TheGreenGazette
November 2013
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November 2013
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Contents
Issue # 23
November 2013
Features: 04/ Healing Mysteries
Nothing hits closer to home than a struggle with one’s health. The desire to be well and overcome illness often puts us in extraordinary circumstances and opens us to exploring other systems of healing, especially if we aren’t getting positive results from traditional treatments. - by Lisa Bland
08/ An Interview with Herb Hammond on Changes in Forestry Policy Herb has devoted his career to promoting ecosystem-based forestry. In 1992, he and Susan Hammond created the Silva Forest Foundation. Since then the Foundation has worked to create ecosystem-based conservation plans and ecosystem maps with many communities throughout Canada. - by Van Andruss
10/ IPCC report shows action on climate change is critical The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change just released the first of four chapters of its Fifth Assessment Report. - by David Suzuki
13/ Sweat Ceremony at Fish Lake Build it and they will come. That’s the phrase Cecil Grinder keeps mulling over as he prepares the sweat lodge site at Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) for another sacred ceremony. - by Sage Birchwater
24/ Working Partners at Bella Coola Seafoods Add Value to Local Fish Tucked away in the specialty fish section of Margetts Meats in Williams Lake are the delectable salmon products of Bella Coola Seafoods. - by Sage Birchwater
28/ Electrohypersensitivity: Is it real? French researchers demonstrated that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) substantially alter the physiology of the blood and brain of electrosensitive people and that the impact on these biological markers increases and decreases according to the intensity of EMF exposure. - by André Fauteux
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Publisher / Editor-in-Chief Lisa Bland lisa@thegreengazette.ca Senior Editor Jessica Kirby Contributors David Suzuki, LeRae Haynes, Jessica Kirby, Vera Lehar Sage Birchwater, Jenny Howell, Robert L. Nichol, Ciel Patenaude, Van Andruss, Marin Patenaude, Angie Delaney Erica Nitchie, Ron Young, André Fauteux, Lisa Bland Jasmin Schellenberg, Terri Smith, Susan Tritt, Ray Grigg Advertising Lisa Bland Creative Directors Lisa Bland / Teena Clipston Ad Design Teena Clipston, Published by Earthwild Consulting Printing Black Press Ltd. Cover Photo Credit mervas Index Photo michaeljung
PO Box 164 Horsefly, BC, V0L 1L0 250-620-3419 www.thegreengazette.ca info@thegreengazette.ca TheGreenGazette is published by Earthwild Consulting. To subscribe call 250-620-3419. To view the online flipbook, visit www.thegreengazette.ca © 2013 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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05/ Celebrating Children on Universal Children’s Day November 20 marks Universal Children’s Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1954 to encourage global recognition and understanding of issues that compromise the emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being of children. - by Jessica Kirby
Also in this Issue: 06/ Go Green Small Business Tips - by Community Futures 07/ The Center of Somewhere: Solar Hot Water Systems - by Ron Young 11/ Farmers’ Co-op Stays Open All Winter 11/ Green Contest 12/ Age-old Remedies for the Common Cold and Flu - by Vera Lehar 12/Transition Town Group Hosts Film and Discussion “Botany of Desire” by Michael Pollan 15/ It’s <ot Easy Being Green: Don’t put that in the dump! - by LeRae Haynes 15/ Speak to the Wild - A Gathering of Wisdom - by Ray Grigg 16/ Earth Friendly Christmas Event - by Jenny Howell, CCCS. 17/ Featured Green Business: A Unique Shade of Green at Bean Counter Bistro - by LeRae Haynes 18/ Revolutionary Eco-Friendly Product—PureWash Laundry System 18/ BC Mayors Call for Greater Action on Climate Change 19/ Integrative Health Column: Healing from Depression - by Ciel Patenaude 20/ Support Students and Local Economy at 2013 Medieval Market 21/ <ew Prosperity Mine EA Report Worse than 2010 Version 21/ Indigenous Land Title Express—First <ations’ Journey for Justice 21/ Potato House Update - by Marin Patenaude 22/ What Choosing a Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher Means - by Angie Delainey 23/ Coucou de Maline - by Susan Tritt 25/ 2013 Oliver Street Market a Success 25/ Quinoa Demonstration Project at Dog Creek - by Erica .itchie 26/ World View: Diet and Health Part Two—Food Safety - by Robert L .ichol 27/ What is Integrative Medicine? - by Ciel Patenaude 29/ Raising Amadeus - by Terri Smith 30/ <ourishing our Children - by Jasmin Schellenberg 30/ Calendar of Events 31/ The Green Collective
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Letter from the Publisher
alternative treatments are unregulated, expensive, and offered by individuals without extensive training, if the rising number of choices for healing in our society is any indication, one system does not encompass the needs of everyone. In her article, “What is Integrat ive Med ic ine?” brant colours C i e l to subdued P atenaud e gr ays and explores a muted tones type of alteron the landnative healsc ap e, the ing where transition to various moNovember also dalities are feels like a c o mb ine d natural time to for greater look within e f f e c t iv e and get conness. A look nected to our through the inner world. In a d v e r t is e many cultures, ments in A cold <ovember day in the Cariboo. Photo: Lisa Bland traditions exT h eG re en ploring the Gazette shows just how diverse the commuworkings of the mind and body are emphanity of alternative practitioners has become sized over outward expression, and believed in the Cariboo Region. to be the doorway to ‘right relationship’ with When we consider that the body is the world. Nowhere is this concept so filled amazingly well-designed for healing, treatwith debate than in the arena of health and ments that may enhance and not block the healing. Regardless of background, demobody’s natural abilities to heal may be the graphic, culture, or worldview, the impacts of most effective. In addition, the feeling or health and healing touch us all in very real belief that something is working regardless ways and bring with them highly personalized of the approach may go furthest in assisting sets of beliefs and perceptions. us to heal. The idea that healing is not just a In our culture, Western medicine, physical process but one with emotional, biomedicine, or allopathy emphasizes consisenvironmental, social, and spiritual compotency and scientific method as the universally nents may be supported by physicians within applicable system of diagnosis and healing the system and many notable doctors have and has established its dominance worldwide found a way to bridge the two realities. through institutions as the most accurate and Subtle effects, as opposed to fast and effective form of treatment. Biomedicine powerful results with concentrated pharmapresumes that physical symptoms hold more ceuticals, are much harder to define, but over weight than psychological, and that illness is time, just as real and powerful. Simple empaaddressed at a cellular level, with diagnosis thy and caring, trust and respect between and treatment mainly through pharmaceutical practitioner and client, loving touch, being drugs. heard, taking quiet time for the self, commuHowever, many of the intricacies of nity connectedness, healthy food, fresh air, the human body remain, in part, a mystery, unpolluted surroundings, and exercise can go and there is no denying that what a society a long way to support the healthy functioning considers to be normal or abnormal is influof the body. In some Canadian hospitals, enced by culture. A medical anthropologist, nurses offer Therapeutic Touch and Reiki, for example, would look at the interaction of energy therapies based on the recognition of social, environmental, and biological factors and sensitivity to the human energy field which influence health and illness in the indiaround the body and believed to promote vidual and in the community. Biomedicine is healing and reduce pain and anxiety. viewed as yet another one of many medical Research into the quantum nature of systems that arises out of a cultural perspecenergy and reality has begun to delve into tive. Alternative healing systems that have explanations of how it might be possible to lasted for centuries such as Tibetan, tradiexperience energetic healing and thus physitional Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Indigenous cal healing through Therapeutic Touch, practices are equally considered in the study Reiki, distance healing, or one’s own of ethnomedicine, or cultural systems of thoughts and intention. Depending on where medicine. you look, as with many things, the science is Nothing hits closer to home than a refutable and proposes that the existence of a struggle with one’s health. The desire to be ‘bio-energetic field’ contradicts basic princiwell and overcome illness often puts us in ples of chemistry, physics, and biology. extraordinary circumstances and opens us to However, the sheer number of people exploring other systems of healing, especially turning to health alternatives probably reif we aren’t getting positive results from traflects their efficacy. In some cases, years ditional treatments. While some warn that
later, science finally comes to explain mechanisms behind culturally held beliefs and traditions. Those who remain flexible, open, and discerning in making health choices probably stand to gain more than they would adhering to one perspective or modality. Practitioners embracing other approaches stand to gain as well, by showing flexibility to the needs of their patients, and by being willing to engage at a level that respectfully connects with their clients’ set of beliefs and experience, empowering them towards healing rather than emphasizing a power dynamic of expert and novice. The desire to heal, transform, and survive is the impulse of life itself—and many succeed at rolling the dice again and again. Throughout time, stories of sudden spontaneous healings or remarkably gifted healers have drawn people to seek beyond the known and into the realms of the mysterious in their desire to heal. This curiosity is no less today, and while there is a lot of scepticism around ‘snake oil’ salesmen and fake healers, most of us probably know someone or has tried what might seem like strange or unconventional approaches to wellness. In my view, trust is more likely to develop when a healer or spiritual leader emphasizes taking control of your own health rather than creating dependency. One such healer has been gaining international recognition on the world stage, and has been featured in numerous Globe and Mail articles, Rolling Stone, and CBC’s, “The Hour,” with George Stroumboulopoulos to name a few. Ten years ago, Adam MacLeod, then a 16-year-old student in Vancouver, and apparently gifted distance energy healer, was reported in The Globe and Mail to have cured rock and roll artist, Ronnie Hawkins from terminal pancreatic cancer. Ten years later, after writing numerous books about intention and visualization for healing, conducting sold out energy healing workshops all over the world, graduating with an honours degree in molecular biology, and completing four years training as a Naturopathic Doctor, Adam is set to open a naturopathic health clinic next year. I had the opportunity to meet with him for an interview and will cover the remarkable path of Adam Dreamhealer in the next issue. Until then, stay warm and enjoy the mystery as we transition into winter. Don’t forget to enter the ‘It’s not easy being green’ contest with your Green checklist at participating businesses in Williams Lake. (see page 11) for a chance to win great prizes! Contest runs until December 6. TheGreenGazette is growing! Check out our new website with this month’s issue for news updates, a community calendar, and easy to read flipbook all in one at www.thegreengazette.ca. If you are interested in writing for or advertising in TheGreenGazette for the December/January is s u e p leas e c o ntac t me at lisa@thegreengazette.ca.
Will we be quiescently docile as Canadian rulers promote, produce, and profit from fossil fuel corporations employing fantastic new opportunities, exciting new jobs, BC’s new legacy fund, new government revenues... all result of their propaganda? CAPP, Harper, Redford, and Clark are conducting a massive propaganda campaign to promote a massive Canadian GHG economy. Natural gas isn't clean. Toxic extraction, costly liquefying, mad marketing, and burning gas amass dangerous GHGs. BC produces global danger selling clean GHGs. Burning Canada’s gas, bitumen, and coal globally, adds problems of global GHGs.
says to the world, he will not take “NO” to new GHG development in Canada. Harper, take the heat? Now at 0.8C, our children’s climate future is at risk. Arctic, Antarctic, Greenland ice sheet, glaciers, and the northern permafrost are melting as temperatures rise. We experience unaffordable global weather extremes exacerbated by current global warming. Reversible? 0.8C is unsafe. Shall Canadians plan and move to a low-carbon sustainable economy by 2015, activated through 2020 and beyond for social justice and peace? Canadians? Shall we put an end to the human race? Make it so? Extremes? Herb akada
Healing Mysteries Lisa Bland Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief
D
ear Readers,
Fall is but a memory now, and with it the spectacular display of colour and beauty around us. As the cool breath of winter creeps across the countryside, mist rises from lakes and forests and morning frost covers the ground for longer each day. It’s time to get used to the idea of dressing warm, taking extra care on the roads, stoking the fire, and thinking about indoor activities like gathering with friends, cooking warming foods, reading books, and preparing for the transition into the long winter. Historically, the Anglo-Saxons called November ‘Wind monath,’ because it was the time when the cold winds began to blow. With the transition from fall’s bounty into a barren landscape as the last leaves fall to the ground and vegetation rots, there is once again the reminder that everything in the cycle of life must return to the earth. As death and decay fertilizes the new growth once again in spring, it seems timely that November is the month where the dead are remembered and celebrated in many cultures around the world. The Western holiday of Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve is the first of three days originating from the Christian holy days of Hallowmas, believed to have been influenced by Celtic harvest festivals. All Saints’ Day, or the day of honouring the saints, follows on November 1 and All Souls’ Day on November 2—the day of honouring the dead. In many cultures people visit the graves of their deceased relatives, offering prayers and food, lighting candles, or holding celebrations. In ancient Mexico and many North, Central and South American countries, November 1 is the first day of the Day of the Dead where deceased children are remembered and on November 2, dead adults are honoured. Rather than fear or suppress ideas of death and dying or focus on mourning the dead, Day of the Dead festivities are playful celebrations honouring the memory of departed ancestors. On All Souls’ night it was believed that the dead revisited their homes, so candles were lit to guide them and meals left for them to eat. With the changing of seasonally vi-
Letter to the Editor
D
ear Editor,
Will it be too extreme to say if our governors create a Canadian high-carbon National Energy Plan in 2014 for fossil fuel companies, we will be complicit in signing death warrants for future generations? Our children and grandchildren are in the middle of this high-carbon energy policy being created. They are the least responsible for the GHGs we are now producing and expanding. Our future generations need a safe climate future legacy from us. Our leaders do the opposite using our tacit support.
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Every dollar we invest in new GHG projects is an investment by death of our children and grandchildren. Every Child Matters. A new high-carbon energy plan will help us pass the inertial 2C momentum mark four years from now (IEA)… by 2030, reach for 2C by 2040-2060 (?), possibly 4-5C by 2100. Sir Nicholas Stern, author of the 2006 Stern Commission Report, said in January, 2013, “I got it wrong on climate change—it’s far, far worse.” Stern says we are on track for 4C. Now, “I would have been much more strong about the risks of a four- or fivedegree rise.” Does Harper have a mandate from us to say this is wrong? Grandiosely, Harper
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November 2013
Celebrating Children on Universal Children’s Day By Jessica Kirby, Senior Editor of TheGreenGazette
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If we want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.” Abigail Van Buren November 20 marks Universal Children’s Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1954 to encourage global recognition and understanding of issues that compromise the emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being of children. Its primary objective is to bring awareness about children the world over who have succumbed to violence, exploitation, and discrimination, and to encourage advocacy at the national and community levels in ending the abuses millions of children worldwide wake up to every day. While we are in the spirit of celebrating children and taking a stand in their defence, we can also think about empowering them, encouraging self-esteem and a sense of global responsibility they can take with them into their futures. Mother Teresa refused to talk about bullying because it empowered the bully, but was more than willing to talk about peace. Bearing the same principle, how do we turn children’s eyes to a global focus, a sense of personal capability and power, and a strong urge towards social justice? Jennifer Borzel owns Maple Tree Montessori preschool and kindergarten in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Social justice projects are regular fare at the school, which currently has eleven students aged two to six. In previous years Borzel and the children made cookies for Nanaimo’s “Everyone Deserves a Smile” project, which provides the homeless with cards and baked goods during the holidays. The preschoolers contributed 98 dozen cookies to the cause, which brightened the holidays for almost 400 people. During Black History month, Borzel and the children studied Martin Luther King and took a bus ride to experience Rosa Parks’ contribution to civil liberties in the U.S. This year, the children participated in the Sweaters for Syria project, through which they collected and donated almost 100 sweaters to send to refugee camps in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.
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It might sound surprising that children as young as two years old are presented with materials and lessons aimed at achieving a greater sense of global responsibility, but Borzel says preschool is the ideal time. “The time we have to develop mind and spirit in children is zero to six years old,” says Borzel. “Compassion and empathy continue to develop after that, but the highest neurological input we can give is during that time.” Getting a complex and sometimes heavy message across effectively calls on the principles of Montessori education—a teaching model developed by Maria Montessori in the early 1900s that focuses on fostering independence, self-belief, and self-confidence in children through freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development. For instance, Borzel never gives anything to a child’s mind that she can’t also give to their hands—also a key Montessori principle—meaning the tactile, action-based components of a lesson are essential. Whether it is baking the cookies, choosing the sweater, or climbing on the bus, the children at Maple Tree Montessori are consistently and personally active in their projects. “All of those things are teachable moments for them,” says Borzel. “We also have social justice books in the classroom that talk about kids making a difference in environments, and I use that language when we do projects: ‘You made a difference. You made the world better. You made someone else warmer.’ Even though those ideas might be abstract now, that doesn’t mean you can’t begin the roots of understanding that will come to fruition later on.” Those simple phrases, repeated over and over, coupled with easy, fast, and doable projects spark awareness that appeals to different children in different ways. In discussing the Sweaters for Syria project, Borzel explained that the children in the refugee camps were cold—something any of her students can relate to. It is essential, says Borzel, that their comments and reactions to the issues are respected and not corrected. “When we were talking about the sweaters, one of the children said it would be a good idea to send chocolate with them. He might have brought that up because it protected him from the idea that other children are suffering, or it might just be that he had chocolate that day or that chocolate is awesome,” says Borzel. “Importantly, we don’t correct them
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and say, ‘No, they don’t need chocolate, they’re cold.’ Allowing those comments and respecting them is part of the teaching, along with not expecting the child to understand the lesson on an adult level or with the same reverence we would.” Borzel’s work at developing a close, respectful relationship with her students also facilitates the absorption of social justice lessons. Because she feels the lessons are important, and the children relate closely with her, they, too, feel the issues are important. It’s also ideal that parents follow up with bringing the message home. Borzel chose the Sweaters for Syria project because it was easy and doable for every child in Jennifer Borzel and her preschool-aged students gathered nearly her school, considering 100 sweaters for Sweaters for Syria. Photo: Breana Curnow. every family lives increditime and energy into these projects now so bly busy lives, but also wishes to do more to later I have the type of kids I want to hang help. out with later in life.” Each child could take a sweater from She cites some great examples of their own home and see the huge pile the children engaging in social justice and creatclass collected. Borzel’s own children, 6 and ing real change in the world like Craig Kiel8, were inspired by the project to collect burger, who at 12 years old co-founded Free sweaters from their school and from their the Children and the Me to We social enterfather’s office. prise, which advocate for children’s rights, “It offers a bigger lesson when you and Ryan Hreljac who developed Ryan’s ask people for help, and they help you,” she Well, an advocacy group that campaigns for says. “There’s value in that and in doing it as clean water and health-related initiatives in a family and extending the conversation bedeveloping nations. yond the classroom.” “Both of them came from families Social justice projects aren’t done who valued social justice, creating change, very often in most schools and that is a sad and them,” says Borzel. “If they hadn’t come fact, says Borzel. “Helping children radiate from those families, would they have taken outwards is easy and it doesn’t take a lot of those risks?” time, whether it’s making cards and dropping For more information about Sweaters them off at a seniors’ centre or hosting a potfor Syria, please visit Canadian Lutheran luck and bringing extra food for the food World Relief at www.clwr.org. bank or dog food for the SPCA. And it Borzel also recommends Me to We might, for some children, seem scary to walk www.metowe.com as a great place to inspire up to the door of the seniors’ home or the discussion and project development that fosSPCA, but without those exposures now, ters social awareness and empowerment in they won’t do it later.” children and families. And an investment in a child’s future is precisely what Borzel and her work through Maple Tree Montessori is about. “Why do we do these projects? It takes *** longer and is more work, that’s true,” she says, “I always think of something my dad said to me: ‘It can be hard now and easy later, or easy now and hard later.’ I put the
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Go Green Small Business Tips Going green in your office space is not always about cutting energy costs and recycling. Having a green building space will help with a healthier work environment for your employees. What is Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)? Sick building syndrome is an illness that affects workers in office buildings, with such symptoms as skin irritations, ongoing headaches, respiratory problems, as well as other general health problems. The causes for these workplace symptoms are related to such things as inadequate ventilation, chemical contaminants from both indoor/outdoor sources, and contaminants in the office space such as bacteria, molds, and viruses.
