Friday, August 29, 2008
13,000 kilometres to go for eco-marathoners!
By WorkCabin.ca Staff
Most of us would never dream of -- let alone be capable -- of running a marathon. Imagine running a marathon a day for a year across cities and towns in Canada and the United States. That's exactly what two Canadians are doing to raise awareness about climate change.
Actor Matt Hill, a seven-time Ironman competitor, and national speaker Stephanie Tait have run 5,000 kilometres in their odyssey, and they still have another 13,000 kilometres to go. They're running to raise $1 million seed money for a foundation that will launch Run For One Planet (www.runforoneplanet.com) marathons across North America. But their run is about even more. They're aiming to inspire one million people to commit to environmental actions that help our planet.
"One of the most amazing parts of this journey is meeting truly exceptional human beings who welcome us into their towns, business, homes, and hearts, eager to support us in all we seek to do out here," writes Stephanie on her blog.
Aside from Tait missing a couple of days of running due to tendinitis in western Canada, the pair have met their mission of daily marathons. While Tait was recuperating from her brief injury, Hill ran double duty. It was the legacy left by Terry Fox that kept Hill running strong, despite the aches and pains in his legs and feet.
"(Terry) had to overcome 10 times what I was feeling on my last pull," writes Hill. "Every single step he took must have hurt like hell and still, he moved forward. He changed my life as a 10-year-old cheering him on and inspired me to follow my own personal run journey because of his unwillingness to quit. This one is for Terry. I’ll complete today, tomorrow and every single day until I finish next year back in Vancouver. You showed us all what it takes to get it done. I’m proud to be a Canadian from B.C. who calls Vancouver home."
So far Hill and Tait have raised $44,000 and 1,100 actions for Earth have been registered. Actions include eating organic foods, compost, use green cleaners, don't leave your car idling, harvest rainwater, eliminate plastic bags, and other earth-friendly initiatives.
The next stops for Hill and Tait include New Brunswick (Sept. 6), Prince Edward Island (Sept. 20-21) Newfoundland (Oct. 1-2) and Nova Scotia (Sept. 22-28 and Oct. 5-13). After that, they leave Canadian soil and enter the United States for the final leg on their way back to British Columbia.
WorkCabin.ca is Canada’s premiere green home for green jobs
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Newsletter: Good news from Alternative Channel Online Community!
 | | Our perceptual filters shape the world!
David Suzuki and Faisal Moola explain how our values sometimes affect our ability to see things: Even though we detect our surroundings in the same way through eyes, ears, nose, skin, and tongue, our brains actively filter that incoming information so that it “makes sense” according to our individual values and beliefs. This creates huge dissonance between fossil-fuel executives, environmentalists, and politicians when we discuss an issue like climate change...To read more or comment on this article, click here. |
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Our perceptual filters shape the world!
By David Suzuki and Faisal Moola
If presented with the autopsied brains of a diverse array of people, no expert would be able to distinguish from the brains’ anatomy or neurocircuitry the gender, religion, or socio-economic class of the cadavers. Because we are members of one species, our brains, neurons, and sensory organs are similar in structure and chemistry. But if you were to ask both men and women about love and family, Israelis and Palestinians about Gaza, Catholics and Protestants in Belfast about British occupation, Republicans and Democrats about Karl Rove, and Shia, Sunni, and Kurds about U.S. troops, you’d think the respondents came from different planets.
What this demonstrates is that we learn to see the world through perceptual lenses formed by heredity, upbringing, personal experiences, religion, socio-economic differences, and so on. Even though we detect our surroundings in the same way through eyes, ears, nose, skin, and tongue, our brains actively filter that incoming information so that it “makes sense” according to our individual values and beliefs. This creates huge dissonance between fossil-fuel executives, environmentalists, and politicians when we discuss an issue like climate change.
I was reminded of how acutely our values affect our ability to see things when I accompanied ethnobotanist Wade Davis to a remote village at the foot of a large mountain in Peru. Wade told me that the villagers regard that mountain as an “Apu” or god and believe that as long as it casts its shadow on the community, it will shape their lives.
«Compare the way a child in this village treats that mountain with a Canadian kid in the Rockies who is taught a mountain is full of gold and other valuable minerals» Wade said. The way we perceive the world shapes the way we treat it.
I have thought of Wade’s story often. How differently we would behave if we thought of a forest as a sacred grove instead of timber and pulp, of a river as the veins of the land rather than a source of irrigation or power, of soil as a complex community of organisms and not dirt, of other species as our evolutionary kin rather than resources, of our house as our home instead of property.
Most of our battles over environmental issues revolve around the differences in how we perceive and define the problem. While filming a special program on forestry for The Nature of Things in the 1990s, we arranged to interview loggers working in a cut block near Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. When we arrived and set up the camera, the loggers came out of the forest and began to cuss me out as an environmentalist who was threatening their jobs.
The confrontation made for good television, but I was frustrated at our inability to find common ground. Finally I told them, “I worked as a carpenter for eight years, and to this day, I love working with wood. No environmentalist I know is against logging. We just want to be sure that your children and grandchildren will be able to log forests as rich as the ones you’re working in now.”
