DEN Enews

Wow, David Suzuki isn’t pulling any punches this week in his weekly newsletter. Here are a few quotes:

• It’s hard not to conclude that much of the world has been taken over by idiots.

• It’s stunning that the leader of what is considered the most powerful nation on Earth doesn’t just reject the mountains of research that have gone into our current understanding of climate systems and change, he just doesn’t care.

• It’s time to take back our power and show politicians that they work for us.

• It’s time to embrace progress and a better future for all. We need to speak up and step up.

Brandon, from the David Suzuki Foundation wrote an email on the difficulty celebrating World Ocean Day when we treat our oceans so poorly.

“So, maybe, if celebrating feels wrong, we just agitate.

To me, agitating feels right.”

Who can blame David Suzuki for his very blunt and frankly, exasperated words. Over decades he has proven the science is undeniable. Climate chaos is mainly caused by two things: burning fossil fuels and destroying forests, wetlands, grasslands and marine ecosystems.

Much agitating is definitely needed given our provincial government ignoring decades of research, moratoriums based on science and the voice of the people.

Let’s take a dive into a sampling of where agitation is needed in this province.

 Our government needs to listen to it’s constituents!

Sandy Martin on Facebook says: One way to name and shame MLAs who voted to lift the ban on uranium exploration and mining (and support those who didn't) is to pin these posters up in your community. Find your constituency's poster here and download, print off and display. There are 54 different posters, one for each constituency in the province. Each states the name of the MLA and whether they voted for or against. https://thedirtgang.ca/trouble-spots/mining-in-nova-scotia/fracking/poster-page/

Check out this Facebook page to stay in touch with further efforts: Citizens Against Uranium Exploration and Mining in Nova Scotia: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nouraniumns/

People Not Blunder

People not Plunder is one of many grassroot groups formed in response to the Houston government’s dangerous obsession with the outdated practices of uranium exploration and mining and hydraulic fracturing (fracking). We are a group of ordinary citizens who believe that “environment” and “economy” are not mutually exclusive terms.

Our model of resistance is getting together off our screens and in community, with hands-on activities that don’t take up a lot of people’s time and energy. Since February, our actions have included noon-hour pop-up protests targeting specific MLAs, making buttons and T-shirts, attending rallies and distributing information flyers, creating lawn signs and much more.

Our next event will be at the “The Many vs The Money – My elbows are up … Now What!?” taking place June 18, 6:30 pm at the NSCC IT Campus, 5685 Leeds St Halifax.

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From Nina Newington in an editorial in the Chronicle Herald. This is an excerpt. You can read more by scrolling down our Facebook page or the June 6th edition of the paper

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Sandy Lake Urgently Needs you to Agitate!

There is an interconnectedness to our trees and the waterways they surround. The Sandy Lake-Sackville River team is a very tired but determined group attempting to save the Sandy Lake Regional Park and all of the richness of the Sackville River and connected waterways. Please choose at least one of the following actions:

1. Visit the Save Sandy Lake website to send a letter to the Premier. There you will find a form letter to guide you with a few clicks. Done. (If you prefer, letters in your own words are stronger, and all you really have to say is that you want him to save Sandy Lake by not putting housing there):  https://www.sandylakecoalition.ca/take-action

 2. Please also write or speak to your local MLA. https://nslegislature.ca/members/profiles

 3. Please visit the Sandy Lake social media sites and link, share and repost on:

Facebook: www.sandylake.org #savesandylake IG: @sandylake.sackvilleriver

X-Twitter: @sandylake_park

 4. Please post Save Sandy Lake signs on your property: request/print a sign at:

 https://www.sandylakecoalition.ca/take-action

Editor’s Note: We can all agree we need more housing but let us learn from the environmental impacts of development on other waterways like Oathill Lake, Bissett Lake ( ask anyone living on the lake how big the beach used to be) and Eisner Cove Wetlands, to name just a few. Development, despite all the fancy talk of setbacks, will damage watersheds which will eventually damage lakes.

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Thanks to all who celebrated the Earth at the People’s Parade on Saturday. Here are two pics of our DEN contingent.

