American President Barrack Obama spoke to the CEO's from the world's biggest companies yesterday offering his opinions on how the world economy is having to move towards a tradable carbon credit sytem. Offering the idea that you can't simply give away the credits. Well I thought this to be somewhat intuitive didn't you?
At the Business Roundtable meeting, Obama reaffirmed that, "I said during the campaign we were looking at a hundred percent auction," and warned inaction was not an option because we face a return to $150 a barrel oil and serious climate impacts:
"The science is overwhelming. This is a real problem. It will have severe economic consequences, as well as political and national security and environmental consequences." E&E Daily reports.
I was especially pleased to see that he focused on the threat of ever-worsening security issues as if that was the United States major concern at this point! Weyerhaeuser President Daniel Fulton, said companies are worried about the costs of a cap & trade bill during tough economic times. But Obama had already made the key point:
"I understand that this will be a difficult transition for many businesses to make, and that's why this budget does not account for such a cap until 2012 -- a time when this economy should be on the road to recovery." E&E Daily reports.
Realistically, a climate bill is not going to be law before 2010 within the U.S. (or even Canada!), and I doubt the cap is going to be put in place before 2013 -- and it won't bite for a few years after that. I'd be amazed if the price for CO2 was much higher than, say, $15 a ton in 2015, which means a total "cost" of maybe $90 billion (assuming consumers and businesses do no energy efficiency whatsoever) -- not a very large impact on a $15 trillion U.S. economy.
THE NEED FOR A MINIMUM CARBON PRICE
As we know the cost of future impacts on the Earth's climate, we should NOT miss any mitigation opportunity cheaper than any given level. This would simply be bad economics. For this reason, a carbon floor price should be applied.
I realize you must have a big picture but begin with the small things but North America is suffering now!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The benifits of volunteering in other communities
In this blog I would like to talk about how meshing life experience with volunteering in an alternative community has changed my life and can be applied to create a sense community.
In September of 2005 I had been working at a drug store as a pharmacy tech for 3 and a half years when I decided enough was enough and I needed a change. I decided to go on a trip to South East Asia mainly for a breath of fresh air and to experience different cultures. I quickly put down $500 on a $1300 open ended ticket leaving in January to Bangkok, Thailand. While working to get out of the lease at my apartment, I had been volunteering at a local community organic garden with my girlfriend at the time. I had found it surprisingly calming to bike down to the garden, often going just so I could pull weeds and think of where my trip would take me. I had a common guide book (lonely planet) and would pull weeds and then sit and talk with the groundskeeper about cool places to visit and all the kinds of trouble a young 20's kid from Ontario would get up to.
Slowly we prepped the garden for the next years planting, over the coming months as winter hit us hard in November covering so much work with a solid foot of snow but the major fall cleaning had paid off and we found ourselves content at the final garden meeting.
The experience gained from volunteering there was great but to this point I had felt little connection with the community. This was mainly because our operation was small and although recognized by the city, the garden produced only enough for a local food shelter as well as what we took home ourselves.
December rolled in and I felt that travelling itch which came with the anticipation of leaving for a different life. By the time my birthday hit (21 December) I had a wealth of knowledge about what I wanted to do yet as always friends and family gave me even more resources for my birthday. As Christmas rolled around I was squirming in my seat at the thought of jumping on a plane and then it happened.
On boxing day in 2005 a Tsunami hit South East Asia hard killing over 400,000 people and rendering most western coastlines unidentifiable. This was a huge shock to me with my pending trip. I decided (much to my family's shagrin) that it would not stop me and I would still be going regardless of what had happened. I found a weird comfort in the fact that anything that may happen on my trip would surely not compare to the current situation.
