Come along and meet some wonderful young people. You can hear their hopefulness and enthusiasm. Staying at the EcoVillage they help with the farm and all the chores. Dan was working on installing a green roof, while others were on gardening and animal husbandry duties. Preparation for a free-food dinner in Duncan included a leek soup. The kitchen and communal dining clearly is central to this intentional community. Using "Worldpackers" they all found this place no matter if they came from England, Germany, Austria, or closer.

What a pleasure to talk to someone who has the ear of airlines; well, if he is brought in to consult and recommend. It is more than getting passengers from A to B to C says Vassilios Georgakopoulos. As an airline consultant he focuses on the inflight experience. Mostly he fixes that gap between what you expect and what is delivered. Not on an individual case by case basis, but the larger system-wide challenges that create disappointment or even friction. His guiding concept to me and the companies he helps is that they need to be clear to themselves and those they serve. They need to tell us what they promise and then deliver. Standards are needed and to need to be followed.

Many thanks to Stacy Hornemann for the conversation and opportunity to taste current offerings at Blue Grouse Winery.

The views from their reception centre are stunningly perfect. You could spend the day just looking out over the vines to the mountains beyond. But - of course - you are here to sample Ortega, Bacchus, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and other varieties that have been captured and bottles for today's and future enjoyment.

This is a destination to put on your agenda when visiting Vancouver Island.

Want to live the dream? Well Julie Powell and Zac Brown are. They are now the team carrying Alderlea Vineyards forward.

It is a pretty property with a gentle slope towards the modifying lake water. Make a reservation and you will find such value in understanding the vineyard's history and direction. There is a tasting room and many shaded picnic tables just steps away.

This 4200 case production winery wins awards. Here is a list of recent recognition:

All Canadian Wine Championships:
Double Gold
2024 Pinot Gris
2024 Valerie
2023 Clarinet
Gold
2022 Pinot Noir
2022 Pinot Noir Reserve
Silver
2024 Frizzante
Bronze
2024 Bacchus
2024 Sauvignon Blanc
2024 Rose
2021 Contraband

Where eco-friendly objectives, a philosophy that generates bottles of magic, and tastes/flavours that are unique... what do you have? Holocene Distilling Project is actually not far off the Trans-Canada Highway near Cobble Hill, but under towering evergreens it feels a world away. Go to their website and understand the journey and what they offer and you will be as entranced as I have been. It took over a year to set up the visit, but you can be sure though it is my first it won't be my last.

Prescribing time in nature is something that has come of age. It isn't just a West Coast thing that requires a tie-dyed t-shirt. Dr. Melissa Lem kindly tells us some 20,000 Canadian health professionals agree that to reduce stress, and maybe even extend your quality of life, you need to see, hear, feel, the natural world.

After having Meg Carney and Bill Steer on this program it was a natural next step to have this conversation with Melissa.

Dr. Melissa Lem is a Vancouver family physician who is taking the benefits of being in nature across the country and around the world. The PaRx initiative encourages us to take as little as two hours a week to be healthier people in healthier communities.

Cornucopia... maybe that's word? Talking with Canadian author Mark Leslie ( Lefebvre ) you can't but recognize his ability to leap from concept to completion. He is a prolific writer of "speculative fiction" and that in itself is very broad topic. Listen along a find out how many books he has penned. This boy from Levack has pursued his love for storytelling. He has thoughts about the value of reading Canadian content, and specifically reading tales that have our sense of place in them.

What a delight to have a conversation with Crystal Shawanda. This blues/rock/jazz performer has power and precision both as a singer and storyteller. Her voice shares stories of the highs and lows of life in a way no one else does. Catch her on tour from coast to coast to coast as she tours this year and into the future.

I caught her just before her May 1st show in Knox Hall in Sudbury where she will have others join her on stage. Yes, even her 9 year old will perform, and her husband will be ever present as support with his guitar skills.

Okay! I'll admit it: talking to Dr. Gerard Courtin is a bit like a walk down Memory Lane for me. A very personal experience perhaps? But there are so many of us who attended his classes, went to labs, did field trips... we followed him up and over blackened hills, and into snowy landscapes.

His Arctic/Alpine ecology lectures challenged us to reconsider the industrial damaged environment of Sudbury with a fresh perspective.

And now he has written a book. Here we are discussing his teaching career and his history. Join me in celebrating GMC's journey.

It's happening this week: a book launch. Melanie Rollins and Lynne Dupuis are ready to welcome you at Place des Arts in Sudbury. Listen along for details.

If you can't attend, you can still order a book. It provides a very useful framework to help non-profits with governance as well as being applicable to businesses generally.