By Malin Christensson Where do you get local seeds or manure for your garden? Is there someone raising chicks for sale in the Slocan Valley? Who could you ask about how to keep honeybees? There is lots of interest in gardening and eating local food, yet sometimes it seems both a mystery and an illegal […]

By Andrew Quinn, Reuters Leaders of Arctic nations gather in Greenland this week to chart future cooperation as global warming sets off a race for oil, mineral, fishing and shipping opportunities in the world’s fragile final frontier. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join foreign ministers from seven other Arctic states in Greenland’s tiny capital […]

The Canadian Cancer Society B.C. and Yukon today congratulated Premier Christy Clark and Opposition Leader Adrian Dix for agreeing to put forward legislation that would protect the health of children and families by banning the sale and use of cosmetic pesticides in British Columbia.  “This is a big step forward for cancer prevention in our […]

By David A Gabel, ENN If an extra terrestrial civilization were to study the history of Earth, they would most likely conclude that this is the planet of the dinosaurs, giant reptiles who ruled the world for hundreds of millions of years. Humans, currently the dominant species, have not even existed for one per cent […]

A 2007 wildfire in a portion of the Pend D’Oreille Valley was good news for a family of Lewis’ woodpeckers, a species which prefers dead or well-decayed trees for nesting.  But while the fire created valuable breeding habitat for the woodpeckers, the high risk of trees falling was a serious threat to transmission lines.  The […]

An alliance of 23 animal rights and environmental groups in BC and across Canada is furious at the BC Liberal government’s decision not to consult them regarding a new “wolf management plan” it is developing. According to a press release from the Canadian Wolf Coalition, speaking on behalf of the alliance, “The groups are greatly […]

A new amendment to the Clean Energy Act could allow families to finance energy efficiency improvements to their homes through a utility company loan. Bill No.7, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2011 was introduced in the legislature Thursday by Attorney General Barry Penner. If passed it will amend: Clean Energy Act An amendment allows B.C. […]

By David A Gabel, ENN In many developed nations, increased energy efficiency has effectively lowered emissions of carbon dioxide. However, the cuts in advanced economies are merely an illusion, as manufacturing and dirty industries have moved offshore to the developing world such as China and India. These countries produce goods cheaply which Western consumers like. […]

By Chris Buckley, Reuters China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, could peak in emissions by 2030 or earlier, says a study from U.S. researchers who foresee Chinese demand for appliances, buildings and much industry reaching “saturation” around then. The study by energy and emissions experts at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California […]

With the West Kootenay having become fertile soil for many innovative food system initiatives, another project is now underway which hopes to build the capacity within the West Kootenay to form a regional food system organization. Often referred to as ‘food councils,’ ’roundtables,’ ‘networks’ or ‘coalitions,’ hundreds of these types of regional organizations do already […]