East Sooke Park (May 2010)

Thanks to the Ancient Forest Alliance for taking out to this beautiful beach and forest park in East Sooke. It takes a while to get there, but the scenery, the native plants and the ancient petroglyph were worth it!

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Forest Restoration on Galiano Island (May 2010)

The Galiano Nature Conservancy gave us a generous bursary to take the ferry over to their beautiful island and learn about how to make forests healthy. We got to explore the forest, the beach and finally pull down a plantation tree with chains and pulleys to allow sunlight so the plants that grow in the understory can survive. You can see how hard everyone's working in their hard hats and gloves!

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Cheese-Making Workshop (May 2010)

We made mozzarella in only one hour! Check out these pictures to see how cheese is made and all the fun shapes it can become!

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Composting Basics Workshop (May 2010)

Participants of the VIRCS Host Program learned how to turn their food waste into nutritious soil for gardens at the Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre. We also got a tour of the garden and we got to share how we compost around the world!

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EarthFest (April 2010)

Over 300 people came together to celebrate Earth Week in this first annual music and dance celebration hosted by VIRCS, the Sierra Club of BC, the Dogwood Initiative and the Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group. Check out these photos to see how much fun we had and stay tuned for next year!

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Earth Month Youth Outing to Matheson Lake (April 2010)

Our VIRCS Youth Group teamed up with youth from the Sustainable High Schools Project, the Wilderness Committee and the Boys and Girls Club to celebrate Earth Month at Matheson Lake Regional Park. Todd Carnahan from the Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) led us on an amazing nature walk where we found giant trees, stinky skunk cabbage and turtles basking in the sun!

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Host Program Thetis Lake Outing (April 2010)

Newcomers and local volunteers came together through the Host Program to explore the native plants and see the beautiful views of Thetis Lake Park.

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Blanshard Container Gardening Workshop (March 2010)

We our hands in the dirt and everyone went home with our own salad containers to grow over the summer.

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Francis King Forest Tea Party (March 2010)

CRD Parks Interpreter Kate Turner took us on an amazing tour of edible plants in Francis King Regional Park, and then we got to sample salmonberry jelly, spruce forest tea, liquorice fern and more! Just remember, stinging nettles may be good to eat, but not to touch…

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Swan Lake Outing (March 2010)

Snakes, bees, turtles and hungry hungry ducks! Naturalist Cathleen Thom took us on a great interactive tour of the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary.

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Youth Outing to Thetis Lake (March 2010)

What better way to spend spring break than exploring native plants and beautiful scenery with your friends at Thetis Lake?

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Youth Trip to the Compost Education Centre (March 2010)

Nashira Birch helped us discover the amazing world of worms, plus we got to hang out in a cozy house made of hay and plant carrots and beets for the summer!

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That's a Wrap! - A Celebration of Diversity and Eco-Films (March 2010)

A fun evening celebrating the completion of two of our projects: Green is for Everyone Diversity Training and "Trailer Trashed" Film Training Project.

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"Trailer Trashed" Film Training Project - Filming (January 2010)

Lights, camera, action! We spent 4 days shooting scenes and having a lot of fun in the process!

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"Trailer Trashed" Film Training Project - Storyline Workshop (January 2010)

It all starts with a good story. We spent a Saturday afternoon sharing our ideas and coming up with a good story.

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Healthy Homes, Healthy Families Workshop
(January 2010)

Health Promotion Coordinator Tara Taggart from the BC Cancer Society shared with us information about different toxins found in everyday products and how you can make smart choices by buying alternative products. We also created your own all-natural cleaning solution!

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Eco Settlement Workshop (December 2009)

There's no such thing as garbage! We held a workshop to share the basics of making healthy choices regarding waste, energy and food.

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Big Tree Tour at Francis King Regional Park (August 2009)

On a beautiful day in late summer, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee took us on a morning hike to see some of the biggest and oldest trees in the region.

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Canoeing at Beaver Lake (July 2009)

Friendly guides from CRD Parks showed us how easy it is to get started with canoeing as we explored the plants and animals that make Beaver Lake their home.

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Galiano Island Adventure (July 2009)

Our friends from the Galiano Island Conservancy spent the day showing us the Island's stunning beaches, forests and amazing wildlife species. Ice cream and whale-spotting near the ferries wrapped up the day in a good way.

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Haliburton Farm Outing (July 2009)

Local farmers gave a tour of their beautiful farm. We couldn't believe it's less than an hour away from Victoria!

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Green is for Everyone Radio Tips Recording at Village 900 (CKMO) Studios (June 2009)

Our very first recording for the Green is for Everyone Eco-Tips on the Radio Series. Thank you Village 900 and volunteers!

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Backyard Gardening Workshop (May 2009)

Urban farmer Geoff Johnson gave hands-on, step-by-step instructions on how to create a sheet mulch, plus tips on crop rotation according to the seasons.

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Earth Walk Parade (April 2009)

Colourful banners, drums, sunshine and a great crowd on a Saturday morning to wrap up Earth Week 2009.

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Bike Maintenance Workshop (April 2009)

Staff and volunteers from the The Bike Lab Society gave lots of tips on easy and affordable bike maintenance.

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Container Gardening Workshop (April 2009)

Matthew Kemshaw brought soil, starters and seeds and got us all planting away at the balcony of the Blanshard Community Centre!

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Healthy Home Workshop (February 2009)

Serene Watson of the Good Planet Company and workshop participants created a non-toxic, earth-friendly cleaning solution made from vinegar and essential oils.

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Tea, Talk and Prizes Launch Event (January 2009)

The name says it all - an event to bring our participants, sponsors and community together to award the prizes for the Great Rebate Eco-Challenge.

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