Tips to Prevent SBS in your office: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10.
Schedule and perform routine maintenance on your HVAC systems. Make sure that your fresh air intakes are not pulling in outside contaminants from garbage bins or loading docks. Minimize chemical use in office space. Use low VOC paints for remodelling or decorating. Vacuum floors using equipment with high-efficiency particulate air filters. Respond to any leak in the plumbing system, roof, or windows within 24 hours and thoroughly dry any moist materials to prevent mold growth. Store any chemicals in a location with adequate ventilation to the outside. Use natural or organic janitorial cleaning supplies. Try to enhance and work with the natural lighting in your building. Rearrange offices to enhance daily exposure. A little natural lighting can go a long way in improving workplace wellness. Have plants in your office space and improve air quality by removing dangerous chemicals that are in the air. Submitted by Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin
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November 2013
The Center of Somewhere
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By Ron Young
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n Germany on June 16 of this year between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. solar and wind generators were supplying more than half the total electricity demand in the country. There was so much available power that to avoid destabilizing the grid, gas and coal fired generators had to reduce their production to about 10% of capacity. This is a very remarkable event because it’s an indicator of success for renewable energy sources, which are pushing wholesale electricity prices down and will eventually lead to major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. While Germany is a leader in renewable energy sources among industrialized countries much of Europe is following closely behind. Germany has been able to reach this milestone in development because the German government has been very proactive in promoting green energy sources. On this side of the pond there is growing acceptance of solar power in the most industrialized parts of North America. Many of the world’s largest corporations have adopted solar power as a strategy to help stabilize the longterm cost of electricity. Among the top five major corporations in the world to adopt solar are Walmart, Apple, and Costco. These are smart companies that have become successful largely because they know how to control costs. One of the most common questions I am asked by people considering solar for their home is, “What is the payback time?” Even when the question isn’t asked it is almost always the elephant in the room as people try to understand the size of the investment they are making and determine how soon they are going to be getting free electricity. Unfortunately, that is a very poor approach to the subject that may lead to a disgruntled conclusion that solar is too expensive and not worth the investment. I always try to turn the question around a little and ask something like, “What’s the payback on the expensive SUV that you financed or what about that hot tub or snow machine or quad or pedigree dog?” We don’t think of those things as revenue generating and expect them to eventually pay for themselves because they are lifestyle choices. In the same way we should consider renewable energy as a lifestyle choice. We make the choice because we want to reduce our carbon footprint—to use popular vernacular. Or we make the choice because we want some control over our power security, or because we want to have less dependence on increasingly expensive utility power, or maybe because we want to have more freedom of choice in where we can live. A lot of doors can open if you don’t have to depend on being within hookup distance of a hydro line. These days with solar power and satellite communication we can transform the middle of nowhere into the center of somewhere. But if you are on a budget and need to be strictly practical in your approach to a home improvement that will provide a relatively short-term payback on your investment, don’t despair. There is a very well-kept secret about solar power. It’s one of those things that is such a no brainer that when you find out about it you can’t understand why everybody doesn’t know. Using solar as an aid to heat your hot water can cut reduce your electricity bill by as much as 15 percent with an investment of less than $5,000. There, now you know. In an average household hot water heating consumes more power than anything else. We heat our hot water 24 hours a day whether we need it or not. The hot water tank maintains a temperature around 60 degrees C. The cost of doing this is about 30 percent or nearly one third of your total energy bill. You can cut that cost in half by putting a couple of solar thermal panels on your roof that pre-heat
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water in a solar storage tank in your basement. This preheated water is used to supply your regular hot water tank. In my house the incoming water temperature is around 10 degrees C. which means my hot water tank has to heat the water an additional 50 degrees to get to the standard setting of 60 degrees C. Just keep that in the back of your mind for a moment. When I first completed the installation of my solar hot water system several years ago the outside temperature the very next day was -21 degrees C. (Yes, that’s a minus). A solar hot water panel circulates food grade glycol, that doesn’t freeze, from the large flat panels on the roof where it is heated by the sun, down to a heat exchanger mounted on the solar hot water storage tank. The heated glycol in turn heats cold water that circulates through the heat exchanger by convection. The only electricity used is required for a very small circulating pump that moves about two liters of glycol through the system. This pump turns on when it sees a difference of 10 degrees between the solar storage tank water and the temperature of the glycol in the rooftop panels. On its first day of operation the pump in my system turned on at 10 a.m. on a very cold morning. By 2 p.m. in the afternoon the temperature in the storage tank in the basement was 30 degrees C. So I was feeding 30 degree water into my regular hot water tank instead of 10 degree water, a saving of 20 degrees of heating cost. It’s even more remarkable when you consider that the solar heated water was more than 50 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. Even greater efficiency can be achieved by using an on demand hot water heater instead of an electric hot water heater. On demand only heats the water when the hot water tap is turned on, using gas, propane, or electricity. Coupled with the pre-heated water in a solar storage tank, the cost for hot water heating drops like a rock. So give a thought for your hot water tank, right now quietly steaming away in your basement. It will soon be an artifact of the past. Future generations will look back upon the civilizations of the 20th and early 21st centuries and say, why didn’t somebody tell those people there is a better way? And while you’re having that thought maybe consider asking yourself, “Shouldn’t the British Columbia government promote the use of renewable energy a little more, especially considering we get more solar radiation in much of BC than Germany does at nearly three times the land mass?” Ron Young is a Renewable Energy specialist and owns the earthRight store in Williams Lake established in 1993. A series of articles on the basics of solar energy can be found at his website: www.solareagle.com
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An Interview with Herb Hammond on Changes in Forest Policy By Van Andruss
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ver the years it has been my privileg e to kn ow H erb Hammond. Herb has devoted his career to promoting ecosystem-based forestry. In 1992, he and Susan Hammond created the Silva Forest Foundation. Since then the Foundation has worked to create ecosystem-based conservation plans and ecosystem maps with many communities throughout Canada. Herb’s book, “Seeing the Forest Among the Trees,” remains an indispensible guide to the management of forestlands for health and biodiversity. His most recent book is “Maintaining Whole Systems on Earth’s Crown: Ecosystem-based Conservation Planning for the Boreal Forest.” Herb spent a couple nights at our house while doing an ecosystem assessment of the Buck Creek Watershed in the Yalakom Valley. I took this opportunity to interview him on policy changes in BC forestry. Van: In the past decade or so, what policy changes have you seen in BC forestry? Herb: Well, this government in the last decade has de facto privatized public land. They have removed all vestiges of public consultation or the providing of public information. They’ve done this through three routes. First of all, they down-sized the Ministry of Forests by nearly a third. Then they did away with the Ministry of Forests altogether and set up this ombuds-Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations, eliminating the Ministry’s responsibilities for planning and for approval of industry’s plans. Now they simply process permits for industry. That was a huge loss because we no longer have anyone with a social conscience looking after forest lands; we have timber companies looking after forest lands. The second thing to happen was the replacing of the Forest Practices Code, which required a lot of good minimum standards, which did not go far enough to protect ecosystems by any means, but which took a step in the right direction. You had to meet the code’s requirements. They replaced that act with a piece of legislation called “resultsbased,” and results-based forestry means that someone defines what results are necessary to carry out forestry practices and those are minimums to which industry must adhere. Now the concept of results-based anything isn’t bad if you define your results from the right values and with enough detail, enough specificity to actually attain decent results. But in the Forest and Range Practices Act, the “results” are very very general and the specifics are left up to industrial foresters, which is where the third change comes in. We now live in an era called “Professional Reliance.” That is, we rely on professionals, particularly professional foresters, to take those broad general “results” and apply them to the land. However, this means that the people planning what happens on Crown Land are in the employ of industrial timber companies, while the Forest Service no longer has any planning staff or planning function, and again, the rules are completely general. Plus, the concept of Public Consultation is gone because the only plans that are made public and reviewed by
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Left - Ecologist, forester, educator, and founder of Silva Forest Foundation, Herb Hammond. Photo: www.abcbookworld.com Middle - Boundary between forest types at the edge of a wetland. Photo: Pat Teti. Right - Pacific red cedar tree, Thuja plicata on the Louise Dover Trail/Damaxyaa Heritage Site/Conservancy that winds its way through old growth cedar and hemlock forests in Sandspit, Haida Gwaii, BC. Photo: Lisa Bland the Forest Service are what are called “Forest Stewardship Plans,” a nice euphemism for logging, since all they’re referring to is a check list of how you’re going to meet those results specified in the Forest and Range Practices Act. There are no maps that show where people will log and build roads. We who are old enough can remember when there was a public Annual Development Plan that showed the next five years of road construction and logging. All that is gone. You found out, for example, that here in Buck Creek there had been a cutting permit issued. You’d never have known it had you not seen the ribbons laying out a cut block, and still, your avenues of address are minimal due to the changes I have mentioned. Another part of the Forest and Range Practices Act states clearly that the standards developed under this Results-Based, Professional-Reliance approach will not damage the economic competitiveness of the Province, so even that avenue is covered. Van: So there’s no specificity to resultsbased planning . . . you say there’s a checklist? Herb: In the Forest and Range Practices Act, there are what are called “defaults” for soil disturbance, water disturbance, and water protection. Those are the minimum base lines that you have to meet, but by and large, except for things like a list of endangered species and soil disturbance maximums, there’s very little specificity. Of course, when you write a Forest Stewardship Plan you can make the defaults stronger, and in our work we do just that. Van: I seem to remember a previous government policy ensuring that steps in the direction of conservation would remain minimal. Herb: That’s right. You couldn’t reduce the Annual Allowable Cut by more than four per cent. And that was for the sake of biological diversity, but you’re not even protecting biological diversity by that strategy. You’re not even protecting economics. You’re protecting corporate profits and this has nothing to do with economics in general.
Herb: Well, it’s not only more of the same, it’s much broader. Before, in the Ministry of Forests, you had foresters who worked for a government agency and were charged with at least some social responsibility to consult the public, or protect water and biological diversity, but now those people are all gone. Not only have these minimal requirements gone, but the people who manage the minimal requirements work for the timber companies, and if you appeal to the government, they have limited authority to do anything, so the timber companies are in the driver’s seat. Our “liberal government” tried right before the last election to make this privatization even stronger. They were going to convert the Ministry’s volume-based licenses into private tree farm licenses, which is akin to changing public land into fee simple land, and there was justifiably a public outcry. Van: How could they justify that? Herb: Their simple justification is that it provides certainty for timber companies, so you go immediately to Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan’s “trickle down” economic approach that says if industry is happy, then the rest of us will be happy. This concept has been an abysmal failure. Economic history has proven quite the opposite. It’s weakened the middle class, jobs have declined, people in university are indebted for their education and have to do things they don’t like to do. Trickle down economics has been the direct and explicit government policy to maximize the wealth of the few at the expense of ecosystems and rural people—and urban people, for that matter. Van: Would any logging company consider hiring you as their forester? Herb: There are small ecosystem-based community forests and I work for them. We do good economics because in those situations jobs are the profits, not dollars. The people you employ to care for the land make up the profits, and if at the end of the day you have an even balanced sheet, that’s what economics are all about. And interestingly, even neo-classical economists agree that the only economics that proved to be sustainable over long periods of time have been commu-
Van: So, this is more of the same.
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nity-based, focusing on people’s needs, not consumption. That’s what economics primarily is: people connecting with people to provide goods and services, but we now confuse economics with corporate financial appraisals, profit and loss, stocks, etc. There’s no science to that. It’s completely value-based. Instead of a community economy where people are seen as benefits, in a corporate financial appraisal, people and jobs are seen as costs. Van: What, then, is the future of forestry in this province? Is there any way government could change forest policy? Herb: In my own lifetime, I’ve seen a steady slide towards more and more conservative governments, more and more private ownership and control due to the sale of public assents. I’ve seen the numbers go from 98 ranger stations in BC, all connected to community and actively planning forestry on forest lands, to, under the NDP, something like 46 Forest Districts. So suddenly the communities were no longer part of the planning process and the landscapes were too large for anyone to reasonably plan and manage. Then, under the Liberals, the numbers were reduced to something around 30. Lillooet, where you live, is a great example. First there was a Ranger Station, then there was a Forest District Office, and now they’re both gone. Van: I’m not sure I know the difference between a Ranger Station and a Forest District Office. Herb: Ranger Stations had a staff of foresters and planners and a much smaller area, and, as mentioned, they were set up to be community-based, so they knew you, they knew where the watersheds were, they were in touch with things. They were small enough that they could easily move around in them efficiently. As Forest District Offices they became more centralized and had to deal with far larger areas. When such changes occur, they’re hard for government to undo. They’ve sold the capital assets; they’ve sold the land and the buildings. I could take you on a tour from Rock Creek to Fort St. John and show you (Continued on page 9)
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all the old Ranger Stations that are now private dwellings or private businesses. The other thing is they’ve gotten rid of people and they got rid of positions. The real estate involved has become much more expensive, so you wonder, how many governments are likely to buy back the capital assets, and how many are likely to increase staff? Van: I seem to notice more non-Canadian corporations in forestry than ever. Herb: In the late 90s and early 21st century, what appeared to be Canadian companies were oftentimes controlled by outside interests through interlocking directorship. You’d have American directors on an American company’s board as well as a Canadian company’s board, and they wielded a lot of power that way. What’s happened now is that with the opening up of BC for business – which is essentially what these policy changes are about – a lot of outside capital has been attracted. After all, the control offered by the tenure system appeals to outside entrepreneurs. China needs lumber, the US needs lumber, and now with a permissible regulatory regime, with Christie Clark’s little patter about this being a good place to invest, well, it is. Unfortunately. Van: When you look at the big picture, do you get discouraged? Herb: Yes, I have two grandsons. When I look at them I fear for their future. But there’s a couple of things that give me hope. As Ivan Illych said, “We’ll never change the political system until we change the education system.” I’m happy, for instance, that my eldest daughter is a Montessori teacher, because that education system has the potential to change politics. The other thing that gives me hope is communities. I don’t think the changes we’re talking about are going to come from centralized institutions. I think they are going to come from local communities who know how to grow food and take care of themselves. There is hope in community activism. Environmental activism has become another corporate approach to the world; but local communities do it for the love of place, not for money. Van: With so many factors against us, I always wonder if really there’s time to turn things around. Herb: I remember once talking about this sense of urgency with an elder in Labrador, and he said, “If there’s enough time, there’s enough time,” and you know, I’ve always remembered that, because if you get yourself too stressed out – which you can do, for sure, and I’ve done that at times – you can’t be as effective. Sharing knowledge, helping empower communities, those are things that seem important to me, and I keep learning from them. For a deeper look at Herb Hammond’s ecosystem-based conservation planning, see the Silva Foundation website at
http://www.silvafor.org/. Van Andruss is editor of the magazine Lived Experience. He enjoys the bioregional life and community in historic Moha outside of Lillooet, B.C
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Science Matters
IPCC Report Shows Action on Climate Change is Critical By David Suzuki
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he Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change just released the first of four chapters of its Fifth Assessment Report. It shows scientists are more certain now than in 2007 when the Fourth Assessment was released that humans are largely responsible for global warming – mainly by burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests – and that it’s getting worse and poses a serious threat to humanity. It contains hints of optimism, though, and shows addressing the problem creates opportunities. The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and UN Environment Programme at the request of member governments. For the recent study, hundreds of scientists and experts worldwide combed through the latest peerreviewed scientific literature and other relevant materials to assess, “the state of scientific, technical, and socio-economic knowledge on climate change, its causes, potential impacts, and response strategies.” Scientists are cautious. That’s the nature of science; information changes, and it’s difficult to account for all interrelated factors in any phenomenon, especially one as complicated as global climate. When they say something is “extremely likely” or 95 per cent certain – as the latest report does regarding human contributions to climate change – that’s as close to certainty as science usually gets. Evidence for climate change itself is “unequivocal.” According to the latest installment, which cites 9,200 scientific publications in 2,200 pages, “It is extremely likely that human activities caused more than half of the observed increase in global average surface temperature from 1951 to 2010.” It also concludes oceans have warmed, snow and ice have diminished, sea levels have risen, and extreme weather events have become more common. The report also dismisses the notion spread by climate change deniers, that global warming has stopped. It has slowed slightly in recent years, scientists say, because of natural weather variations and other possible factors, including increases in volcanic ash, changes in solar cycles, and, as a new scientific study suggests, oceans absorbing more heat. An increase in global average temperatures greater than 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels would result in further melting of glaciers and Arctic ice, continued rising sea levels, more frequent and extreme weather events, difficulties for global agriculture, and changes in plant and animal life, including extinctions. The report says we’ll likely exceed that threshold this century unless we choose to act. This means a strong, concerted global effort to combat climate change is necessary to protect the health of our economies, communities, children, and future. That will cost us, but far less than doing nothing. Although governments of almost 200 countries agreed global average temperature increases must be kept below 2 degrees C to avoid catastrophic warm-
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Image: www.theresilientearth.com
ing, we are on track for the “worst case scenario” outlined by the first assessment report in 1990. Research indicates it’s possible to limit warming below that threshold if far-reaching action is taken. We can’t let skeptics sidetrack us with distortions and cherry-picking aimed at creating the illusion the science is still not in. The reasons to act go beyond averting the worst impacts of climate change. Fossil fuels are an incredibly valuable resource that can be used for making everything from medical supplies to computer keyboards. Wastefully burning them to propel solo drivers in cars and SUVs will ensure we run out sooner rather than later. Working with other nations to meet sciencebased targets to cut global warming pollution and create clean, renewable energy solutions would allow us to use our remaining fossil fuel reserves more wisely and create lasting jobs and economic opportunities. That’s why the David Suzuki Foundation is working with the Trottier Energy Futures Project to identify clean-energy opportunities for Canada. Shifting to cleaner energy sources would also reduce pollution and the environmental damage that comes with extracting coal, oil, and gas. That would improve the health of people, communities, and ecosystems, and reduce both healthcare costs and dollars spent replacing services nature already provides with expensive infrastructure. The IPCC report gathers the best science from around the world. It’s clear: There’s no time to delay. The first chapter examines the current science of climate change, the second will look at impacts, and the third will consider strategies to deal with the problem. A report synthesizing the three chapters will be released in 2014. We must take it seriously. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation communications manager, Ian Hanington. Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.
