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
Persist to Find Your Power
Getting started on your community energy project
In this episode of Down to You, we catch up with amazing young individuals from remote communities in BC to learn about their journeys of implementing sustainable energy solutions in their communities. Some of our guests embarked on their journeys with little or no prior experience in sustainable energy but they were driven by their dedication to climate action and their commitment to protecting the cultural and natural heritage of their surroundings. Reimagining the way we produce and distribute power could be one of the most radical actions our society can take to combat climate change. Through the eyes of Elijah Mecham in Bella Coola, as well as Mackenzie and Tristan Walker, and Gavin Anderson in Terrace, we experience the transformative steps they’ve undertaken and the invaluable support they’ve received on their path towards helping their communities transition to more sustainable energy solutions.
Episode Guests
Elijah Mecham is a Clean Energy Coordinator at Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola, BC. His role involves supporting his Nation to strategize and fund plans to help the community transition off diesel generators by 2030. Elijah is involved with the Indigenous Clean Energy (ICE) Network where he finds peer support for this important work he’s doing for his Nation. He has been involved with several different clean energy projects —including run of the river hydro generation, and solar installations, that have given him many opportunities to be at the forefront of just transition for First Nations communities in BC.
Mackenzie Walker, Tristan Walker, Gavin Anderson are the masterminds behind Step3Project, an apparel company with a mission to raise funds for sustainable energy projects at its core. One of Step3Project’s sustainable investment outcomes was a solar system for the Shames Mountain ski hill. With the support and engagement of Student Energy and community partners, this project showcased the power of individuals in our transition away from fossil fuels and the feasibility of small-scale regenerative energy models for remote communities in BC. Step3Project has also helped fund additional sustainable programs at Caledonia Greenhouse, Skeena Valley Golf Course and more!
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.