With apologies to Max, the central character in Maurice Sendak’s 1963 classic Where The Wild Things Are, and his arduous journey “in and out of weeks and through a day and into the night of his very own room”, Alice the Moose puts his to shame. Alice left her home park in the Adirondacks in upstate New York, swam across the St. Lawrence river, somehow made it across the four-lane 401 highway and finally completed her 570 km-long journey by arriving in Ontario’s Algonquin Park. Talk about a wild trip!

Alice was just doing what comes naturally – migrating with the seasons, in search of safer grounds and more plentiful sources of nourishment. And not just Alice. Lots of other animals. Thousands of different species of animals in every glorious manifestation have been migrating through what’s now known as the ‘Algonquin to Adirondacks’  region (A2A) for thousands if not millions of years. We humans joined the pilgrimage for our own survival, dodging the worst of winter’s wrath and following our meal-tickets as they embarked on their own migrations.

Turns out, there’s an interconnected network of trails and wildways stretching up the east cost of North America. You – or an Alice – could travel from Everglades National Park through Georgia’s Smoky Mountains, up the Appalachians, through the Adirondacks, across the Frontenac Arch and the St. Lawrence river and on into Algonquin Park. And there’s an organization that has charted these wildways, the species (and their movements) and the threats to biodiversity, particularly the numerous species-at-risk.

In October 2019, Wildlands Network released an interactive map of the Eastern Wildway, representing a major step forward in realizing a vision of connectivity for this region:

In their own words:

The Eastern Wildway contains some of North America’s most beloved national parks, preserves, scenic rivers, and other wild places, from the wilderness of Quebec, the Adirondacks, and the Shenandoah Valley, to the Great Smoky Mountains and Everglades National Park. Protecting and expanding these and other key core areas is crucial to rewilding the East.

I like the idea of rewilding. Of our spaces and our souls. Allowing our footfalls to provide the syncopation as we walk away our worries, lost-to-be-found in nature. And allowing nature to reclaim, to repossess, what we humans have taken from them, the birds, the bees, the flowers and the trees.

I was thinking about Alice recently when I came across a tragic story about a deer. This deer had managed to swim to Prince Edward Island – akin to Marilyn Bell swimming across Lake Ontario – only to be hit and killed by a transport truck not long after its arrival on the island. Alice had somehow survived an ordeal similar to our dearly-departed deer friend in PEI. And in Alice’s case, she was crossing one of the busiest highways in North America, the 401/TransCanada. At the point where Alice dodged death, the 401 is four lanes wide and busy almost 24 hours a day. This was Alice’s reality and the reality faced by every other ground-based species that migrates through the A2A region. The animals are simply following deep programming, genetic memories of migrations from hundreds of generations. The pathways are ancient. Highways are the interlopers, the recent development that benefits one species to the detriment of all others.

There are solutions. They go by a variety off names – wildlife overpasses, animal bridges, wildlife crossings – but I like to think of them as a modern iteration on an ancient tale. In the biblical story of Noah and his Ark, human wickedness required global cleansing, as the Almighty prepared to wash the sins of humans away through the medium of an unprecedented flood. But recognizing that the animals did not cause the wickedness and therefore should be saved, Noah was instructed by the Big Boss to construct a gigantic ark, a boat, that could hold a pair of each species. This would allow the animals to repopulate the world after the forty days of ‘cleansing’.

In our modern times, humanity constructs transportation monuments that seem built to demand animal sacrifice. But when we build a bridge – a Noah’s Arch – that allows wildlife to cross our highway infrastructures, we fulfill an obligation to right a wrong.

The A2A Collaborative’s Road Ecology project is aiming “to help reduce wildlife road mortality across the entire Algonquin to Adirondacks region by making recommendations on the best possible locations for wildlife crossings.” There are strong financial reasons to support these public works projects that buttress the moral reasons. In Alberta’s Bow Valley, a study found that “from 1998 and 2010 (there) was…an average of 62 WVCs (wildlife-vehicle collisions) per year. This amounts to an average cost-to-society of $640,922 per year due to motorist crashes with large wildlife, primarily ungulates.”

An “analysis of a wildlife underpass with fencing at a 3 km section… within the project area near Dead Man’s Flats showed that total WVCs dropped from an annual average of 11.8 per-construction to an annual average of 2.5 WVCs post-mitigation construction. The wildlife crossings and fencing reduced the annual average cost by over 90%, from an average of $128,337 per year to a resulting $17,564 average per year.”

The judicious construction of wildlife crossings saves lives and saves money. And it makes our wildways that much more alive with wildlife. It’s time for us humans to do our part and prioritize wildlife crossings on our major highways and roadways.

Alice would thank you.

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Murder hornet has become the popularized name for Vespa mandarinia, but the established common name is simply Asian giant hornet — a name that describes where the insect is from and what it looks like. While in this case of this species the colloquial and standardized common name are quite different, common names aren’t always as straightforward as Asian giant hornet. They can be just as cryptic as the name murder hornet. 

“Sometimes common names are very misleading or they are not very informative,” says Adam Brunke, Chair of the Common Names Committee for the Entomological Society of Canada (ESC). “It’s a communication issue.”

However, ease of communication is exactly what a common name is for. They’re used to bridge the divide between those who study a field of biology, such as the study of insects called entomology, and those who don’t. So when a name fails to add ease, has confusing descriptors, or uses derogatory language, there’s a problem. 

These issues are what the Better Common Names Project aims to address. Led by the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and a steering committee made up of many ESC members, the Better Common Names Project involves revisiting common insect names, proposing new ones, and approving a new standard common name for both the United States and Canada. 

The first renaming for the project was for Lymantria dispar where the official common name “gypsy moth” was changed to “spongy moth” due to the term gypsy being an ethnic slur for the Romani people. The new name “spongy” refers to the insect’s distinct sponge-like egg masses. It’s a characteristic that’s unique to the insect and easy to understand. 

Male spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) // Credit: S. McCann; Source: Entomological Society of Canada

“What happens is that we don’t actually propose any names ourselves. We get proposals from the entomological community and they do some background research and provide a rationale. They explain why any existing names are appropriate or not appropriate,” Brunke says. “Normally, there’s two or three names that are already out there, or maybe the name exists in French, but not English, or vice versa. So this is a bit of a special case where we had a pest insect with a very, very dominant name.”

It’s easy to look at this project or renaming happening in any field as only a means of creating a more inclusive and equitable society. And while that’s certainly not a bad thing to consider, the main goal is to enable clear communication and understanding. 

Though we often learn and accept terms for what they are and can adapt to a pre-existing language, it doesn’t mean the language is as effective as it could be. In fact, it’s possible people may get the wrong idea of what an insect is or does if a name is too ambiguous or nondescript.

