| |
Oct. |
Nov. |
Dec. |
| Circulation: |
2300 |
2300 |
2250 |
| By
Email: |
457 |
475 |
511 |
| Print
& Post: |
$972 |
$997 |
$950 |
| Editorial: |
$200 |
$200 |
$200 |
| Donations: |
$525 |
$650 |
??? |
| Advertising: |
$20 |
$125 |
|
| Balance: |
$1559* |
$1137 |
|
| Green
Dollars: |
10 |
210 |
|
* Accounting
correction
Many
thanks to Linda Faulkner, Joan Waddell, Roger Smeeth, Anke Bergner, Susan
Grout, Melanie Ransome, Robert Newton, Claude Maurice, Adam Fawkes, Don
Vipond, Rosemary Marsh, C.Barker, John & Diana McMachen, Daphne &
Hugh Taylor, M. Lightbody, Joyce Stewart, Ashlee St. Clair, E.Lacroix, UBC
Campus Planning, Louise Cole, Jim Hackler, Roger Colwill, Lois Marcoux &
Sheila Drew.
* The
bank will be totally empty after this issue. Donations can be made to EcoNews,
395 Conway Rd, Victoria V8X 3X1. For a receipt, please include a stamped
addressed envelope.
* To
receive EcoNews call (250) 881-1304. To receive EcoNews by email,
fill out the above form
* Advertising
rates : 1" ad $25. 2" ad $45. Insert - $150 + 2 volunteers.
THE
ECO-PERSONALS
*
My partner Sandy and I would like to explore the possibility of buying
a large home collectively, with suites in it to share with other people
with possible common areas. Call Don Ollsin, 592-7523 email healing@islandnet.com
*
Wanted, owner for certified organic Salt Spring Farm, 4+ hectares.
Sturdy buildings, 4000 sq ft, 5 BR, workshop, 2 cabins, southern aspect,
2 acre market garden, irrigation, walking trails, ocean view Mt. Baker.
Zoned for 2 living buildings. Serious folks only $385,000. Linda, (250)
537-5238
*
Vancouver Island Vegetarian Association (VIVA). The final 1999
newsletter has just been sent to members. It's time to renew ! 1680 Kisber
St, Victoria, V8P 2W6 (386-2100 viva@islandnet.com).
Discount cards for 2000 and newsletters will not be sent until memberships
are renewed. www.islandnet.com/~viva/
*
Community Venture Capital - 30% tax-breaks. Ministry of Community Dev't,
Coops and Volunteers. Community Capacity Building grants up to $50,000;
Community Cooperative Business Development matching funds up to $100,000.
Details Wendy Klyne, 746-9388 klynegrp@islandnet.com
www.cdcv.gov.bc.ca.
GWEN
MALLARD R.I.P.
Gwen
Mallard, often called the mother of environmentalism in Canada, died of
cancer at our East Sooke home on November 13th. She was 82. She was a gentle
quiet woman, resolute in all she did, with a wonderful smile that endeared
her to everyone - a beautiful lady in every respect. This exceptional woman,
with my willing help, started the Canadian environmental movement from her
Coquitlam sitting room in December 1968, leading to the creation of S.P.E.C.
(Society for Promoting Environmental Conservation). In 1972 we returned
to Victoria and established CASE - Citizens Action to Save the Environment.
Gwen
fought against Kaiser Resources' strip mining site in the East Kootenays
Elk Valley, where the elk had their critical winter feeding ranges. She
hitch-hiked across Canada to present a 60,000 signature petition to Ottawa
to stop the oil tanker traffic from Alaska moving down our B.C. coast. She
campaigned against the deadly herbicide 245D for roadside and BC Hydro brush
clearance, which was eventually eliminated. She worked against Kimberley
Mines' deadly mining wastes, which were killing life in 20 miles of St.
Mary's river. She started a 5 year effort to protect Tod Inlet from development
- it is now part of the Tod/Gowlland Park. Ten years ago she initiated a
biodiversity butterfly program, which is still an annual program.
For
24 years Gwen operated her vegetarian restaurant on the Saanich Peninsula,
happily serving home made food, practising what she believed in. Her vegetable
soups were legendary, and her mixed berry pies topped with a generous helping
of velvet smooth soya soft ice cream were an absolute treat. Many people
looked upon "Gwen's" as not just a wonderful place to eat but an environmental
institution - she taught generations of people what it means to be environmentally
concerned. In the 1990s, she devoted most of her attention to campaigning
against approval of the Bovine Growth Hormone in Canada, and the genetic
engineering of our foods.
