Wow - thank you for the shout out amidst such a powerful piece!

The information below discusses residential schools and survivors, and may be triggering to some readers. Support is made available to survivors and their families 24 hours a day at the Indian Residential School Survivors Society’s crisis line at 1–866–925–4419.

There are resources after the letter about what Non-Indigenous people can do.

A few days ago I published a version of this letter on my personal facebook page and received a lot of positive feedback from friends, both Native and non-Native. I share it here in the spirit of making positive change, sooner.

Dear Canadian tax payers (and anyone clinging to…

[You can listen to the full audio version of this story HERE. (Note: working on the sound quality issues at SoundCloud…)]

This is a rough draft of a story about events that take place in the year 2035, inspired by what’s already happening in 2021.

There’s a lot more I, B. Lorraine Smith, could say but I am probably not the best person to explain from my limited perspective.

I think it’s wiser if I let Bethany Edwards take it from here.

CONTENTS

1. Market Square Dance

2. Project TT-25

3. He Couldn’t Breathe

4. CEE’s Seed (Funding)

5. When Data Met Tomato

6. CEE Change

7. Tomatic Justice

8. Real Tomato Pace

9. Smart Food Is As Smart Phone Does

10. Ring The Bells That Still Can Ring

Epilogue: Heading Home

Characters

Timeline

Thanks

1. Market Square Dance

This post originally appeared on my blog on January 6, 2021.

The long run

One day in October 2020 I went for a run along the St. Lawrence River. My plan was to explore its banks more closely than I could zooming past in a car or train, and to hold a few questions as I went. Not expecting any particular answers, I wasn’t surprised when I heard less from the river and more from the trees clinging to its banks. Specifically I heard a lot from the Staghorn Sumacs (Rhus typhina). I’ll share some of what I found out…

This post originally appeared on my blog on June 14, 2020.

A conversation with friends late last year keeps coming back to me. We were talking about the global youth climate strikes in which Greta Thunberg had emerged as a celebrity figure. My friend Chuck reflected, “People want her to be the next Messiah. But this is a time when we all need to be messianic.”

Chuck’s comment brought into focus something that has been tugging on my mind for a while now: the relationship between the regenerative economy and the concept of religion. …

[This article originally appeared on the blog on May 8, 2020]

After a presentation I gave about the regenerative economy in São Paulo, Brazil last September I was approached by an enthusiastic gentlemen named Leandro Santos. He claimed to know of an example of a large company that had a lot of the regenerative characteristics I had just described, and he was keen to tell me all about it.

As the event was mostly attended by people from heavy industry, a cohort not typically known for its restorative impacts, I probably had a slightly skeptical look on my face. …

I hope this finds you well. Thank you for publishing your letter to CEOs earlier this year. You made a compelling case to take the risks of climate change seriously.

Your letter created a stir. I am involved in corporate reporting projects with publicly listed companies and I have seen firsthand: you have fueled an appetite for greater disclosure. Fortunately a lot of people were already pushing for this from within companies, so in many cases your note put wind in their sails by catching the attention of their executives and investor relations departments, validating years of effort.

If I’m…

[This article originally appeared on the blog on Jan 15, 2020]

“Where do you think I can make the most positive difference in my work?” It’s a common question these days, growing in urgency.

I have more questions than answers in response when I get asked this. I recently found a memo to myself that I sketched out last year trying to answer this question in a shareable way, ever on the lookout for shortcuts. Then I got busy with other stuff. …