Canada's Environmental Voice
“I’m allergic to coalitions.” That’s what a prominent Canadian environmental leader once told me. It was 2012, and the organization I was working with at the time had broached the idea of uniting several groups in an effort to disrupt the entrenched “jobs versus nature” narrative.
Is it easier for us to embrace “belonging” if we know who doesn’t belong? Can we respect someone – let them belong – even if we don’t particularly like them?
The words on the back of the business card say so much: Belong & Thrive. For staff at House of Friendship, a social service charity based in Waterloo Region, Ont., these words are much more than an inspirational motto. They are a reminder that helping people in need by providing food, […]
In a world facing many social challenges, it is hard to sort through all the “need” and find the right place to start inciting change. It is understood that poverty, housing and food insecurity (to name but a few) are very real challenges. We see them every day when we go […]
UPDATE (February 1, 2017): Michael Engelhard is interviewed on Alaska Public Media’s Polar Bear Science show: Polar bear science and culture ***
By: Dr. Shelagh McCartney, Jeffrey Herskovits & Kathryn Trnavsky HOUSING ISSUES in Canada’s Indigenous communities have been well documented for decades without any positive changes. As populations grow rapidly, housing demand continues to increase and the existing shortfall becomes exacerbated. Housing need creates not only a lack of suitable shelter but […]
Dr. Shelagh McCartney is an Assistant Professor at Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning. +city lab is committed to experimental research and practice at the intersections of architecture, landscape and planning. Visioning Our Future Dwelling Together looks to create a model of partnership, focused on community-derived solutions and […]
How can we make an understanding common? Passionate advocates continuously seek new answers to this question, as it is so pertinent to inciting change. Steve McDonald’s short film, The Rainmakers of Nganyi, proposes one solution to this concern. Alternatives Journal discussed these rainmakers in our spring 2010 issue, so it […]
The Islamic philosophy of Tauhid (Unity of God) connects the entire creation to the Creator. A view that ultimately leads to an understanding that we are all connected, that we are all related and that we must work together for peace and environmental harmony. Islamic Cosmology “We are not the […]
Imagination is key to innovation. After 18 years of constructing and racing solar-powered cars the Queen’s Solar Design Team, situated at Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario, plunged head first into building sustainable and energy efficient homes. They ended up placing first at the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon in […]
