Sustainability is Step One

talking about the activist blues

2011-09-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Activism can be an invigorating practice, kicking up adrenaline that keeps you going, going for the win. But what does this mean for our minds? Thinking about the same thing and moving on it all the time can mean lead to not having time to eat well, to stress, tension and tightness, malaise, anxiety and so on. These things similarly occur in politics, community organizing and other kinds of work where the stakes are high and the work doesn't stop.

Many environmentalists and those working on social justice long-term get periods of despair and even depression. Others in this work may happen to be susceptible to depression and other forms of mental illness - and this kind of life can act as a trigger. Different issues in life may also be pressing as well. The state of the world bearing down can add to the feelings.

At a time when austerity measures are proposed for already reduced social programs, and environmental targets are being weakened with little hope of reaching necessary climate or biodiversity goals, things look grim. On the other hand, much strength and possibility can be found in a rising up of movements - I've seen this all over recently, at many levels. Though a particularly sad time, in the wake of Jack Layton's death, a new possibility of citizen leadership may bring what we need.

I've also noticed friends getting more into creative activism. This work needs more than protest, it needs positive motivation, song, food and community.

‘Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear.’

...Let's arrive at that together. If you're not feeling it, don't feel worse about yourself. Talk about it and see what strategies you can take to get on the right track. I've become very used to seeing signs of depression in people - it is truly very common - and talking about it openly with those who want to. As Dave Meslin wrote in a blog that struck a chord last year, we need to be open about talking about depression, suicide, therapy and medication.

I have been stressed and overworked before, but I am lucky not to have reached depression. I luckily have learned how to balance more, to take some weekend breaks from work, figured out mindfulness and meditation, and learned to chill out with a couple friends who are much better at that than I am. A great advisory which I've oft turned to and share, comes from the late Tooker Gomberg, a visionary of modern activism in Toronto and Canada. His "letter to an activist" shares this hope that you will take up a diverse, enjoyable life that it will keep you in it for the long haul. Please take a look.

A balanced life is the way to go. But it's important to share more ideas, because I think we've just scratched the surface of this - please share thoughts and experiences to help us figure out how to keep going and winning "sustainably" and "resiliently". Do it for Tooker and for Jack, but do it for yourself as well.

Recommended reading: The World We Have, Thich Nhat Hanh

Blame the system, please, and fix it

2011-05-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

Boy do lefties know how to beat up on each other. Maybe it was the deep moments of frustration, but I haven’t heard this much blame game thrown around this country since the early Chrétien years, by conservatives.

The facts we have include that the Conservatives ran a really strong campaign with a focused message (like, extremely focused), and picked up a majority of seats. The Liberals ran the wrong campaign after being pummeled by the Tory machine and their seat count collapsed.

Jack Layton described the platform of the Liberals as largely the same, the main difference being that they couldn’t be trusted in getting it done. The NDP took advantage of Ignatieff's poor showing and Layton's popularity and approach, and rose to strong opposition, the likes of which have never been seen.

Yes, if this and that happened, votes could have added up in different ways to defeat the Conservatives. I've seen people blaming parties, leaders and candidates, organizers and volunteers, and Canadian voters as a whole. But the problem is deeper than this, and we know it.

The ability of a group of unaligned voters in an election to sway its outcome in a strategic direction across the country is very small. It seems in fact, the stronger the effort toward strategic voting, the worse the result ends up for the strategists (though I won’t blame their attempt, either).

There are many explanations for this. Individuals and groups come up with their own methodologies for voting strategically. They aren't relying on complete and sound information; polls are not done locally or made widely available. Support for parties shown in polls also change, and this time the showing for parties on the centre/left at the beginning of the election was highly different than at its end. The momentum of campaigns most often wipe out any small gains here and there for strategic voting.

An individual who believes in a party message shouldn’t be blamed for lending it their vote. Neither should a party be blamed for doing well and gaining seats, that’s their job.

But here we end up with a result that doesn’t suit the 60% very well at all, and perhaps not even much of the 40% who probably thought they were voting for a minority government. It’s a result not caused by individuals making bad choices, but by a system of political and electoral representation that facilitates the pattern.

I've been involved with parties, and their goals are to increase their standing to implement their policies and values. Their goal isn’t to arrive at a Legislature that benefits the most “progressive” voters. Therefore it is the people who must press to get the House they want to see.

Politics is won by coalitions. Coalitions in and and among parties and those that help win movements and policy agendas. Natural coalitions could exist within the non-Conservative parties. I’m not advocating any approach, but there are many possibilities, including issue-based cooperation, formal coalitions, mergers and running or supporting candidates in certain areas. Any of these would have to be pushed by people from outside and inside political parties who want to see a different Parliamentary make-up.

Another approach is electoral reform. It’s too bad this wasn’t a priority by opposition parties in the last Parliamentary sessions, as it may have been easier to do than now. Today, the people of the United Kingdom are voting on one form, although the vote is not looking good. But it's a good place to start: proportional voting is supported by a wide range of organizers on the left.

At this time, it will likely be a theme of greater interest to Liberals (along with the Bloc and the Greens), who have taken the place of the NDP as First Past the Post loser. Even the NDPers who dislike the Conservative majority should be sure to keep up their traditional support for its implementation.

A number of various initiatives, websites and videos aren’t going to cut it. As Dave Meslin wrote on election day, these are band-aids. This time we know we have another election in another four years or so. We don’t have to wait until an election is spontaneously called and run around with our heads chopped off. In addition, an Ontario election lies around the corner.

Whatever the efforts, they should be big, bold and united. No more separate initiatives here and there.

Working together, we can get some good ole reform happening in Canada again. Working apart, Nick Kouvalis wins.

Earth Day time to up our game

2011-03-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Last Earth Day, my friend called and I told him, "it’s my special day.., you didn’t wish me a Happy Earth Day!"
He hit back, "every day is Earth Day!" and thus began our tradition of saying “Happy Earth Day” as the first greeting with every phone call on any day.

And to some extent, our little pattern is accurate. Environmental awareness, if not action, has become so mainstream that for more of the population, environmental consciousness is now built into daily behaviour. But as people have changed attitudes throughout the world, the threat of inaction by government and large industry still threaten us all with global catastrophe. (Wow, that sounded harsh.. wish it wasn’t true).

So today it’s back to the political again as was off to Jack Layton’s house to deliver a set of demands with City-TV and CBC tagging along. I was asked by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition to join in delivering a call to action on climate change, which is being delivered by young people to political leaders across the country today. I haven’t looked into the other 'plant a tree for Earth Day' type activities happening in the area today, but this action is a good one to be a part of.

Other things are happening in my neighbourhood. At Queen’s Park was a rally to kick of a walk to stop a mega quarry in Dufferin County. One hundred kilometres north of the City lies an application by a US Hedge Fund to construct the second largest open pit mine in North America, on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment - would be almost half the size of the City of Toronto ripping out kick ass farmland.

At the same time in about the same place, a strategic action planned by youth is taking place. It’s U of T’s turn for a vote mob and it will be big, with over 1,000 registered on Facebook as we speak. A Happy Earth Day it will be for me if youth get out to vote. Young Greens have chalked lines to the same polling station and are also focusing on getting out the youth vote. Michael Erickson’s NDP campaign is having an advance poll party. Greenpeace is rallying against new nukes.

I’ve been involved in many these youth movements over the last few years, from Sustainable Campuses, Youth Climate Change, Young Greens and now the youth food movement. These have similar goals and sometimes similar people, and have been making a big difference – if not just a kick in the pants, energizing the broader environmental movements and organizations.

Sadly though, it's tough times out there for environmental advocates, but not for a lack of work to be done.

The federal government has done everything it could to rid environmental programs of funding, as reported before the election - but with little fanfare - in Canadian media. Expected cuts were to include a whopping 59% for climate and air pollution programs, the latter being a supposed environmental priority for the Tories.

That adds up to an overall 20% reduction in Environment Canada's spending and a 21% cut for Natural Resources Canada.

While spending cuts are easier to argue in deficit days, the cuts come at a time when barely anything is being done by federal government to reduce climate change, a crisis whose costs will outweigh any small savings of doing nothing, many times over.

In Canada's biggest province things also look bleak. After canceling potential offshore wind because of localized public opinion differences, Ontario's provincial government who has shown support for green energy is facing a challenge from a Party threatening the dismantling of the Green Energy and Green Economy Act. This comes with a base of support from Landowners who have traditionally butted heads with all government environmental policy, including Greenbelt legislation. The same Party under Mike Harris left a 40% cut to the Ministry of the Environment.

In Canada’s biggest city, a mayor has been elected who’s been guiding Council through priorities of tax and spending cuts, with perceived public perception that these issues are critical over pretty much all else. Meanwhile, area grassroots environmental and food movement organizations are growing like gangbusters. With a deep financial crisis, Council will have to find savings of hundreds of millions by next year, and we assume continued financial support for programs like the Toronto Environment Office, Toronto’s Food Strategy, Live Green or Tower Renewal.

These political leaders are all very popular. Harper and Hudak Conservatives could both win majorities. The federal political landscape is split up, and the other parties, according to a new Sierra Club survey, are slipping in their support for environmental issues. There may be a historic opportunity to elect the Green leader who has been involved in nurturing many of our youth movements and could have an impact. But with the NDP on the rise and the Liberals in free fall, where would a Conservative majority leave us?

The environmental movement has to up its game. We’ve reached the attention of many, except for those holding power. We need some deep discussions about where we’re headed and what will work from now on.

One hope is to eat our way out of the mess. The New York Times recently headlined, “Foodies Can Eclipse (and Save) the Green Movement.”

“But here's the good news,” read the article, “the two sides aren't really competing. As the food movement matures and grows, it could end up being the best vehicle available for achieving environmental goals.”

As usual, the advice I can provide is to get involved and learn. Work with like-minded folks and see the broader political context. Be strategic and have discussions – if we reach out and work together, we can win.

Suggested reading:

My past Earth Day articles, 2006, 2009, 2010

Federal Election Party Platform Environmental Report Card, Sierra Club of Canada

Our Generation, Our Future, Our Demands, Canadian Youth Climate Coalition

Foodies Can Eclipse (and Save) the Green Movement, Time Magazine

Take action:

http://www.elections.ca/

http://www.pushfoodforward.com

http://www.facebook.com/no.mega.quarry

http://chocosol.posterous.com

http://tyfpc.ca

http://www.ourclimate.ca/wordpress

http://www.greenpeace.org/canada

Jason Kenney, settlement cuts and the ethnic vote

2011-03-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has been found to have been writing and fundraising for the Conservatives' federal election with office ministerial office resources and letterhead. Kenney's campaign was to strengthen the vote of what he called ethnic Canadians. According to their fundraising campaign:

"There are lots of ethnic voters," the media plan says. "There will be quite a few more soon. They live where we need to win."
- CBC

I recently wrote about Kenney's treatment about immigrants, questioning his policies when he is likewise courting votes from various ethnic communities. Perhaps a better strategy than using taxpayer resources to campaign, would be to actually implement policies that supported new Canadians.

Below is an article I recently wrote on this topic for the Canadian Multicultural Journal (click "Multicultural Journal" in the drop down menu), and a way to get involved.

Here's an easy way to get involved and get a motion passed in the House that would make a change - template letter to an MP provided:

Dear Friends,

As you may be aware, MP Olivia Chow recently presented a motion to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to reverse the $53 million in funding cuts to immigrant and refugee serving agencies across Canada, $44 million of which is being cut in Ontario. That motion was passed.

Today, the motion to reverse the $53 million in cuts is being debated in Parliament and will be voted on in the next few days. The importance of this motion is evident to all of us, and it is up to us to pressure our MPs to adopt this motion.

What you can do:
1) Forward this email through your contacts
2) Use this website to identify your MP and find their email address:
www2.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/compilations/houseofcommons/memberbypostalcode.aspx?menu=hoc
3) Use the form e-mail below to email your MP.
4) Encourage your clients, friends and family to email their MP.

Thanks you for your support.
**************************************************************
Form email:

Dear ----,
The successful integration and inclusion of immigrants and refugees is vital to a strong and cohesive Canada. The recent $53 million cut to immigrant and refugee serving agencies across Canada, and in particular the almost $44 million being cut in Ontario, threatens to undermine the important work that these agencies do. I am particularly concerned that these cuts were implemented without consulting and working with the immigrant and refugee serving sector.
I strongly urge you to vote in favour of the motion put forward by Olivia Chow and adopted by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to reverse the cuts. Settlement and Integration programs and services are critical now more than ever to facilitate the successful integration of newcomers. Supporting this motion will ensure that the important work undertaken on behalf of Newcomers will continue without disruption and will reinforce our collective Canadian value of fairness.

Sincerely,
----------------------------

Wendell Berry in the mountains

2011-02-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

Wendell Berry is quite awesome. A hero to the environmental and food movements, he is currently taking action in the kind of activism we presently need - against coal strip mining in Kentucky. Some good ole Christianity.

"The writer and philosopher Wendell Berry, armed with little more than a copy of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and his conscience, has been camped out for three days with a handful of other activists in the governor’s outer office in Frankfort, Ky. Berry, who is 76 and the author of a number of important books including the “Unsettling of America” and “Life Is a Miracle,” has been sleeping on the floor of Gov. Steve Beshear’s reception area since Friday night with 13 others to protest the continued blasting of mountaintops in eastern Kentucky and the poisoning of watersheds, soil and air by coal companies."

Read more

Mubarak chimes in

2011-02-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

Mackenzie Valley pipe dream

2011-01-11T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline has been in the works since forever... it's the fundamental case upon which large environmental assessments have been modeled after in Canada and the Berger Inquiry was an epic formation of its time (the 1970s). It was reported that new Environment Minister Peter Kent did his own reporting on the Inquiry and a television clip was recently played of this journalism (he's known about environmental issues himself for quite a while).

Thomas Berger's Inquiry created a moratorium on the Pipeline proposal for ten years to deal with Aboriginal land. Years of delays and assessments after that has meant that the Pipeline was still never built. Now Kent and his colleagues in Cabinet have approved that same Pipeline, CBC has reported. However, they put in a stipulation of no government subsidies meaning the economics of it all still might not work. We don't know if it will ever be built (and at this time, the gas would be used more for tar sands development than its original purposes).

More and more, economics has been driving development over environmental considerations - and in some cases, it can be a much stronger force in stopping a project that has negative environmental consequences. Either way, the Pipeline and its case - whether it will be built or not - still has the prints of Berger all over it. His report has certainly outlived Canada's annually changing role of environment minister.

Time for youth to lead

2010-12-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

Young peoples’ leadership is showing these days... with activism in Britain, Iran and Burma, entrepreneurship in a global recession and developing counter cultures with different ways of doing things.

In traditional politics, however, young people aren’t showing up en masse. The activism is bubbling up, but youth issues aren't at the forefront, and where they are things aren't looking good.

There are many legitimate reasons for the lack of political interest, and they are far from a reported existence of widespread youth apathy. Politics has put up barriers to entry – irrelevance of ideas, lack of meaningful consultation, lies, childishness, etc. The value in participating is simply not evident for many. And that’s what many of those in power are banking on.

Many don’t see that the big problems face them day to day, so perhaps don’t decide to get involved. But our generation is feeling pressure from a lack of jobs and high rates of debt (both personal and government). The parents are oft well-off, but that’s part of the problem if that wealth is kept within that generation.

Today’s youth are stuck with some big problems. We’ve got ecological systems collapse, loss of natural space, nuclear weapons, state and individual terrorism, massive global inequities, ineffectual federal governments, corporate control and advertising, the police/prison complex, institutional racism, Fox News & Sun Media, and 1950s-based food, urban planning, energy and transportation systems that are resistant to change.

Meanwhile, youth have benefited by of social movements for human rights that have come before us, along with economic, cultural and technological changes such as mass communications and information distribution, scientific advances, global transportation networks, material prosperity for many, immigration, public infrastructure, health care and public health, education (though standardized), later Beatles music that was pretty good, and a lack of broad global conflict at present.

Young folks are focusing on new ideas of social entrepreneurship, relationships, work, religion/belief and information sharing. This generation is on the move and has the energy and resources to get things done.

With previous generations having defined what society looks like with its challenges and opportunities, it’s now time for young people to stand up to shape things in a way that will also benefit them and future generations. Many of the changes to be made will continue to happen through rapid change in culture and technology, in activism and social innovation.

