The Political and Environmental Grapevine

Happy Holidays 2010

2010-12-25T09:33:00.001-08:00

The Holiday season has arrived and thoughts have turned to parties and gift-giving. But for the eco-conscious people in your life there is the wonderment of how they can party and keep their carbon footprint low. The drama continues because people already feel pressure during the Holidays. The roads are more crowded causing more air pollution, the malls are crowded and there is the expectation to be nice to people you don’t necessarily like or agree with. (Green is seen as the new Grinch).

One of the first rules of environmentalism is to reduce consumption and buy less. However, to some ears, the call for less excessive consumption during the holidays sounds almost un-human. Here is a good Green thought - If you are going to buy gifts – Buy Local.

Canadians create up to 60,000 tons of packaging waste during the holidays so it is wise to do what you can to avoid extra packaging. You can try making homemade gifts. Even if you're not a crafty person, you could make coupons that promise friends and family the gift of your time — like a dinner, a massage or something that reflects your skills.

You could also buy as many organic, local ingredients for your holiday feast as you can afford. As we plan to sit down with family and friends to give thanks for all that we have, perhaps the biggest “Thank you” should go to Mother Earth for putting up with our blunders. Earth really has taken a lot of abuse from us humans and yet keeps providing for us and all the other species. It’s not an easy task and it keeps getting harder.

Other environmentally conscious ideas could include: wrapping your gifts in reusable bags, recycled magazines, fabric, newspaper, or turning paper bags into wrapping paper. Get even more creative by using old maps, posters, kids' coloring book pages, or sheet music to wrap gifts. Canadians go through 40 square kilometres of forest in wrapping paper each year!

As a final suggestion you can buy cards printed on recycled paper, handmade papers, or paper made from materials like hemp. Three of Hallmark’s lines have recycled content: Shoebox Greetings, My Thoughts Exactly, and Comedy Club. If you have a computer you can send e-cards instead of paper cards. By the way, Hallmark has e-cards as well. You can buy cards that donate a portion of proceeds to a good cause. At the end of the day you can reuse any paper cards you received by cutting them up to make gift tags for next year.

We live in a world where climate change, deforestation, holes in the ozone layer, water scarcity and air pollution are growing sources of concern. Finding a solution as individuals and as nations against the environmental crisis, even at this time of the year, has never been greater.

I am wishing the best for all of your Holiday celebrations. Therefore, those of you that celebrate Christmas have a happy, healthy and very Merry Green Christmas and for those of you that celebrate a holiday of a different name – Happy Green Holidays and health and happiness to all. For this is the season to celebrate that which you cherish the most: your faith in that which is greater than you, including Mother Earth.

Climate Change Conference - Mexico December 2010

2010-12-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Cancún, Mexico, from November 29th to December 10th, 2010. The expectations for the conference were slim following the non-binding Copenhagen Accord, which was put forth at last year’s conference in Copenhagen.

However, the Climate Change Conference in Mexico ended with the adoption of a balanced package of decisions that will put all of the governments on a path towards lower emissions in the future. The decision will also support and enhance action on climate change in developing nations such as China and India.

According to the Russian contingent there seems to be an "inconvenient" truth, in the ongoing lack of awareness in all nations regarding global warming. It is noted that in most countries the domestic problems take the forefront of decision making. In this day and age, the financial crisis, which affects nearly the entire industrialized world, gets the priority while attempts to adopt a binding global treaty to reduce climate change becomes discouraging.

A key working group under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change came up with a six-page text last year in Copenhagen. The draft formed the core of a new global agreement to combat climate change beyond 2012, when the present framework, the Kyoto Protocol, expires.

At the end of this year’s Climate Change Conference in Mexico there were some key elements that were put in place:

• Parties meeting under the Kyoto Protocol have agreed to continue negotiations with the aim of completing their work and ensuring there is no gap between the first and second commitment periods of the treaty.

• A new “Cancun Adaptation Framework” has been established to allow better planning and implementation of adaptation projects in developing countries through increased financial and technical support, including a clear process for continuing work on loss and damage.

• Governments agree to boost action to curb emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries with technological and financial support.

• A total of US$30 billion in financing from the industrialized countries to help support climate action in the developing world up to 2012 and the intention to raise US$100 billion in long-term funds by 2020 was included in the decisions.

The next Conference of the Parties is scheduled to take place in South Africa, from
November 28th to December 9th, 2011.

Manufactured Landscapes

2010-12-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

Manufactured Landscapes is a filmed documentary regarding how our industrialized society has changed the landscape of the planet. According to the photographer, Edward Burtynsky the film shows nature being transformed through industry.

The film follows Burtynsky through China and exposes the effects of the country’s massive industrial revolution and the dumping grounds of its waste. It allows the viewer to comprehend what the industrialized society of today has done to the environment and landscape of the earth we all share.

Since so much of what people in North America buy is made in China the film is correctly focused on China. We can all certainly agree that the emerging economies of China and India will create a huge demand on environmental resources. This demand will begin to strip the earth of its natural resources; and when resources become scarce…the end result is typically war. There have been many wars fought over resources throughout the ages.

What about e-waste – Did you know that most recycled electronics and copper wire ends up back in China? This film will probably change your perspective on waste and waste management. That can of pop you just finished drinking – will you throw the can in a recycle bin? Where does it end up after that? What about your old cell phone or computers? What actually happens to them after you drop them off to a recycling centre that is holding a special pick-up for e-waste? You will have to watch the documentary to find out.

The film itself has very little dialogue. The images themselves should say it all. After all, a picture says a thousand words. The film will continue to display landscapes of assembly lines, mines, and mine tailings, dams, trash heaps, recycling yards, quarries, refineries and piles of industrial and e-waste. It is up to the viewer to decide how they feel about the images that will be forever imprinted on the brain.

You are probably asking yourself why you want to see a film showing piles of what we call garbage. This documentary should at the very least make you analyze the waste you throw away. We have all partaken in the output of waste on a daily basis. If we continue to use up natural resources to provide materials for our consumption and just leave behind piles of waste – what will the landscape of the future look like?
I extend a promotion for everyone to take the time to see this film. On Friday, December 10th at 10:00 a.m. there will be a screening of this documentary at the movie theatre.

See you there.

Senate Kills Bill C-311

2010-12-01T04:25:00.000-08:00

In a snap decision, November 16, 2010, the Canadian Senate killed the Climate Change Accountability Act by a vote of 43-32. This vote caught the Liberal senators off guard and not enough of them showed up to vote and possibly save the Legislation.

The Bill had already spent the past year bouncing between the Parliament and the environment committee. The elected House of Commons passed the Bill in May and then it went to the Senate for final approval.

The way this vote was carried out was an insult to all Canadians and our democracy. The vote was called without notice and without debate. The Senate killed the Bill before they studied it or even called for independent expert witnesses.

The Act would have committed Canada to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 205 and a 25% reduction below 1990 levels by 2020. Stephen Harper’s government claims the cost of reducing emissions will be economically devastating. Since the government could not defeat the Bill in Parliament they relied on the Senate to defeat it. Economists from the World Bank have concluded that the failure to reduce greenhouse gasses will have catastrophic economic and environmental consequences.

Our government dismissed its obligation under the Kyoto Protocol, which was an international climate change agreement that originally Canada and 186 other countries ratified. Now this defeat of the Climate Change Accountability Act – shows why Canada has earned the dubious reputation of obstructing progress at international negotiations regarding climate change, even though Canada is probably more vulnerable to the effects of climate change that any other industrialized nation.

In Nova Scotia, the effects of climate change would be particularly devastating as most of our infrastructure and communities are along the coastline, which would be hard hit by the rise in water levels. Even the marsh area surrounding the Town of Amherst could be hard hit by the rising waters.

Using an unelected body of government to kill a bill that was passed by a significant majority of the members of Parliament and was supported by a petition signed by more that 150,000 Canadians shows a lack of respect for Canadians that do care deeply about climate change. It was irresponsible and will leave the burden of this decision on the shoulders of our children.

Royal Engagement and the Eco-Home

2010-11-24T05:50:00.000-08:00

Well, you would have to be living under a rock if you have not heard about the story of the decade for Royal watchers with the announcement that Prince William will be getting married to Kate Middleton in 2011. A royal wedding for a future king doesn’t come along very often. Much of the world will probably be watching the event next spring or summer. Besides being the Royal event of the decade this story holds some eco-friendly interest.

Prince William’s father is in the process of spending between eight and nine million pounds turning a once run-down estate into an eco-farm, including the creation of a ‘green mansion’ earmarked for William’s and Kate’s use. The property, which is under construction, will be a model of eco- friendliness and will include a reed-bed sewage system, wood chip boiler, solar panels and walls lined with insulating sheep’s wool.

Construction on the six-bedroom home is likely to begin later this year. The plans include the incorporation of the most up-to-date green standards. The property will also include a chapel plus a rainwater reservoir and stables. The 8,500 square-foot, two-story home would feature solar-powered heating and insulation made of sheep’s wool. It would also include a grand dining room, a tree garden, and a hall lined with Greek columns.

As for the home’s environmental standards, there was great input from the Prince of Wales who is passionate about the environment and has a long-standing interest in architecture. This being England, there will be plenty of rain and a 200 L rainwater reservoir will recycle and then provide rainwater to the house and grounds. There will be energy-efficient lighting and a boiler using wood chips from trees on the estate. Water saving and low-energy appliances will also be included throughout the property.

For those of you, like myself, that do not live in a mansion or will likely want to spend several million dollars to build one – I am including some tips that you can use to make your own homes eco-friendly.

To Save Energy:
• If you are not using it, turn it off;
• Try to find and enable energy saving settings on all appliances;
• Unplug anything that takes energy even when it is turned off
• Plug equipment into power bars and turn them off until needed.

Sometimes it may seem difficult to go green especially for those who have a lot of other things to do within a 24 hour day. However, you can play your effective role in being eco-friendly by doing the same old activities in a different more conscientious style, keeping in mind that being environmentally friendly is not as difficult as people think it is.

Chignecto Game Sanctuary

2010-11-17T03:42:00.000-08:00

Scientists have been saying for years that we need to protect more land to conserve wildlife and maintain natural ecosystems. The laws for the current game sanctuary protect the animals from rifle hunting and trapping but the land that they live on is not protected from mining and clear cutting. Thus the ecology of the land that the animals need to survive is slowly being destroyed. The proposal from Cumberland Wilderness encourages the protection of both.

The sanctuary will remain intact once the wilderness protected area is created over this land and the crown lands surrounding the sanctuary. The sanctuary will then hold laws that protect both the animals and the land they live on. Wilderness protection does allow long gun hunting but in the sanctuary hunting will be restricted to bow hunting only as it is now. There are many stakeholders involved with the future of the Chignecto Game Sanctuary. A blended approach is needed with ideas from all of the stakeholders interests included.

Better protection for the area does not mean that citizens and tourists will be excluded from the wilderness area. In fact parts of the Wilderness Protection Act want and allow more tourism potential and educational awareness in the form of hiking trails and other outdoor adventures.

The proposal from Cumberland Wilderness keeps 70% of the snowmobile trails open and these trails would be grandfathered in so that they will remain as usable trails. However, the Department of Natural Resources and the people that already use the trail system want to keep all of the trails open. Their interests should also be included in this blended approach. Perhaps having the Wilderness protection and all the trails that are already in existence “grandfathered in” would be the way to go?
Areas designated under the province's Wilderness Areas Protection Act are off limits to logging, mining, and industrial development, but still available for most forms of outdoor recreation including hunting, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, cross-country skiing and eco-tourism.

Section 23 (3-5) of the Wilderness Protection Act says that snowmobiles may be permitted on designated trails if the trail was in existence at the time of wilderness designation; the trail is an essential link to a more extensive snowmobile network outside the wilderness areas; and the continued use will have minimal environmental impact. Atvs may be used to gain access to recreational activities such as hunting, fishing only if no other alternative exists.

Under the Act, Section 17, the prohibited activities would be those used for commercial resources such as mining, forestry (clear-cutting), pipelines, drilling etc. Other activities that are prohibited may include: more roads, railways, altering the surface of the land and littering.

Remembrance Day

2010-11-10T04:28:00.000-08:00

Remembrance Day, held each year on November 11, is a day of commemoration for the individuals who lost their lives in the First World War. During this time of remembering, many nations also choose Remembrance Day to honour all the individuals that have died during times of war. One the eleventh day, of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour we shall remember.

This year, I will think of the importance of the day, respecting the tremendous sacrifices that all troops give when offering their lives for the freedom of others...sadly thinking of the people around the world who are still fighting over resources, land, and past grievances. I will think of the possible wars to come because there will be so many eco-refugees moving from place to place due to the lack of water, good farmland and the rising sea levels.

As well as remembering past wars, it is important that we work to ensure there are no more future wars. War has an enormous impact on the planet – socially, morally, psychologically, financially and also a devastating environmental impact. We’ve all seen pictures of the horrific battlefields, with scarred trees, burned oil fields, destroyed crops and bomb craters, but there is so much more to it than that.

The earth’s environment is battered by war, its preparation, practice and aftermath. It is destroyed as an act of war; it is used as a weapon of war; and its destruction is expensive and sometimes irreversible. Its involvement with war is often secret, widely ignored, and easily forgotten.

This year the United Nations designated November 6th as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. This day was set to educate people about the damaging effects of war and armed conflict on the environment.
The assembly considered that that any environmental damage in times of armed conflict impairs ecosystems and natural resources long after the period of conflict has finished. During this designated event People learn and share information about the dangers of new technologies in war such as depleted uranium ammunition, which poses unknown threats to the environment. People around the world are also made aware that all efforts must be taken to limit environmental destruction caused by conflict.
“Lest We Forget”.

Is There A Link Between Climate Change and the Flu?

2010-11-05T03:53:00.000-07:00

The Flu and climate change may be related. One of the many impacts of climate change can cause damage to human health. Climate change is a direct result of unsustainable development and environment degradation and the emergence and spread of diseases which may have roots in the combination of water polution and food production.

The term ‘climate change’ conjures images of melting ice caps and rising sea levels that threaten coastal cities and nations, but just as important is how increasing temperatures and fluctuating precipitation levels will change the distribution of dangerous diseases.

Seasonal influenza seems to be a cold weather illness. This is because the flu virus is transmitted through airborne respiratory droplets that have been introduced into the air through coughs and sneezes. When a person that has the flu coughs or sneezes, they propel the virus into the surrounding air which the people around them can then breathe in.

Influenza viruses can only remain airborne in atmospheric conditions of low humidity, and are more common in the colder months. When the humidity increases, water molecules in the atmosphere cling to airborne flu viruses and cause them to drop to the ground, where they cannot be breathed in.

There has been a new study done by Oregon researchers that has found a significant correlation between "absolute" humidity and influenza virus survival and transmission. When absolute humidity is low – as in the peak flu months of January and February – the virus appears to survive longer and the transmission rates increase.

Climate Change may have contributed to the accelerated occurrence of pandemics, but it is more likely the size and deadliness of the recent 100 years of pandemics that may be attributed to global activities such as the economy, war and pollution.

Different internet sites quote differing statistics so these are just approximate. The Spanish Flu (1918) — actually started in the United States and recorded approximately 50 million deaths worldwide. The Asian Flu (1957) — approx. 2 million deaths worldwide and the Hong Kong Flu (1969) — approx. 1 million deaths worldwide.

The Hong Kong Flu lingered around for 20 years (1969 to about 1992), but it was not a pandemic by definition. However, within the last 10 years, there has been three new potential pandemics (Avian Flu 2004; SARS 2005; and the Swine Flu 2009). The reason is unclear, but fortunately, knowledge and quick actions were taken to slow the spread.You may want to consider some of these statistics regarding the effects of climate change when you get your flu shot this year.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her columns. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Happy Halloween a Time to Be Green

2010-10-27T04:30:00.000-07:00

Halloween can be a scary time of year for the green-minded. Last week was waste reduction week. This week the days leading up to Oct. 31st can be a minefield of candy wrappers and other waste items. It makes things difficult for anyone trying to celebrate Halloween in a more environmentally friendly manner. Here are some ideas for celebrating Halloween that may be better for the environment.

If you think of all the waste involved with Halloween between the candy packaging and the costumes that are only worn once for a couple of hours of fun, and the money involved in purchasing these items, the whole idea of Halloween becomes very scary indeed.

One suggestion regarding your Halloween decorations - try to decorate your home with locally grown pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn or attractively colored, natural fall leaves; they're more attractive than most of the plastic and paper decorations. However, if you go for the plastic decoration you can reuse them next year.

