Bulletin Oct 2011

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Unitarian Church of VancouverUnitarian Church of VancouverUnitarian Church of VancouverUnitarian Church of Vancouver

The Bulletin949 West 49949 West 49949 West 49949 West 49

thththth Ave., Vancouver, BCAve., Vancouver, BCAve., Vancouver, BCAve., Vancouver, BCV5Z 2T1V5Z 2T1V5Z 2T1V5Z 2T1 604604604604----261261261261----7204720472047204www.vancouverunitarians.cawww.vancouverunitarians.cawww.vancouverunitarians.cawww.vancouverunitarians.ca Fax:Fax:Fax:Fax:604604604604----261261261261----7205720572057205

O CTOBER 2011

Inside

Presidents message .................. 2

Ministers workshop ................. 3

New boiler for Hewett Centre ... 3

Fostering Community ............... 4

BC Fall Gathering in Kelowna ... 4

Sacred Web CD launch ............. 5

Lunches .................................... 5

Arts Committee ........................ 5Library Committee ................... 5

Adult RE ................................... 6

Adult RE ................................... 7

Rev. Laura Imayoshi ................. 7

Buildings and Grounds contd .. 7

Daytimers................................. 8

Refugee Committee .................. 8

Music Club ............................... 8

Environment Committee .......... 9

Social Justice Committee ......... 9

Calendar of events .................... 10Forums ..................................... 10

BC Fall Gathering in Kelowna ... 10

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Sunday ServicesAll services begin at 11 am.

October 2

Singing as Worship

Samantha TaylorDuring todays service voice teacher

and ethnomusicologist, Samantha Tay-lor, will lead the congregation throughsongs from many sacred traditions.She will consider some of the ways thatsinging can deepen our individual andcollective experiences of worship.

Samantha Taylor is a versatile andengaging vocalist, teacher, ethnomusi-cologist and community arts facilitator.She completed her B.F.A. (theatre) at

Simon Fraser University, and her M.A.

(ethnomusicology) at Memorial Uni-versity in Newfoundland.

Samantha has been featured onCBC radio, on The Vancouver Rogue

Folk Club. Samantha facilitates classes,

workshops and events for communitygroups on singing, rhythm, and voicefor the stage and for public speaking.

October 9

Thanksgiving:

Our Seniors/Our Elders

Rev. Steven Eppersonand UCV members

Our congregation is blessed with a sig-nificant group of elders/seniors - theyhave lived memorable lives and gener-ously served this congregation foryears. (Some for decades!) Withoutthem, UCV would not be a visionary,strong community - we wouldnt behere.

This Thanksgiving, we celebrateour senior members (those near, in the

midst of, and beyond their 80s) instory and music.

Ingathering singing at 10:45 pm

with Joyce Poley.The Chalice Choir sings.

October 16

Horticultural Therapy:

Hands on Spiritual Practice

Dr. Aimee Taylor

Horticultural Therapy (HT) provides

hands-on, practical experience withsensory, healing and spiritual benefits.

Dr. Taylor will describe what a hor-ticultural therapist is, what they do,and with whom they work. She willdemonstrate some simple indoor ac-tivities, describe some of the projectsshe is involved in, and provide someinteresting findings and research toback up the evidence on HT.

October 23

UN Sunday and Gibbard AwardRev. Steven Epperson

This Sunday, we honour Vancouverarea student recipients of this yearsUN Gibbard Award.

As well, Rev. Epperson will reflect

on the influential life and contribution

of UN General Secretary Dag Ham-marskjold, who died (tragically andmysteriously) fifty years ago.

The Chalice Choir sings.

October 30Encountering Our Ancestors VII

Rev. Steven Epperson

and Guests from the Past

Its the season of Samhain/Halloween/Day of the Dead. Again, we summoneminent ancestors from our Unitarianhistory to experience their stories.

Join us to welcome these visitorsfrom the past: an occasion to reckonour good fortune as heirs to an amaz-ing religious tradition.

