Healthy, Happy Communities Housing That Heals The Future |
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Creatively United’s next webinar in our Climate and Artists Series will include inspiring interviews on a wide range of projects that are charting the future towards healthier, happier communities. In keeping with this season’s overall theme of Regeneration, on Wednesday, March 30th from 10:30 am to noon, we will explore new technologies that break down barriers to net zero carbon living, including re-designing communities for the future with emphasis on: - Zero waste buildings and harmless homes
- Creating cohousing as sustainable living
- Healthy energy & healthy homes
- Living forest communities, art & conservations
- Overcoming barriers to EV charging stations in stratas
Can't make the live webinar? No worries. By registering for this free webinar, you will receive the replay link to watch at your convenience. Presenters include: Order of Canada award-winning singer/songwriter, Ann Mortifee, plus Jack Anderson, Helen Boyd, Jim Bronson & Sandi Goldie, Jim Connelly, Arno Keinonen, Doug Makaroff, and Roy Yeske. |
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Jack Anderson launched Greenplan in 2001. His educational background comprises of architecture, urban design and ecological community design. He has 15 years experience for provincial and local government agencies, including: the City of Nanaimo’s first Planning Department; the City of Nanaimo’s first Park planner in the Parks and Recreation Department; and, from 1993 to 2000, within the Regional District of Nanaimo’s Building Inspection and Planning Departments. |
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Jim Bronson comes to climate activism as a scientist, Sandi Goldie as a teacher, and both as lovers of the natural world who want the best possible future for their grandchildren. In 2018, they began leading classes based on solutions to the climate crisis outlined in Paul Hawken’s book Drawdown, and were founding members of Drawdown BC. They lead online Saturday Solutions Synergy Sessions every two months, where people from the US and Canada meet to inspire one another with their work for a healthy planet. They moved to Oregon in 2021, where they are helping to create River Song, a co-housing community which is implementing cooperative living in a sustainable way. |
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Jim Connelly is an estimator with more than 30 years of experience with Nickel Bros. He will share the many benefits of moving homes vs. demolishing them. |
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Arno Keinonen is an innovator and pioneer dedicated to finding low carbon building solutions. His own home was created to become one of the world’s first test cases for disruptive and revolutionary new technology. He will share an update on what has been learned from this process since Creatively United produced The Harmless Home documentary in 2019. |
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Doug Makaroff is the Executive Director of The Trust for Sustainable Forestry, a registered Canadian charity. Doug has 31 years of experience as a sustainable urban planner and real estate developer; creating new towns and walkable neighbourhoods with a mix of uses, ages and incomes. From 2006 to the present, Doug has focused on building conservation communities in BC; where light-on-the-land development is clustered on 5 to 15% of the land base, with the remainder of the forest land conserved or dedicated to the most sustainable forms of eco-forestry. He will share how this model is an alternative to clear cutting and suburban sprawl that also provides jobs and homes, while saving trees. |
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Award-winning musician, artist, author, environmental activist and Order of Canada recipient, Ann Mortifee, is the co-founder and chair of The Trust for Sustainable Forestry. In 2002, Ann established the first Conservation Community on Cortes Island in British Columbia by registering a new land use zone (Community Land Stewardship Zone) as an alternative to suburban sprawl and deforestation. Not only is Ann a sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator of workshops on creativity and consciousness, but her dedication to human and planetary healing has resulted in Ann receiving numerous awards and recognition, including Queen Elizabeth II Silver and Diamond Jubilee Medals and being recognized as the YMCA’s Woman of the Year. |
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With more than 30 years of experience on strata councils and 35-years as an electrical engineer, manager and administrator at Saskpower, Roy Yeske was well positioned to initiate, lead and manage his strata building’s conversion to full LED lighting and successfully install EV Ready Infrastructure to all 30 parking stalls in the building’s parkade for significant cost savings to the residents. He will share advice and tips on the many benefits these types of conversion offer and how to move projects like this forward with resistant stratas or building owners/managers. |
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Featured Events & Posts Did you know that you can learn about upcoming talks, gatherings, news and post your events and stories free-of-charge to CreativelyUnited.org
Here are a few examples of what you will find: |
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CENiC Annual Speaker Series
Tuesday, March 22 to April 19, 7-8 pm PT |
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This series of talks and seminars is all about climate action on the Westshore! Run every Tuesday from March 22nd to April 19th, speakers will be presenting for the following topics: - Mobilizing for Climate Action (March 22nd)
- Sustainable Building in Colwood (March 29th)
- Transportation Ideas for Colwood (April 5th)
- Biodiversity (April 12th)
- Climate Action in Colwood (April 19th)
Register here for free |
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Perspectives from the Inside
Thursday, March 24, 7-8:30 pm PT |
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Perspectives from the Inside features elected officials who will share their unique perspectives on climate action at the municipal level as well as the challenges and urgency of prioritizing the climate agenda for local government. Register here for free |
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Virtual Arts Training for #DefundClimateChaos Week of Arts Action
Tuesday, March 29, 5-6:30 pm PT |
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Join this Virtual Arts Training with long-time movement artists and activists, David Solnit, Jetsonorama (aka Chip Thomas) and others. On the training, walk through step-by-step tips for pasting, using art in your actions, and setting up a pop-up art show. This training is designed for people who plan to participate in the #DefundClimateChaos Week of Arts Actions April 2-10, 2022. Register here for free |
