We can see this complexity playing out in the way wolves in some regions are caught in the paradox of adapting to anthropocentric change while contributing to the demise of caribou herds, at risk of extinction in multiple jurisdictions throughout Canada and the United States. In response, the B.C. government has expanded wolf culls as a way of managing growing threats of extinction while negating responsibility for addressing the deeper issues behind alarming rates of wildlife habitat loss in these same jurisdictions. Both criticized and upheld as an imperfect solution, wolf culls are in fact not a new practice and part of a well-worn colonial management approach that harkens back to its first appearance on this continent in 1630 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Almost 400 years later, what has changed? Amid growing concerns from scientists, First Nations, ranchers, conservationists, hunters, animal rights activists and citizens on all sides of the debate, governments continue to overwhelmingly reach toward this expensive and controversial management approach for a solution to the threat of extinction. Have we stopped to consider the value placed on holding some creatures in the world and not others? In a recent in-depth report, journalist Sarah Cox revealed the B.C. government spent upwards of $2 million last winter on initiatives to kill 432 wolves, the most expensive of which was in the Kootenay region where, according to the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources and Rural Development, they spent $100,000 to kill 10 wolves. Perhaps we need to step back from the zero-sum game of ‘yes versus no’ to think more deeply about who bears the true cost of turning away from the deeper issues behind our current crisis of wildlife extinction? More importantly, what we are willing to do about it as a society?

What often gets missed in the perpetual loop of applying wolf culls as so-called short-term solutions, is the long story of failed policy mechanisms that were supposed to prevent us from getting here in the first place. One of these is the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAM), which positions wildlife as a resource to be managed on behalf of what is referred to as the public trust. Whose voices are taken seriously as constituting members of the public trust is a question that needs greater attention? Who do governments manage wildlife for and who gets consulted in the process?

Figure 1: Wolf track in snow. Photo taken during carnivore surveys, Salmo, B.C., Selkirk mountains. January, 2017. Credit: Rhiannon Kirton

While competition between caribou and other cervids (e.g., moose or deer) can lead to increased caribou predation by wolves, this is simply the most recent proximate cause of declines. Historically, caribou decline has been attributed not only to predation as a result of habitat augmentation and apparent competition, but also to high levels of legal and illegal harvest in the 1960s and 70s and adverse weather, amongst other factors (Environment Canada). While predator and moose reductions have been shown to increase caribou numbers in the short term, at best they have been shown to be a band aid solution versus a viable long-term strategy for success. As awareness of the ultimate driver of dangerous levels of caribou decline grows, there is an increasing recognition of the central issue being one of habitat loss, by those both for and against the wolf cull (Fig 1; Bridger, 2019). Although conservation and other advocacy groups continue to push for protection of old growth caribou habitat, the question of why government decision makers continue to drag their heels along such an ineffectual path gets harder to ignore. Why continue to allow habitats to be degraded and logged at the expense of both caribou and wolves? Whose voices do governments prioritize in the process of continued failure to protect caribou habitat? (Palm et al., 2020; MCRI, 2009). Is failing to do so a breach of NAM’s principle of acting on behalf of the public trust? What, if any, mechanisms exist to hold those in power accountable?  

Figure 2: Caribou habitat. South Selkirk mountain range close to White Water Ski. Resort photo taken during aerial caribou survey. February 2017. Credit: Rhiannon Kirton

NAM denotes a public ownership of wildlife resources which “is held in trust for the benefit of present and future generations by government”, although in real terms, this public often is rarely inclusive of First Nations and Native American peoples, a problem unto itself that we cannot do justice here (Eichler and Baumeister, 2018). The prospect of such entitlement being translated into a meaningful, productive public stewardship is uncertain, given “governance model for wildlife conservation decision making is typically at the (elected) ministerial level”, while boards and commissions exert limited impact. Despite governments admitting the need to modify the model for a greater participatory decision making, the caribou case manifests minimal progress in this respect. Unfortunately, caribou being federally listed as a Species At Risk in Canada has not translated into provincial habitat protection outside of federally owned lands. Why? Part of the reason is that voices of those outside of the decision-making structure might not only be ignored, but also be rendered silent. What does it say about our society in a time of ecological crisis to prioritize industry stakeholders above the value of a functioning ecosystem, which contains intact guilds of predators and ungulates alike? How, why and on whose terms is this discrepancy allowed to continue? 

In discussing the future of the North American Model (NAM), this statement is overwhelmingly instrumentalist: “the maintenance and fostering of landscapes that can sustain viable populations of all wildlife to ensure conservation of biodiversity and human use and enjoyment are of paramount concern”.  Among recommendations of applying and upgrading the model, citizen engagement in the conservation of biodiversity is stressed with grand and empty guidance. Why bend the goal of wildlife conservation to benefit industry stakeholders for short-term economic gain, if doing so erodes understandings of, and possibilities for, biodiversity as an integral component for our collective survival and prosperity? Given everything we now know about the importance of biodiversity in maintaining a healthy and sustainable world, shouldn’t we be promoting interdependency and reciprocity with nature as ultimate goals in public policy, for example, NAM’s wildlife management policy frameworks and application? The model does not need to stress the paramount importance of “the maintenance and fostering landscapes that can sustain viable populations of all wildlife to ensure conservation of biodiversity” and “human use and enjoyment”, because once the former is secured, it enables the latter. There do not exist two natural worlds, an abstract one that is servile to profit-driven human needs and a real one with lives we’ve never been familiar with. The problem of the model, nevertheless, further entrenches a rupture between humans and nature.

Figure 3: Wolf tracks. Simonette River, Municipal District of Greenview, AB. August 2020. Credit: Narda Nelson.

At such a precarious juncture for many creatures and habitats on the brink of extinction, can the story of contemporary wolves be rewritten beyond polarizing figures of either hero or villain? More than simply an inflammatory topic of debate, wolf culls point to the deeper problem of a collective refusal to step back from polarizing debates to better understand and take responsibility for contributing to the very issues that define these challenging times. To restore and safeguard the ecosystems that our existence depends on, it seems increasingly obvious that we should look to Indigenous peoples who have successfully protected the land for millennia. Perhaps the NAM’s failing is in its application and exclusion of Indigenous voices and the centering of colonial forms of management. There are varied approaches and opinions regarding wolf culls within First Nations across Turtle Island. Some, like the Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations, are already succeeding in holding caribou populations in the world where governments have failed.  Perhaps it’s time to seriously reconsider alternatives to continuing to implement the NAM and instead follow their lead.