June 8^th is celebrated as World Oceans Day.  It is meant to raise awareness and action for the protection of the ocean and its resources. Deep sea mining is a direct threat to our oceans and to us. It is very challenging to calculate the full value of a healthy deep-sea environment. However, we know the deep sea is involved in regulating planetary systems like global climate and carbon sequestration. We know there is potential to discover new species and ecosystems. We know the interconnection between deep ocean marine life and ecosystems throughout the water column is something humans depend on. The extent and permeance of destruction caused by deep sea mining is something we don’t know. Be a voice for our amazing oceans by signing this petition asking the International Seabed Authority to stop all plans for deep sea mining, to prioritise the health of communities, and to recognise values and needs beyond economic gain.

The Amazon is facing a potential death by poison. President Lulu of Brazil is insisting on opening 47 new oil drilling sites, right where the Amazon River meets the ocean. This is the beating artery of this massive river and the lush rainforest our world needs. Environmental concerns have held off one major project so far, but President Lulu is about to open the region to Big Oil. A massive global outcry is needed. Please join in urging the Brazilian government to immediately stop all new oil projects affecting the Amazon, to halt any approvals that are in process, and to protect the Amazon by committing to a fossil-free future before it’s too late.

Rhinos in South Africa are in a crisis and fighting for survival. In the first three months of 2025 alone, 103 rhinos were killed. 65 of these rhinos lost their lives in South African National Parks. This is the work of sophisticated poaching groups who exploit weaknesses in protection and enforcement. They use advanced methods to smuggle rhino horns and bypass security measures. Local wildlife agencies and NGOs are working tirelessly on the frontlines, but they cannot do it alone. Help by signing this petition demanding that the South African government allocate more resources toward cracking down on poaching syndicates and strengthening wildlife protection laws.

The continent of Africa is being suffocated by plastic pollution. Plastic garbage is being burnt in cities, left to cover the land, and filling the rivers and lakes. Huge companies like Coca-Cola and Unilever continue to pump out plastic products that cause this disaster. It takes just one month for nearly 50% of all plastic products to become waste. For every 10 plastic items recycled, 9 end up in the ocean, landfills, or incinerators. The wide-spread harms caused by plastics are visible and known around our world. How to stop these harms is also clear and known; by stopping plastic production at the source and holding corporations accountable. Help Africa push for a Global Plastic Treaty that caps plastic production, stops plastic waste dumping, prioritizes reuse and refill solutions, and holds producers responsible!

Should poisoned porridge be on the menu? Glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. In New Zealand, the government is trying to expose people to 100 times more glyphosate residues on food, and while fast-tracking more toxic agrichemicals into the food system. This reckless move is about benefiting powerful agribusiness corporations, not the people of Aotearoa and the environment. Canadians can lend their voices to help stop the weakening of agrichemical regulations, to strengthen regulatory protections, and to reject the proposal to increase the glyphosate residues on food 100-fold.

Overfishing

Overfishing is the practice of harvesting fish from the ocean at rates faster than they can naturally reproduce. This has become one of the most pressing threats to marine ecosystems. Demand is up for fish but only for certain species and that starts the problem

When large predatory fish such as tuna, cod, and sharks are removed from the ecosystem in large numbers, the balance of ocean life is disturbed. This can lead to an increase in smaller fish and invertebrates, which in turn may overconsume their own food sources, causing problems in the entire ecosystem.

Bottom trawling, dragging heavy nets across the seafloor, destroy delicate habitats like coral reefs and sponge gardens. These habitats are essential breeding and feeding grounds for many marine organisms. Their destruction further decline the fish populations.

Often when fishing for one species, another species is caught and perhaps used for bait or simply killed by the trawl. This includes marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds.

When too many animals and habitats are harmed, the whole ocean becomes weaker and less able to handle other problems like pollution or climate change.

Overfishing has social and economic implications. The smaller fishing communities are usually the first to suffer when fish populations decline. Sustainable fishing practices are essential not only for protecting marine biodiversity but also for ensuring food security and economic stability for millions of people around the world.

