All posts by Manda Aufochs Gillespie

Manda Aufochs Gillespie is a writer. She’s the author of the Green Mama series of books (https://thegreenmama.com/books/) and the publisher of the award-winning website thegreenmama.com. She is also a mother, neighbour, and founder of Folk University (folku.ca) on Cortes Island.

Resilience on Cortes Island

Originally published on Cortes Radio.ca

Folk U Friday for April 3, 2020: Resilience on Cortes Island 101: Food resilience and storage, energy systems, and much more! with Mark Lombard and Eli McKenty 

Mark Lombard and Eli McKenty are two members of a group of Cortesians interested in the infrastructure for resilience brought together by Karen Mahon and the Cortes Climate Hope organization. They spoke about some of the elements necessary to help create a Cortes that would be more self-sufficient and survive short term natural disasters such as fire, earthquake, and extended power outages. Of course, they had no idea when they started meeting that it would be just in time for a pandemic to hit, nevertheless their group had numerous practical suggestions that many are beginning to think about with new enthusiasm.

Continue reading Resilience on Cortes Island

Folk U: Interviews Maureen Williams, ND, & Hayley Newell, Clinical Counsellor

Originally Published on Cortes Radio.ca

On March 27th the first live, call-in Folk U Friday radio show featured naturopathic doctor Maureen Williams with call-in contributions from clinical counsellor Hayley Newell. We also learned how to make our own Alder Bark tincture with Yulia Kochubievsky and got gardening advice thanks to Whitney Vanderleest. 

Continue reading Folk U: Interviews Maureen Williams, ND, & Hayley Newell, Clinical Counsellor

COVID 19 Pandemic: Cortes Health Centre Staff Speak Out

Flattening the Curve, The Benefits and Risks of Self Isolation; & How we can care for each other during this pandemic.

Cortes Health Centre Staff, Tahmeena Ali, MD—visiting doctor—and Isabelle Laplante, RN—new staff nurse— speak out about all anyone is talking about, COVID-19, and what it means for the people of Cortes Island. 

Continue reading COVID 19 Pandemic: Cortes Health Centre Staff Speak Out

It Takes A Community To Raise A Village

“It takes a community to raise a village,” it says on the Cortes Community Housing website (at cortescommunityhousing.org).  This has clearly been the case on Cortes Island with two upcoming housing initiatives undertaken by the Housing Committee of the Cortes Island Seniors Society. 

Continue reading It Takes A Community To Raise A Village

Drug Literacy

Today, I woke up and much of the day I spent thinking about how I was going to get my drug-of-choice packed up for my upcoming trip. How much do I need? What could I leave behind in order to fit my drug-of-choice into the one little bag that would last me a month? What would happen if I ran out? My drug of choice happens to be a particularly fine earl grey tea and why I like to think I am not addicted, when I think about going without the warmth and ritual of my morning cup, my heart starts to race and I snap at my children. There are few people I know that aren’t dependant on some sort of drug as part of their daily routine: caffeine, tobacco, marijuana, alcohol or the harder-to-get and less acceptable ones that are prescribed, gotten on the streets, or otherwise come by illicitly. I’ve noticed in my life, it’s often the people who once struggled with illicit drug use themselves that have the most nuanced understanding drug literacy and the varying relationships people have with psychoactive drugs.

Continue reading Drug Literacy