For party food, think pumpkin pie, sweets made with local apples, and other dishes that emphasize ingredients of the season where you live. The farmers’ market in Amherst should be able to supply all of these local food and decorating ideas.
Cloth or canvas shopping bags, or even pillowcases, make terrific eco-friendly alternatives to paper or plastic bags. Reusable bags are not only better for the environment at Halloween, they’re also better for kids. Paper and plastic bags can tear easily, spilling your Halloween treats. Reusable bags are much more durable.
Choose treats that use very little packaging, which is produced using fossil fuels and cannot be recycled. Whenever possible, buy locally produced treats from local merchants. Buying locally supports your local economy, and also reduces fuel consumption and pollution associated with transporting products.

If you prefer not to give out candy of any kind, you do have other options. Some people choose to hand out coins, pencils, stickers, little gadgets, stamps, small colouring books, small boxes of crayons, erasers in fun shapes, or other inexpensive items you can find at your local dime store or dollar store. Check these items first and make sure they do not present a choking hazard.

Have fun and be careful. Please compost your pumpkins and try to add some green to your orange and black Halloween celebrations. 

Waste Reduction Week in Canada

2010-10-20T04:12:00.000-07:00

October 18th to October 24th is Waste Reduction Week, which is typically held the third week of October each year. Waste Reduction Week's origins can be traced back to the mid 1980s, when a number of recycling councils and environmental organizations began holding provincial Recycling and Waste Reduction Weeks. In 2001, these organizations came together and decided to pool their resources and expand their efforts into a national event called Waste Reduction Week in Canada.

Clean Nova Scotia began Waste Reduction Week about 15 years ago. The program urges everyone to do their part in by reducing, reusing and recycling in every aspect of their lives – at home, school and work. The theme of Waste Reduction Week is, ‘Too Good to Waste’. Traditionally this event concentrated on the reduction of solid waste; however, the word reduce can and should be a reoccurring theme in our use of water and energy.

According to the Clean Nova Scotia website the three Rs are in order of importance with “reduce” being at the forefront. Each person can help by practicing the 3Rs everyday in their lives. The 3Rs being reducing waste, recycling and reusing materials. Reducing waste is by far the most efficient method of conserving resources and protecting our environment. We are all responsible for the waste that we produce. Some thoughts on reducing waste at work or at school, we could: Reduce paper by using both sides; pack your lunches in reusable containers; and/or purchase products with a recycle content.

Reusing items gives the resources that they were made from another life, meanwhile reducing pollution and conserving the energy needed in the manufacturing or recycling processes. Samples of reusing materials would be reusing jars, plastic bags and containers for storage or by purchasing durable products that can be repaired and then reused.

Recycling or buying products with recycled content is another way to conserve our resources. At work or school there should be thought put into creating a recycling program which will help save money in disposal costs. Our economy has been traditionally measured in production and consumption. Rising incomes will lead to rising consumption and more waste in the form of packaging and other materials that will enter the landfills.

Businesses should therefore consider waste reduction initiatives to reduce their environmental impacts. There are some advantages for business that choose to reduce their waste, which include: a reduction in pollution; possible revenues from marketing reusable materials; savings from more efficient work practices; and it may enhance the corporate image. If businesses communicate their efforts to their consumers and encourage feedback they will have more success with their initiatives.

For more information you can visit the website of Waste Reduction Week Canada at: www.wrwcanda.com.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-10-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Next Monday marks the first Holiday of our fall season. Traditionally, Thanksgiving is the second Monday, of the month of October and marks the end of the growing season in this climate region. At this time, nature begins its decline and becomes ready for winter. This was the time that the first settlers brought together all the types of food they managed to grow and hosted a feast for the season.

There is still fresh produce at roadside stands and at the local farmers markets. Now is a good time to pick up that fresh pumpkin, squash, corn, zucchini, potatoes and radishes. You can check the local grocery stores for local meat, ham or poultry or perhaps an organic turkey is more your style. There are plenty of places to buy local dairy products such as butter, eggs, milk and cheeses. .

When you start eating foods grown closer to home you are ready to explore what a sustainable diet should look like and begin to develop a relationship with the growers and producers.

We do live in a global culture that takes for granted the fact that we can eat strawberries from New Zealand in the middle of January or other fresh fruits from other far away places in the dead of our winter months. But at this time of the year our own local bounty, which can be bought and frozen for a later meal is much better for you and for the environment.

The result of eating locally produced foods goes above and beyond the reduction of greenhouse gases produced in global shipping, it is support for a local economy that in turn will also be propelled towards more sustainable practices. It is easier to make decisions about sustainability in the produce that you buy when you can walk into the local farmers’ market and see the produce fresh from a local for yourself. The food that travels a great distance then becomes the enemy of awareness.

On another note, It is rather ironic that recycling has always been an integral part of the Thanksgiving celebration. Just think – in the days following the meal, you find yourself eating turkey soup, turkey sandwhiches, and turkey pot pie. In fact, by tradition, no part of the turkey is wasted. When you get down to the bones it is time to compost. During the Thanksgiving Holiday celebrate wisely with you family and friends and help make dinner a sustainable event.

This Thanksgiving see what you can create with local ingredients in keeping with the spirit of Thanksgiving. A Holiday that was created to give thanks for the local bounty.

International Walk To School Month

2010-09-29T04:44:00.000-07:00

International Walk to School Month gives children, parents, school teachers and community leaders an opportunity to be part of a global event to celebrate the benefits of walking. In 2009, millions of walkers from around the globe walked to school together hoping to create communities that are safe places to walk.

Last year a record 40 countries participated in the 2009 International Walk to School events, and new countries are joining this international event all the time. An international event can create a higher level of awareness of the issues within the community that surrounds the journey to and from school.

For many parents around the world, the car has become the main means of transporting children to and from school. The reasons of convenience, work commitments, safety concerns and general changes in lifestyle in a growing economy are just some of the factors influencing their choice of the car as a mode of travel to and from school for their children. Of course, in rural areas the bus is used to transport students to school; however, once the student is at the school, and in a safe territory they should be encouraged to exercise by short walks on school property or near-by.

The proportion of journeys to school made by car has increased considerably in the last several years, with the effect being a gradual decline in the numbers of children walking to and from school on a regular basis. This shows the lack of daily exercise for our students that need to exercise in order to stay healthy. Remember the old stories from your parents or grand-parents that HAD to walk to school up-hill both ways in the snow?

The general themes that are promoted during the International Walk to School month (IWALK) include: increasing daily physical activity, improving safety, enhancing the environment, developing community cohesion, promoting social interaction and reducing traffic congestion, pollution and speed near schools.

For students who cannot walk to school, encourage recess or lunch walking clubs and have students track the number of kilometers they walk. Challenge the entire school to walk across Canada or the world by walking to school/at school and keeping track of their kilometers.

To learn more about this international event visit http://www.iwalktoschool.org/. T-shirts and other “walk to school” gifts can viewed at: http://shop.cafepress.ca/walk-to-school.

Take Me Outside Week

2010-09-22T04:09:00.000-07:00

Take Me Outside Week is organized through Recreation Nova Scotia in partnership with Sense of Wonder Environmental Education and the Sharing Nature Foundation. From September 20th to September 26th, this event, in Nova Scotia, supports a back to nature movement for our children and youth.

This movement has two goals: first to encourage nature and environmental programs and activities among organizations, schools, individuals and families; and second to expose our youth to nature experiences and activities. People and organizations that are taking part can register at www.takemeoutside.ca. There you can list what you plan to do in regards to exposing youth to nature. Some examples include going for a bike ride, a hike, gardening, etc.

Another example could be the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Every September, Canadians from across the county head for the shore to help clean up litter and make a positive impact on their communities along the shore. This may be a fun way for everyone to be involved and get outside. This cleanup activity is slated from September 18th to September 26th. This is a hands-on conservation activity that can give a person an environmental one of a kind learning experience. If you would like to be involved in this outdoor activity you can register your cleanup site at http://shorelinecleanup.ca.

Another event that is happening this weekend is the Cumberland County River Enhancement Association Second Annual Fundraising Dinner and Auction being held September 25, 2010 beginning at 6:00 p.m. The location of this significant event is the Amherst Fire Hall. This fund- raiser will feature both live and silent auctions and raffles for all outdoor enthusiasts. The funds raised will go to the continuing operation of the Williamsdale Hatchery.

The CCRE is a local group created to work with the community to foster the conservation and restoration of our freshwater ecosystems in Cumberland County. For more information on this group and the fundraising dinner you can go to www.nsflyguy.ca.

With all of these great outdoor activities to choose from it should be easy to get our young people outside, away from their computers, and have fun while learning in the great outdoors at the same time.

Sussex Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

2010-09-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the hot air balloon fiesta in Sussex, New Brunswick. Since the weather on Saturday was not great I made the trip early (5:30 a.m.) to Sussex on Sunday to see the balloons launch at 7:00 in the morning. It was a long drive at such an early hour but well worth it. According to a brochure that I read the best time to fly is just after sunrise when the winds are at their calmest and the air is more stable.

A hot air balloon acts like a big bubble, and attached to the bubble is a basket, which is made of wicker and woven by hand, for the pilot and passengers, a heat source, and fuel. When the balloon first arrives it is folded into the basket along with all of the equipment needed. Once it is laid out for inflation it may be as long as 60 feet and nearly as wide. Air is then forced into the balloon and then the pilot will ignite the heat source, which is typically a propane burner, and aim the flame directly inside the balloon. The air inside the balloon needs to be heated to temperatures of 100 to 250 degrees greater than the air outside. As the air begins to heat, the balloon will begin to rise to a position above the basket and then it is ready to go!

The balloon itself is made of reinforced fabric called rip-stop nylon. This material is very lightweight, but very strong. The fabric is then coated on the inside to prevent leaks. Once in the air the pilot will go wherever the wind takes him, but by selecting different altitudes and wind currents a trained pilot can fly in any direction they want to go. Since the balloon has no forward propulsion systems, its speed is determined by the speed of the wind.

When it is time to land there is a vent at the top of the balloon that is opened to dump some of the air and the pilot light on the propane burner is blown out. As the air inside the balloon begins to cool the whole kit and caboodle will begin to descend to the ground.

Hot air balloons work on one of two principles. The "hot air rises" principle is at work in balloons with propane tanks aboard; the propane heats the air, the air rises, the balloon floats. In other words it is truly full of hot air.

The burners in an hot air balloon generally run on propane. The propane is kept in pressurized tanks on the floor of the basket. It carries 30 to 40 gallons of liquid propane, which passes to the burner throught flexible hoses. When the valve opens and the pilot light is lit the flame may shoot out as much as 10 to 20 feet and make a loud “whoosh” sound.

Propane is a relatively clean fuel, but the balloons require quite a bit of it in flight – an amount comparible to running your gas grill for three days. The propane does emit some pollutants, including carbon dioxide. However, the amount of pollutants emitted by balloon burners is small compared to cars, motor boats, and SUVs. In the big picture hot air balloons have a very small effect on the environment.

Propane is a petroleum by-product that is usually extracted when making other oil products. In this way you could argue that it's making the most of an energy source. It also burns much cleaner than some other types of fuel and hot air balloons are a relatively efficient mode of transportation as it can go pretty far on very little fuel.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her columns. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com.

Hurricane Earl

2010-09-08T10:30:00.001-07:00

During the past few years, Canada has had to deal with five or six hurricanes a year. There is really no way to accurately predict how many storms in the Atlantic will affect Canada. The predictions for this year say that we will have an active hurricane season with up to five large storms in the Atlantic Canada region between August and November. So the question is – Was Earl the last because it was the fifth named storm or the first of five large storms to sweep into our region?

A hurricane is formed by a group of thunderstorms that circle around each other and form a vortex. This group of thunderstorms continues to spin in tight formation until, in the centre, the eye is formed. The meteorologist watch the eye to see when and where the hurricane will make land fall since this is where the hurricane will pack the greatest punch. Earl landed on the South Shore near and definitely affected the areas around Halifax and Lunenburg.

The winds were very strong in the Amherst Shore area causing the trees to bend from the force. At around 2:00 there was absolute silence. The wind had completely stopped blowing and there was the eerie feeling of “what just happened”?

The resident’s nearby began to cleanup any downed branches from trees and inspect their properties for damage. By this time the power was out. At 3:00p.m. I received a phone call from my cousin in Ottawa that was watching CNN and the announcers described where Earl was and where he was heading. The eye or the centre of the storm was directly over – Amherst Shore. They stated that as soon as the eye area had passed we would be in for round two of the winds. This did happen but thankfully Earl had blown himself out over land and the winds were not as strong as they were during the first part of his windy event.

Imagine – Amherst Shore was being described on CNN and we all missed it because the power was out and the weather channel who was supposed to keep our local stations up-to-date was busy describing the area around Halifax and not letting us know what was happening in other parts of the province. Oh, the shame of it - caught without the story by CNN.

The Gulf Stream becomes an important factor when predicting Hurricanes in our region. Scientists know that the ocean has been warming up on a yearly basis due to more heat in the atmosphere. This has an effect on all storms from thunderstorms to hurricanes.

In Nova Scotia, we can expect warmer average temperatures, higher sea levels, more extreme rainfalls and storm flooding, and more-frequent and extreme storms. Preparing for these changes poses particular challenges in Nova Scotia because most of our population lives along the coastline.

Hurricane Earl may have been a bit of a dud in some areas of the province including the Town of Amherst but continued vigilance of these storms and preparations will become very important for everyone.

The Eat Atlantic Challenge

2010-09-01T02:32:00.000-07:00

On September 2, 2010, the Eat Atlantic Challenge is trying to encourage Atlantic Canadians to eat only food produced in Atlantic Canada for one entire day. The goal is to promote the economic, health and environmental benefits of eating food that is produced right here in Atlantic Canada.

By Eating Atlantic you are supporting farmers from all over Atlantic Canada who make a living producing food for our tables and in turn retain money and jobs in our communities. There are family farms in the area that have been growing food and sharing food in Atlantic Canada for generations.

A few examples of this would be McCains French fries in New Brunswick or Cavendish from PEI, Ganong’s chocolates from Saint John, Blueberries and Maple products from Oxford Frozen Foods, wines from Jost in Malagash and the list goes on.

Atlantic products can easily be found in each of the four food groups: fruits and vegetables; meats, seafood and other protein products, dairy products; and grains. Do you love fresh fish and seafood? Some of the local seafood that can be purchased include: Lobster, blue mussels, oysters, trout and salmon.

Eating nutritious and balanced meals is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. At this time of the year it is easy to find the necessary fruit and vegetables for a healthy lifestyle. By eating home-grown food we will know more about how are food is grown and have a say as consumers about how and where our food is grown.

The Eat Atlantic Food Challenge has been set up by the Atlantic Co-op Food Stores. Those who pledge to take part in the challenge automatically qualify for a chance to win a gift basket of Atlantic foods, valued at $250, donated by the region’s Co-op food stores.

So challenge your friends to eat Atlantic or you can also make the pledge yourself by going to www.eatatlantic.ca.

The Emeryvine Retail Shop - A Full Assortment of Clothing, Gifts, and Accessories with photos and art designs. There are also Environmentally Friendly Products available.

http://www.cafepress.ca/Emeryvine

Climate Change and Hurricanes

2010-08-25T03:32:00.000-07:00

During the past several years, Canada has had to deal with five or six hurricanes a year. Climate specialists say that this particular storm activity could continue for another decade. There is really no way to accurately predict how many storms in the Atlantic will affect Canada. What we lack in number of hurricanes we make up for in their intensity. Think of hurricane Juan and White Juan just a few months later. The cleanup from hurricane Juan still continues in Point Pleasant Park, in Halifax. The predictions for this year say that we will have an active hurricane season with up to five large storms in the Atlantic Canada region between August and November

A hurricane is formed by a group of thunderstorms that circle around each other and form a vortex. This group of thunderstorms continues to spin in tight formation until, in the centre, the eye is formed. The meteorologist watch the eye to see when and where the hurricane will make land fall since this is where the hurricane will pack the greatest punch.

There is growing evidence the climate change and warming conditions in the oceans and the atmosphere will make hurricanes even more destructive in the future; however, this does not necessarily mean more hurricanes. In our area, the Gulf Stream becomes an important factor. Scientists know that the ocean has been warming up on a yearly basis due to more heat in the atmosphere. This has an effect on all storms from thunderstorms to hurricanes.

