Canada's Environmental Voice
Elementary logic explains why the organic/conventional divide can’t explain very many outcomes. Organically grown lettuce doesn’t require toxic pesticides, but the plastic case that protects the lettuce on its trip from California to Nova Scotia is nowhere near as environmentally pure as the lettuce. Organically grown tomatoes may take up more […]
Neonicotinoids – commonly known as neonics – are the most widely used insecticide in the world. Some are considered to be up to 10,000 times more toxic than DDT. On November 25, 2014, the Government of Ontario announced a bold plan to reduce neonics’ use on corn and soybean crops in the […]
Each week, A\J staffers will be sharing our favourite facts & findings from whatever books, articles, documentaries, podcasts and other media we’ve been consuming. Here’s what we’ve learned this week.
On March 17 and 18, I had the opportunity to attend Americana 2015, the “largest environmental multi-sectoral trade show and conference in North America.” I got to wander the trade show floor and witness many wonderful new technologies and innovations that will contribute to a more sustainable world; nanotechnology and […]
In the midst of conversations about how climate change and population growth are putting increased stress on food production, governments, activists and farmers have tackled issues such as water, crop yield and GMOs. But not much has been said about soil.
It seems clear that capitalism as currently practiced contributes to the planet’s destruction but Daniel Tanuro – who calls himself a “qualified agricultural engineer and a Marxist” – wants to go further and argue that capitalism in any form (present or future) would lay waste to nature. The subtitle of […]
FOR 20 YEARS, Dean Glenney has been planting his corn and soybean crops in exactly the same spots. Using a reconfigured five-row planter with narrow tires that line up precisely between well-established rows, he plants seeds right into the roots of last season’s crops. Instead of turning the soil, he […]
WE LIVE in turbulent times, characterized by “wicked” problems. What makes our environment and modern problems so wicked? They are beyond the capacity of any one sector or discipline to research, understand and resolve. Their solutions must emerge from diverse social actors that are convened in forums deliberately designed to […]
EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE PAY attention to images of oil-soaked birds in the aftermath of oil spills, researchers know that another, less perceptible, issue is the death of algae from the use of chemical dispersants after these disasters. Although people focus on shifting to hybrid cars to reduce their carbon footprint, […]
Originally published at House of Friendship. MY FAMILY MOVED onto a small-ish farm in Southern Ontario the year I entered kindergarten. We are now certified Organic, and mainly produce spelt and grass-fed beef. At different points we’ve had pigs, chickens, sheep, and a small army of barn cats.
