Citizens taking action ~ Vancouver, Lower Mainland, and beyond.


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Taking back the news

Alter-net news sources are proliferating. The latest to come to my attention is SustainableCoast.ca, a feisty brand-new venue for Sunshine Coast citizens to rant against the people at Sunshine Coast Regional District who run their waste system.

A photo of one of SCRD's drop-off recycling stations graced a post to this blog a couple years ago, sent to me by a local recycling business operator, Buddy Boyd of Gibsons Recycling. Buddy has been in constant battle with SCRD over their program of dumbed-down single-stream recycling and transporting the mess to distant recycling plants, effectively bypassing Buddy's local business.

Now it turns out SCRD is maneuvering to shut down the landfill in Pender Harbour, directing that community's trash to its own landfill in Sechelt instead. In an unusual twist, citizens in Pender Harbour are organizing a Yes In My Backyard campaign -- and using very reasoned arguments to do so. Read all about it in the News section of SustainableCoast.ca.

Citizens of this province are taking matters into our own hands. We are writing our own news -- and making our own decisions about what happens to our rubbish.

Pic: Illegal dumping on Sechelt Band land by SCRD's garbage contractor. Source: SustainableCoast

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Helen, thanks for posting our story and links to the Sunshine Coast's new online magazine, Sustainable Coast. After only two issues, we are getting much support and feedback from locals. We intend to cover the stories that the local press can't or won't cover. The pressure is on to make our politicians and government staff accountable.
Beverly Saunders, editor
Sustainable Coast magazine

Anonymous said...

Lets make it so politicians can only live by their white elephants. Lets put incinerators in West Van and Point Grey? Maybe Skytrain Stations? Oh,thats right, policy is made using the "not in my backyard" pricipal. Better over there, eh? As Canadians, we should be ashamed of ourselves. But we elect twitts that just keep on passing the buck! Take care of your own crap. Eat right.Maybe excersise a little. And stop electing talking head morons. We need real leaders! It is a war and the planet is in trouble. A four year old can see that. Yet, we keep sleep walking our way along as if oil will last forever and we can just throw a few things in a tote at the curb and it all magically goes away. On the Sunshine Coast we have no newspapers that write the truth. Just pablum! Thank godness for a publication that tells it like it is! Thank you Zero Waste vancouver for getting the word out. Sounds like the home of the Beachcombers ain't so ideal after all?