This article is part of our March 2021 Western Student Editorial Series – a series that showcases the works of students in the Collaborative Specialization in Environment and Sustainability program. Read more articles from this series here!

References

Brook, R.K., Cattet, M., Darimont, C.T., Paquet, P.C., & Proulx, G. (2015). Maintaining ethical standards during conservation crises. Canadian Wildlife Biology and Management (4), 72-79.

Lavoie, J. (2018, April 5). Seeking the Science Behind B.C.’s Wolf Cull. The Narwhal. https://thenarwhal.ca/seeking-science-behind-b-c-s-wolf-cull/ 

Mountain Caribou Recovery Implementation Plan. (2009) http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/speciesconservation/mc/files/progress_board_update20090213.pdf  

Palm, E. C., Fluker, S., Nesbitt, H. K., Jacob, A. L., & Hebblewhite, M. (2020). The long road to protecting critical habitat for species at risk: The case of southern mountain woodland caribou. Conservation Science and Practice, 2(7), e219.

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The United Nations SDGs // Source: UN

The SDGs, adopted in 2015, outline seventeen interconnected goals that acknowledge that efforts to end poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health, education, reduce inequality and tackle the challenges of climate change. Assessment of the first five years of SDGs implementation suggest that the world is off track to realize the set objectives by the 2030 target. Meanwhile, extreme weather events, wildfires and related environmental challenges, particularly, over the past few decades necessitate accelerated action if a planetary catastrophe is to be avoided. Given these ongoing and persistent challenges, the UN in September 2019 called on all sectors of society (global, national, local and individuals) to mobilize for a ‘Decade of Action’ on the SDGs. This call emphasizes the need for cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration in the implementation of the SDGs with a call for faster and more ambitious responses to stimulate environmental, social and economic transformation. Maintaining focus on the SDGs implies a holistic approach to development that focuses not only on the wellbeing of humans but also safeguards the planet upon which human lives depend. Actions to accelerate progress on the SDGs are even more urgent now because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which threatens to derail SDGs implementation.

Non-state actors, specifically community-based organizations promoting conservation, are relevant stakeholders with activities that contribute to the objectives of the SDGs. Organizations promoting sustainable development present an opportunity to pursue a path of green recovery from the negative impacts on the economy and the planet.

Community-based organizations reflect a change in focus from these top-down approaches to the bottom-up, where local goals tend to focus on regaining autonomy and control over natural resources and improving social and economic wellbeing. Community-based programs are generally based on the premise that local people have greater interest in the sustainable use of natural resource than outside actors, and thus can be more cognizant of the intricacies of local ecological processes and practices. While it is important not to essentialize or homogenize ideas of ‘community’ and ‘conservation’ without regard for local contexts, finding innovative solutions to complex environmental and development issues often requires outside expertise and training in collaboration with local knowledge. In this way, community-based organizations can help to ensure a holistic and cautioned approach to development. This approach is unique in that it often considers differing worldviews that may reflect alternative definitions of conservation and development, local systems of land tenure, and the gendered divisions of labour in economic activities, to ensure that rural communities really do benefit from these initiatives. Community-based approaches highlight the importance of local context and agency, and that there is no one size fits all approach to achieving SDG objectives.

Bamboo provides a prime example of a resource that has been increasingly promoted as contributing to sustainable futures, as it is sought-after in diverse industries of the growing global “green economy” as an alternative to timber due to its fast-growing and structurally durable properties. Bamboo is considered a resource that—when grown and harvested following sustainable management practices—can achieve positive environmental, social, and economic outcomes. Ecosystem services provided by bamboo include carbon storage and sequestration, soil and water regulation, and biodiversity conservation.

Bamboo forest // Source: Unsplash

In many bamboo habitat countries, the resource plays an important role in cultural heritage and provides socio-economic benefits through supplementary income for the rural poor. Due to these components, bamboo is promoted to contribute to at least seven of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including: no poverty (SDG 1); affordable and clean energy (SDG 7); sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11); responsible consumption and production (SDG 12); climate action (SDG 13); life on land (SDG 15); and partnerships for the SDG goals (SDG 17).

Credit: Tamara L. Britton and Eunice A. Annan-Aggrey

Community-based bamboo development projects are taking place all over the world, ranging from bamboo charcoal projects as an economically viable alternative to wood charcoal in Madagascar; community-based bamboo nurseries in the Philippines; bamboo disaster relief building projects, construction and bamboo management training programs in Ecuador and Nicaragua; community-based bamboo processing factories in China; and community-based management of natural bamboo forests in Laos.

Due to small budgets, community-based projects like these often cannot compete with the wide scale promotion and ambitious claims made by larger-scale development initiatives. However, in practice, many community-based programs often have a greater long-term impact on community wellbeing and autonomy. Thus, there is a research gap to be addressed on the contribution of smaller-scale grassroots conservation movements and researchers from Global South countries regarding SDG objectives.  

Credit: Tamara L. Britton and Eunice A. Annan-Aggrey

In a post-pandemic world, if SDG targets are to be met amidst an increasingly uncertain economic future, it is crucial that conservation and development projects invest in building resilient communities through agroecological solutions and strengthening environmental stewardship to ensure that the rural poor are not completely dependent on external markets for their livelihoods.

The UN Decade of Action is a clarion call for an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to keep the wheels of development turning.

The SDGs include an ambitious target to combat climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities of the economic systems upon which development is hinged. Thus, the need for integrated development that encompasses socio-economic and environmental progress is relevant now more than ever. The UN Decade of Action is a clarion call for an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to keep the wheels of development turning. Community-based organizations are rising to the task. Indeed, integrated solutions and green alternatives chart a course that holds optimism for a greener, more inclusive future.

This article is part of our March 2021 Western Student Editorial Series – a series that showcases the works of students in the Collaborative Specialization in Environment and Sustainability program. Read more articles from this series here!

