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There wasn't much fanfare when spring arrived earlier this week: one snow storm follows on the barely cleared storm of the previous week, and it's been like that since November 5. Now that it is the Saturday before Easter, it feels less like spring and new beginnings than ever.
The MultiFaith Action Society and Langara College Continuing Studies are co hosting a conference “Faith and the Environment” [FATE] at the Langara campus by invitation to the leaders of Vancouver's faith communities. This event will be an historic meeting of the leaders of Vancouver’s major religions to consider their role in addressing the environmental issues facing British Columbians. 
The occasion has the following goals:
• Explore the implications of the climate crisis for religious communities in BC
• Identify areas of common interest and common action to address the issues.
• Share “best practices” for reducing “ecological footprints” in sacred spaces
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Program highlights include:
• Background on the environmental issues facing British Columbia in the next decades.
• Roundtable discussion with Premier and the Climate Action Secretariat on new policies.
• Workshops on efforts to reduce human impact on natural processes and restore damage.
• Forum discussion of public policies and the role of religious communities and their leaders
The success of this event will depend to a large extent on the level of participation from the Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and 1st Nations faith communities from the lower mainland. One challenge has been to identify what constitutes “leadership” in the context of an environmental crisis.
Canada's theme for international women's day is strong women - strong world. Over the border the possible first woman presidential candidate and possible first black presidential candidate are destroying each other's chances. Can they not cooperate? Has nothing been learned since the arguments over whether woman or black people (men of course) would get the vote first?
So too sad today to feel strong. let's turn instead to a strong black woman to cut through the crap, oh Sojourner where are you we need you?
Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): Ain't I A Woman?
Delivered 1851
Women's Convention, Akron, Ohio
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
According to a new report released this week by the Canadian Labour Congress, women are, on average, still being paid about 70% of what men are being paid in the workforce. Back in the early 1970s it was about the same thing.
With this enduring economic situation (rent and groceries aren't 30% cheaper for women), isn't it marvelous that women have the consciousness, the concern and the desire to do something with respect to the environment?????
March 8 is International Women's Day, an event which has been celebrated throughout the world for years; in some places, since the early 1900s, although I don't remember hearing about it until the late 1970s. I see on some web sites that we also have International Women's Week... I guess maybe a day isn't enough.... activities need to be noticed, reported on, responded to... imitated, emulated...
In Canada, this year's theme is "Strong Women, Strong World", according to the web site of the Office of the Status of Women Canada (a federal-government organization which the current Conservative government would just love to put the axe to). I quote: ".. empowered women can, and do, play a fundamental role in current and future efforts to preserve and protect the world's natural environment".
Across the world there are dozens, hm, hundreds of organizations and initiatives which bring together the themes of women's issues and the environment, only only on March 8 but all year long.
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