Tag Archive for: Nature

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Mad Love for the World: What We Can Do About the Climate Crisis

Do you wonder what actually goes on at those international climate conferences? What role do ordinary citizens play? How are voices heard? And whose voices are the ones that shape policy? How can we make sure that justice as at the heart of climate action?

Emilie Smith will be speaking about her four month pilgrimage (by bus, train, boat, burro and bicycle) to last years’ UN climate conference, COP30 in Belem, Brazil. She is also just back from the first conference for the transition away from fossil fuels which happened April 27-28 in Santa Marta Colombia. She was one of four women from the inter-faith sector selected to attend the entire conference, including the high level inter-governmental negotiations.

Emilie is a poet, pilgrim and an Anglican priest (she was the rector of New Westminster’s St. Barnabas from 2013-until March 1 this year). She retired in order to work full-time in coming alongside communities fighting for a new way forward beyond the climate crisis.

Emilie knows that “We are the Answer” to the climate crisis, but has questions about which “we is we”? Come for a stimulating, engaging, thoughtful, and provocative time.

 

  Emilie on her burro on her COP30 pilgrimage.

 

 

This program will be offered in person at the library and streamed online via Zoom. All registered attendees will receive the Zoom link shortly before the program date.

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Greening Our Communities: Taking Local Action

By incorporating nature into our urban infrastructure, we increase biodiversity, and make communities cleaner, greener, healthier, and safer in the face of extreme weather events such as heat domes and atmospheric rivers. We need to move from cities that contain nature to cities embedded in nature. Join us at this informative session to learn about what that means in practise!

 

Michelle Sheardown is a RegenerateBC facilitator from North Vancouver. She has a professional background in economics, law, and education. Michelle regularly presents on climate solutions to groups on the North Shore, including hosting a monthly session at her local library in Lynn Valley. Michelle enjoys daily walks in the nearby forest with her dog and tending to her rewilded garden.

 

This presentation will be in person at the library or online via Zoom. All registered attendees will receive the Zoom link.

 

Gardening: Planning for Your Seed Garden

If you want to collect seeds from your garden, you should do a bit of planning before the growing season starts. But what kind of things do you need to plan or track? What’s the best way to grow your garden in order to both enjoy the produce and get some seeds?  Siri van Gruen will help demystify some of the planning that goes into producing seed, either to keep for yourself or to donate (to the NWPL Seed Library!). Join us to help plan for your seed garden!

 

This event will take place in person at the NWPL Main Branch, and streamed live via Zoom. All registered attendees will receive the Zoom link. The presentation will not be recorded.

Gardening: Houseplant Glow Up

While the weather might still be too nasty to do much in your outdoor space, January is a great time to give your house plants some love! Learn what plants like and don’t like this time of year, best practices for repotting, rearranging, pruning and propagating. Join Carole Forsythe to give your house plants the best possible start to 2026! Bring your questions.

This event will be in person at the Main Branch, New Westminster Public Library, or online via Zoom. All registered attendees will receive the Zoom link. Unfortunately the session will not be recorded.

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Talking Climate: How to Have Conversations that Connect

Did you know that a broad majority of Canadians are alarmed or concerned about climate change and that having conversations with our neighbours about climate solutions is one of the best ways to alleviate some of this anxiety? But how do you start those conversations? What if you feel you don’t know enough, or don’t know your neighbours well enough to begin? Join Karen Crosby and Kristen Andrews from the New Westminster Climate Action Hub to learn about how to start. She’ll share best practices for starting solutions-focused conversations and talk about her own journey as a climate communicator.

Here’s to trying new things in the new year and creating community along the way!

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Mayor’s Youth Climate Leadership Team

Join together with Mayor Patrick Johnstone and members of the Youth Climate Leadership Team to learn about this innovative process, the project the team activated, and how the city is supporting their efforts. There will be a chance to ask questions and find out next steps.

 

Light refreshments will be served.

 

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 1-7! nwpl.ca/climate

Gardening: Garlic

Grow your best garlic ever! Join us to learn garlic secrets and best practices and how you can cultivate this culinary essential in your garden space. Gail Felton will discuss all the stages of garlic growth, different cultivars, how to increase garlic yields and what pitfalls to avoid. Bring your questions!

 

This session will take place in person at the New Westminster Public Library and online via Zoom. All registered participants will receive the Zoom link.

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.

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Gardening: Backyard Butterflies

Learn how you can attract butterflies and moths to your garden or patio! These special visitors play a crucial role in pollination and as a food source for birds. Neill McCallum will show us which plants butterflies and moths love and how to keep your garden safe for them. He’ll also talk about the lifecycle of these winged friends and special needs they have at all stages. Neill is a butterfly ranger with the Butterflyway Project which seeks to build safe habitat for butterflies in our urban environments. Neill is also a science educator, so feel free to bring teens and kids along – a very family friendly topic!

 

This session will be live in person and streamed live via Zoom. All registrants will receive the Zoom link. Unfortunately it will not be recorded.

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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.