My name is Isaac. Welcome to Ekostories.
A bit about myself: I was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada when I was seven, spending most of my life in Vancouver, British Columbia. My interest in the environment is a lifelong one. I have a BSc in Environmental Biology and Geography and a MA in Environmental Education and Communication. I’ve worked as a science educator, a public outreach officer for waste reduction programs, and a project scientist working on contaminated sites remediation. Currently, I’m a aspiring writer, honing my skills on this blog as well as on essays, novels, and children books in various stages of development (or non-development).
The current header image is one from the opening sequence of Hayao Miyazaki’s film Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, it depicts a distant post-apocalyptic future in which humanity lives on the verge of extinction.
I welcome any feedback or ideas you may wish to share at iyuen12-AT-gmail-DOT-com. Thanks for reading.
© Ekostories, 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the materials on this blog without express permission from this blog’s author is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to with appropriate direction to the original content.
You should really get on Twitter! The environmental community has a strong presence. It is a great resource and way to get environmental news, information, inspiration, etc.
Hi Lindsay,
Thanks for the suggestion. I have been told by friend that the Twitterverse is a great way to connect with others, especially in keeping up to date on environmental issues. I’m still a bit new to having an online presence, so it’ll take me awhile to get accustomed to the sheer volume of information coming in.
Hello Isaac. Thanks for stopping by on my side blog.
I agree with Lindsay on how Twitter is a great way to share news and views about the environment. I have been doing so for years now and clearly wouldn’t be able to stop tweeting now.
Thanks for stopping by and your comments! – MFBC
No problem, I’ve written a bit about Taoism in my Earthsea posts and Tao Te Ching is one of my sources of inspiration. Cheers!
Thanks for checking out my blog…I thought I would do the same for you and I’ve enjoyed several of your posts!
Thanks very much! I really enjoy your posts that combine your art with storytelling. Actually, my next entry will share slight similarities to some of your work.
Hi Isaac,
This is SUCH a cool blog! I love Ursula LeGuin and Michael Pollan, too.
Best wishes for your writing endeavors and thanks for liking my blog post.
Thanks for stopping by! I’m also a fan of Wendell Berry as well.
Isaac, thank you for being you and allowing us to visit!
Thanks for stopping on my blog, agree as well about twitter. Got it one week ago, great way to meet people interested in the same things than you
You should read the new post on my blog by my friend Emma it is called Can’t see the forest for the trees http://wordsoftrees.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/cant-see-the-forest-for-the-trees/
Thanks for visiting. I did see that post, it definitely resonated with me.
Hello Isaac,thank you for for making contact- and to lead the way to your blog-fabulous.
Thanks for stopping by. Your art pieces are absolutely stunning!
Just to let you know that I have nominated you for a ‘Very Inspiring Blogger’ Award (http://wp.me/p2mlPL-6x)… thanks for all the interesting posts.
I’m very honoured by your nomination! Hope you keep reading and keep writing as well. I’m currently working on a story revolving around permaculture, so your nomination will definitely serve as motivation to do a good job
Hope the story progresses well – I look forward to reading it
Isaac, thanks for the visit. I’m delighted you found me so I had the opportunitty to find you and i hope you come back with your fresh voice.. I”ve a brother, a philosopher, who has labored for years on the intersection of environment and spirituality. I’ll be sending him here.
Hi Moe,
Thanks for visiting and the recommendation. I’m always interested in hearing and sharing ideas about those fields, so that’s fantastic!
hello Isaac~ i’ll be following along too…
Thanks for visiting TogetherOne. Like you, the earth and our our creative energies go hand in hand. It’s great you can express yourself through writing.
It was a pleasure to have come across your own blog. I’ve recently started going to yoga, and physical and mental balance and alignment are often at the forefront of my mind.
Hi Isaac, thanks for stopping by on my blog. We have something in common I think, though I didn’t mention it in my blog. Currently I’m doing research on environmental toxicant presents in foods and water, using a cell culture model. It would be great to follow you ^^
Environmental toxicology’s one of my interest. I would actually like to know more
Thanks for the follow!
Hi Isaac, congratulations!
I have nominated your blog for the 10 Commandments Award.
http://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/10-commandments-award-thanks-argylesock/
Enjoy!
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Hey thanks for following my blog! I hope that you enjoy it! It’s nice to see another scientist with a creative side by night.
Cheers! I am a big fan of bonsai, terrariums, aquariums, all of that. The interaction of caring for and protecting living things on a small scale helps me develop a fuller appreciation for the greater environment and a better understanding of the relationship that exists between humans and nature.
Amen Brotha!
Hi Isaac,
Thanks for checking out my blog. I’ve been enjoying yours as well. I see others here have suggested you get on twitter to connect with the environmental community. Did you ever do that? I’m new to blogging and have no idea about twitter. I wonder how the “environmental community” finds each other. I’ve no idea how you even found me…:) I suspect it’s somewhat counterintuitive for many of us who are more environmentally aware to learn to use all this modern social media to come together.