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Drawdown BC Getting Into Action Course
March 30 - April 27, 6:30-8 pm PT |
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A free online course that supports participants in identifying, supporting, and initiating climate change solutions at the household, community, and policy levels. Participants will explore Project Drawdown climate solutions, be mentored by experienced climate leaders, develop personal climate action plans, network and connect with other course participants, and join a community of course alumni doing exciting climate work across BC and Canada. Register here for free |
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Environmental Groups Renew Calls for CRD to Stop Spreading Biosolids at Landfill
by Brendan Strain - CTV News Vancouver Island |
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The Peninsula Biosolids Coalition is once again voicing its concerns about the burying and spreading of biosolids from the Capital Regional District’s regional wastewater treatment facility at Hartland Landfill. “Roughly two-thirds of the production in January was spread,” said Hugh Stephens, vice-chair of the Mount Work Coalition. The CRD has an agreement with the Lafarge cement plant in Richmond, B.C., to use the biosolid pellets as a fuel. The problem is, at times the “Class A” biosolids aren’t produced to the standard that Lafarge can use. Also, that plant closes down for six weeks every year for general maintenance. During that time, the plant won’t take the treatment facility’s biosolids. Click here to read more. The Coalition’s recommendations have been heeded by the CRD Board. On Wednesday March 23, the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee will consider a staff recommendation to test biosolids at three gasification technologies as well as collaborate with the Township of Esquimalt to test biosolids in its demonstration gasifier project. If successful, these technologies will eliminate the need to apply biosolids at the Hartland Landfill. |
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CRD Parks Survey - Future of Our Parks on the Line
Submitted by Alison Spriggs |
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CRD Parks is now seeking public input on a proposed vision, values, mission statement and priorities for our Regional Parks. Recently there has been pressure on the CRD Board to ‘balance’ recreational use with conservation. At a time when biodiversity is globally endangered and the CRD has declared a climate emergency in recognition of the need to act to secure a livable future, we must stay the course and keep biodiversity as the primary objective in our parks. Recreation must be managed to be compatible with ‘this’ primary objective. In the face of rapid population growth and a Covid escalated rise in park use, there is no question that we need to urgently expand our parks system and manage it so that our parks can support our need for recreation, mental health and well-being without destroying the life supporting ecology that we and all life depend on. The CRD Parks Survey deadline is Monday, April 4th. Please read Creatively United's CRD Parks Survey is Misleading for more information prior to taking the survey. |
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Mosaic Forest Halts Logging on some of its Timberlands as it Opts to Sell Carbon Credits
by Andrew Willis - Globe & Mail |
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One of Canada’s largest timber companies is setting aside 40,000 hectares of British Columbia coastal forests – woodlands three times larger than the city of Vancouver – after concluding it can make more money from letting trees grow and selling carbon credits than from logging. Mosaic Forest Management recently announced it will defer the harvesting of “old forests” on Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii for at least 25 years, opting instead to sell nature-based carbon credits to companies that want to offset a portion of their greenhouse gas emissions. The Vancouver-based company is halting logging on 7 per cent of its timberlands, calling it the largest project of its kind in Canada. Mosaic estimates the program, which it calls the BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative, will generate between $100-million and $300-million, based on current prices for carbon credits. In an interview, Mosaic chief forester Domenico Iannidinardo said: “We expect to make at least as much from the BigCoast initiative as we would earn from harvesting these forests.” Click here to read more |
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Iron & Earth Climate Career Portal
Submitted by Iron & Earth |
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Iron and Earth has just launched a new Climate Career Portal. This worker-led, not-for-profit organization empowers non-Indigenous and Indigenous workers in fossil fuel industries to build and implement climate solutions. The portal shows fossil fuel workers interested in a career transition how their skills can be applied to a wide range of careers in the net-zero economy. It charts clear career pathways for fossil fuel workers into climate careers such as in wind, solar, geothermal, electric vehicle production and more. Learn more here |
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Creatively United for the Planet is a registered non-profit society. Since 2012, we have been leading, convening and amplifying ways to share how collectively we can reduce our ecological footprint and implement long-term sustainability solutions. Our mandate is to foster conversations, connections and create collaborative opportunities that bring individuals and organizations together in support of achieving common sustainability goals and accelerating climate action. Creatively United is a member of the Westcoast Climate Action Network and works collaboratively with numerous community organizations and in partnership with the Gail O'Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund, supported by The Victoria Foundation. The Gail O'Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund is dedicated to changing human consciousness towards global environmental change by combining science with the creativity of the performing arts. |
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Healthy, happy communities begin from the ground up. Help us inspire generations to protect and preserve the natural world and confront climate change, so families, communities and nature can prosper together. |
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