Friday, October 31, 2008
Lubicon struggle shines light on regulatory failures in Canada’s oil and gas industry
By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola
Consensus is growing that the failure of governments to effectively regulate the banking sector is largely responsible for the huge economic mess we're now facing. Throughout the past few decades, those who were entrusted to protect the public interest have accepted as gospel the idea that governments should get out of the way and let markets self regulate, with disastrous results.
Unfortunately, that ideology has infiltrated our governments' thinking beyond the financial markets. At the heart of many of our most pressing environmental crises is the same belief that governments should abandon their regulatory responsibilities and allow the private sector to get on with business. (Think of the mess we've seen with weakened regulations for food and pharmaceuticals.)
I was reminded of this regulatory failure in early October when TransCanada Corporation, one of the world's largest pipeline companies, was granted rubber-stamp approval for a massive gas pipeline across northern Alberta. The pipeline will eventually bring natural gas from the Canadian north over to the Fort McMurray area, where it will be used to fuel further tar sands exploitation.
I say "rubber-stamp" because the company was so sure the approval was in the bag that it purchased and moved all its equipment and materials into the area before the Alberta Utilities Commission even issued its decision.
The pipeline will cross lands belonging to the Lubicon Lake Indian Nation, a small aboriginal community that has fought for decades to have its ancestral lands in the boreal woodlands of northern Alberta recognized and protected. Throughout that time, the Lubicon have seen their traditional way of life eroded as their lands have been leased out to oil and gas companies at a breathtaking pace. They've seen more than 2,000 oil and gas well sites, 32,000 kilometres of seismic lines, and more than 2,000 kilometres of roads pushed through their forests. The Alberta government approves on average 100 new oil and gas installations in Lubicon territory each year.
The Lubicon Nation is concerned that the new pipeline will not bring long-term benefits to the community, but will instead bring more feeder lines, more clearing, and more gas exploration and other industrial activity that will further fragment and degrade their once-rich hunting and trapping grounds in the boreal forest.
I have followed the Lubicon struggle with great interest. They were a people who lived traditionally off the land until the 1970s when they discovered that development – seismic lines, electrical lines, roads, etc. – was beginning to have an impact on their territory. They chose to fight the plans of the multinational Japanese paper company Daishowa Inc. to clearcut their boreal forests, and for years, they worked tirelessly to protect their land. I was honoured to help them raise money for their struggle, which ultimately proved effective in keeping the loggers at bay.
Not once but four times now the United Nations has chastised Canada for failing to resolve the Lubicon land-rights dispute, calling what is happening to the Lubicon an abuse of their human rights under international covenants. In August, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination wrote to Canada, saying there are "doubts as to whether the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Utilities Commission may legitimately authorize the construction of a pipeline across Lubicon Territory without prior Lubicon consent". Even Amnesty International has called for a halt to the pipeline until the Lubicon concerns are met.
But none of that seems to have stopped Alberta from approving TransCanada's jumbo gas pipeline right through the heart of Lubicon lands without Lubicon approval.
In the vacuum left by governments that have historically ignored their peoples' concerns, the Lubicon government is insisting on its own regulatory process that would do more than rubber-stamp increasing environmental and social disruption.
Their struggle is not new. From Haida Gwaii to Lubicon to Grassy Narrows and countless other aboriginal communities, First Nations people have stood up against powerful industrial interests and indifferent governments. We should support the Lubicon and their actions to safeguard the idea that governments can and should regulate the economy in the public interest.
Ultimately the Lubicon's struggle is about keeping all of us safe. The responsibility of governments to protect the environment hasn't received the same attention from politicians as the recent financial collapse, but in the long run environmental deregulation by government threatens to do a lot more damage to our economies, the health of our ecosystems, and our well-being.
Take David Suzuki's Nature Challenge and learn more at
www.davidsuzuki.org.
WWF: Canadians using three times our share of global resources
2008 Living Planet report shows looming global ecological credit crunch
By WWF team
Human demands on the world's resources have reached nearly a third more than Earth can sustain, according to the latest edition of WWF's Living Planet Report, the leading statement of the planet's health.
The report, released today around the globe, shows the world is heading for an ecological credit crunch, as we continue to create an ecological deficit to be paid by future generations. In addition, the report found that global natural wealth and diversity continues to decline, and more and more countries are slipping into a state of permanent or seasonal water stress.
Canadians were found to have the 7th largest ecological footprint - the human demand on the Earth's ecosystems compared to the Earth's ability to regenerate those resources. Roughly half of Canada's ecological footprint comes from carbon released from transportation, heating and electricity production, which contribute to climate change.
The good news is that we have the means to reverse the credit crunch, provided we transform our lifestyles and economies to put the world on sustainable footing.
"We are borrowing from our children to live beyond our means, and our children will pay the price," said Gerald Butts, President and CEO of WWF-Canada. "If everyone on Earth used the resources we use as Canadians, it would take three planets to meet our demand. We can change, but we have to start now."
