by Rebecca Ephraim

photo by Jaime Kowal

It’s one day before we go to press with the March issue and I have made the difficult decision to discontinue publication of Today’s Vancouver Woman. What you are reading is the last issue before we go on hiatus.

I understand that some people outside of the magazine may incorrectly attribute this development to a lack of acceptance of the new title and positioning. As everyone on our staff knows, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, the energy and excitement that TVW’s introduction has generated makes this decision all the more difficult. 

The honest truth is that the support and acceptance of our former title, SharedVISION, in the community has always been much greater than its ability to attract advertising, our sole source of income. When I stepped into the publisher’s role three and a half years ago, the magazine was deeply in the red. But in the last three years we really picked up steam—our major improvements seemed to please our readers and apparently our advertisers—as we cut our losses over 70 per cent during that period, anticipating a well-earned profit at the end of this year.

What could possibly happen to turn that around and threaten the magazine’s future? You know the answer, as this historic economic downturn has probably touched each and every one of you. In turn, small and independent local retailers, our advertising base, have cut back on their advertising. This magazine has always been proud to be locally and independently owned, yet therefore does not have deep corporate pockets to help it through the rough patches. But this economic downturn is much more than just another rough patch.

Of course we are hardly alone. Some of the largest and most powerful in the publishing industry are in deep trouble, too. Canwest is reportedly close to bankruptcy and thousands of other publications are in jeopardy. This downturn may bring a major shakeout in the world of media as we know it, with new players, perhaps in the online industry, rising in time to take the place of print properties that will fall away.

Is this the last issue of this magazine? Not necessarily. There is a rhythm to everything in life… the oceans ebb and flow and our publication has played a highly valued role in this community for 22 years.

Perhaps we will continue our work with our website. Perhaps there is an investor who would like to join us or a buyer who would like to step forward and write the next chapter of a beautiful story of passion and service to this community. Perhaps the economic pendulum will swing back in the months ahead. For now we are going to take a break to, as they say, “assess our strategic options.”

On behalf of our remarkable and dedicated team of professionals, I want you to know that it has been an honour to create this magazine for you each month. We are deeply grateful for your support and trust that we have helped you make your lives more heartful and meaningful in return.

We have created a place on our Facebook Page to continue this conversation and give you a way to be a part of it. We look forward to hearing from you.

In gratitude,
Rebecca

Rebecca Ephraim
publisher and editor-in-chief
rebecca@tvwmag.com

by Rebecca Ephraim

photo by Jaime Kowal

As you might imagine, our name change to Today’s Vancouver Woman has generated an outpouring of passionate viewpoints (see Mailbox ). Welcoming the title change or opposed to it, the intense reaction in its own right reaffirms how important a role this publication plays and what an honour and responsibility it is to be its current steward.

One reader, Emma-Louise, was pleased with our move: “I am very excited that you have gone all-out for your female readership... we need to have more female energy/skills in the world and workplace—empathy, strategic and big-picture thinking—to balance out all the capitalism and macho power struggles.”

Others, like Eric, said we’ve taken the “shared” out of the vision. “It reinforces traditional gender views in my opinion,” he laments, “and there is nothing progressive about that.”

While the mission of this magazine will continue to be true to its history, we do believe that one of the most intriguing places to be in the sustainability movement is at the intersection of ecology and feminism. Having said that, with our name change we are also acknowledging our primarily (86 per cent) female readership.

Today’s Vancouver Woman will continue to do this important work and welcomes progressive-minded people of all persuasions into our pages. I invite you to join the conversation regarding our new title: mailbox@tvwmag.com.

Meet Vancouver’s First Lady

It is a great match—the launch of our new title and the public introduction of Amy Robertson, wife of Vancouver’s new mayor. After reading our cover story, “Finding Amy,” I believe you’ll agree that she epitomizes our new tagline: “Savvy, Green & Soulful.”

In interviewing Amy, I discovered a woman who understands that change begins within and who knows how to access it. “First it’s taking care of yourself and feeling good about yourself, so that you can be there for everyone else,” she says.

