A “foamy latte problem” has become a coin phrase for a first world problem.  It comes from people complaining that their is too much foam on their latte.  I love this phrase as it helps me put things into perspective when I’m stressing about the little things!!  So the next time you have a “foamy latte problem” remember you still have a roof over your head and food in your stomach and at the end of the day the little things don’t matter all that much.  

30 Days of Sustainability launched today on Earth Day.  There are free engaging events happening all over Vancouver for the next 30 days.  These events will help you integrate sustainability into your life while learning new skills and having fun!  Check out the website at www.30days.ca

Here is what’s happening:

30 Days Launch Reception & Earth Day Celebration

Pendulum Gallery 885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver | April 22 | 7:00 – 9:00 PM | Invitation Only

Celebrate Earth Day and kick off 30 Days of Sustainability in Vancouver in style. Rub shoulders with leaders in environmental and business who are spearheading sustainability in our community. Enjoy organic hors d’oeuvres, wine, music and the inspiring atmosphere created by the eco-design exhibit, SWELL.

Sustainability And The Arts

SWELL Future Friendly Exhibit

Pendulum Gallery – HSBC Building 885 West Georgia St, Vancouver
April 22 – May 10 | Mon-Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Sat 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Free

Imagine a Swell Future. SWELL is 30 Days of Sustainability’s exhibition of future friendly design. Imagine a future where our garbage could be used to nurture trees and plants, everything could be recycled when it was no longer useful, energy was virtually free and toxic materials were replaced by those so healthy that they were safely edible. What would it take to achieve such a future?

Evergreen’s Earth Day Celebration with 30 Days

Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver | April 26 | 12:00 – 4:00 PM | Free

30 Days has partnered with Emily Carr Institute to bring an interactive sustainable art exhibit to the Earth Day celebrations at Jericho Beach Park. Look out for the 30 Days street team who will be handing out seedling trees, eco-resource tips and promoting upcoming 30 Days events.

30 Days Street Team

Locations throughout Metro Vancouver | April 19 – May 18

A team of passionate, friendly and eco-savvy guys and gals will target citizens of Metro Vancouver for a four-week blitz of key special events, 30 Days events and high-traffic pedestrian locations. The team will hand out 30 Days event calendars, eco-resource bookmarks and seedling trees. The team is on-the-move in a 30 Days decal wrapped Prius to generate word of mouth buzz, answer questions, be available for media interview and help keep 30 Days events top of mind!

Sustainability + KIDS

Presented by BC Hydro

Growing Up Green – Fun For Kids, Knowledge For Parents
Britannia Community Centre & Grandview Park, Vancouver | May 3 | 1:00 – 4:00PMFree

Bring the kids for a family oriented green afternoon. Fun activities for kids will include solar powered car making and racing, recycled craft creation, face painting, bubbles and music by Bonkers! Knowledge hungry parents can attend mini workshops focused on how to make informed green parenting decisions for newborns to school age.

Sustainability + SCHOOLS

Presented by Check Your Head

Climate Change: More Than Light Bulbs and a Prius
Location TBD, Vancouver | May 13 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM | Free
To register or for more information: call  604-685-6631or email: contact@checkyourhead.org

This interactive workshop for 14-18 year olds will explore the topic of climate change. What is it that causes it and what is our part in it? From consumerism to global shipping to global inequities, we will look at the complex issue of climate change and how we can make a meaningful difference global and locally that goes beyond the things that we buy

Sustainability + ACTION

Presented by Granville Magazine

Urban Vegetable Gardening – As Local As It Gets
Strathcona Community Garden, corner of Prior and Hawks, Vancouver | May 4 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Free

Learn how to turn your condo balcony into a source for fresh vegetables. Expert gardeners will work with you to understand your outside space (North/South facing sun/shade) and provide key steps and recommended gardening essentials to get started growing successfully just in time for delicious and local summer vegetables.

The Long Life Of Clothes – Vintage, Thrift, Consignment and Mending
Workspace Café 400 – 21 Water Street, Vancouver | May 9| 6:00 – 9:00 PM | Free

Guilt free retail therapy. Experience Vancouver’s best sustainable fashion without buying anything new. Drop in to browse vintage, thrift and consignment boutique collections or extend the life of your closet faves with our quick and easy mending workshops.