Hurricane Bill was the first major hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic Hurricane season.. Bill, originated as a tropical wave that emerged from the western coast of Africa on August 12, and organized into a tropical depression on August 15, 2009. The depression was quickly upgraded to a tropical storm. This storm continued to track west-northwestward. Bill attained hurricane status and major hurricane status on August 17 and by August 18th the status as a Category 4 Hurricane. It weakened as it veered north, passing Bermuda with little impact, and then, thankfully, Bill lost its tropical characteristics as it passed into the waters of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Was this hurricane caused by climate change? How will climate change continue to affect Nova Scotia? We are beginning to experience a gradual increase in the impacts of climate change. This may mean increasingly extreme weather (hot or cold), droughts, flooding on the marsh and in towns like Oxford, and erosion along our beaches. How can we be proactive against such an enormous global threat as climate change?

In Nova Scotia, we can expect warmer average temperatures, higher sea levels, more extreme rainfalls and storm flooding, and more-frequent and extreme storms. Preparing for a changing climate poses particular challenges in Nova Scotia because most of our population lives along the coastline and much of our infrastructure is located in those vulnerable areas.

Education should be a major focus. Communities need to understand climate change so they can prepare for expected changes. Hurricane Bill may have been a bit of a dud but continued vigilance and preparations will become very important for everyone.

The Positive Aspects of Community Gardening

2010-08-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

Community gardens promote healthy communities and help provide food security for some low income persons. Community gardens also strengthen community bonds and create recreational and therapeutic opportunities for the people of the community. They can also promote environmental awareness and provide community education. One of the goals to create healthier communities is to improve the nutrition and access to food for the community as a whole.

One thought behind a community garden is to provide fresh local produce to community organizations that help serve those in need. The community garden in Amherst is a product of many community organizations that help provide for those in need; such as, the Cumberland Food Network, Maggie’s Place, and the local food bank, just to name a few.

During the past week there were a few incidents at our local community garden that may have been a little demoralizing at first for the gardeners; however, everyone is moving forward with the food that is continuing to grow. Some of the gardeners give directly to places like the food bank while others share what they can, from the food they grow, with other people.

There may be a little bit of confusion regarding the term “Community Garden”. Some may feel that once the food is growing anyone in the “community” can go and pick it. During a meeting last week this was discussed and the gardeners are willing to share some of their food but would like to be asked first. After all, they are doing the hard part – growing, weeding, watering and caring for the plants until they are ready to be harvested.

There was a little outcry in the comments section of the Amherst Daily News regarding youth in our community. We have several pre-teens growing gardens and working in gardens with some of our more experienced gardeners. They are learning to grow vegetables and learning how to share and work with others. There was also a Leadership Group from Maggie’s Place that came up to the garden a few weeks ago to help pick weeds and do some cleanup. This was a wonderful group of youngsters and I was very privileged to meet them and work with them. Let us not forget the Canada World Youth Group that helped clean out the garden at the end of last year. They brought some of the food home to the people they were staying with and the rest went to the food bank “from them”.

So, let’s not paint all youth with a bad streak. We were all young once and perhaps did a few things that we may not be proud of including swiping a few carrots or cucumbers from a garden. But give the youth a chance to shine and they will shock you with what they are willing to do to make grownups proud of them. So three cheers to the youth in our community!!

Anyone can grow food for their table or even flowers if they choose at the Community Garden. It does not cost anything for a garden plot. We just hope that you too are willing to share just a little bit of it.

Vandals strike at community garden - Local - News - The Amherst Daily News

2010-08-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

Vandals strike at community garden - Local - News - The Amherst Daily News

This act of vandalism was very disappointing for the community gardeners in Amherst. But we will perservere. The food that is still being grown will be harvested and most sent to the local food bank.

Dream kitchen of the future is green, survey finds

2010-08-12T03:43:00.000-07:00

Dream kitchen of the future is green, survey finds

This article is an interesting approach to bringing the outdoors indoors.

Eco-Friendly School Supplies

2010-08-11T03:16:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation is almost over, which means it’s time for back-to-school shopping. This year there are choices you can make regarding environmentally friendly school supplies. There is a green, environmentally-conscious school supply alternative for every one of your school and homework needs, so it’s the perfect time to make a conscious choice to think about the environment while shopping.

The main issue is reducing the amount of stuff that you have to buy. By reusing supplies from last year you will reduce the amount of stuff you have to purchase. It's the best thing you can do to be more environmentally friendly.

We all know the three Rs. If you ask kids how many of them recycle all of them do try. But, if you ask them how many of them reuse or reduce they're completely confused. By reusing you will reduce the amount of stuff you're going to have to purchase. Can you reuse binders, pencils, and markers and crayons from last year? You might not need to buy them new.

Paper, paper, paper! Paper is a product of logging and deforestation, which makes finding a green school supply alternative a bit difficult. Wrong! Most stores sell notebook paper made from 100 percent recycled paper. Just make sure you check the paper package before you buy it.

14 billion pencils are produced every year, many made with wood from forests. Look for the FSC label on pencils and paper. Many paper products are made from trees specifically grown and harvested for papermaking, thus sparing delicate rainforest ecosystems. The Forest Stewardship Council certifies that wood and paper products are grown and managed responsibly.

You can buy refillable pens to cut down on pens you have to purchase. If you must buy disposables, choose pens that are recycled. You can also look for refillable pens made of recycled materials. Every child needs a ruler when they are going back to school. Most rulers that you can buy in the store come in either plastic or wood. There is a green alternative to the ruler conundrum: A ruler that was used last year.
Purchase supplies with minimal packaging. Packaging makes up about a third of the garbage that piles up in landfills. Also, less processing and packaging means less energy goes into production, and less global warming pollution is created.

Environmentally friendly school supplies aren't a new idea — recycled paper and refillable pens and pencils have been around for years — but increased green awareness in the marketplace has made them more prominent. Cutting back on back-school purchases isn't only good for the planet- it's good for your wallet, too.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her columns. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on her website at: http://sustainablefuture.webs.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Water Conservation

2010-08-04T03:05:00.000-07:00

It is imperative that we protect all that we rely on to survive. This includes clean water, clean air, productive farmland, biodiversity and reforestation. But of all of our natural resources, water is the most essential. However, the available supply is diminishing rapidly as human populations grow and inefficiently drain our precious fresh water aquifers.

The good news is that we can all do our part to conserve water by taking simple measures and such steps can be relatively easy and pain-free. A more sustainable path is to use the water that we have wisely. The first and most sensible thing to do is to make sure that any leaks or drips in your house are fixed to avoid constant water loss.

Other tips involve waiting for a full load of laundry before running your machine or wetting your toothbrush when brushing your teeth and then turning the water off until you are ready to rinse. Do you realize that you are wasting up to 3 gallons of water for every 30 seconds that you leave the tap running while brushing your teeth?

Another idea is not to turn on the shower until you are ready to get in or even get your body wet in the shower and then turn the water off while you soap up, and then turn it back on to rinse off. You could also invest in a water saving showerhead that provides a nice strong spray but uses less water than traditional showerheads.

There are also conservation ideas for water usage outside the home. Instead of using just a simple hose, connect a sprayer to your garden hose so that when watering plants you save one water usage. If you use low spray sprinklers early in the mornings and late in the evenings, the water has less chance of evaporating. Or even better, use a cistern to collect rainwater for watering your plants. Another tip for watering you plants – use the water that you have boiled vegetables in after the water has cooled. This will add some nutrients to the water.

Theses sustainable measures are not ludicrous. They are simple choices for anyone that wants to conserve the water they use in their daily lives. The benefits of these tips are twofold: reduce your water usage while saving on your water bill.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her columns. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on her website at: http://emeryvine.webs.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Local Flooding a Symptom of Climate Change

2010-07-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

According to Nova Scotia’s Department of Environment, climate change is more than a warming trend. The increasing temperatures will lead to changes in many aspects of our weather, such as wind patterns, the amount and type of precipitation, and the types and frequency of severe weather events that may be expected to occur in our province. Such climate change could have far-reaching and unpredictable environmental, social and economic consequences.

In Canada such environmental stresses could cause problems with where we grow our food and how we transport it; deep changes in infrastructure, community designs and cause regional vuneralbility. We are not prepared for any of this!!
Any politician that is listening to not only the scientists but also the local people will know what will happen if the dykes on the tantramar marshes give way to Bay of Fundy. Most of the marsh will be under water and Nova Scotia could become separated from the mainland for a period of time possibly forever.

Most scientists feel that there will be up to a metre rise in the oceans during our lifetime. This will also cause a rapid change in our coastal areas, our geography and could hold significant consequences. This is a period when Mother Nature takes over and should be a matter of urgency with all three levels of government.

Just last week, after the flooding in Nappan, the County Council decided it will be calling on the province to replace the existing aboiteau on the Nappan River with a new, larger structure that would be able to handle an increasing amount of water. Some people in the area felt that the debris in the area of the dam caused the flooding; however, if you think about it – the flood waters brought the debris to the dam area.

During the storm that ensued on July 10th, more than 90 mm of rain fell on the area. There were flood alerts issued the night before, by Cindy Day, during the CTV news, for Cumberland County. The localized flooding closed the Smith Road and flooded farmer’s fields stranding cattle.

In the past the rebuilding and the maintaining of the dykes was the job of the federal government; however, in 1967 the responsibility of maintaining the dykes and aboiteaux was deemed solely that of the province. Last week, Doug Bacon, the farmer whose cattle became stranded, and area resident Ben Griffin spoke to the County Council urging them to lobby the province to widen the aboiteau and to urge the federal government to again become involved in maintaining the dykes on the marsh near Amherst.

A United Nations climate report last year described Nova Scotia and New Orleans as areas that have important highway and rail infrastructure located on or behind dyke systems that will provide progressively less protection unless raised on an ongoing basis. Strengthening our dyke system may be the only way to avert disaster in the future so we will not leave our children with a mess to clean up.

Green Travel

2010-07-21T02:11:00.000-07:00

The next couple of months will mark the time that Nova Scotian’s travel and visit areas of our own Province. Like any other consumer item, travel comes with many choices which may include ecologically friendly and/or green travel. As public concerns regarding global warming increase, travel companies and tourist attractions are trying to embrace environmentally friendly practices to accommodate the growing number of tourists that are making “greener” travel choices.

The first stop for most visitors to our Province is the Nova Scotia Visitor Information Centre at the border of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This is the true “Gateway” to the Province.
I encourage residents of the County to visit this Centre and the friendly staff who can answer any of your questions about the Province, including environmental matters. While at the Centre you should visit their flower garden. The garden itself is huge and holds many types of flowers and plants. Behind the Centre is the site of the Acadian Village “Beaubasin” and the former Fort Lawrence.

Current green-travel initiatives have grown out of ecotourism, sustainable tourism and nature tourism. Ecotourism is in fact growing at three times the rate of traditional tourism. In the past the Department of Tourism for Nova Scotia has put out an ecotourism guide for the Glooscap Trail which begins in Amherst and follows the trail through Advocate and Parrsboro and on to Truro. There is a complete description of the ecology of each area you would be travelling through and some of the attractions along the way. You could request this guide from the Department of Tourism or check the visitor centres.

To be able to visit places that are environmentally friendly you need to make careful choices and be able to ask many questions regarding green initiatives. You may want to hold off and travel during the off-season to avoid over-crowding of natural sites and the depletion of natural resources; you should try to eat in locally owned restaurants and see if these restaurants serve locally harvested food; and leave excess packaging of store bought travel articles at home where you know they can be recycled;

Some other ideas to make your travel more environmentally friendly include: Unplugging some of your appliances at home to save energy while you are away. When visiting a park area, never leave your own paths and do not disrupt or remove anything. Leave everything exactly how you found it so that others may enjoy the park in the future. If you are camping, please leave the park better than you found it. Carry all trash out with you, do not burn or bury your trash, and double check the campsite to make sure that nothing gets left behind.

If anyone in the local area wants to highlight their travel environmental or ecological practices to the readers of the Amherst Daily News, please feel free to contact me at the e-mail address below. I hope everyone enjoys their summer travels.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her columns. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on her website at: http://emeryvine.webs.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Our Daily Toxins

2010-07-14T03:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my mother and I took a day trip up to the Bouctouche area. One of the many places we stopped at was the Olivier Soapery where they make soap from pure products. They hand craft their soaps from the pure products such as olive oil, cocoa butter and bees wax. Then they add petals of various flowers to give the soap colour as well as a special smell.

One thing the ladies at Soapary mentioned is that the word “Natural” or the word “Pure” on a product label does not always mean the product is safe or even made from natural ingredients. They have a saying at the Soapary – If you do not put a product that is found in various skin care products in your mouth – Don’t put it on your skin.

While we were there they made soap with just the three ingredients listed above and then just added boiling hot water with sea salt to create the chemical process needed to form soap. They added petals of flowers and then poured the mixture into moulds, which would have to set for six days.

They gave us a fact sheet, which shows various chemicals that are used in other soaps, cosmetics, shampoos, and toothpaste. Some of these ingredients are incredibly harmful and could cause cancer. Have you ever bothered to read the ingredients on the package labels of the various cosmetics you may use during the day??

According to the fact sheet they supplied us with – the commercial cosmetic industry says that it is safe to put toxic chemicals into our personal care products because the amount in each product is to small to matter. Really?? Try to think of how many products you use in a single day; toothpaste, soaps, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body lotions, shaving lotions and makeup.

Unlike food and drugs, cosmetics and body care products are not approved for safety by any North American government agency before they are sold. The European Union now bans 1,100 chemicals from personal care products unlike 11 ingredients banned or regulated for use in the United States.

Since I am so sensitive and allergic to many perfumes and certain smells I thought I might have a problem at the soap factory; however, I was surprisingly not as affected as I thought I would be. This may have to do with the lack of chemicals used to create the soaps. One smell that always gets to me is the antibacterial hand cleansers that every place I go seems to have installed. I can not use them and I know immediately when someone in my vicinity has used some as I immediately begin to sneeze and cough. The Soapary does offer various (non chemical) products that act as antibacterial and provide better cleanliness. Perhaps we all need to re-think the products we are putting on our bodies as well as in our bodies.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her columns. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on her website at: http://emeryvine.webs.com

Sprouting healthy eating - Local - News - The Amherst Daily News

2010-07-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

This article is about the Amherst Community Garden Project.

Sprouting healthy eating - Local - News - The Amherst Daily News

Top 5 weather-related movies! - The Weather Network

2010-07-09T02:39:00.000-07:00

Top 5 weather-related movies! - The Weather Network

The Story of Stuff

2010-07-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

An interactive video regarding environmentalism and the story of our stuff:

The Story of Stuff

Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children in Your Ecosystem Garden

2010-07-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children in Your Ecosystem Garden

Healthier Office Spaces Benefit Everyone

2010-07-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Healthier Office Spaces Benefit Everyone

Gardening for Local Food Production

2010-07-07T03:13:00.000-07:00

Community gardens promote healthy communities and provide food security for many low income persons. Community gardens strengthen community bonds and create recreational and therapeutic opportunities for the people of the community. They can also promote environmental awareness and provide community education. One of the goals to create healthier communities is to improve nutrition and access to food for the community as a whole.

A community garden has the potential to address much larger issues such as food security. In order for a community to enjoy food security it must have access to adequate amounts of safe and nutritious foods that are produced in an environmentally sustainable way.

Food security encompasses the safety, quality and sustainability of our food supply, and access to a healthy diet. When thinking about food security in relation to your community, ask yourself some of the following questions:

• Does your community have access to local-grown nutritious food?
• What happens when families can't afford to buy nutritious food?
• What role do community gardens and community kitchens play in enhancing people's ability to eat well?
• Do we have a sustainable agricultural system?

By making sure that all people, at all times, have access to adequate amounts of safe, nutritious, appropriate foods, produced in an environmentally sustainable way and provided in a manner that promotes dignity, we will have obtained the first steps of food security.

One purpose of a community garden is to provide fresh local produce to community organizations who help serve those in need. The community garden in Amherst is a product of many community organizations that help provide for those in need; such as, the Poverty Action Committee, the Cumberland Food Network, Maggies Place, and the local food bank, just to name a few.

We still have a few spaces left if you would like to grow food for yourself and for others less fortunate. Please contact me if you would like to be a part of the Amherst Community Garden.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her columns. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on her website at: http://emeryvine.webs.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Green Summer To-Do List

2010-06-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Green Summer To-Do List

Local Food Production

2010-06-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

As a community we need to support our local farmers in the development of sustainable farming practices and support the development of food access programs such as community gardens, farmers’ markets and produce stands. As consumers we should seek out local farmers markets and/or buy locally grown seasonal food in order to cut down on the environmental costs associated with transporting produce to our community from a great distance.

