Village Vancouver

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

Randy Chatterjee
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  • Vancouver, BC
  • Canada
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Randy Chatterjee's Discussions

Debt and the Future of Banking

Started Jun 5, 2010 0 Replies

As LIBOR, OIS, and CDS spreads--all ways banks have of borrowing money short term from each other--have begun to skyrocket again to levels last seen shortly after the Wall Street meltdown of fall…Continue

Tags: global, banking, credit, debt, community

Low Impact Development: Stormwater Management

Started this discussion. Last reply by Lisa Stiffler Jan 6, 2011. 1 Reply

Vancouver is in the midst of installing a separated storm sewer system costing the taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars.…Continue

Tags: salmon, sustainability, water, rain, development

Transit and Translink: Are they suited to each other?

Started this discussion. Last reply by Randy Chatterjee Feb 11, 2010. 1 Reply

Under new provincial legislation and embedded in the proposed new Metro Regional Growth Strategy,…Continue

Tags: sustainability, transit, retail, liveability, development

Climate Change

Started Jan 19, 2010 0 Replies

Real or just our imagination?  Did we humans do it?  Is it really our fault? What's with just a degree or two change?  I can't feel it.  What can we do, if anything?  Talk about it, before it talks…Continue

Tags: oil, community, resilience, anthropogenic, warming

 

Randy Chatterjee's Page

Latest Activity

Jenny Ma joined Randy Chatterjee's group
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Community Gardening

Build community, reconnect with the ground, capture carbon, and grow something beautiful and edible in a small green space. There is lots to recommend here. Be a part of it. Part of the VV Neighbourhood Food Network. Join VV to join this group.See More
yesterday
Randy Chatterjee posted a blog post

New York Times: Urban Housing is going Carbon Neutral

Off-the-Grid Living in BrooklynTEST BUILDING The Delta in Carroll Gardens, which has been built to run entirely on solar energy,is a showroom for a “net-zero” rental planned for Park Slope.added: Above right, Ronald F. Faia of Voltaic Solaire, the developer.By RONDA KAYSENAS the standards for environmentally friendly construction…See More
yesterday
Mary Paradis joined Village Vancouver's group
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Village North Shore

Village North Vancouver is the newest Transition community associated with Village Vancouver, forming in early 2012.  If you live, or often find yourself, in North Van, please consider joining this group to help build neighbourhood connections and resilience. See More
May 20
Colin Angel left a comment for Randy Chatterjee
"Thanks for the welcome Randy! Agreed, we need to kick start a village in Crosstown."
May 8
Jill Whitelaw commented on Randy Chatterjee's group Community Gardening
"East Van Teaching Garden Is a community garden of sorts... We can learn and experiment there...it is very wet, a main consideration, as well as asthetics, being in the front yard, we need to keep it neat. Rows and rows of rows. And the flower of…"
May 4
Randy Chatterjee's 2 blog posts were featured
May 3
Jill Whitelaw joined Randy Chatterjee's group
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Community Gardening

Build community, reconnect with the ground, capture carbon, and grow something beautiful and edible in a small green space. There is lots to recommend here. Be a part of it. Part of the VV Neighbourhood Food Network. Join VV to join this group.See More
May 2
Randy Chatterjee's event was featured
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St. George Rainway Mural Planning Meeting at Mount Pleasant Elementary School (in the Library)

May 8, 2012 from 7pm to 8pm
Dear Neighbours and Community Members,Working with the Mount Pleasant Elementary School, we would like to encourage awareness of our local natural history through painting a mural on the asphalt of St. George Street between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue. Its design would acknowledge the creek that used to run along St. George Street, now flowing underground in sewer pipes.Many of you have heard about this project. Here are a couple of updates:1) The creek’s headwaters (near St. George St and 13th…See More
Apr 30
Colin Angel joined Village Vancouver's group
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Main Street Neighbourhood

Our Transition Town on and around Main Street is of course at the centre of it all. We are Vancouver's Main Stage and aim to be a Class Act.  We hold monthly potluck gatherings at Little Mountain Neighbourhood House, where we plot to change the world.  Join us and we'll help you relocalize!See More
Apr 24
Randy Chatterjee's 2 photos were featured
Apr 11
Randy Chatterjee's album was featured

Little Mountain Neighbourhood House Main Street Potluck & Gardening 101

Main Street Village's April 10 Potluck at Little Mountain Neighbourhood House was a feast for a dozen with wonderful salads, quiche, bread, fruit, homemade crackers, and ice cream, followed by a beginners gardening slideshow by Jason Mertz and then…
Apr 11
Lisa Barrett left a comment for Randy Chatterjee
"Hi RandyThanks so much for your welcoming message.  I enjoyed reading through your profile and bio.  I too am struck by the disconnections of an ostensibly 'sustainable' city and the continuing unsustainable practices.  But…"
Mar 30
Randy Chatterjee joined Village Vancouver's group
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Right Livelihood Circles

