Hi Root Cellar Community,

It’s my birthday on Friday.

Covid-birthdays are such a strange thing. I’m certain those of us with pandemic milestones will always remember our health region’s Covid-counts on ‘our day,’ will remember who we were ‘allowed’ to hug, and those we weren’t.

You know when you’re little and you ask your parents for a pony every year for your birthday, knowing full well you won’t get it, but knowing also that it would dishonour your dreams to not at least ask? Well, my pony is solar panels. I’m more about sentiment on my birthday than stuff, so when peppered with ‘What do you want for your birthday?’ When really all I want is a home made card, a hike with my family & a home cooked meal that I don’t have to clean up after; I throw down ‘Solar Panels!’ Because who doesn’t want solar panels? And if you’re going to get me something anyways, it may as well be something good. And then…. I get home made cards, a hike and a home cooked meal, just like I wanted.

Except this year, the year of my pandemic-birthday, and perhaps more of a beautiful coincidence than a birthday gift (or maybe more a celebration of the 50th Earth Day than 41 years of me), my husband got me a pony! Next time you drive by The Root Cellar, look a little more closely, they’re hard to miss up there on the roof.. … 112 ponies to be exact.

It is awkward to feel celebratory, this project has been in the works for a long time and happened to come to fruition now (we have just been linked to BC Hydro), during our province’s state of emergency making it feel indulgent. But this pandemic experience so far has frankly left me feeling hopeful. If we can embrace the necessary lifestyle changes needed to flatten the curve and manifest the results we are seeing, we can damn well do something about climate change.

I look forward to a society empowered by this experience to make the changes needed in order to take care of our planet. We have always had a strong commitment to sustainability; our solar farm is both an extension of this and a raised flag to our commitment to the future health of planet earth.

Happy Earth Day.

XO
Daisy

A Little Dirt