In order to reduce Canada's ecological footprint, WWF-Canada is calling on:
The Canadian Government: To work aggressively to reduce Canada's carbon footprint by implementing measures that would predictably reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as increasing energy efficiency standards, and sign a new global climate agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Canadian Industry: To become global leaders in using our resources more efficiently, especially carbon and water.
Individual Canadians: To take responsibility for their own consumption and reduce their own ecological footprint through initiatives such as WWF's The Good Life, found at wwf.ca.
"The world is currently struggling with the consequences of over-valuing its financial assets," said WWF International Director-General James Leape, "but a more fundamental crisis looms ahead - an ecological credit crunch caused by under-valuing the environmental assets that are the basis of all life and prosperity."
The report, published every two years, is widely accepted as a statement of Earth's ability to remain a "living planet". In 2008, it adds for the first time new measures of global, national and individual water footprint.
The new water footprint measures both direct use and water traded in the form of commodities. For example, a cotton T-shirt requires 2,900 litres of water in its production. Canadians have the 12th largest water footprint, consuming some 2,000,000 litres of water per year.
The Living Planet Index, compiled by ZSL, is a measure of nearly 5,000 measured populations of 1,686 species, shows a nearly 30 per cent decline since 1970. These dramatic losses in our natural wealth are being driven by deforestation and land conversion in the tropics (50% decline in Tropical LPI) and the impact of dams, diversions and climate change on freshwater species (35% decline). Pollution, over-fishing and destructive fishing in marine and coastal environments are also taking a considerable toll.
Carbon emissions from fossil fuel use and land disturbance are the greatest component of humanity's footprint, underlining the key threat of climate change. The ecological footprint analysis, produced by GFN, shows that we have exceeded global "biocapacity" – a measure of Earth's ability to produce resources and capture our emissions.
"These Living Planet measures show us what needs to be done," said Mr. Butts. "We hope that in years to come we will report increases in the Living Planet Index, a diminishing ecological footprint and water becoming more rather than less available to more people."
The report suggests some key "sustainability wedges" which, if combined, would stabilise and reverse the worsening slide into ecological debt and enduring damage to global support systems.
For the single most important challenge, climate change, the report shows that a range of efficiency, renewable and low emissions "wedges" could meet projected energy demands to 2050 with reductions in carbon emissions of 60% to 80%.
"If we have the will, we have the way to live within our planet's means, but we must recognize that the ecological credit crunch will require even bolder action than that now being mustered for the financial crisis," Mr. Butts concluded.
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The 2008 Living Planet Report can be downloaded from www.panda.org/lpr/08
The report and additional multimedia materials including broadcast quality video can be found at wwf.extranet.largeblue.net, using the password mA1aGb73
The global ecological footprint is worsening at an increasing rate. The 2006 WWF Living Planet Report revealed an excess ecological footprint of 25 per cent in 2003 (2008 LPR - 30 per cent on global data for 2005), with a projection that the two planet requirement would be reached around 2050 (2008 LPR – 2030s).
For further information:
Visit
www.panda.org for latest news and media resources.
It’s not just about reading food labels anymore
By WorkCabin.ca Staff
This is probably not the best time to be spinning analogies that involve investing. But here goes, because it does make sense (and yes, cents) in the realm of being green.
Since the 1980s in Canada, investors have promoted how consumers can use their dollars responsibly. It's called investing in Ethical Funds (ie. ensuring your money is invested only in socially responsible and Earth-friendly companies) and it still exists today. Ethical investing has played a pioneering role -- long before green was trendy -- in raising awareness about how we use our dollars to better our communities and our planet.
One such Canadian mutual fund investment, for example, is the Desjardins Environment Fund which consists primarily in shares of Canadian corporations that take a responsible approach to the environment. For quality control, an advisory committee of experts with expertise in environmental issues, assists portfolio advisors in assessing securities in relation to their environmental approach.
Investors interested in ethical investing want to know how their money is being handled. Likewise, in today's green era many consumers want to know more about companies and their products.
For years, consumers have read food labels at the grocery store. Now, green consumers are reading the 'environmental' labels of companies and products. On product labels, they're looking for terms like recyclable, renewable energy, phosphate free, organic, paper not derived from ancient forests, etc. On the corporate side, they're looking for examples of doing environmental good with dollars, such as supporting conservation projects.
In Canada, getting insight into products is greatly aided by the federal government's EcoLogo certification. EcoLogo certification (www.ecologo.org) sets standards in more than 120 categories. It's one way to be sure you're buying trustworthy environmentally certified products. There are thousands and thousands of such certified products and services in Canada.
The Green Consumer represents one of the largest economic revolutions of our time: It is forcing change. While its strength in consumerism may be larger in some corners of the globe, its power to influence change extends worldwide, especially in the global economy where a green-friendly product manufactured in the east is in demand by consumers in the west. The more that is bought, the more that must be made. Thus, the net effect is more enviro-friendly products usurping old unfriendly standbys, and job creation to meet the demand for new green products. Good is slowly pushing the bad off store shelves.