Take the case of a newly introduced tick in Canada.

“It was starting to get a lot of media attention because it is a potential disease vector.” 

A disease vector is something that carries and spreads disease, like an insect, which is definitely information that the broader community should be aware of. But the way in which this information is communicated should be done carefully. It was important that this insect be given a name that’s more than just clickbait. No one needs a new case of “murder hornets”.

“We were trying to use something neutral and something descriptive before it could, you know, sort of get out of hand or go in a direction we’d rather it not,” Brunke says, emphasizing that a common name should help someone identify an insect. This is especially important for those monitoring for a specific pest that may be harmful or damaging to the environment.

Murder hornet news headline // Source: Saanich News

Identifying, suggesting, and standardizing common names is definitely not a one-person job. After all, there are an estimated 10 quintillion insects out there. The collaborative effort of the entomological societies and the great entomological community are key for identifying what names work and what don’t. 

Though there are many experts and enthusiasts out there, it doesn’t necessarily mean they always have the answers about why a common name exists as it does. Their origin may ultimately remain unknown because no one documented the rationale and it’s because of this that a common name may come into question.

“That’s the problem. We never get the reasons for things.”

If there isn’t a well-understood reason for something or if in hindsight a reason isn’t very well justified, then there’s room for change. Just like science itself, it’s a process of hypothesizing, researching, and concluding. And if you don’t agree with the outcome, or in this case, the name? Create a new hypothesis, test it, and come up with a more acceptable, well-founded standard.

The post They Call It Worm. They Call It Lame. That’s Not Its Name. appeared first on A\J.

I’ve been told that there are two main pathways that I could take as the next step in my career: further education or entering the work force in some capacity. Typically, further education is the path to take if 1) I feel like I need more skills and knowledge for the work force, 2) I just want to keep learning, or 3) I want to do my own research. But I never thought of furthering my education to be able to express myself and be who I want to be. That is, not until I had a conversation with Dean Alice Hovorka.

Dean Hovorka’s experience as a seasoned academic who so strongly followed her passions throughout her career serves as a wonderful example of a heart story born out of the pursuit of further education. Her story is one that shows how academia has the potential to be a space where you can be who you are and who you want to be. 

“I’ve been lucky enough as an academic to find a job in a sector of higher education that allows me to be who I want to be. That is a rare thing in the job market,” Hovorka shared. “As an academic, I have been able to work with students in the way that I want to work with them. No one has told me what to study. No one has told me what I must be teaching or how I must be teaching it. And now that I’m the Dean of the Faculty [of Environmental and Urban Change] at York, what I love about this role is being of service. Being a champion for students, faculty and staff, who want to make a difference in the world.”

And Dean Hovorka is just that – a champion. She is so dedicated to helping others succeed in following their passions because she herself has done just that in her career. One topic of research that she focuses on is the relationships between humans and other animals. She started a group called The Lives of Animals Research Group that originated from passion translating into academia, and I asked her what the story was behind its creation.

“I sort of think of my academic career in two different phases. The first phase, I had nothing to do with animals whatsoever. I was doing a lot of work on gender issues, gender politics and relations of power, and I was doing my work in urban, sub-Saharan Africa. A lot of my work for my PhD was in Botswana, in Gaborone. At the time, I was very interested in urban agriculture. So, I was documenting how men and women farmed differently in the city, and I thought I was going to be finding maize and beans and fruit trees – no, it was all chickens. I went ahead, wrote my dissertation, and for about 10 years, I was known for doing work on gender, urbanization, and everyday life kind of issues. 

“At a certain point, I’d gone back to Gaborone for a visit, about 8 years into doing this work. I was driving around and I had this random thought. I was driving past all these poultry farms, I was seeing chickens everywhere, and I was like, ‘the city would look different if the chickens weren’t here.’ At the same time, I had been reading some work about the exploitation of animals and I remember, I started to cry. I was reading an academic text and I’m starting to cry, so you know there’s something wrong. I realized I had completely missed the animals. I had been walking through abattoirs where chickens were getting slaughtered, I was walking through poultry farms with 30,000 birds in them – never noticed the animals. I mean, I noticed them, but I never really appreciated that they were a social group in the city as much as people were. That’s how I got inspired. 

Source: Lives of Animals Research Group

“So, I took my PhD work and instead of focusing on men and women, I turned it around and focused on chickens. The reactions I had from folks in academia in this part of the world was, ‘Why would you focus on animals? There are people who matter more.’ But when I talked to my colleagues at the University of Botswana, they were like, ‘You should totally do that. We really believe that the animals are number one.’ I started to get a lot of confidence from my Botswana colleagues to pursue this and I kind of never left. I’ve been doing this work for about 12 years now. I started the research group because I wanted to bring together a team of students to help me think through all these issues. It was largely in Botswana at the start, and now it has stretched into Canada and Costa Rica. We’re so intertwined with animals, we don’t even recognize it – and we are animals, that’s the other piece.”

Dean Hovorka has used her academic career to spotlight the role of animals in our societies and really pour her compassion into her work. Similarly, with her work on gender issues and urbanization, she always advocates for intersectional environmentalism – including the injustices between men and women and humans and other animals – which is vital to effectively tackling the climate crisis today.

“If you have inequities and injustices between men and women, you’re never going to have sustainability. It’s the same with the animals.”

“If you think about this new faculty – the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change – one of the reasons I wanted to be here at York with this group of people is that they’re not just looking at sustainability, they’re looking at justice as a means to get sustainability. To me, that totally makes sense. If you have inequities and injustices between men and women, you’re never going to have sustainability. It’s the same with the animals. If you treat other beings in the way that we are treating other beings, we’re never going to be sustainable because not only are you abusing nature, i.e. animals, you’re also undermining everything you need to feed yourself, to have clean air, clean water, fertile soil, a climate that doesn’t change at such a rapid rate.

“I’ve been around long enough now that I’ve seen us go from the actual concept of sustainability being brought forward in 1987, the ideas of a climate change issue, and how long it’s taken us to actually talk about climate change such that we’re recognizing it’s a climate crisis. When I think about the work we have to do to understand biodiversity matters, in that we are not just messing up with the climate, we’re messing up soil, plants, animals, water, air… How do we move ourselves faster through that learning curve? Even this pandemic – itself rooted in an environmental crisis first and foremost, and our relationships with animals, hands down. What it has brought forth is we’re now talking about green recovery. We managed to somehow engrain that we’re in a climate crisis, the pandemic hits, and now we’re bringing the climate crisis back as part of our recovery. So, part of this has been generating momentum, but I feel like we’re in a good place to really draw some energy from the breadth of understanding of what sustainability means.”

