Wednesday, August 13, 2014, 10:39 PM - Inspiring
200 miles of bike lanes and one with 40,000 bikers a day.
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Friday, June 27, 2014, 07:22 PM - Poetry and Writing
If economic security
I mean agency I mean
justice is not bred to
move in political realms
is it because the path is simply
one of snakes and ladders, spirals
because we don’t find the right
balance of love and power,
between growing trees and
navigating jungles or we chickegg
the poor thing into parts until
it’s stuck or dying
failed to watch
how it moved. Is it
because we miss in it
the moral power, the
imagination, intoxication,
the trust, the critical
intangible of the
townhouse, the gathering,
the dialogue, this dialogue,
our kite and our stars.
This found poem was generated from a forum that I participated in at the Coady Institute on the links between economic and political citizenship. For me, as I describe in my bio, the two have always been tied though political (in the broadest sense) agency cannot be assumed.
Monday, July 15, 2013, 11:20 PM - Outdoor adventure
Photo credit: Maggy Burns
Gorgeous time at Keji with Mox. Nothing compares to a full moon paddle.
Monday, July 1, 2013, 11:49 PM - Outdoor adventure
photo credit: Oliver Maas
Gorgeous kayaking trip with Oliver exploring the Eastern Shore Islands. Part of the protected areas. Great news this summer that Nova Scotia has dedicated 13% to wilderness protection. That places NS second behind BC. Here it is much more challenging where over 75% of land is privately owned. In BC, it is only about 15%.
Saturday, June 29, 2013, 03:43 PM - The Solidarity Economy & Microfinance
It is the 85th year anniversary of the Antigonish movement. Over 150 community organizers, policy makers and entrepreneurs met at the Coady Institute to share some of the most promising initiatives in North America.
Examples: Cross-cultural neighbourhood revitalization in San Diego, reclamation of land and heritage in the Deep South, green retrofitting in Buffalo, conservation-based enterprises in the West Coast, land trusts using permaculture in Tennessee, Inuit self-determination in the Arctic.
I was excited to be part of some of the early research and case-study identification. Inspiring stories of a new public and new economic models where community members are the drivers. There were examples of community investors, housing trusts, cooperatives, neighbourhood associations, a coastal loan fund. The key was starting small and local, building energy and trust. Passion capital someone called it. Also financial contributions from the community tied to ownership and decision-making. Then external support and finance was leveraged.
This is so possible in our neighbourhoods in Halifax, especially in the North End where we have passion capital to spare! Urban Roots Farm and Hope Blooms are some inspiring examples. The St. Patrick's Alexander school site is another opportunity.
Check out the site below for details of the cases featured.
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