Fifty-six companies are involved in the making of my standard, late Tuesday night dinner: a can of chicken noodle soup. This almost laughably high figure is indicative of an increasing estrangement of human beings from their food. Much of what we eat is processed, treated, and injected with preservatives in some distant laboratory. It is shipped, often from thousands of miles away to the local supermarket where we, foragers of an urban landscape graze through linoleum pastures and fluorescent aisles; navigating a prepackaged terrain of endless food choices and rarely pausing in the process to wonder: where did this all come from?

A Q&A WITH ROBIN CLARK by Lauren MacFarland Photographed by Noriko Nasu-Tid-Ball British Columbia is easily one of the most beautiful places on earth, due largely in part to our abundance of forestry, giving our province a rich and diverse ecosystem.  Robin Clark, principal and team leader of Robin B. Clark Inc. works with local industry all over the province to ensure all forestry projects are done with sustainability in mind, preserving our natural wonders for generations to come.  The Tree of Life, an ebook inspired by his work with nature explores the connection between people and the earth, a connection that proves that “there is a beautiful blue print for life.”  1 )How did you get involved in ecological preservation? My parents, grandparents and even the great grandparents I never met, lived and worked in in rural areas and loved nature. Growing up our family spent weekends and holidays camping all over BC. 2) The Tree of Life reminds us that all people are connected to nature, do you believe that in our high-tech world, they have forgotten that? Why is it so important to remember this connection? The connection to nature has definitely been forgotten. I work mostly in rural communities where I would expect the situation to be different, but it”s not. It’s important to remember the connection to reduce stress and recharge ones batteries. 3) What does it mean to be a “steward to all of creation”? How can one participate in active stewardship? A “steward to all creation” is a tall order but bring ones attention to a small niche that calls you is a great place to begin. Small efforts by myself and many others are making a difference and moving stewardship from a concept to reality. There are hundreds...

Born on February 12, 1949 in Vancouver BC, Peter Ladner is a scholar, author, journalist, environmentalist, businessman and former politician. As a former Vancouver City councilor and Metro Vancouver vice-chair, Peter ran for the 2008 Vancouver mayoral election in which he competed against Gregor Robertson, the current mayor of Vancouver.

  Interviewed and written by Trina Moran   When we give back to a community, it is felt locally. When we give back to the planet, it is felt on a global scale. For Radu Postole, serving the community and the Earth go hand in hand and has become a career. A recent graduate from UBC’s Integrated Engineering program, Radu is a systems engineer for SunCentral and a volunteer engineer for the Tetra Society of North America (a non-profit organization that creates assistive devices for people with disabilities). At SunCentral, Radu is a project manager and operations engineer. As well, he oversees various design concepts. Currently, he is working on solar tracking technology that uses sunlight to light office space. This concept utilizes mirrors on the outside of office buildings that track the sun, lenses that concentrate the sunlight, and a light guide to pipe the concentrated light into the depths of the building. Electric lighting is also used in this method, but is instantly dimmed when the sun shines, making this a hybrid energy source. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The process is instantaneous. Therefore, the sunlight outside is instantly converted into the lighting used inside. Human benefits to this hybrid lighting system include a better workplace environment and a connection to the outdoor environment. Now, I know what you’re thinking: Vancouver = Rain city. Also, with hydroelectricity available in this region the cost for electricity is low. This specific type of hybrid energy source is marketable to regions that experience longer, frequent periods of sunlight throughout the year (California, Spain, Portugal) where hydroelectricity or other affordable energy is not always an available option. Overall, Radu’s goal at SunCentral is to further develop this concept so that it becomes a readily available option for...

Vancouver Park Board Commissioner and liaison to the Kerrisdale Community Centre Interviewed by Colin Booth, Aryan Etesami, Keiko Honda & Barb Mikulec  Photographed by Noriko Nasu-Tidball Q1: The KCC is one of three centres that you are the Park Board Liaison, What do you see for our particular community centre in the next five years? KCC is very unique in the sense that it has great history, a well used library, swimming pool and skating rink. The community is very diverse but very different than the other community center that I advocate for. For instance whereas I am fighting diligently for Strathcona Community Centre to make sure that their breakfast program that feeds up to 200 hungry children daily is funded and acknowledged I also bring the awareness to the Vancouver Park Board that the swimming pool at Kerrisdale is in desperate need of repair and will need ongoing maintenance. The rink is also a big piece if infrastructure that needs to be addressed. I know that seniors play a huge role in all that you do in Kerrisdale so we need to keep that in mind as we move forward with any planning and programming. I would also like to see more community gardens in the area as it gets families, seniors and youth out working together. I think it is not really my place to say specifically what Kerrisdale Community Center should be in the next five years, my job is to listen to the people that frequent, work and staff the centre and bring those thoughts back to the board and staff. Q2: How can the City of Vancouver help to make affordable, accessible and sustainable early childcare? Early Care and Learning is one of my main priorities as I feel being...