors a sense of intimacy some type of economic contribution in in their contributions. their communities. President’s Choice Children’s Charity, Alternative Gifts International (AGI) which funds $10 million worth of nutrition lists some fantastic start-up programs for and food programs for children each year, families that offer a sustainable, selfscored straight As with 93 per cent effi- sufficient way of life for families in ecociency and $4.28 in costs for every $100 nomically challenged locales. Through raised. Though smaller, community fo- Community Coalition for Haiti’s Help Crecused charities are more likely to encour- ate a Small Family Farm program, donors age a circular giving economy in Canadian can provide a goat, a trio of turkeys, or a locales, there are people who choose beehive to a struggling family in Haiti— causes based on large size or a specific the family will then receive training and cause, such as feeding children, so it is support to provide nutritious food for worth a mention. themselves and the community. The War Amps, BC Society for the AGI offers access to Sustainable HarPrevention of Cruelty to Animals, and To- vest International’s Start a Food Supply ronto International Film Festival are all top program, which teaches families in Belize, rated as well—see for yourself at Money Honduras, and Panama to grow a diverse Sense’s Charity 100 web page. food supply and marketable crops. Donors Microlending is by far one of the most can fund a chicken coop or a kitchen gareffective and far-reaching types of interna- den for one family to help support its selftional aide developed in recent history, sufficiency and access to nutritious food.
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Another option offered through AGI is Milk & Cookies to End Malnutrition, a Partners in Development project that provides health care, specially formulated nutritional cookies, or daily cooked meals to malnourished children in Guatemala and Haiti. If giving green closer to home is more your style, consider some earth-friendly gift ideas you can rest assured make a big difference to the people and animals who need it most. All of these gifts can be made in your loved one’s name and will have a longer-lasting effect than a trinket from the mall. For the environmental trickster, give dung—that’s right, through Oxfam you can gift farmers in need with organic fertilizer for an easy $12. Give the gift of preservation for the butterfly lover in your life with a donation to preserve monarch butterfly trees in Mexico through Forests for Monarchs. Adopt an Octopus through Oceana to help protect marine animals from cruise ship pollution and unsafe energy production; or, give your prairie gal or guy the gift of feeding buffalo on the Great Plains of Mexico for an entire year through Nature Conservancy. If your loved one is a people lover, consider Bikes not Bombs, which restores and brings bikes to economic development projects through international programs in African, Latin American, and the Caribbean. History buffs will love being titled a Scottish Lord or Lady along with preserving a square foot of Scottish land from development through Lord or Ladyship, and the word nerd in your life will love the adopt-a-word program through I CAN that helps fund support for children with communication difficulties. The world is a big place, and many, many people need our time, empathy, and outside funding to get by in the world. Obviously we want to stretch our dollars and reach as many people as we can, which means taking a little extra time this holiday season (and all year long) to investigate the efficiency of our donations is well worth the time and effort. Believe me: Santa would approve.
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Featured Green Business: ECOtique: fairly traded and ethical shopping downtown By LeRae Haynes
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COtique is a fresh new business model opening soon in the Delainey Centre Mall on Oliver Street in Williams Lake. It’s a collective created by Angie Delainey, Penny Hutchinson, and Maureen LeBourdais, social entrepreneurs who make their home in the community. The store, which will be open November 12 to December 23, will carry a collection by each of the three women. Each has her own story and her own direction, but there is a shared philosophy and passion for customer service and building a downtown community destination. “There’s a social purpose at ECOtique,” explained Delainey. “We’re looking to provide shopping with a good, ethical background where things are reused, reclaimed, and repurposed, and where sustainability and fair trade are imbedded to the core.” Hutchinson said they focus on indigenous writers and artists. “We focus on quality and on shopping that has a positive social impact on somebody,” she said. “We feel good about that.” ECOtique will carry things like handfelted rugs, alpaca blankets, ponchos, jewellery, home furnishings and decor, clothing, baskets, yoga wear, and yoga equipment and accessories. “We’ll also have locally handcrafted teas with samples available,” said Delainey, adding that they’re looking at setting up a small coffee shop and bringing in live music.“We want this to be a relaxing, fun, social experience when you’re here.” They have kept some of the product lines that Dandelion Living carried. Delainey said she brings Nomads organic hemp wear, Prana yoga wear, and Halfmoon yoga props and accessories to the new store. Hutchinson contributes Granville Johnson baskets made by women in Africa; drums from Africa and the Chilcotin; Mexican Huichol art bracelets, necklaces, and beaded wrist cuffs, and Penny's Collectables. LeBourdais will have her beautiful MamaQuilla imported items. Both Hutchinson and LeBourdais have visited the places around the world where they buy their items. “I love to travel, and have a focus on textiles and indigenous culture,” said LeBourdais, who is a felter and weaver. “I met families and groups from around the world working to produce traditional tex-
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Penny Hutchinson from Worth Every Penny and Angie Delainey from Satya Yoga Studio, joined by Maureen LeBourdais (absent from photo), look forward to greeting the public when ECOtique opens at Delainey Centre Mall on November 12. Photo: LeRae Haynes
tiles from handmade cloth. It’s been in business carrying a lot of the same brands decline, having to compete with mass pro- as Dandelion Living. There are a lot of duction—the fact that western consumers people who want to support ethical purexpect things to be cheap. chases, who want to know that when they “There’s a price to be paid in the world buy a gift it’s unique, and who want to when we want to buy cheap—that’s what know, wherever in the world the artists are, started MamaQuilla.” it matters that they’re The three countries treated well.” LeBourdais imports The Delainey Cen“There’s a social from are Cambodia, tre Mall has historical Ecuador, and Kyrand family signifipurpose at gyzstan (north of Afcance for the women. ghanistan). She sells “My grandpare nts, ECOtique. We’re jewellery, clothing, Shirley and Chuck looking to accessories, home déDelainey, had a hardcor, beautiful rugs, ware business here for provide shopping novelty items, cushion 45 years, said Dewith a good, covers, a nd silk lainey. scarves. “ECOtique is set ethical “To me, fair trade up in Grandma’s means the artist makes houseware section. background.” a living wage, no child People still remember labour, and good he r d i s p l a ys . ” working conditions,” she explained. Hutchinson grew up around the store, The big appeal of ECOtique is that eve- too; her mother Carol was best friends with rything is unique and not mass-produced— Shirley Delainey. “There are family conit’s all small collections, said Delainey. nections and historical connections for us,” “I also think the store’s in a great loca- said Hutchinson. “It feels good to me here. tion,” said LeBourdais. “I believe in sup- LeBourdais said she loves that it’s a heriporting our downtown business community tage building, adding that it’s friends and and love that revitalizing the downtown family for her, too. “Angie is my daughter core has become a priority. in law and I worked with Penny for many “I believe what’ll bring people in the years,” she explained. “We have similar door is that it’s a locally-owned downtown values and beliefs.”
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Shopping local is important, she adds. “If you buy from me, I buy a book next door, they buy food from the Growers Market,” she said. “It just goes around town.” One thing ECOtique is doing to enhance local shopping is offering extended hours. “It’s sometimes a challenge in the downtown when you want to stroll around and pop in stores after work and nothing’s open,” said Delainey. “We’ll be open Monday to Thursday 11a.m. to 6p.m., Friday 1-9p.m., and Saturday 11a.m. to 5 p.m., and other downtown businesses are talking about extending hours, too.” “We want to be focused on thanking people for coming in; we want to engage with the community and make the experience welcoming whether you’re buying or not,” said Hutchinson. Delainey said when she was a kid Christmas was huge at Delainey’s.“They’d have popcorn, lots of decorations, and a beanbag toss and everybody was in a festive mood,” she said. “Check out what we have for Christmas at ECOtique. There’s something for everybody and every pocketbook. “Come in and see what’s going on.” ECOtique is located at 271 Oliver Street. For more information, call (250) 305-4422 and watch for the store’s upcoming Facebook presence. LeRae Haynes is a freelance writer, song writer, community co-ordinator for Success by 6, member of Perfect Match dance band, and instigator of lots of music with kids.
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TheGreenGazette
Plastic Pollution
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id you know there are patches of plastic garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean that are larger in area than the province of British Columbia? The marine pollution in the Pacific, which is constantly changing in size and location, has been dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Efforts are being made to determine feasible ways to clean up this marine pollution, but the only true solution is to stop it at the source. Plastic is a wonderful invention and provides ma ny esse ntial products for us to use, but far too often we reach for plastic products because they are cheap and convenient. The true costs of plastics are not shown on their price tags. The e nv i r o nme nt a l costs in the form of pollution and the health costs to all organisms that absorb the chemicals in plastics need to be considered. When purchasing items for personal use or for gifts, take a moment to consider if a non-plastic option would be a better selection. Single-use plastics have become so acceptable in our society that it takes effort to ensure you are not using or purchasing them. Try to remember to decline a straw, plastic bag, or disposable utensil when you are making purchases. Take the time to find out what kind of packaging protects the new product you are purchasing. The effort is worth it. Making a point of asking not to have these items will help this practice become a habit and will set an example for others to follow. Windblown litter is difficult to control, but it should only be an issue at a landfill. Urban and rural landscapes have measures in place to contain waste and should be used at all times. Tips around litter are simple: Don’t Do It. When it happens, do your part to pick it up. Organize a neighbourhood clean-up or take a pair of gloves and a bag in your back pocket while taking the dog for a walk. Don't pass over
small items like bottle caps and lighters; these are the items that can easily make their way to the ocean. Some plastics are hard to avoid and end up in our hands for disposal, so it is important to recycle what you can. Did you know plastic bags and over wrap are accepted at recycling depots? For plastics that are not recyclable in your area, make sure they end up in the garbage. Just because a plastic item has a recycling symbol does not mean it can go to the depot or curbside collection. Call the Recycling BC Hotline at 1 -8 0 0-6 6 7-4 3 21 , visit rcbc.ca, or get the BC Recyclepedia App to check if an item can be recycled. We all have the ability to change our waste handling habits for the better. Join the Cariboo Regional District this year to become waste wise and be part of the solution: * Seek out non-plastic alternatives wherever possible; * Avoid single-use plastics like straws, bottles, utensils, plastic bags, and packaging; * Properly throw away your garbage, rather than littering; * Help pick up litter - especially the small items that can end up in our storm drains; and, * Be sure to recycle or properly dispose of the plastics you use.
Part of the Cariboo Regional District's Solid Waste Info Series: Becoming Waste Wise
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Learn more by following us on Facebook at facebook.com/caribooregion, visiting us online at cariboord.ca, or looking for our waste wise articles in your local paper. For more information on the Waste Wise Program call (250) 398-7929 or find details on Waste Wise activities and events at ccconserv.org.
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Green Business Feature: Keeping Warm with Cariboo Wool Bedding By Terri Smith
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onny Kadenbach and her partner, Joel, live on a beautiful piece of property just south of Quesnel. I knock on the door of their handcrafted home and hear Konny call from the basement. I enter the house and feel instantly comfortable in my surroundings. Their entire home is a work of art. Local works are displayed everywhere and evidence of grandchildren can be seen in the prominently displayed drawings that add warmth to every room. I descend a staircase so steep it is almost a ladder and am reminded of a picture from the childhood book, Heidi, of the ladder she would climb at night to reach her hayloft bedroom. At the bottom of the staircase the basement studio is warm, bright, and cozy. There is a wood stove to one side, and several large, smooth, wooden tables. Windows on two sides provide ample natural light and a few sewing machines plus an oddly shaped machine called a “long arm sewing machine” are placed strategically around the room. Orderly piles of fabric, wool, and finished duvets and pillows are everywhere. I hear Konny and her employee, Diane, laughing as I enter the room. They obviously get along well, and each works like part of a well-oiled machine. Konny first began making wool bedding in the late 1980s. When I ask what prompted her to begin this business, she laughs and replies, “coming from Germany and needing to create my own job.” She decided on wool bedding because, while common in Germany, there wasn’t much of it available in Canada. “Working with fibre is definitely something I love,” she says, and other people get excited about it as well. She does shows at Granville Island and sets up her spinning wheel. Customers are always exclaiming, “I remember my grandmother doing that!” Seeing people’s happiness over a traditional craft is one of the rewards of her business, but Konny has quite a few reasons for doing what she does so successfully all these years. “I like starting a business on a shoestring,” she says.“ I was already a back-tothe-lander in Germany, and then I met other back-to-the-landers in the Cariboo, so this business made sense in a lot of ways.” Konny is also a firm believer in the importance of home-based businesses and how they can be beneficial to a family. “We raised three boys doing this,” she says proudly. The boys helped out a lot with the business and Konny talks of how good it was for all of them to spend time together as a family. One of the first jobs the boys had was sewing the bags the finished bedding would be packaged in. As incentive, they offered the boys “a buck a bag” and were surprised when one son had sewn 30 by the end of the day. Konny laughs at the memory. “Child labour was alive and well here then.” The boys would also pitch in to make dinner when Konny and Joel were busy working in the basement, and they all had a sense of pride and accomplishment in what they were doing. Having a home-based
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(Left) Original water colour painting by Cathie Allen. (Right) Konny and Diane share a laugh and shear a sheep. Photo: Terri Smith
business was an important part of getting to know her boys and what they were interested in as well. “I got to know Jimi Hendrix when the boys were helping out. It was the 90s when Jimi Hendrix was big again and we spent a lot of hours listening to him while all working together.” She smiles at the memory. For a time Konny and Joel talked of about growing the business—building a shop and getting a big machine that could take over the work they do by hand. However, they realized they enjoy things the way they are. “Small is beautiful,” she says, and it shows in the beauty all around her.“It wasn’t so important to make a ton of money; we wanted this lifestyle.” The whole time we are talking, Konny’s hands are busy laying out wool batting for a pillow, folding it over, laying the pillow case over it, and pinning it in place. Meanwhile, Diane is at her station cutting fabric to size for duvet or pillow or mattress covers ranging from crib size to king size. Diane smiles and says what she loves about this business is the high quality and high attention to detail. “It’s a quality thing, a German thing,” she says, and, smiling even bigger: “It’s a Konny thing. It’s what you do!” Quality and sustainability do go handin-hand here.“We spend so much of our lives sleeping, it’s good to know what we’re sleeping on is safe," says Konny. Her llama wool comes from her own llamas, and the rest is sourced from Western Canada. The wool is processed in a woolen mill so it arrives clean, and is custom carded into a thick, dense batting, ensuring comfort and even temperatures. Konny and her team then work their magic turning it into soft, warm bedding. The covers are sewn from organic, Egyptian cotton, and Konny’s attention to detail ensures her products will last at least a lifetime. “Joel is the one who keeps it all going behind the scenes, "she says. “He is the one who oils the machines. We could never do it without him.” Konny and Joel are a great team and you can tell by the way they speak of each other there is a lot of love and respect there. I feel happy to know these great peo-
ple, and with the cold damp weather upon us now, I think my next present to myself will be a wool mattress pad. One last bit of advice from Konny for anyone thinking of starting a business: “Start small, work on a shoestring, and live frugal.” To see pictures of Konny and Joel’s amazing products, or to order, have a look at their website at: www.cariboowoolbedding.ca and if you are in the Williams Lake area in Novem-
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ber, be sure to visit them at the Medieval Market. Terri Smith is a non-certified organic vegetable farmer in the Cariboo. She is passionate about writing, art, goats, and feeding good food to good people. She believes in following your heart, living your dreams, and taking care of the planet.
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Green up your Gifts with the Medieval Market
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hristmas is around the corner Reimer’s wood carvings, Sarah Shortreed’s and many of us are thinking barnwood picture frames, Shari and Ueli about gifts for friends and Suter’s produce and Weald Wood, Gerry family. Of course, gifts that Tenning’s metal décor, Betty and you make yourself are the best. But if Brian Thomas’ horseshoe art, and you just don’t have time, or aren’t the Society for Creative Anachrothat handy, you can purchase nisms with Medieval weaving. beautiful handmade gifts at The Potato House will again be the Medieval Market and pairing with local photograstill feel good about your phers to offer old fashecological footprint and your ioned photos with Santa. social conscience. And you can enjoy An exciting addition to a mini music festival and support the entertainment will be local youth at the same time! demonstration medieval fights Gifts you buy at the Medieval that will take place on the main stage Market are all handmade in British Colum- between music sets. Music will feature bia by artisans, and most are made in the some long-time favourites and many new Cariboo. No sweatshops. There will once performers on two stages. Musicians inagain be a Farmer’s Market with local gar- clude Christine Constabel and Sherry Taylic, root vegetables, and those famous lor, Jean Wellburn and Jola Jarecki, QuinMackin Creek cartet Plus, the Big Lake rots. When you Symphony Orchespurchase something tra, youth fiddlers, at the market, not Cari bo o Me n’s “Christmas is around the only are you buying Cho ir , Ca r me n corner … you can something unique Mutschele, Dena and beautiful, you Ba uma n, Crai g purchase beautiful also know your Armstrong, Branhandmade gifts at the dollars will stay in do n H o f f ma n, Medieval Market and feel the co mmunity. Sharon Hoffman, good about your ecological And the ColumHarry Jennings, neetza Greenologuitar students, and footprint and your social gists and the Grade many more local conscience ... and enjoy a 7 Outdoor Educafavourites. Watch mini music festival and tion class will team for the entertainup with Mary ment program on support local youth at the Forbes to recycle facebook (Medieval same time! everything they can Market Williams to make it a wasteLake) or on our free event. w eb si te http :// Along with returning favourite vendors www.williamslakemedievalmarket.com/. selling pottery, weaving, jewelry, original The concession features hearty soups art, clothing, books, children’s toys, bees- and wraps, smokies, treats, and Uncle wax products, wreaths and garlands, hats Paul’s coffee. and mitts, quilting, glassware, wood prodThe Medieval Market is organized enucts, felting, musical instruments, photog- tirely by volunteers so all profits go to raphy, hand-tooled leather products, Lake City Secondary Students. Students wooden pens, wood carvings, herbal prod- working throughout the weekend earn ucts, furniture, baskets, olive oil products, money towards basketball, soccer, rugby, and draw knives, we are happy to include leadership, music, and dry grad fees. The over 30 new vendors. Emerging Artist Awards provide two burNew vendors include Grace Adamson saries, each for $750, for students in finanwith her crystals, Jim Benson’s hand- cial need who are pursuing a future in the turned pens and seam-rippers, Claire Ber- arts. Assistance is provided for busing stutoli’s Paper Mae, Shalene Ostrom with dents to Scout Island Nature Centre and Sassy X-stitching, Keith Chapman’s Intar- teacher volunteers earn money towards sia Wood Art, Jackie Chipp’s Celestial extracurricular programs of their choosing. Organic Herbs, Enola Chrona’s hand- So make a day of it. Come and peruse the beaded moccasins and mittens, Trish market stalls, buy a few Christmas preChung’s felted fashion and art, Jan and sents, enjoy a hearty lunch, and listen to Marcel Derepentigny’s Wild Things in the talented entertainers. Maybe you’ll Wood, Fancoise Dutoit’s Hillside Garden even win one of the many door prizes doProduce, Laurie Embree’s Pine Branch nated by the vendors. Pottery which includes ceramic sinks, And you can feel good knowing that, Christine Folster-Mason’s Country Deco- while you are shopping, you are contributrations, Lindsay Harrison and Olivia Stew- ing to the local economy, supporting local ard’s Strong Rocks and Small Town Let- youth, and helping to make our planet a tering Company, Zephyira Holdal’s Rogue little bit greener. -Z Crafts, Tara Holloway’s Finn and Ark Admission is $5 for the weekend or $3 Children’s clothing, Andrea Hughes’ and for just Sunday (kids under 12 free). It’s Deena Rhodes’ quilting, Margaret Inoue’s November 19 and 20 from 10 until 4 at the Cocoaro Craft Chocolate, Sheila McQuar- Williams Lake Campus of Lake City Secrie’s silver jewelry, Mareike Moore’s sew- ondary on Carson Drive. If you are bringing and zentangles, Lindsay Neufeld’s fine ing a stroller, we suggest you might prefer art, Cheryl Norquay’s upcycled glass and to shop on Sunday, when it is a little quiart, Donna Patterson’s sauerkraut, Mariah eter.
