It’s the gift-giving season. But some recent illnesses among family and friends have left me thinking about how little meaning a lot of our “stuff” has in our lives. What’s really important is the here-and-now, the time we have together.

So I’m wishing for you and your loved ones the gift of time.

As for seasonal posts, I don’t think I can do better than offer that you re-read Alette and Eloise’s 2007 posts on “thingless giving” and greening the holidays. You’ll find them here: http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/12/

Thanks and all the best for the holiday season.

A bright light has gone out in Ottawa. The ‘Morning Star,’ though, continues to illuminate our way.

On August 3, Algonquin Elder William Commanda – whose name, Ojigkwanong, means Morning Star – passed away at the age of 97 at his home in Kitigan Zibi near Maniwaki.

Commanda, also called “Grandfather,” was a spiritual leader, teacher, former chief and much more – a trapper, guide and expert canoe maker, and a spokesperson for the environment and for peace among cultures. He was active internationally, but his efforts to promote respect for the earth often centred on Ottawa. He spoke out against pollution of the Ottawa River and destruction of the South March Highlands. He described the South March Highlands as a site of irreplaceable biodiversity and archaeological heritage, and “a most sacred landscape.” I heard him speak eloquently in January about the need to preserve the Beaver Pond Forest.

Grandfather Commanda was also working toward the establishment of an indigenous centre, Asinabka, on Victoria Island and at Chaudière Falls to serve as a national historic site and a peace-building and environmental centre.

He was given the key to the City of Ottawa in 2006, named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2008, and received a lifetime achievement award from the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards Foundation in 2010. He greeted the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela during their respective visits to Ottawa in 1990 and 1998, received numerous other awards and honours for conservation and peace, and featured in several documentaries including the National Film Board’s Ojigkwanong: Encounter with an Algonquin Sage.

Grandfather was also keeper of three sacred wampum belts, which he said documented and guided relationships among people and between people and nature. He founded the Circle of All Nations, a group “committed to respect for Mother Earth, promotion of racial harmony, advancement of social justice, recognition and honouring of indigenous wisdom and peace building.” He advised on ecological issues and appeared at several United Nations conferences.

His messages of reconciliation and environmental stewardship inspired many people. Earlier this year, after he said that the Beaver Pond Forest was sacred, Daniel Bernard Amikwabe kept a Sacred Fire burning at the Forest to protest its destruction. Others have spoken of the importance of carrying on his work.

In a letter dated January 6, 2011 to Ottawa’s Mayor and City Councillors about the South March Highlands, Grandfather wrote: “…in the final analysis, we are all connected – with the water we drink, the air we breathe, with the food, medicines and gifts the earth provides us, with the animal teachers, with the larger universe, and with each other.” Words that ought to continue to guide our decisions and choices.

*   *   *

An event to celebrate the natural world and honour Grandfather Commanda will take place at Beaver Pond Park, at the end of Walden Drive in Kanata, on Saturday, September 10 from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The event will include a Sunrise Ceremony and Sacred Fire, Barbecue Lunch and Dinner, an edible plant walk with Martha Weber, a cycle with Kurtis Benedetti, a photo contest, music, guest speakers and more. See http://www.union-algonquin-union.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=258047284219720 for details. Everyone is welcome, and donations and volunteers for the event are also appreciated.

Ottawa City Council will start debating the city’s 2010 budget on January 25.  It’s not Copenhagen, but Council’s decisions will directly affect the health of Ottawa’s environment and people.

Ecology Ottawa has examined the environmental implications of the draft budget.  They identify encouraging aspects such as support for new cycling paths and investments in pedestrian infrastructure and in energy-efficient improvements in city-owned buildings. But they also point out areas of concern, including:

• service cuts and fee increases for OC Transpo
• cuts to forestry services including tree maintenance, and elimination of funds for the tree protection by-law which requires residents to acquire permits before cutting down mature trees
• reduction in funding for “Buy Local” initiatives that help fund the Ottawa Farmers Market and market local produce
• lack of investment in other areas, including air quality, water quality and climate change management.

Residents can express their views on the budget by:

• phoning the city at 311
• e-mailing 311@ottawa.ca
• registering as a public delegation at City Council by contacting 613-580-2424 ext. 12487 or budgetdelegations@ottawa.ca
• contacting a city councillor.

The draft budget is available on the City’s website or at public libraries and city client service centres.

World leaders are meeting in Copenhagen over the next two weeks to negotiate a new global climate agreement.