Food security also includes being able to make a living by growing and producing food in ways that protect and support both the land, sea and the food producers, and that in turn will help ensure that there will be healthy food for our children’s children. The way that we now produce and process food cannot support a sustainable food system. We need to encourage a way of producing food that will last well into the future and ensure that our children’s children have all the food they need.

Gardens are of great benefit to both the gardener and helping develop sustainability. You can start with something small like planting a container garden. Or you can go for something bigger like preparing a spot in your backyard for a vegetable garden. Planting a small garden is good for you and for the earth. If you do not have a backyard (apartments) then perhaps taking part in the local community garden might benefit you.

A community Garden allows for the exchange of ideas, the sharing of gardening tips and provides varying levels of expertise. Growing your own food is a great method to build food security in our communities, promote active living and encouraging people of all ages and abiliities to work outdoors.

A community garden is an inexpensive way for people to work together to grow their own food. Community gardens are usually located in neighbourhoods where people can drop by and participate. The community garden in Amherst is located just off Veno Avenue across the street from Dickey Park. This land was donated by a community member.

The Amherst Community Garden can also be seen as poverty action at the local level. It produces fresh food and provides food security for those that grow their own food and for those that grow food and then share it with the local food bank.

If you are interested in becoming part of the Amherst Community Garden Project please feel free to contact me so I can arrange for you to have a garden plot to grow your own food.

New Waterworld Leaders

2010-06-26T03:17:00.000-07:00

Look what I stumbled upon. Found this on twitter. Will Jellyfish rule the oceans?

Green Go the Grads

2010-06-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

As you get ready to celebrate High School Graduation 2010, why not add a little green to help make sure your graduation-related events are environmentally friendly? As it turns out showing eco-solidarity at graduation just may be a theme that will catch on this year or in the future.

One way to support this vision may be to party during the daytime. By doing this you are reducing your power consumption by celebrating in the sunshine. If the party continues into the night, use the event as an opportunity to bring out energy saving alternatives, such as; candles and rechargeable batteries for your flashlights and boom boxes.

Our graduates could pin green ribbons to their black gowns during the ceremony to show solidarity in the ongoing fight for a sustainable future. Wearing a green ribbon shows solidarity with your friends and family that are moving towards a greener future. If you show people you're thinking about this, then others might start thinking the same way.

With our high school students in the area set to graduate, I’m wondering how many might choose to get involved and make it a form of action. It could be one way in which students can stand together and let the nation know that they certainly do care about the environment, and that they are willing to take action to protect it.

Perhaps you can begin to think of ways you can make a difference to protect our planet. Think of the activities that take place during graduation and see if you can make them more environmentally friendly. How about hosting a “Green Graduation Party”? Some ideas for this could be:
• Send electronic invitations and request email RSVPs.
• Request that guests use greener forms of transportation to get to and from the party, like bicycles (with helmets) or carpooling. Please have a designated driver.
• Plan the menu with local foods that are in season.
• Freeze leftovers for later meals or arrange ahead of time to donate extra food to the local food bank.
• Be sure table settings and decorations will be reused, rather than throwing away disposables. And remember, reusing is even better than recycling!
• Use potted plants like herbs as centerpieces. Give them to your guests to take home as thank-you gifts or plant them in your own garden after the party.
• Sort out recyclables when the party is over and compost as appropriate.

We have been teaching our students the smaller things that matter, such as; recycling, not wasting water and turning out the lights when leaving a room with no other occupants. These graduates have the choice to conserve or to continue to use a lot of energy. We should be helping them to make the right choice.

Congratulations to all graduates in Cumberland County.

Summer is Coming!!

2010-06-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

Yahoo, summer is coming!! June 21st is a very important day for our planet and its relationship with the sun. June 21st is one of two solstice days when the rays of the sun directly strike one of the two tropical latitude lines. June 21st marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and at the same time heralds the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere. Around December 21 the solstices are reversed and winter begins in the northern hemisphere.

You know it is summer because the Sun reaches its farthest point north for the year. It is at its highest in the sky at noon and the solstice shadows are very short. The higher the Sun rises in the heavens the more distance it has to travel from one horizon to the other and hence, the longer daylight. Which makes this is the longest day of the year, or so they say!

When summer occurs in a hemisphere, it is due to that hemisphere receiving more direct rays of the sun than the opposite hemisphere where it is winter. In winter, the sun's energy hits the earth at oblique angles and is thus less concentrated.

The first days of summer are a time most favoured for weeding the garden (the sap has risen to its highest point, and there is very little sap in the roots of plants). Since Sap is a life force we can also use this time to “weed” out old emotional patterns within ourselves as well as tending to the weeds in our gardens.

On the summer solstice, for many centuries people have done ritual traditions like Leaping over bonfires symbolizing leaving behind outmoded emotional patterns, stuck ways of thinking, addictions, sorrow, and the fire symbolizes the flames of passion which we are entering the new season with.

Take some time this year between June 20th and June 24th, (midsummer’s day) to do some type of ritual to pledge you to a year of growth, and passion, and joy. Summer brings us an energy that is about shifting perceptions and doing the work required to create the needed changes in our minds. Looking at what we can do to make our lives better, be the best we can be and perhaps even share and teach others this.

How do you do this? Less bad news; having fewer grumpy people around us; less thinking of what should or could have been. More laughter, more service with a smile, more connections with those who make you feel better inside and out. And of course the most important work of all with this time in our lives is the personal transformation we must make within ourselves. Thinking negative thoughts is normal, and the second that thought comes into our minds instead of feeding it, lets weed it out.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/emeryvine, or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Rivers to Oceans Week

2010-06-09T03:19:00.000-07:00

Rivers to Oceans Week (June 8 - 13) is an opportunity to work together to create a better understanding of Canada's watersheds, our connection to fresh- and salt-water environments and what everyone can do to protect and keep watersheds healthy for people and wildlife.

As Canadians, we are blessed with a great abundance of water. Yet, how often do we think about the world living beneath the surface of our many lakes, rivers and oceans, which depends on an unspoiled supply of water?

Water is a precious resource that supports fish and wildlife populations; provides important ecological functions; is used in agriculture, industry and recreation; not to mention the main source of drinking water for both the human and animal populations. Also, fishing is not only a favourite pastime; it puts food on the table for millions of Canadians every day. Fishing for food means jobs for the people of the county which supports the local economy.

Our rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries and oceans are ecosystems that share energy, nutrients and inhabitants. This intricate ecosystem also connects, through the water’s thin surface, to our more familiar land-based ecosystems. That means we humans, too, are connected. Besides food connections, underwater ecosystems provide a number of other ecological “services,” such as producing life-giving oxygen and stabilizing our planet’s climate.

Lakes, rivers and oceans have, at the base of their food chain, very tiny but very plentiful free-floating plants called phytoplankton. Like the plants that grow on land, they give off oxygen. Since much of the planet’s surface is water-covered (about 70 per cent), their contribution is important.

Our rivers, oceans and lakes are becoming bombarded by threats: pollution from harmful chemicals like fertilizers, which encourages underwater plant growth that absorbs mass amounts of oxygen; acid rain can throw off the balance in watery ecosystems; and oil spills can be fatal to wildlife that rely on the water to survive.

Oil from ships can enter Canada’s oceans either accidentally or by deliberate dumping. The Seabirds face the greatest threats from oil, especially those that dive underwater to catch their food. In fact, approximately 300,000 seabirds die annually from oil pollution off the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland. Seabirds suffer from drowning, hypothermia, poisoning, and loss of flight from heavy amounts of oil on their wings.

Now think about what is happening South of our border in the Gulf of Mexico. Between the oil still gushing from the broken pipe and the chemical dispersants used – What chance do the fish, birds and wildlife in the Gulf have of surviving?

It's Easy To Go Green

2010-05-26T05:04:00.001-07:00

Many people agree with the goals of the environmental movement; however, many more admit to only recycling when it comes to following up on these goals. Things such as a busy lifestyle and lack of guidance regarding their role for solutions that are needed today compound into making a greener life difficult for them.

Some people are afraid of the activism angle of going green or being an environmentalist. Adopting better habits and a more conscientious way of doing things does not have to mean overhauling your entire life. If we can remove some of the myths about being more environmentally aware people would be more ready to adapt to a few changes that are equally good for them and for their surroundings.

Your efforts to tread more lightly on this earth are not alone. Every conscious decision you make and every action you take over many days and copied by many people will have a profound effect on the environment even if you can not see what changes are occurring.

We all share in the responsibility of sustaining the health of our environment. There are simple tips to reduce our footprint on the environment. Some of these include:

• At work you can make two-sided copies to save paper.
• Put your printer, copier, fax machines on sleep mode when not in use
• Lights in rooms that are not occupied should be turned off
• In your home, fix all water leaks
• Take shorter showers
• Turn water off when you are brushing your teeth
• Use vinegar and baking soda as cleaners in your home
• Buy local for both groceries and any other retail product.
• Support your local farmer’s markets

There are lots of ways to support a cleaner greener environment these are just some of the simple ones that anyone should be able to accomplish without to much fuss. Then there is the old adage, “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”. Three simple words to help you get started on a greener lifestyle.

Biosolids

2010-05-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

To achieve a sustainable food supply and protect our food supply, our farmers must succeed in protecting their farm land, biodiversity, topsoil, water supply and livestock health. Good local land is a gift, but the soil can only be sustained by the farmers who know how to sustain and enrich it.

One topic that has come up regarding our farmland is the use of biosolids. Biosolids are made from the solid waste that remains in human sewage also called the sludge. Our farmland soil is a unique and valuable resource that is maintained by our local farmers. So the question is – Does it make sense to build a multi-million dollar sewage treatment plant, which will remove pollutants from the sewage only to have the pollutant by-products (sludge) spread on the land?

Protecting our farmland as a valuable and viable resource requires avoiding potential harm and degradation of the land. If the land were to become contaminated with possible pollutants from the biosolids, the damage could persist for decades.

Think of the possible contaminants in sewer sludge. Think of everyday hospital waste for example. There would be a cocktail of feces, urine, cleaners, blood, personal care products, drugs, heavy metals and other more industrial wastes. Now I understand that the left over sludge is treated before being turned into a biosolid which is then applied to the land to act as a fertilizer. But is that enough??

Proponents of the use of biosolids say yes. They insist that the biosolids are tested and meet all present regulations surrounding the treatment of wastewater products. They feel that the spread of this product is completely safe on agriculture land.

In a message written by Fred Blois of the Nova Scotia Environmental Network and the NDP Environmental Committee, It is important to consider that current waste water treatment plant technology was not designed to remove many of the nutrients, estrogenic compounds, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products present in waste water. Therefore, current technologies may be creating risks of unknown magnitude for public health.

There is a tremendous amount of new knowledge about what substances exist in biosolids and how they behave which has come to light in recent years. Contrary to claims made by proponents of biosolids, soil scientists specializing in sewage sludges have determined that contaminants can leech into groundwater sources or enter other water courses via field run-off.

The Nova Scotia Environmental Network is asking Nova Scotians to collect signatures on a petition to the provincial government to declare an immediate moratorium on the use of sewage sludge (biosolids) on Nova Scotia lands and to adopt with minimum delay safe options for sewage sludge disposal or destruction. You can find more information at their website: www.nsen.ca.

Food Security

2010-05-17T03:19:00.000-07:00

There is an old saying, “you are what you eat.”

To achieve a sustainable food supply and protect our food supply, our farmers must succeed in protecting their farm land, biodiversity, topsoil, water supply and livestock health. Good local land is a gift, but the soil can only be sustained by the farmers who know how to sustain and enrich it.

As a community we need to support our local farmers in the development of sustainable farming practices and support the development of food access programs such as community gardens, community kitchens, farmers’ markets and produce stands.
As consumers we should seek out local farmers markets and/or buy locally grown seasonal food in order to cut down on the environmental costs associated with transporting produce to our community from a great distance. Some products, coming from the United States and Ontario, have commuted an average of 1500 miles. More calories of energy go into packing, storing and carting the food than exist in the food itself.

Having our food come from some place else is a trend that can threaten the safety and security of our food supply. Other countries, that import food to our area, do not have the same food safety requirements that we have here in Canada and therefore outbreaks of E. coli and other contaminants can and have happened.

There is no sure way to ensure the quality and safety if imported foods that come from areas where standards are less stringent. The global supply chain is unsustainable and irresponsible from the perspective of combating climate change, protecting the health of citizens, and avoiding the potential for widespread food insecurity due to changes in political and economic conditions.

Food security also includes being able to make a living by growing and producing food in ways that protect and support both the land, sea and the food producers, and that ensures that there will be healthy food for our children’s children. The way that we now produce and process food cannot support a sustainable food system. We need to encourage a way of producing food that will last into the future and ensure that our children’s children have all the food they need.

If you are interested in becoming part of the Amherst Community Garden Project please feel free to contact me so I can arrange for you to have a garden plot to grow your own food.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/emeryvine, or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

An Environmental Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

When people discuss the state of the planet they sometimes refer to “Mother Earth”, which makes sense as our human mothers are very important people in our lives. Mothers give us life and tend to work for our benefit for many years. Mother Nature, another term that has been coined to refer to the world around us, has been considered a female for thousands of years. She – Mother Nature gives us life and sustenance, food and water to live on.

Consider getting your mom a gift of “green” this year for Mother’s Day. You’ll impress her with your environmental awareness and will be doing Mother Nature a favour. One gift that people like to do for Mother’s Day is to give her breakfast in bed. How about making sure that you have local food and ingredients? We have local eggs, meats, milk, maple syrup and other breakfast items. Buying local foods saves on the transportation, energy, and packaging it takes to bring produce from faraway while also supporting our local farmers.

You can spend some time alone with your mother for Mother’s Day. All of the April showers have brought us May flowers. Instead of a bouquet how about a walk in a park or perhaps the bird sanctuary (if it is not still raining of course).

There are lots of possible “green” gifts for Mother’s Day. How about a donation in her name for a tree planting or another conservation project. Mabey a trip to our newly openned health spa on Church Street.

If you want to take a little side trip, the Fossil Centre in Joggins has a brunch menue with two seatings available for Mother’s Day. There will also be an exhibit of hooked rugs and a guided walking tour. You need to call them at 257-2727 to book your table for the brunch seating at either 10:00 or 11:00.

Or, you can cook for your mother or wife using local ingredients. There should be asparagus, sprouts and fiddleheads available at your local grocery store or farmers market. A purchase of fresh food will support our local farmers and help preserve local open spaces.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/emeryvine, or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Happy 40th Earth Day - April 22, 2010

2010-04-28T03:34:00.000-07:00

Earth Day is an international celebration that began with the environmental movement of the 1970’s. Although Earth Day began as a day of protest during the 70’s it has now become a day of action. These actions come in many forms; such as planting trees and cleaning up litter. This year Earth Day was celebrating 40 years as an environmental movement.

Last weekend if you were out and about you would have seen people along Robert Angus Drive and in the area of Dickey Brook with clear garbage bags cleaning up the litter along the road and waterway. My hats off to these people and their actions at helping make Amherst a cleaner place to live.

For the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, the Amherst Community Garden Project and its volunteers decided to hold a social event to “get the conversation started” about the importance of good, healthy, nutritious food and the possibilities available for growing your own food.

We had a guest speaker, Jason Blanch who is our local environmentalist and member of the Green Party for this area. He spoke on the importance of food security. The local community garden is an important part of our food security. We know exactly where the food has come from and how it was grown.

Jeanne Sumbu who lives near the community garden produced a powerpoint presentation with some of the photos that were taken last year when the garden was just a field full of weeds that became a beautiful garden area with a lot of hard work and perseverance from all of the members.

There was a display of “green” cleaning products; such as, vinegar and baking soda with some examples of how these products can be used to clean anywhere in your home. This display was produced by the Poverty Action Committee who also present this information at the local food bank. They try to encourage the donation of vinegar and baking soda to the food bank as a cleaning product.

The event itself was held at Maggie’s Place, in Amherst. This centre is also a member of the community garden and last year they donated a shed to the community garden. The food for the Earth Day event was catered by the Cumberland Food Mentors, which is a group that is dedicated to making sure everyone has access to healthy and nutritious food.

The community garden is accessible for people of all ages and abilities. For those that have trouble bending or kneeling, there are raised beds for them to work on. This garden can also be seen as poverty action at the local level. It produces fresh food and provides food security for those that grow their own food and for those that grow food and then share it with the local food bank.

