EPIC and the Accidental Environmentalist

photo by Jaime Kowal

“I am not an environmentalist,” states John Wiebe, firmly and in seeming disbelief that I would even ask such a thing. But I think the question is a fair one. You see, Vancouver’s Wiebe is the mastermind behind this month’s EPIC event, a kind of carnival of eco-cool that celebrates sustainable living as the mainstream’s new lifestyle. SharedVISION, as you might imagine, is a huge fan of the show and is proud to be a media sponsor again this year. SharedVISION believes EPIC is such an important harbinger of growth in sustainability that this issue includes an EPIC theme. Our darling cover couple will be stars on the EPIC mainstage.

But back to John Wiebe. He’s gracious, serious, and contemplative—befitting for one of Canada’s leading global economic wonks. Although most of his work is done in high-powered executive suites, the public gets to see Wiebe’s “connecting” expertise showcased in the worldwide business-to-business extravaganza GLOBE (also the name of his foundation) where manufacturers of environmentally friendly products engage with companies that can sell them. Last month, a three-day GLOBE conference in Vancouver attracted 10,000 attendees to its slate of sustainability seminars and exhibitors. Wiebe’s next logical step is to throw the “party” called EPIC in order to get us consumers excited about the latest eco-sustainability products.

The EPIC brand stands for “Ethical, Progressive, Intelligent Consumer” and recognizes that we are all consumers... except that a lot of us want to consume differently, more consciously. Wiebe’s thinking is that if eco-goods are widely available, it’s just as easy for us to buy environmentally friendly products as it is to buy the stuff that chokes landfills and exacerbates global warming. He relies on capitalism to do the heavy lifting: if a buck can be turned, then sustainable products will be produced in ever growing numbers. John Wiebe calls himself a businessman. I say he’s also a clever environmentalist. See complete article for a closer look.

Mark your calendar to attend EPIC: The Vancouver Sun Sustainable Living Expo April 18-20 at Vancouver’s Canada Place, and click here for the opportunity to win free tickets.

Another “don’t miss” event is the Earth Day Celebration at Jericho Park—what a great way to usher in spring and honour Earth Day.

Yoga VISIONARIES… Your Choice
This summer, as part of our exclusive print partnership with the Camp Moomba Yogathon, we’ll be profiling four of the Lower Mainland’s most influential Yogis. The SharedVISION editorial team realizes how vibrant and diverse the yoga community is and believes the choices really belong to those who know the landscape best: our readers. We invite you to nominate the Yogi you believe is the most deserving. Yogis from all disciplines are eligible. Click here to nominate your choice.

Meet Our New Dialogue Leader
Few companies in Canada have shown more vision and leadership on the issue of organic foods than Nature’s Path, one of the world’s top-selling cereal companies, based here in B.C. So it’s with great pleasure that we welcome Nature’s Path in their role as a SharedVISION Dialogue Leader starting this month. Look to 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.

Nature’s Path 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,
Rebecca