Unlike the political arena, it's always election time in the new green era. Green consumers are voting every time they make a purchase. It's a steadily growing campaign, perhaps still shy of a majority win. But the momentum is clearly in the green consumers' favour, if their money dictates change.
So what does it mean for companies? The savvy responsible ones are racing to capture the votes, er, we mean spending dollars, of green consumers. The reward for companies could be years of winning votes – yes, that would be consumer loyalty.
WorkCabin.ca is Canada's green outpost for green jobs
In The Twilight Hours
By Alternative Channel's Cody Larocque
The western world's aging population is on the rise. The children of the "boomers" are often just sending their parents off to God's waiting room, leaving them isolated and cast out from a society, to which they contributed to for most of their lives. Instead of sending them to sterile and isolated old age communities why not let them lead fulfilling lives contributing to the natural world.
Is not aging a natural stage in any living things life? Why then should we hide our parents and grandparents away from the world in which they used to live in to cold and sterilized holding houses? Which essentially serve as a place to store them until they pass. This very act is not natural. Does one place the old mighty oak into a segregated part of the forest until it succumbs to disease or old age? Certainly not, instead the older trees provide both protection while alive and essential nutrients in its gentle passing, back into the soil. So to do our aged provide for us wisdom and experience of things both past and present.
How does this tie into sustainability? Well firstly our seniors can set up tiny communes in which farming and light agricultural work can contribute to even if in a small way to world food shortages. Possible vegetation they could cultivate for its social impact are hemp, rice, potatoes and fruit to be dried and sent to struggling nations. It is a natural tendency to become altruistic and wish to leave the world in a better condition then when we entered it. Of course on top of the philanthropic outcomes, the elders them selves would benefit from the continued mental and physical activity which would keep both mind and body young, hence keeping the ill health associated with a sedentary latter life at bay. The fresh air free from disease of the clustered retirement home would also detoxify the body. This holistic approach would of course have to be back by medical health care just incase an elder became drastically sick.
Our elderly, should not have to feel thrown away or ostracized from society, in fact in other parts of the world elderly are viewed simply as a regular citizen who just happens to be older than the majority of the population. Many continue to work and contribute to society. In both Europe and Asia, the elderly often continue to have meaningful lives by continuing to work and participate in the community in which they live. Life is not a linear progression but a cycle in which each phase must be lived and valued for its experience and inherent wisdom which it grants.
Photo By: gumuz, courtesy of Flickr.com
Green Baby Fashions
By Alternative Channel’s contributor Sophia Chan-Combrink
The recent birth of my second daughter prompted a shopping frenzy among my friends and family. “I love shopping for baby girls!” and “Girl clothes are so cute!” were the sentiments echoed from auntie to auntie (and the occasional uncles).
Sure, I’ll admit it. It’s fun shopping for baby girls. The relatively recent proliferation of clothing boutiques and chain stores dedicated to dressing baby girls (and boys!) do a fantastic job in eliciting an “awww….that’s so cute!” from the most hardened shopper.
However, there is a not-so-cute side to the world of baby fashion.
Most baby clothes are made of cotton because of its versatility and relative softness to baby’s skin. However, conventional cotton clothes bear a heavy environmental footprint because of all the synthetic fertilizers and pesticides used to grow the crop.
Want to read more? Visit
www.simplegreenaction.ca
Image credit www.treehugger.com
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Patagonia: how to manage a clothing & gear company without compromising the environment
Alternative Channel's Leaders in Sustainability Series
Leaders In Sustainability is an exclusive series of interviews with those at the fore of the sustainability movement, both in the corporate and non-profit sectors.
By Alex Salzman
To build the best product, to cause no unnecessary harm, to use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
This is the mission statement of Patagonia, the renowned outdoor gear and clothing company. Alternative Channel’s Alex Salzman discussed with CEO and President of Patagonia, Casey Sheahan, regarding the company’s CSR initiatives. Read how these outdoor enthusiasts manage their business without compromising their love for nature.
A.S. - How did you get involved in Patagonia and how did you meet its founder Yvon Chouinard?
Casey: I have known Yvon since I was a little kid. My sister was a friend of his, back in the 60’s, and we become fishing partners. Through the years we stayed in touch. I have been in the outdoor and skiing industry for 25 years. I previously served as Vice President of Marketing for Merrell Footwear, Category Marketing Manager at Nike ACG, and Editor/Publisher of POWDER Magazine back in the late 80’s.
I’ve known Yvon for a long time and in 2005 he asked me if I would come to help run his fishing and paddle sports divisions. This is where it all started!
A.S. - Can you describe the transition from being New Business Director at Patagonia to leading the company and its work on sustainability?
Casey: I have all aspects of directing the global brand from sales, marketing, finance, customer service, you name it! A big part of my work is to make sure we respect our mission statement, which focuses on inspiring and implementing solutions for this environmental crisis. That has been the key addition to my role. It’s a very complex company. We are active in 4 or 5 channels of distributions, including those we control ourselves; our direct channels of catalogue and Internet and or own retail stores. So, it’s really a fun job because we’re applying various avenues of commerce in very unique ways.