For more information on the community garden please feel free to contact me at the email address below.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/emeryvine, or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Earth Day Social Amherst Community Garden Project

2010-04-21T08:50:00.001-07:00

Earth Day 2010 Social
Thursday, April 22nd
4:30 – 6:00 PM
Location: Maggie’s Place on Elmwood Drive

The Amherst Community Garden is getting ready for the season! The community garden committee invites you to our first social event of the season and we would like to invite you to plant a garden at our site this year. Stop by and consider the
“Growing Possibilities” for your involvement!

All are welcome and there are still some plots left for planting this Spring if you or your group is interested in joining the fun.
Gardening offers opportunities for community involvement, friendships, and skill building for young and old alike!

There will be food and refreshments served.

Please RSVP by April 20th to:

Lisa Emery
667-1424
emeryvine@gmail.com

Earth Day April 22, 2010

2010-04-21T05:01:00.000-07:00

Earth Day Canada is a national environmental charity to provide Canadians with the practical knowledge and tools they need to help the environment. It was recognized in 2004 as the top environmental education organization in North America. Earth Day Canada regularly partners with many organizations in all parts of Canada to support environmental causes. This year is the 20th anniversary of Earth Day Canada.

This entire weekend celebrates Earth Day. I encourage all teachers, trainers and educators to employ environmental information into their classroom studies on Friday and Monday. There are many websites on the internet regarding Earth Day and activities that can be used in a classroom setting.

The most important environmental actions will happen at the local grassroots level. Some people are involved in the community garden project; others in the protection of natural spaces, such as the Chignecto Game Sanctuary; still others have started their own environmental networks or organizations. The environmental issue you focus on is really up to you.

On April 22 from 4:30 to 6pm the members of the Amherst Community Garden Project are hosting and event at Maggie’s Place. We invite people who are interested in gardening and becoming involved with the community garden to attend. Please RSVP to Lisa Emery at the email address below.

The Joggins Fossil Centre will be open for Earth Day from 9:30 to 4:30 with free admission. Since this is also the UN year of biodiversity they have a new exhibit called “Have you thanked a plant today”. They are also encouraging children to bring in plastic pop bottles to help build a recycled pop bottle greenhouse and plant a pumpkin seed for the pumpkin competition. You can contact the Centre for more details.

Now, the fight for a clean environment continues at every corner of the globe, including Canada. This year you can be a part of this history and a part of Earth Day. You may even discover an energy you didn't even know you had. Feel it rumble through the grass roots under your feet. Channel it into building a clean, healthy, diverse world for generations to come.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/emeryvine, or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

United Nations Year of Biodiversity

2010-04-14T04:16:00.000-07:00

The United Nations declared 2010 to be the Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity in our lives. Each and every one of us is and integral part of nature. Our lives are linked to biodiversity and the variety of animal and plant species, including the places they live.

We rely on their diversity of life to provide us with the food, fuel, medicine and other essentials that we cannot live without. Yet the rich diversity of our world is being lost at an accelerated pace due to human activities. There is no corner of the earth that man hasn't touched in some way and sadly, that man hasn't attempted to exploit.

The definition of biodiversity is the term that is given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns they form. This biodiversity forms the web of life for all species including those we depend on for our survival.

Biodiversity also includes genetic differences within each species - for example, between varieties of crops and breeds of livestock. Another aspect of biodiversity is the variety of ecosystems such as: deserts, forests, wetlands, mountains, lakes, rivers, and agricultural landscapes. In each ecosystem, living creatures, including humans, form a community, which interact with one another and with the air, water, and soil around them.

It is very important that we conserve and protect the things that we rely on to survive. This would include our fresh water supply, clean air, productive farmland and the biodiversity of our forestland. All of these things are related. We can not protect our water supply without protecting our forests and wetlands. We can not protect biodiversity without protecting the animals of our forests and having productive farmland. Everything is equal and everything is related.

The loss of biodiversity threatens our food supplies, opportunities for recreation and tourism, and sources of wood, medicines and energy. While the loss of individual species catches our attention, it is the degradation and loss of forests, wetlands, coral reefs, and other ecosystems that is the gravest threat to biodiversity. Forests are home for much of the known tree, plant and animal biodiversity, but about 45 per cent of the Earth's original forests are gone, mostly cleared during the last century.

Unsustainable use of our ecosystems and the over-exploitation of our forests continue to be a major threat. Many species of trees, plants and animals from the forestland are used by humans to fulfill basic needs. These species are in a state of decline because they are being used at unsustainable levels or are being harvested in such a way that threatens the ecosystems on which they depend.
The website for the year of biodiversity can be found at: http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/ .

Gardening For Earth Day - April 22, 2010

2010-04-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

This year is the 40th anniversary of celebrating Earth Day. If you haven’t done anything to celebrate Earth Day in the past, this year might be a good year to start. You can start with something small like planting a container garden or at least preparing the container for gardening. Or you can go for something bigger like preparing a spot in your backyard for a vegetable garden. Planting a small garden is good for you and for the earth. If you do not have a backyard (apartments) then perhaps taking part in the local community garden might benefit you.

A community garden is an inexpensive way for people to work together to grow their own food. Community gardens are usually located in neighbourhoods where people can drop by and participate. The community garden in Amherst is located just off Veno Avenue across the street from Dickey Park. This land was donated by a community member.

A community Garden allows for the exchange of ideas, the sharing of gardening tips and provides varying levels of expertise. Growing your own food is a great method to build food security in our communities, promote active living and encouraging people to work outdoors. Again, planting a garden plot is both good for you and for the earth.

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd. This day is a shout out for everyone to learn and appreciate more about what we have locally. Earth Day is all about simple actions that everyone can take part in to lessen their impact on the environment.

Earth Day celebrations are usually carried out using a plant theme. Something related to nature or that would benefit our earth is the most successful way of celebrating Earth Day. The typical Earth Day celebration usually involves tree planting; however, planting or preparing for a garden is a fantastic way to celebrate your growing eco-activism.

The Amherst Community Garden will be open to anyone who expresses an interest. Half an acre of land has been divided into simple gardening plots which include raised bed gardening (for seniors or people with physical restrictions) and a conventional row garden. If you are interested in having a plot in the community garden you can contact me at the email address below or contact the Poverty Action Committee 667-3319. A donation to the Poverty Action Committee is the only suggested cost for a plot in the garden.

One other item of note: This week is National Wildlife Week from April 4th to April 10th. Perhaps a hike in the bird sanctuary or any other area that you can get into to see wildlife would be a great family adventure.

Earth Hour to Earth Day

2010-04-02T05:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was Earth Hour. This is an annual conservation of energy event that takes place globally. Each year many cities and individuals turn off their lights, and any appliances that are not being used, to take a stand against climate change. However, Earth Hour is just a prelude to Earth Day which is also held annually on April 22nd.

Last Saturday, millions of people in some of the world's largest cities united and switched off their lights for one hour for Earth Hour - sending a powerful national and global message to take global action on global warming. Events like Earth Hour will send a strong signal that people all around the world are deeply concerned and expect their leaders to take action before it’s too late.

Climate change is a global challenge that requires global solutions and it’s clear that the people of this planet, that chose to participate in Earth Hour, are ready to get involved and help government find the answers.

The one thing that makes Earth Hour a unique event is that it brings together governments, business and individuals, who all play a part in switching off the lights. Working together, individual households alongside of the world’s most iconic landmarks can make an impact in the fight against climate change.

Canada was a driving force last year in the global Earth Hour movement with more than half the adult Canadian population turning out their lights. This year, we had more cities and towns signed up than any other country.

Each of us can and must play a part in reducing and solving global warming. If each of us does at least the little things that are within our power, it will add up to millions of small things and make a real difference.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/emeryvine, or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15719298

2010-04-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15719298

CBC News - Prince Edward Island - Summerside linking smart meters to wind

2010-03-31T06:03:00.000-07:00

CBC News - Prince Edward Island - Summerside linking smart meters to wind

Earth Hour Shanghai Pictures

2010-03-27T09:05:00.001-07:00

Earth Hour Shanghai Pictures

Posted using ShareThis

Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

In case you have not noticed from the change in weather the month of March is always associated with the season of Spring. In North America the first day of the Spring season was last weekend (March 20th). Let’s keep our optimism up that the warming trend will continue as last winter we had a severe ice storm close to Easter.

Severe weather most often occurs during the Spring, when warm air begins to invade from lower latitudes while cold air is still pushing from the Polar Regions. Flooding is also common during this time of year due to snowmelt, many times accelerated by warm rains. The one thing that we can count on during this season is the awakening of nature – and allergies.

This year, Earth Hour is March 27, 2010 from 8:30 to 9:30pm. Since the climate change conference in Copenhagen did not ratify a new agreement between the world leaders regarding climate change, this year the celebration of Earth Hour becomes a very important action to tell world leaders that we want action taken on climate change.

Earth Hour is more than just switching off your lights for one hour, once a year. It is about giving people a voice for the future of our Earth and sending the message to our political leaders that action must be taken in regards to climate change. Canada is in the spotlight this year as Prime Minister Harper will be hosting the next meeting of the G20 Countries where the talks on climate change must continue.

As individuals you probably wonder if the small changes that you make really make a difference. While at the global level the problem seems unsolvable. If you do your part, by one simple action, like turning off the lights for one hour and encouraging others to do the same, can make a difference. Simple actions can add up fast if we all do them.

Everyone will have to take part in this initiative, governments, businesses, industries and each one of us. Reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that you create can be as simple as lowering your thermostat, unplugging any unused appliances or chargers or walking to work. After all, actions speak louder than words.

Here are some simple tips on how to make and environmental difference every day of the year:

1. Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store.
2. Hang your clothes to dry instead of using a dryer. Take advantage of the Spring air.
3. Try to eat local food which does not have to travel for thousands of miles and is over packaged.
4. Join your local community garden to grow some food for yourself or to share with others.

For more information regarding Earth Hour you can go to their website at: http://www.EarthHourCanada.org.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/emeryvine, or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Spring Cleaning Workshop

2010-03-24T04:58:00.000-07:00

In case you have not noticed from the change in weather the month of March is always associated with the season of Spring. In North America the first day of the Spring season was yesterday afternoon (March 20th).

There are two events that everyone seems to take part in at this time of the year. The first is the changing of their clocks; remember Spring Forward one hour and the second is the Spring Cleaning of their homes.

Natural, Green, Eco-friendly, Botanical… You will find these words on many product labels. But in fact, there are no legal definitions for these words. Often manufacturers of hazardous products dress up their containers with pretty pictures of flowers and fruit to play on our desire for more natural products.

Some companies will list ingredients as being derived from plants, like coconut or corn. But the plant may have gone through so many chemical processes, sometimes involving toxic solvents, that the resulting ingredient bears little resemblance to the original plant material. Natural is not always non-toxic. Some natural ingredients can have harmful effects.

It’s important to know how to read a label. Note: Ingredient lists may not contain all ingredients. On some product only the “active” ingredients, those whose primary purpose is to achieve the main objective of the product, may be listed. Other ingredients which may have harmful health effects may not be listed at all. In Canada, manufacturers are not required to list ingredients on labels of personal care products or household cleaning products.

Many ingredients in household cleaning products become airborne and become part of the air we breathe at home, at work and in schools. Any substance which is airborne can have an impact through inhalation. Some substances are volatile in any state, others become airborne when heat is applied, and still others become airborne when used as sprays. Aerosol sprays are of particular concern, as the particles they produce are very small.

Chemicals can become airborne either as tiny particles, as gases or as vapours. Inhalation of particles depends upon their size and shape; the smaller the particle, the further into the respiratory tract it can penetrate.
Many of the products used to clean homes include ingredients that are harmful to people and the environment. Choosing less toxic cleaners does not have to be expensive. Using ingredients that are in most people’s homes already can be a safe, inexpensive and effective way to clean all areas of the home; and they can be easily made.

Safe Cleaning Ingredients
• Baking soda – Is an odor absorber and a mild abrasive. Can also be sprinkled on carpets just before vacuuming to remove odors.
• Lemons or lemon juice found in most kitchens, the strong citrus scent is great at removing odors.
• Vinegar – Will remove grease, soap scum and mineral deposits and also acts as a deodorizer. Can be used effectively on windows and mirrors. Be sure to use white, distilled vinegar.

An All Purpose Cleaner
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle to clean counter tops, floors, walls or carpet.
• ½ cup of vinegar and 1 cup to 1 quart of warm water. A Litre of vinegar only costs $1.99.
• Dissolve 4 Tablespoons of baking soda in one quart of warm water.

Laundry
Instead of fabric softener, use ½ cup of baking soda in the rinse cycle. Or one to two cups of vinegar in the rinse cycle will also soften and deodorize fabrics. You can use a piece of aluminum foil in the dryer to help remove static cling. Equal Parts vinegar and water can be used to remove tough stains such as grass, perspiration, rust, coffee, wine, beer or pet stains among others.

Carpet Cleaner.
Carpet cleaners can contain perchloroethylene, a known human carcinogen which can have immediate central nervous system (CNS) effects including dizziness, sleepiness, nausea, tremors and disorientation as well as long term CNS effects. Carpet cleaners may also include butyl cellosolve, a central nervous system toxin, propylene glycol methyl ether which is an eye, skin and respiratory irritant, and they may also include detergents which can irritate skin.

A homemade alternative may include: Mix 1/4 cup each of salt, borax and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours then vacuum. You can ask commercial carpet cleaning companies to clean using only water and baking soda, steam, or club soda. Chem-Dry Cleaners in the Halifax area uses less toxic cleaning solutions for carpets and upholstery.

Note: Baking soda removes odours from your refrigerator but it will also soak up odours from your carpet. You can sprinkle a little on before vacuuming.

Air Freshener:
Far from freshening air, chemical-based air fresheners and deodorizers add dangerous chemicals to the air we breathe. Air fresheners work by using a nerve-deadening chemical that interferes with our sense of smell, by coating nasal passage with an oily film, by masking an offending odour with a different odour, or by deactivating the odour.

Some solid deodorizers include the pesticide paradichlorobenzene, a carcinogen which can also cause liver and kidney damage. Aerosol air fresheners release chemicals as tiny particles which can be inhaled deeply into lungs and transferred into the blood stream. Plug in air fresheners break chemicals into even smaller particles.The key to freshening air is to remove or dilute the offending odor (by cleaning, ventilation or absorption), not to cover it with another chemical.

Some alternatives may include:
• Baking soda in an open container will absorb odours in enclosed spaces.
• Zeolite, a mineral, will absorb odors as well as heavy metals
• Simmer water and cinnamon or other spices on stove.
• Place bowls of fragrant dried herbs and flowers in room.
• Green leaf plants can also filter interior air

Add a little greenery. Install a living air filter—houseplants! Some of the most efficient air-cleaning houseplants include Spider plants, English ivy, rubber plants, and peace lilies. You’ll need 15 to 18 medium-sized (6 to 8-inch diameter container) houseplants for the average 1,800 square foot house. If that sounds like a lot, place a few plants in the room where you spend the most time.

Dusting:
Removing dust and dust mites is important, as they are a common trigger of allergic reactions. It's important to dust in a way that really removes dust, rather than raising it into the air where it will resettle later.
• Microfibre cloths are excellent for dusting. They are untreated and reusable.
• The soft attachment on a vacuum can be used to remove dust from hard surfaces, the small hard attachment can be used on upholstered furniture, drapes and mattresses. Make sure the vacuum you use doesn't release particle ridden air into the room.
• Dust with a damp lint-free cloth. Or mix 1 teaspoon olive oil with 1/4 cup vinegar and apply with soft cloth.

Glass Cleaners:
Most glass cleaners are made of ammonia, a strong irritant, and coal tar dyes. Aerosol products create small particles which are more likely to be inhaled or irritate eyes. Consumer Reports found plain water to be more effective than half the glass cleaners on the market.

Some home-made alternatives may include:
Eyeglass Cleaner
A microfibre eyeglass cloth and plain water does an excellent streak-free job and eliminates the need for any chemical cleaners.
Window Cleaner II
A half-and-half mixture of water and vinegar poured into a refillable non-aerosol spray bottle.Lemon juice can be substituted for vinegar for those who cannot tolerate vinegar.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
Sprinkle baking soda into the toilet bowl and add vinegar. Let sit for a couple of minutes before cleaning with a toilet brush.
Drain Cleaner
- 125 ml baking soda
- 1 cup white vinegar
- Boiling water
Pour baking soda down the drain and follow with vinegar. Cover the drain. A few minutes later, pour boiling water down the drain to clear.