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Human activities have thrusted our planet into a climate emergency. This calls for an urgent need for adaptation—adjusting our natural and human systems to minimize climate hazards, exploit climate opportunities, and mitigate—the conscious actions to minimize the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and to remove existing GHGs through improving carbon sinks. Climate change is real, and the consequences are vivid. From the melting polar caps of Alaska all the way to Kiribati’s dissipating beaches, climate change stymies our livelihoods and heightens vulnerability to environmental hazards. So, why is there even the existence of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)? According to their official website, “the IPCC was created to provide policymakers on climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation options,” (IPCC, 2020). Some of the solutions often floated around by this and other giant institutions include constructing greenhouses to support agricultural food systems in drylands, building reservoirs to collect excess runoff, and providing crop insurance to tackle crop failure. In their “infinite” wisdom, these bureaucrats placed a caveat that we should adopt these strategies in ways that support the national, regional, and local contexts. Interesting, huh? But with the lenses of reality on, how can Kiribati people, who have almost nothing, adapt to their rising sea levels and dissipating coastline, build reservoirs to tackle flooding, and provide farmland insurance for farmers whose farmlands turned into water bodies overnight?

Even though there is a lot of attention to tackle climate change, Nature-based Solutions (NBS)—using traditional and naturally producing resources to mitigate environmental hazards—have been side-lined for technocratic solutions, and sometimes retrogressive—climate wise—technological innovations. Moreover, much of these current approaches are usually bogged down in faulty rhetoric. For instance, everyone wants a better environment, at the same time, also wanting the comfort of owning a luxury and eco-unfriendly car.  Who takes the buses then? It cannot work that way; you must pick your poison! In retrospect, Greta Thunberg was precisely correct when she called economic growth ‘a fairytale.’ The questions that remain unanswered are: why are we so ever focused on the use of artificial methodologies in reverting the world to a more natural state? Would it not help to use a nature-based approach instead? For instance, in the illustration of Megan Leslie—President, and CEO of World Wildlife Fund Canada, the need for NBS could not be more apparent:

“If you think about the increasing floods we are seeing, for example, concrete culverts and breakwaters can only handle so much water. Silver maple can absorb 220 liters of water [an hour]! If we replace all this concrete with natural infrastructure, with green infrastructure, firstly, it can handle the floods. Secondly, it’s resilient… it bounces back.” –Megan Leslie

NBS have emerged as cost-effective mitigation and adaptation strategies that simultaneously provide socio-ecological and economic benefits while boosting resilience among people. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), NBS involves the intentional use of nature for sustainably managing ecosystems and tackling socio-environmental challenges. The nature-based solutions are rooted in the oxymoronic ideals of going back to move forward, looking into naturally occurring solutions that can be humanly instigated and controlled to increase resiliency and fight climate change. These suggestions are topical as they are relevant and include reimagining green housing, utilizing natural resources for construction and plant growth to fight climate change. NBS to climate change emphasizes harnessing the myriad potentiality of nature to reduce GHGs while also adapting to climate-related stresses such as human health, food and water insecurity. NBS to climate change is considered a win-win approach. We get to protect, restore, and sustain our ecosystem while efficiently addressing an existential threat. Further, NBS can be adopted in both rural and urban settings—an attribute which makes NBS more practical and comprehensive.

Rural areas

Although climate change is omnipresent, there are differences in the intensity of these impacts because of two factors: (1) your location in the world and (2), the level of disposable resources with wealth at its core. Sadly, folks in the Global South or the developing worlds, are particularly more affected by climate change due to their heavy dependence on natural resources from which they derive their livelihoods, and their limited availability to adapt to the changing environmental conditions. As dire as these conditions may be, they are also being exacerbated by prevailing adaptation strategies. For example, to stimulate agriculture, the current use of high-nitrogen-fertilizers over time makes the land progressively barren while leaching nitrous oxide into the drainage system and polluting vital drinking water sources for millions of people. With NBS, however, simple practices like mulching (yes, good old mulching), could prove essential for revitalizing smallholder farmlands through soil moisture conservation and sustainably improving soil fertility. Typically, mulching involves collecting and applying decomposing organic matter (e.g. sawdust, wood, grass, food scraps) over arable lands’ topsoil. The best part is that mulching materials are free and readily available. This process could solve the triple problem of utilizing food waste, soil infertility, and improving biodiversity.

A smallholder farming household practicing mulching // Source: Bryan Waters

Another NBS that could be employed in these areas is the utilization of bamboo grass. Bamboo (Subfamily: Bambusoideae) is a fast-growing, drought-resistant grass. It can be the best crop that can grow in some environments. This ancient grass serves many purposes. In fact, there is evidence of its utility in building construction, making furniture, serving as windbreaks, and where native, could even be planted around your luxurious million-dollar home as a living privacy screen (you know, against those shady neighbors). In other words, bamboo is the gift that keeps on giving and there is something in it for everyone. As climate change continues to wreak havoc globally, substituting bamboo in place of plastic in privacy screens or in place of destroying mature Mahogany trees from the rainforest (which take 25 years to grow) are great strides toward reductions in carbon footprint. The bamboo plant thus serves as a stylish, classy, and sustainable alternative. As we begin to care for and incorporate bamboo use in our daily lives, we will also be indirectly preserving biodiversity since it serves as the main diet and habitat for some of the world’s cutest animals.

Locals putting bamboo to use // Source: Panos Pictures/Felix Features

Urban areas

Urban centers or cities are characteristic of high-density infrastructure—roads, bridges, airports, residential and commercial buildings, etc. Many cities like New York and Toronto, struggle with creating and developing spaces for nature. But with a switch to NBS, vegetation can be used to cover the walls or roofs of buildings in urban centers. Green roofs and walls have numerous benefits to the ecosystem and human health. Some of these benefits include insulation provision (thus reducing energy consumption), absorbing rainwater (potential to reduce floods), minimizing the urban heat island effects, and serving as carbon sinks. Green roofs and walls make urban settings aesthetically pleasing as well, which could reduce the stress associated with these busy, noisy, and chaotic systems. Roofs absorb rainwater and can cool the tops of buildings, thereby creating milder microclimatic conditions. The concept of green roofs has taken shape in some cities including Toronto, which in 2009 was the first city to promulgate a bylaw that regulates and governs the construction of green roofs.