Immediately, one of the men replied that he’d never let his kids to go into logging. “There won’t be any trees left!” he said. And there it was. Those men knew that they were cutting the trees down in a way that ensured there would be no harvestable timber for future generations of loggers, but they saw the trees as the way to put food on the table day after day and make the house and car payments at the end of the month.
How can we resolve such differences in perspective? I don’t know, but I am sure that the challenge has to do with what’s locked inside our skulls. I have spent more than 40 years trying to use the electronic media to inform and educate, but I continue to be flabbergasted by the strength of those perceptual filters.
We have to find ways of overcoming those blocks so that we can begin to agree on some basic principles. We are not outside or on top of the web of living things; we are deeply embedded in and utterly dependent on it for our survival and well-being. Without that understanding, we will continue on our destructive rampage.
Take David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge and learn more at
davidsuzuki.org.
An expedition to the local food market can be an enjoyable experience. Support your local producers!
By Our Contributor Aimée Lutkin
Recently I checked out the New Amsterdam Market on a sunny day that quickly gave into monsoon weather. The market is full of locally grown food and the people who process it and sell it. Their goal is to eventually move the market into the Tin Building and the New Market Building, previous home of the Fulton Fish Market. Right now they're under the FDR drive.
Writing that made me think of another market I used to visit when I was living in Paris that set itself up under the Metro. Walking through it sometimes felt like you could pick your feet up off the ground and be carried onward by the swell of people. The food was very very cheap and I have no idea where it came from. The placement of the New Amsterdam Market is only similar in that it's under a large bridge-like structure meant for transport. It's also a stone's throw from the South Street Sea Port which means lots of tourists which is great for sales (sometimes-tourists probably aren't so interested in fresh veggies and meat they can't cook) but maybe not the place to attract real New Yorkers in a residential neighborhood. On Sundays in Paris everybody and their Maman was at that market. Here, there was a crowd but I wondered who was representin'.
First of all it was blazing hot. So I went over to the People's Popsicle where I was 'greeted' by an array of beautiful fresh-faced young lads and lasses with charming British accents who seemed to be selling popsicles pretty much on a lark. All four of them served every customer, taking out the individually frozen pop, dipping it's plastic case into a mason jar of warmish water, then working it in their hand until it could be eased out of its molding. I asked if this was their first time ever selling popsicles and they admitted that yes, this was the dry run-through.
An hour later when I got my Blue Velvet pop (blueberries, yogurt and honey) I hoped it would be worth the wait and $4. I know, $4. Kind of outrageous but I would never have described a popsicle as filling before. Seriously, it was practically a meal.
Refreshed, I continued on and got a big score-the last head of purple cauliflower!
If you eat something purple made of synthetic chemicals it's probably bad for you. But any opportunity to eat colorful vegetables should be taken. It pleases the eye and the body!
I also bought some fancy Gruyere cheese which was actually, it turned out, from Pennsylvania, being distributed by White Dog Community Enterprises which is a non-profit that tries to help farmers hook up with local wholesalers. Had I read the fine print I may have on principal tried to find the New York State equivalent but the cheese lady had already started hacking away and seemed a bit flustered. I didn't want her to stab me and ruin all her lovely cheese with blood. Anyway, I spend a fair amount of time in the Poconos. Pennsylvania cannot support its economy with scented candles alone! (The candle store in our hamlet burned down)
It would have been pretty easy to fill up for free, since as one excited shopper exclaimed when I asked if she knew of an ATM around, "Free samples! FREE SAMPLES!". Yes, lots of those, cheese and bread in particular. The bread isles were a little lonely looking, with the heat and colorful competition all around no one wanted a slice. Atkins, what hast thou wrought??
But speaking of eating for free one of the most popular stands was Wild Foods, headed by Nova Kim and Les Hook, two foragers from Vermont. They go into the forest and come out both full and not horribly dead. Verrrry curious, I bobbed along the perimeter of the crowd to see what they might have-air? Grubs? Actually, lots of little bags fulled of funny roots and furry leaves with photocopied recipes stapled to them. They also had several photocopied DIY books with all the ways you can eat from the side of a road and not kill yourself. There were even little laminated spore grids that look like Sudoku puzzles that you somehow use to not eat poison mushrooms...I don't know, I'm not a doctor.
Anyway as soon as I picked one up Nova Kim herself leaped on me. She and her fam live off the grid which I would guess gets lonely. She told me several interesting facts:
There are about 2,600 identified mushrooms in the U.S. and only 13 or 14 will kill you or make you wish you was dead. I like those odds!
If you eat a poison mushroom, consider yourself lucky it's not Hemlock. Hemlock runs through your circulatory system, so as you struggle to walk for first aid you're basically helping it kill you, whereas with a mushroom you'll make it to a hospital most of the time.
Hemlock and Wild Chervil, an edible plant, look much alike.
She and few others are trying to set up a Wild Food Gatherers Guild and get more and more people gathering food and certified to teach what's edible and what definitely isn't. Talk about taking personal responsibility for what you eat- according to Nova the most important thing is knowing your own environment and trusting your own expertise. Um, I know what crab grass looks like...
