Category: New thinking

Today, we had a good opportunity to conduct the ‘bus experiment’. Heather had a full day Buddhist retreat in Annapolis Royal. With early morning temperatures of -20C, she walked from our house on Hwy#201 in Paradise to the CRIA gas station in Lawrencetown. She caught the 3W bus to Bridgetown. In Bridgetown, she changed to the 4W bus, and continued on to Annapolis Royal. This evening, she will catch the 4E bus at the Annapolis Royal Fire Department at 5:31 pm, I will pick her up at CRIA around 6:11 pm.

The purpose of the experiment is to see the world through a different lens. Not from a car, bicycle or on foot, but rather through public transit.

In my conversations with Edward Wedler, this relates back to the time when we decided to walk from Yarmouth to Georgetown, PEI, as part of our Road to Georgetown Trek. Many things have changed since those days.

Later, talking to Ed Symons at COGS, as part of his community mapping research, he is producing Kings Transit maps. Think of the value of adding the senior (citizen) experience to these maps. Ed’s students are working on a number of other sectors: food, forestry, culture, First Nations, community services and climate change. All of them can benefit from community (citizen) input.

At COGS, there has been a migration of staff from AGRG Middleton to Lawrencetown. From the outside, this appears to be a recognition of project-based learning. It will be interesting to see whether this corporate directive is reflected in the business plan for the new Innovation Hub (read this blog post). Rather than driven by business needs, the hub could be driven by the needs of the rural community and then to develop a geographic technology-related solution for these communities. The solutions can be transferred, and scaled, to other non-urban geographies. Use the intelligence of rural citizens in these communities to drive the design process right from project inception.

I hope on our return from Iqaluit (end of April) we will be able to review a business plan for the Innovation Hub, which reflects both our geographic reality and our citizens. Meanwhile, until we head North, we shall continue to ‘ride the buses’.

Today, I received a second book from my brother Peter. It is called ‘Maureen’ and is a collection of historic photographs, commemorating the life of my younger sister; thus, indirectly, our lives too.

Acknowledgements

Heather for her enthusiastic embrace of the bus fieldwork. Edward for fond memories of the Road to Georgetown. David Colville and Ed Symons for conversations on community mapping at COGS. Peter for another treasure from our common past.

References
Peter Maher. 2020. Maureen. Self-published.

My sister was born June 24th 1948. She was the youngest of three children, including myself and my older brother, Peter. Early on, she was identified as ‘mentally handicapped’. From that time forward, both of us, were encouraged ‘to go out into the world and build our own future ‘.Eventually, Maureen was placed into long term care, funded and initially directed by our parents. In time, they were unable to provide the necessary support. Today, she lives in a home in Sandhurst, Berkshire,England.

My centre of gravity has become Canada. Peter divides his time between Europe and Canada.

Recently, with help from Jason, his son, they produced a video for Maureen. It gives insight into our childhood through a series of family photographs. I hope Maureen will enjoy those memories too.

Acknowledgements

Credit for the video goes to the team of Peter and Jason Maher. Much appreciated.

While in Toronto, we visited the Don Valley Brick Works Park.

‘From 1889-1989 the Don Valley Brick Works was the location of a thriving brick making and distribution industry in the heart of Toronto. The City of Toronto began restoration in 1995 with the generous support of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation’.

Today, the park includes a garden market, a school, future cities centre, as well as the Weston Family Quarry Garden.

Just before Christmas, Stephen McNeil upheld the government decision on Boat Harbour and hence the impact on the Northern Pulp Mill.

Can we use this decision to repurpose the mill facility?

Can we take the opportunity to signal to the world the change in Nova Scotia’s Forest industry?

Initially, the focus will be on the necessary steps to clean up the impact on the terrestrial and marine environment. We could showcase the history of the industry (Baxter 2017) leading up to this momentous decision. Parts of the mill could be refurbished to illustrate the new forestry practices. In the spirit of the Brick Works Park, the site would include a mix of educational and tourist facilities, compatible with the new thinking.

The new vision would emphasize the relationship between Nova Scotians and their marine and terrestrial environment. It would demonstrate the inclusiveness of the different communities in the region. To support the new vision will require input from all sectors of society: the communities, government, private corporations and non-profit organizations. As we make progress on the cleanup, there will be a new story to be told. That story is a new vision and shows a real change in our relationship to the environment.

Acknowledgements

Heather Stewart, a former resident of New Glasgow, and passionate advocate for our ecosystems. Edward Wedler, a firm believer, in the power of communication technology.

References

Don Valley Brick Works Park. Web site: Toronto.ca/Brickworks
Joan Baxter. 2017. The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest. Pottersfield Press.

“We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect”. Aldo Leopold. A Sand County Almanac. 1949.