Her new role as Vancouver’s first lady has compounded her responsibilities. Yet she wakes early each morning to stay true to her yoga practice—75 minutes on the mat. Her lithe and muscular physique is testament to her yogic commitment, as is her outlook on life. “I am accepting of what comes at me and not feeling the need to control. This [the radical change in her life] hasn’t felt like I got hoisted out of one life and into another. I flowed here, and the scenery has definitely changed quite a bit, but it doesn’t feel foreign, it doesn’t feel stressful.”

An interview wouldn’t be complete with this first lady without asking her thoughts on her husband’s oft-discussed movie-star good looks. “Quite honestly it drove me crazy during the campaign how often it was mentioned, because if that was a woman and it was always pointed out that ‘Oh, she’s so beautiful,’ it belittles how smart she really is.” She adds, “To those people, I’m hoping he’s proved that it’s not just his good looks that make a good mayor. And I’m sure he has; I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.” See Amy’s profile.

It’s all good. It’s all still a shared vision.
In gratitude,

Rebecca Ephraim
publisher and editor-in-chief
rebecca@tvwmag.com

by Rebecca Ephraim

photo by Jaime Kowal

For 22 years SharedVISION Magazine has been a pioneering and often lonely voice for personal and planetary health. It was green back when green was just another colour. It has always viewed ecological consciousness and personal growth as the path toward creating a kinder and gentler Vancouver.

Today, sustainable and healthy lifestyles are embraced widely across B.C.’s Lower Mainland. The mainstream media has finally joined the conversation. SharedVISION’s unique and much-needed role now seems less, well, unique.

Please welcome Today’s Vancouver Woman! Make no mistake: this magazine will remain committed to the values and mission that have been SharedVISION’s hallmark, but we believe it is time to evolve and progress. Most people aren’t aware that SharedVISION’s readership has historically been overwhelmingly female, with 86 per cent of our readers today being women.

One of the most intriguing places to be in the sustainability movement is at the intersection of ecology and feminism. With our new name comes our intention to enrich and expand our dialogue for change by giving women in B.C. their own voice.

Isn’t it puzzling that a city as vibrant as Vancouver does not have a magazine that speaks directly to and for women? We have publications for dog lovers, writers and authors, the GLBT community, immigrants, business people of enterprises of all sizes, rock ’n’ rollers, fashionistas, and glossy magazines for trendsetters and trend chasers. But there is no magazine that speaks to and for women.

With our new tagline, “Savvy, Green, and Soulful,” it is time to embrace the feminine and all that women bring to the world. When we are more present and sensitive to our surroundings, everything improves: our relationships with our families, friends, humankind and, most importantly, ourselves. Under our current title, this concept was too often dismissed as new age-y or even religious.

We will continue to celebrate the accomplishments of women and men, encourage personal growth, honour proud traditions, and spotlight ways to enhance everyday life while living more lightly on the planet. 

Among the first reactions we received to our new title were from our valued clients who purchase ads in our pages. Of our entire clientele, only three balked at the change. But they were upset.

Importantly, these three clients are also avid, long-time readers of SharedVISION and, not incidentally, all three are men.

The discussions I had with each of them touched me deeply. Each said, in so many words, that he—speaking generally on behalf of men—will feel excluded from the pages of the newly titled magazine. Although these words were said in an emphatic tone, the emotion was “hurt” more than anything else.

While two of the three clients have decided to trust our transition (thank you), I think it would be safe to say that most of our readers will likely continue to read the magazine—whatever it’s called.

This was a big decision for the staff at Shared-VISION. We do not enter into this change lightly, and look forward to hearing what you think of our new direction. E-mail us at letters@shared-vision.com.

Ben Banky Will Be Missed
At press time we received heartbreaking news about the death of our dear colleague Ben Banky. Please see page 8.

Here’s to planetary transformation.
In gratitude,

by Rebecca Ephraim

photo by Jaime Kowal

That was our headline 16 months ago when we called Gregor Robertson a “sustainability superman” and asked, “Do we need a former organic farmer in city hall?”