Here's a place to learn about that (it's pretty much as cool as martial arts):
Wildgourmetfood.com.
And I must say a much nicer looking website than I would have ever anticipated.
So eventually I came home and made a great meal of steamed cauliflower with pecans, honey, garlic, and grated Gruyere. Jealous?
You're jealous!
For more info on the New Amsterdam Market go to:
newamsterdammarket.org.
One of Canada’s greatest reforestation projects rooted in rural Ontario town
By WorkCabin.ca Staff
ST. WILLIAMS, ON -- It’s one of the greatest stories in Canadian reforestation history. A small rural region in southern Ontario, practically deforested by early pioneers, is now one of the province's natural jewels.
One hundred years after it was built in 1908, the impact of the St. Williams Forestry Station, Canada's first tree nursery, is clear to see.
When you arrive at the forestry station just north of the Lake Erie shoreline, giant pines and Carolinian tree species dominate the forests. It's a scene that immediately leaves one in awe. Forests of this kind are almost non-existent in southern Ontario, where population growth and subdivisions are wiping out many natural areas. But Norfolk County and St. Williams aren't like other areas. Despite being less than two hours from Toronto, the area has become a model for restoring forests previously lost to human destruction.
If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the rare Acadian flycatcher, hooded warbler, eastern hognosed snake or black rat snake.
It’s a vastly different from more than 150 years ago when parts of Norfolk County, including St. Williams, were transformed into a virtual sandplain desert. Beginning in the late 18th century newly arrived pioneers clear-cut the land for settlements and the lumber industry. Images from the era show such severe erosion that mammoth roots appear completely exposed, resting directly on top of the sand.
Realizing the blight created on the landscape by clear-cutting, wind erosion and drought, the provincial government opened the forestry station in 1908 in St. Williams. The goal was for the station to help reforest vast tracts of southern Ontario. In its first season, more than 300,000 seedlings were planted in St. Williams.
In Norfolk County, designated as the Forestry Capital of Canada, the transformation has been dramatic. The region now boasts about 30 per cent forest cover making it the largest forested region in southern Ontario. What’s even more important is the region is home to Canada’s largest remaining tract of Carolinian forest, a unique ecosystem that thrives because of a warmer climate. Some tree species such as magnolia and sassafrass, more common in North and South Carolina, thrive in this Ontario zone. Today, more than 40 per cent of Canada’s endangered and threatened species live in the Carolinian zone. The forest is now one of the country’s most threatened habitats.
Today the forestry station is no longer a provincially-run operation. It was privatized in 1998 and is now owned by ForestCare. The station remains one of North America's largest producers of tree seedlings, growing more than 25 million annually. The station is also now home to an interpretative centre featuring historical displays and artifacts detailing the history of reforesting the region, as well as nature trails through original tree plantations. The site is also part of the newly created St. Williams Conservation Reserve, a protected area encompassing 1,000 hectares.
In St. Williams, the landscape today shows that damage caused by humans can be corrected. In this case, it took almost 100 years. Perhaps nowhere else in Canada is a there a similar success story.
It's here, in this little village, only hours from sprawling major cities where woodlots disappear everyday, that big lessons can be learned about restoring habitat.
WorkCabin.ca is Canada’s premiere home for conservation jobs.
New science looks at big picture for the future!
By David Suzuki and Faisal Moola
If we want to protect an endangered animal such as the woodland caribou, we have to do more than just study the animal in isolation. We must understand how it interacts with its total environment, including its habitat and other animals, as well as humans. We must then try to determine the best possible conditions for it to live in healthy numbers and study the threats that could undermine its persistence. It’s no different with humans, except that the problems we have created for ourselves – on a global scale – are even more complex.
Sometimes it seems that science is inadequate to address the myriad problems of pollution, global warming, population growth, biodiversity loss, changing ocean conditions, and so on.
Scientists don’t always take a big-picture approach. Applied science, for example, is often focused on knowledge for a specific need or to solve a practical problem, such as the invention of a new technology. The science may delve into the mechanics of the technology with little regard for its social implications. Basic or “pure” science, on the other hand, is aimed at gaining an understanding of a phenomenon or process, sometimes without considering its practical application. While both areas are valuable to society, neither alone attempts to tackle that greatest of human experiments in its entirety: our own survival!
A branch of science that has emerged over the past two decades is attempting to encompass both fundamental understanding and practical applications with a fascinating goal: to learn the degree to which humans are living in harmony with their environment and how they can continue to do so over the long term. Unlike many specialized scientific fields that might interest only a few people, this one ought to interest everyone!
Industrial society has had an enormous impact on natural ecosystems, to the point that very little of nature remains untrammeled by the human footprint. Sustainability science helps identify potential “planetary boundaries” such as the world’s available “biocapacity” compared with humanity’s collective “ecological footprint”. In short, it helps us better understand the complex challenges we face.
