Environmental photography and writing on the West Coast.
Since COVID-19 became a tangible issue in Europe and North America, there have been many news stories and social media posts about the respite that nature is experiencing. As the story goes, when people stay home, the earth has space to breathe again, and what a relief that is. I don’t mean to discount that…
Continue reading ➞ Bass and Birdsong: Noise in Urban Green Spaces
A spider visitor walked through my studio, bold as brass, and I panicked and killed it. Drowned it, actually. It was awful. I didn’t sleep that night. I could imagine it everywhere, crawling, and I felt that somehow by keeping my eyes open in the dark I would be able to see it coming and…do…
Continue reading ➞ Itsy Bitsy Spider Met An Untimely End: Selective Appreciation of Nature
Most Victorians who give a fig about the environment have been involved in some form of invasive species removal. Scotch broom is a common culprit. When I worked with The Land Conservancy two summers past, broom was introduced to me as a nemesis that ate up any disturbed areas. Broom follows in the footsteps of…
Continue reading ➞ Decolonizing Land: Invasive Species Removal
*Images in this post not mine. Header image PC Reuters. With the fires currently devastating the rainforest in Brazil I’ve been thinking a lot about ecological grief. Millennials such as myself have grown up in a world where ecological spaces unmarred by some human-caused destruction are rare. All around us we witness the natural world…
Continue reading ➞ We Grieve: Images of the Amazon Forest Fires
Of all the summer jobs I saw myself taking, marketing is not one I would have expected. I’ve worked in communications before this and I knew that marketing is suggested to anthropology students who don’t want to follow academic and research paths. Still, working hand in glove with the business community was never my aspiration.…
Continue reading ➞ The Accidental Marketer: An Anthropologist at the DVBA
After a summer of cooling my heels in Victoria and working 9-5, I finally got out on a longer trip. We drove up Vancouver Island, through Campbell River, to Port Hardy. Then the sixteen hour ferry trip to Prince Rupert. A short (eight hour) ferry overnight to Skidegate, and the last leg driving up to…
Continue reading ➞ Leave it Wild: My latest trip to Haida Gwaii
Although a permanent resident of Victoria, I have been remiss in my explorations of some of our 'must see' attractions here on the island. Because my personal inclination is to photograph in 'wild' and 'natural' settings I haven't had much of an eye for some of the more manicured gardens and parks. However, I was…
Continue reading ➞ For the Love of Green and Growing: Exploring Butchart Gardens
The jury is out on whether the snow is beautiful or a massive hindrance. UVic declared a snow day and I have time to catch up on my reading, writing, and 'rithmatic (just kidding, I avoid math like the plague). I also had time to take my camera out which is a rare luxury mid-semester.…
Until you have had a frazzled morning, forgotten your reusable cup, and bought a tea in a paper cup, have run to class, and received looks of askance from your fellow altruists, you may not fully understand the weight of superficial environmental guilt. Of course, my fellow students and I care deeply about our impact…
Continue reading ➞ Environmental Guilt: What does a cup say about you?
