LiveSmart Community Heroes

In Powell River we are very fortunate to have a local hero who has been an ardent champion of sustainability for many years. I am talking about Martin Rossander, a man who has led by example throughout his life.

Martin Rossander came to Powell River in 1948 and briefly worked at the mill. He noticed that there were quite a lot of materials that were considered waste and instead of seeing these things dumped, Martin got permission to salvage what he needed to build a couple of cabins on some treed land that he had bought in Westview. I think it is well worth noting that there are still plenty of trees on that land and Martin intends to put a covenant on his properties so that the trees continue to live there in perpetuity.

Martin is a strong believer in the value of trees and was talking about the benefits that trees provide to our environment long before this topic was even close to mainstream. He has told me that for many years he was considered a "crank" and his ideas were often rediculed by some of the more conventional members of the community. However, now that climate change is a mainstream topic, people are beginning to listen more carefully to what Martin is saying and he is quite amazed at how differently his ideas are treated now.

Along the way, Martin hosted a television program on Shaw cable, where the environment was the main topic and now, for the past few years, Martin is the host of "Beyond Survival", a radio program that runs each Saturday on JUMP Radio. Guest speakers are invited to air their views and ideas regarding sustainability, food security, community development and more.

Martin leads by example; he lives his values and walks the talk. He has devoted his life to bringing awareness to the people in the Powell river region - awareness that has contributed to the health and well-being of Powell River and its community members.

Sara Blum 103-5701 Willow Avenue
Powell River, BC, V8A 5S6

{From PR Peak, Wed, Oct 15, 2008}


Video of Caila Holbrook's speech at Martin Rossander's life celebration (22 June 2008).