Hi James,
I have recently dipped my toe into the twitter community, primarily as another way for interested people to find my newly published posts. I must admit, it’s not really working for me as a tool to find other like-minded people, simply because I personally need more information and depth of thinking than a tweet to see if it’s a suitable connection. I am really adverse to the idea of being overwhelmed with a flood of tweets that I have to devote additional energy to sift through.
I found your site through the WordPress reader. I have certain tags I explore: environment, sustainability, ecology etc. I seem to be discovering interesting blogs at a comfortable and manageable pace. This way, I get to at least spend a bit of time figuring what people are about. It seems to work pretty well so far.
Thank you for liking my post!
Thanks for writing a great post on Carl Sagan! It was a pleasure to read.
No, thank you for liking it!!
Hope your travels are going well Isaac. I’ve nominated you for the Reader Appreciation Award. You can check it out here: http://wuppenif.com/2012/10/18/reader-appreciation-award/
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Thanks for visiting and following my blog!
Thank you for creating interesting content!
It is such a great blog. I have worked on Le Guin’s SF for my PhD and now guess what? I am working on the first translation of A Wizard of Earthsea into Arabic!
Let us remain in touch. We can surely have great conversations about it.
Very nice to meet you. It must be exciting to work on a project that will expose so many to a great book. I would love to read about your thoughts on her various works as well. Thanks for reading.
Thank you for your beautiful, juicy and thoughtful blogging. Like you, I am becoming increasingly convinced that the power of story is our best hope for preserving those things that are essential and good through the challenges faced by our global culture and wounded biosphere in the coming decades. Your essays on the stories I have known and loved (LeGuin, Miyazaki, Star Trek) have given me fresh insights into how effective stories are told. I look forward to exploring some new stories based on your recommendations.
Hi Michelle,
It’s always nice to hear feedback such as yours, to have people identify with familiar tales and be connected to some potential new ones. Hope you find one or two that resonate with you.
Hi Isaac! Thanks for your comments. If you’re a facebook user we’d love for you to “like” our page. See you there!
I think I already have liked it thanks!
Isaac, you have a wonderful blog. I appreciate your passion for the environment. I loved Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Love Ursula LeGuin’s books and essays.
I appreciated connecting with others with similar interests. I’m going to be doing a big bit on Nausicaa the manga in the future, along with some more stuff on Le Guin’s works. Stay tuned.
Thumbs up! for this outstanding blog. I’m now following.
Hi issac, I’m living in new Westminster BC, and I’m trying to start a garden on my balcony! Got any seeds or ittybitty plants you’d like to share? I don’t know any other gardeners on the lower mainland right now, and I’m doing this on a budget.
so far i love your blog, I’m going to back track and see what else is there. SO glad I did that post about worms !
Hi Larissa, thanks for visiting. I actually spent a lot of my childhood in New West myself. Nice to meet someone from the area.
As for gardening, I’m working on container gardens on my balcony myself, punching holes in old rubbermaid containers and putting in a few bags of potting soil. I unfortunately have to make due with suboptimal sun. We’ll see how it works out.
For seeds, I would recommend checking out West Coast Seeds. Their free gardening guide is full of tips for when and what to grow, and they sell seeds that work well in small containers.
OH fantastic! thanks so much! hope your garden comes along nicely! I have tons of sun so I’m hopping to get lots this summer!
Keep up the good work. Thought provoking blog posts.
Thanks for visiting!
Hi Mr. Isaac, I enjoy reading your blog, inspiring ! Keep up the good work
Thank you very much for your kind words and your visits!
Nice to meet you Isaac and I think we are very much along the same lines of thinking. Environmental issues, self-sufficiency, supporting local farmers, and finding better ways to live are all very important to me.
Too many people out there are caught up in distractions while short-sighted profit-makers erode the foundations of life itself in the pursuit of illusory material wealth.
Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful blog; I’ll be following it.
Always good to meet a fellow blogger face to face! I’m glad you find the site aligning with some of your interests. Thanks for reading.
Nausicäa is more relevant than ever. I assign it to and discuss it in my environmental science class almost every semester now. Love what you’re doing here. Never underestimate the power of stories.
I apologize for the late response. Your comment is heartening to hear; Nausicaa is still quite unknown in North America where I live. I am interested in what level your ES class is, and what ideas come up through the exploration of Nausicaa. I’m in the planning stages of doing a feature on the manga, and it would be great to hear what other environmental educators and communicators explore it.
HI Isaac. Thanks for visiting my blog, Paradigms4Progress, and thanks for all your contributions to a healthy and sustainable planet. I look forward to returning to your site and reading more of your work. All the best, Denise
Hi Denise, thanks for visiting. You have a great blog. My credit union recently divested from a pipeline company, so I enjoyed your post on the topic.