Dag Hammarskjold


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2 The BulletinThe BulletinThe BulletinThe BulletinUnitarian Church of Vancouver October 2011

UNITARIAN CHURCHOF VANCOUVER

Parish Minister

Rev. Dr. Steven F. Epperson

Minister EmeritusRev. Dr. Phillip HewettCommunity Minister

Rev. Laura ImayoshiLay Chaplains

Phyllis Bassett, Dan Enright,Sherry King, Wayne Ulian

BOARDOF TRUSTEES 2010-2011

President: Keith Wilkinson

Vice-President:vacant

Secretary: Timothy McCormick

Treasurer: Michael Bradshaw

Past President: Kathryn Aberle

Members-At-Large

Don Eadie, Galen Elfert,

Carolyn Grant, Judith Holmes,Bennett Mitten, Patti Turner

STAFF

Administrative Manager

Tamara ShoupOffice Assistant/Bookings

Tara MacNivenAccounting

Ravina SangaraSunday Reception

Virginia Crabill, John Omielan,

Anthony Roper, Robert SchultzChoir Director

Donna BrownDirector of Religious Education

Cristin LeeMusic Assistant

Elliott DainowCustodians

Stan Clarke, Gerald Hernesmaa,Bruce Murray, Wenta Tuume

The Bulletin is the monthly

newsletter (Sept. to June) of the

Unitarian Church of Vancouver.

Editor: Connie Wigmore

Submissions: By the 14th of the

month preceding each issue.Guidelines are available from theChurch office or from the editor.

Email your submissions or

comments to:

[email protected] subscribe by email, send

your name and email address to:

[email protected]

Presidents message

If we didnt occupy this site, what would our

church be like?

Keith Wilkinson ([email protected])There are many things that UCV hasbrought to my life in recent years forwhich I am grateful opportunities forspiritual, ethical and artistic explora-tion and growth, compassionate en-gagement with the larger world, thepleasure and comfort of a communityof people with whom I can work withhumour and good will, and a physicalsite that is peaceful, beautiful, func-tional and nourishing.

My life has been enriched by thischurchs physical location, and yet Iknow that if UCV were located else-where, Id find spiritual and ethicalnurturance there as well, and knowthat you would, too.

I ponder our sites non-existencebecause a paradox faces us: we operate

from a multi-million dollar site yet arecash-poor a kind of impoverishedreligious aristocracy.

Yes, we are exploring ways to en-hance our economic circumstances by

re-visioning ourselves as an InterfaithSpiritual Arts Centre, attracting like-minded organizations who can sharecosts with us, and perhaps a few verygenerous donors to help us. But what ifwe are unable to attract those verygenerous donors will you and I beamong the many relatively generous

donors that our continuation will re-quire? As an organization that is finan-cially dependent entirely upon ourown resources and resourcefulness,the future really does rest with us. We

will need a combination of skill andfinancial commitment if we are to con-tinue on at our current site.

Increased commitment will be re-quired even in the coming year. Ourcurrent economic circumstances resultfrom the combined good fortune, wis-dom and dedication of several genera-tions of forebears and a surge of in-creased generosity from our currentcongregation in recent years yet stillthis will not be enough, because we

havent been savingexplicitly for theserious maintenancework required onour buildings andgrounds.

Yes, we havesome unrestrictedfunds that we couldapply roughly $200,000 but thatamount wont go far when we examinethe capital expenditures we will needto make in the next few years a newfurnace scheduled for October thisyear and a new roof in a few yearstime would expend most of the exist-ing reserve and leave little cushion forfuture operating deficits. In addition,we need to repair deteriorating walk-

ways, refurbish aging carpets andwalls, and to replace furnishings.

Later this year youll likely beasked, by way of a Capital Campaign,to dig deep again, to do your part to

pay for these necessary (some urgent)capital improvements, in addition tocontinuing generous pledges to coverour operating costs.

Will you be up to it? Will I? Or willwe collectively choose to operate our100-year old community of shared val-ues without our current physical base?

Either way, sacrifices from each of uswill be involved. Itll be up to each oneof us to decide what those will be.