It took me years to grow from the daughter of a fisherman, complaining about catch limits. Those limits were to blame that my father changed from walking to the boat house to tending cattle and then driving truck to “make a living” Public awareness and consumer choices play a crucial role. Fighting overfishing is not about saving fish. It is about preserving balance for the entire marine environment that includes the humans living there.

A Hodge Podge Garden

Apparently, the South Shore of Nova Scotia is one of the few places that eat a meal called Hodge Podge. It is a simple dish. You gather all the new vegetables: potatoes, carrots, green and yellow beans, onion and peas. Boil them in a large pot and when soft add milk or cream. In our house it was canned milk. You knew summer was truly here with that first pot of Hodge Podge.

Perhaps it is a German dish and the reason the rest of the province doesn’t know much about it.

This year Grandma decided to grow a Hodge Podge Garden. Nothing fancy, just all those veggies planted in one garden box for ease. Will send pics when the plants are up.

Nothing much to report in gardens. What could be planted is still underground. The greenhouse is growing tomatoes and peppers well.

Another new idea this year. Since the greenhouse is up, why not grow some different things like melon. Maybe cantaloupe that is so good as an anti-inflamatory. Maybe I could find a few watermelon seeds. I would be willing to change the greenhouse to a melon house in a month’s time.

Flowers are popping up everywhere without any effort on my part. It feels like it will be a great growing season.

Summer Fun - Chalk Games

If you are lucky to have a paved driveway, a box of chalk can lead to many games. The next rain takes all the artwork away, but that just allows more artwork to be drawn another day.

Hopscotch comes to mind. Draw out single squares (one box wide) or double spaces (two boxes side by side). Then toss a rock in a square. Hop through the course to the square with the rock, pick it up and hop back.

Change the way you hop. It starts with one hop on single squares and change it to two hops on the single squares and three stomps on the double squares.

It is a great outdoor game filled with fresh air and activity, just what every Mom wants.

Shark Hopping is similar. Here you draw scenes of beaches with sharks between them. You run the beaches hopping over the sharks.

4 Square is easy. You draw four big squares and need one person in each square. The person in square 1 bounces the ball to another player. The ball must bounce once in the square before the player hits it. The receiving player hits the ball (after one bounce) into another square. If the ball bounces more than once or if the player misses, they are out. If you have only 4 players then instead of out they move to square one

Alphabet Hop is an ambitious game. You need to make 26 squares somewhat close together. Once completed then spell out the letters of people’s names, a variety of animals, city names and so on. It is hard to jump to different letters but fun.

Something to Eat

We call them Date Balls where to others they are fry pan cookies. Grandma uses a saucepan, cooking everything on the stovetop. Cereal and coconut are mixed in at the end with the mixture shaped into balls and possibly rolled in coconut.

Grandma is preparing for a Tea Party. Yes, you heard me correctly. Back in the pandemic I created a tea party just for Nana and I. We spread a cloth tablecloth, brought out a fancy teapot and cups and saucers. I made a few sandwiches and sweets and we went out on our deck, under an umbrella and had a fancy lunch. Pictures were posted and other folks did the same. It wasn’t big; it was different, funny and interesting in a world that had become a bit gray.

This summer we are repeating that silly event, going big and inviting 8-10 people to basically lunch. It is an excuse to use the better dishes and have a few friends over. I will make sandwiches, wrap pinwheels, maybe a cheese and meats plate with crackers followed by sweets. What would you serve at such an event? Let grandma know at [email protected].

Saucepan Date Balls

1 ½ cups dates cut in small pieces

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup walnuts

1 tbsp butter

1 ½ cups coconut

1 cup rice Krispies

Mix dates, brown sugar, egg, chopped walnuts and butter in a cold saucepan. Turn the stove between low and medium and let cook slowly for 10 minutes. Add rice Krispies and coconut

Shape into balls

Roll in coconut

Grandma didn’t have Rice Krispies so I crushed Cherrios that worked well. Store in an air tight container.

We give thanks for the life and witness of The Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggemann who passed into the fullness of life June 5th, 2025.