Your Earth by Suzanne Elston

The Last Post

2009-10-13T04:40:00.004-04:00

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the harvest of the growing season, and to acknowledge the perpetual circle of life on this planet. As one season dies and bears fruit, the seeds become dormant, waiting patiently through the long winter’s night for a chance of rebirth next spring. It is the miracle of life – unique in the known universe.

This Thanksgiving, I have the bittersweet task of passing the seeds of my thoughts onto others, hoping that they germinate and bear fruit. After more than 20 years, this will be my very last Your Earth column.

The best way to end anything is to start at the beginning.

In the summer of 1989, I was a young mother living in the country with our two small sons. When the eldest had been born, my husband Brian and I flipped a coin to see which one of us would stay home and be the caregiver, while the other trekked into the city to earn our keep.

We have often joked about which one of us won the toss that day, but suffice to say, I stayed home. I took my new job very seriously, and like most new moms, I worked hard to create a safe haven for our babies. Once I’d childproofed our home, I stepped outside to our little piece of heaven - the two remaining acres of my husband’s family homestead. There I encountered such non-urban threats as deadly nightshade, stinging nettles and hawthorn trees.

Beyond our driveway lay another potential threat – the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station – the largest of its kind in the world. Soon after came the threat of a new low-level radioactive waste facility and a proposal to expropriate nearby farmland to accommodate 11 million tones of Toronto’s garbage.

These were the very early days of the environmental movement. I soon found myself on the phone for hours every day, fielding questions from my neighbors about how we should be reacting to the changes that we saw happening around us.

It was Brian who suggested that there was a need to get information out to the public in a more efficient manner. This was long before the Internet or email, so I approached our local newspaper about writing an advice column on environmental issues. I gave them a couple of samples and suggested that people could write in their questions (rather than phoning me at home) and I would answer them in print.

To my absolutely amazement, the column was accepted. I was totally elated for about 10 minutes, until I realized that I might run out of things to write about. Forget that I had virtually no experience as a writer!

That was 20 years ago.

It has been my greatest joy - and my greatest sadness - that I have never run out of things to write about. I learned to love the pure joy of writing very quickly. My first efforts were unnecessarily long and poorly crafted, but I persevered. As my awareness of environmental issues grew, so did my concern for this brilliant blue jewel we call Earth.

My writing took me to the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, and to the Biosphere in Arizona in 1998. On September 11, 2001, I was traveling to New York City with my family to participate in a special United Nations session on Children, Peace and the Environment when terrorists cut a gaping hole in that city’s skyline and changed the world forever.

I have had the opportunity meet some of the greatest environmental heroes of our time, many of whom I have had the privilege of calling friends: Dr. Rosalie Bertell, Irene Kock, Dr. Sandra Steingraber, Dr. Steven Schneider, Paul Hawken, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Elizabeth May, Dr. David Suzuki, Chris Winter and Dr. Ursula Franklin.

I have also had the gift of getting to know many of my readers – many of whom I now call friends. We are kindred spirits, called together in the race to save the planet. I thank them now for the gift they have been to my life, and to my work.

Sadly, as George Harrison once wrote, “All things must pass.”

The world is changing rapidly, and so is the medium in which I write. My column will no longer appear in print locally. In exchange, I will have a chance to write nationally for Sun Media – not as a columnist with a heartfelt opinion, but as a seasoned writer, providing much needed information and tools for the task at hand.

The goal of my column has always been to empower others to take action and ownership. What I have learned over the past 20 years is that the environment is not something else to worry about – it is the context in which everything happens. Caring for the environment is the most selfish and altruistic thing any of us can do.

It’s time to say goodbye and thank my readers and the editors who have provided me with the space each week to speak to the heart of everyone about the need to save the seed that contains the future of all.

And so I pass the torch to you, dear reader. May you carry it well. It is, after all, your Earth.

The End

2009-10-13T04:26:00.001-04:00

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the harvest of the growing season, and to acknowledge the perpetual circle of life on this planet. As one season dies and bears fruit, the seeds become dormant, waiting patiently through the long winter’s night for a chance of rebirth next spring. It is the miracle of life – unique in the known universe.

This Thanksgiving, I have the bittersweet task of passing the seeds of my thoughts onto others, hoping that they germinate and bear fruit. After more than 20 years, this will be my very last Your Earth column.

The best way to end anything is to start at the beginning.

In the summer of 1989, I was a young mother living in the country with our two small sons. When the eldest had been born, my husband Brian and I flipped a coin to see which one of us would stay home and be the caregiver, while the other trekked into the city to earn our keep.

We have often joked about which one of us won the toss that day, but suffice to say, I stayed home. I took my new job very seriously, and like most new moms, I worked hard to create a safe haven for our babies. Once I’d childproofed our home, I stepped outside to our little piece of heaven - the two remaining acres of my husband’s family homestead. There I encountered such non-urban threats as deadly nightshade, stinging nettles and hawthorn trees.

Beyond our driveway lay another potential threat – the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station – the largest of its kind in the world. Soon after came the threat of a new low-level radioactive waste facility and a proposal to expropriate nearby farmland to accommodate 11 million tones of Toronto’s garbage.

These were the very early days of the environmental movement. I soon found myself on the phone for hours every day, fielding questions from my neighbors about how we should be reacting to the changes that we saw happening around us.

It was Brian who suggested that there was a need to get information out to the public in a more efficient manner. This was long before the Internet or email, so I approached our local newspaper about writing an advice column on environmental issues. I gave them a couple of samples and suggested that people could write in their questions (rather than phoning me at home) and I would answer them in print.

To my absolutely amazement, the column was accepted. I was totally elated for about 10 minutes, until I realized that I might run out of things to write about. Forget that I had virtually no experience as a writer!

That was 20 years ago.

It has been my greatest joy - and my greatest sadness - that I have never run out of things to write about. I learned to love the pure joy of writing very quickly. My first efforts we unnecessarily long and poorly crafted, but I persevered. As my awareness of environmental issues grew, so did my concern for this brilliant blue jewel we call Earth.

My writing took me to the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, and to the Biosphere in Arizona in 1998. On September 11, 2001, I was traveling to New York City with my family to participate in a special United Nations session on Children, Peace and the Environment when terrorists cut a gaping hole in that city’s skyline and changed the world forever.

I have had the opportunity meet some of the greatest environmental heroes of our time, many of whom I have had the privilege of calling friends: Dr. Rosalie Bertell, Irene Kock, Dr. Sandra Steingraber, Dr. Steven Schneider, Paul Hawken, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Elizabeth May, Dr. David Suzuki, Chris Winter and Dr. Ursula Franklin.

I have also had the gift of getting to know many of my readers – many of whom I now call friends. We are kindred spirits, called together in the race to save the planet. I thank them now for the gift they have been to my life, and to my work.

Sadly, as George Harrison once wrote, “All things must pass.”

The world is changing rapidly, and so is the medium in which I write. My column will no longer appear in print locally. In exchange, I will have a chance to write nationally for Sun Media – not as a columnist with a heartfelt opinion, but as a seasoned writer, providing much needed information and tools for the task at hand.

The goal of my column has always been to empower others to take action and ownership. What I have learned over the past 20 years is that the environment is not something else to worry about – it is the context in which everything happens. Caring for the environment is the most selfish and altruistic thing any of us can do.

It’s time to say goodbye and thank my readers and the editors who have provided me with the space each week to speak to the heart of everyone about the need to save the seed that contains the future of all.

And so I pass the torch to you, dear reader. May you carry it well. It is, after all, your Earth.

Climate Refugees

2009-10-13T04:18:00.001-04:00

Someone recently asked me if I believed in climate change. My immediate reaction was one of mild amusement. Climate change isn't something that you believe in, like the Easter bunny, nor is it something that will go away simply because we stop having faith in what the weatherman is telling us.

The problem, to paraphrase Albert Einstein, is that it's difficult to see our way out of a problem when we're unmistakably caught in the middle of it. And while some of us clearly acknowledge the connection between bad weather and our bad habits, for others all this extreme weather is just an interesting subject of conversation.

So, for those who still think that dire predictions about climate change are simply fabrications of a left-wing group of eco-terrorists attempting to rid the hard working middle classes of their SUVs, it's time to rethink that arrogant assumption. It’s here.

Last week, the world’s first climate change refugees made it official. The people of Carteret Islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea have become the first people to be forced to completely abandon their homes because rising sea levels have poisoned their drinking water and crops.

At a press conference held in New York City, island resident Ursula Rakova made a plea on behalf of the 1,700 residents of Carteret. She spoke passionately about seeing her ancestral homeland disappear beneath the waves of the Pacific and called for global action.

“We don’t know much about science. All we know is that our shores are being eaten away by the Pacific,” she said. Over the next few years, the gentle Tuluun people will be forced to evacuate the Carteret Islands and its 1,000 year history.

"Climate change is not just about statistics. Climate change is not just about science,” she said. “Climate change is about human rights."

Rights that we have clearly been ignoring. To borrow from renowned climatologist Dr. Stephen Schneider, for several decades we have continued to conduct an uncontrolled experiment on our primary place of residence, despite the fact that we really didn't have a back-up plan if things went wrong. And now things are really starting to run amok.

"There's nothing normal anymore," said Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips, Philips. From here on it’s a brave new world, one that will be filled with every possible extreme imaginable. What’s happening to the Tuluun People is literally the tip of the rapidly melting icebergs.

We've known for more than a half a century that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were rising at unprecedented rates. Yet we have consistently ignored reasonable science that would have given us the time to take reasonable actions.

Roger Revelle discovered in 1957 that the long-standing argument that seawater would absorb any excess carbon dioxide produced globally was wrong. It was the opening shot in the climate change debates. He spent the remaining thirty-four years of his life trying to convince us of the dangers that lay ahead. We ignored him too, and instead chose to back the economic argument that reducing the burning of fossil fuels would somehow hurt our economy.

Well here's a lesson in linguistics. The word "economy" and "ecology" both come from the same Greek word, "oikos" meaning house. You can't have a healthy economy without a healthy ecology. They are inextricably linked – the former is content, the later context.

So while our world leaders bicker all the way to the global conference in Copenhagen in December, Ursula Rakova and her people will begin the painful process of relocating to the neighboring island of Bougainville.

“The island is getting very small now, people are preparing to go,” said Ursula. “We know that we are not alone in this fight about climate change. We know this is happening all over the world.”

Conservative estimates are that by 2050 there will be between 150 to 200 million climate refugees. Are we ready to believe yet?

RELATED WEBSITES

For more on Ursula Rakova’s story, and the plight of the Tulunn people, visit www.oxfam.org.uk.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18, 2009. For more information visit en.cop15.dk

Morning Glory

2009-10-13T04:09:00.003-04:00

When dementia stole my mother-in-law’s ability to live in the present, we would often try to comfort her with the past. She was born in the sitting room of our old farmhouse, so visiting us was like a trip back in time.

Most Sundays Brian would pick Elsie up from the retirement home where she lived and bring her to the one place that was still familiar to her. She would often just sit in the bay window of our kitchen and gaze wistfully out over the fields where she once played as a child.

“I used to run in those fields forever,” she would say. “Back when my legs could carry me all day without stopping.”

When the weather was agreeable, she would sit in a chair on the front lawn and enjoy the sunshine. On a very good day, when the pain in her legs relented, she would walk over to our vegetable garden and inspect her son’s work with a beam of pride.

A child of farmers, Elsie had spent most of her life dallying in the dirt. Until time and circumstance forced her to move from the house that she had shared with her husband Jack for almost 50 years, Elsie always had a very practical vegetable garden. Her flower garden, on the other hand, contained a wonderful collection of plants that I’d never seen – vibrant red nicotina and pastel four o’clocks, snowdrops and delphiniums. By mid-summer, her labors would fill their acre of property with a riot of color and their freezer with enough vegetables to get them through the winter.

One spring, a few years before she died, we decided to help Elsie revisit the joy of gardening. I purchased one of those plastic mini greenhouse trays and a packet of morning glory seeds. When Elsie came to visit for Easter Sunday, we put her to work, helping us to plant the tiny seeds. The arthritis that crippled her hands was no match for her determination. She seemed to come alive as she painstakingly placed a seed in each of the small little boxes and carefully, lovingly, covered them with dirt.

We placed the tray in a sunny spot in our kitchen window, with the hope that the seeds would germinate and sprout in time for May planting.

We didn’t have long to wait. The tiny shoots burst from the soil in a matter of a few days. Within a few weeks the plants were ready for the garden, weeks ahead of schedule. Brian placed a couple of plants at the base of each of the porch posts, underneath the deck on our garage, and even at the base of our basketball net.

By midsummer, the plants had taken over, wrapping their delicate stalks around anything they could to climb. Everywhere you looked there were ribbons of green, waving in the slightest breeze, covered with a riot of purple, pink and lavender flowers. It was spectacular.

And then one morning, at the very first frost, they were gone. The vines had shriveled into a crushed darkened thread, and the flowers had somehow disappeared into themselves. Just like that.

Brian collected the seeds that the morning glories had left behind, and replanted them the next spring. Experience had taught us that life that eager to explode didn’t need help to germinate.

This spring, there wasn’t any need to replant. The fragile, stoic, brilliant little remnants from last summer’s bounty had already reseeded themselves. Once again, every upright is covered in a mass of waving, gentle vines, covered in beautiful little pastel trumpets that very soon will disappear.

Too soon, as the first frost of autumn kisses each magnificent plant, it will fade into a sunny memory, like my good friend, Elsie.

We are each given one dance on this Earth. We can choose to plant flowers and watch them grow – reveling in their beauty. We can mourn their loss and let that grief wrap its darkened thread around our spirits, or we can take joy in the hope of renewal – remembering that even as the days grow darker and colder, somewhere tiny seeds wait quietly to bring life to a new spring.

RELATED WEBSITE

Heritage Flower Farm has an amazing selection of heritage plants and seeds.

Giant Invader

2009-10-13T04:01:00.003-04:00

It all started about four years ago. My kids were walking through the abandoned orchard next to our rural property when they discovered a very unusual plant. It looked remarkably like the dried out remains of a dandelion puffball – except it was well over 2 meters in height.

Intrigued by its one-of-a-kind towering presence, we joked about it being the remains of some ancient dinosaur’s dinner. When the plant was finally identified by a wildlife biologist as Giant Hogweed, we soon discovered that it was no laughing matter.

Giant Hogweed is native to Central Asia where can grow up to 6 meters tall. Hogweed plants have large fanlike leaves that can reach up to 1.5 meters in diameter and white flowering heads that very closely resemble Queen’s Anne Lace when in full bloom.

The plant, like so many other invasive species has no known predators. It spreads quickly because it is a perennial tuber that also produces between 1,500 to 100,000 seeds per plant. In the four years that has since transpired, that single dead flower has grown into an infestation of between 10,000 and 15,000 plants.

The real danger of Giant Hogweed is its sap, which can cause Phytophotodermatitis – a severe inflammation of tissue - when exposed to sunlight.

When our daughter Sarah unknowingly brushed up against a plant, the skin on her leg immediately broke out in large watery blisters that resembled chemical burns. While the very painful blisters receded after flushing her skin and treating her with topical and oral antihistamines, the area can remain photosensitive for up to twenty years. Even a small amount in the eyes can cause temporary or permanent blindness.

After Sarah’s unfortunate brush with the plant, my husband Brian leapt into action. Convinced of its danger, he honestly believed that once the rapidly growing threat was identified to the authorities, immediate action would be taken before it seeds had a chance to mature. That was early in May.

A corporate developer owns the vacant land where the hogweed resides, so Brian contacted our local municipality to see what could be done. After an inspection by a friendly and helpful by-law officer, the municipality’s position was that it would only take action if the province listed the plant as a noxious weed.

The Regional government took a similar stand, so Brian contacted our MPP, who was very helpful in trying to get the province’s attention. We were told that the paperwork to designate Giant Hogweed was sitting on the Environment Minister’s desk.

“Everyone is looking for someone else to manage the problem. They are hoping upon hope that they will also have the financial and human resources to deal with it,” said Brian. “But hope, is NOT a project management tool.”

Brian contacted the local conservation authority and various environmental groups, but none had the resources or the will to take on the considerable challenge of dealing with this Asian invader.

“We are more than willing to take the advantages of globalization,” said Brian, “but when it comes to dealing with the disadvantages, we want somebody else to manage it.”

Finally, after weeks of emails and phone calls, Brian received official word from Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the ministry responsible for protecting agricultural land from noxious weeds. In an act that might make Pontius Pilot blush, Dombrowsky washed her hands of the problem. Her solution – have the municipality designate the weed as noxious and deal with it locally.

“I understand from Ministry staff that, while very prevalent in some municipalities, giant hogweed is not widespread throughout Ontario,” Dombrowsky wrote in a letter dated July 14th.

The problem is that it soon will be. One plant four years ago has translated into 15,000 plants that have the potential for dropping up to 1,500,000,000 seeds in a creek bed that is less than 3 km from the shoreline of Lake Ontario.

Once it reaches the lake it could quickly become a full-blown ecological disaster. Cutting the plant (in protective gear) will only makes its roots spread faster. The only way to eradicate it is to apply the pesticide Round-up for up to seven years in succession. This isn’t an option for a shoreline infestation.

The window of opportunity to literally nip this problem in the bud has passed. The flowering heads have matured and will begin to drop their seeds any day now. The experiment has performed itself.

RELATED WEBSITE

For more information about Giant Hogweed, visit www.invadingspecies.com

Firestorm

2009-08-17T22:38:00.007-04:00

As unbelievable as it may sound, the catastrophic fires that continue to consume forests in BC’s Okanagan Valley owe their strength to a tiny insect that’s about the size of a grain of rice. Specifically, the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB), which has decimated much of BC’s once lush forest. Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Forest Service (CFS) estimates that 60 percent of the province’s lodgepole pine forests are already dead. If the MPB continues to spread at its current rate, a staggering 80 percent of the province’s most abundant tree species will be killed off by 2012.

The tinder-dry skeletons of these once mighty trees ignite like kindling when exposed to flame. The heat, coupled with firestorms and the subsequent winds, fan the flames and spread the fires at lightning speed through this once lush valley region.

Both the rapid spread of the pine beetle and the devastating fires that are consuming the trees are triggered by the changing climate.

While current attentions are focused on the BC crisis, the CFS predicts that Alberta’s lodgepole pine forests and Canada’s northern boreal forest will meet the same fate.

I had the opportunity to witness the devastation first hand in June, when my husband and I had a chance to visit BC and Alberta. A child of the west, I simply couldn’t believe my eyes at first. From a distance, parts of the Rockies look like they had been shaved by a reckless barber. Entire mountainsides have been denuded of their beautiful forests. What remains are the spindly gray ghosts of trees, silently waiting for the inevitable fires that will consume them.

It is almost inconceivable that all of this destruction is the result one tiny beetle. The beetles bore into the living tissue of the tree (known as the phloem layer), feed on its nutrients and lay eggs in the tree’s vascular system. But cutting off the tree’s food supply, a beetle infestation can kill a tree in two weeks.

Until very recently, the mountain pine beetle served a very worthwhile purpose. By attacking aging and ailing trees, the beetle effectively helped to prune the forest, making way for healthier, younger trees.

A subtle but deadly increase in winter temperatures has tipped this delicate balance. The control of beetle populations had previously been the result of pronounced drops in temperature. According to the CFS, “Whenever there is a large drop in temperature due to an incoming cold air mass, mountain pine beetle larvae die in proportion to the severity of the drop in temperature.”

When the temperature drop occurs is as important as how severe the drop. A temperature of -37 degrees C during the winter months will immediately kill off 50 percent of the population. Temperatures half that severe, i.e. -20 degrees C will have a similar effect in the spring and fall, provided that the preceding temperatures were above freezing. According to the CFS, “the relatively warmer temperature would have caused the larvae to start to lose their natural antifreeze.”

BC researchers indicate that because populations have expanded so dramatically, a kill rate of greater than 97 to 98 percent in a generation is necessary before beetle populations will begin to decline.

It gets worse. Colorado State University researchers estimate that deforestation caused by pine beetle outbreak will release 270 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 2020. To put this into perspective, Canada’s total carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2005 were 747 megatonnes.

This devastation will not be limited to British Columbia and Alberta. The pine beetle will advance eastward, while the results of climate change will continue to fan the funeral pyres of the trees that they have already destroyed.

The potential impact of these fires could result in catastrophic loss of life far beyond the west. In his online essay, How The 2010 British Columbia Fire Could Kill 100 Million People, writer Hal Licino predicts that conditions may combine to create the perfect firestorm in the very near future, effectively blocking the skies over North America with enough ash and soot to predicate an ecological collapse.

A nuclear winter, much like the one responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, would likely follow. If Licino’s correct, the ensuing frigid temperatures would likely be enough to finally end the tiny pine beetle’s catastrophic path of destruction.

RELATED WEBSITES

For more on the Mountain Pine Beetle, visit the Canadian Forest Service website at cfs.nrcan.gc.ca.

Hal Linico’s chilling essay, How The 2010 British Columbia Fire Could Kill 100 Million People, is available online at hubpages.com.

Boldy Go!

2009-07-26T13:40:00.004-04:00

The global economic crisis has led to two very important conclusions: first, that the “business as usual” scenario is no longer viable for the auto industry, and secondly, that our addiction to oil is neither economically nor environmentally sustainable. Couple this with the serious downturn of the Big Three automakers last year, and it would appear that our century-long romance with the car is finally over.

The reality is that North America’s functionality is predicated on the universal access to personal transportation. For most of us, owning a car isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

While there is a trend toward creating communities where we can live, work and play, the dream of a car-free society is decades away. In the meantime, access to some form of personal transportation pre-determines virtually every aspect of our lives: where we live and work and shop, how, when and where we play, even how we design our cities.

Automakers have responded by introducing a new generation of electric cars that will help eliminate our dependency on fossil fuels, and all the inherent problems associated with burning them. Building these vehicles is only half of the solution. The other half is creating the infrastructure to support them.

The problem is that until now an electric vehicle’s range was limited by the distance it would take to deplete half of its battery, leaving enough remaining charge to return home. Unlike gasoline, which can be transported and stored at gas stations and then purchased as required, the electricity needed to “re-fuel” electric cars is supplied by an elaborate grid. Access to this grid is monitored and measured from a static location.

We don’t yet have a system where you can simply pull up to any outlet and plug yourself in as needed. Even if we did, there is the time factor. While re-fuelling a car can take several minutes, electric cars take several hours to recharge.

Finally, there’s the issue of price. The new generation of electric cars costs substantially more than their combustion engine counterparts.

What it comes down to is a “chicken and egg” situation. Do we build the infrastructure first, hoping that electric vehicles will follow? Or do we encourage consumers to purchase the electric cars, creating a demand for a smart grid that will cut the invisible tether than currently ties them to the home outlet?

The answer is all of the above. To help encourage the transition, last week Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced a plan to provide rebates between $ 4,000 and $ 10,000 for owners who purchase plug-in hybrids or electric vehicles after July 1, 2010. To further sweeten the pot, electric vehicles will receive special green licence plates that would permit access to the High Occupancy (HOV) lanes on the 400 series highways.

The province also has plans to incorporate charging stations at GO transit parking lots and Ontario government facilities. In an effort to walk the talk, the government will add 500 electric vehicles to its fleet of public service vehicles.

These recent announcements come six months after the McGuinty government publicly supported Better Place, an innovative California-based company that plans to build a network of battery switching stations across the province. Depleted batteries would be replaced automatically in less time that it takes to fill up a fuel tank.

Project Get Ready is another interesting project that is helping to prepare the way for widespread use of electric vehicles. As the name suggests, the goal of Project Get Ready (PGR) is to create the infrastructure necessary to support electric vehicles. Lead by the Rocky Mountain Institute, PGR is a network of municipalities, businesses, partners and technical advisors. Within each city, partners work collaboratively on local projects such as plug-in garages or parking meters. They then share their successes with other municipalities through the PGR online database and network.

To date there are three Canadian cities that have already committed to Project Get Ready – Toronto, as well two of Canada’s largest motor cities, Windsor and Oshawa.

A new automotive future is definitely coming. And while these initiatives are encouraging, there’s a lot of road to be covered before we get to the place where we can simply plug in anywhere and travel beyond the limits of a single charge.

RELATED WEBSITES:

Check out www.betterplace.com for a glimpse into the future.

Visit www.projectgetready.com to learn how you can make your community a plug-in pioneer.

Brave New World

2009-07-19T16:36:00.004-04:00

Despite all the hype, the recent global climate talks in L’Aquila, Italy, ended with little progress. While everyone agreed that there was an urgent need for long-term reduction targets, no one was willing to commit to immediate reductions.

The G-8 nations were prepared to cut emissions, but not in the immediate future. The developing giants – China and India, both struggling to catch up with the richer western nations – argued that they are not responsible for the bulk of the carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere.

In the end, it was much ado about nothing.

“Once again, we have had a lot of talk and little action from Canada and the G8. To end a stalemate in international climate negotiations, the G8 needed to make a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020,” said Dave Martin, climate and energy coordinator for Greenpeace. “Stephen Harper has given lip-service to the importance of fighting climate change but has opposed meaningful greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions in Canada.”

The question is, why should he? While Canadians are frequently scolded for being some of highest users of energy per capita in the world, our total national output represents a mere 2.3 percent of global emissions. If the entire country were to become carbon neutral tomorrow, it would do little to mitigate the pending climate crisis.

Targeting GHG reductions is a lot like chasing a runaway train. If we all work very hard together we might be able to close the gap, but as scientists are increasingly trying to tell us, we may have already passed the tipping point.

On second thoughts, perhaps the runaway train analogy isn’t quite right. It’s more like trying to bail out the hull of the Titanic. We might be able to keep ourselves afloat in our corner of the world, but the math tells us that we cannot possible win against the northern Atlantic Ocean.

So, should we continue trying to bail out a sinking ship, or should we jump to a lifeboat, assuming we can find one, and hope that someone rescues us?

The answer is neither. If we really want to survive, then we must be willing to bail each other out. According to the Pembina Institute, “Negotiations for a new global climate deal cannot succeed without stronger commitments from countries like Canada for financial support of climate action in developing countries.”

I’ll take that one step further. Canadians should be focusing all our considerable energy and ingenuity on developing innovative new technologies that leapfrog our current efforts to mitigate climate change. These new, resilient and diverse energy technologies would not only transform our economy they would provide the tools to help developing countries do the same.

This isn’t about providing financial assistance to poorer countries. This is about transforming the global economy and environment with technologies we haven’t even begun to imagine.

If this sounds impossible, consider President Kennedy’s 1961 challenge to the U.S. Congress to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. At time the he made his challenge, the U.S. had yet to successfully launch a man into orbit around the planet. Eight years later, on July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong uttered those few words that changed our relationship with the cosmos forever:

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

This week, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of that historic accomplishment, perhaps it’s also time to revisit the vision and courage that it took to achieve that milestone. Rocket and computer technology were still in their infancy when the race to the moon began, and yet somehow the goal was reached. It’s worth noting that the motivation to reach the moon was merely a political rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Today the stakes are billions of times higher – 6.7 billion to be exact. That’s the current estimated population of the world. If the climate models are correct, there will be very few of those 6.7 billion people who won’t be impacted by catastrophic climate change.

So, forget about Canada’s 2.3 percent. Instead, let’s focus on the bigger picture. To quote another space visionary, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, “We’ll head in the direction in which we look.”

RELATED WEBSITES

For more on the 40th Anniversary of the first lunar landing, visit www.nasa.gov.

The International Panel on Climate Change is the world’s leading scientific body for the assessment of climate change. Established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the IPCC provides a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences.

Stargazing

2009-07-15T07:17:00.002-04:00

July 18th marks the 20th Anniversary of Canada’s Parks Day. To celebrate, Parks Canada is collaborating with the International Year of Astronomy to provide a national day of family-oriented stargazing events. Activities will be taking place across the country at national, provincial, territorial, community parks and historic sites across the country. You can visit Parks Canada’s website for a list of what’s happening your area, or you can plan your own stargazing activities.

Anyway you look at it, summer is a great time of year to gaze at the stars. The nights are warm and celestial events abound. Before you begin, you might want to visit your library or local bookstore to find a book about the night sky. Familiarize yourself with the main constellations so you’ll be able to orientate yourself once you head outside.

The key to great stargazing is to get away from artificial light sources such as streetlights and buildings. StarDate.org recommends that you wait for a night that is clear and dark, preferably one when the Moon is not shining brightly.

For even greater enjoyment, take along a sky watching kit that includes a blanket, binoculars, a simple star chart and a flashlight to read the chart. Covering the end of the flashlight with red paper will reduce the light’s impact on your night vision. Give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the dark, lie back and enjoy what the night sky has to offer.

In particular, there are two meteor showers visible in the night sky during July and August. According to the StarDate website, each shower is named after the constellation from where meteors appear to fall.

July 28 to 30 - Delta Aquarids meteor shower

The best time to watch for the Delta Aquarids is after moonset or just before dawn. Unlike most meteor showers, the Delta Aquarids doesn’t have a definite peak. EarthSky.org predicts that these medium-speed meteors will provide a fairly steady show through July and into early August. Stargazers can expect 15 to 20 sightings per minute, with meteors appearing to radiate from the southern part of the sky.

August 12, 2009 – Perseids

The Perseids meteor shower will be the most visible in the early morning. According to EarthSky.org, “These typically fast and bright meteors radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus, and, like all meteors in annual showers, they cover a large part of the sky.” Thanks to the timing of the phases of the moon this August, 2009 won’t be the best year to view the Perseids, but they should still put on quite a show, leaving their brilliant trails across the pre-dawn sky.

If you really want to see the stars, consider a trip to the Torrance Barrens Conservation Reserve. Located southeast of Bala, Torrance Barrens is Canada’s first official Dark Sky Reserve. The growing awareness of light pollution of the night sky and the inability of large sectors of the population to experience and enjoy astronomical events has created a demand for an area where the dark sky can be preserved.

RELATED WEBSITES

If you’re planning a summer vacation or just looking for a great day of summer activities for your family, check out www.parksday.ca,

For more information about the International Year of Astronomy, visit www.astronomy2009.org.

For events in Canada, check out www.astronomie2009.ca.

EarthSky’s 2009 Meteor Shower Guide is available at www.earthsky.org.

stardate.org is the public education and outreach arm of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory. The website has loads of great information for both novice and experienced stargazers, including Weekly Stargazing Tips.

Established in 1999, The Torrance Barrens Conservation Reserve, located near Bracebridge, Ontario, is the world’s first Dark Sky Reserve. Type “Torrance Barrens” into your search engine to visit some of the great sites dedicated to this wonderful national treasure.

"Imagine the Universe" is NASA's offering for kids 14 and up. Go to imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov.

Trash Talk

2009-07-07T21:07:00.006-04:00

They’re at it again. Slinging trash and insults back and forth like a bunch of school kids in a food fight. It’s Trash Wars 2009 and the whole thing is starting to read (and smell) like a really bad sequel.

For starters, there’s the City of Toronto, slowly drowning in the rotting wastes of 2.5 million people, thanks to a strike by the city’s 24,000 civic employees. The strike comes exactly seven years after the 2002 garbage strike that left city streets reeking of garbage for months after that 16-day strike was ended by back-to-work legislation.

To the east, there is the Region of Durham. One day after the Toronto strike began, Regional politicians voted (by a narrow margin of 16 to 12) to build a $ 272 million garbage incinerator. At the June 24th Council meeting, a record number of 70 citizen delegations spoke in opposition to the project, citing an unacceptable risk to human health from the dioxins and other toxic materials that the facility will eventually vent into the atmosphere.

In response to the Durham incinerator decision, one blogger wrote, “People have to stop living their lives as if they are the only ones on this planet. We MUST take responsibility for our waste. This project will spew dioxins and heavy metals into the air, not to mention nano-particles we don't even know about. It isn't an "acceptable" risk to me. ZERO WASTE is what we should strive for.”

What's interesting about these stories is that they are hardly unique. Cities and regions throughout the developed world are all writhing in the painful, awkward agony of excess. The people who don't want a dump in their backyards are the same people for whom the dump is being built - those endless crowds of people that pile out of Wal-Mart on any given Saturday, or Sunday for that matter, bags of stuff gleefully in hand.

The bottom line: How much stuff is enough? We shop because we can, not because we need. We shouldn't be so excessful.

The problem is that as a society we are addicted to cheap consumer goods. Instead of wasting billions of dollars on new stuff (and the packaging that it is delivered in), plus many more billion dollars looking for a place to dispose of our old stuff, we need to fess up to the real problem. It's garbage in, garbage out. If we really want a long-term solution to the garbage crisis, we need to stop making it in the first place.

Meanwhile, the piles are getting higher and we're running out of options. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians discard 31 million tonnes of waste annually, which makes us the second largest producers of garbage in the world. That's about 2.7 kilograms per person, per day.

The really scary thing is that this only represents so-called “finished waste” – the stuff we put out at the curb as garbage or recycling. The EPA estimates that this finished garbage only represents 1.4 percent of the total waste stream. The remaining 98.6 percent is made up of manufacturing wastes (sludge, mine tailings and other industrial garbage).

