Coming back from the AASHE Conference

I had the chance to participate at the 2nd biannual Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education conference, in Raleigh, North Carolina last week. It was in an interesting timing with the presidential election still hot in the air and delegates hugely supportive of Barack Obama. (We took a picture with all student delegates cheering “Yes We Can”). It was quite refreshing to see hundreds of Sustainability Coordinators coming together, from every part of the States and Canada. The conference gathered impressive keynotes speakers and all of them spoke about the huge tasks ahead to solve the climate crisis.

The grassroot movement is well alive in the United States, and now with a president that understands the issues and wants to act; a lot of thing will change in 2009. I’m hoping that Canada can at least jump into the wagon of changes; our leadership role has been lost for a long time already.

Canadian for a Progressive Coalition

Let’s week, a friend of mine ask me to translate documents in French for a very interesting campaign. Bringing the Bloc Québécois, NDP and Liberals together to form a coalition government. With the Greens includes, all those parties represent more than 60% of the votes during the last elections. However, to my great discontent, we still have a right wing government in Ottawa. With the economic crisis striking all around the globe, I’m confident that Harper’s government will use it as an excuse to avoid any meaningful climate change actions or international leadership roles.

All the center to left parties have a lot in common to fight climate, and yet differences. But I will argue that more will happen with a coalition government that with the current one.

If you share my view, please sign the online petition and join the facebook group.

Petition
http://www.progressivecoalition.ca/

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=21013685&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=27949758238&ref=mf

To avoid catastrophic climate change, we don’t have a lot of time to stop the growth of global greenhouse gas emissions, about ten years. Anything help!

Merve Wilkinson

A very emotionally rich week! First, I have to say that I feel sorry for the millions of Canadians who lost tons of money and saw their retirement plan melt like ice cream on a patio… However, there are positive things with this economic storm: Harper’s team is loosing steam and Obama is on the rise! That means a lot for meaningful action on climate change in the future. It is still very, very important to vote strategically on October 14th, so please check one of those websites if you care about the issue.
www.voteforclimate.ca
http://www.voteenvironment2008.ca/
http://www.avaaz.ca/ca/stop_harper_pledge/?cl=135350169&v=2254

I would like to start a ‘hero’ series. We sometime have the chance to meet amazing and inspiring people. That happened to me in August, while I was attending the Youth Action Gathering, organized by SYC and the BCCCN. The event was held at the Wildwood EcoForest, near Nanaimo, where I met an extraordinary person, Merve Wilkinson.

In 1938, Merve Wilkinson bought 137 acres of land in a hope to start an agro business. The soil was too poor and Merve decided in 1945 to do forestry instead. Decades before the concept of “sustainability” was emerging, Merve applied the principles on his land. He developed sustainable logging practices, observing and preserving the ecosystem; logging a little bit less than the measured forest growth rate, keeping his forest “multiage, multiheight and multispecies”.

The next paragraph is extracted from: http://managingwholes.com/merve.htm
“In 1993, the MacMillan Bloedel company, a major licensee operating on crown land, refused to abandon its plans to clearcut a significant portion of Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. In August 1993, Merve and his wife Anne took part in a protest blockade of the access road. Merve convinced many of the demonstrators to protest clearcutting rather than timber harvest per se. (Merve thought that since he was able to change the position of environementalists, but not the logging company’s, he decided to stand with the protesters and get arrested.) Merve and Anne were arrested (along with 850 others) for ignoring the British Columbia Supreme Court injunction against interference with MacMillan Bloedel’s plans. During the trial, Merve told the judge, “My Lord, it is not necessary to destroy the forest to extract timber. It is a matter of method.”“

The Clayoquot Sound resistance got a lot of media attention and was a major step towards changing logging practices in BC.

Merve is now 95 years old, I believed, and still live in a wooden house on his land and will welcome any visitors. I can guaranty that a visit there will be legendary.

Ending Greed

Someone told me one day (maybe my mom) that in a democracy, we have the politicians that reflect who we are… If so, can we stop to be that much greedy, let’s say for the next 50 years…?