I arrived in Bangkok in late January to a hot steamy tarmac that gave visions of barbecuing in the back yard as heat waves made the surrounding trees look like they were underwater floating with the current. After a short stay in Bangkok planning my next move I headed north to Chaing Mai where I found a beautiful city where I could slowly immerse myself in the Thai culture. After meeting other travellers, locals, and ex-pats I found my self thinking about how this inland area had no effects of tsunami and did not reflect the destruction all over the news back home. I met an English guy from Cornwall, who was a big fan of diving and he told me about he was headed south to the Andaman coast where the tsunami struck hardest. I decided I would go with him and see what had happened.
Although the prospect of volunteering had crossed my mind I was not yet ready to comprehend what it would be like down there. Away we headed to Ko Phi Phi a little island off of the coast of the major southern Thai city Phuket. An 8 hour bus ride, a 12 hour train ride, and a 2 hour ferry later I was on Phi Phi.
As we pulled into the dock evidence of the destruction was everywhere. From boats crushed on rocks to tens of trees folded over as if they were elastic. The island had a well established volunteer organization working with locals, police, and a variety of other organizations to help clean up the reef, the land, and of course the remains of people that had perished in the natural disaster. Without even a thought or hesitation I found myself signing up and committing to staying on the island for an extended period of time while I volunteered my services.
Its funny how you spend all this time thinking about what something might be like but when you arrive, an inherent human nature takes over and you commit without any deliberation. The first type of recovery I did was dive recovery for refuse on the interior reef. This was surprisingly fun the first day as I had met a bunch of keen people from across the globe with a similar mentality to help or do whatever they could. The first day we found parts of houses, stores, bikes and miscellaneous goods from the beach huts that had washed into the sea. That day I wondered how this community made up of several different races and backgrounds was so different from the volunteering I had done back home.
The next day made an impact on my life that would stay with me for the rest of my life. While diving about 100 feet off the beach and only about 5 meters deep in the water with three other guys we came upon a corrugated steel roof (most likely from a beach shack). As we tied off the roof and raised our bubble bags to the surface where monitoring snorkelers waited to pull up the roof we stepped back from the large piece of steel and waited. As the steel roof slowly lifted off the ocean floor creating a haze of silt that blurred my vision, I struggled to make sense of the view and then focus came back as a human hand slowly floated in front of my mask. The moments that passed became even more vivid as the bright red hair of a 35 year old western woman mimicked the movement of a jelly fish in the water. To this day I still have crazy realistic nightmares about this experience where she comes alive and keeps me down in the water.
As we surfaced her body the smell reached the surface and oxidized which caused all four of us to be sick in the water. She was later identified by a forensic scientist that visited the island weekly and her family obtained closure on her missing status.
Now you are probably wondering what this has to do with community, right? Well I can tell you that this made me take my life more seriously and that I realized that the community I was a part of came out of a necessity and not as hobby. Often community initiatives are the product of people wanting something and then coming together to obtain it. In this sense I found that we were rebuilding a community that in most cases we had no idea what it previously looked like. Sure the beach remained the same but the people and the lives of those effected was forever changed. Helping them rebuild their lives made me realize that the community garden back home did mean something because had I viewed it in the sense that if a tsunami had hit the garden, all traces that we had been there putting in our efforts would be gone. This realization allowed me to view even the most minuscule grass roots movement as important in any community.
Although it took a natural disaster to bring so many people together I am forever grateful for the experience and truly believe that every little bit counts. When we come together to overcome big issues we can reflect on our previous decisions and make steps to better ourselves as we move forward. When this ideology is enforced at a community level the possibilities are endless.
Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to bring a community together in a way that defys all logic.
This blog is from my own experience over seas and strikes a more personal tone but I feel it is relevant and may bring light to any posts that may not make sense to the reader.