According to business writer Polly LaBarre (How to Lead a Rich Life, Fast Company, March 2003) “The United States spends more on trash bags than 90 other countries spend on everything. In other words, the receptacles of our waste cost more than all of the goods consumed by nearly half of the world’s nations.”

Before we get too smug, it is important to note that Canadians produce almost as much garbage as our American neighbors.

Whether it’s stacking our trash on the curb for somebody else to pick up, or burning it to pollute land, air and water, the culprit is the same. We – both individually and collectively – produce too much trash. When asked for whom the garbage dump (or incinerator) is built, the answer is you and me.

RELATED WEBSITES

It’s an idea whose time may finally have come. The Grassroots Recycling Network has a vision of the world where waste is valued as a resource. Zero Waste means not only 100 percent recovery of society’s discards, but also a redesign of the products and packaging of our lives such that everything produced for our consumer economy is non-toxic and designed to be recovered for re-use, recycling or composting.

The Zero Waste Alliance provides assistance to industry sectors and organizations for development and implementation of standards, tools and practices that lead to a more sustainable future through the reduction and elimination of waste and toxic materials.

Seeing is believing. Edward Burtynsky’s stunning documentary, Manufactured Landscapes, is a journey through the world of industrial wastelands. Check out www.edwardburtynsky.com.

O Canada!

2009-06-30T06:33:00.004-04:00

Somewhere between the dignified celebration of Canada Day and the rah-rah revelry of the Fourth of July, comes the realization that Canadians are simply too darn understated when it comes to celebrating what's so wonderful about our country.

O, Canada.

This year, more than ever, I am reminded that we live in the greatest country in the world. A recent trip through the Canadian Rockies, and the return flight over most of Central Canada was a breath-taking reminder of the vastness and beauty of this county.

Our home and native land.

My Mom and Dad were both immigrants from England. Because of their desire to learn everything they could about their new home, I was fortunate enough to travel from sea to shining sea (and many places in between) by the time I was ten. My father was a traveling salesman and he would organize his long trips around school holidays and summer vacations so that we could travel along with him. We traveled up to the start of the Alaska Highway, and explored the mighty Peace River country.

We drove through the Rockies while the Rogers Pass was being blasted out ahead of us. Every time we'd have to stop while road crews dynamited the next section of the highway, my father's old Meteor would overheat. While my siblings and I gave the universal chant, "Are we there yet, Daddy?", my father would unbuckle one of the canvas water bags roped to the grill of the car, and fill up the radiator.

We dipped our toes in the Pacific Ocean one year and in the Atlantic Ocean two summers later. In-between, we drove the endless expanse of the prairies and learned about the Canadian Shield first hand by traveling through Northern Ontario. Years later I even had a chance to visit the northern shore of Baffin Island, again thanks to my father's endless curiosity and his desire to share this great land with his children.

The true north, strong and free.

I didn't realize it at the time, but what my parents gave me during all those long road trips was a profound love for this country - and a true sense of how enormous it really is. Air travel and superhighways may have made traveling across this country faster and easier, but there's nothing like seeing it from the backseat of a '63 Meteor, to really make you appreciate how big Canada is.

From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

We are so privileged. We have plentiful resources; bountiful supplies of fresh water, fresh air and more trees than anyone could ever count. We have mountains, foothills, and endless plains of wheat. We have oceans - three of them, to be precise - and a collection of lakes so big we call them Great. We have the rocky shoal of Newfoundland, and the evergreen beauties of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. By simply visiting Quebec we can experience the flare and charm of Europe without ever leaving home.

We have a rich history, and a promising future. We also have two official languages, many wonderful cultures and religions and the freedom to express ourselves in any one way please.

God keep our land, glorious and free.

So thanks, again, Mom and Dad, for caring enough to teach me a deep and profound love for this country.

Oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

RELATED WEBSITES

The Dominion Institute was established in 1997 by a group of young people concerned about the erosion of a common memory in Canada. Its mission is to build active and informed citizens through greater knowledge and appreciation of the Canadian story. The Institute’s programs fall under three themes: memory, democracy and identity.

Earlier this month, The Institute released its History Report Card, a curriculum analysis of high schools in Canada. For more information, check out www.dominion.ca.

If you want to brush up on your Canadian facts and figures, visit Statistics Canada.

For information about our natural environment, including weather updates, visit Canada's Green Lane.

Mike Ford (formerly of Moxy Früvous) is the great Canadian troubadour. His Canada in Song project is a musical exploration of the history, land and peoples of Canada. For more information about Mike’s music and his curriculum based performances, check out www.mikeford.ca.

Candle Night

2009-06-21T20:02:00.004-04:00

Long before there was Earth Hour, there was Candle Night.

It began in Canada as a simple protest against the Bush administration's proposal to build a nuclear power plant every month. The year was 2001 and the event was held on the summer solstice. The idea was to turn out the lights on the shortest night of the year from 8:00 to 10:00 pm.

A Japanese non-governmental organization (NGO) called the Sloth Club, embraced the idea and held its own lights-out event the same year. The following year another NGO, Daichi-O-Mamorukai (The Association to Preserve the Earth) called the gathering “Candle Night”, and a whole new movement was born.

The concept is elegant in its simplicity - enjoy some quality time with friends and family without the annoyance of artificial light and electronic devices. The idea has since spawned a network and a movement across Japan. Since 2002, Candle Night has been observed on both the summer and winter solstices.

According to the official Candle Night website, the goal is to replace the glare of artificial lighting with natural glow of candles.

“It's not a movement intending to force people to turn off their lights or to raucously protest against anything. Candle Night can offer people time to think about what really matters to them during quiet and quality time in the candlelight, something all of us tend to forget in our busy everyday lives. We hope it will eventually lead us to long-term solutions to current problems and give us a chance to overcome our "economic supremacy." Even though lighting candles may emit small amounts of CO2, we believe the benefits of the Candle Night activities are valuable to our societies and our futures.”

Okay - so a little of the language gets lost in translation. But the idea of being totally unplugged for two hours (or more) is seductive. My mother calls it, "being there". It's that rare occasion when everything stands still and your senses drink in your surroundings until you're completely filled with the moment.

Count me in. I love the idea almost as much as I love the summer solstice – that lazy hazy night when magic is in the air and the fireflies call us to dance in the twilight between the seasons.

In my estimation, Candle Night is a gift that we can choose to accept and embrace. That gift of two whole hours can be used to make love, lie on the grass, the beach, or the roof and watch as the world slowly darkens without the jarring aggravation of artificial light. You can choose to count the stars as they come out, one by one, or sit quietly and listen to the sounds of the evening as the bugs begin to hum in the trees, dogs bark in the distance and leaves rustle overhead. Take off your shoes and wiggle your toes in the grass, the sand or the mud. Hug your children, the dog or your grumpy neighbor.

If the night begins to get chilly, enjoy the luscious coolness of the evening. If it's hot and sticky, revel in the warmth and joy of summer. If it's raining, soak in the magical power of water to renew and refresh both body and soul.

If you really want to dance in the dark, visit a dark skies reserve. These are parks that prohibit artificial light, thus enabling the celestial light of the stars to shine through.

Candle Night is a unique way to mark the Summer Solstice – and the days beyond - by unplugging from the world. From 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm, on any night from June 20 to July 7, join in by turning off the lights, unplugging the phone, muting the Blackberry and celebrating by candlelight. Enjoy.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK:

For more information about this unique event, visit www.candle-night.org.

International Dark-Sky Association

For more information on light pollution, check out the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Light Pollution Abatement Program.

Established in 1999, The Torrance Barrens Conservation Reserve, located near Bracebridge, Ontario, is the world’s first Dark Sky Reserve. Visit www.muskokaheritage.org.

Transcendence

2009-06-13T21:40:00.002-04:00

I love flying into Pearson International Airport. Almost as soon as the jet descends through the cloud cover, you can begin to see the intricate network of buildings, roads and highways that make up Canada’s largest city. With my face pressed to the window, I usually spend the last few minutes of the flight trying to organize the jumble of images below, much like you would pre-sort the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle before attempting to assemble them into one complete picture.

Last week was different. As the rooftops of Toronto’s west end warehouse district came into view, it was as if I saw them for the very first time. I urged my husband to look out the window and asked him if he saw the same thing that I did. We both nodded at the same time.

“Opportunity,” I said. Brian agreed. Thousands of squares meters - perhaps even kilometers – of flat rooftops stretched out as far as the eye could see.

“Solar panels,” I said.

“Probably enough to power the entire city,” he replied.

What made our revelation so interesting (at least to me) is that I’d never had it before. I’ve been working on finding environmental solutions for 20 years, and have probably flown into Pearson at least a dozen times during those 20 years. It had never once occurred to me that this was a perfect way to effectively utilize a whole lot of wasted real estate.

While I’d like to take all of the credit for my stroke of genius, a little credit must also go to Daniel Pink, the author of “A Whole New Mind” (Riverhead Books, 2005). It was Pink’s book that helped me to see opportunity where once I only saw rooftops.

What’s interesting is that Pink’s book (subtitled “Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future”) isn’t about environmental solutions at all. It’s about transcendence. In it, he argues that three factors have joined forces to push us towards a brave new world.

The first factor, abundance, has provided us with so much stuff that simply having things is no longer enough.

“For most of history,” writes Pink, “our lives were defined by scarcity. Today the defining feature of social, economic, and cultural life in much of the world is abundance.”

The result, according to Pink, is a society that craves design, empathy and play in the most mundane of items. Pink points to the toilet brush designed by renowned architect Michael Graves as a shining example of this need for extraordinary excellence in ordinary things.

Pink says the second factor is Asia. With literally millions of white collars jobs being outsourced to low-cost countries like India, China and Russia, North American society must transform or die. Instead of solving routine problems, we must learn how to synthesize the big picture, according to Pink.

The third and final factor is automation. It is Pink’s position that computers are so much better, faster and stronger at jobs that require logic, calculation and sequential thinking than we humans.

“What’s more,” writes Pink, “computers don’t fatigue. They don’t get headaches. They don’t choke under pressure or sulk over losses.”

The result, says Pink, is that we need to think differently. We need to connect the dots (or the rooftops) by understanding, “the connection between diverse, seemingly separate, disciplines. Only by learning how to link what appear to be unconnected elements can we create something new.

Pink offers something he’s calls The Six Senses: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning; critical tools for transcendence. And that, according to Pink and others that he quotes in the book, is what we crave.

“The most striking feature of contemporary culture is the unslaked craving for transcendence,” stated Columbia University’s Andrew Delbanco.

“A Whole New Mind” isn’t your ordinary book. It contains exercises, recommended magazines and other publications, websites and self-assessment tools.

While Pink’s analysis is based on social and economic transcendence, his approach can easily be applied to environmental solutions as well, which perhaps proves his point about looking outside the box for unique and creative solutions.

As another great mind (Albert Einstein) once observed,

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

From my view, “A Whole New Mind”, provides a whole new way to look at those problems – and rooftops, too.

RELATED WEBSITE

For more on the transcendent work of Daniel Pink, (including some amazing travel tips) go to www.danpink.com

Open the Window on Energy $avings

2009-06-07T05:58:00.003-04:00

With summer only just around the corner, can the revving of air conditioners be far behind? Thanks to rising temperatures and the increasing demand for air conditioning, our peak demand for energy has shifted to the summer months. With energy costs continuing to rise, and concerns over climate change growing, energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important. While we all want to spend less on home utilities, most of us don't know where to begin.

The answer is clear. In the average home, heating and cooling costs account for at least 60 percent of your energy bill. An estimated 25 percent of all heat loss literally flies out the window, thanks to old, builder's quality or ill-fitting windows.

From an energy saving perspective, standard thermal pane windows only provide an insulating R-value of between 1.6 and 2. The R-value of a window measures its resistance to heat flow. This can also be referred to as thermal resistance. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power.

Another way to measure energy efficiency is by gauging the shading co-efficient of your windows. This measures a window’s ability to let light in while rejecting heat.

Depending on your budget, there are a number of ways that you can improve the efficiency of your windows. You can recoup about half the heat loss in older windows by sealing the cracks and crevices with caulking and weatherstripping.

If you already have blinds on your windows, use them on hot summer days. Drawing blinds in the morning, as soon as the sun begins to shine, can dramatically reduce your need for air conditioning.

While we usually try to keep the heat out in the summer, it’s important not to overlook the benefit of passive cooling strategies. After the sun goes down and the temperature drops in the evening, an open window can provide a cooling breeze as well as fresh air, and the wonderful smell of summer flowers and fresh cut lawns.

Depending on what coverings you choose, upgrading your window treatments can triple the R-value of your windows while enhancing the beauty of your home. This can cut your heating costs in the winter, and substantially reduce your cooling costs in the summer.

Selecting the right window covering can also help protect you from the damaging effects of the sun. The newest generation of window coverings can cut ultra-violet (UV) radiation from 65 to 99%. This protects your furniture, hardwood flooring and carpets from sun damage and fading. Choosing the right window fashions can also provide you with privacy and sound absorption when you need it, and a window on the world when you want it.

To complete your window treatments, window tinting and security films, retractable and fixed or exterior awnings are all great ways to enhance the beauty of your home, reduce UV radiation and cut heating and cooling costs.

If you really want to get serious about reducing your energy bill, you may want to consider replacing your existing windows. Thanks to improvements in window design and construction, the newest generation of energy efficient windows offers R-values of 4.5 to nearly 12.

Through the Office of Energy Efficiency’s ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program, homeowners can receive up to $ 5,000 in grants to help offset the cost of replacing windows and other energy efficiency improvements. The grant is based on the effectiveness of the upgrades, not just the cost. In order to quality, homeowners must first have a home energy audit completed by a certified evaluator.

There’s more good news. Homeowners participating in the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program are also eligible to receive the federal Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC).

RELATED WEBSITES

For more information on the Office of Energy Efficiency and the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes programs, to go www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca.

The Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) applies to eligible expenditures of more than $1,000, but not more than $10,000, for a maximum credit of $1,350.

The Ontario Home Energy Savings Program will pay half of your pre-retrofit audit, up to $150.

To find a reputable contractor to do your work, visit the Siding and Window Dealers Association of Canada.

It's in the Bag

2009-05-30T07:14:00.003-04:00

On May 20th, the Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC) released the report, “A Microbiological Study of Reusable Bags and ‘First or single-use’ Plastic Bags.” The study made immediate headlines with its conclusion that reusable bags can become “an active microbial habitat and breeding ground for bacteria, yeast, mold and coliforms.”

Before you send all your reusable bags to a hazardous waste facility for proper disposal, it’s important to separate fact from conjecture, and science from self-serving interpretation. It’s also critical to understand who is behind the report and why it was commissioned.

For starters, just because the “E” stands for Environment, doesn’t alter the fact that EPIC is a committee of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association. This is the same industry that has seen a rapid decline in the demand for single-use disposable bags. According to the Sierra Club of Canada, as of January 2009, Canadians were using about 55 million plastic bags per week. That’s a huge market to lose.

Secondly, although the studies contained in the report were conducted by so-called independent testing laboratories, the conclusions are more anecdotal than scientific, and are peppered with many conditional words such as “can”, “should”, “suggests” and “could”. Any first year biology student would get a failing grade for making such unspecific conclusions on a lab report.

It’s also important to recognize that the samplings are random and too small to be statistically significant. This might explain why the anecdotal terminology was used.

Here’s a look at some of the conclusions:

• The test findings clearly support concerns that reusable grocery bags can become an active microbial habitat and a breeding ground for bacteria, yeast, mold and coliforms.

Can or are? The same observation can be made about the average kitchen counter. More to the point, most Canadians have enough common sense to wash their hands and their food before preparing it.

• The unacceptable presence of coliforms, that is, intestinal bacteria, in some of the bags tested, suggests that forms of E. coli associated with severe disease could be present in small but a significant portion of the bags if sufficient numbers were tested. Also, it is consistent with everything that is known about Salmonella ecology that it would also be present on rare occasions.

This conclusion was made despite the fact that the Topline Findings of the same report stated that, “E.coli and salmonella were not present.” The Specific Results of the Second Round of Swab Testing also stated that, “No E. coli or Salmonella was detected in any of the bags.”

• This study provides strong evidence that reusable bags could pose a significant risk to the safety of the food supply if used to transport food from store to home.

“Could” and “if” are both conditional terms. Used in the same sentences, the conclusion is nothing more than empty alarmism.

• The swab testing demonstrates that single use plastic shopping bags and other first use carry bag options are more hygienic than reusables.

This is simply a statement of the obvious. It’s reasonable to assume that items that haven’t been exposed to bacteria aren’t as likely to be contaminated.

The recommendations contained in the report highlight “the gravity of the results” and the need for more research. On that we can agree. However, I would hope that the next round of studies won’t be paid for by the industry that has a vested interest in the results.

For example, Recommendation #2 is identified as “an immediate priority” and calls for all meat to be “packed in a first-use (translation: plastic) bag to prevent accidental leakage or drips into the reusable bag.”

To make sure that this happens it is recommended that, “This should become a mandated safety standard across the entire grocery industry for reusable bags.”

The report also recommends that family doctors and public health officials should add reusable bags to the list of sources of food poisoning.

The report goes on - and so could I. Bottom line: Use proper food handing practices. If you don’t already, wash reusable bags regularly in mild soap and vinegar (a natural disinfectant). Hang bags to dry inside out, preferably on the clothesline. Sunlight is both a natural bleach and a disinfectant.

That’s not science. It’s common sense.

RELATED WEBSITE

For a complete copy of the report, “A Microbiological Study of Reusable Bags and ‘First or single-use’ Plastic Bags”, go to visit the EPIC website and look under “What’s New.”

In Praise of Trees

2009-05-26T15:06:00.002-04:00

Celebrate the return of spring and the miracle of new life by planting a tree.

Trees are magnificent gifts of creation that enrich our lives beyond comprehension. Their splendid canopies reduce the heat of a summer's day and provide shelter and warmth from the winter's wind. Trees are the lungs of the planet, providing life-giving oxygen and absorbing the carbon dioxide that threatens the very stability of our climate. They are sanctuaries for the human spirit and provide a compact between generations. Like our children, trees keep us rooted to the ground and yet they encourage us to look skyward to the heavens and to possibilities that we can only imagine.

In one year, a single tree can offset the carbon dioxide produced by a car driving 41,600 kilometers. In addition, trees also filter toxic pollutants from the air with their leaves, and from ground water with their roots. Three trees strategically planted around your home can reduce heating costs 10 to 30 percent, and cooling costs by 10 to 50 percent.

Spring is the ideal time to plant trees because the higher frequency of rain helps to establish strong root systems. Before you start, the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) offers the following tips to ensure that the trees you plant today will provide a future forest for your great-grandchildren.

Before Planting:

• Choose species that are native to your area and grown from local seed, whenever possible. Examples include white pine, white cedar, sugar maple and red oak.
• Consider the soil type, moisture levels and topography of where you wish to plant. This will help you pick the right tree for the growing conditions.
• Select the species based on the value of a mature tree, i.e. shade, windbreak, erosion control, food or habitat for wildlife.
• Trees and shrubs need space to grow. Leave at least 2 metres between trees and one metre between shrubs.

During Planting:

• Tree seedlings can be kept in a cool place for 2 to 3 days.
• Make sure that roots never become dry during the planting process.
• Remove grass and weeds from around the planting area to reduce competition for sun and moisture.
• Dig a hole that is deep enough for roots to be fully extended when planted.
• Once planted, make sure that the soil around the tree is well packed to remove air pockets and reduce the settling of the soil.

After Planting

• Newly planted trees require watering every 7 to 10 days. Keep a rain diary to make sure that trees receive adequate moisture.
• Use tree guards to protect tender young bark against small animals such mice and rabbits.
• Check trees regularly to make sure that grass and weeds aren’t overwhelming them.

Related Websites:

For more information about CLOCA, or to find the conservation authority in your area, visit www.conservation-ontario.on.ca.

Trees Ontario works with local tree planting agencies in Ontario, including regional Conservation Authorities and local Ontario Stewardship councils to implement its tree planting subsidy programs. Planting agencies then work directly with landowners to determine site eligibility, allocate funding and coordinate tree planting.

The Global Forest Science Global Forest Science website offers a comprehensive guide to the most common trees of Canada.

Domtar - the paper people - have a great website for children about the wonderful world of trees. Visit www.domtar.com/arbre/english/

Most people can name their province's official flower, but did you know that each province and territory has its own tree, too? To find out more, visit the Canadian Forestry Association.

Tree Canada is a charitable organization dedicated to encouraging Canadians to plant and care for trees in our urban and rural environments.

It's Energy Conservation Week in Ontario!

2009-05-18T20:06:00.001-04:00

May 17 to 23 is Energy Conservation Week in Ontario. The event is organized by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), the provincial agency charged with the responsibility of ensuring that Ontario has a reliable, sustainable and long-term supply of electricity.

If you’re wondering what conservation has to do with the supply of electricity, the answer is plenty. Generating enough power to fuel the province is both capital and labour intensive. According to the OPA, “Conservation helps reduce the strain on Ontario’s electricity system, ensuring a more reliable supply of power for all users. It also reduces the need for investment in generation and transmission resource, as well as the need for expensive imports of electricity from neighboring jurisdictions.”

In short, a kilowatt of electricity saved is a kilowatt of electricity that can be used somewhere else, rather than having to build new capacity to meet the demand.

Amory Lovins, head of The Rocky Mountain Institute, first popularized this idea. In 1989, Lovins referred to this saved energy as a “negawatt”.

Twenty years later, we’re finally catching up. Today, conservation plays a critical role in balancing our demand for electricity with our capacity to generate it. Conservation programs are cheaper than building new generating capacity and are faster to deliver. Conserving energy also doesn’t produce any of the nasty by-products associated with some forms of power generation such as smog and nuclear waste.

With all that in mind, the idea of “using less electricity, and using it wisely” becomes more than just a cute marketing phrase. Properly delivered, conservation programs could save the province tens of billions of dollars in new construction costs and dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in the process. With so much at stake, engaging in simple acts of conservation like switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or turning down the water heater suddenly seem a whole lot more important.

In total, the Ontario government has set a target of reducing peak energy use by 6300 MW by 2025. While most consumers understand the message about the benefits of using compact fluorescent light bulbs, lighting only accounts for about 5 percent of residential energy use. Which begs the question, “What else can I do?”

The answer, according to the OPA, is plenty. As the Energy Conservation Week (ECW) website boasts, “There must be millions of ways to save energy. But lets start with 100.”

The idea is to make energy conservation part of your everyday life. The first step is to count yourself in by committing to create your own personal conservation plan using some of the 100 energy-saving tips listed on the ECW website.

For home:

• Schedule an energy audit and act on the results.
• Clean or replace furnace filters (especially if you have central air conditioning)
• Landscape for energy savings.
• Wash only full loads of laundry (in cold water).
• Always set the dishwasher to air dry and only run it when it’s full.
• Vacuum refrigerator coils to keep them efficient.
• Open a window or use a ceiling fan.
• Use drapes/blinds, awnings and shades in the summer to keep the heat out.
• Use task lighting.
• Install motion sensors to turn off lights automatically.

For parents and teachers:

• Teach children good energy conservation habits.
• Choose games and toys with energy use in mind.
• Be a role model for good conservation.

At Work:

• Turn off meeting room lights when not in use.
• Whenever possible, use the stairs instead of taking the elevator
• Turn off all equipment at the end of the day.
• Use paper-reducing strategies.
• Choose green-rated hotels when traveling for business or pleasure.

“Energy Conservation Week provides a focal point for learning what we can do, making a pledge to take action, and gaining from doing so,” said the OPA’s Chief Executive Officer, Colin Anderson. “Saving energy offers three clear co-benefits: It generates employment in Ontario. It supports our economy by saving money. And it helps protect our environment by reducing the need for generation.”

RELATED WEBSITES:

Check out www.energyconservationweek.ca for more great energy saving ideas and to count yourself in!

For almost three decades, The Rocky Mountain Institute has provided global leadership on energy innovation and resource efficiency.

Be Prepared

2009-05-18T20:04:00.002-04:00

The H1N1 flu virus (Human Swine Flu) pandemic is the latest threat to reinforce the need for emergency planning. As climate change continues to make extraordinary weather events the new normal, forest fires, flooding, extreme cold and heat waves, prolonged power outages as well as water and food shortages will continue to increase. Add to this list, the potential for man-made environmental disasters such as nuclear accidents and chemical releases. Don’t forget acts of terrorism.

All it all, it paints a rather bleak picture. But rather than run from disaster, the Government of Canada wants its citizens to be proactive and prepare themselves and their families for emergencies of all kinds. To help get the message out, Emergency Preparedness Week, which runs from May 3 - 9, 2009, promotes the importance of emergency preparedness across the country.

The first step is to know the risks – many of which were outlined in the first paragraph.

The second step is to make a plan that will help you and your family know exactly what to do in the event of an emergency. The plan should identify safe exits from your home, a place to reunite if you have to evacuate, designating a person to pick-up younger children if you can’t, a list of contact persons, both nearby and out-of-town, and a place for pets to stay. (In the event that you are required to evacuate, most shelters won’t take family pets.)

You should also make a list of health information, including health card numbers, medical conditions and allergies. Include copies of important documents such as birth certificates, passports, licenses, wills and insurance. The location of your fire extinguisher, water valve, electrical box, gas valve and floor drain should also be listed.

While it may seem like a lot, it shouldn’t take more than about 20 minutes to pull all this information together. Keep your plan in an easy-to-find, safe location. Make additional copies to keep at work and in your car. Review your plan regularly.

The third step is to prepare an emergency kit. The idea is to have basic supplies for 72 hours. The key is to make sure your kit is organized, easy to find, waterproof, and easy to carry (in a suitcase with wheels or in a backpack) in case you need to evacuate your home. If you wait until you need it, it might be too late.

Your kit should contain two liters of water per person per day (Include small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order), food that won’t spoil, such as canned food, energy bars and dried foods (remember to replace the food and water once a year). Don’t forget a manual can opener. You should also include a flashlight and extra batteries, a wind-up or battery-powered radio (more extra batteries) and a first aid kit.

Special needs items such as prescription medications or equipment for people with disabilities should be added, along with an extra set of keys for your car and house. It also recommended having approximately $200 cash-on-hand, since ATMs and banking networks may not work during an emergency. Include smaller bills and change for payphones. Finally, include a copy of your emergency plan and contact information.

If all this seems overwhelming, don’t worry. There are plenty of resources out there to help guide you through the process.

Emergency Websites:

Canada’s Emergency Preparedness Week website contains a detailed Emergency Planning guide. The site has links to all provincial and regional emergency planning websites. You can also phone toll-free 1-800-O-CANADA.

Emergency Management Ontario

All municipalities within Ontario are now required to have an emergency plan, which is established through local Community Emergency Management Coordinators (CEMC). You can contact your CEMC through your municipality, or visit www.ontario.ca/beprepared.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has a special website dedicated to the current Swine Flu crisis. Check out www.fightflu.ca

In the event of an emergency, knowing first aid could save a life. Contact St. John’s Ambulance or the Red Cross for information about first aid courses in your area.

St. John Ambulance has also partnered The Salvation Army to prepare an emergency kit that is available at www.sja.ca, as well as from a variety of Canadian retailers.

Check out Environment Canada’s Weather Office.

Cancer Prevention: It’s about time

2009-05-03T17:11:00.002-04:00

When you consider the numbers, it’s clear that this current strategy is not working. According to Statistics Canada, in the 1930s, 1 in 10 people contracted cancer. By the 1960’s it was 1 in 4. Today, that figure is 1 in 3. When non-melanoma skin cancers are added to this equation, the figure is actually 1 in 2.

According to Prevent Cancer Now (PCN), “In 2008, an estimated 166,400 Canadians - 6,500 more new cases than the year previous - heard three words that would change their lives forever: “You have cancer.” Almost 74,000 Canadians died from cancer last year - 1,100 more than in 2007.”

“As the Baby Boom generation gets older, even more Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer. But it’s not just our aging population - the incidence of many cancers in Canada, such as breast, prostate and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, are among the highest in the world. According to 2005 data from Cancer Research UK, North America has the highest percentage of deaths worldwide due to all cancers – at 23 percent. Even worse, the umbilical cord blood of every infant on Earth now contains scores of cancer-causing substances, such as pesticides, solvents, hormones and heavy metals – all commonly found in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat, including breast milk,” states PCN.

It’s painfully clear. What we do to the environment, we do to ourselves - and to our children. This insanity must stop.

In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote in “Silent Spring”, “Although the search must be continued for therapeutic measures to relieve and to cure those who have already become victims of cancer, it is a disservice to humanity to hold out the hope that the solution will come suddenly in a single master stroke. It will come slowly, one step at a time. Meanwhile, as we pour our millions into research and invest all our hopes in vast programs to find cures for established cases of cancer, we are neglecting the golden opportunity to prevent, even while we seek the cure.”

What is so dramatic about Carson’s statement is that she died of breast cancer a few years after Silent Spring was written. What Carson warned us about then, and what the environmental community is increasingly indicating now. is that environmental degradation is a major cause of the current cancer epidemic.

The problem is that cancers can take 15 to 20 years to develop. Where a person is born is as important as where they were conceived, if they were breastfed, what they ate as a child, and if they lived downwind to a thousand or more airborne carcinogens.

We do not have absolute proof. What we do have is the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, enough pieces to start to see the whole picture. We ignore these pieces at our peril.

With so much time and money being invested in treatment and cure, there isn’t sufficient effort being focused on prevention. It’s like we’re putting all our energy into stopping a runaway train when it would be a lot easier to simply cut the fuel to the engine.

Unfortunately, it’s big business that’s fuelling the engine. Since the 1940s, over 75,000 new chemical combinations have made their way out of the labs and into our everyday lives. In Canada, we use over 50 million kilograms of pesticides every year.

According to Dr. Samuel Epstein, author of The Politics of Cancer Revisited, “The overwhelming majority of the industrial chemicals have never been adequately tested for chronic toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects, let alone ecological effects, and much of the available industrial data is at best suspect.”

What is required is an extraordinary public outrage at the current state of affairs. While we all fear getting cancer, what is infinitely more frightening is the idea that it’s some random, evil thing that affects people without rhyme or reason. If what we’re doing to the environment really is the cause for the dramatic increase in cancer rates, then we can do something about it. This isn’t depressing. It’s exciting, it’s empowering and it’s about time.

RELATED WEBSITE:

Of the half-billion dollars spent in Canada on cancer research each year, less than 2% is devoted to finding the causes - and preventing - cancer. Prevent Cancer Now is a coalition of environmentalists, health care experts and cancer survivors. The Cancer Prevention Challenge is the ONLY fundraiser in Canada that focuses exclusively on primary prevention of cancer – stopping cancer before it starts. To pledge your support or for more information about cancer prevention, visit www.preventcancernow.ca

Ontario’s Pesticide Ban Takes Effect

2009-04-27T06:08:00.000-04:00

Following in Quebec’s footsteps, Ontario became the second province in Canada to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides. The ban, which took effect on Earth Day, covers over 250 products and more than 80 pesticide ingredients and covers applications on lawns, gardens, parks and schoolyards.

“We have fulfilled our commitment to ban the sale and use of cosmetic pesticides in Ontario,” said Ontario’s Minister of the Environment, John Gerretsen. I'm proud to say that we have eliminated this unnecessary risk to our environment, our families, and especially our children.”

The ban is intended to replace the many municipal bylaws that have been passed throughout the province. Exceptions include applications that are deemed necessary to protect public health or safety. These include fighting West Nile Virus, controlling poisonous plants such as poison ivy and eliminating stinging insects.

Making the transition to a chemical-free lawn can take a bit of time and effort, but in the long run it’s less work. Natural lawns need less water and fertilizer and are less likely to succumb to chinch bug and lawn diseases. They also need to be cut less frequently.

Step 1 – Water deeply once a week

Most lawns actually get more water than they need. Over watering causes shallow roots, which can leave lawns unable to tolerate dry periods. A deep watering once a week creates a well-rooted lawn that makes efficient use of the water stored in the soil. The best time to water is first thing in the morning. This reduces evaporation and prevents sunlight from acting like a magnifying glass and burning your grass. Evening watering means that roots remain wet longer, thus promoting fungus and disease. Maintaining this kind of watering schedule not only saves time and effort, but also it conserves water – thereby saving you money and preserving a valuable resource.

Step 2 – Overseed

You can keep your lawn thick and healthy by regularly adding grass seed in the early spring and late fall. Mix the seed with compost or top-dress with triple mix soil to help improve the soil and add nutrients at the same time. Choose hardy grasses that don’t require a lot of care and are specific for your property, either shady or sunny locations.

Step 3 – Hand pluck weeds

Springtime after the rain is the best time to hand-pull weeds when roots are not well established. Add some grass seed and compost to any bare areas when you’re done.

Step 4 – Mow high and mow less

Ideally, lawns should be cut around 3 inches in height (7.5 cm). Cutting foliage too short reduces the main food factory of the plant, creating a need for fertilizers. Since plants tend to keep foliage mass and root structure in balance, a short lawn also has a short root structure that cannot reach ground water. Finally, short grass can’t shade out weeds, which means relying on herbicides to kill weeds instead.

Invest in a push mover. The blades cut cleanly, which makes grass healthier and more pest resistant. They’re also better for the environment.