Leaving The Car At Home – Consider Safe Bike Commuting
Vancouver – Specific Location TBD | May 10 | 12:00 – 3:00 PM | Free

Want to bike commute this summer but aren’t sure how to do it safely? Our drop-in workshops will teach the essentials of safe commuting and make you feel confident enough to leave the car at home, even for one fair weather day a week. Expert cyclists will lead mini workshops about must-have gear, DIY bike maintenance and safe riding tips.

Tire Inflation Station – Reduce Emissions, Save Money
Location TBC | May 17 | 11:00 – 3:00 PM | Free

Improperly inflated tires increase emissions and reduce fuel economy yet 70% of Vancouverites do not have properly inflated tires. Drop in to learn how to properly inflate your own tires. Drive away with gas savings and the knowledge that this simple step makes a big difference to the environment and your wallet.

Sustainability CAFES

Presented by BCIT

Sustainability Cafés will bring together relevant ideas and discussions on sustainability into local communities in a place that’s informal and accessible. Through interesting and relevant discussions, the cafés will contribute to making sustainability part of our every day language. Cafes will feature leaders in sustainability for business and environmental sectors interacting in a casual panel or forum setting.

Green Office – Learn to create your own Green Team at work
BCIT Burnaby, Town Hall D, Burnaby | May 1 | 6:30 – 8:00 PM | Free

Are you tired of chucking your values at the office door? Wishing your office would “go green” already? Don’t delay – be a leader! This cafe will give you the inspiration, motivation, and tools you need to create your own Green Team at work. Be the change you want to see.

Green Economy – Responsible Investments that Turn a Profit
BCIT Downtown – conference room, Vancouver | May 6 | 6:30 – 8:00 PM| Free

Learn about ethically, socially and environmentally responsible investing. Learn how to get a good return on investment without harming the planet. How can we invest in a future through our personal economic decisions to reach outcomes that are ethical and sustainable?

Carbon Tax Explained
BCIT Downtown – conference room, Vancouver | May 12 | 6:30 – 8:00 PM| Free

Are you wondering what the carbon tax is all about? What does it mean for you? This informational session is perfect for those people that want to learn more about this new provisional tax, but want to skip hours of researching articles on the internet. Panelists include James Tansey, CEO and Co-founder of Offsetters and Jotham Peters of SFU. The session will be moderated by Kevin Washbrook of Voters Taking Action on Climate Change (VTACC).

Green Home – How to Make Your Home Green
BCIT Burnaby, Town Hall D, Burnaby | May 15 | 6:30 – 8:00 PM | Free

Ready to make those much needed energy-efficient home upgrades? Planning a home reno? Learn green remodelling 101 and discover what it takes to live lighter on the earth.

Friends of 30 Days

Support 30 Days by creating your own Friends of 30 Days sustainable event. The more Friends of 30 Days events happening the better! 30 Days will support your event with free resources and advice, free event listing on the 30 Days website and promotion by the 30 Days Street Team. Go to the take action page for more info and resources to get started.

The past couple of weeks I have been volunteering at the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, South Africa.  Four talented women beaders from the centre’s Woza Moya income generation project were asked to re-create the Christmas décor for a shopping mall in Durban.    Giant Christmas baubles were hand beaded by the women and put in display cases at the main mall entrance.  Posters of the women with their masterpieces and a message to the public of what Christmas meant to each lady were plastered on the walls and put in the mall flyers.  The women also crafted wire and beaded balls, trees, angels and stars to hang on the Christmas tree next to Father Christmas in centre court.  Just before Christmas the four ladies were invited to the shopping centre to see their beaded work on display.   I went along to film and take photos. 