Gwen
received seven awards, including the Environmental Lifetime Achievement
Award, in Ottawa. As we stood arm in arm the next day and gazed at the dramatically
powerful war memorial close to the hotel, silent tears coursed down her
beautiful face. It was but one of many wonderful moments I have been honoured
to share with this remarkable, compassionate and loving human being. May
she be well remembered.
Derrick Mallard
A
WELCOME TO ALL OUR
NEW COUNCILLORS
If
you have just been elected, this may be the first time you have seen EcoNews.
You may not see yourself as being "green", but EcoNews will hopefully provide
you with useful environmental stories. If you would like more copies to
distribute to your staff, please let me know. Many EcoNews endorsed candidates
were elected, but in the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area (covering rural Sooke),
however, Diane Bernard was defeated by Brian Henson's big-money pro-development
campaign, so we can expect ongoing difficulties down there as we strive
to protect valuable ecosystems. A big welcome to Beth Gibson in Colwood,
to the new council in the Highlands, and to Rob Fleming, Denise Savoie and
Art Vanden Berg in Victoria. On Bowen Island, the Green Party's Lisa Barrett
is now the Mayor. EcoNews is here to serve you, as a way to reach out and
seek input.
Andrew
Gage
Barrister
& Solicitor
____________________
Specializing
in Environmental, Administrative & Civil Sector Law
Good
rates for NGOs
__________________________
#5-481
Head St., Victoria, B.C. V9A 5S1
Tel.
(250)920-4243 agage@pacificcoast.net
COOPERATIVE
GAMES
The
holidays are a great time for games with the family and friends - but have
you ever wished for something slightly less greedy than Monopoly, less trivial
than Trivial Pursuit ? Back in the early '70s, Ruth and Jim Deacove, high
school teachers in Saskatchewan, went to live in a rural community in Perth,
Ontario, and started dreaming up alternative board games for their daughters.
Starting with 'Harvest Time', Jim went on to create over 50 games, some
for 4 - 8 year olds, some for 7 - 12s, some for the whole family, including
such sophisticated games as 'Community', the 'Earth Game', and 'Let's Go
Sailing!'. Every Christmas, Daphne Taylor sells the games as a fundraiser
for the St George's Community Resources Centre - if you are interested,
call 477-6437, and she'll send a catalogue.
Esther
J. Muirhead, M.Ed, BSW
Personal
and Social Change Strategies:
Harnessing
the power of community, creativity and spirituality for the benefit of all
being.
380-0036
yg502@victoria.tc.ca
WAY
TO GO !
How
big is your ecological footprint? In October, South Park Elementary's grade
6 and 7 students asked this question in chalk on the sidewalk, to celebrate
National Walk A Child To School Day. The senior students wanted their schoolmates
to reduce their impact on the local environment by choosing active ways
to get to school, and the next day, more than 85% walked or biked, while
those who lived too far took transit, ride-shared or convinced their parents
to park away from the school and walk with them. Across Canada, more than
500 elementary schools took part. Some, like Willows Elementary, continue
to hold Walkin' Wheelin' Wednesdays every week. At Sidney Elementary, most
children walk every day. Across BC, however, almost half the children are
driven to urban and suburban schools, up from less than 1 in 3 ten years
ago. Most trips are less than 1km in length, and contribute to air pollution,
dangerous roads and auto-dependent children. 'Way to Go!' offers parents
and teachers a tool to enable more children to safely walk, bike, carpool
or use public transit. After conducting a survey, students and parents map
their school site, conduct traffic and pedestrian counts, and identify the
best routes for pedestrians and bicyclists. They also start "walking school
buses", and set up walking buddies. For free resource kit, call Suzanne
Kort at 388-0781 or 1-877-325-3636. kort@islandnet.com
www.waytogo.icbc.bc.ca
Fluorescent
Light Filter
Full-spectrum,
Glare-Free, UV Blocked
Comfortable,
Healthy Light
Free
7-day Trial
Winter
Blues ?
Lighten
Up ! Glasses or Light Box
Effectively
Relieves S.A.D. Symptoms
Island
Enviro Lighting Ltd
384-8534
GREEN
GIFTS
Yes,
it's that time of year. How about a West Coast Gift Basket of naturally
grown, locally produced gourmet food, delivered free in Victoria by bicycle
? Call Share Organics, 595-6729. Or music - "Running from the Mountains"
is music to protect our watersheds to, by Holly Arntzen and the Watershed
Choir - children from Durrance, Beaver Lake, Strawberry Vale and Spectrum
schools. Price $20 - call Holly at 544-4006.