Step 5 - Leave grass clippings on your lawn

This simple step alone can cut lawn maintenance time by up to 40 percent, cut your garbage by 35 percent during the peak growing season, return nitrogen and other valuable nutrients to the soil and supply valuable moisture to your lawn.

Step 6 – Aerate

For those who really want to rival the perfectly manicured lawns of the 19th century, aerate your lawn once a year (either spring or fall). This involves using an aerator that cuts narrow plugs in the soil, allowing oxygen and nutrients to penetrate below the surface of your lawn. Aerating also helps restore proper drainage. You can either rent an aerator from your local rental or garden centre, or hire a professional lawn care company.

Step 7 – De-Thatch

Thatch is the dense layer of dead grass and roots that gets compacted on the soil’s surface. It can prevent water from penetrating deep into the soil and can also harbor unwanted bugs. It’s time to de-thatch when that layer gets to be more than 1/2 inch thick.

RELATED WEBSITES

For a complete list of Ontario’s banned products and ingredients, visit the Ministry of the Environment

The Environmental Factor holds the patent on Canada’s first chemical-free pesticide.

Take a Break this Earth Day!

2009-04-22T08:11:00.003-04:00

The current economic crisis has everyone trying to do more with less. At a time when we're already feeling stretched beyond our limits, the pressure to perform has never been as great.

It's no coincidence that we're burning ourselves out at just about the same rate that we're burning out the planet. It's all connected. If we're going to survive we need to recognize that everybody - and everything - has a limit. That's the message we need to take to heart on Earth Day, April 22nd, and every other day of the year, too.

Just look at how we use our cars as personal time machines. If we're late, we hit the gas a little harder, throwing even more greenhouse and other deadly gases into the atmosphere, while endangering ourselves and others. If we happen to get hungry along the way, we pull up to the drive-thru window of our favorite fast food restaurant. While our cars idle, someone else prepares an over-packaged, high fat meal that we then shove into our already stressed gastrointestinal tracts. The packaging produces more unnecessary garbage for the dump, while we pollute our own personal environment. And then we wonder why we never seem to have enough energy.

Which brings another type of energy into the spotlight. When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb to extend our workday, he had no idea he was creating a monster. Instead of retiring when the sun goes down as our forefathers did, we push the envelope to the point where we are open for business 24-hours a day.
Night and day have become interchangeable in a world that has learned to live better electrically. E-mail and computers makes it possible to do business virtually any hour of the night or day from anywhere on the planet.

The cost is very high. It’s estimated that 40 to 80 percent of visits to the doctor’s office are for stress related conditions. These include heart disease, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, migraines, chronic pain, chronic fatigue and depression.

The environment is paying the price, too. Global warming, caused by the burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity and fuel our cars, is the single greatest threat to environmental stability and human survival.

What we do to the planet, we ultimately do to ourselves. To celebrate Earth Day, why not give yourself and the planet a break. Nurture your soul and the soil by spending a little time dallying in the dirt. Prepare your flowerbeds for spring or mulch last year’s compost into your garden.

While you’re at it, give a little something back to the Earth and plant a tree or two. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, the primary cause of global warming, and return life-giving oxygen to the air. In addition, planting trees around your home can reduce the need for air-conditioning by up to 40 per cent. In the winter, these same trees can cut heating costs by 10 to 20 per cent. This further reduces our energy needs, which cuts the amount of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases released into the atmosphere.

Instead of fighting traffic, take public transit and let someone else worry about the driving. Better yet, enjoy moving at your own personal pace for a change and really look around you. Take a walk in the country or saddle up the family and go for a bike ride. Carry a plastic bag and collect any recyclable bottles or cans you see along the way.

When the sun goes down, don’t bother turning on the lights or the television. Instead, light soy or beeswax candles and spend some time with your family. Take turns telling stories or share the day’s activities with each other. Go to bed early and get a good night's sleep for a change.

If this sounds like your mother talking – it is – Mother Earth. And it’s high time you both were treated with a little kindness.

RELATED WEBSITES:

Earth Day Canada

For the latest scientific reports about global warming, visit The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Home Accessible Home

2009-04-13T09:24:00.009-04:00

From the street it looks like any other new house. But for Dennis Radovic and his family, the beautiful new bungalow has provided them with an opportunity to ease the strain of living with a terrible disease. 43 year-old Dennis, a former teacher and guidance counselor, was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS), in 2001.

The Radovic’s new home, the first of its kind to be built to both GreenHouse™ and Accessible Homes standards, was built by Durham Custom Homes (DCH) in Oshawa, Ontario. Earlier this year, the company received the 2008 EnerQuality Award of Excellence as Canada’s GreenHouse™ builder of the year.

The GreenHouse™ design combines the energy efficiency standards of ENERGY STAR® for New Homes with resource management, indoor air quality and water conservation. The result is a house that produces three tonnes fewer greenhouse gases, consumes 30 percent less energy, and uses 15 percent fewer raw materials and 25 less water than homes built to the Ontario Building Code. When the home is completed, 25 percent less construction waste is sent to the landfill.

When construction began on the first GreenHouse™ last year, Victor Fiume, DCH General Manager said that regardless of how environmentally responsible a house was constructed, if it wasn’t accessible to everyone, then it really wasn’t sustainable.

With the completion of the Radovic’s new home, Durham Custom Homes has taken the idea of building sustainable living to a whole new level. When the Radovics move into the house this week, its many features will help make life much easier for Dennis and his wife Melissa.

“Working with Victor Fiume, David Illiatovitch-Owen and Guy Mulder, we were able to accomplish everything we thought would be needed now and in the future,” said Dennis. Dennis and Melissa used pencils and liquid paper to finalize the design.

Dennis continued working until last year, when his MS progressed to the point where everyday activities like getting dressed and showering pushed the limits of his physical capabilities. As Dennis explained, because he is confined to a wheelchair and walker, doing anything takes a tremendous amount of energy.

The Radovic’s new home features a raised front porch slab, wider entrances, hallways and doorways, and an elevator that is accessed through the garage. When asked why Dennis opted for an elevator rather than ramp access to the house, he said, “How accessible is a ramp after an ice storm?”

Non-slip surfaces, both inside and outside the home, reduce the risk of falling, and denser materials offer stability and support. The galley kitchen features lowered countertops and appliances. Cupboards have pullout drawers for easier access, and handles and controls are placed to minimize reach.
The bathroom is barrier-free and designed to maximize turning for access to the sink, toilet and shower. Fixtures and grab bars are strategically located.

The windows are designed to open and close easily and locks are located to be within reach from a wheelchair. Even the laundry room features front-end loading appliances for lower access.

At last week’s official opening of the home, Jeff Goldman, DCH principal used the opportunity to challenge other builders.

“As excited as I am though of our collective accomplishment, I cannot help feeling a degree of frustration,” said Goldman.

“We have built this house because we believe that constructing a better-built, environmentally-responsible, energy-efficient dwelling that is healthier for its inhabitants and can speak to individual needs is not just a corporate responsibility, but it makes good business sense.”

Perhaps what makes Canada’s first Accessible GreenHouse™ so remarkable is the price. With the exception of the added cost of the elevator, the price of the Radovic’s new home is comparable to other houses on the street.

“We did this on our own dime with support and encouragement from others, but without handouts or special treatment,” said Goldman. “So, if we can, it begs the question of why not for others?”

For Dennis and Melissa, the accessible features in their new home will help Dennis to conserve his remaining strength and give them more time to enjoy their 3 ½ year-old son, Bryson.

RELATED WEBSITES

For more information on GreenHouse™ and Accessible Homes standards visit KingswayForest.com.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada

Ontario launches Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) program

2009-04-13T09:19:00.002-04:00

It’s finally time to get rid of those obsolete computers and other electronic junk that has been piling up in your basement. Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) unveiled its much-anticipated Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) on March 31. The industry developed and funded program has the goal of diverting 160,000 tonnes of electronic waste from the landfill over the next five years.

Electronic waste has become a global problem as our appetite for the latest and best in technology accelerates with each passing year.

“In 2007, the average home computer was 2.5 years old, down from 2.7 only a year before. A quarter of computer owners replace their machines every year,” writes environmental lawyer Diane Saxe. “The United Nations says that 20 to 50 million tonnes of electronic waste is generated every year.” Saxe says that Ontarians produce about 70,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually.

Electronic equipment often contains dangerous toxins such as mercury, lead and arsenic. When electronics are not safely recycled, these toxins can eventually find their way into the air we breathe and the water that we drink.

Phase one of the WEEE program targets computers, printers, monitors and other computer paraphernalia along with televisions for reuse and recycling. The ultimate goal of the program is to divert 60 per cent of electronic wastes from landfill.

Until now, Ontario municipalities provided the only opportunity to recycle discarded electronics through special municipal collections and waste depots. Given the high cost of disposing of electronic waste, many of the waste depots have operated on a user-pay system. As a result, residents who have chosen to responsibly dispose of unwanted electronics sometimes ended up paying a hefty price.

The new WEEE program is funded through fees paid to the OES, a non-profit organization established to collect and distribute fees collected from brand owners, first importers into Ontario and assemblers of electronic products. The OES will pay for all of the program costs, which are estimated to be at least $ 48 million per year. The cost, which will ultimately be past on to the consumer, includes collection, transportation, consolidation, processing, research and development and consumer information and education programs.

The program will operate through a network of collection sites where businesses and consumers can drop off unwanted electronics. Cell phones and cameras will be added in later phases of the program.

“In this age of increasing electronic technology, too many of us find ourselves at a loss when it comes to dealing with unwanted waste electronics,” said Carol Hochu, OES executive director. “Too often this means they end up in the garbage or may be shipped to countries where health and environmental standards may receive less attention than here in Ontario. By setting up a network of certified collectors and processors, our waste electronics diversion program will make sure these end-of-life materials are managed properly.”

The WEEE program is the latest one to be established under the guidance of Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) a crown corporation that was created under the Waste Diversion Act in 2002. The WDO’s mandate is to develop, implement and operate waste diversion programs for a wide range of materials. Key to the WDO’s programs is industry accountability. For example, the WDO’s Blue Box program requires that industries that contribute materials into the blue box pay 50 percent of the net cost of recycling.

Unlike the industry funded blue box program, which provides householders with the convenience of curbside pick up for many recyclable items, electronics will have to be dropped off at designated collection site. Entering a postal code, municipality or type of material to be recycled on the Do What You Can website will provide a list of nearest locations.

In addition to municipality drop-off centers and electronic retailers, as of April 1st, Salvation Army Thrift Stores will expand their electronics program to include items identified in phase one of the program.

On Saturday, April 25th, Sears Canada will host a “take-back” day in the parking lots of 14 of their stores in Eastern Ontario. The following week on May 1st, STAPLES Canada will begin collecting electronic wastes at 17 of its retail stores. It’s important to note that televisions will not be collected as part of the STAPLES program.

RELATED WEBSITES:

To find the nearest WEEE collection site or for information about the Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW) program which was launched in January, visit www.dowhatyoucan.ca.

For more WEEE program information, check out www.ontarioelectronicstewardship.ca.

Waste Diversion Ontario

For the latest in environmental law updates, visit Dianne Saxe’s informative website at Saxe Environmental Law News.

Thirty Years After

2009-03-27T21:05:00.010-04:00

March 28, 2009, marks the 30th anniversary of the accident at Three Mile Island. For those too young to remember, an incident at Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant in Middleton, Pennsylvania resulted in the first case of melted fuel in a full-scale commercial nuclear power plant. Although there were no immediate deaths or injuries, the accident triggered major changes in how nuclear power plants are monitored and regulated. More importantly, TMI caused many countries to rethink their growing dependence on nuclear power. It’s worth noting that there has been no nuclear power plants built in the U.S. or Canada since the TMI accident.

The TMI anniversary comes at a very critical time in our history. Climate change has become the bogyman in the closet. As a result, technologies once deemed too dangerous or two expensive are back on the table as an alternative to “anything but” energy sources that produce greenhouse gases.

Specifically, global concerns over the very real threat of climate change have sparked a renewed interest in nuclear power. President Obama has stated that it is unlikely that the U.S. will be able to reach its climate goals without nuclear power.

North of the 49th, Federal Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn is promoting the idea of constructing a nuclear power plant to assist in Alberta’s oil sands production.

In Ontario, the recently unveiled Green Energy Act is focused primarily on the development of renewable energy. However, new nuclear construction is also part of the province’s proposed energy mix. If all goes according to plan, construction on two new reactors at Darlington will begin as soon as 2010.

Here’s the Catch 22. Using nuclear power for meet our base requirements for electricity assumes that the system also has ready access to rapid-fire generation when demand peaks. The key word here is fire. Fossil fuel plants generate power for peak demand, and the most effective of these plants are coal-fired.

The other issue is how we measure the full scope of the nuclear power chain. While nuclear power plants don’t produce greenhouse gas emissions, the mining and production of nuclear fuel is very carbon intensive. From extraction, to processing and refining, the creation of nuclear fuel bundles requires large amounts of energy. Once created, nuclear fuel must also be transported using fossil fuels.

With so much at stake, it’s time for some very sober debate.

“Nuclear power creates more problems that it solves,” said Dr. David Suzuki in the preface to Green Power: Today’s Choice for Ontario’s Future. “Not only does it create waste that pollutes the Earth for thousands of years, but it also divest attention and investment capital away from a renewable energy infrastructure.”

According to Jack Gibbons, from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA), Ontario is at a crossroads. The province has committed to shutting down all of the province’s dirty coal generating stations by 2014. In addition, most of Ontario’s nuclear reactors will reach the end of their lives within the next 15 years.

“As a result, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to rebuild our electric power system from the ground up,” said Gibbons. “I’m an economist and I’ve crunched the numbers. The good news is that energy efficiency and renewable energy are the lowest cost options to meet our electricity needs.”

However, he says that Ontario’s energy planners have missed the mark when it comes to the cost estimates associated with new nuclear construction.

“Their cost estimates are less than half those of the experts at Moody’s Investors Service,” said Gibbons, “And we are all on the hook for nuclear's runaway costs, paying a nuclear debt surcharge on every kilowatt of electricity we use.”

As the saying goes, those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Perhaps that’s why we celebrate anniversaries. They remind us of major milestones – both good and bad – and provide us with an opportunity to choose a new and better future.

(photos: Top - Members of Durham Nuclear Awareness at the gates of the low-level radioactive waste dump at Port Granby. Lower - burying the time capsule at the gates of Darlington in 1989 to mark the start up of the first reactor.)

RELATED WEBSITES:

Ontario’s Green Future is advocating a sustainable, affordable, responsible energy plane for Ontario. Check out www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca.

Green Power: Today’s Choice for Ontario’s Future is available for download from the David Suzuki Foundation website at www.davidsuzuki.org.

For more on the history of Three Mile Island and resulting changes to the regulation of nuclear power in the U.S., visit www.nrc.gov.

For an interesting and balanced third party look at nuclear power, visit www.nucleartourist.com.

Candle Power

2009-03-25T22:58:00.004-04:00

With only days to go before the big event, hundreds of millions of people around the globe are busy planning for Earth Hour. If last year’s festivities are any indication, burning candles will help to illuminate the hour.

There are a number of reasons why this may not necessarily be the best way to celebrate. For starters, the whole idea behind Earth Hour is to raise awareness (and action) on climate change. The primary cause of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels, and the subsequent release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

In Ontario, power is generated in a variety of ways, including nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and fossil fuel generation. Fossil fuel plants, fired by coal, oil and natural gas are generally only used when the demand for electricity reaches its peak. At this time of year (when air conditioners aren’t running) this peak period is usually recorded on weekdays between 3:00 and 8:00 pm. The rest of the time the bulk of our power is provided by either hydroelectric or nuclear stations, neither of which produces greenhouse gas emissions. This off-peak period would include the time covering Earth Hour, Saturday, March 28th, between 8:30 and 9:30 pm.

Candles, on the other hand, are mostly made from paraffin wax – a petroleum by-product. Burning paraffin candles releases carbon dioxide (and an bunch of other nasty stuff) into the atmosphere. Lighting a fire also produces carbon dioxide and other products of combustion.

As an alternative to burning paraffin candles, there are a number of environmentally responsible options beyond simply sitting in the dark.

Flameless candles are battery operated and provide a natural flicker of light. LED candles are a lot less realistic, but are very energy efficient. Both are available at home specialty stores. Flashlights also provide a safe, greenhouse gas free light. For greater efficiency invest in an LED flashlight. In every case, don’t forget to recycle your batteries when depleted.

If you don’t mind a little exercise, you can eliminate the need for batteries by investing in a hand-powered LED flashlight. Depending on the model, power is generated by either shaking or cranking the flashlight vigorously.

If only the open flame will do, purchase candles that are made from beeswax or soy. While they are more expensive than paraffin candles, both are clean burning and are made from renewable resources.

Whether they are made from beeswax, soy or paraffin, candle safety is paramount during Earth Hour (and any other time you have an open flame in your home.) Here’s a list of candle safety tips from Health Canada:

• First and foremost, make sure that your smoke alarms are in good working condition.
• Always place the candle in a non-combustible container. Be careful with glass containers because they can become overheated and break suddenly.
• Don't use wood or plastic candleholders, they can catch fire. Metal candleholders are safer, but they can get extremely hot.
• Place candle away from other combustibles, such as curtains and furniture.
• Don’t use candles decorated with ribbons, bows or other add-ons. These items are extremely flammable and increase the risk of burns. Since most of them are made from some kind of plastic, they will also release toxic fumes.
• Don't leave burning candles unattended. Never leave a child alone with a lit candle and don’t let kids handle matches or lighters.
• Place candles in a safe location where they cannot be knocked over and keep them out of the reach of children or pets.
• Avoid walking with a lit candle.
• Before lighting, cut the candlewick short to prevent a high flame.
• Candles with more than one wick close to one another are not safe and should not be used.

While on the subject of wicks, it’s important to know that some candles have wicks with a metallic core that may contain lead. Health Canada advises that when burned, these wicks produce lead vapors and dust, which can be harmful, especially for children and pregnant women. To check, separate the fiber strands from the wick to see if there is a metallic core. Look closely. This metallic core can be as thin as a strand of hair. If the strand leaves a gray mark when rubbed on a piece of white paper, it’s probably made out of lead and should not be burned.

RELATED WEBSITES:

For more candle safety tips, visit Health Canada.

Don’t forget to sign up for Earth Hour at www.earthhour.org.

Deferred Accountability

2009-03-18T04:17:00.006-04:00

We have built our society on the idea of deferred accountability. Why pay today when you can defer until tomorrow, next year, or even next generation? It’s that ideology that it is at the heart of the current economic and ecological crisis.

We shouldn’t beat ourselves up about this too much. Until the beginning of the last century, circumstances held much of humanity absolutely accountable on a daily basis. Untended livestock meant no meat to eat next week, unplanted fields meant no food next season, unfelled trees meant no heat next winter.

The 20th century brought us industrialization and specialization of labor. We no longer had to be immediately accountable for everything. And with that realization came a newfound sense of freedom. We could defer payment until tomorrow and still survive. Like students away from home for the very first time, the sky was the limit. It was a giddy time to be alive.

The problem is that our ability to manipulate nature and machine has grown exponentially and inversely proportional to our ability to manage our impacts. We have become way too good at ignoring the consequences of our actions. We live like today is all we have, and defer payment until whenever.

Recent events are demanding our attention. Our adolescence is over. It’s time learn how to live more sustainably.

The idea of sustainability is a relatively new concept. It was first defined in very moral terms as our ability to continue without impacting future generations. The current economic crisis, coupled with the very real threat of climate change, has many rethinking this definition. Today sustainability is perhaps more accurately described in terms of a very concrete question: Can we continue, business as usual?

The answer, most definitely, is no. Beyond the threats of economic collapse and the very real and present danger of climate change, emerges another fundamental question, “What are we leaving our children?”

At the most visceral level, our purpose is to live long enough to ensure that there is another generation. As banal as this sounds, it’s our biological imperative. It can also drive a new integrity – one that looks at how we live our lives today, and how this will translate into our children’s ability to live tomorrow.

Consider the legacy of our garbage. According to the U.S. National Parks Service, the average plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to degrade, ditto for disposable diapers. Cans will take between 50 and 100 years to break down, plastic bags at least 20. While the batteries from your flashlight will take almost 100 years to disappear, that monofilament fishing line that you bought last summer will take a whopping 600 years to degrade. Glass bottles, on the other hand, will take a million years to return to the Earth. Experts say that Styrofoam may never disappear.

And then there’s the energy that we use to make all this stuff. The carbon dioxide that we throw up in the air today by burning fossil fuels will remain in the atmosphere for thousands of years, according to researcher David Archer, professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago. The high level radioactive waste from our nuclear power plants will last much longer. Plutonium 242, the longest-lived by-product of nuclear fission has a radioactive half-life of 387,000 years. That’s the time it will take to be half as radioactive as it is today.

We have reached a critical juncture. There is no more deferred payment plans, we can no longer afford not to pay a cent until some future date.

The path ahead will be determined by the decisions that we make today. There is little more to do than to answer the question, “What will be our legacy?” Will we continue to ravage the planet with little regard for our lives, let alone the survival of future generations, or do we choose to live each day with integrity?

It’s really not as difficult or as daunting as it sounds. To quote that great Canadian, Tommy Douglas, “Courage my friend, it's not too late to make a better world.” The first step is to begin.

RELATED WEBSITE

David Archer’s new book, “The Long Thaw: How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000 Years of Earth's Climate” (2009), is published by Princeton University Press.

Nature's Children

2009-03-18T04:10:00.002-04:00

When his nephew was a very little boy, my husband Brian took him for a walk in the orchard adjacent to our home in the country. The house and the orchard have been in the family since 1827 – a heritage that Brian loves to share with family and friends.

They talked about the cows in the neighboring field and how their milk was harvested and brought to market, and then Brian invited young Gregory to see the trees where the apples grew. The four year-old expressed his complete disbelief in his uncle’s explanation where of apples originated.

“Of course they grow on trees,” Brian said. “Where did you think they came from?”

“The grocery store,” was Greg’s reply.

I was reminded of this favorite family story when I recently read an article by Richard Louv entitled, “A Walk in the Woods”, (Orion Magazine, March/April 2009). Louv, who is chairman of the Children & Nature Network, retells his own story of a visit to an elementary school he had attended as a child in Missouri. He asked the children about their relationship with nature and not surprisingly discovered that most of the children preferred indoor activities such as playing video games. Those who did play outside preferred organized sports – with the exception of one little girl.

“When I’m in the woods I feel like I’m in my mother’s shoes,” the little girl said. She described how being alone in the woods made her feel happy and peaceful until the day that her woods were cut down.

“It was like they cut down part of me,” she said.

Louv went on to ask various friends if children, in fact, have a right to walk in the woods – to feel a part of nature – and was surprised with the responses that he received. Humans are apart from nature was the general consensus, not a part of it.

To help remedy this situation, The Children & Nature Network has created a wonderful handbook, “Nature Clubs for Families Tool Kit: Do It Yourself! Do It Now!” The handbook (which is downloadable from the Network’s website) is designed to provide inspiration and information to create nature clubs that will open the door to the wealth of natural adventures that waits in your own backyard – or orchard!

The booklet offers a host of wonderful ideas for families and communities just in time for March break. Nature Cubs can be as diverse and as interesting as the communities that host them. The goal is to overcome barriers to enjoying nature, such as fear for personal safely, or a lack of parental knowledge about the great outdoors.

The benefits of playing outside go way beyond learning about nature. A recent study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal (Vol. 123 No. 2 February 2009), entitled “School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior,” (Romina M. Barros, et al) found that school aged children who received a daily recess outside achieved a much higher rating on class behavioral tests.

The Pediatrics study confirms a report in Science Daily (February 19, 2009) on work of University of Illinois researcher Frances Kuo. Professor Kuo concluded that children with ADHD had fewer symptoms when they participated in outdoor activities in what are described as “lush environments.” Kuo’s work also indicates that the elderly live longer and college students perform better when they live closer to green spaces.

It’s a logical conclusion. We isolate ourselves from the natural environment in as many ways as possible. We live in thermostatically controlled environments, travel in similarly controlled vehicles, consume genetically altered foods, breathe artificially filtered and scented air and prefer virtual activities over the real thing. And therein lies the heart of the problem.

“We can truly care for nature and ourselves only if we see ourselves and nature as inseparable, wrote Louv, “only if we love ourselves as part of nature, only if we believe that our children have a right to the gifts of nature undestroyed.”

RELATED WEBSITES:

The Children & Nature Network was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature.

Orion is a bimonthly magazine devoted to the need for ecological awareness and a new relationship between people and nature.

American Academy of Pediatrics publications

Earth Hour

2009-03-10T21:26:00.004-04:00

Earth Hour 2009 is set to become the largest single global action in human history. On Saturday, March 28th, at exactly 8:30 pm local time, people around the world will turn off their lights.

It’s hard to believe that Earth Hour began only two years ago, when 2.2 million residents of Sydney, Australia pledged to turn off their lights for one hour. The collective result was a 10.2 percent reduction in electricity consumption - more than twice the original target of 5 percent – and the birth of an idea whose time has finally come.

One year later in 2008, Earth Hour engaged more than 50 million people in 35 countries. Earth Hour organizers report that many global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Coliseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square went dark, illuminating the threat of global warming as no neon sign ever could.

This year, the goal is to reach one billion people in more than 1,000 cities around the world. Close to 400 cities have already committed to participate, doubling the number that participated in 2008. According to the Earth Hour website, this year’s event will see the lights go out on some of the most recognized landmarks on the planet, including Christ the Redeemer atop the Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow’s Federation Tower, the Sydney Opera House, and the CN Tower in Toronto.

Cities are a major focus of Earth Hour organizers, because they collectively produce 80 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and consume 75 percent of the world’s energy. According to the C40 Climate Leadership Group, 50 percent of the world’s population lives in cities that cover less than one percent of the Earth’s surface. The C40 Climate Leadership Group is an organization of the world's largest cities committed to tackling climate change. C40’s current chair is Toronto Mayor David Miller.

While one single hour isn’t going to stop the relentless onset of climate change, Earth Hour is a symbolic event designed to create a tipping point in public opinion and drive political and personal action.

Action is precisely what we need – and fast. It’s somewhat ironic that Earth Hour began in Australia – a country so recently devastated by climate extremes. In January, thousands of people were stranded in eastern Australia by some of the worst flooding in twenty years. February’s raging bushfires have claimed nearly 200 lives in the south, and that number is expected to rise.

The idea of a billion people turning off their lights is an appealing one, but what really matters is what happens after Earth Hour.

As the Earth Hour website advises, “Turning the lights off for Earth Hour is a great first step, but if you really want to see a difference, then make Earth Hour part of your everyday life.”

“Think about what else can be done to reduce your footprint like taking transit, unplugging unused electrical appliances and washing your clothes in cold water. The list is endless and your action will make a big difference.”

At home you can switch over as many light bulbs as possible to compact fluorescents, make a habit of turning off anything that doesn’t need to be on, and line dry clothes whenever possible. If you really want to get serious, have a home energy audit and budget to upgrade appliances to more energy efficient models.

At the office you can start by turning off any equipment that isn’t in use. Turn off lights at the end of the day, and find out if your company has a corporate energy policy. If not, ask why not! Encourage your company leaders to have measurable emission reduction targets, switch to green power and reduce traveling to meetings by teleconferencing. For air travel that is unavoidable, recommend that your company adopt a carbon offsetting policy. In other words, donations are made, based on the number of miles flown, to organizations actively working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

And don’t forget to join in Earth Hour on March 28th at 8:30 pm. The whole world will be watching.

RELATED WEBSITES

Visit Earth Hour to count yourself, your company or your school in.

The C40 Climate Leadership Group website has great information about how cities can play a major role is tackling climate change.

Blue Box Blues

2009-02-16T23:19:00.001-05:00

For those who think that the value of their mutual funds has taken a nosedive, consider how the price of recyclables has dropped during the last twelve months. According to Corporations Supporting Recycling (CSR), the per tonne price of aluminum cans has dropped from a high in February 2008 of $2,282 to a low of $1,082 in January 2009; steel cans have dropped from $416 to $31; plastic tubs from $295 to $6; newspapers from $169 to $38; cardboard from $148 to $29; and boxboard from $77 to $3.

Even with industry sharing half of the net cost of the province’s curbside recycling programs, this latest bit of bad news will have a profound impact on municipalities that are already under pressure to stretch their budgets and reduce costs. Geoff Rathbone, Manager of Toronto’s solid waste department estimates that recycling revenues for Canada’s largest city will drop from $20 million to $10 million. In neighboring Durham Region, Public Works Commissioner Cliff Curtis is predicting a drop in revenues from $4 million to $2 million.

“And that is taking an optimistic view,” said Curtis. While it’s unlikely that municipalities will cut the popular recycling programs, projects to expand and improve blue box programs will likely be cancelled. Some municipalities have even resorted to incinerating waste to avoid costly tipping fees at landfills. Niagara Region recently began shipping its undervalued recyclables to the Convanta Energy incinerator in Niagara Falls, New York. Other municipalities have chosen to stockpile recyclables, hoping for an upturn in the commodities market.

This latest round of bad news comes only weeks before Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) is to submit its recommendations to Ontario’s Minister of the Environment in response to his request for a review of the existing blue box program. The Province established the WDO in 2002 to develop, implement and operate waste diversion programs for a wide range of materials. This latest report will be submitted to Minister Gerretsen on or before March 20, 2009.

The WDO’s first program was developed in 2003, and provided a funding formula to evenly share the net cost of curbside recycling programs with Stewardship Ontario, an organization that acts on behalf of the companies that contribute wastes to the blue box program.

The WDO’s latest report, currently available in draft form, is calling for industry to be fully responsible for recycling costs within five years. This would mean that the companies that profit from the sale of items that ultimately end up in the blue box would also pay for the cost of their disposal.

While on the surface this may seem like a good thing, it’s important to note that this only applies to items that end up in the blue box; effectively creating a financial penalty for companies that produced recyclable waste. For example, a company that produces cleaning chemicals such as window and household cleaners in recyclable containers currently pays 50 percent of the cost of recovering those containers. If the same company produces the same cleaner as a single-use wipe that cannot be recycled, it doesn’t have to contribute to the product’s disposal cost. It should also be noted that the cost of single-use products is at least ten times more than a comparable product packaged in recyclable containers.

Coincidentally, single use products were flooded onto the market just about the same time that industry was called into account for half the net cost of recycling. Thanks to aggressive marketing, these single-use products were successfully parlayed into a billion-dollar industry overnight. The producers of these products were exempted from any financial responsibility for disposing of the wastes that they generated. Just imagine what will happen if industry is forced to cover the full cost of recycling in the future.

As the saying goes, “It’s an ill wind that blows no good.” It’s important to remember that by focusing so much of our attention and resources on recycling, we’ve lost sight of the first two “R”s of waste management – Reduce and Reuse. Maybe this current economic downturn has provided us with an opportunity to add a 4th “R” – rethink.

RELATED WEBSITE

Waste Diversion Ontario’s draft report, “Blue Box Program Plan Review” is available online at www.wdo.ca. The final report will be delivered to the Minister of the Environment on March 20.

Celebrate the Home Hearth

2009-02-10T22:25:00.000-05:00

It's time to congratulate ourselves. We have officially passed the halfway point of Old Man Winter's reign. Spring is less than six weeks away, and soon the white blanket outside will turn into the early brown mush of a new season. But if the thought another month (or more) of winter boots and icy weather makes you want to crawl into a nice warm space until it all goes away, do it. Rather than fight the urge to hibernate, why not give into the desire to curl up by the fire and forget about winter's last blast.

In ancient times, February was the month to celebrate the home hearth fire. When fuel and food supplies began to run low, our ancestors would gather around the hearth to share the warmth of the fire and conserve their energy. The warm fires inside were symbolic of the returning of the sun’s warming rays to the earth outside.

So, instead of rebelling when nature urges us to slow down, we should indulge ourselves. With Valentine’s Day only a week away, why not indulge our loved ones, too? Turn off the computer, television and other electronic stimuli and reignite your passionate self with the following suggestions:

Shower in the dark. I discovered this truly sensual delight completely by accident. Most days I'm up before the dawn, and on one particular occasion I clearly hadn't had enough sleep before the alarm awakened me. The thought of turning on the lights in the bathroom was more than my bloodshot eyes could bear, so I showered in the dark. It was such a delightful experience that I have made it a part of my daily routine ever since. One word of advice – make sure that you know the difference between the shampoo and conditioner before you start

One of the most sensual pleasures is bathing by candlelight. Pour yourself a glass of wine, light the candles and soak your cares away. If you're lucky enough to have a Jacuzzi or at least a large bathtub, you can save energy by sharing the tub with your partner.

If you're lucky enough to have a real fireplace, turn off the oven, throw a log on the fire, and have a romantic wiener roast, followed by a chocolate (organic please) fondue for two. It’s sensual, delicious and it warms the heart.

Read to each other by candlelight. Poetry is best.

Take the time to rediscover the joy of conversation. Unplug the phone and complete whole sentences. If you have small children, tell them stories about your own childhood, or invite their grandparents over to talk about life before cell phones, computers and the Internet.

Spend a day at the "beach" with your family. Pack up your bathing suits and enjoy an indoor swimming pool at your local recreational centre. (No sunscreen required!)