The terms sustainability and sustainable development get tossed around a lot, and it’s often difficult to know exactly what they mean. The most commonly cited definition is from the UN World Commission on Environment and Development, which defines sustainable development as ‘‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’’
Part of the difficulty is that some environmental problems are so complex and much of the science to date has addressed only fragments – dealing with one problem at a time. But the problems and their solutions are interrelated and must be looked at from a larger perspective. This is the realm of sustainability science.
As with our caribou scenario, we must first look at the scientific conditions necessary for sustainability and then look “back” to the present day, studying options for getting there. In some ways, this is opposite to the kind of forecasting that is often used in science. The U.S. National Research Council characterizes the study as a way to improve our capacity to live on the earth in a way that will “meet the needs of a much larger but stabilizing human population, … sustain the life support systems of the planet, and … substantially reduce hunger and poverty.”
That’s a pretty tall order. As the National Academy of Sciences points out, some issues to be resolved include improving access to clean water, developing cleaner energy and manufacturing systems, reducing the impact of pollution on human health, enhancing agricultural production and food security, creating more livable urban environments, and reducing poverty.
This branch of science is gaining respect in academic circles worldwide, but it’s such an important field that it should be part of science programs in all schools. In a world that is expected to reach a population of 10 billion, it’s important for science to consider how we are to survive and live in harmony with the natural systems that we are a part of and therefore depend upon. It’s a huge task that requires a broad vision. As more people – not just scientists – begin to understand the science and the complexity of the problems, and to design lasting solutions, we will start to see a brighter, more sustainable future.
Take David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge and learn more at
davidsuzuki.org.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Alternative Channel Online Community Goes Live!
By Chris Advansun
The team here at Alternative Channel has some exciting news to share. After months of development, we have launched
"AC Community," our new social networking website.
Since its launch in November 2007,
AlternativeChannel.tv has experienced a fantastic reception among non-profit organizations and passionate individuals worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have visited the site to view thousands of premium videos uploaded by a growing community of more than 400 civil society organizations.
AC Community is our effort to build on that success, and continue to offer a suite of online tools, resources and platforms devoted to environmental sustainability.
Before you
click through to visit the new online community, let's check out some highlights of the new site, shall we?
Use Your Alternative Channel ID
For users with existing accounts on AlternativeChannel.tv, simply click
here, then click on the "Register" button at the top right of the homepage. Take a few moments to create your personal profile and you'll be up and running in a matter of seconds.
For users coming from Rethos.com, we've not only created an AC Community profile for you using your Rethos username and password, but we've also imported your contacts and blog postings from Rethos to your new profile. To activate this new AC Community account, click
here, then click on the "Login Now" button at the top right of the homepage. When logging-in,
note that your AC Community username is the last part of your Rethos.com profile URL, not the email address you used as a username when logging-into your Rethos profile. For example, my Rethos profile was located at http://www.rethos.com/advansun (the final part of which is my last name), so my AC Community username is "advansun." Once you've logged-in, please browse around your profile to ensure that your blog postings are in good order.
Image of AC Community's homepage
Make Connections
AC Community has some fantastic features that allow you to forge connections with people who share your passions. To search for people with whom you may have common interests, use the site's search tool to search out a keyword, such as "renewable energy," or "recycling." This will generate a list of those who've tagged their profile with that subject. You can also click on any link in the "Browse Tags" box at the left of your profile page.
Groups are another powerful feature on
AC Community. To create a group, click on the "Groups" button at the right of the menu bar inside your profile. This will take you to a quite user-friendly groups interface. To browse and join existing groups, click on any tag inside the "Browse Groups" box on the right hand column of the page. To create your own group, click on the "Create Group" button at the center of the page, and follow the few quick steps that follow. You'll have your group up and running in no time.
Image of a friends list on the new AC Community
Broadcast Your Message
We've received many requests from users who love the video publishing capabilities on AlternativeChannel.tv, but wanted to have tools to create and share their written blog postings.
AC Community is your personal blogging platform. To explore the blogging features at your fingertips, click on the "Home" button on the menu bar inside your profile. The first tab selected will be the "All Posts" section, which consists of stories published by all members of AC Community. For your personal blog, click on the "Blog" button on the same menu bar. This will take you to an extremely clean blogging interface. Using it will be self-explanatory for you (see image below).
To give you a sense of some of the discussions going on inside
AC Community, check out some of the latest blog postings:
10 reasons how the 1970s planted the seeds of green living!
Follow the last few days of Students On Ice in the Arctic!
Can well-being be measured?
Image of the very user-friendly blog upload interface on the new AC Community
So there you have it. Welcome to
AC Community. If you have any questions, requests or technical issues as you create your profile and explore the site's features, feel free to
contact us. We are always happy to hear from you.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Back To The Basics!
By Alternative Channel’s Youth Contributor Cody Larocque
Humans have three basic needs: food, shelter and clothing. Once these needs are met a person begins to flourish. Sadly, nowadays, shelter, our second greatest need, is becoming a valuable commodity. Housing is expensive both financially and environmentally as lumber and metal are de rigor in modern housing projects. We all know that these resources won’t last forever, but not many of us seek out alternatives to those classic building materials. Today, with a larger global population along with dwindling forests and mines, a 5000 year old approach to home construction is taking off again. Exit cheap and fast modern housing materials, rammed earth buildings may be the solution to the world’s housing dilemma, as it has been reincarnated in a new and modern way.