There was a resounding “yes” to that question last month as Gregor handily won the Vancouver mayoral race by almost 20,000 votes. It wasn’t exactly the fact that he had been an organic farmer that political pundits said put him over the top. But his formative years in that occupation suggest that city hall is likely to be much “closer to the Earth” in the years ahead. What I mean is that we can expect Vancouver to once again take on its historical role as a pioneering urban centre of environmental sustainability.

Of course, there are many other important aspects to Gregor’s platform, but why he wants to make Vancouver the greenest city in the world is framed by our cover story in August 2007 when we broke the news of his possible mayoral run. Check it out in our web archives at shared-vision.com (put “Gregor Robertson” in the “search” field and look for the story: “Sustainability’s Superman”). It’s an intriguing side of our new mayor that recounts when he received his political wake-up call.

The Wild Side of Intellect

We also want to welcome the new and returning city councillors and extend a special congratulatory note to our September cover girl, Andrea Reimer. Andrea, who had announced her bid for the Vision Vancouver slate when we did the story, was fearless in sharing the gritty details of her early life, scraped raw with adversity. Her story, which she agreed to share with us in complete candor in order to inspire others to their highest good and service, is a fascinating study in resilience, inner strength, and grace. You can read this story by visiting our homepage and scrolling down to: “The Wild Side of Intellect”).

The new council will be sworn in the first week of December. It should be a riveting journey as we head into 2010 when thousands will be descending upon our backyard with the eyes of the world focused squarely upon us.

Happy holidays to you and yours—and to all the winners in the civic elections that took place last month across the Lower Mainland.

It’s all good. It’s all a SharedVISION.
In gratitude,

by Rebecca Ephraim

photo by Jaime Kowal

Not long ago I was in an airport and needed to take a short shuttle flight to get to my final destination. It was a connecting flight, and I had already spent many hours in the air and in airports. It was late, I was bushed, and my dear old frail aunt, who I hadn’t seen in years, insisted on picking me up on the other end, eager for our reunion. I told this story to a woman sitting next to me who was also waiting for the flight. She had had a long, tiring day herself, and we were both relieved to make this our last leg.

Suddenly they announced that the flight was overbooked and, since I was on standby (my earlier flight had been cancelled), I’d have to take another flight two hours later. The woman I had been chatting with was presented with a ticket and invited to board. She promptly told the reservationist that she wanted me to take her place and that she’d take the later flight. I protested, but she wouldn’t have any of it.

There was no money involved in this “social” transaction, but the kindness and concern this woman extended was a gift that will stay with me, possibly forever.

We all have stories of generosities extended to us; likely we can tell stories of being the giver. And so it is with the theme of our November issue, as we explore the foundations of True Wealth. Meet five wealthy Vancouver businesswomen who “give back” by giving their time to nurture the businesses of other women entrepreneurs. For one, Sandra Wilson, who sold her biz for $30 million-plus, insists on making time to nurture early-stage businesswomen (see Legacy of the Fairer Sex).

In another of our feature pieces, ultra-timely in this period of financial upheaval, writer Nina Winham brings together a diverse group of professional women to talk about the ways of wealth. It was an evening of wine (not too much), hors d’oeuvres, and wisdom on how much money it takes to be happy, where to put it when you’ve got it, and how to spend it. see Rich Beyond Your Dreams.

And for a banker with heart, check out our interview with the dynamic woman who’s CEO of Vancity Credit Union. In sitting down with Tamara Vrooman, who runs a company with 2,600 employees, I was both surprised and delighted at her wise ideas and ideals about giving back, (Knowing True Wealth).

And how about giving back to, ahem, yourself? Our always incisive and entertaining health writer Donna Barker clears a path for avoiding, yikes, a mid-life crisis. Read why a hot new car, a capricious buying spree, or a torrid affair may not be the best life-enhancing moves, (Aging Gracefully).

How ’Bout That Shawn Buckley
We got an enthusiastic response to our October cover story, “Give That Man a Cape,” about B.C. lawyer Shawn Buckley and his campaign to guarantee our access to health supplements. Numerous health products businesses phoned and e-mailed to ask for extra copies for distribution to their customers. That’s because these companies have watched as some 20,000 products have been forced off store shelves.

