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August 19, 2021
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Story by Meera Eragoda In June and July alone, BC has seen 90% of the town of Lytton burn down, over 250 wildfires, and a record-breaking heat wave, leading to the province declaring a state of emergency. Fire has become, quite literally, a hot topic. Wildfires are increasing in both size and...
March 31, 2017
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Every Monday , Michael Leland cycles to the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, towing a bike trailer. The trailer sports his own modifications: its load capacity has been expanded thanks to a freezer rack. Sometimes accompanied by a fellow member of the Binners’ Project, he pulls bottles and cans from a...
December 17, 2016
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Mountain Equipment Co-op's commitment to sustainability runs deep. Among its many initiatives, the retail co-operative has donated millions of dollars in grants towards environmental causes, implemented a green building program and established a zero waste program—all in an effort to reduce their...
November 22, 2013
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For millennia, bees have flown from one plant to the next, gathering nectar and pollinating as they go. It’s an important role – an estimated 30 per cent of the world’s food crops and 90 per cent of wild plants rely on bees for pollination. But due to increasing land development, bees in Vancouver...
October 29, 2013
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"I live to give, do good, thank God, and play golf" “Retired.” It’s definitely not a word you would use to describe Jack Gin – although it’s been more than five years since he drew a paycheque or drove to work. “I guess I’m a really busy retiree,” he says with a wide grin. In fact, Gin’s day is...
August 30, 2013
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The Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge Society provides a safe home for rescued, abused and unwanted donkeys in British Columbia. Located near Salmon Arm in BC's interior, the facility is home to 24 donkeys. One of these donkeys is “Sassy” (both by name and temperament). A 12-year-old Mammoth Donkey,...
December 18, 2011
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“They are just remarkable birds,” says Daniel Bouman, shaking his head in awe. “They can dive over 150 feet down into the water to catch fish. Then they fly incredible distances – 70 to 80 km – inland back to their nest to feed their chicks or to sleep. And these are not big birds,” he says,...
December 18, 2011
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A bhangra drummer pops out from behind an outdoor laundry machine like a manic jack-in-the box. Then, women in searingly bright saris – and purple rubber gloves –pour out from behind the house and launch in to a Bollywood-style dance routine. But they aren’t in India: they’re whirling around in a...
December 17, 2011
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Seduction. That’s what VanDusen Botanical Garden director Harry Jongerden is aiming for with the garden’s new $19.4-million Visitor Centre. It’s not a word usually associated with botanical gardens, which tend to be rather reserved. But according to Jongerden, VanDusen and other botanical gardens...
December 18, 2010
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In just two days, supermarket shelves were nearly empty on Vancouver Island. It was November 2003, and the ferry strike had escalated to a complete service shutdown, which meant no ferries, no trucks and far fewer food shipments. That image of empty shelves, and what it could have meant for the...
December 17, 2010
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University of British Columbia - Beaty What do the largest animal on earth, and one of the smallest (and oldest) have in common? Two things - they’re both blue, and they’re both at the new Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC. At more than 25m in length, the blue whale is the largest animal on earth...
December 14, 2010
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“She was emaciated and dirty. She had glaucoma in one eye. She was crippled. Her back end sagged. And her rib cage was kicked in: likely someone had been booting her,” says Carol Hine, describing the first time she set eyes on an aging Rottweiler cross named Rosebud. “If you touched her along her...
June 17, 2010
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A fallen tree stood between birdwatcher Heather Baines and the pile of bumpy rocks that was supposed to be a backcountry road. Baines, who is a retired physician, was driving up the deactivated forest service road hoping to access the Gold Bridge area north of Pemberton, BC. Her mission: to survey...
December 18, 2009
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Setting fields aside allows farmland to rejuvenate while creating vital habitat for birds like the short-eared owl, says David Bradbeer, Program Coordinator of Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust. Thick clouds hang overhead as David Bradbeer walks softly and silently across an unused farm field in...
December 18, 2008
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David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge enables teachers and students to learn about their role in nature and what they can do to protect the environment. With support from Vancouver Foundation, Grade 4 students at Henry Anderson Elementary are learning first hand about the importance of sustainability and...
December 18, 2008
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In 1978, high school science teacher Rod MacVicar received a $4,150 grant from Vancouver Foundation to buy a 25-foot aluminum dory. He christened it the Medusa 2 and used it to launch a marine education program for students. “At the time, I was hoping to make a big difference in students’ lives,”...
December 17, 2008
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Marine Educational Services Association In 1978, Rod MacVicar received a $4,150 grant from Vancouver Foundation to buy a 25-foot aluminum boat. He named the boat the Medusa 2 and launched a marine education program for students. Thirty years later, his program and the boat are still running, and...
December 17, 2008
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Check Your Head A brainchild of the youth organization Check Your Head, the Sustainable Schools program teaches youth about sustainability and global issues with a focus on improving their schools. King George Secondary students installed solar panels on their roof and Lord Byng students built...
December 17, 2008
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Multifaith Action Society of B.C. Green Sacred Spaces brings spiritual communities together using the environment as a common ground. The program provides individuals and congregations with toolkits to help “green” their buildings and land; it gives tips on lighting, gardening and recycling, making...
December 14, 2008
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August 13, 2007. Afternoon, a beach near Victoria, hot sun, clear blue sky. The rhythmic plash of small waves on sand. The sea is flat, the horizon a knife edge in the distance. The only interruption to this summer day on the BC coast is a faint mewing sound – but not a kitten in sight - and near...
December 14, 2008
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Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS) Meet Chris Wilson and her dog Murphy; the two are inseparable. Wilson, who is hearing impaired has Murphy to alert her of certain noises, helping her to live a safer, more independent life. PADS is a training program that teaches dogs between 12 and 18 months...
December 17, 2007
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Gathering examples of sustainable transportation from around the world could improve the quality of life for people here in the Lower Mainland. Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) is a Vancouver-based association that educates people about environmental, health and community issues...
December 17, 2005
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University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia operates a student driven farm dedicated to teaching and research. The 24 hectare farm not only belongs to the university, it belongs to the wider community, including the downtown east side and native groups. “It’s a satisfaction,...
December 17, 2005
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Pacific Parklands Foundation They call them the crazy boggers. In 1999, a group of volunteers with the Pacific Parklands Foundation set about restoring the Camosun Bog on the fringes of Pacific Spirit Park in Vancouver. Six years later it is a perfect bog habitat. Many similar projects are in the...
December 17, 2005
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Allan Brooks Nature Centre Not only does the Allan Brooks Nature Centre have amazing views and stunning wildlife but there is also a large “city” of yellow-bellied marmots outside. Named after the renowned bird painter Allan Brooks, the Centre displays exhibits on the four ecosystems of the North...