Free lecture series on urban
environment issues continues
at College

The Institute of Urban Ecology at Douglas College continues its public lecture
series to help people in the community understand and influence complex urban
environmental issues, and work toward creating a sustainable society. Speakers
include activists, government representatives, authors and environmental
consultants. Lectures are free, and take place Monday evenings from 7pm to 8pm in
Room 2203 at Douglas College. The series runs until the end of March; the
following is a list of topics to be covered. For more information, contact Val
Schaefer at 527-5224.

March6 Urban Eco-systems: Designing a Sustainable City
Speaker: Kevin Connery,
Ecological Planner

March 13 Setting and Enforcing Pollution Standards
Speaker: Nancy Bircher, Director,
Enforcement Branch, B.C. Environment

March 20 A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy: It Is Possible
Speaker: Ben Parfitt,
writer/researcher of forestry issues and co-author of
Forestopia

March 27 Green Packaging and Waste Reduction
Speaker: Ruth Lotzkar,
Environmentally Sound Packaging Coalition #

Art show probes link between
images and meaning

Nicky Rickard is a Vancouver artist who doesn’t try to connect
everyday images to her art.

Using oils and pastels, Rickard shows that the connection between images and
events and their meaning is deeper than we know. She brings a collection of works
to the Amelia Douglas Gallery at Douglas College from March 14 to April 14.

The show is called Works on Paper, and Rickard says the name comes from the
fact that images we see on paper aren’t necessarily related to what we see around us
every day -- and that’s how she works.

“T can be listening to a song, and just the sound starts me off. I can see someone
at the bus stop with a really great hat, which starts a whole chain of thoughts, and
then I start to work. There’s no political statement on society, and it’s totally off the
wall. It’s totally unrelated to what goes onto the paper,” says Rickard.

It can also be dark below the surface. Something lovely and bright can be
sinister underneath its veneer, she says, and her drawings of fantasy and imagination
are often constructed around an above-below theme.

“Something whimsical and happy can have otherworldly undertones. The work
in the show is mostly about a feeling of being in a dream, and when you wake you
aren’t sure if it was a nightmare or a wonderful experience.”

Works on Paper runs from March 14 to April 14 in the Amelia Douglas Gallery
at Douglas College. There will be an opening reception Friday, March 17 from 4 to
8pm in the Gallery. Everyone is invited to attend. ll

Urban
environment
workshop helps
people start
community
nature projects

Urban green spaces are beginning to
be recognized as crucial to the health of
urban communities. They help filter air
and water, moderate temperature, create
recreational and educational spaces, and
provide habitat for birds and other
wildlife.

A one-day workshop organized by the
Evergreen Foundation will be held at
Douglas College on Saturday, March 11
to discuss current urban naturalization
issues and help people start their own
projects. The workshop is called
Reconnecting People With Nature in their
Communities. It’s aimed at community
and environmental groups, educators,
naturalists, landscape architects, and
urban planners.

A variety of environmental speakers
and topics at the workshop will stimulate
communication and ideas on bringing
nature back to our parks and green spaces,
creating and maintaining green spaces,
community outreach, and ways to include
nature in our urban lives. Participants
will learn how to establish a community
naturalization project, find out about
important community projects in the
Lower Mainland, and how to access
resource materials.

Participants should bring a mug and
outdoor wear. Lunch is provided. The
fee is $30, or $10 for students and low-
income participants. For more
information or to register, call David
Mason at 689-0766. #