A.S. - Which of Patagonia’s initiatives are you most proud of?
Casey: Every great company starts with great leadership and a team approach to solving problems. I would say that I have worked hard to develop a team that works cohesively. I think that has been manifested in the great sales results we’ve had in the last 3 years.
A.S. - You’ve got a background in media and marketing, so I wonder how do you use technology and media to help your internal and external communication?
Casey: Obviously the power of the Internet is limitless and increasingly it is a means of telling our brand story. Internet is also a good method of giving the consumers, who want to shop for a specific brand, a powerful experience through which they may interact with us. So I’m really interested to see how we are transforming from what was a 1 to 2 catalogue a year company, to one that is producing catalogue to cover variety of activities- from surfing to mountain to skiing to fishing - and then using that tool to stimulate sales over the Internet which is a very efficient, environmentally less impactful and powerful way to sell product. It is our fastest growing channel right now.
Patagonia is such a rich tapestry of stories beginning with the creation of the company to the founders early days of building climbing hardware and transforming that into a more volume based apparel business that has this incredible authentic cachet around it. With the Tin Shed and the Blog sections on our website, we are now being able to tell Patagonia’s rich history, based on the adventures of Yvon Chouinard and our host of ambassadors, and to spread it to our community all over the world.
We can replicate this story through all different kinds of media such as print, online, video or PR, and these methods appeal to me because they have a huge marketing impact to the brand.
A.S. – The new content on your website such as Vote the environment is giving a new flavour to your website, is it a new chapter with how you’re using online media?
Casey: Patagonia didn’t need to say that it was committed to the core because it always was. But there may have been times where we felt we needed to reinforce that. Now, with the last 8 years that we have lived through political climate and loosening environmental regulations, it is time to be more aggressive in supporting that part of the mission statement which is environmentally grounded and to encourage our consumers to step out and do what is necessary to protect what little we have left of our natural playground.
A.S. – Do you think this campaign will help position Patagonia as a leader in the CSR space and as well accelerate your bottom-line?
Casey: The more successful we are as a company, the more we are able to contribute to grassroots environmental causes that we support through our alliance with 1% For The Planet- we give 1% of our sales revenue to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. We also do a number of other pro bono, philanthropic things to support the environmental community like supporting grassroots activist conferences every 18 months. At those conferences we train and equip the activists for success in the fields of marketing, lobbying and grant writing. We do all sorts of things like that to help our community, but they’re all driven by our success as a company, we couldn’t afford to do them if we weren’t profitable.
A.S. - What is the aspect of Patagonia’s sustainability you would like to build upon or improve?
Casey: The aspect I’d like to build upon is our company wide environmental campaigns. Every 2 years we develop a new initiative, the most recent one was called Oceans As Wilderness. That was a message to the world that 90% of our ocean fisheries are at risk and that we’ve been treating our ocean as a dumping ground. We’ve got to stop this or we’ll no longer have an environment that supports millions and millions of people around the world.
A.S. - Would you have any final thoughts to share with our readers?
Casey: Our founder just met with the leaders of Wal-Mart, which is kind of a paradox, Yvon Chouinard founder of an environmental small outdoor specialty company teaching CSR practices to one of the biggest company in the world. The meeting was about Wal-Mart’s new approach to minimal packaging and taking a hard look at the monumental changes the company can bring to its supply chain, to reduce the amount of waste it produces. Wal-Mart is taking a big environmental step by starting to evaluate the social and environmental impact of its practices. Our mission, at Patagonia, is to influence other companies to be more like us and when that happens, we think that they can not only be profitable, but they can be better planetary stewards!
Visit
Patagonia's website for more info.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Make it a Green Halloween
By Alternative Channel’s contributor Cheryl Gudz
Halloween is around the corner and it's time for a change! Whether you've decided to personify a superhero or not, you don't need superpowers to start integrating a little green knowledge to this usually not-so-eco-conscious-orange-and-black festivity!
Can Halloween be an environmentally-friendly holiday?
Well, first there are the elaborate costumes that get worn once a year and the face-paint containing toxic chemicals. Then you’ve got the bite-sized sugary, processed candies and chocolates, all individually wrapped. And what about all those pranksters wasting perfectly good toilet paper on trees?
Trust me there are some ways to teach the kids to be green on Halloween. Why not convert a costume from past Halloween into something new? For example, a black robe from a witch costume can have a second life as a nun’s habit or a Zorro costume. Not enough accessories?
Want to read more? Visit
www.simplegreenaction.ca
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Newsletter: Holcim Awards winners annoucement & Fiji Water’s worth reading interview.
 | | Winners of the 2008 Holcim Awards North America!