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November 2013
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Farmers’ Co-op stays open all winter The Farmers’ Markets may have ended, but the local Farmers’ Co-op Cariboo Growers downtown on 3rd & Oliver Streets is always open all winter long. Find winter crops such as organic potatoes, Mackin Creek Farm carrots, garlic, onions, shallots, beets, butternut, buttercup, acorn, spaghetti, red kuri squash, and much more. For fruit, eat fresh crispy apples, frozen fruits like blueberries, raspberries, wild Saskatoon berries, and cherries. Also get your local honey, hand milled flours, dried fruit, tea, fresh baked breads, cheese, juice, nuts, preserves, jams, pickles, birch syrup, chocolates from Kimmy J’s, beeswax candles, snacks, Rodear jerky, and much more. The freezers always have 100% locally raised meat, too! Get organic chicken, dipnet caught sockeye, grass-fed beef, pork,
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lamb, goat, and holiday turkeys. Eat good and feel good all winter. Visit your Farmers’ Co-op Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., and each weekend on Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Find out what is new and in-store with our weekly emails. Email admin@cariboogrowers.ca or call 778-412-COOP (2667) for more info. submitted by Jessica Knodel
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Age-old remedies for the common cold and flu
By Vera Lehar
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t is winter again! Times of the flu, the running nose, the cold, and the headaches. For many, the rain, cold temperatures, and decreased exposure to sunshine taxes the immune system, resulting in colds and flus hence, flu season. When it comes to managing these times, turning to doctors and local drugstores is a real convenience… or so we think. Let’s look at how people dealt with these health issues 100, even 200 years ago. In fact, there are methods of healing documented from even 1,000 years ago! Most of it is, or perhaps was back then, common sense—how people used what grows around them to keep healthy and strong even in cold winters. How would one treat the flu when there is not a doctor for miles and miles? The old wisdom teaches us that everything people need is provided by nature, exactly where they live. The local produce and food grown around was also the greatest medicine, if used properly. People in the past didn’t have access to scientific studies. They learned directly from nature. The effectiveness of folk remedies is proven by their continued use for millenia. Here are a few examples taken from old folk documents as well as old grandmothers’ and great grandmothers’ remedies—wisdom past down for generations. Cough – Chopped onion is very slowly heated with butter, until it becomes transparent. Then it was taken off the heat and honey was added. This syrup was taken by teaspoon a few times per day. Or the chopped onion was placed in a jar in layers. Each layer was sprinkled with cane sugar. It was covered with a cloth and left to sit in the cupboard for a few hours to a few days. The onion releases juice, which is poured into a glass to be used by teaspoon at least four times a day.
Sore throat – Sour cream or cream cheese was placed on a cloth and then folded. As a compress it was placed on the neck and another cloth, scarf, or towel was placed on the top to keep it warm. Sometimes they placed thinly chopped onion and nutmeg powder on the cloth on the side going to the skin. Colds – to make onion tea, two onions were cut to small pieces and slowly simmered for about 10 minutes, then strained, sweetened with honey and drunk throughout the day. Cough, cold, bronchitis – 200g of crushed garlic was placed in a 1L jar. The jar was filled with apple cider vinegar and water 1:1, tightly closed, and let to sit for a week, shaken occasionally. Honey is added and mixed well and the resulting garlic syrup was kept in a cool dark place. Used 1 - 2 tablespoon a day. Colds, sneezing, running nose, and cough – A very effective remedy that calls for 2 tablespoons of thinly grated horseradish mixed with 1 tablespoon of honey. This makes the cold and cough pass quicker. In the offset of cold with all the symptoms – A remedy for adults called “Bear Milk” requires 1 cup of hot milk (natural, organic) with 2 teaspoons of honey and 1 shot of rum. 1 or 2 teaspoons of this medicine was taken at night before bed. In the morning, people claimed to feel great. The folk remedies are old, but not obsolete. When colds, the flu, coughs, and running nose weaken the immune system and the winter blues are all around us, everything we need is all around us and ready to be used. Not only do we help ourselves and our families by using natural resources, we also promote a natural environment by not polluting nature with chemicals and artificial substances. Such substances will just treat the symptoms and not support our overall well-being. Translated from Old European folk remedies. For more information call Vera at 250 296 9160 / 250 267 1704 or e-mail oldcountrycottage@gmail.com
Transition Town Group Hosts Film and Discussion “Botany of Desire” – Michael Pollan (120 min) Monday, <ovember 25, 6:30 p.m. @ Central Cariboo Arts Center (Old Fire Hall upstairs) Come browse our lending library and join in the discussion. In this intriguing PBS documentary (also a book), Michael Pollan, a professor of journalism and a student of food, presents the unique history of four plants, each of which have found a way to make itself essential to humans: apples, for sweetness; tulips, for beauty; marijuana, for pleasure and insight; and, potatoes, for sustenance. Each has a story of discovery and adaptation and each has a symbiotic relationship with human civilization. Frances McDormand (Fargo) narrates, offering a plant’s-eye view of botanical evolution and the shifting relationship between people and their food. In the film, Pollan illustrates how these plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. His other works include: The Omnivore’s Dilemma voted one of the ten best books of 2006.
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November 2013
Sweat Ceremony at Fish Lake By Sage Birchwater
B
uild it and they will come. That’s the phrase Cecil Grinder keeps mulling over as he prepares the sweat lodge site at Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) for another sacred ceremony. Hosting a five-night/six-day event in that remote part of the Chilcotin at the end of September is no small matter. There are no guarantees the weather will co-operate or that anyone will show up, but Cecil went ahead anyway and laid the groundwork. Since he retired from a 20-year career with the RCMP, Cecil has turned his energy to helping the youth of his Tsilhqot’in Nation. He has a gift for that, and his way with young people is impressive. He mixes gentle firmness and persistence with caring and understanding, and empowers those around him with responsibility. Cecil laughs about how his load is lightened by delegating responsibility. When we arrive at the public campground at Teztan Biny on September 26 it was already getting dark. It was Day Three of the six-day event, and we were just in time for the evening sweat. I was apprehensive about heading out to an event billed as a four-day fasting sweat. I’ve been around the block enough times to realize it’s not wise to engage in something you are not prepared for. At the same time it felt important to support Cecil’s noble cause. Cecil Grinder’s “noble cause” at Teztan Biny began several years ago when he hosted a four-day fasting sweat for a young man ready to pursue his inner spiritual quest. That’s when Cecil first built the big sweat lodge and set up the camp at the end of the road beyond the public campground. A smaller fasting lodge was erected in a secluded spot nearby. I was glad to learn that the fasting part of the sweat wasn’t mandatory, so I willingly joined in. Nine of us took part in the ceremony that night, three women and six men. Two of the participants were high school youth that Cecil was mentoring. In a shift from his usual role as Tsilhqot’in National Government (TNG) legal counsel, Jay Nelson scooped red glowing rocks from the fire with a longhandled fork and passed them to Cecil who placed them carefully in the centre pit of the lodge. All summer Jay had dutifully worked around the clock representing the TNG at the environmental panel hearings for the proposed New Prosperity Mine at Fish Lake. Now he was on the land participating in the Tsilhqot’in culture with his wife, Dominique, and young son, Sasha, in a way he had never done before. Next to me in the lodge was Friends of Nemaiah Valley (FONV)
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president David Williams. I didn’t even know David had come into the lodge until it was his turn to speak and offer a prayer. For more than two decades David has been a tireless supporter of the Xeni Gwet’in efforts to secure the rights and control of their traditional territory. He also played a significant role at the recent panel hearings, by bringing several expert witnesses to testify. Once the rocks were in place for the first round, Jay Nelson closed the blanket opening to the lodge and the Cecil passed the duty of running the sweat to his 16-year-old protégé, Peyal Laceese. Peyal, a student at the Carson Campus of Lake City High School in Williams Lake, has been following the Red Road, as he puts it, for several years. He is a grass dancer at pow wows in Western Canada and the United States and learned the traditions of the sweat lodge from Sioux elders. “There’s no wrong way to pray in the Sioux tradition,” he tells us. “Speak from your heart.” The other youth in the sweat was Jasmine Quilt, also a student at Lake City Secondary. Her academic assignment for missing a week of school was to keep a journal of the ceremony. The other youth at the ceremony was Shania Cook. On my other side in the sweat circle was Xeni Gwet’in elder, Norman William, who grew up at Little Fish Lake. He served as Cecil’s right-hand man throughout the six days, cutting firewood, helping set up the camp, and showing people around the area. The men all sat together, and next to Norman was Emery Phillips, spouse of former Xeni Gwet’in chief and now band councillor, Marilyn Baptiste. As Cecil pointed out later, the sweat brings out the sincere emotional side of participants. He said Emery is no exception. “He has supported our Teztan Biny sweat ceremony from the beginning.” Next to Emery was Marilyn, and beside Marilyn was my partner, Caterina Geuer. That made nine of us going the four rounds of the sweat that first evening. For each round more rocks were added from the fire, and the temperature rose inside the willow-frame hut, covered with tarps and blankets. I sweated profusely in this ancient fellowship connecting the raw elements of nature, spirit, and matter. I’ve been here before. We humans have the ability to create sacred space, simply by our intention and agreement. God knows it has been done before with temples, cathedrals, mosques, and pyramids around the world. Each night the formation of the sweat was different. On the second and third nights, I took over as rock bearer so Jay, Dominique, and Sasha could experience it. Xeni Gwet’in Chief Roger William took one night from his busy schedule to
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Dorothy, Cecil, and Peyal Myers drumming. Photo: Jeremy Williams
Peyal Myers lighting the sweat lodge fire. Photo: Cecil Myers
take part in the ceremony. “The prayers and drumming were for our lands, resources, community members, and leaders,” he said later. In all, more than 40 people came and went from the camp over the six days. Some took part in the sweats; others just visited, or supported the gathering in various ways. Cecil’s spouse, Doreen William, also grew up at Tanzen Biny. “One thing I love about this area,” she said, “it tests you with its weather. It’s a very strong spiritual place. You can hear it breathing, the wolves howling in the background, danzden (loons) singing on the lake, the wind whistling, the trees rustling nearby.” On the final morning, Cecil surveys the camp and reflects on the past few days. He marvels how it all came together, almost like magic. “We came out here with a little bit of food, and people kept bringing stuff. I think we had more food at the end than we started with.”
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Unlike some of the large cultural gatherings, the Tanzen Biny sweat ceremony wasn’t funded. People did everything on their own. Peyal Laceese, who was named after the son of historic Tsilhqot’in war chief Klatsassin, said the Teztan Biny sweat ceremony was a fun learning experience. “I thank everyone for passing the knowledge of our traditions and look forward to future opportunities.” He won’t have long to wait. Cecil has already set the date for the next Teztan Biny sweat gathering for the last weekend in May, 2014. “If you build it people will come,” he repeats. *Article originally published in the Williams Lake Tribune. Sage Birchwater moved to the CaribooChilcotin in 1973. He spends his time freelancing and authoring books, hanging out with his dog, gardening, and being part of the rich cultural life that is the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast.
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Did you know? VEGA testing is a pain free, non invasive way of checking for food sensitivities. When the body is busy trying to digest foods that don't agree with it energy is taken away from other jobs it needs to do. Energy can be lowered and healing can be slowed. VEGA testing is also safe for children. Lymph Drainage Massage improves the flow of lymph fluid throughout the body. This encourages the body to rid itself of unwanted debris. The removal of unwanted debris can lead to increased energy, reduced inflammation and faster healing. The Essential Oils of Aromatherapy can target inflamed areas in the body. Combined with Lymph Drainage Massage the oils bypass the digestive system. The oils are absorbed by the small capillaries under the skin and carried to where they can be used. Essential oils encourage cells to release toxins and provide nutrients that can speed healing and increase energy. by Jessica Ditoro
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November 2013
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It’s Not Easy Being Green
Don’t put that in the dump! By LeRae Haynes
T
hey say the best time to learn something is when you’re very young. Things like languages and computers are a breeze when you’re a toddler, for example, compared to when you’re middle aged. The same goes for going ‘green’. Kids who are born into recycling, reducing, and reusing know it for the rest of their lives and take great delight in educating their parents along the way. I recently met two delightful young women who have opened a daycare focused on green practices for children and their families. Faren Rouse and Sheila Nairn from Exploring the Puddle daycare and early learning centre in Williams Lake opened their doors in June 2013 and every day since has been a fun, green adventure. Exploring the Puddle’s curriculum is based on natural play structures and on recycling everything possible. They salvaged tires and built teeter totters out of recycled wood and plan log round pathways, showing kids how they can use their own environment for playing and learning. They also use as much local produce and food as possible for
meals and snacks, use recycled items for crafts, carry their compost to the Potato House and use natural light in their building at every opportunity. “This is where children can be themselves and learn based on their natural environment and their imagination,” says Rouse. “We like to see each child as their own person and see every child succeed in the way they can succeed—a smooth, fluid way of learning.” I love this! Nairn and Rouse say recycling programs are big—and not just with kids. “It involves the parents, who bring their recycling here. We’re planning to do gardening and composting and recycle things like leather pieces and lumber ends from local businesses,” says Rouse. There are a total of 19 children at Exploring the Puddle learning about new and creative ways to recycle in their everyday lives, starting with learning what the threearrow recycling symbol means. The kids do recycled art once a week, where they choose something from the washed recycled items. They recently built a bird bath, something that pleased them immensely. Little kids can be so straightforward and literal and funny, and one green chal-
Cassie Darney, Sheila <airn, Lily Kika, Liam Bennett, Molly Murphy, Matthew Gilbert, Faren Rouse, and Carter Donaldson from 'Exploring the Puddle' day care and early learning centre pay their weekly visit on foot to the Potato House composting bins. Photo: LeRae Haynes lenge that Rouse described delights me greatly. She says the little ones have no idea, yet, where the carefully washed and separated recycled items go. When they asked, they were told Nairn takes them in her truck to the recycling area at the dump. Well. They heard the word ‘dump’ and hit the roof. “No, no,” they objected firmly. “You can’t put recycling in the dump!”
It’s a work in progress, Rouse explains with a smile. Here’s what I loved about this. The parents are very impressed with all the recycling ideas and practices. They see that between the recycling and the composting, all the garbage for 21 people at the learning centre for four days fits in one small recycled plastic grocery bag! Way to go, you guys. Teach a child and change the world.
