Busy times here as we make plans for what shapes up as an eventful October by our  standards. It begins on Sat., Oct. 14 with our second Sooke Ecohome Tour — this time featuring three residences in Sooke and three more (two of them in construction) in East Sooke. This year’s mix ranges from a tiny home studio in a beautiful forested wilderness setting to a solar-panelled Sooke centre residence and a pair of in-progress new-builds near East Sooke Provincial Park — one a Net Zero aerie, the other a sea-level econest sited above a working farm with rammed earth walls and radiant flooring. Two other properties are back by popular demand from our 2016 debut tour.  As is our norm, we’re offering nice-price tickets ($5 per person/$10 for a carload) that will again be available on event-day only at the Stick in the Mud Coffee House in downtown Sooke and at participating venues. Visit our Facebook event page for regular updates.

Following what shapes up as a wonderful Awareness Film Night season debut on Wed., Oct. 18 featuring an upcycled clothing faire, Sookies will be happy to learn that the second Sooke Repair Cafe is being hosted by our Zero Waste Sooke working group on Sat., Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sooke Community Hall. Like our debut in May, the family friendly event welcomes everyone in town to bring items for repair by our crack 😉  team of volunteer fixers. Anything that is broken is fair game — lamps, hair dryers, clothing, electronic appliances, furniture, bikes, toys and crockery included.  “We were all totally pumped and excited by the first cafe,” says ZWS coordinator Wendy O’Connor. “We want to again show how much fun repairing things can be and how easy it often is.” Those who walk away with a repaired item are invited to bang a gong (literally) as they leave and drop a  donation in the tip jar.

Our periodic speakers series gets underway again with the One Planet Region‘s Trevor Hancock at Edward Milne Community School at 7 p.m. on Mon., Oct. 23. The University of Victoria professor and regular Times Colonist columnist will introduce Sooke residents to an inspiring south Island vision based on the Happy Planet Index and the alarming fact that collectively (North Americans especially) are burning through an unsustainable 1.5 planets worth of energy annually.
“Only if we can imagine it and show it is feasible will we be able to engage people in what should be an inspiring quest — to create a “One Planet” region with a high quality of life,” says Hancock. Admission is free or by small donation.