January Newsletter: Sharing Gratitude & Excitement for 2024!
Happy New Year! We hope you had a memorable holiday season and a positive start to 2024. At Be the Change, we are energized and excited for the year ahead!
Be the Change’s Youth Blog Series highlights blogs written by university student interns at Be the Change Earth Alliance. In the blogs, the interns reflect on their experience completing “Action Packs,” which are learning resources that guide students in research, critical thinking and tangible action related to a global sustainability topic.
Summary of the Action Pack
In this Action Pack, students get the chance to learn about the unsustainable materials 
economy model, the negative impacts of big-box retailers, and the benefits of supporting local businesses. Research has shown that big box retailers such as Walmart or Costco, tend to force other smaller businesses to close their doors due to loss of business. This threatens the livelihoods of local entrepreneurs and can impact the vitality and character of a neighborhood or town. This Action Pack highlights the importance of supporting locally owned businesses, and students will discover eco-friendly business alternatives that address climate change and economic insecurity. At the same time, the Action Pack questions our daily consumption choices and asks students to brainstorm and discuss the costs and benefits of taking alternative actions. Students can take on actions like offering to buy household fruits and vegetables at a local farmer’s market , or make a personal commitment to not do any shopping at a big box retailer for six months. This Action Pack centers around the topics of sustainable business models and the impacts of big-box retailers.
My Reflection
After completing this Action Pack, I became conscious of the things I buy and where they come from. I began to shop for groceries at local markets rather than big super markets. Going to these small market places showed me that there are still many people who shop locally for produce. It is still nice to know that small businesses can thrive in today's society (although Covid-19 is creating new challenges). With the groceries I purchased from the local vendors, I made lunches to take to work and school. By doing this, I was able to save money while knowing I supported small businesses.
While taking action, I learned a lot about how small actions can cause bigger change when done as a collective. It is easy to brush off doing small things, thinking not much will come out of my actions. But when many people work together, the results can cause a great change in the world.
Latest posts
December 2023 Newsletter - ⛄‘Tis the season to celebrate at Be The Change!⛄
As 2023 comes to a close and school winds down for winter break, we’re taking a moment to reflect back over the past year. 2023 was a very regenerative time for BTCEA! We developed and delivered our Climate Action, Resilience, and Emotions (CARE) program in communities on the frontlines of wildfires in our province. And as an organization, we prioritized creating space to discuss what decolonization could look like both internally, and in our programming. Here are the highlights:
Oct 2023 Newsletter - Check out our mid-October climate-justice resources!
Hello,
An introduction from Communications Coordinator, Lucy Wicken
Dear Be The Change community,
As we approach mid-October, I’m reflecting on the changing seasons, from the warm and active days of summer to the cooler and quieter days of autumn. Personally, I’ve noticed a desire to slow down, take on fewer responsibilities, and stay inside where it’s cozy. Have you felt this way too?
As 21st century humans living in a world that operates under capitalism, white supremacy, and other oppressive systems, we can be made to feel guilt or shame about listening & responding to our needs. We are expected to maintain the same energy and productivity levels throughout the year, no matter how cold or dark the days are, how heavy world events feel, or how much we’re struggling in our personal lives.
This is where the concept of regenerative education comes in. Introduced to the BTCEA team by former staff member Jake, regenerative education calls on us to slow down and turn inward to consider our connection with the natural world. It asks us to examine the living systems that are breaking down due to violent human activity (such as fossil fuel extraction, destruction of Indigenous lands, and human-caused flooding and wildfires) and connect this breakdown with our own high levels of stress.
