March 11, 2009

March 11th Green Breakfast

Twenty five people attended the March 11th Green Breakfast , where a wide range of topics, from BC-STV to composting, were discussed.

So what do David Suzuki, Stephen Owen and Preston Manning have in common? They all support electoral reform by replacing the present "first past the post" system with BC-STV (BC Single Transferable Vote). Change is often difficult, especially when it involves something as important as how we elect our government. But, as a country, we have gone through electoral reform before. For a great You Tube clip on electoral reform, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu7m8y8dHz4

For a better understanding of how the BC Citizens Assembly (appointed by the provincial government) chose the proposed BC-STV system, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoPgLsSvV8g for Part 1 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIzUH9Bhyk8&feature=related for part two for You Tube clips on the BC Citizens Assembly. Or, go to their web site http://www.bcstv.ca/

Rebecca Henn spoke briefly about her Master thesis on people and conflict. Rebecca is working on a research project for her Master thesis at Royal Roads University. The objective of her research is to explore the views of people living in the Clayoquot Sound region, with a particular focus on the civic organizations represented in Tofino. If you would like to help Rebecca with her research, she can be contacted at or by phone at 778.892.5206.

Has anyone seen the loonies that have been tagged with the "notankers.ca" sticker? They have been circulating around town and are an initiative by the Dog Wood Institute to raise awareness about tanker traffic along the BC Coast. A person has to look no further then recent news from Australia to understand the devastating effects of an oil spill http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aBkDDQAGazS0&refer=asia
For more information on the Dogwood Initiative and the call for a moratorium on tanker traffic along the BC coast go to http://www.notankers.ca

What to do about camping and garbage inTonquin Park. There was some great discussion around organizing clean-ups, providing alternative places to camp, installing a toilet, and requiring employees to provide a home address before they can be hired for work. Not sure where this can go. There have been clean-ups in the past, but that doesn't address the main issue of campers.

Composting, Composting, Composting. As a result of the Green Breakfast discussions, the chamber has formed a Composting Committee. The committee is going to look at composting alternatives, from a community system like the one in Nanaimo provided by International Composting, http://www.internationalcomposting.com/frames-company.html to personal worm composting systems. The committee will then bring a number of options to a community forum on composting.

You have to hate those idling vehicles, sitting and polluting while their owners nip into a store. A number of communities have adopted anti-idling bylaws http://www.idlefreebc.ca/onboard/index.php and Josie Osborne has sent a letter to Tofino council asking them to do the same.

The next Green Breakfast is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22nd @ 8:30 AM, Common Loaf Bakery