Village Vancouver

Vancouver's Leader in Transition toward Strong, Resilient, Complete Communities

Site How-to & FAQ

Yes, this web site is overwhelming.  Maybe that is because our task--transitioning to a post-carbon, resilient, local-economy model of civilization--also seems a bit overwhelming at times.........well, all of the time.

Neither this site nor our task should be too much to handle.  However, it takes lots of people (all of them!) to organize, to find a favourite and most fun Transition activity, to specialize at what he or she does best, to connect with like-minded and compatible neighbours, and then to make Transition happen.

We all know how to do this, or at least our great-great-grandparents did.  They lived in a pre-carbon world with a balanced population throughout their lives (1.6 billion in 1900).  I know it seems hard to believe that they used no oil.  The first oil was not extracted in any meaningful amount until the 1880s.  Whale oil doesn't count; it was once renewable...until we inevitably and nearly annihilated several species of whale.  Coal does count, but so little was extracted before 1900 that its burning was having little effect on the global climate at that time.  (Yes, urban air quality was--and still is--horrific due to the burning of coal and other sooty hydrocarbons.)

Your ancestors in the pre-oil days talked to their neighbours, helped each other during good and bad times, lived off the land (or land very close to them), produced as much as they consumed, rarely took on debt, and could not pollute the earth because they barely generated any non-biodegreadable pollution of any kind.  Their ecological footprint was well below the carrying capacity of the earth.

How do we get back to those more responsible times...without giving up our smart phones?

First, Sign Up on this site, on the top right of this page.  You'll need to give us your email address, a name, some semblance of a birth date that shows you are over 14 (federal law), and a few details about your interests.  We will never share your email address with anyone, ever.  If you elect to give us your true birthdate or even birth year, this will also remain secret until one day you might show up at a potluck and there will be a cake for you and anyone else who may have claimed to be born that month.  (Give us a nearby year, rather than the real one, if you are at all worried...or embarrassed.)  All other details are open for anyone to see.  We moderate the membership on the site, to make sure everyone is civil to each other and committed to Transition.

Then, once you are a member, find your neighbours: join a village.  Look for a existing village nearby and join it.  Many will have regular potluck meetings, and simply attend one, or hold one of your own.  No one bites...or if they ever do, they will quickly be thrown out and ostracized for good.

Check out our numerous public events every week, where there are many things to learn and do, and cool people to meet.  Hold one of your own, and invite those same cool people.  

Dream up a Transition-related project, such as making your own biofuel, starting a food garden, or organizing a regular neighbourhood bike ride.  Read about what others are doing.

Read other member's profiles on the members page, and find someone you'd like to meet or work with.  Get inspired and add things to your own profile.  

If you have a particular interest in something that helps to build a low-carbon, resilient community, or simply a more fun one, start a working group to make it happen.  You might already find a working group that is doing something to which you'd like to contribute.  Join one.  

Finally, share your thoughts on our blog or in our forums.  Share your photos or videos.  These are moderated postings, so be patient with us.  We will approve anything that fits with our mission and meets our Site Guidelines.  

Most of all, have fun and start feeling prepared for anything...along with a very climate-cool group of people.

And, if you are still lost on these pages, talk to anyone!  Pick on Village Vancouver's Directors first, if you must.  That is what they are there for.

 

WE ARE DEVELOPING A FAQ SECTION.  HELP US AND LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR QUESTION.

How do I control messages I receive from this site?

All members of this site can control, limit, or stop emailed communications from this site (for example, notices about events, the newsletter, messages from other members you're "friends" with, etc.) on their email settings page (click here).  To stop all VV email, just check the last box at the bottom of the settings page and remember to click the save button.

How do I translate this site into other languages?

To translate this site into any language (with reasonable accuracy), select your language at the bottom right of this page.

Comment

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Comment by Randy Chatterjee on March 18, 2011 at 4:38pm

Sharing photos to the Village Vancouver website is easy if your photos are accessible in your file system, meaning you can locate them in Finder (Mac) or Windows Explorer (PC).  This website also gives you an option to transfer photos from a flickr account, which itself can be connected to your iPhoto account for more "automatic" uploads.

That said, flickr is not entirely free (first 200 photos only), and not particularly easy to set up when you include the need also to connect it to the Village Vancouver site.  So, I would recommend doing this only if you are going to upload photos often and do not mind dealing with flickr's constant reminder that it will only save your first 200 photos (unless you pay).

So, here is what I suggest, open iPhoto and find the photos you'd like to upload.  Simply drag the images directly from your Events, Photos, of Album folder out onto the desktop.  You'll need to make sure your iPhoto window does not cover the entire desktop and that there is some empty desktop space--without a clutter of icons--onto which to drag these images.  All this does is to copy the dragged images to and create new photo files on your desktop.  

Then go back to the Village Vancouver site, go to the Photos page, and click "Add" in the upper right corner.  Select "Click to Add Photos" (Flash Uploader feature) or "Choose File" using the traditional uploader, and a Finder selection window will now open.  

Then simply find your photos and select "Open."  It is easiest here on a Mac (using the default Flash Uploader)  to select List View (between the Icon View and Column View in the upper left of the Finder bar), select the Desktop (where you just dropped your images), and then sort this Finder window by "Date Modified" (if not already selected) by clicking on the "Date Modified" column header in the upper right of the Finder window until a small triangle appears AND points downward.  Your photos will now appear at the top of this listing and can be selected en masse using the Apple/Control key (clicking on the first and then each additional one with the Apple key also pressed) or Shift key (selecting the first and pressing Shift before selecting the last).  Just make sure all the photos you want are highlighted, and then hit Return or click the "Open" button on the bottom right of this Finder window.  

The web site will take care of the upload and then give you the option of changing the names of the photos and adding some description.  You may also add them to an Album for easier viewing all together later.

Finally, go back to your desktop and delete the photos you dragged earlier.  They will still be in your iPhoto folder, and these are just extra copies and may confuse you later.

Let us know if we can help you further.

Comment by Karen Hodgson on March 16, 2011 at 7:29pm

OK I feel like a real ludite, but how do I import photos from iPhoto. I don't have any great photos on my phone.

Thanks if you can help!

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Latest Activity

Alicia Wei is now a member of Village Vancouver
Jun 13
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May 30
Village Vancouver's event was featured
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*Depth of Field: Film Screening and Community Event at Community Hall, Kitsilano Neighbourhood House

March 21, 2024 from 5pm to 8pm
Mar 18
Village Vancouver posted an event
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*Depth of Field: Film Screening and Community Event at Community Hall, Kitsilano Neighbourhood House

March 21, 2024 from 5pm to 8pm
Mar 18

Ongoing Activities

Interested in getting involved or volunteering with Village Vancouver? check out http://www.villagevancouver.ca/page/volunteering-1.

Regular activities:

Interested in participating in a VV garden? We have collaborative gardens/garden spaces in 5 neighbourhoods. Contact us at gardening@villagevancouver.ca. Gardening now in progress. New gardeners welcome (space allowing).

Kits Village Recycling Depot (Kits Community Centre) Next depot: Thursday, June 15th

Main St. Village monthly gatherings (1st Tuesdays Little Mountain Neighbourhood House) Currently on hold due to COVID

Permaculture Vancouver Meetups (3rd Wednesdays VV McBride Park Fieldhouse (sometimes elsewhere) Next meetup: Special date Thursday, July 29th

West End Community Potluck/WE Urban Garden Club (3rd Sundays West End Community Centre, in July and August 4th Thursdays - July 22nd and August 26th.

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