Vancouver's Leader in Transition toward Strong, Resilient, Complete Communities
Started Jun 5, 2010 0 Replies 0 Likes
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
Started this discussion. Last reply by Lisa Stiffler Jan 6, 2011. 1 Reply 0 Likes
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
Started this discussion. Last reply by Randy Chatterjee Feb 11, 2010. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Under new provincial legislation and embedded in the proposed new Metro Regional Growth Strategy,…Continue
Tags: sustainability, transit, retail, liveability, development
Started Jan 19, 2010 0 Replies 0 Likes
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
June 5, 2012 from 6pm to 8pm – District Main
0 Comments 0 LikesJune 17, 2012 from 10am to 9pm – On Main Street at 13th Avenue
0 Comments 0 LikesI 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.
Posted on May 27, 2012 at 8:30pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
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…
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 10:30am 0 Comments 0 Likes
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,…
ContinuePosted on April 23, 2012 at 10:00pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Full video of this speech is on the National Endowment for the Humanities' website here.
The essayist, novelist, and poet Wendell Berry, shown at…
ContinuePosted on January 26, 2012 at 8:30am 0 Comments 0 Likes
Colin Angel said… Thanks for the welcome Randy! Agreed, we need to kick start a village in Crosstown.
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
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
Thanks Randy :)
You might enjoy my latest too...
paul chorney said… Hi Randy
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
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.
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
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
Peter MacKay said… Sure Randy, I took the landlord reference out. No problem
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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
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
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
© 2012 Created by Randy Chatterjee.