DEN Enews

While April 22nd is earmarked as Earth day, we need to consider every day a day for this beautiful creation. After all, one of our baptism covenants is to strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth. Let’s look at some good news to mark this day and strive for more.

Nature Canada tells us: We have some incredibly exciting news to share! The government is finally proposing a bold, permanent move to give our Southern Resident Killer Whales the space they need to thrive. The federal government is proposing a bold, permanent shift to a 1,000-metre minimum approach distance for Southern Resident killer whales.

Right now, these iconic whales—one of the most endangered groups on Earth—are constantly battling underwater noise that drowns out their ability to find food. By moving from the current patchwork of rules (200-400m) to a permanent 1,000-metre buffer, we are giving them a real fighting chance to hunt Chinook salmon in peace.

Your voice is the final piece of the puzzle. We need you to send your support to the Canadian government to help ensure the regulations are effective, practical, and aligned with recovery efforts. The deadline is Tuesday, April 21st. That’s TODAY!

https://act.naturecanada.ca/page/189125/petition/1?

Electric vehicles won every major category at the 2026 World Car Awards, from urban and luxury to performance and design. The clean sweep suggests EVs are now the benchmark for quality, efficiency and desirability across segments, even as protectionism slows access to the best global models in some markets. More info: CleanTechnica

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Celebrate Earth day and Make your Gardens Happy! Order a rain barrel. There are sales in all 3 Maritime provinces. Scroll down a great distance as they are listed alphabetically by state/province.

Celebrations continue with these events from the Ecology Action Centre:

In celebration of Earth Day, our Editors have each chosen one area for advocacy that is their passion. Admittedly, it is a hard choice as our covenant to protect the earth means ALL the earth. But we each have one area that fits closest to our hearts.

Jesse:

It’s so very hard to choose just one issue to highlight for Earth Day. I thought about petitions against octopus farming and deep-sea mining, about the Brown Bob Foundation fighting to save amazing wildlife and ancient trees in Tasmania, about Canada’s growing push for “nation-building” projects that bulldoze our environmental protections, and about Canadian mining projects, like Recon Africa, destroying nature in other countries while representing us. The petition I settled on has this same issue and it closes on April 23rd. The Xinka Indigenous communities in Guatemala have been opposing and dealing with serious harm from a Vancouver-based mining company for more than a decade. This may be the only thing they see of Canadians. Help create a different impression by signing this petition going right to our government asking that Canada reaffirm and protect Indigenous rights, and stop Canadian mining companies from violating these rights and our shared earth.

Petition e-7299 - Petitions

EVA:

I see climate change as one of the greatest problems facing the earth and was going to write about all the ways we can do our part as individuals such as consuming less, driving less (or buying an electric car as we did 5 months ago - a 2nd hand very small car), installing solar panels as we did 6 years ago, or using heat pumps instead of an oil burning furnace, even going meatless more often. However, looking back on an Earth Day post I made on Facebook 4 years ago I see my cousin's son's comment "I think companies and government should lead the charge and do so very quickly. We only have one planet!" Therefore I ask you to sign a petition to the federal government: Tell Carney: No Subsidies for LNG! - Action Network  and/or to the BC government re fracking and LNGexpansion: End fracking and LNG expansion | Wilderness Committee

 The NS government is spending millions in an effort to get the natural gas (methane) we have underground out and used for electricity production here and maybe even export. Getting it out of the ground (fracking) takes energy, water and we don't know how much air and water pollution that would cause. Of course transporting and burning methane adds to fossil fuel emissions. Why not put that same money into renewables which would still give jobs and be better for individual health and the health of the planet? There are online and in person meetings this week. https://subsurfaceenergyns.ca/#public-engagement 

I encourage everyone to read the fact sheet put out by the Ecology Action Centre which does not paint such a rosy picture of what natural gas exploration and mining will do for Nova Scotia! https://ecologyaction.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/Fracking_Factsheet_v2.pdf

See also from CAPE (Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment) Harmful methane emissions threaten our health. It’s time to act. - CAPE

CLAUDIA:

Hi everyone, If you ever get me started on a green issue, chances are I’ll wander, quite happily, into a long conversation about pollinators. They have a way of sitting at the heart of almost everything we do for the environment.

