Oh, repurposers, you make me determined to change my ways. You take creative recycling to new heights. When I think of all the stuff I have shoveled out the door during my years, I am deeply embarrassed. And I am…
When there are so many problems in the world, what can one person do? As it turns out, quite a lot. Jadav “Mulai” Payeng was only 16 when a 1979 flood in the middle of the Brahmaputra washed snakes onto…
We hear a lot about China’s food safety problems, but we seldom hear about the growing number of people fighting for healthful, organic foods. Kunming, in Yunan Province, boasts some exemplary initiatives. Thanks to The Perennial Plate and Intrepid Travel,…
This clever young man’s seed business inspires me. I also love the nose-tweaking nature of the name Zach Pickens has given his Brooklyn-based company: Rooftop Ready Seeds*. I have trouble growing any kind of plants on my balcony because of…
Sometimes inspiring reasons for hope are right under my nose, and I keep looking over the top of them at things farther away. One of those is the Best Western Plus Hotel & Suites on the highway through Kelowna. During…
Signs like this are popping up around France: “Nourriture à partager. Servez-vous librement, c’est gratuit!” My French is rusty, but I recognize this generous sentiment: “Food to share. Help yourself. It’s free!” The idea behind Les incroyables comestibles had its…
Starting at the headwaters of the Mississippi River, four Ojibwe women and an Eagle Staff carrier are taking pure waters from the river’s source to its mouth in New Orleans. They walk for the water, for the pristine river it…
Even the greenest among us is surrounded by plastic. Sitting at my desk, I count 20 items made primarily from plastic. And that’s only items within arm’s reach. Oops. I see I missed 3 by not turning my head to…
As soon as the red-winged blackbirds return to Kelowna (January 26th in 2013), I start searching every tree for signs of buds. Pussy willows are earliest to show off their assurance spring will come, as it has every other year.…
Three women on Vancouver Island are growing a dream. Rachel Fisher, Heather Stretch, and Robin Tunnicliffe are farming their way to a sustainable livelihood on three small, certified organic farms. Together they are Saanich Organics. Their explanation of why they…