Public art in KelownaImage by Keith Wilkinson


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The BulletinThe BulletinThe BulletinThe BulletinUnitarian Church of Vancouver October 2011 3

One of my (pleasant and challenging) responsibilities as

UCV minister is arranging and scheduling our Adult Reli-gious Education program. In the recent past, our programhas focused on deepening our knowledge of Canadian his-tory and identity (e.g. SaulsA Fair Country), promoting

spiritual practices (e.g. Stoic meditation, and Sunday medi-tation group), and exploring UU history and personal theol-ogy (e.g. Unitarian Transcendentalism, Unitarian History and

Thought, andBuilding Your Own Theology).

This past spring, and now with the coming of autumnand a new church year, we are engaging in a concerted lookat promoting our mental, emotional and physical well-being, both as individuals and as a community - an issue anda reality that touches all of us in one way or another. Thanks

to a generous grant from a UCV member, we have some re-sources to help schedule first-rate speakers and workshopsfocusing on this essential aspect of our personal and com-munity life. In May and June 2011, UCV hosted presenta-tions by award-winning medical journalist Robert Whitaker,author ofAnatomy of an Epidemic: Psychiatric Drugs and the

Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness, B.C. investigative journalist

Robert Wipond, and mental health advocate and therapistWill Hall, host of Pacifica Radio Networks Madness Radio.

Its my pleasure to announce that we are offering a num-ber of first-rate Adult RE classes, groups and events that willcontinue to assist and stretch us in our search and need forenhanced well-being. Let me just give you a run-down of our

fall program:Madness Radio Listening Groupwith Rev. Steven

Epperson. 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 7:30-9:30 pm,starting October 6 in Hitschmanova Room.

Jungian Study Group, with Gail Lyons. Gail is a psy-

chotherapist and advanced candidate in trainingwith the Ontario Assoc. of Jungian Analysts. Thegroup will be studyingJungs Map of the Soul: An In-

troduction by Murray Stein. Most 2nd Wednesdays

in the Fireside Room. 7:30-9:15pm. First class, October 12.

Tai Chi at UCVtaught by Brock

MacLachlan. Brock has practisedtai chi for over twenty-five years under the guidanceof Vancouvers Grand Master Sifu Raymond Chung.Brock will teach the standard 24 tai chi formsthepeoples tai chi. Tuesdays, in the hall in HewettCentre, from 7-9 pm. First session October 11. No

prior experience necessary, for all ages.Restorative Yoga. A calm way to rest, relax and restore

the body, taught by Christy Forman. This gentleyoga approach is for all ages and unique body

shapes. No experience necessary. 2nd

and 4th

Thurs-days from 7:30-9 pm. Lindsey/Priestley Room. Firstsession October 13.

Special Adult RE Event: Horticultural Therapy as a

Spiritual Practice. Dr. Aimee Taylor (guest

speaker) Sunday worship service, October 16,

11 am.

TBA (details coming)Auricular (ear) Acupuncture. An

effective therapy for mental and physical well-being. 1st and 3rd Thursday evenings beforeMadness

Radio Listening Group.

For more information and registration, see the specia

Adult RE section, pp 6-7, or the UCV website (follow the

Adult RE link), or pick up the cool RE brochure at thechurch office or Hewett Hall bulletin board under Adult

Religious Education, or contact:[email protected] .

Heres hoping for a health-full and successful program!Lets take advantage of these fine quality programs, and thushelp better achieve a mentally, emotionally and physicallyhealthy community!

From the ministers workshop

Adult RE Autumn 2011: cultivating a healthy communityRev. Dr. Steven Epperson ([email protected])

Buildings and Grounds is thrilled to announce that the re-placement of the Hewett Centre boiler is underway at longlast. Thank you to the Board for the facilitating motionpassed at the August 16 Board meeting.

Why replace the boiler?

The present boiler is the original, installed in 1964. It islarge, inefficient and expensive to operate. As the sanctuarynow has a separate boiler, Hewett Centre no longer needs

such a large boiler. As well, it isoperating at only 60% effi-ciency.