Cook up a giant pot of stew or soup in an energy saving slow cooker and let its aroma fill your home. Make enough for a couple of days so you can take a night off from cooking.

Have dinner by candlelight. This not only saves energy, but candlelight has a wonderful way of disguising our imperfections and illuminating our finest features. In the glow of candlelight, wrinkles disappear, leaving nothing but the sparkle in our eyes.

Use beeswax candles rather than regular wax candles, which are made from a petroleum by-product, a non-renewable resource. In addition, unlike beeswax candles, which burn cleanly, petroleum wax candles can release toxins into the air. For safety’s sake, use votives, hurricane or other glass enclosures when burning candles and don’t forget to blow them out at the end of your romantic evening.

Buy that book that you've always wanted to read and escape into someone else’s imagination. Go to bed early or snuggle late in bed. (I think there should be a law that nobody should get out of bed in the morning if it's dark!)

Flip through old family photos or organize those photos into albums. Research your family tree.

Listen to music and dance like nobody’s watching. It will warm your body and your soul. Before you know it, Spring will be here!

RELATED WEBSITES:

For more than 500 slow cooker recipes, check out www.ecrockpot.com.

Research your family tree at www.genealogytoday.com.

Do What You Can

2009-02-03T19:39:00.003-05:00

Everybody’s got one. It’s that pile of old paint cans, dead batteries and used motor oil that you can’t throw out with the garbage. So it just sits in the basement, attic or garage until you can figure out a time to haul it up to a hazardous waste dump near you.

The problem is, most facilities aren’t exactly located on the beaten path, and hours of operation are remarkably similar to the average workday. Since taking time off from work to get to the dump isn’t exactly an option for most, the pile continues to grow.

Enter Ontario’s Do What You Can Program. The new $ 28 million dollar program was officially launched last week, and it’s aimed at finding a convenient way for consumers to responsibly dispose of their household hazardous waste (known as Municipal Hazardous and Special Waste or MHSW). The goal is divert more than 32,000 tonnes of MHSW from the province’s landfills over the next five years, doubling the 16,000 tonnes that is currently collected.

The Program is being introduced in three phases. Phase 1 includes antifreeze, fertilizer, lubricating oil (30 liters or less), paints and coatings, pesticides, pressurized gas and propane containers, solvents and used oil filters. Phase 1 will also include single use dry cell batteries.

Phase 2 and 3 will include all other batteries (with the exception of lead batteries from vehicles), as well as aerosol containers, portable fire extinguishers, fluorescent light bulbs and tubes, switches, thermostats and other devices containing mercury, pharmaceuticals and syringes.

The good news is that the program won’t cost taxpayers a cent. Funding is being provided by Stewardship Ontario (SO), an industry association that will also be responsible for coordinating the new program. Stewardship Ontario gets the money to fund the program from the owners and importers of the products listed as MHSW. An agreed upon formula calculates what each company must contributed, based on each identified product.

The MHSW program is just one of many programs that have been established by Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) a crown corporation that was created under the Waste Diversion Act in 2002. The WDO’s mandate is to develop, implement and operate waste diversion programs for a wide range of materials. Key to the WDO’s programs is industry accountability. For example, the WDO’s Blue Box program, which is also administered by Stewardship Ontario, requires that industries that contribute materials into the blue box pay 50 percent of the net cost of recycling.

Thanks to this newest program, Do What You Can, consumers will be able to drop off some of their MHSW, such as paint and single-use batteries at major retailers such as The Home Depot and Rona.

The program is a natural for Rona, a company that participated in setting up Canada’s first paint recovery and recycling company, Boomerang Paint, ten years ago. Since last July, Rona has diverted an estimated 600,000 pounds (approximately 275 metric tonnes) of used paint from Ontario’s landfills.

To coincide with last week’s launch, Jiffy Lube Auto Centres began accepting used oil filters, empty auto oil bottles, and antifreeze containers.

Stewardship Ontario will be responsible for picking up collected materials from retail partners and municipalities that collect MHSW through event days and permanent depots. The first priority will be to reuse or recycle materials. For materials that can’t be recovered, Stewardship Ontario will handle their disposal in an environmentally appropriate manner.

Stewardship Ontario will also be assisting municipalities to expand special event collection days, helping to make it more convenient to dispose of materials. Thanks to the program, Ontario municipalities will add an additional 6,000 days of service, through expanded hours at collection depots and special event days.

“We all have household products that can harm the environment if they are not disposed of properly,” said Peter Hume, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. “It’s up to all of us to do what we can to make sure that old paint, chemical solvents and used batteries aren’t sent to municipal landfills or poured down drains. All we are asking is that you help by doing what you can.”

RELATED WEBSITES

It’s simple. Visit dowhatyoucan.ca. Choose the material that you want to recycle from the drop down menu, enter your postal code or community, and preferred distance from your home. The website also has some good tips under the heading Sensible Cautions for how to extend the life of paint, manage solvents, as well as store and dispose of other hazardous materials.

Boomerang products are made from unused portions of recovered domestic paint and stain remains. 1 percent of new material is added in order to provide adequate and consistent luster levels, viscosity and drying time.

Stewardship Ontario

Waste Diversion Ontario

The Ribbon is Passed

2009-01-21T23:08:00.005-05:00

A bright light has passed from our world. On January 7, 2009, Justine Merritt – artist, activist, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother – died from pancreatic cancer. She was 84 years old.

Most people haven’t heard of Justine, and yet her extraordinary faith and dedication was a brilliant example of how one solitary life can change the world.

I had the privilege of meeting Justine at the 1992 Earth Summit. We were both staying in a small convent within the Tijuca National Forest, high above the chaos and congestion of Rio de Janeiro. Our days began with a non-denominational church service in the convent’s small chapel. At one service Justine read from her poem, “Gift.” She began,

“For months,
or is it years,
I have carefully,
I have silently prayed to the Creator to spare the ocean’s shells;
for the safe of one lovely shell, I’ve prayed,
do not let the earth be destroyed…”

As she continued to read, I was completely spellbound by the beauty and power of the poem that had been written in answer to a prayer.

A decade earlier, Justine had gone on a retreat to pray for guidance after converting to Catholicism. Divorced with five adult children, she told me later that she secretly hoped she would be guided to become a missionary and travel to Africa. Instead, Justine was inspired to use her passion for needlework to create an extraordinary work of art.

“It occurred to me to tie a ribbon around the Pentagon,” she said. “The ribbon I envisioned would be a symbol of peace, encircling a symbol of war, and it would be tied around the Pentagon in August of 1985, the fortieth anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

The idea was to create a piece of handiwork to depict what the artist couldn’t bear to see lost forever in the event of a nuclear war. In December 1982, Justine sent a mailing to the hundred or so friends and family members on her Christmas card list and asked them to create their own ribbons, and to spread the word to others. It was her hope to have 2,000 segments, (40 from each state) held by 1,000 people around the Pentagon, a distance of approximately one mile.

On August 4th, 1985, a team of nearly 2,000 volunteer coordinators was needed to help organize the 10,000 individuals that had gathered in Washington to fulfill Justine’s vision. Together they tied together 26,000 Ribbons from the United States, Japan, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, France, England, Russia, Guatemala, Peru, Tanzania and The Netherlands, fifteen miles around the Pentagon, Capitol Hill and most of downtown Washington.

After the event in Washington, Justine began to realize the threat of losing a loved one, and the threat of destroying our beautiful planet also wore heavily on the hearts of humanity.

”We are all part of this beautiful tortured Earth,” she said. “There are things that we cannot bear to think of as lost forever.” It was Justine’s prayers and ribbons that took her to Rio in 1992 to participate in the Earth Summit. The Ribbons were used in the opening ceremonies of the Global Forum, as well as in a prayer vigil outside the gates of Rio Centro, where he official UNCED Conference took place.

Justine’s remarkable story didn’t end there. She continued to write and inspire anyone lucky enough to meet her. In her 70s when most would choose to retire, Justine became a pilgrim. She gave up her apartment, sold her worldly possessions, and for years traveled across the United States, often staying with friends – both old and new – spreading her message of love, peace and stewardship for the planet.

Eventually Justine traveled to Rome and presented a ribbon to His Holiness Pope John Paul II in October, 2001.

In recent years, Justine’s failing health limited her travel to trips with her beloved children and grandchildren to the beach near her home in Eugene, Oregon where she died on January 7th.
In eulogizing her mother, her daughter Regna said,

“She showed us that each one of us, drawing on our own creativity, courage and love, can make a huge difference. Each of us can leave a legacy for future generations.”

“Justine changed thousands of hearts and minds through that colorful, peaceful demonstration and through the intense work of building hope. The work she started with the Ribbon continues today internationally. Justine's enormous light has moved on but her spirit and love remain here in our hearts.”

RELATED WEBSITE:

For more on the life of Justine Merritt, visit www.sympathytree.com/Justine_Merritt

A collection of Justine Merritt’s poetry entitled, “Journey”, was published by Hope Publishing in 1993.

Winter Driving

2009-01-18T19:43:00.002-05:00

The season is officially only a few weeks old, but that isn’t stopping Old Man Winter from walloping us with what feels like an endless stream of snow storms and bad driving conditions. Despite the sub-zero temperatures outside, it’s hard to keep your cool when you’re stuck inside your car in heavy traffic.

The good news is that there are number of things you can do to reduce your fuel consumption and improve winter driving safety.

For starters, take public transit. Buses are bigger and safer than private automobiles. Use the time to catch up on your reading, have a snooze or do the daily crossword.

Try carpooling. Imagine everyone carpooled with just one other individual. Rush hour traffic would be cut in half, easing congestion and minimizing the risk of sliding into another vehicle when the roads are icy. As an added bonus, carpooling with co-workers gives you the chance to get to know individuals in your company that may work outside your department.

Work from home. Many employers have recognized that telecommuting can actually improve productivity and as a result are encouraging their employees to make creative arrangements that are mutually beneficial. If telecommuting isn’t an option, see if you can work flexible hours that will allow you avoid rush hour traffic. The four-day work week is another solution that is gaining popularity. It has also been proven to improve worker productivity, and it can reduce the need for employee parking spaces.

If you must drive your car, make sure that you and your vehicle are both prepared before heading out. Check that your windshield wipers are in good working order, top up your windshield washer fluid. Add a can of gas line anti-freeze to your tank during extremely cold weather.

Ensure that your tires are properly inflated. Driving on underinflated tires not only makes it more difficult to handle your vehicle in slippery or icy conditions, it can increase your fuel intake by 4 percent. Under inflated tires also wear out much faster than properly inflated tires.

Idling your car in the winter isn’t just bad for the environment; it can be very hard on your car’s engine. Incomplete combustion means that fuel residues can condense on cylinder walls, contaminate engine oil and clog spark plugs. The best way to warm your car up is to drive it. With computer controlled, fuel-injected engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling before driving away. Your car's wheel bearings, steering, suspension, transmission and tires only warm up when your car is moving.

Unnecessary car idling isn’t just about personal preference. Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) has identified idling as a significant contributor to global warming. In total, 4 percent of the fuel that we burn in our cars is consumed by idling. According to the OEE, if every driver of a light-duty vehicle reduced their idling by five minutes every day of the year, it would prevent two million tones of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

Ten seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off your engine and re-starting it. If you’re going to be stopped for more than 10 seconds ~ except in traffic ~ turn off your car. This includes things like drive-thrus, car washes and waiting to pick someone up ~ especially children after school, where exhaust fumes can be particularly damaging to young lungs.

The key to safer winter driving is to slow down whenever conditions are not ideal. This reduces the risk of having an accident and can dramatically cut your fuel consumption. Cutting your speed from 112/km/h to 80 km/h can reduce your fuel consumption by 30 percent and cut harmful nitrogen oxide emissions.

Always take an extra minute to clear all of the snow and ice from your car and make sure that lights and turn signals are visible.

Be prepared for emergencies. Keep your trunk stocked with a heavy blanket, snow shovel, ice scraper and snow brush, flashlight, bag of sand, warning triangles and/or flares, a couple of protein or chocolate bars, a safety candle and matches. (If you get stranded in the snow, the heat from a single candle can mean the difference between life and freezing to death.) If you don’t usually wear winter boots, keep an old pair in the trunk along winter gloves and a hat.

Finally, never let your gas tank drop below the halfway mark.

RELATED WEBSITES:

During the winter months, check the weather before you head out at www.ontarioweather.com.

Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency can be found at oee.nrcan.gc.ca.

Janus

2009-01-13T18:07:00.001-05:00

The month of January was named after Janus, the two-faced Roman deity, known as the god of doorways, beginnings and endings. While the first of January is generally celebrated to mark the passage into a new year, it is also a time of reflection and retrospection.

For me, the beginning of 2009 has a particular significance. It marks the 20th anniversary of this column. And so in keeping with the spirit of Janus, here’s my list of the top things that have changed the world for the good and the bad over the last twenty years, along with some of my hopes for the future.

In 1989, the idea of curbside recycling was in its infancy. Early recyclers would dutifully pack up their cans and newspapers and drop them off at a depot, that more often than not, had been established a community group.

Today, blue box programs are in place is most cities across Canada. In recent years, curbside organics recycling programs have been introduced, enabling households to divert even more of our waste. Many municipalities now boast diversion rates of more than 50 percent for household waste.

Unfortunately, only 30 to 40 percent of our waste is generated at home, which brings our total national diversion rate is less than 25 percent. The remainder comes from commercial, industrial, construction and demolition sources. In total, Canadians produce more than 31 million tonnes of waste annually, or about 2.7 kilograms per person, per day.

The problem is that as fast as we can figure out ways to reduce our waste, manufacturers come up with exciting new ways to produce it. In 1989, single use products were almost unheard of. Today, virtually every type of consumer product - from razors and toothbrushes to window wipes and toilet bowl brushers - is available as a disposable item.

All this consuming has created a massive inequity in resource distribution. In 1992, 80 percent of the world’s resources were being consumed by 20 percent of the world’s population. Less than a decade later, that same 20 percent was consuming 86 percent of available resources.

In order to provide all these goods and services as cheaply as possible, the last few decades has seen the growth of the mega-corporation. As a result, today 51 of the largest economies in the world are companies, not countries.

The proliferation of drive-thrus is another phenomenon that has made a profound mark on the environment. From Tim Hortons to drive-thru banking and dry cleaning, virtually every service can be accessed from behind the wheel of the family automobile. The result is traffic congestion (particularly at intersections that host a neighborhood Tim’s), unnecessary idling (which translates into increased smog and greenhouse gas emissions) and increased waste from all of those disposable cups and fast food wrappers.

The success of the drive-thru was enabled, in part, by the introduction of the mini-van in the 1980s. Today, the family van has become a home entertainment centre, babysitter, mobile restaurant, status symbol, stress reliever (and creator). It has also helped to create the fattest and most unfit generation of children in human history.

It hasn’t all been doom and gloom. In 1989, the idea of a global network of information was the domain of universities and intelligence officers. One year later, Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web – arguably the single greatest technology achievement of humanity.

Today, the Web provides free access to information to anyone with access to a computer and a phone line. It has successfully leveled the playing field for community and environmental groups and has created an information platform that is global in scope.

The proliferation of the Web has driven the demand for faster, more powerful and compact technologies, which has transformed another 80s innovation, the cell phone. The latest generation of cell phones is thousands of times more powerful than the first personal computers, provides instant access to a global communication network and opens up brave new worlds of ideas and information.

Given all that has happened in the last 20 years, it’s anybody guess what will happen next. But any way you look at it, 2009 is going to be a very interesting year.

RELATED WEBSITES

For more information about the Internet, check out www.webopedia.com .

For more information about Janus, or virtually anything else you can think about, spend some time browsing the world’s largest online encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org.

The Good, The Bad, and the SAD

2008-12-30T19:02:00.000-05:00

Despite all the joy and anticipation, the holiday season can also be a time of great sadness and depression. For some, it’s just a case of the post-Christmas blues. The best remedy for this kind of sadness is to revel in the darkness. Go to bed early whenever possible, and take advantage of any opportunity to sleep in. If you must get up before the dawn, indulge in the sensual luxury of showering in the dark. At the end of the day, eat dinner by candlelight or enjoy a cozy fire on a cold winter night. For a real treat, indulge in a warm, candle lit bath. Add essential oil of lavender to ease dry skin and help you relax.

If all these delicious remedies don’t shake your winter blues, you might just be suffering from a mental disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD for short.

Getting enough sunlight, particularly during the winter months, can be critical to our mental health. This seasonal lack of sunlight can affect the balance of chemicals in our brain, including serotonin. That’s the chemical responsible for regulating sleep patterns and it can also affect our moods and our appetite. For most of us, the next sunny day will be enough to brighten our spirits. But for some people, lack of sunlight can cause SAD.

SAD sufferers can have symptoms that range from chronic fatigue and oversleeping, to overeating and subsequent weight gain. In severe cases, individuals are unable to function normally. SAD sufferers may also experience persistent physical symptoms such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain that doesn’t respond to treatment. In extreme cases, SAD patients may even become suicidal.

Women are four times more likely than men to suffer from SAD, but it can affect anyone at any age. SAD symptoms in children include irritability, difficulty getting out of bed and school problems. This could help explain why your child has trouble making it out of the door in time to catch the school bus during the winter months.

Fortunately, for most SAD sufferers there’s a relatively simple solution – light therapy. Sitting in front of specialized lamps or light boxes that produce 10,000 lux of light for as little as 30 minutes a day has been proven to be more effective than drug therapy in combating the effects of winter light deprivation. (By comparison, ordinary house lighting produces about 300 lux.)

Given our geographical location, it should be no surprise that Canadian companies are leading the way in this specialized lighting to combat the symptoms of SAD. Northern Light Technologies in Montreal, Quebec, and Uplift Technologies Inc. in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia both have a wide range of SAD lighting that can help restore the brain’s normal serotonin levels. Drug therapy and diet are also being looked at as possible treatments for SAD.

Common sense can go a long way to reducing the impact of the disorder. If you suspect that you or a family member might be suffering from SAD, consult your family doctor for a referral to a qualified specialist. A diagnosis of SAD requires a professional evaluation by a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker.

If you have been identified with SAD, contact your Human Resources Department. Given the prevalence of this disorder, many HR departments are developing programs to assist employees suffering from SAD.

Educate your family and close friends about SAD to gain their understanding and support. Daily outdoor exercise can also help reduce milder symptoms. A morning walk is a good idea –without sunglasses. They filter the helpful rays of the sun. SAD sufferers should also avoid staying up late, because it disrupts your biological clock. The best option is to stay on a regular sleep schedule seven days a week.

For those who can afford it, one of the best treatments for SAD sufferers is a week on the beach. If that’s not in your budget, take heart. Since passing the winter solstice on December 21st, the days have already begun to get longer. While the weather outside might be frightful, spring is already on its way back.

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK:

The Canadian Mental Health Association has great information and resources for SAD sufferers. Visit www.cmha.ca for more information.

To find out about SAD lighting visit:

• Uplift Technologies at www.day-lights.com, or call toll-free at 1-800-387-0896.

• Northern Lights Technology at www.northernlighttechnologies.com, or call toll-free at 1-800-263-0066.

Christmas Miracle

2008-12-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night my husband and I attended our daughter Sarah’s Christmas concert. The girls’ voices soared beautifully as they sang a collection of sacred and seasonal music. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, the choir began to hum in harmony as one young woman stepped forward to sing.

“Oh how I wish I could sing like an angel,“ she began in a soft, lilting soprano, “I’d sing carols so high and sweet.”

The soloist looked toward me and smiled, and all the cares and worries of the past week melted in one perfect, shining moment. I was mesmerized by the beauty of her voice and the majesty of the music. I smiled back rather sheepishly, as shameless tears of joy welled in my eyes and plopped rather unceremoniously down my cheeks.

I found the soloist after the concert and told her that she did indeed sing with the voice an angel. She thanked me with a big, adolescent grin, and then quickly melted into the noisy crowd of girls, family and friends who had braved an early winter storm to attend the concert.

The magic continued as we drove home in the snow, enjoying the displays of Christmas lights and talking about the concert with our weary but happy daughter. After we returned to the house we rejected the idea of turning on the television. Instead, Brian lit a fire and Sarah began playing the piano with an ease and excellence that startled me. I realized that she had become a very accomplished musician while I had been too busy doing something other than paying attention.

The magical evening was in sharp contrast to the hopeless week that had preceded it. Politicians behaving badly, the economy performing even worse, and our young men dying half a world away in a senseless war, wrestling with an often invisible, yet deadly enemy.

I thought about all of these things the next morning when I awoke before the dawn to another world of contrasts. The howl of winter winds outside was in sharp contrast to the sleepy warmth of our home. The peacefulness of our haven was in equally sharp contrast to the world outside that seems hell bent on destruction.

And then I thought about the voice of that earthbound angel and the season of hope called Christmas. I’ve often speculated why we celebrate the birth of Christ at the darkest time of the year, when historians tell us that He was most likely born sometime in late August. Suddenly, I had my answer.

We are all waiting for a miracle. At this the darkest time of year, we need to stop and remember the Gift of this season. Instead, we plow through our lives on autopilot, not seeing or feeling the days as they slip by. We promise to do better, and invariably do worse, while secretly holding out hope that somewhere, someone will rescue us. We pillory the politicians that we elect. We abuse our bodies, and then wonder why our beleaguered medical system can’t keep up with the job of saving us from ourselves.

And then there’s our poor planet. The lowliest animal knows better than to foul its own nest, and yet we consciously continue to pollute land, sea and air with reckless abandon, while unconsciously hoping that someone will rescue us from our own excesses. Once again, we are waiting for a miracle.

Here’s the secret. We are the miracle. We are the last best hope for mankind, the crown of creation. While we have the capacity for great cruelty and stupidity, we also have an even larger capacity for great acts of compassion and kindness. It is within each and every one of us to capture the spirit and innocence of the young Christ Child, to bring His love and compassion to our fellow man - to sing with the voice of an angel, and to bring light to an ever-darkening world.

Toronto's Bag and Bottle Ban

2008-12-19T06:07:00.002-05:00

On December 3rd, Toronto City Council approved a controversial surcharge on plastic bags. Effective June 1, 2009, consumers will have to pay five cents for each disposable plastic shopping bag. Once the fee goes into effect, retailers will be required to accept reused bags or other containers.

Toronto Council also joined other Canadian cities such as Vancouver and London by banning the sale and distribution of bottled water at City Hall. Arenas and other city-owned facilities won’t have to follow suit until the end of 2011. The move came despite heavy lobbying from the bottled water industry, which is desperate to keep the very lucrative myth alive that bottled water is a necessary commodity.

“I don’t believe that as Canada’s largest purveyor of tap water we should be selling water in our facilities,” said Mayor David Miller in defense of the ban.

Toronto’s actions come one month after a private members bill to ban water bottles sales across the province was defeated in the Ontario legislature. The province has yet to tackle a surcharge or ban on shopping bags.

The common element with bags and bottles is plastic, and the common problem is blatant consumerism.

Let’s start with bottled water. The bottling and selling of water is arguably the marketing success story of the century. Specifically, bottled water sales now top $ 100 billion annually, making water the world's fastest growing beverage industry. Small wonder why the bottled water lobbyists worked so hard to prevent a ban by Canada’s largest city.

The majority of people who consume bottled water also have access to clean tap water, as Mayor David Miller recently pointed out. The only difference between the water that pours from the faucet and bottled water is the cost. The Earth Policy Institute estimates that bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more than municipal tap water. And while we rant and rave if gas prices go above the $ 1.00 per litre mark, most of us routinely pay twice that amount for half as much water.

And then there’s the waste. Most water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (or PET), a plastic derived from crude oil. According to Emily Arnold, a researcher with the Earth Policy Institute, this translates into 1.5 million barrels of oil used annually in the US alone, or enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year. On a global scale, we use 2.7 million tons of plastic just to bottle water, very little of which is ever re-captured through recycling programs. The remaining bottles are tossed into our landfills where they can take up to 1,000 years to break down. When you add it all up, it seems like a ridiculous waste of a finite resource for a simple drink of water.

Over to plastic bags – another disposable product made from the same non-renewable resource, oil. Globally, an estimated 500 billion single-use plastic bags are distributed for free every year.

“Free” is the key word here. The cost of providing plastic bags to customers in the US costs retailers an estimated $ 4 billion annually, which is ultimately passed on to the consumer. Given the Canadian marketplace is about one-tenth the size of the US, this roughly translates into $ 400 million for Canadian retailers.

When you consider the cost of providing plastic bags to customers, it would seem logical that retailers would be leading the charge to eliminate them. But they’re not. The reason, quite simply, is that many of those 500 billion plastic bags carry company logos of the companies who distribute them, effectively turning each bag into a mini billboard. Talk about a marketing bonanza!

But the real problem with plastic water bottles and bags isn’t their disposability. It’s their durability. Scientists estimate that they can remain in the environment for hundreds or even thousands of years.

“Plastic is still plastic,” said Dr. Anthony Andrady, a senior research scientist at North Carolina’s Research Triangle. “The material still remains a polymer. Polyethylene is not biodegraded in any practical time scale.”

Toronto’s actions are considered newsworthy – and that’s what’s wrong with this picture. Given the economic and environmental costs of creating single use products out of plastic, every jurisdiction should be taking aggressive steps to eliminate them altogether.

RELATED WEBSITES:

To read more about the environmental impacts of plastic, read Alan Wiseman’s stunning article, Polymers are Forever, which is available online at www.orionmagazine.org. While you’re there, buy a subscription (or two) of this amazing magazine for those special people on your Christmas list.

For more interesting facts about plastic bags, visit www.reusablebags.com.

Great Green Gifts

2008-12-07T21:50:00.000-05:00

With Christmas only a few weeks away, it’s time to get serious about making that list and checking it twice. To help you select gifts that don’t cost the Earth, here are some eco-friendly suggestions.

Number one on my list is Black & Decker’s new Power Monitor. The two-part system consists of a wireless transmitter, which is attached to your electricity meter, and a wireless handheld device, that uses data from your electric meter to provide real-time information about energy consumption, appliance by appliance. The Power Monitor retails for $ 99 – a bargain when you consider it can help save up to 20 percent in home energy bills each month. The Power Monitor is widely available at Canadian Tire and other retailers.

Backup-Power.ca has a great selection of solar-powered gifts for just about everyone on your list. For commuters and students, solar-powered backpacks have an integrated solar panel that provides about 2.5 watts of power that can be used to recharge cell phones, PDAs, GPS, batteries, iPods and MP3 players. The backpacks use the same 12V automotive charging adapter that is used for plugging devices into car DC outlets.

The same solar-powering technology is in Backup Power’s laptop, camera and fishing tackle bags. For the cyclist on your list, there’s a special bicycle trunk bag. All bags sell for around $ 150.

If you’re looking for a less expense gift, there are a variety of interesting items including solar battery chargers and solar headset radios. As an added bonus, Backup-Power ships directly from its Canadian warehouse, which eliminates a trip to the mall (and the gas used to drive there and back).

With so much attention being paid to the environmental impact of bottled water and the potential health effects associated with plastic containers, the “must-have” eco-gift this year is a stainless steel water bottle. It’s important to buy stainless steel, not aluminum, because the later can leach toxic chemicals if it comes into contact with anything acidic (such as orange or tomato juice.) Stainless steel, on the other hand, is one of the healthiest and most durable materials available and is also virtually indestructible with normal use.

Kleen Kanteen produces the gold standard for stainless water bottles. Prices range from $ 18 (for a 12 oz. sippy cup) to $ 26 (for a 40 oz. bottle). Kleen Kanteen has a variety of fun accessories including insulated totes, slings and other carrying paraphernalia, as well as an assortment of caps and spouts. Kleen Kanteens can be purchased online, and are also available at a number of retail outlets such as Home Outfitters.

If you’re purchasing a water bottle other than a Kleen Kanteen, make sure that bottle or neck isn’t lined with plastic. This sort of defeats the whole idea of buying a stainless steel bottle for health and safety.

On the same note, stainless steel coffee travel cups are a great gift idea. They share all of the great qualities of stainless steel water bottles, and as an added bonus will keep beverages hot for up to an hour. The trick is to make sure that the cups are lined with stainless steel, not plastic, and that they have a double wall for insulation. One more tip – avoid cups that are too tall or have a tapered bottom. They have a tendency to tip over in the car. Good quality mugs retail for between $ 10 to 15 and can be found at most retailers.

If you’re looking for eco-friendly stocking stuffers, check out Tom’s of Maine. Since 1970, Tom’s has been producing personal care products without artificial or animal ingredients, or animal testing, and without chemicals. Products range from toothpaste and mouthwash to deodorants, soaps and shaving creams, and are available at retailers across Canada.

Other cool green gift ideas include Nellie’s Dryballs (which cut drying time by 25 percent and eliminate the need for dryer sheets), beeswax candles; crank powered flashlights and radios, and clothing or linens made from hemp (a renewable fabric that doesn’t require the use of pesticides). Ho ho ho!

RELATED WEBSITES:

For a huge list of ecoproducts by category check out www.ecomall.com.

For a list of Tom’s of Maine products, or to find a retailer near you, visit www.tomsofmaine.com.

In addition to its solar-powered gear, Backup Power’s website is filled with interesting products, including emergency generators and sump pumps. Check out www.backup-power.ca.

For more information on the Power Monitor, visit www.blackanddecker.com.

Advent Sharing Calendar

2008-12-01T18:38:00.002-05:00

Shop Locally, Support Fair Trade

The Advent Sharing Calendar was created to help us to be mindful of those in need during the holiday season. Given the state of the economy, many of those who have contributed to help others in previous years may find themselves unable to meet the needs of their own families this holiday season.

It’s time to consider the source. Supporting local businesses not only helps local commerce, it builds resilient communities, and ultimately stable national economies. Locally produced goods and services don’t have to travel thousands of miles, which reduces their environmental footprint. Environmental standards are much higher in Canada than they are in many of the countries that we import cheap consumer goods from. With all that in mind, this year’s Advent Sharing Calendar will focus on shopping locally and supporting fair trade.

To begin, create an Advent Sharing box. Take a small box or coffee can, put a slot in the lid, and then wrap the container in recycled Christmas paper. Monetary gifts are added every day until the Epiphany (January 6th). Gifts should be added as follows:

December 1st – December 1 to 7 is Buy Local Week. For more information, visit greenenterprise.net or put a loonie in the box.

December 2nd – Check out www.buycanadianfirst.ca for great Canadian gift ideas or put a loonie in the box!

December 3rd – In addition to the extra dollars you put in your tank, add five dollars if you drive to another town to visit a big box store in another community.

December 4th – Deduct five dollars if you buy from a local artisan or jewelry store.

December 5th – Add five dollars if you have your company Christmas party at a chain restaurant. Deduct five dollars if you eat at a locally owned restaurant.

December 6th - Add 10 cents for every plastic bag you brought home after Christmas shopping. Deduct a loonie if you took your own!

December 7th – Add a loonie if you don’t buy fair trade coffee.

December 8th – Add a loonie if you don’t know what fair trade is, and then go to www.fairtrade.net to find out.

December 9th – Add 10 cents for every produce item you bought this week that was imported from the US.

December 10th - Add 25 cents for every produce item you bought this week that was imported from Asia.

December 11th - Drop in a loonie every time you see a Salvation Army kettle, and congratulate yourself for supporting local charities.

December 12th – Add a loonie if you visited a dollar store this week.

December 13th – Add a loonie for every big box store you visited today. Subtract a twonie if you can call your local storeowner by name.

December 14th – Read the label. Find out where your Christmas lights were actually made. Buy Canadian or contribute a loonie for every string that isn’t.

December 15th – Add a loonie for every disposable or single use product you purchased as a stocking stuffer.

December 16th – Add 25 cents for every gift packaged with Styrofoam.

December 17th – Add 10 cents for every present that you wrap with previously unused paper. The comic section makes colorful gift wrap for kids of all ages.

December 18th – If you purchased an imported item because it was cheaper than a Canadian-made equivalent, put the difference in the box – plus a loonie.

December 19th – Deduct a twonie for every gift purchased from a local winery, fruit producer or chocolatier.

December 20th – Add five dollars if you shopped at a Big Box electronics store. If you patronized a locally owner-operated store, put the five bucks back in your wallet.

December 21st – On this the darkest night of the year, remember to bring light to a needy child and donate a new toy to your local toy drive.

December 22nd – Add ten dollars if you haven’t contributed to your local food bank. Better yet, make a donation the next time you’re out shopping. Food banks are in desperate need this time of year. Every donation helps.

December 23rd – Add 25 cents for every stocking stuffer that was made in China.

December 24th –When the stockings have been hung by the chimney with care, add 10 cents for every gift under the tree. If all your gifts are locally produced items, congratulate yourself with a glass of Canadian cider or wine.

December 25th - If you don’t recycle Christmas wrappings and boxes, add a loonie.

December 26th – If you don’t compost the remains of Christmas dinner, add a twonie. Deduct a twonie if you did.

December 27th – If you braved the Boxing Week sales, add five dollars. If you drove alone to the mall, add a twonie.

December 28th – Add a loonie for every item purchased in the Boxing Day sales that wasn’t made in Canada.

December 29th – Add a loonie for every fast food restaurant you visit over the holidays.