Shawn has introduced a “Charter of Health Freedom” that would allow the government to safely regulate natural medicines while guaranteeing our access to them. You can add your name to the Charter (the goal is three million signatures across Canada) by going to charterofhealthfreedom.org.

It’s all good. It’s all a SharedVISION.

In gratitude,

Don’t get me started about nutritional supplements. My soapbox stands at the ready on this subject. Somewhere back there in my motley career history I returned to university and studied nutrition. I became a registered dietitian—not one who hung out a shingle but, as a professional journalist, I specialized in “integrative medicine” issues.

A short, operative definition of integrative medicine might characterize it as the combining of the best of conventional medicine and the best of alternative medicine—usually beginning with the least invasive therapies first. It is clear that pharmaceutical drugs have their place, but importantly, so do nutritional supplements.

In fact, if a patient’s health problem allows, a health practitioner knowledgeable in integrative medicine would more than likely decide to initially hold off on prescription drugs, which often have destructive and toxic side effects. Instead, the practitioner would begin with a gentler approach that encourages the patient’s body to mount a defense of its own to overcome the health challenge (leaving the immune system stronger and more vigorous).

Conversely, you wouldn’t tell somebody to drink carrot juice if they were rushed in from a car wreck. I suspect we’d all want the marvels of drugs and surgery on our side in such a case.

But importantly, to assure our health freedom, as individuals, we each need to be able to choose the course of our treatments. That’s why lawyer Shawn Buckley has landed on our cover this month. Whatever you think of him—and there are a lot of diverse opinions (ask the Canadian Health Food Association, for instance), it’s apparent that he has our best interests in mind and has been an indefatigable crusader around health freedom when it comes to using nutritional supplements.

Tamara Letkeman, our talented and intrepid editor, who’s been following the vagaries of the by-now-infamous Bill C-51, gives us a colourful look at this outspoken and plucky personality who’s become a celebrated hero in the natural health arena. See page 20 .

Vancouver Health Show: Save the Date
Speaking of natural health arenas, Canada Place will be hosting one of the province’s biggest shows of the year with the Vancouver Health Show later this month. I like this show because it embraces all aspects of a healthy life. For instance, our eco-career expert, Coro Strandberg, will be a featured speaker discussing job tips and job leads for finding career positions that match your values. After all, it’s healthy to be happy at your work! Check out the Health Show’s pullout program in this issue for more details. And while you’re at it, check out Coro’s Careers on page 46 .

How to Live Deeply
Did you know that people who annoy you the most can be your greatest teachers? Marilyn Schlitz, PhD, reminds us that you choose how you interpret your experiences. She is one of the top people at the acclaimed Institute for Noetic Sciences founded by astronaut Edgar Mitchell (after a stroll on the moon). In partnership with UBC, Marilyn will be leading IONS’s signature workshop on conscious transformations. See her interview on page 32 . Check out shared-vision.com for your chance to win a pair of tickets to Living Deeply or the Vancouver Health Show.

Mistake Us for the New Yorker?
Catch cartoonist Joseph Farris’s work on our back page this month—we are delighted that he’s contributing to SharedVISION. You’ll recognize his signature style from his work at the New Yorker. He has some choice environmental pings.

It’s all good. It’s all a SharedVISION.

In gratitude,

by Rebecca Ephraim

photo by Jaime Kowal

To meet Andrea Reimer is like basking in sunlight. Her engaging personality, keen sense of humour, and easy intelligence give rise to a woman who is a leader. How she arrived at this point—born into a life scraped raw with adversity—is a fascinating study in resilience, inner strength, and grace. We landed Pulitzer-nominated writer Linda Solomon, owner and publisher of TheVancouverObserver.com , to share Andrea’s story from down-and-out street kid to a leading environmentalist, and now, candidate for Vancouver city council. Linda’s great gift for storytelling shines here (see page 20) as well as on her website, which I invite you to visit regularly for humorous, poignant, and timely takes on life in Vancouver.