 Green walling in urban structures // Source: WikiCommons

Green roofing in urban settings // Source: Urbanscape

Overall, NBS provide sustainable toolkits for adapting and mitigating climate change; they are available and accessible to people in all socio-economic classes. NBS is part of existing ways of life and requires minimal special initiatives to implement. They are cheaper to implement, good for the environment, utilize indigenous knowledge, and are often community based. This also leads to empowerment, which makes implementation and sustainability more feasible. Combating climate change is imperative in every dimension—politically, economically, and morally, because it embodies our collective attempt at saving the lives and livelihoods of billions of people.

This article is part of our March 2021 Western Student Editorial Series – a series that showcases the works of students in the Collaborative Specialization in Environment and Sustainability program. Read more articles from this series here!

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There are many ways to make your kitchen more sustainable, especially given how often it is used and how much waste it produces. Kitchen appliances, in particular, put quite the strain on the environment. In fact, Tech Patio explains that appliances like your refrigerator use a tremendous amount of energy — comprising an average of 13% of your total home energy bill. And while appliances are one of the main sources of the problem, they can also be the solution.

Indeed, the near-infinite number of innovations in kitchen tech is making this part of your home a more efficient and eco-friendly place. So where should you begin? To help you get started, we’ve put together some tips to make your kitchen more environment-friendly!

Avoid Plastic Kitchen Tools

One thing you can do to have a more eco-friendly kitchen is to refrain from using plastic kitchen tools. While convenient, plastic tools such as banana slicers and egg separators all end up becoming waste that is dumped in landfills. This is especially worrisome considering that CNN predicts that the world will have 710 million tons of plastic pollution by 2040.

Instead of plastic kitchen tools, a better option would be to make use of kitchen tools made of eco-friendly material. For instance, you can use a wooden cutting board instead of a plastic one. To make it even more eco-friendly, try to look for one that uses reclaimed wood.

Use Multi-Purpose Appliances

While avoiding plastic tools is a great place to start, ditching single-purpose kitchen tools and appliances will also go a long way in lessening your overall impact on the environment. Think about it: how many single-purpose kitchen tools do you have in your kitchen, be it juicers or toasters? All of these gadgets will end up in a landfill once they’ve broken down. This is why you should make it a priority to purchase versatile tools that can cater to various kitchen needs.

You can start by looking for a multi-purpose rice cooker. If your diet isn’t big on grains, you might think that rice cookers are pretty impractical. However, thanks to technological innovations, many modern rice cookers can do more than just make rice. We Know Rice’s list of the best Aroma Rice cookers highlights how today’s advanced rice cookers can fulfill a multitude of different functions. Whether you need to sauté food at high heat, prepare porridge, or cook soup — a rice cooker can do it all.

Lessen Phantom Electricity Usage

Another way you can lessen your negative impact on the environment is by, of course, saving electricity. And while we’ll be discussing specific devices that can help you do this, it’s important we also address phantom electricity usage. This refers to the electricity used by devices that are plugged in regardless if they are switched on or not.

You can simply unplug the devices when you’re leaving your house, but it’s understandable to forget to do this sometimes. This is where smart power strips will come in handy, since they allow you to turn off devices using your smartphone as long as they are plugged into the power strip.

Make Use of A Smart Refrigerator

Refrigerators are often one of the top appliances that eat up the most electricity, due to the sheer amount of power it needs to keep food cold. Luckily, technology has improved the humble refrigerator to the point that it is able to use significantly less energy.

Green America’s article on climate-friendly fridges highlights how smart fridges expend less energy by keeping track of your fridge-opening habits. Some brands like GreenFreeze even make use of naturally occurring hydrocarbons instead of traditional cooling systems, which are said to be better for the environment.

Lights Make All The Difference

Your kitchen’s lights also use up a significant amount of electricity. While you may think that compact fluorescent bulbs are sustainable due to their energy-saving capabilities, they contain mercury — which is harmful to both humans and the environment.

If you really want to be eco-friendly, LED lights are the way to go. They are both energy-efficient and are less impactful on the environment due to how long they last — with the average LED light bulb lasting around 100,000 hours.

Save Water Using Smart Sinks

Having an eco-friendly kitchen also means reducing the amount of water you waste. When it comes to saving water, it’s the little things that you have to watch out for. While it may seem insignificant, the amount of water wasted from leaky faucets will rack up if left unattended.

Tools such as the Phyn Smart Water Assistant can prevent this from happening by monitoring the water in your kitchen. It can even keep track of the status of your pipes and will alert you of leaks that are present in your kitchen

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Source: Shutterstock

Mr. Musk did it again. Tech giant has become ranked the second richest person in the world right behind Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. He jumped the ranks after Tesla stocks boomed from $7.2bn to $128bn.

Tesla is considered the most valuable car firm in the world, but manufactures only a portion of the cars that Toyota, VW, and GM make. With only a vision of growth going forward, Tesla is looking to expand in Europe as the car trends seem to be geared towards smaller vehicles.

Tesla is now considered the biggest new entrant on the S&P 500, with more than a $500bn market value, this sparked a buying frenzy into the electric giants car shares. Musk has even more exciting news as four astronauts launched off to the International Space Station by SpaceX, which is another one of Elon’s tech ventures.

Salty Treat: Don’t let moose lick your cars.

Source: Unsplash

As if this is not the most Canadian thing you have heard yet? Officials warn drivers to not let moose lick the salt on your car. The moose enjoy the road salt splashed onto cars as a treat and they are having a hard time resisting this salty snack.

Jasper National Park officials warn that this poses a great threat for moose and drivers, as it allows the animals near your car and become socialized enough to approach vehicles over time. This poses a great threat as it can cause fatal road accidents if in a collision with a moose.

Moose are especially dangerous in collisions due to their large size and they can often charge if they feel threatened – avoiding human interaction is the best for the wellbeing of wildlife. In order to protect the animals, fines of up to $25,000 can be faced for visitors found disturbing wildlife.

Jaspers National Parks spokesperson Steve Young states “Moose and cars are not a good mix. If you hit the moose with your car, you take the legs out from under it and it’s going through your windshield.” We hope this does not become a greater issue and that the moose stay away from the salty snack.

