WORD OUT! The Blog to Build a New Society

In honour of the 2010 Olympics, the Royal Canadian Mint has been printing Olympic coins. There are seventeen coins in total - ten quarters honouring snow and ice sports from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, two quarters honouring ice sports from the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, two lucky loonies and three quarters celebrating Canada's favourite Olympic Winter Moments! The coins have been released according to a circulation program which began in February 2007.

There is one coin, or more correctly, a coin decal, that you won’t see on the Royal Canadian Mint website. The Dogwood Initiative of British Columbia is drawing attention to the very obvious lack of snow at the 2010 Winter Games and Canada’s inaction on climate change.

The Save Winter website says, “Team Polar Bear has traveled south on a mission to save their wintry home from the perils of Global Warming only to find that is is not only their home that is at risk. Canada’s great ski mountains are melting and during the 2010 Olympic Games there may be no snow for snow boarding.”

On the website , you can sign a petition and order your own removable decals that attach to the Canadian Twoonie coin.

This is not the first time that the Dogwood Initiative has used coin decals. In February 2009, they launched the “No Tankers” campaign. Black decals were applied to the one dollar coin which made the loon appear to be covered in oil. The Canadian mint was not impressed. They sent a letter to the Dogwood Initiative that accused them of trademark violations and contravening the Currency Act (Section 11) by using Canadian coins for purposes "Otherwise than as currency". The Dogwood Initiative was warned of possible summary convictions, fines and imprisonment.

After consulting legal experts including some of Canada's top constitutional lawyers, Dogwood Initiative sent a letter to the Mint rejecting its claim that its trademark had been violated and the decal was illegal.

"The Mint's assertion of trademark rights in all photos of the Loonie is overbroad and raises serious Freedom of Expression issues. And the Mint's brazen attempt to use a law intended to stop people from melting down coins is nothing but a heavy handed effort to silence our campaign," stated Charles Campbell. No fines or charges have been laid to date.

What do you think? Is there a link between Canada's tar sands, global warming and the lack of snow at the Winter Games? Is it an offense to use currency to further the objectives of an activist campaign? You can post your comments in the feedback section below.

My email inbox has been filled with calls for support for the people of Haiti from most of my newsletter and list serve contacts - Mother Jones, Just Give, Nature Canada, Link TV, Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection to name a few. Locally, folksinger Bob Bossin jumped into action sending this fine example of just how easy it is to rally people to action.

"I'm just sending this to a few of us, off the top of my head. Some of you will remember that we have had some very successful, large, fund-raising events on the island over the years: the tsunami relief event, the Ryan's Well event, to name just a couple that brought out capacity crowds at the Community Hall.
Shall we do it again?
It seems to me that it might not take as much organizing as one might fear. In my experience, when there is a crisis like this, the public provides much of the impetus.
Anyway I for one would be willing to both help organize and perform. You?
Please mention this to anyone you think might help pull it together.
Many hands make light work."

I know I will be there.

But what does all this have to do with sunshine and peaches? Well, that is what I really wanted to write about today, and in a odd kind of way it is related.

Last summer, I spent a day with my family and some friends canning peaches. It was not a calm affair. I had three helpers, two of whom were boys under 12. First, we forgot to add the lemon to stop the peaches from turning brown, then we discovered that our jars were too big for the canner! Each time the peaches had to be taken out of the jars and redone. I was sure they would all be mouldy within a month.

But not so! Last night I pulled out a jar and opened it for dessert. As soon as I held the jar, the memories came flooding back. In the middle of this long, dark, rainy January, I was taken right back to that steamy, summer day with endless sunshine and crazy laughter in the kitchen. It came to me that the process of preserving my own food is about more than just food security. It is about sharing memories and experiences that build true community. It is about creating happy recollections and the lasting ties with neighbours that see you through harder times. Ties that each of us will rely on heavily should disaster suddenly strike, as it has in Haiti.

As Sharon Astyk, author of Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front and my canning inspiration, says "We turn to the security that can be found in structures other than the formal economy - to the informal economy and household economics."

In such a small way, my day canning in my little kitchen helps prepare me, my family and my friends to be able to reach out and help people in need - at home, or in Haiti.

On this last Friday before the Copenhagen talks, a little musical message from Michael Franti to help you to keep your spirits up.
Positive thoughts = positive actions = positive outcomes.
Happy weekend everyone. Check back here on Monday for updates on what's happening at Copenhagen.

Countdown to Copenhagen! Info Night and Rally - Victoria Conference Centre, 720 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC.

Come out and send a clear message to the Canadian government that YOU expect strong climate leadership for an effective international climate treaty - not more obstructions, delays, and excuses!

Presentations by Canada’s foremost Climate Leaders:

Elizabeth May – Co-author of Global Warming for Dummies, former Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada, and current Green Party of Canada Leader

Dr. Andrew Weaver – Author of Keeping our Cool: Canada in a Warming World, Professor at the UVic School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) member Nobel Laureate winner

Guy Dauncey – Author of The Climate Challenge: 101 Solutions to Global Warming, President of the BC Sustainable Energy Association

Jamie Biggar (Common Energy), Tria Donaldson (Powershift), and Maia Green (Youth Delegation coordinator) - Canadian Youth Delegation to Copenhagen

Find out about the science, policies, and politics surrounding the most important global summit of the 21st century, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18, 2009.

Climate change is the #1 threat to our planet, killing our forests, acidifying our oceans, intensifying storms, diminishing food supplies, threatening mass extinctions, and becoming a driver of resource scarcity, massive dislocation of populations, and wars.

Copenhagen presents the most crucial opportunity at a pivotal time in the planet’s future to create a successor treaty to the Kyoto Accord to move the planet towards a solution before runaway global warming takes effect.

YOUR participation at this event will help to ensure that the Canadian government is forced to become a climate leader, not an international laggard and obstructionist.

Please recruit your friends, family, co-workers, and classmates to come out!

Organized by the Green Climate Committee of the Green Party of Canada.

On October 24, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. At over 5200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis. The level of participation has been truly inspiring!

Here on Gabriola Island, students and other community members took part in a 350 Day at the local elementary school, where students sang the "350 Get Down" and talked about ways we can all reduce our carbon footprint.

Photo Credit: The Flying Shingle

For thousands of fabulous pictures of actions from around the world, check out 350.org's photostream on Flickr. Watch the video below for some amazing highlights!

Did you participate in the climate action day? Share your experiences in the comments below!