Waiting for this large, oldboiler to break down has beenlike playing Russian Roulette. Both contractors from whomwe received estimates advise that if the boiler went, it wouldtake weeks to organize demolition, locate and order parts,

(Continued on page 7

Building and Grounds

From the ground up: new boiler for Hewett Centre!Elaine Spilos, Chair


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Library newsElizabeth Murdoch

October 18 23brings theWriters Festival for allyou book lovers! Our ownMaggie de Vries will be participating in

three events. We have books in theUCV library from at least two otherparticipants, Guy Vanderhaeghe andMichael Ondaatje.Recently catalogued materials

Speech at UCV by John Ralston Saulabout his book,A Fair Country(on

CD)I Shall Not Hate: on the Road to

Peace and Human Dignityby Izzeldin

Abuelaish. Abuelaish, a Palestinianobstetrician/ gynecologist who special-

izes in infertility, has an internationalcareer including his work in Toronto.When the Israeli military banned for-eign media from entering Gaza duringthe Gaza War of 2008-09, Abuelaishused his cell phone for live reportage.Three of his daughters and his niece

were killed. His phone call after theirdeaths was broadcast live on YouTube.

What Darwin Never Knew by Sean

B. CarrollChildrens books

The Way to Start a Dayby Byrd

BaylorAdult donations

Bennett Mitten donated The Reli-

gious Case Against Beliefby James B.

Carse and alsoFirst Invaders: the lit-

erary origins of British Columbia by

Alan Twigg.John Omielan donatedA New Reli-

gious Dimension: towards interde-

pendent faiths by Julian Fears (3 cop-

ies). A long term UCV member, Juliandonated his extensive library to theUCV, currently stored in Castellio.

L.P. Stewart donated The Lost Art

of Gratitude by Alexander M. Smith.

Childrens donations

Vi Pilar donatedIm Your Peanut

Butter Big Brother by Selina Alko.

For further information please con-tact Aphrodite Harris, Library Chair

(604-987-5339,[email protected]).

October lunches

Scheduled lunches for October in-clude:October 2. Refugee Committee

(Palestinians)October 9. Refugee Committee

If your group would like to serve alunch please contact Doris at 604 -435-6183.

Arts Committee

Exhibitions in the Sanctuary and

the Fireside RoomCurrently: Catherine Stewart

Oct 16 - Nov 13: Jim Friesen


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Adult RE Fall 2011

Paths to Well-Being

Madness Radio presents voices often marginalized by the media, and takes a critical approach to mental health policy, corpo-

rate marketing, and traditional medical science. It focuses on personal experiences of 'madness' and extreme states of con-sciousness. Each in-depth interview, hosted by mental health activist, Will Hall, features authors, advocates, and researcherson madness-related topics, including Living with Voices, Talking About Suicidal Feelings, Therapy for Psychosis,Unusual Beliefs and Coming Off Meds.

Format: the group will listen to a Madness Radio program, then break into discussion groups: one for peer support,

another for parents, advocates, and for those who just want to learn more.Well meet in Hitschmanova. Child care available at no charge.

Madness Radio Listening GroupWith Rev. Steven Epperson

1st and 3rd ThursdaysStarts October 6, 7:30 - 9:30 pm

Jungian Study GroupWith Gail Lyons, psychotherapist

2nd Wednesdays in the Fireside RoomStarts October 12, 7:30 - 9:15 pm

C.G. Jung has had an enormous impact on how we think about psyche and soul. This seminar will provide an opportunity forbeginners and veterans alike to engage with fundamental concepts of analytical (Jungian) psychology, to discuss them, and to

develop their own stance on Jung and his ideas. We will read and discussJungs Map of the Soul: An Introduction byMurray Stein, former president of the International Association of Analytical Psychology. It will be available for purchase at

Banyen Books for $25 plus tax.For info and registration, please contact Gail at 604-435-9313.

