Tag Archive for: Nature

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Gardening: Invasive Species

Did you know that many invasive species are available from your local garden store as ornamental plants? And by planting them in your garden you can inadvertently release them into the wild? Learn more about how invasive species impact biodiversity, what to look out for, and what gardeners can do to help.

Join Adrian Avendano, executive director of the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver for an informative evening.

This will be presented in person at the library or online via Zoom. Please note, the presentation will not be recorded.

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Climate Friendly Homes Tour

Visit Climate Friendly Homes in New Westminster to see firsthand what people are doing to make their homes more comfortable and climate friendly.

What is a Climate Friendly Home? A Climate Friendly Home is an energy-efficient home that has been built or retrofit to reduce the energy demand and carbon emissions of the building. Whether it reaches higher steps of the BC Energy and Zero Carbon Step Codes, uses the most efficient heating, cooling and hot water systems or has an improved building envelope with added insulation and highly efficient windows, a Climate Friendly Home can have lots of features that make the home more sustainable, comfortable to live in, cheaper to operate, and more!

Check out homes in New Westminster and see which homes you would like to visit on the tour.

You may also like to check out the Sustainable Home Info Sessions which is a special event during the Climate Friendly Homes Tour.

Please note, there is no event AT the New Westminster Public Library around the Climate Friendly Homes Tour or the Sustainable Home Information Sessions. Follow the links to register, find the addresses, and tour the homes out in the community. This event is being promoted as part of the NWPL’s Earth Week programming.

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Sustainable Homes Information Sessions

The Sustainable Home Info Sessions is a project of the New Westminster Climate Action Hub (NWCAH) and is an affiliated special event in the Climate Friendly Homes Tour. At homes in Glenbrook North, Queens Park, Victory Massey Heights and Brow of the Hill, sessions will be provided by local experts on topics ranging from increasing biodiversity, stormwater management, building electrification, how to stay safe in significant heat events, and how the City of New Westminster can support retrofits. There will be something for everyone as information for all housing types including apartments and condos, and solutions suitable for owners and tenants will be provided.

Registration (free) is required for Sustainable Home Info Sessions. Click here (and scroll down). Tickets are limited so register now.

For those who want to bike between these sites, secure bike storage will be provided. Additionally, HUB Cycling New West is leading a bike tour of the homes, and you can register for their (free) event here.

 

Sustainable Home Info Sessions are being held in collaboration with the City of New Westminster  and under the umbrella of the BC Climate Friendly Homes Tour. It is being supported by the Cariboo Heights Forest Preservation Society, HUB Cycling, Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, and ReGenerateBC.

 

Please note, there is no event AT the New Westminster Public Library around the Sustainable Home Information Sessions or the Climate Friendly Homes Tour. Follow the links to register, find the addresses, and tour the homes out in the community. This event is being promoted as part of the NWPL’s Earth Week programming.

Gardening: Living Compost

Living compost is more than just an organic fertilizer; it is a dynamic ecosystem filled with diverse microorganisms that promote plant growth and enhance soil resilience. In this workshop, you will learn how to identify high-quality compost, understand what makes it “alive,” tap into the potential of its microscopic workforce to improve the health and productivity of your garden, and help the climate by capturing more carbon in your soil! This session is ideal for urban gardeners, empowering you to make informed choices and transform your soil into a thriving, life-supporting habitat.

Our instructor for this session is Jo Tobias from RootShoot Soils, who specializes in natural management of soil health.

This session will be presented live in person and be broadcast via Zoom. All registered participants will receive the Zoom link. Unfortunately the presentation will not be recorded.

 

This event is part of our Earth Week programming

Gardening: Starting Seeds

January is the time to get going on your garden! Join us to learn how to start seeds for your home garden. You will save money and can have a steady supply of seedlings to plant outside.