"Sometimes I wonder if we shall ever grow up in our politics and say definite things which mean something, or whether we shall always go on using generalities to which everyone can subscribe, and which mean very little."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Politics has a huge role in social change as well, but needs to be shaken up. Young people who are leaving politics behind are missing an opportunity to make the social change that traditionally comes through this realm – things changed or decided through political legislative action have included women’s right to vote, desegregation, depletion of the ozone layer, public health care, minimum wage, transit, urban design and war.

For significant change to happen in politics, people will have to get involved and change the system from all angles – make known what they expect to see from politicians, and become the ones in those circles making impactful decisions.

At the moment we’re in a catch-22 of sorts, in which young people must get involved to change the system, but are not getting involved because of how the system is acting.

Political parties and politicians have the ability to make changes to engage young people and bring them in. This would help change the democratic system as a whole. In fact, there is a perfect opportunity for a political party that wants to take advantage of the generation’s energy and ideas, and votes. This could be done by bringing youth to the table in meaningful ways and bringing ideas that are of interest to young people.

Policies that will actually solve the climate crisis, bring democratic discussion, create meaningful work, provide relevant and affordable education, tackle the debt load, make differences in equity abroad and at home... these are discussions (although I cannot speak on behalf of all youth) that will bring us folk on board. Past that, parties wanting to bring youth in must get past the lies, childishness, and games that don’t have a place in formative institutions.

The opportunity exists for the party that can do this, to bring much of the next generation along with it, capture the future scene, and be a voice for youth to change the world.

Jim Prentice: the current face of the typical Canadian enviro minister

2010-12-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

CBC is reporting from a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks that shows former Environment Minister Jim Prentice's interest in regulating the tar sands more strongly, particularly after realizing the global perceptions of the industry and the weakness in provincial & federal government laws. See the story: "Prentice was ready to curb oilsands: WikiLeaks" This comes after a new report showing weak monitoring of chemicals released in the area persists.

Jim Prentice recently resigned as minister, from the government and from his seat in Parliament. Shortly before that, he took a B.C. wilderness tour with David Suzuki which was covered by CBC with Evan Solomon.

If there's any connection here that Prentice was pushing for stronger action and got on the government's bad side, it wouldn't be anything new for Canadian environment ministers. The position has always been at the whim of the rest of the government - the cabinet - or more likely, the Prime Minister's office. The position is expected to push environmental considerations for projects of all other ministries. If the minister gains strong interest in the environment, the person is often turfed from the role - particularly if a given PM doesn't see connections between environmental and socio-economic sustainability.

You could have asked the late Charles Caccia how it works. He was a Liberal who fought for the environment under Pierre Trudeau's government - but mostly as an MP because he wasn't Minister for long. The position and the ministry is not very stable in its work and continues to lack integration with the work of other ministries - so the environment remains a stand-alone consideration.

When an environmentalist (Stephane Dion) became leader and ran for Prime Minister, it didn't work out so well either.

Prentice was replaced by John Baird, who's never shown the slightest care about environmental problems. Canada's federal environmental record continues...

What Bernie Sanders has started

2010-12-12T14:51:00.000-08:00

Re-energizing the American people:

"At the end of the day, the only way we transform America is through grassroots activism"

"Sanders encouraged callers to do "what progressives have been doing forever -- you educate and you organize."

See: "Bernie Sanders Rallies Activists To Sink Obama's Tax Compromise"

Real people can't live underwater

2010-12-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

Check out this incredible art installation in Cancun: http://ht.ly/3lHqQ

Citizens from around the world (Mexico, China, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, the US, Vietnam and the Philippines) attending the Conference are using art as their message this year, to remind politicians and the public about the grave and imminent risks of sea level rise if we don't take action.

The sculptures were done by Jason DeCaires Taylor.

Shady diplomats, Exxon and Harper

2010-11-29T10:33:00.000-08:00

Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse on the Conservative's treatment of climate change, we hear more bad news.

Not only is the Party killing our own climate legislation, it's using old American corporate-money games to try to kill their legislation as well. Postmedia News and the Pembina Institute are reporting that our diplomats are working to eliminate American legislation by pressuring Exxon Mobil and BP to use their influence.

Of course the corporate oil barrens have been using lobbyist pressure to sway public opinion and Washington policies for years. But didn't this let up more recently when they had to admit that climate change at least exists? Apparently not. And now we have a government that is tight with industry - tight enough to try to protect it from having to do anything of substance on the most critical issue of our time.

We don't think of corporations as instructive to Canadian politicians as our American neighbours - the money's not as big and as obvious. But the ties are very close with the current government.

This is a scary trend. It's not just elected senators making our democratic decisions - corporations are playing their fair share. We know from Wikileaks that American do some pretty interesting things. And ours are looking pretty shady today as well.

How do we push back? This is what we're up against.

Who knew change was possible?

2010-11-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

People often tell me that politics is useless, that change can't and won't happen. Often my friends who say this aren't thinking back in history, to changes that have happened for the better, and the social movements that helped get them there.

I just tweeted that wind power at this moment is producing over twice the amount of electricity in Ontario than coal (data can be found at: http://www.ieso.ca). This is a significant accomplishment which happened because of advocacy that pushed change by the PC and Liberal governments.

Today the Ontario government announced that the coal plant in Thunder Bay would be switched to use cleaner burning gas.

The drastic drop in coal use and now steady increases in renewable energy happened because of organizations being formed around and campaigning on the removal of coal generation and the building of green energy. Groups like the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Green Energy Act Alliance were champions, along with others like Greenpeace and WWF. Groups including medical and nursing associations helped with data and increasing voices. These groups have swayed public opinion and massive letter writing helped move the agenda forward. Government champions were useful too, but would have been impotent without active support from the public.

There's much more to do to emphasize conservation and demand-side planning, building a smart grid, and being more aggressive with community power. If you want to make a difference on energy and climate, for a green and nuclear-free future, there is hope and you can make change - beginning with small conversations and hard work.

from: "Sustainability is Step One" http://darcyhiggins.blogspot.com

Canadian NGOs failing on climate?

2010-11-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

A blog was written yesterday by Cory Morningstar on failed climate change strategy called "From the Non-Profit Industrial Complex with Love".

It's quite a read - pretty over the top in some cases, as if a report like this is being hidden - and the writer seems to have an axe to grind. I haven't really worked much in the bigger environmental NGOs, but my thought is feeling is that the current strategy has been based in what people have thought will work, rather than scaring folks too much. People respond in action to a call oh hope, or no? People know what's going on and it's not being hidden.

But good points are made about where we need to be going as a movement
Thoughts?

http://canadianclimateaction.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/from-the-non-profit-industrial-complex-with-love-explosive-climate-report-kept-from-public/

Let's talk about the society we want

2010-10-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

In an article this week, George Monbiot has made the case for progressives to make the case for playing to people's collective good values to build the society we want to see.
He says we can do this by reflecting on individuals' intrinsic motivators and talking about collectivist attitudes - thinking big on how we can change society and not playing into small self-benefiting policy changes that flow with the broader shift to the right.
I think this is similar to what Bill McKibben was saying about movement building and how we've so far been failing.
What do you think?

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/10/11/the-values-of-everything/

Fundraiser for Wellesley Fire Sept 30 7PM

2010-09-29T09:13:00.001-07:00

Please see this note from Hollie Pollard who I'm helping to organize a fundraiser Thursday evening for the displaced from the 200 Wellesley Fire. Thank you.

From: http://commoncentsmom.com/2010/09/29/an-invite-wellesley-fire-fundraiser/

Himy Syed (yes that one, the one who is one of the darkhorse canidates for mayor of Toronto), I and a few other great volunteers are organizing a fundraiser for the residents of 200 Wellesley. We invite you to come and hear the stories of residents of 200 Wellesley this Thursday Septemeber 30th at 519 Church Street at 7 pm.

There is an urgent need to help the 1,700 plus now homeless people. Specifically in understanding the reality of affected residents by listening to them speak directly what has not been reported. Also by accepting donations by way of Gift Cards. Cash donations to Displaced Residents may negatively impact many who are on social assistance. Small value gifts cards do not . All cash donations will be converted into Gift Cards. We will have audited transparency in the collection and distribution of all Gift Card donations.

Please come ready to listen and ready to give.

We have a Facebook Event Page here. We would love to know if you are coming. Please do come and bring a gift card or two. The best gift cards are those for food, homewares, and soon there will be a need for furniture ones as well. If you bring cash we will transfer that into gift cards.

As of today there is no longer the need for gently used clothing. Thanks to all who did give so generously.

Personally I hope to meet many of you on Thursday. Please share this post with your friends and family that live in Toronto.

Congrats DJ

2010-07-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

A photo I took in 07 of our next Governor General, at a reception with Major General Lewis Mackenzie.

I predict Johnston as a GG who delivers any decisions by the books and without any large changes from the position. He's always allowed any innovations or hesitations to happen underneath his presence and accept advice of his administrators so that could be with the PM as well.

Notably for this blog, he chaired the National Roundtable on the Environment & Economy - a federal advisory group that puts out reports ahead if its time. At the University though, the leadership on sustainability initiated by president Wright didn't seem to remain a priortiy.

Aboriginal and Environmental justice @ the G20

2010-06-24T10:48:00.001-07:00

Large group of people, banners and a huge flag going down Bay St.

Police presence is massive - unusual for a protest of this nature. But police seem to be helping them guide through the streets (whether this was wanted?) and protest peaceful as usual.

Some of the demonstrators come from Grassy Narrows, where toxic heavy metal pollution from undesired projects have poisoned community members for years.

I believe that Aboriginal leaders were not invited to the G20 meetings though big business leaders were.

People, we have a strategy

2010-06-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

This might not hit the press, but Toronto's Board of Health just unanimously passed the Toronto Food Strategy proposed by the Medical Officer of Health. The report is titled, Cultivating Food Connections: Toward a Healthy and Sustainable Food System for Toronto, and can be found here in its last iteration: http://bit.ly/tofoodstrategy

The report's main recommendation according to the Dr. McKeown is to ask the city manager to embed food systems thinking in all departments, boards and commissions. This is a critical step that the City Manager was apparently happy to receive. It did not need to go to Council at this point, but in the future, some recommendations will require funding attached, and further structures for implementation will be decided by Council next year. Until then, Public Health will take the lead, with lots for staff to do.

Looking at the meat of the report, it held six recommendation areas with specific policies to support better food access in the City. Availability of food in neighbourhoods and the potential for projects leading to social cohesion were emphasized. Councillor Paula Fletcher talked about the amazing work done by the department on reaching out to communities in the publication of the report.
See a video shown during the meeting of what was done in Alexandra Park: http://bit.ly/torontofood

This is a major step.

However getting the molars into this nutritious plan is yet to come. As Councillor Davis stated, we need to work hard to keep this strategy alive through 2011.. it must be discussed in, and post-election.

Contact me to stay updated and learn what more we can do.
darcyhiggins@gmail.com

Congrats to the Toronto Food Policy Council, the Steering Committee and TPH Staff!

Feel free to start the discussion in commentsbelow..

p.s. my 100th blog post this one!

Historic day for Canada's environmental movement

2010-05-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

A significant shift has happened.
Logging has been one of the biggest targets of Canada's environmental movement throughout the past decades. The environmental movement (Greenpeace, CPAWS, Forest Ethics) has won a huge victory today, with such successes as getting the major forestry industries to preserve a giant tract of Boreal Forest and to meet FSC standards across the board.
That level of change could not have happened within the industry itself. In the Canadian political climate, it also would not have happened through government. Here is an example of what change advocacy organization can bring - and when everyone stops to think about it, how environmentalists and corporations can do better for the economy and workers when they decide on a sustainable path together.

See below:

Loggers, green groups reach truce

Canada’s long-time adversaries poised to announce peace pact, switch to partnership model

Martin Mittelstaedt
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Published on Monday, May. 17, 2010 1:50PM EDT
Last updated on Tuesday, May. 18, 2010 10:54AM EDT
Canada’s long-running war in the woods, which has spanned decades and involved bitter skirmishes in just about every area of the country, may be over for good.

Forest companies and environmentalists are poised to announce a historic truce Tuesday. The deal will not only stop the fighting, but will require the two sides to eventually do something once thought improbable: Tree huggers and tree cutters are to switch from being sworn enemies to something resembling partners.

Under the pact, environmental groups will suspend boycott campaigns directed against Canadian forest products companies, a major irritant to the industry. Meanwhile, forest companies will not undertake any environmentally unfriendly actions, such as logging in ecologically sensitive boreal forests inhabited by endangered caribou.

If the industry attains specified conservation performance goals, environmental groups will go beyond the truce and publicly help brand the Canadian industry’s products as green. This will give the industry a marketing advantage against companies from countries that turn a blind eye to illegal harvesting and other harmful forestry practices.

Read more here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/loggers-green-groups-reach-truce/article1571684/

they just won't understand these things

2010-05-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, Second Cup (Canadian-owned) was playing a favourite Xavier Rudd song.. an awesome Aussie who plays much in Canada.

Called "Messages", I like this song when I'm feeling things aren't going well.

Lyrics:

So now come sit down
Will you talk with me now
And let me see through your eyes
Where there is so much light
We are biding our time
For these myths to unwind
For these changes we will confront

So please be aware with every
Place that you herald
And look to your soul
For these things that you know
For the trees that we see
Cannot forever breathe
With the changes they will confront

CHORUS:
You know some people they just won't understand
No, they just won't understand
These things
Thank you for your message but I don't understand
No they just won't understand
These things

And this sacred land
It has seen many hands
It has wealth and gold
Now it is fragile and old
And now the greedy souls just don't care to know
Of the changes it will confront

So speak out loud
Of the things you are proud
And if you love this coast
Then keep it clean as it evolves
Because the way that it shines
May just dwindle with time
With the changes it will confront

So hold nice and close
Once you get to your soul
So that when it is cold
You won't feel so alone
'Cause the roads that you take
May just crack and break
With the changes you will confront

With each gift that you share
You may heal and repair
With each choice you make
You may help someone's day
Well I know you are strong
May your journey be long
And now I wish you the best of luck
Well I know you are strong
May your journey be long
And now I wish you the best of luck.

Some Earth Day reflections on climate politics, recession, food and good reads

2010-04-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

"If the climate was a bank [the U.S.] would already have saved it."
- Hugo Chavez

Earth Day always leaves me wanting to get back to the keyboard to "pen" a few thoughts. Last year, I wrote that solutions exist and that a good society needs to take them up to make a significant difference.

Cleaning up our act

Earlier today I spent time picking up litter in Grange Park in Toronto, somewhere I often have lunch and enjoy immensely as an inner-city park. The Green Party of Ontario organized it, and it was the second cleanup I helped with this week. I used to not be a fan of these types of activities on Earth Day because they can give the impression that litter is a serious environmental issue, rather than focusing on the deeper changes we need. I want people to realize those decisions that will make a difference - getting out of their cars, reducing home energy use, increasing their consumption of healthy vegetables and pulses - not just focusing on largely aesthetic factors. I now realize that clean ups are more of an issue of community integrity and pride, important to go along with strictly "environmental" activities. And how can we value keeping the atmosphere clean if we can't even keep trash out of our backyards?

But we still sandwich in the park clean up between other work, because working on poltical organizing, communications and Green policy development are actions that have the possibility to motivate large scale shifts. It is in politics, along with education and writing like this,g where I enjoy putting my efforts.

Cycling home, the line of cars I and a few others pass reminds me of the causes of declining global trends harming the Earth's life support systems of the atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. Recent global struggles on climate, and biodiversity even more so, have been wildly unsuccessful due to a plethora of reasons including failures of political and economic systems and an environmental movement unable to capture the change it desires.

Recession and a Carbon Tax

Global recession has caught the attention of the world well stronger than the climate and other earth crises, because the recession is affecting the developed world and is noticeable right now in people's day to day. Most people don't look down the road, and many don't have the ability to make decision based on tomorrow because of the needs of survival. As the recession has diverted much attention away from the Earth, governments such as the French are pulling back from effective policies like carbon taxes because of declining public support. In Canada, a significant policy presented by Stephane Dion was turned down by the public due to a Conservative Party who saw fit to simplify and vilify a strong opposition proposal, and an NDP who forgot about inter-generational and global equity.

The irony is that the recession has slowed economic growth, making good on energy reductions that governments have been unable to achieve. A recession if it continued, and it perhaps could due to rising oil prices, could bring down atmospheric carbon and prevent the climate going out of control.

But the economy need not be like this. In preparing an economic system that uses low fossil fuels, we could create good new jobs in clean energy, sustainable agri-food, transportation, arts and culture. Governments and industries haven't grasped this possibility, some are only testing the waters, like the McGuinty government in Ontario.