Less Kids Means…?

This week, the Guardian announced a new research survey which shows many young adults hold a pessimistic view of our future climate, and this is influencing their decision to have children.

Researchers surveyed 600 individuals between the ages of 27 and 45. Results suggest that a significant amount of people have reconsidered having children due to the grim future of climate change. More specifically, the study found that 67% of people were very or extremely concerned for the wellbeing of their potential future children in a climate apocalypse world.

One study participant said, “I feel like I can’t in good conscience bring a child into this world and force them to try and survive what may be apocalyptic conditions.”

Lead researcher, Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, of Yale-NUS College in Singapore, said that survey participants were less concerned with the carbon footprint of having children as they were with the wellbeing of the child. Schneider-Mayerson said, “The fears about the carbon footprint of having kids tended to be abstract and dry… But the fears about the lives of existing or potential children were really deep and emotional. It was often heartbreaking to pore through the responses – a lot of people really poured their hearts out.”

A 42-year-old participant wrote that 2050 would be “a hot-house hell, with wars over limited resources, collapsing civilisation, failing agriculture, rising seas, melting glaciers, starvation, droughts, floods, mudslides and widespread devastation.”

Should anyone tell them about the relationship between overpopulation and climate change?

Thermochromic Window

SOURCE: Design Boom

This week, scientists from the U.S. department of energy’s national renewable energy laboratory unveiled a new breakthrough in energy technology: the thermochromic window.

The window works by changing colour (this takes about seven seconds) to block the sun on warm days, in turn, preventing the room inside from heating up. Simultaneously, as the window changes colour, it “leads to the formation of a functioning solar cell that generates on-board power… not only would the buildings use less power, but they would also generate it.”

This technology “reduces the need for air conditioning while simultaneously generating electricity.” With 39% of all energy in the U.S going to cooling residential and commercial buildings, this is an energy breakthrough.

While an interesting idea, I have some questions.

Not only is “natural light” a selling feature in houses, an increase in natural light in one’s home has proven to have numerous mental and physical health benefits including reducing seasonal depression, aiding in sleep, and improving overall happiness levels. With tinted windows preventing sunlight from entering a home, I wonder if this is such a great idea?  

White Giraffe Sighting & Efforts to Keep it Safe

Source: CBC News

An extremely rare white giraffe has been fitted with a tracking device for its protection after its family was killed by poachers. The giraffe currently resides at the Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy in southeast Kenya and has a rare skin condition (leucism) which caused partial loss of pigmentation on the skin. The Northern Rangelands Trust said in a statement this Tuesday that the giraffe was fitted with a tracking device for its own protection – so rangers can monitor its movement on a daily basis. The trust says it is the world’s only white giraffe, although according to National Geographic (NatGeo),  another one was spotted in Tanzania in 2015.

The unusual coloration makes the giraffe extremely vulnerable to poachers in the wilderness. According to the trust, two other white giraffes in the conservancy, a female and her calf, were killed by poachers back in March and concerns are mounting for the remaining animal. Giraffes are being hunted for their tails, pelt, bones and meat. NatGeo published an article a while back about poachers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo hunting giraffes for their tails as they are thought to be a status symbol – leaving the body behind.

Giraffes are slowly disappearing worldwide. The African Wildlife Foundation estimates the species has lost 40 percent of its population in just 30 years, and recent reports show poaching and wildlife trafficking are contributing to this decline. Hopefully the tracker will keep this one alive.

How UK chicken is linked to deforestation in Brazil  

The WTF: The Week This Friday Vol. 26 appeared first on A\J.

Municipal transit systems have been heavily criticized in the past for failing to connect people in growing suburban developments, lacking efficiency in dense urban areas, or simply not having enough ridership to make a difference. Rachel Brown, a recent graduate working in the sustainable transportation sector, had some of these feelings growing up; “As soon as I had access to a car, transit wasn’t my main mode of transportation,” she said, “it took way longer, it was inconvenient for me to walk to a bus stop from my house. For me to get on a bus and go to my friend’s house took almost an hour, where I could get in a car and drive to my friend’s house in fifteen minutes.”

This is coupled with the fact that learning to use the bus can be intimidating for many people. There are still many mental and physical barriers that prevent people choosing transit- think of a young student who may not understand how to use the bus, or a newcomer to Canada not yet confident in their English. Without a simple, stress free transit system, many people may be deterred from giving transit a chance.

“Transportation can be crucial for linking communities to vital resources.” -Rachel Brown

Brown highlighted the positive effects a functional, appealing transit system can have on communities, “Transportation can be crucial for linking communities to vital resources, so as an example you could live in Scarborough or a community hub that you’re connected to culturally, spiritually, religiously- maybe you’re just going to school downtown- but having that ability to get to those resources is really important.” Brown added it’s about breaking down common behaviours and norms in society; “My first option should be taking the bus, or the train, or bicycle…It shouldn’t be automatically just driving in a car.”

So how do we move from a single car culture to a transit culture? For public transit to be more competitive with other modes of transportation, things need to change. Municipalities across Canada have acknowledged some of these problems and found solutions to improve transit within their communities.

Kingston’s Transit Orientation Project

Back in 2012, many high school students in the city of Kingston, Ontario opted out of riding public transit. While the buses were free, many students admitting the idea of going on the bus gave them fear and anxiety because they did not know how to use it.

Dan Hendry, with the Limestone District School Board, saw an opportunity to increase transit ridership in Kingston, while simultaneously providing students with the confidence and tools to use transit and gain the freedom of mobility. He developed the Transit Orientation Project, an education program designed to encourage teenagers to ride the city buses and provide them with independent mobility. At the time, 30% of greenhouse gas emissions from Kingston came from transportation³, and if more individuals took the bus, it would have a significant impact on city emissions.

“It’s this idea of normalizing the usage and understanding of how to use it,” Hendry explained. Hendry took students on the bus and taught them about anything from bus etiquette, to the social, economic, and environmental benefits that come with riding the bus. The students were taken to get their bus pass the same day.  Hendry said students asked “about anything from stopping the bus, as funny as that sounds, but how do you get on the bus? Off the bus? When do you pull the trigger? Do you get off the front or the back? Can you put your bike on the rack? What about getting a transfer?”

