I’m sitting here listening to all the Remembrance Day coverage on TV. Every November 11th we honour the fallen by remembering them. We remember how many brave men and women we have lost, and continue to lose. I believe the underlying purpose is so that we remember how terrible war […] Read More
A year ago, a colleague and I conducted a study for Metro Vancouver on seven composting systems that would be suitable for apartment buildings, condominiums and co-operatives. We studied the systems in operation in a range of multi-family settings. The technologies included a traditional three bin wood and wire system […] Read More
I attended an American Community Gardening conference in Toronto one year. There were some academics there talking a blue streak, foci flying fast and furious. I ended up poking fun at this plural form of focus during my keynote speech. I never wanted to be someone who casually tossed out […] Read More
It was learning week at UBC this past week. Presumably we’re supposed to be learning all the time, but this week was special in that there were all sorts of cool courses and workshops to attend. Many of them were through the Centre for Teaching, Learning & Technology where I […] Read More
For anyone working on a school project about salmon and water in this province, there’s a great new tool to help you out. The Watershed Watch Salmon Society has created the Fraser Basin LiveMap, an Interactive Salmon and Water Atlas. With this web-based mapping tool you can learn about the […] Read More
“This grosses me right out. Aaaahhhhh help me!!!” My friend emailed me in a panic this week. She found rats in her compost, one of the plastic models. This is what I wrote in response. More or less. Oh boy, no fun. Okay, first thing to do is set some […] Read More
I had lunch with my friend Terry Dixon last week. She and I both have birthdays this month, so we were celebrating together. I first met Terry when I was at City Farmer and she was the Green Streets coordinator for the City of Vancouver. We became friends when we […] Read More
One of the big challenges I’ve had in my first couple months of school is my own resistance. I’ve been around the block a few times, so when someone tells me I have to do something and in a specific way, I feel myself bracing, a great big NO rising […] Read More
Did you know that October is power smart month? I only know because of the little flyers I get with my BC Hydro statement each month. I also learned that if every BC homeowner changed one 60 watt incandescent bulb to a 12.5 watt Energy Star® LED and left that […] Read More
The first thing I noticed when we drove into the parking lot at the new Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) store in North Vancouver was that it was on the edge of a park. Lynnmouth Park to be exact. Presumably, because you could buy your new gear and then wander right […] Read More