Ditch the paper towels. Save trees, cash and landfill waste. You can buy specially-made, washable cleaning and dusting cloths (in all types of fabrics from cotton to microfiber). But better yet? Use what you already have and give an old piece of cloth (stained towels, ratty sheets and pillowcases, too-small T-shirts, etc.) a new life. Simply cut or tear your old item into smaller squares (if you want to get fancy, finish the edges with a sewing machine), and voila! Pop them in the washing machine with your laundry to clean, and use them again and again.

Cleaning up your home for spring doesn’t have to be dirty work. When you implement some of these ideas and products, you can rest assured that you’re benefiting your body, your home and the planet all at once.

In conclusion I would like to say that Vinegar and baking soda will clean almost everything. If you add warm water you will have an all purpose cleaner. Lemon juice can act as a cleanser as well. Also you should note that if you add a little red die to your vinegar and baking soda you can make a volcano for your kids.

Erin Go Braugh

2010-03-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

The saying above means Ireland forever. Even people in our midst that are not Irish tend to enjoy the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day. People wear green, decorate with green shamrocks and even drink green beer. Do you know what happens if you do not wear green on St. Patrick’s Day – You get a pinch. However, if you were to pinch a person that is wearing green you can get pinched back by that person ten times over.

So why is it only one day of the year that everyone thinks green? I am not suggesting that you dress like a leaperchaun everyday. My only question is, if you can think green for one day, why not everyday?

The Dictionary definition of green is: a colour between blue and yellow; concerned with environmental issues; unripe; envious, immature or gullible. When it comes to being “green”, which of these descriptions would you choose?

Helping to change the world by going green is one of the most important items on the agenda for 2010, and since St. Patrick’s Day is here perhaps you can celebrate by going green! This St. Patrick’s Day, the “wearing of the green” takes on more significance than ever. The earth’s climate is changing. Resources such as fresh water are under pressure. The Kyoto Protocol is about to expire with no real solution after the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen back in December.

Why not take going green to heart and plant something in your garden or plant a tree. If you are concerned about your carbon footprint you can plant trees to help offset the carbon dioxide you tend to generate annually; however, it may take more than just a couple of sprigs to do this. Another thought regarding planting is to scatter some clover seed in your garden area or lawn area. It is attractive, bee-friendly and helps hold moisture in the soil.

Did you know that the first scientific article linking the burning of fossil fuels to global warming was published in 1896 by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Svante Arrhenius. Also, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are higher today than at any time in measurable history.

St. Patrick's Day can be a lot of fun, and it can be more then just Irish green, when you go environmentally green with your St. Patrick's Day. Admittedly, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t the most elevated of occasions. It’s a tip of the hat and a green beer to Ireland and its national patron — and an opportunity for everyone, Irish or not, to have a bit of fun.

This year, why not let your St. Patrick’s Day celebration include making eco-friendly choices that can leave you with a clean (green) conscience, too? On a final note, celebrate responsibly “Don’t Drink and Drive”!

Our Feverish Planet Needs a Cure, Now!

2010-03-11T03:46:00.000-08:00

Global warming is real and it’s affecting earth and everything on it, which includes each and every one of us!

The alarm bells are sounding loudly; however, just because the alarm bells are ringing does not mean we should panic. We need to continue to deliver this message and hope that people begin to wake up to what is happening so we can prepare and start adjusting for the future.

It is now common knowledge that the things that affect our global environment stem from human activities. In this country, the modern things that we take for granted do not make us privileged, they make us naive. In our daily lives, we make choices that have a profound affect on all of us. There is no corner of the earth that man hasn't touched in some way and sadly, that man hasn't attempted to exploit.

It is very important that we conserve and protect the things that we rely on to survive. This would include our fresh water supply, clean air, productive farmland and the biodiversity of our forestland. All of these things are related. We can not protect our water supply without protecting our forests and wetlands. We can not protect biodiversity without protecting the animals of our forests and having productive farmland. Everything is equal and everything is related.

Reducing our footprint on the environment is a virtue but not entirely seen as an obligation by most people? It is only with a sense of purpose, understanding and responsibility that great things are achieved. As a society, as well as on a personal front, we are obligated to succeed in achieving what we need to sustain us and protecting the things we value.

According to Nova Scotia’s Department of Environment, climate change is more than a warming trend. The increasing temperatures will lead to changes in many aspects of our weather, such as wind patterns, the amount and type of precipitation, and the types and frequency of severe weather events that may be expected to occur in our province. Such climate change could have far-reaching and unpredictable environmental, social and economic consequences.

Low-lying and coastal areas face the risks associated with rising sea levels. Increasing temperatures will cause oceans to expand (After all, water expands as it warms), and will melt glaciers and ice cover over land – ultimately increasing the volume of water in the world's oceans.

In Canada such environmental stresses could cause problems with where we grow our food and how we transport it. The stress will also cause changes in infrastructure and community designs and regional vuneralbility. We are not prepared for any of this!!

What will happen if the dykes on the Tantramar marshes give way to Bay of Fundy. Most of the marsh will be under water and Nova Scotia could become an island.

Nova Scotia and New Orleans are areas that have important highway and rail infrastructure located on or behind dike systems that will provide progressively less protection unless raised on an ongoing basis. Strengthening our dyke system may be the only way to avert disaster.

Climate Change. What does it really mean? How will climate change affect Nova Scotia? How much of what we hear is real and how much is speculation? Climate change is real, and we are beginning to experience a gradual increase of its impacts. This might come in the form of increasingly extreme weather, droughts, flooding on the marsh and in towns like Oxford, and of course coastal erosion. How can we be proactive against such an enormous global threat? By taking action now, to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and by preparing for, and adapting to – climate change.

In Nova Scotia, we can expect warmer than average temperatures, higher sea levels, more extreme rainfalls storm flooding, and more-frequent and extreme storms. Some native plants and animals might be unable to survive our new climatic conditions. The maple sugar industry has already been in the news regarding the huge impact climate change will have on it. Higher water temperatures may render marine animals such as salmon and cod vulnerable.

Preparing for a changing climate poses particular challenges in Nova Scotia because most of our population lives along the coastline and much of our infrastructure is located in vulnerable areas. Many players will be responsible for adapting to climate change, including: the provincial government, municipal governments, the federal government, private industry, as well as communities and individuals throughout Nova Scotia. Education should be a major focus.

Our schools must continue to educate about climate change, a cleaner environment, and sustainable prosperity, so that our future generations can better cope with these issues. Communities need to understand climate change so they can prepare for expected changes.

Many reputable scientists believe that climate change is real. They also believe that humans are responsible for much of the change in our climate and the impact of climate change could be disastrous.

If these scientists are right and we do not take action to help slow down climate change, many people could die. If they are right and we do take action we will end up spending a lot of money on things that will be sustainable such as restoring our forests, reducing our usage of fossil fuels and cleaning up our air quality. Is any part of that bad?

Daylight Savings Time

2010-03-11T03:45:00.000-08:00

Every Spring we move our clocks one hour ahead and "lose" an hour of sleep during the night and then each Fall we move our clocks back one hour and "gain" the extra hour of sleep back again. At 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, we set our clocks forward one hour ahead of standard time. The phrase "Spring forward, fall back" helps people remember how Daylight Saving Time works and how to set their clocks.

Daylight Savings Time was first enacted in Germany in 1915, then quickly adopted by Britain and much of Europe and Canada. Daylight Saving Time was also set up in the United States during World War 1 in order to save energy for war production by taking advantage of the later hours of daylight between April and October.

The United States enacted that the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November as Daylight Savings Time, with the hope that it would save 10,000 barrels of oil each day through reduced use of power by businesses during daylight hours. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine energy savings from Daylight Saving Time based on a variety of factors. It is possible that little or no energy is saved by Daylight Saving Time

Previously, Canada had observed Daylight Saving Time from the first Sunday in April until the last Sunday in October. However, through legislation passed in 2006, Daylight Saving Time now begins three weeks earlier on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

This change in Daylight Saving Time kept Canada's Daylight Saving Time pattern consistent with the United States which enacted into law a broad energy bill that extended Daylight Saving Time in the same manner. The change was aimed at trying to help save energy, since people aren't expected to need their lights on as early in the evening. But there is still some debate about whether the change reduces energy consumption.

The theory being, since the sun shone for a time while most people were asleep, it was reasoned that light would be better used during the day. The solution was to push the clocks ahead one hour in springtime, forcing people to wake an hour earlier. They would then supposedly use less energy trying to light their homes. In this example, time is adjusted to suit their daily patterns. When the days start getting shorter in the Fall and people awaken to increasing darkness, the clocks are turned back an hour to get more light in the morning.

On the topic of lighting and time – Earth Hour is March 27th from 8:30 to 9:30pm. Turn off your lights for one hour and show your support for a sustainable future.

Earth Hour Nova Scotia 2010

2010-03-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

Dawn Saves Wildlife

2010-03-03T05:35:00.000-08:00

Whenever wildlife comes into contact with oil pollution the animal is at serious risk. For birds in particular the oil will destroy the intricate layer of feathers that then exposes them to extremes in temperature. When they try to get the sludge off with their beaks, they risk poisoning themselves. Only a single drop of oil can be deadly for some birds. If the oil isn’t removed quickly, they will die.

Dawn dishwashing liquid has been an essential tool to wildlife conservation organizations for the last 30 years. For 30 years, wildlife rescuers have used Dawn dishwashing liquid to gently remove oil and help save wildlife affected by oil spills. Animal rescue organizations prefer Dawn because it removes the greasy oil and is gentle on delicate feathers and skin. You may remember seeing TV commercials with the bird covered in oil and being washed gently in what looks like a kitchen sink with Dawn.

The next time you’re at the grocery store to buy a bottle of Special Edition Dawn a donation of one dollar will be sent to wildlife conservation organizations. In order to get this donation to them you can simply go online to dawnsaveswildlife.com and activate your donation using the eleven digit bottle donation code printed at the base of the back of your bottle. The number that you use is not the bar code but the number that is imprinted into the bottle. You follow this up with your postal code and the name of the store you bought it in. Then one dollar will be donated to wildlife conservation organizations, transforming you into an Everyday Wildlife Champion.

Dawn is only one aspect of many successful wildlife rescues. The lives of birds and other animals affected by environmental issues are saved largely due to the heroic efforts of many dedicated volunteers. One of readers of this column, Dorritt Amos, sent me this tip along with this advice – The small print and the imprinted number at the base of the bottle are hard to see without good eyes and just the right lighting; however, if your purpose in buying this particular product is to help save wildlife you need to be aware of this information. I think this makes Dorritt an Everyday Wildlife Champion.

On another note: I have a Big Thank You for all of the Great Backyard Bird Count Bird Watchers!

According to a note I received, The 2010 GBBC has been one of the most exciting so far. As of (Feb. 24th), nearly 91,000 checklists have been submitted and they’re still coming in. So far, the Northern Cardinal is the most-reported bird across the U.S. and Canada, as it has been for the previous five years. In Canada alone, the Black-capped Chickadee tops the list. The American Crow is higher on the list of most-reported birds (number 3 right now) than it has been since the West Nile virus appeared in North America and took such a toll on this species.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Celebrating women in sport - Local - News - The Amherst Daily News

2010-03-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

Celebrating women in sport - Local - News - The Amherst Daily News

Let's support all women for International Women's Day.

The Amherst Citizen: News | Rising tide

2010-02-26T05:58:00.000-08:00

The Amherst Citizen: News | Rising tide

Even though Mr. Casey is ambivelant about Global Warming and Climate Change being the cause of the waters rising. He still heralds a warning of what we can expect in the future if we do not adapt and fix the dykes.

The Sustainable Olympics

2010-02-25T08:47:00.000-08:00

When the Games were held in Beijing, China made a pledge to the International Olympic Committee to achieve the World Health Organization standards for urban air quality in time for their 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

This year, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics committee is also under enormous pressure to present a “green face” to the world. Along with sport and culture, the environment was one of the three pillars of the Olympic movement this year; and part of its campaign was to encourage the Vancouver Olympic organizers (VANOC) to make the 2010 games carbon neutral.

Vancouver is hosting the world's biggest winter event with many types of winter venues, from skiing to skating to hockey and several sports which look death defying. Let us not forget the “green zamboni” which keeps breaking down and putting a hold on the indoor ice sports. In retrospect, the Vancouver Olympic Committee has tried to make things as sustainable as possible with the unpredictable weather and equipment failures.

In 2011, Nova Scotia will be hosting the Jeux Canada Winter Games. Most of the events will be held in Halifax; however, the skiing will be at Wentworth and Martock. I wonder if the organizers of this event will put effort into a more sustainable carbon neutral Games.

Non Toxic Cleaning Supplies for Food Bank

2010-02-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

Members of the Poverty Action Committee will be at the Food Bank in Amherst on February 10th and the 17th to begin a new program regarding more affordable and environmentally friendly cleaning supplies.

Many of the products used to clean homes include ingredients that are harmful to people and the environment. Choosing less toxic cleaners does not have to be expensive. Using ingredients that are in most people’s homes already can be a safe, inexpensive and effective way to clean all areas of the home; and they can be easily made.

Safe Cleaning Ingredients

• Baking soda – Is an odor absorber and a mild abrasive. Can also be sprinkled on carpets just before vacuuming to remove odors.
• Lemons or lemon juice found in most kitchens, the strong citrus scent is great at removing odors.
• Vinegar – Will remove grease, soap scum and mineral deposits and also acts as a deodorizer. Can be used effectively on windows and mirrors. Be sure to use white, distilled vinegar.

An All Purpose Cleaner

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle to clean counter tops, floors, walls or carpet.
• ½ cup of vinegar and 1 cup to 1 quart of warm water. A Litre of vinegar only costs $1.99.
• Dissolve 4 Tablespoons of baking soda in one quart of warm water.
Laundry

Instead of fabric softener, use ½ cup of baking soda in the rinse cycle. Or one to two cups of vinegar in the rinse cycle will also soften and deodorize fabrics. You can use a piece of aluminum foil in the dryer to help remove static cling. Equal Parts vinegar and water can be used to remove tough stains such as grass, perspiration, rust, coffee, wine, beer or pet stains among others.

Anyone wishing to donate these safer cleaning products can deliver them to Maggie’s Place.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

2010-02-10T05:46:00.000-08:00

Bird watchers coast to coast are invited to take part in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2010. Last year, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online, creating the continent's largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on any one of the four days, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.

Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report their counts, they fill out an online checklist at the website, www.birdcount.org.

Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

“Taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun, and help birds—all at the same time," said Audubon Education Vice President, Judy Braus during an interview regarding Birdcount 2010. "Even if you can only identify a few species you can provide important information that enables scientists to learn more about how the environment is changing and how that affects our conservation priorities.”

Scientists can learn from the patterns of migration of birds as well as developing trends that can be used to study the birds that may be affected by factors such as global climate change and disease.

“The GBBC is a perfect first step towards the sort of intensive monitoring needed to discover how birds are responding to environmental change,” said Janis Dickinson, the director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab. “Winter is such a vulnerable period for birds, so winter bird distributions are likely to be very sensitive to change. There is only one way—citizen science—to gather data on private lands where people live and GBBC has been doing this across the continent for many years. GBBC has enormous potential both as an early warning system and in capturing and engaging people in more intensive sampling of birds across the landscape.”

For more information about the GBBC, visit the website at www.birdcount.org. Or contact Bird Studies Canada at 1- (888)- 448-2473 ext. 134 or gbbc@birdscanada.org. If you do not have a computer to record your statistics please call Lisa Emery at 667-1424 and I will send in your statistics for you.

What Does Going Green Really Mean?

2010-02-03T04:06:00.000-08:00

The phrase "going green" has grown to mean adapting your lifestyle so as to do less damage to the environment and our earth. It can also refer to many different approaches on how to make this earth a better place. The larger goal, of course, is to be less of a burden on the environment and our local communities. And with energy costs on a steep curve upward, it helps to reduce costs too.

The movement is really quite quiet, with little steps here and there - on the people’s side items such as fewer lights on, mugs not paper cups, car-pooling, double sided printing, less printing, making notes on scrap paper (of which there is lots), shutting monitors and desk lighting off at the office. These are all small steps. They are also steps in the right direction. Nothing to drastic, or to costly, but steps that can be sustainable. This is not like a diet, but merely a lifestyle change.

The truth is that everything single thing we do every day has an impact on the planet -- good or bad. The good news is that as an individual you have the power to control most of your choices and, therefore, the impact you create: from where you live to what you buy, eat, and use to light your home to where and how you vacation, to how you shop or vote, you can have global impact.