The program was all about highlighting the freedom students would have using transit. With a bus pass, students were able to get to work, volunteer, and participate in after school activities. The bus passes were also used for field trips, experiential learning opportunities, and other activities which opened community resources to students.

The first program in 2012 began with grade nines. By 2015, students from grade nine to twelve had a transit pass. Hundreds of bus lessons later, and the program helped transit ridership in Kingston increase by 87%.

In Charlottetown, PEI, they had experienced a similar problem. The city noticed that newcomers and seniors were the primary demographic using transit. Inspired by the work in Kingston, they embarked on a similar teen transit ridership program.

As the Manager of Environment and Sustainability in Charlottetown, Ramona Doyle was involved in the project. Doyle mentioned educating the public on sustainability solutions like bus ridership serves two purposes; “One is trying to create a population that buys into the concept of sustainability and sees it as a community value because that will then come back to elected officials in terms of priority in the community….And two, just to create a population that really cares and understands the space we have is limited and precious and worthwhile preserving.”

Doyle and Hendry both noticed the positive impact the programs had on families in their community. They mentioned that in the months following the program, they saw students encouraging their parents and family members to use transit, teaching them what they had learned from the program.

“It’s all about ‘normalizing transit at a young age, for families as well, and making it more accessible…focussing not just on a bus but on freedom, [students] have just one more tool in their kit.” -Dan Hendry 

While the pass may not be profitable while students are in high school, the teen transit program fosters future paying customers, and encourages these individuals to use the bus into adulthood and reduce the possibility of becoming automobile dependent in the future. “It’s all about ‘normalizing transit at a young age, for families as well, and making it more accessible, focussing not just on a bus but on freedom, [students] have just one more tool in their kit,” Hendry said, adding, “Transit has been stigmatized for a long time. And it’s not just underfunded but seen to be important… so I think if people see how to use it and understand it at a young age, they will have it as a tool for life”.

Word of the program success has spread beyond Charlottetown and Kingston. Cities across Canada including St. John’s Burlington, North Bay, Peterborough, and Belleville are currently hoping to, or in the process of, running similar programs.  

Belleville ‘On-Demand’ Transit System

Every night, a handful of city buses in Belleville, Ontario would lap the same routes over and over, often driving around an empty bus. At night, demand was low, and the number of passengers dropped significantly. Hoping to maximize the ridership fares per revenue hour, the city moved to a fixed nighttime route which used less than a third of their normal fleet. It didn’t take long for residents to complain these buses were slow, and many individuals ended up having to travel far distances to reach a bus stop.

This was not sustainable.

In 2018, the city partnered with Pantonium Inc, a Toronto based company which uses algorithms and cloud-based technology to optimize transit fleets.  They created a pilot project with Belleville which offered on-demand transit to the community during nighttime routes. Using the EverRun software platform created by Pantonium, passengers could use an app on their phone, call in, or even email to signal a city bus to pick them up at any bus stop of their choosing, then drop them off at any other stop in town. As more passengers used the system, drivers would receive updated routes in real-time which could cater to multiple passengers at once, maximizing efficiency.

Luke Mellor, the Marketing Director at Pantonium Inc, explained why the project was needed in Belleville; “The service has to cover the whole city and there is not a lot of demand, so they can’t afford to put a lot of vehicles out there. So, what you have is a very sparse network that takes forever to get around. We saw this nighttime, low-density bus service as a niche where on-demand bus service would work very well.”

“If you can get those people that don’t have cars and provide them a service that’s good for their mobility needs, then they won’t get cars. That’s at least the hope, you can prevent the mode-ship from going in reverse.” – Luke Mellor

Belleville was able to increase efficiency using far fewer buses to cover the same distances while providing the same level of service during low demand periods while avoiding wasted emissions and eliminating the need for bus transfers. The service was very adaptable, “It’s a little more flexible I think than a fixed route in managing demand,” Mellor said, “if you can get those people that don’t have cars and provide them a service that’s good for their mobility needs, then they won’t get cars. That’s at least the hope, you can prevent the mode-shift from going in reverse.” The program was so successful, Mellor mentioned when the program first started, they saw nighttime ridership increase by over 300%.

This program was unique as it opened the door for this technology to be replicated in suburban developments or sparse, low-density communities which may not have a solid transportation system in place. Mellor admitted that in terms of using cloud technology to optimize transit fleets, we are still behind the curve and there is a long way to go. Regardless, he is hopeful in how the EverRun software will grow, “Imagine if every city in Canada had 2-10 buses, 24 hours a day that could pick you up and drop you off at any bus stop in the city. That would be a service that would actually get people out of their cars. Especially for equity and justice, not everyone can afford a car, but everyone needs to get around a city.”

Read more Pantonium and the EverRun software at this Link. 

More Than Transit

This is not just about transit, this is about fostering connected, healthy, sustainable communities.

Sustainability has become increasingly integrated into our decision making. Each community is different, and sustainable solutions that work for some may not work for all. But moving toward a more sustainable transit culture and away from a single-car culture has shown to better communities’ time and time again. This is not just about transit, this is about fostering connected, healthy, sustainable communities.

As Dan Hendry put it, “It’s not just about the bus, it’s about moving from point A to point B, this is jobs, volunteering, first dates, meeting friends…Transit can positively affect your life even if you don’t use it. Whether that be the grocery store clerk getting to work on time, whether that be reduced flows in traffic and congestion, whether that be the environmental benefit if people care about that, and with 7.8 billion people I think we should.”

Want more stories like this? This article is featured in our next issue, Getting There: The Ecosystem of Human Movement. Check out the next issue for more!

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Almost all environmental concerns lead back to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. I mean, of course it all leads back to the climate crisis. Most people can agree that it is primarily caused by human activities such as resource extraction and use and agriculture. 

By 2017, Canada became the 10th largest CO₂ emitting country. The oil and gas sector and the transportation sector were the largest GHG emitting sectors in Canada. These two sectors combined account for almost 52% of Canada’s total emissions. Of that, the oil and gas sector accounts for 27% of total emissions and the transportation sector accounts for 24% of emissions. According to Natural Resources Canada, between 1990 and 2017, oil and gas sector emissions increased by 84% and transport emissions increased by 43%. 