Dating back to China’s Longshan culture, which resided along the yellow river five thousand years ago, rammed earth buildings are made up of the Earth’s most sustainable resource…earth. Mixed with sand, clay, gravel and, nowadays, concrete for extra strength, rammed earth buildings are constructed by erecting a wooden frame into which the mix is placed, and then compressed to at least half its height by a hand or pneumatic tamper. The walls being compressed from the above force and the side pressure from the frames becomes as solid as rock and are able to bear heavy loads. Rains a lot in your neighbourhood? That’s not a problem; in wetter climates a sealant is applied to protect the walls from water damage and the elements.
So, how «green» are those brown houses, anyway? Earth is always readily available, so transportation fees or waste generated from construction are minimal, while wooden or metal frames used in the construction process can be reused or recycled, dropping dramatically the impact on these resources as well. And don’t worry about agriculture as these buildings use subsoil in there construction, which leaves behind the nutrient rich topsoil for agricultural use. All good reasons to love those eco-friendly houses. Right?
But here is one asset of this style of building that is as good for Mother Earth as it is for your wallet: its extremely high thermal mass. What this means is that due to both the density and thickness of the compressed earth buildings, whose wall’s average thickness is 12 to 14 inches, it takes a half day for either the heat or cold to penetrate the building, which keeps heating and cooling costs down. The thickness also greatly helps humidity and noise control and allows the air to be purified through the earthen walls.
The United States Department of Agriculture has observed that rammed earth buildings can last indefinitely and cost no more than two thirds of a house of equivalent size. That is also good for your wallet.
Now, would rammed earth buildings be the answer to so many problems that plague the modern world? Maybe not, but for sure they would offset deforestation in what is left of our precious forests and save us from using up our metal resources as they encourage recycling of older metal buildings. The only thing stopping us is the lack of knowledge concerning this construction method and the personal apprehensions of homeowners wondering if their earthen building will fit in with the white picket fences.
For more information please visit
Rammed earth constructions.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Industry Newsletter: Alternative Channel’s Monthly Review
Interested to explore how to communicate your company's CSR initiatives to an internal and external audience? Contact Alex Salzman, VP Corporate Partnerships for an information exchange and draft proposal.
Welcome back from the holidays!
We at Alternative Channel are excited for the season ahead as we continue to gather the community of professionals committed to sustainable development, worldwide. We look forward to collaborating on this shared pursuit...
The «
Alternative Channel Industry Review » is a monthly review of industry happenings at the confluence of corporate social responsibility & sustainable development communications, and updates from Alternative Channel on new offerings and campaigns
Create a dialogue with the community gathered around Alternative Channel by posting your comments or by sending direct
feedback on any of the items posted!
From Montreal, New York City, and Paris,
- The Alternative Channel Team
 | | Currently on AlternativeChannel.tv
The Alternative Channel editorial department in Canada and the US has lunched a series profiling leaders in corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Those covered thus far have come from a variety of industries, including apparel, home products, food and beverage and more. Meet some of your fellow CSR peers in these interviews syndicated across our network. To read these interviews, click here.
If you are interested in submitting your company’s story for coverage throughout our network, or if you want to subscribe to this newsletter , please contact Joanie Bergeron Poudrier to receive more information.
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Engaging Internal & External Audiences in Sustainable development through web 2.0!
Responsible Communication & Sustainable Marketing
Expert insight from the Alternative Channel Team
Based on the article of Marijke Hallo de Wolf, Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano, May 2001.
Engaging Internal & External Audiences in Sustainable development through web 2.0 Communications Tools.
To implement a
sustainable development (SD) or corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications strategy it is necessary to identify the communications tools that will most effectively engage internal and external audiences in satisfying the overall strategy goals. Depending on the size of an organization, a few considerations to make are…
For internal audiences:
•
Identifying internal communication needs, such as: (a) training & explaining what is Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility; (b) creating a deeper understanding of SD & CSR projects and how they fit in the overall organization's objectives; (c) identifying common issues and experiences and how they were handled; (d) avoiding duplication of work; (e) keeping board members and "top management" informed of progress and obstacles in SD & CSR projects;(f) identifying areas of internal collaboration and input; and (g) enhancing & enriching communication with external audiences.
•
Identifying the tools that would improve internal SD & CSR communications, such as: an internal chat system devoted to SD, an intranet system where staff members can upload information on their SD & CSR projects, an internal electronic newsletter, blogs (online discussion groups) for specific SD & CSR projects and subject areas, weekly staff Webinars (online meetings) reviewing project progress and support needs.
•
Building awareness of the importance of using internal and external communication tools for improving the Sustainable Development of the organization.
Organizations may want to try different communication tools until they identify the one that effectively engages the staff and stakeholders in better internal and external communications practices related to its Sustainable Development strategy.
