Workshop teaches how to live sustainably

Joanne Bakker and Sophie Rainford are on a mission. They want to inspire residents to change their daily habits and help Nanaimo "lead the way" in becoming an environmentally sustainable city.

Bakker and Rainford are inviting the public to a one-day workshop called "Living Life Sustainably" at Malaspina University-College’s Nanaimo campus May 13. They’ve lined up a panel of speakers "to motivate others to take action."

Topics include energy efficiency ideas, waste management recycling, transportation, gardening, and eating sustainably. Adam Perry of Hobbit Homes will talk about efficient buildings, while Malaspina Geology professor Steve Earle will discuss his Lifestyles Project, which emphasizes quality of life and how even small changes can have a big impact on protecting the environment.

"The purpose of the workshop is to share information and success stories to show residents what they can do as individuals and as employees," said Rainford. "We want to change people’s perceptions about what it means to live sustainably. It's easier than most people think."

Rainford, an instructor in Malaspina’s Tourism and Recreation Management program, is writing a thesis on environmentally sustainable business practices. Unless more people are willing to change their daily habits "our quality of life as we know it will be a thing of the past," said Rainford.

"The question becomes what kind of legacy do we leave our children and grandchildren?" she asked. "How many of us have walked with our own grandparents and they’ve told stories about how they used to drink out of a certain stream or river 30 years ago? That’s the scary part – even within the last three decades we can see significant physical depletion of our environment."

Bakker, who works at Malaspina and lives on a hobby farm, said living life sustainably "provides self-fulfillment and satisfaction knowing that you’re having a minimal impact on the environment."

"It’s important to encourage more people to be responsible caretakers of the environment," she added. "We as human beings are blessed with advanced intelligence, but sometimes we get stuck in the easy way of living that destroys the environment."

Two Malaspina students, Tania Smethurst and Nadine Wiepning, are helping to organize the workshop. Both are involved with Malaspina’s Climate Change Committee and have a strong desire to create awareness around how one’s daily habits can positively impact the environment.

The Living Life Sustainably workshop takes place at the Nanaimo campus (900 Fifth Street) in Building 355, 9 am to 5 pm, May 13. A public discussion will follow in the main theatre. Admission is by donation.

For information or to register, call (250) 619-0576 or email bakkerj@viu.ca.