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The Mill Creek net zero home in Edmonton. Photo courtesy of Conrad Nobert.

Julian Agyeman
Julian Agyeman is chair of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University in Boston-Medford, Massachusetts. His research focuses on the intersections between social justice and sustainability, an idea which he terms just sustainability. He describes just sustainability as “the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, whilst living within the limits of supporting ecosystems”. Kathryn Lennon spoke with him about the need for the sustainabilty movement to broaden its work beyond ecological and conservation issues, to include issues of inequality and social justice.

More on this story: Julian’s Blog

Net Zero Homes
When it comes to high efficiency, net zero is the holy grail. That’s when you construct a building that’s so efficient it requires only minimal amounts of heat and electricity, and then you supply that power by adding some form of green energy generation to the structure — solar panels, wind turbines, or geothermal heating. On a day to day basis it may draw some power from the grid, or feed some back in, but over the course of a year things average out and it doesn’t consume any energy at all. The initial investiment can be a bit pricy, but the idea is that over the lifetime of the building it really pays off. Shafraaz Kaba and Matt McCombe are huge proponents of energy efficient buildings. Shafraaz is an architect and Matt is a builder, and they both practice what they preach in their own homes. Terra Informa spoke to them about what it’s like to live in a high efficiency home, and what a person needs to know if they want to make the switch.

Edmonton Listeners: Matt and Shafraaz will be part of a free panel discussion on net zero homes on Wednesday evening at Grant MacEwan University. Full details here.

More on this story: Shafraaz’s Blog: Chasing Net Zero, Shafraaz on The Nature of Things with David Suzuki, Solar Energy Society of Alberta, Canadian Net Zero Resources, CMHC EQuilibrium Program

News Headlines
Canada joins coalition to cut emissions of short-lived climate pollutants
Canada is putting a small wedge of its climate funding into a new program to reduce some of the short-lived pollutants that contribute to climate change. Environment Minister Peter Kent said the government will join a group of six countries, including the US, Mexico, and Bangladesh to fund programs reducing soot, methane and hydrofluorocarbon emissions in the global South. These chemicals are major players in forcing climate change, but they don’t last as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

More on this story: Letter in EOS (PDF Format), Nature Blog, BBC News, World Wildlife Fund

Low doses of pollutants linked to diabetes
An increasing amount of research suggests that some pollutants may be bigger culprits than obesity in causing diabetes. Dr. Duk-Hee Lee, a researcher at Korea’s Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, has been examining studies on populations affected by obesity and type 2 diabetes, and possible links to chemicals called persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Dr. Lee’s review, published in the journal Epidemiology and Health, showed that in one US study, type 2 diabetes rates were 15 to 40 times higher in populations with higher levels of one class of POPs. Studies on other animals suggested POPs can affect the body’s hormone regulation, and end up suppressing release of hormones like insulin.

More on this story: Epidemology and Health, Environmental Health Perspectives

Prime Minister please unmuzzle the scientists
The Canadian Science Writers Association published an open letter addressed to Steven Harper this week. The letter, titled “Prime Minister please unmuzzle the scientists” urged the PM office to stop a practise where federal scientists are censored and stopped from speaking with journalists without the permission of a public relations officer. They stated that the PM’s office routinely delayed or even stonewalled media interviews with federal scientists who could give valuable perspectives on contentious issues. The letter argued that the government has employed this strategy to take informed dialogue out of the news cycle in order to create an “atmosphere dominated by political messaging.

More on this story: Canadian Science Writers Association, CBC News, Montreal Gazette

Natural gas firm to face charges over pipeline leak
SemCAMS ULC faces several environmental charges after one of their pipelines leaked near a creek in west-central Alberta. The leak released approximately 850,000 litres of saline water, impacting a large area downstream and destroying wetlands. SenCAMS ULC did not immediately report the spill causing further environmental damages. The entire pipeline has since been replaced. The company’s representatives are expected to appear in provincial court on April 23 to face charges under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.

