Not having a balcony is no longer an excuse for not growing some of your own food. There’s a very cool little company in Vancouver called Home Harvest Farms. They design and manufacture a variety of indoor garden planters made from stainless steel and aluminum. I’ve seen the set up […] Read More
When I was in India, one of the things I noticed is how there are no rules of the road. Cars do not necessarily keep right except to pass. Sometimes they even pass on the inside right. And they often head straight out into traffic, playing chicken with oncoming speeding […] Read More
When I was writing the chapter on international aid for my latest book, I relied heavily on two reports out of the Oakland Institute and also interviewed Anuradha Mittal, the executive director. The Oakland Institute is a think tank based in, where else, Oakland, California. They focus on social, economic […] Read More
Theft at community gardens has always been a problem. I tend to grow things that people are less likely to swipe, either because they have no idea what it is and how to cook it, or it can’t be swiftly picked. Crops like kale, chard, loose lettuce mixes rather than […] Read More
They’ve started the balcony renovations on my building. The whole place is draped in blue tarps. It is an eerie, muted environment to live in, that is, the light is muted, not the sounds of demolition. I am forced to keep my drapes closed too; all day long I see […] Read More
Before Christmas, my friend and I were downtown one evening and decided to go see the Christmas trees on display at the Four Seasons Hotel. The Festival of Trees is an annual fundraiser for the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. One tree caught my eye. It was called the Still Fabulous […] Read More
Every morning I read an entry from Words To Live By from author Eknath Easwaran. The subtitle on the edition I have is: A Daily Guide to Leading an Exceptional Life. The readings regularly inspire and uplift me. And although I read it year after year, some entries resonate more […] Read More
I love reading book acknowledgements. They give another layer of information as to how the author went about creating the book and who helped along the way. Even though it is possible to download 30 percent of my new book for free, you won’t be able to see the Acknowledgements […] Read More
After graduating from Animal Science at UBC fifteen years ago, Colin Hughes worked in the livestock industry, but that didn’t last too long. “I couldn’t bear the cruel and inhumane way animals were treated,” he said. He became a vegetarian and began to look for a different line of work. […] Read More
The first sign was the tinsel strewn along the path as I ran down to Kits Beach yesterday. Then the intoxicating scent of evergreen in the air and the distant drone of machinery. Christmas Tree Chipping weekend, of course. Lots of events on over the next couple of weekends in […] Read More