Ecotrust Canada - Newsletter
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A message from our CEO
Unleashing transformative change on our economic systems
I’m often asked – How do you expect to change an entire global economic system with just a handful of staff, working in a handful of rural, remote and Indigenous communities in Canada? Sometimes when I discuss our mission, the disbelief is put more bluntly – you and what army?
I’ll concede that systems change is incredibly difficult. After all, our current economy has behind it the weight and momentum of several centuries of growth across an entire planet. But the evidence that this system is coming apart at the seams is all around us. And, it is around these edges that openings are presenting themselves to plant the seeds for wholesale systems change.
For almost 25 years Ecotrust Canada has worked at the edges with the people and places that have been exploited and degraded for profit by an economy that extracts and commodifies everything in its path.
Despite the damage done, we are fortunate that there is a resilience in these communities, in large part because of the deep connection between people and place. It is here that people are ready to build innovative, on-the-ground examples of an economy that provides for what should be the essentials of life – sustainable and affordable food, energy, and shelter; meaningful livelihoods; vibrant cultures; and a rich and resilient natural environment – what we call an economy that provides for life.
Join us in creating real, tangible, economic alternatives for these communities. Together we will demonstrate how these successes at the edges can, in turn, unleash transformative change across a whole economic system. And when asked in the future, about how so few can change so much, I’ll be able to point to all of our partners and supporters, and make clear that we are not so few after all. We are in fact the many, and together we are determined to prove the possible.
Chuck Rumsey, CEO and President of Ecotrust Canada
NEW AND NOTABLE
Spyglass launch
In November we released Spyglass, an open record on criminal activity by fishing vessels across the world. Illegal fishing and other forms of crimes committed by and onboard fishing vessels at sea, affect ecosystems, people, and coastal communities. Watch Dyhia Belhabib in our video on Spyglass.
Media coverage
Spyglass was also featured in Global TV BC and SeafoodSource
Community Fisheries event in Victoria
For World Fisheries Day we helped facilitate a celebration of wild BC seafood with five talented chefs, provincial MLAs, fish harvesters, and allies in Victoria. The Save Our Coastal Community event brought people together to ensure the benefits from fishing stay with active fish harvesters and their coastal communities.
GTEC article - Rewriting our economic narrative
Our 25-year story has been published in the latest GTEC Reader. The publication addresses the inter-linked issues of culture, economics and the environment in an evocative manner.
Holiday Charity Gift Guide
The Gate magazine featured us as one of the top five conservation charities to give to this holiday season.
Did you know that you can now donate securities through Ecotrust Canada? A donation of securities or mutual funds is the most efficient way to give charitably. Since capital gains taxes don't apply, you can give more and get more.
Proving the Possible
Ecotrust Canada is powered by the vision of people and nature thriving together. With your support, we’ll continue to bring real, tangible solutions to big questions that integrate social, economic and environmental well-being.
Thank you for your continued support!
The Ecotrust Canada Team