Speak to the Wild – A Gathering of Wisdom By Ray Grigg
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powerful and urgent calling attracted about 60 prominent naturalists, ecologists, conservationists, biologists, philosophers, sociologists, poets, novelists, and academics from across Canada and the United States to gather in the Upper Clearwater Valley about 125 km north of Kamloops, BC, for an event called Speak to the Wild. Although supported and hosted by Thompson Rivers University, the invitation officially came from Trevor Goward, a naturalist and internationally known lichenologist who lives in the remote valley that intrudes into one of BC's oldest and largest provincial parks, Wells Gray. Goward's reputation as a profound and respected thinker of comprehensive depth and breadth was a factor in attracting so many guests of such diversity, insight, scholarship, and wisdom to the valley’s rustic accommodations, to its log community hall, and to Edgewood Blue, the home he has built for over 20 years—now intended as a naturalist’s learning centre. Goward’s passion and conviction as a conservationist also helped to lure so many people of such quality and accomplishment to readings, commentary, reflection, appreciation, discussion, and sharing for five long and intensive September days. But they also came because of their love and concern for wilderness, for everything in our individual and collective psyche that is rooted in the formative power of the few and dwindling places that still remain wild. Wilderness, of course, is what remains of the world in its most pure and authentic condition. It comprises the ancestral source from which each one of us came, the original and living pulse of nature before we disturbed it with the destructive meddling so
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characteristic Speak to the of our indusW i l d . trial and Driven by technological such awarecompulsions. ness and W ild erness, powered by then, is who the worry of we are at our unrelenting deepest and loss, they most elemencame to tal level. If speak on we are to behalf of ever know wild erness, ourselves as to listen ind iv id u a ls carefully to and societies, Sunrise, Wannock River, BC. Photo: Lisa Bland each other, if we are ever to ponder the to find our essential identity as human bepoignant rush of waterfalls, and then to ings, if we are ever to survive our terrible briefly immerse themselves in nature’s grand ingenuity and learn to live in sustainable and silent wisdom. accord with nature’s implacable terms, then The first objective of Speak to the we must do so by understanding and acquiWild was to protect wilderness by beginning escing to the wisdom inherent in wilderness. the long and arduous process of instituting a Such rare and endangered places are the land ethic into the legal structure of Canculmination of a biological intelligence that ada—of 193 countries, Canada is one of only has somehow managed to evolve a diversity 12 that does not have constitutional laws of unimaginable complexity into a system of guaranteeing a right to a healthy environexquisite balance and harmony. Wilderness, ment. A secondary objective was to save then, should be preserved as an untouched from extinction Wells Gray’s mountain carimiracle of design, as a wise mentor deservbou, an indicator species that charts the baling nothing less than our awe. anced health of ecologies. The intent of these Perhaps this awe was the unspoken objectives was to eventually protect wilderlure that brought together so many people of ness and nature from the destructive urges of such stature. Some of the finest and most an economic and political system that seems discerning thinkers of our age gathered to lack the understanding and imagination to within the embrace of high mountains to know that it is methodically and obliviously remind us that we are a civilization heading defeating itself. So the ultimate objective of toward serious environmental trouble. All Speak to the Wild was to save ourselves were conscious of the intrinsic and essential from ourselves. wisdom inherent in wilderness. And all were The precarious condition of wilderprofoundly concerned about the ecological ness is just one symbol of our tenuous exisdeterioration that is systematically obliterattence on a planet whose complex ecologies ing the natural fabric of our supporting ecolwe are unravelling with numb enthusiasm. ogies. This, too, explains why they came to Just as we cannot disregard the wisdom of
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the wild while dismembering and unbalancing the integrity of ecosystems, we cannot exist separately from nature without destroying ourselves. We would be dead in body without the critical services provided by the wild places we consider unused and useless. As they are creating the conditions we need for our survival, so, too, are they enlivening our experiences with the rich wonders of their inventive ingenuity. Indeed, we would be dead in soul without the mysterious beauty provided by wilderness. An awareness and appreciation of these treasured gifts was the subtext that brought together such a diverse selection of sensitive and sophisticated people from such a varied range of talents and disciplines. Because they all felt the crucial importance of wilderness in their lives, and because they all felt the encroaching threat of its loss, they all bonded together in common cause. Their gathering was instigated by the fundamental awareness that we are losing wilderness, and in the process we are losing ourselves. Those who attended Speak to the Wild were not airy and disconnected dreamers. Rather, they were all living with an intensity of grounded insight which was wholly anchored in the real world. They were invariably practical and earthy people so profoundly immersed in the mystery of being alive on a planet of extraordinary natural wonders that they seemed qualified to speak for all humanity—a humanity that is sadly and tragically losing its ecologies, its security, its direction, its roots, its meaning, and eventually itself. Speak to the Wild was a call back to sanity.
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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Earth Friendly Christmas Event By Jenny Howell, Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society
Left: Here, a rag wreath is created from reused materials. This is one of the many types of wreaths to be made at the Earth Friendly Christmas Event. Right: Make natural wreaths from local boughs of fir, pine, cedar, and grasses, provided at the event. Photos: Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society
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Here comes Christmas again. Already. I have the friends who are excitedly hanging lights, planning menus, buying expensive presents… and then there are the rest of us. Who, while not exactly grinches, have in our heads images of oceans full of garbage, an awareness of the debt issues Canadians will face after the holidays, a sense that somehow Christmas has been hijacked along the way by distant business forces. We are not alone, judging by the frequency of radio phone-ins each year of how to get back to a ‘simpler’ Christmas, with enthusiastic callers sharing their revised versions. Usually these focus more on family and re-building simple traditions, and often changing expectations around gift-giving. For the last two years, the Healthy by Nature movement, (the Conservation Society, Scout Island Nature Centre, Cariboo Growers, and the Williams Lake Environmental Society) has been hosting an Earth Friendly Christmas Event, offering opportunities for people to visit and make their own crafts, such as bird houses, decorations, and the very popular bicycle wheel wreaths. This year the venue has been moved to the Old Fire Hall to accommodate more craft options, and more groups have jumped on board, including Cariboo potters, spinners, and weavers, local artists, and the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society. New crafts on offer will include weaving projects,
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print your own Christmas cards, and air dry pottery projects, with all supplies provided. Favourites from past years will also be back, with a choice of wreaths to make from local boughs, bird feeders, bird cards, and other items. (Please bring your bicycle rim from last year, if you have one). All activities are free, though there will be a donation box if you wish to contribute towards expenses. There will be beverages provided and also a ‘shop local gift store’ with local artisan’s products available. Music throughout the event is being arranged by the Community Arts Council, and all are encouraged to sing along and be merry! So come and bring some friends. You can make some Earth Friendly gifts that you can give away with no nagging guilt about the associated carbon emissions, get some new ideas, munch on goodies, and just slow down for a while. This is a good chance to reconnect with what you value most about this time of the year; yes, a cliché but the funny thing about clichés is how often they are true. Join us at the Central Arts Centre (old Fire Hall), at the corner of 4th and Borland. Friday November 29 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Saturday November 30 11:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. For more information on Water Wise or Waste Wise and any of our school and community programs, contact the Cariboo Chilcotin C o nse r va tio n So c i et y at su s tain@ccconserv.org or visit the website at www.cconserv.org.
November 2013
TheGreenGazette
Featured Green Business
A unique shade of green at Bean Counter Bistro
Rebecca Corbett, Olivia Harrison, Cindy Chappell, Branden Blohm and Tanis Daum are delighted to engage in the 'green' practices at the Bean Counter and provide enthusiastic service for their customers. Photo: LeRae Haynes
By LeRae Haynes
T
here is more ‘green’ at Bean Counter Bistro and Coffee Bar than teas, salads, and smoothies: there is a commitment to recycling, conservation, and hands-on support for local farmers. Cindy Chappell has been the owner/ operator at the Bean Counter for three and a half years, and she brings passion for local food and green practices to every cup of coffee and every delectable morsel that goes across her counter. Her passion was born long before the Bean Counter. One of the founding members of the Community Food Council, Chappell also sat on the Growers Market board of directors for several years. “That’s when I discovered ‘all things local’, how hard farmers work, and how good local food tastes,” she explains. “I became passionate about it. Through ‘Cookie Break’ I created an energy bar made with natural honey that I sell to this day, providing bars and cookies in places around town as well as at the farmers’ markets.” When she opened the Bean Counter under new ownership she knew she wanted to make things more local, with a strong commitment to local growers, producers, and businesses. “Even our coffee is local and fair trade – we get coffee from Uncle Paul’s and Dancing Goat,” she says. “For us, it’s all about the farmer and what they get at the end.” Bean Counter proudly uses local produce, local honey, local meat, and locally roasted and Fair Trade coffees and the entire staff is committed to recycling efforts. “We use all local greens, salmon from the Tsilhqot’in National Government, and ground beef from the Growers Market,” she adds. “We recycle everything we can, including our organic coffee grounds, which we save for local farmers. We recycle all milk containers, cans, and bottles and sometimes give them to people who go around collecting them. We also offer free water if you want to come in and fill your own water bottle.” The bistro also uses biodegradable/ compostable take-out dishes, which one local gardener came and collected and used to plant her seedlings. The cutlery is made from Aspen wood grown in Likely. “I see green practices becoming more mainstream and I love it; people are becoming more aware about how important this is. Recycling and reducing is taught to kids in
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schools and is presented more to the public,” she continues. “I’m so proud of my staff, who remind, encourage, and inspire each other and our customers, too. We get great feedback from our customers, who ask about things like our buckets of coffee grounds—we recently gave some to a customer who has a worm farm.” Chappell says she’s very proud to be part of a generous business community like Williams Lake. “I support every cause and event I can, with gift cards and gift baskets. Children and farmers are particularly dear to my heart,” she adds. “My staff and I also really enjoy volunteering at various events. We love being part of things that matter to our customers and our community.” Her green vision includes expanding on the Farm to School program and having it a part of the curr ic u lu m in every e le m e n t a r y s c h o o l. “Bottom line, what I’d really like to see is more support of our growers market and our two farmers’ markets. Some barriers are the perception of higher costs and simple consumer habit, but I think that’s a matter of public awareness and education,” she explains. “When you see that something is better for your health, better for your family, and just plain tastes better, the rest will fall into place.” Bean Counter Bistro and Coffee Shop is located at 180 N 3rd Avenue in Williams Lake.
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Revolutionary Eco-Friendly ProductpureWash Laundry System Industrial chemists blend linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (LABs) with water softeners, bleach, enzyme, foam regulators, solution viscosity regulators, corrosion inhibitors, dye transfer inhibitors, anti-redeposition agents, optical brighteners, and perfumes as they manufacture laundry detergents. People use and release millions of tonnes of these toxic compounds into the environment every year causing direct and indirect eco-system degradation. Besides adding toxins to our water supply, a portion of the detergent remains attached to the fibers of our clothing and accumulates on our skin. Rashes, itchiness, and other more serious allergic reactions may result from pro-longed chemical exposure. Thus, using laundry soap poses serious environmental and health risks. Giving up toxic detergents may result in people’s clothing looking and perhaps even smelling less than presentable. Installing a new pureWash eco-friendly laundry system offers a revolutionary new and much less aromatic approach. This exciting device adds enhanced oxygen and photo catalytic oxidation to the washer’s water supply thereby cleaning laundry and killing bacteria without the use of harmful detergents. Tried and trusted for years in industrial settings, this highly advanced cleaning system finally stands ready for residential use. The pureWash system virtually eliminates detergent and hot water consumption. Furthermore, the elimination of warm or hot water in the washer reduces dye transfer between fabrics. This allows washing of mixed loads such as whites and colours. Mixed loads increase laundry volumes per load and there-
Bob Sunner at Laketown Furnishings in Williams Lake holding the pureWash unit. Photo: Lisa Bland fore reduce total loads required per any given volume of mixed laundry. Finally, load reduction generates lower wear and tear on machinery, lower water and power consumption, and minimal wastewater release. The new pureWash system decreases water pollution and consumption, reduces negative health impacts, minimizes electricity and fossil fuel consumption, and increases laundry equipment life and financial savings. This technological tidal wave washing over traditional, detergent based laundry practices carries with it the promise of a new environmentally cleaner and friendlier tomorrow. Embrace a Greener tomorrow, today.
BC Mayors Call for Greater Action on Climate Change The BC Mayors Climate Leadership Council (BCMCLC) is calling on the provincial and federal governments to show visible leadership on climate change. The call comes as local government elected officials gather in Vancouver for their annual conference, the Union of BC Municipalities Convention (UBCM AGM). “A number of years ago the province took significant steps to address climate change and since then we have seen dramatic change at the community level but we have to keep that momentum going,” says BCMCLC Chair Richard Walton, Mayor of the District of North Vancouver. “Now is not the time to pause and reflect but rather it’s time for the province to show visible leadership in developing stronger policies that reduce carbon emissions and provide even greater tools to help local governments address climate change.” The group, which includes representatives from each region of the province and with very different political philosophies, has jointly endorsed the Carbon Tax in British Columbia saying that while the nuances of the tax can be argued with respect to its impact in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there can be no question that the general policy direction has resulted in momentum at the local government level to address climate change. The BCMCLC has also endorsed three resolutions on climate change that will be put before the delegates at the UBCM Convention later this week. The first is from the City of Richmond and calls on the federal government to work with UBCM and Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to develop a new
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energy strategy prioritizing green-sector jobs and clean-energy innovation. The second resolution that got the nod from the BCMCLC is from the City of Vancouver and calls on the province to create and support a bold Green Jobs Plan for British Columbia. The final resolution that received support from the BCMCLC is from the City of Vernon, calling on the provincial government to increase the provincial tax on fuel sales by $0.001 and allocate the entirety of the proposed increase to local governments on a per capita basis for infrastructure improvements for active transportation. The BC Mayors Climate Leadership Council was formed four years ago to recognize and support local government leaders who are taking action to address climate change in their communities. To attain membership, the elected representatives must have made a commitment to climate action while the communities they represent must have a proven track record of action to reduce greenhouse gas emission while focusing on creating more sustainable communities. The Community Energy Association of BC continues to act as secretariat for the BCMCLC which among other things has conducted local government workshops around the province recognizing and encouraging greater climate action at the community level. For more information contact, BCMCLC chair, Mayor Richard Walton, District of .orth Vancouver at waltonr@dnv.org.
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November 2013
TheGreenGazette
Integrative Health Column
Healing from Depression
7.
By Ciel Patenaude
H
ello Ciel, I’m a female in my 30s in Quesnel and I have been struggling with depression since I was a teenager. I don’t know if it was my crazy hormones at that time or something else, but my whole life and attitude changed then and it’s never gone back to normal. I have a lot of anxiety, too, about nothing specific most of the time. And then there are days where I feel so sad that life seems hopeless. It’s not really that anything is ‘wrong’ in my life, but I just feel totally empty and meaningless when it happens. I know you probably need more information than that. Can you write me and tell me what else I could tell you? It definitely gets worse in the winter. I’m worried about how it will be this year. I’ve also been on a low dose of Celexa for many years, if that makes a difference… Thanks FR, Quesnel Dear FR, Thanks so much for writing in. Having struggled with the same experiences through most of my 20s I feel for you completely, and I know we can address some choices and practices here that will make a big difference. There are many questions I would ask you in an appointment to get a clearer view of what you’re going through, but we can start here with some basic suggestions that may also apply to many other people also experiencing the same. I do not approach depression as a disease in practice, per say, but as a symptom. What I mean is, while I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, depression and anxiety are incredible signals from our bodies and minds telling that something is not quite right in our physiological or emotional/spiritual experience, and that we have to pay greater attention. Rather than being a disease, I believe these experiences are intelligent feedback letting us know that something needs to be balanced, changed, or better understood in our life experience. This keeps the power to heal in our hands, which is where it must be in order to truly heal. We will look at your experience this way here, healing through an empowering, systems-based approach, addressing all parts of your life experience, and allowing you to learn the messages and meaning that these symptoms were attempting to bring to your attention. This would, therefore, be my first recommended step in this healing process for you, and it might not be an easy one: Create the intent that you are going to learn from this experience. Make the commitment that this is something that you are not wanting to just “get over,” but that you intend to use your history and current experience to better understand and love yourself, to find the potential for evolution and insight that this
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experience carries within it. Even if you don’t believe it now, stating that you want this experience to help create a stronger, more powerful and creative version of yourself will move your healing in that direction. Write this intention down somewhere (a new journal is always a good thing, and you’ll use it in the rest of the protocol), stated in present tense something like: “I am honoring and learning from my healing process, and finding increasing confidence and meaning every day by listening to and working with my symptoms.” (or whatever your intention looks and feels like to you). This is step number 1. Step 2 is to create a plan. There are so many potentially influencing factors in depression or anxiety symptoms that I’ll just stick with a short list of things for you to question and address, and then you can turn these into an action plan for yourself. The more of these steps you can engage in the better. I would, however, recommend that you find someone you trust to help you through them, as when we’re feeling worn down it’s a really difficult thing to motivate ourselves to make big change. Having someone holding you accountable to goals you set and supporting you through the process will make all the difference. 1. Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D. Start now, and take at least 1000 but up to 3000IU of D3 per day in the winter. 2. Move your body at least 30 minutes every day. This doesn’t have to be intense workouts at the gym, but even taking a 30-minute walk will make a huge difference. 3. Take a high potency, multi-strain probiotic (beneficial bacteria) supplement. We have recently come to understand that the bacteria in our bodies are responsible for making up to 75% of the serotonin (that ‘feel-good’ stuff) in our bodies. If they’re not happy, we’re not happy. 4. In the hopes of really making them feel loved, avoid antibacterial everything. I’m quite certain that in five years hand sanitizer and antibacterial soaps will be considered absolutely toxic, as we’re just now only coming to understand how important our bacterial species are to our health… and here we have been destroying them all the time. Protect yourself from getting sick in empowering ways, not by attacking bacteria: support your immune system, take vitamin D, laugh as much as you can. 5. Take out gluten. In the desire to make the bacteria in our gut happy, this can make all the difference in the world, even if you’re not classically gluten intolerant. 6. Get some zinc. Zinc is essential in hundreds of chemical reactions in our
8.
9.
10.
11.