December 30th - Add 25 cents for every bottle of imported wine you purchased over the holidays. Purchasing VQA Ontario wine puts as much as 4 to 6 times more money back into the local economy than an imported wine.

December 31st – Add 5 cents for every disposable glass, plate and napkin you use at your New Year’s Eve party.

January 1st – Resolve to think before you buy. Think locally and buy locally. It makes a difference.

January 2nd – Sit down with your family and plan how your weekly purchases can support local business in 2009.

January 3rd – Whenever possible, shop locally. The San Francisco Retail Diversity Study found that diverting just 10 percent of purchases from national chain stores to locally owned businesses would create 1,300 new jobs in the city and yield nearly $200 million in incremental economic activity annually.

January 4th - Make a list of large ticket items you plan to buy in 2009 and commit to buying goods made in Canada. For example, according to the Canadian Auto Workers, every job in the auto industry creates an additional 7.5 jobs in related sectors.

January 5th – Sit down with your family and decide where you would like to send the contents of your Advent Sharing box.

January 6th- (The Epiphany) – Send a cheque to the Canadian charity of your choice or support your local business development association.

The Once and Future Kennedy

2008-11-25T19:37:00.001-05:00

The whole world is watching. Since President-Elect Obama’s victory on November 4th, there has been much debate about how the 44th president of the United States will live up to his many election promises. While his inauguration won’t take place until January 20, 2009, the pundits are already trying to figure out whom Obama will choose to serve in his cabinet.

High among the list of potentials is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – a seasoned environmental lawyer and advocate who carries the legacy of his uncle, President John Kennedy, and his father, Senator Bobby Kennedy. Despite his remarkable family pedigree and considerable personal accomplishments, it’s Kennedy passion for the health of his children and for the health of this planet that are his greatest strengths.

I had the opportunity to hear Kennedy at the Sustainable Operations Summit in Vancouver a few days before the U.S. election. He challenged the public to question the implied position of the energy industry that economic and environmental policies are mutually exclusive.

”The environment and the economy are intertwined,” said Kennedy. “Nature is the infrastructure of our community. We need to protect this infrastructure, which is the common wealth of our community, so that our children have the same opportunities that we had.”

“If we can resolve those issues, then everything else will fall into place,” he said. “We are not protecting the environment for the sake of the fishes. We are protecting it for us. The economy is the wholly owned subsidiary of the environment.”

Contrary to what the oil industry would have everyone believe, reducing carbon emissions would not kill the already faltering U.S. economy. Kennedy cited U.S. public opinion during the debate over the abolition of slavery, when 25 percent of the energy used by industry was provided by slave labor.

”Rather than collapsing the US economy, abolition forced the economy to move much more quickly,” said Kennedy. “The fear was that the economy would crater. Instead it exploded exponentially during a period we now call the industrial revolution.”

Kennedy sees the U.S. addiction to carbon fuels as a principle drag on the economy. “We are borrowing a billion dollars a day to feed the addiction to foreign oil from countries that are hostile. We are hemorrhaging our wealth.” In addition, the U.S. is providing $ 1.5 trillion in subsidies to the oil industry, money that could be much better spent developing local, sustainable energy.

Kennedy cited several examples of nations that have decarbonized their economies with tremendous success. In 1970, Iceland was the poorest country in Europe, importing 100 percent of its energy in the form of coal and oil. The government decided to shift to harvesting local geothermal energy. It took just 15 years to become 4th richest country in Europe (by GDP) with 90 percent of its energy coming from geothermal. Sweden decided to not only decarbonize, but also to phase out nuclear power in 1996. Harvesting wind, tidal, geothermal and waste energy has made Sweden the 6th richest country in Europe (by GDP) according to Kennedy.

Brazil, once a “have not” country, now exports its energy surpluses because it switched from oil to renewable ethanol derived from biomass left over from harvesting sugar cane.

Kennedy dismissed the argument that solar and other renewable power sources can be very harmful to the environment.

“The environmental damage caused by building solar farms is a fraction of the damage done every year by coal farming in the Appalachians,” said Kennedy.

The only barrier to creating a sustainable energy economy is subsidies to the incumbents.

“We need to create a marketplace where people can sell their energy back to the grid,” said Kennedy. “We need an economy based on American ingenuity rather than Saudi oil.”

Kennedy pointed to his own experience. Four years ago he was spending $ 2200 a year to fuel his mini-van. Today his Prius costs about $ 1000.

“That’s $ 1200 a year in my pocket,” he said. “What would it do to the US economy if everybody had an extra $ 1200 to spend on other things? Good environmental policy is the same as good economic policy. It creates good jobs and preserves the assets of the community.” In addition, Kennedy estimates the U.S. could save $ 600 billion a year in avoided costs because of reduced air pollution.

“Am I going to watch my children gasping for air because some lobbyist gave money to the US government?” he said. “This is not just about the destruction of the environment. This is about the subversion of American society.”

Kennedy concluded by citing our moral responsibility to future generations.

“We are part of the continuum, part of something bigger than ourselves. Our environment connects us to the 10,000 generations who were here before laptops,” he said. “We can do well by doing good.”

A Better Place

2008-11-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

"Detroit is dead."

These prophetic words by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. were spoken only days before General Motors and Ford both announced huge quarterly losses. Kennedy was speaking to a group of public sector and industry leaders at the Sustainable Operations Summit in Vancouver. He continued, "These companies will be bankrupt unless they go electric."

With all three major Detroit car manufacturers teetering on the edge of financial oblivion, Kennedy's comments could be construed as a hopeless statement of the inevitable. But they aren't.

Kennedy's words offer hope, not only for the auto sector, but for the planet. Kennedy spoke of a Better Place – and the possibility of a world where the air is clean and cars literally run on sunshine.

Better Place is in fact a company that is transforming countries with its innovative approach to transportation and energy. Better Place is founded on four basic pillars – a world living free from oil, a planet healing and thriving, and an environment and economy brought back in balance with each other.

Founded in October 2007 by Shai Agassi with $ 200 million of venture capital, Better Place is already well on its way to creating a sustainable transportation grid for the entire country of Israel. With all of its major urban centers less than 150 kilometers apart and the average car owner traveling less than 70 km. per day, Israel is ideally suited for electric cars. If all goes according to plan, every gas-guzzling car in the country will be replaced by an electric vehicle within three years.

The idea is simple, elegant and completely doable. As Kennedy described, Israel is currently being rewired. Every parking space is being equipped with an electrical outlet for quick recharges, ensuring that car batteries will always have at least 160 km. of driving capacity.

For longer trips, automated battery switching stations, much like our existing gas stations, are being constructed. Depleted batteries will be replaced in less time that it takes to fill up a fuel tank without anyone ever having to leave the vehicle.

"These electric cars which can go 0 to 60 in five seconds will be given away for free," said Kennedy. "The cost of driving them will be 6 cents a mile, versus 60 cents a mile." (Israeli gas prices, which are the third highest in the world, recently topped $ 2.20 Canadian per liter in August.)

Users will pay for distance traveled as well as a system access fee, similar to the cell phone business model.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has partnered with Better Place to build the zero-emission cars, with the first prototype debuting in Israel in January of this year. To provide the electricity for the estimated 750,000 cars that will eventually replace Israel's existing gasoline powered vehicles, huge investments have been made in solar and wind farms.

The true genius of the Better Place grid is that the car batteries provide an excellent place to store electricity. This can address current limitations of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, which are unable to provide power in the steady and continuous manner of a non-renewable facility.

Because the electricity is stored in 750,000 separate locations, the Better Place network offers a more stable grid that won't be subject to the problems often associated with large, centralized generation such as nuclear shutdowns. This decentralization also makes it less vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

The Better Place plan will also eliminate the need for peak power production. It's this peak power production, which is provided by coal, oil and other fossil fuel generation, that is the major source of greenhouse gases. Cars that have been recharged throughout the day will be able to discharge their stored up energy back to the grid when it is needed.

This will also eliminate the need for foreign oil - an issue of national security for Israel.

As the Better Place website explains, "When the sun goes down or the wind fades, they can't contribute power to the grid. And when they are pumping out the kilowatts, it doesn't always coincide with peak demand. Industrially generated electricity is tremendously expensive and difficult to store, so this green energy ends up going unused. But the Better Place grid is an industrial customer that is in constant need of electricity. Once in place, green power will never go to waste. There will always be a vehicle that can use it."

In addition to Israel, Denmark and Australia are also partnering with Better Place to create oil-free renewable energy/transportation networks.

Next week's column will look at Robert Kennedy Jr.'s vision for a new America.

RELATED WEBSITE

Check out www.betterplace.com.

Shop for a Cause

2008-11-11T12:09:00.000-05:00

Christmas is still several weeks away, but given the current economic uncertainty, retailers are already predicting a downturn in holiday spending this year.

“Current financial pressures and a lack of confidence in the economy will force shoppers to be very conservative with their holiday spending,” said Rosalind Wells, Chief Economist with the US National Retail Federation. “We expect consumers to be frugal this season and less willing to splurge on discretionary items.”

The outlook for Canadian retailers isn’t much better. This is particularly true in Ontario where massive losses in the manufacturing sector mean that many families will be facing a rather bleak Christmas. Factor in the rising cost of fuel, food and other staple items, and it seems that consumers will be making their lists and checking them more than twice before opening their wallets this holiday season.

If the Thanksgiving food drive is any indicator, charities will likely suffer, too. With less disposable income, most families reduce their charitable donations and focus instead on providing for their immediate loved ones.

But what are we providing? According to the Planet Friendly website, “Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace and togetherness. But all too often, greed, haste and superficiality are the hallmarks of the season.”

As a consequence we often look for the cheapest price, without considering if the items that we purchase have been made by sweatshop labor, or by a company that has no regard for the environment. As a result, worker are often paid slave wages and exposed to harmful chemicals and dangerous working conditions all so that we can take advantage of lower prices.

This isn’t just about what we can or cannot afford. It’s about fairness. The United Nations reports that a mere 20 percent of the world’s population consumes 86 percent of the world’s resources. And since everyone who is reading this is part of that 20 percent, we have more than our credit card balance to consider.

I’m not suggesting that we completely abandon Christmas altogether. The solution is reasonable and responsible gift purchases that give many times over. How we spend our holiday cash can actually benefit worthwhile agencies that are trying to protect the Earth and her children while promoting a more equitable economic balance for everyone.

According to the Planet Friendly website, “There are plenty of gifts that do all of the above. The good news is that there are better alternatives, for those who look. Gifts that go deeper than the shiny paper wrapping. Gifts that respect our neighbors, near and far. And alternatives to gift-giving that can build friendships, community and well-being.”

One of my favorite examples of this is UNICEF. Christmas is supposed to be for the children, and yet every day 30,000 children die from preventable diseases and starvation. For more than 50 years, UNICEF has been helping children in more than 160 countries through its greeting card program. As an added bonus, UNICEF cards and envelopes are printed on recycled paper. UNICEF also has some unusual gifts to offer.

For the person on your list who really doesn’t need anything, honor them by purchasing a UNICEF Gifts of Magic and help to transform the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children by providing fresh water, vaccinations, mosquito nets and other items.

Another option is buying from companies that promote fair trade. This means that profits from goods that are produced in the developing world are channeled back into the communities where they are made. Notably companies include Bridgehead and Ten Thousand Villages.

Closer to home, Planet Friendly offers a list of suggestions and sources for gifts that promote the spirit of the season. With a little careful planning and some thoughtful ideas, we can all have a great Christmas and do our part to help protect the Earth.

RELATED WEBSITES

For a list of greener, healthier gifts for the whole year, check out Planet Friendly

UNICEF. If you prefer to order by phone, call 1-800-567-4483.

Ten Thousand Villages has a variety of wonderful fair trade, organic edibles including various chocolates, oils, teas and coffees. Ten Thousand Villages also has a wide range of beautifully handcrafted gift items such as jewelry, personal accessories and other items perfect for Christmas giving.

One Million Acts of Green

2008-11-01T22:31:00.000-04:00

It’s a single idea, really. One million acts of green, done one act at a time. On Tuesday, October 21, at 10:00 am, ET, George Stroumboulopoulos, host of CBC’s The Hour, launched the One Million Acts of Green (OMAG) initiative.

Using an interactive website, www.onemillionactsofgreen.com, the idea is to tally one million Acts of Green that represent individual changes in everyday habits. Dr. David Suzuki, arguably one of Canada’s greenest citizens, joined Stroumboulopoulos for the launch and made his own pledge.

“Every day I will pick up a piece of garbage somewhere during the day and put it in the proper place,” said Dr. Suzuki.

During the show Canadian pop icon Alanis Morissette promised to get serious about composting. “I know how to do it,” she said, “it’s just a case of doing it!”

An introductory video on the OMAG website adds more Canadian stars to the list of Canadians prepared to pledge the own Acts of Green.

“I drive a fuel efficient car but I prefer to walk,” said Little Mosque on the Prairie star Zaib Shaikh.

Fellow cast member Carol Rota has his own Act of Green. “I do not drink out of plastic bottles anymore,” he said.

The key is to encourage everyone to re-visit their everyday habits and make a pledge to change them. While Stroumboulopoulos admitted that none of these acts could make much of a difference by itself, when you add up a million of them, real change seems possible.

He might just be on to something. By November 1st, over 168,000 Acts of Green had already been tallied, saving more than 10 million kilograms of greenhouse gases in the process.

The most difficult part of joining is learning how to navigate the website. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out that I had to create my own profile before I could start logging Acts of Green, but once I got the hang of it navigation was a lot easier.

Acts are listed by category (transportation, home – easy and big, community and everyday habits), and within in each category there is a list of specific activities that can be added to the total Acts of Green.

For example, easy home projects are focused on energy and water conservation and include things like installing a programmable thermostat, using motion sensors on outdoor lights, installing low-flow showerheads and tap aerators as well as fixing leaky faucets. More difficult and/or costly projects include replacing old appliances with ENERGY STAR models, insulating your basement and attic, and installing PV solar cells or wind turbines.

Community projects include signing your friends up for One Million Acts Of Green, starting or joining a community group, and writing a politician (one can only assume about making environmental change for the better).

Under the transportation category, acts include walking or biking to work, taking public transit, “Send Your Old Car To Car Heaven” and checking your tire inflation.

Within each Act of Green there is a tally of total participants and total of greenhouse gases reduced. Each Act also offers Fast Facts and links related to the Act of Green. For example, under “Send Your Old Car To Car Heaven”, there is an explanation of the tax benefits of scraping your old car, and a link to Car Heaven, an initiative of the Clean Air Foundation that provides tax-receipts and other incentives to get older, heavily polluting cars permanently off the road. As of this writing, 440 participants have agreed to retire their old cars, for a total greenhouse gas reduction of 740,000 kilograms.

You can also check your own personal tally. I managed to tally 27 Acts of Green and 4,654 kilograms of reduced greenhouse gases in just a few minutes and that was only entering home projects and transportation.

The beauty of the website is that you can immediate see the benefit of your actions. In the face of so much discouraging news about the environment, One Million Acts Green really makes you believe that together we can really make a difference.

RELATED WEBSITES

www.onemillionactsofgreen.com

If your car is a 1995 model or older, if might just be time to send it to Car Heaven. Check out www.carheaven.ca.

Home Heat Home

2008-10-25T17:49:00.000-04:00

Last week’s announced increase in hydro rates is only the latest hit on the energy bill for Ontario residents. With the cost of natural gas and home heating oil also on the rise, conserving energy in the home has long since left the realm of environmental responsibility. Finding affordable ways to cut home heating and energy costs has become a critical issue with Old Man Winter only weeks away.

Before you start chopping up the furniture for firewood, The Ontario Home Energy Audit (OHEA) Program is here to the rescue. The program, which offers up to $ 10,000 in rebates, begins with a home energy audit.

Using the OHEA website (www.homeenergyontario.ca) enter the first three digits of your postal code to locate qualified and licensed auditors in your area. It’s recommended that you get quotes from several available companies before scheduling your Home Energy Audit. Depending on where you live, it usually takes a couple of weeks to schedule an audit once you’ve decided on a service provider.

The initial audit, which costs somewhere in the vicinity of $ 300, identifies how you use energy and where it’s being wasted. Your home will be given an EnerGuide rating on a scale from 0 (being the least efficient) to 100. You will be provided with a list of improvements that can be made to improve your home’s heating, cooling, hot water heating and other energy uses. The OHEA program will even pay 50 percent of the cost of your audit, up to $ 150.

According to the OHEA website, a typical audit involves four steps. The first is a walk-through assessment of your home’s insulation, heating and cooling systems and other energy uses.

The next step is to perform something called a “blower door” depressurization test. A large variable-speed fan is mounted on an adjustable panel that fits into an exterior door on your home. The fan slowly reduces the air pressure inside the house, allowing the outside air to flow in to your home through unsealed exterior openings and cracks. A special pressure gauge is then employed to keep your house at a constant pressure. This enables the auditor to calculate your home’s resistance to air infiltration.

The third step is to calculate your home’s energy efficiency rating. The more air tight your home, the higher the rating.

The fourth step is to check to ensure that your home’s ventilation allows an adequate amount of fresh air to circulate, to ensure the health of the occupants.

Once your audit is complete, you’ll be given a personalized Energy Efficiency Evaluation Report that will rate suggested energy efficiency improvements according to their potential for energy savings, priority and available rebates. For example, a new water heater may only get a single star for energy saving potential, but because of the $ 500 rebate available, it may be more immediately affordable than installing a more expensive furnace that also has a $ 500 rebate.

In addition, you’ll be given a list of no cost/low cost suggestions that don’t qualify for rebate program such as how to effectively use weather stripping and caulking.

Once your first audit has been completed, you have 18 months to make some or all of the improvements suggested in order to qualify for the available government rebates. Upon completion of as much work as you intend to do, you’ll be required to have a second, post-retrofit audit completed. After your post-retrofit audit, you’ll then receive matching rebates from the Governments of Ontario and Canada, to a maximum of $ 5,000 each, for a grand total of $10,000.

As a final step, your auditor will perform your audit and provide you with your home’s new EnerGuide rating that shows how much you have improved your home’s energy efficiency. Given the high cost of all kinds of energy, an excellent EnerGuide rating can also increase the value of your home – a warm thought for the cold winter days ahead.

RELATED WEBSITES

Visit www.homeenergyontario.ca to locate a qualified home auditor, view a sample Home Energy Action Checklist, find out about various rebate programs and other energy saving tips.

www.powerWISE.ca has tips and tools on how to reduce energy use.

From now until November 16th visit www.everykilowattcounts.ca for valuable discount coupons for energy saving products such as programmable thermostats, power bars, timers, compact fluorescent floodlights and spotlights.

For information on federal incentive programs for businesses, including fleet management, facilities and building improvements, visit Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency.

Waste Not

2008-10-19T02:11:00.001-04:00

Ontario’s blue box program is probably one of the most successful public awareness campaigns ever launched. It may also be one of the most disastrous.

It’s estimated that 95 percent of homes currently have access to curbside recycling programs. Of those, a whopping 98 percent use their blue boxes to recycle waste items on a weekly basis. In addition, the increased availability of curbside organics recycling means that we are able to divert more and more of our waste. As a result, municipal diversion rates in many Ontario cities exceed 50 percent, with some reaching even further. In 2007, the Town of Markham boasted a 70 percent diversion rate – the highest in the province.

All this makes us feel wonderfully responsible and eco-friendly - and therein lies the problem. For starters, curbside programs, as the name suggests, are largely restricted to residents with curbs. Despite all promises to the contrary, residential recycling programs for apartments, townhouses and other multi-residential units are still in their infancy.

For example, in 2007, Toronto boasted a single-family residential diversion rate of 59 percent. Factor in the multi-family residential rate of only 13 percent, and Toronto’s total residential diversion rate drops to 42 percent.

It is important to note that the key word here is residential. With only 30 to 40 percent of our waste being generated at home, our total diversion rate is less than 25 percent. According to the Waste Reduction Week handbook, “The remainder (is) coming from commercial, industrial, construction and demolition sources.” In total Canadians produce more than 31 million tonnes of waste annually, or about 2.7 kilograms per person, per day.

Here’s the real kicker. This is the garbage that is discarded after we have purchased and consumed products. The U.S. EPA estimates that for every tonne of waste that we discard – either into the blue box, the green bin or the black bag – we produce an estimated 72 to 73 bags of manufacturing wastes such as mine tailings, sludge and other by-products to produce raw materials. Using the EPA’s ratio of 98.6 percent to 1.4 percent, that 31 million tonnes of waste translates into a total waste stream in excess of 2.2 billion tonnes annually. While many of these industrial wastes are generated offshore, we bear the responsibility of their production because we purchase the consumer goods that these processes ultimately create.

Now, back to where we started. Compare the 2.2 billion tonnes of manufacturing wastes with the total of 824,000 tonnes of wastes diverted by Ontario’s Blue Box program in 2004, and it becomes clear that curbside recycling is little more than a band-aid on a much bigger problem.

In addition to generating billions of tonnes of waste, producing goods (whether as raw materials or finished consumer items) uses a tremendous amount of energy. Manufacturing and industrial processes account for about 14 percent of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions and the transportation sector (which ships all those consumer goodies to a Big Box store near you) accounts for another 26 percent. It’s worth noting that this is an increase of 30 percent from 1990 to 2004.

What doesn’t make it to the blue box ends up in the landfill. Once in the landfill, what doesn’t end up leaching into our groundwater system will eventually decompose. This process not only makes our landfills stink, it produces vast amounts of carbon dioxide and methane – the latter being 24 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than the former. Environment Canada estimates that landfills account for 38 percent of Canada’s total methane emissions.

More than a hundred years ago U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt said, “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use our natural resources, but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob by wasteful use, the generations that come after us."

Canadians are part of the 20 percent of the world’s population that currently consumes a whopping 86 percent of the world’s resources (up from 80 percent in 1990). We are so far past the point of responsible consumption that we may never find our way back.

But where’s there’s life, there’s hope. October 19 to 25 is Waste Reduction Week in Canada. It’s time to begin.

RELATED WEBSITES

Waste Reduction Week

The Grassroots Recycling Network has information about Zero Waste and Extended Producer Responsibility.

Thanks Giving

2008-10-13T11:19:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago my daughter’s Guide troop participated in something called a Shoebox program. The girls were asked to pack a shoebox (or reasonable facsimile) with a variety of basic necessities; inconsequential items that we take for granted. Common items including pens and pencils, crayons or markers, small writing pads, solar calculators, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, face cloths, hairbrushes and combs, socks, small bags of candy or gum, dolls, toy cars or stuffed animals, kazoos, yo-yos and skipping ropes. Once filled, the boxes were to be distributed overseas by various church groups and aid agencies to children living in desperate poverty.

In describing the program to the girls, the guide leader told the story of one boy in Africa who received his box and removed the lid. He stood gazing and the wonderful things that were packed inside for a very long time. Finally, the aid worker who had given it to him said, “It’s okay, take it.”

The boy stood there pondering his gift for a few moments more and then very carefully reached in and pulled out a pencil. With a grateful smile he gently put the lid back on the box and returned it to the worker. When the worker tried to hand the box back to the boy, he shook his head. He simply couldn’t understand that the entire box was all for him.

This story bears repeating at a time when we celebrate the bounty of the season. The idea that a single pencil could transform the life of a child is as much beyond our comprehension as the idea of the abundance of our daily lives would be to him. We have so very much that we are blinded by the bounty.

Another Shoebox recipient was a 10 year-old young Russian girl by the name of Tanya who was living in an orphanage. It was the very first gift she had ever received; the very first time that she felt that somebody actually cared about her.

Years later, after Tanya and her two siblings were adopted and living the U.S., she launched a shoebox program at her high school. Tanya ultimately had the opportunity travel to Ecuador to distribute shoeboxes.

In a recent interview with CNN, Tanya told the story of one little boy who opened his box and jumped for joy when he saw a pair of socks. He ran around, gleefully waving his socks in the air. As Tanya says, “If we got a pair of socks for a gift, most of us would be annoyed, but for this little boy it was the greatest present he could receive. Everything matters to those kids.”

This Thanksgiving, as we stuff ourselves with turkey in the comfort our own heated and comfortable homes, it’s important to not only give thanks for what we have (and so often don’t appreciate), but also to reach out for those whose lives are so vastly different from our own. We must remember that we are part of the privileged 20 percent of the world’s population that consumes a whopping 86 percent of the world’s resources.

This isn’t just about social and economic justice. It’s about environmental sustainability. If everyone on the planet wanted to consume resources at the rate that we do, we’d need an estimated 4.5 planets to meet everyone’s need (and greed).

When I was at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, I saw a slogan on a t-shirt that perhaps described it best of all. It said, “We need to live simply so that others may simply live.”

By doing more with less and sharing what we have, we not only ease the burden of the estimated 1.4 billion people living in the developing world who are barely existing on less than $ 1.25 US a day, but we also help relieve the pressure on our beleaguered planet.

Happy Thanksgiving.

RELATED WEBSITES

For more on data on global poverty, visit the World Bank.

Remember to make a donation to your local food bank this holiday weekend. For a food bank near you or to make a cash donation, visit the Canadian Association of Food Banks.

Thankfully, shoebox programs are rapidly growing in popularity. While many churches have established programs, for a basic How-To Guide, visit the U.S. based www.samaritanspurse.org and go to Operation Christmas Child.

The Big Move

2008-10-13T09:51:00.002-04:00

Last month Ontario’s long-awaited Metrolinx draft plan was unveiled. Entitled, The Big Move: Transforming Transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, the plan proposes a massive $ 50 billion investment in public transit and transportation infrastructure over the next 25 years. When completed, 1,150 km of new rapid transit lines will bring 75 percent of residents in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) within 2 km of rapid transit. Currently only 42 percent of residents are within the targeted 2 km range.

According to Metrolinx Chair Rob MacIsaac, the plan will launch a “Renaissance of Transportation for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area.” Metrolinx is a Crown agency of the Province of Ontario, operating within the legislative framework of the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority Act, 2006 and the provincial Growth Plan.

“Transportation is the largest challenge facing our region – and this plan will be a major step forward in addressing that challenge,” said MacIsaac. “This plan will yield tangible results – moving more people, more conveniently, faster. It’s a plan of action, to get things moving now. We are finally playing catch-up, after decades of neglecting major-league transit improvements. Other jurisdictions in North America and around the world have gotten the competitive jump on us. This plan can restore our city-region as pre-eminent in transit.”

In addition to public transit, The Big Move proposes a $ 500 million investment in walking and cycling infrastructure, including the creation of more than 7,500 km of pathways.

Input on The Big Move will be sought over the next two months through open houses and meetings with the public and stakeholder groups. The final plan is scheduled to be released later this year.

If all goes according to plan, The Big Move will definitely ease the transportation chaos that has become a daily nightmare for many GTHA commuters. The question is, “What do commuters do in meantime?”

One very effective and immediate solution is carpooling. Years ago when I used to take the GO Train into Toronto on a regular basis, I would sometimes count the number of people in each vehicle as the train whizzed by the traffic crawling along on Highway 401. While my head counting wasn’t an exact science, on average only 1 in 10 cars had more than one person inside. As a general rule, the cars with two or more passengers were usually fuel-efficient compact vehicles or hybrids. Larger gas-guzzling SUVs, vans and luxury vehicles were almost exclusively the domain of one.

Carpooling has come a long way from the days when co-workers from the same office would ride together out of convenience. Now thanks to program like Smart Commute, people can connect through an online ride matching system that identifies commuter’s points of origin and destination. In addition to carpooling, Smart Commute also helps local employers and commuters to explore different commuter choices like teleworking, transit, cycling, walking or flexible work hours.

Smart Commute is a partnership between Metrolinx and the cities and regions of the GTHA region. While GHTA residents wait for The Big Move to get them out of their cars and on to public transit, Smart Commute offers more immediate solutions.

Which brings us nicely back to carpooling. This simple step has tremendous potential to help relieve traffic congestion and its associated ills. Imagine what would happen if everyone doubled up on his or her daily commute? Road traffic would immediately be cut in half, effectively reducing the frequency and severity of accidents, as well as the wear and tear on our highways. Commute times and in-traffic idling would also be reduced, further reducing greenhouse gas emission, fuel consumption, commuter fatigue and even road rage. Parking spaces would no longer be at a premium and the cost of monthly parking passes could be shared. As an added bonus, a drop in congestion will reduce insurance rates for everyone.

There’s no time like the present to get started. The first annual National RideShare Week is scheduled for October 6-10, 2008. Join in and let someone else do the driving for a change.

RELATED WEBSITES

National RideShare Week is a program of the Association for Commuter Transportation in Canada. Check out www.actcanada.com for more details, or to find out about the upcoming Canadian Transportation Demand Summit in Halifax, October 19 to 22.

www.smartcommute.ca offers a wide array of services such as ride matching programs, site assessments, emergency ride home programs and employee work solutions workshops, promotions and other fun stuff.

The draft plan The Big Move: Transforming Transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, is posted at www.metrolinx.com.

Greenhouse

2008-09-28T18:48:00.001-04:00

Earlier this month Durham Custom Homes in Oshawa became the first builder in Canada to adopt the new GreenHouse™ building standard. The GreenHouse™ design combines the energy efficiency standards of ENERGY STAR® for New Homes with resource management, indoor air quality and water conservation. The result is a new generation of homes that will produce three tonnes fewer greenhouse gases, consume 30 percent less energy, and use 15 percent fewer raw materials than homes built to the Ontario Building Code.

What makes this particularly exciting is that Durham Custom Homes is not a new builder, but rather a respected family company has been building conventional houses for more than 50 years. More to the point, GreenHouse™ homes will not be offered as a buyer option, but rather all Durham Custom Homes will be built to this newest environmental standard, effectively raising the bar and making standard homes obsolete.

When asked why his company decided to take this bold move, General Manager Victor Fiume explained that it was all about the economics.

“We know that given unlimited resources we can build the most energy-efficient homes in the world, but no one could afford to buy them. The great thing about these homes is that they will be affordable to the vast majority of Ontarians. That’s what exciting about the program,” said Fiume.

“The other thing about these initiatives is that is we don’t talk about payback, because the payback is immediate,” he said. “For starters, the cost differential is very small and the utility savings, which are fairly large, which means it actually costs less to carry these homes.” As Fiume explained, the average energy saving for a 2,000 square foot home works out to about $ 100 a month. The additional cost of carrying the home is about $ 60 a month, so right from the day you move in you’re putting about $ 40 a month in your pocket.

In addition to the energy standards already in place for ENERGY STAR® for New Homes, the new GreenHouse™ standard focuses on five additional areas.

1. Natural Resource Management - Advanced framing techniques use less wood, which means the harvesting of fewer trees, while delivering greater insulation levels. Using engineered lumber products means that all parts of the tree are utilized, which reduces the dependence on older-growth forests.

2. Effective Use of Resources – Using demolition materials means less extraction of virgin materials while diverting used materials from landfill. The Greenhouse standard requires concrete with a minimum of 25 percent slag (or recycled) material, 60 percent recycled attic and wall insulation, 100 percent recycled carpet underlay, recycled paint and a minimum 25 percent recycled content for shingles. Overhead garage doors manufactured with 84 percent recycled material and all exterior doors have fiberglass rather than metal skins.

3. Water Conservation – With so much attention being focused on energy conservation to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we often forget that the processing and pumping of water is a major energy consumer. To reach the target of a 25 percent reduction in indoor water consumption, Greenhouses use on CSA Approved dual flush low-flow toilets, low flow showerheads and aerators and Energy Star dishwashers.

4. Indoor Air Quality - To reduce or eliminate indoor air contaminates and minimize the potential for mould growth, GreenHouse™ homes are equipped with a raft of special features including heat recovery ventilators, water resistant flooring and Energy Star rated fans in all washrooms. The foundations and windows are sealed to protect against leakage, while special ventilation features prevent carbon monoxide from entering the homes from the garage. The use of materials containing a minimum of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), minimizes the amount of gassing off.

5. Waste Diversion – In addition to using recycled materials for building, the construction of GreenHouse™ homes sends 25 percent less waste to landfill. Leftover materials such as land clearing debris, asphalt, concrete and masonry, metal, wood, general debris, glass, paper, plastics, gypsum, non-hazardous paint and paint cans, carpet and insulation are all placed in separate containers so that they can be recycled.

True environmental progress isn’t measured by what’s new – it’s measured by what becomes the standard; what people perceive as normal. The real genius of the GreenHouse™ model is that it has created a new standard, one that leaves anything less literally in the sawdust!

RELATED WEBSITES

For more information about Canada’s first GreenHouse™, visit www.kingswayforest.ca.

For more information on ENERGY STAR® for New Homes or the EnerQuality Corporation visit www.esnewhomes.ca.

World Carfree Day

2008-09-28T18:41:00.001-04:00

September 22 is World Carfree Day. By any estimation, it’s an idea whose time has finally come. Concerns about climate change, rising gas prices and dwindling supply have even the most stalwart auto buff rethinking his or her relationship with the automobile.

With all that in mind, it’s interesting to note that World Carfree Day isn’t a recent phenomenon. While the first official Carfree Day took place in 2000, it began with an event that happened 50 years ago in New York City when neighbors of the Washington Park Square demonstrated against the expansion of Fifth Avenue. Their actions ultimately blocked the proposal and saved the much-loved park from the otherwise unstopped wrath of ever-expanding pavement.

