Tag Archives: nanaimo

Public Events on Rural Development

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Many people expressed an interest to review the policies relating to subdivision development in rural areas in the Regional District of Nanaimo. All next week you can bring your thoughts on alternatives to conventional subdivision developments. What do you want to see for future land development? Bring your ideas.

The following public events are:

Wednesday, May 23rd – Arrowsmith Hall, 1014 Ford Road, Coombs
4:00pm to 7:00pm – Open House
7:00pm to 8:30pm – Workshop

Thursday, May 24th – Lighthouse Community Hall, 240 Lion’s Way, Qualicum Bay
4:00pm to 7:00pm – Open House
7:00pm to 8:30pm – Workshop

Saturday, May 26th – Cranberry Community Hall, 1555 Morden Road, South Wellington
12:30pm to 3:00pm – Open House
3:00pm to 4:30pm – Workshop

Tuesday, June 5th – Nanoose Community Hall (Library), 2489 Nanoose Road, Nanoose Bay
4:00pm to 7:00pm – Open House
7:00pm to 8:30pm – Workshop

You are also encouraged to visit www.ruraldevelopment.ca and fill out a short survey.

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Mail Art Exhibition at Nanaimo Art Gallery

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Currently,  the Downtown Nanaimo Gallery is featuring 2012 Mayworks Festival of Labour and the Arts: Mail Art Exhibition until May 22, 2012. What is mail art? It is art sent through the mail.

Artists from 25 countries have mailed postcard sized art to the curator, Ed Varney of Courtenay, on the theme of “Hard Work – Work & Labour.” There are 125 artists from around the world who have mailed in their art and the artworks feature painting, printmaking, drawing, collage, photography and other media.

From rayjohnson.org:

“Mail art began in New York in the 1950s by art professor Ray Johnson and was seen as one of the new “communication arts”, a form of media aesthetics that evolved alongside video art.  It is in this precise sense that mail art could be said to only have “a present” – a present of communicational events, of uncontrollable exchanges, of things arriving and departing at unforeseen times and places, thanks to the medium of postal system, which, just like television, could be seen to distribute “signals” across the boundaries of time and space.”

 

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Drinking Water Week in Nanaimo

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“We should not forget that billions of people still lack a safe supply of water and access to safe sanitation. Canada and the United Kingdom are proposing the removal of an explicit reference to the right to water and sanitation for all from the first draft of the ‘Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development’ outcome document,” warned the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Bottling water has now become a multi-billion dollar business for some companies including Nestlé. Recently, the City of Nanaimo received a letter from Nestlé regarding the City’s decision to stop having bottled water for sale in their vending machines. Check out Bottled Life for an indepth look at Nestlé’s tactics.

This is Drinking Water Week (May 13-19) in BC and a good time to appreciate our access to free, clean drinking water. Check out this infographic on the cost of urban water around the world.  As the temperatures start to rise, this is a good time to remind ourselves on a few ways to conserve this valuable resource.

  • Running your sprinkler for just one hour can use 1,514 litres of water
  • At 15 litres per minute, pressure washing for four hours can use 3,600 litres
  • toilets account for 45% of all indoor water use in a typical residence and 20% of toilets leak
  • a running toilet can leak 4 litres of water per minute which adds up to 5,760 litres per day.
  • storm drains are not a part of the wastewater system – don’t wash your car near them

Here are some helpful links:

H2 House - how to detect water leaks around your home
Environment Canada water use calculator
Drinking Water Week - take part in the BC Community Water Challenge

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Island Grown Argicultural Survey

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Do you know where your food comes from and if it is grown here on Vancouver Island?

You are encouraged to take a survey about your locally grown food on Growing Our Future www.growingourfuture.ca. The online survey is open until June 11, 2012.

The Regional District of Nanaimo has a ‘Agricultural Area Plan’ that is intended to celebrate and expand local food production and identifying barriers and opportunities for growth in the local agriculture industry.  You can find out more about what’s being done to secure local food sources. Also, background reports and information are also available on the site.

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Scotch Broom Busters on the Island

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The Scotch Broom Containment Campaign is on right now.  BroomBusters are busy and need your help to cut the invasive Scotch Broom on Vancouver Island.

Here is times and locations of their scheduled broom cuts, every person makes a difference.

Their tagline is ‘cut broom while it’s in bloom’, so keep an eye out for those bright yellow blooms!

For more info go to www.BroomBusters.org.

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Watershed Protection Program

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Green building and water protection incentives are now available to residents for:

  • upgrading old wood stoves
  • installing domestic solar hot water systems
  • rainwater harvesting
  • grading site-cut timber for use in construction
  • conducting home energy assessments
  • installing a residential electric vehicle charging station

Those who achieve a high score on the Sustainable Development Checklist can be eligible for an additional incentive ranging in value from $500 to $1000.

Incentives are limited and available on a first come, first served basis.  Approval is required before you can claim rainwater harvesting.

For more information visit The Regional District of Nanaimo or email sustainability(at)rdn.bc.ca.

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