In September of 2005 I had been working at a drug store as a pharmacy tech for 3 and a half years when I decided enough was enough and I needed a change. I decided to go on a trip to South East Asia mainly for a breath of fresh air and to experience different cultures. I quickly put down $500 on a $1300 open ended ticket leaving in January to Bangkok, Thailand. While working to get out of the lease at my apartment, I had been volunteering at a local community organic garden with my girlfriend at the time. I had found it surprisingly calming to bike down to the garden, often going just so I could pull weeds and think of where my trip would take me. I had a common guide book (lonely planet) and would pull weeds and then sit and talk with the groundskeeper about cool places to visit and all the kinds of trouble a young 20's kid from Ontario would get up to.
Slowly we prepped the garden for the next years planting, over the coming months as winter hit us hard in November covering so much work with a solid foot of snow but the major fall cleaning had paid off and we found ourselves content at the final garden meeting.
The experience gained from volunteering there was great but to this point I had felt little connection with the community. This was mainly because our operation was small and although recognized by the city, the garden produced only enough for a local food shelter as well as what we took home ourselves.
December rolled in and I felt that travelling itch which came with the anticipation of leaving for a different life. By the time my birthday hit (21 December) I had a wealth of knowledge about what I wanted to do yet as always friends and family gave me even more resources for my birthday. As Christmas rolled around I was squirming in my seat at the thought of jumping on a plane and then it happened.
On boxing day in 2005 a Tsunami hit South East Asia hard killing over 400,000 people and rendering most western coastlines unidentifiable. This was a huge shock to me with my pending trip. I decided (much to my family's shagrin) that it would not stop me and I would still be going regardless of what had happened. I found a weird comfort in the fact that anything that may happen on my trip would surely not compare to the current situation.
I arrived in Bangkok in late January to a hot steamy tarmac that gave visions of barbecuing in the back yard as heat waves made the surrounding trees look like they were underwater floating with the current. After a short stay in Bangkok planning my next move I headed north to Chaing Mai where I found a beautiful city where I could slowly immerse myself in the Thai culture. After meeting other travellers, locals, and ex-pats I found my self thinking about how this inland area had no effects of tsunami and did not reflect the destruction all over the news back home. I met an English guy from Cornwall, who was a big fan of diving and he told me about he was headed south to the Andaman coast where the tsunami struck hardest. I decided I would go with him and see what had happened.
Although the prospect of volunteering had crossed my mind I was not yet ready to comprehend what it would be like down there. Away we headed to Ko Phi Phi a little island off of the coast of the major southern Thai city Phuket. An 8 hour bus ride, a 12 hour train ride, and a 2 hour ferry later I was on Phi Phi.
As we pulled into the dock evidence of the destruction was everywhere. From boats crushed on rocks to tens of trees folded over as if they were elastic. The island had a well established volunteer organization working with locals, police, and a variety of other organizations to help clean up the reef, the land, and of course the remains of people that had perished in the natural disaster. Without even a thought or hesitation I found myself signing up and committing to staying on the island for an extended period of time while I volunteered my services.
Its funny how you spend all this time thinking about what something might be like but when you arrive, an inherent human nature takes over and you commit without any deliberation. The first type of recovery I did was dive recovery for refuse on the interior reef. This was surprisingly fun the first day as I had met a bunch of keen people from across the globe with a similar mentality to help or do whatever they could. The first day we found parts of houses, stores, bikes and miscellaneous goods from the beach huts that had washed into the sea. That day I wondered how this community made up of several different races and backgrounds was so different from the volunteering I had done back home.
The next day made an impact on my life that would stay with me for the rest of my life. While diving about 100 feet off the beach and only about 5 meters deep in the water with three other guys we came upon a corrugated steel roof (most likely from a beach shack). As we tied off the roof and raised our bubble bags to the surface where monitoring snorkelers waited to pull up the roof we stepped back from the large piece of steel and waited. As the steel roof slowly lifted off the ocean floor creating a haze of silt that blurred my vision, I struggled to make sense of the view and then focus came back as a human hand slowly floated in front of my mask. The moments that passed became even more vivid as the bright red hair of a 35 year old western woman mimicked the movement of a jelly fish in the water. To this day I still have crazy realistic nightmares about this experience where she comes alive and keeps me down in the water.