This past semester, I took a course called Energy and Sustainability and part of our first assignment was to simulate and compare energy models, policies and statistics for three countries. Using this knowledge and experience, I decided to take a different approach in this article and propose suitable energy policies that could reduce GHG emissions from these two sectors, if applied. With current measures in place, it would fluctuate between 745 to 775 from now to the year 2050. 

Energy Policy Solutions, the energy simulator applied to this research, was developed by Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology and the Pembina Institute. According to Energy Innovation, it was developed to assist policy makers in identifying and implementing cost effective policies towards a low carbon future. As they say on their website, “Well-designed energy policies can reduce pollution, cut consumer costs and minimize dependence on foreign energy suppliers. Done wrong, they can do the reverse and increase pollution, lock in carbon intensive  technologies and waste money”.

In 2017, Canada’s total GHG emissions were 716 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCo₂eq).

One policy that could be applied to the transport sector is passenger transport and demand management (TDM). This policy is made up of a set of regulations that work towards reducing demand for passenger travel in private vehicles. Some of these policies include improving public transit systems, creating more walking and bike paths, zoning for high density transit, road and congested parking pricing and increased parking fees. These are already effective in municipalities across Canada and more should be encouraged. 

The city of Waterloo, for instance. In an attempt to meet a 2020 emissions reduction target, the city created a local car share system, a region-wide anti-idling bylaw, a regional electric vehicle charging network, an ION light rail transit service and much more. After applying this policy on a national level, CO₂ emissions in Canada for 2050 project to 739 mmtCO₂ from 752mmtCO₂ on the policy simulator.

Another policy that could be applied in the transport industry is an electric vehicle subsidy of passenger light duty vehicles (LDVs). According to Policy Solutions, this policy would make the government pay for a percentage of the purchase price of new electric passenger light duty vehicles. After applying a 50% electric vehicle subsidy, CO₂ emissions would be reduced from 752 mmt/yr to 728 mmt/yr.

For the oil and gas sector, one policy that could work is methane capture. This policy “reduces methane emissions for the industry sector by increasing the capture of methane currently being released into the atmosphere”. Methane is a type of GHG emitted during coal, natural gas and oil production, agriculture processed and the decay of organic waste.

If 97% of the methane capture potential is achieved, CO₂ emissions can fall from 752 mmt/yr to 682 mmt/yr. According to Policy Solutions, if 100% of the methane capture potential was achieved, process emissions in 2050 would be reduced by 81% in natural gas and petroleum, 8% for mining and 86% from the waste management sector.

Lastly, another possible policy for the oil and gas industry is cogeneration and waste heat recovery. As described by Energy Innovation, “this policy contributes to reducing fuel consumption in the industry sector by increasing the use of cogeneration, also known as, “combined heat and power” and “recovery of waste heat to perform useful work”. Simply put, it refers to a process where waste heat from coal fired power stations is used for space or water heating in our residential or commercial buildings. If this policy reaches its full potential, fuel use can be reduced by almost 8% across all industries in 2050. After applying this policy, CO₂ emissions will reduce from 752 mmt/yr to 734 mmt/yr by 2050. 

Only four policies have been selected for two of the GHG emitting sectors in Canada. What impact do they all have together? After applying these policies, passenger transport demand management, methane capture, light passenger electric vehicle subsidy and cogeneration and waste heat recovery, CO₂ emissions in Canada will reduce from 752 mmt/yr to 635 mmt/yr.

This research only answers the questions on “What effective measures can we take?” and not the “How do we do it?” part. Seeing how much impact four policies have means that the results would be outstanding if not only were more policies were applied but other CO₂ emitting sectors were analysed too.

***

The simulator is available to the public, so you can also try out how policies on different sectors can affect emissions in Canada, Alberta,  Mexico, Poland, Indonesia, India, China and the USA via this link: https://policysolutions.pembina.org

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As climate concerns continue to rise alongside increasing energy demands, renewable power is becoming an important and much needed resource. Wind energy – an important source of renewable energy – is gaining popularity in many parts of the world. Some new research from Penn State Behrand and the University of Tabriz in Iran shows how more efficient wind farm designs can improve energy outcomes.

“Wind power is the most competitive option for adding new capacity to the grid in a growing number of markets,” said Steve Sawyer, Secretary General at the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). “If the Paris Agreement targets are to be reached, that means closing fossil fuel fired plants and replaced them with wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and biomass.”

Compared to other sources of renewable energy, wind turbines are incredibly efficient—they convert around 45 percent of wind energy into electricity, versus the less than 25 percent conversion rate of solar panels. However, the efficiency of wind-energy farms depends largely on their layout.

Optimizing wind farm design

The research, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, uses animals as a model to optimize power production. In order to generate power efficiently, turbines have to be placed to capitalize on the highest wind speeds, minimize on interference from other turbines, and account for geographical factors such as landscape and weather. Many of these details can be hard to measure and include in wind farm design; this is known as the “wind farm layout optimization problem.”

Nature is efficient, and it only makes sense that modern technologies draw on natural designs. Animal models have inspired many ways to address global concerns across various sectors. This is what’s known as biomimicry—“sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies,” according to the Biomimicry Institute.

In the study, researchers used “biogeographical-based optimization”, or BBO, to improve wind farm design and energy production. BBO is a mathematical model that explains how animals are naturally distributed to make the best use of the resources around them. By applying this model to wind farms, the researchers developed an algorithm to estimate how turbines should be distributed for the highest amount of energy production. 

“This BBO method minimizes computation and gives better results, finding the optimum solution at less computational cost,” said Mohammad Rasouli, assistant professor of electrical engineering at Penn State Behrand and corresponding author of the study.

Similar attempts using BBO to optimize wind farm layout have been used in the past, but these approaches failed to address all aspects of an optimum layout. This new model accounts for factors such as the roughness of landscape surfaces and the actual amount of wind energy received by each turbine. To improve the BBO approach, the authors proposed a more realistic model of wind wake—the result of slowing wind speeds after wind passes through a turbine. Changes to wind speed affect how much energy is received by downstream turbines.

The study also looks at real market financial data to understand the economic benefits of optimizing wind farm design, as well as how farmers can generate the most revenue while producing more renewable energy for their customers.

