Opposed to Ribfest events

Dear Editor: I have been opposed to Ribfest fundraisers for at least three decades. While my friends in humane societies voiced their opposition, I remained silent, preferring to give my attention to other concerns.

Over the past three decades, awareness of global environmental degradation has grown. Indeed, it is now scientifically accepted as being largely caused by human activity.

I witnessed the fires on Kelowna’s south slopes in 2013, something that should give everyone food for thought. Since then, Kelowna has experienced a major flood, and our beautiful blue skies are often obscured in a haze of smoke from distant wildfires.

It may be too late to cancel the Kelowna Ribfest event this month, but the 2019 event could be life-affirming for our planet and its inhabitants — human and wildlife, if the festival produced a feast of Okanagan's orchards and vegetable fields (instead of pigs). There are creative chefs in Kelowna willing to take this challenge.

I have just spent a good part of my morning reading a scientific study called “The Environmental Impacts of Intensive Livestock Operations in Canada”.

I urge the public and the Rotary Club Sunrise administrators to read it. The link is: scienceforpeace.ca/the-environmentalimpacts-of-intensive-livestock-operationsin-canada.

As a respected organization, the Rotary Club of Kelowna could persuade school boards to add the findings of the study to school curricula. It’s entirely possible that by adopting a “Harvest fest” fundraiser in 2019 the Rotary Club will raise more money than in 2018 when the choice of food is limited to pigs. Helen Schiele Kelowna