Among the group’s ringleaders was a very young Jane Jacobs. Three years later in 1961, Jacobs published her landmark work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, a book that redefined our relationship with the built environment. Most notably, Jacobs opened up the debate on the restrained used of cars in the urban environment.

Flash forward a half a century. While Jacobs’ work has been revered by millions, it has also been largely ignored by the plotters and planners who design our cities. With very few exceptions, the modern North American city is neither pedestrian or bicycle friendly. Unlike European cities that have been built around access to mass transit, our transportation system is based on the access to the private automobile.

The modern automobile has become virtually all things to most people, at least some of the time. It can be a home entertainment centre, babysitter, time machine (“Can you drive a little faster, honey?”), mobile restaurant, status symbol, stress reliever (and creator) all rolled into one. It enables us to live, work and play where we want, when we want. It miraculously stretches time so that it is almost possible to be in at least two places at once, (say at your son’s soccer game and your daughter’s piano lesson, while picking up the groceries and doing the banking.) And if time does run out to do such menial tasks as preparing a meal, there are countless “drive-thrus” that can literally keep you going.

The price we pay for all of this status, security and convenience is simply staggering. The burning of the fossil fuels that we pump into our gas tanks is a major contributor to global warming. Every year we pave an additional one million hectares with new roads and highways, which is enough land to feed nine million people.

Our cities sprawl along a mass of highways and by-ways that eliminate our options when one becomes blocked by a single accident.

Consider the four-hour traffic jam that occurred recently in Toronto when a man was shot and dumped onto Highway 401 in the middle of the afternoon. This single act of violence brought Canada’s largest city to a standstill for more than four hours. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles were locked in a snarl of traffic that that extended for many kilometers in all directions.

As luck would have it, I was one of the unlucky motorists caught in that snarl. The experience provided me with a unique opportunity to ruminate about traffic jams and other car related nonsense for several hours.

No matter how you cut it, our chronic addiction to the infernal internal combustion engine is not sustainable. In order to build functional cities where you can live, work and play, without damaging the environment, public health or getting lost in gridlock, we must rethink our relationship with the private automobile. Carfree Day gives us a great place to start.

RELATED WEBSITES:

Join in the fun on Monday, September 22 and enter the carfree zone. Check out www.worldcarfree.net for events, ideas and information about "Autoholics Anonymous”, carfree pilot projects and other ideas that are transforming the world.

For more car-free inspiration, visit www.carbusters.org.

Jane Jacobs’ wrote that to truly understand the urban environment, “You’ve got to get out and walk.” In her memory, every year Jane’s Walk helps put people in touch with the urban environment. For more information, go to www.janeswalk.net.

Broken

2008-09-25T18:54:00.000-04:00

“There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.”

Leonard Cohen

It’s broken. The world that we cling to so defiantly is tearing itself apart. The institutions that have defined our social and economic framework for the past century are beyond repair. Our systems of government, education and health care are woefully antiquated at best, dangerously irresponsible at worst. Our infrastructure is aging and inadequate. Our natural resources are being consumed at an alarming rate. The global population continues to soar, despite famine and global pandemics such as AIDS and other deadly viruses. The environment on which all life depends is ill with a raging fever.

It is a truly exciting time to be alive.

Everything is at stake. We have the opportunity right now to recreate society, redefine our relationship with our environment and renew hope in the world. We have a chance to leapfrog the current chaos to create a truly sustainable, global society.

The worldwide web has leveled the communications playing field, while new technologies bring the promise of boundless energy, harvested in harmony with the Earth. There is glory in the possibility of tomorrow.

The problem is that we are still way too comfortable to grasp how truly dangerous and exciting things really are. The price of gas may be going up, the weather may be getting a little weird, but there’s nothing to really get excited about – yet. We’d rather bitch and complain about the status quo. It’s much easier and it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort, at least for now.

Consider our upcoming federal election, or the “Battle of the Two Stephens”, as it has been dubbed. It’s bland, uninspiring and predictable.

Now compare that we with the current U.S. presidential race. On one hand, there’s the old guard, riding his one-trick “I am a POW” pony, with his gun-toting side kick, a modern day Annie Oakley at his side, both promising more of the same under the banner of change. On the other hand, there’s the exciting newcomer with the foreign name, rich with ideas, short on experience, full of hope and promise, and his stalwart vice-presidential candidate, a man who brings grace and experience to the ticket. While it’s still too close to call, it is thrilling to see two polarized visions for the country, both desperately trying to salvage the most powerful nation in the world.

It’s not that our American neighbors are more exciting or daring than we are. It’s simply that we aren’t scared enough yet. In relative terms, our economy is stronger; our resources more bountiful, our health care system more inclusive. We’re okay for now, right?

As long as we’re slightly a head of the curve, there’s no need to panic. It’s like checking the obituaries. As long we’re alive to read about the other guy, there’s time enough to worry about our health. It’s an illusion that we cling to, a survival mechanism that keeps us sane as we move ever closer to the brink. The truth is, nobody gets out alive.

On the August 30th broadcast of CBC Radio’s Vinyl Café, host Stuart McLean retold the amazing story of Roger Woodward who in 1960 miraculously survived a tumble over Niagara Falls. When the fishing boat that 7 year-old Roger was traveling in capsized, the boy was thrown into the churning waters of the Niagara River. Clinging to an adult life jacket, he was thrashed on the rocks and carried through the rapids at tremendous speed, unaware of the mighty falls that lay head. Suddenly the waters calmed and everything seemed frozen in time.

Woodward recalled that at the very moment that he realized what was happening he felt no sense of panic, only a quiet resignation. He said he was too young to grasp the idea of death and the concepts of heaven and hell.

Like it not, American or Canadian, or not, we are all moving rapidly toward a precipice. We can panic, flail around, or ignore what’s happening.

Or we can soar about the mist and reach for the horizon. We can recognize that there is a crack in everything we have built. We can get off our comfy Canadian couches and use the light that the crack lets in to see the possibility of a brave new world.

RELATED WEBSITE

To hear the full account of Roger Woodward’s amazing story, check out www.cbc.ca/vinylcafe.

The world without us

2008-09-07T10:47:00.005-04:00

I spent most of Labor Day weekend glued to CNN watching Hurricane Gustav play havoc with New Orleans. And while Gustav failed to live up to Katrina’s legacy, the hurricane did do sufficient damage to a city still trying to rebuild three years after the sister of all storms hit landfall.

Watching the seemingly unmanageable force of Gustav, it was hard to believe that everyday activities like driving our cars or heating our homes can affect the power of a hurricane, but they do. Scientists have warned us for decades that the most frightening impact of climate change will be a dramatic increase in the frequency and severity of storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and other catastrophic weather.

The World Without Us - Warsaw, Poland, ilustration by Kenn Brown and Chris Wren.

Like Frankenstein and his monster, we are playing with forces way beyond on control. Climate change is just one of our many legacies that will come back to haunt us. Despite our science and technology, our arrogance and our evolutionary superior opposing thumbs, in the end it is Nature that will prevail. Whether it prevails with or without us, and what our legacy will be is the bigger question.

In his international bestseller, The World Without Us, author Alan Weisman takes the reader on a magical mystery tour of a world suddenly without humans. Drawing on archeological data, scientific research and his own extensive travels, he reaches backwards in time to paint a world untouched by human influence, and then with equal ease fast forwards to describes the demise of human civilization and its artifacts.

The World Without Us - Lisbon, Spain, ilustration by Kenn Brown and Chris Wren.

Weisman tackles everything from nuclear power and strip mining to plastic bags and house cats with equal eloquence. He even goes so far as to introduce the idea that the human race voluntarily phases itself out by consciously deciding to stop procreating and letting Nature move on. Far from being disturbing, Weisman’s beautifully crafted prose transcends our egotism and fundamental ignorance as a species.

What is particularly fascinating about the book is that according to Weisman’s telling, it is often our subtle, indirect invasion into the natural world that has the greatest potential impact. In one particularly poignant phrase, he writes,

“We don’t actually have to shoot songbirds to remove them from the sky. Take away enough of their home or sustenance, and they fall dead on their own.”

And therein lies the problem. We are such an egocentric species that we even define wilderness in terms of our own presence. Consider the age-old philosophical question, “If a tree falls in the forest, does anyone hear?”’

The point is, it shouldn’t matter. Nature should be able to exist without us, and our unquenchable desire to fix what we perceive God didn’t finish. As my husband Brian often jokes, “Just imagine what God could have done if He’d had concrete.”

Fortunately, the tide is beginning to change. Governments, not-for-profit agencies and individuals are beginning to recognize the need to preserve the natural environment from our infernal interference. The Nature Conservancy of Canada has partnered with corporate and individual landowners to conserve more than two million acres of ecologically significant lands across Canada.

New York's Forest Preserve protects almost three million acres in the Adirondack and Catskills mountains that have been declared “forever wild.” This designation affords these lands with the highest degree of protection under Article 14 of the New York State constitution.

Whether we willingly work to preserve the natural world, or are forced to abandon it in the wake of hurricanes and other disasters, according to Weisman, Nature will ultimately prevail. In November 2007 interview with USA Today, Weisman provided a commentary to a slide show of homes that were abandoned in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward after Katrina. In only three short years, many of the homes are already overgrown with vegetation, the roots of trees have cracked their foundations and their mailboxes have been covered in morning glories and wild flowers.

“It’s beautiful to see Nature come in and take something tragic and turn it into a garden again”, he said.

Given the chance, hopefully she always will.

RELATED WEBSITES:

www.natureconservancy.ca

For a link to Weisman’s USA Today commentary, “Reclaimed by Nature”, to view the “Your House Without You” video, or for more information about the book and the author, check out www.worldwithoutus.com

For more on the work of of Kenn Brown and Chris Wren visit Mondolithic Studios

A rose by another other scent

2008-09-07T10:40:00.003-04:00

For me, it began with a runny nose when I was a kid. My father ran a custom packaging plant, and from time to time he would bring home rejected cases of solid air freshener. He’d go from room to room, carefully placing an air freshener inside each floor vent. Within minutes, my sister and I would begin sneezing. As soon as the coast was clear, we would run around the house and remove all of the offending objects. When my dad figured out what we’d done, he’d load up the air vents again. Within minutes, my sister and I would resume sneezing and the game would start all over again.

What began as a game of smelly cat and mouse soon turned into a very real health issue. I got to the point where I was unable to use any perfumed products. Scented hand-soaps, shampoos and detergents would send me into a fit of sneezing. My sister, on the other hand, began reacting with migraines.

Perfume has historically been the stuff of romance, beauty and sensuality. Unfortunately, for individuals who are scent-sensitive, perfume can also mean headaches, nausea and dizziness.

It turns out we were not alone – just a little ahead of our time. Today we have a better understanding that the effects of chemical exposure are cumulative. As a result, in recent years many schools, workplaces and other public areas have declared themselves scent-free.

While this is great news for those who react to perfume, for the cosmetics industry, scent-free environments have the potential of impacting on the estimated $ 400 to 500 million spent annually on fine fragrance products in Canada. When you factor in such other scented consumer goods as candles, room deodorizers and air fresheners, creating scent-free environments can have significant economic impacts.

Part of the problem is that the perfume industry is a victim of its own success. In centuries past, perfumes were carefully hand-made from the natural extracts of flowers. A rose by any other name may still produces a lovely perfume, but today the majority of scents are derived from man-made chemicals that contain volatile organic compounds (or VOCs). Some perfumes contain as many as 600 different petrochemical derived compounds. Many of those – acetones, benzene, benzopyrene, formaldehyde, phenol and toluene – are the same chemicals found in tobacco smoke.

While it’s considered socially acceptable to ask people to butt-out, asking someone not to wear perfume can be viewed as an attempt to limit their right to express themselves. Selecting that special scent is a very personal expression of who we are.

For those who have allergic reactions to perfume, self-expression has to take a back seat to health and the ability to function normally. Headaches, dizziness, sneezing, wheezing and difficulty in concentrating and breathing are the most common reactions in chemically sensitive people. For the hypersensitive individual, reactions can be life threatening. In the most extreme cases, exposure can result in seizures or anaphylactic shock - a potentially fatal response.

I have to admit I’m a fan of perfume myself. Unfortunately it has to be all natural (translation: very expensive) for me to tolerate it. Cheaper colognes and perfumes immediately start me sneezing. Having an asthmatic daughter and a sister and a sister-in-law who react to perfume with migraine headaches has taught me that the entire issue is nothing to sniff at.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Buy unscented products. The majority of manufacturers produce scent-free varieties of their most popular brands. Soaps, moisturizers, anti-perspirants, laundry detergents and dryer sheets are all available without added perfumes.

• If you really want your laundry to have that fresh, clean scent, use a clothesline and save a whole lot of energy in the process.

• Poor air quality means that many substances, including perfume, linger and accumulate in the air. Ensuring good air quality at home and in the workplace means having your central heating systems checked and ducts cleaned regularly.

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK:

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety offers tips on how to develop a Scent-Free Policy for the Workplace.

For more information about perfume and other allergies, visit www.exitallergy.com. The site lacks a search engine, so look for the article about Allergy and Deodorant.

The Scented Products Education and Information Association of Canada is an industry association website with loads of common “scents” information about perfumes.

Sky Farming

2008-09-07T10:25:00.002-04:00

It’s called the Malthusian Catastrophe. Named after Thomas Malthus, the English economist and demographer, it predicts the ultimate failure of the Earth’s ecosystem to support our ever-increasing population. To quote Malthus,

“The power of the population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race.”

More than two hundred years after Malthus first made his prediction in 1789, there is growing concern that we may soon surpass the planet’s ability to sustain us. An estimated 80 percent of the world’s potentially arable land is already being used to provide food for the Earth’ estimated 6.7 billion people. If current trends continue, the United Nations predicts that the population will exceed 9 billion by 2050. Using existing agricultural practices, we would need an additional one billion acres of land to feed everyone.

That’s land we simply don’t have. Add to this the rising cost of oil, which dramatically affects both the cost of shipping food and many of the fertilizers used to produce it, as well as the growing demand for feed stocks such as corn to produce ethanol, and the impact of climate change on agricultural production, and it would appear that we are only a few bushels away from a global famine.

That is unless you talk to Gordon Graff. Gordon, a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, spends much of his time pondering the idea of sustainability.

“Within the academic environment, the idea of sustainability is rather vague,” said Gordon. “Even though our ecological awareness had exploded exponentially in the last two years, I wanted to find out what that meant within the context of my studies.”

A student of architecture, Gordon found direction and inspiration in the work of American architect, Edward Mazria. Gordon realized that through his own work he had an extraordinary opportunity to make the world a better place.

“Architects are closer to the fashion industry than they are to creating sustainable cities. It’s more about fashion than things that matter,” said Gordon. He set out to prove the concept of sustainable architecture is not an oxymoron.

“I couldn’t get ecological sustainability out of my head. When I started my graduate program I wanted to tackle urban sustainability. The question is, how do we make an existing city like Toronto sustainable?”

Gordon answer’s is nothing short of transformational. Using his passion for sustainability, his grasp of the pending Malthusian Catastrophe and his knowledge of architecture, Gordon has created two brilliant designs that shatter the urban design paradigm and redefine the idea of local agriculture.

The first is a visionary 59-storey building that Gordon calls a Sky Farm. Utilizing the principles of hydroponic gardening to maximize food production, Gordon’s design translates 3.8 million square feet of floor space into 11 million square feet of growing area all on a mere 1.32 hectares. By his own estimate, the Sky Farm could produce 54 million pounds of fruits and vegetables, nearly a million pounds of animal meat and nearly a half a million pounds of eggs – enough food to feed 40,000 people year round. A ground level grocery store could sell the produce, making the entire food cycle carbon neutral.

The building’s heating and lighting are provided by a wall of photovoltaic cells and a Living Machine – an anaerobic digester that uses organic wastes from the gardens and an exterior grow wall (depending on the climate) to produce power and filter waste water. By also capturing waste methane from the city’s sewer system, Gordon estimates his Sky Farm could easily provide electricity back to the grid.

Gordon’s second design, Grow Housing, incorporates a smaller version of the Sky Farm into a low-rise city block development that includes condominium and town house units, a grocery market, and street level retail and commercial space. The complex is topped off with a green rooftop that is designed to function as a community garden for low-income earners.

Gordon hopes that his designs will help us to avoid “the tragedy of the commons”, that age-old conflict over finite resources between individual interests and the common good – a pretty amazing goal for this modest 29 year-old grad student from Perth, Ontario.

Once Gordon completes his thesis his hope is that he might be able publish his work, get his architectural licence and start practicing sustainable architecture as soon as he can.

RELATED WEBSITE

Gordon doesn’t yet have his own website. However, he presented his visionary work at a Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC) breakfast in July. For more on the work of SBC, including the upcoming Green Building Festival, September 9 to 10, 2008, visit www.sbcanada.org.

Hypermiling

2008-08-18T20:44:00.000-04:00

Forget about street racing and performance cars, the newest extreme driving challenge is hypermiling.

As the name implies, the idea behind hypermiling is to constantly push the limits of fuel efficiency. If you think this is about simply slowing down and driving less aggressively, think again. Die-hard hypermilers employ various driving techniques and take dangerous, even illegal steps in their quest for the ultimate gas mileage. In the process they have also created their own language of acronyms and terms. Here’s a sample:

“FAS or Forced Auto Stop” is a favorite of hypermilers. It involves putting your car in neutral, turning off the engine, and gliding. This is not only illegal in many jurisdictions; it’s also very dangerous. Without engine power, you have not power brakes and power steering, making the vehicle much more difficult to control.

D-FAS stands for "Draft-assisted FAS”, and doubles the danger of simply FASing, by tailgating an 18-wheeler or other large vehicle to reduce air resistance.

“Ridge-riding”, means driving with a vehicle's two right wheels touching the right white line of the road, and has two distinct benefits. The first is that it lets drivers know when a vehicle is moving slowly. Secondly, it saves gas in rainy weather, when water accumulates in the grooves in the centre of the road.

“DWB or Driving Without Brakes” isn’t quite as dangerous as it sounds. It actually refers to driving as if you don't have any brakes. This means learning to anticipate stops and then decelerating by taking your foot off the gas pedal and coasting to a stop.

“Face-out” means pulling through two parking spaces so that your vehicle faces out. This avoids having to back out, brake, and then move forward.

“Potential parking” involves parking at the highest spot on a parking lot so that you can use gravity to get going, rather than relying on ICE.

“ICE” stands for internal combustion engine, something hypermilers strive to use as little as possible.

“Throwing it away", literally means throwing away or wasting gas. It refers to what most of us do when we accelerate too fast, brake too quickly, speed, idle or drive with the windows open, use air conditioning, or drive around with excess junk in our trunk or racks on our roof. We also “throw it away” when we fail to have routine oil changes or maintain proper tire pressure.

Other hypermiling techniques include getting to know your route so you can time traffic signals, avoiding left hand turns whenever possible and using rolling stops (very illegal.)

While many of the above techniques are probably beyond the average driver, for Wayne Gerdes, the man who currently holds the title of the “Most Fuel Efficient Driver in the World”, hypermiling is a way of life. Gerdes routinely get 59 mpg (US) out of a non-hybrid Honda Accord and more than 100 mpg (US) from his Toyota Prius.

Until 9-11, Gerdes admits that he drove “75 miles per hour in the left-hand lane” on his daily two-hour commute. After the attacks on the World Trade Center, Gerdes vowed to minimize his consumption of imported oil. He calculated that if everyone in the U.S. reduced their fuel consumption by 25 percent, they could cut Mideast oil imports by 50 percent, while dramatically reducing their greenhouse gas emissions in the process.

"I'm not just doing this for myself," Gerdes said in an interview with Mother Jones Magazine. "I'm doing this for my country and the world."

In 2002 Gerdes traded in his in 1999 Nissan Truck for a Toyota Corolla for his daily commute and began searching for techniques to improve his gas mileage. Three years later, Gerdes and a team of four other drivers officially put hypermiling on the map when they shattered the existing record for the most miles on a single tank of gas. Utilizing many of the hypermiling techniques described above, the American team drove a hybrid Toyota Prius 1,397 miles on 12.8 gallons of gas – that’s an average of more than 100 mpg over a 48 hour period.

Despite all of his hypermiling techniques, Gerdes’ most powerful tool is a simple fuel consumption display (FCD). He believes that if drivers could see how much gas they were guzzling in real time, they would instantly reduce their fuel consumption by 20 percent. Now that’s performance.

RELATED WEBSITES

For more information, check out:
hypermiling.com
cleanmpg.com
greenhybrid.com
priuschat.com

To read Dennis Gaffney’s profile of hypermiling Wayne Gerdes, “This Guy Can Get 59 MPG in a Plain Old Accord. Beat That, Punk”, visit motherjones.com.

Energy Innovation

2008-08-14T21:44:00.002-04:00

While we sit comfortably in our temperature and lighting controlled environments, it’s worth noting that almost a third of the world’s population doesn’t have access to any electricity. This means that for an estimated two billion people living in parts of the developing world, there is no air conditioning, nor are there any lights, electric cooking stoves, computers, cell phones, or any of the other conveniences that we consider necessities of life.

Until recently, it was considered either economically unfeasible or environmentally unsound to create a centralized electrical grid in many of these impoverished corners of the globe. Thanks to some pretty amazing innovation, new technologies are bringing the services that electricity can provide to these remote areas.
The first is a unique project that is bringing renewable power to the homes in the Mexican Sierra Madre. The Portable Light Project is a joint effort of Kennedy & Violich Architecture (KVA), The Rocky Mountain Institute, anthropologists, engineers and doctors.

According to The Rocky Mountain Institute, The project, “combines innovative technology with the traditional values of nomadic communities, to provide renewable and portable power to areas without centralized electricity supplies. The project brings advanced photovoltaic (PV) technologies to indigenous communities in the developing world, supplying them sufficient amounts of light without the reliance of attaching to power lines or grid.”

Essentially, lightweight solar panels are attached to traditional fabrics, which can be incorporated into clothing or carry bags. The panels absorb light during the day, charging up light-emitting diodes for later use. The units, which provide light for reading and working, produce up to eight hours of light from a three-hour solar charge.

"The Portable Light Project demonstrates how nanotechnology can benefit not only the "third" world -- where more than 2 billion people currently do not have access to electricity -- but also the "first" world, where energy-efficient design is increasingly important," said Sheila Kennedy, an architect from Kennedy & Violich Architecture (KVA) which is leading the Portable Light team.

The second innovation, solar cooking, has been providing a safe and environmentally responsible way to cook food for decades. Using less than a few dollars worth of materials, the solar cooker maximizes the principles of the greenhouse effect to capture sunlight in a foil-lined cardboard box. The sunlight enters the box through a glass panel on the top and creates enough heat to safely cook food or pasteurize water.

For the hundreds of millions of people who would ordinarily cook their food over wood or dung fires, solar cookers are a blessing. For the estimated 1.2 billion people who lack access to safe drinking water, learning how to pasteurize water using solar cookers can also be a lifesaver. According to the World Health Organization, in 23 of the world’s poorest countries unsafe water and indoor air pollution caused by burning solid fuel for cooking account for 10 percent of all deaths.

Beyond the immediate health benefits, solar cookers offer a long list of other advantages. In poverty stricken countries, families can spend up to 25 percent of their total income for cooking fuel. Solar cookers capture energy from the sun for free.

Because food is cooked at moderate temperatures, solar cooking helps to preserve nutrients. The lower cooking temperature also means that food can be left unattended all day and provides the option cooking of low cost, highly nutritional food options such as legumes and whole grains which needs to be cooked slowly for many hours.

Open cooking fires are dangerous, especially for small children. In addition to the risk of serious burns, the smoke from the fires can irritate lungs and eyes. Fires left unattended can spread, destroying what little shelter is available.

Collecting wood and other fuels for cooking fires can take many hours, exposing the gatherers to countless dangers from animals, other humans and natural perils. Solar cookers provide a fuel-free, safe way to cook while freeing up time for other activities.

Here’s the truly amazing part about all this. These technologies are opening the door for the developing world to acquire the services that electricity can provide. In the process, they may ultimately help to change how we use electricity ourselves.

RELATED WEBSITES

Check out solarcooking.org for everything you could want to know about this innovative technology.

For more on the Portable Light Project visit www.portablelight.org.

For breathtaking pictures of The Portable Light Project, to make a donation to support this innovative work, or for more information about energy innovation and conservation, visit The Rocky Mountain Institute, visit www.rmi.org.

10 Things you can like about rising gas prices

2008-08-04T21:11:00.000-04:00

In recent months much has been written about how the soaring price of gas is responsible for everything from the collapse of the North American auto industry, to the end of affordable food and consumer goods. While there is little doubt that the times definitely are a-changing, there are some very good things that will likely come out of all of this.

As Amanda Ripley points out in her series of essays for Time Magazine, “10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas” (July 4, 2008), many individuals are finding options where there seemed to be none.

“They're ready to change — and waiting for their infrastructure to catch up,” writes Ripley. “They are driving to commuter-rail lines only to find there are no parking spots left. They are running fewer errands and dumping their SUVs. Public-transit use is at a 50-year high. Gas purchases are down 2 percent to 3 percent. And all those changes bring secondary, hard-earned benefits.”

Taking the lead from Ripley’s essays, here’s why Canadians should be embracing the higher price of gas.

For starters, increased fuel prices translate into increased shipping costs. As Ripley points out, the cost of shipping a container from Shanghai to New Jersey has tripled since 2000. The same argument can be made for shipping produce from California and Florida to Canadian supermarkets. Good things not only grow in Ontario, but as the price of gas continues to rise, they also will be cheaper, making locally grown produce and locally manufactured goods much more attractive.

Since World War II, the widespread access to the private automobile has determined the design and function of our cities. Today’s urban sprawl is a direct result of cheap gas. As the cost of commuting to work soars, we will be forced to rethink our relationship with the urban environment and create communities where we can work, live and play.

Ripley reports that when Florida’s Brevard Community College went to a four-day session in the summer of 2007, they saved $ 268,000 in energy costs alone. As an added bonus, “Over the year, sick leave fell 50 percent, and turnover among the 1,500-person staff dropped 44 percent,” writes Ripley. Parents with small children can also factor in reduced childcare costs and more time with their families.

In Canada, transportation accounts for 27 percent of our total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Cutting fuel consumption translates directly into a reduction in GHG emissions and less smog.

Despite all the layoffs and plant closures within the North American auto industry, people still need to buy vehicles of some kind. Versatility is the key. To boost flagging truck sales, GM and Ford should forget about the gas rebates and put an e-bike or scooter in the back of every pick-up.

Drivers are also getting a lot smarter about how they drive. Last year, U.S. courier giant UPS encouraged its drivers to plan their routes to avoid left turns. In one year the company saved approximately three million gallons of gas and $ 10 million in fuel costs.

Despite the dramatic rise in cancer deaths, traffic accidents are still the number one killer of young people, aged 5 to 34. Thanks to higher gas prices, people are driving less and slowing down to conserve fuel, saving an estimated 1,000 precious young lives every month in the U.S. alone. In Canada, the equivalent would be approximately a hundred lives or more.

Commuters pay higher car insurance rates than occasional drivers. Check with your insurance company to see how much you can save by parking your car and taking public transit to work. Factor in gas savings, parking and car maintenance, and public transit becomes a much more attractive option.

Ridley reports that U.S. road travel dropped 2.1 percent in the first four months of 2008. The next time you’re backed up in traffic, imagine if 2 out of every 100 cars suddenly disappeared. Now imagine how dramatic that decrease could be if 2.1 percent of the money spent to maintain our overcrowded highways was invested in public transit instead.

Perhaps the best argument for higher gas prices is that it may be a substantial tool in the fight against obesity, as people depend more on walking and cycling, As Ridley reports, Charles Courtemanche, an assistant professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, estimates that a one dollar a gallon hike in gas prices may ultimately translate into a 10 percent cut in obesity.

RELATED WEBSITES

To read Amanda Ripley’s series of essays, visit www.time.com.

Check out the Office of Energy Efficiency’s FleetSmart program at fleetsmart.nrcan.gc.ca.

Magic and The Monkee

2008-07-31T02:49:00.001-04:00

There’s a magic that happens when liked-minded individuals gather together for a common purpose. Their commitment creates a kind of whirlwind that gathers momentum and strength well beyond the limits of the group. Against all odds, they seem to be able to move against the tide and create small miracles in their wake.

“If you look at the science that describes what is happening on Earth today and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t have the correct data,” writes Paul Hawken in Blessed Unrest. “If you meet the people in this unnamed movement and aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a heart.”

Characteristic of these groups is their fundamental understanding that their local efforts extend out into the greater whole. One shining example of this is a small community group called The Friends of Utopia. For almost two decades they have struggled to save an old gristmill and the conservation area that surrounds it. They are currently raising money to renovate Utopia’s old town hall, which will be used to host wedding, parties and other events. The money raised at these events in turn will be used for conservation initiatives. One-third will be used to restore and maintain the 144 year-old Bell’s Gristmill, one-third will go to national conservation projects and the balance will fund international projects dedicated to wildlife conservation. Not bad for a community that boasts a population of exactly 100.

The group’s leader, Susan Antler explained, “When a group of people get together for a common goal, it’s amazing what can happen. The pool of talent and resources that becomes available to you can knock you out of the ballpark.”

Perhaps this is why pop superstar Micky Dolenz offered to perform at a benefit concert for the Friends of Utopia in Toronto earlier this month. Dolenz, the former lead singer of The Monkees, was introduced to Antler by Tyrone Biljan, former president of the Canadian Monkees fan club. Biljan worked at Susan’s marketing company, Visions of Utopia.

“If it’s something that people believe in, they’ll respond,” said Antler. They’ll give you the path, but you have to push the door open.”

When I first heard about the concert, I thought that Dolenz was an odd match for the dedicated Friends of Utopia. After I had an opportunity to speak with Micky before the concert, I realized that his own sense of optimism about our planet was perfectly in line with the optimism and hope of Utopia.

Monkee in the Middle with the two Sue's - Suzanne Elston (right) and Susan Antler (left)

For Dolenz, who had planned to become an architect before his success with The Monkees, the idea of saving an old mill and the lands around it was very appealing.

“I love historic buildings,” he said. “And I’m quite a naturalist. I love to hike out into the Mountains near Soho. Because I understand the science of what’s happening, I’m not going through the current alarmist phrase.”

As Micky explained, natural disasters are part of nature. “I’m not as concerned about greenhouse gas emissions as I am about air quality, and what we’ll do when we run out of energy and have no infrastructure, hospitals or schools.”

He believes that we need to focus our creative energies on finding alternative solutions.

“I have tremendous hope for the future,” said Dolenz. “Everybody talks about saving the planet. The planet will be just fine. And then he added with a smile, “It’s the people that I’m not so sure about.”

“When I lived in Los Angeles in the 1960s, it had the worst air quality on the planet. 40 years later and the air quality is so much better. It’s really quite amazing,” he said. “It could only happen in California because of the lawyers, the politicians and the social infrastructure and mechanisms that existed to make that kind of change happen.”

As Dolenz explained, in terms of the history of the planet, these changes happen in the blink of an eye.

“The beauty of our system is that it can literally change the consensus of a nation in a very short period of time. If you had told anyone in the U.S. five to ten years ago that the top contenders for the presidency would be a black man and a woman, they would have told you that you were out of your mind.”

“Change can come like that,” he said. “I’m an optimist. The Earth heals relatively quickly.”

RELATED WEBSITES

www.mickydolenz.com

Blessed Unrest explores the diversity of the movement, its brilliant ideas, innovative strategies, and hidden history.

For more on the story of Utopia, please check out my previous post.

Journey to Utopia

2008-07-31T02:38:00.001-04:00

In a world of jaded hopes and mounting cynicism, Susan Antler is an extraordinary and very energetic breath of fresh of air. Professionally, she has worked for the Composting Council of Canada since 1992 and has been the Canadian Program Director of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), since the organization was introduced in Canada in 1997. Susan also has her own environmental marketing company called Visions of Utopia.

Despite the success of all of these initiatives, it’s the latter company that gives a hint of where Susan’s true passions lie. She named her company after the small hamlet where she lives - Utopia, Ontario.

For Susan, Utopia has proven to be both a journey and a destination. During her corporate days in the 1980s, she wanted to invest in a home in the country where she could retreat on the weekends – her own little Utopia. At the end of a very long and unsuccessful search, Susan told her real estate that she would look at one more property of the agent’s choosing – as a courtesy – before giving up her quest.

This is precisely how she found herself standing in front of an old wooden sign engraved with the single word, “Utopia”. Despite the fact that she promised herself she would not get sucked in by the hamlet’s poetic name, Susan bought the house that was for sale.

At first she was simply a non-resident of the little hamlet that boasted a population of 76. Named after the novel by Thomas More, Utopia became the site of a gristmill in 1864. A year after it celebrated its 100th birthday, Bell’s Gristmill was closed in 1965. The mill, and the 50 acres of land that surrounded it, became a conservation area under the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA).

Like all good epic tales, it was at this point that disaster struck for Susan. Her corporate career ended in 1991 when she was downsized. Always the optimist, Susan pledged to make the environment her priority.

As it turned out, her decision came just in time. Within months she was fighting to save the conservation area near her beloved home from privatization. While Susan and her fellow residents won the initial battle to keep the lands public, their victory was short lived.