It is due to these broad failures that I now believe we will pass 350 parts per million of CO2, what scientists have said is humanity's safe level. Others have argued this level is not safe, and will mean suicide, especially for small island states. I'm not sure this debate matters, because without a complete change in trends, or deep recession, we will fly past 350 and rise not two degrees, but perhaps four or five by the end of the Century. This is my opinion based on observations over the last few months and years of political and scientific trends.

Changing my tune

This doesn't mean though that we should stop working to reduce our emissions. First, we can't predict with certainty what will happen, and reducing emissions as fast as we can could stop runaway climate change. Second, although deep environmental and societal impacts are inevitable, the lower the temperature increase, the lower those possible impacts to life. But it also means we need to shift energy not just to mitigation, but to adapting to climate change, because we know it is happening.

Starting this Earth Day, I will be advocating further on adaptation - something that environmentalists haven't been talking a lot about, in hopes that we can stop everything. The environmental justice movement has brought about attention, the strongest in the form of the need to pay for climate debt to the developing world. Obviously, such a proposal has run into stumbling blocks. But the work to be done in adapting to climate change - and a world full of weakened ecological systems more broadly - is work that we now must realize if we are to figure out how to grow and distribute food, conserve water, live and move around in times with increased heat waves, droughts, flooding, storms, species loss and diseases. We don't know how the planet and human systems will react to these pressures - we can only plan and be resilient for what might come.

Focus on Food

I have worked lately on saving farmland in the proposal for a Markham Foodbelt. Farmers have wanted to make money on their land - and now believe that selling to developers is the only way to do that. Even in the GTA we have forced those unable to make money into supporting environmental degradation, instead of endorsing policies to keep our best land, produce local food and support those growing it. And yet it will be land just like this that will keep us resilient to a change in climate when oil prices are high and ecological damage becomes more apparent.

I enjoy working on food system issues because they relate to the environment, but also to the kind of living we need to create in order to support while enjoying healthier food, supporting small scale economies and reducing our input of CO2 while adapting to new realities.

These are some areas I will continue to work on and I hope you'll join me. This work will be very community-based, with trust that those in communities throughout the world are doing similar work. The global struggles must continue, while movements for change innovate to not just depending on failing international governance to get us where we need to be, but also working on direct actions and broadening the number of people supporting political efforts.

Doing the clean up last weekend, an elementary school aged girl who was helping me was looking at the garbage, asking why people would throw all of this stuff on the ground.

"This one's recyclable," she stated matter-of-factly. "I know that because my school's an Ecoschool."

Children and youth certainly have different mindsets even from when I was growing up - I am constantly surprised by the level of awareness. Many have hope that as they grow up things will change. Past generations have indeed left the planet in a mess. My hope that a future generation will change things isn't 100%, but with a broad-based knowledge of the problems, some have always said that only massive awareness will make things better.

With that said, I applaud those cleaning the parks, educating youth, communicating change, being change and challenging change.

Happy Earth Day

Recommended readings:

http://this.org/blog/2010/04/22/earth-day/
http://www.alternativesjournal.ca/magazines/new-eco-books-363
http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2010/world/bolivian-village-wants-compensation-for-climate-change-adaptation/

Eating sans funds

2010-04-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned in to this blog, one of the most interesting things I'm reading - real experiences of Torontonians (many of them happen to be writers), seeing what it's like to eat on social assistance.

Thanks folks for giving a voice:

http://bit.ly/9vk0bm

Depressing letter to the editor - you'll be sorry

2010-03-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

Suzuki is right, money won't save us

Re: Nature imposes the real bottom line, Feb. 28

David Suzuki is right on the mark! Money, technology will not save us. It never has and never will.

We live in a greedy society. Money and technology will not save you from the catastrophies of climate change and global warming.

Our government and whatever else you call it won't solve your problems. Get your priorities straight. Get with the program.

Young people have absolutely no idea what awaits them. They are going to be sorry.

M. Daquano

Richmond Hill

(from: yorkregion.com)

Darcy has an opinion? Farmville: growing insanity one click at a time

2010-02-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

Photo of an actual farm field (right)

Farmville. Chances are you’ve played the Facebook app at some point, or even more likely, you have an opinion on it. Due to its extreme popularity, 27 million daily players as reported by CNN, and the nature of Facebook’s features, you tend to see it around your screen whether you want to or not.

I’ll be blunt in saying that I’m not a fan. I have many friends who spend time on Facebook, buying, selling and harvesting - or pretending to. So allow me to respectfully point out a couple of thoughts.

The kids these days, they don’t get outside the house… and they’re certainly not learning to grow food.

Today more than ever, young people don’t know where their food comes from. Interest in farming as an occupation is at an all-time low, because of a number of factors including urbanization, corporate takeovers of farms and pressure to seek higher education in other fields.

Farming is hard work. But growing real food can also be very rewarding. It means being part of a community of people with a common interest who care about what they’re doing. It can be enriching, skill-building and psychologically beneficial. I don’t think Farmville can claim that.

The whole bad food system is being challenged by young farmers and agro-activists, creating a food movement built of organizations like FarmStart and Afri-Can FoodBasket that are getting more people involved in growing and harvesting food for richer lives.

Yet overall it remains that we have a broader generation or two lacking skills and knowledge in food and farming, but hooked to Facebook, simply moving a cursor to plough a field.

Farmers, if they had time to go on Facebook and see, would be mortified.

But maybe this is better than the “jumping on peoples heads” games I played in my childhood that my dad didn’t get. Perhaps Farmville can be an educational tool? Maybe it can be a hook to more blogs articles that write on Farmville as an excuse to talk about the growing food movement, and to get people involved? (By the way, choose organic foods, get to know your farmer, try growing something in your backyard, community garden or a pot!)

But to me, for now, make-believe farming is still a scary thing.

So tell me Famvillains, am I missing something?
Can anything good come out of this?

Identifying place and building a community

2010-01-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

Walking through my neighbourhood in west/downtown Toronto - defined by the BIA as Bloorcourt Village - a new approach to market the area with creativity caught my attention this aft. I knew of the street gallery contest and project well, but I had until today missed one of its great new banners.

This one I saw as I walked to meet an old friend at newish coffee shop Saving Gigi: a traditional-looking image of Santa Claus. Walking closer and thinking it to be a little inappropriate as a year-round thing, I saw in detail, as you can here. "The Sleigh Broke" - okay, I got it. It's the guy who always collects change outside of the LCBO. This banner was placed right by the store, at the corner of Ossington and Bloor. It's wonderful.

The project has a host of banners, reflecting residents' depictions of all sorts of cool spots and eccentricities about the Bloorcourt hood. It's a learning library, perhaps not with the clearest branding, but it's not a neighbourhood that is easy to brand. I in fact got in trouble trying to suggest once that it, that we, could be focusing on the concentration of wonderful Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants as a selling point for the outside world (Annex and beyond). A banner does reflect the Ethiopian coffee ceremony (which may be featured in a future blog..) along with other on arts, nature and diversity.

But it's Santa that gets me.

A place that recognizes and highlights its less conventional citizens, one that's not afraid to show its true face, whiskers and all. That's a place where I like to be.

Learn more about the Bloorcourt BIA, one of the oldest around, period: www.bloorcourt.com

Poem

2009-12-27T18:33:00.001-08:00

Thanks dear Carol, for writing this in 05!

once upon a time
a very long time ago

a tree
a very special tree

decided to walk
and walk and walk

it came upon
a sound so clear

crying, crying
in its ears

oh cousin
of mine

why do you cry
is the ground not

good
is the ground too dry?

are your roots parched
but you look so green

"ah...the earth
the earth so mean

is not taking care
of our young ones you know

I cry for them
I cry so

My roots will have water
My heart will not be sad

Oh said the traveller
Oh, Oh and with all

Her might
She hugged him so

Her leaves were gone
She understoood

She too had cried
She too had stood

In land so barren
Caused by humans

So she decided to travel
To spread the word

Take care of the world
Take care of the woods

She hugged each tree
As she spied them in tears

Told them to pray
And eased all their fears

There's a human you know
Who will work for us

A Darcy boy
One we can trust

The two trees talked
for hours on end

The traveller left
The tears were dried

They knew a young man
Who would try and try and try!!

Update @ Copenhagen

2009-12-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

An email this morning from long-time sustainability activists Ryan Sisson..

Things are expected to move fast here today.

Consensus among most NGO's and attendees here at the People's Summit is that No deal will be better than a bad deal. Timelines will be key moving forward to ensure that the talks don't drag on for years.

Will they pin an agreement down now or drag it on until COP 16? There has been speculation that COP 16 in Mexico could be moved up by 6 months. At a briefing last night UN Climate Director to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said that the UN would support the move but it would depend on the host country's ability to hold it earlier. US negotiators are hiding behind Congress and Senate timelines claiming they don't have a mandate and 6 mths would be too soon. The gap between developing and developed nations is very wide.

COP15 will likely be known as a disaster for poorer nations. Funding committments of 100B from developed nations as announced by Sec. Of State Clinton is viewed as a 'drop in the bucket'.

350ppm CO2 is the magic number here. The upper limit of CO2 scientists say is safe in our atmosphere. We're at about 386 now. 350.org for more info. The President of the Maldives gave a heartfelt plea to our forum Monday night calling for this cap to be in the final agreement though the reference had been dropped from UN drafts as of the weekend.

The good news is that the UN is advising negotiators to prepare to stay until sunday- similar to Bali talks.

Canada is expected to win the global fossil fool award today. An international movement is growing here to stop or limit further growth of the Tar Sands.

Obama is expected to speak soon so I'm going to find somewhere to hear him. NGO delegates from around the world have been shut out of the Conference Centre today and restricted over the last few days. 15,000 capacity and 45,000 accredited delegates are here.

Stop Everything's getting good reviews in the blogosphere

2009-11-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

Find us at: This Magazine

"This Magazine has an excellent post up from their environmental series Stop Everything. Read it. Then send Mr. Harper a friendly reminder on who he is in office to serve (that’s you; the people!)"

http://www.earthfeed.com/demand-more-from-harper-climate-change-before-donuts

"There’s a great blog tracking the lead up to the Copenhagen conference on climate change from a Canadian perspective. Written by sustainability activists Rebecca McNeil and Darcy Higgins, it addresses the political and social issues, as well as the urgency of climate change."

http://www.meander.ca/2009/09/14/preston-manning-on-climate-change/

On Twitter:

1LeslieGarrett Yes, yes, yes!!! RT @anndouglas: RT .@thismagazine Stop Everything #5: Environmental e-cards for the prime minister http://bit.ly/1Ym9sh

jafoulds RT @thismagazine: Stop Everything #5 - send Envir't Canada global warming e-postcard to Harper. Very funny.
1 day ago from web

ChicoSousa kewl read. RT @thismagazine: BlogThis // Stop Everything #4: Religion could stop climate change http://bit.ly/1A5JCL

A mistake is a mistake

2009-11-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

Sarnia, as seen in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, might just make a new hotspot list.

A Toronto friend told me today he didn't know I was from Sarnia.

"I've been there a couple time for toxic tours," he noted.

The opportunities suddenly became so clear. I had no idea Sarnia was such an eco-tourism destination!

Think about it: a couple people come from another part of the province to check out our heavy metals and endochrine disruptors. Maybe they make a weekend out of it. They go to dinner for some decent chinese-canadian fair. The restau owner hires another server, who takes a trip to Lambton Mall to buy some new earrings and so on - think of the multiplier effects! The Chamber would be ever so pleased.

Even better, if they choose to drive to Sarnia they'll be using gasoline, playing their part to increase demand, bring up oil prices and help local business.

Now some think that the best way forward for Sarnia-Lambton is to create a new vision for green jobs, one that transforms our dependence on fossil fuel processing plastics, rubbers and gasoline into something different - an economy based in sustainable (non-ethanol) energy, arts, local agriculture, product re-use, industrial ecology and green manufacturing. They think that Sarnia's many mentions in global media have been giving us a bad name, and the least we could do is reduce pollution levels, if not our branding.

Let me be the first to admit that I shared that view. I was, simply, incorrect. Our future does lie in tourism, perhaps not as I had predicted.

Folks are clearly coming from far and wide to learn from us. There's something to be said about playing to your strengths.

Between Rocks and Hard Places

2009-10-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Stop Everything
Rebecca McNeil and Darcy Higgins

October 27, 2009

After the flash mob that appeared in Parliament yesterday, disrupting question period to call immediate attention to climate change, we had very mixed feelings.

The flash mob evokes tactics of yester-year, though a little more clever. To those of us who are used to doing campaign and policy work in the environmental sector, making incremental change by going in the front door with a suit and a tie (well a suit, anyways), it’s hard to not feel like this approach loses credibility for our whole sector and the point we are trying to make – that our government must act now to reduce climate change.

On the other hand, this as a desperate act from people hoping desperately to wake our government up, and on that sentiment, we couldn’t agree more. We have issued press releases, sent letters and petitions, aired public service announcements, written columns (ahem), penned books, held community events and press conferences, schmoozed officials and any other “respectable” tactic you can imagine to try to evoke change, for twenty years! The issue of climate change is by no means new, and two decades of respectability has not bailed us out of this problem.

When Green Party leader Elizabeth May joined the protest on Parliament Hill on the weekend (pre-Parliament flash mob), Rebecca asked her about her days in the Sierra Club and whether she’d ever thought she would see this kind of youth-lead activism when she helped form the Sierra Youth Coalition. Her response surprised us: “I never thought I would have to. I never thought it would get this bad.”

The woman’s got a point. Even the biggest of “doomsdayers” (as we have been affectionately called) didn’t anticipate that this kind of action would be needed because we all hoped our government would wake up before this. While some see the tactics of the flash mob as disrespectful, inappropriate, entitled or juvenile (all taken from the lovely “comments” section at the Globe and Mail), frankly, what mass demonstration has ever been pretty? When people are backed against a wall they will use every tool they have to fight back. After all, we are talking about scientific evidence that points to heightened and increased natural disasters, food and water scarcity for an already over-populated world, and the potential for international conflict, climate refugees and displaced people. Not only is there a Nobel prize-winning international scientific panel who agrees on this, but we have already begun to see the evidence.

In a press conference after the demonstration, May said that these youth were Canada’s best and brightest. Particularly in comparison to the country’s MPs. The chants didn’t sound much different from the regular banter in the House she thought, a theme the Globe picked up on as they started their story on the issue: “The shouting and heckling in the House of Commons had nothing to do with MPs yesterday...”

We didn’t think that the style of activism that spread through campuses in our parents’ generation like carbon-induced wildfires would be included in the activism of today.

May’s commentary was politically risky, but maybe it’s time we all started taking risks.

http://darcyhiggins.blogspot.com

Youth shout protest in Question Period, gain attention to climate crisis

2009-10-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Stop Everything

See youth protests on Bill C-311 and commentary by Elizabeth May at the CBC.

"Veteran parliamentarians said they could not recall a protest in the House of Commons that had ever involved so many people or which seemed as well-orchestrated." - National Post

the largest day of action in global history by far

2009-10-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&story=http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/oct/23/350-rally

Follow Stop Everything at http://darcyhiggins.blogspot.com

Mahatma Gandhi changed the world, so what are you doing?

2009-10-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Stop Everything
Darcy Higgins

October 23, 2009

"Someone who works in a morgue, who sees so many bodies so many times doesn't realize the impact that someone else would."

It's an analogous situation with us and climate change, we sometimes keep observing events, in the newspapers, and we miss the profoundness. This is what Suresh Prabhu, told us when Rebecca and I caught up with him at the global screening of The Age of Stupid. Prabhu is a member of the Parliament of India and former Minister of Industry and Minister of Environment and Forests, among other posts.

The environmentally-minded politician saw Stupid as an effective wake up - a film that brings out these events with the necessary context.
Certainly it does that. Watching it is an experience, with the context provided by a number of stories of people today, in India, Louisiana, England and Nigeria. Most of these people want to do the right thing, but it isn't in their best personal interest do do so. It became evident to me that a significant change in our economy and job could be one of the significant and necessary changes that would both help these people and the impacts they make on the planet.

So what can we do? We asked Prabhu his thoughts on youth as activists.

"One man can change the world, look at Mahatma Gandhi," said Prabhu. "Transformational change must come from government, but we also need to ensure lifestyle change, things will not change by law alone."

He told us that massive education and movements were key to success. Government is just a starting point.

"You call the fire engine to stop the fire," he said.