To read the rest of this conversation, stay tuned for our upcoming issue, Playbook for Progress. In this issue, Dean Hovorka shares her best advice for new grads on how to take that first step into further education – how to succeed, stay motivated, and sustain the journey while maintaining your core purpose and vision. You won’t want to miss it!

Alice Hovorka is the Dean of the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University. She is an accomplished academic, holding both Master’s and PhD degrees in geography; her research focuses on urban agriculture, gender and power politics, and human-animal relations. Dean Hovorka is a strong advocate for the imperative link between sustainability and justice not only in scholarship but all facets of life.

The post Journeying Farther appeared first on A\J.

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!

The post Joining Hands: The Decade of Action on the SDGs appeared first on A\J.

The CBC article and podcast features Kevin Parkinson, a wildfire operations officer based out of Slave Lake, Alberta, who is one of the few trained experts within the province with an intimate knowledge of utilizing prescribed burns for combating large wildfires. 

As a highlight on the podcast series, this CBC article touches on a lesser-known side of wildfires, that is, that wildfires are not necessarily inherently bad. In fact, they can even be beneficial. Wildfires themselves are natural and the complete prevention of them is not always the “best solution”, even from a human-centric point of view. Massive, destructive wildfires can be devastating, as we’ve all seen in the media in recent years, with fires including the 2016 Fort McMurray fire in Alberta or the 2020 El Dorado fire in California. These large, out-of-control massive fires differ significantly from the prescribed burns described by Snowdon’s article.

Wildfires themselves are natural and the complete prevention of them is not always the “best solution”…

Prescribed burns, also commonly known as controlled burns, are fires set intentionally by experts for land or fire management. As mentioned by the article, these types of burns are done across Alberta each year, however, it is important to note that they are used across Canada and other parts of the world for the benefits they provide. Interestingly, they can be used for fire management, reducing the risks associated with subsequent fires on the landscape. They can also aid in greenhouse gas abatement, promoting regeneration and regrowth of forested areas, and the restoration or maintenance of habitats.

Re-growth on the forest floor after the 2017 Horse Prairie Fire in southern Oregon // Credit: Chelsea Uggenti

You may ask yourself: “How does starting fires lead to less fires?” Although it may seem counter-intuitive, prescribed burn fires can help reduce the risk of later, and often more severe and thus dangerous, fires. Over time, combustible materials such as dried leaves and branches can build up on the forest floor. This accumulation can make the forest more susceptible to a severe fire. Attempting to suppress and prevent fires indefinitely actually often helps enable excess combustible material to accumulate, thus increasing the risk of a severe fire later. Prescribed burns are used to clear this material away before the risk becomes too great. 

Cleaning up the forest floor litter after a prescribed burn in 2018 near Bend, Oregon // Credit: Chelsea Uggenti

Cleaning up the forest floor litter after a prescribed burn in 2017 in the Ochoco National Forest // Credit: Chelsea Uggenti

From an ecological point of view, fires can be important to maintaining certain habitats, and some ecological communities are even regarded as “fire dependent”. Without relatively frequent fires, these areas will not support the same species they otherwise would. Prolonged fire suppression efforts by humans have altered these landscapes, but we are realizing that fires can be important. Through prescribed burns, some of these ecosystems have been at least partially restored.

A few ways that prescribed burns can begin were also highlighted in the CBC article. One such method included dropping fireballs (ping-pong like balls filled with glycol that chemically react) from helicopters to ignite slow burning forest fires. However, sometimes a more intense fire is warranted during a prescribed burn. For these more intense fires, another aerial technique that is employed is called a heli-torch, a helicopter with a 45-gallon drum with gel that is ignited as it is dumped over the forest. Other tamer methods include using a drip torch – a canister that pours flaming fuel onto the ground, done manually while walking in the forest – which are a bit less intense but just as important for wildfire suppression. These are just a few of the hazard reduction technologies and techniques Parkinson uses to protect from larger wildfires, however, there is a lot more strategy involved than simply playing with pyrotechnics. As the article highlights, smaller strategic fires can be set to redirect wildfires in safer directions towards natural fire breaks and often, these fires are carefully planned and executed in detail.

A scorched tree after a wildfire in Umpqua National Forest, Oregon // Credit: Chelsea Uggenti

These burns must be done responsibly, with careful consideration and planning of the present environment. Short and long-term weather conditions, the combustible material present, the types of ecosystems, and nearby infrastructure are all factored in when agencies create a “burn plan”. Parkinson mentioned the carefully planned and executed prescribed burn in Rocky Mountain House that took 10 years to occur while they waited for the right conditions. Although some people believe these burns are bad since they can create or increase smoke plumes in populated areas which can lead to uncomfortable breathing conditions or increased smoke-related illnesses, it is important to realize that the smoke generated by these burns is usually less intrusive and dangerous than the smoke generated by a raging wildfire.

What does this mean to us, exactly? We feel that articles like this give us hope. Although wildfires can be very dangerous and scary, there are some amazing preventative measures, like prescribed burns, in place that help to reduce their risks. It is inspiring to read about Kevin Parkinson’s flaming ping-pong balls technique and the other methods employed by fire fighters and crews. Moving forward, we hope to see better communication (I mean, we’re living in the digital age, right?!) between fire management agencies, fire fighters, and the public that continues to share and strengthen the knowledge that prescribed burns are necessary and effective. We hear the common “short-term pains for long-term gains” phrase ringing in our minds.

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!

The post Fighting Fire with Fire appeared first on A\J.

Schindler achieved many accomplishments in his 50+ year career. From 1968 to 1989, he directed the Experimental Lakes Area research facility in Ontario. Then, from 1989 onward, he was a Killam Memorial professor of ecology at the University of Alberta. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2004, and received more than 30 other awards and honours for his accredited work in environmental science. 

Schindler was a voice of science but also a voice of action. He spoke up about issues regarding environmental protection and policy in Canada, bringing these topics to the forefront of conversation, and always fighting to keep freshwater ecosystems free from industrial harm. In the A\J article, Schindler’s Pissed, Stephen Bocking interviewed Schindler about his thoughts on tar sands development in Canada. He shared his opinions, urging people to realize that scientific expertise is imperative to environmental assessment and decision making.

He will be remembered as an explorer, experimenter, ecologist, educator, conservationist, and much more. It is clear that his lifetime’s work of fighting for freshwater conservation will not be forgotten but will be foundational in conservation work going forward.