More on this story: Calgary Herald, Winnipeg Free Press, Toronto Sun

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A young snowy owl. Photo by Floyd Davidson.

Musician Richard Garvey
The world of contemporary folk music defies clear definitions or explanations. From the birth of sub-sub-genres to use of non-traditional instruments, it has exploded into a borderless menagerie of noise and ideas. However, some would argue that you can’t improve on timeless inspiration. Richard Garvey is a born-and-raised Ontarian whose modest discography echoes a generation of youth that longs for environmental justice and social change. You can hear more of Richard’s music here.

Great Backyard Bird Count
Whether you live in the heart of the city, out in the country, or on the Arctic coast, birds bring a little sunshine into the winter months. This week bird watchers are teaming up for one of North America’s largest bird counts, but this isn’t an event that’s limited to professionals. From seasoned experts to novices, Canadians are breaking out the binoculars to help scientists better understand where birds are found and how their distributions change with time. Dick Cannings is one of the organizers of the Great Backyard Bird Count and he fills us in on what’s happening.

The Arctic’s “Carbon Bomb”
Evidence of climate change is mounting from across the globe, but nowhere is it more apparent than at the poles.  Permafrost in the Tundra is an important carbon store, but unfortunately, once it melts it may release that carbon into the atmosphere triggering a positive feedback loop.  Dr. Craig Tweedie from the University of Texas at el Paso, calls this the Arctic’s Carbon Bomb.  He studies changes to Tundra vegetation and the interactions between plants and animals in the Arctic and he spoke to Terra Informa about his findings.

News Headlines
Go West. That’s the message Canada’s population is taking, according to the 2011 census. The figures just released by Statistics Canada from last year’s census show that for the first time since Confederation, more people live west of Ontario than east of it. The economic boom in the prairie provinces has of course been fuelled by natural resource industry growth, especially in oil and gas. That’s helped push up fertility rates and migration to the prairies from other parts of the country. Alberta was the fastest-growing province from 2006. Alberta’s population rose 10.8 percent to over 3.6 million residents. That’s almost double the national average. Calgary’s mayor Naheed Nenshi told Postmedia that the overheated economy has left his city dealing with some big challenges tackling labour shortages and managing so much growth. He said those are challenges other cities would probably kill to have, though.

More on this story: Statistics Canada, Vancouver Sun, Alberta Oil Magazine, Globe and Mail

In Nova Scotia, Millbrook First Nation’s new wind farm is going to be a 21st-century expression of their culture’s values, says band Chief Lawrence Paul. The three-turbine project was just approved as part of Nova Scotia’s renewable power subsidy program. The Community Feed-in Tariff – or COMFIT – program offers higher-than-market rate contracts for power from locally-based renewable energy projects. The Millbrook band’s wind farm is the first COMFIT agreement with a Mik’maq First Nation in the province. When it’s running in 2013 or 14, it will generate 6 MW of power, or enough electricity to power hundreds of homes. The Town of New Glasgow and the Halifax Regional Water Commission also got approval for small wind projects this month. Nova Scotia is aiming to generate 25 percent of its electricity through renewable power by 2015, and 40 percent by 2020.

More on this story: Chronicle Herald, Truro Daily News, Nova Scotia Dept of Energy – Feed in Tariffs

Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck spoke at this year’s World Economic Forum in Switzerland about his work to help assess global water issues with the 2030 Water Resources Group. That work is part of the reason the University of Alberta has announced he will receive one of three honourary degrees on March 1st for his efforts in water management. That’s put the university president under a load of criticism, since Nestlé is a major promoter of water privatization, and the world’s largest producer of bottled water. Amy Kaler, a sociology professor at the U of A, is one of the faculty members speaking out against the decision. She pointed out that Nestlé’s reputation is extremely poor in many places in the global South like Laos. NGOs said in 2011 that Nestlé broke World Health Organization rules for marketing breast milk substitutes by advertising its products in Laos to nursing mothers. Many studies have shown that in poorer countries, children fed baby formulas are much more likely to die of malnutrition and infectious diseases because of lack of access to clean water, and poor instructions for preparation. The honourary degree ceremony on March 1st honouring Peter Brabeck will be followed by a panel discussion with the two other recipients being recognized for their work on water issues.

