Category: Environment

Winter News from the Environment Team

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The UCV Environment Team continues to be extremely active. Here’s what we have planned for the next few months..

December 1 Forum: Zero Waste Holidays! Forum; Zero Waste Team

One of the  Zero Waste ideas is to donate to a charity for someone. Here is a list of charities that the Environment Team came up with. It is far from complete, of course, but it will give you an idea of the range of international, national and local groups looking for your financial support.

charities list 

Save Our Salmon sub-committee

Last month we held a petition signing event to remind MPs of their election campaign promise to move open net fish farms out of the ocean and onto land.

The SOS group is now meeting with those MPs to discuss plans of action of how we can make their promise a reality .

If you would like to get involved, contact John Boyle  john.boyle@shaw.ca

 

January Pull-Together Fundraiser 

Saturday January 18, 2020 @ 7pm

Tamiko Suzuki, our Environment Team Outreach Coordinator,  is turning 60 and she’s holding a fundraiser to celebrate!

UCV Friends and family are invited to enjoy some appies and cake, a bit of music, games and perhaps some folk dancing!

She requests no presents please but instead make a donation to RAVEN Trust’s Pull Together Campaign https://pull-together.ca/ supporting Indigenous groups’ legal challenge against TMX.

More information to come later.

If you would like to help put on the event, please contact environment@vancouverunitarians.ca

 

 

Be the Change Earth Alliance

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Be the Change Earth Alliance is a charitable organization that lives at the end of the hall in the Admin Building at 49th and Oak. They are a busy hive of activity, bringing eco-social education to secondary schools throughout BC.

Formed in 2005, they create empowering workshops and learning resources to help fulfill their vision for ‘an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this planet’. To learn more about their work you can visit their website: www.bethechangeearthalliance.org They greatly enjoy the warmth and kindness of all of the UCV staff.

If you see them having lunch under the maple tree in the summer or enjoying a tea break in the courtyard, make sure to say hi!

Support Sole Food Street Farms

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The Outreach Opportunities Fund recipient for October to January will be Sole Food. During the past seven years, Sole Food Street Farms―now North America’s largest urban farm project―has transformed acres of vacant and contaminated urban land in Vancouver into street farms that grow artisan-quality fruits and vegetables.  It has empowered dozens of individuals with limited resources and addiction and chronic mental health problems by providing jobs, training, and community support.

Visit their website here https://solefoodfarms.com/

All Candidates Meeting – Oct 5, 2019 – UCV

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Vancouver Unitarians hosted a successful and well-attended All Candidates Meeting on Sat Oct 5thin preparation for the 2019 Federal Election. Five of six candidates from the Vancouver-Granville riding (in which UCV is located) attended, representing the GPC, LPC, NDP and PPC as well as Independent JWR (current MP); the CPC candidate declined to attend.

The ACM was held in the Sanctuary from 7:00-9:00 pm, moderated with clear and articulate focus by Diane Brown. Cecilia Point provided a powerful Musqueam Welcome followed by a UCV Welcome from our Minister Reverend Stephen Epperson. Candidates and audience (approximately 250) respected the rules of procedure and decorum, including candidates speaking one at a time and within prescribed time frames – and no heckling from audience! There was very positive response to this format!

Candidates responded to prepared questions on the Climate Crisis, Indigenous Peoples, Refugees, and the Trans Mountain Expansion. This was followed by questions from the audience covering a variety of topics including: electoral reform; safe drugs and the overdose epidemic; fossil fuel subsidies; homelessness and the economy; the environment and the economy; Indigenous rights; taxing billionaires; and voting by conscience versus the party line.

Candidates met with the public in the Hewett Hall alcove for a half hour before and after the ACM. Candidates set up information tables, responded to questions and engaged in lively discussion! Candidate contact information was available to the public for any questions not answered during the evening.

Environment and Social Justice team members organized the ACM, with leadership and impeccable attention to detail provided by Karl Perrin. Thanks to the many who stepped forward with their particular expertise and timely dedication!

Here is a link to the Oct 5th All Candidates Meeting at UCV – with thanks to Marie Witt and videographer August.

https://youtu.be/IenG7r2Ou5s

 

Global Climate Strike in Vancouver

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Contact the Enviro Team | Join Our Email Group

Photo: Vancouver Unitarians join the Global Climate Strike in downtown Vancouver on September 27th 2019

Above: Vancouver Unitarians join thousands at the Global Climate Strike in downtown Vancouver on September 27th 2019

An estimated 100,000 people, including Unitarians from all four Metro Vancouver congregations, rallied at Vancouver City Hall on September 27th for the Global Climate Strike

Unitarians from all four Metro Vancouver congregations – including three Unitarian ministers – gathered under the Vancouver Unitarians banner at the start of the Global Climate Strike in Vancouver on September 27th.

The event was organized by students and we proudly joined with tens of thousands of them to fill the length of Cambie Street on our way through downtown Vancouver to the CBC building at West Georgia and Hamilton streets.

photo: Vancouver Unitarian youth at the 2019 global climate strike in downtown Vancouver

Above: Kiersten M. with UCV youth at the historic September 2019 global climate strike in downtown Vancouver

It was exhilarating – and reassuring – to be a part of this massive mobilization of Canadians. Police estimated that 100,000 people participated – perhaps the largest march ever in Vancouver.