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Complete communities are a development of convenience for those living within them as they provide the necessities for daily needs. Complete communities encompass many options for housing, jobs, walkability, transport, retail, services and amenities while preserving natural features and significant areas of farmland. Historically, compact development was the norm before areas became more car-dependent – and are good models for the creation of complete communities. This approach of compact communities limits sprawling development while catering to all ages, previously existing infrastructure and all income groups. The Greenbelt Foundation published a report “Growing Close to Home: Creating Complete Rural Communities” which highlights the opportunities and challenges that rural communities across the Greenbelt face when attempting to create complete communities. A summary of their report will be provided but all details of the report including opportunities, challenges, case studies, community consultations and interview feedback from municipal staff can be viewed in full here.

Landscape in Halton

Source: Greenbelt Foundation

“The Greenbelt Foundation’s top-level objective is to contribute to rural prosperity and wellbeing, by leveraging the Greenbelt as an economic, social and environmental resource. For the Greenbelt to work it has to work for the people who live within and adjacent to it. The Growing Close to Home report is one example of how the Greenbelt Foundation shares resources and helps our municipal partners across the region build prosperous, resilient communities.”   – Edward McDonnell CEO, Greenbelt Foundation

The report was produced after thorough research, data collection from stakeholder engagement and reviewing of plans and policies. In an interview with Edward McDonnell, CEO of the Greenbelt Foundation, he mentioned that the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, published in 2006, promotes the advancement towards complete communities in an urban setting but was lacking information regarding rural areas with the report filling this knowledge gap, specifically for areas within the Greenbelt.

With a goal of knowledge mobilization in mind for residents, municipal planners and for those in the economic development field, this report helps break the barriers in thinking that development of rural complete communities is impossible said Anna Shortly, Research and Policy Analyst, Greenbelt Foundation. It shows case studies of advancements in public transit and housing in certain areas of the Greenbelt that can be applicable in areas where there is doubt about its existence. McDonnell said that while rural communities present unique challenges, shared challenges also exist and the approach to addressing those issues such as those faced by the aging population, transportation, economic development and good compact use of land, are important to note.

The report focused on 7 factors that need to be considered for achieving a complete rural community and include: Management of rural growth; Housing; Active and public transport; Economic development; Character; Agriculture and environment; and Public consultation.

A rural Canadian community

Source: Infrastructure Canada

Firstly, concerning the management of growth in rural communities, it was seen that rural Greenbelt municipality growth varies and some areas are still building, attempting to build or are in the process of trying to provide more services and housing options for future growth. The goal of complete communities is to promote densification, compact-building and mixed-use areas to be directed to settlement areas to encourage population increase which will, in turn, support wastewater servicing (which affects the existence of other housing types apart from single-detached homes), municipal water and transit in a rural area. Directing growth in areas with pre-existing infrastructure capacity and municipal servicing is more economically feasible than in rural areas where these services will have to be established. Despite increased population densities allowing businesses and other services to increase their income, issues with parking, traffic, increased spending on infrastructure maintenance can arise.

Housing in rural communities

Source: Greenbelt Foundation

Secondly, on the topic of housing in rural communities, the report highlights that some municipalities are creating zoning by-laws and policies promoting a shift away from the current 80% single-detached houses to various denser and diverse housing styles including rental housing. These styles include townhouses, apartment buildings or condominiums, semi-detached houses with some areas being mixed-use between housing and commerce. This presents options to potentially meet the demand for more housing, for various age demographics and that fit a resident’s lifestyle such as seniors wanting to move into retirement homes. It was seen that many industries such as tourism and manufacturing are being affected in rural communities due to lack of employees because of the insufficient affordable housing resulting in employees commuting from outside of the municipality. However, diverse housing styles may not equate to affordable options but municipalities have been encouraging this through incentives (e.g. Community Improvement Plans) for the creation of apartments above stores, garden suites and secondary suites. This can ensure that people can live in the same area they work in. Shortly said this can help areas such as Blue Mountain that have seasonal labour shortages which claim to be due to the lack of housing.

Cycling in a rural community

Photographer: Shane Rounce via Unsplash

Thirdly, regarding public and active transportation in rural areas, car-usage is more dominant as it is more convenient for connecting people to places. Infrastructure promoting urban transit, trails, bike lanes and even sidewalks are inadequate or missing and are difficult to develop due to low user-ship. However, municipalities are conducting feasibility studies for transit and master plans for cycling and trails to determine what improvements can be made to rural communities. Shortly said from her data collection interviews, some cities had jobs but the lack of public transit to get people around affected the quantity of job positions filled. However, public transit is possible in rural communities and are convenient for those who cannot drive or may not have a car. On-demand transit is also being used as a cost-effective option in dispersed, low-density areas where a fixed-route transit is not present.

Economic development is necessary to ensure that rural communities thrive. The report states that local jobs are affected by close proximity to larger cities with many employment opportunities such as within the Greater Toronto Area. However, opportunities exist locally where stores and services can be attracted to the area and increase the development of waterfronts and historic downtowns. As well as, promote value-added agriculture which includes wineries/breweries, agri-tourism and equine-related businesses. Challenges arise when there are limited housing and transport options, unreliable broadband internet and inadequate investment in businesses.

The character of rural areas can also be threatened when there is development to create a compact community. However, municipalities seek to protect the character by defining what it accurately means through character studies. This will help identify valued physical landscaping and built form and ensure their protection in urban design policies and guidelines. A challenge with this is ensuring that new development occurs while preserving character but also conserving the unique and valued aspects of a community that residents perceive.

Simcoe County Farmland

Source: Greenbelt Foundation

“It’s a growth management question of how do you accommodate that growth in the most sustainable and equitable way as possible.” – Anna Shortly, Research and Policy Analyst, Greenbelt Foundation

Both agriculture and the environment are important to consider when creating complete communities as these areas have critical water sources and provincially designated natural heritage and crop areas. Shortly highlighted that investments in trail systems would help support the natural environment, preserve the beauty of natural areas, provide recreational amenities to residents and can also be designed in a way to support active transportation. Erin Riverwalk trail in the town of Erin is being constructed to connect two settlement areas which will improve accessibility and spending within the local community since people can be able to get to daily essential services from they live, Shortly said. She also noted that historically rural development expanded to the boundaries of farmlands and agricultural communities affecting their character. However, from her fieldwork, several areas within the greenbelt recognize that there is growth and are interested in doing it in the proper way to encourage a complete community while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and agriculture. McDonnell raised the point that one must be careful about disruption of the overall agricultural system when incorporating transportation and other factors as it can lead to risk of incompatible use such as increased traffic on previously rural roads or hinder the viability of farming in those areas.