More on this story: Edmonton Journal, University of Alberta News, IRIN News

Researchers from Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute have drilled down to an ancient ice-covered lake in Antarctica. Lake Vostok is believed to have been sealed off from the atmosphere for about 15 million years. Drilling through the ice sheet above Lake Vostok began over 20 years ago. It’s the same ice sheet that gives us the Vostok ice cores, some the most important artifacts of ancient carbon concentrations in the atmosphere. The project was delayed several years in the 2000s by redesigns to make sure the drilling equipment did not contaminate whatever ecosystem might exist in the underground lake. Researchers were not sure they’d reach the water’s surface before they had to fly out of the research station on February 6. With their samples finally in hand, the team hopes to learn whether the cold, high-pressure environment allows any nutrients or life to survive, and what similar oceans on Jupiter’s moon Europa might look like.

More on this story: BBC News, Nature, Sydney Morning Herald, Newsday, Announcement by Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (in Russian)

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Pedal to Petal's Trevor Van Hermet hauls a load of kitchen scraps for composting.

Pedal to Petal
Pedal to Petal is Victoria’s Bicycle Powered Compost Pickup Company. They are a carbon-negative social enterprise that’s found a unique way of transforming kitchen waste to treasure, and livelihood. They describe themselves as “a permaculture-based collective of bicycle loving food security activists who are taking direct action to reduce carbon emissions and landfill waste and to feed the soil and the city’s hungry”.  They do this through a bike-powered kitchen scrap pick up service, building edible landscapes, and composting. Trevor Van Hemert of Pedal to Petal talks to Terra Informa about innovations in compost set-up and how to run a business that thinks outside the box.

Real Cost of Cheap Food
Michael Carolan is a sociologist who’s got some interesting things to say about how our food is made. Food certainly looks cheap at the supermarket, and the average north American pays far less for food relative to incomes than people did only a generation ago. But Michael Carolan argues that this cheapness is a product of bad agriculture policies that are pushing the costs onto the environment, onto other countries, and onto future generations. Michael Carolyn is based at Colorado State University, and just published a new book called The Real Cost of Cheap Food. He joins us today to talk about his work.

News Headlines
On Saturday, hundreds of people marched through Prince Rupert, BC to voice their opposition to the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. The rally was so large that it filled the streets, with people spilling over onto the sidewalks. Enbridge wants to build the pipeline to carry crude oil from refineries near Edmonton to the BC coast where it would be loaded into super tankers. Protesters were concerned with the risk of oils spills, either from the pipeline itself or the super tankers. The rally comes in the lead up to federal review panel hearings which will be getting underway in Prince Rupert next week. Protests also took place last Thursday to greet the review panel as it visited Fort St. James, 500 km to the east.

More on this story: Vancouver Sun, CBC News, CTV News, Opinion 250 News

This past Friday, Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent and Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Water Diana McQueen announced a new monitoring program for Alberta’s oil sands. Proclaimed as scientifically rigorous, comprehensive, and transparent, it’s designed to provide an improved understanding of the long-term cumulative effects of oil sands development. Data collected under the new program will be made publicly available. Its work will also be scientifically peer reviewed every five years.  However, it has already drawn criticism. At least for the time being, the program will be reporting to government rather than to an independent body, as had been recommended

More on this story: CBC News, Vancouver Sun (1), Vancouver Sun (2), Vancouver Observer

In Nunavut, a new study reports that melting sea ice is allowing killer whales to move further north and in greater numbers. As top predators, the killer whales can take a heavy toll on seals, narwhals and even belugas and bowhead whales. Researchers interviewed more than 100 Inuit hunters and elders from communities along Hudson Bay and Baffin Island to collect information about the species’ movements and behavior. The increased presence of killer whales could result in significant changes to the structure of the ecosystem. It has also raised concerns among Inuit who fear they will now have to compete with the whales for limited food.

