About the Blog
Why the Blog?
Why am I doing a blog? It started out as a way to use my time productively after I moved to Canada and gives me an outlet for my interest in sustainability, world issues and international development. A few years ago I left my job to study towards an MSc in Sustainability at the University of Dundee, because I wanted to increase my understanding of the issues and what we, as individuals, can do to be part of the solutions. I have also studied history and politics at the Universities of Lancaster and York. It is from these studies that I have become very interested in issues relating to social and environmental justice, particularly in international development, food and water systems and in what is known as a just transformation to sustainable living. These studies developed my interest in the power of individuals to take action to bring about change and I am hoping to promote discussion and action through this blog.
Content of the blog
The blog focuses on sustainability, which is a passion of mine, but also looks at international development and world issues, which to me are related topics. There are three categories that will form the majority of what I will be posting about on this site:
Reimagining York
Here I will be looking at how sustainable York, my hometown, is and how it can transform itself into a garden city, one that focuses on food growing and delivering better outcomes for its residents. This will be a series of posts, that build upon each other so it is best to try and read them in order to get the full picture
The Avenues
This will be a series of posts that relate to where I am living now, Nogojiwanong / Peterborough. The Avenues is the name of the district that I am living in. I will be posting on my efforts to grow my own food as a beginner, learning about local initiatives and actions towards achieving sustainable outcomes and commenting on developments taking place in the city.
RCI Archives
This will be a delve into the archives of Radio Canada International. Upon moving into my current home I found an absolute treasure trove of records of interviews and articles on the environment, international development and world issues, mostly from the 1980s! I intend to reinvestigate the topics discussed to see how things have developed, what lessons have been learnt and even if we are repeating the same mistakes over and over again. It is my hope that I can contact some of the people in these records and interview them. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Why Cult of Squirrel?
You may be wondering about the name, Cult of Squirrel, for this blog. It's partly about my love of nature and animals and partly a reaction to how those who want to advance and talk about sustainability can be seen as extremists in a cult. But mostly it’s a joke on me, I cannot pronounce either cult or squirrel correctly, leaving me with a blog site I cannot say! I’ll print out some business cards….