Would you like to join us for future rallies, marches and activities? Learn more about Environment Team or contact the Outreach Coordinator by Email

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Many tens of thousands gathered for the Global Climate Strike at Vancouver City Hall September 27, 2019

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Greta Thunberg Inspired Global Climate Strike on September 27th

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Photo of Greta Thunberg, Global Climate Strike

Join Vancouver Unitarians under our banner at the
Vancouver Global Strike for Climate
Sept. 27 starting at 12:45 pm
City Hall 12th Avenue and Cambie St
(Northwest corner in front of City Square)

Greta Thunberg at United Nations

Watch Greta Thunberg deliver her historic message to the United Nations Climate Action Summit in September 2019

Change is coming whether you like it or not — Greta Thunberg

This Global Climate Strike will likely be the largest mass mobilization for climate the world has ever seen. Led by youth, including Greta Thunberg, millions around the world will be walking off school and work to demand a rapid end to the fossil fuel era and climate justice for all.

On September 27th, we will stand together with people across the planet to demand climate justice. This global strike is not just for youth – this time, we need EVERYONE. We need you to put your normal life on hold and show up in the streets to demand dramatic and urgent action against the climate crisis. We will bring together citizens from Vancouver, the surrounding areas and the rest of BC to show our local and federal governments how much bolder we need them to be going forward. This action will build momentum to a federal election where we elect climate leaders.

Click here for 23 Reasons Why You Should Climate Strike On
Friday, September 27th

64 Red Dresses — Art Installation by Doreen Manuel

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Above: Red Dresses to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women

Honour the Women Project

At the Stop Trans Mountain Pipeline rally at Creekside Park on June 9, 2019, Doreen Manuel, Secwepemc Nation film maker, and sister of the late Chief Arthur Manuel, announced that she is collecting red dresses (the symbol of missing and murdered Indigenous women) for her “Honour the Women project”. She will hang red dresses along the route of the pipeline in Secwepemc Territory both as an art installation and as a reminder to all who the victims are.

Thank you to all who contributed red dresses and cash! A total of 64 red dresses were collected from UCV members or purchased from thrift stores using donations by UCV members.

These dresses were delivered to the BC Union of Indian Chiefs and will be hung along the Trans Mountain pipeline route in Secwepemc territory.

This red dress collection drive at UCV  was sponsored by the Social Justice Committee and supported by the Environment Team and other individuals.

The recently released report on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls states that there is a correlation between resource extraction and violence against Indigenous women and girls. Work camps/man camps built for resource extraction projects are implicated in higher rates of violence against Indigenous women at the camps and neighbouring communities.


For more information about this project, please contact Doreen Manuel at: honourthewomen@gmail.com

Youth Taking Action with Rallies for CBC Leaders’ Debate on Climate

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Above: Vancouver Unitarians standing with youths leading the July 17 rally calling for a CBC federal leaders’ debate on climate and the Green New Deal

Vancouver Unitarians rallied once again in support of climate justice. This time it was on July 17 at CBC Vancouver.

The rally was organized by Our Time, a national campaign of young people, in order to push the CBC to broadcast a federal leaders’ debate focused on climate change and a Green New Deal for Canada.

What would a Green New Deal for Canada look like?

A cohort of over 30 young persons led the rally with speeches, songs, and cheers. We were several hundred in Vancouver and we were joined by many hundreds more in over 20 cities across Canada. We were proud to stand with these committed and inspiring young people.

A Green New Deal for All – Cross Canada Tour in Vancouver

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At least ten Vancouver Unitarians were among the 350 person sell-out crowd on June 21 at the Canadian Memorial Church to participate in the Vancouver stop of the Green New Deal for All cross-Canada tour.

All the presenters were passionate, well informed, and inspiring. It was a great event, part of the grass roots movement that started with over 150 town hall meetings across Canada – including a full house event with about 100 people at UCV on May 24.

Support for the Green New Deal (GND) is rising up across this country with the intention to become a powerful voice in the coming federal election.

The entire Green New Deal for All event was video taped and posted online, or you can watch it below. The table shows the time for each presentation to help you navigate through this nearly 3 hour long video.

  00:00 -- 07:15      Intro Slides
  07:15 -- 09:00      MC Anjali Appadurai
  09:00 -- 18:40      Chief Reuben George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation
  18:40 -- 21:00      Green New Deal
  21:00 -- 26:40      Remarks by Anjali
  26:40 -- 41:20      Youth-led Chant
  41:20 -- 1:04:30    David Suzuki
1:04:30 -- 1:24:00    Kanahus Manuel, Indigenous Activist
1:24:00 -- 1:45:10    Harsha Walia, Activist and Writer
1:45:10 -- 1:47:30    Youth-led Chant
1:47:30 -- 2:10:10.   Kim Mortel, Poet and Singer
2:10:10 -- 2:42:35.   Avi Lewis, The LEAP
2:42:35 -- 2:44:00.   Presenters' Tributes

A look back at 2018-2019, It was a very busy year

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Looking back on 2018/2019, it’s easy to see that the Environment Team has been very busy! We put on a series of highly successful events in addition to fundraiser lunches and monthly forums. If that wasn’t enough, members were busy throughout the year taking part in anti-pipeline and Climate Change rallies and attending film nights, workshops and fundraisers to protect the Environment and support Indigenous groups.

Check out what we did!

Interested in joining the Environment Team?

Contact environment@vancouverunitarians.ca