More on this story: Nunatsiaq Online, Toronto Star, CTV News

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The old growth forest of Cortes Island. Photo by TJ Watt of the Ancient Forest Alliance.

Winona LaDuke
Winona LaDuke is an aboriginal environmental activist, economist and writer. She has spent her entire career as an outspoken, engaging and unflagging advocate dedicated to issues of food and energy sustainability. After running for U.S vice president as the nominee of the United States Green Party in 1996 and 2000, Winona has continued to espouse her critical perspectives on food and energy consumption and has become a leading proponent on issues of locally based sustainability development strategies. But what will happen if non-sustainable consumption practices continue? Terra Informa correspondent Matt Hirji speaks with Winona LaDuke from her home on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota.

Logging on Cortes Island
Logging is a major industry in BC, and one that employs a lot of people. But that doesn’t mean it’s without controversy. On Cortes Island, just off the BC coast, residents are raising the alarm over plans by Island Timberlands to log the area. They say that the company’s plans aren’t sustainable and they’ve gathered thousands of signatures calling for a change.

More on this story: Wildstands Alliance, Ancient Forest Alliance, Petition

News Headlines
A fire in the Fraser Valley, B.C. region knocked out power to residents in both Chilliwack and Abbotsford this past week. A BC Hydro substation caught fire on Friday morning and the cause is still under investigation- as is the possibility of any lasting environmental impact. The damaged transformer contained one-hundred and fifteen-thousand litres of insulating oil which, according to Environment Minister for BC, Terry Lake, could be a real cause for concern. Emergency environmental response officers are on site assessing any potential contamination of nearby ground water or streams. However, the NDP Critic for Environment, Rob Flemming, voiced further concerns about the release of carcinogens from the oil burning. As of yet, no environmental review has been released.

More on this story: Times Colonist, CKNW News, CTV News

The Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa is suffering controversy over Imperial Oil’s role in their exhibit entitled “Energy: Power to Choose.” The Imperial Oil foundation contributed $600,000 to the exhibit, which opened last year. Imperial’s involvement in the exhibit stirred controversy from its outset, with groups like the Sierra Club of Canada complaining that the foundation’s involvement would call into question the integrity of the exhibit. Emails recently obtained by the CBC reveal that Imperial was indeed making requests to change the “overall tone” of the exhibit.

More on this story: Vancouver Sun, CBC News, Macleans

Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent announced the beginning of discussions to re-introduce bison to Banff National Park. It has been over a century since plains bison roamed the area freely, and Kent hopes to reconnect the species with the habitat where it had previously ranged for thousands of years. Concerns have already been raised about the bison roaming into the town proper or onto the highway, but Kent seemed assured that the dangers would be successfully mitigated by the Parks Service. Resource Conservation Manager, Bill Hunt, said that the bison herds would be managed much the same way as elk are already managed in the National Park, and that precautions will be taken as the size of the herd expands. Don’t expect to see the plains bison roaming the park any time soon, though. Parks Canada is planning an extensive consultation process which could take several years to complete.

More on this story: Edmonton Journal, CBC News, Parks Canada Press Release

Documents obtained by Greenpeace Canada and the Climate Action Network reveal the federal government’s ‘allies’ and ‘adversaries’ in its bid to promote Alberta’s oilsands. The documents list the biodiesel industry, as well as Aboriginal and environmental groups to be adversaries, while energy companies, the National Energy Board, Environment Canada, and business and industry associations are considered allies. The document is a part of a strategy by the federal government to improve Canada’s image in Europe, in response to campaigns by European NGO’s, that the federal government feels “[frame] the issue in a strongly negative light.”

