Picture a field in which someone has planted wheat. We imagine the harvest from that field to look lkike a farmer using equipment to cut down the wheat, thresh it, and seperate the seeds from the stalks. Now imagine a geologist a biologist and a painter harvesting from the same field. The geologist picks through the rocks and soil gathering data about the land itself. The biologist might collect insects and worms, bits of plants and organic matter. The painter sees the patterns in the landscape and chooses a pallete and a perspective for work of art. They all harvest …
In the Netherlands, a groupd of kids has challenged a government minister to see who can reduce their power consumption the most: Being 14 is no obstacle to helping the planet, judging by the example of a group of Dutch school kids fired up by an idea as bright as an energy-saving light bulb. The schoolchildren from Almere taking part in The Bet Thanks indirectly to their efforts, vehicles at the Netherlands’ environment ministry will be running on natural gas by the spring of 2007. The teenagers in Almere, a futuristic new town near Amsterdam, had called on the environment …
At WorldChanging, news of a project intended to use web technology to work with indigensous oral cultures, tying traditional knowledge to biodiversity: While there are those who argue that technology has led to the deterioration of traditional modes of communication and expression, the very same advancements are instrumental in allowing us to keep vanishing stories, cultural practices, and entire languages alive and thriving. By facilitating access to technology for people whose heritage is being challenged by the digital revolution, tech becomes a tool for nurturing traditional ways. Living Cultural Storybases is a new non-profit that works to do just that, …
Just back from Maui, quickly becoming one of my favourite places on earth next to the little Pacific island I live on. Two weeks gloriously unplugged, so out of touch that my mother in law had to phone us from Vancouver to pass on a tsunami warning last week. I spent the fortnight boogie bording at beaches like this one – kamaole Beach in Kihei – as well as getting hosted by a myriad of fish on the near shore coral reefs at Ulua Beach, Keawakapu and Ka’anapali. I picked up a boatload of music, mostly slack …
We have come to the end of a very busy year, and one which has been incredibly rich in terms of experiences, partners and projects. And so, as I do at every year end, I’d like to acknowledge the my clients and partners for 2006: Clients Association for Community Education of BC British Columbia Academic Health Council Beloit College Leadership Institute Berkana Institute Boeing Greater Vancouver Centre for Aboriginal Business Centre for Sustainability at the Vancouver Foundation First Nations Summit Chiefs Health Committee Child and Youth Officer for British Columbia The Dalai Lama Centre Department of Fisheries and Oceans – …