French River Area Outdoor Summer Events

French River area outdoor summer events include the Dokis First Nation Powwow, where this wood-carved eagle was seen.

With all the tempting French River area outdoor summer events going on all the time, it can be tough deciding what to do on a summer weekend, especially if you’re like me and want to do it all. How to choose between the plethora of activities and events happening in the area and our usual backcountry trip? Well, […]

Canadian Shield Consultants & Community-Based Environmental Stewardship

Canadian Shields Consultants logo

Canadian Shield Consultants, a water and wastewater consultation, construction, and engineering services firm located in St. Charles, has been operating for nearly two decades, since 1996. Its accomplishments have been many, for the company has consistently built on its knowledge base to expand into new markets. Like any other, the company fought hard for its successes along the […]

Amy Miller’s The Carbon Rush: Fighting the Climate Crisis for Social Justice

The Carbon Rush DVD and book

The Carbon Rush, which screened last fall at Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, is Sudbury-born Amy Miller’s latest social justice documentary. While its topic is environmental, the film’s theme is political. Motivated by a desire to exploit Canada’s role on the international carbon market, Miller found she first needed to explain what offset projects are and who they […]

Winterizing Home the Green Way

Burning candle

Winter’s chill can be harsh — and not just outdoors. Our homes are exposed to this country’s severest weather this time of year and staying warm indoors can be a struggle. Increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy costs probably tops everyone’s list these days. Luckily, they go hand in hand. The good news is that many of the […]

Vermicomposting With Help From Friendly Worm Guy

Newly mixed bin contents

Worms may not be something people would normally want in their kitchens, but Marc and I have kept a bin of them in ours for fifteen months now and have grown to respect them (if not quite love them) as much as our pets and laying hens. In November 2011, we joined a vermicomposting workshop in Sudbury offered […]

Greening the Lunch Box: Waste-Free and Healthy Lunch Ideas for School or Work

A healthy waste-free lunch idea for everyone: homemade organic granola bars!

Simplicity is a necessity when packing lunch, whether choosing something healthy the kids will actually eat or quickly grabbing something to take along to work. Fortunately, going waste-free is easy on the wallet, and it’s good for your family’s health and the environment’s. Waste-free lunches replace toxin-laden disposable products with safer reusable ones that don’t leach into foods. […]

Ontario Closing Provincial Parks, Reducing Ranger Program

Scenic view of Wakami Lake from a lookout point on the Height of Land Trail.

Hitting home hard to a former Ontario Ranger (Esker Lakes Provincial Park, 1996) and current hiking enthusiast, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources recently announced that ten provincial parks will revert to non-operating status while it will also be transforming the overnight Ontario Ranger program to a day-based one. Formerly the Junior Ranger program, the overnight teen work/camp […]

Envisioning French River: Strategic Plan

Municipality of French River logo.

A while ago, I ran into someone who urged me to read and comment on the Municipality’s draft strategic plan. Then, not long afterwards, I read someone else’s thoughts on the subject in the paper, and needed no more prompting — though perhaps a bit more procrastination — to download the plan from the Municipality’s website. It’s a […]

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