Part of the Village Vancouver Economics and Livelihood Network.Details to follow.See More
Mar 29
Randy Chatterjee updated an event
Mar 25
Randy Chatterjee updated an event

Activism and Documentary Film at Langara

March 25, 2012 from 6:30pm to 10:30pm
At its best, activist filmmaking provides access to critical thought and suppressed information and gives voice to those who are rarely heard. This course will explore the ways in which documentary film and activism intersect. We will examine a number of recent films that utilize different approaches, techniques, and collaborations and that focus on different issues.  Cost: $249This is an exciting new course at Langara with Erin Mullan who has organized the World Community Festival for the last…See More
Mar 25
Randy Chatterjee updated an event

*April Main St. Potluck & Workshop at LMNH at Little Mountain Neighbourhood House

April 10, 2012 from 6pm to 8pm
Our April Village Vancouver & Little Mountain Neighbourhood House Potluck and Workshop will be Tuesday the 10th of April.  Our workshop in April will be about gardening for beginners. We'll be bringing lots of high quality soil, several pots, and our Main Street Seed Library.  There should be enough pots for everyone to take one home, planted with seeds for some delicious food or beneficial flowers.  There will also be many extra seeds to take home for your gardens.Please also bring any…See More
Mar 23

Profile Information

In which Vancouver neighbourhood or other community do you live?
Riley Park-South Cambie
If you don't live in Vancouver or are in another neighbourhood or community we did not list, please tell us where home is.
Bellingham, WA
Please tell us which areas of Transition interest you. For example: growing more food/urban agriculture, relocalizing our economy/local currency, Permaculture, transit, energy efficient buildings, the arts, urban homesteading, preserving seed diversity, potlucks, outreach, organizing events, community-building, having fun while saving the world, or...
Building community connections and trust strong enough to advocate for each other and protect every fellow resident is the core of a good society. More people seem to "fall through the cracks" in Vancouver than any other city in the Western world, costing us not only money but our souls...and I am not just talking about the homeless.

Transition is about the rebirth of an interwoven democratic ferment, where respect is the basis of communication and Pareto efficiency rises in parallel with the principles of social justice.

We get there by sharing with our neighbours, our losses and gains, thinking globally but acting locally, cherishing our traditions as much as our older generations who understand them, enabling our children to think for themselves and excel, and saving for a rainy day...because we continue to have so many.
There's a saying that "Transition is not a spectator sport". It's true! Village Vancouver runs on people power, and engaging in activities and projects together helps us accomplish more. Which groups, networks, neighbourhood villages, or projects do you think you might be interested in getting involved with? And what knowledge, skills, resources or other assets can you bring to the mix? (Don't be bashful!)
Webmaster, Energy Group Convenor, Outreach Group Co-Covenor, Urban Market Gardening Convenor, Tool Lending Librarian, Main Street Neighbourhood Village Director, Urban Food Gardener, Community Collaborative Garden Initiator, and Local and Organic Food Activist
What would you like to see improved in Vancouver or in your community regarding sustainability or resiliency? Do you have an idea for a new Transition project or activity?
Where do I start? "Sustainability" is regulated to death in Vancouver, using laws that outlaw sufficiency or innovation, even where global best practices have shown the merit of scope-limited and performance-based approaches. From building codes and construction practice to community regulations and public behaviour, Vancouver policy is in endless disconnect. Nothing changes, even in the best of times when almost limitless resources are available.

Of course, nothing is limitless, except for the human capacity of the earth to make changes one-by-one, and individual at a time, AND all at the same time. This is IMHO the role of government, to engage, inspire, and enable ALL to take part, without undue constraints and with clear and transparent goals and paths defined.

In our current system, cynicism is rampant and drives people away from the polls and most forms of political engagement, leaving the field to extremists with no interest in finding common ground. The frictional losses from a ludicrous focus on ill-defined "process" and endless "consultations" borders on a criminal assault to democratic decision making, creativity, personal privacy, and quiet enjoyment.

There is a reason Vancouver is known to have the lowest productivity of any major city in Canada, and scores poorly on public transparency and adherence to the rule-of-law. Accountability is a farce, and conflicts of interest in both public and private governance are the norm. Proper management suffers accordingly, and leadership is bankrupt.

