Think Globally Act Locally | The Power Of R

 
 
The labels I'm talking about here aren't the ones we see on boxes and cans, but the invisable labels that are used to define people. Generally I am strongly opposed to labelling people, either as individuals or in groups. In fact during my youth and university years I expended considerable energy publicly declaring and defending the rights of any person or persons to be themselves and express themselves without the restrictions and stereotyoing that are so often a part of labelling.
So I was very surprised when I heard a label self defined and thought - I can wear that label - in fact I felt it settle over me like a familiar hoodie.: roomy fit, lots of space to collect new and stow important stuff and a warming, protective  hood. 
I am a hope-aholic. Loudly and proudly I  declare myself to be addicted to and motivated by hope.
Not all labels are confining.
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In the immortal words of that genius Dr. Seuss:

”UNLESS someone like you

cares a whole awful lot,

nothing is going to get better,

It’s not.”

Last year The Comox Valley Land Trust celebrated and encouraged groups and individuals who did ‘care a whole awful lot’ with an event using Dr. Seuss’s cautionary tale The Lorax as its theme.  It was a terrific event – both inspiring and fun.

And now, The Lorax is back!  CVLT is once again looking to celebrate individuals and groups who have demonstrated their care for the environment.

Please consider nominating a group or an individual who has really demonstrated a commitment to making things better for the environment. There are so many unsung heroes – of actions both large and small – and they want to hear about them all.

 Please go to:

 http://www.lorax.weebly.com

 and fill in online form. thanks!

 

It is a great event to attend, to celebrate and support environmental action and caring.

 
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The Comox Valley Art Gallery is holding its second annual Wearable Art Competition on March 19th and 20th. Last year the event was wonderful.

This year the Comox Valley Regional District is sponsoring the prize for the Best Use of Recycled Materials. I cannot wait to see what creative environmental masterpieces will be revealed!
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Here is the outfit I created to MC last year’s Wearable Art Competition. I carefully hand stitched each and every page of music onto my hoop skirt so that neither the skirt nor the music would be damaged. Knowing how long that took, I can only marvel and wonder at the time and effort that went into the other pieces. Oh my gosh! It is going to be amazing this year!
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Please let me introduce to you Simon Sarty Peterson, who was the Winner in the 12 – 18 Year Old Category of the Comox Valley Community Arts Council’s Trash Art Mask Challenge. Simon told me that this was the first art that he had submitted to competition. What a great beginning!

The entries for the Challenge were amazing! Please go and see them for yourself at the Muir Gallery.FMI: www.comoxvalleyarts.org
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Come on down to the Muir Gallery this Friday, February 5th from 7 to 9 PM for the unveiling of the Comox Valley Community Arts Council’s Trash Art Mask Challenge.
The CVRD is proud to sponsor the award for mask that has The Best Environmental Message –
I’m really hoping that it is terribly hard to choose a winner.
This was a great fundraising idea for CVCAC; combining two things that the Comox Valley has plenty of – creativity and (unfortunately) trash.
The many faces of trash – come and see them for yourself!
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I made the mask that you see here years ago for another project – and called it “Rethinking: We’re Running Out of Time”. Because I refused to purchase something specifically for a project about recycling, I had to really work at sourcing a used but now unwanted little hour glass.
The theme of that project was to explore what our trash masks about or from us.
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It was great to be invited to a meeting of the 1st Komux Brownies and work with the watershed model and talk about our precious water.

Thanks, Brownies!
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I just got back from the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce 2009 Annual Community Awards, where I was thrilled to present the Environmental Initiative Award, which is sponsored by – who better? – The Comox Valley Regional District, to Jack Minard.
The award criteria states that “this acknowledges a business, organization or person who supports the need to be environmentally conscious and has demonstrated this in the development or implementation of an environmentally sensitive program”.
Jack shared finalist honours with Our Big Earth Media Company and Blue Toque Sports Swap.
Other deserving nominees in this category were: Silent Mountain Bicycle Courier, Courtenay Legion No. 17, Union Bay Credit Union, Sierra Club Comox Valley, and Courtenay & District Fish & Game.  Congratulations for being recognized by your community for your positive roles in environmental leadership.
As he accepted the Environmental Initiative Award, Jack said something like – I’m paraphrasing here –thank you not only for the award, but to the Comox Valley business community for recognizing the importance of the environment in all aspects of our lives.
To learn a bit about what Jack has been involved in, check out: www.tsolumriver.org
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They were all part of the fabulous Fanny Bay Health Festival. The event brought together elements of wellness in the bigger picture – physical, emotional and mental wellness for self, for others, and for the environment that we all share. The beautiful Fanny Bay Community Hall was filled with information, products and interactive displays including how to prepare for an earthquake or other disasters. There were demonstrations in the hall throughout the event (the belly dancers were amazing!), and free classes upstairs if you were interested in more in depth information, or trying a new activity. The building hummed, drummed and rocked all day with holistic common purpose.

The Power of R message – “Better Choices, Better Future” integrated perfectly.

The choices that we each make every day, about what we eat, and what we do and what we purchase impacts our collective future – and that includes the waste that we produce as a result of our decisions. You know – better Choices for a Better Future actually defines wellness.
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I have been thinking about what I would call this blog for a while now - and I really had a hard time with it. I think that 'Earth Crew' captures both the subject and the intent of how I view my work with the CVRD's Power of R. We are talking about the Earth - sometimes we talk about our little piece of the Earth - like say Comox Lake or Goose Spit, but we understand that our little pieces affect, and are affected by, the rest of the planet. A crew is a group of people who work together for a common goal, and our common goal is "Better Choices for a Better Future".  In a crew, everyone has a role, a job, something to do, and everyone is needed to reach that common goal. Come on - join the Earth Crew - the whole planet needs you!
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