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14. 15.
bodies, and plays a huge role in neurotransmitter balance. Take turmeric. Recent studies have found that turmeric is more effective at healing symptoms of depression than pharmaceutical drugs, and with the extra benefits of liver health, protection from radiation, reduced inflammation, and cancer prevention. Try Rhodiola Rosea (so long as your blood pressure is low). Rhodiola has been used as a natural antidepressant and adaptogen (balancing herb) in Europe for decades, and has also been found to be significantly more effective at helping mood than medical drugs, without the side effects. Start your day with gratitude. This is another use for your new journal. Start your day with a practice of writing five minutes worth of things you’re grateful for. It can be things like sunshine or butterflies—doesn’t matter—just so long as you’re focusing on the positive parts of your life and in doing so telling your mind that this is what you want to experience more of. Take chewable GABA when anxiety hits. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that can help to balance you when things feel out of control. Find something that makes you feel creative. While it might seem small and silly, even doodling or scribbling will help to move the energetic blocks that are at the root of depressive and anxious symptoms. It is said that “the antidote to depression is expression” so find a way to express yourself. Written word, dancing, playing with clay… these will all allow creative expression and empowerment of your experience. Reduce caffeine intake. Caffeine has a direct relation to feelings of anxiety for most people, and can also change your brain’s ability to sense and utilize key neurotransmitters. Meditate. When we come to understand that our minds are tools, and that we have a higher ability to determine our mood and reaction to life than just reacting to it, it becomes so much easier to find balance and joy. Meditation is a beautiful practice that can change your life experience entirely. Reduce or remove alcohol. Alcohol is a really, really strong depressant, unfortunately. Take fish oils and remove trans fats and excess vegetable oils from your diet. Your brain and neurons are made of fat, basically. Make sure you’re giving your body and mind the best raw
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materials possible, and they’ll thank you for it with balanced mood and energy. 16. And lastly….ask your symptoms what they’re trying to tell you. Number 15 is a continuation of what I was speaking to in the beginning of the article, and it might be the hardest one on there. Healing from depression will require, at some point in the journey, that you ask yourself what it is about your life and experience that is causing you to feel this way. Your life is giving you intelligence and insight through these symptoms, and they are the key, not the burden, in your healing process. And so I would challenge you to try something. Next time you start feeling anxious, take five deep breaths, and while you’re breathing right into the lower part of your abdomen, ask yourself in that moment what you are anxious about. When you get a clear idea of it, write it down in your book. By doing this, you are noticing and not running away from your fears or whatever it is that is making you feel upset, taking away their power to determine your experience. By doing this you place the power they would have had over you back in your own hands to take action, and you may really begin to heal. I hope these suggestions will be of great benefit for you, FR, and please contact me if you have any further questions. As far as being on Celexa goes, I would recommend that you work with a health practitioner to determine a treatment protocol that is inclusive of what you’ve been doing up until this point, and to be sure to not self-medicate with regards to pharmaceuticals. I have great faith that you are going to have a really wonderful winter this year. All the best, Ciel In the next edition of TheGreenGazette we’ll be focusing on immune challenges, including autoimmune disorders. If you have questions regarding a condition or experience please email them to info@entelechyheals.com. All submissions and names kept confidential. Ciel Patenaude is an Integrative Health & Shamanic Practitioner based in Williams Lake, BC. A highly trained and naturally gifted intuitive healer, Ciel holds a BSc in Biology, an MA in Integrative Healing, and is a certified yoga teacher & wellness coach.
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TheGreenGazette
Support Students and Local Economy at 2013 Medieval Market
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ark your calendar! The Medieval Market returns to Williams Lake ovember 23 and 24. The market is a great place to buy unique, hand-crafted gifts from local artisans and by doing so you support both SD 27 students and your local economy. The market also includes fresh produce from local growers, live entertainment, and a concession. The Medieval Market is organized entirely by volunteers so all profits go to Lake City Secondary Students. Students working throughout the weekend earn money towards team sports, leadership, band, science trips, and other causes and events. Students working at the market develop important skills in customer service as well as a better appreciation of fine arts and music. Last year the Medieval Market Committee was proud to establish the Emerging Artist Awards where two bursaries, each for $750, were given to graduating students in financial need who are pursuing a future in the arts. All wares for sale at the market are handmade by the artisans. When you purchase something at the market, not only are you buying something unique and beautiful, you also know that your dollars will stay in the community. Along with returning favorite vendors selling pottery, weaving, jewellery, original art, clothing, books, children’s toys, beeswax products, hats and mitts, quilting, blacksmithing, glassware, wood products, felting, musical instruments, photography, handmade buttons, wooden pens, leather cuffs, wood carvings, cribbage boards and pegs, herbal products, and furniture, we are happy to include many new vendors. New products include baskets, garden hoes, draw knives, braided leather, saddles, chaps, stamps, and Linde Bros’ new line of wood flooring. The Farmer’s Market will include Mackin Creek carrots, local honey, fudge, chocolate, preserves, locally roasted coffee, spices, and fresh apples. Come early if you want to buy some carrots. They sell out quickly! Entertainment includes local musicians Oren Barter, Carmen and Dena, Quintet Plus, Jenny’s Jam, Youth Fiddlers, Christine Constabel, Sarah Beck, and several more acts to be announced. The entertainment schedule will be posted in local newspapers prior to the market. The concession features hearty soups and wraps, smokies, cookies, apple cake, and Uncle Paul’s coffee. It’s a win, win, win for everyone. Students earn money towards the project or school trip of their choice. The local economy is supported. And you, the customer, enjoy Christmas shopping in an atmosphere of great music, old and new friends, and delicious home-made food.
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So make a day of it. Come and peruse the market stalls, buy a few Christmas presents, enjoy a hearty lunch, have an angel card reading, and listen to the talented entertainers. Maybe you’ll even win one of the many door prizes donated by the vendors. In a change from previous years, random tickets will be marked as door prize winners. If you receive one of these on your way in, you will be able to select one of the door prizes in the display case. All of this for $3 admission fee (kids under 12 free) for the whole weekend. It’s November 23 and 24 from 10 until 4 at Lake City Secondary School – Western Campus (formerly Columneetza). If you prefer to shop at a quieter time, we suggest coming on Sunday afternoon. List of Vendors: Artisans: Joan and Sarah Beck (Potter and Daughter), Janet Bedford (Collectible Quilts), Sage Birchwater (All Things Write), Lynn Bonner (blacksmithing), Kathy Bonner (acrylic painting), Bonnie Brisbane (Pane in the Glass), Lynn Capling (DLC Jewelry), Cariboo Potter’s Guild, Chendi (wooden spoons and bowls), Michele Edge (Lil Bear Stitches), Wendy Edginton (Due North Wellness), Laura Fry Weaving Studio, Jenn Getz (leather bracelets), Chris Harris Photography, Laura Hills (magnetic creations and gemstone jewellery), Michael Cheung (Baroness Ashley Hats), Ron Clemmons (woodshop specialties), Lake City Secondary Wood Shop (woodwork), Karin Dayton (Coco Moon), Eva Hoelzler (weaving studio), Barbara Jaggernath (Naturekins), Jackie Lahaise (Love Jac Stamps), Joe Lilley (Little Joe’s Crafts), Debbie Lloyd (baskets, draw knives, garden hoes), Beatrix and Howard Linde, Diane Marlow (Fashion for Kids), Lynn Moore (ceramics), Don Munro (wooden pens), Bev Pemberton and Cary Burnett (pottery), Jane Perry (Cariboo Handwoven), Kathy Prevost (Herbalist Kathy), Fern Pryndik and Gail Edinger (jewellery), Dave Rolston (Rolston Carvings), Anne Rusch and Jude Prevost (pottery), Colleen Rush (braided leather, chaps, saddles), Stacy Sullivan (painted rocks), Michele Tenning (metal and clay), Teresa Trim (Just 4 U Soaps), Donna Williams (Ice Fire Artifacts), Susann Wolff (Christmas decorations), Scott Zimonick (Olde to New Designs), Farmer’s Market: Cathie Allen (carrots), Ken Dubeliew (Uncle Paul’s Coffee), Diane Dunaway (Bee Happy Honey), Willie Dye (Simply Dyevine Fudge), Tim Egerdeen (Brain Food Group), Brenda Henke (Wildberry Jams and Jellies), Kim Judd (Blue Spoon Catering), Maggie Ranger (Earth Dance Botanicals), Iyra Stewart (fair trade spices and chocolate, apples), Debra Watson (Cottage Confections), Linda Urquhart (Central Interior Flours).
Bev and Rick Pemberton with "Pottery by Bev" at the 2012 Medieval Market. Photo: Pat Teti
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Original acrylic paintings by Kathy Lauriente-Bonner at the 2012 Medieval Market. Photo: Pat Teti
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TheGreenGazette
New Prosperity Mine EA Report worse than 2010 version that led to a “scathing” rejection Tsilhqot’in call on federal government to make the only responsible decision and reject this bad mining proposal once and for all. The Tsilhqot’in Nation welcomes the Oct 31, 2013 panel report on the New Prosperity mine proposal and notes that it contains even more concerns and criticisms than were contained in the 2010 report into Taseko Mines Ltd.’s original proposal. That report was described by then environment minister Jim Prentice as “scathing” and “most condemning” when he rejected the first proposal on behalf of the federal government. “In 2010, TML and Environment Canada stated the rejected proposal was the least environmentally risky of all options, so it comes as absolutely no surprise that this latest proposal has been found to be worse,” said Chief Joe Alphonse, Tribal Chair for the Tsilhqot’in National Government. “First Nations will be outraged if the federal government accepts this project after rejecting the first one. This report makes it abundantly clear that the only misinformation being put out about this project is the company’s own claims that it has addressed all the issues and that its proposal will present no problems. The federal government now has what it needs to finally put a nail in the coffin.” “The Tsilhqot’in are en route to the Supreme Court of Canada on November 7 to have our title case heard,” said Chief Roger
William of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government. “The Land Question is exactly about avoiding this kind of conflict. There will be no certainty or faith in the environmental review process if bad projects like the New Prosperity Mine get approved despite the overwhelming scientific and cultural evidence against it. Economic arguments did not justify the impacts in 2010 and they won’t in this case either.” “The company has now been given two chances in the space of three years, which is unprecedented,” said Chief Russell Myers Ross of the Yunesit’in Government. “It is clear that the project is not acceptable. Besides reaffirming the belief in our culture, this project is a waste of time, and should be rejected once and for all. We would rather focus on ideas and projects that are appropriate culturally and environmentally, and therefore meet our vision for the land based on our value system.” For a backgrounder on federal and provincial government criticisms visit: http :// w ww. fo n v. c a/m ed ia/ pdfs/20130819Backgrounder-Concernsfrom R egu lato rs ab o utNP M ineP ro p o s al. p d f Four-minute Youtube video on the Ts ilhq o t’ in S up reme co urt d ate: h t tp :/ / w w w . yo u t ub e.c o m/ w a t c h? v=QbjIPGqOaMs&feature=youtu.be For more info contact the Tsilhqot’in National Government at 253 – 4th Avenue North, Williams Lake, BC 250-392-3918
Potato House Update By Marin Patenaude
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s the season winds down like the leaves falling from the trees, we reflect on the successes and growth at the Potato House with honour and humble appreciation. This summer brought about much ado at the little heritage house at 49 Borland Street in Williams Lake. The paint continues to peel, the old tar shingles crack and shift, and the ancient plumbing and electrical are a cause for concern, but the groundshave transformed into a vibrant hub inspiring sustainability, self sufficiency, and a sense of connectedness among our progressive community. Potato House members grew prolific amounts of organic and delicious produce in the raised beds nurtured by Dr. Magnowski’s alpaca manure. Brianna van de Wijngaard grew trailer loads (a pedalpowered trailer, that is) of food with her SPIN (Small Plot INtensive) garden, adding to our local and organic food sources. Beautiful heritage perennials and vegetables were kindly donated by several generous friends including Horsefly Nursery, Barb Sharf of Hill Farm Nursery, Jenny Noble, Callie Borkowski, Crystal Slevin, and Kim Kaytor, all adding to the edible landscape, and complementing the timeless
November 2013
landscape, and complementing the timeless character that is the Potato House. Ground was broken, weeds were pulled, and seeds were sown. he town also beheld the installation of several pallet compost bins along the alley—the beginnings of the first Community Composting Project. The Potato House Sustainable Community Society was fortunate enough to be approved funding from the Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition (CCBAC) to bring a piece of the Potato House vision to fruition. Mary Forbes (PH president) put her all into an application that couldn’t be refused. With the generous support of CCBAC, the Potato House was able to hire staff and actualize the Community Composting Project. In efforts to improve our environmental impact, save on garbage removal expenditures, and encourage the use of organic soil amendment, the Potato House now offers in-town, drive-up composting along the alleyway behind the house. Counter top bins were distributed to nearby businesses and homes and on any given day you can witness ardent compost enthusiasts taking a break from their desks to wander down, empty their pail of banana peels and coffee grounds, meander through the community gardens, sample the rich flavour of heritage tomatoes, and more often than not strike up conversation with yours truly. The bins are rapidly filling and we’re
Drumme rs wishing Title Express Tsilhqot'in delegation to Ottawa participants a safe journey in Williams Lake, BC. Photo: JP Laplante
Indigenous Land Title Express – First Nations’ Journey for Justice Beginning on October 30th, Tsilhqot’in Elders, youth, Chief Roger William from Xeni Gwet’in, Councillors, honoured delegates such as Grand Chief Stewart Phillip from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, and Chief Bob Chamberlin, UBCIC Vice-President, will be embarking on the historic “Indigenous Land Title Express” across the country in order to attend the historic November 7th Supreme Court of Canada appeal of the Tsilhqot’in Nation’s Aboriginal title case. This is one of the most important First Nations court proceedings ever held in Canada. Canada stands on the edge of a historic choice, as the outcome will shape the future of the relationship between Canada and First Nations. Forty years after the Calder decision, ten years after Delgamuukw and twenty years after the “Constitution Express” made its way across the country, this a journey that will honour the witnesses at the historic BC Supreme Court trial and raise awareness about how this Supreme Court appeal will affect all First Nations across the country. The Indigenous Land Title Express will be making stops in every province on the way and the Tsilhqot’in are honoured to be welcomed by the many Nations who have extended invitations. The remaining Tsilhqot’in Chiefs & delegation will be travelling to Ottawa for November 5, 2013.
This glorious sunflower perked up the Potato House backyard in early August. What a colourful contrast to the vegetables! Photo: Pat Teti
overjoyed to see the community involvement—the key factor to our success. The summer marked the second year of the free workshop series and we started off with high turnout and keen participants and contributors, but as the summer heat set in, attendance was diverted to the many distractions our area offers, be they extreme sports, music festivals, or your own backyard with a cool drink. Regardless, a wealth of valuable information was shared and received. Highlights included the introduction to local medicinal plants with Maggie Ranger of The Belle Wellness Center, composting tips and know-how, and a gratifying and scrumptious meal shared together at the community potluck. Next year we will continue to host workshops, but on a special event basis as opposed to weekly. Like most not-for-profit organizations, the Potato House relies on volunteers and
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community support. This year noted many volunteer hours from new and old faces, restorative justice programs, school tours, and workshop hosts. The cellars of our inspiration are well stocked with gratitude. To everyone who lifted their hearts to us, lent us their hands (and muscles), shared their resources and their skills, thank you. Throughout the winter we will continue composting, so please bring us your kitchen scraps, peruse the educational signage, and keep up to date on Potato House proceedings. Following us on Facebook is a great way to be up to date. I will be busy sourcing funding with hopes of more staff hours and higher annual budgets, and will make an appearance at the house on most Wednesdays. Next year we aim to have more raised beds for membership use, a market garden, a gazebo, urban chickens and bees, and with a little help from our friends, we’ll commence house renovations. To become a member, or for more information, free compost coaching, volunteering, or donating please write us at spuds @po tato ho us ep ro jec t.co m and vis it www.potatohouseproject.com. And be sure to purchase a fabulous 2014 Potato House Calendar complete with community events and tips on healthy happy living, available at Dandelion Living, Cariboo Growers, and other wonderful downtown businesses. Wishing you a warm and scintillating winter. Marin Patenaude, Executive Director, The Potato House Project
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TheGreenGazette
What Choosing a Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher Means By Angie Delainey
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s the practice of yoga becomes more and more popular and available to the West, there has been an upsurge in demand for yoga teachers with competent, safe instruction and rigorous standards for professional training. Teachers trained with a Yoga Alliance registered school are selecting a globally recognized program that will ensure the education that they receive is with a professional association that promotes and maintains standards for training and practice—one that has become a benchmark for distinguishing knowledgeable and well-trained practitioners. Most dedicated yoga studios require that each instructor has received a minimum of a 200-hour YTT (Yoga Teacher Training) with a Yoga Alliance registered school or better. Registration with Yoga Alliance is voluntary and is the premier form of recognition given to a yoga teacher or yoga school. 200-Hour Standards: A Registered Yoga School with a 200-hour program (RYS 200) must incorporate training hours in the following educational categories: Techniques Training/Practice - 100 hours • 75 Contact Hours - A contact hour is an in-person classroom hour in the physical presence of a faculty member. Contact hours must be in a dedicated teacher training environment into which others might occasionally be invited, rather than in classes intended for the general public. •
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50 Contact Hours w/ Primary EYRT A Lead Trainer (formerly called Primary E-RYT Experienced - Registered Yoga Teacher) is a designated faculty member of a Registered Yoga School (RYS). Yoga Alliance standards require a minimum number of contact hours be taught by Lead Trainers. These teachers must be E-RYTs at the corresponding level of training they are providing: E-RYT 200s for RYS 200s, E-RYT 500s for RYS 500s. For RCYS (Children’s) and RPYS (Prenatal), the Primary E-RYTs must carry the corresponding specialty designation (RCYT or RPYT). For a RYS 200, RCYS or RPYS you may have a maximum of two Lead Trainers. For a RYS 500 you may have a maximum of five Lead Trainers. Includes asanas (postures), pranayamas (breath techniques), kriyas (complete action meant to achieve a specific result), chanting, mantra, meditation, and other traditional yoga techniques. These hours must be a mix between: 1) analytical training in how to teach and practice the techniques and 2) guided practice of the techniques themselves. Both areas must receive substantial emphasis.
Teaching Methodology - 25 hours Min. contact hours - 15 hours
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Yoga at Farwell Canyon. Photo by Jana Roller, Instinctive Images. •
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Min. contact hours w/ Primary E-RYTs - 10 hours Includes principles of demonstration, observation, assisting, and correcting, instruction, teaching styles, qualities of a teacher, the student’s process of learning, and business aspects of teaching yoga. Although your curriculum may include more than five hours on business aspects of teaching yoga, a maximum of five such hours can be counted.
Anatomy and Physiology - 20 hours • Min. contact hours - 10 hours • Includes both human physical anatomy and physiology (bodily systems, organs, etc.) and energy anatomy and physiology (chakras, nadis, etc.). Includes both the study of the subject and application of its principles to yoga practice (benefits, contraindications, healthy movement patterns, etc). A minimum of five hours must be spent applying anatomy and physiology principles to yoga.