The Conservative are heading towards a majority government in Canada and the Republicans in the US might keep the Whitehouse for another 4 years. Both elections this year looks like a gong show about who are going to lower taxes the most; which party is going to bring you the most money into our pocket. As Canadians, do we really need all those extra dollars?? We were taught to vote for the politicians who will best represent my interest. So it could have nothing wrong with having more money to spend, but where in our democracy are we caring about the next generation? We got from my grandparent generation polluted rivers and lakes from pulp mill, manufactures and mines. My parent’s generation will give us depleted oceans, more polluted rivers with industrial agriculture, a bunch of toxic waste from large scale industrial complex and most likely catastrophic climate change.

Could my generation aims giving back rivers and lakes that you can swim into without fearing about your health; a stable climate, where people can live with secure food and housing; clean air where you can bike to your school or workplace, without inhaling dangerous smog or poisonous gas or particulate matters? Could we accept that doing this won’t be easy and will cost money, but what a good investment for the future?

There is a good website about how to vote strategically next elections, and avoid a Conservative government holding a majority…
www.voteforclimate.ca
Other interesting website:
http://www.voteenvironment2008.ca/
http://www.powerupcanada.ca/

Fall political season is ON

The fall political season is getting exciting and/or depressing. We are going to be experiencing elections both in Canada and in the US.

On this side of the border, the next government will likely be either a second Harper government with its friendly oil lobby, or less likely a new Dion government, with a Green Shift program. Unfortunately for the green advocates, Dion’s party is very week in many part of Canada, especially in Québec. The oil lobby might get even stronger in Ottawa for the next 4 years, and the climate change activists will probably be very busy with protests and petitions.

On the South side of the border, Republican John Mc Cain just picked a human induced climate change denier as his running mate. The irony is that Mrs. Palin is the governor of Alaska, where climate change is and will be the most visible. I’m hoping that the hotness of Mrs. Palin won’t seduce America too long and the Artic Wildlife Refugee will stay wild, free of oil drilling.

If both Harper and Republicans win this fall, it will be a huge blow on the moral of those friendly climate change activists but more dramatic, quite a set back for our planet.

Carbon Tax Surprise!

Wednesday afternoon, July 2nd, I got a life-time surprise (ok, I’m exaggerating a little here). My landlord ringed the bell of my door and asked my permission to get in and take measurements of all our windows: we are going to get brand new, energy efficient windows! I never thought that my landlord will make any investment in my apartment: he still fix the toilet with gift wrapping tape. But one day after the carbon tax started, my landlord is taking action to save some money on their natural gas bill. I’m really impressed, but hope my rent won’t increase too much in the fall…

Carbon tax, here we go!

At least two major events are happening on July 1^st. Of course it is Canada day, but it is also the first day where the carbon tax will be effective in all British Columbia.

Consumers of gasoline will have to pay 2.4c more per liter of gasoline. This increase seems quite small compare with the 1.40$/L that we are currently paying at the pump. However, the carbon tax is a fundamental shift in the way we approach taxation. Taxing gasoline, and then green house gas emissions, finally recognize that our atmosphere is not a free dump and there is a cost associate with it. The tax is also revenue neutral for the government, and BC resident should receive a 100$ check per mail soon. The end result is that if you pollute less, you will pay less.

The irony is that a relatively conservative government had the courage to install this new tax. Filling up our cars is arguably part of our western culture and usually politicians are afraid of higher gasoline prices. Shamefully, the provincial NDP is working hard to derail the carbon tax. They are circulating a petition “Let’s axe the tax”. For a party who claim themselves “progressive”, pro-environement, it seems that the NDP is denying is own values for the sake of building cheap political support. Everyone dislike payings taxes. However carbon tax is unpleasant, but essential, like cleaning up your room, emptying your garbage cans, wash the bathroom, pay your credit card…

There are 2 Facebook groups supporting the carbon tax, please join them!

Lead the Way - Support BC's Carbon Tax!: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17834728353

BC needs a Carbon Tax: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=5044474509