Then
there is the gift of LAND - a home for eagles, bats, wildflowers and wilderness
that will be there in a hundred, a thousand years. The Land Conservancy
(TLC) of British Columbia invites you to give a gift of land on South Winchelsea
Island (a pristine Garry oak ecosystem and sea-lion haul-out), Reynolds
Ranch (1,000 acres of grassland west of Clinton that contains nearly 1/3rd
of B.C.'s endangered species), Black Creek Ranch (800 acres of vital fish-spawning
habitat, home to black bears, moose and grey wolves, east of Williams Lake),
the Nanaimo River Flood Plain (last remaining intact riparian area) and
the Sooke Hills. You can also give a Nature Cruise Gift Certificate for
one of TLC's gorgeous summer cruises. For all these, call the TLC at (250)
479-8053. www.conservancy.bc.ca
On
Sat Dec 11th, there's also a "Justice for Christmas Fair Trade Fair" with
a choice of fair and sustainable gifts (see Diary).
EARTHFUTURE
A big
announcement from your editor - New Society has just published my first
new book in ten years, 'Earthfuture : Stories from a Sustainable World'.
It's a book of enjoyable short stories, set between the years 2005 and 2015,
which describe how it is possible to built a peaceful, sustainable world.
The stories are set all over the world - including Port Renfrew, Salt Spring,
Victoria and Gold River. I had fun writing it, and its home-page at www.earthfuture.com
has a rich set of web-connected notes which show you how the stories are
happening in the real world. It's available in all bookshops, and I can
mail a signed copy if you call me at (250) 881-1304. Price $17.95.
Sierra
Club, Victoria Group
Public
Forum
How
Greater Victoria deals
with
its Sewage
Thursday
Dec. 2nd, 7:30pm
Garry
Oak Room, 1335 Thurlow
WRITING
TO YOUR LEADERS ?
Here's
a smart new website which enables you to send an instant email or a free
fax to any politician, at www.letterstoleaders.com. There's a similar
service at www.tinmen.org. If
you want to write to Canada's papers, the Results Canada page (www.results-resultats.ca)
has a full list of Canadian media email addresses - so bookmark the pages,
and make your voice heard.
Seeds
of Victoria
Organic
Heritage Seeds
Year
2000 Seed Catalogue $2
from
The Garden Path
395
Conway Rd, Victoria V8X 3X1
www.earthfuture.com/gardenpath
A
gift of seeds sows thoughts of you
Y2K
- JUST IN CASE !
Don't
forget to stock up with enough food and water to last you for three days
(or longer), just in case there are unforeseen glitches with the Y2K computer
bug. And advise your neighbours too, as well. Thrifty Foods have a "Just
in Case" feature sale on, to help you stock up. There is lots of local Y2K
advice available at www.greenpages.victoria.bc.ca/streetvolunteers/infosheets
"MEET
THE NEIGHBOURS"
OPEN
HOUSE
Fifty
years ago, we all knew our neighbours - but today, that's becoming an endangered
tradition. So how about launching the new millennium by inviting your neighbours
round to an Open House during the early days of January, to start building
a stronger community on your street ? For ideas, see the Street Volunteers
home page www.greenpages.victoria.bc.ca/streetvolunteers
ACTION
OF THE MONTH
A
GREEN SCREEN
FOR
THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
Vandana
Shiva writes from India : All around the world, the WTO's rules are
promoting commerce at the cost of the environment. In conflicts between
trade and environment, the WTO dispute settlement panels have ruled in favour
of commercial interests, and against the protection of the environment.
The environmental movement of the South is appealing for a GREEN SCREEN
campaign to screen and evaluate the WTO's rules and agreements in the context
of their environmental impact, and then recommend changes to ensure that
the environment and natural resources that the poor in the Third World need
for their livelihood are protected. Nothing less than such an overhaul will
guarantee environmental protection. Keeping the environmentally destructive
rules of the WTO intact and merely adding an environmental clause will not
protect the environment. It will merely protect Northern trading interests.
We invite the environmental community of the North and the South to join
the GREEN SCREEN campaign.
ACTION
: Write to Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of Trade, Houses of Parliament,
Ottawa K1A 0A6, and share your thoughts.
800kb)
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