For external audiences:
•
Identifying external communication needs according to your different audiences and in different contexts. For instance, a SD project may involve the participation and coordination of various other organizations (local community, provider, client, etc.) that need a permanent communication system to work together in organizing events or developing and sharing documents related to the events. Another CSR project may involve posting a survey on the Web site that needs to be simple and straightforward to entice the audience to respond immediately and seek future results. Engaging the board of directors in a more active role in the sustainable development planning of the organization may also require a special communication set-up that would facilitate sharing documents, receiving feedback and having virtual meetings to finalize decisions.
•
Identifying the tools that would effectively engage external audiences in a two or multi-way communication practice with the organization, as related to a specific SD or CSR project or to an organizational objective. For the first case mentioned above, setting a blog (electronic discussion group) for a specific SD project and setting up a private site to share documents would facilitate the communication and coordination among all the stakeholders involved in it. For the third case, you may want to setup a private site where the board of directors can look at strategic sustainable development plans, send their comments on specific issues to the rest of the board, and coordinate a virtual meeting to discuss critical issues and finalize decisions and recommendations regarding the organization.
•
Building awareness of external audiences in engaging in a two or multi-way communication system that will improve the execution of specific SD & CSR projects or achieve specific goals related to the organization.
Engaging audiences into Sustainable Development
For more info about this subject contact
Paul Allard, CEO of AlternativeChannel.tv.
New Offering from Alternative Channel!
New Offering From Alternative Channel
By the Alternative Channel team
The 2009 Alternative Channel Forum: Corporate Social Responsibility & the Future of Capitalism:
Alternative Channel is excited to announce our next Forum: “
Corporate Social Responsibility & The Future of Capitalism” hosted by Alternative Channel in April 2009. The Forum will build on the success of the first Forum hosted in Barcelona earlier this year (see below), and stands to be one of the largest of its kind in North America in 2009.
We are currently seeking to confirm ‘early-bird’ sponsors who will be offered a reduced rate on a their sponsorship package. Included in the sponsor packages are opportunities for a keynote address, as well as panel positions for ‘YouTube Debates’ style live discussions between panelists, attendees, and the international audience.
Please find more details on the sponsorship packages available in the
Forum Sponsor Overview package. Alternative Channel’s VP Corporate Partnerships, Alex Salzman, is available to discuss a tailored Forum sponsorship package for your company, and can best be reached
here.
The Alternative Channel Forum first edition held in Barcelona in April 2008 was a huge success. The forum brought together
speakers from across the globe and sectors - including non-government organizations, media and communications and socially responsible corporations - and received
press coverage in media in France, Spain, Canada and the United States
To see some images of the Forum 2008 click
here.
To watch videos of the Forum 2008 click
here.
Newsletter: 1970s hippies, pioneers of the green movement! Students On Ice, future saviours of the Arctic!
 | | 10 reasons how the 1970s planted the seeds of green living!
When you think about the roots of being green, you probably don't look to the 1970s. Only today can we appreciate some of the products and mentalities from that era that are being rediscovered in the 21st century. How did the 1970s had a good influence on our green habits? To read or comment on this article, click here.
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Friday, August 15, 2008
Follow the last few days of Students On Ice in the Arctic!
Arctic Expedition 2008
By Students On Ice's Youth Contributors
Our Students On Ice's Youth Contributors share with us their Arctic experience!
By Cori Eide, Student
What a day in the Arctic. No yoga for me today. I decided to sleep in and rest up for our last hike and most especially for the Arctic swim.
I was actually excited for breakfast today because yesterday I woke up feeling seasick and only got worse throughout the day. After today’s breakfast everyone geared up for the next expedition hike and landing with the zodiacs. It was a fun ride for most because we actually had to hold on. I don’t think anyone managed to keep dry, as it was very windy.
On shore we had free time to reflect or to explore. Others and I sat by the waterfall and realized that we have 4 days left, but only 3 of those days on the ship. As time went by the sun shone more and layers of clothing were coming off. It was a bit odd being in the Arctic in shirts and shorts, especially coming from Alaska.
In the past couple days we have formed “Pod” groups but to me they are really like “Family” groups: people you can talk and share opinions or problems with. Today in our family group we talked about ideas and things we can do to give back to our communities, because some of us received a scholarship for this expedition. We also want to promote knowledge of global climate changes and its effects.
I gave a lot of thought of how I can do my part. In conclusion, I want to start the recycle center back up back in Nome. I would like to continue in the Future Teachers of Alaska club to teach a couple of classes about Global Warming. Also, I would like to give a presentation and workshop to the state of Alaska in October during the state-wide conference known as AFN. But most of all I have personal goals that I hope will catch on with the people around me. Just three days left on board of the Lyubov Orlova and I hope the good weather stays around.