The last factor to consider in the development of complete communities is public consultation.  This necessary step in the planning and development process allows for the voicing of concerns of residents who would be impacted directly by changes. Informing residents of these changes, challenges and the positive impacts can allow them to be more accepting of modifications in the community.

Rural landscape

Source: Third Way

McDonnell reiterated that the Greenbelt Foundation doesn’t make policy but rather informs it and the report is to help communities engage in conversation. Shortly also agreed by saying knowledge transfer and knowledge translation can encourage rethinking how things are being done and inspiring change. She highlighted that it’s not impossible to get a bus system in rural areas, as well as, confirming that community character can still be preserved despite population growth. Shortly noted that all these seven factors are interconnected and are needed to make a community complete.

More information from the Greenbelt Foundation can be found in an article about greenways and their contribution to complete communities in the Alternatives Journal’s September 2020 Issue “Getting There: The Ecosystem of Human Movement ”.

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This year Earth Overshoot Day was the earliest ever, falling on July 29 as the day humanity collectively used nature’s resource budget for the entire year. Scientists, environmentalists, activists, and the world’s youth have made loud and clear demands for radical and progressive policies to curb humanity’s environmental footprint. The environmental crisis is a collective action problem that requires a response from a coalition of united actors including governments, NGOs, corporations, scientists, economists, and the like. Everyone has a role to play – but what that role entails is important to define.

We are responding to an argument made by our colleagues that businesses remain an unlikely ally in the climate movement. First and foremost, our article is an intellectual exercise that addresses the claims made and encourages thoughtful and evidence-based debate. Secondly, our response is a deep emotional reaction to the idea that corporations – bodies that have systematically shifted the risk, blame and responsibility for climate change from themselves onto the general public – could actually be considered allies. This argument incessantly perpetuates allegiance to market logic as the preferred (only) means for society to relate to each other and the environment; a perspective predicated on the belief that a free market is the most optimal and efficient way for humans to meet their needs. (Hint: only those with the privilege of financial means to exercise market demand may do so). As ecological economists, we recognize the need to reframe sustainability policy debates in a way that directly challenges the inevitability of the market, and reinstate the economy as a sphere of public and political life with inherently social and ecological dimensions. We need alternative economic approaches that unfailingly place the well-being of our environmental and social systems at its centre. Such a system grows out of policy guidance and community action – not from corporations that have long benefited from the outdated and destructive post-war industrial economies.

Standard economics and its corporate worshippers do not understand the relationship between exponential growth and the finite properties of our planet. Limits are seen as a hurdle for technology and innovation to surpass. Ecological Economists recognize the irreducible material and energetic dimensions of the global economy by acknowledging the finite properties of environmental resources as both sources (i.e., forests, water, minerals) and sinks (i.e., the ocean or atmosphere’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide). We know our economy is demanding too much from the environment  (i.e., Overshoot Day), prompting many sustainability scholars and environmental activists to demand an intentional contraction, or degrowth, of the global economy. This politically-charged movement responds to environmental limits by maximizing happiness through cooperative (rather than competitive) and non-consumptive options. These options include working less, sharing more, and spending more time on cultural, familial, and community-based activities. The result would be meaningful, long-term increases in human and environmental well-being.

Doesn’t sound so bad, does it? What this means for the economy is a shift away from productivity goals that encourage competition and alienate individuals, and towards an economy that is founded on cooperation, well-being as a measurement for success, and deep, meaningful community orientation and belonging. In this alternative kind of economy, humans and the environment thrive rather than corporations because ‘profit’ no longer functions as a determinant of success.

There is growing evidence and agreement that states are the only actors with both the capacity and legitimacy to organize and fund a large-scale sustainability transition. While this might be true, it is seen as problematic across the political spectrum. Grassroots, bottom-up activists on the left are uncomfortable with this assertion, as it calls for top-down solutions that can undermine democratic and community-oriented decision-making approaches. However research shows that while many proposals for an equitable degrowth emphasize localized, bottom-up and grassroots action, current literature on this work predominantly identifies governments as a crucial driver of change.

Right-leaning institutions like corporations are also uncomfortable with the assertion of state-led action on climate because environmental regulation has long been framed and viewed as a restriction on business practice and market behaviour. But as the climate crisis has made clear, business as usual is no longer an option, and is in fact the leading cause of environmental devastation. A multidisciplinary research unit in Finland published a report exploring the kinds of economic and political shifts required in the face of the climate crisis, again underscoring the critical role of proactive state-level governance. They argued further that should business as usual continue, current modes of economy will be directly undermined by resource shortages and climate change. The scale at which governments operate remain unrivaled – and unlike corporate counterparts, governments operate, at their core, in the defence and provision of public good(s).

Markets, in contrast, do not – and cannot – exist without political regulation and intervention. Let’s quickly recall the nearly $8 trillion committed to rescuing the financial system from the 2008/9 crash. The economic policies celebrated by the neoclassical model that liberalized the market and expanded public debt and private credit were the very policies behind the worst financial crisis in global history. These same policies of ‘deregulation’ (read: regulation in favour of corporate interests) privileged in today’s neoliberal economic regime prescribe a strict diet of internalizing profits and externalizing “costs”. These costs are continually downloaded on to local citizens, local ecosystems, and the future of a stable climate.

Voluntary approaches such as industry-self regulation are viewed as promising alternatives to government inaction, situating corporations as a pivotal mobilizer for bringing about the shifts in investment we require to tackle climate change. It’s a typical approach from a business-oriented school of thought. The sentiment is that, left to their own devices, the face of climate risk combined with the promise of new market opportunities will drive corporations to ‘do the right thing’. But the demands of a destabilizing climate on our biotic, political, and personal well-being call for immediate action at time/space scales that markets are inherently incapable of facilitating. A recent report assessing voluntary policy-making approaches in the UK and EU found that voluntary schemes have extremely limited impact due to their inability to attract widespread participation and compliance, making them insufficient for tackling large-scale environmental and social issues. The report concluded that it would be inappropriate for voluntary approaches to take the place of regulatory or fiscal measures related to public policy, and further that self-regulation is not an evidence-based approach and “risks compromising the effectiveness and efficiency of public policymaking”.

Free markets don’t lead to socially and environmentally desirable outcomes on their own. Financially, corporate business models cannot afford to internalize costs of the various devastating environmental and social impacts left in their wake. A study conducted in 2013 by Trucost monetized the value of natural capital (i.e., water, biodiversity) consumed by primary production (e.g., forestry, mining) and processing (e.g., steel, petrochemicals) industries. The analysis found that, for over 1,000 global primary production and processing region-sectors, the total unpriced natural capital consumed was estimated at $7.3 trillion USD, or 13% of global GDP in 2009. The report concluded that none of the high-impact region-sectors are generating enough profit to adequately cover their environmental impacts, causing them to impose these costs on to their customers – as we bear witness today. That’s right – none of the world’s top industries would be profitable if they paid for their environmental impacts.