Session dates: Oct. 12, 26, Nov. 9, Dec. 14, Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 14, April 11, May 9, and June 13 & 27.Discussions will be led by Gail Lyons, a psychotherapist in private practice and an advanced candidate in training with the

Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts.

In tai chi, practitioners learn how to bring mind, body and life-force energy (qi) into harmony, and achieve optimal balance,centeredness, body structural integrity and keen mental awareness. Tai chi can be viewed as the ultimate exercise in that itpositively enhances self-awareness. This class is for all ages and body shapes.

Brock MacLachlan has practiced tai chi for over 25 years with Grand Master Sifu Raymond Chung. Brock is well qualifiedfor formal tai chi instruction.

Brock says, I will begin by teaching the standard 24 tai chi form the so-calledpeoples tai chi.

For registration and information, contact [email protected], 604-261-7204.

Tai Chi at UCVWith Brock MacLachlan

Tuesdays in the hall of Hewett CentreStarts October 11, 7 - 9 pm


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With restorative yoga/conscious relaxation, the body can find its way back to health. Safety and support are key in this prac-tice: it calms the body so that a natural relaxation response will support the immune systemwe can come back into bal-ance and health by simply resting. The class focuses on gentle movement, restful supported yoga poses, and breathing andmeditation.

This class is for all ages, types of physical limitations, and unique body shapes. No knowledge of yoga is required. All levelsof experience and flexibility are welcome.

For registration and class materials, contact [email protected] or 604-261-7204.

Restorative yoga teacher Christy Forman has studied yoga for fifteen years and used yoga principles to help her heal fromsports injuries. She is passionate about teaching others how to find health again and has been doing so for the past five years.

A calm way to rest, relax, and restore the physical body

Restorative yogaWith Christy Forman

2nd

and 3th

Thursdays in Lindsey/PriestleyStarts October 13, 7:30 - 9 pm

and install. We would be without any kindof heat for two to three weeks.

If this were to occur in the wintermonths, a replacement could take evenlonger as this is the busy season for furnace

breakdown. We would inconvenience our renters and

jeopardize our rental relationships with them.

Furthermore, the Fortis rebate now available is providedonly if applied for before installation and is not available foran emergency repair.

What kind of boiler are we installing?

The IBC SL 80-399 high efficiency modulating boiler isone of the most modern condensing boilers available. It ismade here in Vancouver where the technical support andstart-up tuning is available from the very people who makethe boiler. This boiler is capable of outputs ranging from399,000 btu down to 80,000 btu a ratio of 5 to 1. This abil-ity was unheard of even a few years ago and contributes dra-matically to its overall efficiency. It is built with all controls

and safety mechanisms integrated right into the boiler

to achieve the efficiency of which it is capable.

(Contd from page(Contd from page(Contd from page(Contd from page 3333, New boiler for Hewett Centre), New boiler for Hewett Centre), New boiler for Hewett Centre), New boiler for Hewett Centre) Although the present hot water heater was only recentlyinstalled, the hot water tank being included is so dramati-cally more efficient when incorporated into the new boilerinstallation, that the payback for it is expected to be on theorder of two years.

The installation also includes the removal of the increas-ingly troublesome zone valves and their replacement with

individual circulating pumps.What are the potential savings?

The savings are 20 to 25% while providing improved heatingof the building. We will be conserving and not wasting

energy.

What is the installation cost?

The estimate is $40,200 plus HST including asbestos re-moval. This is $4,000 less than was anticipated in the 2008Capital Plan.

Many, many thanks to Hans Elfert for all his work on this

initiative. Hans put in many hours researching boilers, studying the estimates, and meeting with the contractors.

The replacement of the boiler is the first and most urgentitem in the new Capital Plan that has been presented to theBoard.

Rev. Laura Imayoshiis pleased to announce she has taken a new job. Her newtitile is Intensive Case Manager for the Towards Aborigi-

nal Health and Healing Program atVancouver Native

Health.

Laura is sorry to leave her former job as an outreachworker for a Women's organization in the Downtown East-side. Luckily, Laura is still working in the neighbourhood

and with many of the same people.Laura welcomes the challenge of this

new position and would love to talk toyou more if you have questions about herwork and how it is connected to this con-gregation.