The winners of the second North American Holcim Awards competition for Sustainable Construction projects were announced at a ceremony in Montreal. Total prize money of USD 270,000 was presented to nine projects from Canada and the United States that showcase the latest approaches to address critical topics including housing affordability, employment, renewable energy, and water efficiency. And the winners are... |
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The Adsis Foundation will invest the 8000 euros prize in “making more videos”
October 7th, in Barcelona, Spanish directors Marc Juan and Íria Saa, winners of the Alternative Channel video contest on sustainable development, were awarded the 8000 euros prize, during the
Global Eco-Forum
During the closing ceremony, these young partners highlighted the impact of their documentary « Catzuquí el paraíso de la Cebolla » presenting the results of a development project managed by the
Adsis Foundation in Ecuador.
”Filmmaking is a great tool for raising awareness because it shows the social reality of developing countries” declared Íria who added “We shoot it without any pretentiousness , we did not expect such an interest !” They decided to post their video on Alternative Channel - the participative Web Tv - to promote the foundation’s activities, and this 8000 euros prize really took them by surprise! “We will invest the money in making new videos” underlined Marc.
The duo of directors has already planned a new series of videos reports to raise awareness on young people’s stories in a process of social reintegration throughout several regions in Spain.
The French and Spanish winners of the Alternative Channel video contest were announced by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum, April 30th in Barcelona during the
Alternative Channel Forum.
The 8000 euros prize for the French winner was awarded to Mathieu Eisinger, during the Green Drinks event, last June 30th in Paris, for his video titled «
Homo petroleum.
Do not miss the winning video “
Catzuquí, el paraíso de la Cebolla” (in Spanish) on Alternative Channel’s website
Fiji Water a green role model for bottled water companies
Alternative Channel's Leaders in Sustainability Series
Leaders In Sustainability is an exclusive series of interviews with those at the fore of the sustainability movement, both in the corporate and non-profit sectors.
By Alex Salzman
Few weeks ago Alternative Channel’s Alex Salzman connected with Thomas Mooney, Fiji Water’s senior vice president for sustainable growth, to discuss the social responsibility efforts of this soon to be carbon negative bottled water company.
A.S - Since when have you been involved with Fiji Water and its sustainability efforts?
T.M - I have been involved with Fiji for 4 years now and have been doing the work around environmental and social initiatives for over a year.
A.S - What are some of Fiji Water’s CSR initiatives that most excite you?
T.M - On a daily basis we try to focus on all the areas of importance where our business has an impact on the environment. That involves understanding and managing our carbon footprint and offsetting our emissions at a rate of at least 120% to be a carbon negative product. We are also working on our packaging and trying to reduce the amount of packaging that we use. Of course our packaging is 100% recyclable, so we are committed to promote recycling around the world.
We also have longer term projects such as the protection of our watershed. Last year, we made an investment with Conservation International (CI) we announced the protection of the largest rainforest in Fiji. We make sure that those 50 000 acres of rainforest will remain in pristine condition. In the years to come, we will also add rainforest back to Fiji by restoring some of the land to its original condition.
A.S - Do you feel Fiji Water is setting a new precedent for the responsibilities of the bottled water industry?
T.M - The owners of Fiji Water always believed that their business should operate with environmental excellence in mind, which is not a common way of thinking for bottled water companies.
For legitimate reasons, bigger bottled water companies have more difficulty of getting internal consensus about CSR practices through their agenda and getting shareholders to agree. It is easier for us at Fiji Water to make decisions regarding the environment, as we are a smaller team. It is easier to discuss and make decisions quickly.
A.S - How do you communicate your CSR initiatives?
T.M - Our environmental work is a big part of how we talk about Fiji Water to all of our stakeholders. It actually begins with our customers whom we spend a lot of time with, whether that means beverage distributors, retailers, hotel and restaurants. They all have an interest in the work and want to know what we’re doing and how it compares to other products they buy and sell, or serve to their customers. We do must of our communicating through our sales team and our website to current and perspective customers.
We found over the last few years that there is much greater interest from consumers to know more about the people behind the brand and what their values are. Consumers are more and more concerned about the products they buy and their impact on the environment. This is why we are trying to be completely transparent by publishing our carbon footprint on our website.
A.S - What aspect of Fiji Water’s impact on society and the environment are you most determined to improve?
T.M - I would like to communicate more what a great positive influence Fiji Water has on society. Beyond our environmental work, which is exceptional work, I would like people to know what our product replaces in the marketplace when somebody buys it instead of something else – in particular, what it means to the nation of Fiji for our business to be a success.
We created the bottled water industry in Fiji. Until then, every bottle beverage in Fiji was a soda, which is not really healthy. Now, Fijians have the opportunity to drink bottled water if they want to. In addition, one of the impacts we had on Fiji is that we bottle water in a remote part of the island, where the source is. It is no exaggeration to say that before Fiji Water was there, there was simply no opportunity for employment. We have revolutionized that part of Fiji. Now it is where the highest paid jobs are. People who had left to find jobs in the city, started to come back to the village.
We can be proud to say that Fiji Water raised the standard of living in a very remote area of the island. It will obviously produce a change that extends for generations to come.