As we surfaced her body the smell reached the surface and oxidized which caused all four of us to be sick in the water. She was later identified by a forensic scientist that visited the island weekly and her family obtained closure on her missing status.
Now you are probably wondering what this has to do with community, right? Well I can tell you that this made me take my life more seriously and that I realized that the community I was a part of came out of a necessity and not as hobby. Often community initiatives are the product of people wanting something and then coming together to obtain it. In this sense I found that we were rebuilding a community that in most cases we had no idea what it previously looked like. Sure the beach remained the same but the people and the lives of those effected was forever changed. Helping them rebuild their lives made me realize that the community garden back home did mean something because had I viewed it in the sense that if a tsunami had hit the garden, all traces that we had been there putting in our efforts would be gone. This realization allowed me to view even the most minuscule grass roots movement as important in any community.
Although it took a natural disaster to bring so many people together I am forever grateful for the experience and truly believe that every little bit counts. When we come together to overcome big issues we can reflect on our previous decisions and make steps to better ourselves as we move forward. When this ideology is enforced at a community level the possibilities are endless.
Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to bring a community together in a way that defys all logic.
This blog is from my own experience over seas and strikes a more personal tone but I feel it is relevant and may bring light to any posts that may not make sense to the reader.
Economism and the modern University
The last post made me angry so here is one on a local book produced from UVIC. Although the book is written in the fluffy style which usually accompanies sustainability writing I feel that some good poinst are made with regards to the idea of "place". In as much as I do not enjoy the term I find that this book makes strong arguments for the detachment from place due to economic shifts.
Economism, as defined in Planet U, refers to a paradigm in society of growth at all costs. Since many North American universities were founded in the 1960’s under the “limitless growth” ideal of economism, there currently exists an apparent physical and intellectual “detachment” of the university academy away from the very environment we seek to protect.
In the book, “Planet U”, the authors discuss the history of Economism in a chapter fittingly titled “Genealogy of an ancient edifice” (M’Gonigle et al., 2006). In this chapter, the author notes the following three distinct periods: Before the bricks and mortar, the rise of modernism, and Enter the age of economism. In each period, a strong argument is made for the correlation between the rise of economism and the detachment of the University institution from its own physical and intellectual roots or “place”, particularly since the 2nd World War.
The strong parallels of economism to this detachment from “place” create awareness that as a planet we are moving away from environmental sustainability and the original ideals made to connect Universities to learners and their community in a deep and profound way. Certainly something to think about!!!!
References
M'Gonigle, M. & Starke, J. (2006). Planet U. Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers. Writing and Thinking Assignment Check-list to hand in:
Economism, as defined in Planet U, refers to a paradigm in society of growth at all costs. Since many North American universities were founded in the 1960’s under the “limitless growth” ideal of economism, there currently exists an apparent physical and intellectual “detachment” of the university academy away from the very environment we seek to protect.
In the book, “Planet U”, the authors discuss the history of Economism in a chapter fittingly titled “Genealogy of an ancient edifice” (M’Gonigle et al., 2006). In this chapter, the author notes the following three distinct periods: Before the bricks and mortar, the rise of modernism, and Enter the age of economism. In each period, a strong argument is made for the correlation between the rise of economism and the detachment of the University institution from its own physical and intellectual roots or “place”, particularly since the 2nd World War.
The strong parallels of economism to this detachment from “place” create awareness that as a planet we are moving away from environmental sustainability and the original ideals made to connect Universities to learners and their community in a deep and profound way. Certainly something to think about!!!!
References
M'Gonigle, M. & Starke, J. (2006). Planet U. Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers. Writing and Thinking Assignment Check-list to hand in:
Finally a definition of community that doesn't include the word "people or places"!
The local James Bay paper is a great local paper updating people with community events, ideas, and local news. The most recent article titled "Community Spirit: Past and Present" describes the ideas of community participation.