This is what we youth and adults are doing across Canada Saturday. We're calling 911. Though "911" is "350". And longer-ter, we must work to change minds, that so easily get accustomed. "A process of unlearning," Prabhu called it.

Over in India, where each person contributes roughly one tonne of carbon dioxide compared with the average Canadian's twenty, the youth movement is taking strong action.

Much of the emphasis of the Indian Youth Climate Network is their delegation team and work with the Indian government. The youth have in fact asserted themselves so that they are being listened to by Lok Sabha, the Indian lower house.

The current Minister of Environment and Forests, Sabhu's successor put out a media release on their consultations.

Indian youth are a significant proportion of the voting population, and are engaged in citizenship. What can we learn from them? How can we demand that our concerns on climate are put into action by the Harper machine? If we don't have many politicians like Prabhu, maybe we have to be this change ourselves.

http://darcyhiggins.blogspot.com

Stupid is playing across Canada tomorrow. Remember to act as well.

See you in Ottawa?

2009-10-17T14:41:00.001-07:00

Stop Everything
Darcy Higgins

October 17, 2009

By now, if you haven't heard about 350, Powershift or C-Day, you probably haven't been too engaged in the climate movement or not reading our column. Really, no hard feelings... but now you've got no excuses.

The buses are being readied, the organizers in place. Facebook's abuzz. If you're not heading to Ottawa, please act in your community.

I've been pondering what this will all mean. After most developing countries walked out of a meeting with Canada this week, what chance do we have to shift the position of Canada's New Government? What is the most effective way to make change?

How do we engage the public in a significant way to make this the issue?

Whatever the tactic, hopefully a conensus on the next move can come out at Powershift. This Saturday is the time to convene and to act. See you there!

I'll write soon with some ideas from India.

With less than two months left to define an international agreement in Copenhagan, young sustainability activists Rebecca McNeil and Darcy Higgins are writing Stop Everything, a column engaging in political strategies for change in tackling the climate crisis. They follow the youth climate movement in Canada and others as they work to cap greenhouse gas emissions and change society, and show you ways you can be involved at this most critical juncture.
Find, discuss and learn at: Sustainability is Step One

Image from: http://iycn.in Spectral Q / Shiv Ahuja

Of general interest: Star series on good food & farming

2009-10-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Click here and look at related articles.

Back at ‘ya, Harper

2009-10-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Stop Everything
Rebecca McNeil

October 9, 2009

I have spent the past year trying to follow the antics of the big players on Parliament Hill, and this weekend just threw another wrench in the drama that is becoming Canadian politics. Over the past year we have watched the Liberals change leaders from a boy scout to an assertive “foreigner”, the NDP go from the biggest denouncers of Harper to backing them in a confidence motion, and watched Harper move the Conservatives slowly but surely from far right to right of centre – not a small step in the world of Conservative Party politics.

In an October 1st editorial Globe and Mail writer Michael Bliss announced that “In a historic shift, the Tories have seized the centre and are set to become the natural governing party.” I assume if you have time to read this blog you’ve likely already scoured the daily papers so this won’t require a full explanation, but it is becoming increasingly evident that Harper will be our leader through the rest of this year. This means he’s our guy for the international climate change decisions this year, and we are going to have to find a way to make sure that strong climate change policies and action makes it onto his agenda.

The good news is that with a government turning increasingly to the centre, they are backing a lot of issues on would not have normally have been supportive. Take Employment Insurance. Harper has taken an uncharacteristic stance to secure his Party’s position as leader of this country, and the NDP in turn propped up his government as a big ol’ thank you. Call it opportunistic, but it gives me some comfort to think that in the midst of achieving his own priorities our Prime Minister is able to adopt policies that will actually end up supporting Canadians.

In this hopeful vein, myself and several thousand other people will be heading to Parliament on October 24th, to “fill the hill” and let the Prime Minister know we are serious about taking action on climate change, and want him to be as well when he attends the international talks in Copenhagen this December. We don’t have many shots to get it right, and neither does Harper.

As the Prime Minister belted out this weekend that he gets by with a little help from his friends, I think we were all curious if there was some sort of symbolic message with the choice of song. I’ll be the first to admit I sort of loved watching his literal song and dance. But a quick piece of advice, Mr. Harper: if you want more friends, making decisions that won’t condemn our country to a life of natural disasters, drought, disease and possible extinction, will make you a very popular guy. And a rendition of Mean Mr. Mustard couldn’t hurt either.

Calling for a new generation of Moonies

2009-09-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Darcy Higgins

We all owe a big thank you to Ban Ki Moon.

The UN Secretary-General, it appears, has basically stopped everything to put climate on top of his agenda, having convened over 100 heads of state for meetings on the climate crisis. He did this with a little ambition and a lot of optimism, pulling these leaders together to get things moving on a political level, towards necessary aims at Copenhagen. His challenge to fellow leaders: “Your words have been heard around the world. Let your actions now be seen. There is little time left. The opportunity and responsibility to avoid catastrophic climate change is in your hands”.

The convention in New York was met with a world of actions from the public. On Monday, TckTckTck launched a global wakeup call with 1500 events in 112 countries, including several in Canada, at least three in Toronto. Showings of The Age of Stupid were also premiered in countries worldwide Monday and Tuesday. Rebecca and I attended one of those events.

Stupid was enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies. Set in a 2055 dystopia based on real scientific projections for what will happen to our planet should we not reduce emissions, the central question was, why didn’t we act when we knew what was coming? Perhaps far-fetched, perhaps not, but virtual annihilation of the human species was portrayed. Do today’s global citizens actually realize, actually feel that this possibility is heading our way if we don’t act? I don’t think so. The movie therefore made it real. Even if you set your disaster expectations a little lower, science still leaves us with harsh realities to come.

To be honest, the film really was a shock to the system. What we’re doing here in disaster prevention is the most important work that we could be doing right now.
The film led us through in-depth stories of people who live among us… in England, Louisiana, India and Nigeria. These stories provide insight as to why we aren’t acting and analyze our collective and individual addictions to oil. A lot is about jobs, necessities and wants, and a failure of social-economic-political systems to lead us to a re-organized economy. Answers to the “why we didn’t act” question exist all around us, but the consistent posing of the question in the film made me continually reflect on the gravity of the situation.

Despite Moon’s efforts, all is not well coming out of New York. The U.S. and China have left without committing to new binding targets. And Stephen Harper skipped most of the meetings, instead attending a Tim Horton’s anniversary event in Oakville the day of Barack Obama’s speech to the UN.

Things move slowly in politics – even more so in global politics – but this climate change isn’t slowing at all. If we are to have any hope in making an impact we must:
• keep up the pressure
• be patient – but not too patient
• watch, host and discuss screenings of The Age of Stupid
• continue to act as we lead up to Climate Day, October 24
• brace ourselves: a final agreement may not come until next year
• say a private thanks to Ban Ki Moon and commit to moving Harper’s agenda to where it needs to be
• become a Moonie

The Age of Stupid is showing again in Toronto at the MUCK Film Festival on October 3rd. If you would like to organize a screening, contact Darcy.

Image from: www.facebook.com/Harper.Chooses.Donuts.Over.Planet

US to Canada: We don’t want yer kind here

2009-09-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

Yer kind of shamelessly dirty oil, anyways.

Stop Everything
Rebecca McNeil

This is the first time in my life I can recall Americans looking like a shining example of leadership and responsibility compared to us. When I was growing up our grade school teachers would endlessly pontificate on our national reputation: honourable, polite and neighbourly. We were peacekeepers, stewards of our land, and distributors of universal healthcare. Ask anyone, they would say, and they can tell you of Canada’s stellar track record and may even get down to kiss your feet, although being Canadian, you are too modest to let them.

Perhaps the last eight years allowed our egos to inflate, as well. The Michael Moore school of thinking did a lot to salute our nation, and during the Bush administration you could hear many a liberally-minded citizen from Oregon or Connecticut (and even some out of West Virginia) dreaming about the sunny, socialist shores of Canada. But either the rose coloured glasses were trampled under Obama’s inauguration parade or our southern neighbours were never really wearing them. All I know is, now they’re worried about us getting in the way of their actions to reduce climate change, and I don’t blame them.

Today Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in Washington trying to ride Obama’s coattails before a potential election. He is also battering our already-bruised reputation by pushing the Alberta Tar Sands to be excluded from any effective climate change reduction plans they come up with (and yes, isn’t he already on his fourth plan anyway?) The tar sands industry is the fastest growing greenhouse gas polluter in Canada, spewing more than many European countries, and Harper is not only looking to sustain this industry, but grow it.

Plenty of Americans now think it is we who will hinder them during the global climate change discussions, prompting the American-based Rainforest Action Network to string a banner across a Niagara Falls bridge kindly asking Harper to get lost.

It’s a shift in perspective, really. A few years ago Harper was faired poorly on climate change action, but he was still no Bush. Well, fast forward and he’s that much farther from Obama. Seemingly overnight the American national standard has changed and their Bob the Builder attitude combined with the charm that literally oozes out of Obama means they are easily becoming the North American leaders on climate change. What remains to be seen is if we will end up looking uneducated and manipulated by industry, declaring climate change to be a myth along with UFO’s and unicorns, or if Harper can leave his personal views at home and do what his country, and the rest of the world, need him to.

Check out the parody of Harper’s ‘Just Visiting’ ads by Environmental Defence.

While you’re there, be sure to send Harper a letter that’s politely-worded, but stills tells him exactly what you think of how he should be acting in Washington. ‘Cause we’re paying attention eh?

With less than three months left to define an international agreement in Copenhagan, young sustainability activists Rebecca McNeil and Darcy Higgins launch Stop Everything, a new column engaging in political strategies for change in tackling the climate crisis. They'll follow the youth climate movement in Canada and others as they work to cap greenhouse gas emissions and change society, and show you ways you can be involved at this most critical juncture.
Find, discuss and learn at: Sustainability is Step One

Do the right thing, no matter what China does

2009-09-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Stop Everything
Rebecca McNeil

Timing is a funny thing. Just as I am having these apocalyptic realizations that we have very little time to make some mind-bogglingly major changes to industry and how we live our lives, so too is Preston Manning. Yes, that Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party of Canada (read: uber conservative).
It seems there is a point that many powerful, or formerly powerful men reach in their careers when they soften, open up to ideas one would never have imagined they could get behind, and look with shining, idealistic eyes to the “younger generation.” Correlating milestones often include becoming a grandfather, having a humbling health scare and/or retiring officially from their political/business careers so these concepts don’t become are a liability as they simply revel in their newly-found sage status.

This may or may not be the case with Mr. Manning. As he said himself to a Bay Street crowd at the Empire Club on Thursday, “Conservation and conservative are very closely linked,” and it seems that in his heart of hearts he truly believes we need to act against climate change. Really, he makes a good point. I know several people from my parents’ generation who have only ever voted for the Conservatives or the Green Party in their entire lives.

While I have had the opportunity to hear many leading thinkers and activists share their position on climate issues, including Ray Anderson, David Suzuki, Bill McKibben, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Hunter Lovins, it is not every day I get to hear a bible-toting, fiscal conservative discuss how the corporate sector needs to step up to the plate to meet our climate change problem head on. So when invited to the Royal York where Mr. Manning was to speak to members of the Empire Club I was delighted. As he began his remarks he braced his audience for what would be a ground-breaking discovery: the market can’t survive without resources, which we are using up at a startling rate.

It’s a good thing I was sitting down.

As much as I take this perspective for granted, Manning brought up some good points. It was not so long ago that Canada drank to the Queen (in this particular case it was only 30 minutes prior, since apparently the Empire Club still does that) and went to war for England, and now we think of ourselves purely as a sovereign nation. A shift in perspective is critical for change to be made, in both the corporate and political sectors, since as Manning pointed out, many still view the market in four boxes: extract, refine, create, consume. Apparently this whole frontier-land notion is hard to shake.

He also pontificated how being revolutionary thinkers runs deep through our ancestry, taking a trip through time to recall how a ragtag group of settlements in the most Northern parts of the Americas would band together as a joint nation between the French and English, creating the second largest country in the world and building the world’s longest rail system to connect this patchwork of a nation.

It is both rare and wonderful to hear unbridled Canadiana from someone who actually means it. This man comes from an era of politics that defined us as a nation, and he maintains a relentless faith in Canadians as a people. When asked about whether or not Canada should wait to act on Climate Change until the bigger producers, like China, commit, Manning unabashedly waxed poetic. “You know I was asked that question before and I said – but isn’t it important to do the right thing? No Matter what the Chinese do, isn’t it important that Canada does the right thing?”

Now someone type it up and send it to Harper. The man’s already received enough correspondence from me.

Email: harpeS@parl.gc.ca

With three months left to define an international agreement in Copenhagan, young sustainability activists Rebecca McNeil and Darcy Higgins launch Stop Everything, a new column engaging in political strategies for change in tackling the climate crisis. They'll follow the youth climate movement in Canada and others as they work to cap greenhouse gas emissions and change society, and show you ways you can be involved at this most critical juncture.
Find, discuss and learn at: Sustainability is Step One

Photo taken from Red Tory v.3.0

Stop Everything

2009-09-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Rebecca McNeil

It’s easy to forget in a world of swirling priorities and frequently changing news stories that the foundation on which we all base our work is reaching a dangerously fragile point. Last year, in the wake of a seemingly overnight recession, we were reminded that at any moment the rug can be pulled out from under us and our collective energies and focus must immediately shift to a pressing issue.

The same can be true when we think of our environment. True, these issues have been surprisingly resilient as they remained on a public agenda throughout a recession, countless political scandals and despite the many distractions of everyday life. But within this broad term “environment” lies a plethora of topics: sustainable food, air pollution, public transit, local wine, clean water, waste reduction, recycling, conservation... and beyond that social concerns like housing, rising debt, AIDS, community-building, queer rights, war and corruption. The energy of environmental and progressive movements along with the attention of the public are constantly being pushed and pulled in a tug of war for precious resources and media so they can stay afloat on the public and political agenda and hopefully some progress will be made.

But is there a large, scary elephant in the room that environmentalists and the public at large are tending to forget about in their day-to-day priorities? Upon finishing my undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies I began working in the land-use planning/agricultural sector and have moved on to work on projects that engage youth in environmental education and work to protect rights of citizens to participate in public action. Important stuff, at least I think.

Every once in a while though, I have my system shocked with the reality that we are reaching those scary numbers: the dates that climatologists predicted we have until we reach the point of no return; the number of chances we have to make a serious commitment to this undeniably and globally-permeating problem; and what scientists have defined as 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere as the tipping point. We’re told we have until 2015-2017 to stop increasing and begin to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we pump into the atmosphere. And we have only one international framework that provides the chance of getting us there. We have all learned by now that this is the issue to end all issues, and if we can’t get ourselves out of this mess, all our other hard work will have been in vain.

But who wants to talk about climate change? Let’s face it, it’s abstract, number-based and there are lots of concepts and jargon from cap and trade to COP15 that exclude most of us from the discussion, leaving it to some political PR rep to tell us which systems are good for us.

We have allowed ourselves to feel distant and unsure from this issue and be told by our economic experts that we cannot afford to put any serious investments into it. The same folks that couldn’t predict the massive, world-reaching recession last year don’t foresee a problem with climate change. Okay. Perhaps I would have greater confidence if our own Conservative Federal Government website didn’t have an entire website displaying potential impending emergencies brought on by climate change such as “floods, damage of fresh water resources, food scarcity, drought” and other such goodies. We young people have also been telling ourselves that it’s okay not to engage in politics as long as we’re doing good things in NGOs and international development. Meanwhile, our Government sits back and enjoys the free ride.

And while I’m very happy to see that people in Toronto are now being charged a nominal fee to reduce plastic bags, you can buy local produce at many of your community grocery stores, municipalities are banning bottled water from public buildings, and other such victories, I worry about this dark cloud looming over us. And I can’t help but wonder if perhaps we should all just stop what we’re doing and try to get this one, very important thing right.

Rebecca McNeil lives, works and plays in Toronto and can be reached at: mcneil.rebecca@gmail.com She wonders, if a global climate crisis does ensue, making our environment practically unlivable, if she will have wished that she had spent the past six years baking pies and playing the piano instead of working on various environmental and social issues.

With three months left to define an international agreement in Copenhagan, young sustainability activists Rebecca McNeil and Darcy Higgins launch Stop Everything, a new column engaging in political strategies for change in tackling the climate crisis. They'll follow the youth climate movement in Canada and others as they work to cap greenhouse gas emissions and change society, and show you ways you can be involved at this most critical juncture.
Find, discuss and learn at: Sustainability is Step One

2009-07-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Who's stopping the winds of change?