These last two days we have been supporting Alex Cole and his team: Silas, Chris, Rick and Gord produce charcoal from the leftovers of the coppicing of red maple. The coppicing produces poles for yurt construction.

This community collaboration reminded me of David Orr’s essay on Re-Ruralizing Education. It emphasizes practical woodland skills for managing the land. The products provide materials for nomadic shelters. In some way, not dissimilar to the Mi’kmaq dwellings used for their movement through the landscape. The charcoal can form the basis of biochar that adds fertility to our gardens, at home and in the forest.

At the Climate Summit last weekend, Danny Bruce, an organic farmer from Centrelea stated:

“There are lots of skills that we could relearn and use to forward us. I think maybe we can do it a little simpler than our grandmothers did, but it’s all possible.”

Another concept, from Rooted in the Land essay by Susan Witt and Robert Swann is the Community Land Trust (CLT) concept developed by the Schumacher Society.

“A community land trust is a not-for-profit organization with membership open to any resident of the geographical region or bioregion where it is located. Its purpose is to create a democratic institution to hold land and to retain the use-value of the land for the benefit of the community.”

It appears that we are seeing a new ‘back to the land’ movement. Or as Heather Stewart, astutely observes ‘back to the land with green $$$’ (money). The Annapolis Valley is well situated to be part of this creative rural economy, at a time of climate crisis.

Talking last night, we speculated whether the proposed Gordonstoun Nova Scotia school would adopt this type of rural curriculum.

Lawrencetown inter-library loan service has delivered Wilding by Isabella Tree. First glance shows the fascinating history of land use and farming at Knepp in West Sussex. ‘The Knepp ‘wilding’ project is a vitally important experiment for working out what we can do to let nature back into our farmed landscapes’.

Acknowledgements

To Alex Cole and his work crew of Silas and Chris, supplemented by the expertise of Rick and Gord for the charcoal making event. Heather for her insights and enthusiasms. John Wightman for his thoughts on the Gordonstoun school. Edward Wedler for graphics contribution.

References

From Rooted in the Land edited by William Vitek and Wes Jackson,
David Orr. Re-ruralizing Education. p.226-234.
Susan Witt and Robert Swann. Land: challenge and opportunity. p.244-252.
Handbook on establishing a Community Land Trust can be obtained from the Schumacher Center for New Economics. https://centerforneweconomics.org

This week, we received an invitation to the Annapolis County Climate Action Summit, scheduled for Cornwallis Park on November 9th. I also received email from Brian Arnott that Robert MacFarlane will be on CBC Sunday Morning with Michael Enright. (see the previous blog)

The questions from County are:

1) what climate changes are you most concerned about in Annapolis County?
2) have you identified any solutions?
3) what local action (both individual and collective) and resources are needed to achieve these solutions?
4) are you willing to be a climate action ambassador for your neighbourhood?

Last night, the Federal Riding of West Nova elected Conservative Chris d’Entremont to represent us in Ottawa.

All of these questions suggest that it is time. Time to recognize the abilities of all citizens in the region. To hear their voices. It is time for the educational and research institutions to step up and contribute to our understanding of the issues (see, for example, a AGRG-developed Emergency Coastal Flooding Decision Support System, test result below).

In the 1980’s we renamed the Land Survey Institute to the College of Geographic Sciences. We recognized that there were many new technologies available to manage our geography. If we are going to have three levels of government deciding on the future of the landscape and its use/abuse. Let us work from a common shared digital representation of that landscape and its climate.

It is time to remind the educational institutions that educators when they retire they do not stop contributing to the thinking in their chosen discipline. In other cultures, there is recognition of these educators/elders.

It is time to realize that the movement of individuals from elsewhere in Canada, or other countries, to Annapolis County is positive. It is time to stop thinking that more citizens who have reached retirement (arbitrarily, say 65 years) is negative. It is positive.

Living in rural Nova Scotia, where it is possible to grow your own food, is positive.

So let’s answer the county’s questions.

1) What climate changes are you most concerned about in Annapolis County?
No specific change. Rather our ability to be well-informed, able to make the necessary adaptation, and have emergency preparedness action plans.

2) Have you identified any solutions?
Yes. Full engagement of educational institutions. Access to shared community information on our environment, land use, ocean use, demographics.

3) What local action and resources are needed?
Resources to maintain the existing climate network and a community information utility.

4) Are you willing to be a climate action ambassador?
Yes. If this includes education and research of our representatives, citizens and educational institutions.

It is time for citizens to demand more from our representatives, institutions and ourselves.

Acknowledgements

To many friends and colleagues in the county, Nova Scotia, Canada and elsewhere.Edward added the excellent graphics and is pleasure to collaborate on this blog.
AGRG, Emergency Coastal Flooding Decision Support System.
Climate Change in Nova Scotia.

References

Annapolis County Climate Action Summit. November 9,2019 at Cornwallis Park.