The Sacred Cows of Summer

I love fireworks. Ever since I was a kid, gathering to watch these spectacular lightshows has been a ritual of summer. And here in Vancouver, hundreds of thousands made the pilgrimage to English Bay this season to revel in the fireworks events known as Celebration of Light.

While I was watching and oohing-and-aahing, it struck me what a dirty pastime it is, with all the super-duper explosives propelled by gunpowder and coloured by an array of toxic chemicals that waft into the air and fall into the water. I could go on—there is solid research on the Web regarding this—but hurling darts at such a beloved pastime could be grounds to string me up from a lamppost on Denman. Welcome to the sacred cows of summer. Who wants to be reminded of the environmental undoing from some of the most popular events of the season? Not only fireworks: parades and festivals also bring heaps of trash and traffic snarls laced with idling engines.

We love celebrations and cherish community. And I’m hard pressed to wag a finger at anything that brings us together to honour diversity and our connection to each other. Yet in these days of rumination on our societies and our planet, there are large, looming questions that remain unanswered. What are your thoughts? Write us at letters@shared-vision.com. We’d love to hear from you.

Bond Girl Blow-up

Yikes. We’re sorry that many readers missed our “wink” at sexist clichés on our August cover . We thought we were being cute and clever in parodying action figure James Bond (ladies and gentleman, give Richard Campbell a hand!). 

SharedVISION: Dialogue for Change is a woman-owned and women-run company. We think it’s a step forward when we can begin to play and have fun with some of the old stereotypes (he’s holding a bicycle pump, for goodness’ sake!).

As women living in this world, we fully acknowledge there is much more to do regarding sexism and the role of women in society. In regard to our August cover, we were earnestly aiming for an amusing send-up, and I offer those readers who were offended our sincerest apologies. Check out Readers' Letters' .

Your Dream Job?

How cool would that be if you could stay true to your values and pay your bills with an eco-career? We think so too, and with this issue, we’re introducing sustainability expert and business consultant extraordinaire Coro Strandberg to give us job tips and job leads for matching good people with good business.

It’s all good. It’s all a SharedVISION.

In gratitude,

by Rebecca Ephraim

photo by Jaime Kowal

I filled up my car and it took nearly 80 bucks. That’s a stunner—my car has morphed into a gas guzzler! As I stand at the pump ticking off the toonies, what plays in my mind is likely similar to most vehicle owners: I’m grumbling about the cost, but it still doesn’t squeeze me to the point of where I’d give up driving a car.

Now that’s speaking from a purely selfish standpoint, as it’s not really about the gas money, is it? The question of whether I (or you) can personally afford to go on filling our gas tanks is beside the point. It’s really about our cars’ carbon assault on the environment—not to mention the toll that oil extraction takes.

Yet, truth is, like many, I’m not ready to go carless. If I didn’t drive, I’d be up a creek, as most workdays I’m toting my briefcase, computer, dog, and recyclables (and don’t forget the magazines).

But the squeeze, regardless of whether it’s a financial hardship, is like a hungry mosquito, and you’re what’s for lunch. That mosquito keeps buzzing you—and hikes in gas prices are doing the same.

So now it’s come to this. We pay attention and we compromise—which is a lot better than what we have been doing. And what we’ve been doing is dominating the environment (actually, “destroying” would be the word).

It’s time to compromise.

I’m not gonna stop driving tomorrow. But if there’s more fuel-efficient ways to do it, I’m all over it. And the more choices, the merrier.

In SharedVISION: Dialogue for Change, we believe stepping more lightly on the planet is about choices. That’s why we engaged writer Lisa MacFarlane, well known in Vancouver for her auto reviews, to give us an early peek at select 2009 models that range from eco-friendly to eco-friendlier.

Buying an “alternative fuel vehicle” can also score you as much as $2,000 in tax discounts plus a lower sales tax rate. And that’s a nice reward for paying attention and compromising. Visit ec.gc.ca/incitatifsincentives for details.

