Water Docs
Beat the winter blues by going green

Winter can feel endless sometimes, even if temperatures are mild and there is barely any snow to shovel. Daylight hours are shorter, the weather is often less pleasant and we generally spend more time indoors and being less active. For many people seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a very real issue during the cold months and if you’ve ever felt the pains associated with it, you’re certainly not alone.

Beat the winter blues by going green
Water Docs
Who Really Was Our 2023 Water Warrior Award ...

As told by Julia Barnes, a documentary filmmaker, volunteer with Water Docs, and friend of the late Rob Stewart. This speech was given as part of our Water Warrior Award presentation at our 11th annual Water Docs Film Festival in Toronto on Nov. 17, 2023. Rob’s parents, Brian and Sandy Stewart, accepted the award on Rob’s behalf.

Who Really Was Our 2023 Water Warrior Award Recipient, Rob Stewart?
Water Docs
Breaking Down our 2023 Film Festival Programs

Here is a breakdown of the 2023 Water Docs Film Festival in-person screening blocks that can help you decide which programs you absolutely “must-see”… and they’re all FREE! See you at the movies…

Breaking Down our 2023 Film Festival Programs
Water Docs
Canada's Wetlands

Across the country, wetlands are being destroyed by industry and agriculture. They are drained and filled so people can construct buildings, farm the land, or install infrastructure. Wetlands also face threats from pollution and climate change. As droughts intensify, wetlands can dry up.

Worldwide, 60% of wetlands have been lost. Wetlands are disappearing faster than any other natural community.

Canada's Wetlands
Water Docs
Wetlands: Peat Bogs

Fog lingers in the cool dawn air. With each step I take, the boardwalk sinks and water rises through the slats. All around, there are plants – clumps of sedges, sphagnum moss, leatherleaf, and sweet gale shrubs. Spider webs that would normally be invisible in the branches shine with the dew they have collected overnight – tiny droplets like glass beads strung across complex architecture.

Wetlands: Peat Bogs

Canada Looks to Pass its First Environmental Racism Legislation

Canada Looks to Pass its First Environmental Racism Legislation

Canada appears poised to pass its first-ever legislation concerning environmental racism. Bill C-226, a private member’s bill introduced by former Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, passed its second reading in the House of Commons this week. Following the reading, Bill C-226 has been referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. This legislation is a successor to a Bill C-230 introduced in 2019 by then-Liberal MP Lenore Zann. Bill C-230 also made it through two readings but was lost when parliament dissolved with the 2021 election call.

Four traits that make Stan an impactful environmental leader

Four traits that make Stan an impactful environmental leader

One can’t talk about Stan without also speaking of his wife Mariam and their three beautiful and accomplished children. While Stan is the public face of his work and creations, Mariam is ever-present in his mind and heart, and they are equal partners in every plan and decision. Together they co-founded Ecologos and she served on the Board of Directors in the early years and fed many of those who served on the Design Team (our name for the core planning committee). I think it’s fair to borrow the description of another well-known spouse and acknowledge that she has been his “strength and stay” through their many years of marriage. So, in this sense, Ecologos is facing not one retirement, but two.

Stan's advocacy work for water and climate inspires me

Stan's advocacy work for water and climate inspires me

My time at Ecologos has been filled with joy, inspiration and community. The staff and volunteers are a unique community of people who share the values of interconnectedness, reciprocal relationships and the intrinsic human connection to nature. The vision behind Ecologos’ advocacy and work comes from Stan Gibson. It has been very impactful as a young professional to learn and be a part of the advocacy that Ecologos does through education, art and storytelling.

Where do the 2022 Ontario Election Candidates Stand on Environmental Issues?

Where do the 2022 Ontario Election Candidates Stand on Environmental Issues?

With advanced polls open across the province and the parties’ campaigns in full swing, politics is yet again front of mind for many Ontarians. The general election will take place on Thursday, June 2 and it’s been widely reported that the cost of living is by far the number one voting issue in this post-pandemic time and it’s easy to see why: gas prices, rental costs, housing market and even groceries are all seeing record high prices.

Purified Water on Tap

Purified Water on Tap

When I was a newly minted Certified Natural Health Practitioner, I started Anarres Apothecary as a social enterprise storefront, online and mail-order resource for anyone who wanted body care, DIY supplies and housewares that are Good For You and Good For The Earth. For me, holistic health does not mean merely the health of our individual minds, bodies and spirits, but also the health of the Earth and all of its inhabitants. That’s why, for a dozen years, I’ve been a fan of Water Docs…