Happy International Women's Day 2010!  In addition to canvassing with Mark MacKenzie (who ran a successful bi-election bed in Ottawa West Nepean - way to go Mark!), I continue to work with Sylvie and many of the 13 Candidates in the capital to foster a strong regional collaboration, and I will be sharing words of acknowledgement and congratulations on behalf of our leader, Elizabeth May at the 100 Year Anniversary Celebration of the Girl Guides tomorrow after an Equal Voice Experiences Mentoring Reception - here are a few things to be aware of in the next month:

1) Tonight I am hosting an dinner which marks the launch of Particip8! An Equal Voice National Capital Chapter Initiative which will focus on fostering deeper and more powerful connections between women who are running for office and those who are committed to supporting women to run and win in all levels of government and in all parties!  We will be having a delightful evening at The Wellington Gastropub (1325 Wellington Street). We will have women from government, not-for-profit, private sector and non-governmental organizations.  What seems so obvious to me - and is now supported by research and data with respect to women on boards - is that having more women in office is a critical way for our country to move forward.  Women think, and act differently!  We explore issues differently!  No, I am not kidding.  One of the reasons this can be hard for people to see is that the dominant culture (or some may call society) in many organizations, certainly including parliament is a very male dominant place.  Women need to be present and active in the conversations shaping our country (and the world) because we bring different perspectives, questions, ideas and experiences.  Yahoo - we have come a long way baby!  I am excited to hear what other women think about our journey - past, present and future!

I am also grateful to the NDP Women's Caucus for hosting a lovely and stimulating breakfast at the parliamentary restaurant this morning in honour of International Women's Day. THANKS and keep up the good work!

2) Algonquin College Green Business Management Program continues it's second year and I remain excited, passionate and engaged as a professor of this extraordinary learning opportunity - grads from last year have initiated a core team (including me) to work on the creation of a Green Business Network in the capital - launch is planned for June concurrent with Canadian Environmental Week- please let us know what you think we need to focus on, build and promote!

3) Go Green Expo at Lansdowne Park March 20-21 - I will be there and at the Green Party of Canada booth on Saturday, March 20th from noon - 3:30 pm and I'd love to hear what you are up to and what people in Ottawa Centre care about!

4) Earth Hour on Parliament Hill! A wonderful opportunity to connect with others passionate about living life not in neon :D Saturday, March 27th, 2010 - lights on the hill are out for an hour starting at 8:00 pm It really is a spectacular occasion and well worth coming to the hill for the experience.

5) Mark your calendars for Central Park Clean up and social gathering on Saturday, May 29th ... roll up your sleeves and we will all win! :D

I will also begin a new practice in April.  I am excited about the people in our community and the great work we are up to in Ottawa Centre and to remain more aware and more connected with what our communities are up to, I will begin to host an informal gathering the first Thursday of the month at one of our riding's lovely fair trade & organic coffee shops.  If you are able, please join me at Bridgehead on Elgin Street at McLaren (a fine example of the Green Economy in action!) on Thursday, April 1st  between 8:30 - 9:30 am. (this is NOT an April fools!)

Here is a reflection: does anyone else out there find it funny that science works so hard and invests so much money to prove things we already know?  I can't tell you the number of times recently I have heard about new research which proves... and I've felt somehow dismissed. I have begun reading a book my mother-in-law, Sandra, gave me for my birthday called "The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis" by Jeremy Rifkin.  It looks like a great book (an opus, really at 661 pages of dense type - good value for money) and with a small taste under my belt it offers the observation that history has only told a small part of the story - and has focused on the crisis elements while overlooking the majority of human history which points strongly to our collective ability to live, and live well together.  Hmmmm.... this is a small example of what I am talking about - are you with me?  Anyway, I'd love to see us move forward together - and I think we can do this well and quickly!  We just need to be able to appreciate the gifts and talents we all bring to the table - including the women. As women, we need to speak up!  We need to share our clarity - at debates, in conversations, through articles, blogs and books.  It really is time to share our wisdom!  The world needs our voices!

As we being 2010, an auspicious year for Canada where we will have a beautiful opportunity once again to welcome the world's finest winter athletes into our country and showcase the many splendors our nation provides both in natural beauty and as hosts of an international event, I am struck by how perplexing it is that so many of us aren't aware of the AMAZING things that are taking place around creating more sustainable ways to do business and live lightly on this lovely planet.

In the spirit of asking WHY NOT - here are two of my favourite finds from www.ted.com from 2009 - I hope you will be as inspired as I was by all three of these tales of what IS POSSIBLE:

A new way to experience Foie Gras: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_barber_s_surprising_foie_gras_parable.html

If you haven't heard about Cradle to Cradle - you must - you simply must - it boggles my mind that we as a country aren't taking advantage of this significant new way of thinking about how we deign products.  It's time to focus on Eco-effectiveness, really, it IS time! http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/william_mcdonough_on_cradle_to_cradle_design.html

And, of course, 2009's talk by Ray Anderson, who is courageous and heroic enough to acknowledge his role as a plunderer and step into a new way of leading business: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ray_anderson_on_the_business_logic_of_sustainability.html

If we don't start to consider, if even only for selfish reasons, the HUGELY significant contribution nature makes to our global economy (some of the numbers I have seen recently posit around 30 trillion), really... it is pretty easy to see a global tragedy of the commons happening, isn't it?  And, there is no reason for this to continue.  When I spoke at the Community and Corporate Social Responsibility Conference this fall I wasn't kidding when I said I believe human ingenuity is the largest, most underutilized resource on the planet - and I don;t know about you - but I feel this is changing - and it gives me immense hope!  We can ALL be the change we wish to see, really, it IS possible! Happy 2010 everyone! :D

PLEASE NOTE: As many of you know, on November 27 & 28, 2009, Leadership Ottawa hosted it's first annual 3i Summit. It was magical!  To have such enlivening conversations taking place in the heart of the capital (at the Great Canadian Theatre Company) was fantastic!  To be a part of this extraordinary contribution to our community was truly a significant moment.  Stay tuned for video clips from Rogers' for the 3i summit... it really was as great as TED - and right here in our city - yahoo!