Legally, corporations are potentially restricted from considering environmental or social factors for fear of sacrificing a competitive rate of return. A 2015 report by Principles for Responsible Investment and others conducted an analysis of investment practices and fiduciary duty in eight countries including Canada. Canadian asset managers emphasized the importance of fiduciary duty as a defining principle of responsible investment practices – particularly by focusing on short-term financial interests – and thus remain conflicted as to whether fiduciary duty even allows for the consideration of non-financial factors in investment decision-making. This sentiment was identified as a significant challenge to integrating environmental and social issues into investment processes among the majority of the countries analyzed, including Australia, Japan, and the U.S. Expert economists have emphasized the role of the global investment industry in obstructing progressive climate policy and systemic change, highlighting various performance incentives that directly undermine long-term value creation and actively encourage the externalization of social and environmental costs.

If we want to achieve efficient markets, equitable societies and sustainable economies, functional markets require active political guidance, intervention, and regulation to restrict corporate power. Power is of particular interest here, as it is this very power that we argue limits government regulation and intervention by financial or political means. Oh where oh where can my government be? The corporations took it away from me. Let’s consider the fact that Canada is the largest provider of fiscal support to oil and gas production per unit of GDP among G7 countries, a sector that relentlessly lobbies the Canadian government to minimize “red tape” (i.e., environmental regulations) in favour of financial interests. Last year, every household in Canada contributed $234.51 of their tax dollars towards subsidies and tax breaks to the oil and gas sector. Everyday Canadians are paying for the continual development of an industry that has spent decades actively misinforming the public about the risks of climate change. The science is clear – there is no room for the expansion of Canada’s oil industry if our nation wishes to reach the goals of the Paris Accord. In fact, the evidence shows that existing infrastructure around the globe may need to be retired early to limit catastrophic warming.

The fossil fuel industry, among many others, carry distinctive responsibilities in shifting energy and material use, changing labour practices, and altering governance structures in the face of climate change. It will certainly be impossible to curb our emissions without the participation of corporations, but will the kind of progress we need to see in the next decade come about without active encouragement? A gold star for every reasonable environmental decision made is a very inefficient approach. Corporations don’t need our empowerment, they need a reality check. The best way to make them wake up and smell the fumes? Massive state regulations on market behaviour to curb emissions and begin the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The most important thing to stress here is magnitude. It is not a question of whether our societies and economies can adapt to a destabilizing climate, but whether we will choose to do so voluntarily. Minimizing the impact of climate breakdown “requires a whole-scale transition of the economy away from fossil-fuels”. If businesses (of all shapes and sizes) wish to have a role in the next economy, fundamental shifts in the architecture of the corporate sector must take place – and, as researchers argue, the severity of the issue must be taken at face value. This would mean corporations communicating, unequivocally, to the public, to shareholders and to policymakers, the risks of runaway climate change and the contributions of their products and activities to the environmental crisis. It would require corporations to encourage restrictions on emissions consistent with international climate targets, publicly reject claims from lobbying groups about climate change skepticism, and accelerate investment and training in the production of low-carbon energy. While all of these options are certainly possible, none of them are probable without a comprehensive vision and strong political governance.

The very nature of corporate capitalism stands in the way of Canada taking its place as a leader towards a post-capitalist and decolonized future. We must empower each other and our communities to stay politically engaged and normalize this conversation. Canada has a Federal election coming up, and if we vote business we are not going to see the kinds of aggressive environmental measures our climate emergency desperately needs. We will continue to see the systematic erosion of our environmental and social foundations in the name of a growing economy. We’re dreaming of a better future. A future where our success isn’t defined by comparing our wealth and success to our neighbours. Rather, it is a future teeming with meaningful work, civic participation, and community-driven change where we strive to see a better local and global world for ourselves, our children and our planet.

Image Credit: Adweek

It’s understandable if you’re not convinced that voting in a Federal election will result in sufficient change, or that you may be having doubts about the democratic process at large. The changes we hope to see in our economy certainly require responses in the organization of government structures and democratic processes as well. In the meantime, there are actions you can take to design and support the kind of future you want to see. While these actions are all approaches beginning with the individual, we should never let corporations and businesses off the hook; shifting the blame and burden of change onto individuals is very convenient for corporations. We know just 100 companies are responsible for 70% of the world’s emissions. Plus, years of campaigns to get households to recycle, compost and buy organic haven’t made a dent in the climate emergency overall. The only thing that can realistically change our climate trajectory is massive transitions in our energy production and economic patterns. Voting for candidates that prioritize small scale economies and energy transitions are our best over-arching shot at this change. If that leader doesn’t exist, demand that your political representatives take this issue seriously. Individual action is about supporting the kinds of post-capitalist and decolonized institutions and systems we want to see on a larger scale in our communities. It’s about creating a more resilient future by supporting innovative alternatives and empowering our communities and each other. Some powerful individual actions you can do:

• Attend the Youth Climate Strike in your area 

• Quit the big banks and join your local credit union

• Frequent your local library – borrow books and tools, and attend their events

• Make, reuse, or repair something either on your own, at a local makerspace, or at a repair cafe in your town or city

• Help build and populate a community garden – particularly one with fresh foods.

• Shop at a local craft fair for gifts and home goods that you need. You’ll pay more, but you’ll get higher quality and more meaningful goods

• Find durable products that don’t follow the ploy of planned obsolescence

• Try out a ‘stay-cation’ instead of vacationing abroad 

• Visit your local conservation area to learn more about your local biosphere. Learn about the kinds of plants or small animal houses you could add to your property or rental space to help out Earth’s smallest creatures

• Call your city and see about planting trees in areas that are treeless

• Eat a few meals per week that don’t contain meat – it’s healthier and cheaper!

• Learn more about and support decolonization efforts in your area

• Go car free as often as possible – try active transportation (bike, walk) or support your local transit system

• Talk to your neighbours, friends, family, and community about climate change and share your concerns with each other and your political representatives

• Educate yourself! Find out more about the problem and solutions

Book & Journal References

Cosme, I., Santos, R., O’Neill, D. W. (2017). Assessing the degrowth discourse: A review and analysis of academic degrowth policy proposals. Journal of Cleaner Production, 149, 321–334

Frumhoff, P.C., Heede, R. and Oreskes, N. (2015). The climate responsibilities of industrial carbon producers. Climate Change 132: 157-71.