The future of wind energy

In Canada, there are nearly 300 wind farms across the country, and the capacity for wind power production has been steadily growing over the past decade. Wind energy supplied about 6 percent of Canada’s overall energy demand in 2017, and this is expected to increase.

According to the Global Wind Energy Council, wind power production could read 2.1 million megawatts by 2030—an amount that would supply up to 20 percent of electricity worldwide and reduce carbon emissions by more than 3.3 billion tonnes per year. Growth of the industry not only limits air pollutants and greenhouse gases, it has social and economic benefits. If 2030 targets are reached, more than 2.3 million new jobs would be created globally, attracting about $300 million in investments.

Non-renewable energy sources such as coal and other fossil fuels cause more air pollution which can be harmful to public health. This, along with international targets to meet climate goals, is incentive enough to invest in these sustainable technologies. Technologies for cleaner energy are reducing reliance on fossil fuels, paving the way to better environmental and human health.

“Now that the Paris Agreement is coming into force, countries need to get serious about what they committed to last December,” said Sawyer.“Wind power will play the major role in getting us there.”

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What used to be a suite of technologies mostly employed by the poor in developing countries is now being eagerly revamped for distribution across North America by waste-to-energy start-ups hoping to capitalize on the fantastic quantities of waste we produce.

We produce food waste that can be used to create compost for agriculture.

We produce solid waste that can be used to create biogas to meet our energy needs.

Waste-to-energy is an idea about to hit the big-time.

What used to be a suite of technologies mostly employed by the poor in developing countries is now being eagerly revamped for distribution across North America by waste-to-energy start-ups hoping to capitalize on the fantastic quantities of waste we produce.

We produce food waste that can be used to create compost for agriculture.

We produce solid waste that can be used to create biogas to meet our energy needs.

We even produce wastewater, with a heating potential that – until recently – no one had really contemplated harnessing.

There are two reasons why not:

1. It’s hard to filter the raw sewage well enough that it won’t plug the heating pipes.
2. Raw sewage is gross.

Lynn Mueller, President of Vancouver-based International Wastewater Systems, has found a solution to the first problem. As for the second, he thinks the return on investment is going to be enough to prevent clients from holding their nose.

With approximately 350 billion kilowatt-hours of heat energy flushed down drains in the United States alone each year, he’s probably right.

Wastewater heat recovery works just like a geothermal heat pump. The heat from water washed down sinks and toilets is captured by a heat pump, which applies the heat to the clean water entering the building.

Wastewater isn’t particularly warm – only about 15.6 degrees – but it’s still much warmer than the cold, clean water that must be heated somehow. The waste heat is able to do a bunch of the heavy lifting. And since there are basically endless quantities of it, serving no other purpose, very high heating efficiencies are possible.

It’s the efficiency that makes waste-to-energy such an appealing financial prospect. By definition, waste is just a burden on the system. So anything useful that comes out of it is a bonus. Mueller claims that his system operates “at 500 per cent efficiency,” which is quite good by any standard.

“Waste recovery seems like such a novel idea,” says Mueller, “but [the waste] is available everywhere.”

Solid waste energy recovery is also making waves across Canada and the USA. More than 80 municipal waste-to-energy facilities are in operation across North America, with more coming online all the time. A typical facility can power over 30,000 homes, which is an appealing economic benefit to go along with the ninety per cent reduction in waste processing. Edmonton’s plant is currently producing 38 million litres of methanol annually.

Like any idea on the rise, waste-to-energy is creating winners and losers. In danger of slipping into the latter category is Plasco Energy, who, at the time of this writing, were expected to miss the final deadline to secure financing for a full-scale waste-to-energy plant in Ottawa.

Although small-scale waste conversion systems do exist, most of our established technologies work best with economies of scale. Thus, municipalities have found themselves taking the lead on implementing waste-to-energy systems.

In Vancouver, Mueller has been working closely with the municipal government to install his wastewater heating systems in everything from apartment buildings to hospitals and prisons. Although cities are typically a little territorial about their infrastructure, the appeal of heat and energy from nothing may be softening that stance around the country: “Their motivation is to make a greener city. Vancouver is now at the forefront of recycled heat.”

With luck, others will soon follow suit.

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Green support beams at Ontario-based furniture manufacturer Calstone

Scarborough, Ontario-based Calstone Inc. is a leading manufacturer in business, mailroom and modular furniture. They are also leaders in environmental sustainability, and that’s why the family-owned business is one of Earth Day Canada’s 2014 Hometown Heroes.

Jim Eccelstone and his two business partners established Calstone in 1985, but in 2006 everything changed when his partners retired. That’s when Calstone became a fully owned family business. With the transformation in ownership came a change in philosophy, and Eccelstone decided to revamp the company’s mission.

From that moment forward, Eccelstone shifted Calstone in a greener direction. His goal: Reduce the company’s environmental footprint as much as possible and become the first off-the-grid furniture manufacturer.

“Jim Eccelstone was the one who started this all off,” said Cindy Cohanim, special projects manager at Calstone. “He wanted to leave his company as sustainable as possible for his children.” Ecclestone’s three children, Laura, Jamie and Matt, are all partners in the business and plan to carry the sustainable torch forward.

Calstone currently pursues a variety of environmental initiatives in order to ensure that the company leaves as little of an environmental impact as possible.

One of these winning strategies is the Remanufacturing Program, which helps ensure that furniture parts won’t end up in landfills. Through this program, customers are able to send back their used Calstone or metal furniture, which will be reused. Today, 45 per cent of Calstone’s furniture is made from recycled content.

Calstone also utilizes renewable energy through Canada’s leading provider in total green energy, Bullfrog Power. The company is also GREENGUARD-certified, which ensures that the company’s products have low chemical emissions.

Another innovation in sustainability that Calstone is proud of is its 2,000-gallon water tank used to collect rainwater from the roof. The rainwater is used to cool spot-welding equipment and flush toilets. The installation of the rainwater cooling tank – rescued from a farmer’s field – has reduced water use by 70 per cent since 2004.

The company is currently beginning to implement a watershed project with its Hometown Heroes Award money, which will improve the company’s backyard landscape. 

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