The thing about saving the world that you won’t learn from comics or superhero films: it takes time. Some weeks, when I’m posting my updates, I’ll be able to crow about major events or significant breakthroughs, but most of the time, I’ll have to content myself with incremental progress — baby steps on the way to big change.
Or maybe I should say “seedling steps,” even though that doesn’t make any sense. Last weekend, I took the family to the Farmers’ Co-op to buy seeds and soil, so that we can start veggie planters on our back deck, and bee-friendly wildflowers in our backyard. My research said that bees like black-eyed susans and marigolds, plus we also found pre-selected “bee pollinator” mix packs. Butterflies like milkweed, so we got that; and ticks dislike rosemary, so we picked up some of that (sorry ticks!). Plus the usual selection of carrots, cukes, and peas.
Well, maybe “usual” is a bit misleading. We are not very consistent backyard gardeners. The first year I lived in Cape Breton, I planted everything in my sprawling backyard garden, but I must’ve planted too early, or too late, or didn’t weed enough, or weeded too much… anyway, all we got was some swiss chard and a bit of kale. Since then, I’ve been too discouraged (or busy) to put much effort into gardening. But hopefully that will change, now that I have bees to save and an example to set.
So now I’ve got a ton of seeds, but in Cape Breton there’s no point in planting them till at least late April. So… baby steps
My Week in the Anthropocene
- Lots of coordinating. I coordinated with Extinction Rebellion members in Halifax to join them for a march on April 15.
- I also put some feelers out to the Local Food Hub and the Island Food Network, trying to organize some picnic/protests over the summer months. Meeting next week.
- Solar panels are coming soon! The Nova Scotia group buy, organized through the Antigonish Community Energy Co-op, is proceeding. ACE is ordering 1,472 panels for over 50 customers. That’s the equivalent of taking about 270 cars off the road. On Wednesday, I did an interview for CBC radio about it. I’ll post the link if I can track it down.
- But my favourite baby step this week was finally completing a rewrite of Good Animals, the eco-comedy produced in January at the Highland Arts Theatre. That premiere production went very well, but it exposed some flaws in the script that have taken me awhile to address. Now it feels like it may be ready to send out to other theatre companies. Fingers crossed for a second production!
Solar Flares Around the World
It was a grim week in climate news for Canucks, as Environment and Climate Change released a report stating that Canada was warming at twice the global rate. In an effort to lighten the mood, here are a few flashes of hope:
- In the US, a group of pipeline protesters were found “not guilty” by a judge who stated that climate protest was “a legal necessity.” These sorts of rules open the doors for broader actions, and may create avenues of litigation for citizens affected by man-made climate disruption.
- The Navajo tribe, one of the largest Native American tribes in the US, voted to divest themselves of coal power. Council speaker Seth Damon said, “Our people, our sovereignty, and our right to self-determination predate the first coal seam found on Navajo, and we will endure and thrive together.”
- Single-use plastics are on their way out. Ontario’s government is considering a ban on bags, water bottles, and straws. Meanwhile, in Maine, a 7-year-old activist persuaded L.L.Bean to switch out the plastic straws in their cafes.
If You Only Read One Thing This Week About the Environment:
- Mother Jones has an in-depth account of how not in-depth mainstream media coverage on the climate crisis has been, despite politicians, NGOs, and the public all clamouring for change.
What gives you hope? What uplifting climate news have you come across? What seedling steps did you take this week? Post your good news on my blog, or email me so I can include it in next week’s update!
Stay strong!
