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  • 25 Jul 2025 10:00 AM | Anonymous

    Book Review 

    The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer 

    After reading the author’s flagship title, Braiding Sweetgrass, this slim volume was a natural segue. This small hardcover book has only 112 pages and is a narrative guide to how gift economies successfully operate, in contrast to modern day economies which extol fierce capitalism, hoarding, the creation of scarcity and unlimited economic growth.

    The eponymous shrub, the serviceberry, aka shadbush or saskatoon, provides gifts of soil stabilization, shelter for birds and small animals, food for caterpillars, browsers and other plant herbivores; flowers with nectar for birds and insects, and tasty, nutritious reddish-purple berries to fill the bellies of birds, bears, badgers, rodents, deer and humans. The seeds of the berries are excreted by those who eat them, and the species can thus spread its range and flourish anew. Everybody participates and everybody benefits.

    Indigenous cultures have long used the Honourable Harvest as a way for accepting and using gifts from the land – be it water, grain, wood, fish, berries, seeds or edible plants. As a result of taking only what one needs and sharing with others, and ensuring the bounty remains for future generations, the people protect the wellbeing of themselves and the land that sustains them. In a world obsessed with consumption, acquisition and where many are heedless to the consequences, Kimmerer offers hope and practical suggestions for those ecologically-sensitive individuals who could otherwise be left despairing for the future of our Earth.

    I recommend this easy read: it will leave you with a sense of joy and purpose, and a new appreciation for the hardworking and humble serviceberry.

    Written by Laurie Smith, Gaia College Instructor

    Kimmerer, R.W., (2024). The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, Scribner, New York, NY

  • 16 Jul 2025 7:37 AM | Julia Dupuis (Administrator)

    Stringy, sticky polymers extracted from sliced okra and blended fenugreek seeds can trap microplastics in a variety of water sources. Read more from The Dirt News: https://thedirt.news/fenugreek-and-okra-can-remove-microplastics-from-water/

  • 28 May 2025 10:31 AM | Julia Dupuis (Administrator)

    Hélène Chartier, Director of Urban Planning and Design at C40 Cities, discusses why urban planners can the best climate activists. Read the full article from Evergreen: https://www.evergreen.ca/stories/c40s-helene-chartier-on-how-urban-planners-can-be-the-best-climate-activists/

  • 26 Feb 2025 9:55 AM | Julia Dupuis (Administrator)

    You may have already seen what happened when wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. But a 20 year study has allowed researchers to dive deeper into the effects of apex predators and better understand their impact on the whole ecosystem. Read the full article: https://www.livescience.com/animals/land-mammals/reintroducing-wolves-to-yellowstone-helped-entire-ecosystem-thrive-20-year-study-finds?utm_term=0D91C092-D416-4EF1-87AF-48F324AD52D3&lrh=19917ed234756cf8a0484e3923cfb5a0866c42a132a64f04b0aca9950bba4647&utm_campaign=368B3745-DDE0-4A69-A2E8-62503D85375D&utm_medium=email&utm_content=513D6FA7-397D-466D-9167-7DEC142BE2BB&utm_source=SmartBrief

  • 18 Feb 2025 9:47 AM | Julia Dupuis (Administrator)

    Bacterial cellulose has been found to enhance plant healing. Read how the discovery was made: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bacteria-band-aid-plants-heal-wounds

    Article is available with free account. 

  • 14 Feb 2025 11:28 AM | Julia Dupuis (Administrator)

    Gaia College instructors and staff will be busy in the coming weeks with workshops and tradeshows. Come find us to say hi!
     
    BCRPA Professional Pathways Tradeshow: https://www.bcrpa.bc.ca/conferences/
    Michael Hermary will be at the Tradeshow on February 27.

    Seedy Saturday: https://seeds.ca/events/
    Christina Cook will be at Victoria (February 15) and Julia Dupuis at Ottawa (March 1)

    Soil Amendments: What and When with Christina Cook: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/soil-amendments-what-and-when-tickets-1060300500339 

    Tips and Tricks of Starting Seeds with Jennifer Burns-Robinson: https://www.gaiacollege.ca/webinars

    Landscape Design Workshop with Annette Vierling: https://www.specialtygardens.ca/

    Native Seeds with Laurie Smith: https://www.gaiacollege.ca/webinars

  • 12 Feb 2025 10:49 AM | Julia Dupuis (Administrator)

    You've probably never heard of Prochlorococcus bacteria. These little workers are an important part of our planet, create 10 to 20 percent of the atmosphere's oxygen.  Researchers in Spain have recently learned that these microscopic bacteria are actually connected to one another, building bridges to support life on Earth. 

    Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/life-on-earth-depends-on-networks-of-ocean-bacteria/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

  • 10 Feb 2025 11:05 AM | Julia Dupuis (Administrator)

    The efficient conversion of solar energy into storable forms of chemical energy is the dream of many engineers. Nature found a perfect solution to this problem billions of years ago. The new study shows that quantum mechanics is not just for physicists but also plays a key role in biology. Read more: https://www.tum.de/en/news-and-events/all-news/press-releases/details/quantum-mechanics-helps-with-photosynthesis

  • 19 Dec 2024 2:23 PM | Julia Dupuis (Administrator)

    Eukaryotic microorganisms, protists, play fundamentals roles in Earth's ecosystem. This review outlines why protists matter to the understanding of the global ecosystem and the challenges of predicting species resilience and fragility to climate change. Read the full article: https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-024-02077-8

  • 19 Dec 2024 2:10 PM | Julia Dupuis (Administrator)

    Veteran and ancient trees are important species for maintaining biodiveristy in various habitats. But their value depends on tree related microhabitats, and as veteran trees are lost so are these tree-related microhabitats. Read the full article here: https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/icad.12785

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