We have now discovered, thanks to work by Toronto Star reporter Tyler Hamilton, the cost two proposed nuclear reactors at Darlington: 26 billion dollars. This is the reported cost of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, the only of the three bids that met the Government's standards, though not accepted by the McGuinty-Smitherman Liberals. Back to the drawing board for the same Government that once announced, then delayed by years the closure of Ontario coal plants. Now it's obvious that not accepting this bid was the only thing the Government could do.
Putting it another way, by kilowatt (kw) of energy produced, this cost comes to $10,800 per kw. The Ontario Power Authority (Ontario's energy advisors and planners) assumed a cost of $2,900 per kilowatt, and commented that over $3,600 per kilowatt would be "uneconomical". The Federal Government is now being asked to cover excess costs by Deputy Premier George Smitherman. When advocating that renewable energy's pricetag could beat nuclear, a few working on this issue in environmental and political communities including myself took numbers from financial institutions predicting costs as high as $7,500 per kilowatt. So at 10,000, the price tag that's appeared for nuclear was even greater than any environmentalists' highest expectations.
In calling for a Nuclear Cost Responsibility Act on April 22nd, the Green Party of Ontario made it certain that the we needed to know the upfront costs before we made a purchase. Luckily McGuinty-Smitherman took this advice in calling for these full costs to be known.
The cost of course still does not include insurance, and the social and environmental impacts, now and over the next thousands of years including mining, production and the life of nuclear waste.
How could this massive mistake happen? I find one answer from the United Kingdom.
Similar to Smitherman's new excitement and policies for green energy, the young Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in the UK, Ed Miliband has promoted a significant new plan for wind power to meet much of the country's energy needs. But the wind isn't all smooth sailing for Miliband either. The Confederation of British Industry has called for a scale back of Milband's plan and for a larger investment in new nukes. Nuclear buffs in this country have done the same. So the lobbying is one hint tot he problem.
Nuclear energy in the UK has also gone way over-budget and under-performance. But the bureaucracy there keeps pushing it. Journalist Geoffrey Lean speculates the reason: distributed energy, such as wind, or the opposite of nuclear, poses a threat of sorts. It takes away planning power and control from those who enjoy it and are used to creating massive projects. Distributed energy, we could say, is much more in the hands of the people: often smaller companies, co-operatives, municipalities, First Nations, farmers and so on. Those who follow the Ontario Power Authority have for years, quietly and not so quietly, been making the same observations about their leanings towards big generation. And Smitherman had to push the Authority hard to get a good plan for renewables and conservation. Could this have been a factor in the mis-calculation of the costs of building a new nuke plant? Hard to tell. What we do know is that armed with this information, we have 26 billion reasons to change course.
Mini-green Smitherman's blunder may be rooted in his Government's blind love of nuclear. Those in the Ontario Power Authority who endorse nukes have an ally in their political chiefs. After a recent press conference, reporters wrote headlines saying Premier Dalton McGuinty was still on track to keep his plans to build new nuclear. Could this be political suicide? The Federal Government shows no interest in subsidizing Ontario's proposed plants. And just this week, Ontario shut down a Bruce reactor for a few days simply because we just don't have the need to keep it running.
McGuinty doesn't get it. Greens do, and have been getting it right all along. Nuclear's not up to the task. Let's move on to create a truly green future for Ontario.

Darcy Higgins is the Policy Coordinator of the Green Party of Ontario.

Cross-published on the Green Party of Ontario newsletter.
http://darcyhiggins.blogspot.com

2009-06-26T10:58:00.001-07:00

Pride this year has much to celebrate again with community, activism, arts and culture. As we enjoy Toronto Pride and its theme of 'can't stop, won't stop', we also acknowledge the festivals and marches throughtout the province and the dedication of june as pride month in the United States, along with new rights for federal workers and states moving quickly on gay marriage.. California's mishap excepted..

The Green Party will have a strong prescence as usual in Toronto. You'll hear from us that the federal Party had the first (only?) openly gay party leader, and were first to support gay marriage, as policy in 1996. Our members were right on the ball and ahead of the game.

But this isn't time to rest. The Party must keep ahead of the curve on queer issues, and let the other parties move ahead with legislation that is Green policy - as happens on so many issues - though preferably with elected Greens soon at the table. We need to be expressing these issues by writing strong new policy because there is still much to do. A panel this week on international human rights for trans people asked if we had really Started the work in Ontario (not just can't stop, won't stop). With gender identity and expression still not in the Ontario human rights code, high suicide, depression and homelessness rates among queer and questioning youth, struggles for proper health care and identity, widespread intolerance through much of the province.. Where do we go from here? We Greens can't stop on what's collectively been achieved. We must work to create new party policies to support rights for queer and questioning youth to those facing difficulties in retirement homes, and people of marginalized communities. We won't stop until people are not treated unequally based on who they are or how they express themselves.

Get involved by contacting us to move rights and dignity forward in all of our values, as well as provincial policies and funding.
And be sure to join us and our leadeship in Sunday's parade!

Darcy Higgins
Policy Coordinator
Green Party of Ontario

2009-05-29T13:24:00.001-07:00

This article shows some hope of US-China relations with regards to climate change. These two countries are key, on the fate of the future of people depends on the state of their relations in general, and how they affect climate negotiations, especially on the lead up to the Copenhagen climate conference in December.

2009-04-22T10:55:00.001-07:00

Some thoughts on an Earth Day

Three years ago I wrote the first article in a sustainability column giving tribute to environmental heroes who have made an impact locally (Southern Ontario) and internationally. I was reminded last Friday in a talk by Jane Goodall that everything you do every day makes a difference - how you act towards people and treat animals and what you say, what you do to the environment. I think this is the basis of Earth Day and the ability of individual changes to make a combined difference.
It was also a political movement which brought Washington to a stand-still in 1970 and brought 20 million Americans out to participate. Yes, Earth Day is an American creation. It meant peace and ecology and that's still what we're working towards. Today in Ontario we celebrate the institution of a new pesticide act which bans the use and purchase of hundreds of chemicals which may be dangerous to the health of people and wildlife. This is a day for everyone involved in the environmental movement to be proud, all those who worked municipally and provincially on campaigns for legislation - and also to know that green jobs will come with new types of lawn care and naturalization, work that requires higher levels of labour and finance.
We now go beyond to the next challenges of our time including nuclear disarmament, widespread poverty and disease, agricultural transition and the climate crisis, and how we can solve these and others in a new economy and caring society. Luckily we already have the solutions being in things like micro-credit, renewable energy, public transportation, health and clean water solutions, local trade and sustainable agriculture. What we make of the world is up to us, and particularly the younger generations who need to stand up to force others to listen and to make political and personal changes themselves. What are you doing today? Tomorrow?

My colleague Rebecca McNeil and I are working on a new column which will discuss tools of change, providing practical ways that people have made change can how we can organize for a new progressive and sustainable agenda for Canada. Stay tuned.

from: http://darcyhiggins.blogspot.com

2009-04-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

A new biggie has moved onto to propose banning the sale of bottled water. Vancouver is looking to step up to the task; sends a good message on sustainability leadership towards the Olympics I think.

2009-03-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

A comment on a cbc.ca article:

A visionary comment perhaps. Though, I'd say it's maybe the ideas, not necessarily the individual people/boomers themselves that need replacing.

"I'm glad you wrote this [refers to comment that we need to limit our use of credit], and I think it leads into something bigger. While I appreciate all the things that the Boomers have done to improve the world (and there have been many), economics and the environment have been colossal failures. I think that in the history will look back at 2006-2010 as the time when our generations stepped up to the table, thanked the Boomers for their service, and took control over the kingdom.

There's little doubt that this is a major transition point, but, what are we going to do with it?"

2008-12-22T10:36:00.001-08:00

Good news for the environment potentially...but not the Big 3?

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/a-plug-in-hybrid-goes-on-sale-in-china/

2008-12-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

Energy Minister Smitherman slammed by Suzuki and young child on new nuke plans.

See videos

2008-11-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

Will George Smitherman listen to the public who want a conservation and renewable future instead of costly new nukes?

Last month, a friend of mind persuaded me to make a short video for a contest sponsored by Discover Magazine. The contest was “The Future of Energy in Two Minutes or Less.”
My daughter Lili at age 5 had invented a conservation rule that we call “Lili’s Law.” I literally threw it together at the last minute (this peaker plant issue has been time-consuming). Lo and behold the video “Lili’s Law” made it into the list of 5 finalists!

While the contest is being judged by Nathanael Greene, Director of Renewable Energy Policy at the NRDC, viewers can log on and vote for their favourites for Viewer’s Choice at

http://discovermagazine.com/contests/vote-for-the-future-of-energy-in-2-minutes-or-less/

I used footage of the MegaWhat rally at Queen’s Park and the signs are very prominent in the video, meaning that tens of thousands of people across North America (And who knows? Maybe even world-wide!) will watch the video. The voice-over is by 7-year-old Lili and she slams the peaker plant, calling for conservation.

Let’s get this video seen by as many people as we can. While they may get tired of listening to people like me talking about the peaker plant, there may be some viewers who enjoy getting a conservation message from a little girl. And let’s get Minister Smitherman to listen.

2008-11-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

"It's bloody amazing"

That's how a solar industry technologist described Morgan Solar's new concentrated CV panel.
An article on my friend Nicolas and his family's startup was in The Star Monday: A ray of sunshine for solar energy

Check out their dreams and technology.

Taking the product to large scale development is now their great challenge.
But perhaps even further, will be a test to develop the challenge in a way that both makes business sense, but takes it to the next step of effective development in the third world, where solar is the solution. But It will only work as a low cost solution - and how to use markets to allow the distribution of a great product in a fair way? Certainly excellent questions to grapple with towards achieving sustainable development goals.

2008-11-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

A lot of hope tonight, and to come.
The election of Obama means so much to Canadians - that Americans have turned a corner, but specifically, for the possibilites of green energy to move ahead in North America and the world to lead with real climate plans, now only Harper in isolation; change for Africa, aid and conflicts; change for rights in America and a different way of seeing race.
I was a skeptic - and will be good that I remain somewhat skeptical. I am a fan of Nader.
But this is a night to celebrate and hope and build a progressive coalition to get things done.

2008-10-15T17:13:00.001-07:00

I found out from an Australian's blog that today is Blog Action Day on Poverty. I didn't know about these sorts of actions, but it makes a lot of sense to use this media to discuss issues worldwide, and I can add my two cents.
It's actually the time I want to raise this discussion - because today during my lunch break in Toronto I saw a man picking through a garbage can, finding the bits of food he could scrounge - leftovers in coffee mugs and styrofoam containers. It was a depressing sight.
And even more sad to me that a plurality of Canadians voted for a Party yesterday that seems to want the status quo on poverty. That didn't discuss the underlying economic, rights, environmental and mental health issues that allow poverty to develop in Canada - while the other parties at least all had discussions and goals in this area.
Parliament has made past committments but has failed. The election some allowed new discussion of ideas such as an annual liveable income and talk about poverty among Aboriginal peoples, but not a lot. Now we must keep up a dialogue of new ideas that can work in Canada and abroad and demand funding of programs that are working. We must think at the community level and get good housing and we must think long-term by working on a much greater change in attitude towards issues from mental health, to doing something about the climate crisis.

2008-09-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

Andrew Coyne: Raise a little hell, Greens In Now!
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/09/08/democracy-takes-a-beating/

2008-08-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Counting Crows and Maroon 5 of inviting us out to their Toronto concert Tuesday night. The Ontario Clean Air Alliance was the only organization present under the Reverb ecovillage tent, a firm that works with bands to help ease their ecological footprint and educate concertgoers. We were able to get some interest, raising issues regarding nuclear costs and discussing alternative energies.
Three other excellent organizations were also present thanks to the bands.
Adam Duritz, the lead singer of Counting Crows (I've always enjoyed their version of Big Yellow Taxi) took part of their encore to talk about the importance of individuals getting involved in their communities to do good work. Adam said how many excellent organizations there were right in Toronto, and wanted to remind people to talk to friends and get involved in the good environmental and social justice work that people are doing, not to mention voting.
It was a great night at the Molson Amphitheatre.
Thanks!

2008-08-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

2008-08-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

Three federal by-election have popped up that are very important to send a message to the government about the things we believe in and need at this time in Canada.

They are critical, and one in Guelph, is an opportunity to change Canada's political landscape. Mike Nagy is running to win and the Greens have been close to doing it in Guelph before.
Join me and tons of other young people in getting out the Green vote in Guelph. Send me a note and we'll make it happen.
Here's another invitation:

2008-07-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Al Gore gave a major speech where he identified a goal that actually threw me back. If it is achievable, well perhaps that doesn't even matter.
See the video for the goal: speech
or just do a search and find the news articles for yourself.

To get to this goal in the U.S. or in Canada, we're going to need some work in not just energy but in people work, organizing.. we're going to need social justice work, raise tough questions, discussions, make decisions, and strive towards equality. This is the crux of sustainable development. Each of our paths will involve a discussion of the social within the realm of the earth. The Understory issue for this month has a number of articles with young people discussing these complex issues and providing ways forward. I've written a couple as well. Take a look and submit and article/letter of discuss it here or on the Young Greens' site: (click on the picture of me at green.ca..haha)
The Understory

2008-07-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

Championing our way to sustainability

I wish to share this article by Wayne Roberts on champions, and how the presence of a champion can be key to making effective environmental change. We who did similar work on food or general sustainability at the University of Waterloo know this all too well. A champion when she is effective is one of the keys in making things happen. And there are other elements.
A trip to the Elmira Produce Auction was key to grab that emotional feeling that helped launch the UW Farm Market, similar to Erin Shapero's story of her staff who tried organic milk and mayor who visited an LFP certified farm.
Roberts finds other solutions in the book, Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die, including getting the public's attention in unique ways. My own research into institutional change in sustainability also pointed out the usefulness of a high-level champion for a cause in obtaining a desired result (preferably more than one), as well as understanding your barriers well, using strategic language, and searching out new supporters from unexpected areas in the organization.

Perhaps you're in a position to be a champion, or can work to get someone on board. So go forth and make effective change!

Article

2008-07-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

I took a brief trip over to the Ontario Legislative Assembly a couple of weeks ago, to the Visitor’s Gallery in hopes of viewing debate on third reading of the Cosmetic Pesticides Act. I’ve been working on the pesticide issue since 2001 in Sarnia and then Waterloo. Exciting at first, the Act was eventually passed with opposition from NGOs and health associations who saw disappointments in the details. This was described in a Green Party media release I worked on as a response to its passing, with Environment Issues Advocate Mark MacKenzie.
When I arrived, a small handful of environmentalists including Sarah Harmer joined in the viewing area, but she informed me that the pesticide bill had been delayed until the next day, and they were there to hear introduction of the Lake Simcoe Protection Act by Liberal Minister of the Environment, John Gerretsen. Not many parliamentarians attended, but we chuckled as introductory statements by members related to summer festivals in their ridings, and the beer and wine industries, respectively.
Having been interested to write a few notes on my first visit to the Leg, I was informed that I couldn’t bring a pen and paper, so I left that with the security desk. After the introduction of the bill, which was supported by this group, some light applause from the gallery to the minister was also quieted by a security guard informing us, “no clapping”. Previous to this during the minister’s speech, a Progressive Conservative MPP who I’ll keep nameless kept talking, quite distractingly. Another Conservative recognized a group of older women in an invited guests section as “girls”.
The bill appeared to be drafted with close work with the environmental community and a history of work from members in different parties, but it could cetainly still use some work. NDP Environment Critic Peter Tabuns made useful, targeted points and critiques for strengthening the bill. Even representing Toronto-Centre far from the area, he seemed he had done his research. Two PC members made some criticism but it was generally less coherent or organized.
These two bills proposed to strengthen environmental action in the province leave me with a confusing picture of the McGuinty Liberals. They seem willing to do things, and work with environmentalists in cases where Conservative governments surely have never done so. But I am not convinced that they do choose corporate interests in some cases over that of citizens.
This said, it is important to get involved, because this government has listening capability. I never saw this with Harris. It’s important to get involved period. Al Gore and Elizabeth May speak of the democracy crisis needing to be improved before environmental crises can be. I’d encourage you to take a visit to Ottawa, Toronto, your capital, town hall or city centre to observe, learn and participate in democracy. What a direct, if sometimes frustrating, way of making change. Democracy needs to be enhanced. And seeing how it works is a good way to help you to determine your vote.