A.S. - After all, what are you most proud of about Fiji Water initiatives?
T.M - We have literally changed so many lives. We have become 20% of Fiji’s exports and we are a vital part of their balance of payment. As like any sustainable development example, we have put in a lot of capital and expertise and hard work, but in the end the reason that it is successful are the people in Fiji themselves. They built that place and were willing to change their lives completely and embrace a different way of life.
Going to Fiji and meeting all those workers in the villages, is truly amazing and it keeps us going everyday! It is rewarding to know that every next bottle of Fiji Water that a costumer buys anywhere in the world is going to contribute to the nation and to the people we know and love. It is so much more personal than anything I have ever experienced!
A.S - Thank you Thomas. You can be sure that I won’t ever drink a Fiji Water bottle the same way now!
For more information about Fiji Water visit
www.Fijiwater.com.
To know more about Fiji Water’s green initiatives visit
www.Fijigreen.com.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Winners of the Holcim Awards 2008 for region North America
Winners of the Holcim Awards 2008 for region North America
Holcim Awards Gold 2008
Solar 2 Green Energy, Arts and Education Center, New York, USA
Main author: Christopher J. Collins, Excecutive Director, Solar One Green Energy, Arts and Education Center,
New York, USA
Holcim Awards Silver 2008
Self-contained day labor station, San Francisco, USA
Main author: Liz Ogbu, designer, San Francisco, USA
Holcim Awards Bronze 2008
Living with Lakes Center for freshwater restoration and research, Sudbury, Canada
Main author: John Gunn, scientist, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada
Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prizes 2008
Evergreen Brick Works heritage site revitalization, Toronto, Canada
Main author: David Stonehouse, urban planner, Evergreen, Toronto, Canada
Minimal-impact North Vancouver Outdoor School, Canada
Authors: Ron Kato, Larry McFarland, Craig Duffield, Larry McFarland Architects, Vancouver, Canada
Strategy for environmentally-friendly integration of beehives, Detroit, USA
Authors: Stéphane Orsolini, Erika Mayr, Berlin, Germany
Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 1st prize 2008
Microstructure research for building skins, Cambridge, USA
Authors: Neri Oxman, John Hart, architects, MIT, Cambridge, USA
Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 2nd prize 2008
Residential density for urban spaces, Toronto, Canada
Authors: Chenglong Wang, Lingchen Liu, architects, Beijing, China
Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 3rd prize 2008
Responsive urban downtown activity center, Boston, USA
Author: Andrew Edward Lantz, student, Harvard GSD, Cambridge, USA
Putting humans in their place
By
David Suzuki with Faisal Moola
Andrew Weaver's recently published book, Keeping Our Cool: Canada in a Warming World, is an urgent call to action that some of the folks running for the privilege of leading us into the future seem to be ignoring. Dr. Weaver, a world-class climatologist who is putting the University of Victoria on the global map, was one of the lead authors on papers put out by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In that role, he shared with other panel members the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
In the book, Dr. Weaver argues that if we are to stabilize atmospheric levels of carbon at a level that will not result in climate going haywire, we must begin massive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions now with a goal of totally eliminating our output of them. If we don't, 80 per cent of all species could become extinct! That's an astounding prediction, and if we think we'll somehow survive such a catastrophic crisis, we should think again. When I first read about colonies of honeybees dying out, a bolt of fear went through me. Without pollinators, most flowering plants will not survive, and that would devastate the makeup of species on the planet.
We have become the dominant animal on the planet, and it has been an amazing story. But in puffing ourselves up with self importance, we have lost sight of how little we know about the way the world works and how utterly dependent we are on the services that nature performs for us, like removing carbon dioxide from the air and replacing it with oxygen – not a bad service for animals like us.
Eminent Harvard ecologist and ant expert E.O. Wilson once told me that if humans disappeared overnight, only a handful of organisms would also go extinct: creatures that live on our skin, in our armpits, and our groins and guts. The rest of nature would rebound, the planet would green up, and animals would increase in abundance. But if all the ants went extinct overnight, whole terrestrial ecosystems would collapse, and the makeup of animals and plants would change catastrophically. Kind of puts humans into perspective.
Today's youth spend the least amount of time outdoors of any generation in history. And most of us live in cities surrounded mainly by other human beings and a few domesticated plants and animals and pests. So when we hear reports of vanishing glaciers and breaking ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, even endangered polar bears, it's hard to relate. In British Columbia, northern forests have turned red because the mountain pine beetle, an insect the size of a grain of rice, is no longer kept in check because winters aren't cold enough to kill them. Yet this $65 billion loss still seems to have little impact on our thinking as British Columbians vent outrage at Premier Gordon Campbell's puny carbon tax.
I guess we think air is almost infinite, rising to the heavens. But astronaut Julie Payette described to me the experience of circling the planet in a space capsule: Every time the sun rose or set, which was every hour and a half, she saw a thin layer just above the Earth's surface. That's the atmosphere. As the late Carl Sagan pointed out, if the Earth were shrunk to the size of a basketball, the atmosphere we all depend on for our very survival would be thinner than a layer of varnish. That's it, and everything our tailpipes, chimneys, and engines vent goes into that thin layer.