Dressed in their traditional Zulu outfits the four women, Gogo’s daughter, Paula and I piled into a five seater car!   Three of the five women were a little large and to make matters worse their traditional skirts are lined with cardboard and stuffed, adding “desirable” inches to their backsides and severely limiting their mobility.  After several attempts Gogo and her tall hat went into the passenger seat on an angle with her daughter stuffing her in as if she was packing a suitcase!  Gloria and I went in the trunk and the other three women sardined themselves into the back seat!  Every car that passed us on route to Durban honked their horn.  `

We parked on the roof and our journey into the mall began with a long escalator ride down.  Paula and I hopped on without thinking that these women had never been on an escalator before and there was a lot of squealing!  Paula ran up to rescue Gogo and Tholakele did a run and jump off!  We received much publicity and the women got so excited!  A few people approached them and asked if it was them that were modeling in the huge hanging posters.  The women received certificates of appreciation and posed for lots of photos, including with Father Christmas.  The look on scrawny Santa’s face was priceless when these five women wanted to sit on his lap at once!!  After being paraded around the mall as celebrities we took the women for lunch at Wimpy Burger (the equivalent to Burger King).  The women made fun of Nokuthula because she had never used a knife and folk before and Gloria had to call all her friends and let them know that she was having lunch at a fancy restaurant in a hotel. 

They were so happy and proud and we laughed until our bellies hurt.  Spending the day at the mall with these beautiful and gifted women was best Christmas present I could have ever asked for.  Above are the women’s Christmas messages and below are some pictures of our day.

Merry Christmas

All my love,

Erin

I remember sitting up on the countertop helping my mom make cookies!  It had to be one of my favorite things to do in the world.   I would eat so much dough that my tummy would hurt for hours after and I would wonder why my mom made so few cookies.  Well tonight I baked 12 cookies from a recipe that was supposed to make 48!  My two little helpers had there fair share of dough.  Tess couldn’t even wait till we had dough and must have eaten 50 g of butter.  She tried eating raw flour as well but decided it was yucky and it would be more fun to rub it in her hair!  I let them have fun and did not even care about the mess they made.  I think I will be sweeping up flour for a while!  The cookies were delicious!!

Things have been a little up in the air for me the past couple of weeks and I had to choose between staying longer in Southern Africa or going home for Christmas.  I finally decided I was staying in South Africa, however, my plane ticket had to be changed 48 hours in advance and it was Sunday and my ticket was for Tuesday.   Here is what it took me to change my ticket from Lesotho.I had to call Hong Kong to change my ticket and there was no long distance phone cards to be found, there is not a toll free number to call Asian Air Miles for Lesotho, no operator in Lesotho, the cell phone service was down, there is not a working pay phone in this country, the electricity (internet) and water was cut off that day and we did not have kerosene for cooking (although not having water or a means to cook did not effect me making a phone call, the fact that I did not have my bath and ate cold food that day made me extra grumpy).  To make matters worse I could not get into South Africa because my Visa had expired and immigration officers are only at the border gate during weekdays.  Things looked pretty grim for me but I was determined!  I had a toll free number to call Asian Miles from South Africa and I was sure the South African cell phone signal would not be down.  Qacha’s Nek is right on the South African border so I figured there must be a place near the border where I can use my South African SIM card and pick up a signal without leaving the country.  I walked towards the big hill next to the border gate with my cell phone pointed towards the sky!  I always wanted to climb the hill because it reminds me of the hill from Dr. Seuss’  ‘How the Grinch stole Christmas’ and that day it seemed like it would be the best place to pick up a signal.  I walked and walked with no sign of a signal, then when I was almost to the top of the Grinch hill my cell phone beeped and the screen read you have 3 new messages and I there was a one bar signal.  I made one step forward and the signal died, I made two steps backwards and the signal died, I made one step forward and the signal came back, I stepped to the right and then to the left but failed to get a signal.  I went back to the spot where I first got the signal and thought to myself- I may get a better signal further up the hill but what if this is the only spot in the country that I get reception.  I could not risk losing my sweet spot so I decided I was going to try to make my call from there.  I squat down and was excited to find in this position I had two bars on my phone.  I still had to determine if I could call toll free on my cell phone.  I dialed the number and heard “Welcome to Asia Miles for service in English please press one, for service in Cantonese please press two”   I felt like crying it freaking worked!!  I then heard really bad elevator music for about 35 minutes.  In the meanwhile three curious cows and several children from the village nearby gathered around me wondering what the hell I was doing.  I stayed perfectly still squat on the hill afraid that I would lose the signal.  My legs were just about to give out on me when a male agent came on the phone and our conversation went something like this:Male Agent:   How can I help you?Me:  My booking reference number is K2026.Male Agent:  KQ0Q6?

