Category Archives: Society

Society

Think! Don’t Drink the Koolaid!

I am increasingly troubled by friends and family who are falling into the right-wing and left-wing disinformation worlds.

It’s getting scary.

Friends and family that I’ve known for decades are getting sucked in and spouting shit that a fourth-grader could see vast holes in. . . Be it “right-wing or left-wing. . .”

We have a fragile democracy here in Canada. We have tens of thousands of folks who want to come here because conditions are so crappy in their home countries. Folks who would work their butts off to ensure we have a democracy in Canada because they have experienced totalitarian evil.

China and Russia are both dictatorships. Both have decades of experience and intent in subjugating people, and destabilizing democracies.

Democracies are by nature fragile because they do accept individual thought. That is worth protecting.

People are dying in Hong Kong, people are dying in Ukraine aspiring to democratic freedoms that we take for granted here.

Learn, read, remember. . . Don’t let the bastards get you down.

Society

Why the Vitriol on Remembrance Day?

Those who respond “Ha-Ha” to social media Remembrance Day posts may be sick in their souls.

Particularly those posts that denigrate Canadians of colour, of ethnicity, of different beliefs, who proudly served and who continue to serve their communities as volunteers.

I cannot fathom what imaginary constructs you fear, what you hate. But millions died to keep societies like ours inclusive and welcoming ones.

You have the freedom to hate, because so many loved and died for democracy and freedom.

Why can’t you make wiser choices, and exhibit positive behaviours?

What and why do you fear?

Nature, Photography, Society, Streamkeeping

Byrne Creek Autumn – Bring on the Salmon!

I love autumn, and while the colours are starting to diminish, next up will be spawning salmon. We volunteer with the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers in SE Burnaby, BC, and for us this is the most exciting part of the year when salmon start returning to spawn and die.

There’s so much anticipation to see how many fish we’ll get as our numbers vary considerably over the years. Some years have been very poor with only a few dozen spawners counted, but last year we had over 100.

byrne creek dog posters


We have permission from Burnaby Parks to zapstrap two or three funny dog posters to trees in the lower ravine during the spawning season. We’ve had excellent responses to them, with dog walkers asking us when they’ll be up.

salmon redd nest byrne creek burnaby
While we haven’t seen any salmon yet, they should start arriving any day now. Yumi spotted this disturbance which is likely a redd, or nest of eggs, so they may be here and hiding. That could mean coho, as they are very secretive, while chum, the other species in our creek, is readily observable.

byrne creek garbage
Unfortunately the creek also attracts irresponsible types and we often find garbage dumped in it. This speaker was tossed off of the Meadow Ave. bridge.

Business, Society, Sustainability, Technology

Are We Up to Really Tackling Climate Change?

10, 15, 20 years ago, I’d go to sustainable communities conferences and revel in people getting charged up and excited.

Now I go to sustainable communities conferences and I see people walking out of keynote presentations in tears. . .

It’s been much the same message all along, but it’s finally sinking in with more folks that time is running out.

I work and talk with “kids” in their 20s and 30s, half my age, and more of them are afraid to have children, because there is dwindling optimism in what the future holds.

I help deliver watershed education programs to elementary schools, and there’s an unease among the kids, and alarm among the teachers. . . .

It’s like a world war.

Is this our D-Day? Environmental Destruction Day.

It’s said we can still turn things around, but it’s going to take WAY more effort than any government or almost any political candidate from the big two parties in the current Canadian Federal election has been willing to admit. . .

Are we up to this?

Can we as humans see beyond short-term gain and look a few generations into the future?

Business, Nature, Photography, Society, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Last Day Exhibiting with Stream of Dreams at EcoCity 2019

It was yet another gorgeous day in downtown Vancouver at the EcoCity 2019 event (@ecocity2019). It was my second day helping staff the Stream of Dreams Murals Society booth @StreamofDreams . I’ve been doing some PT work this year helping deliver the Stream of Dreams watershed education and community art program in schools.

I really enjoyed this event. Talked to lots of folks over the two days, collected a bunch of biz cards, and will be following up with many.

There was a serendipitous moment as I was chatting with a conference goer who didn’t seem all that impressed with our watershed education and community art program. Just then another woman walked by and squealed “Oh my gosh, Stream of Dreams! I love your program, my kids got so much out it, and teachers at her school were raving about it!”

No, I’d never met the second woman, and no cash was exchanged under any table : – ).

It’s very rewarding to get such unsolicited positive feedback.

stream of dreams founder Louise Towell Manager Krystal Brennan
L-R: Project Manager Krystal, Co-Founder Lu. Great people to work with!

stream of dreams murals ecocity 2019 vancouver

Business, Nature, Photography, Society, Streamkeeping, Sustainability, Technology

Stream of Dreams Booth at Vancouver EcoCity 2019

Lovely day in downtown Vancouver at the EcoCity 2019 event (@ecocity2019). I was helping staff the Stream of Dreams Murals Society booth. I’ve been doing some PT work this year helping deliver the Stream of Dreams watershed education and community art program in schools.

Had fun chatting with lots of other exhibitors and visitors, and also enjoyed meeting the folks from Royal Roads University where I did my MA, and University of Saskatchewan where I got my BA and BEd, and the University of Victoria, where I did a year of writing.

Great to see all the environmental programs coming out of these unis, and others!


While the multi-hundred-million dollar buildings are impressive, what really stands out to me is the tree. It outshines them all.

Business, Society, Sustainability

No More Consultation Let’s Get Implementing!

I think governments at all levels, municipal, regional, provincial, and federal, should stop doing studies, stop doing consultations, and go back into their files for the last 10 years and look at everything that has been consulted and planned, but never implemented.

NEVER IMPLEMENTED

Talk  – action = Zero

I say 10 years, because if you went back 20 or 30 or 40, the lack of implementation would be even more depressingly overwhelming.

Think I’m kidding?

I’m one citizen. A fairy active one, and I have a full four-drawer filing cabinet full of stuff on government processes that I’ve been asked to contribute to over the many years. And not a dime of compensation, just my tax dollars frittered away, again, and again, and again.

Not much joy out of those thousands of hours….

And on the other hand, what’s with governments moving forward with environmentally and culturally horrendous projects like the Site C dam?

Shame.