More on this story: CBC News, Vancouver Sun, CTV News

On Friday, January 27 First Nations from Alberta and the Northwest Territories signed the Save the Fraser Declaration opposing the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline as well as the supertanker traffic it would bring to BC’s coast. The formal legal declaration bans tar sands pipelines in the Fraser watershed, and on the north and south coasts of British Columbia. The declaration protects the world’s most critical salmon rivers, and the Pacific North Coast, from the threat of oil spills posed by the proposed Enbridge oil pipeline and supertankers.

More on this story: West Coast Environmental Law, Yinka Dene Alliance

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Wild rice. Photo by LexnGer.

Everyday we hear stories about people polluting rivers, chopping down sacred forests or pushing species to the brink of extinction. Such stories make it easy to lose faith in humanity. Never fear though – correspondent Chris Chang-Yen Phillips brings you a story about James Whetung, a member of southern Ontario’s Curve Lake First Nation, who is trying to give something back to the environment for a change. Wild rice is considered a sacred part of Anishinaabe culture, but was virtually wiped out in waterways in Ontario in the 20th century. James Whetung is working hard to replant beds of wild rice in lakes in his area, and teach others how to harvest it again. Tune in to find out more on why he is trying to revive this plant’s place in the watershed, and in his community.

More on this story: Visit Our Table, Trent Arthur Interview with James Whetung, Northumberland Today (p. 25)

For new immigrants to Canada, and foreign-trained professionals working with environmental expertise, it can be a challenge to find employment. How can businesses, government departments, settlement organizations and community and environmental groups work together to better connect newcomers to green jobs? Kathryn Lennon speaks with Eduardo Garay, a program director of FutureWatch Environment and Development Education Partners, about an upcoming forum held to discuss these issues.

If you are in the Guelph or Toronto area and are interested in sharing ideas on how the settlement sector and the environmental sector can work together, then you can attend FutureWatch’s Second Annual Regional Forum titled “Bridging the Gap”. It will happen in Guelph on January 31st and in Toronto on February 22nd.

News:

Keystone Pipeline: The Obama administration last Wednesday rejected the Keystone KL crude oil pipeline proposal. Whitehouse spokesperson Jay Carney blamed the Republicans for imposing a February deadline on the administration’s review of TransCanada’s plan to build the 2700 kilometre pipeline.

More on this story: Vancouver Sun

Activism in Columbia: The Regional Movement for the Defense of the Territory launched a regional strike in Huila, Colombia on January 3 to protest the destructive impacts of the Quimbo Hydroelectric Project. The multi-stakeholder coalition is also protesting the  entering of UK-based petroleum company Emerald Energy into the biodiverse mountaintop ecosystem of the Páramo of Miraflores.

More on this story: Upside Down World, Paro Regional, You Tube

Promising Future for Seaweed: Researchers at Bio Architecture Labs  and the University of Washington in Seattle have taken the first step to exploit the natural advantages of seaweed. They have built a microbe capable of digesting it and converting it into ethanol or other fuels or chemicals.

More on this story: Bio Architecture Labs, E. Coli, Science Report, Scientific American (1), Scientific American (2), Scientific American (3), Scientific American (3), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

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Salt crystals growing on the shore of Lake Urmia in Iran. Photo by Ehsan Mahdiyan.

Iran’s Lake Urmia
Lake Urmia is one of the largest salt lakes in the world. Located in Iran, between the provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, it is a breeding ground for flamingos and one of the largest habitats of a salt-water shrimp. Lake Urmia is a UNESCO Biosphere reserve, and a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. It plays a crucial role in the economic, ecological and social health of the region. Currently, the lake is in danger of drying up. More than just an environmental problem, the deterioration of the lake could impact the 13 million inhabitants of the region. Terra Informa correspondent Kathryn Lennon talks to some members of Azerbaijanji communities in Edmonton and Vancouver to hear their concerns.