Me:  No K2026.

Male Agent:  KQ0Q6 are you Miss Ying Chan?

Me:  NO!  It is K2 you know the number 2 TWO.

Male Agent:  Your booking reference number is K.T.W.O?

Me:  Huff, No it is K then 2.  The number 2!  Like 123.

Male Agent:  K123?

Me:  Argh, No it is K2026

Male Agent:  K2026, Ms. Erwin Lin.

Me:  Yes!

Male Agent:  What can I do for you today Ms. Lin.

Me:  I would like to change my flight from Johannesburg to London to Vancouver that is scheduled to return on Tuesday December 4th to some time in early February.

Male Agent:  Are you the account holder Ms. Lin?

Me:  No I’m the passenger.

Male Agent:  Do chin you chan have bang the rang account ding holders dong PIN crash and bin date clang of ting birth ring?

One of the curious boys from the village that has come to watch me make this phone call is playing with a metal tire rim and a wire and is making a lot of noise!

Me:  Sorry could you hold on for two seconds I can’t here you.

Me to the children:  Here is 20 Maloti can you please go buy yourself some candy and leave me alone for a couple of minutes! (The children run off, but the cows remain.  If only I could bribe the cow with the huge bell!)

Me to agent:  Sorry about that could you repeat your last question. 

Male agent:  Do you have the account holders PIN and date of birth?

Me:  Sorry I don’t have that information.

Male agent:  Well we can not change the ticket without it.

Me:  But I have changed my ticket when I was in Canada without that information.

Male agent:  Sorry I can’t help you, it is for security reasons.  Good Bye.

Me:  No wait, wait.  Is it possible I could speak to another agent?

Male agent:  Please hold

I listen to the bad elevator music for another half an hour.  I’m a little worried because my battery is running low on my phone.

Male agent 2:  Welcome to Asia Miles how can I help you?

Me:  (He sounds just like the agent I had before) Are you the same agent I was just talking too?

Male agent 2:  Nope I don’t think so but I can try to help you.

Me:  My booking reference number is K2026.

Male Agent 2:  KQ0Q6?

The children return!

Me:  (I’m seriously about to freak out) No it is K2026!

Male Agent 2:  Ms. Erin Lane

Me: Yes, yes.  I would like to change my ticket to February.

Male Agent 2:  Do you have the account holders PIN and date of birth.

Me:  Listen, I don’t have it and there is no possible way for me to get before my flight leaves on Tuesday.  I have changed my flight before and I did not have to give this information.

Male Agent 2:  Sorry for security measures I can’t change your flight without this information.

Me:  Do you know where the Kingdom of Lesotho is?

Male Agent 2:  No!

Me:  I didn’t think so!  Look I’m in this country that you didn’t know even existed.  There is no electricity, no internet, no working phones, and I have no way out of the country today.  I just walked 2 hours up a mountain to get a South African cell phone signal.  I’m dirty, hungry, my legs are asleep and I really have to pee!  There are 3 cows and 20 children staring at me.  My cell phone is almost dead and I have no way to charge it.  I do not have the PIN number and there is no possible way for me to get it for you.  You can have anything else; my passport number, credit card number, I will even send you a blood sample if you like, but I don’t have the PIN!  If you don’t change my flight now my seat will be empty on the plane on Tuesday.  I’m begging you, please help me.

Male Agent 2:  What date would you like Ms. Lane?

Me:  February 11th

Male Agent 2:  Your ticket has been changed. I will send you an e-mail confirmation if that will be useful to you.

Me:  Yes, thank you so incredibly much.

Five minutes later my cell phone died and I walked back home hand in hand with the village children, there mouths filled with sweets.   The moral of the story is that you can achieve anything you set your mind too J  I will now be home in February.    

