Recently, the BEST team had the privilege of organizing - in collaboration with UBC’s Centre for Community Engaged Learning - a thought-provoking workshop that delved into the rich tapestry of Indigenous practices and their potential applications within modern organizations, thanks to the generous funding of the British Columbia Multiculturalism Grant.
The fresh, crisp winter air, sparkling holiday lights, and calmer streets are lovely at this time of year. We organized three Winter Festive Walks in different areas in Metro Vancouver: the Spirit Trail/Lonsdale Quay on the North Shore, Lafarge Lake in Coquitlam, and Mount Pleasant in Vancouver. TransLink kindly provided Compass Cards for participants when we used transit to get to our location, and we showed participants how to reload their cards for future use!
For the second day of volunteer-led walks from the City of Surrey, we did a 2.3 km route around Green Timbers Urban Forest.
Walking with a purpose saves you time during the day and makes you feel with a higher level of accomplishment than circling a race track. Being able to step outside and go to the market for your groceries, or realize that school is just a couple of blocks away is only one of the benefits of pursuing this urban trend.
We are proud to share about BEST’s own Isabel Garcia and her involvement in the Women4Climate global mentorship program. Isabel is an avid advocate for walking and public transit as an accessible, healthy means of getting around without relying on personal automobile ownership.
We are all aware of how these months have influenced our lives, but if there must be some positive aspect and some hope in our every day, it is that we reassured ourselves that being able to go for a walk is like a lifeline. Walking might be a light physical activity but it encompasses a huge mental exercise.
Always excited about new infrastructure advancements promoting walkability, we could not wait to experience it ourselves and virtually take you on a tour. As a part of the engagement process, the City of New Westminster has been installing an interim greenway using temporary materials along a portion of the designated route.
