The

What Works Series

The Business of a Healthy Bioregion, A partnership between The Tyee, Salmon Nation Trust, and the Magic Canoe

In December 2023, the Salmon Nation Trust and Magic Canoe partnered with The Tyee, the award-winning online, independent news magazine based in Vancouver, BC, to produce a solutions-focused series called “What Works.” It profiles dedicated, creative individuals working across our bioregion to create enterprises that are low carbon, locally-rooted and regenerative.

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Science World Is Now One Big Climate Experiment

See how the Vancouver landmark is getting a dramatic retrofit to cut emissions. A Tyee short video.

By: Inder Nirwan and Josh Kozelj

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‘This idea of land restoration.’ shíshálh Nation member Aaron Joe is helping to build regenerative food systems on BC’s Sunshine Coast. Photo for What Works by Hilary Angus.

A Brilliant Community Farm Rises from Brambles

Sechelt imports almost all its food. This Indigenous-led effort wants to show a better approach can take root.

By: Hilary Angus

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Skipper Otto’s Sonia Strobel: ‘I’m not trying to take over the seafood world. I want a system that works for people and planet that pays living wages.’ Photo for The Tyee by Josh Kozelj.

Subscriptions to the Sea

How Skipper Otto and other community-supported fisheries are increasing transparency and providing quality seafood to members.

By: Josh Kozelj

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LED lighting is the key to vertical farming, allowing growers to get the ‘right wavelength of light’ for optimal growing conditions ‘at pretty low energy costs.’ Photo via UP Vertical Farms.

Moving Farming Inside and Up

This BC-based vertical farm is growing fast. One reason: tariff and sovereignty threats to Canada.

By: Josh Kozelj

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Small Gods co-owner Christopher Bjerrisgaard gives a tour of the brewery behind their Sidney, BC, taproom, capable of fermenting up to 210,000 liters of beer annually. Photo for The Tyee by Katie Hyslop.

Pouring the Circular Economy into Your Pint Glass

Small Gods’ Saanich Peninsula-only lager shows what can be done in one small 33-kilometer stretch.

By: Katie Hyslop

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Lynn-Marie Angus makes Sisters Sage wellness products from locally grown plants she harvests herself. Photo: Katie Hyslop.

Decolonizing Your Shower, One Soap Bar at a Time

How Sisters Sage brings activism, entrepreneurship, and First Nations plant medicine into the bath.

By: Katie Hyslop

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A pre-fab house is on a boat.

See Why Rescuing Homes Could Have a Booming Future

An ingenious collaboration by shíshálh Nation and Renewal Development shows what can be done.

By: David Beers and Quinn Kelly

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Prince Rupert’s Bread and Butter

Saltwater Bakery, run by the Gitxaała Nation, embodies a holistic approach to economic development and community wellness.

By: Amanda Follett Hosgood

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Modern eco-friendly homes with green roofs in lush landscape at sunset.

High Hopes for Hempcrete

Indigenous Habitat Institute founders explain using hemp to build healthier, climate-proof houses.

By: Lisa Sundberg and Peter Holmdahl

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A Revolutionary Approach to the World’s Protein Problem

Searching for a meat substitute, this Vancouver company found one in the rootlike structure of mushrooms.

By: Inder Nirwan

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An Indigenous-Owned Model for Sustainable Tourism

How the Klahoose converted a closed BC fishing lodge into a place to immerse in nature and culture.

By: Abby Francis

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Postcard from Seattle, Birthplace of Modular Home Design

Robert Humble of Hybrid Architecture started making homes from upcycled shipping containers in the early 2000s, a milestone in eco-design.

By: Samantha Holomay

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When Golf Courses Go Wild

How non-profits, trusts and cities are converting manicured greens into places where wildlife, plants and people flourish.

By: Josh Kozelj

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The Future of Home Heating? It’s in the Dishwater

In a first in North America, wastewater is being harnessed for energy in Vancouver’s Olympic Village.

By: Christopher Cheung

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West Coast Seeds marketing specialist Jason Tweten walks through a test garden at the company’s Delta facility. The company has roughly an acre of gardens where it tests seeds for germination and purity. Photo for The Tyee by Katie Hyslop.

How a Wildly Successful Seed Company Stays True to Its Roots

Retaining its focus on pollinators, climate change and soil health, West Coast Seeds sells over three million seed packets a year.

By: Katie Hyslop and Amanda Follett Hosgood

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Spincycle Yarns founders Kate Burge, left, and Rachel Price. They call themselves the Spinsters. Photo supplied.

A Tale of Two Yarn-Makers Reviving the Local Mill

Spincycle is at the forefront of an artisanal boom in Bellingham. With stunning results.

By: Marissa Tiel

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Our Community Bikes collects and resells used bike parts, usually sourced from community donations. Photo for The Tyee by Katie Hyslop.

The Enduring Power of Community Bike Shops

The scalable model keeps thousands of bicycles out of landfills every year, and helps cyclists fix their rides on the cheap.

By: Katie Hyslop

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We’ll Help You Get Off Gas, Says Washington’s Top Gas Supplier

By helping customers pivot to electrification, Puget Sound Energy presents a jobs-boosting model to the bioregion.

By: Peter Fairley

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A Coastal Revolution in Hospital Food

How health-care visionaries are creating tasty, culturally friendly menus while cutting waste and carbon emissions.

By: Tim Lydon

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Commecial salmon fishing boat near shore in fog in Southeast Alaska in summer.

Dream of Crewing an Alaskan Fishing Boat? Start Here

How a seagoing mentorship program trains ‘greenhorns’ and changes lives.

By: Brendan Jones

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Salmon fillets for sale at a fish market displayed with a patchwork effect

Hook, Line and Cannery: Decolonizing Seafood

How five First Nations on Vancouver Island are joining to redefine fishing industry success. A Tyee Q&A.

By: Ryan Stuart

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Herdwick sheep on Old Winchester Hill Hampshire England

Shear Genius: Turning Waste Wool into Clean Fertilizer

Tons of sheep clippings are dumped or burned. Meet folks reusing them instead to create jobs and a circular farming economy.

By: Andrea Bennett

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We Can Outsmart Food Package Waste. Cody Irwin Tells How

The cups and dishes you get at takeouts don’t have to end up in landfills. ShareWares invented a way to make them reusable.

By: Katie Hyslop

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Cleaning Dirt for the Climate

Construction digs up vast amounts of contaminated soil. GRT Resource Regeneration found a low-carbon way to transform it for new uses.

By: Andrew Findlay

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