That’s really the point I want to share: nearly every bit of environmental advocacy, every petition signed, every small action taken for the land, whether it seems directly connected or not, ends up helping pollinators too.

When we care for our coastlines and remove waste, we make space for native plants to grow, and those plants become food and shelter for pollinators.
When we protect wetlands, we’re safeguarding rich habitats where insects, birds, and so many small lives begin and thrive.
When we push back against practices like fracking, we’re preserving the health of the soil and water that support entire food chains.
When we support youth programs, we’re teaching the next generation not only how to grow food, but how to respect the delicate relationships that make growing possible.
And when we protect forests, we’re preserving vast, living networks where pollinators find refuge and nourishment.

It’s all connected, you see. Every good step we take for the environment, large or small, creates a kinder, more stable world for pollinators. And in caring for them, we’re quietly caring for ourselves as well.

MARIAN:

Now is a critical moment to speak up for land protection in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia has failed to meet its land protection commitment.

The Nova Scotia government has now MISSED their March 31, 2026 deadline under the Canada-Nova Scotia Nature Agreement to designate 82,500 hectares of new protected and conserved areas. It is highly likely that Nova Scotia will have to GIVE BACK money set aside for conservation to Ottawa. With a backlog of parks and protected areas awaiting designation, there is no excuse for the inaction we’ve been seeing.

Send a letter to Premier Tim Houston and let the province know that missing this deadline is unacceptable. Urge the Nova Scotia government to to legally designate wilderness areas, nature reserves and provincial parks without further delay.

https://action.cpaws.org/page/189708/action/1

CAROLE:

I am going to choose every petition we have featured to protect our forests, our lakes and our watersheds or that have advocated for sustained forest management. The Save Sandy Lake campaign is one example. A simple search of Save Sandy Lake will bring up many websites including this one from Nature Nova Scotia (https://naturens.ca/save-sandy-lake/) and the Sandy Lake Coalition (https://www.sandylakecoalition.ca/). This area encompasses valuable watersheds that impact a wide swath of waterways and it is well worth the time to educate yourself on the issues that can be found in other areas in our province. Lakes that support watersheds and river systems are too valuable a resource to damage. The Sandy Lake campaign has an excellent portfolio of documents to illustrate this point.

As a resident of Cole Harbour, I have seen what development has done to Bissett Lake over the years. The beach, once a wide area for recreation, is now a very small area with reeds encroaching. A kayak trip around to the brook behind Colby Drive now involves a wide turn around increasing masses of reeds and water lilies which encroach more every year. What was once a lake filled with Brook Trout is now home to Smallmouth Bass and Chain Pickerel, both considered invasive species.

Local work

I know that the Advocacy group suggested we write about our favorite petition but instead I want to praise all the environment work on Earth Day. All the little villages, senior’s groups, youth groups and clubs, community garden folk, anyone that does anything through the year, including the Advocacy work, who help our planet,  thank you.

Communities Growing the Solution

In Nova Scotia, some of the most hopeful environmental work isn’t happening in government offices or big energy projects; it’s happening in backyards, church halls, schoolyards, and along the edges of country roads.

Across the province, communities are stepping forward with practical, local solutions to one of the biggest challenges we face: food security.

Food security simply means having reliable access to healthy, affordable food. In a place like Nova Scotia, where many rural communities are far from large grocery stores, and food prices continue to rise. This is no small concern. Instead of waiting for solutions to come from elsewhere, people are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work.

One of the most visible changes is the rise in local growing. Community gardens are expanding, backyard plots are getting a little bigger, and more people are trying their hand at growing at least some of their own food.