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
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Young medieval market helper at the Vintage Soul booth. Photo: Kylie Forseille, Still Reality Photography
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Student of Nature: The Work of Carver and Artist Jacob Moondog By Venta Rutkauskas
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magine… On the windswept plains near Mankota, Saskatchewan, a young boy rides a pinto pony, following his mother as she checks the cattle on the vast ranch she and her family have worked for generations. The little boy senses this land is alive. Something about it, its great silence, leaves its mark on the boy. “I rode that pony over top of tipi rings,” Jacob Moondog, carver and artist, recalls. The ranch lay near the border of Montana, in the territorial area of the Plains Indians, and later the Metis, whose nomadic lifestyle was dependent on the movement of the buffalo. Grassy plains and rocky outcrops stretch far and wide, and the young boy lived and worked the land like his family before. It was his mother who directed the boy to work with his hands. “If you’re bored, go make something,” was the motto, so the young boy started whittling with a jackknife. At first he only managed toothpicks. Soon, however, he mastered the knife, and the drive to carve and create took hold. Now the artist makes his home near Horsefly, BC, and lives a life centred in his connection to nature. Besides carving and creating, Jacob, his partner, and their two sons, farm garlic during the warm months. When the cool winds blow, he returns to his rustic workshop and sets to work on his art. His mother also instilled in him a passion for making things of beauty: “Keep making beautiful things for beautiful people,” she told her son. He describes the joy he receives when for just a small moment, the art touches the heart of the viewer and they find themselves far away from their worries. Jacob says he aims to, “help people find a beautiful place, a glimpse of spirit that will lead them to find it in themselves.” In the workshop, there is a simple light box set up for the intricate carving work: two holes for the arms appear on the front,
(Above Left) Artist, Jacob Moondog. Photo: Chanti Holtl (Above Right) Sacred Salmon beside the Horsefly River. Photo: Jacob Moondog (Below Right) Flying Eagle sculpture carvedfrom antler. Photo: Jacob Moondog
a glass top from which to view the work, and a vent to carry the dust outside. A variety of materials are found around the room, antlers, wood, and leather predominately, all awaiting the carver’s next inspiration. Two beautiful antler carvings, an eagle and a dragon, lay almost lifelike here, full of energy and spirit. Two leather medicine pouches are displayed and along the walls, several wooden pieces, including a traditional mask in the Coast Salish style, reveal the diversity of Jacob’s ability and style.“It’s three-dimensional art that really calls to me,” he says. “I really like a challenge.” The majority of Jacob’s pieces are animals. He has a passion for the eagle and the spirit of the buffalo. “I went to the school of nature,” Jacob says. Passion for the detail of natural form permeates his creations. His natural style and ability showed similarities to the Coast Salish
style of carving, where simplicity in form and detail produce smooth and calm lines. Then, for three winters from 2001 to 2003, Jacob sat with renowned Cowichan carver, Simon Charlie, and was given the elder’s permission to carve in this style. Simon Charlie shared his cultural heritage with native and non-native artists alike, and Jacob feels blessed to have developed a relationship with the master carver. Although he is not a Coast Salish First Nations artist, this kinship in style was not onpurpose. Rather, it was innately born in him. In these times where cultural appropriation is a pressing topic, Jacob calmly creates the art that he is called to do. Throughout his adult life, he has pursued the path of ceremony and teachings with First Nations elders, and has a strong belief that these teachings are shared willingly to those who are grateful to learn and respect
the traditions. So it is with his art. An elder once advised him: “Tell them you are an Eagle Carver.” It may raise questions of appropriation for people who are not aware of his path.“When you box something in,” says Jacob, “it can only grow so big.” For this artist, certain ideals and truths are universal, and deserve to be seen without restrictions. Jacob also has a passion for carving hummingbirds, simply because they bring so much joy to people. The carvings, the drums, they each have their moment. Then, a new idea may strike, when Jacob seeks out a fresh antler, for example, that resembles the creature he is called to create. Other times, it is the material itself that lends the idea, holding within it a shape that is meant to come forth. Each piece’s development occurs in stages. “I have to be in the right space,” Jacob notes, “and my body tells me when it is time to work.” It is easy to feel the reverence for nature, for right-relations and a love of beauty when in the presence of Jacob Moondog’s artwork. The stillness and silence of the plains lives in it, while a deep emotion and depth can be felt in the intricate details of each carved treasure. The spirit of each creature is honoured and honed just so, in order that the viewer, you and I, may be uplifted and held within a spell, if only for a moment… This winter, Jacob will return to his carving sanctuary to hibernate with his ideas and dream new forms into being. To contact the artist for inquiries, find him on Facebook as Jacob Moondog, or email Moondog.bc@gmail.com. Venta Rutkauskas is the co-ordinator for the Community Arts Council of Williams Lake (CACWL). She is an advocate and lover of the arts, and has taught drama and written plays for young children. She is also passionate about the healing arts. Visit www.williamslakecommunityartscouncil.co m to learn more about CACWL and local artists.
Xatśūll Trail Development By Miriam Schilling, Community Economic Development Coordinator Soda Creek Indian Band, Xatśūll Heritage Village
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ur community completed a Trails and Recreation Strategy Plan in March 2015 and constructed the first multi-use trail at Deep Creek during the summer of 2015. Due to the success of our first trail initiative and very strong community support, we started the development of multi-use hiking and biking trails at Soda Creek, which is currently in its second phase. During Phase 1 we developed the “Crazy Ant” trail which connects Highway 97 with Xatśūll Heritage Village. The trail includes a number of wooden features and is designed and built to accommodate the greatest possible range of mobility among visitors including children, elderly, and
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those with disabilities. The project also includes the development and installation of informational and way-finding signage to educate visitors regarding the overall historical and cultural significance of the area and the individual sites located along the proposed trails. We are currently in Phase 2 of the project and our crew is building a trail that will connect Highway 97 with Blue Lake. We are working on completing a climbing line that allows for easy hiking and uphill biking as well as a downhill line that will include some new wooden features for mountain biking. The Xatśūll First Nation views the new trails as a means for initiating what could become an extensive network of trails that will make a significant contribution to the region's trails and the growing mountain biking and hiking sectors. Overall, trails provide a venue to participate in an active and healthy lifestyle and increase recreational opportunities for both visitors and residents of the community.
Grand Opening Day of the “Crazy Ant” Trail – Phase 1 of the Project. Photo: Miriam Schilling
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Spacing the Chorus: A small investigation of extemporaneous particulation By Ron Young
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here are times when a dog barks repeatedly and at a sufficient volume and frequency that it raises the attention of his neighbours, who take up the chorus and transmit his message across the night -yards and country paddocks of the region. What may initiate this disturbance is a matter of great curiosity and investigation of higher minds to the extent that novellas and essays have been written and songs composed. Thus, the fame of this dog; whom we shall call DOG to differentiate him from others; crosses temporal boundaries and consciousness spheres into realms it was never intended to visit. Or...is that not the question? Who can really plumb the depths of the mind of DOG? While a simple barking chorus brought on by a door slamming somewhere in the village or perhaps a spoon dropping from the lips of a startled child who saw the uncovered bliss of the harvest moon for the first time on a darkening eve, this simple chorus becomes celebrated in story and song and passed on through the ages anon. DOG has made his mark, and yet we scoff. It takes not skill, aplomb, grandeur, or elegance to bring this matter into the his-
torical archives of the civilized world. It merely takes bravado or perhaps a certain density of ignorance that precludes the light of humility from shining out the eyes of beastly essence. Accordingly, a resonating bravado or maybe resonating ignorance improves the vibration of the effort until an orchestra of appreciation and applause results such that no rational being can dissuade the masses from believing its worth. What is not recorded, nor ever will be, are the precluding and concluding events of this singular episode. Was DOG resting quietly in the darkness, night dreaming as it were, of some activities that increased his level of excitement earlier in the day? An activity such as smelling a rotting piscine corpse along the river bank and subsequently rolling in it, or possibly something more mundane like a dragonfly zagging through his nearby line of sight at hot noonness? When his concentration was sharply broken by a sound: car door slamming; spoon landing; and a cascading reflex of nerve electricity launched a bark into the darkness followed by another and another attempting to extinguish the brief attempt at reflective consciousness that was struggling to surface in his dull mind. Thoughts can bring dull minds into delicate states like finely drawn glass tempered like crystal but lacking the anneal of experience and sadly broken with startling discomfort to all concerned. And here we perhaps feel confident that we know the prelude; we know the fugue; and so our own consciousness must be the outro solo but the narcissistic tendencies of human consciousness often mislead and such is the case here whereas in fact the
outro solo else known as the conclusion was brought about externally not internally. A deftly aimed shoe, or a raucous shout from a nearby window or maybe just the lack of a response brought the matter to an end in the local neighborhood; in the non-local neighborhood; but not in the wide area network of arts and letters. It is with these curious and puzzling thoughts in mind that we must review our measure of the universe and our definitions of matter. It must become clear that matter does not have to have import or weighty intent before it can make itself known in ways that will never be controlled. DOG will bark and make his mark across eons and galaxies unto time immense like graffiti on a wall whose thread runs across rail cars; shipping containers; contemporary art; penetrating space and time it will become enmeshed in our cultural understanding of civilization. Bark will endure where only dust remains of the lofty efforts of intellectual pursuit. When DOG has barked soundly and well, and the night has responded in kind, then DOG will bark again on subsequent nights and days and deep fascination with the graffiti like ‘art’ will take hold of the populations of the world who will follow the pretense of Carpathian punk. Rationale will be sublimated by isolation and dismembering of the senses. The Trump card may not be played but it has been in play as it has always been in play serving as the discordant note that provides a mirror of nuclear devastation to that which has progressed beyond smug to overripe and then rot. It's not sadness; it's not a beginning or an end; it's a particulation of mindfulness
DOG. Photo: GM/Flickr
like a jab from a special subatomic cosmic particle, like a muon, arriving on a solar wind and passing through dimensional space. BARK. BARK. Ron Young is a renewable energy professional that designs and sells solar, wind, and micro-hydro systems. He operates the earthRight store in Williams Lake, BC and can be reached at info@solareagle.com check out the Facebook page at earthrightsolar. Copyright Ron Young 2016
Science Matters: We can’t dig our way out of the fossil fuels pit By David Suzuki
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’ve often thought politicians inhabit a parallel universe. Maybe it’s just widespread cognitive dissonance, coupled with a lack of imagination, that compels them to engage in so much contradictory behaviour. Trying to appease so many varying interests isn’t easy. Rather than focusing on short-term economic and corporate priorities, though, politicians should first consider the longterm health and well-being of the people they’re elected to represent. When it comes to climate change and fossil fuels, many aren’t living up to that. We celebrate the federal government’s decision to implement nation-wide carbon pricing, even though what’s proposed won’t, without additional measures like regulations, get us to our commitments under the Paris Agreement, which is also inadequate for keeping global warming from catastrophic levels. A government could be forgiven for going slow on a measure opposed by some industrial sectors, provinces, and citizens, but it’s diffi-
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cult to take a government seriously when it approves or supports expanding fossil fuel infrastructure and development while the world continues to break warming records, with increasingly dire consequences. A massive BC “carbon bomb” LNG project in the midst of critical salmonrearing territory, in defiance of many area First Nations’ wishes. Likely approval of at least one more bitumen pipeline to support expanded oil sands development. A provincial government that pretty much says, “We’ll support federal efforts to fight climate change if you support our efforts to fuel it.” None of this makes sense. As a report from non-profit Oil Change International and 14 other groups concludes, “The potential carbon emissions from the oil, gas, and coal in the world’s currently operating fields and mines would take us beyond 2 degrees C of warming,” and “The reserves in currently operating oil and gas fields alone, even with no coal, would take the world beyond 1.5 degrees C.” That’s without any new development. That leaves us with three choices: managed decline, stranded assets, or climate chaos. The first, which the report recommends, means no new fossil fuel infrastructure, existing supplies become depleted and replaced with clean alternatives, and employees redeployed to latter. As the report’s authors point out, “This does not mean stopping using all fossil fuels overnight. Governments and companies should
conduct a managed decline of the fossil fuel industry and ensure a just transition for the workers and communities that depend on it.” Stranded assets means, “Companies continue to develop new fields and mines, governments are eventually successful in restricting emissions, and the resulting reduction in demand causes many extraction assets to become uneconomic and shut down, causing destruction of capital and large job losses.” Under the third scenario, we keep digging, mining, fracking, building, transporting, selling and burning until we’re well beyond the 2 degrees C threshold, resulting in “economic and human catastrophe.” Sadly, in Canada and globally, we’ve chosen the second option, and in some cases, the third. Subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, the most profitable industry ever, continue despite a 2009 G20 commitment to phase them out. Canada alone promotes the industry to the tune of about $3.3 billion a year in tax breaks and handouts, not including provincial incentives. Politicians say they care about the climate while arguing we need more bitumen, natural gas, and coal to fuel growing economies and human populations, and more pipelines to get “product” to tidewater and overseas markets. Saskatchewan has Canada’s best wind and solar resources, but the government focuses on expensive and unreliable schemes like carbon capture and storage
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while arguing against carbon pricing and other tools to cut emissions. It’s all a form of denial. Conserving energy, shifting to cleaner sources, reducing automobile use by improving transit and bike and pedestrian infrastructure, protecting and restoring carbon sinks such as forests and wetlands, and getting a handle on agricultural emissions are all possible, and would create numerous jobs and economic opportunities. Most national governments have committed to the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, with an aspirational goal of 1.5 degrees C. We’re already nearing the latter, with growing consequences, including increasing extreme weather events, water and food shortages, migration crises, and extinctions. We must conserve energy, quickly phase out coal power, and continue to develop renewable resources. As Oil Change International says, “If you’re in a hole, stop digging.” David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author, and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation senior editor Ian Hanington. Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.
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Ten Thousand Villages: Celebrating local and global communities By LeRae Haynes
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hoppers who look for sustainability, quality, and incredible fair trade diversity are in for a treat this season, with Ten Thousand Villages returning to Williams Lake. They bring fair trade crafts from over 35 countries, including housewares, food, toys, Christmas decor, musical instruments, pottery, linens, jewelry, coffees, and teas. Ten Thousand Villages has set up at Cariboo Bethel Church for over 35 years, with a few seasons off, according to local co -ordinator Meg Fehr. “They bring in a huge variety of items—it fills the basement of the church. Each of our department heads takes an area of the store, pouring their time, interest, and passion into making it fun,” she explained. She said, along with fellow co-ordinator Alex Froese and other volunteers, they spend a day unpacking and setting up the Village when all the freight arrives from Ontario. After tweaking the departments and displays to make them look their best, they choose a couple of items from each department, look up the artisans, and print out their stories. “A big appeal of the store is showing local artisans from around the world, to support them, and encourage them in their trades,” Fehr explained. “We love the fact that every article is made by somebody and you can trace it, find the origin and see what their life is like.” Ten Thousand Villages provides business loans, tools, and business advice and will pay the artist or artisan for their work before it leaves the country of origin. The artists and artisans are paid based on fair market value for their work.
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There was a Ten Thousand Villages store in Winkler, Manitoba, where Fehr and her husband Terry Fehr, youth pastor at Cariboo Bethel Church, lived with their family before moving to Williams Lake two years ago. “I loved being able to shop at the store knowing that all the staff was volunteers,” she continued. “That says so much to me about Ten Thousand Villages.” A big draw at Ten Thousand Villages is the Menno Café, where shoppers can meet friends for lunch and dinner: fresh baking, coffee, Borscht, and sausage buns, made from Mennonite farmer sausage shipped from Manitoba. Another positive aspect for Fehr is getting youth involved with their community: something she helps put into practice at Ten Thousand Village at the Bethel Church and at Youth for Christ (YFC) where she is administrative assistant. Youth from Cariboo Bethel do the cooking and serving for the Menno Café. “It’s exciting for the kids to be involved–to learn this is how we serve our community,” she explained. “One of the things I want people to experience at the store this season is a strong sense of community: both local and global,” she said. “That’s huge for me and one of my most favourite things.” Ten Thousand Villages will be at Cariboo Bethel Church November 17-19 in the banquet hall, from 3-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. LeRae Haynes is a freelance writer, song writer, community co-ordinator for Success by 6, member of Perfect Match dance band, and instigator of lots of music with kids.