More on this story: Campaign to Save Lake Urmia, Lake Urmia appeal by the Association for Defence of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran (ADAPP)

The Biodiversity of Tanzania’s Usambara Mountains
Some of the most biodiverse places on the planet are the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, South America and Africa. To get a sense of the value of these forests, Terra Informa made a visit to Tanzania, in East Africa. Here we found one scientist who spends her time studying the inner workings of the jungle. Carrie Seltzer is a PhD student from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Our correspondent followed Carrie on a night walk into the forest in search of bats and some wisdom on biodiversity. David Kaczan filed this report from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

News Headlines
On the west coast, public consultations on the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline have begun. In Kitimat, locals voiced strong opposition to the project. At the same time, the federal government was being accused of trying to push through approval of the project. The day before hearings began, Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver wrote in an open letter that, environmental and other radical groups “threaten to hijack our regulatory system to achieve their radical ideological agenda.” Both he and Prime Minister Harper raised concerns that foreign groups were funding opposition to the project.

More on this story: CBC News (1), CBC News (2), CTV News, Globe and Mail

On Saturday, over 100 people gathered in Halifax to protest against hydraulic fracking. The rally was part of a provincial day of action against the controversial oil and gas extraction technique. Speakers from Occupy Nova Scotia and a wide range of environmental groups were on hand, calling for tougher regulations on the petroleum industry. Some 250 km to the east, another group of people gathered at the Canso Causeway which links Cape Breton to the mainland. They were voicing their opposition to exploratory drilling that has been approved for Lake Ainslie. They worry that while fracking has not yet been authorized for the lake, it may only be a matter of time.

More on this story: Halifax Media Co-op, Chronicle Herald, Cape Breton Post, CBC News

A team of Canadian scientists say they’ve discovered the reason for sharp declines in two species of boreal ducks. Over the past 30 years, populations of scaups have dropped by 40% and scoters have fallen by 60%. The scientists found that global warming has resulted in spring arriving in the boreal forest 11 days earlier than it did in the 1970s. The ducks time their migrations precisely so that they reach their summer habitat as insects are emerging, but now they’re arriving too late. The loss of food means that the ducks are producing fewer young. Not all ducks are affected though. Some species, like the mallard, are able to adapt the timing of their migrations to the changing climate.

More on this story: CBC News, Scientific article in Global Change Biology, UPI.com

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Waterton National Park. Dana Harper.

Fracking is the process of injecting high pressure water mixed with chemicals into underground rock formations to crack them, allowing oil and gas to be extracted. Concerns over groundwater contamination fueled protests from British Columbia to the Maritimes and Quebec even went so far as to ban the process until further studies could be conducted. Alex Hindle brings you a Green Screen movie review of ‘Gasland’, a documentary which explores the controversial process of natural gas extraction and its legacy across America.

More on this story: Gasland website

Approximately 10% of the land in Canada is under some form of protection for the sake of environmental heritage. Much of this is due to the advocacy work of conservation organizations. One such organization is the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, who claim they won’t rest until 50% of the land in Canada is under some form of protection. David Kaczan speaks with Eric Herbert-Daly, National Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, to find out more.

For a lot of people, cars are an everyday part of life. But, despite their high cost, they tend to spend a lot of time just sitting. Sitting in the garage at home. Sitting in a parking stall at work. Just sitting. Well, what if you could have a car whenever you wanted one, but you only had to pay for it when it was in use? What if your car could become a pickup truck when you needed to make a run to the lumber yard? And then a minivan when your friends wanted a ride to the hockey game? Well…then you’re probably a member of your local car share. Correspondent Steve Anderson explains more on this growing trend.

News:

Saskatoon First Nations and the transit system: In Saskatoon, First Nations students now have unlimited access to the transit system. the Universal Bus Pass in Saskatoon has been extended to students at the First Nations University of Canada and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies. The Universal Bus Pass or U-Pass gives students unlimited access to bus services, in exchange for a mandatory fee of  $96.62 per semester (or $289.86 for a full year).

