Thursday 29 March 2018

Prizes!

Prizes are a pretty exciting thing. Even a small item or an ordinary one can be pretty darned exciting when it's a prize! And we have some prizes for the teams who'll be busy picking up trash in their neighbourhoods on April 14 at Sooke Region Wide Clean Up. Sign up your team now with Wendy O'Connor at wendyoconnor@me.com The prizes will be picked up on April 22 at Planet Earth Party.

Can't tell you what all the prizes are yet -- but there'll be gift certificates for local businesses, such as Well-Read Books and Sooke Mountain Cycle, among other things. We'll also have LED lightbulbs, thanks to our sponsor Sooke's Home Hardware letting us buy a bunch of them at cost! And there are reusable shopping bags donated by University of Victoria's Electronic Textual Cultures Lab (where students are researching with computers even if they're language scholars, not rocket scientists).

It's enough to get people volunteering, not only at the Clean Up but on April 22. Are you game for helping with the music, or the Paint-In, or directing traffic? Call our coordinator Marlene Barry at 250-884-9955 and tell her you're on the team.

Wednesday 28 March 2018

Orca Paint-In work party

There's a lot of preparation going into this Planet Earth Party. On the big day, we're going to have a fun painting project that's particularly good for families -- a chance to paint plywood orca signs and salmon cut-outs attached to sticks. The result will be not only big orca signs to carry in a parade, but lots of "fish sticks" good for parades as well as for decorating planters at home.


However, the kids can't paint orcas and salmon on April 22 if none are ready for painting! So on March 25 a whole crew of people came to the woodworking room at Edward Milne High School, and spent the day doing the preparations. Deb Wood got everyone organized. There was plywood to cut for the big orcas, and cardboard for the smaller fish outlines. All the necessary paint and brushes were put to good use. Whenever people needed to take a break, there was coffee and juice and snacks. It was a wonderful day for volunteering.


When you come to the Planet Earth Party on April 22, keep an eye open for the painting project!



Take time to plan your turn as a volunteer at Planet Earth Party -- call coordinator Marlene Barry at 250-884-9955 to set up your turn. And in the meantime, sign up your team for the Sooke Region Wide Clean Up with Wendy O'Connor at wendyoconnor@me.com - April 14 is this community clean up with prizes awarded at Planet Earth Party on the 22nd.

Thursday 22 March 2018

Our Sponsors Are AWESOME

At Planet Earth Party on Sunday April 22, we'll be showing how it's possible to reduce use of plastic in our homes and communities.To celebrate our environmental good news stories takes more than just good intentions. We need support from our community associations and businesses - - and we have it!

Planet Earth Party has the financial and organizational support of so many groups in the Sooke Region! From the District of Sooke, the Sooke Region Lionesses and the Rotary Club, to artist Phoebe Wood and several local businesses:  Home Hardware, Interactive Construction, Sooke Disposal and Recycling, Veridian Energy, and Wittich Environmental Services.
A big tip of the hat also to our growing list of supporters (in alpha order): Amber Academy Youth Fine Arts Society - Sooke, Go With the Flow Technologies, Sooke Disposal Ltd., Sooke News Mirror, Sooke PocketNews, Speedsource Fitness 24hr Access and West Shore Voice News.
We are amazed and humbled at our sponsors' generosity and participation. Here are some of their logos:



Take time to click on the link to our Sponsors page so you can admire these organizations and businesses. Because of their generous donations, on April 14 at Sooke Region Wide Clean Up we'll have prizes for our teams of participants, and on April 22 at Sooke Community Hall, we'll be celebrating Planet Earth Party.
And in the future, when you're making decisions about who you can support in Sooke Region for your own activities and purchases, remember these sponsors and their generosity.
Would your business or organization like to sign on as a sponsor or supporter by helping us cover costs or through the donation of services for either or both of our Sooke Region Communities Clean-Up or the Planet Earth Party: Sooke Region Earth Day Celebration itself? PM our Marlene for more information.

Monday 19 March 2018

Electric Vehicles at Planet Earth Party!

The great news about our Planet Earth Party keeps rolling in!
Not only is our Repair Cafe a chance to fix your toaster and to see how other things get fixed, the organizer Bernie is showcasing a display of items by local makers in Sooke region.
As well, the Electric Vehicle Club from Victoria will be present, outside Sooke's Community Hall on our big day. Lined up for inspection by passers-by will be FOUR electric cars, with the proud owners on hand to answer questions.
Right next to the hall we've got extra bike racks for the day. But all these people coming to the hall means it would be great to have a couple more volunteers to take turns as bike valets or traffic helpers. If you're up for helping out, or maybe setting up for the dance at 4:30pm, send us word by e-mail or phone. Thanks to all the people who have already shared their plans to help on the day!

Wednesday 14 March 2018

Sooke District Lioness Annual Garage Sale

While we're getting ready for our Planet Earth Party, there are other ways to celebrate an environmentally-conscious lifestyle. On Saturday March 17, start your weekend right and check out the Sooke District Lioness 15th Annual Garage Sale! It's a great place to exercise the RE-USE part of the old saying, REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE. Click here to read more about this reliable community event.
They're setting up in the downstairs part of Sooke Community Hall on Sheilds Rd at Eustace. The Garage Sale will be open from 9:00am to 1:00pm. It's always a nice opportunity to get a snack and a cuppa to enjoy while browsing among the crafts and other items.

