Finding Solutions — Fall 2011 (PDF) - David Suzuki Foundation

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iefs Environment minister acts on Foundation’s advice Recently, we learned that Maxim Power Corp. was rushing to build a coal-fired plant in Alberta that would emit far more greenhouse gas than impending federal rules would allow. We asked our supporters to write to Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent and demand that Maxim stop the rush job. A few weeks later, Kent announced that he’d heard Canadians loud and clear, and he would not tolerate companies rushing to complete dirty power projects. Montreal office has a new green home The Montreal branch of the Foundation recently moved into a new office building that is quickly becoming the heart of the city’s environmental movement. La maison du développement durable (Centre for Sustainable Development) boasts geothermal heating, a living plant wall, and an underground cistern that diverts rainwater to the building’s low-flow toilets. Like-minded neighbours in the building include Équiterre and Amnistie Internationale Canada Francophone. Megaquarry campaign prompts assessment Led by Foundation scientist John Werring, we recently joined over 130,000 Canadians in opposing a proposed limestone megaquarry near Melancthon, Ontario, which would leave a hole in the ground twice the size of Niagara Falls. Thanks to pressure from local residents, politicians, First Nations, and nonprofit organizations, the Ontario government decided that this project should, at very least, be subject to a formal provincial environmental assessment. As the project transcends provincial boundaries, we are encouraging the federal government to get involved in the process. Feds reject funding for Pacific North Coast planning In our last issue of Finding Solutions, we profiled an ocean management and marine protected areas planning process for Canada’s Pacific North Coast. We and many participants were deeply disappointed to learn in September that the federal government pulled out of the funding photo: Lloyd K. Barners arrangement aimed at bringing scientific advice and community input to the process. Learn more and take action at: www.davidsuzuki.org/marine-planning. Former Foundation board member Ray Anderson photo: interfacefloreu Honouring two visionaries Like many environmental advocates, we at the Foundation were saddened by the passing of two great leaders in the past few months. Jack Layton, who passed away in late August, needs little introduction. The leader of the NDP for eight years, Layton worked tirelessly toward his vision of an equal, just, and healthy nation. He was also very concerned with environmental issues. To quote David Suzuki: “Jack never forgot that justice and human rights were deeply embedded in issues of the environment. Today, too many of us act as if these are somehow separate, and so we are either environmentalists or workers for social justice. To Jack, they were a part of the same struggle for sustainable societies.” Also in August, we lost Ray Anderson, former Foundation board member and the chair and founder of Interface, Inc. After coming to the life-changing realization that his business practices were harming the Earth, Anderson established a new mission for his company: achieving sustainability—operating in a way that does nothing to harm the Earth—by 2020. “Mission Zero,” as he called it, was a lofty goal for any company, let alone a flooring company reliant on the petroleum industry, but two years ago, he announced in an interview that Interface was already halfway there. Anderson’s ideas and drive influenced countless people, environmentalists, and businesspeople. He gave over a thousand speeches, wrote two books, and inspired many businesses to follow his lead, including GE and Walmart. Despite the traditional priorities of business and politics, Anderson and Layton never lost sight of what was fundamentally important—the health and well-being of humans and the environment. Both were ambitious, compassionate, and inspiring, and both succumbed to brave battles with cancer. They will be very much missed. Are you a teacher or youth educator? Sign up to learn about our youth-related activities and how we’re working with young Canadians to solve environmental challenges. www.davidsuzuki.org/young-canadians 4
Google Earth helps put dollar value on nature Google Earth mapping software will allow users to highlight a region on the map and learn about the natural capital benefits within it. Imagine being able to find your backyard or neighbourhood park on a digital map and instantly learn how much the natural features inside it are worth. Thanks to a new partnership between the Foundation and Google Earth Outreach, you’ll soon be able to do just that. Google’s Earth Outreach program gives nonprofit organizations the resources they need to create visuals that strengthen their causes. In the past few years they’ve helped organizations make positive change in many ways, from mapping genocide in Darfur to bringing Google Street View to the Amazon rainforest. The Foundation will use Google Earth mapping tools to illustrate a concept that is at once crucial to protecting nature in Canada and difficult to envision. The idea of “natural capital” involves looking at nature’s benefits and services in monetary terms. It’s an effective way of reminding ourselves that fields, forests, and wetlands provide important services, like cleaning our air, filtering water, and providing food to sustain us. Putting a dollar value on local ecosystems can help decision-makers and the public better understand the importance of protecting nature. After years of research into the valuation of ecosystem services, the Foundation has a wealth of natural capital data that, with the help of these new mapping tools, will be made accessible to the public, enabling them to discover the value of their own local environments. The application will allow users to highlight a region on a map and learn about the types of nature within it, as well as the natural capital benefits and values (see image above). It will also allow users to add or remove natural items and human-made infrastructure, and discover, for example, how the natural capital valuation changes when they remove a wetland and replace it with a parking lot or a LEEDcertified building. This new application will not only strengthen our arguments for protecting nature in Canada, but will allow our supporters to make strong cases for their own initiatives as well. Currently in development, the application will initially focus on Southern Ontario. We hope to expand it to include other parts of Canada. Suzuki Elders Forum promises inspiration and empowerment On November 24, the Association of Suzuki Elders will host an exciting Elders and Environment Forum to encourage and empower others to address critical environmental concerns. A dedicated group of Foundation volunteers, the Elders use their knowledge and experience to mentor younger generations and other elders on environmental issues. After hosting a similar forum in 2009, they continued to hear the question “What can I do?” from elders concerned about the state of the Earth. In response, they made this year’s theme their answer to that question: “Start where you are.” Keynote speaker Terry O’Reilly, host of the hit CBC radio show The Age of Persuasion, will kick off the forum with the talk “Start with your message,” sharing his insights about communication strategies to engage families, friends, and communities in worthwhile discussions of climate change. Smaller discussion groups will follow, including “Start with what we eat,” facilitated by Herb Barbolet, cofounder of Farm Folk/City Folk, and “Start with where we live,” led by Amanda Pitre-Hayes of the City of Vancouver’s Sustainability Group. Lindsay Coulter, David Suzuki’s Queen of Green, will lead the discussion “Start with a story,” and activist Jackie Larkin will guide a deep ecology discussion called “Start with our selves.” David Suzuki will give the closing presentation: “Start where we are— standing on elder ground.” Elders who cannot travel to Vancouver for the forum will be able to watch selected clips and talks online. See the Suzuki Elders’ website, https://sites.google.com/site/eldersdsf, for more information and to register. Rachelle Delaney CBC’s Terry O’Reilly will be the keynote speaker at the Elders and Environment Forum. 5
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