The weather has been very bad here and most days there has been no power and the phones have been down.   I thought it was odd when a travel web-site said the number one killer of tourists in Lesotho was lightening strikes, but now I understand why!!  The electrical storms here are crazy!!  Almost every day we have thunder and lighting.  It is the loudest thunder I have ever heard and it is not just one lighting bolt every couple of minutes there are at least 5- 20 at once.  Trees here are rare, so you when a storm hits you are often the highest point around.  The lighting storms often come very fast without a lot of warning and I have been stuck out in them a couple of times now (I didn’t know I could run so fast).  It has also been unbearably cold and rainy here and there is frost on the ground and snow on the mountains in the morning!  But then we will have an odd day where it is extremely hot and sunny and I will forget to put on sunscreen and return home lobster faced.  We have also had some insane hail storms with tennis ball sized hail.  One storm poked holes in our tin roof so now it rains indoors.  Needless to say the long walk to the internet has not been that appealing (however tempting facebook may be).  Other then the weather life here is pretty “normal”.  Women paint their faces with clay to protect them from the sun and wind, stamp maize for every meal, collect firewood and water and brew beer. The men drink the beer and prepare the land for farming.  Young children go to school.  Girls case chickens, look after their siblings and play their favorite game of follow-the-white girl!!  Boys heard cows and throw expertly aimed pebbles to re-route the wayward animal.  It is amazing the distance and precision of these boys throw (the pro baseball teams should come recruit in Lesotho).  Often you see a heard boy pick up a piece of cow dung and a spilt second later the dung will explode and evenly coat a naughty sheep 500 meters away!

As for me, I wake up at the crack of dawn to the sound of cocks crowing and cows lowing.  I switch off the cock (I wish), turn over and bundle up under the covers.  My nose is icy cold and I can see my breath!  I don’t want to get up but I know that soon a constant parade of children will be at the door singing “coco-coco” (it means knock-knock, and dates back to the time when the huts had no doors so people had to say knock-knock).   The children have been sent to fetch milk that my family sells.  It is time to wake up and help milk the cow.  This is how you milk a cow in Lesotho:  You give the cow a bunch of food scraps to keep her occupied so she does not fight you.  Next you tie up her back legs, wash her tits, moisturize them with Vaseline and then go to work on her udders!  Once the bucket is full or her food scraps are gone, you strain the milk to get rid of any hair or dirt and then scald the milk (breakfast is now ready, fresh from the udder!!).  Because there has been no electricity I boil some water on a small kerosene heater for my bath.  I’m sure there is a method for bathing in a bucket, but I don’t know it!!  I first dunk my head in to wash my hair then squat in the 2 inches of water and splash a lot!!  If the amount of water I get on the floor is any indication of how clean I am, then I’m really clean!!  I put on all the warm clothes I own and accessorize with a blanket or two and head off to the school.  If the weather is too bad to go out I stay at home making pot bread and papa (After this experience, I think I will make a good wife one day).  At the school I’m building an irrigation system (the fish pond idea was not sustainable) and since this area is prone to drought irrigation seemed like the best way to use the funds I raised.  I’m building a gravity flow system (I will post some pictures soon).   

Lumelang,

Greetings in Sesotho.  I’m trying to learn Sesotho to be like a Mosotho to fit in with the Basotho in Lesotho!!  They really like rhyming words!  Well I have been here for a little over a week and I’m starting to feel at ease.

I took the smallest, shakiest plane ever from Jo-bugh to the capital of Lesotho, Maseru.  There was a fire in the capital that day and the airport fire truck had gone to put it out, so we had to circle around for over an hour before we could land.  When I got into the incredibly small airport there was no one there to pick me up.  I remained calm and eventually my transport came to take me up the 5 hour, windy mountainous road to Qacha’s Nek .  It was a little disconcerting that they had to stop a few times to pick up “another beer for the road” and I was happy that by the time we reached the highlands it was pitch black and I could not see the shear drop-offs or the steep, eroded roads that we were traveling up!  I made it to Qacha’s Nek alive, very tired and shaken up and found to my pleasant surprise I had a decent meal and a comfortable bed waiting for me. 

