What did you do for the earth this year? Earth Day 2023 was last Saturday.
What did we do? We bought an electric car. Mind you, we’re not bragging. We just feel very, very grateful. Our little 2009 Honda Fit was not very fit anymore, with some 500,000 kilometres on it. We ordered our new car in January 2023; it arrived 13 months later.
Our Hyundai dealer says people who order an Ionic 5 today have a two- or three-year-wait. The tide has turned away from fossil fuels. We wonder when our business and governmental infrastructure will catch up.
We’re very happy with our car. We are glad networks of recharging stations are quickly developing in Quebec and Canada; we hope our neighbouring country catches up. Hydro-Québec seems to be on board; in its 10th year of development, their circuit électrique has more than 4,000 charging stations, including 700 fast-charging stations. Our online research tells us a recharge is cheaper in Quebec than anywhere in North America. So far, we’ve paid less than $4 out of pocket. In a few months, we’ll be able to tell you what impact our own private charging station has on our Hydro bill.
We are gratified our car tells us if we have enough charge to reach our destination, and points out where we can find stations along the way. Having this information at our fingertips prevents the “range anxiety” we have had in a gas-powered car, not knowing exactly how many kilometres an almost-empty tank would carry us. But what gratifies us the most is knowing we’re helping curb, at least a bit, the nefarious effect human activities have on our earth.
EVERY DAY
Every day is Earth Day for those who strive to protect vitally important land and water. This Sunday, April 30, at 4:30 p.m., Amnesty Canada offers a free virtual event of stories from three earth heroes.
First, Juana Zuniga and her community in Honduras, who risk their lives to protect the Guapinol River from an iron ore operation. Next, Rosa Marina Flores Cruz, an Afro-Zapoteca in Oaxaca, Mexico, who combats mega-projects that rob Indigenous peoples and violate their human rights. And finally, Chief Na’Moks, one of five Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs who are resisting the Coastal GasLink’s pipeline. To register, visit amnesty.ca/what-you-can-do/events/.
VOLUNTEER ADVENTURES
Officially, April 16 to 22 was Volunteer Week. It’s good to celebrate volunteers, but let’s not forget that volunteers are hard at work every week of the year. In Canada, more than 24 million people volunteered in 2018, contributing about 5 billion hours, equaling more than 2.5 million full-time year-round jobs.
Real-life stories of adventures in volunteering populate the April issue of the Townships Sun. A few titles: Involuntary Volunteers, by John Mackley. Giving on Hands and Knees, by Marie Moliner. The Power of Women, by Deborah Dimitruk and Janet Watson.
Who are the volunteers who make Meals on Wheels happen at Community Aid? Read Helpers in Plain Sight, by Alden Chorush. Remember Bernie Epps? See his keen wit and artistic talent in a spoof-organigram about the Townships Sun volunteers of 1981. See Janet Cowan Weber’s fine photos of volunteer (wild) orchids in the Marlington Bog, and read about the human volunteers who preserve them.
Read the revelations of volunteers young and old, and do it now before April is replaced by the May issue at the Cookshire IGA and the Lachanche store in Sawyerville.
LEARN FROM YSKL
YSKL stands for Townshipper Yong Sook Kim-Lambert. Her powerful paintings and prints on the theme, Meditation between two Cultures, are on exhibit until May 20 at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, 125 Principale West, Cookshire. The gallery is open weekends, noon to 4 p.m., and by appointments on weekdays (email galeriecookshireeaton@gmail.com).
“By incorporating Korean words into my paintings, I place the viewer in a position similar to my situation as an immigrant; one who was confronted with yet another new foreign language upon choosing to settle permanently in Canada,” she writes.
Kim-Lambert is offering two workshops at the gallery, both of them free of charge, in both French and English. They are the next two Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon.
The first, April 29, is on monotype printmaking. Monotypes are unique prints that may explore an image serially, using reusable gel printing plates and acetate films without a large expensive press. Participants will use a variety of cut-out forms to create abstract works. Base colours are provided, but participants may also bring their favourite acrylic colours.
The second workshop, on May 6, is an introduction to the Hangul Alphabet. The story behind this? King Sejong the Great is considered one of the most outstanding Korean rulers of the Choson Kingdom, often called the Golden Age, spanning the years 1392 to 1910. As a Confucian, he placed great importance on education. In 1444, he introduced Hangul, a new script especially created for the Korean language. It is often cited as the most logical system of writing; easy to learn. This could be an intriguing window through which to view Kim-Lambert’s artworks.
Space is limited for both these workshops, so register in advance at galeriecookshireeaton@gmail.com. Visit Kim-Lambert’s website at ykimlambert.com to see more of her artwork.
CHURCHES
Anglican. In-person Sunday services are 11 a.m. every first and third Sunday of the month, starting May 7, at the St. Peter’s Anglican Church, 45 Principale West, Cookshire. For details, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Sunday services are at 9:30 a.m. at the Trinity United Church in Cookshire, and at 11 a.m. at the Sawyerville United Church. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. In-person Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. All services are at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by May 1st for publication May 10.