2008-05-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Carbon Tax or Cap and Trade?

Also can be found at thegreenpages.ca

The Federal Conservatives are looking as poor as ever on the environment. By a quick scan of their website, they have no policy ideas for solving the climate crisis. What they do have is strange stories on their homepage criticizing the Liberals and Greens with awkward audio clips and photoshopped images.

So looking at the other parties that seem to care..

The Liberals promise to now launch a national debate in solutions regarding the environment and economy. About time. Jack Layton said he is ready for the debate. The Green Party has been offering solutions for years, and the Liberals are now adopting part of one of their policies (tax shifting) and will introduce some sort of carbon tax shortly. The NDP has a host of policy ideas unveiled in 2006, which as a package provide good solutions and possibly large cuts. But the NDP oddly has ruled out a carbon tax which other countries have used to get emissions down. Although thought to be potentially unpopular (maybe why Layton decided against it), it actually has 72% support by Canadians in a recent poll.

"There are some who argue it's a slow process [cap and trade]. Those are the people in government who didn't act.," Layton said on CTV,

But the reporter had remarked that environmentalists had made that comment, and indeed it was the director of the Sierra Club who made the comment to CTV.

In the Globe he was quoted, "The carbon tax has a huge advantage over cap-and-trade in that it can be put in place very quickly and deliver results very quickly, whereas cap-and-trade, it's taken Europe decades to get that one figured out," he said. "It's just regrettable that he's focusing on the negative."

Regulations are a sign of failure of a system designed very poorly. But since we have a poor system , they are oftentimes necessary to force businesses and others to design their own way of acting on something in a definite way. I have come to learn that a mix of regulatory and market mechanisms are necessary to move us as fast as we need to go.
There is a great social justice issue if we do not do all we can quickly, as the impact of climate change will lead to significant suffering and death globally due to issues with agricultural, sea levels, cyclones, heat, biodiversity changes, etc.

A good carbon tax would not put a burden on rural or low-income individuals who need to use the fuel until we can create more effective options. Carbon taxing should be geared to extraction of resources first, so the corporations doing that work will first need to pay the most, before the consumer. Tax shifting works best earliest in the life cycle (and should be used in other sectors like mining, land use, etc.) so the most efficient use of resources is done). Rather than make big corporations pay like a carbon tax would do, the NDP would give tax incentives do use better technology. Not a bad idea, but that's taking taxpayer revenues and basically giving it to big corporations. I don't think Imperial Oil or Shell need these kind of incentives or would even be that beneficial.

But a carbon tax also helps consumers make the best choices, which are not available right now. Perhaps organic food would be cheaper for me as it can be les carbon intensive because of the reduction of fuels in the fertilizers, etc. in conventionally-grown agriculture. If this gasoline price spike is temporary (though it will go up in the long-term). A carbon tax (which will concomitantly help to reduce smog) can set a base price so that consumers can start to make purchasing decisions for things like smaller cars, knowing the prices will remain higher for the next couple years.

High gas prices are now making a real difference! Public transit is at highest ridership in 50 years, and Americans drove an estimated 4.3% less.

B.C. may be offering credit cheques to make up for the increase in fuel pricing so individuals can spend that, for example on food. The Greens' platform chooses a tax shift that would be offset through reductions in income taxes, especially low and middle income, and payroll taxes.

Robert Paehlke - a retired Trent professor in politics and environmental studies who just released his book on Canadian climate politics Some Like It Cold last week - writes about the Green plan: "lower and middle-income earners pay a higher percentage of their incomes on these taxes than do upper-income earners. Reducing these taxes gives the less well off a bigger break. It should leave them no worse off even after they pay more for energy."

Regardless of how this goes, thankfully we're now having this debate - though we need to act. The public must push for a plan as well, and one that meets strict firm greenhouse gas cuts and those must be done in a just way throughout Canada and across the Globe. Hopefully the opposition parties can work to negotiate and pass a plan with real ideas, or topple the government to get action on climate.

2008-02-12T20:24:00.002-08:00

"We also know that natural gas reserves in Alberta are declining and roughly 90% of Alberta homes are heated with natural gas. We need to consider becoming a center for excellence in the area of geothermal heat. If you drill down into the Earth, the heat from the Earth's core can be pumped up to heat your home or cool it in the summer. These systems are already commercially available and a heat pump can replace a natural gas furnace and will reduce energy consumption and home heating costs. If there is one thing Albertan know how to do, it is drilling holes in the ground."
- George Read, Leader of the Green Party of Alberta
currently fighting an election

2008-02-06T18:52:00.001-08:00

Our four Feds candidates are so cute.
I wish we could just elect them all!

2008-01-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

mmm, that light, sweet crude.

With adjectives like that, no wonder it's gone up to a hundred bucks.

Wait, but didn't we predict that?

2007-12-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

"well well well Mr. Howard"
- Xavier Rudd

Thanks for new PM Kevin Rudd, Australia is back on the map.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/04/2108567.htm?section=business

I wonder if American delegates - if the bureaucrats at these meetings realize that their countries marching orders will no longer be coming from Mr. Bush, could be in some position to show some forsight and push for serious international agreements?

2007-12-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

I saw a show last night at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener.

My second time there in not long, after seeing the excellent and moving Exit Strategy recently.

The Anorak which played last night was written and acted completely by Adam Kelly from Montreal, who put on a Quebecois accent and had a memorized script for about an hour and a half.
I don't know how he did it. It was an incredible performance of who he thought Mark Lepine might have been, the killer of the Montreal massacre, telling his life story.

He reminds us that these shootings keep happening and there are similar characteristics to the murderers, so it would be foolish to label these people only as monsters and try to forget.
What I took out of the play is something to do with open mindedness, but I haven't quite figured it out yet.

He included a line about the University of Waterloo's excellent engineering program - spoke to him after briefly and he had noticed my UW sweater.
I forget to tell him that I had got the sweater at the 25th anniversary of our Women's Centre, a women's sweater that I was wearing.. somewhat coincidental.

Thankss to Adam for telling us this story.

2007-11-14T14:08:00.001-08:00

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper has named a former university hockey star to stickhandle the terms of reference for a potentially explosive public inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber affair."

oh gee....
And look what University he comes from.

2007-10-06T21:38:00.001-07:00

Since my last main post, I didn't realize that funding of faith-based schools would become the election issue.
Wish makes it even more important that we discuss other issues like energy.

I wanted to discuss Ontario coal plants, because it's a huge matter for Ontario. It was the McGuinty government who commissioned cost/benefit studies to show that our coal plants cause hundreds of premature deaths in Ontario and hundreds of millions to our health care system and other economic impacts. They then promptly broke their promise to close all plants by 2007, delaying, delaying, delaying.
The NDP, Liberals and Greens all committed to 2007 in the last election, with Conservatives promising 2014 I think.

Funny that I post this topic, as just yesterday, Dave Campanella wrote a significant opinion piece on nuclear, published in The Record: http://news.therecord.com/article/251871
It's an excellent summary of the concerns over nuclear power - and I'd encourage a read through for anyone who thinks that more nuclear plants are an option. The alternatives Dave propose are the same that I would.

But I have a better understanding of the other big supplier, which is coal - currently giving Ontario about 20-25% of our electricity. My understanding of this issue comes from proximity to Lambton Generating Station while growing up. As my first big environmental issue, I found out that air quality was a big issue in Sarnia (seemed to be worst in the province many days), and went on to research why. I found a big contributor was Lambton.

A report just released on Friday does a good job of going through the same numbers that I have always looked at, and pegs Sarnia's industry as the worst polluting of any city in Ontario (and most provinces and territories): http://www.ecojustice.ca/m_archive/pr07_10_04.html
Lambton tops the list of worse polluters.

I happened to take a tour of the plant, at the announcement of new scrubbers, back in summer of 2003. After my tour, I went back home, and the great blackout happened that afternoon, and the plant shut down. A few pages into that report shows what Sarnia looked like that evening, with the chemical plants losing energy and needing to flare.

The point is that McGuinty's studies are still accurate. And we have more than smog to worry about now. The carbon dioxide produced isn't cleaned by the scrubbers. We have to quickly shift away from coal. We have to be considerate of the jobs at these plants while we're doing it, and treat the workers well in the process. Ontario Clean Air Alliance reports show that the costs to switch won't be that high. And in the long-run, well, we know about that.
And here's the other video.

2007-09-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

Follow-up from last post.
Go Green Party!

"According to results of the poll, opposition to taxpayer funding of religious schools is growing, with 68 per cent of Ontarians opposing the move — 51 per cent saying they “strongly” oppose it. Thirty percent say they support the move, but only 12 per cent “strongly” support it.

More telling is that half of Ontarians feel the best option is for the province to combine the current Catholic and Protestant system into one — the opposite of what the Conservatives are proposing."

2007-09-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

Beginning to comment on this provincial election - this election and referendum are too important to ignore.

I just finished watching Green Party leader Frank de Jong on TVO. He did quite well, even better than last time I saw him on Studio 2 a few years ago. I actually remember he was once sort of stumped regarding his chief issue of tax shifting by Ruth Grier of the NDP. The next time I saw him, I challenged him with the same question, and he answered much better.
Frank has been leader of the Party since 1993. He actually posted on a blog on this site a few posts back.

Right now, local K-W candidate Catherine Fife is doing well with signage in my neighbourhood. She also lives in the area and is a credible community candidate.

I'll start by blogging on two issues in which I feel I have some background/credibility. And they are two issues which Brampton-West family doctor Sanjeev Goel has done videos on: coal power and religious funding for education.

I'll do education here.

now, if I was Sanjeev, I wouldn't lump Jedi with Atheist. But that was "Grey" anyway.

In the Harris years when my high school education was being messed up without even some consultation, we petitioned and advocated for several changes in curriculum and funding. The next thing brainy idea the new leader Ernie Eves (a moderate) wanted to implement was a private school tax credit. As I recall, that would have drawn out another $300 million from the education system. The Tories slid and lost the election.

Now we're back with an idea to fund all private religious schools, somehow within the public system. I give the Conservatives credit for attempting to introduce fairness into the system. The Liberals and NDP maintain the position of the status quo, which has long been criticized by the United Nations. It's awkward and unjust to fund one religion and not others. De Jong said that on the show, as a former Catholic graduate. He turned out alright of course, since social justice can be a core teaching in Catholic schools. But even Catholics should know that there isn't justification for this.
One public system has been the Green position for years. It's nice to see that consistency. It's great that young people can get religious education, and I always work for religious acceptance in schools and would make that a priority. But I don't think it's the public's responsibility to fund religious education. We should have diverse schools where we can educate young people with other students and educators who reflect the whole community. Not split them up based on religious and cultural/ethnic lines which would happen.

It's nice to hear an update of Green Party policy, that they'd do away with standardized testing, and implement a mandatory world religions course - one of my favourite subjects in my (Catholic) high school.

Here's Tory's gaffe. Whatever he meant..

2007-08-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

This fall, Feds will be re-launching something we bureaucratically refer to as the "Arts Commission".

This sounds like a good guiding quote for the initiatives - Andrew, what do you think?

from playwright Bertolt Brecht: "Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it."

2007-08-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Recycling is still a late-stage 'solution'

and we thought Toronto shipping their waste to Michigan was bad...

We in Waterloo Region recently learned that some of our recycling plastics are being shipped to China for who knows what. I'm going to comment with my own thoughts first - I just saw that our esteemed prof Jennifer Clapp commented in the local paper today regarding the issue. She knows what she's talking about, so I'll post the link at the bottom here and see if I share a similar opinion.

So it was a surprise to read the articles, but I guess I knew in the back of my mind that something like this was happening. Other Ontario communities are just burying their non-profitable "recyclables". The Waterloo area, for being a founder of the blue-box program, has been working to present a top-notch recycling program, and I've promoted this for other cities and universities - collecting all these plastics possible. But a lot of them - and I don't know specifically which - are not profitable to recycle, and that's the bottom line for the current waste management paradigm. So I along with other eco-activists should take some responsibility in the push for these products to be recycled, when that political pressure pushes regional or city staff to make silly choices with the waste. Of course, not entirely our fault, staff should be completely open about what choices are being made. Claiming to have a recycling program and then burrying collected plastics is not acceptable. And shipping them half way across the world to a land with poor environmental standards, without even asking what is done, it not something that should continue.

So what does the average Joe public do with this new information? I don't really know. I think the best approach would be to advocate for a waste diversion system with transparency, and recycle everything that makes sense. What's more, we have to count more on the other three R's. Littering is not an environmental issue, but an aesthetic one. Recycling everything you can is very helpful. But we have to remember that even things that can be recycled, are really "downcycled", in that they become less and less useful, and eventually become waste anyway.

That leaves us to Reuse, Reduce and Rethink. We can actually save money and mature as a society by buying less and spending more time on fun things that are less consuming of our resources, water, climate and personal salaries. But also, this is a way to save money on campus and in the community. The way to reduce litter, waste and cost is by buying less stuff with packaging, and buying less stuff.

(That's when environmentalism becomes a greater challenge on our broader culture.)

http://news.therecord.com/Opinions/article/228512

2007-07-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

The UN Secruity Council finally secured China's support (possibly with the help of a looming Olympic boycott) to send peacekeeping forces to Sudan.

thank gosh.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sudan/story/0,,2138862,00.html

2007-07-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Community-building is so important to environmental goals, and visa versa.

Yesterday I walked down my street, and this neighbourhood that borders Kitchener and Waterloo was having a little block party, with this small portion of the street closed. Children were out playing, painting and having fun, and the adults had a table setup on the street to chat.

I really like this sort of thing. It takes effort to meet your neighbours these days. And we could do a lot more of these types of events, especially in Waterloo.

Just coming back from the Hillside Festival at Guelph Lake - I usually go for the weekend, but just went Sunday night this year, for Dya Singh, Vieux Farka Toure, Ron Sexsmith and Ani DiFranco - the whole thing is a bastion of sustainable planning, community-building and the spread of social values. The big push this year was a push against bottled water. As Ani remarked, it's free and should stay that way. They avoided about 7,000 water bottled by providing a water re-fill station.

But the big sell to me is the kindness of all the people there, the spirit of sharing and such - almost like a mini-Woodstock, where things can go wrong but all the big stuff stays right.

And when I was leaving, in a long line to take a bus to get to another late night bus, a couple of people walked along this line, asking (near pleading) for anyone who wanted wanted a ride to Waterloo. How convenient! But it shows what was on their mind - at the marriage of environmentalism and community, they really wanted to fit more people into the van.

Even if it wasn't immediately convenient.

I'm just reminded now of another instance of someone who offered to help me a few months back, without knowing me well - and now being able to mutually support each other and achieve a lot.

Good things often come out when the attempt is made.

2007-06-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

(thanks atuw.ca for the pic)

Having survived a month of Vice-President, Internal… I’m typing away on a train right now on my way home to Sarnia for Artwalk, an arts festival with an ecology focus this year, celebrated annually downtown. Many events are having a green focus this year, such as Open Doors Toronto, which last weekend featured around 150 historic and green buildings. Green roofs a plenty. Well, really just a few still exist in the City. But the display of their feasibility at a large scale can do much more than a simple report by an Environmental Studies student. The interest in green buildings in Toronto (which Open Doors Waterloo will also feature this September, including a neighbour of mine), has demonstrated itself in various media I picked up today.

The Imprint featured a full spread in the University of Waterloo Sustainability Project’s (UWSP) working groups. Green Roofs Over Waterloo (GROW) formed a couple years ago, when my colleagues and I were working on a green roof project proposal in UW’s Greening the Campus class. At the same time we were research the feasibility and benefits of a potential green roof over ES2, a student named Emma Halsall with several others were looking at green roofs at other locations on campus. Although the ventures didn’t turn out the way all of us we had wanted, all the activity may have contributed to the interest in green buildings on a couple new buildings being constructed on our campus, and now GROW is focusing on suggestions for specific energy retrofits that would save UW energy, pollution and money. Despite a few factual errors, the Imprint spread takes a very good look at what’s happening on campus. Zimride, mentioned in a previous blog, is the next great UWSP group. Take a look at the rest of the working groups in the article and contact UWSP to let them know what you’re most interested in helping with: uwspmail@gmail.com

Hanging out with the Alternatives crew at lunch today, I got to pick up the fresh issue, hot off the press (has that new-mag-smell). This is your place to go for more in-depth environmental education with a focus on solutions. The theme of green buildings continues in this double issue, with Building Heritage containing several articles related to urban and suburban ideas for a different kind of growth (sustainability?) The other section called Measuring Progress lends to another great interest of mine. Many interesting ideas for doing things differently in society – not just “counting the money,” as Raffi would say.

