Canada's Environmental Voice
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.
Environmentalists are often involved in some way in other progressive political movements, such as feminism, economic justice, civil rights or the LGBTQ rights movement. This means that if you are an active environmentalist, you are probably no stranger to the phenomenon of being “called out.” In fact, you’ve probably experienced […]
How can contemporary design adapt to the unique physical climatic conditions, tectonic traditions and rich local cultures of Canada’s Arctic? And how can the fragile threads of indigenous knowledge and tradition entwine with our collective modern lust for seductive new technologies, shiny objects and addictive processed foods without long-term damage […]
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 […]
During the last 10 years in Canada, as well as elsewhere in North America and other parts of the world, proposed wind energy projects have spawned fierce opposition and intense controversy. It’s not headline news when members of the public react against possible changes to their neighbourhoods.
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 […]
We’re cleaning out the vault! (Literally – our back issues are stored in an actual vault.)
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 […]
Australian scholars Peter Christoff and Robyn Eckersley argue that combatting climate change and meeting other environmental objectives can open new economic opportunities. However, their book Globalization & the Environment also notes that to be successful in the long run requires that “‘growing’ new ecologically sustainable industries … go hand in […]
Canada and Australia have so much in common that they might be twin nations separated at birth. Both are large democratic, English-speaking, settler nations, thinly populated, prosperous, resource rich and politically moderate. They have multi-party, representative systems and historically have had strong environmental movements. Yet both have lately elected extreme […]