By Alexandra Polasko, Student
Life is not measured by the amount of breaths you take, but rather the moments that take your breath away, and today my breath was taken away more than just once. Today we raced the wind in our zodiacs as we made our way over to Canso Channel to do a team building activity, hike, and go for our Arctic swim! When we got to the island and stuck on our hiking boots we separated into our pod groups which are small groups of about 10 people with a staff member that helps us get to know each other and talk about climate issues. We discussed what we can, and are, doing to help slow global warming. About an hour later we went on a hike up the mountain and around the waterfall. At the top, the wind was blowing fiercely as I sat on the ledge of a huge rock and looked out into the peaceful horizon. On the rock, for a moment, the world stood still; my heart forgot how to beat, my lungs were stuck in time, and my eyes were lost in the sky; I was at a loss for words and breath.
The next time my breath was taken away, it was definitely not as numinous, but just as memorable. We headed over to a sandy part of the island, and went into the 40ْF water for our Arctic swim! Nora, Oopick, Dakota, and I all flopped in, drenching ourselves from head to toe. After I came out every part of my body was tingling and my breath was, for the second time today, taken away. However, this was a different kind of feeling; I felt exhilarated and fresh, and after a warm cup of tea, some throat lozenges, and oil painting with Linda, we headed to dinner, and then to bed. As Edward R. Murrow would say, “Good night and good luck [to tomorrow and the rest of the S.O.I adventures].”
By Leah Pengelly, Student
Today was yet another incredible day in the Arctic. We have to come up with new words to describe how amazing our trip is. Ann Hanson gave us a word in Inuktitut for something that is more than breathtaking; wakalunga. Today was definitely wakalunga! We landed on a beach where we hiked up to a lake. We basked in the warm sunlight, ate blueberries and took many group photos. After going for a short hike around the lake we got back in the zodiacs and prepared for our Arctic Swim. We stripped down quickly and ran into the water. We were in a protected bay so the water wasn’t absolutely freezing but still fairly cold. When we got back and were warmed up we went to our workshops and had some amazing discussions about the environment. We have made “pod” groups to discuss things we can change in our lives, our community and the world. I am really excited to get back to my community and share the knowledge I have gained these last two weeks
By Mabel Lee, Student
Today was one of the best days ever! I stumbled out of bed and enjoyed another beautiful day. Starting the day off, we had another great breakfast. Today we went on one of our last hikes of the expedition. As I hiked I took in the gorgeous landscape all around me. The hike was really refreshing. I felt as if I was a part of nature. The mountains, the water, the sky-- it was all so amazing and so fascinating. Later, we went on our first ever Arctic swim of the expedition. I quickly dove into the water and when I came out, I was freezing cold. It was a first time experience for me and it was awesome.
By Rohit Mehta, Student
Our Climate Future
I am going to talk about my high, low, wow, and now moments. This is a concept we used in our breakout groups that formed two days back, where we had small discussions about ideas we could focus on after our expedition.
My high today has definitely been swimming in the arctic waters. If it wasn’t for the Mountains in the background, I could have been convinced that we were on a beach along the Atlantic. After we stepped off the zodiac, we held each other and ran into the water at full force. As I dove into the water, screamed, and ran back; I realized that the water wasn’t as cold as I had imagined. What’s more, the sun was unusually warm and quickly brought our bodies to room temperature. Laughing and screaming with the rest of the group, I dried off in the cool breeze and headed back to the ship for lunch.
My low today was seeing a few of our brothers and sisters recovering from being sick lately. We have had a few coughs and colds on board, and plenty of sea sickness yesterday – myself included! As I write this journal, there are few coughs and ill expedition members on board, but the majority of us are doing great.
My wow moment was when Rachel Eisner had a brilliant idea before lunch. It was announced that we are all supposed to bring our plates to the front of the lunch room after we ate. When I asked Rachel what she was up to, she said she had an idea, but wouldn’t say any more. I quickly realized that all of our food waste was being collected, and I understood that she was doing a waste audit. What blew me away was later in the day, when she sent the staff out during our nightly recap and they each came back holding a plate full of our food waste. She talked about how we must set a great example by not wasting, and why it’s so important for us to only.
Image credits (from top): 1) Student picking blueberries.; 2) Student playing violin at sunset on the deck.; 3) Group picture Students On Ice 2008.
Another day in the Arctic with Students On Ice
Arctic Expedition 2008
By Students On Ice's Youth Contributors
Our Students On Ice's Youth Contributors share with us their Arctic experience!
By Alexandra Polasko, Student
Today I woke up to a peculiar feeling on the ship, it felt like my stomach was being turned upside down, and as I found out at yoga, it was. This morning was the first time the Lyubov Orlova experienced rough seas. Luckily for me, I don’t get sea sick, so it made the experience all the more fun; Amber went full force through yoga and adapted the moves to help us stay balanced. Then, we headed up to the top deck to get some fresh air that was going at an incredible force of 45 knots! It was exhilarating standing on the top of the deck having the wind blow so hard on your face that tears automatically trickle down. My love for the ship and its unique opportunities grows more and more every day. Every aspect of mother-nature takes on a different feel when you’re on a ship; the ship gave me a new perspective on the wind today. It was numinous.