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Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
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Confessions of a Farmer: Once a Farmer, Always a Farmer? By Terri Smith
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ere is my biggest farmer’s confession yet: I’m not really a farmer anymore. Sure I live on a farm, but we don’t really produce anything for sale at the moment. We produced a lot of what we ate this summer, and we do have some storage crops that will get us through some of winter months but technically a farmer is someone who grows a number of products for market, and that is not me any longer. Right now I am trying to figure out just what it is that I am. For almost a decade I defined myself by what I did. During those years, no matter how hard it was or how bad things got emotionally, financially, physically, or horticulturally, I could always point to what I was doing and think, “Yes. I am doing a good thing. I am doing a valuable service to our planet. I am helping.” Walking away from everything I had built and everything I believed myself to be is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Yet it is one of the most important things I have done, too. It was time. To continue doing a thing after its time has passed is a lesson in futility. I couldn’t survive doing what I was doing alone for much longer. I have no regrets about my decision to become a farmer, nor do I regret any of the twists and turns I encountered along the way. I learned a lot—and that is a serious understatement. I learned about soil, plants, vegetables, animals (especially goats), farmers’ markets, town politics, board politics, cooking, and all the things I expected to learn from farming. I also learned how to navigate tricky human relationships, how to be diplomatic, and how to fail miserably at diplomacy. I learned that the poop of ruminants is more fascinating than I ever imagined, and how to hassle Xplornet often enough to have something resembling rural, high-speed Internet. I learned how to love and how to let go. I learned to be calmer in emotional situations, and I learned that a garden can break your heart over and over but you’ll
Still a farmer ... sort of. Photo: Mark Rupp
still go back for more. I learned gratitude and I learned that I have more resentment than I’d care to admit. I learned I am not as nice as I thought I was, and that it’s okay when people don’t like me. I also learned the previous statement just isn’t true and I hate it when people don’t like me. I learned freedom is worth more than anything and my integrity is the one thing I will not sacrifice. During the last few weeks as I have struggled with what to write for this article that I have felt I no longer have any business writing, yet a few things happened that strengthened my purpose and made me feel like I am an appropriate author for this article after all. It is important to not define yourself by what you do, even if you love what you do. First was a letter I received from my helper, Svenja, from Germany. Svenja is one of the most special people in my life in part because she has been the tie between my old life and this new life that I am now figuring out as I go. Svenja came to Road’s End last August. I am usually exhausted and grumpy by August, and for everyone’s safety I would choose not to accept helpers this month. Poor Svenja arrived when I
was at my worst and grumpiest. She was only supposed to be with me a few weeks, and at first I was relieved that it would be such a short time so I could be alone and grumpy again. But Svenja has a sweet disposition and a wonderful heart. By the end of the first week she had won me over and before long she was staying an extra month, and then planning to come back for Christmas. And then again for two months this spring to help me pack and move and begin to settle in here. She became family. She was there when I made the difficult decision to leave Road’s End. She has an uncanny ability to remind me of all the good things whenever I find myself filled with doubt. On Christmas morning when we exchanged the simple gifts we had made each other she gave me one of the best gifts anyone has ever given me, because it got me through the hardest moments when I felt so sad at the thought of leaving my home. It was a simple gift: a tiny glass jar wire-wrapped onto a piece of black cord with a bright blue feather inside and a tiny piece of parchment paper on which she had written in her elegant hand a single word: Freedom.
Just last week Svenja sent me a letter that arrived on a day when I was particularly exhausted from work and still had neither the time nor the energy to harvest the carrots and beets that are still in the ground. Svenja wrote: I read your articles… and I can’t deal with the thought that you’re in doubt about your ability to change something. How many people’s eyes did you open? And now imagine how many people they convinced themselves to care more for this beautiful planet…you will influence so many people and achieve so much. You just can barely see it because it’s deep in their hearts where you touched them… You changed me. Svenja’s letter brought tears to my eyes. Even a change that has been so positive is hard at times and I find myself falling down a lot as I try to find my footing and figure out who I am now, without Road’s End, and how I can best be of service to the world in my new life. And then this week I was talking online with my beloved boss and friend, Diane, from the Station House Gallery in Williams Lake about how much my life has changed since the days when I was a farmer. She wrote back: “You still grow vegetables. You have a goat. Excuse me. FARMER.” It’s funny how happy this made me. There was a time when a farmer was the last thing I would have wanted to be. Now, Diane made my day when she elaborated with: “…And you are and always will be. A farmer!” Terri Smith is a non-certified organic vegetable farmer in the Cariboo. She is passionate about writing, art, goats, and feeding good food to good people. She believes in following your heart, living your dreams, and taking care of the planet.
Stuffed Squash By Stephanie Bird Delicata squash works wonderfully for the following recipe as do butternut and acorn squash. We have done it with all kinds, even the hubbard-type squashes. Roast Squash Ingredients • • • • • • •
1 to 2 small squash 1 to 2 cups of rice 1 to 3 garlic cloves, optional Any combination or all of the following: caramelized onions black beans cooked hamburger
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
• •
chopped and roasted almonds roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Method Slice one large or two small fruits in half from top to bottom and scoop out the seeds. Roast upside down on greased baking sheet for 45 mins or until squash is soft. You may choose to roast garlic as well to mix into the stuffing. Cook 1 or 2 cups of rice, then stir fry the rice in a pat of butter or ghee, with any combination (but preferably all) of the remaining ingredients. Delicata squash. Photo: Suzie’s Farm/Flickr
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TheGreenGazette
No Time Left to Waste: Recycling in the Cariboo By Oliver Berger
S
o what’s the latest happenings in our recycling world? I feel a change around us, recently. It could be a number of things; however, I feel like there is an awareness starting to arise. I was at the transfer station in Williams Lake on October 5, and while I was chatting with the loader operator, I looked over at the info board beside the recycling area. It has a small dry erase square on it where a marker writes down how many tonnes of recycling we have diverted from our landfill through that specific recycling site. It read, “Since January of this year this site has diverted ____ tonnes of recyclables from our landfill.” Today, in the dry erase square it said 210. Two hundred and ten tonnes diverted? Right on Williams Lake! “Well, wait a minute,” I thought. This sign is only a few months new. So we had diverted 210 tonnes of recyclables from the landfill since August. That’s a huge pat on the back for us, for sure. The Cariboo cares. With obvious excitement I returned to my conversation with the loader operator. He added he has seen a slow constant decline of recyclables in the garbage trucks coming in and also a little less garbage overall. I have to say with all the new transfer stations around the region operating, and attendants to help divert waste, we haveseen great improvements everywhere. With the Multi Materials BC (MMBC) program in place, us Caribooites have a great opportunity to recycle without it being a huge tax burden on our local governments. However, there is a small detail I should share. If the public does not comply with MMBC’s guidelines, we could face fines or worse, potential loss of the program. When I hear “fines” as a taxpayer, I know who's pocket that comes out of. mine. Now you're probably wondering, “How is our program doing?” I would say not bad. Well, I am a bit of an optimist, so maybe I should say we should be doing better. We have to realize there are some things that are just not recyclable, or more specifically, are currently not accepted in this program for recycling. Some contamination audits on our local recycling bins have come out almost as much as 20 per cent. That’s too high. To be honest, at transfer stations where we have attendants and recyclables are sorted into respective categories, we have better rates. Where we have bins that are unattended, like some curbside recycling totes, we have worse rates. Makes sense. To tackle the issue of contamination, some districts in the Lower Mainland and Alberta have implemented a series of auditors. This team of volunteers, environmental students, or passionate waste diverters, walk in front of the picker truck and scan for items that should not be in the recycling totes. If they find contamination in the tote, the picker truck leaves the tote behind. Simple. In districts where smaller open-top curbside bins exist, the truck
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Attendant at the Williams Lake transfer station showing off the latest waste diversion stats. Photo: Oliver Berger
Help Prevent Contamination! Two proble ms areas with curbside recycling that were brought to our attention are: 1.
‘Nesting’ - a term used when recyclables are packed into each other (i.e. putting a tin can inside a plastic container, or bundling recyclables into a plastic bag). Leave all items loose so they can be sorted properly for processing.
2.
Styrofoam, glass, and plastic film are not accepted in curbside recycling totes. They are recyclable ONLY at your local transfer stations (i.e. Frizzi Rd, Lac La Hache, Carson Pit Rd.)
Nesting and putting these other unaccepted items in your curbside recycling totes is considered CONTAMINATION and can actually result in these items NOT being recycled.
driver checks each bin beforehand. If they find contamination, the truck leaves the tote behind. Simple. These curbside recycling programs create a product we call single-stream recyclables. Instead of sorting into many categories, they combine all items into one for ease of use for the public. This is great; however, it causes problems down the line. When this pile of single-stream arrives at the unloading barn, the items get pushed into a trough, compacted in a bailer, banded, and stacked ready for shipping. Upon arrival at the recycling sorting facility, these bails of single-stream get fluffed up and sorted. It is sorted by a series of belts and rollers using gravity for lightweight materials, magnets for steel and tin, air jets and optical sorting for plastics, eddy currents for aluminum, and last but not least, hands. Yes, there are still human hands involved—nothing beats our human hand-eye co-ordination. I tell you all this because it helps explain why certain items cannot be put in these totes. Plastic bags are very hard to sort out after compaction because they get crammed inside all the tin cans and plastic
If you have any questions, please contact the Cariboo-Chilcotin Conservation Society at www.wastewise@ccconserv.org or (250) 398-7929. We are working towards Zero Waste together.
containers. Styrofoam has a similar issue; it crumbles and fluffs up creating little white balls all over the place. Glass is a serious safety issue in this single-stream because when glass is compacted, it explodes. It is not uncommon for a small shard to get stuck in an eye. Lastly, as odd as it sounds, when you pack your recyclables together like one of those Russian dolls,it is very hard to sort because once compacted it does not want to fluff out properly for separation. The same goes for recyclables inside a closed plastic bag. To bring these contamination levels down in our area we can all help by educating each other. There are many resources in our area that can help with recycling at home and better waste management in the business. The Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society has a great team of waste and water wise educators that can assist with things like zero-waste events. The Cariboo Regional District has many answers to local waste diversion questions. The Potato House Project is an excellent site for compost education and diversion. The Recycling Council of BC’s
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hotline is my main source for recycling questions. And then, of course, there is me. Fairly often I will get a random text message or f-mail through Facebook, where a friend asks for some advice. If you are curious to see how well you are understanding this MMBC recycling program, I can help. If you would like to set up better recycling or waste diversion at your home or business I can help you with that, too. This is not an advertisement, and I am not trying to make a business out of this... or maybe I should? Nonetheless, for the sake of community I’m sure there is some skill or knowledge we could trade for. I do like cookies! I know there are many of you out there who truly want to make a difference, so let us take the path of continuous improvement. Oliver Berger has a 35-year degree in life, starting out in the Spokin Lake area, spending adolescence in Williams Lake, and then venturing throughout the world on a quest of always learning new things. His priorities include dedication to and education about waste management.
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
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Arts on the Fly and Safety Meeting Update In October, the Arts on the Fly Festival Society had its AGM, and we are incredibly excited to announce that Arts on the Fly Festival 2017 will be going down July 14 and 15 in beautiful Horsefly, BC. After taking a year off, our returning volunteers are feeling refreshed, and we have plenty of new recruits for 2017. The current team includes: Reina Barnes – Director, Assistant Treasurer Marla Barrett – Treasurer Oliver Berger – Director Troy Forcier – President Matt Granlund – Director Brandon Hoffman – Artistic Director Ingrid Kallman – Director Katherine Kleine – Director Brent Morton – Director Marin Patenaude – Artistic Director Ray Robert – Director Caleb Sanders – Director James Still – Secretary Mike Upton – Vice President We are now accepting applications from performers, volunteers, and vendors. To apply, or for more information, visit artsonthefly.com or follow us on Facebook. Although taking the summer of 2016 off, the Arts on the Fly pulse has been going strong in the form of the Safety Meeting winter concert series. With artists like Dada Plan, CR Avery, Pharis and Jason Romero, Shred Kelly, Sam Tudor, Leathan Milne, and Colin Easthope consistently delivering fantastic performances to sold-out crowds
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
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in the first two seasons, we are busting with excitement as we prepare for season three. We’re not quite ready to announce the entire line-up, but mark your calendar for the 2017 season kick-off: on January 13 and 14, we’re hosting two nights with Marin Patenaude and the Follow Through, with special guest Kym Gouchie. Marin is no stranger to the Cariboo. Aside from being past president and a current artistic director of Arts on the Fly, she has won the hearts of the community as a musician and with her work at the Potato House. This will be the first time her band The Follow Through has played to the hometown(ish) crowd of Williams Lake. This is the same band (mostly) that backed her up when she opened for Sarah McLachlan at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre earlier this year. With or without the help of her band, Marin’s music is crushingly beautiful. I, for one, can’t wait to hear this stellar group of musicians in the intimacy of the Central Cariboo Arts Centre. Also returning to the series on January 13 and 14 is Kym Gouchie. Kym comes from the LheidliT'enneh Nation near Prince George. She is a mother of four and grandmother of six. Kym combines elements of traditional, folk, and country, and is nothing short of a force of nature. We can’t wait to have her back in the neighbourhood. Join the Safety Meeting Facebook group at fb.com/groups/safetymeetingwilliamslake to stay up to date with the series. Plenty more news from Arts on the Fly coming soon.
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TheGreenGazette
An Ode to Winter ... By Carmen Mutschele
E
verything 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? Winter is often used as a metaphor or an archetype for a time of “making do” or impending hardship. Whether it’s Game of Thrones’ ominous phrase “winter is coming” or the subtler imagery of this song, the thought of winter evokes different feelings in different people. While the former creates a feeling of dread, the latter speaks of the hope that love and united hearts have the force to transcend even the barrenness of winter. My own relationship with winter is a complex one. The winters of my youth in Southern Germany were benign with a less rainy Vancouverite kind of feel, and by early March, flower buds opened into full bloom declaring victory over this halfhearted attempt of winter. After moving to Horsefly in my early 20s, I looked forward to hibernating with my partner, and catching snowflakes on my tongue became a favourite pastime. I still remember my first winter here. By Halloween, our peaceful little village quieted down even more under a heavy blanket of snow. In Horsefly, winter came with a full commitment. It was here to stay, and the white countryside was the new normal for the next six months. It
was mid-April by the time the snow disappeared. For me, a winter like this was a novelty and by the following March I remember seeing a poster at the local grocery store that said, “Cabin Fever Relief Dance.” In my youthful naiveté I chuckled, “Who would need that? What’s there to be relieved of?” My romanticized notions soon gave way to the harsher realities of Canadian winters. Needless to say, the novelty wore off and I began looking at ways to make my more extroverted personality fit into the confinements of winter. As the years went on, I found myself living on my own, and winter became a time where l o ne l iness was more pronounced and ever ythi ng seemed a little harder. Fall, my favorite time of year, was spent in chipmunk mode gathering firewood in a race to beat the first snow fall. I spent those winters in a small drafty cottage, with only a little woodstove for warmth. While this place had its own magic, I often felt stretched to the limits dealing with the cold. I would come home late at night after spending a couple of days away, only to find bringing the house to a decent temperature before going to bed was impossible. On a good day, my wood stove was compliant and eager to warm up. On other days getting quick heat out of it was a struggle. I would leave my coat and toque on, exchange my mittens for fingerless gloves, find a spot closest to the fire, and pick up my guitar and play. Looking back, it felt like a very creative time. I played often and wrote many songs in those cold hours by the woodstove. I dug deep during those cold months. Tapping into my creativity was a wonderful way to hear what was going on inside of me. I learned that gathering with friends is vital and community takes on a whole new meaning. In the winter, connections with people seemed more wholehearted, and the value of friendship came through in the
darkest time of year. Maybe in these times we remember that we are not the fierce individuals promoted by Western society, but that we are clan people, depending on one another for companionship and support. Faces glowing in the candlelight, we huddled close in small spaces, harmonizing our voices to the sound of a guitar. In the still white world, the frivolousness of summer was replaced Cabin in the country near Horsefly, BC. Photo: Lisa Bland by an earnestness that was deeply grounding. I remember one brilliant January mornWinter has taught me many lessons. I ing, outside the snow was glistening as the was born on the last day of the year, so it sun flooded through the window, conspiring also feels like a time of coming full circle. with the heat radiating from my woodstove to create the ‘perfect room temperature.’ The world stood still. Everything was per“When you’re born in the fect and peaceful, and I was filled with depth of winter, gratitude. That morning I picked up my You gotta be hardy right guitar and wrote another song:
from the start Not much coddling when the breeze is so stiff And the land is dark” ~ Earthbound, Carmen Mutschele
“The dust is dancing in the sunlight, Kissing my face makes my world look so bright, And all that I hear is the crackling fire, And this song in my ear.” ~This song in my ear
In winter we meet ourselves. Distractions fade away and we see what we’re made of. When the busyness of summer gives way to the long dark months, sheer desperation can force us to embark on a journey into the inner realms. In stillness, creativity finds its way to tell our story. This seems especially true when we are living out on the land far from the creature comforts of civilization. Winter becomes a time to unplug from the collective chant that drives (our often insane) productivity, and we listen deeply... to ourselves, maybe for the first time in a very long time.
Carmen Mutschele has since traded the crackling of the wood fire for urban comforts; however, she holds a special place in her heart for winter storms accompanied by power outages out in the country. Carmen dedicates this story to everyone who finds the adversities of the cold season challenging, and especially to those who struggle and almost run out of breath on the long dive into darkness.