Laura can be contacted at 604-626-5922, or look for her on Sunday morning.


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Daytimers

Inevitable? or possible?Wanda Justice (604-327-1851)

Using our minds to re-read ourworld: symbols, emotion, memoriesand beliefs.

Join Daytimers in the Fireside

Room for two intriguing discussions

on the designated Thursdays, 11:00am to 2:00 pm. Bring your receptivemind, your ideas and your lunch.

Thursday, October 13.Re-imagining the World. Joan

Armstrong will start us off by reviewing Anthony Weston'sbook,How to Reimagine the World.

Thursday, October 27. Symbolism, Spirituality and

Spooks. Roundtable discussion of folklore, myths, stories and

religious practices.

First Friday Caf

Quotation slamRandall MacKinnon (604-582-IDEA)

Friday, Oct. 7, 7 - 9 pm

Hewett Centre

Bring your own quotes, make some up,or use some generously provided by the First Friday Cafdenizens.

The Refugee CommitteeVirginia Crabill (604-731-9393)

Thank you for your donations made inmemory of our beloved Eva Kief. Our

Treasurer, Huguette, is thankfully recov-

ering from her surgery. Our Co-Chair,Fiona Graham, has stepped aside in order

to attend graduate school, which we'resure she'll do brilliantly.

But the upshot of all this is that we arein urgent need of more help. You don'thave to join, just give us some of your time. For instance, weare currently seeking bigger accommodation for our family

of six, which includes their handicapped teen-age son. Canyou help pick up and deliver donations? Can you visit ourfamilies and help them settle in, learn English and computer

skills, give them a ride to appointments once in a while, ordonate bus passes?

Can you help with our twice-monthly lunches, or attendour donations table in Hewett Centre?

The world is constantly in turmoil, and people becomerefugees when they are stateless. How does this happen? The breakup of countries, such as the former Yugoslav

Federation; Post-colonial formation of new states in Asia and Africa;

Loss of citizenship amid changes after prolonged resi-dence in another country;

Inability to register children at birth in developing coun-tries where government infrastructure is lacking;

Racial and ethnic discrimination in states that excludepeople from citizenship, such as Kurds in Iraq and Rohin-

gya people in Burma; and Discrimination against women in countries in sub-

Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia,where only men can pass citizenship onto children.Please contact me for more information. If you wish to

assist us financially, you can place your gift in a donationenvelope during the service or bring it to the UCV office,with the memoFor the Sheilah Thompson Refugee Fund.

Our meetings are the fourth Sunday of each month, at12:30 pm in Castellio. All are welcome.

Unitarian Music Club

Music for the soulDavid Donaldson

The Unitarian Music Club's second meeting of the churchyear will take place on Monday, October 24, 7:30 pm, in

the sanctuary.The evening will consist of a short informal concert with

performances byTara Bonham and Willy Nilly, and The

Grupa Dunbarov.

The Music Club welcomes all styles of acoustic music andperformances are arranged in advance. If you would like toperform, come and we will set a date.

Everyone is welcome. When you come, please bring acontribution to refreshments.

More information: Jeannie Corsi (604-224-1040,[email protected]) or David Donaldson (604-224-6010, [email protected])

Unitarian Social Club

Saturday night social, on October 6Eva Perjes

The second Saturday of themonth, 6 pm, at UCV.

Come out to eat and so-cialize at a potluck with fel-low Unitarians. Everyone iswelcome families, singles,couples, all ages.

Please bring some food to

share. Bring your boardgames if you like. Contact Eva Perjes (604-873-0770) formore information.


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Environment Committee

BiocharKarl Perrin, Chair

(604-872-7326)

This is the best climate changefix

Ive ever heard of, and its support-ers include some of my climateheroes: James Hansen, JamesLovelock, and Tim Flannery.Obama talked about Carbon Cap-

ture and Storage (CCS) as if it were just around the corner.

