First Things First Okanagan

End fracking and LNG expansion Sign our petition and call on B.C. to protect communities from climate disasters by ending fracking in the province!

The B.C. government needs to end fracking and liquified natural gas (LNG) expansion now. Sign the petition www.wildernesscommittee.org/take-action/...

Do you care about WATER? Mar 22 is World Water Day and Penticton is CELEBRATING with a party. Join friends at the SS Sicamous Park for treats and drinks, music, games, stories and fun! 12 to 2PM. bcworldwaterweek.org/penticton-ev... All Ages
@ftfokanagan.bsky.social @seniorsforclimate.bsky.social

Tell your friends about the Okanagan Valley's events about WATER in March. bcworldwaterweek.org/penticton-ev...

March 22 Sunday Party in Penticton for WATER

Do you care about WATER? Mar 22 is World Water Day and Penticton is CELEBRATING with a party. Join friends at the SS Sicamous Park for treats and drinks, music, games, stories and fun! 12 to 2PM. bcworldwaterweek.org/penticton-ev... All Ages @ftfokanagan.bsky.social @climateseniorssok.bsky.social

BC has some of the cheapest electricity in North America thanks to hydropower. But LNG exports could spike your heating bills 28%.
Why subsidize an industry that makes energy more expensive for families? Source: Clean Energy Canada, "An Uncertain Future"

A 4th grade student, said “climate disasters are becoming more common...hurting our planet, our health, and the future of kids like me. Adults in the government are supposed to protect kids from climate change..we are taught to listen to scientists and doctors and moms—why don’t you listen to them?”

The EPA’s newest decision will allow power plants to emit more brain-damaging mercury and dangerous soot pollution, putting frontline communities at especially greater risk of heart and lung disease, cancer, and premature death.

Seeds in abundance this Saturday in Penticton. We have snow on the ground but thoughts of renewal, spring, and hope. So come to the Seedy Saturday 10 am to 2 pm at the Seniors Centre. Come talk climate action and what we can all do together for our children's future.

EV 101 online deep dive webinar

Why are EVs a good choice? Find out Feb 19 7PM ONLINE with FTFO and Plug'n Drive ambassador Ron Groves. Ron is a great speaker, explaining how EVs are affordable, reliable, and fun. If you can't come, register to get the recording.REGISTER tinyurl.com/FTFODiscussion

In Ecuador, emissions and hospitalizations fell 'in lockstep' with electric stove adoption A new analysis of one of the world’s largest residential electrification programs suggests switching from gas to electric stoves can reduce climate emissions and hospitalization rates faster than prev...

Great numbers on the health benefits of electric stoves:

"for a location where an additional 1% ... enrolled in the program, hospitalization rates for both all-cause illness ... and for respiratory illness ... fell by 0.74%."

@cape-acme.bsky.social

sustainability.stanford.edu/news/ecuador...

British Columbians want gas out of buildings, cleaner alternatives: poll Polling clearly demonstrates that the higher your knowledge about the causes of climate change, the more likely you are to support climate policies.

‼️New polling shows people in BC:

• worry about climate change (78%)
• want the #BCgov to act more (79%)
• want more oversight of FortisBC to shift away from #naturalgas (61%)

Getting gas out of buildings addresses all this.

@stand.earth @dogwoodbc.bsky.social @cape-bc.bsky.social

bit.ly/4kqaaYt

Schools Group Meet-up February 2026 Are you a Canadian parent passionate about climate action in schools? 🇨🇦 Join us for a 1-hour virtual meet-up to connect with other parents, share your school's climate initiatives, and get inspired! ...

Are you a parent or caregiver ready to bring climate action to your child’s school community? Join the @forourkidscanada.bsky.social Schools Working Group on Monday, Feb 16, for an evening of strategy, storytelling, and community building. www.forourkids.ca/schools_feb2...

B.C. Interior’s Sunrise Expansion Program gets nod from Canadian Energy Regulator - 100 Mile Free Press The project would provide 750 jobs in the Cariboo during construction

Sunrise Expansion Program will create 11 new natural gas pipeline loops, totalling 139 kilometres, the creation of two new overhead power lines to power two new compressor stations and various upgrades and modifications to existing infrastructure.

Read more at: 100milefreepress.net/2026/02/03/s...

Choose winter: Make Milano Cortina the last Olympics sponsored by fossil fuels - CAPE Urge Canada to protect winter sports and public health by ending fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship at the Olympics.