‘Snow Time Left to Waste: Ride Local By Oliver Berger
F
ive 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 would cruise to somewhere nearby. However, we wondered if anyone had ever ridden at every ski area in BC? Looking into it later we realized, nobody ever had… Yet! The following winter we decided it was time to hang our hats at Mt. Timothy for the season and shred our province. We low -budget camperized a bright, baby-blue 1977 Chevy van. ‘Bluebird’ we named her.
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unique charm. Enjoying the happy, small-hill-energy reminded us of Mt. Timothy—the feeling of being part of the family while enjoying your favorite activity. The stoke you get from slashin’ freshies all day with no line ups, high five! The larger big -mountain resorts had a hard time competing with that. Having an extensive small-ski -area-operations background, we had lots to share with staff and owners at other ski areas. We picked up some innovative ideas and learned that we shared some From BC to Alberta, Morgan and Oliver love shreddin’ of the same hurdles: funding, reliturns at home. Photo: JMD able seasonal staff and volunteers, We loaded up our gear, ample blankets, lift issues, safety concerns, run maintespare parts, food, and hit the road. ‘Shred nance, and, of course, snow. We saw the the Nar’ was born. province, met the people, Bluebird surDuring the next three months, Morgan vived, and each of us walked out with a and I visited 45 ski areas, driving approxi- shoulder injury. An unforgettable season, mately 12,000 km. We cannot say enough so unforgettable in fact, the following year about how much we enjoyed riding at the we relived this adventure once more, only smaller local ski areas, each with their own in Alberta.
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The last couple of years we have been back at Mt. Timothy, working again. Our local ski hill has recently experienced some changes and with our brains full of new ideas, Morgan and I wanted to help. Although we enjoy being part of the work team and giving our customers the small-family ski area experience, costs never seem to go down and we at Timothy, along with the other little guys, have a tough time keeping up. Riding local helps. Whether it is just buying a day pass or putting in some volunteer time, it is rewarding to help out the underdog. Local ski areas are close by, have affordable prices, smaller crowds, and more freshies. Most times, getting the best deal is supporting local. According to the almanac and the mountain ash berries this year, we should see a great season. Let us ride local… Mt. Timothy Ski Area and Troll Mountain Resort! Oliver Berger, from Williams Lake, has had the opportunity to ride at over 100 ski areas in nearly 15 countries and still loves riding local.
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
TheGreenGazette
A New Co-operative Economy By Guy Dauncey
W
hen the future teenager walks down the future Main Street in future Small Town, BC, be it Williams Lake, Smithers, Houston, Creston, or Kimberley, which of these thoughts might she or he be thinking? “I can’t wait to get out of this place— it’s so, like, basic.” “This place is so cool. I wish there was work, so I could stay.” “This place is so über-cool. My friends in the city are so jealous that I get to live, work, and play here.” British Columbia has many communities that built their economies around traditional resources that are now either collapsing or going into decline. Unless there’s a strong impulse for community economic renewal, there’s a risk that working people will leave and young people will follow, never to return. People love the strong sense of community smaller communities create. They love the can-do attitude, the lower price of land, the easy access to nature in the lakes, rivers, and mountains. But if there’s no work, it’s tough to stay. So what might strong community renewal look like? What might enable the teenagers to stay and their town to flourish for the next 100 years? It starts with a discussion about what ‘wealth’ is. Yes, it’s a good job, and the money it brings. But it’s also about being a strong, engaged community where people enjoy participating. It’s about building co-operative and respectful partnerships with the First Nations, and overcoming the distrust and prejudices of the past. It’s about safe neighbourhoods where people know you and trust you, without worries about drug addiction and crime. And it’s about ecological protection, with local enthusiasts who actively look after the lakes, rivers, mountains, farms, and habitats, and teach their children to do the same, so the region’s many species can continue to enjoy living here, as they have done for thousands of years.
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Man in gas mask turning page. Ecology concept. Photo Copyright: Sergey Nivens Image ID:150853241, shutterstock.com There is a name for this new economy, for it’s no longer capitalist, with its individualistic, “Just let me run my own business and get out of my hair” attitude. It’s called, quite simply, a co-operative economy, and it has 10 main features, which make it easy to do a guided tour. Let’s assume I live in a place with a co-operative economy: 1. Our people pay a lot of attention to the kind of education our children receive. Our schools have adopted the Finnish approach, which minimizes tests and homework and maximizes giving children room to learn according to their impulses. Why? Because it works—Finland’s schools consistently score near the top in the global PISA tests. The high schools also provide education for enterprise, giving students a chance to start a business as a team, with mentorship from members of the Chamber of Commerce. 2. Our leaders pay a lot of attention to helping local people express their talent, energy, and imagination by starting new businesses and co-operatives. Nobody knows what kind of business a town can support except the people who have the motivation to start one. Will it be handicrafts? Mushrooms? Tree seedlings? Kayak adventures? Only the souls of the would-be entrepreneurs know. The job of the town’s enterprise facilitator is to listen, listen some more, and then give caring, competent support and work to remove any obstacles and barriers that stand in the way. This is how our local economy gets its juice, its confidence in the future.
3. Our town’s various businesses also co-operate. They pool 0.4 per cent of their annual sales, and they use the money to pay staff at the town’s Community Economy Centre to do an annual business check -up, support new enterprise facilitation, and assist with innovation, training, and finance. Each business also does an annual green business certification, to make sure it’s minimizing its waste and inefficiency and maximizing nature’s intrinsic harmony. 4. Our town’s banks and credit unions are activist. They go out of their way to provide the finance local entrepreneurs need, and if a young person has no credit rating they find a way to create a microloan. The credit union is run by an activist board of directors. They still support the hospital and the soccer team, but they also provide finance for things like young people building their own homes, and nonprofits setting up social enterprises. 5. Speaking of social enterprise, our town has set up a Community Development Corporation with capital provided by us local people, and launched various businesses and co-operatives where they saw the need, including a youth business incubator, and an affordable housing project on land purchased by the new Community Land Trust. 6. There is warm co-operation with the local First Nations, replacing decades of historic difficulty. Treaties have been signed, land titles assigned, new First Nations businesses launched, and there’s full co-operation in the running of the Community Economy Centre, and its enterprise facilitation. 7. The downtown is a delight. Main Street has been narrowed down to two slow lanes with parking spaces. The sidewalks are wide, and all the stores have live -above housing. There’s a friendly pedestrian vibe, and it has become a cool place to hang out, enjoy a coffee, and greet friends and neighbours before cycling home. What’s this got to do with the future economy? Everything, because it makes local people want to stay, and when people who are passing through stop for lunch, they are so taken with the small town atmosphere that they start planning to move here. 8. Everything runs on renewable energy – the electricity, cars, trucks, heating
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Guy Dauncey’s most recent book, Journey to the Future: A Better World is Possible. See more at www.journeytothefuture.ca Cover photo: Marsha Batchelor
systems – everything except the airplanes. The buildings in the downtown have been plumbed into a district system that gets its heat from a mix of biomass, sewage, and stored summer solar. The trucks that bring stuff in and out are electric with biofuel range extenders, and the heat pump cooperative will soon need to look for a new line of work, since they’ve retrofitted almost every baseboard and gas heater in town. 9. The farms around here have all gone organic, and they’ve got solar greenhouses with heat storage walls on the north side where they’re growing fresh greens 12 months a year. There are several farmers’ co-operatives that supply produce to local stores, the hospital, and the college, and there’s a truck that delivers locally grown food to the city once a week. The forests around us are all managed and harvested ecologically, under the Forest Stewardship Certification program. 10. Finally, our council pays close attention to our community indicators, keeping track of the things people say that matter, and that make up our community wealth. I’ve been describing the new cooperative economy, but underneath them lies the strength of our new democracy. The council is doing a host of community outreach things we never did before, from being openly transparent on sites like Facebook and Instagram, to going into the school to explain how local democracy works, and extending the vote to 16 year olds. Our young people are our future—and we’d really like it if they stayed here. Go away, for sure, but then come back and build something, make something happen. It could be an incredible future, if we put our minds to it. Guy Dauncey is an author, futurist, and activist for social change. His most recent book is Journey to the Future: A Better World is Possible. He lives in Ladysmith, BC. See www.journeytothefuture.ca
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Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
TheGreenGazette
Sustainable Ranching—Learning Applied Skills and Diversification By Angela Abrahão
T
he 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 after. I used to be scared I wouldn’t do it right. “Who me? Build a fence? No way! Now it’s all like, “Get me a post pounder. Where’s my page wire. Who took my fencing tool?!” We moved through human animal care and livestock handling systems and the students had the unforgettable experience of attending a stockmanship clinic at the historic Gang Ranch with clinician Curt Pate. We learned about dog handling from Lorne Landry in 100 Mile and general equipment maintenance from Lynn Bonner and the folks at Grasslands Equipment. After equipment it was all like, “Grease, grease, and more grease. Go to the manual. Read the manual. Follow through with what the manual says.” We moved onto fruit and vegetable production and learned about greenhouses
Zetteh Gunner places the electric fence insulator on the page wire fence. Photo: Angela Abrahão
and nurseries, moving onto food processing and farm store enterprises. Truly an experience, we are learning from the people in our region who are producing the food and the value-added products that allow their farms or ranches diversification opportunities. Why would a ranch want to pursue diversification strategies? There are a lot of reasons for diversification, simply put—to add more income and become more sustainable during market fluctuations. Perhaps diversification is a good strategy when someone in the family has skills in
certain areas, like growing. Certain ranches in the area will testify, sometimes those are the skills to pay the bills, friends. Maybe the enterprise is to increase biodiversity. So, adding a beekeeping enterprise to the ranch might increase revenue from honey sales but also increase biodiversity as a side effect of increasing flower and plant populations on your property. Maybe the farm is processing products that would otherwise not be capitalized upon, like making pickles from the overabundance in the garden to sell in the farm store.
Learning different strategies that directly benefit the ranch has been great. Even more amazing has been the realization of how many businesses are created out of and surrounding the ranching and agriculture industries in our region. Beyond that, there is space for even more growth if done right. The key takeaway we are all realizing is that this is not easy. Producing food is not easy. From the apple to the carrot to the cow, there are so many considerations. It’s the end of the first year and I learned things from the ranching program that I didn’t expect. I have some new heroes. The greenhouse grower. The organic farmer. The humane animal systems designer. The vinegar maker. The beekeeper. The shepherdess. The butcher. The market gardener. The fencer. The orchardist. The mechanic. The masters of soil, grasslands, and forests. So many very cool people to learn so very much from. Teachers are everywhere, if we are looking. Angela Abrahão lives in Horsefly and frequents a farm in Brazil and a sugar cane co -op where they produce ethanol, sugar, and energy. Angela is an herbalist, writer, and permaculture designer for the love of it and is a founder and digital marketing analyst for a computer software incubator. She is currently taking the Applied Sustainable Ranching program at TRU and you can follow along at http://www.ranching.school or like us on Facebook.
Local Activists Demand that PM Protect Rivers
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ocal 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 Protection Act is having a negative impact on local economies, Indigenous peoples’ rights, and waterways from coast to coast. “Prime Minister Trudeau is greenlighting projects including the Site C dam, the Pacific Northwest LNG project, and the Muskrat Falls dam without adequate review of the damage that might be done to waterways,” said Strong. “Canadians voted for change and it is disappointing to see Trudeau continue Harper’s policies.” The Council of Canadians is calling on the Trudeau government to restore and enhance the NWPA by: ⦁ Updating the NWPA so that all lakes, rivers, and waterways are fully protected. ⦁ Reinstating and strengthening federal scrutiny of large pipelines and power lines
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
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Fraser River. Photo: Anne Lazarevitch/flickr
under the NWPA and assessment of waterways under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. ⦁ Holding public consultations and independent expert panels and incorporating feedback to strengthen the NWPA. ⦁ Consulting with Indigenous peoples and incorporating the obligation to obtain free, prior, and informed consent into the NWPA so that Indigenous treaty and water rights are respected and a nation-to-nation relationship is truly established. ⦁ Implementing strict safeguards for waterways within the framework of the United Nations-recognized human right to water and sanitation.
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TheGreenGazette
Baby Festival in Williams Lake By LeRae Haynes
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ho wouldn’t welcome the chance to meet and celebrate our most precious Cariboo resource—every baby born here in 2016? I certainly do. As the community co-ordinator for Success by 6, I’m extremely delighted to welcome babies and parents to our second annual Baby Fest on November 17, in connection with National Child Day. This festival is one of four excellent free family events in our community put on by members of the Early Years Development Network (ECDN) in Williams Lake. There’s Family Fest in January, Children’s Fest in May, 3-Year-Old Roundup in September, and Baby Fest in November. Our ECDN table includes Communities that Care, School District #27, Child and Youth Mental Health, Cariboo Friendship Centre, Denisiqi Services Society, Early Years Centre, Child Development Centre, Interior Health, Success by 6, Children First, Child Care Resource and Referral, Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy, and Immigration and Multicultural Services Society. I think what’s so exciting about these four events is that they came from a group of caring, passionate people on the ECDN who work hard to identify gaps and needs in services available to young children and families. They address things like transportation, early screening, literacy, school readiness, health and nutrition, and more. Strong and creative collaborations are developed. Ideas bounce and feed off each other. Resources, talent, passion, and experience come to the forefront to the ultimate benefit of kids and families. It’s incredibly inspiring. And sometimes the most important thing we can do is something we call ‘increase awareness in the importance of the early years.’ To me, that’s like ‘achieve world peace.’ It’s easier than it sounds. Every moment we invest in our babies and little ones benefits society in the long run. Think about it: our future leaders, artists, scientists, professors, authors, authors, athletes, and entrepreneurs will succeed because they can read, communicate, problem-solve, set goals, and express themselves. I believe this starts from the first instant those bleary newborn eyes met yours, when that wobbly little body curls into your body warmth and that tiny face turns to the sound of your voice. Listening, talking, singing, reading, playing—it doesn’t take money, fancy electronics, or rocket science. Just face-toface time where our little ones learn how to listen, how to speak, and how to believe that they matter, and are deserving of our full attention. It’s the birth of self-esteem. I see this at the heart of the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes in early years organizations in our community. Some of them are really good at strategy, outcomes, research, event organization, and numbers. Some excel at making graphs, posters, writing letters, and applying for grants. I’m in awe of them! I’m not really good at anything except for cavorting with chil-
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Michelle Iverson and her daughter Ellie enjoy some one-on-one cuddle time. Photo: LeRae Haynes
dren, singing, playing music, and goofing off with puppets with a great deal of enthusiasm. Each of the four festivals for kids and families features services and products available in our community—anything you need to know in one place. At Baby Fest on November 17 you’ll find the organizations and business that carry products and services for you and your baby. Furniture, toys, books, eye care, day care, yoga, car seats, swim sessions, health screening, family events, and much more. At Family Fest on January 29 in the Gibraltar Room, you’ll find organizations, businesses, and agencies encouraging families to spend time together, read together, and improve literacy. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy games, crafts, lunch, music, stories, and prizes—it’s a free, fun, family event happening in the middle of winter. If you or someone you know had a baby in 2016, congratulations! Come and be truly celebrated at Baby Fest November 17 from 3–6p.m. in the Gibraltar Room. And of course, the best source of information for children is wlchild.ca, a onestop-shop for everything you need to know for your little peeps. LeRae Haynes is a freelance writer, song writer, community co-ordinator for Success by 6, member of Perfect Match dance band, and instigator of lots of music with kids.
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Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
TheGreenGazette
My First Political Experience By Gloria Atamanenko
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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, snowbound 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 difficult history and political situation of Ukraine that led to their immigration to Canada. Their readings, discussions, and the songs they sang told of bitter battles with various invaders. The warm climate and rich soil of Ukraine attracted invaders, and its lack of protective natural barriers made it easy to invade and difficult to defend. Mongolian hordes swept in from the east, and rapacious European neighbours from the north and west. In the twentieth century the autocratic, colonial regimes of the Austrian and Russian empires provoked perpetual Ukrainian struggles for freedom and independence. In the 1920s and 1930s, Northern Canada, despite its isolation and harsh climate, offered my parents the freedom and opportunities they longed for, and they loved it for that reason. They earned their homestead, learned English bit by bit, and became Canadian citizens, eligible to vote. It was election time. The bi-monthly visit of the boat that carried mail, passengers, and freight up and down 300 miles of the Peace River, brought campaign literature. The names below the photos of smiling candidates, and the names of the political parties they represented, were comprehensible, but most of the rest was not to people who were struggling to read English. The confusing mysteries of English spelling made learning to read that language without a teacher’s help very difficult.
It became apparent that one of the candidates regretted that he would be unable to travel so far north. The representative of another party came, but confined his visit to the tiny town and to adjacent settlements that could be reached by one of the three automobiles in that corner of Alberta. He stayed at the home of the Hudson Bay Company manager, oblivious of the unpopularity of that powerful, parsimonious institution. Nor was he aware of the negative impact that the suspicion of guilt by association would have on his campaign. (“You know, Pete,” an elderly Cree friend confided to father, “Hudson’s Bay boss, he never get to heaven.”) The third candidate hired a team and wagon and struggled through the deep, muddy ruts of the road into our district. He The Atamanenko sisters, arranged a Sunday afternoon with Gloria on the left. meeting so that no one would Photo submitted by Gloria Atamenenko need to take time off from the pressing load of springtime vote in the district. He served as Member chores. The schoolhouse was packed: a visitor of Parliament for many years. Election day arrived, and our parents, was a rare and interesting event. The candidate looked at everyone in a friendly excited and exhilarated, rushed through way. He pronounced surnames carefully their morning chores. We all changed into and correctly, and spoke slowly enough so our Sunday clothes. Mother carefully that everyone could understand him. He heated her curling iron over the coals in the had noticed that the crops seemed to be off wood stove and made my little sister and I to a good start. He asked if the Dominion fluffy, pretty curls. Then off to the schoolExperimental Farm at Fort Vermilion was house again we went, two and a half hours helpful? (Yes, it was wonderful!) Which away by horses and wagon. Mother and variety of wheat grew best, Thatcher or Father sang, and little Sister and I rejoiced, Red Pile? (Opinions were divided.) Could without fully understanding what the hapHolstein cows stand our long, tough win- piness was all about. A sudden prairie downpour descended ters? (Definitely not, but Shorthorn cattle upon us, drenching us thoroughly. We did did very well.) Ukrainian Canadians were excellent not own an umbrella as yet. “Our curls are farmers, the candidate told us. We were melted,” little Sister reported plaintively pioneers! We were opening the far north from the back seat. “Don't worry; we’ll for agriculture. Canada needed settlers like make some nice ones for Sunday,” Mother us! He shook hands with all the men, comforted. “Melted curls!” Father exsmiled at all the women (“He seems rather claimed with enthusiasm, “Why those are shy,” they said), won confidence and every the prettiest kind!”