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includes assisting students while someone else is teaching. Note: A minimum of 5 contact hours must be spent actively teaching (not assisting or observing).
Electives - 15 hours Elective hours to be distributed among educational categories according to the school’s chosen emphasis (may be contact or non-contact hours).
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55 Remaining Contact Hours Contact hours to be distributed among educational categories above according to the school’s chosen emphasis.
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TOTAL HOURS - 200 hours Total min. contact hours - 180* hours • Total min. contact hours with Primary E-RYTs - 65 hours •
*Note: Along with the specified contact
hours in each category above, you must provide an additional 55 contact hours to meet the total contact hours required. Qualifications reposted from www.yogaalliance.com At Satya Yoga Studio all of our instructors have received a minimum of a 200hr YTT from a Yoga Alliance Certified school or more. We are commitment to continuing education and providing knowledgeable quality instruction. Our members are people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities and our classes are accessible and affordable to every body. We supply mats and all the necessary props for every body at any stage in life. Plus your first class is free. Angie Delainey E-RYT 200 & PYT Co/Owner of Satya Yoga Studio 778-412-9020 www.satyayogastudio.ca info@satyayogastudio.ca
Yoga Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics for Yoga Teachers - 30 hours • Min. contact hours - 20 hours • Includes the study of yoga philosophies, yoga lifestyle and ethics for yoga teachers. A minimum of two contact hours must be spent on ethics for yoga teachers. Practicum - 10 hours Min. contact hours - 5 hours • Min. contact hours w/ Primary E-RYTs - 5 hours • Includes practice teaching, receiving feedback, observing others teaching and hearing, and giving feedback. Also •
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November 2013
TheGreenGazette
Coucou de Maline By Susan Tritt
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e recently celebrated yet another wedding anniversary and, being the great husband my beloved is, he gifted me the only thing that any true crazy chicken lady would love: books and magazines about chickens. Of course it only took thirty seconds before I was totally engrossed in the magazines and searching for any articles about my two favourite breeds, the Polish and Jersey Giants. While pursuing Hobby Farms, Chickens (September 16, 2013) I came across an article, “5 Favourite Foreign Breed Profiles.” While all five breeds were exceptionally beautiful, the Maline, also known as Mechel, Mechelse Koekoek, Poulet de Bruxelles, and Coucou de Maline, took my breath away. Out came the laptop followed by the usual snicker from my husband when he knew I was on the search for my next addiction. Little did I know this search was going to be so difficult. It turns out not only are the Malines a favourite breed, but they are extremely rare. After exhausting all the Facebook poultry and Google searches for the breed in North America, I turned to one of the most popular fowl sites on the web, Backyard Chicken (BYC). If you don’t suffer from a chicken addiction, one thing you need to understand is importing chickens or even hatching eggs requires federal import permits and usually a trip outside the country to gather the birds or hatching eggs and carry them personally across the border. This can be very stressful for you and the chickens or embryos. This further limited my search to Canada only. So at 11:00 p.m. on August 16 I was very relieved to find a post on BYC from a lady in Ontario who had some young Malines, and although she wasn’t in a position to sell hatching eggs yet, she could put me in touch with Bart Nagel, a breeder from Ontario. I immediately emailed Bart and was very surprised when it was only a few hours later that he responded. Bart and his wife moved to Canada from the Netherlands in 2006 and now operate a country farm with their two young children, complete with an 1880s farm house near the Georgian Bay. Along with the Malines, Bart and his family breed and raise Bernese Mountain Dogs, Black Copper Marans, and some Easter Egger chickens. But his true passion is the many varieties of garlic grown and processed for sale on the farm. It’s hard not to feel his joy when he speaks of his farm and family. A few years ago at a poultry swap Bart stumbled upon the Maline breed, and was so impressed he bought two trios. With some work and breeding he now has a beautiful and sustainable flock. Malines were once known as the world’s best meat bird. Although still commonly bred in Europe they’ve become quite rare in North America due to the availability of faster growing genetically engineered poultry, produced by hatcheries for commercial operations. Now with the push for food security and natural living people are looking for healthier alternatives to grocery store chicken. One breed I have been breeding, growing, and eating are the Jersey Giants, developed between 1870 and 1890 in New Jersey as a roasting bird. Although good layers of extra large eggs, these birds take up
November 2013
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Young Coucou de Maline Cockerel. Photo: Shelley Scott to nine months to mature to table weight. As Bart explains he, too, tried the Jersey Giants when they first moved to Canada, but soon became frustrated with the length of time it takes for the birds to mature. The Malines not only grow to full butcher weight in half the time, but they are also comparative in size to the Jersey Giants and are prolific layers. One word of caution Bart did offer is that they consume large amounts of food, and do require open range feeding along with their grains. The Malines also have a rather fuzzy feathering and can become overheated quite easily. They must be provided with shade in the summer, but are ideal for cold Canadian winters. Another advantage to the feathering on these birds is the absorption of fat. While most birds’ fat accumulates on the outside of the muscle, the Maline’s is absorbed in the muscle, improving the texture and taste of the meat, and further supporting the need for grazing time. Bart also noted that these birds have a very gentle disposition and are so friendly, even his daughter at one and a half years old was feeding them with no problems. This would also make them a very good option for backyard enthusiasts. Bart then referred me to the European websites where I could obtain all the breed standards for the Malines as I expressed a desire to show these beautiful birds, and so we can plan for our own flock of Malines. Because of the rarity of the breed the only written standard for them is from the Maline Club. Nowhere in any standard book in the world is there a written standard. These standards are what judges use to grade birds against each other in competition. Not one to back away from a challenge, I ordered two dozen hatching eggs for April and will continue my research on how to show birds without standards because I’m quite certain others will see the enormous beauty in these birds. We are also looking forward to the homegrown succulent meat and extra large eggs, and of course, there will be a few chicken friends in there, too. I also want to give a quick shout out to Williams Lake City Council for the hard work they put into developing the new Backyard Chicken Bylaw that comes into effect January 1, 2014. Yes, that’s right the bylaw passed. Susan and her husband Rudy have shared a passion for hobby farming since they met almost 30 years ago. “Our goal at Funky Fowl Farm is to grow everything we need to live, and to grow as naturally as possible.”
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TheGreenGazette
Working Partners at Bella Coola Seafoods Add Value to Local Fish By Sage Birchwater
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ucked away in the specialty fish section of Margetts Meats in Williams Lake are the delectable salmon products of Bella Coola Seafoods. One taste of half-smoked spring salmon fillets will have you hooked. However, the other products like regular spring or chum fillets and steaks or ready-to-eat hotsmoked salmon will have your mouth watering and coming back for more. That’s a guarantee. It’s a long way from Williams Lake to the Central Coast waters of Labouchere Channel, Burke Channel, or North Bentinck Arm where Ed Willson spools out his 1,260-foot gill net and catches his fish. However, the western terminus of Highway 20 is Williams Lake’s closest access point to the salt chuck and some of the world’s finest seafood anywhere. Up Saloompt Road on the sunny side of the Bella Coola Valley, Ed and Sandy Willson process the fish Ed brings home to their state-of-the-art facility. They’ve been operating their provincially licensed Bella Coola Seafoods for over 20 years, and sending their products as far afield as Prince George, Mackenzie, Kamloops, Invermere, and Vancouver. Ed made a good living as a commercial fisherman when he first got started in 1976. In those days the fishing season ran from April 1 to October, four days a week. Now the season doesn’t start until the beginning of June, with one 24-hour opening per week until July 1. Then the night fishing is cancelled and the opening is shortened to 16 hours a day. There may be two openings a week throughout the summer, depending on the number of fish available and the particular species being targeted. Ed says the Bella Coola fishing fleet is only a quarter the size it was when he got started 37 years ago, and there’s only 20 per cent of the fish compared to the 70s. What killed the commercial fishing economy was the fish farming industry, established in the early 90s. The flood of farmed fish on the market sent the value of wild fish plummeting. The money paid to commercial fishers for their catch wasn’t enough to sustain them and many went out of business. Faced with diminishing returns, Ed and Sandy decided they had to add value to their fish. They took a leap of faith and invested in a fish processing facility and Bella Coola Seafoods was born. Ed says one thing he loves about fishing is the variety. “You’re always doing something different and not always doing the same damn thing. There are so many different things you’ve got to know how to do.” For one thing Ed hangs his own nets. “When I was 12 or 14 years old I was the net boy for Margaret Siwallace, Addie Saunders, Annie Schooner, and Mercy Snow. They were the best in the
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Left photo: The Whispering Winds at dawn in Bella Coola harbour. Right Photo: Ed Willson landing a spring salmon. Photos: Sage Birchwater business and I learned how to hang and mend a net from them.” A week before the start of fishing season, Ed and Sandy sit in the shelter of their Saloompt Road fish processing plant. Ed methodically hangs the lead line on a new nylon gill net, while Sandy spools thick green cord onto an array of net needles. Out of the blue, Ed suggests I go fishing with him to get a better understanding of what’s going on. A few weeks later I met him at 4:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning. It was mid-June, and we headed to the wharf in Bella Coola where the couple’s 35-foot Carlson gill-netter, The Whispering Wind, was moored. Behind his pickup he towed a trailer carrying four insulated totes of ice. It seemed strange getting such a jump on the 24-hour opening still 36 hours away, as we motored out of Bella Coola harbour and headed west down Burke Channel. But Ed had his reasons. The opening runs from 6 p.m. Monday to 6 p.m. Tuesday, and Ed wanted to secure a prime fishing spot along one of the channels leading to the open ocean. The landforms down the channel have names like The Bluffs, Flagpole Point, Big Bay, Green Bay, Bachelor Bay, and Cathedral Point. The locals know them by those names but they are all identified numerically on the charts. By 9 a.m. we anchor in a small cove protected from the prevailing winds and waves blowing up the channel from the ocean. “I like to come early and read what’s going on,” Ed explains. “This bay is where the high boat has been for the past two weeks. It’s the best fishing hole right here.” He tells a story of a strange sight he saw a week earlier of a grizzly swimming across Burke Channel to King Island, escorted by two dolphins. “I’ve never seen a grizzly swimming in the salt chuck before.” Ed reads the signs and ponders where the crest of the run might be. There’s a lot of guesswork and luck involved in fishing, but with nearly 40 years of experience, Ed knows what to look for. The tides, phases of the moon, the colour of the water, and the behaviour of dol-
phins and seabirds are all factors. And then there’s the weather. Ed picks up the VHF radio microphone and speaks briefly with his brotherin-law and fishing partner, Grant Bittner, anchored in different bay up the channel. Then calls his wife, Sandy, on the satellite phone. He explains how he and Sandy share all aspects of their fishing and processing business. “When we started out, I was in the habit of saying ‘I’m going to do this,’ or ‘I’m going to do that.’ Then Sandy told me if I wanted her to help me with this, I’d better start saying ‘we.’ We are working partners. I discuss over the phone with her, where to go to fish.” Ed heads for his bunk in the fo’c’sle of the boat to catch up on some badly needed sleep after long days processing fish and the early morning departure. He offers me the use of the skiff to jig for cod or rockfish, if I desire. A spectacular thunder and lightning storm blows into the channel cresting whitecaps in the open water. I waken Ed as the action of the winds and waves has loosened the anchor and we are drifting uncomfortably close to the rocky shore. Ed resets the anchor and sets a shoreline to keep The Whispering Wind pointed into the weather, then calls Grant on the VHF. The storm is blowing heavy down Labouchere Channel too, Grant informs him. The storm abates and we spend a pleasant evening chowing down Ed’s great cooking, and planning the next day’s activity. At 6 p.m. sharp Ed spools his net across the bay, secured to buoys at both ends. The net forms an arc in the tide as Ed patrols it with The Whispering Wind, and retrieves fish snagged in the webbing. We make three or four more sets before nightfall, then rest until first light. An aluminium revival box attached to the starboard gunwale beside the net drum is designed to revive steelhead or coho caught in the net. Fortunately, we never had to use it. As our luck tapers off, Ed speculates the main run might be further up the chuck. The next morning we try a new location and Ed’s intuition pays off. We
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get back to the wharf that evening “high boat” of the fleet, with the most number of fish. Besides processing their own catch, Ed and Sandy buy fish from half a dozen other fishers who produce the high quality of fish they demand. “We look for firm fish that are looked after properly,” Ed explains. “If there’s a bunch of blood and the fish are limp, then they haven’t been looked after. They would look like hell in the package.” Last year they purchased 11,000 pounds of spring salmon from other fishers, paying more for them than the commercial buyer. This helps sustain the local fishing economy. At their fish processing plant the next day, Ed and Sandy are both up at first light, cleaning, cutting, and packaging the fish to ensure optimum quality. The fish they don’t have time to process right away are flash frozen and glazed in sugar water to preserve their freshness. The whole glazed fish are wrapped in plastic in big totes and kept frozen at -25 degrees Celsius. As Ed cuts up the steaks and fillets, Sandy vacuum seals them in attractive packaging. They get the smoker going and hot-smoke the waste pieces into ready-toeat products. “We utilize everything,” Sandy says. “Nothing goes to waste.” Besides producing their own Bella Coola Sea Foods delicacies, Ed and Sandy custom cut other people’s fish, including those caught in the native food fishery. “The custom stuff is all written down,” Ed explains. “The paper trail documents and backs up everything.” Stamped “not for resale” they won’t end up in Margetts Meats, but they’re just as delectable. Sage Birchwater moved to the CaribooChilcotin in 1973. He spends his time freelancing and authoring books, hanging out with his dog, gardening, and being part of the rich cultural life that is the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast.
November 2013
2013 Oliver Street Market a Success
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liver Street Market has wrapped up for the season. Thanksgiving weekend was the last weekend to get produce for the winter. Oliver Street Market experienced a unique market this year. In the spring of 2013 the market voted to move the location, date, and time. It was discovered that 70 per cent of shopping happens after 6 p.m. The Friday night market created an atmosphere not yet experienced in Williams Lake. Bringing night time music and entertainment to the downtown provided an added incentive for people to go to a community gathering space. Local residents loved the social aspect of the market and they could shop, too. Creating a critical mass of clustered and like producers creates an appreciation for local products and makes the market a destination. This year Oliver Street Market participated in Farmers’ Appreciation Week and had a fantastic turn out. Oliver Street Market had tours of three local producers following market that weekend. Oliver Street Market has become an integral part of its community and brings together farmers, artisans, craftspeople, and consumers in an innovative way, facilitating sales for farmers/vendors. The market celebrates and promotes fresh, locally grown food and supports the development of a strong, local economy. Oliver Street Market envisioned a market that is a vibrant community event that livens up the centre of our city, and is
November 2013
TheGreenGazette
Quinoa demonstration project at Dog Creek By Erica Nitchie
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Brianna van de Wijngaard, Terri Smith, Kim Judd standing by as Williams Lake Mayor, Kerry Cook cuts the cake at the grande finale of Farmer's Appreciation Week at the Old Courthouse Square. Photo: Jennifer Haley looking forward to the start of a brand new market season in the spring of 2014. Thank you to all of our customers, the City of Williams Lake, CRD, and our sponsors Williams Lake & District Credit Union and Canadian Tire, and welcome to the Old Courthouse Square.
t swecem ’c Xgat’tem First a t i o n ( S X F ) hosted a field day on October 15 in Dog Creek to showcase the work that has been done so far on their p r o j e c t , “Demonstration and Preliminary Investigation into Quinoa as a Commercial Crop Option.” The project, jointly funded by In- Joyce Harry standing in a quinoa field near Pullman, WA. Photo: Erica <itchie vestment Agriculture Foundation, Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First ation, Stswecem’c Xgat’tem Development Corporation, and Discovery Organics, supported a small demonstration plot of quinoa grown at Dog Creek this year and investigation into the production, processing, and marketing potential of quinoa in the area. Two delegates of SXF attended the International Quinoa Research Symposium earlier this summer, hosted in Pullman Washington to learn more about the crop, its opportunities, and its challenges. Quinoa is an annual grain-like crop native to the Andean region of South America. It is adaptable to a wide variety of growing conditions, including very challenging factors such as saline soils and low water level. Although quinoa has been an important staple crop in the rural areas of Andean countries for millennia, it has only recently become widely popular Seed head of a mature quinoa plant in a field near Pullman, WA. in North America. This is largely due to Photo: Erica <itchie marketing and growing awareness of quinoa’s nutritional properties: it has relaFor more information contact, Ertively high protein content, is gluten-free, ica Nitchie, P.Ag First Nations Business and contains all of the essential amino Agrologist, Ministry of Agriculture (250) acids. 398-4502 or Patrick Harry, SXFN CounInformation gained so far during cillor and Economic Development Manthe project includes identifying the need ager ecdev@canoecreekband.ca. for localized seed development, pest management challenges, and required investment in processing infrastructure.