Even small efforts matter. A row of lettuce, a few tomato plants, or a shared garden bed can stretch a grocery budget and build confidence. For children, especially, planting a seed and watching it grow creates a lifelong connection to food. This year in my Blandford, the new community gardens are either walker/wheelchair high or child high. We want more gardeners and we need seniors with young people.

Programs that provide planting kits and seeds (like Seed Share and Parish of Blandford/Hubbards Lions Planting kits) are making a real difference. When families are given the tools and knowledge to grow food, the barrier to getting started becomes much smaller. It turns “I wish I could” into “Let’s try.”

 Bees, butterflies, and other insects are essential to many of the foods we rely on.

That’s where pollinator seed projects come in. By scattering wildflower seeds in gardens, along roadsides, and in community spaces, Nova Scotians are quietly rebuilding the natural systems that support food production.

This year at our Seed/Plant giveaway (on Mothers Day Saturday) we are making flower seed bombs in Blandford. Just clay kitty litter, potting soil, and seeds with water. Mix it up, make little balls and set aside to dry. If you happen to walk near chain link fences for instance, just slip a seed bomb through. Mid summer a few flowers will poke out to become part of a pollinator trail.

Or you can simply scratch the soil, scatter the seeds, and let nature take it from there, but the impact ripples outward. More flowers mean more pollinators, and more pollinators mean stronger harvests.

What ties all of this together is community. Seeds are shared at churches and local events. Volunteers gather to pack planting kits. Neighbours pass along extra seedlings or a bit of hard-earned advice.

Organizations, local groups, and everyday people are working side by side. It’s not complicated, and it’s not flashy, but it is effective.

In many cases, these efforts also bring people together across generations. Grandparents teach children how to plant. Young people bring energy and new ideas. Everyone has something to contribute.

Food security is a global issue, but in Nova Scotia, the solutions are becoming increasingly local.

By growing more food at home, supporting pollinators, and sharing knowledge within communities, people are building resilience from the ground up. These efforts may seem small on their own, but together they form a powerful response to rising costs, supply challenges, and environmental change.

And perhaps most importantly, they remind us of something simple and true:

So, if you have a patch of soil, a pot on a step, or a place along a roadside—plant something. You might be surprised what grows.  Sometimes the best way to face a big problem is to plant a small seed and then invite your neighbours to do the same.

Swails

What are swails and how are they useful? There are a lot of definitions out there but the one that suits Grandma is that a swail is a rocky channel meant to slow down water run off so it sinks int the ground giving us more moisture for gardens.

There are small ones, large ones like on the sides of new highways to prevent erosion.

I am going to call mine, my new rock pile.

All those rocks I find in the garden and throw off to the edge of the property are now going to be saved.

You need to start looking at your property and see where water gathers. The swail will just slow it down so, in my case, it doesn’t run across my driveway causing ruts.

Everything has a use, even garden rocks

Since I didn’t want to tear up gardens, I added stones around my driveway side gardens, allowing the rainwater to run slower and deeper.

Small jobs make big help in our own back yards.

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I am sorry my dears that this week is the busiest with people needing seeds with Earth Day so close. Grandma had no time to craft or find new recipes. That will continue soon. What I do want to leave you with is a few pictures from our green projects

April 11^th, a crew made up from the Parish of Blandford and the Hubbards Area Lions Club put together close to 300 planting kits that go out to a school and our community centre for Earth Day.

Our parish held two work days to pack seeds for Seed Share. I was crying when I saw what PEI did to advertise Seed Share. Rev. Marian and Rev. Margaret planned a road trip this week and gave out Seed Share seed packets

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AaxXSiW7f/

I am still asking for the pics of our seed packing and will brag again later.

We are a tiny parish. So tiny we join with another parish for collaborative ministry. In fact the job posting is out if there is a clergy that wants to live in our rectory in Blandford and serve Blandford and the Parish of Hubbards. You would have a strong environment group with you.

My point is: if a parish where we have less than 20 at a service can do these things, what can you do to help the planet? Just start with one tiny thing and watch it grow.