There have been some mild successes, e.g., Norways NorthSea oil platforms. CCS usually means catching CO2 in asmokestack, and driving it underground. The problem hasbeen that it can leak back up into the atmosphere. Also, ittakes energy to capture it, move it and cap it. That energycreates more CO2. So thus far, CCS is not a raging success.

Then, along comes this 2010 book by a farmer/teacherAlbert Bates: The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and

Climate Change,with a Foreword by Vandana Shiva, pub-

lished by New Society Publishers, and recommended byMother Earth News. Having just finished the good, but verystraightEarth: The Operators Manual by R.B. Alley, it was

a shock to read the wide-rangingBiochar. Its downright

hippie in comparison - in both the best and worst senses ofthe word.

What is biochar? From Wikipedia: The burning and natu-ral decomposition of trees and agricultural matter contributesa large amount of CO2 being released to the atmosphere. Bio-

char can potentially store this carbon in the ground, poten-

tially making a significant reduction in atmospheric GHG lev-els; at the same time its presence in the earth can improve wa-ter quality, increase soil fertility, raise agricultural productiv-

ity and reduce pressure on old-growth forests.

Biochar can sequester carbon in the soil for hundreds tothousands of years, like coal. Modern biochar is being devel-

oped using pyrolysis to heat biomass in the absence of oxygen

in kilns.

Pyrolysis (heating with low oxygen) produces easily cap-

tured gas and oil by-products, even after some of the gas isused to maintain pyrolysis. So its a win for the farmers, awin for the climate, and a biological source of fuels. It seemsto work best in the tropics, and is low tech and cheap

enough to be used extensively at different scales of produc-tion. Also, unlike organic farming which also sequesterssome carbon in the soil, biochar is measurable, making itpotentially eligible for carbon credit revenue: carbon nega-tive farming.

Johannes Lehmann, of Cornell University, has done a lotof the research and is a leader of the International BiocharInitiative. Watch it grow. (http://www.biochar-international.org/)

The Environment Committee will meet on Sun. Oct. 9, at12:30 pm in Lindsey-Priestley. All are welcome.

Social Justice Committee

Inequality:

The biggest obstacle to sustainabilityHanno PinderHanno PinderHanno PinderHanno Pinder

On June 13, I attended a very well-organized and informa-tive forum entitledInequality: The Biggest Obstacle to Sustain

ability.

The invited key-note speakerwas writer Linda McQuaig who

co-authored the bookThe Trou-

ble with Billionaireswith tax

law professor, Neil Brooks. Theforum was organized by LangaraCollege Continuing Studies, andthe Social Justice Committee ofthe Unitarian Church of Vancou-ver was among the sponsors.

Linda lived up to her reputa-tion as a lively and informative speaker. All her argumentswere well researched and clearly presented. Among hermain points: In the last thirty years, more and more of the nations

wealth has been accumulated at the top, while the middleclass has stagnated.

Too much wealth at the top is bad for democracy, since itallows the rich to buy influence and shape policies moreand more to their advantage.

Lack of buying power in the middle class stunts the econ-

omy, and is directly related to bad health, addiction andteen pregnancies.

Inequality is not mentioned in the media often enough.Poverty is deplored, but the connection to the immoralincomes at the top is rarely pointed out, mainly becauseWall Street remains dominant and keeps up the "greed isgood" idea.

Hence a need to substantially increase the tax rate for thetop earners is necessary.Several other speakers ably gave their version of the

topic, and the participants had ample time for debates insmall groups.

In these debates I noticed that the facts presented by

Linda were not common knowledge for many, and most felt

enriched by the experience and better equipped to take upthe struggle for more just taxation.

The Social Justice Committee is planning a year-longprogram (forums, presentations and films) on the themeof inequality. We will examine the theme of inequality inCanada and its causes including government policies andgrowth of corporate domination as well as its impacts onhealth, housing, employment, poverty, environment andpublic services.

For further information and to get involved, pleasecontact Leslie Kemp ([email protected] , 604-877-1720).


