FRIDAY JUNE 23, 2017 VOL. 43, NO. 23
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Strawberry Tea
A delicious weekend at the Little Red Church
Salmonids in the Classroom
Congratulations to the Bowen Blue Jays, the new West Van Little League Minor B Champs. The team won the Friday semi-final 9-4 and the finals on Saturday 8-4 at Cypress Falls in West Van. Back row from left: Wendy Cellik, Clive Scarff, Andy Behm Second row from left: Saran Juneja, Ty Kenney, Rhory Behm, Dominic McCrae, Ryan Champoux Front row from left: Will Scarff, Jack Bentall, Obi Son, Callaghan Konyha, Atom Brooke, Ewan Buchanan Missing: Pablo Dawe photo submitted
Zoom Zoom Bowen goes carbon positive MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
Zoom Zoom Bowen owner and operator Jamie Woodall says that she wants every business she runs to be as ethical as possible. This week, her commitment to that statement was confirmed by achieving the status of “carbon positive.” Woodall says that looking at environmental and carbon emissions seemed like the obvious route for a business that rented out scooters, particularly considering many people wanted her to rent out e-bikes - an option she says did not make sense for a variety of reasons. Last summer, Woodall started talking with islander Jae Mather, a director of the Carbon Free Group, about how to make the necessary improvements. “I encouraged her to go above and beyond in terms of impact reduction,” he says. “Making no impact on the environ-
Vegan delight
Cuts to decades-old program reversed
ment is not enough, at this point. Human beings need to start making a positive, regenerative impact on the environment to make up for the damage that’s already been done.” Mather says that the term carbon positive is commonly used in Europe, but is not so common here. He says he was pleased to find the Vancouver-based company Offsetters, was working towards this goal last year. “I worked with them to get the first carbon positive certification for a North American business,” says Mather. “So having a relationship with them combined with their understanding of the publicity resulting from working with Zoom Zoom Bowen, they were willing to undertake the job of making this small company carbon positive. Offsetting just a few tonnes of carbon, as Zoom Zoom is doing, doesn’t give Offsetters much opportunity to make a profit.” Mather adds that offsetting can be a contentious practice within the sustainability community, but one that he sees the continued P5 value in.
Carrie Wheeler’s tofu bahn mi and more
Sixteen yearold swimmer circumnavigates Bowen MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
At 6:45am on Saturday morning, sixteen year-old Emily Epp got in the water at Snug Cove to start on a journey that would bring her a deep understanding of the difference between swimming in the ocean, and swimming in a lake. Her coach, Brent Hobbs, has swum around Bowen several times himself and coached numerous other English Channel hopefuls to do the same, and says that the conditions Epp faced were the toughest he’s seen. “Out of Snug Cove, Emily swam towards Finisterre Island and as she came around the Bowen’s west side a south-easterly came out of nowhere and brought huge waves,” says Hobbs. “We couldn’t have timed a more perfect swim to prepare her for what she’ll face crossing the English Channel.” Epp is currently scheduled to swim the channel some time between July 14 - 21, when there will be the least difference in the tides highest and lowest points. Hobbs says that the two preparation swims he recommends for people planning to swim around Bowen are the Straight of Georgia and around Bowen. “Conditions around Bowen are comparable especially when you get near Cape Roger Curtis and Cowan Point,” he says. “The difference is, swimming around Bowen is one of the most beautiful swims you can do, there’s something new to look at around every corner. When you swim the English Channel, all there is to look at is big ships, jellyfish that sting, and eventually, France.” Epp says that she was nervous going in to the swim around Bowen, as she had never completed a swim of more than 6.5 hours, and those were in Lake Okanagan. “It was just around the 6.5 hour mark that the waves started getting really big,” she says. “I learned that waves that big actually make me nauseous. Feeling sick did really bring down my energy level, so after that, I just took it really slow.” She adds that highlights of her swim around Bowen include being trailed by a pack of five seals at the beginning, having two more swim alongside her later on, and also encountering a porpoise. Emily Epp’s swim across the English Channel is a fundraiser for Canuck House, a children’s hospice in Vancouver. The Bowen Island Legion has already donated $150. If you would like to supprt her go to: http://events.canuckplace.org/ goto/EmilyEpp