More on this story: CBC, Saskatoon CTV, Saskatoon Homepage

Chevron defeated in court…twice: The American oil giant was defeated in court in both Ecuador and the United States  last week.  In Ecuador, an appeals court upheld a ruling that Chevron should pay $18 billion in damages to 30,000 plaintiffs. Plaintiffs who accused Texaco, which was bought by Chevron in 2001, of polluting the Amazon rainforest and damaging the health of farmers and indigenous communities. Days later, a Manhattan federal court judge denied a bid from Chevron to prevent Ecuadorean plaintiffs from collecting the $18 billion damages award.

More on this story: Huffington Post, Financial Times, Reuters

New discoveries of Antarctic species around hydrothermal vents: British scientists find unexpected species mix underwater with piles of newly-discovered yeti crabs, starfish, and barnacles.

More on this story: CBC, BBC, Scientific American

Ottawa backtracking on coal emissions strategy: After complaints from provinces, “the federal government is willing to cede regulation of power-sector emissions to the provinces – as long as they have rules in place that would achieve equivalent reductions. The new approach would allow provinces to set overall emissions targets, rather than adhere to strict targets for each individual power facility as set out by the government’s original approach” (Globe and Mail).

More on this story: The Globe and Mail, Winnipeg Free Press, Global Toronto

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Enbridge workers remove a section of pipeline in 2010 after a repture spilled 800 000 gallons of oil into Michigan's Kalamazoo River. The posibility of a spill is a major concern for residents living along the route of Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. Photo by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Rachelle van Zanten is a Canadian singer-songwriter and acclaimed slide guitarist. She’s released two solo albums, is a regular at North American music festivals, and tours internationally. However, she still manages to find the time to get involved with a variety of environmental happenings around her home town of Burns Lake, BC. One of the big issues facing the town is the possible construction of the Northern Gateway Pipeline, which if approved, would pump half a million barrels of diluted bitumen every day from Alberta to the pacific coast. Like many people in this part of the world, van Zanten is no fan of pipelines and their potential for spills. Our reporter Myles Curry met up with van Zanten on the shore of Francois Lake late last summer to talk about the pipeline proposal, her music, and how she’s combining the two.

Jason Aloisio is an urban ecologist, working at New York City’s Fordham University.  In August he was recognized by the Ecological Society of America at their annual conference in Austin, Texas. Terra Informa correspondent Rebecca Rooney caught up with him in Austin to ask about his work on green roofs.

More on this story: Jason Aloisio’s green roofs presentation, article in Nature News on Jason’s research, Jason’s blog

Canada is the mining capital of the world. But our miners don’t just dig up minerals here, they head overseas in the search of bigger finds and bigger profits. However, the environmental, human rights and labour laws in many countries are deficient by Canadian standards, and at the moment, Canadian companies can get away with acting in ways that would not be acceptable back home. Environmental and human rights groups aren’t impressed, and they’re pushing for change. Our correspondent David Kaczan travelled to Toronto to investigate the movement for mining accountability overseas.

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Anima Nipissing Lake in the Temagami region of Ontario. Photo by Robert Body.

The Toronto Star recently revealed that Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources wants to open up 340 acres of red pine forest in northern Ontario’s Temagami region for mining. The Wolf Lake Forest Reserve is part of what’s believed to be North America’s largest old-growth red pine forest. It’s one of many relatively undisturbed areas the provincial government promised years ago to turn into provincial parks once old mining claims there lapsed. That’s how the Chiniguchi Waterway Park beside the Wolf Lake reserve was created. But the small Calgary-based company Flag Resources renewed one of its mining claims in Wolf Lake last year, and it appears the Ministry of Natural Resources would like to support its activity there. They’ve said that if the reserve is reclassified for “general use,” they’ll be adding other land to Chiniguchi Waterway Park to replace it. We spoke to Bruce Hodgins, the President of Temagami’s Camp Wanapitei, to find out more. Hodgins was arrested when he was part of a peaceful protest in 1989 against expansion of logging near Camp Wanapitei, and is very concerned about the plans to allow more mining in the Wolf Lake area.