Skywatch with Bill Irwin
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he 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 getting exponentially worse. LED lighting has been a mixed blessing. It is more efficient, especially over incandescent, and is rapidly replacing other forms of night lighting both outside your home and inside. The advan-
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tages are many, including long life, no warm-up, good performance in the cold, dimmability, better utilization of the hydro waveform, and no mercury. Unfortunately, the increased efficiency encourages people to put in brighter lighting. The impact of all this on animal night life and human circadian rhythms including melatonin has been well documented. At night in the observatory or at a star party we use dim red lighting because it impacts your night vision the least. Our dark adapted (scotopic) vision becomes more sensitive to blue light at night. It scatters more readily within your eye and can trigger what is called disability glare. This can get worse with age. Just think of those bright blue LED headlights coming at you. LED lighting can have a large amount of blue content. This affects you indoors at night as well. The bulbs you can buy lo-
cally have a colour temp rating on the box and usually on the bulb as well. The lower the colour temp rating the more the spectrum shifts to the red. I usually choose soft, white 2700K bulbs. I find they are the most like the benign incandescent bulbs we grew up with. I find even 3000K bulbs to be too bluish for my taste. During the daytime, when your vision sensitivity shifts towards the yellow, the blue glare is much less of a problem and 3000K bulbs or higher could be used in your shop, etc. I highly recommend downloading the small program called f.lux for your computer. It allows you to adjust the daytime and night-time colour temp of your monitor and automatically dims the display during the dark hours. I have my monitor down to candlelight brightness at night.
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“Really Mother, you ought to make melted curls more often!” We listened incredulously, then “Tatochku, you’re teasing us,” we giggled, and our parents laughed. The holiday mood of election day was dampened but not destroyed. At the schoolhouse, at last, the atmosphere was pleasant, formal, and serious. It felt rather like the church services held there three or four times a year when visiting clergy came, but without the flowers and incense and lovely singing. Father and Mother did something quiet and mysterious with pieces of paper while we watched from the back of the room. It was all over quickly, and we walked back to the wagon again, pursued by a cloud of ravenous mosquitoes. Other friends were coming to and from the schoolhouse, but the mosquitoes discouraged prolonged chatting. Yet even they did not manage to spoil the magic of election day. On the way home, Mother and Father were happy and talkative: “How very simple it was! How highly organized! How tremendously important…” As Gloria Atamanenko explains in her story, “I was born near Fort Vermillion, Alberta, 100 miles below the Northwest Territories boundary, the farthest north farming district on the continent.” Her family immigrated to Alberta in the 30s, built a small cabin, farmed, hunted, and trapped for a living, a childhood time she remembers with great fondness. As a young woman in the 50s, she became a social worker by profession and lives presently on a ranch with her faithful husband in BC near 150 Mile. Note: Original article appeared in Lived Experience volume number seven. Copies are available at The Station House Gallery and The Open Book in Williams Lake. Gloria’s articles appeared in LE 7, 8, 9, and 10. Fifteen annual LEs are available at both places, or can be ordered from the publisher at vanandruss@gmail.com.
Since our erally respond loga-
senses genrithmi call y to i nte nsi ty changes, even a small amount of red uc tio n can have a large effect. This is yet another adaptation we have to consciously make to the power that technology has given us. We will get back to the stars next time. They, too, have colours. Observing sessions at the Bells Lake Observatory are on short notice due to the weather, so if it looks like it’s going to be a clear night you can give me a call at (250) 620-0596 or contact me at irwin8sound@gmail.com.
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TheGreenGazette
Natural Health Products (NHPs) Are Not Drugs
Recalibrating By Margaret-Anne Enders
By Reuben Dinsmore, ND
I
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 were visiting my parents in Alberta for Christmas. It was a cold, dark winter evening and we needed to navigate the backstreets of Edmonton and Mill Woods and do far too many big-city errands in the time we had. My parents kindly offered to lend us their GPS to make the task easier. You would think it would have helped, but somehow we got caught up in a bunch of little streets and kept making wrong turns. The woman inside the GPS tried her best, telling us quite specifically when to turn and in which direction to go, but perhaps we just weren’t ready to relinquish control. Nevertheless, after each wrong turn, she clearly but patiently said, perhaps to us, but perhaps just to herself, “Recalibrating.” Each time she said it, she remained calm and offered us a new direction. Never once did she get rattled. I haven’t thought of the GPS woman for years, but just the other day, her voice popped into my head with a gentle and clear, “Recalibrating.” I don’t know why my psyche called it up, but her leadership has again offered direction. There are many instances in my life lately where things aren’t going my way. The complexities of personal relationships, workplace dynamics, and societal issues result in numerous occasions for frustration. Often there is no one in the wrong, just different ways of being and doing that, for whatever reason, don’t go along with my perhapstoo-rigid expectations. Buddhist teachings recommend the virtue of being equanimous. It’s a bit of a tricky word, and an even trickier concept. Basically it means accepting how things are in the present moment without getting carried away by strong reactions or emotions. I have a knack for such reactions and so being equanimous is not an easy task. It requires self-awareness of those reactions and constant vigilance to discern the situation at hand. Here e nter s the c o nce p t o f “recalibrating.”A situation occurs that differs from my expectations. I make every attempt to be equanimous. I accept the new reality. But now what? Somehow this word, “recalibrating,” heard in the voice of my GPS guide reminds me that I have to take a new bearing. It is possible that I will end up at the same destination, but the route has changed. So when I hear that voice in my head, I can feel in my body that I need to point in a different direction. I physically have to do something different, to imagine a new path, all the while staying calm.
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Photo by Maria Obed: www.obed.se
The kids return home having missed the school bus on a morning that I have a lot of work to do. “Recalibrating.” Okay— drive the kids to school, do my errands this morning, work from home this afternoon. The budget meeting at work takes an hour and a half instead of half an hour. “Recalibrating.” Shuffle some work to Monday and let go of having everything done by the weekend. How many people actually get everything done by the weekend anyway? Darn, I forgot the clothes in the washer again, and it is 10:00 at night. “Recalibrating.” Find a good podcast and hang up the clothes, soaking up the peace and quiet in the house. Or throw them in the dryer and let go of worrying about the energy it is using. My mentor is calm—I can be too. I wonder how much of my stress level comes not from the change in situation, but from my reaction to the change in situation. When I can recalibrate, I find I can adapt more easily. Change of plans? No big deal. Of course, unlike my mentor, I am still human, and some things still are a big deal. Equanimity offers wisdom as such times as well. When I do have a strong reaction or emotion, being equanimous means that I accept the reality of that anger, sadness, or fear in that moment. And when I can accept it, I can move into recalibrating much more easily. I don’t think the GPS will replace my love of maps and the satisfying feeling of knowing where I am and where I am going, but I will continue to carry, with gratitude, the memory of my trusty guide’s calm confidence in my ability to find my way despite many wrong turns on a dark winter’s night.
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 it’s impractical and unnecessary to require manufacturers of NHPs to go through the same procedures as drug manufacturers. First, drugs are typically single ingredient formulations, with a single or occasionally dual purpose—for example, acetaminophen for pain relief, and also for fever reduction. When combinations are marketed, as in a cold formula, each of the single ingredients undergo their own clinical trials to prove their efficacy in whatever health claim that ingredient is aimed. Many supplements, particularly herbal formulations, are designed to take advantage of the synergy between the various ingredients. Less often do we recommend a single remedy for a single purpose, as a main tenet is treating the patient as a whole
instead of simply a symptom in a body system. This becomes difficult, even impossible, to prove efficacy of a formula, as clinical trials are designed around single ingredients, to exclude all possible variables. In addition, supplements are intended to work over a longer time period than drugs, helping the body return to its natural state of health rather than pharmaceutically forcing it into an unnatural place. I’ve often asked patients to be patient—they’ve often spent decades getting to their current state, so they shouldn’t expect me to fix them in a few weeks. The expense of running a clinical trial is difficult at best, for a product that typically can’t be patented and retailed at drug company prices. This onus becomes even more difficult when a clinical trial needs to run over many months to determine efficacy. Bottom line, changing the regulation requirements will increase prices of NHPs and would likely make access much more difficult—and for what purpose? Please consider expressing your views, hopefully in opposition to this attempt to fix a system that isn’t even broken. You can read more and find contact information at the following site: https://chfa.ca/en/natural-health-products/ nhps-not-drugs/index.html In health, Dr. Reuben Dinsmore, ND Yaletown Naturopathic Clinic
In her work with the Multicultural Program at Cariboo Mental Health Association, as well as in her life as a parent, partner, faithful seeker, left-leaning Christian, paddler, and gardener, Margaret-Anne Enders is thrilled to catch glimpses of the Divine in the ordinary and the extraordinary. To learn more about the Women’s Spirituality Circle, call (250) 305-4426 or seewww.womenspiritualitycircle.wordpres s.com or on Facebook at Women’s Spirituality Circle in Williams Lake.
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Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
TheGreenGazette
Becoming a Citizen of Canada By Sharon Taylor
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anada 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 correct out of 20 questions. The questions can come from any part of the Discover Canada text provided by the federal government, including charts and illustrations. In the past three years, Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society has worked with nearly 20 people in Williams Lake who have become Canadian citizens. We help fill out forms, make payments to the federal government online, and prepare for the test. The 70-page Discover Canada booklet is full of information the government thinks all Canadians should know, but the reality is that lots of us born and educated here probably don’t know as much as we think we do, and certainly many of us would have trouble passing the test without studying. The first page of the booklet describes the Oath of Citizenship, which all new citizens take as part of their ceremony: I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, her Heirs and Successors
And that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. Although it looks like a pledge of loyalty to a person (Queen Elizabeth), new Canadians commit to the “Sovereign”: the person representing the constitutional monarchy. According to the Discover Canada text, “Canada is personified by the Sovereign just as the Sovereign is personified by Canada.” Canadian law is informed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which in turn is based on the Magna Carta (the Great Charter) signed by King John of England in 1215. It identified the following as significant rights for all. • freedom of conscience and religion; • freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of speech and of the press; • freedom of peaceful assembly; and, freedom of a s s o c i a ti o n. These rights became entrenched in the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms. For those following along in the Discover Canada text, we are only on page 8. We have Equality of Women and Men to talk about, Citizenship Responsibilities, and Defending Canada (p. 9). And then we have highlights of 400 years of Canada’s history, with a brief stop to acknowledge the many Aboriginal people who lived in this area before colonization (p. 10-23). We have to talk about Modern Canada, our trading partners, economic base, and inventions and discoveries (p. 24-27). Next, we have the complicated chapter on How Canadians Govern Themselves (p. 28 -35), the Justice System, Canadian Symbols, and Canada’s Economy (p. 36, 38, and 42).
Finally, as Canadian history is closely linked to our geography, we have six pages on Canada’s Regions, including some key facts about each province and territory. People taking the test are expected to know a little extra about where they live: for example, BC has Canada’s most extensive park system, with approximately 600 parks, and Chinese and Punjabi are the most commonly spoken languages after English. If that all seems like a lot of material to cover, we aren’t done yet. On every fewpages are tiny illustrations with “fun facts”: jazz musician Oscar Peterson receiving his Order of Canada and hockey player Paul Henderson scoring the winning goal in the 1972 Canada-Soviet Summit Series. Becoming a Canadian citizen used to be a simple process. People have told me about speaking to an immigration officer on the phone and then receiving their citizenship certificate in the mail. But nothing is as simple as it was in the past. And some rules haven’t changed: you cannot become a citizen by marrying a Canadian, and only children younger than 14 become citizens when their parents do. Becoming a citizen of Canada requires thought and commitment. I wonder how many of us born here in Canada take our citizenship seriously. A citizen can do three things a permanent resident cannot: hold a Canadian passport, run for political office, and vote. Although the 2016 federal election saw a rise in voting numbers, it was still less than 70 per cent of the eligible population. Voting is our primary responsibility as Canadians, and 1 in 3 people in Canada do not participate.
Study guide used for the citizenship test. Photo: S.M. Taylor
You can bet the people who choose to become citizens do. Sharon Taylor has lived in Williams Lake most of the past 35 years with her husband Rob. Together they have raised four loving and compassionate children, have taught hundreds of students in elementary school and at the university, and have been leaders in the Anglican church here and in Vancouver. Sharon now works with the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society to help newcomers to Canada settle in the Cariboo.
New Year Perspective: Declutter for Life By Jessica Kirby, Senior Editor of TheGreenGazette
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ometimes success is a matter of perception. This January, when the fuss and bustle of the holidays has passed and you are left in the quiet (sometimes, too quiet) that follows, consider this a time to succeed at something that requires quiet and focus: decluttering. We strive for environmental wellness, personal and community health, and a general sense of clean living, yet we forget how important simplicity is in achieving these states of being. “Stuff” burdens the Earth, stifles our minds, restricts our mobility, and leaves us with a general sense of discomfort because we know we are perpetually surrounded. Be still, and live clean. Save money, have more time, and revel in energy by purging your clutter and making a pact with yourself to keep the way forward clear and open. Easy for me to say, from
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
way over here (surrounded in office junk, I might add) because deciding where to begin inspires anxiety and a general sense of defeat in the strongest of mind among us. The solution? Break it down. You didn’t gather all that junk in one day and nor will you shed it quickly. But you will shed it— one, beautiful day at a time. So what are you waiting for? Check out this list, pick up a book, and get things moving. What do you have to lose, except practically everything? 1. Commit to losing one thing each day. Throw it out, recycle is, regift it— whatever it takes, just rid your space of one thing each day. It will add up. 2. Fill one bag. Make a special place for a trash bag and decide to see how quickly you can fill that bag, be it with recyclables, donations, or if you really can’t help it: garbage. When you’ve filled the bag? That’s right: go get another one. 3. Set a five-minute time zone. You absolutely, unquestionably, and without argument have five minutes each day to commit to this cause. So, schedule it and use it to work through the piles. 4. Make a list. This could be of spaces (bathroom, bedroom, garage) or of more focused areas (kitchen drawer, bathroom closet, backseat) you want to tackle. Your
brain actually experiences a tiny rush of dopamine when you cross something off of a list of accomplishments, so take advantage of your natural reward system. 5. Tackle your closet using Oprah’s clothes hanger technique: Hang all of your clothing on hangers facing the incorrect direction. When you wear something, turn the hanger into the correct direction. After six months you will know what you are wearing and what you aren’t. The same principle can apply to any items, of course. 6. Use four boxes to organize your life. Label them Keep, Donate, Recycle, and Trash and run every single item in your house through this test. It will take time, but you will have a much clearer picture of what you have and what you need by the end of it. 7. Go for 12-12-12. Similarly, search through your things to find 12 to give away, 12 to throw away, and 12 to keep. Do this weekly and find your space organized and decluttered, 36 items at a time. Even better, make this a competition among members of your household. 8. It’s in the numbers. You can pick 33 clothing items to wear for three months to see how little you can live with, or any old set of numbers that give your project meaning and rhythm. There is something
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in the rigidity of math that appeals to our organization centres. 9. Section your progress. Pick a space and do everything you can in that one space until it is completely finished. Ideally that will take two or three weeks, but who knows? Ideally, you’d have your space sorted in about six months so budget with an end goal in mind. 10. Adjust your perspective. Take photos of your space to find items previously gone unnoticed, get down on all fours to see things beyond your normal range of sight, or have a dinner party and notice what you pick up or put away. There is always room to improve, but we don’t always see it until we shift our vision and look for possibility. Gathering clutter is a habit, so changing our perspective changes the habit. Reward yourself along the way and take pleasure in your open, airy, spacious living area. And don’t go back: a commitment to live simply is a commitment to fortitude in resisting the urge to fill the void with more “stuff.” It will take dedication and focus but you can do it—success is almost always a matter of perception.