Between December 11th and 14th, Canadians will be organizing and attending events across the country to send a clear message: The world wants a real deal. That means a climate agreement that is fair, ambitious and binding. Rallies in support of a real deal are being held in major cities in Canada and around the world on December 12th as part of the Global Day of Action.

In Ottawa, there are a number of vigils scheduled.  To find one near you, visit http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/action/events/real-deal.php#map .  Or, if you’re going to be downtown this Saturday, come stop by the Human Rights Monument for a short vigil, at 6pm.

Event details:
Vigil for a REAL DEAL to stop climate change
Saturday, December 12, 2009
6:00pm-6:35pm

Vigil for a REAL DEAL to stop climate change, hosted by Climate Action Network Canada and Friends will start on Dec 12, at 6:00 pm at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin, between Laurier and Lisgar (beside city hall).

We will have a brief address on the week’s happenings.  Following this, we will sing three climate carols and we will light our candles and hold a moment of silence.  Candles and carols will be provided to you when you arrive.  For those of you who wish to continue your involvement after the vigil, we will be walking together as a group to gently canvass and give out our candy canes to the general public down on the Hill.

Welcome news for anyone who’s looking for more ideas for living sustainably:

Adria Vasil, author of Ecoholic and columnist with Toronto’s NOW Magazine, will be in Ottawa to talk about her new book, Ecoholic Home.  She’ll be speaking at Arbour Environmental Shoppe, 800 Bank Street, on Monday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m., courtesy of Arbour and Octopus Books.

Ecoholic Home is full of advice about products and services for greening the place where you live.  It reviews electronics, gardening, energy, cleaning, decorating, renovating and more.

Vasil’s 2007 book, Ecoholic, covers health and beauty products, food, clothing, children’s stuff, household items and transportation.  It has lots of suggestions for environmentally friendly and healthy options, from making your own toothpaste to safe food storage, where to buy recycled office supplies, and alternative gift ideas.

Vasil also helps interpret “green” labeling, and suggests sources for more information.  And it’s not just about consuming consciously.  Ecoholic also has a section on how to influence “big issues” like climate change, deforestation and clean water.

Ecoholic Home, like Ecoholic, is based on Vasil’s writing for NOW Magazine.  Both books are available in bookstores and the Ottawa Public Library.

What do apple cores, sawdust, weeds, cooking oil, kitty litter and empty pizza boxes have in common?

They’re all accepted as part of the City of Ottawa’s Green Bin program.

The City launched the program on September 21, with an event at City Hall, an interactive website, and displays of green bins in public places, like my local library branch and community centre.  Collection from green bins doesn’t start until January 2010, but the bins and accompanying white kitchen containers will be delivered to most residents between now and December.  Service to some highrise apartments and some rural residents will take a bit longer, according to the City’s website.

The material that the City collects through the Green Bin program will go to an Orgaworld processing plant in southeast Ottawa, where it will be converted into compost.  Orgaworld will retain 90 percent of the compost and the City of Ottawa 10 per cent, which it will use for city and community-based greening projects.

The City estimates that currently about 45 percent of garbage by weight of an average Ottawa household consists of compostable organic material that can now go into the green bins, and be reused as compost.  Better than going to landfills, if all works as planned.

I was pleasantly surprised by the range of stuff that can be put in green bins, much more than I put in my backyard compost, so I’m looking forward to receiving mine.

Earth Day Ottawa Info Fair, Concert and Student Awards Show – April 22nd 6pm

There will be an info fair, followed by a folk concert, and award ceremonies for various student Earth Day Ottawa contests at Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive.  Local peace and environment groups will have booths up from 6pm and the show will begin at 7pm.  The first performers, Pippa and John, will be enjoyed by younger members of the audience.  While the second set, Kate and Hollis, play bluegrass and folk.

Spartacat will be on hand to give out awards to the students who won the Cloth Bag Design contest and the Waste to Gold contest.  Booths will open again after the show.

This is a fund raiser for Earth Day Ottawa programs.  Tickets are $15 and can be bought on-line at Earth Day Ottawa.

Earth Eve at the Cube Gallery – April 22nd 7pm

The Ottawa River Keeper, Meredith Brown, will be giving a short talk at the Cube Gallery about the importance of the Ottawa River and the challenges it faces.  This will be followed by a tasting of a variety of sustainably-produced wines and an opportunity to view the current exhibit of art entitled “Water.” Entry by donation.