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TheGreenGazette
World View
Diet and Health Part Two - Food Safety
By Robert L. Nichol
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t the end of World War II, the US was the world’s healthiest country. According to the World Health Organization, Japan ranks number one in healthy life expectancy, and the US now ranks 27th. So what do you think happened? To review the first column on diet and health, we have concluded the problems of obesity and health due to a poor diet and provided facts to back up our claims. ow obesity is expected to rise to 700 million by 2015 worldwide. (Even cats and dogs are obese.) It has been stated that Americans consume five times more food than they need to. (Four million Americans now weigh over 400 pounds.) While I have used mainly American statistics, Canada is not that far behind. We may have a lower obesity rate, but we are fast catching up. With 4.3 million Canadians characterized as obese and 60 percent overweight, this has given me cause to write about the nature of diet and health. I started my research by reading Diet for a Small Planet, the 1971 bestselling book by Frances Moore Lappé, John Robbins’ book, Diet for a .ew America, brought out in 1987, the writings of Michael Pollan such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, plus many other current authors on food safety. I am now reading Voices of the Food Revolution by John and Ocean Robbins just published this spring. (I highly recommend it.) The Robbins’ start off with the comment, “Our food chain is in a crisis. Big agribusiness has made profits more important than your health, more important than the environment, more important than your right to know how your food is produced.” And I would like to add, more important than what’s in your food. Hence the now prevalent public outcry on food labelling. Everyday North Americans are exposed to more than 84,000 different chemicals with health consequences for our bodies yet unknown. The truth is, we are quite unaware that we are being poisoned, right down to our very DNA. For example, onethird of fish imported in the United States is mislabelled and rife with health threats, yet the FDA tests only two per cent of seafood and one per cent of all the 10 million food products brought in from elsewhere. Every year, food poisoning strikes 48 million Americans (1 in 6), lands 128,000 in the hospital, and kills 3,000, according to the Centre for Disease Control. So if you think the food industry and governments are seriously protecting your health and well-being, you are wrong. Unfortunately, ‘profit over people’ is the motto and much can be learned about how the food manufacturers manipulate and exploit the existing system of government and commerce. Not to mention over 60
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years of propaganda put forth in food commercials. For centuries people ate reasonably pure chemical-free food, foodstuff without adulteration. Not today. I will admit that arguments can be made for adding certain ingredients to food and the need for preservation; however, today, the insert of far too many c he mi cal s ha s caused sickness throughout humanity and serio us e nv i r o nmental damage. Simply put, the food industry cannot be trusted to insure that their offerings won’t cause negative consequences. The Grocery Manufacturing Association reports 70 per cent of all food in your grocery store contains toxic substances that produced multiple tumors in lab subjects. Independent scientists did the research and they’ve found that regularly eating these foods could contribute to cancer and damage your liver and kidneys. It has been made known that the FDA actually hid 40,000 documents that revealed the toxicity of genetically modified foods in order to help get them approved in the US. Why this cover up? Because the food manufacturers have such lobbying power and influence that they can even control US regulatory agencies. The FDA does not even have the power to force a company to withdraw a product. It’s up to the manufacturer to do so. Furthermore, many of the executives of these agencies trade back and forth also working for the food industry. Collusion and subterfuge invade our food system. In 1998, three whistle-blowing scientists went public on the Canada AM TV show, saying that the government had overruled their concerns because of orders from the very to p — t he Pr i v y Council. Since then, they weathered numerous government attempts to silence them through gag orders and suspensions without pay and all were eventually fired. The lead scientist Chiv Chopra, stated in 2006, “Governments and corporations are one.” His book, Corrupt to the Core: Memoirs of a Whistle blo wer, Thirty Five Years at He al th Can a d a Fighting for Food Safety, is a worthy read. Here, the taxpaying public loses out twice: paying
farmers to produce unhealthy food and paying for a health care system to serve those who get sick from eating the food. The Canadian Food and Inspection Agency is often criticized as not being entirely competent and is charged with conflicts of interest between the private and public sector by the Auditor General. It is supposed to protect us, inform us, and generally see to it that we have a healthy and nourishing diet of food available. Do they succeed at this? The Maple Leaf meat contamination (with 30 on-board inspectors), created one of the worst food crises in the last decade. This causes one to wonder, how well are we protected? How conscious are we of the ways the food we eat, the water we drink, or the air we breathe impacts our physical beings? A comprehensive survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found 148 different chemicals in the blood and urine samples of 2,400 Americans. Our bodies are vast biochemical seas and when toxic chemicals are taken in it, it alters our chemical makeup to various degrees leading to a potential chemical imbalance and disease. We do not know the cumulative effects of the thousands of low-level toxins we come into contact with every day. These toxins create an environment where the body cannot fully absorb nutrients. Even mental illness can be caused due to the effect these chemicals have on our brain. Alcohol and sugar are prime examples of affecting body chemistry. So does it not make sense to counter all these adverse effects by keeping chemicals out of our bodies starting with consuming chemical free foodstuffs? A pure food diet does much to alleviate and bring a greater degree of harmony and healthfulness to our
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bodies. Maintaining this balance adds to our life force by resolving biological conflict. The good news that the Robbins’ point out, is that more and more people demand food that is organic, fair trade, non GMO, humane, and healthy. A few years ago you would be hard pressed to find organic produce in any food store. According to the cashiers at my local supermarket, they are seeing an increase in organic food in shopping carts, showing that people are actually purchasing more and more chemical-free food. Our population is gradually waking up to the fact that a healthy diet equals a healthy body. So what can we do to insure a healthy diet of choice? Start reading labels, even though the ingredients require a degree in biology to figure them out and food producers have a clever way of labelling toxic substances with made-up names to disguise true content. Try to avoid processed food as much as possible. Shop at farmers’ markets, where you can trust the producer. Switch to organic. You get 5 to 10 times the nutrient value plus trace minerals not found in produce grown with conventional chemical-based agriculture. While in general, organic produce is much better tasting. When friends say to me they can’t afford the cost, my response is, “What price? Health?” Finally, if we can't trust food manufacturers and governments to ensure food safety, who can we trust? Well it is up to us to take personal responsibility for a pure food diet, do our research, and even take a stab at growing our own food. Our very health and well-being are at stake! Robert L. .ichol is a writer, educator, and filmmaker, living near 70 Mile House.
November 2013
TheGreenGazette
What is Integrative Medicine? By Ciel Patenaude
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ou have likely heard the term Integrative Medicine thrown around in healing circles or in conversation in the last few years, or you may have seen storefronts and clinics pop up calling themselves Integrative Centers. However, chances are that if you’re like most (and like myself, quite honestly, when I first heard the words in that context) you may have very little idea what this label means. A direct response to and movement away from the Alternative Medicine label, the movement towards Integrative Medicine is inspired by the desire to create a cohesive, fluid system of healing that includes multiple methods and roads to wellness. It is a system where Chinese Medicine is used alongside Holistic Nutrition and Biofeedback, and where practitioners of these modalities share and influence each other in protocol design and practice. This idea was the principle of my school in San Francisco (The California Institute of Integral Studies; try to say that really fast a few times) and is the model most commonly used in emerging Integrative Centers throughout the world. However, as a practitioner now and not a student, I tend to take the idea of what constitutes ‘Integrative’ to a different level than what is generally being offered, and want to share this idea with you. Integrative Medicine as I see it means that I not only utilize different forms and practices in healing (although this certainly happens) but that the entire scope of an individual’s experience—their body, mind, spirit, environment, community, and energetic history—is explored and addressed together during the healing process as a seamless continuum of experience and intelligence. It is a practice in which we seek not only to treat the symptoms as they are manifesting in one particular body part or energy meridian, but to create greater understanding of the ‘big picture’ of a person so that both the symptom and the process of healing are given significant meaning. Confused? I know that sounds like a lot, but hopefully I can explain a little better. For clarity I’d like to actually contrast this system and way of approaching health with that which is considered Conventional Western Medicine, or Allopathy, as we may find great understanding in the differences. As one of the youngest medical modalities on earth, Allopathy has focused its efforts in healing upon the outcomes of scientific reductionism and the application of Germ Theory. Basically what this means is that they’ve been trying for a couple hundred years to find and attack whatever is making us sick (looking outwards for reason in illness), and then to break the body down into
November 2013
smaller and smaller bits so that we might better understand it. While this is not a ‘bad’ idea, it’s a young idea, and one that, in application, fails to create improved long-term health. We cannot separate the body into component parts—the liver from the stomach or the skin from the liver, for example—and expect to come up with a treatment protocol that will support and heal the whole, rather than just get rid of the symptoms. And we certainly can’t separate the mind from the body (forming Psychology on one side and the rest of medicine on the other) and expect to come up with a workable, effective program. What I am suggesting may seem nothing short of blasphemous from a conventional perspective, but it is necessary that we form a new kind of medicine—a truly Integrative practice—that seeks not only to understand the tiny bits and pieces of the human experience, but to then integrate them into a big picture vision of diagnosis, philosophy, and treatment. It is also necessary, in my opinion, that this big picture vision isn’t just all happening under one roof, but that individuals and practitioners are trained to understand the human body and experience a new vision of medicine that combines scientific reasoning with systems-based application, spirit with matter, and human with environment. The Integrative Medicine of the future will be a beautiful, systematic process of looking at and understanding the human being as a system, and as within a system. It will be a practice of empowering the individual through lifestylespecific interventions, and seeking to understand the development and experience of disease as a meaningful process. That being said, the Integrative Medicine as it stands right now is also a beautiful and fantastic experience, and is the forebearer of great and amazing, insightful and fantastically healing things to come, and should you have the chance to visit an Integrative Clinic I would recommend it immensely. Your health and your process will be the better for it, I promise. Ciel Patenaude is an Integrative Health & Shamanic Practitioner based in Williams Lake, BC. A highly trained and naturally gifted intuitive healer, Ciel holds a BSc in Biology, an MA in Integrative Healing, and is a certified yoga teacher & wellness coach.
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Electrohypersensitivity (EHS): Is it Real? By André Fauteux
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n 2002, World Health Organization (WHO) director general Gro Harlem Brundtland told journalists that microwaves emitted by cellphones made her sick, even if the phone was only turned on and hidden in a pocket or purse located up to four meters away. onetheless, the World Health Organization stated in 2005 that electrosensitivity symptoms may be of psychosomatic origin, a claim which French oncologist Dominique Belpomme says is refuted by recent discoveries. French researchers demonstrated that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) substantially alter the physiology of the blood and brain of electrosensitive people and that the impact on these biological markers increases and decreases according to the intensity of EMF exposure. “We know with certainty that electromagnetic hypersensitivity is not psychosomatic,” said Dr. Dominique Belpomme in a telephone interview. “EMFs provoke major effects in the brain. The most important of these is the opening of the blood-brain barrier. This allows mercury, organochlorines, and other pollutants to enter in the brain, where they cause various neurodegenerative diseases.” Twenty new patients per week A professor of oncology at ParisDescartes University, Dr. Belpomme is president of the French Association for Research in Therapeutics Against Cancer (www.artac.info). Since May 2008, his team has studied what he coined Electromagnetic Intolerance Syndrome (SICEM in French). “I have 450 patients and see up to 20 new cases every week, including children who have headaches, impaired memory, concentration, or language. We have the largest European cohort of electrosensitive patients. This is a major public health concern.” SICEM is an extreme reaction to low-level exposure to 50/60 Hz electric and magnetic fields emitted by electrical cables and devices as well as radio frequencies (10 MHz to 300 GHz including microwave) from wireless devices and antennas. “In Sweden, electrohypersensitivity is an officially fully recognized functional impairment,” explains Swedish dermatologist and EHS expert Olle Johannson. “Thus, the first step for a person in Sweden with a functional impairment is to contact the municipality’s special civil servant for disability issues, as well as the various handicap organizations and authorities, to achieve accessibility measures of various types with the sole aim to have an equal life in a society based on equality according to the The UN Convention on Human Rights for Pers o n s w i t h F u n c ti o na l I mp a i r ments, www.un.org.” People with EHS are often incorrectly referred in psychiatry while many experts such as Belpomme say the first treatment they require is reducing or eliminating their exposure to EMFS. Their symptoms (neurological, cardiovascular, derma-
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"It is a societal denial that does not take account of current knowledge which is constantly evolving. ” Dr. Dominique Belpomme, oncologist.
tological, and muscular) are sometimes so serious that they must shield themselves with special clothing, curtains, as well as grounded paints and vapour barriers. Others move into forests, caves, or other remote locations if they are unable to find a lowEMF environment where their symptoms can recede or disappear. Dr. Belpomme’s team has developed a diagnostic method based on blood tests and a special brain scan – pulsed Doppler echography – to visualize blood flow. “These patients clearly have vascular disorders in the brain,” said the oncologist. “In addition, our biological tests show that 30 per cent of them have high levels of histamine, 50 per cent have too many stress proteins, most have low levels of melatonin (a potent anti-cancer hormone), and 30 per cent have levels of antibodies and proteins that are tell-tale signs of thermal shock and brain damage.” He adds that half of his patients suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and that MCS and EHS share the same brain abnormalities. The oncologist explained that there are three distinct levels of sensitivity to pollutants. First, there is intolerance, caused by polymorphism. “This means that we are all different. For example, 30 per cent of the population is most at risk of developing cancer.” Second, there is the susceptibility factor demonstrated by Swedish oncologist Lennart Hardell, who studied 16 families who were electrosensitive because of shared genetic factors. There are also active susceptibility factors, “such as dental amalgam that behave like antennas capturing airwaves,” explains Belpomme. Finally, electromagnetic hypersensitivity appears in two stages explains Dr. Belpomme. “The first phase is induced by exposure to a specific EMF frequency, either an acute or chronic exposure, such as talking on a cellphone 20 minutes every day. The first signs of hypersensitivity are pain and a heat sensation in the ear. In the second phase, the disease sets in. That’s
Gro Harlem Brundtland, former director general of the World Health Organization, cannot tolerate microwaves emitted by cellphones, even if the cellphone is only turned on and hidden in a pocket or purse up to 4m away.
when you become intolerant at all frequencies.” Experienced researchers ARTAC’s scientific council is chaired by virologist Luc Montagnier, 2008 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in medicine as co-discoverer of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) believed to cause AIDS. ARTAC’s research co-ordinator is doctor of nutrition Philippe Irigaray, one of five international experts recently appointed by Quebec’s Health Research Fund to select the most promising research projects in environmental cancer prevention. Dr. Irigaray stresses that the human brain contains magnetosomes, iron oxides that behave like magnets. Electrosensitivity may depend on their quantity, which varies from one individual to another. ARTAC researchers are currently preparing five scientific papers on electrosensitivity. “It takes a lot of time,” said Dr Belpomme. “They will published in a year or two. But action is needed immediately to reduce people’s overexposure to EMFs.” In France, an estimated five per cent of the population is already electrosensitive, and the proportion is constantly increasing with the ever-growing popularity of wireless technologies. “Studies show that 10 to 50 per cent of the population may become very intolerant to EMFs over the next 25 to 50 years,” Dr Belpomme said. “I have two cases of multiple sclerosis triggered after prolonged use of a cellphone, three cases of breast cancer – two recurrences after exposure to EMFs and one case related to the use of computers – and anecdotal evidence also for autism and Alzheimer’s disease whose risk is much higher than for cancer. Causal links with electromagnetic fields are highly possible.” Dr. Belpomme said he has relieved some EHS patients by administering medication to tone-up the nervous system and antihistamines to close the blood-brain barrier.
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<o causal link, says WHO In 2005, the World Health Organization published Fact Sheet No 296 entitled Electromagnetic hypersensitivity. It stated, ”Well controlled and conducted double-blind studies have shown that symptoms were not correlated with EMF exposure… The symptoms are certainly real and can vary widely in their severity… Further, EHS is not a medical diagnosis, nor is it clear that it represents a single medical problem.” Physicians: Treatment of affected individuals should focus on the health symptoms and the clinical picture, and not on the person’s perceived need for reducing or eliminating EMF in the workplace or home. This requires: • a medical evaluation to identify and treat any specific conditions that may be responsible for the symptoms • a psychological evaluation to identify alternative psychiatric/psychological conditions that may be responsible for the symptoms • an assessment of the workplace and home for factors that might contribute to the presented symptoms. These could include indoor air pollution, excessive noise, poor lighting (flickering light), or ergonomic factors. A reduction of stress and other improvements in the work situation might be appropriate. “Not so, said Dr. Dominique Belpomme. “This setback is of a political nature that has nothing to do with science. WHO will be forced to revise its decision in the coming months. It is a societal denial that does not take account of current knowledge which is constantly evolving. ” [read Microwave News's coverage of conflicts of interest at WHO] The oncologist argues the causal link between exposure to magnetic fields and leukemia is no longer in doubt. “When we increase the dose, it increases the rate of leukemia. Dozens of laboratory toxicological studies have demonstrated this most clearly, in vitro as well as in animals.” For her part, Ontario researcher Magda Havas of Trent University said EHS studies with negative results have major biases. “The researchers assumed that reactions to EMFs are immediate, while there is often a delay between exposure and response. People are not switches that can be turned on and off. These studies incorrectly insinuate that if you can not feel anything, it can’t harm you. We know very well that we can’t detect the taste of arsenic, lead, DDT, or asbestos, but they are all toxic.” Original article in French: http:// ma i s o ns a i ne . ca /wp -c o nte nt/ up l o a d s/ sicem_demystifie.pdf To learn about the life challenges of real EHS sufferers in British Columbia, please visit: http://electroplague.com/ AUTHOR: André Fauteux, Publisher/ Editor, La Maison du 21e siècle magazine info@21esiecle.qc.ca www.21esiecle.qc.ca
November 2013
TheGreenGazette
Raising Amadeus By Terri Smith
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hese days, Amadeus is a typical teenager. He spends most of his time with the rest of the herd and hasn’t much use for me, his mother, anymore when he is with them. Most mornings on my way out to the garden he has already come down from the balcony and will be lying contentedly in the shade near the rest of the herd. I will walk over to say good morning, and while he used to skip over to see me and give me a kiss as soon as I lowered my head to say hello, these days when I crouch down and ask for a kiss he turns his head away, “Ah, mom, not in front of the herd.” He then merrily follows them all out to the field for their morning browse and while they don’t actually let him into the herd, they do allow him to graze nearby. The girls who have been staying with us to help on the farm this summer commented on this behaviour the other day. “Why don’t the other goats let Amadeus get too close to them?” Noemie asked, as we watched Ahmie’s older sister shove him aside. I thought about it for a moment. “I think for a reason similar to why his mother rejected him. He just isn’t right, so the whole herd has rejected him. He is not the healthiest or the quickest of animals and they don’t want him in their herd. It’s an instinct herd animals have: keep the old and the unhealthy on the outside of the group, that way should a predator come the ones who can’t keep up get eaten first.” As I finished this statement we all looked towards the field with the same expression, then looked back at one another. We were all thinking the same thing: “Should a predator come…” “I think maybe we should keep Ahmie away from the herd,” Lauren said. “He would be the first to go…” Fortunately, the goats don’t wander far and our dog Kasha is a good older sibling to Amadeus. She looks out for him. However, the potential danger of a predator has been on my mind since these goats arrived on the farm in 2010. Kasha is a great protector but we live on the edge of the wilderness and have really just been lucky that there has been such abundant prey these last few years that cougars and wolves haven’t seen the goats as an easy meal. I have been trying to prepare for the arrival of these goats since they arrived rather unexpectedly three years ago, but the garden always takes up so much time that a proper goat pen and a better shelter with a proper door that can be closed at night have not yet materialized. But a month ago, we did at last get another guardian dog to help Kasha take care of the animals of the farm. While she is small now at three months of age, Quoia is a Great Pyrenese/Bull Mastiff cross and will be a pretty large dog when she grows up. Amadeus is not overly enthusiastic about our new arrival, mostly because
November 2013
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Amadeus and his new little sister Quoia hanging out together on the balcony. Photo: <oe mie Vallelian she is a bit overly enthusiastic about him. Kasha, as usual, is a good big sister to them both, gently stepping between them any time she senses the puppy might be getting too rambunctious or that Amadeus may be about to knock her down. Since the puppy’s arrival, Amadeus spends even more time with the herd. Every morning now I take the dogs for a walk. Quoia needs to know the boundaries of her territory, and the garden is winding down for the season so I have more time. Amadeus sometimes comes with us, but since he is trying to show the rest of the herd that he is a proper goat more often than not he takes a few steps towards us then remembers this is very ungoatlike behaviour and he returns to the herd. On our walks we usually stop to pick some rosehips and willow branches for him, his favourties. Quoia picks the low rosehips while I pick the higher ones. She tells me she means to save them for Amadeus, but she always forgets and eats them. When we return Amadeus forgets all about proper goat behaviour and comes running over for his treat. When the dogs and I head out to the garden, the temptation is often too much and with a look over his shoulder to be sure no one is watching he skips down the path behind us then waits patiently at the gate while I do up his collar then lead him in and tether him on the edge of the garden where he has his pick of the best weeds on the property. And he really doesn’t seem to mind that the rest of his goat family is a little cruel. This is just the way his life is. And even though he can’t risk being uncool in front of the other goats, as soon as the sun goes down we hear him clipclopping up the balcony stairs to his box by the door. I still let him come inside every evening just to be sure he is getting enough water. It still strikes me as completely ridiculous at times to watch this full grown goat come bounding into the kitchen, head-butting the cats, and scanning the room to see if I have been silly enough to leave a bouquet of wildflowers on the table again. After he has a good long drink I lure him back out with a handful of sunflower seeds and ask for a kiss. With no other goats around to make fun of him he is always happy to give me a kiss goodnight. Terri Smith is an organic vegetable farmer in the Cariboo with Road’s End Vegetable Company. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and a diploma in Art.