By 2000, the mill was falling apart and scheduled for demolition. Once again the Utopians rallied. Between fund raising, grants and other efforts, they managed raise $ 428, 000 – just enough money to restore the historic building.

Unfortunately, even this didn’t prove enough to save the mill.
During the restoration, it was discovered that a diesel fuel leak had contaminated the basement.

Undaunted, the residents offered to share the additional costs for the clean up. The project moved forward for a few months until the town decided to give up its lease on the land.

At this point, even Susan’s eternal optimism was beginning to wear a little thin.

“This is only 50 acres. What am I doing?” Susan asked herself. But then she answered her own question. “It meant something,” she said in an interview. “It went so much further than the land. Utopia represents a way of community living that is quickly disappearing.”

In a bold and strategic move, Susan and her neighbors decided to step up to the plate and asked the NVCA if they could take over the lease. They then got into a battle with the Township who declared that they wanted the land in return for the money that had already been spent on the mill’s restoration.

Both groups were allowed to pitch their vision for the land and gristmill to the full board of the NVCA.

Following the Township’s presentation Susan reviewed the costs of the renovations to this point and made a startling discovery. Despite the fact that the township had championed the management of the restoration efforts, most of the funds had come from provincial grants or the community. For the outstanding amount from Essa - $535.21 – a personal cheque was offered to wipe the debt clean.

Remarkably up until this point, the group that had fought so valiantly to save Bell’s Gristmill was just a group of local neighbors. After the NVCA decided to award the lease to the community, the “Friends of the Utopia Gristmill and Park” was officially established and efforts were renewed to restore the mill and preserve the uniqueness of the Hamlet of Utopia.

The Journey to Utopia continues in my next post, when Susan Antler and the Friends of Utopia enlist the aid of a pop superstar to help save their community’s gristmill.

RELATED WEBSITES

For more the on efforts to restore Bell’s Gristmill, visit www.utopia.on.ca.

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation is the only industry sponsored, voluntary recycling program in this country.

The Composting Council of Canada

Edible Estates

2008-07-12T05:48:00.000-04:00

When I was a child my family moved to Edmonton in the heart of the Alberta winter. I was fascinated when the snow finally melted and revealed the large vegetable gardens in every backyard in our neighborhood. My father and I dutifully planted our garden, while my mother became an expert at the art of canning and preserving. As a result of our collective labors, getting food for dinner often meant a quick trip to the rows of mason jars carefully stored in the basement.

Even the front yards were put to good use. Many of our neighbors tilled up their lawns and planted potatoes – a staple crop that when harvested in the fall would feed a family over the long winter.

Things have changed. We now import our food from wherever we want and whatever time of the year that suits our fancy. It’s estimated that the average meal travels 2,500 km or more to reach the dinner table. Consider the average breakfast that consists of coffee from South America, orange juice from Florida, California strawberries, and grains from the prairies. Our food is bettered traveled that we are!

This distancing of our food is referred to as food miles. Transporting our food across large distances feeds into a vicious cycle. The further we ship our food, the more gas we consume, which both drives up fuel costs and increases the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, further exacerbating climate change.

As recent headlines will attest, all of this has triggered major global concerns over land use and food production. From the flooding of the American Midwest, to the stockpiling of rice and other staple grains in India and other countries, there is a growing uneasiness about the sustainability of our food system.

In response, there is an increasing interest in locally grown food. It’s fresher, tastes better, and supports local agriculture, which in turn promotes sustainable local economies. Local food advocates will also argue that knowing where your food comes from and how it is grown or raised enables you to choose safe food from farmers who avoid or reduce their use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified seed in their operations.

Maybe it’s time that we revisited the idea of the suburban vegetable patch.

California based architect Fritz Haeg has pushed the idea even one step further by exploring the idea of the front lawn as a food source. In the summer 2005, Haeg began Edible Estates – a conceptual land-art project. The goal was to replace front lawns with edible landscapes. To date Haeg has completed nine such projects in the U.S. and England. The results of his labor are profiled in the recently published book entitled, “Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn.” (Published by Metropolis Books, 2008).

The book features essays by Haeg, landscape architect Diana Balmori, food writer Rosalind Creasy, author Michael Pollan and artist and writer Lesley Stern, as well as personal observations by Edible Estate owners. The result is a combination manifesto, storybook and do-it-yourself manual that takes Haeg’s revolutionary project and challenges the reader to look at food issues in the larger context of environmental sustainability and global food production.

According to Haeg, landscaping accounts for 20 to 50 percent of all residential water use, with the average lawn using more than 325 litres of water daily. If harvested, the 30 million acres of lawn in the United States make would make grass the fifth largest crop in that country. With land use and food production being two of the most significant global challenges today, Haeg’s goal is to have everyone who comes into contact with the project reconsider how they occupy the land.

While it’s unlikely that everyone will immediately go out and till up his or her front lawns to plant edible gardens, the stunning images in Haeg’s book definitely provide food for thought.

RELATED WEBSITES

For more on the visionary work of Fritz Haeg, visit www.edibleestates.org.

To order “Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn” online, go to www.artbook.com.

If you’re not quite ready to take a tiller to your front lawn, you might want to check out The 100-Mile Diet.

Local Food Plus is an award winning non-profit organization that brings farmers and consumers to the table to share in the benefits of environmentally and socially responsible food production.

De-Construct Earth

2008-07-08T17:39:00.001-04:00

Unlike other species, whose existence is defined by a continuous cycle of birth, life and death, we humans have added a fourth element: construction. We have taken our opposable thumbs and our tremendous little brains and shaped the world to our liking.

This unique ability has enabled us to successfully alter our environment, allowing us to live virtually anywhere. Buildings shelter us from the elements. Vehicles, and the roads that they travel upon, can take us safely and efficiently across town or around the globe. Intricate power systems keep us warm in the winter, cool in the summer, while providing light and energy to do almost anything.

We have also created tremendous art, great literature and breath-taking music and architecture. All in all, we are very clever monkeys.

Most of this pretty much worked in our favor until the last century or so, when it became apparent that we are becoming the victims of our own success. Our population has grown exponentially, pushing the planet’s ability to support us. The chemistry that enabled us to defeat countless diseases and pests has created a whole new generation of cancers and other ailments. The burning of fossil fuels that literally drives our creative engine is altering our planetary ecosystem to the point that it may no longer be able to sustain us.

This last point was driven home last week when Dr. James Hansen, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, made a speech to the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Dr. Hansen’s presentation was made exactly 20 years after his testimony to Congress on June 23, 1988, when he first tried to alert the public to the reality of climate change. After two decades, Dr. Hansen’s conclusions haven’t changed much. The only real difference, according to Hansen, is that we have used up all slack in the schedule for actions needed to defuse the global warming time bomb.

“What is at stake?” asked Dr. Hansen. “Elements of a “perfect storm”, a global cataclysm, are assembled. Climate can reach points such that amplifying feedbacks spur large rapid changes. Arctic sea ice is a current example. Global warming initiated sea ice melt, exposing a darker ocean that absorbs more sunlight, melting more ice. As a result, without any additional greenhouse gases, the Arctic soon will be ice-free in the summer.”

And that’s just the tip of the melting iceberg. Hansen warned that West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are vulnerable to even small additional warming.

“These two-mile-thick behemoths respond slowly at first, but if disintegration gets well underway it will become unstoppable,” he explained. While there is still some scientific debate as to how much sea levels will eventually go up, Dr. Hansen predicts that by the end of this century we will most likely see a minimum two metre rise.

In addition to creating hundreds of millions of climate refugees, this rise is sea level will destroy many of mankind’s great cities – London, New York, Rio de Janeiro (just to name a few) – and much of the art and architecture that they contain. Rebuilding these cities would be unlikely. As Hansen warns, “No stable shoreline would be reestablished in any time frame that humanity could conceive.”

And maybe that’s the key. We’ve done precious little about the threat of climate change to this point because we really can’t conceive that the things that we’ve constructed to make our lives better – like the family car, air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter - are actually helping to destroy the planet. But that’s exactly what’s happening.

According to Hansen we need to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide emission below 350 parts per million (ppm) in order to, “Preserve creation, the planet on which civilization developed.”

Hansen’s right, and he’s not alone. There are thousands of scientists who agree that the best time to do something about halting the impacts of climate change was 20 years ago.

The next best time is now. We need to muster all the creative, brilliant juices that got us into this mess in the first place and discover countless imaginative solutions that can get us out. Failure to do so condemns the future of humanity by knowingly jeopardizing the health of Planet Earth.

RELATED WEBSITES

James Hansen’s June 23rd speech, “Global Warming Twenty Years Later: Tipping Points Near”, and much of his other work, is available at www.columbia.edu/~jeh1.

The Daily Climate provides climate change news from around the world.

Wisdom

2008-06-30T17:33:00.002-04:00

In a world of instant access to virtually every kind of information imaginable, it is increasingly difficult to find true wisdom. We find our communities in chat rooms, poetry in text messages, and art in tags sprayed across public places. Great literature is printed on t-shirts and great ideas are reduced to quotes on the bottom of email messages, reverently forwarded to everyone on our mailing list in the hope that some of their brilliance with reflect back upon us from the sterile glow of our computer screens.

McLuhan was right, but not in the way I think he intended. The medium is the message – but the increasingly volatile nature of all media makes that message as insubstantial as the electrons that deliver it.

I’m just as guilty as the next. I scan email messages, flit across my 800 channel digital universe and practice speeding reading so I can take in more and more, while taking less and less to heart.

All of this leads me to one particularly brilliant afternoon last month. The occasion was a celebration of the work of Dr. Rosalie Bertell in her Jubilee Year as a Grey Nun. Anyone who has read this column regularly over the years will know that Dr. Bertell has been my friend, mentor and source of great inspiration. Her advanced age and failing health are no match for the incredible spirit that still burns within. She is truly one of the great spirits of our age.

Dr. Ursula Franklin, Rosalie’s dear friend and equally indomitable spirit was among the hundred or so people who gathered in a dusty old church in downtown Toronto for the celebration. Revered in her own right, Dr. Franklin is an experimental physicist, University Professor Emerita at the University of Toronto, the recipient of the Pearson Medal of Peace, and a companion of the Order of Canada.

In the face of so much despair about the world we live in, and the state of our ailing planet, this pair of wonderfully wise, extraordinary women delivered words of great hope that must be shared.

Dr. Bertell began by telling the spellbound audience that we struggle because we don’t know what the Earth is trying to teach us.

“If we don’t learn and listen, then the future looks pretty bleak,” she said. But then her message turned to hope. “I think that life is stronger than death. Life is struggling to be – to exist. This is the most amazing thing that life does.”

Our role, according to Dr. Bertell, is to use the gifts we have given to contribute what we can. “We don’t have the power to do everything,” she said, “but we have the power to influence. We all have gifts - words, music, art. We go wrong when we forget about the big picture.” Bertell reminded us that we can always do just a little bit more.

Dr. Franklin’s German accent is still strong after almost 60 years in Canada, and her voice thin and crackles with age. And yet her message, is crystal clear. She responded to Dr. Bertell’s words by reminding us of,“ The harmful conceit of secular power that tries to rearrange the world for the benefit of the few.”

Dr. Franklin said that we must rejoice in the presence of each other and live as a counterbalance to this conceit of power.

“We have to live respectfully, gracefully and humbly and draw our strength from two great pillars of truth,” she said, “The first is a pillar of faith – faith that we are part of this benign Cosmos. The second pillar is that as a species we have been given the greatest sense of discernment that enables us to tell right from wrong.”

In honoring her dear friend, Dr. Franklin said that Rosalie brings the clarity of mind and faith that enables her to know this difference. After many decades of struggling herself, Dr. Franklin acknowledged that this isn’t an easy path.

“How in the face of evident stupidity – how do we keep on doing that which has to be done?” she asked. “Given our endowment of discernment there is no option. There is no difference between those we can do without and those we hold dear.”

And then with a gentle smile she added, “Once your eyes are opened, you cannot close them again.”

RELATED WEBSITES

Much of the world of Dr. Rosalie Bertell can be found on the International Institute of Concern for Public Health’s website.

While there is no single website dedicated the to the work of Dr. Ursula Franklin, Google her name for a list of publications, international awards and even a school named in her honor.

Catch the Fever

2008-06-30T16:54:00.003-04:00

An interesting new company has combined environmental sustainability, fashion and affordability into an exciting line of women’s clothing. In keeping with the theme, “Helping to sustain the world in which we love to travel,” Fever Resort and Cruisewear has officially launched its line of environmentally friendly resort wear just in time for summer.

Partners Erika Mullings and Colleen Elston bring a shared passion for the environment, decades of experience and creativity to their new company. Erika is the former head designer for Paula Lishman and winner of the Recycling Council of Ontario’s Revamp Fashion Design Award. Revamp invites young designers to create one-of-a-kind fashions from recycled materials. Colleen has run a successful custom design business for three decades, specializing in athletic sportswear.

“We wanted to use fabrics that are sustainable – both in their production and their maintenance,” said Colleen. “That’s why we’re delighted to feature a bamboo/spandex blend in many of our designs. Items can be washed at cool temperatures; air dried very quickly and require no ironing. No chemicals are used in the production of the fabric.”

Together the team has created a line of clothing that’s luxurious, yet doesn’t compromise comfort or ease of wear. The garments are designed to be completely interchangeable. As an added bonus, several of the pieces can be worn in a variety of ways. For example, thanks to its innovative design, the “unlimited top” can literally be worn in a dozen different ways. The designers also recognize that not everyone is a perfect size 8 and have created clothing that works for virtually every body type and size.

“All you need for a week in the sun is five basic pieces,” said Colleen. “Which essentially means you can pack your entire wardrobe in a carry-on bag!” With prices ranging from $32 to $125, Fever Resort and Cruisewear is also very affordable.

“Our garments are made mostly with fabrics that are designed to breathe and wick moisture away which is a must have for any humid climate,” added Erika. Garments made from the bamboo/spandex blend are also anti-bacterial and biodegradable.

Print copies of the Fever Resort and Cruisewear catalogue are produced on Forestry Stewardship Council certified paper using vegetable inks. The catalogue is also available online for anyone who wants to avoid paper altogether. In addition, a portion from every sale is being donated to the Conservation Council of Ontario’s We Conserve program.

“We looked at a lot of environmental groups and we decided on the We Conserve program because it’s all about setting your own goals for continuous improvement,” said Colleen. “And that’s what we’re all about.”

Fever Resort and Cruisewear is sold through home parties. A fashion stylist attends each party and provides valuable tips on how to dress for your body type and how to maximize the Fever designs. As one final bonus, each sale comes complete with an eco-friendly travel guide full of great packing tips and simple ways we can all become better conservers.

WE CONSERVE

Here’s We Conserve’s Top Ten list of things we can all do to minimize our impact on the environment. Rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 and then set your own personal goals for improvement.

1. Save Energy - Change your lights, turn things off, get an energy audit, air dry your clothes.

2. Use Green Power - Buy green power, install solar panels, join a green power co-op.

3. Help nature - Grow native species, use a rain-barrel, help with community gardens and local habitat.

4. Drive less - Walk, ride a bike, or take transit, join a car-sharing network, buy a hybrid or fuel-efficient car.

5. Live local - Live, work, shop and play within a walkable, mixed-use community. For rural homes, be self-reliant.

6. Eat local - Eat local and/or organic food, try the 100-mile diet, eat more vegetarian meals.

7. Buy green - Buy environmentally-friendly products, invest responsibly.

8. Waste less - Practice the 3Rs, avoid excess packaging and plastic bags, compost food waste.

9. Prevent pollution - Make your home and yard toxic-free, dispose of hazardous materials safely, use a green dry cleaner.

10. Support conservation - Donate to conservation, support community projects, volunteer.

RELATED WEBSITES

www.weconserve.ca is loaded with tips, links, suggestions and resources.

For more information about Fever Resort and Cruisewear, visit www.feverwear.com or call 905-623-7873.

Summertime, and the breathin' ain't easy...

2008-06-17T06:29:00.002-04:00

Summer hasn't officially started yet, and we've already suffered through one record-breaking heat wave. The bad news is that the most recent soaring temperatures are likely only a sample of things to come.

Winter used to be the time of peak energy demand, but thanks to our ever-increasing need for air conditioning, we now reach our peak during the summer months. Peak demand means that the province must rely on coal and oil fired generation to supplement the base load of electricity supplied by Ontario's hydroelectric and nuclear power stations. It's these fossil fuel plants that contribute dramatically to air pollution and smog.

Last week, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) released new data that shows that air pollution is a contributing factor in an estimated 9,500 premature deaths in Ontario every year.

"The health impacts from smog range anywhere from itchy eyes and sore throats to respiratory and cardiac illnesses and even premature death," said Dr. Ken Arnold, President of the OMA. The OMA's Illness Costs of Air Pollution (ICAP) model found that 1,000 deaths occurred immediately after increased pollution, while the remaining deaths were attributed to longer term exposure to air pollution.

While smog conditions used to be reserved for large cities and industrial centers, the OMA also found that an increasing number of deaths were found across the province in more rural areas. Risk factors include asthma and other respiratory conditions, heart disease and related conditions. The most vulnerable are the very young and the aged.

To protect yourself and your loved ones, the OMA advises you to reduce strenuous outdoor activities, stay cool and hydrated and know your limits on smoggy days.

"The air we breathe is one of our most important resources and we all have a role to play in reducing the amount of smog that we are exposed to," said Dr. Arnold. Reducing electricity consumption during the summer months helps to directly reduce the incidents of smog, and grid instability, which can lead to brown outs and black outs.

A whopping 40 percent of the electricity generated in Ontario is used to run air conditioners on peak summer days, so targeting their use is a good place to start. Last year, the Peak Buster Program was launched to encourage Ontario's energy consumers to reduce their load. Consumers who managed to reduce their electricity consumption by 10 percent compared with 2006 consumption were given an additional 10 percent rebate on their energy bills in the fall.

According to the Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA), the result was that Ontario's peak demand fell by 4.7 percent during the summer of 2007, when compared with 2006 figures. This translated into a 2007 peak demand of 25,737 megawatts (MW) on June 26th, as compared to an August 1 peak of 27,005 MW in 2006.

Based on the success of last year's program, the OCAA is once again encouraging electricity consumers to pledge to be Peak Busters by ensuring that air conditioners are equipped with a peaksaver device. Essentially, peaksavers temporarily turn control of air conditioners over to local utilities when demand starts to peak. The device doesn't run on weekends and holidays and subscribers can also specify certain days when they don't want to have their air conditioner's demand reduced. To encourage participations, subscribers are automatically entered in a Chillin' Without Coal contest that is awarding more than $ 10,000 in prizes.

While this all may seem more promotion that benefit, according to the Peak Saver website, "If everyone with a central air conditioner in Ontario installed a free peaksaver device that allows their utility to temporarily reduce their air conditioner's energy demands, but not home comfort in peak periods, we could eliminate the need for four of Nanticoke's eight dirty coal boilers."

In other words, being a Peak Buster helps everyone in the province breathe a little easier.

RELATED WEBSITES

You don't have to have a central A/C to join in the fun. Visit www.PeakBusters.ca to find out more or to sign up for the program.

The Ministry of the Environment’s Air Quality Ontario website provides daily updates on air quality, weather forecasts and hosts a smog alert network. To sign up, visit www.airqualityontario.com.

For more on the Ontario Medical Association’s report about premature deaths and air pollution, visit www.oma.org

Bobby's Legacy

2008-06-06T09:35:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday morning I indulged in the rare treat of sleeping in. The sun had filled our bedroom with its warming rays by the time I finally started moving toward consciousness. Hot, sweaty and almost awake, I was swept into a memory of another steamy June morning long ago. It was unusually warm for late spring. Sometime during the night I had launched the bulk of the covers off my bed and onto the floor. The single sheet that remained was tangled around my feet and I was wrestling with my growing consciousness to stay in the land of slumber for a few minutes more.

The battle ended when my mother poked her head into my bedroom.

"I'm afraid I have some terrible news." she said. "Robert Kennedy was shot last night."

I shuddered with a sudden chill and grabbed the sheet at my feet and wrapped it around me. I turned on my clock radio only to hear that Kennedy had died. I lay on my bed, swaddled in my white sheet, crying like an angel who had fallen to earth. It was June 6th, 1968.

It was too much to bear. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated only a few months earlier. As a young Canadian teenager I had idolized both of them. They had brought hope to the turbulent adolescent world of the 60s and suddenly they were gone, along with the innocence of the Flower Power generation.

It has been 40 years since that fateful June day. That idealistic teenage girl has become a middle-aged woman. The hopes and dreams of my youth have been replaced by the more mundane goals that maturity brings. And then I hear Dr. Martin Luther King's voice, or see images of Bobby on the campaign trail, and I realize that it is perfectly appropriate that I should recall their deaths in a memory of heat and restlessness.

Kennedy and King brought a new fire and energy into our world. They both played an integral part in ending an era of blind prejudice and injustice that was the status quo in the early 1960s. They made us believe that one individual can make a difference and that the world is only as good as we choose to make it.

Today we face another crisis. In Bobby's day, it was about social and economic justice. Today, it's about the survival of the planet. And yet there are very uncomfortable similarities. We are at the root of the problem. To borrow a slogan from the 60s, "We are the people our parents warned us about."

Climate change threatens all life as we know it. Even as our resources dwindle, we clamor for more, better and different stuff. It is our greed, not our need, which brings us ever closer to ecological collapse. According to the United Nations, a mere 20 percent of the world's population consumes 86 percent of the world's resources. Canadians are a part of that privileged 20 percent minority. We've become so comfortable that we don't even feel the heat anymore. Central air conditioning in our homes, our offices and our cars keeps us cool and calm. Steamy, restless nights have been replaced by climate-controlled comfort. It doesn't matter that the energy we use to create this comfort comes at great cost to the environment and to the vast majority of the people on this planet.

Earlier this week, several news programs recalled the beauty of Robert Kennedy's dream and that old restlessness began to stir. Despite all that we have lost, I am reminded that where there is life there is hope. Being inspired to action by his words now, even 40 years later, keeps his memory and his dream alive.

In recent years, his remarkable son and namesake, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has emerged as a strong environmental leader who was recently named, "Hero for the Planet." Bobby's spirit is with us still.

40 years ago on the campaign trail, Bobby Kennedy's rallying cry was a quote from George Bernard Shaw who wrote, "Some men see things the way that they are and ask, 'Why?' I see thing the way they could be and ask, 'Why not?'"

Why indeed.

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK:

King and Kennedy are so much more than fallen heroes of another era. Their words are as inspiring today as when then first spoke them. To find out more about the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., visit mlkonline.com For more on the life of Robert Kennedy, visit rfkmemorial.org

Check out robertfkennedyjr.com.

E-bike, or bust!

2008-06-03T07:36:00.003-04:00

In last week's column about alternative transportation, I mentioned my own amazing little e-bike. In response I received a number of enquiries about the availability and functionality of e-bikes. Clearly this is an idea that needs greater exploration.

To reiterate, e-bikes fall somewhere between bicycles and motorized scooters. They are propelled by rechargeable batteries and can reach speeds of up to 32 km/hr. While they are relatively new to Canada, e-bikes make up a significant portion of the transportation mix in Europe (where there are an estimated 3 million e-bikes on the road) and China (where a reported 80 million e-bikes are in use).

E-bikes are part of a group of low-speed alternative transportation vehicles that includes Segways, mopeds and other personal mobility devices that are emerging in the marketplace faster than governments can regulate them. In an attempt to encourage these new technologies and allow time to assess them, several provinces have introduced legislation exempting them from certain regulations, including Ontario. To quote Ontario's Ministry of Transportation,

"New types of vehicles arrive in the marketplace everyday. The province realizes the importance of these new market innovations as they expand the mobility for Ontarians and provide an environmentally friendly way to travel."

As a result, the province exempted e-bikes from licensing and insurance requirements for three years, effective October 2006. This translates into an immediate saving of about $500 per year, to say nothing of eliminating the hassle of getting a motorcycle licence.

My own e-bike runs on two rechargeable batteries than take approximately 8 hours to recharge. Given that this is done overnight, when electricity demand is the lowest, recharging my e-bike generates little or no greenhouse gas emissions.

I initially purchased an e-bike for my daily commute back and forth to work, a round trip of approximately 16 km. In my car, the trip takes approximately 12 minutes. My e-bike can do the same distance in less than 20 minutes. Adding approximately 15 minutes to my day seems worth it for an emission-free and fun commute.

However, I recognize that my 8 km commute is the exception, rather than the norm. With that in mind, I decided to push my e-bike to see exactly how far it would go on a single charge. I drove to work in the morning (8 km) and then took a scenic drive at lunch (12 km). An after work appointment added another 11 kms, and the return trip home was 15 kms, brining my daily total to 46 kms.

According to my e-bike manual, it has a maximize range of 85 km, but given my bikes sluggish performance over the last couple of kms, it's my guess that this is based on flat roads and a much lighter passenger. By the time I limped into our driveway, my e-bike and I were just about done.

My sojourn took me onto major thoroughfares during peak hours, which proved to be an unnerving experience. I utilized my e-bike's designation as a bicycle to travel on sidewalks whenever possible, which kept me safely out of the stream of rush hour traffic. Bumping up and down on sidewalks provided an interesting test of my balancing abilities and probably contributed to my decreased mileage. A strong headwind didn't help either.

The conclusion of my experiment is that e-bikes are a great way to travel short distances when the weather is warm and dry. They are easy to park, fun to drive, produce zero tailpipe emissions and almost no noise. Their light weight also means less wear and tear on our roads.

But e-bikes only provide part of the transportation mix, and maybe that's the point. We have to move beyond the idea of a "one-size-fits-all" solution. My e-bike is as unsuited for rush hour traffic as a 7-seat crossover vehicle is for driving to the corner store for a newspaper. The best solution is a variety of solutions, including walking, cycling or even staying home once in a while, carpooling whenever possible, renting larger vehicles as needed and taking public transit when it's convenient. And for the rest of the time there’s always the e-bike!

RELATED WEBSITES

For more information about e-bikes, check out:
ebikes.ca
www.durhamebikeassociation.org
www.valuride.com

Segways are another very interesting, non-car way to get around. Check out www.segwayofontario.com

People Gotta Move

2008-05-30T21:15:00.001-04:00

From the expense of the daily commute to the cost of groceries, gas prices are impacting every aspect of our lives. The bad news is that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Some analysts are predicting that by the end of the summer prices will soar as high as $2.00 per litre.

There is some good news in all of this. Soaring gas prices may force us to finally break our ever-increasing dependence on private motorized vehicles. Since the transportation sector is responsible for approximately 27 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, what's good for our wallets will also be good for the planet.

Getting us out of the family car will be easier said than done. Access to the private automobile determines virtually every aspect of our lives: where we live and work and shop, how, when and where we play, even how we design our cities. There are, however, a number of options worth exploring.

While most of us think of cycling in terms of recreation, there is a growing number of utility riders who use their bikes as a primary mode of transportation. Over the next couple of weeks, cities across Canada will be hosting Bike to Work Week activities. Bike to Work Week festivities vary from city to city, according to the strength of the local biking community and the level of support that it receives from its municipality.

This support is critical to the success of promoting cycling as a viable alternative to driving to work for a couple of very good reasons - safety and road access. In the absence of dedicated bikes lanes, cyclists are often forced to occupy the same road space as automobile traffic. The unfortunate reality is that the drivers of many of these vehicles view cyclists an annoyance that slows them down. The result is that cyclist are often seriously injured or killed on roadways.

"We don’t block traffic," states the Critical Mass website, "We ARE traffic." Critical Mass is a loosely formed group of cyclists around the world that gather together for monthly rides that celebrate cycling and the cyclists’ right to the road.

For those of us who love cycling but can't go the distance, e-bikes offer an environmentally friendly alternative to the automobile. In order to encourage this mode of transportation, the Government of Ontario began a three-year pilot project in October 2006, which exempts e-bikes and other low-powered vehicles from the Highway Traffic Safety Act. Essentially what this means is that e-bikes are legally considered bicycles. As such, they don't require licensing or insurance and operators are not required to hold a motorcycle licence. The only restrictions worth noting are that e-bikes must not exceed 32 km/hr and operators must be at least 16 years of age. Helmets are mandatory.

While e-bikes are relatively unknown in Eastern Canada, Vancouver offers free charging stations for the City's estimated 3,000 e-bike commuters. E-bike riders in Europe measure in the millions, and China has more than 80 million e-bikes on its roads.

I purchased an e-bike several weeks ago and I am delighted with its performance. Its twin batteries provide the bike with a range of up to 85 km. Using my e-bike to commute has added about 10 minutes each way to my daily drive and immeasurable fun to my day. At a cost of $1200, which includes a helmet, rechargeable batteries and a secure bike lock, I estimate that the bike will pay for itself by next summer.

For the rest of the work force whose commute is either too long, or whose body just isn't up to cycling of any kind, Smart Commute provides yet another option. A program of the Government of Ontario, the goal of Smart Commute is to reduce traffic congestion and take action on climate change through transportation efficiency. Smart Commute helps employers and commuters explore and promote different commuter choices, such as carpooling, transit, cycling or walking, as well as telecommuting and flexible work hours.

RELATED WEBSITES

Check out www.smartcommute.ca.

For more on e-bikes, visit www.durhamebikeassociation.org

“How to Not Get Hit by Cars – important lessons on Bicycle Safety” is a must-read for cyclists and motorists alike and can be found at bicyclesafe.com..

Information on Bike to Work Week events across North America can be found at www.biketoworkweek.org.

Critical Mass is an idea and an event, not an organization.

Energy Conservation Week in Ontario

2008-05-28T04:17:00.002-04:00

As recent headlines have attested, Ontario's economy is in big trouble. And while major lay offs in Canada's auto sector have contributed to the province's economic woes, our biggest problem is one we literally can't see. Electricity.

It was the availability of cheap, abundant electricity that gave birth to Ontario's economy, the largest in Canada. But as this economy has grown, the need for electricity has grown even faster. As recently as a decade ago, home computers and other electronic equipment were considered luxury items. Now the majority of Ontario's 4.5 million homes host at least one or two computers, printers, DVD players, video games, iPods and various other electronic gadgets. Even when they are not in use, many of these devices continue to draw electricity, pushing demand even further.

Computers and other electronic devices have taken over the business world as well. Twenty years ago, executive would have human assistants. Today, people have been replaced by computers, Blackberries, cell phones and other devices, all of which also require electricity. Let's not forget that the institutional sector is also dependent on a vast network of computers and other equipment that is driven by electricity.

The result of all of this increasing demand is that in less than 20 years, Ontario's peak electricity consumption with rise from 26,000 Megawatts (MW) to over 34,000 MW. Meanwhile, many of our major sources of generation are in need of expensive retrofits or replacement. In order to simply keep up with our need, Ontarians will have to reduce their energy consumption by 6,300 MW by 2025  - or the equivalent of taking one in five electricity consumers off the power grid. Clearly our current path is not sustainable.

Enter Peter Love, Ontario's Energy Conservation Officer. Appointed in 2005 by the Ontario Power Authority, Peter has enthusiastically embraced the job of creating a culture of conservation within the province.

To help him with this monumental task, the Conservation Bureau recently announced Ontario's first Energy Conservation Week. From May 25 to 31, Peter will be promoting his message of, "Think, Believe, Act."

"The challenge is to make people think about electricity conservation the same way that they think about water conservation." Peter points out that while most people wouldn’t think about letting a tap run, they are oblivious to how much energy they waste every day.

"And unlike water, electricity has to be generated, sometimes hundreds of kilometers away, and then transmitted to where it is available 24 hours a day," said Peter. "The system was never designed for this demand."

"Everyone has to think about electricity and be mindful every time they use it," said Peter. "Hope is not a strategy."

"Believe," is the second part of Peter’s message.

"I need you to believe that you should and can reduce your electricity consumption and that it is in everyone's best interest to reduce our need to generate power," said Peter. As he explains, this isn't just about cutting our own electricity bills.

"The cost of energy in every part of our lives will continue to rise." As taxpayers, we pay for electricity indirectly through our healthcare system, our schools and our public infrastructure. Saving electricity translates into more money available to spend on better health care, more teachers, improved public and social services.

The third part of Peter's conservation message is "Act". As he so accurately points out, the era of cheap electricity is over. The good news is that it's cheaper to conserve electricity than it is to create new sources. As an added bonus, conservation programs and energy efficiency can create new jobs in emerging fields such as renewable energy technology and engineering.

"Energy conservation is pivotal to Ontario’s future," said Peter.

Energy Conservation Week provides a great place to get started. The week kicked off on Sunday, May 25th with Peter throwing the opening pitch at Toronto’s energy-efficient Rogers Centre. Monday invited the industrial/commercial/institutional sector to look at the impact of energy use, while Tieless Tuesday focused on encouraging businesses to save energy by turning air conditioners up two degrees and promoting a casual summer dress code. Watt Wednesday provides everyone with tips for reducing peak summer demand and Thursday is "Count Every Kilowatt Day". Cool Down Friday's focus is what Ontarians can do long-term to ensure the health and sustainability of the grid.

RELATED WEBSITES

For more information, check out www.energyconservationweek.ca.

