April Reign

Speak your mind even if your voice shakes

environment

Atwood proves Pen is mightier than the sword

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longpen.gif

The device – built by Atwood’s Toronto-based company Unotchit – comprises a video screen and digital writing pad at one location and a video screen and automated pen at another.

The LongPen™ allows you to be in one part of the world and sign something in a completely different part. Cutting down vastly on intercontinental travel.

Estimates are, “the device has already saved more than 40 tonnes of carbon emissions by cutting down on celebrity jet-setting.”

You can see the LongPen™ in action in both still frame and video here

Story Link

Celebrity Stalking

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Usually you hear of celebrities being stalked, however, AR Media has learned of a shocking case of stalking by a celebrity.

Can you tell us what happened Bob?

Well I was just sitting around watching the Jays minding my own business when I thought I heard something on the porch. I opened the door and there was David Suzuki changing my porch bulb.

I was kinda like WTF? Turns out he had engaged the help of the Neighbourhood Association and everyone was turning on their new light bulbs at the same time. It looked sorta cool. I walked with him down the street because I wasn’t too sure of my families safety. He seemed nice enough, told me I had the power, and left. (here is the Neighbourhood Association video)

I thought that was the end of it. A story to tell down at the pub. [Read more…] about Celebrity Stalking

Putting it on the line

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MonetlineAurora Mayor Phyllis Morris is campaigning to have clothes lines designated “as a good, a service or a technology,” this would enable home owners and tenants to bypass developer and landlord restrictions.

Think about it, clothes lines are the original solar powered home appliance. They help to conserve energy, and are another way to fight global warming.

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment says that a standard clothes dryer consumes 900 kWh of energy per year, creating up to 840 kg of air pollution and greenhouse gases.


Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan was not available to comment, but a spokesman said Aurora is the only municipality to have issued a formal complaint.

Lets rectify that! Write your council, your mayor, your MPP and the Minister of the Environment.

And if you don’t live in Ontario don’t let that stop you!! Be the first to start the campaign in your area.

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Mayor of Aurora


Right to Dry Campaign

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Shades of Green

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I saw this quote in a CTV article about Kyoto rallies and it exemplified perfectly my thoughts regarding the environmental debates and plans.

At the Montreal rally, McInnis said she’s noticed the many little ways governments discourage people from putting the environment first, since her family decided to go without a car.

The price of using Montreal’s subway system has steadily rose while she discovered how inaccessible the subway is. Each trip she must drag her stroller and 15-kilogram baby up and down dozens of stairs.

“It’s disgusting,” she said. “It’s bad with a stroller, imagine if you’re elderly or in a wheelchair.

“When you make environmentalism a priority in your life, that’s when you begin to see how the government puts up barriers.”

Yes we need governments to actually and properly regulate business to ensure they are taking responsible efforts to use less energy and create less pollution, but we also need real incentives to allow and encourage the average citizen to make better environmental choices.

Regulating light bulbs is all very well, but creating greater access to transit, planning “self contained” communities, keeping community hospitals (instead of expecting people to drive hundreds of miles to a hospital which has been chosen to specialize in a procedure) creating bike lanes, helping low income home owners and renters to make homes more energy efficient, creating more accessible recycling facilities for toxic waste products, creating community gardens and composting areas, these are the types of things that help divert from landfill, use less energy and make everyday choices which are environmentally friendly.

It is easy to talk about light bulbs, and carbon credits and targets and goals most people don’t really understand, it is another thing to actually implement programs that make a real difference, have real life consequences and allow the voter to see clearly where their tax dollars are being spent.

Earth Day

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earth.jpgI remember when Earth Day was quite an event, even here in nowheresville. The local conservation area handed out little trees, there were school events it was written up in what passes for a local paper.

Now it is pretty much a non event. The trees have long since ceased to be handed out, the schools seemed to have missed it, you would think that things have improved.

I personally marked Earth Day by buying reusable shopping bags and more earth friendly cleaning products. I don’t have a car so I’m already doing my part year round that way. I recycle, garden organically, and try to be energy conscious.

Funny how none of those things will net me any tax credits or other forms of bribery that seem to be the only weapons in the environmental arsenal at the moment.

Lots of good info including this video at Earth Day Canada

Third Planet Review

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the audio is off a bit but still well worth watching. You may laugh at the Macleans’ reference.

Third Planet Review hosted by hippielawyer Alan Graf, features a panel of activists from The Farm in Summertown, TN commenting on and analyzing the news giving you a completely different take than the corporate pundits. Panelists are Ina May Gaskin, midwife and author, Albert Bates, founder of the Eco-Village Training Center and author of a new book on surviving peak oil and Peter Schweitzer, executive director of Plenty International, otherwise known as the hippy peace corps