I hate computers, i just finished this blog and the stupid thing closed on me so I am giving up.........................ARGH I HATE COMPUTERS
I hate computers, i just finished this blog and the stupid thing closed on me so I am giving up.........................ARGH I HATE COMPUTERS
Up in Smoke!
Today's blog is regarding an interesting article about a home in the community that was donated to the local fire department. It seems this house was donated for the fire department to practice a controlled burn on. This provides local firefighters with a real-life experience that you could not teach in any class.
The house fire that was initiated by the Metchosin Volunteer Fire Dept., came at a good time as they had just recruited 6 new firefighters. This type of training for a volunteer dept. is invaluable as they do not have the budget to afford such luxuries as local training sites. The closest facility is Otter Point out in the Sooke district which is a minimum of 30 minutes drive from the Metchosin Department. The costs and time associated with providing training in Sooke is obviously much higher than if everyone were to donate houses for training. I realize that this is an unlikely solution, but on island where several homes were built over 50 years ago and also not of the same quality, can we expect more properties to come up for this type of use?
I hope so, because the reality is that as you drive through Langford the majority of the residential units are older 2-3 bedroom homes, trailer parks, or brand new condos. The houses for the most part in disrepair, the trailer parks (which are the original Langford) are not very aesthetically pleasing, and the condos although quite nice are being bought by Victorians that can't afford to live in the city anymore. This lack of planning makes me sad. Sure new condos spruce up the downtown core of Langford but are they not just a new form of urban sprawl? I have seen several condos pushing the city limits driving people that may commute to Victoria for work to live further away from their destination. This may be a reasonable solution to the price of housing but what about the social costs to the environment which would require a further commute, more goods (because now you have a home to fill instead of a small apartment).
I think that the home donated in this case shows a commitment to the community that cannot be valued. The home owner wins because they burn their home legally, the fire dept. wins because they now have closer training facilities, and the new home that will built still remains in residential area but with a huge quality upgrade for the new buyer. A weird way to think of community participation......I agree but it certainly made me think.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/goldstreamgazette/community/40792133.html
The house fire that was initiated by the Metchosin Volunteer Fire Dept., came at a good time as they had just recruited 6 new firefighters. This type of training for a volunteer dept. is invaluable as they do not have the budget to afford such luxuries as local training sites. The closest facility is Otter Point out in the Sooke district which is a minimum of 30 minutes drive from the Metchosin Department. The costs and time associated with providing training in Sooke is obviously much higher than if everyone were to donate houses for training. I realize that this is an unlikely solution, but on island where several homes were built over 50 years ago and also not of the same quality, can we expect more properties to come up for this type of use?
I hope so, because the reality is that as you drive through Langford the majority of the residential units are older 2-3 bedroom homes, trailer parks, or brand new condos. The houses for the most part in disrepair, the trailer parks (which are the original Langford) are not very aesthetically pleasing, and the condos although quite nice are being bought by Victorians that can't afford to live in the city anymore. This lack of planning makes me sad. Sure new condos spruce up the downtown core of Langford but are they not just a new form of urban sprawl? I have seen several condos pushing the city limits driving people that may commute to Victoria for work to live further away from their destination. This may be a reasonable solution to the price of housing but what about the social costs to the environment which would require a further commute, more goods (because now you have a home to fill instead of a small apartment).
I think that the home donated in this case shows a commitment to the community that cannot be valued. The home owner wins because they burn their home legally, the fire dept. wins because they now have closer training facilities, and the new home that will built still remains in residential area but with a huge quality upgrade for the new buyer. A weird way to think of community participation......I agree but it certainly made me think.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/goldstreamgazette/community/40792133.html
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Death in Afghanistan and how it affects me
Although it seems a world away, the war in Afghanistan has claimed 112 Canadian lives to date. From road side bombs to strategically planned assault missions Canadians have been under fire while overseas in Afghanistan.