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Sun. 2 12:30 1:30 pm. Forum, FiresideThurs. 6 7:30 9:30 pm. ARE: Madness Radio

Group, Hitschmanova

Fri. 7 7 9 pm. First Friday Caf, FiresideSat. 8 6 10 pm. UCV Social Group, HallSun. 9 12:30 1:30 pm. Forum, FiresideMon. 10 7 9:30 pm. Sacred Circle Dancing,

FiresideTues. 11 7 9 pm. ARE: Tai Chi, Hewett CentreWed. 12 7:30 9:15 pm. ARE: Jungian Study

Group, FiresideThurs. 13 11 2 pm. Daytimers, FiresideThurs. 13 7:30 9 pm. ARE: Restorative Yoga,

Lindsey-PriestleySun.16 12:30 1:30 pm. Forum, Fireside

Sun. 16 1 3 pm. UCV Book Club, Lindsey-PriestleyTues. 18 7 9 pm. ARE: Tai Chi, Hewett CentreThurs. 20 7:30 9:30 pm. ARE: Madness Radio

Group, HitschmanovaFri. 21 6:30 10 pm. Philosophers Cafe, FiresideSun. 23 12:30 1:30 pm. Forum, FiresideMon. 24 7:30 9:30 pm. UCV Music Club,

SanctuaryTues. 25 7 9 pm. ARE: Tai Chi, Hewett CentreWed. 26 7:30 9:15 pm. ARE: Jungian Study

Group, FiresideThurs. 27 7:30 9 pm. ARE: Restorative Yoga,

Lindsey-PriestleyThurs. 27 11 2 pm. Daytimers, FiresideSun. 30 12:30 1:30 pm. Forum, Fireside

UCV Calendar October

UCV ForumsMary Bennett

Sundays,

12:30-1:30 pm in the Fireside Room.

All are welcome.

October 9

UCVs food program

past and future

Jocelyne Hamel , Exec. Dir. MPNH

Connie Wigmore, Family Cooks

UCV has had a long history in address-ing the needs of low-income familiesthrough the provision of food pro-grams.

We partnered for many years withthe Greater Vancouver Food Bankto

provide a food bank for single parents.

This evolved into an innovativeprogram, Our Childrens Table, which

provided nutritious food to womenand a Mother Goose literacy programfor their young children.

The latest iteration is a partnershipwith the Mount Pleasant Neighbour-hood House (MPNH) in a communitykitchen program, Family Cooks. Find

out more about this new programwhich starts Sept 29.

October 23

Why choice in dying:Let's look at the facts.

Wanda Morris

Join Wanda Morris fromDying With

Dignityfor an enlightening presenta-

tion and discussion of our rights andneeds as we approach the ends of ourlives.

Building Community, Coming Home

BC fall gathering, October 21 - 23 in KelownaHosted by: the Unitarian Fellowships of Kelowna

& Kamloops, at UBC Kelowna campus.

Visitwww.cuc.ca for details.

Featuring three streams:Building community, coming home: the

power of music in worship. Music and singing

are powerful tools for spiritual well being, and for the quality of worship ser-vices. Join vocalist and ethnomusicologist Samantha Taylor and Rev. Wendy

McNiven to explore the ways that we can deepen the nature of this practice in

our lives and Sunday service experiences.Keep the homefires burning: canvasses, campaigns and congrega-

tional stewardship. Money is an important part of our communal lives, allow-ing us to serve the need for liberal religion. How do we raise enough to be ef-fective congregations? Or foster a culture of generosity within our communi-ties? Join CUCs professional fundraiser, Kathleen Provost, for a thought-provoking look at 21st century stewardship. Bring a team!

Home is where the heart is: homelessness in BC. This stream will look at

different aspects of homelessness and ways we can work to reduce it. Join so-cial planning consultant and homelessness advocate, Robyn Newton, Rev. Ste-ven Epperson and others to explore and collaborate on next steps in our socialaction commitment in British Columbia.

Please see Page 4 for more details.

UBC Okanagan campus

Bulletin Oct 2011

Documents