Hope Through Action

Discover DOWN TO YOU podcast, a jargon-free, high-energy podcast that uncovers net zero solutions in communities across British Columbia, brought to you by the Fraser Basin Council’s Youth Program. Get immersed in stories of bold youths who are reducing their climate footprint and offering inspiring solutions for net-zero future. Together, we are empowering Canadians to take action towards a more sustainable future. We can all support and contribute to broader goals and policies that will set Canada towards its path to achieving net-zero.

Introducing Down to You

featured episode

In Pursuit of Meaningful Tourism

Connection to land and water from Indigenous perspectives

Let’s talk about tourism. In a world focused on travel as the main form of adventure, what can a recalibration of tourism offer those of us fighting for change? How can we create more grounded, connected experiences for people wanting to experience new places? In this episode of Down to You, hear from Shaelynn Trottier in New Westminster, an artistic and active youth involved in changing the conversation when it comes to tours. Part of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, Trottier works with Talaysay
Tours, an Indigenous- and woman-owned tourism company, who conduct nature walks in Stanley Park, on the Sunshine Coast and in Squamish.

Episode Guests

CREATOR SAID SWEATPANTS – Love The Land Apparel

Shaelynn Trottier is located in New Westminster and part of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, Indigenous to the west coast of Vancouver Island. She is also French and Dutch. Trottier works with Talaysay Tours, offering tours in Stanley Park, on the Sunshine Coast and up into Squamish. She is an avid clothing designer and screen printer; her art often featured on products of the sister company to Talaysay, Love the Land Apparel. Trottier deeply admires the matriarchs at Talaysay that have mentored, supported and brought her back to her culture.

Resources
Talaysay Tours  – Talaysay
An Indigenous owned and operated tourism company that offers nature walks in Stanley Park, on the Sunshine Coast and in Squamish. Their goal is to capacity build the next generation in business, tourism and education employment while supporting culture revitalization, land-based education and reclamation.
 
Land as teacher: understanding Indigenous land-based education Land as teacher: understanding Indigenous land-based education (ccunesco.ca)
The Canadian Commission for UNESCO offers an overview of Indigenous approach to land-based education
 
Learn about British Columbia’s authentic Indigenous experiences. The Indigenous Tourism BC website can help you connect with the people and languages that have spoken the land, collected the knowledge, and passed the stories of Indigenous BC for thousands upon thousands of years.

ABOUT Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan

Inspiring Climate Action

We all want a liveable future—one where our communities, climate and ecosystems are healthy. But it’s hard to know how to contribute to this future or how our own individual actions can really make a difference.

Down to You podcast shares inspiring youth stories and replicable ideas of how individuals can reduce emissions—personally and in their communities. We’re traveling across B.C. to reveal narratives that underscore the transformative qualities of positive personal actions.

Discover the ways that young people and their families work towards climate solutions whether in a mountain village, coastal town or urban center with Brock Endean. This is a jargon-free, dynamic deep dive into ideas that are changing the world one step at a time, whether through waste and food systems, economic development, transportation, water protection and more.

Have your own inspiration and ideas? We want to hear from you about what you’re doing to support net zero solutions in your community or who’s inspiring your own actions.

About Us

Down to You podcast is the latest project of the Fraser Basin Council’s Youth Program. We believe in the power of transforming communities through positive actions. Our work revolves around supporting youth engagement in sustainability initiatives and building their capacity to take on leadership roles in their communities. We engage youth in communities across the province and we want to give our gratitude to the many Indigenous Nations of British Columbia for welcoming us on their unceded ancestral territories where we live and work.

We are thrilled  to bring you net-zero stories by youth from across BC as part of the Down to You podcast, hosted by Hollis Nelson and Alex Penney.

Meet the hosts

Hollis Nelson

Shared territory of musqueam squamish and tsleil-waututh

A hawk of some kind. I’d love to experience their perspective from high in the sky and with such amazing eyesight! They also experience exceptional hearing, with strong beaks and sharp talons that make them amazing hunters and foragers. And finally, the females are bigger than the males!

Thoughtful, creative, dedicated

We all have stories embedded in our being. Be patient, remain curious, hold space, and let the story tell itself.

My journey towards storytelling began in my childhood. I was homeschooled as a child and a lot of my upbringing involved art and make-believe. My dad always encouraged my dreams and my imaginations. For many years my dad and I would make books to give to people for the holiday season.
Together we would write and illustrate these stories as gifts for our loved ones. It was in this collaborative spirit that my storytelling journey began.

I would like to leave my listener with inspiration and hope, with vision and possibility, and with a firm belief in the coming of a better world.

Alex Penney

Squamish/Musqueam/Tsleil Waututh

Tiger. There may be more creative answers, but I would just love to feel what it is like to be a tiger. Agility, awareness and grace in a world of speed, sound and scent. And napsin the sun.

Exploring, Inquiring, Enjoying

Listening is my philosophy. Everyone has something interesting to share.

My introduction to storytelling was through books, family stories, and music. I went on to study Philosophy, where I was drawn to aphorisms and fiction as forms that struck a chord with me. My life eventually led me to music and art, where I now create pieces based on narrative, sometimes in a roundabout way. I tend to tell stories through recording, collecting and collaging. I remix memories from my journey – from people I meet and places I go – to form a story and express an idea.

I would like to share perspectives with others and create more understanding among people and the planet. Sharing stories inspires insight into where we come from, where we are, and where we might be going.

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