I’m in the hellish final throes of final report writing and in no mood for posting anything compost-related or in fact anything heavy in nature. And that’s final. Which is why I’m opting (some might call it a cop out) for a light-hearted joke about an environmentalist. I was invited […] Read More
I went skating with a friend today at the outdoor rink in Robson Square. There is such joy in that simple, old-fashioned activity. It brought back many happy childhood memories of skating on ponds and in backyard rinks, figure skating lessons and holding hands with a boy during public sessions […] Read More
Many years ago, a man named David Beers worked at the Vancouver Sun. He created a section for the newspaper called The Mix. It was exactly that, an eclectic mix of writing, with a beautifully designed layout. People bought the paper just to read The Mix. When David left, Jim […] Read More
On my way to the pool, I always pass this chorus line of composters. They are up against a fence that encloses a car impound, one of the places your car winds up when you get towed. The bins are managed by the same guy who planted a guerilla garden […] Read More
Back in the early 1990s, right before I left Winnipeg and an advertising career, I went to see the movie Green Card, a romantic comedy set in New York City. Bronte (Andie MacDowell) is a horticulturist who volunteers with the Green Guerrillas, a group that gifts gardens to inner city communities. She has […] Read More
I just got back from swimming at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre (VAQ), which I do a couple times a week. I like supporting my local community centres, but once again, I found myself cursing in the shower stall. In the last year, the Park Board upgraded the shower system as […] Read More
Small theatre groups have been hit especially hard by funding cuts in the last few years. I have season’s tickets to my neighbourhood theatre. They’re called United Players and they operate out of a funky little space called the Jericho Arts Centre, right next to the most beautiful hostel on […] Read More
I have applied to do my Master of Arts (MA) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The application process is clearly designed to weed out the weak. The on-line system finally acknowledged that my submission was complete on Friday, even though I had everything in well before the December […] Read More
We visited Brian Burke at Quayside Village Co-Housing on the North Shore today. He’s the recycling guru featured in the Clean Bin Project movie. We got to see his “extreme” recycling system in action. He explains, that some people may consider it extreme that they recycle everything, well beyond the […] Read More
When I was at university there was a contest on the radio. The callers had thirty seconds to list other uses of a BLANK. You never knew what the object was going to be beforehand. Could be a lampshade. Could be a corkscrew. A golf club. The radio hosts were […] Read More