As you run the water into the sink for washing the dishes, instead of running the tap waiting for it to get hot before you put the plug in the sink, why not fill the kettle as the water warms? By the time the kettle is full, the water will be warm and then you can begin to fill the sink with hot water without wasting a drop!
Happy environment saving!
As you all know I am very passionate about protecting our environment and have been blogging about various ways in which we can reduce our footprint. Infact I’m not sure I like the term footprint, as it seems a little disparaging. I would maybe use the term devastation. Continue reading
Today is Earth Day, which should, in my opinion be everyday! Our Earth provides for us, without fail despite the abuse we give her. Like any mother would, she will provide unfalteringly to her children, no matter what it takes, until she is drained of all her energy and collapses.
Today, is a day designed to acknowledge all the Earth provides and to recognize this by giving back. Continue reading
In regards to the recent goings on around the world, with Bank Transfer Day, various market crashes, talk about further crashes, the potential withdrawal of Germany from the EU, issues with Greece, Italy and the conversation surrounding ethical investments, I have really hit a worm hole when it comes to decisions surrounding all this.
So first of all, Bank Transfer Day happened. It was the movement of money from big international banks, who invest in all sorts of unscrupulous activities, to placing it in the trust of local community credit unions. Simple, and I feel a worthy move. There are rumours of the big banks having lost millions of dollars in this move. Continue reading
Each month in Tofino, a group of people meet for a ‘Green Breakfast’. During the breakfast a discussion takes place concerning environmental issues and how to address them, whilst laying out a plan to better the communities green initiatives.
Being new to the community I have only just discovered this group and upon finding out that today’s meeting would cover composting, I decided to attend.
I am a very keen recycler and following my discovery of the clean bin project, have been very keen to reduce waste in all areas. Composting in Tofino has its challenges, the main one being, at least for me, the potential attraction of bears.
The meeting was extremely beneficial and it was inspiring to see so many important community figures in attendance, such as Chris Bird from Sonbird Recycling, council members, sustainability gurus and team leaders in the field of composting.
With limited landfill for Tofino, the aim of the meeting was to discuss the potential for a community composting procedure. We covered logistics such as individual composting, street pick up, voluntary drop off, types of composting and use and demand of the end soil product.
A local resident Louise Rodgers has been running a composting test over on Industrial Way since November, using food scraps from local restaurant Shelter and Tofino Brew Co. with success. She wants to push this project a little further and extend it to a potential twenty families and is in need of volunteers, support and funding.
Tofino isnt as good at recycling as we might think, with Uclulet being a stronger candidate for recycling prowess, at least according to Sonbirds pick-up statistics. Therefore I feel the same could be true for composting. This is why we need to make it as easy as possible for the community to compost.
I would be very interested to hear from people in the community, in the below comments section, as to their composting practices, or lack thereof. Also if you have any thoughts on what could work here in Tofino then let me know, let’s start a discussion ball rolling.
Next month Elizabeth May, Green Party leader will be in attendance at the green breakfast, which will be taking place at Darwin’s Cafe at the Botanical Gardens. I am very excited about this and encourage anyone that is interested to attend.
Wow, this place really exists, lets keep it this way.
It is hard to avoid news of pipelines and conservation these days. The reason for this, is because it’s extremely important.
As the world becomes more connected, with the aid of the Internet, people are able to be heard from all over. The one voice is getting louder! This means that certain events don’t sneak by as easily these days; causing companies and governments to be more accountable to those voices.
As more and more of these voices begin to join, they slowly edge ahead of the power that governments and corporations think they have and the people become the leading force.
Governments and corporations work for us, we are their boss, their employer. As with any boss, we need to set out guidelines for our staff, tell them what’s acceptable and what’s not. Tell them how our world needs to run, and if they get it wrong, discipline them, give them a warning, or ultimately, fire them.
Warnings are being sent all the time, occupy movements across the globe, soldiers uncovering the truths and leaving the forces, movies being released on the important issues, global issues trending on twitter, scientists uncovering issues and pitching ways to solve them, even Roseanne Barr is getting involved! In one constituent of Toronto this month, the Green party received almost the same amount of votes as the Conservatives. The people are sending their warnings, but is our staff listening? If they don’t, then we must fire them.
Let’s keep on the pressure, never give up trying to take this human race in the right direction, we are all on this planet for a reason and it sure isn’t to make money and save the economy by pulling the black gold from the Earth. The Earth will spit us out, or it will nurture us, treat others how you would like to be treated, this also goes for our planet. Be good to her!
Check out the video below – a friend of mine is involved in the project, which plans to show a group standup paddle board the proposed oil tanker route through the great bear rainforest. The proposed northern gateway pipeline is a ridiculous idea, they stupidly plan to pick up the oil from the end of this pipeline, in ships bigger than the Exxon Valdez. For those that are unaware, the Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1989, causing a spill of nearly 10.9 million gallons on 1100 miles of coastline. Despite their seemingly large fine of $125 million, they still sit as the number two richest company in the world! We do not want a repeat of this. Many communities depend on this coastline to survive, and it’s widely regarded as one of the more treacherous navigable water on the planet. It is a disaster we can’t chance.
Thanks for reading, watching, sharing and most importantly, taking action.
http://www.indiegogo.com/stand-film
The government did not make it easy to google this page – but I provide it here for you with ease - Submit a Comment to the Northern Gateway Project Joint Review Board
For those that want to read more about the Exxon Valdez disaster, I found this good resource.
Awaking before sunrise, to join a field of outdoor dancers moving to the sound of Kamananda, was to be how my Sunday began.
Watching the sunrise whilst dancing to Random Rab, was how it slowly developed.
At 9am, the filmmakers workshop began, one of the few workshops I had originally intended to attend.
As I learned that it was a group involvement and was to begin with an introduction of oneself, I instantly became nervous, but realized that as I mentioned before, to put yourself in a position that makes you uncomfortable whilst it is related to something you love, will yield instantaneous results.
So now I was excited.
I have often had ideas of filming someone or asking someone a question on film and making mini documentaries, but fear always strikes me down. Too concerned on how it may turn out. Well this was to be the answer. The facilitators from selva rica were firm believers in just going for it. So we did.
The group split out into two, one half was to film a narrative and the other half, the one I chose to be in, was to ask questions documentary style.
We went out there and I got involved asking people questions and realized how simple and easy it was. People want to talk to you!
This lesson has taught me to just go and do it. Don’t be too concerned about the results, just do it. It builds confidence and skills.
One half of the video can be found below. The documentary part will be following sometime soon.
Thirst - the narrative video – filmed in 30 minutes, with no preparation – Enjoy!
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