The Every Kilowatt Counts Summer Sweepstakes encourages Ontarians to reduce their electricity use in the summer, when demand is highest. Go to www.everykilowattcounts.com for more details.

The Bottle's Lament

2008-05-26T06:29:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, April 26th, a wonderful era ended on Prince Edward Island. With the simple zip of a pop can, Environment Minister George Webster put an end to the province’s 24-year ban on non-refillable pop containers. P.E.I. had the distinction of being the only jurisdiction in all of North America where pop and beer could only be sold in refillable bottles. A similar ban on non-refillable beer bottles had been in place since 1973.

The lifting of the "can ban" marks a complete about-face for P.E.I., which was once touted as Canada's greenest province. As recently as 2003, former Premier Pat Binns defended the ban explaining that glass was better for the environment.

"A pop bottle is refilled on average 17 times," said Binns. "You can imagine the energy that saves compared to filling a can in Montreal, driving it all the way to P.E.I., putting it through recycling and back into the mainstream again. Environmentally, glass is much better product than a can that's been used once."

It's also much more expensive for soft drink manufacturers to collect and refill pop bottles that it is to use cans. Cans, on the other hand, are much lighter and more durable that glass containers, which means lower fuel costs and less breakage.

Ironically, in taking a stand against the mighty soft drink industry, the PEI ban was the impetus for the industry's decision to fund Ontario’s blue box program. If tiny little P.E.I., with a population less than the City of Oshawa, could put a dent in the industry's profit margin, other jurisdictions might soon follow. The industry moved quickly to create Ontario Multi-Materials Recycling Inc.(OMMRI) and forged a partnership with Ontario municipalities to share the costs of establishing the province's curbside recycling program. Over the next four years, the soft drink industry contributed over $20 million to the program and successfully removed any threat that Ontario might follow P.E.I.'s lead.

As the curbside program expanded, so did the industry's financial support. From 1990 to 1995, OMMRI members contributed an additional $45 million to expand the blue box to over 94 percent of all households in Ontario. Somewhere along the line the province's requirement that one third of all pop be sold in refillable containers conveniently disappeared.

With the threat of refillables removed from the equation, OMMRI shifted from being an industry funding organization to an advisory role. Working with municipalities, OMMRI and its successor organizations OMMRI II and CSR (Corporations in Support of Recycling), identified ways to make the program more cost effective.

The question, of course, is more cost effective for whom? Silica, the raw ingredient in glass, is one of the most plentiful and readily available substances on Earth. Aluminum, on the other hand, is a very expensive metal that is extracted from bauxite at enormous environmental cost.

"It's a sad day, not only for the environment in P.E.I., but for the environment in those far-away countries where aluminum is mined under extremely exploitive conditions," said Sharon Labchuk, leader of P.E.I.'s Green Party. "This is a huge step backwards for the environment and social justice."

It's a huge step back for P.E.I., too. In 1989, when my family took its first trip down to the island, I proudly took a case of pop along with us for the ride to reduce the amount of garbage we would generate on our two-day journey. Once in P.E.I., I asked a local resident where I could recycle my cans.

"We don't recycle cans in P.E.I.", was the reply. I was about to arrogantly enlighten him on the values of Ontario's blue box program when he continued, "We have two main industries in P.E.I. - farming and tourism - we don't need a bunch of garbage littering up our fair countryside or trucks from the mainland polluting our roads. Refilling bottles locally is much better for the environment and our economy."

And it's much more effective. Despite the success of Ontario's blue box program, it's been estimated that 500 million cans a year still aren’t recycled.

In lifting the ban, P.E.I. has lost more than its unique deposit-return system. By bowing to public pressure, it has put convenience over environmental stewardship, and in doing so has extinguished a brilliant example of hope.

RELATED WEBSITE

Okay, there is one more out there. With a system-wide recovery rate of 99 percent, The Beer Store has diverted 70 billion beer bottles from Ontario landfills by reusing the bottles 12 to 15 times on average.

Brave New World

2008-05-12T23:32:00.001-04:00

On April 22nd - Earth Day - the McGuinty government made good on its promise to enact a provincial ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides. When Bill 64 is passed, Ontario will become the second province in Canada to have such sweeping legislation. Quebec has already taken this brave step forward.

Learning from the lessons already learned in Quebec, the Ontario Bill has vastly extended the list of targeted chemicals, making it one of the toughest pieces of legislation in North America. And unlike municipal by-laws, which can only limit the use of pesticides, Bill 64 will also restrict their sale. The move will replace a variety of by-laws already in communities across Ontario where the cosmetic use of pesticides is banned.

The government intends to move quickly on the Bill, and the ban will likely take effect as early as next spring.

Critics have already taken pains to point out the legislation doesn't go far enough because it exempts agriculture, forestry and golf courses. It's important to note that this was never the intent of the legislation. It targets cosmetic use only. It's expected that legislation will be forthcoming specific to golf courses.

Other applications, such as agricultural and pest management are already carefully controlled. Given the mounting pressure to minimize the public's exposure to these chemicals, these applications will also face increasing scrutiny and further controls.

This is a very big step for Ontario and one that should not go unrecognized. It is also a rare and encouraging example of a government that has actually listened to what its voters want. 44 percent of Ontarians currently live in communities that have enacted pesticide bans.

"Many municipalities have already shown leadership in banning or restricting cosmetic use pesticides. We're extending that protection to all families wherever they live," said Environment Minister John Gerretsen.

"Our generation is becoming more and more aware of the potential risks in our environment, not only to our health, but to our children’s health. That's why we're taking action on behalf of the next generation of Ontarians, and reducing their exposure to chemicals," said Premier McGuinty.

It's important that everyone who has fought so hard and so long for this major shift in public policy take a moment to let the government know that it's moving in the right direction. The Bill was posted on Ontario's Environmental Registry for a 30-day public comment period commencing on April 22nd. Anyone can - and should - take the time to make their voice heard on this very important piece of legislation.

*********************************

On a related note, public health and safety is the focus of Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada, which is being held May 4 to 10. As climate change continues to make extraordinary weather events the new normal, flooding, prolonged power outages as well as water and food shortages will also become the norm. Add to this list the potential for man-made environmental disasters such as nuclear accidents, chemical releases and acts of terrorism. Don’t forget to add health emergencies like infectious disease outbreaks that are also predicted to increase.

As one public official warned, "It's not a question of if, but when."

Emergency Preparedness Week encourages Canadians to be ready to cope on their own for at least 72 hours in the event of a disaster.

Everyone is encouraged to follow three simple steps:

* Find out what your risks are in the event of an emergency.
* Make a plan and review it with your family.
* Organize an emergency kit that will provide you with the basic necessities of life.

If all this seems like a daunting task, Public Safety Canada has a great Get Prepared website that can walk you through all three steps. It also offers a tremendous number of resources and guides - everything from "What to do" brochures to Natural Hazards poster map.

You should also take the time to investigate local emergency preparedness plans. All local governments are now required to have plans in place to assist residents at the community level. For more information, contact your local fire department.

RELATED WEBSITES

Go to the Environmental Registry and make your comments known on Bill 64. The EBR Registry Number for Bill 64 is 010-3348.

For more information about preparing for an emergency, or for a list of kit items, visit getprepared.ca or phone 1-800-O-CANADA.

Emergency Management Ontario’s new website was launched on May 2, 2008 just in time for Emergency Preparedness Week.

Banning the Bottle

2008-04-24T21:24:00.002-04:00

Last week, the Hon. Tony Clement, Minister of Health, and the Hon. John Baird, Minister of the Environment announced that the Government of Canada is taking action to protect the health of Canadians and the environment from another chemical of concern.

The target is bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disrupting chemical that has been associated with alterations in brain chemistry and structure, behaviour, the immune system and male and female reproductive systems. BPA is also suspected of promoting breast cancer.

Canada is the first country in the world to complete a risk assessment of BPA, a chemical used primarily in hard plastic beverage containers such as water and baby bottles. The federal government has chosen to focus on baby bottles because infants are at greatest potential risk from the chemical. A 60-day public comment period will determine whether the government should ban the importation, sale and advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles and infant formula cans which contain BPA.

At the press conference held to announce the government's action, the two ministers smiled happily as they handed out BPA-free bottles to young babies. In an interview following the conference, Health Minister Clement talked about our growing awareness of environmental hazards. He even shared his own memories of heating baby formula in BPA bottles for each of his three children.

There is something seriously wrong with all of this. First, as this country's federal health minister, the Hon. Mr. Clement should be well aware that handing out baby bottles is a serious violation of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The Code was developed and endorsed by the WHO in 1981, specifically to prevent the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, bottles, teats and other bottle-feeding paraphernalia. The reason for the ban, according to the WHO's own estimates, is that 1.5 million babies die every year simply because they are not breast fed.

Secondly, as our federal Health Minister, Mr. Clement should also know that since 2004, Health Canada has recommended exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Handing out bottles to five-month old babies is contrary to this recommendation.

Thirdly, under Article 4 of the International Code, governments have a responsibility to ensure that the public receives consistent information on the benefits of breastfeeding. Distributing baby bottles is counter-productive to the message that breast is best.

Fourthly, as our environment minister, Mr. Baird should be aware that the formula industry is responsible for tonnes of avoidable garbage - mountains of formula cans, disposable bottles and other related packaging.

It is unconscionable that our federal government has taken what should have been an excellent opportunity to protect infant health and promote environmental responsibility and turned it into a photo opportunity to promote the formula industry. According to Health Canada's own statement, the government will be working with industry to develop alternative food packaging.

This is outrageous. Why is the government spending our tax dollars to help support a multi-billion dollar industry that makes its profits from replacing nature's most perfect food for babies? More importantly, why isn't every Canadian banging on the door of his or her MP's office, demanding an answer to this question?

The infant feeding industry doesn't need our help. A number of water bottle manufacturers made the move away from BPA bottles last year, independent of any government financial assistance or 60-day grace period.

At the retail level, Mountain Equipment Co-op announced last December that it had pulled all BPA bottles off its store shelves and had replaced them with durable, non-breakable aluminum bottles. Prior to last week's announcement, many other retails chains had followed suit, including Canadian Tire, Hudson Bay Companies, The Forzani Group, Sears Canada and Home Depot.

We have the evidence. BPA should be banned and the formula industry should be forced, at its own expense, to come up with an environmentally safe alternative that meets independent standards. This is simply the cost of doing a very dirty business.

RELATED WEBSITES

For more on the dangers of formula feeding and benefits of breastfeeding, visit www.infactcanada.ca.

Health Canada’s recommendation regarding breastfeeding are posted at www.healthcanada.ca/nutrition

For more information about the government’s action on BPA, visit www.chemicalsubstanceschimiques.gc.ca or call 1-866-891-4542.

The report, Smart Plastics Guide – Healthier Food Uses of Plastics for Parents and Children is available from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

Make Every Day, Earth Day

2008-04-21T21:22:00.000-04:00

Long before Earth Hour managed to grab our attention for an entire 60 minutes, there was Earth Day. While it was originally created in 1970 as a university teach-in, the purpose of Earth Day has evolved over the past four decades. Unlike Earth Hour, which was focused on a single event, the goal is to make every day Earth Day.

After twenty years of trying to do just that, I can honestly say that this is a lot harder than it sounds. It's not that we don't have the right information. The problem is that we have so much information available from so many sources that it has become impossible to take it all in. So we skim the headlines and glean what we can from 60-second sound bites. And therein lies the problem. No one delivers those 60 seconds better than commercial advertisers.

Every time we turn on the television or radio or pick up a newspaper or magazine, we invite the big global marketing machine to invade our personal space and entice us to buy everything from bottled water (which has been parlayed into a $100 billion dollar a year industry) to the latest generation of electronic gadgets (which will be obsolete in six months).

Creating all these consumer goods uses massive amounts of raw materials and energy that's used to mine, produce and ship finished goods to the Big Box store nearest you. In addition, there are mountains of mine tailings, sludge and other wastes generated by the refining of raw materials for the manufacturing process. A study done by the U.S. EPA estimates that for every bag of garbage we put at the curbside, 72 bags of manufacturing wastes are generated. Add to this the gas that we dump in the family van or SUV to get to the store (and back again) and all the related plastics bags and packaging materials.

Curbing our consuming habits isn't just about reducing our staggering impact on the environment. Spending less can dramatically reduce our debt loads and our stress levels.

James Main, a regular reader of this column, has agreed to let me share some of his common sense ideas.

"Who says saving the earth and saving your pocketbook can't go hand-in-hand?" wrote James. "I've received a lot of flak from family and friends over the years about my frugal ways, but I am able to bask in the glory of having my mortgage paid-off."

James says that responsibility and restraint are the flipside of living in a prosperous society. Just because we can buy stuff, doesn't mean we should. The key is learning self-control and then teaching this lesson to our children.

Here are a few of James' suggestions (most of which he and his family have been doing for more than a decade):

* Get rid of your gas-guzzler in favour of a more efficient vehicle. Take public transit whenever possible and walk your kids to school.
* Forego the drive-thru and make your own coffee. Take a thermos to work and save even more.
* Don't buy bottled water.
* Slow down. Reducing your speed from 118 to 80 km/hour improves fuel efficiency by 30 percent. It's safer and you can actually enjoy the scenery.
* Regularly maintaining your vehicles improves fuel efficiency by 10 percent. Proper inflated tires can save another 4 percent.
* Wash in cold water and only wash full loads. Don't forget to use your clothesline.
* Install compact fluorescent bulbs wherever possible, and dimmer switches where you can’t. Use motion sensors in low-traffic areas and outdoors lights.
* Turn down the water heater and install low-flow showerheads and toilets.
* Learn to say no to your kids every time they want you to buy something.
* Get the marketing machine out of your living room. In James' case, he got rid of cable TV in 1999. At a rate of $100 a month, he estimates that he's saved over $10,000 in nine years.

As James explains, while he did most of these things because he is frugal by nature, there is definitely a win-win.

"Let's make frugality cool again. If not in the name of saving the environment, then in the name of avoiding excessive personal debt," wrote James. "Perhaps the green movement should frame their arguments in this context."

Thanks, James. Consider it framed.

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK

Earth Day Canada

The Story of Stuff looks at underside of our production and consumption patterns.

Read Elizabeth Farrelly’s brilliant essay, Fear of Not Having Had, in the March/April 2008 issue of Orion Magazine.

Let it all hang out!

2008-04-14T18:41:00.000-04:00

April 19th is National Hanging Out Day. Before you get too excited, it isn't a day set aside for running around in the buff. National Hanging Out Day was established to celebrate the virtues of the lowly clothesline.

With so many other big environmental issues to worry about, promoting clothesline use may seem a little trivial. The truth is that the demise of the clothesline is a symptom of a much larger ill. We are hooked on consumer products that supposedly make our lives simpler. Decades ago when energy was cheap and dryers were the hottest new convenience item everyone had to own one. Having an unsightly clothesline in your backyard became a bit of a social faux pas, much like having a TV antenna on your roof or a compost heap in your backyard. We were, after all, so much more modern than that!

What began as a status symbol quickly became the status quo. Builders started including "No clothesline" clauses in new subdivision contracts. This practice has become so widespread that most people believe that it's actually against the law to put up a clothesline. It is really important to understand that is not true.

So what makes having a clothesline so special? Here's the Top 10 Reasons, courtesy of Project Laundry List, (plus I've added a couple of my own for good measure.)

* Save energy. It's estimated that dryer use can make up to 10 percent of your electricity bill.

* Save money. You can save more than $100 a year on your electricity bill by using a clothesline.

* Reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing electricity consumption, particularly during peak periods, can have a dramatic impact on the amount of carbon dioxide, harmful smog-causing particulate and other nasty atmospheric pollutants that are released.

* Clothes and sheets smell so much better. Climbing into a bed made with fresh, line dried sheets is one of life's sweetest pleasures.

* Line drying clothes saves even more money by eliminating the need for expensive dryer sheets and fabric softeners. It's also worth noting that the perfumes, dyes and other chemicals used in these products increasingly cause allergic reactions in chemically sensitive individuals.

* Clothes last longer. All that bouncing around in the dryer actually breaks down fibers and causes clothes to wear much more quickly. Where did you think all that dryer lint was coming from?

* Forget about the 20-minute work out! Hanging clothes is a great way to get moderate exercise while enjoying the fresh air. One seriously obese Australian woman used hanging out clothes as an inspiration for a new lifestyle regime that ultimately led to her 67 kg. weight loss.

* Sunlight bleaches and disinfects clothing. Long before the advent of chemical bleaches, linens were routinely pegged out on hillsides known as bleaching fields.

* Drying clothes on indoor racks can help increase humidity during the dry winter months. Nobody is suggesting that you hang seriously wet clothes around your house, but hand washing fine knits and then drying them on indoor racks can help boost humidity while eliminating expensive dry cleaning bills.

* Reduce the risk of house fires. Failing to regularly clean out the link trap and dryer vent can be a major culprit in dryer fires. In the US alone, this translates into $ 100 million in damages annually.

* Reduce the need for air-conditioning in the summer. Running the clothes dryer on a hot summer day inside your house can dramatically increase your need for electricity, which in turn can increase smog.

* Save time. During the summer months clothes actually dry far faster on the clothesline than they do in the dryer, and they smell better, too.

* Dry year round. Contrary to popular belief, clothes will dry even on the coldest winter day, provided the sun is shining.

With all this going for it, the lowly clothesline is poised to make a serious comeback. To help this process along, the McGuinty government recently announced that it will be introducing Right to Dry legislation later this spring. If passed, the legislation will override any restrictive community regulations that ban the use of clotheslines. I'll dry to that!

RELATED WEBSITES

Project Laundry List aims to reduce our dependence on environmentally and culturally costly energy sources by making simple lifestyle changes like switching to air-drying clothes.

Check out the Clothesline Diet Club

Global Dimming

2008-04-05T10:42:00.000-04:00

Concern over global warming has literally reached a fever pitch. And while no one is denying that addressing this critical issue may very well be key to our planet's survival, it is not the only major problem that needs our immediate attention. Earth's biosphere is an interconnected system where everything influences everything else. By focusing so much attention on global warming we are ignoring other critical issues at our peril.

Consider the little known phenomenon called global dimming. Scientists first began documenting this anomaly more than a quarter of a century ago, but it has languished in obscurity until last year when the BBC science program Horizon featured a documentary on the subject.

The story, which has more twists and turns than a Dan Brown novel, began in Israel in the 1950s when British scientist Dr. Gerald Stanhill was developing an irrigation system. He carefully measured the amount of radiation that was reaching Israeli soil in order to calculate how much irrigation would be required. Some 20 years later, Dr. Stanhill repeated his measurements to make sure that his original calculations were still valid. He was astounded to discover that there had been a 22 percent drop in measurable solar radiation.

While Dr. Stanhill's subsequent report of his findings was almost totally ignored by the scientific community, it did capture the attention of German scientist Dr. Beate Liepert. Dr. Liepert studied journals and other data from 1950 to the early 1990s and concluded that the phenomenon of reduced radiation wasn’t limited to Israel. Dr. Liepert discovered that the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface during the study period had decreased 9 percent in Antarctica, 10 percent in the United States, 30 percent in Russia and16 percent in parts of Britain.

Once again, these findings were dismissed, largely because they contradicted the growing body of evidence about climate change. Logically, if less energy from the sun was reaching the Earth’s surface then the temperature should be getting cooler, not warmer.

Meanwhile in Australia, Dr. Michael Roderick and Dr. Graham Farquhar were gathering data about pan evaporation rates. For more than a hundred years outdoor evaporation rates have been measured for agricultural purposes. What the two scientists discovered was that despite the increase in global temperatures, pan evaporation rates have been declining since the1990s.

What their data led them to conclude was that contrary to popular scientific belief, the rate of evaporation is not determined by temperature, but rather by photons of sunlight knocking molecules of water out of the pan and into the atmosphere. Subsequent Russian research confirmed that the drop in the evaporation rate corresponded directly with the drop in solar radiation.

Using their collective data, Indian scientist Dr. V. Ramanathan conducted an atmospheric study over the Maldives Islands in the Indian Ocean. What he discovered was that the decline in solar radiation was caused by billions of tiny particles produced by the burning of fossil fuels. This particulate matter was turning the clouds into giant mirrors, reflecting the sunlight back into space. These same particles were also acting like giant umbrellas, shielding the Earth from the sun's heat.

Dr. Leon Rotstayn from the CSIRO Atmospheric Research Institute took the Maldives data and made an astounding conclusion. Exhaust pipes and power stations in Europe effectively caused the dimming that was ultimately responsible for altering the monsoons over Africa. This led to a 20-year famine in Ethiopia, claiming over one million lives and impacting 50 million more.

Even more shocking was his conclusion that the change to the African Monsoon was just a taste of things to come. The Asian Monsoon brings rainfall to 3.6 billion people, more than half the world’s population. Alterations to the Asian Monsoon could create a famine beyond our comprehension.

Until recently, global dimming, caused by airborne particulate, has actually protected us from the potential climate changing impacts of less toxic gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. While we have made significant strides in reducing deadly airborne emissions thanks to the widespread use of catalytic converters on cars and scrubbers and other pollution control devices on power plants, so-called greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

Here is the terrible Catch-22. Without the protection of global dimming, global temperatures could rise twice as quickly as currently predicted with catastrophic results.

If there is any good news is all of this, it is that the burning of fossil fuels is the root cause of both climate change and global dimming. This new evidence makes is even more critical to break our oil addiction and create a carbon-free energy economy before we catastrophically and irreversibly change our Earth.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK:

Take the time to watch the 40-minute 2007 Horizon documentary entitled, Global Dimming. It is available at video.google.com.

The Morning After

2008-04-01T18:17:00.000-04:00

After months of anticipation and preparation, Earth Hour has arrived on Saturday, March 29th. All told, millions individuals, businesses and cities around the globe turned off their lights for one hour.

What began in 2007, as Sydney, Australia's attempt to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions became a global phenomenon in 2008. Clearly it was an idea whose time has come.

While it's critical not to diminish how important it is that we finally recognized the need for action on climate change, there are a couple of nagging questions that need to be answered. Why this and why now? And then there's the much bigger question, what next? We've known for decades that we need to address the issue of climate change. For years we've attempted to reach some kind of global agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, whether through the Kyoto Protocol or some other regulatory framework. Most recently we've Gorified Big Al and given him two of mankind's greatest honors - the Nobel Peace Prize and an Academy Award - all for his efforts to educate us about the need for action on climate change.

Despite all this, it's pretty much been business as usual. It's much easier to give other people awards for doing the right thing than it is take responsibility for our own actions. As a result, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has continued to rise unabated because we continue to use energy like there is no tomorrow.

My self-titled grumpy husband Brian dubbed Earth Hour "Earth Day for ADHD sufferers". If Andy Warhol were alive today, no doubt he would have made some statement about our heroic efforts to extend our allotted fifteen minutes of fame to an entire hour in order to save the planet.

I'm a little more optimistic. I think Earth Hour captured our imaginations because it gave us a focal point. It's like making New Year's resolutions. We all know that we need to change, but sometimes we need a designated starting point - whether it is a specific date or even a specified hour. It gives us a fresh start and an opportunity to gather up the courage and the will power to actually make the changes necessary - whether it's a New Year's resolution to quit smoking, or an hour to think about how we use energy.

Which leads to the final question. Despite all the hoopla, the candlelit dinners and the gatherings around the fireplace with family and friends, the only thing that really matters is what happens after Earth Hour. I think that's the point Brian's trying to make.

It isn't going to be easy. We are all energy addicts. In the absence of a neighborhood chapter of EAA (Energy Addicts Anonymous), or any enforceable legislation or agreements to make us reduce our energy consumption, we need to come up with a concrete plan to fundamentally change how we live our lives.

For starters, let's embrace the obvious. Turn off lights - not just for an hour, but whenever they are not essential. I recently spent an overnight in downtown Toronto and was shocked by the number office buildings that left their lights on throughout the night. Most notably, the Scotia Bank Tower had every floor fully lit. Last weekend my family was again driving through Toronto on Saturday evening, this time on the 401. The Ontario Ministry of Health building (located near Weston Road) had every single light switched on. I have never seen a building so completely illuminated. It's had to believe that this is the same government that's championing energy conservation.

Secondly, like other addicts, get help. If you can't figure out how to cut your energy consumption, find someone who can. Have an energy audit done on your home and your business. Once you've established a baseline, set targets and stick to them.

Thirdly, think outside the box. One of the reasons that Earth Hour so successfully captured everyone's imagination is that turning off lights at night produces an immediate visual result. Unfortunately, lighting only accounts for about a quarter of our energy consumption. Close to two-thirds of the energy used within the municipal infrastructure is actually used to pump water. Replacing your toilets, showerheads and faucets with water efficient models has the potential for greater savings than changing light bulbs, particularly when you factor in the energy that’s needed to heat water. And that's just for starters.

RELATED WEBSITES

Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency

Ontario’s Energy Conservation Bureau

Water Slide

2008-04-01T18:03:00.000-04:00

Easter weekend was marked by several global events. It began with the first day of spring on March 20th, followed by Good Friday, World Water Day on Saturday and finally Easter Sunday. This culmination of religious, political and astronomical events provides a tremendous opportunity to reflect on the environmental, historical and religious significance of water.

The story of water is the story of life itself. It is also a unique story. In the known universe, the Earth is the only planet that we know for sure is blessed with water. Seen from the velvet blackness of space, our home planet looks like a blue jewel and perhaps should have more appropriately been named Water.

We know that we have the same amount of water now on Earth as we did at the time of creation. We don't have a cosmic store that we can run out and get more from. It is a finite resource. Water is an essential element of life. A healthy human can live for a month without food, but will die in less than a week without water. We live by the grace of water. Only the air that we breathe is more critical to our survival.

So let's begin at the beginning. The biblical story of Adam and Eve tells of our fall from grace. In our quest for knowledge we were banished from an earthly paradise. While there has been much debate about the truth of this story, I believe it to be a parable - perhaps the most important parable in the Bible. Genesis tells us that God gave us dominion over all other living creatures. With that dominion came a responsibility to care and nurture God's creation. Unfortunately, as the centuries have proven, we haven’t made very good stewards.

In his book, A Short History of Everything, scholar Ronald Wright explains that if the Garden of Eden had an address, it was likely the tiny settlement of Jericho near the Dead Sea. By 6000 BC there is evidence this settlement was abandoned because of widespread deforestation and erosion caused by human activity.

Wright continues to map the migration of our ancestors to the great flood plains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers - an area known as Mesopotamia. What's ironic is that this fertile delta was comprised of the soils that had been washed away by erosion out of Eden. These recycled soils from Eden were Nature's way of giving our ancestors a second chance. But unfortunately they didn't fare much better there.

Swamps were drained, floods controlled and civilized man began his agricultural pursuits in earnest. By 2000 BC, the scribes of the day were reporting that the earth was turning white with salt. The problem was the very thing that made the land fertile in the first place - irrigation. In the natural cycle, water rinses salt from rocks and carries it out to sea. When water is diverted for irrigation, particularly on to very dry land, a lot of the water evaporates leaving the salt behind.

As the lands of Mesopotamia grew more and more saline, empires moved further and further upstream, each one falling to the same fate. Today many of those lands are encompassed by modern Iraq - a country where half of the irrigated land is saline - the highest proportion in the world.

And so it has continued for thousands of years. Despite centuries of evidence that it really isn't sustainable, today a whopping 65 percent of our water is used for irrigation. The United Nations estimates that it takes about 3,000 litres of water to produce our daily food ration, about 1,000 times more than we need for drinking.

This goes way beyond unsustainable agricultural practices. It is estimated that in North America the combined use of water translates into 4,900 litres of water per person, while in other parts of the world the UN reports that 1.1 billion people lack adequate access to clean drinking water. An additional 3 billion people don't have enough water for basic sanitation, cooking and washing.

RELATED WEBSITES

The UN estimates that by 2025 as much as two-thirds of the world's population will be living in conditions of serious water shortage. To find out more about the UN's Water for Life Decade (2005 – 2015), and World Water Day, www.worldwaterday.org.

Ronald Wright's book, A Short History of Everything, began as a CBC Massey Lecture. To listen to the original lecture, or for more on his published work, search www.cbc.ca.

Climate Changes

2008-03-13T11:51:00.000-04:00

They're still out there. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, the climate change naysayers believe that all of the concern about rising carbon dioxide levels is just atmospheric gassing off. They are convinced that the call to drastically reduce our energy consumption is being fueled by those crazy environmentalists who need to get real jobs. To prove their point, these same naysayers are pointing to what is dangerously close to being the worst winter on record in Ontario as proof that the good old days of the hardy Canadian winter are back. Right?

Wrong. A recently released study commissioned by Natural Resources Canada says that these kinds of climate extremes are a clear indicator that the impacts of climate change are already being felt. The 500 page report, which was produced by 145 of Canada's leading scientists, confirms that bizarre winter weather is just one of the impacts that Canadians will have to get used to. Continuing water shortage in the prairie provinces will increasingly put Canada's breadbasket in drought conditions. Severe storms will increasingly become the norm, while summer smog conditions will put further demands on our already stressed health care system.

One of the study's lead authors is Norm Catto, a geographer at St. John's Memorial University. His concern is that the intensity of weather events is increasing. For example, Hurricane Juan devastated Atlantic Canada in 2003. If the storm surge had coincided with high tide, water levels could have been up to a half a metre higher.

The damaging effects won't be limited to coastal areas, either. Thanks to more intense rainfalls, cities could routinely face the kind of flooding that caused billions of dollars in damage in Peterborough and Toronto in 2005.

While the government report was not publicly available as of this writing, another report released last Friday. Tomorrow Today: How Canada can make a world of difference, combines the considerable expertise of Canada's leading environmental groups and conservation agencies. The list of contributors includes Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecojustice, Environmental Defence, Equiterre, Greenpeace Canada, Nature Canada, Pembina Institute, Pollution Probe, Sierra Club of Canada and WWF Canada.

The Tomorrow Today report calls for an immediate recommittment to the Kyoto Protocol and a policy change that would put a price tag on greenhouse gas emissions that would start at $30 per tonne of CO2 in 2009, then increase to $75 by 2020.

"Canada is at a critical turning point. If we further destabilize our climate, release toxics into our air or water, destroy critical habitat for species and continue to over-exploit our oceans, we are going to pay a big price," said Peter Robinson of the David Suzuki Foundation. "That's why we need to take action today - not tomorrow - while we still have a chance to preserve clean water, wild habitat and to prevent the worst impacts of climate change."

"Action today is going to be much more valuable than action tomorrow, especially on issues like protecting intact wilderness, including the Fort Knox of carbon storage - our intact boreal forest," points out Anne Levesque, Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

The Tomorrow Today roadmap sets out five principles that should shape all federal laws and policies, including precaution, polluter pays, protecting future opportunities, accountability, and good global citizenship.

The report concludes that as one of the world's most prosperous nations, Canada has a moral and economic responsibility to take actions that will provide sustainable solutions for everyone. For the naysayers who stand firm in their commitment that action on climate change will hurt us economically, Tomorrow Today’s roadmap makes it clear that Canada is well positioned to make the transition to a more sustainable economy.

"We have the resources and ingenuity to help citizens and businesses through this transition," states the report's conclusion, "and we have citizens and leaders with the foresight to see how much this country could lose if we continue with business as usual."

RELATED WEBSITES

The report, Tomorrow Today: How Canada can make a world of difference, is available online at http://tomorrowtodaycanada.ca

The Alliance for Resilient Cities, a project of the Clean Air Partnership, is a collaborative network designed to support local governments to identify the impacts of climate change and identify pro-active strategies to protect their communities.

Your Earth by Suzanne Elston

The Last Post

The End

Climate Refugees

Morning Glory

Giant Invader

Firestorm

Boldy Go!

Brave New World

Stargazing

Trash Talk

O Canada!

Candle Night

Transcendence

Open the Window on Energy $avings

It's in the Bag

In Praise of Trees

It's Energy Conservation Week in Ontario!

Be Prepared

Cancer Prevention: It’s about time

Ontario’s Pesticide Ban Takes Effect

Take a Break this Earth Day!

Home Accessible Home

Ontario launches Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) program

Thirty Years After

Candle Power

Deferred Accountability

Nature's Children

Earth Hour

Blue Box Blues

Celebrate the Home Hearth

Do What You Can

The Ribbon is Passed

Winter Driving

Top Environmental Stories of 2008

Janus

The Good, The Bad, and the SAD

Christmas Miracle

Toronto's Bag and Bottle Ban

Great Green Gifts

Advent Sharing Calendar

The Once and Future Kennedy

A Better Place

Shop for a Cause

One Million Acts of Green

Home Heat Home

Waste Not

Thanks Giving

The Big Move

Greenhouse

World Carfree Day

Broken

The world without us

A rose by another other scent

Sky Farming

Hypermiling

Energy Innovation

10 Things you can like about rising gas prices

Magic and The Monkee

Journey to Utopia

Edible Estates

De-Construct Earth

Wisdom

Catch the Fever

Summertime, and the breathin' ain't easy...

Bobby's Legacy

E-bike, or bust!

People Gotta Move

Energy Conservation Week in Ontario

The Bottle's Lament

Brave New World

Banning the Bottle

Make Every Day, Earth Day

Let it all hang out!

Global Dimming

The Morning After

Water Slide

Climate Changes