Georgescu-Roegen, N. (1975). Energy and Economic Myths. Southern Economic Journal 41 (3): 347-81.

Harvey, D. (2014). Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism. London, UK: Profile Books.

Jackson, T. (2017). Prosperity without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow, Second Edition. Abington, OX: Routledge

Kallis, G., Kostakis, V., Lange, S., et al. (2018). Research on Degrowth. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 43: 4.1-4.26..

Qiang Zhang, D.T., Zheng, Y., Caldeira, K. et al. (2019). Committed emissions from existing energy infrastructure jeopardize 1.5 °C climate target. Nature 572: 373-77.

Victor, P. (2018). Managing without Growth: Slower by Design, not Disaster. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.

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In the race to remove the trillion tons of excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, the treatments we choose for this problem ought to at least be slightly better than the problem itself. We have proposed solutions on the table, but the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) landscape is complex, risky, and fairly untested. From the financial sector, experts say that the commercial viability of CDR calls for more exploration and more capital. In geopolitical spheres, only fairly modest steps have been taken toward taxing carbon emissions. At least for now, CDR is still beset by questions of implementation, cost, and scale – questions that might be at odds with the kind of nimble decision-making that the climate crisis seems to call for. 

Within the general CDR category is a range of solutions called negative emissions technologies. Many of these known technologies remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere naturally through photosynthesis. Afforestation (planting of trees) is one of the most straightforward.

The costliest of the negative emissions technologies (and one that does not use photosynthesis) is direct air capture (DAC), according to MIT senior research engineer, Howard J. Herzog, who has been studying the field of CDR for 30 years. DAC, an energy-intensive process of removing carbon from the atmosphere through various filtration methods, is having a bit of a star turn. Originally invented to filter out exhaled CO2 aboard spacecraft 20 years ago, DAC separates carbon dioxide directly from ambient air. The carbon dioxide is then either stored underground or used in a complementary process. Critics of DAC say it requires large-scale systems that will take the geoengineering of vast amounts of land to accommodate its pipelines. Another criticism is that DAC will funnel funding away from other climate solutions, in particular renewable energy. Moreover, investment analysts have suggested that making DAC cheaper won’t drive the wide adoption of this technology. 

In recent months, nevertheless, the fossil fuel sector has made some major public moves on DAC. Two traditional energy companies, White Energy and Occidental announced a joint carbon capture project. The largest private investments thus far are from Occidental Petroleum and Chevron (US $68mil) to Carbon Engineering Ltd. Carbon Engineering Ltd. has also accepted funding from an Australian mining company BHP (US$6 million) and is working with Occidental Petroleum’s subsidiary, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, to build the world’s largest DAC facility in the Permian Basin in New Mexico.

This summer, ExxonMobil announced a partnership with the California-based Global Thermostat to look at the scalability and viability of its DAC facilities. Global Thermostat’s Chief Technology Officer Peter Eisenberger directed Exxon’s Physical Sciences lab through most of the 1980s. Though no ExxonMobil funding is in the offing, at least publicly, Global Thermostat has raised funds from other sources.

The timing of all this activity suggests that carbon capture legislation may be an incentive. According to researcher S. Julio Friedman at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, policy incentives are critical for the growth of CDR investments.

To that end, Carbon Engineering Ltd. is going after a subsidy available from a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Program in California.

Among the first of tax credits to unlock a flow of capital for carbon removal is the 45Q tax policy, which offers credit for the capture and geologic storage. The 45Q credit is expected to benefit power plants, factories, and ethanol producers. Meanwhile in the U.S. Senate, a carbon capture bill (S. 383) is building off the success of last year’s changes to the 45Q tax credit. S.383 supports carbon dioxide utilization and DAC research to facilitate the permitting and development of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration projects along with carbon dioxide pipelines.

Sasha Mackler, who directs the energy project at the Bipartisan Policy Centre in Washington, says legislation is the lever that controls how fast and how far CDR can go. “The size of the market will depend on the ambition of our climate policy,” he says.

Mackler’s hunch is that recent oil company investments are probably motivated by the market opportunities they now present. “We haven’t done our analysis on this yet, but when we look at the initial conditions, what we see are commercially practical decisions . . . that will position these companies well for the future,” says Mackler. “I think that’s part of their calculus.”

“In terms of improving the energy market, these traditional companies can be great partners for resources and connections,” says Tito Jankowski, a carbon capture entrepreneur who uses the carbon dioxide capture process to fabricate consumer products. “Traditional fossil fuel companies are not necessarily an enemy here.”

Jankowski founded AirMiners.org, an index of CDR developers that includes Global Thermostat and a long list of others still in experimentation phases. One startup is building an efficient marine microalgae farm; another is working on a zero-emissions cookstove with plans to capture the carbon dioxide in a lime solution.

With its history of handling enormous amount of capital and moving gasses and fluids around at high volume, the fossil fuel sector may indeed have the skills base needed to help build a carbon dioxide removal infrastructure. And when you need all hands on deck, who has time for enemies?

Specifically, however, ExxonMobil seems a questionable ally in this tragedy of the commons. First ExxonMobil faced allegations that it knew the risks of climate change and defrauded its investors by misrepresenting the risks. Now the Attorney General of New York plans to set a legal precedent that would make ExxonMobil accountable for part of the cost of transitioning to a 100% renewable energy economy. If the prosecution is successful, the company’s future influence may be diminished.

Though the burgeoning carbon removal sector may look like a trillion dollar opportunity, the real quest is to discover which solutions can scale up quickly enough to reduce carbon dioxide levels before 2050. Incentives may drive down the high cost of DAC in the near future, but as all consumers know, cheaper can be the enemy of the best. No single solution has yet emerged as the catalyst from which all carbon removal standards will commence.

This article is a preview of the kind of content you’ll find in Alternatives Journals’ Invest in Change issue (slated to be released in October)

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Dr. Andrew Judge is an Anishinaabe-Irish Scholar and founded the ongoing Indigenous knowledge project, Minjimendan, at rare Charitable Research Reserve. Minjimendan is an Ojibway word meaning “in a state of remembering.” It is a reference to the state of mind in which the ancestors lived in order to thrive. They would remember where the places of sustenance were and nurture those places for the betterment of future generations. Minjimendan was designed as a sustainable Indigenous foods garden. The project grounds Indigenous knowledge and philosophy rooted in land-based sustainability practices. In the words of Dr. Judge, “The Indigenous Food Garden seeks to foster a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for all — a sanctuary where threads of ancient wisdom can be woven into the tapestry of consciousness.”

