Folks tune in to Live Earth at the Global Habitat Festival

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday and made the event a success!

Volunteers showed up at 7am to help set up all the equipment, the eco-village, hang the posters and signs, adjust curtains, etc. etc. etc. By noon, everything was set up and the live earth broadcast was airing on the big projection screen. From noon until 9pm folks were entertained by local artists and musicians, and had the chance to walk around the eco-village to talk with local NGOs and environmental groups working in the community. The energy was positive and fresh, and the response from visitors was fantastic.

Various local media attended the event and talked with organizers and representatives of environmental groups participating in the event. Jack Layton, leader of the NDP, also stopped by and thanked organizers and volunteers for putting on the event.

Here are some photos that I managed to snap over the course of the day:

Bobs & Lolo perform for the kids

In front of the maintstage

No event is complete without bubbles!/Vicki Sjohall performs for the crowd

Kid Zone

Face painting!

Eco-village

Sponsors, NGOs, and environmental groups talked with visitors about what they were doing to fight climate change and ways to get involved.

For more event photos, visit the gallery and click on the slideshow.

By 9pm the crowd dispersed and participants in the eco-village packed up for the day. The Western Canada Wilderness Committee had gathered hundreds of signatures for their petition to stop the Gateway Project. Volunteers began dismantling the stage and taking down all the equipment and gear – two hours later the site was clear!

Over 100 volunteers participated over the course of the day – some had been there since 7am and had stayed long after the end of the shift to the very end to help out! most of all because, despite the occasional heavy lifting, it was fun. We hope to make this an annual event, and the support that was shown by everyone involved proves that it could become a reality.

For more info about GHF and event sponsors, visit www.globalhabitatfestival.com

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The Global Habitat Festival was one of 10,000+ “Friends of Live Earth” events that took place in 195 countries. Millions of people watched or heard the Live Earth online, on TV, or on the radio. Millions pledged to change their own actions and hold our leadership accountable. To continue building the momentum and contributing to a worldwide movement to focus attention on climate change, sign onto the Live Earth Pledge at: www.liveearthpledge.org

Madonna, Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas? Missed your favorite act on 7/7/07? You can see highlights and songs from all the concerts online at www.LiveEarth.msn.com.

Filed under: Vancouver, art, climate, community, music, photo , sustainability, Vancouver

Critical mass takes to the streets

Every last Friday of the month, cyclists from around Vancouver gather in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery in downtown Vancouver and take to the streets in a massive show of spirit and strength. The critical mass phenomenon started in San Francisco in the 1990s and quickly spread – critical mass now occurs in cities around the world, with their numbers growing each year. Over one thousand cyclists came out for critical mass in June 2006, Bike Month, the largest turnout to date. Next month promises to be even bigger!

My bike!

This month critical mass cyclists took to the streets in fine form – pirate form in fact. Unfortunately I didn’t make it out to the start of the ride on Friday, but I caught up with the last of the bunch down at Kits beach on my way home – a good two hours later. Here are a few photos:

One less car – sticker courtesy of B.E.S.T (Better Environmentally Sound Transportation)

Sunset at Kits beach

Ocean, sky, mountains…

According to the website, www.critical-mass.org, there are over four hundred critical mass rides around the world, with about 230 of them in North America. See also www.critical-mass.info.

The first critical mass ride took place on September 25, 1992, in San Francisco.

If you are interested in starting a critical mass ride in your community, here are some basic guidelines, but remember critical mass takes different shapes in different places, and there is no central organizing body.

A local Vancouver film producer has produced a wonderful documentary film about critical mass in Vancouver titled, “You Never Bike Alone.” Click to read the synopsis of the film – for more information, visit www.youneverbikealone.com.

To see more photos of the Vancouver critical mass rides, go to www.flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmass

The next critical mass ride in Vancouver will take place on Friday, June 29th, 2007!

For more information about critical mass in Vancouver, check out: www.velolove.bc.ca

For general info about cycling in Vancouver, check out these links.

For a map of bike routes in Vancouver, go to the city website or download the one-page PDF (more detailed versions are available on their website).

Filed under: Vancouver, community, cycling, environment, health, photo , sustainability, Vancouver