Dirk has been an environmental activist for over 25 years. His primary interest is sustainability – the true definition of which is being able to engage with our biosphere in a manner that can be performed perpetually (forever). He states, “Clearly, this is not our current direction. How we consume our ecosystem like a parasite or cancer is ample evidence. The byproduct of our behaviour is what we produce, what we waste and how we waste it. What gets discarded, land-filled and burned is a metaphorical manifestation of our culture’s madness. Think 100 years into the future. How will we feel about our legacy?” The reason Dirk chooses to make his living as an organic farmer is because he has found it to be the single most powerful tool to reach people and have deeper conversations in order to facilitate change through real action. Dirk’s interest in “ZERO WASTE” is as a key component and tool we can employ to wake ourselves out of our coma of unsustainability and create the badly needed shift our culture must make – and quickly – if we want to survive, let alone thrive as a species. Over 20 years as an environmental advocate on Vancouver Island and an agricultural advocate for the past seven years, Dirk Becker’s passion for creating positive change is infectious and has benefited the community in a number of ways from working to create local provincial parks to inspiring young adults to grow much of their own food. Sustainability for Vancouver Island by lowering our personal ecological footprints is a large part of his volunteer work from doing talks on rainwater collection for the RDN (Regional District of Nanaimo), and Growing Food workshops for Seedy Sundays and Saturdays.