Written by Tiffany Li , School Gardens Summer Intern This past summer, working with SPEC as the School Gardens Program Intern, I had the invaluable opportunity to slow down and reflect on the past year as a full time online student. Being outside in the gardens was a sharp contrast to the fifteen hours of daily […]
Why Open Interactive Environments Can Foster a More Authentic Learning Experience Read More »
There are many problems in today’s world, and two of the most pressing are climate change and species extinctions. It is easy to lose hope; when unable to imagine a happy healthy future, many of us throw our hands in the air. At SPEC however, we work with a group of people who instead throw
Ecosystem Services Are Important Read More »
Written by Christina Papadatos-Dupont (Farm-to-Plate Marketing Manager) In Canada, $8.11 billion worth of food is wasted every year at the distribution and retail stages of our food supply chain (source: The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste: Technical Report). This does not include unavoidable, byproduct waste (such as animal bones); this speaks strictly of avoidable wasted food. When apples are
Farm to Plate Marketplace – Rethinking Our Food Systems Read More »
Written By Dr. Carole Christopher, SPEC Guiding Elder and Director I met Patricia (Patty to me) 35 years ago when she was a lawyer with the BC Federation of Labour and I coordinated an ecumenical Centre for Justice & Peace. We bonded around shared faith, a core belief in the common good, and a commitment to
Reflections on a Village Elder: Patricia Lane and the Ethics of Service Read More »
Written by Dr. Carole Christopher, SPEC Guiding Elder, Director, Master Gardener It’s mid November and we are in the middle of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of people took up food gardening this Spring and I know that gardening is an amazing passion but also has discouraging surprises, especially for new
Fall Garden Maintenance Read More »
Written by Nicole Greig This fall, I am starting my 3rd term at University of British Columbia (UBC) in the Behavioural Neuroscience program. The key thing I’ve learned in university is how essential taking care of your mental health is! Between the last minute scramble to answer questions on my exam to sprinting to a
The Neuroscience of Gardening Read More »
Please note that the views and opinions expressed in our guest content is theirs, and does not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our organization Have you ever thought about reducing your carbon footprint? Magali Vander Vorst, a SPEC volunteer sits down with Holden Bonwit, an Engineer and Business Consultant on his experience
Calculating your Carbon Footprint – Interview with Holden Bonwit Read More »
Written by Robin Hadac. Robin is an incoming board member and former Communications Coordinator at SPEC. She is passionate about environmental causes and loves inspiring others through storytelling. After Cyber Monday is Giving Tuesday, also known as National Giving Day. Giving Tuesday is a global movement for giving and volunteering, during a time of year when charities,
Six Reasons Why You Should Donate on Giving Tuesday Read More »
By Ella Kim-Marriott Ella is a second year UBC student from Vancouver, BC studying sociology and geography with hopes of furthering research on the topic of consumerism. She currently works at the package-free grocery store Nada, and volunteers for various environmental organizations such as Greenpeace. Recently in the media, there has been a lot of
I Went Four Years Without Buying New Clothing – Learn How You Can Too Read More »
This article was originally posed on Reel Causes, the host of this event. On April 17th, Reel Causes is screening Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, a cinematic meditation on humanity’s massive reengineering of the planet, and following it with a panel discussion addressing waste reduction with community cause Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC), the oldest environmental non-profit in Canada. Daniel
An Interview with Daniel Rotman, a Director at SPEC Read More »
