Ever ask yourself “WHY”?

You are not the only one. This cadre of free thinkers called “The Why Factory” are tackling current problems with bold and innovative designs that combine bio-mimicry, new design and technology to offer us solutions to what could be.

http://www.thewhyfactory.com/?page=project&project=18&type=future

For the “foodies” out there, here is a series that combines wild foods with Gourmet Chefs. Chefs go into the wild and do some wildharvesting and then bring the harvest into the kitchen or onto the campfire and work their culinary magic. 

Moose hunt in Newfoundland, pheasant hunt in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, lake trout caught with a net in northern Saskatchewan, scallops harvested while diving in New Brunswick, crayfish caught in a stream on Vancouver Island and a deer hunt in the beautiful Qu’Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan.

Currently airing on the Saskatchewan Community Network (SCN) and it will also be on the Aboriginal Peoples television Network (APTN) in the new year.

http://291filmcompany.ca/programs.php

I love these wooden spheres found in the trees of Vancouver Island, Canada.

We had a chance to visit them once awhile back but got convinced to watch basketball instead. So they are still on the list of fun things to do or fun places to visit.

http://www.freespiritspheres.com/

http://www.youtube.com/v/npW8rJdhHQ0&hl=en&fs=1

Just lovely, what we can do when we listen to those beautiful muses that are buzzing around us, even now!

I recently attended a “Coffee House” meeting on the issue of urban homelessness in Regina, Saskatchewan.

This issue is on the rise with people who are working and cannot afford the rising rent costs. Their are also the near homeless, people including friends we may know who are couch surfing or finding temporary accommodations.

The lack of housing leads to other quality of life issues like health, work, and general security. We know about Maslowe’s hierarchy of needs and the importance of shelter as one of of our core needs.

I believe a shelter is a human right and I am looking for solutions to help with this issue.

This program has met with some success in Winnipeg, Manitoba: http://www.icdevelopment.ca/

This program in Wisconsin is also awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/v/jV9CCxdkOng&hl=en&fs=1

We are all in this together!

Some thought provoking video of a talk by Mark Lakeman who is an activist architect (http://activistarchitect.blogspot.com/2005/11/mark-lakeman-communitecture-and… and a founder of City Repair (http://cityrepair.org/) based in Portland, Oregon, USA.

He talks of sustainability, different learning, the circle in nature, circuliar communities, a symbolic heart of a community, and urban design.

“In the broadest terms”…”The role of urban design is to facilitate communication”

Here is a site that is providing solutions. Download a podcast by David Holmgren one of the pioneers of permaculture (http://permaculture.org.au/what-is-permaculture/) to learn some more about this international movement.

This is the introduction to Sustainable Radio: http://www.sustainableworldradio.com/

Jill Cloutier is an environmental educator, freelance writer, and videographer who lives in Santa Barbara, California. Jill has been producing Sustainable World Radio since 2004. After surviving her early 20’s,  as a militant vegan, (“How could you eat that!?), and a “Voice of Doom”, (“Lester Brown says that we have 8 years left.”), Jill realized that it was much more fun to educate through laughter and positive energy than through guilt, fear, and gloom.

With over twenty years of experience in researching and writing about sustainability and related topics, Jill loves to educate people about the natural world through writing, radio, and video. She is a Permaculture Design Course Graduate who loves Permaculture and believes that Permaculture provides answers to many of the problems facing us today. The Permaculture ethics sum up her approach to life: ‘Care for the Earth. Care for each other. Share the surplus.’ 

As an Environmental Educator, Jill teaches classes on Watershed Education, Organic Gardening, Composting, Vermiculture, Recycling, and  Reuse. Jill was the co-founder of the horticultural therapy program, ‘Kale, Not Jail,” an organic gardening program at the Santa Barbara Juvenile Hall and co-founder of The Santa Barbara Laughing Club.

If you’d like more information about Jill’s photographs, which are featured on this website, videos, articles, or aromatherapy products, please email her at sustainableworldradio@earthlink.net.

Jill Cloutier is an environmental educator, freelance writer, and videographer who lives in Santa Barbara, California. Jill has been producing Sustainable World Radio since 2004. After surviving her early 20’s,  as a militant vegan, (“How could you eat that!?), and a “Voice of Doom”, (“Lester Brown says that we have 8 years left.”), Jill realized that it was much more fun to educate through laughter and positive energy than through guilt, fear, and gloom.

Live long and prosper!

With over twenty years of experience in researching and writing about sustainability and related topics, Jill loves to educate people about the natural world through writing, radio, and video. She is a Permaculture Design Course Graduate who loves Permaculture and believes that Permaculture provides answers to many of the problems facing us today. The Permaculture ethics sum up her approach to life: ‘Care for the Earth. Care for each other. Share the surplus.’ 

As an Environmental Educator, Jill teaches classes on Watershed Education, Organic Gardening, Composting, Vermiculture, Recycling, and  Reuse. Jill was the co-founder of the horticultural therapy program, ‘Kale, Not Jail,” an organic gardening program at the Santa Barbara Juvenile Hall and co-founder of The Santa Barbara Laughing Club.

If you’d like more information about Jill’s photographs, which are featured on this website, videos, articles, or aromatherapy products, please email her at sustainableworldradio@earthlink.net.