Until this assignment, I had never thought about the environmental impact of the film industry. But of course, there is an environmental impact from most everything we do, and the making of a film is no exception.
POLITICS & POLICIES
What The Heck is Activism Anyway?
The People’s Climate March is happening in New York City this Sunday, September 21. I’m working with Toronto 350, GreenPeopleTO and Emily Hunter to organize the buses heading from Toronto to the march, and it’s got me thinking about what activism is.
It’s a Wrap! A Non-Toxic Substitute for Plastic Wrap, That Is
Summer is sadly drawing to a close and visions of leftover potato salad and backyard BBQs are fading away into the distant past – much like the toothsome memories of taut plastic wrap protecting my leftovers and potentially poisoning me with its unique mix of toxins and endocrine disrupters.
Playtime Hacked
It’s after school on the south shore of Nova Scotia, and a handful of kids have gathered in the two-room public library in Lunenburg. Some flip through books, some tap on computers, but none seems to notice the new black box near the checkout desk. Roughly the size of a […]
Up Close, It’s Personal
The CBC is re-airing Wild Canada starting September 15th. Don’t miss it!
Why Divestment Won’t Succeed
Several years ago a prominent environmentalist spoke at my university. Soon, he told us, he would stop flying. We were impressed. A few years later I saw him hurrying out of the Air Canada frequent flyer lounge at Toronto airport. Even with the best of intentions it’s hard to separate […]
Beyond Food Banks
A new kind of community centre is emerging across Canada, and its focus is food. Community Food Centres Canada (CFCC) was launched in 2012 in an effort to provide a more integrated response to food insecurity and other food issues. One of the main principles behind the project is meeting […]
Should We Give Biomass the Coal’d Shoulder?
In the quest for sustainable sources of energy, we can anticipate the odd bump in the road. Some technologies appear unlikely to ever pan out (so long, cold fusion!), while others (oh, hi there solar PV!) look set to explode with unexpected vigour. Somewhere in the middle of the pack […]
Wine and Cheese: Sustainable Sustenance from Ontario
Sustainable design is often narrowly construed as only the environmentally conscious design of objects. Broader considerations for what design can be should also embrace services, experiences and even behaviors. But it takes a large leap to get people to see examples of sustainable design beyond the typical re-usable shopping bags […]
Organizing Urbanism
In cities across Canada, people and organizations are finding ways to address complex challenges and creatively shape the future of their communities. They are greening neighbourhoods while producing local food, creating social enterprises to reduce poverty, mentoring immigrants and helping them integrate into their new communities, and using community arts […]
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