Q: What are you guys trying to do here?

A: We strive to create emotional connections – empowering families to create inspiring communities – through fostering a love of nature, community building on- and off-line as well as compelling, impactful parenting.

Q: Who the heck are you?

A: Our Big Earth-Comox Valley is the leading resource for families in the Comox Valley, fostering local community, drawing people to the Valley from around the globe. Robin and Ken are work-at-home parents trying to figure out this whole parenting thing while trying not to grow up too fast themselves.

Q: Where are you located?

A: Our Big Earth – Comox Valley is a small online media company run by husband and wife team Ken Henderson and Robin Rivers in Courtenay, BC. We work in our pajamas most of the time, and prefer it that way.

Q: When did all of this get started?

A: March, 2007 as Comox Valley Kids. Robin was frustrated by the lack of a one-stop-shop for information on family-friendly happenings in the Comox Valley and started a blog. Lots of people were also frustrated, and started reading it all of the time. We relaunched in October 2008 as Our Big Earth – Comox Valley.

Q: Who runs this joint?

A: Publisher/Executive Editor: Robin Rivers
Design Director: Ken Henderson

Q: What kind of shop are you running over there?

A: Our Big Earth-Comox Valley’s business model is built entirely upon every contributor’s ability to telecommute. Moving forward with that philosophy, Our Big Earth maintains a cadre of freelancers who offer up unique and compelling perspectives on parenting.

Q: Do you guys have a mission statement?

A: Our Big Earth-Comox Valley’s mission is to empower families to create inspiring communities. We are committed to fostering the connection between families and their community through developing a love of nature and stories, supporting local business and agriculture, inspiring creativity and promoting social responsibility. Our Big Earth-Comox Valley has grown from a local blog drawing a handful of readers to a major regional portal for families.

Q: What is this website for?

A: To create a community-based meeting place where parents could connect, discover what was happening around town and learn.

We offer something for every family – from recipes, pregnancy, greening your home, parent escapes, crafts, even homeschooling. We are committed to delivering the quality real-life stories, learning tools, opinions and the strong sense of place that people expect from Comox Valley Kids, and now Our Big Earth.

Through our Mompreneur and Food & Your Family features, as well as family programs, we go beyond the website and into the community, building that sense of place through a connection to local business owners, agriculture and natural wonders.

Q: What do you do in the community?

A: We took our biggest step out into the community in March of 2008, launching the NeighbourWood Walks program that connects children and their parents to nature through weekly walks at locales around the Comox Valley. What started as a handful of walkers has turned into a highly anticipated seasonal event that draws more than 60 families per session.

Our Big Earth-Comox Valley became a local icon by building a parenting community focused on the simplicity of returning to nature, fostering creativity and knowing your neighbour. Our philosophy will always be to focus on the assets of our local community and growing through them.

Q: How are you getting involved on a more global level?

A: We continue our history of celebrating authentic parenting and making a difference as we plan upcoming initiatives including a literacy campaign as well as support charities including YANA Comox Valley, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and Medecins Sans Fronteires/Doctors Without Borders Canada – lending a hand building a healthier global community.

With a particular focus on youth and women, we’re committed to supporting the communities where we live and work through in-kind donations, community outreach and company volunteer programs.

Q: What are you doing to keep your office Green?

A: Our environmental strategy is focused on the areas where we believe we can have the greatest positive impact: energy conservation, telecommuting, and output/waste reduction.

For example:

1. Our Big Earth-Comox Valley functions as a 75% paper-free business. All of our receipts and daily office paperwork is done via computer.
2. We have established a company intranet so that all contributors can communicate easily with limited energy consumption, paper-free and with no travel requirements.
3. A majority of third-party vendors we source out use green business practices and their products reflect a commitment to environmental sustainability.

We live by the philosophy “Get out. Give back. Grow the community.”