Happy Earth Day: Hope is a Series of Small Acts
“Polemics and fear will never move people to action. Hope and the promise of a better life and a better world will.” – Wade Davis
“To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing.” – Raymond Williams
Today’s political headwinds present a mighty challenging tempest for those of us who treasure our time in the outdoors, living as temporary stewards of our natural world who hold it as a sacred space in trust for our descendants. There are times when the burden of those furious gales threatens to blow us and our best efforts away.
In the midst of the storm, I am reminded of the power of the mustard seed. The tiny yellow or black grain contains a formidable power of germination—once sown, the seed’s tough and stubborn nature makes it difficult to contain or terminate. So can it be for the germination of ideas offering hope and inspiration for action—both individual and collective.
I ponder this thought, sitting at the House of Boatang in Langford on Vancouver Island, sipping on a delicious “Sunrise in Accra” mocktail made of passion fruit juice, ginger ale and, intriguingly, caramelized mustard seeds. The universe is obviously trying to tell me something. Small acts still matter and can make a surprising (and delicious) difference, when least expected.
Like learning how, while on an Eagle Wing Whale Watching tour south of Victoria, the increasing presence of humpback whales in BC’s waters (thanks to hunting bans and more food) means more whale poop, which results in the addition of more vital nutrients for phytoplankton, tiny marine plants that form the base of the ocean food chain. Their vitality contributes to the health of marine ecosystems and helps regulate carbon cycling in the ocean.
Nature has always shown the way with circular and regenerative systems that nourish and sustain our environment in a fine balance. According to the 2025 IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Summit, held annually in Victoria, the key to making hope possible in the midst of the oppressive political and climatic dynamic can be found in gathering in a common cause to lift and support each other and to learn about small acts happening all around the world.
We—either as individuals and/or groups of dedicated people—can and need to find ways to perform radical acts in a necessary and hopeful response to the gloom of political and climatic upheaval.
Those of us who love playing in Canada’s Great Outdoors during the cold and snowy winter months have surely noticed that snowfalls and snowpacks have been decreasing over the past few years. Industry players have been paying attention to this for longer than we may appreciate.
For Dave Butler, former Vice-President of Sustainability for CMH Heli-skiing and currently the Strategic Advocacy Coordinator at Helicat Canada, the trade association for helicopter and snowcat skiing operators in Western Canada, there is both recognition of the changing landscape as well as the sector’s carbon intensive operations. Operators are seeing increased volatility in weather, changes to vegetation and variability in how wildlife use their habitat.
“Guests and staff are asking the tough questions about what we’re doing to offset the impact of our operations on the environment,” Butler says in a conference panel discussion.
The questions are welcome as the industry works towards elevating adventure while promoting its growth in a way that is economically, environmentally and socially responsible. Operators are looking into evolving technologies like biodiesel and SAFs (sustainable airline fuels) to reduce carbon, establishing a sustainability fund to support partners, examining possibilities to evolve their products and services and opening up summer activities where possible.
At small ship expedition company Maple Leaf Adventures, organized marine debris removals have become part of its operations. Guests can participate in beach cleanups during shore visits on Vancouver Island or the Great Bear Rainforest, removing plastic and other debris from the rugged exposed coastline of British Columbia. In partnership with other members of the Small Ship Tour Operators Association, the company has carried out award-winning, large-scale marine debris cleanups over several years, removing hundreds of thousands of kilograms of marine waste from the BC coast.
Outdoor enthusiasts can ensure their choices support businesses making positive changes and working towards innovative solutions. Meaghan McDonald, founder of Victoria-based Salt Legacy, is upcycling old donated sailcloth and repurposing the material into new totes, duffels and backpacks that, thanks to a clever design element, tell of the sailing ship’s story while keeping thousands of pounds of sails from the landfill.
For the individual, radical acts may also involve adopting what botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of The Serviceberry, Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World and Braiding Sweetgrass calls Honourable Harvest principles. That means taking only what we need and leaving some for others; knowing the ways of the ones who take care of us, so that we can take care of them; not wasting what we’ve taken; giving thanks for what we’ve been given, and giving a gift in reciprocity for what we’ve taken.
“This could be weeding your raspberry patch, reducing your carbon footprint and advocating for farmland preservation,” writes Kimmerer. “We live in a time when every choice matters.”
My own choice is to act in small but manageable ways, acknowledging my actions are made possible thanks to personal resources and privilege. I’m planting my vegetable garden with garlic and trimming raspberry canes and our backyard apple tree to ensure healthy and local summer harvests and to augment our plant-based diet.
We’re adding a third mason bee house in a sunny spot to foster hyper-local pollination of backyard fruit trees and the rewilded bee meadow seeded five years ago to replace the front lawn of our Vancouver home.
Paying that rewilding ‘idea seed’ forward, my husband installed signage in the meadow with a QR code to inform neighbours and passers-by that our yard is, in fact, a pollinator pasture and not a derelict property. Several friends have been inspired to follow suit.
Government programs also provide an opportunity for Canadians to reduce their carbon footprint. Through the Canada Greener Homes Grant, we installed 16 solar panels on our roof in January to offset our electricity usage and return power to the grid. The electricity we’ve generated has already offset every load of household laundry and helps power our electric car charger.
I’ve also resolved to use my voice to advocate for the change we need to see at the political and organizational level. This includes working with a group of like-minded colleagues to craft sustainability guidelines for our professional writers’ association, committing to following those guidelines and making mindful choices when I travel for work or leisure.
The spreading of tiny mustard seed-like actions in my small patch of the universe is something I can do—small radical deeds to make hope convincing against the despairing things beyond my control. These acts matter now more than ever.
Disclosure: The writer was a hosted participant at the 2025 IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Summit in Victoria.