Winter sports stand for health and resilience—not fossil fuel ads. Tell Canada to make Milano Cortina 2026 the last Olympics sponsored by fossil fuels.

cape.ca/action/choos... share.nwmd.social/s/erHMMMOo

Why a New Mexico Developer Quit Natural Gas

Building a whole development of 4000 homes without GAS! in New Mexico www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/c...

Environment Watch: A litany of climate initiatives abandoned Political pressure is needed to redirect economic priorities

Environment Watch: A litany of climate initiatives abandoned
open.substack.com/pub/thekings...

Sorry to have to cancel Jan 22 Deep Dive with Benoit Gauthier of Noble Ridge Vineyards. Travel delays caused him to arrive too late to join the meeting. It is rescheduled to January 29. Please join us then. tinyurl.com/FTFODiscussion

BC is failing its citizens by ignoring the climate chaos we are perpetuating. The gov't needs to draft stronger policies on environment, emissions, jobs, and food sustainability, and punishments for any industry that puts us at risk. @cape-bc.bsky.social @myseatosky.bsky.social @ubcic.bsky.social

Protect Health First: Urge BC to Study LNG’s Health Impacts Before Approving More Projects - CAPE Send a message to the B.C. Premier and ministers to assess the health impacts of LNG and fracking before approving more projects.

BC is approving LNG projects without fully studying the health risks. Physicians are reporting growing health concerns: asthma, heart disease and more.

Tell BC to put health first and complete a health impact assessment of LNG and fracking.
cape.ca/action/study...

Next Thurs Sustainable Vineyards in the face of Climate Chaos. Sustainable wine? Jan 22 -7-8PM ONLINE. Benoit Gauthier from Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery : how soil health protects plants from drought and cold.
Can't make it? Register for the zoom link/get the recording. tinyurl.com/FTFODiscussion

Discussion Series | FirstThingsFirstOK FTFO's Deep Dive Discussions - monthly online presentations on climate solutions for the Okanagan and our planetary future.

Sustainable wine? How to meet climate change in the Okanagan Valley. Jan 22 -7-8PM ONLINE. FTFO and Benoit Gauthier from Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery share how soil health protects plants from drought and cold.
Can't make it? Register for the zoom link/get the recording. tinyurl.com/FTFODiscussion

Photojournalist Amber Bracken takes the stand in press freedom trial On Tuesday, photojournalist Amber Bracken took the witness stand in her joint trial against the RCMP. Bracken and The Narwhal are suing the RCMP for Bracken's wrongful arrest and detention and violati...

Amber Bracken & The Narwhal are suing the RCMP for wrongfully arresting and detaining her while on assignment and violating both her and the publication’s Charter rights in a high-stakes press freedom case set to unfold over the course of five weeks www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/13/n...

"The recent CleanBC Review offers several worthy recommendations, but is also plagued by backsliding, lowering of targets, false solutions, and an overall lack of emergency-level ambition."

Read the reaction by members of the BC Climate Emergency Campaign:

Homeowners Left on Their Own to Deal with Deadly Gas | The Tyee Radon kills thousands in Canada, but BC lags in helping residents minimize risk.

Homeowners Left on Their Own to Deal with Deadly Gas via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2026/01...

Join us Jan 22. Benoit protected his plants and they survived deep cold and drought. How? Soil health measures. Learn more. tinyurl.com/FTFODiscussion

Renewable energy project approvals hit record high in GB in 2025, data shows Applications to build battery storage drive boom as offshore wind projects given go-ahead jump sevenfold year on year

Happy New Year Good News! Keep hopeful for a better world. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

10 Good Climate News Stories of 2025. In this special year-end episode, The Angry Clean Energy Guy cuts through the doom and gloom to deliver the definitive list of 2025’s biggest climate victories. HOPE in REAL CHANGE!!
youtu.be/Mb4bX6twU9Q?...

This University of Toronto Professor wants Carney to answer to her students Each year, University of Toronto professor Laura Tozer updates a slide deck that she presents to her graduate students on the state of climate policy in Canada. This year, she is deleting everything.

This University of Toronto Professor wants Carney to answer to her students www.nationalobserver.com/2025/12/24/n...

Myth and the reality of annual allowable cut in BC forests The annual allowable cut is the cornerstone for how the B.C. government manages logging on Crown forested lands.

Myth and the reality of annual allowable cut in BC forests www.castanet.net/news/Inside-...

Got Used Chopsticks? Those Could Become a New Cutting Board | The Tyee Fast-expanding ChopValue turns millions of disposable utensils into sustainable products.

Got Used Chopsticks? Those Could Become a New Cutting Board via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/WhatWorks/20...