The New James Bond…
In our cover story about Richard Campbell and his campaign to bring an avant-garde transportation system to Vancouver (à la Paris, Lyons, and Barcelona), we imagined a James Bond send-up of a guy who really does have hero-like qualities in the world of alternative transportation. Not to mention, Richard is simply a good sport… and a lot of fun, too, as he has a charming, natural humility about him. Yet he sprung into action at our request and was willing to play along. Read about his vision and intention.

And special thanks to our “Bond girl,” Carissa Douglas, who brought the pièce de résistance to this month’s cover image.

Meet Our New Dialogue Leader
Choices Markets , long a favourite of SharedVISION readers, now steps into a new role at the magazine as a Dialogue Leader. Locally owned and independently operated, Choices has for many years distinguished themselves by their grassroots community involvement. Now look for their ongoing sponsorship of a cutting-edge column called EthicalEDIBLES that profiles the ways in which we, as consumers, can embrace more thoughtful ways of planting, eating, and buying organics. Choices Markets joins Dialogue Leader Inhance Mutual Funds , a leader in socially responsible investing, in our pages.

It’s all good. It’s all a SharedVISION.

In gratitude,

photo by Jaime Kowal

You could have called her “yoga teacher to the stars.” Back in 1947, Indra Devi—actress-cum-serious-yogini—opened the first yoga studio in North America—in Hollywood! Oh yes, yoga masters had been travelling to the West since the late 1800s, but it took a Russian woman to start an ongoing endeavour that lured the likes of Gloria Swanson, Jennifer Jones, and Olivia de Havilland to the mat (for those unfamiliar, these celebrities are the equivalent of, say, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, and Scarlett Johansson). While mostly health nuts and those in the vegetarian movement embraced yoga at the time, this is also when its teachings and philosophies took off in the West.

Meanwhile, for Canadians, an unlikely figure emerged to become this country’s first lady of yoga. Kareen Zebroff was a depressed and overweight housewife and mother of three living in a remote northern B.C. town before being swept into media fame with her wildly successful national television show on yoga. Some 40 years later, that young woman—our cover girl—discusses her exotic transformational journey with writer Pamela Post (click here to read).

Our Yoga Theme Issue

Kareen’s story is part of our ode to the yogic life this month as we partner with the sixth annual Camp Moomba Yogathon & Blissfest, an extraordinary event taking place July 12 at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium. In this issue you’ll find the Yogathon’s program with its lineup of activities plus many of the businesses that will be exhibiting at the event.

Yoga practice is bigger than ever and has moved from counterculture oddity to mainstream phenomenon. Yoga students toting their mats are as common on Vancouver streets as caffeine fanatics clutching their coffee mugs. Actually, drinking coffee and doing yoga are both a means to an end. While a cup of java jolts you into temporary alertness, the practice of yoga cultivates long-term presence and attention to the moment. So whichever “practice” you prefer at any given time, we invite you to this year’s Yogathon as a participant or observer. Both yoga and coffee will be served.

Yoga Visionaries

We’re simply amazed at the outpouring of response to our invitation to nominate and vote for Yoga Visionaries. Among the many Lower Mainland yoga instructors, mentors, and role models who were nominated, four yoginis emerged as the most frequently named. We are delighted to be able to introduce you to their insights and wisdom while showcasing their incredible portraits by our gifted lead photographer, Jaime Kowal (click here to read).

Healing the Heart

Besides the Yogathon, another “don’t miss” event this month is brought to us by the Chopra Center and its co-founder David Simon, M.D. David, who founded the Center with none other than Deepak Chopra, will be leading a three-day interactive workshop exploring what holds many of us back from having happy, fulfilling relationships, and how to break through those barriers.

Gregor Robertson Closer to Mayor

We are delighted that Vancouver mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson landed the Vision Vancouver nomination last month in order to run in the November civic election. SharedVISION encourages you to vote for Gregor in November; his committed passion to issues of social justice, environmental sustainability, and housing affordability will serve us well as the eyes of the world focus squarely on Vancouver during 2010 and beyond.

It’s all good. It’s all a SharedVISION.

In gratitude,