The next day I went to the bank (as every bank machine in the country seemed to be down the day before) and found out my bank card does not work in their machine, they can’t exchange traveler’s checks or foreign currency, nor do they do cash advance on credit cards.  I did not have a cent to my name.  I borrowed 10 Maloti to go get something to eat, use the internet, make a long distance call, and find transport to South Africa where I could exchange money.  The 10 Maloti ($1.25) never got me very far.  I bought a Coke with it and found Adam a US Peace Corp. worker who bought me some food and gave me some money to get across the border.  The bank manger in Qacha’s Nek arranged a ride to Matatielle, South Africa for me, where I easily exchanged and withdrew money.   I was very excited to find a KFC in Matatielle (although I have not had KFC for about 10 years, it was something familiar to me).  I didn’t believe that it could get this cold in Africa but on my way back to Qacha’s Nek it actually snowed a little and I froze!!

The next day the bank manger invited me to a village wedding.  Adam advised me not to go and warned me that if I did, I should not drink the traditional beer that they serve out of large buckets or it would mess me up for life!!  I decided to go to the wedding and my host family dressed me with a traditional Basotho hat (they are straw hats with a peak at the top and are supposed to look like the mountains around here) and a blanket.  I had a pretty good time at the wedding and ate a lot and danced for hours with the children.  I got super overheated dancing wearing a woolen blanket and wanted something to drink!  The only thing I could find to drink was a mystery drink in a large bucket.  I remembered what Adam told me about drinking from the large bucket but I was too thirsty to care!  I convinced myself that sipping it slowly would make it okay to drink. That night I got home and still thirsty from wearing a blanket all day asked my house mom for something to drink.  She made me juice which she made with tap water and I gulped it down anyhow.  I expected to be sick the next morning after drinking traditional beer, tap water and eating so much food, but surprisingly I have a stomach of steel!

After 2 days of flying I arrived in Johannesburg.  I stayed with my friend Ron who lives in Melville, the Kits of Jo-burg (a trendy student neighborhood).  I explored Jo-burg a bit and found it was not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.  I was not mugged, raped or shot and found some great cheap restaurants!!  We then headed to Blyde River Canyon (the 3rd biggest canyon in the world, I think).  Explored the 8 km, 2 billion year old Sundwala cave, visited God’s window, and went to lots of waterfalls and swimming holes.  We then headed into Kruger National Park and went on a 2 day self-guided epic safari.   The first day we had some good finds: a pride of 10 lions, a group of giraffes ran in front of our car, and lots of elephants, zebras, hippos, impalas…..we decided to stay out till dusk to try to get some good sunset pics.  We never booked accommodation in advance and leisurely pulled into a rest camp at about 5:59 pm.  The rest camps are surrounded by an electric fence to keep animals out and unaware to us the gates close at 6:00pm!!  Although we got into the rest camp by the skin on our teeth we found all the accommodation was booked and it is illegal to be in the park after 6pm without accommodation!!  They said they would have to call the warden to escort us out of the park and we would have to pay a hefty fine!  We pleaded that we are naïve Canadians and after a few minutes of puppy dog eyes they conceded to put us in a hut that was under renovation.  Our neighbor Richard was a hard core safari fanatic, who was on a 23 day safari.  He would drive around Kruger all day drinking beer and peeing in a bottle (which he took great pleasure in showing me)!  He had spotted the Big Five everyday for a week, which we decided to make our mission for the next day!! That night Richard took us to see 2 feeding bull elephants that were right outside the fence about 1 meter away from us.  They were tearing down full trees and it was pretty neat to be that close to them.  The next morning I got up with the sun and spent 12 hours driving around Kruger in my bra in the sweltering heat.  We covered some major ground and got 4 out of 5 of the Big Five (Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, and Elephant).  We got a little to close for comfort to the Leopard…We drove under a big tree and looked up and here was a Leopard with a full stomach peering down at us.  The only way anyone could get closer is if you were in its mouth.  We were still missing the Rino. and I was determined to see one.  I joked that I would sell my soul to see one and literally one minute before we exited the park their it was!  At first we were not sure what it was because it was in long grass and was too busy eating to look up.  After about 30 minutes it finally gave my glimpse of its one horn and our mission was complete!