New logo for our sponsor Creatively United

One of the community groups organizing Planet Earth Party has a new logo! Creatively United for the Planet now has a logo similar to their old one, but highlighting their name Creatively United. We've updated this logo here on this blog, and will be using it on our Facebook page as well. Look in our sidebar on the right to see their logo's familar gold swirl with new lettering that includes their website URL.

As their coordinator Frances says, "In the spirit of community cooperation, Creatively United is lending support to Planet Earth Party: Sooke Region Earth Day Celebration this year in lieu of hosting our own festival. Creatively United is more than a festival now, we are a year-round community solutions network with lots of resources available to the people of Sooke. Our non-profit team has responded to the need for a region-wide values-based, purpose-driven event and resource hub that showcases and celebrates the important work that people are doing to ensure where we live, work, eat, play and study remains beautiful, vibrant, healthy and resilient. To keep the conversations going and growing, we welcome you to participate by reading, writing, posting, sharing and staying connected." ~ Frances Litman.
 This amazing group is a year-round community solutions network with lots of resources available to the people of Sooke. It's all part of the environmental good news we are celebrating on Earth Day, April 22.

Monday 12 March 2018

Celebrating Earth Day in the Sooke Region

Check it out -- have fun on Earth Day this April 22nd during our Planet Earth Party. Of course, you'll have already been right into the Earth Day mood a week earlier, by joining  your neighbourhood's clean up as part of the Sooke Region Wide Clean Up on Saturday April 14th. Maybe your group will win a prize!
Then on Sunday April 22nd, come on down to Sooke Community Hall, that big white building at the corner of Sheilds Rd and Eustace Rd. Take the bus if you want -- the #61 Sooke bus is a great way to get around with no worry about parking. Or ride your bike and park it at the bike racks we'll set up for that day.
There's plenty to do at the Community Hall between 10:00am and 3:00pm. Downstairs is our Repair Cafe, where people can bring things that need fixing, and learn to fix them. Celebrate a successful repair by banging the gong!
Upstairs is the big gathering, with information tables and vendors. If your group would like to have a table to show off what you're doing, click on this link and get the info to book your table now.
Outdoors we'll have food vendors, so plan your lunch around the Planet Earth Party!
We'll also have a fashion show upstairs and talks & demonstrations downstairs. There'll be plenty to notice, learn and discuss.
And then the upstairs hall will be set up for a dance, an all-ages event.
All of these great activities mean there are opportunities to volunteer for an hour or two where you are most interested. Click here to get contact information, to make sure the part of the party you like best will happen.


Friday 9 March 2018

Sooke Region Wide Clean Up

Date: March 9 th , 2018
From: Transition Sooke
Marlene Barry, Coordinator of Sooke Region Earth Day Celebrations
Press Release: For Immediate Release
SUBJECT: Region Wide Clean Up


Frustrated with the amount of garbage along the sides of the highway and your streets? What can be done about the garbage dumped in our woods or washing up on beaches? Transition Sooke is hosting a Sooke Region Earth Day Celebration. As part of that they are looking to coordinate a region wide clean-up on Saturday, April 14 th . The intent is for this to be a friendly competition between communities and prizes will be awarded.

Key to this endeavour is finding coordinators and teams in each community: Beecher Bay, East Sooke, District of Sooke, Otter Point, Shirley, Jordan River, Port Renfrew and Pacheedaht. A rating scale is being developed in order to balance the scales between bigger and smaller communities, as well as areas we know will have more garbage or less.

“I recently picked up and sorted one small bush garbage dumping” says coordinator Marlene Barry. “It contained 26 batteries and a bag of old medicines and creams! It consisted of about 2 gallons of actual garbage, the rest was reusable or recyclable. ”

Barry managed to find ID and contacted the CRD Bylaw Officer who is pursuing the matter. The big challenge is that unless you see someone dumping, or the person admits that it their stuff, it is hard to make a charge stick. “We need to change that somehow.” Barry states.

If you would like to see a major clean up happen in your community, please contact Marlene Barry, Sooke Region Earth Day Coordinator at 250-884- 9955 or email reflexology4you@gmail.com. You can also find us on FB at https://www.facebook.com/Planet-Earth- Party-Sooke- Region-Earth- Day-Celebration-153114292063953/ or make comments on our blog planetearthparty.blogspot.ca or
our web site https://transitionsooke.org/earthday2018/ 

Thursday 8 March 2018

Our new LOGO!

Are you going to Planet Earth Party? Thinking about volunteering? Click on the button above labelled Volunteers and find some great ways to get involved.

Or, are you wanting to book a table for selling your goods, or an information table for your community group? You'll be in good company. Click on the button above labelled Exhibitor Info and get your registration information.

Take a gander at our new logo for the Planet Earth Party. Be there on Earth Day, April 22!


Planet Earth Party
Sooke Region Earth Day Celebration
Plastic Reduction Theme
Sunday, April 22nd, 2018
Celebration 10:00 – 3:00 + Dance 4:30 – 8:00
Sooke Community Hall, 2037 Shields Rd, Sooke, BC


Sunday 4 March 2018

Promotion for our Planet Earth Party

On Sunday March 4 we had a sign up by the corner of Philips Road and Sooke Road, where there was a bottle drive happening to send Sooke student Tea to Africa for a program to build a school.

Look for our banner at other local events in the Sooke region!