Working at Alternatives last summer, I worked a lot on these issues with submissions/editing. I recall getting the piece by Bill Rees for Measuring Progress – a very different theme than the rest of the articles. Rees - the founder of the “ecological footprint’ idea of assessing our environmental impact – paints a very depressing picture of our environmental situation, though he would use the term, “realism.” Rees lists and described several popular modern tools (like green buildings) and says they won’t be effective in reaching where we need to go. Unfortunately he doesn’t present any ideas that he feels to be solutions.

You can stop by the Alternatives office on the lower floor of ES1 to purchase a copy of the issue. Or go to www.alternativesjournal.ca and order a subscription. I’m particularly interested in reading the article with a debate on incineration – something I wish to know much more about. The letters section of the magazine has been greatly expanded this issue, with several eco-intellectuals, young students, and “we’ve got to change our ways!” folks writing in. Even Frank de Jong, Ontario Green leader – who posted a comment here a couple blogs back – checked out the last Alternatives and commented.

The issue also contains a review of M’Gonigle and Starke’s Planet U, a book which I’ve also reviewed in Imprint and The Understory.

I must starting posting results from my thesis on campus sustainability! That will come soon.

The Understory is the online mag of the Young Greens of Canada which I help edit. Our latest issue is about the future – and I have to get it online… so it will be up right away.

2007-05-18T18:02:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the City of Waterloo on being named the world's most "intelligent city"! It's quite an outstanding achievement, announced today in New York City.
See the Record article
According to a news broadcast, one of the reasons they cited as a critical element in winning is that they ranked high in the sustainable leadership category.
Also in the news today is what large American cities are doing on climate change with the Clinton Green Cities Initiative.
Waterloo has the potential to position itself as a leader in sustainability for mid-size cities. The ability to combine Waterloo's current technological innovation with sustainability leadership has been noted recently by various individuals.
A practical example of how this is being done right new is a new initiative starting partly from students at the University of Waterloo - a ridesharing program called Zimride.com
The program is tied in directly with facebook, to allow individuals to share rides, at the same time being able to know about the person you're sharing with. You can post ride offers on the site, and even connect with facebook events to share rides.
How this site is setup, I can see it taking off incredibly. I want to be the first to predict great things for zimride. Good ideas, implemented well like this one have amazing potential - and just like facebook itself, zimride may soon find itself with similar success.
As someone in the Feds, providing services to students is very important to me. I think this will a different and useful (free) service to most students.
Speed up the process to promote this culture of ridesharing, by sending it to your friends - sharing this blog or the website or the facebook group.

p.s. Gas prices??
Recent articles are showing an increase in transit use in Canada that is being attributed to high gas prices. People are starting to do it.
Ride less, share more.

2007-05-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

"This is a historic day for Ontario," de Jong says.
Today's final report from the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform promises a great improvement in the quality of Ontario's democracy, according to Green Party of Ontario Leader Frank de Jong.

The Mixed Member Proportional voting system recommended by the Citizen's Assembly was thoroughly researched, debated, and voted on not by politicians, but by 103 ordinary citizens from across the province. The fact that our politicians entrusted the people of Ontario with this important task shows a whole new way of thinking about the democratic process in our province.
----
As I said in a previous post, I accept the decision of the Ontario Citizen's Assembly and now encourage a significant push on accepting MMP.
Educate now. October 10th, act.
Here's more info (try the audio version of the article!)
http://www.agoravox.com/article.php3?id_article=6046

2007-04-15T11:01:00.001-07:00

13.04.2007

Statement by the Hon. Stéphane Dion, Leader, Liberal Party of Canada and Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party of Canada

The planet has reached its limit. The human-caused damage to our natural environment is devastating.

The most urgent issue facing our society and our government, indeed humanity as a whole, is the climate crisis. It has the characteristic of being irreversible, with every single year’s emissions constituting damage that will not dissipate for a century. We are, essentially, stoking the furnace for ongoing climate instability that threatens our children and grandchildren.

Currently, our two parties agree that urgent action is needed. So, too, do the vast majority of Canadians. Yet our electoral system could return to government the only political party that does not believe action is required urgently. In fact, its “climate action plans” will allow for increasing greenhouse gases, missing our Kyoto target by ever higher amounts of emissions, and stalling international progress to meet the challenge of this global threat.

As leaders of political parties, we realize that leadership implies responsibility. We each have a major responsibility to ensure that our respective parties do well in the next election no matter when it comes. Each of our parties will expect us, as Leaders, to fight for our beliefs and for our respective candidates from coast to coast

We also have a responsibility to future generations. To protect our environment, to reduce emissions effectively while strengthening our economy, the composition of Canada’s parliament must change to a House of Commons full of MPs who recognize the serious threat of climate change and who are willing to work together to lessen it.

We have agreed that the country needs a strong signal that puts progress ahead of partisanship. To achieve Kyoto, Canada needs MPs and a government that actually understand the threat of climate change and the need for urgent action. This reality has impelled us to seek limited cooperation. While the need for cooperation may be obvious to the average Canadian, within political parties, one is not supposed to allow even limited cooperation.

We admit we are different from most adversarial, political leaders. We respect each other. We will always put the country and the planet first.

Out of respect for each other and out of our shared commitment to a greener Canada, we are not running candidates in each other’s ridings.

We recognize that a government in which Stéphane Dion served as Prime Minister could work well with a Green Caucus of MPs, led by Elizabeth May, committed to action on climate. On many issues, we would have policy disagreements; on others cooperation would be possible. No matter what the issue, we recognize that, although opponents in the political sphere, we are committed to doing politics differently. That means open and transparent, fair-minded communication. Another issue where we believe progress could be made is in the potential for electoral reform.

Today there are larger issues at stake than the petty partisanship of politics. We are confident that Canadians will appreciate this shared commitment and our efforts to protect our children’s future.

http://green.ca/en/releases/13.04.2007

2007-04-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Decision on electoral reform by the citizens assembly!

In case you understand this stuff.. I'm posting a message I got from Larry Gordon of Fair Vote Canada.
The real work starts now - to get people supporting this option for a fall referendum. Check the news this week and make yourself aware, and get understanding the recommended system.

The Ontario Constituency Assembly picked its MMP model (90 constituency seats, 39 listseats, closed prov. list) as its preferred alternative. The vote was 75 for the MMP model, 25 for the STV model, 1 spoiled ballot, 2 people absent. The final step for the CA is the April 14-15 session when they decide whether to recommend the alternative over the status quo...not a lot of suspense on that decision.

2007-04-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Impacts of climate change are going to be unimaginable if we don't act soon.

My guess is that the next UN report from the International Panel will release data that begins to stir people up - information about global heating that most people have not yet heard from the scientific community unless you've been researching.
The third world will suffer extraordinarily, but not us, at least for a while.

Check the latest with what other campuses have done recently:
http://www.aashe.org/archives/2007/0329.php

2007-03-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

What a great event in the SLC last night. The Human Rights Conference Panel was delayed because of a snow day - but was such a good way to get people discussing big issues and how students can activate for change. I had the good fortune to get to speak with really interesting activists on the panel, and shared a common vision for social/sustainable change with solidarity - how to support each others movements and causes, especially at times of crisis.

We've actually achieved so much good as a collective social movement - banned CFCs in countries all around the world, so the ozone layer is moving into self-repair - we've stopped Canada's partiicpation in Iraq - we've built strong labour laws...
There's every reason to keep feeling hopeful and getting involved.
Join up here and keep posting and checking and thinking:
http://uwaterloo.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2244946918

Now, the U-Pass...

I'm looking at a "No" poster for the U-Pass referendum.

"When Laurier got a U-Pass, bus service did not improve."
- WHAT? Of course service improved, and UW student indirectly benefitted and we're mooching off the service improvements gained.

"Traffic and pollution increased when Guelph got one."
- How does that make sense? A unviersal bus pass is generally known as one of the single best initiatives a university can adopt to make a positive change in emission reductions. And how very important this is right now! It is difficult to quantify a prediction of traffic reductions and health benefits that will result without significant studies, but all indicators show improvements. We need a cultural shift at this point where we build communities based on walking, transit and other alternatives to the car. As students come to a UW with a U-Pass, they will learn that a bus is feasible when living in the city, and take that attitude away once they graduate.
Guelph is moving ahead, where their University President juat announced they want to partner with the City in sustainability. Universities in the US (you know, that country that's supposed to be environmental lagging on us), aleady have bus passes and are moving on to approve green energy student fees by margins of 80-90%, even in the most conservative states like Tenessee.

Here's what a student from Guelph said:
"Here at Guelph, we have had a u-pass for quite a while, at a cost of $54 per semester. I am delighted to hear that I will be enjoying the benefits of this referendum (assuming it passes)." - Denis Agar - transferring to Waterloo

"Only 15% of students take the bus."
...is misleading. I overheard a couple students reading the poster and saying, but what would it be like it we had a pass?

A recent 84% approval of a U-Pass at the University of Alberta in Edmonton said otherwise. It looks more like 15% don't support the bus. And their pass was $75. What a deal we got.

University of Victoria, a much smaller municipality than ours has benefitted tremendously as cited in a Canadian Government report. Pollution/health, growth management, campus greenspace and parking issues are cited.

PASS the PASS!

2007-03-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

Back to my personal blog...

“The Conservatives very much want a majority, more or less to change the whole nature of the country,” he said. “They want to dismantle what they see as a small ‘l’ liberal state and replace it with something in their own image – something I don’t think most Canadians would appreciate.”
- political scientist Keith Brownsey
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2007/03/18/3776880.html

and big announcement:
http://news.google.ca/news?q=elizabeth+may&hl=en&safe=off&um=1&sa=X&oi=news&ct=title

2007-02-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

I'm excited about how many of you are telling me you've been checking out my blog, and looking at my vision for campus, and for the world in general. Thanks for coming to the forums, thanks for reading our scrutinizing our platform and for so much of your help. I thought I'd share with you
I've been incredibly inspired by the diversity on the UW campus that I haven't seen until now, and the Thank you to the volunteers and supporters - thanks for caring in this campaign and believing in me. Honestly, I could not have done any of this without you.
I've been talking a lot about three main things I've done which show my competence for this job I'm applying for: active in a my student association, President of a club and Coordinator of a Service. What might you not know about me? I'm on the Senate Undergraduate Council and I have a meeting tomorrow, I've been in the UW Stage Band and Chamber Ensemble, playing trumpet at Grebel. When I was in grade 12 I started an ensemble of the experience musicians in our band, I started the Environment Club - and then joined Sarnia Environmental Activists, the Sarnia Urban Wildlife Committee and the Green Party. I started a group called PeaceWorks with a group of older residents to protest war and increase peace advoacy. Grade 11 was when my friends and I started a group called Teens for Our Education and the Ontario Student Federatives to advocated across the province for fixes to our education and tuitions. I also was editor for a short time of a newsletter called The Cucumber, and am now Submissions editor for a national online mag called The Understory. I'm so glad my program considered extra-curriculars and not just marks. But my marks were high and a scholarship from UW would have been nice! haha.
I have written for almost every section of Imprint, including Arts, News, Science, Opinion and Features. I was also a columnist over the summer for The Observer in Sarnia, while having a main summer job writing for Alternatives Journal.

Let me share some random volunteer photos below.

Some interesting links:

Imprint cover - Sept 22, 06

Chelsea Prescod's latest blog note on facebook

UW Muslim Students' Association election page

Keith Chan's campaign site

GLOW Ally Network

ERS 250 report on the UW Environment Network, interview myself

Record article one year ago, before the climate issue exploded

Diversity campign: One Waterloo

2007-02-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to point out some errors on Faraz and Team Yellow posters in ES - their "open letter".
It says, lobby for the "reinstitution" of a Sustainability Office, however we never had one at UW. This is a new and exciting initiative, where we as a campus are need to catch up. We did however have a waste management program and a cross-faculty committee on greening.
They also say "new environmental ideas" such as a cross-campus Feds lug-a-mug, yet this is not new either and was done by Food Services and UWSP:
http://www.foodservices.uwaterloo.ca/environment.php

I do practice what I preach on the environment. I don't eat animal products and try to eat organic and local. I conserve energy at home and take appropriate transportation or walk/bike where possible. Furthermore, I've worked to encourage countless numbers of people to adopt more sustainable lifestyles, and am now doing that at the campus level.

What we need now is not a Feds council motion favouring an Office of Sustainability (we sent a letter to David Johnston with nine student groups and the Feds President in 2005), but we just have to encourage the remainder of the Faculties that this is in UW's best interest - and I have been working with many at this level. Clearing a Path is the group suppoting these efforts, and is currently discussing best strategies, coming out of the discussions with M'Gongile.

Enjoy tonight's snow!

2007-02-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

So the mayor of Waterloo today left me with the task of advising her on how to make the City of Waterloo a world leader in environmental innovation.
We can do it.
I'm just glad I'll have something to do as an extra-curricular if I win VP I.

2007-02-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

Platform plank: Student Service

Check for new videos: http://www.2007ex.com

A few minutes after Sai Kit's resignation on Wednesday, the Imprint reporter at the campus media forum asked the candidates for VP Internal if we would commit to serving all the students and not put our personal biases up front. The VP's role must be just this. While I should state my own biases: to work on social justice and environmental issues, I am interested and excited every time I learn about the actions of another club, and I will work for everyone. To do this, the VP Internal must be competent and accessible to all groups and students. For example, I am vegan and so I have certain dietary restrictions for various reasons. Does this mean I place value judgments and undermine the Cheese Club? Of course not. I may have a bias towards the Campus Response Team, because I've been a member of Red Cross first aid and disaster response teams in the past. But does this mean I don't put equal time to helping the Food Bank? No, obviously I care about this service just as much.

With so many Society forums, I don't feel I've had enough chance to talk about the Services. As the only candidate with real experience in one of the seven Feds services (I was Co-coordinator of UWSP), I understand the problems that Services face and will come into the position with competence and the ability to work together to make the necessary changes.

My team will implement a Services Director to provide much needed support. We also need a stronger 'thank you' to those service coordinators who do so much for our students - these individuals need more support, which can be given in a small honourarium, but also in simply being treated well by Feds. Sai Kit was just investigating a clubs reward program. When I was Coordinator of UWSP, we wanted to thank our long-time Board members and our volunteer of the year, but didn't have support to provide even a framed certificate.

Service executives feel they are led around to different people when dealing with planning an event with the help of Feds. I will be efficient, and work to investigate, then solve these problems. Not all problems are too difficult to solve. International Student Connection told me they want to know other Service leaders better - this will help students be able to go to each other for questions and solutions. We need a Feds website with simple forms to recruit volunteers and a better coordinator handbook for volunteers. While my opponents and I all commit to more COPs meetings for Societies, I commit to more join Services meetings. If Service volunteers notice any problems or issues while I am Internal, I want them to bring them to me right away.

GLOW, CRT and UWSP all have internal or structural challenges that can be looked at and solved with some hard work by many individuals. When I Coordinated UWSP, Michelle Zakrison was my Internal Communications Director and she came up better communication plans to deal with the organization's problems, after having private interviews with each of the key stakeholders. It's an exciting time for the Women's Centre, with several upcoming events and partnerships. It's now time to eliminate conflicts with Council, and provide the right support that the service may flourish.

The University also offers services which we all pay for, such as athletics, libraries, the Safety Office, and Office for Persons with Disabilities. When I was in first year, because of a lung problem I required the service of the Student Access Van for a few months. It opened my eyes to the needs of some students. That's why I say in my platform that we'll have forums for students and groups to see what's going well and what isn't. We must know that UW and Feds services are working for you. Administrators will come to these forums because they're primarily here for students and they care about your issues.

I've realized through the campaign that people don't know how to get involved in ay part of Feds, but many will with the right information. People need Feds explained, and I will speak directly to groups of students in my term to inspire them to act and get involved.

Vote for eXpertise.
Vote Higgins.

2007-02-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

(Monday)

Do you agree with Andy? ...let me know

http://www.vmix.com/view.p
hp?id=2131567¤t_reso
urceid=2131567&type=video

I'm sitting in the SLC, readying for Imprint interviews, while Engineers Without Borders is setting up their booth for International Development Week. The theme is Gender Equality, and so they have the Women's Centre and the new PACs Collective setting up with them. It's great!

So winter has set in, and it's terrible outside. Campaigning is a real committment, especially with the constant moving around and the long days. My walk to school yesterday, through blustery -30 windchill and snow drifts only left me thinking about getting this U-pass and increased service so I could have used the bus.

