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Enviro-Fest and the power of progress

Altnerative energy panel added to Energy Film Festival

The days of talking about the environment in the abstract are over, as people are coming to the realization that real steps can be taken to fix the problems, and — given the urgency of issues like climate change — that now’s the time to take them.

Enter Enviro-Fest, a three-day environmental festival that touches on a variety of green topics. While this is the seventh year for Enviro-Fest, this is the first time that events will be held over three days, June 6-8, with the recent addition of the Energy Film Festival on Sunday, June 8.

“Everything is falling into place,” said organizer Marie Fortin. “We’re growing every year, and it feels like it’s going in a positive direction.”

She’s also worked hard this year to recruit more presenters, focusing more on the solutions than the problems.

“It’s definitely more active this year,” she said. “We’ve had Terasen and the hydrogen buses here in the past to talk about their projects, but now things are closer to happening they’ll be here to talk about it and answer questions — I know I have some questions of my own.”

Fortin said she has been proactive in finding presenters for the Gaia Gala, Enviro-Fest Fair, and Energy Film Festival, and is excited by the range of participants this year.

“For example, I scoped out a company that’s bringing home worm composting to Whistler that’s going to be pretty good. Then we have a local company like Namasté Tea jumping on board, and they’ll talk about packaging and the fact that they use post-consumer cardboard, and why they don’t produce their product in China. We have two companies that have green cleaning products… one that comes into your home to clean, and another that sells the cleaning products.

“It’s all about what you can do, because really everybody can do something to help the environment.”

Here’s a quick look at what’s on this weekend:

 

June 6 — The Gaia Gala

Drop by Millennium Place at 7 p.m. to socialize and take in two presentations. Bruce Sanguin of the Be the Change Earth Alliance will make a presentation on Global Warming: Spiritual Crisis and Opportunity, discussing the ways we can all reduce our carbon footprint.

The second part of the show is Out of the Box Experience, a presentation by musician and performance artist Toby Beaulieu who blends guitar with a multimedia presentation.

Kevin Damaskie will emcee the evening.

Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door.

 

June 7 — Wild Thing Scavenger Hunt

AWARE Kid’s Club coordinator Cara Richard is once again hosting a Wild Thing Scavenger Hunt, inviting kids of all ages to explore the wild in search of plants and animals. The hunt is presented by AWARE and the Whistler Naturalists and runs from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Rebagliati Park.

 

June 7 — Enviro-Fest Fair

More than 30 exhibitors will be presenting at this year’s Enviro-Fest Fair in Mountain Square, ranging from local environmental groups to retailers that sell green products. The fair runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature live music, throughout the day.

Presenters include:

• Terasen Gas, which is in the process of converting Whistler from propane to natural gas through a new pipeline from Squamish. Currently propane is delivered to Whistler by truck and train.

• Western GeoPower Corp, which is in the process of building Canada’s first commercial geothermal energy plant just 70 km north of Pemberton. The South Meager site will be ready to begin flow testing in 2009, and the project managers expect that a small plant generating 55 Megawatts annually — enough to power 22,000 to 50,000 homes — could be underway in 2010.

• Energy Alternatives, a Victoria-based company will showcase solar, wind, and microhydro technologies that are already available in B.C.

• B.C. Transit will showcase its Hydrogen Bus Project. Whistler’s municipal bus fleet will receive 20 new buses in 2009 that will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

• Whistler Community Services Society, which manages the Re-Use-It Centre and Community Greenhouse program. Starting this year, they will also manage a new Re-Build-It Centre to reuse construction waste.

• Whistler and Valley Express (WAVE will have a draw for a 12-month bus pass that is open to everyone who takes the bus (ask for a transfer) or rides their bike to the festival.

• The Resort Muncipality of Whistler will be presenting its new Whistler Green environmental building guidelines, along with the new B.C. Building Code changes.

Other presenters include the Whistler Naturalists, AWARE, the Michael Allen Black Bear Project, Bear Aware, the Get Bear Smart Society, Whistler Fisheries Stewardship Group, the RMOW’s Whistler 2020 sustainability department, a green building company, Whistler’s new Idle-Free campaign, and the Whistler Public Library.

The live music kicks off with DJ Bruno Be at 11 a.m., which will evolve into a jam session with Papa Josh accompanied by Bruno and his didgeridoo at 1 p.m. DJ Phroh and DJ Bruno Be will team up for a tribal music set at 2 p.m. Anyone is welcome to bring drums, noise makers, and other percussion instruments to join in.

The musical events are also being held in conjunction with Whistler Wellness Week, which is hosting Yoga Twenty Four — a 24-hour yoga marathon that includes modalities, relaxation, chanting and meditation.

 

June 8 — The Energy Film Festival

On Sunday, Enviro-Fest is hosting Whistler’s second annual Energy Film Festival. The cost is $10 and the doors open at noon. Details are in the Arts and Entertainment section of Pique.

For more information on Enviro-Fest, visit www.hilltrip.com/event_enviro-fest.html.