The only way Vancouver can develop into a world-class city with world class business and consociational traditions is to embrace sweeping changes to its regulatory philosophy through a new emphasis on outcomes-based policy over proscriptive rulemaking.

Vancouver could take a lesson from its world-class chefs and restauranteurs. It is not a matter of how "good" your recipes are, how well you think you can cook, how pampering the service, or even what the critics write; the question only is how many of your customers (and their friends) come back.

Sustainability, aka success, in the restaurant business is all about pleasing the customer and retaining them. For the truly great restaurants, it is raising the bar a notch and conveying a new appreciation for quality food.

People vote with their feet, and in a democratic system (as with any competitive market business), it is only these votes that really count. The greatest cities are no different: they raise the quality of life--health, social relations, well-being, and pure enjoyment--for all of their citizens and visitors.

Only the greatest cities can parlay this quality of life into the salvation of human society in the face of Peak Everything and climate change, and in the process also perhaps protect all other life on earth.
I agree to read and abide by the Site Guidelines under the About tab on the navigation bar, remaining respectful in all communications on this web site.
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Don't feel like answering all the questions now? No worries, just tell us briefly why you're interested in joining at this time, and you can come back and update your profile later.
I think I wrote too much above!

Brief Bio

I anchor the far western side of the Transition Village of
Main Street Neighbourhood, living as I do in Douglas Park, just a few houses west of Cambie. I moved into the neighbourhood just as The Big Dig (aka RAV or Canada Line) started, have defended our small businesses over the past five years ("losing" several to Main Street, but seeing 85 small shops and restaurants go under to be replaced by several Big Box retailers), and started a carbon-neutral gut renovation of my house.

Using mostly reclaimed lumber, recycling all "waste" materials, planting an eleven hundred square foot vegetable garden, and installing a 97% efficient gas/solar-hydronic heating system, I am on track to integrate passive solar air exchange, 2 solar hot water panels, 8 solar PV panels, a plug-in scooter, and 70% rainfall collection and storage. Most of these initiatives I learned from the PassivHaus movement in central Europe, and my total home energy use is already nearing the PassivHaus performance standard of 120 kWh per square metre per year. I have been fighting the Planning and Building Departments of Vancouver City Hall every step of the way. The building inspector told me my 1920s home was "beyond its design life." Design review staff laughed at my plans to catch and store and buffer all rain surge water from impermeable surfaces, let alone to build with reclaimed lumber using direct-load, truss-free construction techniques.

With the help of three plum and two lemon trees, I harvest approximately 240 kilos of fruits and vegetables every year, sharing some with Julie, Nate, and Everest's
 NOWBC depot. A regular customer of
 Neighbours Organic Weekly Buying Cooperative (NOWBC), an on-line local and organic produce cooperative, I am beginning to wonder what a "grocery store" is, other than the fields of Lower Mainland's organic coop farms. However, it is still nice to have Choices and Cambie General Store to fill in here and there (until they legalize cows in the city ;-).

I am on the Boards of
 Village Vancouver, Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver (NSV), 
Riley Park/South Cambie CityPlan, and the Residents Association of Mount Pleasant. I stepped down after two years on the Boards of 
NOWBC and the Hastings Park Conservancy.


A former UN international development project manager, I am still involved in one industrial start-up venture and also edit and produce films for public television and university-level distance learning programs. I teach alpine skiing and high-angle mountaineering on a volunteer basis.

Randy Chatterjee's Photos

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Randy Chatterjee's Blog

New York Times: Urban Housing is going Carbon Neutral

Posted on May 27, 2012 at 8:30pm 0 Comments

Off-the-Grid Living in Brooklyn

TEST BUILDING The Delta in Carroll Gardens, which has been built to run entirely on solar energy,

is a showroom for a “net-zero” rental planned for Park…

Continue

E. O. Wilson wants to know why you’re not protesting in the streets

Posted on May 3, 2012 at 10:30am 0 Comments



By Lisa Hymas

E. O. Wilson thinks you should get out there and make some noise.  We had lots of questions for acclaimed biologist and conservationist.

Edward O. Wilson when he dropped by the Grist office recently while touring to promote his latest book, The Social Conquest of Earth.

But Wilson directed the toughest question of the day back at us: Why aren’t you young people out protesting the mess that’s being made of the planet?

As we squirmed in our seats,…

Continue

Grist: Why fixing up old homes is greener than building new ones

Posted on January 26, 2012 at 8:30am 0 Comments

This old house: Why fixing up old homes is greener than building new ones

25 JAN 2012 6:49 PM…


Continue

Comment Wall (77 comments)

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At 2:36pm on May 8, 2012, Colin Angel said…

Thanks for the welcome Randy! Agreed, we need to kick start a village in Crosstown.