More on this story: CBC News , Sudbury Star, CBC Archives (1990), OtterTooth

Tropical deforestation poses threats to global biodiversity and the livelihoods of forest peoples. It is also a driver of climate change, as the tropical forests store much more carbon than the land covers that typically replace them. In the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, logging is frequently followed by conversion to palm oil plantations. An industry moratorium on buying soybeans from deforested areas in Brazil that began in 2006 greatly diminished soy’s role as an agent of deforestation, and proved that reducing the demand for commodities that drive deforestation is effective at limiting further deforestation. The Union of Concerned Scientists hopes that a similar strategy will work with palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia. Rebecca Rooney brings us the full story.

More on this story: Huffington Post, Madison and Rhiannon vs the Girl Scouts, Project ORANGS, Girls Scout Cookies FAQ – Palm Oil

North Americans households are notorious for the amount of garbage they produce, but did you know that there’s a simple, painless way to put a huge dent in the amount of material you send to the landfill? For the average home, somewhere around 40% of solid waste is organic material. That means that an earthworm composter under the kitchen sink or a compost heap in the backyard can cut by almost half the number of garbage bags you put out on the curb each week. To find out a little more about composting and how it works, we caught up with Anna Vesala. She completed the City of Edmonton’s three week Master Composter & Recycler program several years ago, and now provides information about waste reduction at community events around the city

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The Cumberland Power Plant in Tennessee. Photo by Roger Smith.

Environment Minister Peter Kent dropped a diplomatic bombshell last week with the announcement that Canada was pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions globally. In making the announcement Minister Kent argued that Kyoto was ineffective, given that large developing countries including China and India faced no firm limits on emissions. Furthermore, Canada was so far off its target that failure was all but inevitable. Canada is now the only country to have pulled out, sparking criticism from China, India, Germany, small island states and others. Critics in Canada worry that such a move weakens out ability to influence further climate negotiations. The minister, however, claims that Canada will play a constructive role in further international negotiations, but only on a new treaty. Deputy Environment critic Laurin Liu from the federal NDP shares her thoughts on the issue.

Here in icy Canada, trying to reduce your home’s energy use in wintertime can leave you and your family in the cold. Keeping your house warm without fossil fuels or extra electricity is possible. Today, Brett Tegart takes a look at passive solar heating solutions you can add to an existing home, and at a new technology that could generate electricity using the windows in your house.

All across the country people are getting their hands dirty. Vacant lots, old rail right-of-ways, and unused corners of city land are getting a make over as community gardens reclaim the lost space. These days just about every major city in the country has a garden, and they’re so popular that many are struggling just to find room for all their new members. What’s all the fuss about? Steve Andersen fills us in.

News:

Canada pulls out of Kyoto: Hours after returning from the UN climate talks in South Africa last week, Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent announced the federal government will withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol. Chinese and UN officials immediately urged Canada to reconsider – as did Japan, which also refused to take on a second round of Kyoto commitments.

More on this story: The Star, Calgary CTV, Guardian, CBC, Winnipeg CTV, Telegraph

Quebec announces cap-and-trade system: The provincial government has decided to introduce a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions, making them the first Canadian province to do so. This system, which creates a market for pollution control by providing incentives for emissions reductions, is designed to improve flexibility, fairness and efficiency in regulating the production of carbon.

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Ontario’s polar bears are in dire straits: The impacts of climate change are far reaching, and one impact is hitting closer to home. The warmer weather is changing the ice patterns which in turn is making it harder for the polar bears to find adequate food to survive. Ian Stirling, the well known scientist who has studied polar bears for the last several decades, warns that 40 years from now their likely won’t be many bears left in the Hudson Bay area.

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Bruce Power withdraws plans for nuclear power plant in northern Alberta: The Ontario-based company had proposed sites near the town of Peace River for a 4000 megawatt plant. CEO Duncan Hawthorne said the company instead wanted to focus on its Ontario operations for now. Peace River’s mayor Lorne Mann said he was disappointed at the news.

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