After breakfast, we headed to our workshops. Today was one of the best workshops/ lectures I have ever been to in my entire life. Amber gave a slide show lecture on climate change, the causes, the effects, and what we have already done and can do to help slow global warming. Then we had a quick lunch, and got ready to go for a shore landing at Home Bay. The bay was sublime; it had every kind of bone of every kind of animal I could possibly think of in the Arctic. There was everything from polar bear skulls, and dog teeth, to an old whaling shack from the 1800’s. The adventure was not only insightful, but interesting. I felt like a detective trying to find out what bone went to which animal, and what chain went to which machine. Then finally, we came back, had a wonderful dinner, where Ophelia and I shared ideas about our new project. To sum it all up; today was another day in paradise.
By Graham May, Student
This morning I awoke to the feeling of gentle rocking, but as soon as I was out of bed I realized how definitely un-gentle it was. After over a week of incredibly good weather, we had finally hit some rough seas. This caused some havoc on board: yoga was an interesting experience as we swayed back and forth, and several expedition members spent the morning an interesting shade of green. As unpleasant as this was, I saw it as an important part of our expedition.
The main event of the day was a zodiac landing in Kivitoo, in Home Bay. We arrived in an abandoned whaling station with the ruins of an ancient Inuit community. The area was an archeologist’s dream. The ground was littered with old cans, oil drums, polar bear skulls, and one remaining structure: a eighteenth century shack. It was the kind of place where one could spend days, looking at the artefacts, speculating on what they were, sketching them, and learning about them. There was so much to soak up there, and it was a sublime test of will power to walk through the site without stopping every two steps to look at some fascinating tidbit of history. I then joined the Oceanography group, and netted the arctic sea for zooplankton! The skills we are learning on this journey are truly unique.
As we near the end of our journey I am always finding myself wishing for more time than I have. There is so much to see up here, and so much to learn from the people we are here with. It is hard to believe how quickly the end is coming, and we need to take advantage of every second we have left.
By Rohit Mehta, Student
Our Climate Future
I have been thinking a lot about why I have come on this expedition. Over meals and during our free time, we commonly ask each other what brings us here. For me, the need to take action and create meaningful change is my main reason.
These words are overused very often, to “take action” and create “meaningful change.” I have witnessed workshops that wowed participants, and protests that seemed to change the world. For me, activities such as these create meaningful change. But I am looking for something greater.
I have come to the arctic to be inspired by its beauty, and this place is a big deal. For me, it’s about more than creating a presentation or a workshop or writing an article. I want to create radical change that will have impacts, and I recognize that today’s radical times call for radical measures.
I had a discussion during today’s hike about how so many of us environmentalists are motivated, yet lack the resources or capacity to mobilize our peers. I have been lucky to be a part of the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, where I have experienced the meaning of a climate change movement. Throughout all of my experiences though, I have always wondered how I can make a more meaningful impact.
As I search for ways to create radical change, or combine ideas to create a new radical idea, I wonder how we can mobilize today’s youth, to create tomorrow’s climate future.
By Sonora Williams, Student
Well, we finally had the rough seas everyone asked for. I experienced the whole shebang first hand. When the water calmed down, stomach became untied. Next we had workshops and I continued with my printmaking. Today I took on the ominous igloo with thirty holes to cut out. After the workshops everyone was exhausted from seasickness medication. I was tuckered out from trying to stand upright. When lunch rolled around I remembered how much a good meal can make you feel, and how much I love the Russian cooking staff. After the lunch we made a landing on Kivitoo. I made a lovely sketch of a view out through a window. Later I broke a few language barriers while talking to Elsa. With the help of another student I explained the word “skunk”. Life doesn’t get any better than this.
By Meredith Burgess, Student
Wow, the last few days have been amazing! I’ve never been more awed in my life. When I looked at one of the polar bears through the binoculars and watched how graceful and majestic its muscles moved, and the way it looked at us, I knew right then that it was the King of the Arctic.
Then there were the whales in Isabella Bay. Just listening to them breathe was enough to take my breath away. I was completely frozen; it was like time stood still. I couldn’t even bring myself to take a decent picture. All of my reactions were delayed, I was so awestruck.
I feel like this trip has changed me so much. I’ve grown so close to these people over the last ten days. It’s like we have known each other our whole lives. Our discussions that are meant to be short and sweet typically end up lasting two or three hours. Some of my friends are new, and some are old. We all have so much in common and so much to talk about. I can honestly say that I’ve never been this happy in my entire life
By Meagan McLay, Student
What a day! This morning we woke to a very swaying ship and it was the best. It was about time we had some rough water! I did an interview over the phone with CBC Labrador just before lunch. I was really nervous, but after I prepped with William George I felt a lot more confident. I got to see the ship’s bridge. It was really something to see the command post of the boat. After lunch, we made a landing at Kivitoo and did some workshops. It was a really fun afternoon. I was sitting on the grass with Jessica and I noticed that one of the sailors that stayed on the beach to help with the zodiacs was scurrying about, chasing a lemming that was running around. Then Phil, Stanley and Charlie went and joined him. I thought no matter what language they speak, all guys are the same. It was really funny watching them and I had a fantastic time today.
Image credits (from top): 1) Hiking along the beach.; 2) Examining terrapods.; 3) Arctic Cotton.; 4) Polar Bear swimming.
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