We apparently now put health as one of our top priorities in this election. Well, when we use air, water, and land as a garbage can, do we think we are somehow immune to the health consequences? We've got to see the world as it really is – a complex interaction of air, water, land, and living things, all interconnected and all interdependent. We are rampaging across the planet, treating it as our plaything, as our source of raw materials, as our dumping ground for our waste and emissions. And then we whine like mad when reminded that we have to change and we have to pay for what we do. Why haven't we heard more about this perspective in the current election campaign?
Take David Suzuki's Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.
Beauty or beast? Giant white swans a growing invasive threat in Canada.
By
WorkCabin.ca Staff
For some, they're a loved symbol of serenity in city parks across Canada. There's something idyllic, or so many people think, about standing on the banks of an urban lake in the middle of a city and seeing mute swans, those large, graceful white and seemingly majestic birds meandering in the shallows. But there's another side to these birds. And it's growing ugly.
When most people think of invasive species damaging our ecosystem, the first thought turns to a myriad of small bugs eating trees, or exotic plants overrunning terrain. Rarely, if ever, do mute swans grab the attention of average Canadians. But that may soon change as growing evidence shows this giant waterfowl -- which establishes itself as the kingpin of the wild territory it colonizes -- is posing a serious threat to native species and habitat.
Wildlife experts are calling for action before it's too late and the bird establishes itself across Canada.
In an odd twist, mute swans are believed to be the only invasive species protected by law in Canada. That's because general use of the word ‘swans' in federal legislation has inadvertently given mute swans protection that was intended for native species.
Mute swans were introduced to North America from Asia and Europe in the late 1800s for zoos, private collectors, and as regal additions to city parks and waterways. Once these birds started escaping though -- an inevitable result for many imported species -- the seeds of a problem were planted.
Today, there are about 25,000 of the swans in the Great Lakes region, Chesapeake Bay area and North Atlantic coastal areas. That's a dramatic population explosion from 1,000 in the 1950s.
As any wetland kayaker who has had a close encounter with these birds knows, they're highly aggressive. They won't think twice about charging you if you paddle into their territory. Thank goodness a kayak paddle can also serve a handy defensive purpose -- if you know how to use it. Otherwise, you could end up with bruises, cuts, or worse, broken bones. In fact, there have been a few cases of swimmers being drowned by overly-aggressive mute swans. If these swans can pose such risk to humans, imagine their impact on native species.
In Canada, the area of particular concern is the lower Great Lakes region. The area is on the major migration path and a wintering ground for many native Eastern North American bird species. Mute swans compete directly with many of these species for food and desirable habitat. In Maryland alone, the swans are suspected of causing a 40 per cent decline in the number of native tundra swans over the past quarter century. Tundra swans, whose annual migration to and from Canada's Arctic is one of the wonders of nature among birdwatchers in southern Ontario, are unable to find the food they need to survive and can be bullied from their traditional wintering areas. If mute swans numbers continue to grow then they may also affect tundra swan use of migratory resting areas such as the Great Lakes and migration resting areas.
Mute swans also devour or destroy aquatic plants at an alarming rate. One U.S. study found a single swan is capable of eating eight pounds of vegetation in a day, and uprooting another 20 pounds during the feeding process. The result is loss of habitat and a key food source for other waterfowl and aquatic species, including fish.
Populations of mute swans are being closely monitored in Canada by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and Long Point Waterfowl. Researchers use small airplanes to record numbers in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and Lake St. Clair. During aerial surveys between 2003 and 2005, it was discovered that the population had doubled, from 1,373 to 2,737 swans. The results of 2008 surveys will likely show another significant increase.
With no natural predators to reduce their numbers, mute swan populations are expected to continue to grow rapidly in Ontario's lower Great Lakes area, the Canadian hotspot for the invasion. Fortunately, the swans have not yet expanded their range into Western Canada or the Maritimes.
Ontario has no current management plan to reduce populations.
Dr. Scott Petrie, Research Director of Long Point Waterfowl and lecturer on Wildlife Ecology and Management at the University of Western Ontario, has studied mute swans and other waterfowl on the Great Lakes.
Petrie feels strongly that if we do not soon start to control this invasive species on the Great Lakes we will soon have a problem of the magnitude now being experienced in the United States.
"Government officials know exactly what is to happen yet little is being done to prevent the problem," says Petrie.
The Atlantic Flyway Council, composed of officials from state and provincial wildlife management agencies along an eastern seaboard migratory zone stretching from Florida to Ontario, Nunavut and the Maritimes, is closely monitoring the swans. The council is calling for a coordinated plan to reduce populations to 3,000 swans by 2013, and increased efforts to educate the public about the serious threat posed by mute swans.
So, the next time you stand by a well manicured city park or waterway and see a giant white swan, all may not be as idyllic as you think.
There's an ugly and growing problem in the wilds of Canada.