Indigenous Food Security

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, food security exists “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” Unfortunately, however, rates of food insecurity are disproportionately higher for Indigenous people, in what is present day Canada. This can directly be attributed to racially motivated legislation like the Indian Act that forced Indigenous peoples to live on isolated reserve communities, sometimes far from their traditional land base. Further exacerbating the challenges posed by food insecurity are the negative health outcomes resulting from a working knowledge of food security developed in a non-Indigenous context – meaning today’s colonial views of food security do not reflect nor account for the traditional food practices of Indigenous people (Power, 2008).

The four pillars of food security identified by the UN are access, availability, supply and utilization. Each holds unique implications for Indigenous peoples and their wellbeing, which customarily depended on the region of the world where they originated. Access includes both physical and economic, which are influenced by income, purchasing power, ecosystem health, transportation, and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Availability requires adequate supplies, which are also influenced by ecosystem health, TEK, domestic productions, and trade.  Supply is highly dependant on the ability of a community to respond to the demands of their ecosystem. Utilization consists of knowledge of food safety, sanitation conditions, access to clean water, again ecosystem health, TEK, and knowledge of what makes up an adequate diet.

Climate change, which can directly be attributed to human colonial exploits, has severely impacted all four pillars of food security for Indigenous people – not to mention the theft of their lands. Any remaining potential for Indigenous people and all people to utilize their ecosystems in ways that support food security has been muted by environmental contaminants. This is all despite knowing that a traditional local diet tends to be more nutrient-dense than an imported or manufactured one. All of this is impacts quality of life for Indigenous people. Furthermore, the planting, nurturing, harvesting, and sharing of traditional foods is part of Indigenous peoples’ relationships to land, acting as a method for the transmission of values, skills and spirituality (Power, 2008). Food plays an important social and economic role and forms the basis of social activity, cohesion, and integration through the strong symbolic and spiritual values formed when the community comes together. For some, the ability to access traditional food is vital to cultural and physical well-being.

Indigenous identity has been marked as a key characteristic of vulnerability to food insecurity. Research indicates that Indigenous groups have a higher prevalence of sociodemographic risk factors that can leave an individual vulnerable to food insecurity. The lasting impact of colonialism has affected food security through issues including residential schooling, loss of culture, marginalization and relocation to remote locations, and a failure to settle land claims (Subnath, 2017).

While older individuals tend to consume more traditional foods when access permits, younger Indigenous people have become more reliant on store-bought foods, and often were not taught the skills or TEK to live with the land as their predecessors once did (Subnath, 2017). All the parts of an Indigenous food system are inseparable and are meant to function through interdependent and interconnected relationships that includes all parts of the ecosystem as relations, and transfer energy through the ecosystems to the social networks and eventually the economy.

Indigenous Farm Practices

Many modern agricultural system are unsustainable. From monocultures and excessive tillage of the land that harms the soil and attracts pests and diseases to artificial fertilizers polluting soil and water. Soil health becomes an issue when its ability to hold water is reduced, and farmers are forced to strain their reservoirs. Preserving traditional forms of farming knowledge and land-based sustainability practices can enhance food security, maintain biodiversity, and protect natural resources, but we must all work together to recover from the monophasic thinking – the thought that a single reproduced organism is the way to produce food, i.e. a multi hectare soybean field. Indigenous “farming,” and I use quotes here because the practices are about as far from farming as one can get, results when people connect deeply to the land and remember their role as human beings. The goal is to develop food systems that accent biodiversity and restore, revitalize and protect nature instead of destroying it. It’s actually a very simple concept, but due to colonial and media influences that have projected Indigenous peoples as primitive, there are few people today with even basic knowledge of this type of relational connection to our mother earth.

There are several practices that reflect Indigenous land-based knowledge. Agroforestry, the intentional planting of trees to develop microclimates that control temperature and protect against harmful weather related event. Crop rotation is a practice by which growing different crops on the same land can preserve the productive ability of the soil. Intercropping is when farmers sow more than two crops at the same time in the same field, which can maximize land use and create biodiversity. Polyculture involves growing many plants of different species in the same area in a way that imitates nature and result in better soil quality and more stable yields. Finally, water harvesting is the redirection and use of rainfall, which helps to create a storage of water in the event of drought or minimal rainfall. Each of these techniques were practiced in varying ways widely by Indigenous peoples and by looking to the Elders and people who still remember or still practice these techniques and others, we can begin to revitalize our destroyed ecosystems together.

There is some evidence suggesting that Indigenous communities grew the “three sisters”: a method of companion planting beans, squash and corn to create a polyculture that protects the soil, prevents pests, and maximizes yields. In wet regions this practice was used on elevated surfaces to help drainage, while in drier climates it was used to border gardens to contain rainfall. There is a lot more, however, to the three sisters than what meets the eyes, but to learn this knowledge, one must be committed to this work and actually start practicing it. It’s one thing to talk about something and another to do it! Soon you’ll realize the immense complexity and rewards of producing food for your community. Indigenous farmers combined intercropping and agroforestry to yield significant amounts of produce in small spaces. They exemplify sustainable practices and as we all attempt to decolonize, we can potentially get there again. Indigenous production methods were largely shunned by settler societies once they started to realize their profits from monoculture systems. But they were not thinking long term, as Indigenous people always did. Now those profits mean nothing, as the entire ecosystem of earth is in decline and the future ecosystem health we have left our grandchildren is bleak at best. With increasing awareness of the unsustainability of modern farming techniques, there’s a growing desire to look back at traditional methods, to look back to Indigenous peoples and ask how can we remember what it is to be a human being and how can we together create a more sustainable future for all.

Follow-Up

Find out more about RARE charitable research reserve.

If you would like to learn about how to incorporate Indigenous foods into your landscape, or contribute to the Indigenous Foods Garden, you can get in touch with Dr. Andrew Judge at mkomose19@gmail.com

Here are some resources to learn more about Indigenous food sovereignty:

• Coté, C. (2016). “Indigenizing” Food Sovereignty. Revitalizing Indigenous Food Practices and Ecological Knowledges in Canada and the United States. Humanities,5(3), 57. doi:10.3390/h5030057
• https://foodsecurecanada.org/sites/foodsecurecanada.org/files/DP1_Indigenous_Food_Sovereignty.pdf
• Subnath, Melissa, “Indigenous Food Insecurity in Canada: An Analysis Using the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey” (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4459.
• https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4459
• Power, Elaine. “Conceptualizing Food Security for Aboriginal People in Canada.” (2008). Canadian Journal of Public Health. 95-97.
• https://www.resilience.org/stories/2017-08-14/five-indigenous-farming-practices-enhancing-food-security/
• https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session22/AHRC2250Add.1_English.PDF

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