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TheGreenGazette
In Love with Stuff By Jennifer Clark
ied “footprint” of consumption in terms of energy, raw materials, and time. What imhe idea of living simply isn’t pact did the creation of that couch or car new. Whether it was Thoreau have on the planet? What impact will it writing about living a simple continue to have in the future? Will it offlife in the cabin he built on gas toxins? How will disposing of it when Walden Pond; Edward Abbey document- it has reached the end of its useable life ing the years he spent living in a travel affect the planet? I believe that we have trailer in Arches National Monument in passed the point where we can responsibly his book Desert Solitaire; Bill Rees and ignore these questions. I’ve been thinking Mathis Wackernagel developing the idea about these things a lot recently, as I’ve of our “ecological footprint” as a means embarked on the process of downsizing, of assessing the imgetting rid of my stuff pact our consumption in order to go tiny. has on the Earth; or, Probably nearly Jim Merkel spurring everyone has seen or “Our modern world is a new movement in he a r d s o me thi n g obsessed with stuff. voluntary simplicity about tiny houses in when he wrote Radirecent years. They are The acquisition of cal Simplicity in a major phenomenon material possessions 2003, voluntary simin modern housing, is advertised as the plicity has been diswith thousands of cussed almost as long people across Canada ultimate sign of our as we’ve been collectand the US purging success as people.” ing things and acquirtheir possessions and ing stuff. downsizing to live in tiny houses, whether Our modern world is obsessed with stuff. The acquisition of they are built on a permanent foundation material possessions is advertised as the on a property, or constructed on a trailer ultimate sign of our success as people. You frame so that the house can be easily aren’t considered successful unless you’ve moved from one site to another. If you’ve watched any of the numerous got a nice house, a new fancy car, all the latest gadgets in our homes, and motorized television shows or documentaries about toys in the garage. Even as children, we are tiny houses, you might have noticed, as I defined as cool, or not, by the clothes that have, that these houses are often incredibly we wear, the toys we have, the things our expensive. It seems counter intuitive to go parents buy us. But does this stuff make us tiny to reduce your expenses while spendhappy? Sure, sometimes it does if it en- ing tens of thousands for all the latest techables us to do an activity that we enjoy— nological gadgets and fine finishings. In a but it also burdens us. We have to store, housing market that is increasingly unaffordable, going tiny may be the best option maintain, and pay for this stuff. An often neglected question about stuff for me to own my home, but I will never is how does the acquisition of all these be able to scrape together enough money to material things we collect impact the spend $30,000–$50,000 outright to build or planet? Every item we own has an embod- purchase a typical tiny house. So how do I
(Left) So I fit in the stock tank/bathtub, but will it fit through the trailer door? Photo: Shellie Proctor (Bottom) Odin forest cat, Jen's sidekick, publicist, and travel trailer guardian guarding the travel trailer door. "What's the password?" Photo: Jennifer Clark
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go tiny, when I can’t afford to go tiny? I’m sure I’m not the only one struggling with this question right now. My solution has been to buy an 18-foot -long, 1976 travel trailer that has working appliances (stove, oven, fridge, furnace, hot water heater) and a full bathroom. In the past two months, I have partially gutted it, repaired and renovated it to add storage and improve the use of space, and insulated it for full-time living. It isn’t finished yet—not by a long shot, but I’m living in it now, and trying to finish it as I go along. While I’ve been tackling this crazy project, I’ve been thinking a lot about how going tiny is causing me to rethink my relationship with stuff, and to consuming things. I’ve started having this conversation with friends. How do we relate to our stuff? How does having stuff limit or free us? How does it impact the planet and sustainability? As I move forward with reno-
vating and continuing to simplify my life to suit living tiny, I hope I will keep having this conversation with people, and look forward to being able to expand it via TheGreenGazette. Jennifer Clark grew up on her family's horse and cattle ranch in the East Kootenays. She has studied sustainability issues and urban planning at Selkirk College in Castlegar, BC and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She is a wildland firefighter, a fanatical gardener, and has worked and taught urban gardening at garden nurseries in Metro Vancouver. Jennifer is also an experienced potter, occasionally teaching beginner’s classes. On a nice day, she can be found outside, gardening, hiking, or if she’s lucky, kayaking in a borrowed kayak.
Raising Amadeus By Terri Smith
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ext 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 pagewire. He struggled to get up, but couldn’t. Fortunately, I was there to untangle him and help him to his feet, but I shuddered to think what would have happened if I hadn’t been nearby. So, yet again I am downsizing, and soon I shall have only three animals left from my original menagerie of many. There is always a sense of failure, I find, when I need to re-home an animal. But sometimes it really is for the best for everyone. Most of these animals were not my idea in the first place. As I have said many times, I never wanted to own goats. This whole herd was part of the misguided idyllic vision of my original farming partner. I think that a great many people have ended
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up with goats in much the same way. Baby goats are some of the cutest things ever, and goats themselves are quirky and mischievous, and seem like a good idea. But once they arrive at your home and you spend half your time trying and failing to outsmart them, you soon realize that it might be a good idea to find them a new home. They say there are two types of people: those who want goats, and those who have had goats. I have a theory that goat owners are actually among the bunch that don’t really like goats, but they pretend to everyone they know that they are absolutely enamoured with them so that they can pass them off on the unwitting. “No, really, I love goats! Goats are the best!! No problem at all! (so long as you have a fence that contains water).” I can be honest now about goats, because I no longer have goats who need homes. Goats are awful! They are impossible to contain. They eat everything in your yard that you love, and turn up their noses at the plants you would like them to eat. Wow, how liberating to finally be able to speak the truth. Don’t get goats! You will regret it! They will hold a disco on the hood of your car; they will eat your garden, they will try to invade your house – and
It's just you and me kid. Photo: Mark Rupp
they cannot be house-trained – they will freak out your religious relatives with their creepy eyes (although this might be a good thing depending on how you how you feel about said relatives). If you do get goats, might I recommend one like Amadeus? Amadeus can’t jump, and he can’t get around very quickly. Consequently, he is easy to contain and a pleasure to be around. So now you know
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the truth: I don’t really like goats, but I do so love Amadeus! Terri Smith is a non-certified organic vegetable farmer in the Cariboo. She is passionate about writing, art, goats, and feeding good food to good people. She believes in following your heart, living your dreams, and taking care of the planet.
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Small Town Love: Loving small business in Williams Lake By LeRae Haynes
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mall 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. So many people want good things for the City—for it to be prosperous, and a good place to shop and eat and play.” She said word is really starting to get out, adding there is a beautiful new Love Williams Lake sign at the Tourism Discovery Centre. There are about 1,800 businesses in 30 communities in interior/northern BC participating in Small Town Love. “Small Town Love was started by a woman from Quesnel named Amy Quarry, who had a vision to get people excited about small businesses in their communities,” said Jakubec.“The website started with lovequesnel.com and grew from there. It supports non-franchised, locally-owned businesses.” Small Town Love Williams Lake recently partnered with the Downtown Business Improvement Association to do the Hunt for the Heart program.
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Heidi Jakubec, Small Town Love Williams Lake champion, loves supporting and promoting small businesses in our community. Photo: LeRae Haynes
Love Northern BC said for every $100 spent in a locally-owned business, up to $75 stays in the community, and shopping local paves the way for new jobs, growth, and a healthy economy, and keeps creative, entrepreneurial people in the community. Jakubec explained that in the works is a Facebook contest where people stand next to the new sign at the TDC and post it on the Love Williams Lake FB page. “The winner gets ‘Love Bucks’ to spend at one of the 72 local businesses who are participating,” she said. “It only costs $100 to join; more businesses are signing up all the time. When
you sign up, you get a web presence at lovewilliamslake.com, a professional photo shoot, and professional write-up about the entrepreneur and their business.” Northern Development Initiative Trust ( NDIT) is the bac ki ng be hi nd the lovewilliamslake.com website, providing the funding, marketing support, website maintenance, and social media support. The City of Williams Lake has been extremely receptive to this program and eager to support it, according to Jakubec, who said they did a beautiful job on the new Love Williams Lake sign at the Tourism Discovery Centre.
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She noted the professional photographer who does the photos for Love Williams Lake is Rick Magnell from Magnell Photography. “He does such beautiful work,” she said. “I think one of the most important things a small business can do to bring their customers back is to listen to their customers and hear what they have to say. Twenty years ago we were always told that the customer is always right. “I don’t always believe that, but I think if you listen, you can learn and change outcomes.”Communities are as individual as the people who live in them, and Small Town Love is a program that reflects that, she continued. “Our businesses are all lovely in their own right. “When we shop local we’re looking after our neighbours,” she said.“They live here and their kids go to school with our kids. And the dollars spent in local small businesses support things like Walk for a Cure, the SPCA, sports for kids, and countless fundraisers,” she said.“The enormity of that is never lost on me.” For more information about Small Town Love Williams Lake, visit lovewilliamslake.com, find them on Facebook, phone (250) 39 2-84 80, or e mail hjakubec@williamslake.ca. LeRae Haynes is a freelance writer, song writer, community co-ordinator for Success by 6, member of Perfect Match dance band, and instigator of lots of music with kids.
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Opinion: Buying Fair Trade is a Commitment to Think By Lisa Hilton FAIR TRADE is a social movement whose stated goal is to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and to promote sustainability. Members of the movement advocate the payment of higher prices to exporters, as well as improved social and environmental standards.
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tep 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 the factory. Shipping will likely need to take place, and the new cotton item handled by a new set of hands, at each stage from steps three through seven. Step eight: the order is shipped to a warehouse in the destination country. Step nine: the order is unpacked, sorted, and re-shipped to the destination stores. Step ten: the selected items will be unpacked, priced, and displayed at the destination store. Then, the customer walks in, browses the available selection, and makes their choice. Over the past two years, I’ve had many conversations with people about clothing, and the cost of clothing. I guess it’s a natural by-product of being involved in the industry, and having family in the industry. But what truly amazes me is how opinionated people can be on this topic, regardless of their level of involvement in either the production or the sale of these items. Usually, where I find these conversations tend to lead is in the direction of the averageperson/consumer expressing that they feel they are being charged too much for the items they truly want—the higher quality, unique, interesting items that seem harder and harder to come by in a small town like Williams Lake. Why are people feeling this way? A revelation came to me recently, as I pondered a discussion that I’d had with a young friend this past summer. Consumers tend to see things comparatively, not objectively. They’re not thinking about the stages of production and how many hands these items have to pass through. They’re not thinking about how many times these items need to be packed and shipped, and re-packed and re-shipped, especially with production that’s been outsourced to countries far away. And they’re
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Painted handmade clothes, Indian handicrafts fair at Kolkata, India ID 48981431 © Rudra Narayan Mitra | Dreamstime.com
not thinking about how many working hours it takes to get these items from the fields of their origin to the shelves and the racks of their favourite box store. What they’re thinking about is how much this item at Walmart compares pricewise to a similar type of item at Gap, MEC, Costco, or wherever. They’re not thinking about the types of environmental, safety, and wage sacrifices that need to be made in order to keep prices at 1927 levels, or lower. They’re not thinking things through, objectively, at all. Fair Trade is a commitment to think. It is a commitment to do our research, and to truly understand why things cost what they
do, and why many things should cost a lot more than what we’ve become used to, especially in a commodity market like clothing. Despite all of our frantic pricecomparisons, the assumption that we are good shoppers simply because we've found the best product at the cheapest price seems to be a very misplaced judgement. We might have a basic understanding of comparative mathematics, and what that can gain for us at an immediate, personal level, but we often know next to nothing about what these items are truly worth, and what was sacrificed to get them here. Fair Trade is a commitment to actually care about the people that make our stuff, their homes, their environment, and their future. I present you with a challenge during this busiest of shopping seasons in our calendar year. Rather than rushing off to your usual Black Friday haunts, whether they be online or elsewhere, take the time on your computer, or on your phone, to Google some things. Google “the Savar building collapse.” Google “Fair Trade,” and why it originated. Google “The True
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Cost,” a 2015 film directed by Andrew Morgan, and then take the time to watch it on Netflix. Google “The Story of Stuff,” and really pay attention. Of course we need to buy things, but we should be willing to pay a fair price for these items, and not be sending 90 per cent of them to the landfill in a few years. If we were willing to pay the proper price for things, not the “comparative” price, we would be willing to spend a lot more mo n e y fo r fa r fe w e r i te ms . I believe this approach ultimately leads to the most happiness on a worldwide scale. If people feel they are being paid fairly for their work, and in safe conditions, they are generally happier. If people feel they have higher quality items, and aren’t drowning in a deluge of garbage, they are generally happier. It takes a commitment to both think, and to do our research, even during this busiest of shopping seasons. But if we encourage each other in this, rather than just doing our business as usual, we might actually make this Christmas a brighter and a happier place for the workers of the world and ourselves. That is my Christmas Wish, and my hope is it’s yours, too.
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The Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystems Restoration Steering Committee: Serving the Region since 2008
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overing 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. Through ecosystem restoration management, controlled burning in areas close to communities mitigates wildfire risks. All communities and First Nation governments are notified through the appropriate channels when burns are scheduled in their area or territory. Ecosystem Restoration contributes to the renewal of grasslands and open forests by manually removing or burning most of
the small, thin-barked trees, and maintaining open forests with grassy under-stories that merge with native grasslands. Through tree removal in the grasslands, catastrophic wildfire events are decreased due to the reduction in fuel-loading. Ecosystem Restoration protects against loss of First Nation values such as traditional use of culturally important plants, habitat in traditional hunting and trapping areas, protection of archaeological sites from severe wildfire, maintenance of traditional knowledge, and cultural activities related to managed-fire. Ecosystem Restoration provides many economic, social, and cultural benefits such as: • recognition of managed fire as an inherent First Nation land use technique; • reduction of excessive fuel loads to lessen catastrophic wildfires; • improved air quality by managing emissions through prescribed fire opposed to emissions resulting from a wildfire potentially occurring during less favourable atmospheric conditions; • improved long-term timber harvest values through spacing over-dense stands while also providing a potential bioenergy source; • increased resilience of community watersheds to maintain potable water supplies; and,
Big horn sheep in the Cariboo-Chilcotin benefit from ecosystem restoration. Photo submitted by the Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystems Resoration Committee
• and improved recreational and aesthetic values. In the Cariboo-Chilcotin Region, Ecosystem Restoration treatments are made possible through the support of the Land Based Investment Strategy and through the collaboration of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystem Restoration Steering Committee (CCERSC). The committee is a cooperative initiative between First Nations and various stakeholders within the region and is made up of representatives from: • Three First Nation language groups (Tsilhqot’in,Dakelh, Secwepemc); • The Department of National Defense; • Provincial Ministries; • Four cattlemen’s groups (CaribooChilcotin, Clinton, Quesnel, and South Cariboo); • Cariboo-Chilcotin Conservation Society;
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BC Wildlife Federation; UBC Research Forest; Guide Outfitters Association; Nature Conservancy of Canada; Friends of Churn Creek; and, Grasslands Conservation Council. The 2016-2017 Ecosystem Restoration in the Region includes a combination of machine thinning and hand slashing, depending on the size and density of trees on site. This work will potentially take place in Williams Lake Community Forest, Esketemc Community Forest, Beechers Prairie, Big Creek, the Churn Creek Protected Area and community forests, mule-deer winter range sites, and other sensitive habitats within the Cariboo-Chilcotin Region. Would you like to know more about ecosystem restoration in the CaribooChilcotin? Please contact erobinson@fraserbasin.bc.ca.
Food and Energy Demand Drives 58 Per cent Decline in Global Wildlife Populations: New World Wildlife Fund report
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lobal 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 news is that we can fix it. It requires updating our approach to food, energy, transportation, and how we live our lives. We share the same planet. We rely on it for our survival. So we are all responsible for its protection.” The top threat to wildlife is habitat loss and degradation, driven primarily by increasing demand for food and energy. According to the report, global food production is the leading cause for destruction of habitats and overexploitation of wildlife. Agriculture currently occupies approximately one-third of Earth’s total land area and accounts for 70 per cent of all freshwater use. Wild animals are not the only ones at risk; the report states increased pressure threatens the natural resources that all life – including humanity – depend on.
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The report demonstrates the need to rethink how we produce, consume, measure success, and value the natural environment, and calls for an urgent system change by individuals, businesses, and governments. The report also illustrates the positive momentum that is building by highlighting recent global agreements on climate change and sustainable development. In particular, the report recognizes the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as an essential guide to decisionmaking that can ensure that the environment is valued alongside economic and social interests. “A strong natural environment is the key to defeating poverty, improving health, and developing a just and prosperous future,” said Marco Lambertini, WWF director general. “We have proven that we know what it takes to build a resilient planet for future generations; we just need to act on that knowledge.” “Living Planet Report 2016: Risk and resilience in a new era” is the eleventh edition of WWF’s biennial flagship publication. (www.worldwildlife.org/pages/ living-planet-report-2016) The report tracks over 14,000 vertebrate populations of over 3,700 species from 1970 to 2012 and includes research from the Global Footprint Network and the Zoological Society of London.
Elephant males throughout their lives challenge one another to establish dominance. Photo: Richard Ruggiero/USFWS
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TheGreenGazette
Creative Voice: Who are we? By Jonathan Weisblatt
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ear 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 all just stop. Stage direction: Cut the power. (Everything stops. Everything.) Stillness. Silence. We look around. Meet eyes. See cars, stopped. Cyclists, standing. Buses, silent but for the shuffling of passengers’ feet and clothing as they emerge onto the street. Buildings are emptying downtown. Birds weave and chirp; butterflies swerve. People squint into the sunny sky, awake, curious, expectant. “Welcome! Happy New Moment! Everyone! Please join us outside and take a breath—this is a gift! This is what we all need right now: we are in a crisis and need to reorient, reorganize, and refocus our attention and actions in sensible, sane ways. This will be a multi-phase process, so just be cool and let’s make it fun. We’ll start by relaxing; this, alone, will be a gradual process, as we have been so impacted by our stress-inducing modern industrial capitalist lifestyles. Next we will move into more sensible, practical action items we can handle together. “The first phase is stopping and breathing, stretching and greeting. Please loosen up and jump and dance and shake it out. There will be some phat beats shortly. “Quick reminder: we are all animals with unique gifts living on this planet, in this intricate web of life. We have all been impacted by and traumatized by intersecting systems of oppression – the trauma of which we will be addressing directly for community and personal healing in the next phase – so let’s heave another enormously deep breath together and feel compassion and empathy for ourselves and our human family, even the so-called oppressors. Shake it out. Another deep breath into your deepest belly, and… Now we are
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(Top Left) Artist and activist, Jonathan Weisblatt. (Top Right) SelfPortrait, 2003. Original artwork by Jonathan Weisblatt (Bottom) Self-Evidence, Burning Man installation 2008, See more at: http:// self-evidence.org/ Welcome.html Photo: Robert Bengtson
reaching the stretching and greeting segment. Please begin greeting the people around you and be sensitive to and respectful of everyone’s boundaries; some people do not wish to be touched; some are ready for hugs.” Phat beats. “Feel free to wiggly dance and stretch your bodies out to become more fluid. Water comprises 70-80% of your body. Feel free to feel all of your feelings. Stretch out to meet and greet your neighbours; use all the space you want—this is your home planet. “Excellent jiggling! Let’s all find a spot and lay on the ground. Don't worry about your clothes; find a cloth or mat or piece of cardboard nearby and allow yourself to just sink down into the Earth. We will rest here for several minutes before we emerge again as active bipeds. For now, just sink down deep toward the center of the Earth.”