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NOURISHING OUR CHILDREN By Jasmin Schellenberg HEALTHY S<ACKS A<D WHY Kale chips (can be made in quantities, in advance) Ingredients: 2-3 bunches of kale 6 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbso fermented soy sauce ¼ tsp each turmeric and paprika pinch of cayenne ½ tsp sea salt ¼ c sesame seeds Method: 1. Wash kale, cut out the stems, and put the kale leaves in a bowl. 2. Pour the rest of the ingredients on the kale, mix well, and place the kale on cookie sheets. 3. Place the kale in a pre-heated oven (300 degrees F) for 10-15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 100 degrees F until kale is dry and crisp. <UTRIE<T DE<SE MEAL Butternut Squash Soup (serves 4) Ingredients: 2 Tbsp butter 1 small onion, chopped 1-inch piece of ginger, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 cups chicken broth 2 ½ cups cooked butternut squash 2 Tbsp sour cream for garnish, optional 1 Tbsp sauerkraut juice, optional salt and pepper to taste Method: 1. Heat the butter and sautée the onion until it is soft. 2. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 1 – 2 more minutes. 3. Add in the chicken stock and the butternut squash, stir, and heat. 4. Remove from heat and, using the immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth 5. Add salt and pepper to taste 6. Add a dollop of sour cream in the center of each dish as a garnish. 7. Add the sauerkraut juice when cooled. MYTHS U<VEILED (From the book “Nourishing Our Children” by Sandrine Love) The most serious modern dietary myth is the assertion that saturated fats are bad for us, that they are the villains in the modern diet, causing everything from cancer to heart disease. Traditional Fats and Oils The following nutrient-rich traditional fats have nourished healthy population groups for thousands of years: butter, beef and lamb tallow, lard, chicken, goose, and duck fat, coconut, palm, and sesame oils, cold pressed olive oil, cold pressed flax oil in small amounts, and fish liver oils. Healthy fats supply nutrients that are essential for growth and energy, the absorption and metabolism of many nutrients, brain function, kidneys, heart and lungs, building cell membranes, formation of ho rmones, and healthy skin, eyes, and bones. Research i s now showing that it is the n e wfangled fats in the form of all liquid oils and solid partially hydrogenated industrial oils from soy, corn, and safflower, cottonseed, and canola, and all fats heated
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to very high temperatures in processing and frying. It is these fats, and not natural saturated fats, that can cause cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, sterility, learning disabilities, growth problems, and osteoporosis. These are the fats that are in large part responsible for our national obesity and health crises. If I eat fat, won’t I get fat? Many people avoid saturated animal fats for fear of gaining weight. Yet fats from healthy animals will provide vital nutrients needed to satisfy the body and curb hunger while eliminating common cravings for sugar or fried food. When the body continually gives hunger signals, it is often a cry for the vital nutrients it is missing. In other words, if you keep feeding yourself processed foods that lack nutrients, you may continually experience hunger and cravings. For example, one may eat bag after bag of chips without experiencing satiety. However, a breakfast containing traditional fats will satisfy your hunger for hours. A key to maintaining optimal weight is to give your body essential nutrients, many of which are found in traditional fat. Children need traditional fats—saturated fats in particular. The low-fat, Standard American Diet promoted by our government starves them of vital nutrients during their formative years. Saturated Fat Saturated fats play many important roles in the body chemistry, which is why your body makes saturated fat. • At least 50 per cent of the cell membranes must be saturated fatty acids for your cells to work properly. • Saturated fatty acids are needed for the laying down of calcium in the bones. • Saturated fatty acids actually protect us against heart disease. • The lungs cannot work without saturated fats. • It is well known that saturated fatty acids protect the liver from alcohol and other poisons (drugs, pesticides, etc.). • The essential fatty acids work synergistically with saturated fats. Saturated fats help put the essential fatty acids into the tissues where they belong, and keep them there. When you have lots of saturated fats in the diet, you actually only need very small amounts of essential fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids are the preferred food for the heart, which is why the fats in the cavity of humans and animals are highly saturated. • Finally, the shorter saturated fats have important anti-microbial and immune-stimulating properties. A WALK THROUGH YOUR PA<TRY: GET RID OF: All low-fat products and any processed vegetable oils from soy, corn, and safflower, cottonseed, and canola including margarine, most of which come from genetically modified production. These oils have been attributed to increased cancer and heart disease, immune system disorders, liver damage, depression, learning disabilities, wrinkles, and premature ageing. REPLACE WITH: Butter, beef and lamb tallow, lard, chicken, goose, and duck fat, coconut, palm, and sesame oils, cold pressed olive oil, cold pressed flax oil in small amounts, and fish liver oils. Real fats will satisfy. Remember to know your sources and buy certified organic whenever possible. Brought to you by Jasmin Schellenberg Inspired by and resourced from “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon; and: www.westonaprice.org and www.nourishingourchildren.org. Plan to join the next Wise Tradition conference. Regional Portland, OR - September 21-22. International Conference - Nov 8-11, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia Topic: Curing the Incurable: Holistic Therapies for Chronic Disease. For “Nourishing our Children” newsletters of the past visit: www.pasture-toplate.com or www.thegreengazette.ca
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<ovember Calendar of Events ovember to May – Williams Lake Winter Market. Fridays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on the upper level of the Boitanio Mall. Winter crops, gift ideas, canning, local meat, baking, crafts, chair massage, natural health products & so much more! Check out our cafe and musical events, too! ovember 2-23 –‘Out of the Cave’ by Leslie Lloyd and ‘West Fraser Road’ by James Savage at The Station House Gallery. Open Monday to Saturday 10a.m. to 5p.m. ovember 5 – Community Arts Council of Williams Lake Annual General Meeting, at 6:00 p.m., Central Arts Centre upper floor. Bring your ideas, finger food if you wish, and come out and support Arts in the Cariboo. ovember 8-9. Early Bird Christmas Craft Fair, Elks Hall, 98 1st Ave S., Williams Lake. Friday, ovember 8, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, November 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission. Concession on site. Call Carmen 250-296-3590 for more information. ovember 8-10 – South Cariboo Winter Arts & Crafts Fair at 100 Mile House Community Hall, ovember 8, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., ovember 9, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., ovember 10, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 50 artisans and crafters from the Cariboo and beyond. Admission is $2. Free for kids under 12. Hourly prize draws. Contact Barbara at 397-2980 for more info. ovember 12-15 – The Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake provides fullday programming at The KidZone for Pro-D Days and fall break. Ages 7-12. $20/child/day. Program also runs every day after school for $10/child/day. No child is turned away due to a family’s inability to pay. Call Crystal at 250-3057207 for more information. ovember 13 - Food Policy Council Quarterly Meeting, Williams Lake from 1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Updates and opportunity for community input about the work of the WL Food Policy Council. Location to be announced. For more info contact Cody Slinn at foodpolicycouncil@hotmail.com ovember 21-23 –Ten Thousand Villages Craft Sale. Thursday, November 21, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, ovember 22, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, ovember 23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fair Trade Handicrafts from over 25 countries. Cariboo Bethel Church, 833 Western Ave., 250-398-6731. ovember 23-24 – Medieval Market. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lake City Secondary School, Western Campus (formerly Columneetza). Unique hand-crafted gifts from local artisans. Support your local economy and Lake City Secondary students. Live entertainment and concession. $3 admission, free for kids under 12. ovember 25 – The Social Planning Council AGM. Monday, ovember 25, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City of Williams Lake. Have lunch with UNBC researchers discussing the labour mobility issues our area is facing and future solutions for healthy community planning. All are welcome. Email spccoordinator@xplornet.com or call 250-243-2126 for more info. ovember 25- Transition Town Group hosts Film and Discussion “Botany of Desire” – Michael Pollan at 6:30 p.m. @ Central Cariboo Arts Center (Old Fire Hall upstairs) Come browse our lending library and join in the discussion. ovember 27 – The Station House Studio & Gallery Society invites members and the public to attend our Annual General Meeting in the Main Gallery at noon. Refreshments will be served. ovember 29 – Christmas Market at Kinikinik, 9391, Hwy 20, Redstone, BC. 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Local crafts, gifts, and Christmas baking. German Christmas menu Kinikinik Restaurant starting at 5:30 p.m. Tables available for vendors for $10. For more info contact: katherine@pasturetoplate.ca or call 250-3946000. ovember 29 & 30 - Earth Friendly Holiday event. ovember 29, 6:00 p.m. 9:00p.m. and ovember 30, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Enjoy a relaxed holiday moment, create a natural wreath, a clay ornament, block printed Christmas cards, or natural bird feeders. The Central Cariboo Arts Centre (old fire hall) on corner of 4th Ave and Borland. Admission is free. December 1 - Williams Lake Hospice Society Memory Tree Celebration. 3p.m.-4:30p.m. Commemorate and celebrate those we have loved and lost with a donation and ornament on our Memory Tree at the City of Williams Lake chambers and lobby. Donations and ornaments available through the WL Hospice Society main office, or in front of Save On Foods from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., ovember 18-30. Contact 250-392-5430 for more info or cchospice@telus.net
November 2013
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Your Green Shopping Directory
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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 Body Health 4 All, 250-297-0089 <ola Carter njretrac@gmail.com www.bodyhealth4all.com Better health by balancing body PH. Independent Distributor of LiPH Products Canadian Tire, 250 392-3303 1050 South Lakeside Dr., Williams Lake Recycling Initiatives, Renewable Energy Solutions, Organic Cleaning Products: Blue Planet, Green Works, Method, .ature Clean, Seventh Generation Cariboo Growers Coop, 778 412-2667 3rd & Oliver St., Williams Lake. 100% .atural & Organic Foods, .on-Profit Farmer’s Coop Cleanway Supply, 1-800-663-5181 275 South MacKenzie Ave., Williams Lake Organic Cleaning Products Dandelion Living, 778-412-9100 271 Oliver St., Williams Lake Local & Original, Reclaimed & Repurposed, .atural & Organic 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. Products: Aubrey Organics SoapWorks/SpaRitual. Local feather & semi-precious stone jewelry. Debbie Irvine B.Sc. (Agr.) RH< Registered Holistic Nutritionist 250-392-9418 or dirvine@thelakebc.ca EATI G YOUR WAY TO EXCELLE T HEALTH! Presenting nutritional seminars which inspire and educate to address health concerns. Dockside Haircuts, 250 392-6386 147C 1st Ave. North, Williams Lake Family hairstyling, colours, cuts and perms. Walk ins or appointments. Feature Product: Organic Goldwell Shampoo and Conditioner. earthRight Solar, 1 877 925-2929 3rd & Borland, Williams Lake Renewable Energy Solutions, Eco-Friendly Products, Composting Toilets Echoes Bodywork and Complimentary Healing 250 392-7599 Torey Lee, 71 First Ave. South, Williams Lake Massage, Reiki, Chartered Herbalist, Ear Candling The Gecko Tree, 250 398-8983 54 N. MacKenzie Ave. Williams Lake Serving healthy, local foods Good Guys Gardening Center, 250 392-2069 250 Mackenzie Ave. South, Williams Lake www.goodguysgardening.com Your One Stop Indoor Gardening Shop. Offering a wide selection of Organic and Eco-friendly .utrients and Additives.
Halls Organics, 250 398-2899 107 Falcon Rd. (North Lakeside), Williams Lake Indoor and Outdoor Organic Gardening Products, Alternative Traditional Products, Teas and Herbs, Hemp Body Products The Hobbit House, 250 392-7599 71 First Ave. South, Williams Lake Juice Bar, .atural Products, Essential Oils, Teas, Crystals, Gemstones, and more.
OK Tire Williams Lake, 250 392-5953 25 Borland St., Williams Lake Full Mechanical. Licensed technician on duty. Service all makes and models. 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. Rona Home Centre, 250 392-7767 298 Proctor Street, Williams Lake "ECO" cleaning & gardening products, LED bulbs & energy-efficient building products. Responsible disposal available for recycling of paint, stain, CFLs, batteries, saw blades & more. San Jose Cattle Company, 250 296-4592 Clint and Karen Thompson Sustainable Agriculture, Raised .aturally/Local Beef, .o antibiotics, hormones, chemical fertilizers or herbicides. Scout Island <ature Centre & Williams Lake Field <aturalists, 250 398-8532 www.scoutislandnaturecentre.ca www.williamslakefieldnaturalists.ca 1305A Borland Rd, Williams Lake .ature on the city’s doorstep. Bird sanctuary, arboretum, trails, .ature 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, .atural Medicines, Emergency Freeze Dried Foods. The 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! Zed-Tech Electric, 250-267-4868 For all your residential and commercial needs. Solar Installations coming soon. Joe Zombori zedtechelectric26@gmail.com Zirnhelt Ranch, 250 243-2243 www.zirnheltranch.ca or susanzirnhelt@yahoo.com Producers of Grassfed/Finished Beef. Pasture Raised Pork.
Contact us today to list your Green business - info@thegreengazette.ca or 250 620-3419
November 2013
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Green Locations TheGreenGazette can be found in print at the fine locations below, as well as online, or by subscription . 100 Mile House Donex Chartreuse Moose Higher Ground Nat. Foods Nuthatch Books One Another Coffee House Save-On Foods A&W 108 Mile House 108 Mile Esso 108 Mile Mall 108 Mile Supermarket Hills Health & Guest Ranch 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 Clinton Clinton Grocery & Gas 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 Service Station LacLaHache Race Trac Gas & Convenience Red Crow Cafe Likely Lakeside Service Valley General Store McLeese Lake Deep Creek Service Station Oasis Pub The Oasis Motel Cafe <impo Lake Nimpo Lake General Store Prince George Ava Maria Gifts and Health Foods Quesnel The Green Tree Booster Juice Carryall Books Good For You Market Holistic Health Care Clinic Karin’s European Deli Granville’s Coffee Shop Quiznos Safeway Redstone Graziers Supply Wildwood RaceTrac Gas & Store
Williams Lake A& W All-ways Travel Amanda Enterprises Barking Spider Mountain Bikes Bean Counter Bistro Beaver Valley Feeds Blacky’s Truck and Car Wash The Book Bin CanWest Propane Cariboo Growers Coop Cariboo Ski Cleanway Supply Concrete Fitness Conservation Society CJ’s Restaurant CRD Library Creative Scissor Dairy Queen Dandelion Living Day Spa Champagne earthRight Elaine’s Natural Foods Factory Direct Furniture Flavours & More Good Guys Gardening Greyhound Bus Stop Haines Office World Handi-Mart Joey’s Grill KFC Halls Organics The Hobbit House Husky Restaurant Karamia’s Donairs Kornak & Hamm Pharmacy
The Laughing Loon The Legion Margetts Meats McDonalds Mohawk New World Coffee Oliver’s Bar & Grill PetroCanada 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
Shopper’s Drug Mart Sight & Sound Spa Bella Staples Station House Gallery Sta-Well Health Foods Subway Sutton Cariboo Realty The Gecko Tree The Open Book Tim Hortons Tourism Info Center Trattoria Pasta Shoppe TRU Tsilhqot'in National Gov`t Two Doors Down Walmart 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 give us a call so that we may rectify the situation. 250 620-3419
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