Thanks to everyone who taught me card games on the weekend! I had some great food with the Bangladeshi Students Association, in an amazing cultural event for the community. The mayor was there, encouraging the undergrads to all vote. She enjoyed herself, and it was wonderful for me to be invited and share the excellent dinner and chats. Michelle even snapped a picture of me serving the students ;)

2007-02-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

"Waterloo doesn't have a bus pass? Are you serious? Oh my God, that's good to know," he says. "They should have bus passes. They should have a sustainability office and a sustainability co-ordinator."
- Michael M'Gonigle.

He's helped activate movements before.
M'Gonigle isn't coming... He's here!

Everyone please join in the movement on Tuesday to talk about how we can have a more accountable university and sustainable community. I met Michael at Arizona State University, and we had a chat on the lawn over lunch with a few others from across Canada in how we can make a change in campuses across this country. They change we'll need to move to a campus that actually deals with issues like climate change.

He'll be hosting a student colloquium at 2:30pm in the ES Courtyard (ES1 by living walls) and a public lecture at 7:00pm in the Festival Room, South Campus Hall.

from Saturday's Record...Greenpeace founder speaks at UW Tuesday

M'Gonigle's lecture will draw on his book, Planet U

TERRY PENDER

Michael M'Gonigle rolls into the University of Waterloo next week on an unprecedented wave of concern for the environment.

As a founder of Greenpeace International and a front-line environmentalist for more than 30 years, M'Gonigle is ecstatic to see the environment and climate-change as top-of-mind issues for Canadians.

But that's not enough, he says in a telephone interview from Victoria, where he practises law and teaches at the University of Victoria.

"My big concern is that there is a kind of issue-attention cycle, and it's really important that real leadership comes out of this and people seize the opportunity to do much more than just band-aid solutions," M'Gonigle says.

The environment has not been as big an issue since the acid-rain debates of the mid-1980s.

"The problem, though, is there is a correlation between how well the economy is doing and people's willingness to put the environment on top, but when the economy starts to slide, concern for the environment slides," M'Gonigle says.

"So it's a contradiction, a big contradiction. So being able to take advantage of this particular important window to start some pretty major re-thinking is a big challenge," M'Gonigle says.

During the past two months the environment has moved to the front burner in Canadian politics. Stephane Dion was elected Liberal leader in Montreal in early December, and the environment was the major theme of his leadership campaign.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper responded by appointing a new environment minister, and reinstating environmental programs his government had cancelled earlier.

While M'Gonigle is heartened by all this, he is far from satisfied.

"When you read the papers it's all talk, talk, talk, talk. Not solutions really. Not enough really thoughtful discussion of what do we have to do?" M'Gonigle says.

M'Gonigle has an extensive background in environmental activism.

He was co-founder of Greenpeace International in the mid-1970s. The group's work led to an international moratorium on commercial whaling. M'Gonigle was also a founding co-director of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund.

While he was chair of Greenpeace Canada, M'Gonigle started the Greenpeace forest campaign in 1990.

These days he teaches political ecology and green legal theory at the Project on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria, a program he recently founded. He has under-grad and graduate degrees in economics and law from the University of British Columbia, the London School of Economics, the University of Toronto and Yale.

When he comes to the University of Waterloo next week for a public lecture, M'Gonigle will draw heavily on a book he published last summer called Planet U: Sustaining the World, Reinventing the University.

All universities can play a much larger role in moving their local regions to more sustainable strategies in transportation, energy and planning, M'Gonigle says.

"The university can be a catalyst for local change. We haven't explored that nearly as much as we could," he says.

In March the University of Waterloo will hold a referendum on whether a bus pass for all students will be provided automatically. That would add $41 per semester to their student fees, plus an administrative fee tacked on by the students' union. All involved can expect a rebuke from M'Gonigle, who can't believe the issue is even up for a vote.

"Waterloo doesn't have a bus pass? Are you serious? Oh my God, that's good to know," he says. "They should have bus passes. They should have a sustainability office and a sustainability co-ordinator."

There is a continentwide movement for sustainable universities, and M'Gonigle holds up Yale as an example. M'Gonigle knows that school well, having earned two law degrees there -- a master's and a doctorate.

"Every university should have a vice-president of planning, innovation and sustainability. A vice-president who basically takes direction from the community and brings it into the university. That's the radical type of change I am talking about," M'Gonigle says.

Higher education is the most important industry on the planet, but it is also one of the most unaccountable.
The movement for a sustainable university intends to change that, he says.

tpender@therecord.com

Graphic: Submitted Photo; "When the economy starts to slide, concern for the environment slides," Michael M'Gonigle says.

LECTURE FACTS
Greenpeace International founder Michael M'Gonigle will speak at the University of Waterloo.
Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m.
At the Festival Room, South Campus Hall.
He'll give a lecture called The Planetary University as a Catalyst for Local/Regional Sustainability.
For more information -- Call 519-888-4567, ext. 32440.

2007-02-03T19:31:00.000-08:00

Well then. Bowling with the Planners Thursday night was a blast. I haven't done it for a year. The bus ride home was a little more subdued than last time I must admit.

Forums have been great, keeping the candidates on their toes.

The FASS play was a lot of fun last night. Michelle had a cameo and I'll post photos soon.
It's the kind of thing we need to see more of - a great idea!
Getting faculty, alumni, sstaff and students together on one project? If we can do that with other things to, we'll be rockin!

We're beginning to post short videos on youtube and linking them right on our site (thanks Aaron!) Look for some blogs in video from now on. It's so easy to share them with your friends too!
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=teameXperience

2007-01-31T19:03:00.000-08:00

Endorsement from the next Prime Minister of Canada

- Globe and Mail, January 31

"I have had the enormous pleasure of working with Darcy Higgins for the last few years through youth environmental initiatives. Darcy played a key role in the youth team in my leadership campaign. His demonstrated ability to build strong teams, achieve consensus and move from the abstract to action should serve University of Waterloostudents extremely well."

- Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada

2007-01-30T21:42:00.000-08:00

My promise to Muslim students at UW

Practicing Muslim students face major barriers on campus. This has been evident to those students who follow the Qur'an. But until recently, it has been less know by student leaders and the broader campus. Sparked by issues of vandalism and other incidents at Ryerson, the Canadian Federation of Students has set out to look at the needs of Muslim students and document concerns from across the province. Homophobic and Islamophobic vandalism occured one year ago at UW as well. This issue is something we must deal with, though day-to-day concerns are also very relevant.

I didn't realize the pressure that some students feel, and how many missed opportunities occur because of an often difficult system, where Muslims must miss meetings or events for prayer (including transit time to prayer rooms) - and this is often compounded at times such as Ramadan. Conflicting societal rules can make it difficult for Muslim students to write exams, participate in sports, attend holidays and finance their education, while maintaining moral obligations.

It is obvious to me that concerns are being raised, and being unmet. On the other hand, much progress has been made, for example, in the timing and accessibility of halal food.

And it appears that our MSA is providing more of a service than just what a club can handle. I bet there are several clubs like that if we look deeper.

So what will I do?

If elected, I will maintain support for events that increase awareness of Islam - with awareness comes tolerance, acceptance...

Of course Muslim students should also come out to other educational events and mingle with students who participate in various clubs and services as much as possible. Making athletic facilities appropriate and increasing the number of multi-faith prayer/meditation rooms is important. Perhaps before these actions are lobbied for, however, I see the need for student leadership positions to be accessible to Muslim students. Suggestions were given to allow for specific conditions when applying for positions such as in Feds, that would excempt dealing with alcohol or interest. Great idea.

Aside from education and interaction, specific changes can be implemented. Most of these involve changes in the university, so working with staff, faculty and administration at some level. I will look into how to increase the availability of Halal meats and vegetarian dishes at Food Services, and work with my VP Admin & Finance for the same at Aussies and Bomber.

I would also advise my Vice President Education to investigate (in collaboration with other campuses and the Human Right Comission) a different system to pay off OSAP fees that would not involve paying interest, and increasing grants in general over loans. I would also direct the VP-Ed to work on getting a directive from upper-administrators, down to professors and teaching assistants, to allow exemption without penalty for prayer during exams.

It is true that a real leader looks ahead how to solve issues before a crisis hits. I heard this in the meeting, and learned this as well from a lecture by Romeo Dallaire last year.

This is not by any means a comprehensive plan, and I can't pretend that we can achieve perfect conditions within a year. Perhaps it could involve making a long-term plan with the Feds. The prioritizing should be determined by Muslims students, so we can work together on these, sharing the task of advocacy. Halal food appears as a top concern in a small MSA website poll. But more discussion on the specific question of immediate prioty is needed.

I look forward to reading through the recommendations of the task force on the needs of Muslim students.

Barriers to student service at UW however don't only include Islam. There are other cultural-religious issues that can and should be raised - let's keep the discussion going. I believe I can come closest to achievements working with you, because that's what I've done at UW already when working on change with students and administration. Below is a comment from the Director of Food Services at the University of Waterloo.

“In the initial development stages of the UW Farmers Market, Darcy and I worked on getting the concept and support teams in place to get the Market of the ground. His marketing strategies and influence with student volunteers, staff and faculty helped make the UW Market the success it turned out to be. Darcy works well with others and has gained the respect within his faculty and beyond…it would be a refreshing change to have someone like Darcy Higgins involved with the Federation of Students who can work with the entire university community in a positive way.”

- Lee Elkas, Director

2007-01-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are tired of receiving invites to facebook groups related to the Feds campaign, and think it's a little like kids in a sand box competing for their number of friends.
Bare with us for a couple weeks... we're politicians. we don't know any better!

2007-01-30T01:17:00.000-08:00

So the Feds campaign begins.

I'm running for Vice President Internal of the Federation of Students. I've got some great ideas based in making things better for students - I think my background in advocacy, communications, organizing and effective strategy can make things come a long way at UW.
Also important is to get make things fun. Feds should be exciting. People don't know about what it does because of a lack of connections and communications.
But so much is going on at this campus!

My, Michelle and Del's volunteers were up late tonight putting up our rad posters. I want to thank you guys very much. I look forward to keeping up this blog and responding to your posts here and on facebook when I get a moment. Come out to the forums, read the Imprint, and stay involved.
We're gonna rock this place.

2007-01-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

I know I may be criticized or critiques with this quote - feel free to. But look at this and think about how it may affect your own life... what are you driving towards?
It was written by educator David Orr back in 1995:
"The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as our culture has defined it."

It really centres things back away from ourselves, and onto "all that really matters most", as Raffi said in his song about the genuine progress indicator.

Is it to fluffy for you. What really matters in your world? comment here.

2007-01-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

U-Pass referendum looks set for March!

2007-01-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

I got a little bit of Fresh Air two weeks ago, and just found this post-air commentary: "I love interviewing university students early on Sunday mornings. They manage to be both sleepy and articulate. Good on them."
http://www.cbc.ca/freshair/MT/2007/01/january_6_and_7.html
Thank you Jeff - it was an excellent show idea. Keep up those New Year's Resolutions all!

---------

My Imprint Pick of the Week:

There are so many great articles this week on transit issues, housing, food and even urban camping. So I gotta go with Valerie's photo on the cover of the party people with the hula's. As an avid fan of "hula-la", I can do a thing or two, but for a real treat, you should see my roomates! Heck they're probably at it right now. My roomate just taught me to get it up high.

Pickup an Imprint to see the pic, and follow their adventures at CUP at: http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/cup/

---------

I've just been tipped off to the presence of a show that you just might be interested in. It's called the O'Fishbein Factor, and it features this young school-involved Irishman doing his part to promote the upcoming Feds elections. And unbeknownst - yet not unwelcome - to me, was his discussion of a certain group in the first In Your Facebook feature. Listen to the first podcast for his commentary at: http://jonathanfishbein.com/factor/Podcast/Podcast.html

Heck, listen to the second and keep tuned in.

I must issue a response: though I have been of course consulting with the greater student body who don't know me as well, you're right, I haven't. You'll have to listen some to get the context of what I'm saying. So turn on, tune in, drop out to O'Fishbein.

And Fish, I am more than willing and able to make an appearance. I'd love to be a first guest once January 30 rolls around. Look forward to hearing from you.

2007-01-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

Really interesting trends in food:
http://www.beachbody.com/jump.jsp?itemID=613&itemType=CONTENT&path=29

2007-01-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

Please leave a comment after you read this post!

Campus news update:
Feds Council has voted to defer the debate on a universal bus pass. They have instructed the Feds Executive to investigate the possibility of a *refundable U-pass. Is it possible? I can't say.
Apparently the University of Utah has one.
As was said at the meeting, in our UW slogan, the spririt of Why Not? I wish that slogan applied to other areas, where UW could become a leader.
It would be highly unconventional, but perhaps highly popular. Some benefits would be lost due to a higher cost and fewer participants.
Councillor Drew Adams will be starting a pass the pass petition which could force a vote.

I'm not afraid to say that we need a U-pass. Safety from less drinking & driving, benefits to air quality and CO2 and popularity among students make this a winning idea. Everyone who has said 'finally' will have to wait a little bit more.

Though I'm not communist, I believe in community and the greater good, so I value this quote: "part of being human is subordinating your own day-to-day desires and wants to the good of others."
http://www.climatecrisiscoalition.org

---------

I attended the Citizens' Assembly forum for KW on electoral reform on Wednesday night. I also made a presentation to the delegation there.
If you don't know much about it, there was a citizen (regular Joe/Sally) selected from each riding in Ontario. They have been given the task to research, gather input, and select an electoral system for Ontario that works - to recommend change if they find necessary.
I wanted to represent the voices there who aren't normally heard: (disenfranchised) young people.
Everyone at the meeting knew that the current system didn't work. Furthermore, most people went on to recommend a particular system they believed to be more fair: mixed member proprotional. An overflowing room of interested individuals really got me excited - there was so much passion from all kinds of people for what you might have thought is a dull topic.
It's pretty clear to me that the Assembly will recommend change. I'm quite willing to accept whatever they recommend. I believe in this process. But it will be up to the people it looks like to educate the public and get this passed. Their recommendation goes to a referendum this October, and must be passed by 60%. This threshold is too high. Consider the government has a majority mandate with well under 50% of the vote.
I got to recognize our federal MP for K-W, who came in towards the end of our presentation and I stated that I hoped he brought the Assembly's findings to a federal level. He spoke after me, the last speaker, and recognized what I had said about young people & voting.
Billy Ballot has a cheesey little video for you if you want to learn about different voting systems: http://www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca/en-CA/The%20Classroom/Billy%20Ballot.aspx

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My Imprint pick of the week:
http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=764&Itemid=55&issuedate=2007-01-12

Journalistic writing first 2 sentences of an article pick of the month:

WASHINGTON- President Bush once said he was determined to stick with the Iraq war even if his wife and his dog were the only ones left at his side.
It’s moving in that direction.

Best solid smooth icey fun street in Waterloo of the night: Alexandra Ave.

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Change doesn't happen.It's made. Act.

2007-01-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

this is just icky...

Strip club's tuition offer riles university, feminists
Guelph Mercury, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007 FRONT; Pg. 1
By GREG MERCER, Guelph Mercury
GUELPH -- Guelph's only strip club is offering to help one needy student pay for school next year.
The catch? That student will have to win a wet T-shirt contest, determined by the hoots and hollers of audience reaction at the club. The prize? A year's university tuition, up to $5,000.

---------

Here's my latest Imprint article: "UW helps meet international campus climate challenge". It's pretty popular!
http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=18&id=27&Itemid=&issuedate=2007-01-05

And here's my Imprint pick of the week:
http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=733&Itemid=58&issuedate=2007-01-05

If you're interested in writing or doing photography, proofreading, web help, or anything else..
Especially if you complain about Imprint - I want to challenge you to make it better. Submit something!

2006-12-29T19:53:00.000-08:00

I'm really pleased today to have my small organization honoured by our mayor in Sarnia. Just last night I was meeting with another key member with suggestions on how to re-energize our group. I gave a talk to the local environmental community in August on how to increase its effectiveness.
Every year, the Sarnia mayor's honour list gives special recognition to individuals and groups who don't normally get much, but make a good impact in the community. This is a boost to our efforts and to strengthen the work done in Sarnia to shift it to an environmental stronghold.

"Sarnia Environmental Activists, a group that had pushed for a pesticide control bylaw and against Highway 402 emissions."
http://www.sarniaea.com

Here's the full list of those honoured ~ Congrats to all:
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/2006/12/29/pf-3058942.html