Do you see yourself in these stories? Check out our new online magazine.
October 9, 2020
Living Here is a new online publication that highlights the positive solutions coming out of our rural communities around healthy living, clean energy, land stewardship, and strong rural economies. Living Here is a not-for-profit, non-partisan online magazine with no advertising that captures stories about the people and land that make small towns and rural living such a treasure. It is our new…
Finding Inspiration in Apocalyptic Times
September 14, 2020
In April during a volunteer brainstorm, Rose shared the preview for the movie 2040. I had not heard of 2040 but I watched the trailer...and then I watched it again. Could it be true? A movie about climate change that was not apocalyptic but instead optimistic? Watch the trailer here: http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-rTQ443akE I could feel the rising energy on the Zoom call. Everyone was…
Yay! Feds agree to Assess Teck Coal Mine – healthy and safe people need to come first
August 21, 2020
Photo & caption from Wildsight The decision was made on August 19th for Teck’s Castle Mine project to require federal review. Thank you, Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, for your decision, and everyone who asked for a federal assessment of this project! This important decision means the Castle Mine project, located in the Elk Valley area near Fernie in…
Hottest Week of the Year fundraiser highlights impacts of climate change
July 22, 2020
A little hot weather after a wet start to summer is a welcome relief. With so much upheaval this year, a return to normal summer temperatures and the opportunity to get outside is good for our physical health and our mental well being. The last week in July is typically the hottest week of the year here in the Kootenays. It’s also the potential turning point from healthy summer activity to the…
Rainwater Harvesting Part 2: Our First 2,000 Litres of Rainwater—Captured!
July 15, 2020
Rainwater harvesting has always been part of our permaculture homestead plan. But we set it aside while we concentrated on establishing the house and gardens and tending to our farm animals. The project became a priority with the devastating drought and wildfire seasons of 2017 and 2018. That experience, coupled with long-term climate change trends, motivated us to act now. Here’s a brief account…
Why we’re investing in Rainwater Harvesting: Part 1
July 15, 2020
The drought and wildfires of 2018 really drove it home for us: We were watering our gardens with propane. This was directly opposed to our dream a decade earlier. That’s when we sold our gracious century-old home in Regina and bought a 5-acre parcel of land in West Kootenay. Our plan: To develop a solar-powered permaculture homestead, leaving the land more abundantly productive and resilient…