www.cowichangreencommunity.org

Change need not be a hairshirt excercise. It can be something that is exhilarating, has a feel of being a historic process, and is a collective call to adventure. (Rob Hopkins)

I remember years ago in an anthropology class our professor presented us with a fictional scenario, set around the year 2500AD. In the scenario, North America exists as a zero-life wasteland, having succumbed sometime in the 21 century to slow burial by mountains of self-created junk mail – a result of the lethal combination of heavily subsidized newsprint and escalating consumer obsessions. Futuristic archaeologists painstakingly excavate the ruins of this once-great civilization from a million layers of outdated coupons and big-box store flyers, deeply intrigued by its mysterious demise.

Our first bright idea was, in fact, to turn out the lights. The reasons to do so are manifold: less energy used, less dependence on fossil fuels, less heat, less buzz. We realized that with our office lights out, our working space is sufficiently illuminated by the front window as well as a skylight in the back that we barely noticed when the strong CFLs were on. On sunny days, extra artificial light - and especially heat – pouring into our rooms is definitely unnecessary, and we quickly found that working in natural light feels healthier and more calming.

At the Cowichan Green Community, and for many people we know, July swooped in with a flurry of excitement, inspiration, and activity on the wing. As we gathered back at our little office after the Seeds for Change Environment Conference, we found ourselves full of good intentions and the desire to bring more positive changes into our lives and the CGC space.