Four brand new solar photovoltaic systems, also known as solar electric, are soaking up the spring sunshine and lowering energy costs for the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) on Vancouver Island, BC. The installations are part of a rural areas implementation plan for the Comox Valley sustainability strategy, and were fully paid for by the UBCM’s Gas Tax Agreement, which, through the Community Works Fund, provides local governments and other eligible recipients with financial support for a variety of capital and planning projects.

Gecko Makes It Easy How to reduce your impact, strengthen your community, and enhance your lifestyle. The range of new products available that have a deduced environmental impact continually impresses me. Ever the optimist, I take this as a sign that a real shift is happening in the way humans understand the connections between modern society and the natural systems we intersect. Yet, I do get a bit frustrated that sustainable products are often hard to find in my everyday shopping.

 
 
Do you ever find yourself, as I do, feeling cynical about marketing claims made by businesses about their "green" products, services, or operations?  Identifying “green washing”, as it’s termed, can be a significant challenge for the public when making decisions about which businesses to support.  It can often take a great deal of time and research to determine which businesses are making genuine claims.  Such businesses, once vetted, get my full support because I am confident that they operate with integrity.
 
Benefit Corporations
 

               Have you heard of the EPiC Sustainable Living Fair? It’s on my list as one of the most inspiring and meaningful events I’ve attended this year! EPiC, which stands for Ethical Progressive Intelligent Consumer, is an exhibition for showing consumers how to live a more sustainable yet still stylish modern lifestyle.

 
Earring Organizer
How Eco-Crafts support the 4R-strategy: “Rethink – Reduce – Reuse – Recycle”
 

The concept of brand has rippled, or expanded, greatly with the rise of sustainability.

DIY – Case for electronic reader, make-up and more…
 
Calendars – we buy them every year and then we throw them away, no matter how pretty they might be, or how useful the imbedded materials.
 
I kept my 2008 calendar, because I somewhat had a feeling that I might craft something out of it one day. That day came, when I bought my electronic reader. As practical as it is, the screen is rather fragile and the cases that the electronic company designed didn’t appeal to me, especially not at a price of more than 20 dollars!
 

Journeying to Haiti: a personal account of the country regaining its strength with Eric Mun

By: Jenny Peng

In the summer of 2011, I became involved with a non-profit organization called 'Peace it Together' in Vancouver. I was drawn to its summer program that facilitated the creation of films by youth from conflict areas, who had the opportunity to engage with culturally and politically sensitive topics and produce original films together.