With her seed starting technique using vermiculite, expert home gardener, Gail Felton achieves consistent, predictable results that are flexible and easy to accomplish at home. This is a hands-on session where you’ll get a chance to try the technique yourself and get your garden started. We will start seeds for lettuce, tomatoes, sweet peppers and basil. This is an excellent session for beginner gardeners and more experienced gardeners will learn some tips too!

 

**In preparation for this session, please save and bring some clean takeout sauce containers with lids (small plastic containers that ginger or dipping sauce come in). You will start your seeds in these containers and can take home again.**

 

This is a hands-on session, so Zoom attendance will be less satisfactory. Although the Zoom option will be offered, please consider coming in person.

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Climate Solutions Movie Night – What Does 2040 Look Like?

Join us as we watch 2040, a visual letter from the filmmaker to his 4-year old daughter, about what her adult life could look like in 2040. Which climate solutions will he focus on? His only rule is that the solutions must be real and available now, not fantasy or prediction.

This film is perfect for families but it is not a children’s movie, so everyone ages 8+ can learn and enjoy. Teachers have rated it as a great tool for grades 3 and up. It is hopeful AND realistic.

Ages 8+. Popcorn provided, bring your own bowl!

 

This session is provided by the New Westminster Climate Action Hub.

This event is part of BC Library Association’s Climate Action Week, a province-wide initiative to highlight the ways communities and libraries are taking action in the climate crisis. Check out all the climate action events at the New Westminster Public Library from November 2-8! nwpl.ca/climate

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Climate Mis- and Disinformation

Put on your detective hat to connect the dots in climate mis- and disinformation campaigns. In this interactive session you’ll learn how to find and identify anti-science talking points and trace them to their root sources – individuals, think tanks, advertorials, media and more. Leave the workshop empowered to speak up about climate misinformation and actively support the majority of Canadians pushing for meaningful climate action.

 

This session is delivered by a member of the New Westminster Climate Action Hub, Jennifer Nathan. Jennifer shares over 30 years of climate activism with a depth of knowledge augmented by her science teaching background.  She has experience as a park naturalist, in working on the legal aspects of climate justice, as a guest speaker at many events and projects.  (see https://gooderhamnathan.com/about-us/ for more information about her legal experience).

Ages 14+

 

This event is highly interactive and so in-person attendance is recommended. A hybrid link will be provided to all registrants but in-person attendance is preferred.

This event is part of BC Library Association’s Climate Action Week, a province-wide initiative to highlight the ways communities and libraries are taking action in the climate crisis. Check out all the climate action events at the New Westminster Public Library from November 2-8! nwpl.ca/climate

Gardening: Seed Cleaning & Bulky Seed Exchange

If you grew seeds in your garden this summer, join us for a hands-on seed cleaning event to get your newly harvested seeds ready for storage (or donation to our seed library). We will be threshing, winnowing, screening and sorting seeds of all types. Bring your seed material from your garden to clean together and consider donating your extras to the seed library!

If you have large quantities of bulky seeds or have divided some bulbs and have some to share, bring them to the event in an informal sharing of your crops.

Meet outdoors in the parking lot at the Main Branch – weather dependent. If it’s pouring rain we’ll be inside in the Auditorium, but it may not be possible to do such messy work inside!

Bring seeds to clean, seeds and bulbs to share, and some small bags or envelopes to take new seeds home again.

Gardening: Seed Saving

Learn how to save seeds from your garden (to keep for next year or to donate to the NWPL Seed Library!) with gardening educator, Siri van Gruen. Learn the basics of the science of isolation, plant selection, ripening and harvesting techniques and save a bountiful crop of seeds for vegetables, herbs and flowers!

Bring your questions.

Program will be offered in person and will be streamed online via Zoom. All registrants will receive the Zoom link prior to the workshop.

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Urban Safari Rescue Society (All Ages)

See real live insects, reptiles, and amphibians up close in this introduction to the vast world of animals! We will also learn about why keeping these beautiful creatures as pets is not always a good idea. Children age 8 and under must have an adult participate with them. Drop-in.