WorkCabin.ca is Canada's green outpost for green jobs and conservation jobs
You’d Better Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair
By
Alternative Channel's Youth Contributor Cody Larocque
Popular culture has often made a stab at the eco friendly individual, characterizing them as tie dye wearing, patchouli soaked, granola eaters walking or biking around town to find the local grocer. Often laughed at, this image's ethoses have however slowly crept into the beauty industry. In the space of a few decades, "Green" spas and salons have popped up all over the world, notably in North America. The average spa or salon can go through gallons of water a day, not to mention creates a lot of waste, due to treatments and procedures. These earth conscious businesses and companies are making a shift in the right direction.
Not only are these new green spas opening their doors in neighborhoods all over the continent, existing beauty parlors are changing their wasteful ways and opting for more sustainable practices. The conversion to eco-friendly styling isn't as difficult as some imagine. The first area to fix is energy consumption. The easiest way to save energy is to change all a salons bulbs from conventional incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs, which last not only 10 times longer but also use 75% less energy, which will help to alleviate a salon's stress on the power grid. Another option for many spas is to buy an energy star certified appliance, which has been marked by the environmental protection agency, which use any where from 10% to 50% less energy than standard models.
The next possible way is to switch to more sustainable beauty products, which have conservation of both flora and fauna. Companies like Aveda, have been holding the torch of pure, organic beauty since 1978. The U.K. based company has some impressive numbers to drop, the most impressive is there use of 100% wind energy purchase which totally offsets their consumption of there manufacturing plant in Minnesota, 90% of their essential oils are certified organic and 89% of there raw herbals are as well. It doesn't stop there they continue with a high use of recyclable and renewable packaging. Aveda also supports fair trade through buying most of there ingredients from traditional and indigenous producers. Also websites like www.nailsmag.com on their conscious salon channel, and www.aveda.uk help to promote change.
The face of beauty is changing; natural products have replaced the once chemical filled products of the industry. The ideology of beauty as well has changed to reflect nature and appreciation for inherent beauty. Hopefully our renewed sense of connectivity to earth via beauty will bring about change in other industries that would otherwise never think of going green.
Photo by: tanakawho, courtesy of flickr.com
Eco-Tourism: Real or Ruse?
By
Alternative Channel's Contributor Jackson Kern
Many destinations are not as they seem.
In the great tide of green that has risen over contemporary popular culture it can be difficult to differentiate the authentic from the artificial. Revelations of dishonest and misleading corporate tactics abound. Although such instances of ‘greenwashing' come in many and insidious forms, the term essentially includes any disingenuous attempt to present a product or service as green. This murky distinction between the authentically and artificially green has today extended to those most sacred tenets of our society: holidaymaking and travel.
«Green travel» remains something of an oxymoron because of the massive releases of jet fuel into our lower atmosphere that all but the most local journeys entail. Aside from efforts to increase the efficiency of modern commercial aircraft and to enhance the effectiveness of new fuel initiatives, little can presently be done on this front. All the projections indicate that air travel volumes will grow by leaps and bounds in the coming decades. However we have a much greater immediate ability to manage the impact of travelers, tourists and pleasure seekers on the local environments that they visit.
Hence the rise of ecological, eco-friendly, or simply eco-tourism. The true eco-tourist seeks not only to experience foreign ecological environments but to do so in a way which minimizes or eliminates entirely the negative impact that he or she has on that environment and its indigenous peoples. These simple observations can help you to be a responsible eco-tourist and not an unknowing poser.
The primary concern of eco-tourists is focused on the local biological environment. Many so-called ‘eco-lodges' and similar establishments are built and developed only at significant cost to the local habitat and eco-system. The ways in which the infrastructure needs of such lodges are addressed, such as plumbing, electricity and waste disposal solutions, should be investigated. Many would-be eco-tourists are often unaware of the large burdens that these seemingly simple amenities impose on an environment's resources. The degree to which these burdens multiply under "population pressure" as visitor volume increases should be examined. Another concern is the possibility of forced displacement of local populations to clear way for development of tourism infrastructure; this is akin to worries over adverse effects on local flora and fauna, which also pose concerns of no little significance.
Aside from the impact on the strictly biological environment, it is equally important to consider the effects of a local tourist industry on its economy. It is fundamental that these industries pursue long-term economic sustainability rather than extractive short-term profit. Local populations are adversely affected if they are exploited for their low-cost labor; tourism initiatives should serve to enrich local populations through education and on-job training. In this way they foster the development of a capable workforce which can contribute to the global economy. Rising incomes will also allow them to be a future market for the goods and services of others. Ideally the integrity of the local culture and identity should be preserved, but we must not forget that the history of all cultures is a history of change.
Naturally these guidelines cannot address the specific pitfalls of all eco-tourism destinations. It is most important that we simply be aware of the potential for greenwashing of the travel industry, and that we then investigate individual destinations of their own merits. In this way we can begin to advance toward a more responsible travel paradigm in the twenty-first century.
