Tag: climate change

8May

Third RHoK from the Sun: Toronto on June 4 -5, 2011

Third RHoK from the Sun is almost here.

We’d love it if you joined us again for Random Hacks of Kindness 3.0. On, June 4 – 5, 2011, Toronto is one of 20 cities for RHoK’s global hackathon.

Register now!

RHoK is software developers, open data hackers, project managers, graphic designers, videographers, emergency managers, technologists, researchers, idea hackers, storytellers, technical writers, and logistics geeks. We will brain on solutions for humanitarian aid, climate change and disaster risk reduction.

Sign up and help us share the message love:

Steal this tweet:
RHoK is June 4-5, 2011. Hack on climate change, humanitarian aid & disaster risk reduction apps. Join Toronto RHoK. www.rhok.org

Ben Lucier created a RHoK Trailer:

Follow us on twitter: @RHoKto
Share flickr photos

If you are unable to attend, we’d love it if you would tell a friend or your workplace.

We have a problem definition curation team working to make sure the hacks are fun and full of win. Some of the hacks will have gaming or open data components. If you want to help us get prepared, drop me a line. We are fundraising, getting prizes and food donations, procuring tech for demos and organizing a gaming/fun room.

Toronto has a great team of folks working together to make this event possible. Stay tuned for more details.

Third RHoK

This is my third RHoK event (Sydney, Australia (June 2010) and Toronto (December 2010 and June 2011). People hacking away at big issues and building prototypes is pure magic. They collaborate across cities, across career stages and disciplines. The event includes training, braining and laughter. It is a complete honour to be part of a global team of organizers who make it happen.

See my past RHoK event posts.

More details soon,

Heather

8May

Forests: Nature at your Service

For World Environment Day (#WED2011), my family and I decided to write a post together.

What does the forest mean to you? What do you think of nature’s forest services (for example water, food, medicine, clean air, preventing soil erosion, timber products, rubber, home for many plants and animals, etc.)?

Unlike W.O Mitchell’s version of a prairie childhood, we grew up where the forest meets the prairie. Our grandfather had a sawmill. A number of uncles built wood cabin houses with their own hands, one uncle made custom cupboards, another planted trees and another was a forest ranger. My dad used to tell us stories about a forest monster to scare us from wandering in it alone at night. There is an old Ukrainian fairytale about a Makva – a protectorate of the forest. I often think of this as our role. All of our responsibility as global citizens.

Our whole livelihood was centered around the forest and forest production. Our third-grade teacher did a fun exercise. All of the students stood up and were asked whether their family’s income was based on the forest. There were three forest mills in town. One by one we all sat down. Forests are interwoven in many of my childhood memories. We created games, picked blueberries or morels, build forts with broken branches or lay reading out of the afternoon sun. As a teenager, I worked in the regional park and gave tours talking about the types of trees, the fresh water creek and the town history.

From my nieces and nephew:

Abby
Abby demonstrates a person breathing oxygen because of trees. As well, has drawn a wooden desk and chair with paper and a pencil.

Serena:

Peter: “homework kills trees“. Clearly, more online education web apps are in order. Also, it might be a good idea to not ask kids about school on a Sunday.

Visit and ‘like’ the UNEP Facebook page and the TreeHugger.com Facebook page. Search #WED2011 on Twitter. Follow @UNEPandYou & @TreeHugger on Twitter.

Check out the UNEP and Treehugger websites.

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