At 5:31pm on March 30, 2012, Lisa Barrett said…

Hi Randy
Thanks so much for your welcoming message.  I enjoyed reading through your profile and bio.  I too am struck by the disconnections of an ostensibly 'sustainable' city and the continuing unsustainable practices.  But that was balanced out by seeing how you're personally putting the theory into practice in your own life!

Regarding Community Way  and Community/Complimentary Currencies (I've been on this for a long time...) I was just introduced to this initiative that we may be supporting in some way at Vancity CU:  http://prezi.com/tpen9iw4r4lv/community-money-for-community-food/

I'd love to see it expand to other sectors but I think local food is a very good place for it to take root!

Peace, lots of love and justice,

lisa b 

At 8:52am on March 22, 2012, Catherine Douglas said…

Thanks for the interesting welcom email, Randy. I too have been pretty frustrated with some of the problems associated with switching to alternative energy systems, especially the fact that gas is so cheap and electricity from hydro power so expensive! I will try to get to the potluck on the 10th. It would be great to meet up with neighbours interested in such things and to hear what everyone is up to.

All the best,

Catherine

At 11:30pm on February 7, 2012, Justice Marshall said…
At 6:05am on January 30, 2012, paul chorney said…

Hi Randy

Thanks for the thoughtful and poetic response.
I am actually in Vancouver this week for a planning session for Farm to Cafeteria Canada. We are on Bowen Island until Tuesday, and I am staying on for a few days. Is there any chance that we could meet in person to chat. I am free Wednesday, Friday and Saturday until 2PM or so.
Regards
Paul ...from Transition Winnipeg
At 1:37pm on November 29, 2011, Louise Taylor said…

Hi Randy, Thank you for telling me about the two events. I would love to attend the beekeeping one but have a prior engagement. I hope to be able to make the other one. Greetings, Louise

At 9:22am on November 28, 2011, Dan Vie said…

Hmm, post worked that time - in Chrome.  Perhaps the problem was with Safari.

 

Anyway, I hope that Courtenay can cross-fertilize with VV as things develop.

At 9:20am on November 28, 2011, Dan Vie said…

 

Hi Randy and thanks for the welcome.  Yes, I do know Michael.  He tells me its been a slow build for Community Way.

 

A Transition Town project has just launched here and going into its 3rd meeting. Surprisingly, about 200 people have come out so far.  An interactive website will go up in a week or so which will be a much simplified version of what you have here. Details at transitiontowncv.org.

 

This is the 3rd time I'm trying to post a message to you here.  Perhaps you need to approve it before it goes public? Dunno.

 

cheers,

dan

 

-----------

Dan,

We hope you know Michael Linton and use Community Way Dollars because we are trying to launch a local currency here as well. Michael has made many trips to Vancouver to teach us how to do it.

To our knowledge Courtney-Comox does not have a Transition initiative going yet, but I am sure there are many people there with the interest.

Thanks for joining, and I hope you can learn a few things and get inspired.

Randy



 

At 5:55pm on November 27, 2011, Jocelynn Rodrigues said…

Thanks for the info, Randy!

I can't believe I had not heard of that before but anyhow, pretty cool....and yes, just another way, I suppose. :)

I completely agree  re: you can only manage what you measure. I do foresee a better future where there are actual guidelines that must be followed for firms  when preparing and presenting their financial statements - i.e. taking a more integrated approach. It's happening right now, voluntarily, with some companies, and the number of companies doing it will only increase over time.  And, before we know it, it will actually be required - so it's pretty cool. We just need to make sure the requirements are actually improving the environments welfare, and not just saving face.  If you're curious, right now you can submit comments to the GRI's(Global Reporting Initiative) draft set of standards - pretty cool that it's open to the public. http://www.globalreporting.org/Home

At 12:44pm on November 13, 2011, Peter MacKay said…

Sure Randy, I took the landlord reference out. No problem 

 
 
 

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Forum

Food

Local, organic, rural, and/or urban, food production is a mainstay of life, and doing it well leads to wellness. From farm to kitchen, discussions relating to food--and the community arising around it--belong here.

48 discussions

Transportation

If you have to leave your village, how will you get where you want to go? By car? Preferably not, both for your wallet and the earth’s sake. This category is for all discussions relating to how we all get around.

5 discussions

Housing

A human right? After food, most feel shelter is the most important necessity. A place of shelter is also the start of a community. This category is for all things relating to shelter, housing, affordable housing, homes, renewable heating systems, green buildings, heritage, and our built environment in general.

12 discussions

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