Posted by Casson on Apr 24, 2009 in
News and Announcements 
The good folks at the Vancouver Aquarium have been gracious enough to invite me to speak at their auditorium tomorrow at 11:00 am. A book signing at the gift shop will follow.
I’m doubly excited about this opportunity as we’ve had quite a bit of sustainability-related buzz here in Vancouver over the last couple of days with the release of the SeaChoice wallet guide. Zen restaurant becoming the first Japanese Ocean Wise partner has also stoked the fires and has people talking.
The Vancouver Aquarium is a lovely facility, especially as it is situated in breathtaking Stanley Park. I haven’t been there for quite a while… but I do recall spending a night at the Aquarium as part of some sort of children’s marine biology camp when I was very young. We slept in a room where we could see beluga whales through a thick glass pane. Someone wheeled in a TV and played “The Little Mermaid” on VHS. We got to watch the curators feed some of the fish. I met an octopus.
I think in a lot of ways, it’s those kind of experiences that help to activate our nascent environmentalism. When we have those all too rare opportunities to make visual and kinesthetic connections with nature and with life, it helps us understand that we are not alone.
Anyhow, I’m rambling. Presentation and signing tomorrow, Vancouver Aquarium, 11 am. Hope to see you there.
Tags: aquarium, ocean wise, seachoice, signing, tour, vancouver, zen
The unflagging efforts of the stellar team at Seachoice, a coalition of five Canadian conservation organizations, have paid off in the creation of the new Seachoice sushi card. This excellent wallet-sized consumer guide highlights sustainable choices and identifies less positive options, which it differentiates via the tried-and-true red/yellow/green system employed in Sustainable Sushi and by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.
The primary author of this card, Shauna MacKinnon of the Living Oceans Society (a British Columbian NGO forming one of the legs of the SeaChoice pentapod), worked hand-in-hand with both Canadian and American scientists, conservation organizations, and industry representatives to compile a thorough account of the seafood options that are often found at any given sushi bar north of the Peace Arch. The final culmination of this admirable task will take place on April 22nd at Zen, an upscale Japanese restaurant in West Vancouver, when the card is launched publicly. A simultaneous introduction of the sushi card will occur in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and will be manned by SeaChoice representative Rob Johnson with support from the Ecology Action Centre, the Maritime piece of the SeaChoice puzzle.
This event also marks the induction of Zen into the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program, a voluntary restaurant quasi-certification system wherein participating restaurants use the Ocean Wise logo to indicate sustainable options on their menu. Zen will be the first Japanese restaurant to join Ocean Wise.
I’m thrilled to see another sushi restaurant getting on the sustainability train. To add to my excitement, I’ve been asked to speak for a few minutes at Zen about sustainability in sushi. My only worry is this: how sustainable is Zen going to be, exactly? I still haven’t seen a copy of the menu. I don’t know if they plan to eliminate unsustainable products permanently, or just for the day. So until I have a few minutes with Zen’s chef, Nobu Ochi, I’m forced to withhold judgment on the veracity of his efforts towards sustainable seafood. I’ll let you know what I find out.
Tags: launch, oceanwise, seachoice, sushi card, tour, vancouver, zen
Posted by Casson on Apr 11, 2009 in
Uncategorized It’s been way too long since my last post. First and foremost, apologies for dropping off the map like that. However, I’ve now officially returned from my extended hiatus and will be resuming blog postings and updates to Sustainable Sushi entries as before on a regular basis.
Thanks to everyone that showed up yesterday for the signing at Poor Richard’s Bookstore in Colorado Springs, CO. A solid turn out!
Next singing is on Monday, Apr 13th, at the Boulder Bookstore in Boulder, CO, from 7:30 to 9. It will be more of a presentation-style event, as compared to a strict signing, with a large amount of time set aside for discussion and Q&A.
Hope to see all you Boulder-area sushi fans there!
Tags: boulder, colorado, signing, tour
The Vancouver Aquarium is a lovely facility, especially as it is situated in breathtaking Stanley Park. I haven’t been there for quite a while… but I do recall spending a night at the Aquarium as part of some sort of children’s marine biology camp when I was very young. We slept in a room where we could see beluga whales through a thick glass pane. Someone wheeled in a TV and played “The Little Mermaid” on VHS. We got to watch the curators feed some of the fish. I met an octopus.