Are you green? This is an innocent yet powerful question to ask yourself. In the marketing of products for the global economy (which is bad to begin with), you may have discovered that the desire to “go green” far outweighs the need or commitment to do so. With regard to premiums and giveaways, most marketing professionals jump at a new eco-friendly item only to sit down when the price tag comes out. On the other side of the coin, the companies making these products are only doing so for the eco selling point. This means that the percent of the product that is “green” is only what the law says it needs to be…usually just 51% of the material. The question then remains: Are these really eco products and do they even offer any benefit besides the “green” branding they come with? This is one problem that enticed a reader of the Globe and Mail to send a letter to the editor stating, “ if one more corporation declares itself green or going green I am going to start burning tires in my backyard”. I understand his anger and confusion.

Going green needs to be cheaper or at least more cost effective. There are simple tips to help each of us be a little greener without spending a lot of money to “go green”. You can do simple things around the house such as turning off appliances while not in use and turning of lights when you leave a room.

You can also avoid buying unnecessary or overly packaged goods. Some of the things we bought at Christmas would have been in plastic packaging. Did you find yourself hunting through the house looking for a machete to open it? Then what – you throw out the packaging which is extremely harmful to the environment. You can also refuse to take any extra pieces of paper when you are shopping or the things that fast food places put in your take away bag. These are all simple things to help make your life a little greener.

The Pull of the Moon during Perigee and Syzygy on January 30, 2010

2010-01-28T04:53:00.000-08:00

The coastal flooding during the first week of January along the Northumberland shore was unusually severe because it coincided with an astronomical event called the perigean syzygy. A tidal effect will get stronger when syzygy and perigee occur close together. Maximal tide raising forces occur only when the Sun and Moon are in direct mutual alignment. This occurs at syzygy (either full Moon or new Moon). This usually occurs when the moon is at the closest approach to the Earth or at perigee.

During the full and new Moon, the greatest difference between high and low tide water levels occurs. If the Moon is at perigee, the closest it approaches Earth in its orbit, the tides are especially high and low.

The changing distance of the Moon from the Earth also affects tide heights. When the Moon is at perigee the range is increased, and when it is at apogee the range is reduced. Perigee coincides with either a new or full moon causing perigean tides with the largest tidal range. If a storm happens to be moving onshore at this time, the consequences (in the form of property damage, etc.) can be especially severe.

Remember the Saxby Gale occurred during a perigean Spring Tide: Named not for the season of Spring, but from the German springen (to leap up). This tide that is of increased range occurs at the two times of syzygy each month during the full or new Moon.

According to letter to the editor written by Ivan Smith from Canning, Nova Scotia which appeared in the Chronicle Herald,

The near future is interesting. A more powerful perigean syzygy will occur during the wee hours on Jan. 30, 2010, when syzygy and perigee will be less than three hours apart. If an intense (low barometric pressure) storm should happen to form during the last weekend of this month, coastal communities can expect serious flooding to occur at the time of high tide.

The Farmer’s Almanac says that we are in for snow and stormy weather for the last weekend in January. The moon, which has a strange but real pull on the Earth, its oceans and the human psyche, will possibly show its real force on the ocean’s tides at the end of the month of January when its tug will be a tad stronger than usual. Can we expect another severe storm and tidal surge? That is the question.

Climate Change and the Earthquake in Haiti

2010-01-20T04:17:00.000-08:00

Climate change is one of the most crucial global problems of our century and when we discuss about the climate, we're most likely to touch on wider implications such as natural disasters.

Two scientists from Purdue University took seismic readings in Haiti along the Enriquillo Fault and warned Haitian officials back in 2008 that the island was vulnerable to a major earthquake of 7.2 magnitude. Pressure was building along the fault line. The problem is the warning didn’t come with a timeline and even if it did, a country like Haiti was highly unlikely to be able to move and coordinate fast enough to shore up important buildings like government, hospitals, and schools. So… nothing was done.

Tuesday’s earthquake is actually the fifteenth natural disaster to hit the island nation since 2001. Other equally devastating events in Haiti include major floods due to the deforestation, and killer tropical storms and hurricanes. Although all of these events are due to natural causes the events that cause Haiti to be in a constant state of catastrophe are the poor building standards, poverty, unstable government and environmental degradation.

This latest devastating event is a wake-up call to us to pay attention to our environment from the smallest to the most significant of ways. It may not stop other natural disasters from occurring completely but it may lessen the rate and magnitude of disasters. Haiti is one of the many Islands that does not have adequate necessities needed to defend themselves during extreme weather events and disasters such as the earthquake that hit last Tuesday.

Actor, Danny Glover was quoted as saying, “I hope we seize this particular moment because the threat of what happened to Haiti is the threat that could happen anywhere in the Caribbean to these island nations, you know. They're all in peril because of global warming, they're all in peril because of climate change. An interesting viewpoint until he went on to say that the devestation was caused in Haiti because the world’s governments did not finish what they needed to in Copenhagen during the Climate Confernce in December. That is where he lost me.

There really has not been a link established between climate change and Tuesday’s earthquake. One thing that we do know is that the burning of fossil fuels is altering the climate, which in turn, increases the likelihood that more natural disasters will occur, and may lead to reconstruction or relocation of entire cities if the climate change predictions from scientists are to be believed.

Hopefully we will begin to listen to the majority of scientists worldwide that for climate change is real and we need to address it now. Haitian officials were concerned about the possibility of an earthquake but with so many other problems the warnings of even more disastrous events that may or may not happen soon were put on the back burner. Sound familiar?

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Peigean Syzygy and Storm Surge

2010-01-13T04:47:00.000-08:00

The coastal flooding along the Northumberland Shore during the first week of January was the worst flooding ever seen in the area. Scientist have been warning us for a long time that this could happen and it has; however, I am sure that we have not seen the worst of climate change yet.

This coastal flooding was unusually severe because it coincided with an astronomical event called the perigean syzygy. A tidal effect will get stronger when syzygy and perigee occur close together. Maximal tide raising forces occur only when the Sun and Moon are in direct mutual alignment. This occurs at syzygy (either full Moon or new Moon), provided also that the Moon or Sun be in eclipse with the Earth. This usually occurs when the moon is at the closest approach to the Earth or at perigee. Remember the Saxby Gale occurred during a perigean Spring tide.

Climate change is causing the see level to rise everywhere along our coast. The sea level is rising for a combination of reasons. These include a general rise in average sea level since the last ice age, regional subsidence, or sinking of land relative to the sea, and global warming associated with climate change.

We can expect this rise in sea level to have many effects, both on the biological and physical environments, as well as an effect on the human environment. Research shows that much of Nova Scotia’s coast will feel the effects of sea level rise, with the Atlantic-facing shoreline being particularly sensitive.

The phenomenon of storm surge is particularly important, because it causes waves to pile water or in the case of last week, ice to pile onshore, creating a higher possibility of damage. Storm surges occur when seawater is driven onshore by a storm’s high winds and low pressure. The highest storm surges tend to occur along the province’s Northumberland Shore, along western Cape Breton, and at the head of the Bay of Fundy.

Projections by researchers show that because of climate change, tropical storms in the Northern Hemisphere will get more intense and track farther north than before. This result, combined with the rise in sea level, means that a storm’s consequences to the coast will be much greater than before.

The areas at greatest risk include
• areas that are low lying, such as Acadian dykelands including the Tantramar marsh
• areas with frequent storm conditions and high storm-surge potential
• areas with coastal infrastructure and property
• areas of sensitive ecology
• areas of rapid coastal erosion

To read more about the state of the province’s coast, visit the website at ww.gov.ns.ca/coast.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Biomass - You have got to be kidding me!!

2010-01-06T05:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Did you see the full moon on New Year’s Eve? That was the second full moon of the month of December and therefore is called the blue moon. That was just an interesting tidbit of information for you.

At the end of my last column for the year (2009) I mentioned our forests being used for biomass – You have got to be kidding me.

Nova Scotia is not ready to add an increase in harvesting trees for biomass to our already stressed forests. Our forests have already been degraded by the abundance of harvesting and clearcutting. Also, the diversity and of both trees and wildlife is at risk in many areas including the Chignecto Game Sanctuary and other wooded areas here in Cumberland County.

Burning wood to produce energy is not inherently detrimental, and can in fact provide environmental benefits over the use of fossil fuels. The available science is clear that stand-wide whole-tree harvesting and removal of deadwood has significant detrimental impacts on soil nutrients, wildlife habitat and forest carbon storage.

In the Maritimes, fossil fuels may be replaced as existing companies introduce biomass energy into their power supply, as home owners switch to wood-based heating, and as new companies emerge to create wood pellets and other products to supply the growing demand for biofuels.

However, the aggressive harvesting of trees for biomass from forests poses a fundamental threat to the health and productivity of forest ecosystems. In terms of sustainable forest management, leaving tree tops, branches and foliage, left after logging, in the forest, along with maintaining standing and fallen dead trees, are two of the easiest and most effective actions forest managers can take to promote biodiversity and sustain a healthy, resilient and productive forest.

Forestry officials use forest fires as a reason to clear out deadwood and other logging waste left behind. Forest fires are actually a natural part of a healthy forest. Forest fires get a bad rap. Too often, with all the focus on the damage they could cause, we forget that they're actually necessary to keep the forest healthy and growing. The build-up of vegetation in the forest can prevent seeds from germinating and stop the growth of new trees.

No forest has ever existed without having to cope with periodic fires. The most common natural cause of forest fires is probably lightning, though globally most fires are started by people. Fires are a natural way of clearing old growth, causing organic matter to decompose rapidly into mineral components which fuel rapid plant growth, and recycling essential nutrients, especially nitrogen.

Allowing and encouraging a market for forest biomass will accelerate the degradation of our forest, reducing both the economic and ecological value of our forests for the next generation.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Upset Mother Earth??

2010-01-04T05:39:00.000-08:00

Well, we certainly managed to do something or not do something to upset Mother Earth. In Cumberland County and in the Town of Amherst we had up to two feet of snow, rain, freezing rain, howling winds and a storm surge that caused a disaster area in some of the Northumberland Shore area. (Shades of the Saxby Gale).

I know it is hard too think Global Warming when you are up to your butt in snow; however, strange weather conditions that will eventually form patterns are all part of this concept - That is why people now refer to it as Climate Change.

We need to keep people educated and try to keep the government on top of all discussions regarding climate change. The Canadians were made a mockery of at the Copenhagen Conference because of our governments lax efforts to combat climate change and just following the lead of the United States.

There needs to be a development of our own policies that control carbon output for our country. Stay on top of your governmental leaders. Any suggestions regarding policy development for this country will always be helpful. Remember our children will inherit this earth after we are finished messing it up.

Happy New Year Mother Earth

2009-12-30T04:13:00.000-08:00

After contemplating all of the things that have occurred in the past year I decided to put together a top ten list of environmental facts that this column has covered in 2009 and some ideas that our local politicians can follow for 2010. Here it is:

10. The dikes on the marsh need to be rebuilt. This falls into the infrastructure category that both the federal and provincial governments are working on to help rebuild the economy. This is also a way to avert a disaster of severe flooding in the future.

9. Community Gardens - A community garden can be done anywhere there is a patch of soil and people wanting to get together and plant there own food. Community gardens are plots of land which are gardened by a group of people and they offer many benefits within the community. Community gardens provide access to fresh produce and plants as well as access to satisfying labour, neighborhood improvement, a sense of community and connection to the environment.

8. Financial Crisis vs. The Environmental Crisis - It is possible that we can overcome our economic and environmental challenges. The economic crisis is not separate from the resource crisis, which is not separate from the environmental crisis. We cannot consume our way out of the global economic crisis. Economic stimulus that aims to restart massive over consumption of the earth's resources is ultimately bound to fail, and cause more harm than good.

7. Swine Flu and climate change may be inextricably related. Both are the end results of unbridled economic growth and environmental degradation. The catastrophic impacts of climate change and unsustainable development can cause damage to human health. Climate Change may contribute to the accelerated occurrence of pandemics that may be attributed to global activities such as the economy, war and pollution.

6. Sustainable Development and a Sustainable Environment – According to author
Stephen Lewis who gave a lecture at Mount Allison in September, “there is the possibility of a catastrophic event between the years 2030 and 2050 which is unavoidable and will cause rising sea levels, environmental refugees, drought and the loss of food security everywhere”.

5. Global Warming - Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's surface. Global warming is real and it's affecting earth and everything on it. There are many reasons for this temperature rise, and big part of it is resulted from human activities. Things such as electricity that we use require burning of the fossil fuel. Another factor of global warming is the by- products of manufacturing and waste from the things we use and consume. This rising of temperature will give us hotter weather and strange weather patterns. This will, in turn decrease the living habitat for animals, increase the sea level that will cause many islands and shorelines to decrease in size, and will affect the growing of crops for consumption. We need to live smarter. We need to reduce reuse and recycle!

4. The Chignecto Game Sanctuary needs full wilderness protection. The Chignecto Game Sanctuary is more than a sanctuary for flora and fauna; it is also a sanctuary for people. The Chignecto Game Sanctuary is also the largest area of wilderness that remains in Cumberland County, but it is not being protected. Chignecto is home to old-growth forests, wild salmon rivers, and species at risk including the wood turtle, inner Bay of Fundy atlantic salmon, and the peregrine falcon. Wilderness protection means that the industrial activities such as mining and clear-cutting trees will have to stop within the borders of the newly protected area – not to keep people out. There should be a better balance between industry needs and what the forests and oceans can sustain. Jobs are certainly important but as with the fishing industry, clear-cutting poses as much harm to the forests as dragging the oceans for fish.

3. Climate Change - Climate change is real, and we are beginning to experience a gradual increase in its impacts. This might mean increasingly extreme weather (hot or cold), droughts, flooding on the marsh and in towns like Oxford, and erosion. Preparing for a changing climate poses particular challenges in Nova Scotia because most of our population lives along the coastline and much of our infrastructure is located in vulnerable areas; take the new waste water facility to be built on the marsh for example. Our schools must continue to educate about climate change, a cleaner environment, and sustainable prosperity, so future generations can better cope with these issues.

2. Copenhagen - Each country that attended the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December has been quick to point at that other countries will need to make big changes. USA is blaming China, China is blaming USA, everyone is blaming India and so on and so forth. Canada has been strongly criticized internationally for reneging on the Kyoto climate protocol and for refusing to sign on to a new deal limiting greenhouse gases unless developing nations are included. The Climate Change Conference wasn’t about forcing other countries to our will, it was about taking steps to protect our world and our future.

1. The use of our forests for biomass – You have got to be kidding me!!!

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Happy Holidays Mother Earth

2009-12-23T06:32:00.000-08:00

As we plan to sit down with family and friends this week to give thanks for all that we have, perhaps one of the biggest “Thank you” should go to Mother Earth for putting up with all of our blunders. Earth really has taken a lot of abuse from us humans and yet keeps providing for us and all the other species. It’s not an easy task and it keeps getting harder.
Today the threats to our environment are even clearer to see. The year is 2009 and the earth is in the midst of a dramatic climate change conference. Due to man’s domination of the planet and the carbon dioxide produced as a by product and flows into our atmosphere, everything we do adds up.

We live in a world where climate change, deforestation, holes in the ozone layer, water scarcity and air pollution are growing sources of concern. Finding a solution as individuals and as nations against the environmental crisis has never been greater.

My prayer to the World Leaders at Copenhagen is that every person there has the same dream about what will happen if all of us don't start taking care of each other and Mother Earth; and that every person on earth sees what they can do to help save humanity and Mother Earth.

It has been a long, difficult two weeks in Copenhagen. The protests, the stalling discussions, the walkouts, the deadlock, the deal or no deal...and while a preliminary accord has been reached, it is only a start, and a lot more work is needed to come up with a stable and comprehensive deal. It will take time to understand the full implications of the conference. An accord was hashed out in the final hours. But this is very clearly the beginning, not the end of discussions.

As you read this column, the winter solstice has come (December 21st) which was the pagan holiday that inevitably became Christmas. As you can read, I began the column with a greeting of Happy Holidays. “Happy Holidays” is simply a term that encompasses all of those celebrations we engage in during the months of December and January.

I am wishing the best for all of the celebrations. Therefore, those of you that celebrate Christmas have a happy, healthy and green Christmas and for those of you that celebrate a holiday of a different name or persuasion – Happy Holidays and health and happiness. For this is the season to celebrate that which you cherish the most: your faith in that which is greater than you, including Mother Earth.

The World Goes to Copenhagen Part lll - Truth or Consequences?