Cube Gallery, 7 Hamilton Ave. N., (613) 728 1750

]]> http://greenlivingottawa.com/2009/04/21/a-few-more-earth-day-events-in-ottawa/feed/ 0 greenlivingottawa http://greenlivingottawa.com/2009/04/10/upcoming-eco-fairs-april-18th-21st-22nd-and-may-31st/ http://greenlivingottawa.com/2009/04/10/upcoming-eco-fairs-april-18th-21st-22nd-and-may-31st/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:58:36 +0000 greenlivingottawa http://greenlivingottawa.com/?p=508 ]]> Compiled by guest blogger Eloise Collison. Eloise is a freelance writer, organic gardener, and fibre fanatic who lives and writes in Westboro.

If you missed the Go Green Expo there are a few events coming up in April and May that offer information, seminars, guest speakers, and a chance to assess green products…

Ottawa Eco-Stewardship Fair 2009 – April 18th, 2009

Ottawa’s annual celebration of green living ideas, products and services.  Includes cooking demonstrations and tastings; 100 mile lunch; children’s Eco-carnival. Vendors and exhibitors include Vrtucar, the Worm Factory, Arbour, and La Blanche Forest Ecological Reserve.

Saturday, April 18, 2009, 10 am – 5 pm.  RA Centre – 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa.

Free Parking, Free Admission
For more information go to: www.ottawaecofair.ca

Eco-Living Seminar- April 21, 2009

Presentations on low impact, low maintenance ‘lawns’, do-it-yourself energy audits, green electricity, Bullfrog power, followed by an open discussion.

Reserve your space or direct your questions to sustainability@diffractions.com, or visit the event Q&A page for more information.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 7- 9 pm, Arlington Woods Free Methodist Church, 225 McClellan Road in Nepean.

De La Salle Environment and Health Fair – Apr 22, 2009

For the second consecutive year, De La Salle High School is organizing an Environment and Health Fair to raise awareness on the issues affecting our planet. Students and the public will be able to participate in workshops and presentations to deal with our century’s environmental challenges and visit booths on aspects related to the environment and health.

One of this year’s themes is ‘Eco-creativity’, where young and old will be invited to rethink their attitudes and the consumption habits that impact our environment and health. One key action will be to launch an awareness campaign aiming to eliminate disposable plastic bottles from their school.

Wednesday April 22nd 2009 (Earth Day), 3:30 to 8:00 pm. École secondaire publique De La Salle, 501 Old St-Patrick Street, Ottawa

For more information contact Isabel Sebastiao 613-745-2499, happinessandjoy2you(at)yahoo.ca

Ottawa Veg Fest-May 31, 2009

Inform the public about the benefits of a plant-based diet and help them make healthier, greener and more compassionate dietary and lifestyle choices.
Support those who wish to reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal products.
Celebrate the diversity of vegetarian cuisine and culture here in Canada’s capital.

• Cooking demonstration by vegan chef Caroline Ishii of Zen Kitchen.
• Guest speaker, internationally renowned dietitian Brenda Davis, RD.

The Veg Fest takes place on May 31, 2009 (10am-5pm), Glebe Community Centre, 175 Third Avenue (corner of Third Avenue and Lyon Street South), Ottawa.

Over the last two years Green Living Ottawa has reached tens of thousands of people, connecting them with local sources for green products, volunteering opportunities, and ideas for sustainable living.  The site gets about 150 hits a day and there are over 140 people subscribed to its email service.  It took a long time to build this momentum.

If I could get one new post up each month that would keep the blog going until I return from Edinburgh in a year and a half.  Posts must be on some aspect of green living specific to Ottawa that you have direct experience with.  I don’t want advertising pieces from businesses, but I do want to hear from customers of local green businesses, volunteers with local environmental organizations and people who have adopted sustainable lifestyles.

This site has no sources of income.  I pay out of my own pocket to keep this site running.  The only compensation I can offer is that your post, with your name on it, will be read by a lot of people in your community and will ultimately contribute to greening that community.

If you’d like to contribute a post, please contact me at:  alettewillis at gmail dot com.

Thanks.

If you would like to contribute a post to this blog, please see Notes for Guest Bloggers

Since I last posted on this blog over three months ago I have re-located to Edinburgh, where I will be living for at least the next two years.  I’m in Scotland to study storytelling in environmental education and activism.

I’ve been missing my Green Living Ottawa blog so much that I’ve set up a new one about my experiences in Edinburgh.  While this new blog will obviously be based in Edinburgh, it will keep one metaphorical foot in Ottawa, reflecting on how things differ or are similar between the two cities.

I hope that you’ll join me over at www.greenlivingedinburgh.com.

Meanwhile, stay tune for more guest posts on this blog, Green Living Ottawa.