Peace and Environment News* June 1995
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Peace and Environment News * June 1995 |
by Carla Brown
 Heather Breeze. Photo: Carla Brown. |
Can you hear the foghorn in the background? Yes, the old Easterner's spirit is blowing through the corridors of the dusty capital. And that breath of fresh air is Heather Breeze, a PERC volunteer who knows that the greatest tonic for a weary activist is the ocean.
Heather started off in Montreal, but moved when young to St. John's, Newfoundland, making her an Easterner by life experience if not by birth. Later, her family moved to Hubbards, a delightful town not far from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hubbards is the kind of place where women still quilt on the front step in mid-summer and houses lean out over the water like a cat taking a drink.
Heather went to Acadia University to study sociology and history. She laughs humbly at this bit of information, saying "it didn't really have an impact on my life." But who could study Canadian history without being moved while living in such a place, where older people speak about Confederation as yesterday's news?
She soon faced a job market that wasn't too keen on bachelor's degrees. She came to Ottawa two years ago, to try her luck, and soon found work with Health Canada.
When she first arrived, she told herself that she would not volunteer, because she was "burnt out" from her activities in women's groups. But soon, she felt bored. She came to PERC eager to learn more about the environment.
Her latest plan is setting up an alternative economic system. Called a LETS, it allows people to barter their skills or products. Money is not used. For example, someone might trade homemade bread for a haircut, or typing for babysitting.
"Ideally, I would like to make my living in a LETS," she says. "But I don't even know if I'll have time to participate."
Heather loves biking. It's one of the few hobbies she allows herself in her busy life. But then, as an after-thought, she says she likes to write. Anything. Poetry, fiction—her eyes betray a passion when she talks about writing.
"Which is why I write for PEN."
In the future, she wants to study alternative economic systems. And maybe by then she'll convince a university to barter her tuition costs through a LETS. Surely universities could use a few economic innovations!
Converted July 7, 2000 - Lg
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