Everyone finds a place on the ground, scattered like so many colourful autumn leaves. “You knew this was coming; it had to. Things could not go on like this any longer. The plastic choking life in the oceans, the CO2 in the air, the mass extinctions, the vain destruction, and wanton violence—you know the story. So now we’re stopping to re-orient and redirect our progress. We’re going to make some adjustments to what is considered normal and acceptable and decent. We are changing many of our tasks on this planet, in this life, so that we begin operating with a sense of justice and truth, transparency and collaboration, health and nourishment: for all living beings, for all living systems. It sounds like a steep task ahead, but we’ve already done the hardest part: you’ve unplugged and stopped.
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“Now that we are no longer feeding into the uncontrollable, pathological machineries of violence and destruction in the capitalist-industrial system, we are liberated to act in accordance with our values and respond to the needs of our environment. Now, there are hungry people; we will serve them food. There are sick people; we will care for them. There are depleted bioregions; we will restore them. “We are all healers and caretakers and leaders. We have scientists and artists and researchers and community members who know how to solve the problems we have on the ground in our local traumatized spaces. Networks of support systems in communities will be created locally and nurtured in daily circles of connection and communication. These will provide the backbone of our emerging society of compassion and collaboration and sharing. “The new food production system will be put into motion and transformed quickly into small-scale rotating family-style farmsteads. Urban areas will be adapted into vibrant ecosystems by liberating the soil and restoring the sensible pace of living. Hospitals will become beautiful palaces of healing and cultural and spiritual reconnection. And on and on. Rest assured, all the systems will be rebuilt according to ecological designs and the values of our new culture. “We will all have new tasks today, and many of them will be temporary, until everyone gradually finds their appropriate place in our new culture of mutual care and responsibility for all living beings, where they feel most aligned and joyful to be giving their gifts to the community and bioregion, collaborating in harmony with the ongoing evolving fulfillment of our common dreams for the exquisite refining practice of the arts of being human. For all our relations. “Thank you for your openness, curiosity, and full and enthusiastic participation; know you will be cared for. “Next we will read our Manifesto.” Jonathan Weisblatt is an artist and social and environmental justice activist labouring continuously to find ways to exist and feel his animal aliveness and embody his wisest wilderness identity while organizing a healing transformation while enmeshed in the intersecting systems of oppression..
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Electrosmog: The acid rain of today later used for the microwave oven, which originally was called the radar range. The same frequencies are now used in Wi-Fi devices. We wouldn't want to live near a radar installation, yet we generate radar frequencies in our home with our wireless technology. ’m an associate professor of enviSymptoms of electrohypersensitivity ronmental and resource studies at include headaches, chronic pain, chronic Trent University in Peterborough, fatigue, sleeping problems, difficulty conOntario. For the past 25 years I centrating, poor short-term memory, mood have been teaching university students disorders including depression and anxiety, about the biological effects of electromag- dizziness, nausea, and tinnitus. As many as netic fields and electromagnetic radiation, 3% of the population, one million Canadicollectively referred to as electrosmog. ans, have EHS symptoms that are so severe Since 2000, I have been invited to give they are unable to function in our modern more than 300 lectures at medical confer- world. ences, at universities, to congressional and Another 10 million Canadians have Senate staff in the United States, and to mild to moderate symptoms. These sympcommunity groups. I have presented to the toms resemble aging. I refer to electroCanadian Medical Association, the Royal hypersensitivity as “rapid aging synCollege of Physicians drome.” and Surgeons, and the My research shows Parliament of Canthat radio frequency ada's Standing Comradiation from a cord“As many as 3% of the mittee on Health, less phone at levels population, one about the harmful well below 1% of effects of electrosmog Safety Code 6 causes million Canadians, and the need for puban irregular or rapid have EHS symptoms lic protection. heart rate in those who I began my career that are so severe they are sensitive. This is as an environmental called tachycardia. In are unable to function toxicologist in the mid a few individuals, their in our modern world.” -1970s. I was one of heart rate increases the scientists who from 60 beats per minstudied the damage ute to 100 beats per acid rain did to forests and lakes. My peer- minute while they’re lying down on a bed reviewed, published research and that of without knowing whether the device is other scientists helped bring in clean air turned on or off. The feeling is that they legislation, referred to as the acid rain ac- are experiencing a heart attack. cord, signed into international law by In the early studies with radar operaPrime Minister Mulroney and President tors, doctors recommended workers be Bush in 1991. screened for heart irregularities before At that time, industry scientists repeat- working with microwave radiation. Peredly claimed acid rain did not exist or was haps students should be screened before not responsible for the loss of fish and the attending Wi-Fi-equipped schools. death of trees. This denial of a problem is As part of my research, I am trying to common in health and environmental is- find biomarkers for electrohypersensitivity sues that have financial consequences for so that doctors can be better equipped to those generating the pollution. We have diagnose this environmental illness. So far seen it with asbestos, DDT, lead, ciga- we have found several—heart rate, heart rettes, and now electrosmog. rate variability, blood viscosity, sugar Today, we have industry scientists who among diabetics, and muscular coclaim electromagnetic pollution does not ordination problems with people who have cause cancer or adverse effects on health. multiple sclerosis. More biomarkers are These wireless industries are able to hide needed. Unlike epidemiological studies behind Health Canada’s Safety Code 6, that document an association between an which affords more protection to them than agent and an outcome, our studies demonto the public. strate a cause and effect relationship. Schools that have installed Wi-Fi, the We now recognize that our cells and telecommunications industry that installs organs communicate with each other using antennas on hospitals and in residential electromagnetic impulses rather than just communities, and provincial and municipal chemical messengers. Any signal that ingovernments that do not have expertise in terferes with this communication may adthis area, all hide behind Health Canada’s versely affect the health of individuals. The Safety Code 6. What they don’t realize is effects are a function of not only the intenthat this guideline was designed to protect sity, but also the frequency modulation of military personnel from the heating of tis- the waveform. sue averaged over a six-minute period. It Doctors are not taught in medical was not intended to protect the infant in the schools about electrosmog, as it is a relacrib lying next to a wireless baby monitor tively recent problem, nor are they taught that emits microwave radiation for 12 how to diagnose electrohypersensitivity. hours a day. When doctors can’t identify an illness they In the 1940s, US Navy labs docu- often assume it is psychological. Psychiamented illness among radar equipment trists tell me that they are regularly sent operators. Back then it was called micro- patients who have physiological problems wave illness. Today it is called electro- and not psychological ones. Some of these hypersensitivity (EHS). Radar operators patients are electrically hypersensitive. were made sick by the same frequencies
By Dr. Magda Havas
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Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
(Top) A picture of my blood under the microscope, in a clean electromagnetic environment. The cells are round. Most of them are free. Looks like fairly healthy blood. (Bottom left) After I use a computer for 70 minutes, some blood cells are sticking together like stacked coins (Rouleaux formation) (Bottom right) 10 minutes after using a cordless phone, my blood becomes very sticky, very viscous, and it doesn't distribute the oxygen in my body the way it should. This is one of the symptoms of electrohypersensitivity. Photo credits: www.MagdaHavas.com
Industry scientists often refer to studies that report subjects who claim to have EHS are unable to subjectively determine whether a device is on or off. They falsely conclude that this means the person is not electrically hypersensitive. The flawed assumption here is that perception is necessary for a physiological action to occur and that reactions occur immediately. Neither is true. We can be outside on a sunny day when the sun is not visible or hot and still get a sunburn. We do not perceive ultraviolet radiation. The sunburn develops over time. Sensitivity to the sun varies among individuals, as does electrohypersensitivity.
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If you look at the 20 years it took to address acid rain and the 50 years it took for tobacco, the outlook for wireless technology is bleak. That’s because many things in our environment generate electrosmog. The levels of human-made microwave radiation are currently well above natural background levels and continue to increase as more wireless devices are brought to market. These levels, despite being below Safety Code 6, are adversely affecting human health. We can wait, or we can take steps in the right direction to reduce our exposure.
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TheGreenGazette
A Healthy Gut for a Healthy Life By Kristin Lehar
W
ith 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 year. One of my favorite topics in the field of holistic nutrition would definitely be the health of the gut—the intestines. Though awareness is growing, it is still a subject few have enough knowledge about and considering the fact that health and disease stem from our gut, and that our lives literally depend the micro-organisms living in it, I feel it to be something people should be aware of at the very least. Who knew the microbiology of our intestinal tract, our gut flora, hugely affects our mental health, our digestion, and our immunity? Our intestine is home to around 400 different species of bacteria, outnumbering the total cells of our body by 10-1 at least, and their roles are huge. Though we have developed disgust towards the idea of bacteria living in and around us, our symbiotic relationship with our friendly intestinal bacteria is a very beautiful, not to mention powerful, one as without them we would cease to exist. An estimated 80 percent of the immune system lies in and around the intestinal tract. Here, the microbes form a layer around the intestine preventing pathogens, undigested food particles, and toxins from being absorbed into the bloodstream. An imbalance in the intestinal flora causes the intestine to become permeable and leads to
Santa overindulging. Image ID:492486595 Photo Copyright: Pressmaster, www.shutterstock.com foreign particles being absorbed into the bloodstream. As a result, the immune system is constantly at work trying to eliminate incoming pathogens and eventually it becomes sluggish and weak, unable to properly deal with larger matters. Food allergies and sensitivities can easily develop as a result of unbalanced gut flora, also known as dysbiosis. Furthermore, studies have indicated “the composition of the microbiota can have a significant effect on the development of inflammatory/autoimmune disease in humans,” according to researchers Kosiewicz et al. The health of our intestinal micro biome is the heart of our immune systems. If we all adjust our diets to nourish our friendly bacteria, digestive and immune disorders would be far less common.
The idea that bacteria in our intestines influence not only the gut but the mind seems crazy, but the amount of work and research being done around the subject is growing more than ever and presents fascinating and valuable information that will hopefully soon be common knowledge. The gut is sometimes referred to as the “second brain” of the body. The gut-brain connection is established by the vagus nerve—the tenth cranial nerve leading from the digestive tract to the brain stem. The constant neurochemical interaction and the influences these two systems have on each other are profound. The gastrointestinal tract is home to about 90 per cent of the serotonin– the neurotransmitter regulating appetite, sleep, and mood—in our body while the brain synthesizes the remaining 10 per cent. Research shows a lack of healthy flora or an imbalance in the gut flora greatly reduces the serotonin production in the intestinal tract and, according to researcher Catharine Paddock, PhD, “imbalances in this peripheral serotonin have been linked to diseases ranging from irritable bowel syndrome and cardiovascular disease, to osteoporosis.” There has also been much work done around the healing of the bacterial lining in the intestines to treat disorders such as autism, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, namely the research and work done by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride. She explains in her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome that a compromised bacterial population, especially in developing children, allows for an accumulation of toxins into the brain resulting in such disorders. She has developed a diet designed to heal the gut lining and restore healthy bacterial populations, thus strengthening immunity, and has successfully treated children with such disorders. How does dysbiosisoccur? First off, the gut contains the helpful organisms and some unfavorable strains of bacteria. In a
healthy gut, the bad guys are greatly outnumbered by the friendly ones who keep their populations under control. However, as soon as the good bacterial populations begin to get wiped out, the pathogenic bacteria begin to thrive until the entire gut is compromised. Yeast infections and candidiasis are a couple examples of such an imbalance. To maintain healthy populations of friendly bacteria it is especially important to feed the body with nourishing foods but also to avoid substances that kill them off. Antibiotics and many pharmaceutical drugs are the biggest culprits in compromising the immune system through the intestinal micro biome. If one must take antibiotics (antilife) it is especially important to eat probiotic (pro-life) foods during that time to prevent too much of the healthy bacteria from being killed. Sugar, chlorinated water, refined and processed foods, heavy metals, pesticide residue on conventionally grown foods, and household chemicals are among the other culprits. On the contrary, the best foods you can feed your gut and mind are fiber-rich vegetables and fruits as they feed off and digest the fibers that our bodies cannot, and fermented foods which also happen to contain high levels of friendly bacteria. When eaten, they will work overtime help repopulate and rebalance a compromised gut. So there you have it folks, one more reason to make your own holiday goodies with natural sweeteners and one more reason to indulge in your fermented foods. Kristin is a holistic nutritionist in training whose main goal is to live a simple and awesome life. She loves to inspire others to realize the power of the body and its amazing capabilities to restore and maintain health and to realize we each have the power to bring our bodies back into well-being. Having love for and being connected to the language of the body is the first step on the path
to a thriving life and thriving planet.
Letter to the Editor: A Green Economy in the Cariboo By John Dressler
C
anadian journalist Chris Turner wrote a book about his global search for sustainable practices, calling it The Geography of Hope, a Tour of the World We Need. He does not recount a visit to Williams Lake, but he does describe in detail the way of life he found on the island of Samso off the coast of Denmark—a farming community completely self-sufficient and free of the costs of utility providers. He also tells of the achievements of the Maverick Farms co-op in North Carolina and of the Watershed Organic Farm in New Jersey. He made numerous stops in his year of searching for hope. In Williams Lake he would have found a resource extraction community that is primarily focused on industrial jobs and a blue collar way of life. He might very easily have missed the fact that there is much more to Williams Lake, and other communities such as Horsefly and Soda Creek. He might have missed the evidence of a new economy at work, a green economy. A little like walking through a forest and not seeing the wild flowers. He might have heard a city politician uttering the plaintive
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whine: “This city is dying. We need another mine.” He would have had to look further than the dusty surface. TheGreenGazette does a good job of revealing the activities that are devoted to the search for sustainable energy sources such as solar power and wind power—new technologies that are making it possible for more and more people to escape the necessity of reliance on a provincially established and regulated energy grid. TheGreenGazette also has information about sustainable waste management and land management issues. Water management issues are there for the scrutiny. Chris Turner would have found that policymakers have agreed to expand the industrial practice of railway tie burning in the community and, in the process, continue to allow the extraction and consumption of pure aquifer water for this mode of producing electric power. Whether the aquifer will be able to sustain this kind of industrial consumption is unknown. Aquifer mapping is not the first priority of the government ministry responsible for water resources. It’s not really part of the geography of hope. The pages of TheGreenGazette devoted to stories of the local producers that con-
tribute their food production to the Cariboo Growers Farmers Co-op Store are the most hopeful. Here are individuals and families who live and practice a sustainable existence while producing food for the wider community. Each of these producers has chosen the Cariboo as the geographical location to live and make a living. They are easy to miss in a drive through the communities that are so heavily reliant on a carbon economy. In terms of sustainability, this will be the greatest challenge for a green economy: how do we move goods and receive necessary services without relying on air-destroying energy sources? Complementing the economic activities of the food producers and the water, land, and waste managers is the wide range of cultural and social activities that make for an interesting and vibrant community. Bringing people together for meaningful interactions and exchanges is difficult in an industrial existence; the green economy thrives on the sharing of ideas and enjoyment. Even the city core of Williams Lake has felt the influence of the green economy of food production. Puddle Produce has built on the principles of sharing and resourcefulness to show that food can be
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grown without the reliance on machinery and chemical fertilizers and right within the city. The Havana example of city food production is becoming more widely known. In Williams Lake, the Potato House Society has contributed to the education of many of its citizens. To return to Chris Turner he says, “The city, long maligned as the antithesis of environmental health, might prove Jane Jacobs right after all: it has ample room to birth an agrarian revolution. It’s an idea that arrives just in time. Because the modern business of agriculture, like the majority of economic activity as currently practised, is a rapidly unravelling, unsustainable disaster.” There are many signs of hope in the Cariboo, but like the wild flowers of the forest they need to be searched out. The geography of hope includes the geography of the Cariboo. John Dressler is a retired educator who devotes some of his time to social justice concerns. He and his wife Claire have four children and seven grandchildren. They all live in the Cariboo and enjoy the special features it has to offer.
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
TheGreenGazette
Calendar of Events - Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17 November 4–26: The Station House Gallery presents: The Joy Diary, Cat Fink’s interactive show focusing on the ideas of joy and creativity (main gallery) and Generations, by Brian Garten and Mariah & Madison Schactel/Garten (upper gallery). 1 MacKenzie Ave N, Williams Lake. Located at the foot of Oliver street at the old train station. (250) 392-6113. November 10: Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake Annual General Meeting Join us for our AGM followed by a potluck supper at 6:00 p.m. 17 4th Ave S. (across from Safeway). For info contact (250) 3925730. November 11: Movie Night, Hector and the Search for Happiness. By donation. 5:30 p.m. Light dinner and movie. Bring your favourite movie snack to share. Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Center, Williams Lake. Visit www.gendundrubpa.org or call (778) 412-7780 for more info. November 13: Discovering Buddhism. How to Meditate. Drop-ins are welcome. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. at the Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Center, Williams Lake. Visit www.gendundrubpa.org or call (778) 4127780 for more info. November 14: Williams Lake Film Club presents The Believer, USA, with 19 year old Ryan Gosling, 2002. Winner of Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Gosling plays a jewish Nazi skin-head. Incredible film based on a true story. Gibraltar Room, Williams Lake Memorial Complex. Back doors open 6:30, movie starts 7 p.m. Call (250) 3989149 for more information. All proceeds from films support the local Learning Disabilities Association. November 15: Women's Spirituality Circle lunchtime sharing circle and potluck in Williams Lake. Tuesday 12 p.m. at Cariboo Mental Health Association, Williams Lake (51 South 4th Ave.) Bring: vegetarian food to share. Newcomers are welcome! Contact: (250) 305-4426 or on Facebook at Women’s Spirituality Circle in Williams Lake. November 15–16: Site C: Keep the Peace Comes to Quesnel and Williams Lake. Quesnel, November 15, 7 p.m.--9 p.m., St. John the Divine Anglican Church Parish Hall, 465 Kinchant Street. Williams Lake, November 16, 7 p.m.9 p.m., Room 1261, Thompson Rivers University. Speakers include: Ana Simeon, Sierra Club BC, Ben Parfitt, Resource Policy Analyst, and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Admission by donation. All proceeds of the event go to support Treaty 8 First Nations legal challenges to the Site C dam. Go to : w w w . f ac eb o o k. c o m/ events/1800923640128103/ for more info.