2009-12-16T04:44:00.000-08:00

This is the last few days that the world leaders are meeting for the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen. The theme of the December 7 – 18 conference is “Hope,” The conference in Copenhagen is strictly about science and in this context the world’s leading researchers are free to tell it like it is – particularly about the need for massive and rapid reductions of carbon.
The science is in but the media seems to be harping on an incident of hacked emails in which the truth was out. There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion.

This PR campaign could not be accomplished without the compliance of media. The world’s best-qualified scientists agree that climate is changing and that the burning of fossil fuels is mostly to blame. Although there is no debate in peer reviewed science journals, the well-funded and highly organized public relations campaign has left the impression – in mainstream media – of a lively and continuing scientific controversy.

The hacking of emails from a leading British climate research centre is an illegal act. The only issue that has to be dealt with as far as this occurrence is concerned is to find out who is behind it. The emails were hacked from computers at the University of East Anglia. As some of the emails seem to reflect attempts by mainstream scientists to block publication of articles by dissenting researchers, the affair has been dubbed “Climategate” by the media.

There is something else at play as well. This conference is outside of the confines of the Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change. When so-called skeptics call this process overly politicized, they are right – only in the wrong way. Many researchers have long complained that diplomats and politicians who draft the final wording of their assessments force them to be painfully conservative in their estimates and communications about our warming world.
A key working group under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change came up with a six-page text last Friday. The draft may form the core of a new global agreement to combat climate change beyond 2012, when the present framework, the Kyoto Protocol, expires. However, most figures in the text are shown in brackets – meaning that there is not yet agreement on these specifics. Most importantly, the draft states that emissions should be halved worldwide by 2050 compared to 1990 levels.

The stakes are high in this planetary game of pass the buck. Will we have the truth or have to deal with the consequences? As the clock runs down on the conference, our chances to turn this global emergency around could be diminishing by the day due to an over-inflated PR campaign called “climategate”.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

Copenhagen Protest Turns Violent, Hundreds Arrested (VIDEO)

2009-12-13T10:57:00.001-08:00

You are quite right Aliksa there is always someone in a crowd that can ruin or disrupt a grassroots movement. First climategate from the mainstream media and now the rest of the detractors are getting violent. sometimes it is tough to be green and want to help save our planet from man-made destruction.
About Copenhagen 2009
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The World Goes to Copenhagen Part ll

2009-12-12T04:16:00.000-08:00

From December 7th to the 18th the world will hold a Climate Change conference in Copenhagen. Governmental representatives from 190 countries are expected to be in Copenhagen in the days leading up to the conference accompanied by other governmental representatives, NGO's, journalists and others. In total 8000 people are expected to Copenhagen in the days of the climate change meetings.

The conference in Copenhagen is the 15th conference of parties (COP15) in the Framework Conventions on Climate Change. The last most recent meeting in United Nations Climate Change Conferences was held in December 2007 in Bali.

In 2012 the Kyoto Protocol to prevent climate changes and global warming runs out. To keep the process on the line there is an urgent need for a new climate change protocol. At the conference in Copenhagen 2009 the parties meet for the last time on a government level before the climate agreement needs to be renewed.

Therefore the Climate Conference in Copenhagen is essential for the world’s climate and the Danish government is putting a hard effort in making the meeting in Copenhagen a success ending up with a Copenhagen Protocol to prevent global warming and climate changes.
Research shows that most Canadians don’t understand the science of global warming, or how it could affect their health, communities and livelihoods. On the flip side, as Canadians grow to understand climate change — what’s happening, why, and what we can do about it — they become more likely to support the policies and practices that are necessary to combat global warming.

Despite the unprecedented threat of climate change, many people still doubt the science or question the economic case for action. Skeptics think that the science is to wishy- washy or wrong all together. However, the world’s most authoritative scientific bodies emphatically recognize the evidence and danger of human-caused climate change. The only uncertainty is how quickly change will occur — and the latest science shows it happening faster than anticipated.

Some experts think that global warming is just a trend and things will get back to normal eventually. They are correct in that climate change is normal, but geologic history shows that
sudden warming shocks to the earth’s systems can and will cause rapid sea-level rise and mass extinctions. An average global warming of only 2°C would result in serious impacts on Canadian ecosystems, infrastructure and the resource-based economy sectors, such as farming, fishing and forestry.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

THE WORLD GOES TO COPENHAGEN

2009-12-07T14:22:00.000-08:00

From December 7th to the 18th the world will hold a Climate Change conference in Copenhagen. If the whole world goes to Copenhagen and leaves without making the needed political agreement, then the conference will be seen as a failure that is not just about climate change. It will be seen as the whole global democratic system not being able to deliver results in one of the defining challenges of our century.

There is a steady momentum regarding climate change throughout the world. It would be irresponsible for the world’s governments not to use this momentum to create the changes needed now. Our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper has only this past week agreed to go to Copenhagen. He feels, and our government feels that the initiatives they have in place to reduce carbon 20% by 2020 is good enough for our country. Is it??

The climate conference may not put in place a climate treaty this year to replace the Kyoto Protocol; however, it should be close to an agreement with these essentials in place: 1. How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases? 2. How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions? 3. How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed? 4. How is that money going to be managed?

Each country attending the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December has been quick to point at that other countries will need to make big changes. USA is blaming China, China is blaming USA, everyone is blaming India and so on and so forth. India, in the past week has come forward with some targets on reducing carbon by 2015. Canada has been strongly criticized internationally for reneging on the Kyoto climate protocol and for refusing to sign on to a new deal limiting greenhouse gases unless developing nations are included.

The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference isn't about forcing other countries to our will, it's about taking steps to protect our world and our future. That's why, regardless of what the other countries attending the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference decide, Canada and our Prime Minister should take the lead in affirmative and positive action in addressing all of the issues raised at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference! Lets hope that this is not just another photo opportunity for our world leaders.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com

The Edible Schoolyard

2009-11-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

One of America’s most influential chefs Alice Waters created a revolution in 1971 when she introduced local organic fare at her Berkeley California restaurant Chez Panisse. Twenty-five years later she and a small group of teachers and volunteers turned over long-abandoned soil at an urban middle school in Berkeley and planted the Edible Schoolyard. The schoolyard has since grown into a universal idea of Edible Education that integrates academics with growing, cooking, and sharing wholesome delicious food. With inspiring images of the garden and kitchen — and their young caretakers — Edible Schoolyard is at once a visionary model for sustainable farming and childhood nutrition and a call to action for schools across the country.

This year Slow Food Nova Scotia produced a DVD called “The Edible Schoolyard”. This DVD shares the inspirational story of the students, staff and friends of Dr. Arthur Hines Elementary School and their community garden. It documents the school yard's transition from pavement to green space, and the gradual change from bagged lunches to healthier, freshly-picked options.

Slow Food Nova Scotia is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 to counteract fast food. Led by chef Michael Howell. This organization teaches the importance of eating healthy food that is grown close to home.

The film tells the story of a group of Summerville students with green thumbs. Dr. Arthur Hines' elementary students have been tending a vegetable garden at school for nearly six years, as part of a healthy-living initiative with Hants Shore Health Centre. Each fall, Mr. Howell travels to Dr. Arthur Hines Elementary to help students prepare a meal from the crops they harvest. With the chef's assistance, they host a feast for the community, with food travelling from field to plate in less than three hours.Gardening increases students' physical activity, consumption of vegetables and fosters community. Students can learn a lot in the garden, including patience and ethics of care and responsibility. When students grow their own vegetables and see where they come from they will become more interested in eating them. This garden project would help make the healthy choice the more popular choice.

We do have a community garden in Amherst, on East Pleasant Street, across from Dickey Park. This past summer we did have several young people that planted seeds and help tend to the gardens. But community gardens do not have to be in just one spot. A community garden can be developed anywhere there is green space or in some cities gardens have been built on rooftops. Lets encourage growing some of our own food throughout the community including the schools.Copies of The Edible Schoolyard DVD are on loan in all 77 public library locations.

Remembrance Day - The Environmental Impacts of War

2009-11-10T03:57:00.000-08:00

Remembrance Day, held each year on November 11, is a day of commemoration for the individuals who lost their lives in the First World War. During this time of remembering, many nations also choose Remembrance Day to honour all the individuals that have died during times of war. One the eleventh day, of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour we shall remember.

The First World War was the 'war to end all wars', 1914-18, and the people that fought during this time did so because they thought they could make a difference. I wonder what the people that sacrificed their lives would think of the world today. Would they be proud of Canada's role of peacekeepers? After-all, they did fight in a war that they were determined would be the last one. What would they think of the soldiers in Afghanistan?

Wednesday, as I attend the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the cenotaph, I will think of the importance of the day, respecting the tremendous sacrifices that all troops give when offering their lives for the freedom of others...sadly thinking of the people around the world who are still fighting over resources, land, and past grievances. I will think of the possible wars to come because there will be so many eco-refugees moving from place to place due to the lack of water, good farmland and the rising sea levels.

As well as remembering past wars, it is important that we work to ensure there are no more future wars. War has an enormous impact on the planet – socially, morally, psychologically, financially and also a devastating environmental impact. We’ve all seen pictures of the horrific battlefields, with scarred trees, burned oil fields, destroyed crops and bomb craters, but there is so much more to it than that.

The twentieth century technology has ensured a more lethal harvest. For example, landmines: planted in millions of war-torn countries across the world, killing and maiming long after wars are over, and denying agricultural use of the land in which they are hidden. Also, it is the testing and manufacturing of the nuclear bomb, which has been responsible for some of the most profound and persistent environmental damage around the globe. Nuclear waste is a global problem that won’t go away, threatening environmental disaster on a huge scale.

The earth’s environment is battered by war, its preparation, practice and aftermath. It is destroyed as an act of war; it is used as a weapon of war; and its destruction is expensive and sometimes irreversible. Its involvement with war is often secret, widely ignored, and easily forgotten – until now.

Just as veterans have offered their lives for a cause they believe in, I can also have the strength and power in me to take on the tasks that face us today, like the global climate crisis, with faith that we can make a difference and together we can change the world.

Are Climate Change and the Swine Flu Related??

2009-11-04T04:06:00.000-08:00

Swine Flu and climate change may be inextricably related. Both are the end results of unbridled economic growth and environmental degradation. The catastrophic impacts of climate change and unsustainable development can cause damage to human health. Climate change is a direct result of unsustainable development as is environment degradation and the emergence and spread of diseases which have their roots in the combination of intensive agricultural practices, water polution and food production.

In October, 2008, the Wildlife Conservation Society, named the “deadly dozen” diseases that could be more virulent and spread more intensely, as a ramification of weather and climate changes. The list includes avian flu, which is one of the three genetic components of the Mexico swine influenza, along with the human and swine genetic presence.

Climate Change may contribute to the accelerated occurrence of pandemics, but I believe it is more than likely the size and deadliness of the recent 100 years of pandemics that may be attributed to global activities such as the economy, war and pollution.

The term ‘climate change’ conjures images of melting ice caps and rising sea levels that threaten coastal cities and nations, but just as important is how increasing temperatures and fluctuating precipitation levels will change the distribution of dangerous diseases.Since the 1500s, flu pandemics have been occurring at approx. every 10 to 30 years.

The Spanish Flu (1918) — actually started in the United States and recorded approximately 50 million deaths worldwide. The Asian Flu (1957) — approx. 2 million deaths worldwide and the Hong Kong Flu (1969) — approx. 1 million deaths worldwide. Different internet sites quote differing statistics so these are just approximate.The Hong Kong Flu lingered around for 20 years (1969 to about 1992), but it was not a pandemic by definition. However, within the last 10 years, there has been three new potential pandemics (Avian Flu 2004; SARS 2005; and now the Swine Flu 2009). The reason is unclear, but fortunately, knowledge and quick actions were taken to slow the spread.

Vaccinations against smallpox heralded a new era for worldwide human health but how can we keep up with providing protection against the accelerating mutations of viruses?

The swine flu of today's concern is a descendant of the same pandemic flu that killed 50 million or more people in 1918. But on the other hand, so are almost all of the seasonal flues that human populations are exposed to every year, they usually aren't as virulent as this one is proving to be.

Fear and Loathing - The Swine Flu Vaccine

2009-11-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

There is a portion of both fear and loathing in this province since the second wave of the swine flu has hit. There are long lines of people waiting for their swine flu shots, the rules of who can get the shot keep changing and there is a serious shortage of the vaccine.

On the other hand there are those that refuse to get the swine flu shot due to the lack of any real information regarding its safety. We only get the information that the drug companies want us to know.

All of this has caused a loathing of governments at all levels, which does not bode well for the federal government, which is trying to win more seats in next week's byelection.

Some of the facts that are causing fear of the vaccine include:
1. There is possibly some scientific evidence that the swine flu vaccine, especially the adjuvants, specifically squalene, can cause serious injury and death. However, there is a possibility of side effects from any medications administered.

2. The new swine flu jab can be linked to a deadly brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine. Are we doomed to repeat history: Remember the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the United States in 1976? More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu, and approximately 500 cases of GBS were detected!

3. Immunization is a natural process, and even the "best vaccine" cannot protect you or give you a stronger immune system to protect you.

What do we do with all this information - We wait in long lines for the swine flu shot and in a year's time we find out IF the vaccine was indeed safe.

Stephen Lewis Lecture at Mount Allison University September 28, 2009

2009-11-01T03:39:00.000-08:00

Millennium Development Goals: Targets for 2015

Cut Hunger and Poverty in Half – This is a section where we will probably not succeed. ¼ of the world’s population is living on $1.25 per day. Somehow we have found millions of dollars to bail out banks but we can not come up with the pennies needed to feed people??

Drop in the Infant Mortality Rate – Close to 9 million children die every year from reasons that should not cause their demise. Such as diseases they could be vaccinated for, hunger and other causes.

The Reduction of Maternal Mortality – There is nearly ½ million women who die each year in childbirth.

Every Child goes to Primary School – 77 million children do not go to school. They can not afford the school fees, uniforms, or books.

Gender Equality – You can not marginalize 52% (women) of the population. Also the AIDs virus is passed through sexual violence during war times. Up to 5 million people have died in the Congo where ¼ of the women have been raped. There are 19,000 Peace Keepers there but they still can not protect the women.

Turn Back Communicable Diseases - AIDs Hiv, Malaria, PneumoniaThe criminalization of homosexuality will never stop the diseases from spreading. During the AIDs epidemic no one took into account the amount of orphans that would be left behind. The grandmothers in Africa have to take care of the young. There is an entire generation gone from age 20-50 years of age. How can you plan for the future when and entire generation is gone?? Sometimes children as young as 8 years take care of the younger children and whatever family they have left.

Sustainable Development and a Sustainable Environment – There is the possibility of a catastrophic event between the years 2030 and 2050 which is unavoidable. Rising sea levels, environmental refugees, drought and the loss of food security everywhere.

Build a Partnership between the Developed and Underdeveloped Nations – We have made many promises to address the human condition; however, all countries are in trouble. All Countries have been using the economic crisis as an excuse to not fulfill the promises of aid, assistance and environmental problems.

Climate Change will make a lot of these issues even worse. People at the local level are becoming more engaged locally as well as globally. Now they need to get everyone else to understand.

A Challenge To Stephen Harper

2009-10-30T05:03:00.000-07:00

UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE DECEMBER 2009

Will there be a global climate deal at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December? With the clock ticking and a host of major political issues yet to be solved, some people have voiced their doubt. The Prime Minister of Canada is waffling on whether he is going to even attend or not.
If the whole world goes to Copenhagen and leaves without making the needed political agreement, then the conference will be seen as a failure that is not just about climate change. It will be seen as the whole global democratic system not being able to deliver results in one of the defining challenges of our century.

There is a steady momentum regarding climate change throughout the world. It would be irresponsilbe for the worlds governments not to use this momentum to create the changes needed now.

Two requirments should be fulfilled by the heads of state attending the conference; Politicians need to become more actively involved and developed countries need to come forward with specifics on finances. Our Prime Minister does not seem to want to come forward on either of these two requirments.

The climate conference may not put in place a climate treaty this year; however, it should be close to an agreement with these essentials in place:1. How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases? 2. How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions? 3. How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed? 4. How is that money going to be managed?

The new climate treaty will be replacing the Kyoto Protocol which was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005.

The Green Party candidate in this riding, Jason Blanch has put together a two minute video challenging the Prime Minister to go to Copenhagen if he can garner 15% of the vote in this area. It does not matter which political party you vote for – everyone should watch this video. It is about our future and the future of our children. You can see the video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GirIvRFCScU