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
November 17: Baby Fest. Celebrating every baby born in 2016. Free event with prizes, gifts, and activities. An information fair for families with babies and young children. 3– 6 p.m. in the Gibraltar Room. Free for all ages. Contact: babyfest.wl@gmail.com. November 17, 18, 19: Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade craft fair. Fair trade crafts from over 35 countries. Musical instruments, pottery, toys, jewellery, baskets, textiles, coffees, and teas. Lunch and dinner while you shop. Thurs. and Fri. 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more info, call (250) 398-6731. Cariboo Bethel Banquet Hall, 833 Western Ave, Williams Lake. November 17: Jon Gaztelumendi is a birder with a remarkable passion for Golden Eagles. He’ll be sharing photos, videos and results of his two-year research on their habitat and behaviour in our region. Enjoy a dessert potluck before the talk. Thursday 7 p.m. at the Scout Island Nature House, Williams Lake. For more info call (250) 3988582. November 19–20: Williams Lake Medieval Market. Live music. Handmade wares. Hearty concession. Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Admission: $5 for Sat. & Sun. $3 for Sun. Lake City Secondary School, 640 Carson Drive. Contact Williams Lake Medieval Market on Facebook or call (250) 392-6284. November 20: Discovering Buddhism, Meditation Practice Day, in silence. 10 a.m. –2 p.m. at the Gendun Drubpa Buddhist C enter, W il l ia m s Lake. V is it www.gendundrubpa.org or call (778) 4127780 for more info. November 25: 17th Annual Hobbit House Open House 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Special Guests. Door Prizes. Tax Free Purchases. Snacks. 71 South First Ave. Williams Lake. Call (250) 392-7599 for more info. November 25: The Unbearable Lightness of Being - USA, with Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche, drama/romance,1988, set in Czechoslovakia. You will never forget this one … Gibraltar Room, Williams Lake Memorial Complex. Back doors open 6:30, movie starts 7 p.m. Call (250) 398-9149 for more information. November 25–26: 6th Annual Earth Friendly Holiday Event. Friday, 5:30–9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Central Cariboo Arts Centre. For more info: call (250) 398-7929 or email waterwise@ccconserv.org. Free for all ages. November 26: Skate With Santa - Santa visits the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex in Williams Lake once a year to
skate with children and families. Don't miss out on this annual event. 1–2:30 p.m. At Rink II at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex. Regular fees apply. Contact: (250) 398-7665 for more info. November 26: Williams Lake Indian Band Christmas Market at Williams Lake Indian Band Reserve Gym. Saturday 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Entrance is free. Christmas Market organized by WLIB elders. All funds will go toward Elders fund to cover their trip for Annual Meeting. Elders will cook and sell traditional food. First Nations crafts, beauty products, etc. Door prizes, games, fun. Still looking for more vendors to participate. $10 per tab le. Contact Katya.Potekhina@williamslakeband.ca or (250) 296-3507 ext. 101 for more info and registration forms. December 1–31: Station House Gallery Christmas Market. Good stuff made by good people. Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gallery closed Jan. 1 thru 15. 1 MacKenzie Ave N, Williams Lake. Located at the foot of Oliver street at the old train station. (250) 392-6113. December 2, 3, & 4: Winter Lights 2016. Friday, Late night with Mummers, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. Saturday, Santa Parade and Midday Madness, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday, Skate and Win and the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Centre. 1 p. m.– 4:15 p. m. Co ntact info@wlcbia.com or (250) 398-5717 for more info. December 7: Tara Puja - Group recitation of prayers to the Buddha Tara asking for help in our spiritual endeavours. 5:30 p.m. By donation. Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Center, W il lia ms La ke. V i s it www.gendundrubpa.org or call (778) 4127780 for more info. December 9: Fly Away Home, USA, 1996, family. Tells the incredible but true story how Canada geese are being helped in migrating with an ultralight plane. Gibraltar Room, Williams Lake Memorial Complex. Back doors open 6:30, movie starts 7 p.m. Call (250) 398-9149 for more information. December 11: Special Group Recitation of Sutra of Golden Light, which are teachings given by the Buddha. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Center, Williams Lake. By do natio n. S ee www.gendundrubpa.org or call (778) 4127780 for more info. January 8, 15, 22, 29: Discovering Buddhism - Mind and Its Potential. Exploring the mind and its potential to transform our lives. Cost: $50. Drop-ins also welcome. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Gendun Drubpa Buddhist C enter, W il l ia m s Lake. V is it
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www.gendundrubpa.org or call (778) 4127780 for more info. January 11, 18, 25: Basic Program, Advanced Online Course. Mahayana Mind Training, based on Wheel of Sharp Weapons text. Training in perfect altruism through overcoming self grasping and self cherishing. $80–$125 sliding scale. 5–7 p.m. Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Center, Williams Lake, www.gendundrubpa.org Call (778) 412-7780 for more info. Intermediate Course Pre-requisite: previous Buddhist philosophy course. January 13: Movie Night, by donation 5:30 p.m. Light dinner and movie. Bring your favourite movie snack to share. Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Center, Williams Lake. Visit www.gendundrubpa.org or call (778) 412-7780 for more info. January 22: Guru Puja & Tsog - 5:30 p.m., by donation. Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Cente r, W illia ms L a k e. V is it www.gendundrubpa.org or call (778) 4127780 for more info. January 29: Family Fest. Celebrating families, supporting lifelong literacy and learning. Puppet shows, music, crafts, storytelling, door prizes, and so much more. Sun. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gibraltar Room, Willia ms La ke. F o r info , c o ntac t Kirsten@caribooliteracy.com.
Williams Lake Wanderers We are planning to be hiking/walking each day until we have enough snow to extend the activities to snowshoeing and cross country skiing. We will leave the Sam Ketcham Complex at 9:30 a.m., so come around 9:15 a.m. to get organized. We always begin our outings from there on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, so you can fill out a membership form and pay your $10 annual fee if you wish to become a member. Once you're a member, you will receive emails with schedule and schedule changes. Schedules and updates are also on Facebook. November Schedule Wednesday, November 9 – Colpitt Lake walk (off Dog Creek Rd.) Thursday, November 10 – Bull Mountain Forestry Trail (Hwy. 97N) Tuesday, November 15 – Snap Trail & down Baracougga walk (Fox Mountain, shuttle required) Wednesday, November 16 – Old Cabin walk (off Hodgson Rd.) Thursday, November 17 – UBC grasslands walk (off Hwy. 97S) Tuesday, November 22 – Bellie Acres Cross Country Trail (off Hwy. 20) longer walk Wednesday, November 23 – Dog Gone walk (off Hwy. 20) Thursday, November 24 – 3rd Annual walk & potluck . Tuesday, November 29 – South Lakeside Trail out towards Sugar Cane Wednesday, November 30 – Anderson
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TheGreenGazette
Your Green Shopping Directory
Distribution Details
The Green Collective “Thinks, Creates, or Sells Eco-Friendly Products.” Bean Counter Bistro & Coffee Bar, (250) 305-2326 180B 3rd Ave. North, Williams Lake Organic Coffee, Fair Trade, Local Foods
The Hobbit House, (250) 392-7599 71 First Ave. South, Williams Lake Juice Bar, Natural Products, Essential Oils, Teas, Crystals, Gemstones, and more.
Big Bear Ranch, (250) 620-3353 Steffi, Florian, and Rainer Krumsiek Grass fed & grass finished beef and lamb, pasture raised heritage pork. Animal Welfare Approved.
Potato House Sustainable Community Society (250) 855-8443 or spuds@potatohouseproject.com In an age of apathy and a sense that change is all talk and no action, The Potato House Project is a friendly bastion of doing, sharing, learning and playing. Call us with your ideas and to find out ways to get involved.
www.bigbearranch.com Canadian Tire, (250) 392-3303 1050 South Lakeside Dr., Williams Lake Recycling Initiatives, Renewable Energy Solutions, Organic Cleaning Products: Blue Planet, Green Works, Method, Nature Clean, Seventh Generation Cariboo Growers Coop, (778) 412-2667 3rd & Oliver St., Williams Lake. 100% Natural & Organic Foods, Non-Profit Farmer’s Coop Cleanway Supply, 1 (800) 663-5181 275 South MacKenzie Ave., Williams Lake Organic Cleaning Products Day Spa Champagne, (250) 305-1249 124A North Second Ave., Williams Lake Quiet, relaxing, personalized atmosphere. A Zen experience. Four Types Massage, Reflexology, Manicures/Pedicures & More. Debbie Irvine B.Sc. (Agr.) RHN Registered Holistic Nutritionist 250-392-9418 or springhousedebbie@thelakebc.ca SPRINGHOUSE GARDENS - Organically grown market garden veggies; Grass fed/finished beef - no hormones, no GMOs. Enquiries welcome. earthRight Solar, 1 (877) 925-2929 3rd & Borland, Williams Lake Renewable Energy Solutions, Eco-Friendly Products, Composting Toilets
Scout Island Nature Centre & Williams Lake Field Naturalists, (250) 398-8532 www.scoutislandnaturecentre.ca www.williamslakefieldnaturalists.ca 1305A Borland Rd, Williams Lake Nature on the city’s doorstep. Bird sanctuary, arboretum, trails, Nature House, natural history programs for children and adults. Smashin’ Smoothies, (778) 412-2112 102-41, 7th Ave North, Williams Lake Juice, Smoothies & Expresso Bar Fresh, Organic, Whole Food. Sta-Well Health Foods, (250) 392-7022 79D 3rd Ave. North, Williams Lake Organic Foods, Water Distillers, Natural Medicines, Emergency Freeze Dried Foods. Williams Lake Food Policy Council, (250) 302-5010 GROWING THE SEEDS OF CHANGE! www.facebook.com/WLFPC foodpolicycouncil@hotmail.com. Building a strong local food economy and promoting a healthy and sustainable community Williams Lake Water Factory, (250) 398-5201 Pure Bottled Water. Home & Office Delivery. 955 S. Mackenzie Ave, Williams Lake, BC. Come see us on Toonie Tuesday!
Green Locations TheGreenGazette can be found in print at the fine locations below, as well as online at www.thegreengazette.ca or by subscription . 100 Mile House Donex Visitors Centre Chartreuse Moose Higher Ground Nat. Foods KFC Nuthatch Books Rise & Grind Coffee House Safeway Save-On-Foods A&W 108 Mile House 108 Mile Mall 108 Mile Supermarket 150 Mile House 150 Mile Mall Husky Station Marshall’s 150 Mile Store Alexis Creek Alexis Creek General Store Anahim Lake Anahim Lake Trading Mclean Trading Bella Coola Coast Mountain Lodge Kopas Store Moore’s Organic Market Valley Inn & Restaurant Big Lake Big Lake General Store
Kornak & Hamm Pharmacy
Clinton Clinton Coffee House Dog Creek Mount View Handy Mart Red Dog Pub/Liquor Store Hanceville Lee’s Corner Store Horsefly Clarke’s General Store Post Office Horsefly Hardware Horsefly Service Station LacLaHache Race Trac Gas Lac La Hache Bakery Red Crow Cafe McLeese Lake Deep Creek Service Station The Oasis Motel Cafe
Prince George Ava Maria Gifts and Health Foods Books and Co. University of Northern BC College of New Caledonia
The Gecko Tree, (250) 398-8983 54 N. MacKenzie Ave. Williams Lake Serving healthy, local foods
Quesnel The Green Tree Barkerville Brewing Bliss Cafe Booster Juice Carryall Books Holistic Health Care Clinic Karin’s European Deli Granville’s Coffee Shop Quesnel Bakery Quiznos Safeway Save On Foods Tourism Info Center
Halls Organics, (250) 398-2899 107 Falcon Rd. (North Lakeside), Williams Lake Indoor and Outdoor Organic Gardening Products, Alternative Traditional Products, Teas anHerbs, Hemp Body Products New Paradigm Teas (250) 267-3468 newparadigmteas@gmail.com Four Nourishing blends of locally, organically grown and wildcrafted herbal teas.
The Laughing Loon The Legion Manna Cafe Margetts Meats McDonalds New World Coffee Oliver’s Bar & Grill Porky’s Deli Quality Tax Solutions Red Shred’s Bike & Board Shed Rona Home Centre Safeway Save-on-Foods SBL Liquor Store Scout Island Nature Center Senior Citizens ActivityCenter
Nimpo Lake Nimpo Lake General Store
Flying Coyote Ranch, (250) 296-4755 Ingrid Kallman and Troy Forcier Grass-fed Angus beef No shots, no hormones, organic fertilizer By the quarter or side, hamburger .
Williams Lake Adorn Naturally A& W All-ways Travel Amanda Enterprises Barking Spider Mtn. Bikes Bean Counter Bistro Beaver Valley Feeds Blocks R Us Body Connection by Joe CanWest Propane Cariboo Growers Coop Cariboo Ski Community Futures Concrete Fitness Conservation Society CJ’s Restaurant CRD Library Creative Scissor Dairy Queen Dandelion Living Day Spa Champagne earthRight 4 Sure Bistro Greyhound Bus Stop Haines Office World Handi-Mart Joey’s Grill KFC Halls Organics Integrated Elements Clinic The Hobbit House Husky Restaurant Karamia’s Donairs
Shopper’s Drug Mart Spa Bella Station House Gallery Sta-Well Health Foods Subway Taylor Made Cakes The Gecko Tree The Open Book Tim Hortons Tourism Info Center Trattoria Pasta Shoppe Thompson Rivers Univ. Tsilhqot'in National Gov`t Walmart Williams Lake Physio WL Veterinary Hospital Williams Lake Water Factory *please note that we are in the process of revamping our distribution process to better serve our clients. If TheGreenGazette is not being displayed at any of the above locations please contact us so that we may rectify the situation.
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Contact us today to list your Green Business - info@thegreengazette.ca or lisa@thegreengazette.ca
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Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
TheGreenGazette
Nourishing our Children By Jasmin Schellenberg
them cold or hot. Keeps well for 10 days in fridge.
HEALTHY SNACKS AND WHY
NUTRIENT DENSE MEAL
Bob’s Red Mill Herbed Gluten-Free Corn Polenta Triangles
Braised Beef Short Ribs (Serves 6-8)
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 or water and salt to a boil. Slowly add soaked cornmeal, stirring constantly with a whisk. Lower heat and continue stirring for another 15 to 30 minutes until liquid is reduced and polenta is so thick it comes away from the sides of the pan. Stir in additional ingredients and pour into a greased 9inch by 13-inch Pyrex dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for about one hour. Cut chilled polenta into triangles and sauté in lard. For a great snack you can also add cheese on to or mixed in and eat
Nov-Dec-Jan 2016-17
Ingredients 5 pounds (3-inch thick cut) bone-in beef short ribs 1 bunch rosemary, chopped 1 bunch fresh thyme, chopped 1 bunch sage leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons Celtic Sea salt 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper 1 (750-ml) dry red wine olive oil, for searing ribs 1 yellow onion, medium dice 2 ribs celery, medium dice 2 carrots, peeled and medium dice 3 cloves garlic 4 quarts beef stock 3 bay leaves Method Rub the ribs with herbs, salt, and pepper. Place in a large ceramic or glass bowl and cover with wine. Marinate for 12 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove ribs from marinade, pour all the wine into a saucepan, and reduce by half. Heat a layer of tallow, lard, or olive oil in a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Sear ribs on all sides until well browned. Place browned ribs into a braising or deep roasting pan. Brown onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the
same cast iron pan, adding more fat/oil as needed. Scatter browned vegetables over the ribs. Add the reduced wine, stock, and bay leaves. Cover the pan with a lid or with parchment paper and foil and place in the oven for five hours. Transfer from the oven and allow the ribs to rest for one hour. Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside. While ribs are resting, strain sauce into a sauce pot and reduce for one hour. Pour hot sauce over ribs and vegetables and serve. (Serve ribs with bone in.) MYTHS UNVEILED Treat your family with healthy Christmas baking this season. Use butter and, whenever possible, choose organic ingredients. Why Butter is Better Vitamins: Butter is a rich source of easily absorbed vitamin A, needed for a wide range of functions from maintaining good vision to keeping the endocrine system in top shape. Butter also contains all other fatsoluble vitamins D, E, and K2, which are often lacking in the modern industrial diet. Minerals: Butter is rich in important trace minerals, including manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). Butter provides more selenium per gram than wheat germ or herring. Butter is also an excellent source of iodine. Fatty Acid: Butter provides appreciable amounts of short and medium-chain fatty acids, which support immune function, boost metabolism, and have anti-microbial properties; that is, they fight against pathogenic microorganisms in the intestinal tract. Butter also provides the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Arachidonic acid in butter is important for brain function, skin health, and prostaglandin balance. CLA: When butter comes from cows eating green grass, it contains high levels of
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conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a compound that gives excellent protection against cancer and also helps the body build muscle rather than store fat. Glycospingolipids: These are a special category of fatty acids that protect against gastro-intestinal infections, especially in the very young and elderly. Children given reduced fat milks have higher rates of diarrhea than those who drink whole milk. Cholesterol: Despite all of the misinformation you may have heard, cholesterol is needed to maintain intestinal health and for brain and nervous system development in the young. Wulzen Factor: A hormone-like substance that prevents arthritis and joint stiffness, ensuring that calcium in the body is put into bones rather than the joints and other tissues. The Wulzen factor is present only in raw butter and cream; it is destroyed when pasteurized. Fi nd mo r e a b o ut b utte r a t www.westonaprice.org. A WALK THROUGH YOUR PANTRY: GET RID OF: Margarine, shortenings, and spreads. All highly processed, the high amount of trans-fats contributes to heart disease, cancer, bone problems, hormonal imbalance, skin diseases, infertility, difficulties in pregnancy, and problems with lactation. They are loaded with free radicals. Synthetic vitamins and numerous additives and preservatives are added—not good. See consequences above. REPLACE WITH: Butter, organic if possible. Brought to you by Jasmin Schellenberg Inspired by and resourced from www.westonaprice.org. For “Nourishing our Children” newsletters of the past visit www.thegreengazette.ca.
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