The most recent death of a soldier from Ontario who was killed by a road side IDE reminds me of my friend Malcolm who was sent home after he was injured when an assault vehicle he was in exploded upon impact with an IDE. His leg had a 10 inch piece of shrapnel lodged in against the bone for which he received treatment and was released on a medical leave of 6 months. Even given the circumstances, once he was home in our community of Hamilton, Ontario, he appeared fairly happy. It wasn't until I had a chance to speak to a mutual friend about his experience that I discovered how messed up he really was. He was more than ready to return to service because of what he had seen over there and could care less about his injuries. Another huge concern was that not many of his friends had any clue what he was doing or even that he was in Afghanistan.
Our community in Ontario consists of about 650,000 people of which mostly are blue collar workers who were brought to the town by a blossoming steel industry in the early 1920's. Malcolm's dad was a part of this community and as such well known to locals. So when Malcolm went to the 91st highlanders regiment and enlisted no one was really that surprised. He was a tough guy at school when I think about it, always getting into some sort of trouble but as a rule if you were on his side he was a great guy with a comedic attitude. Once enlisted back in 1999, I didn't even think about the possibility of him seeing any action and was surprised when the next news I received was in 2007 about his Humvee exploding. I guess it hits home pretty quickly that people are somewhere across the globe holding true to the Canadian ideals whether it be as a peace keeping mission or on the aggressive side. Our communities have their own problems (economy, environment, government) but when the issue isn't on your front door step it is easy to get caught taking people like Malcolm for granted.
The main reason I chose to write this blog today is because today's headline reminded me of the community that we don't always remember or recognize but one that requires just as much if not more attention. Surely it is not easy to change issues regarding the military in our communities when the problems persist so far away, however we can change the perception that people have regarding our troops. I believe that we must all take notice of Canada's armed forces choices globally rather than just the families affected by causalities. I am not sure anyone in our class has ever initiated a conversation with me surrounding our involvement in Afghanistan, which is interesting considering that the Americans in Iraq issue seems to have come up several times. Why is this? Most likely the recent election that saw the fall of a war supporting President in favour of one who would choose to start the removal of troops in Iraq. I guess I just don't understand why we aren't more interested in our own people in Afghanistan. It took a friend getting injured for me to realize the conflict in Afghanistan and what was really going on but I hope that we can make our communities more aware of what Canada's role is within global conflicts. At a time when the U.S.'s patriotism is declining because the rest of the world has a negative view of their ideals, Canada should be promoting ours. We need to support our troops, celebrate our sovereignty, and show we care both at home and across the sea. A topic that requires a major discussion I think.
"Roadside Afghan bomb kills one Canadian, injures four"
By Archie McLean , Edmonton Journal March 8, 2009 8:01 PM
The most recent death of a soldier from Ontario who was killed by a road side IDE reminds me of my friend Malcolm who was sent home after he was injured when an assault vehicle he was in exploded upon impact with an IDE. His leg had a 10 inch piece of shrapnel lodged in against the bone for which he received treatment and was released on a medical leave of 6 months. Even given the circumstances, once he was home in our community of Hamilton, Ontario, he appeared fairly happy. It wasn't until I had a chance to speak to a mutual friend about his experience that I discovered how messed up he really was. He was more than ready to return to service because of what he had seen over there and could care less about his injuries. Another huge concern was that not many of his friends had any clue what he was doing or even that he was in Afghanistan.
Our community in Ontario consists of about 650,000 people of which mostly are blue collar workers who were brought to the town by a blossoming steel industry in the early 1920's. Malcolm's dad was a part of this community and as such well known to locals. So when Malcolm went to the 91st highlanders regiment and enlisted no one was really that surprised. He was a tough guy at school when I think about it, always getting into some sort of trouble but as a rule if you were on his side he was a great guy with a comedic attitude. Once enlisted back in 1999, I didn't even think about the possibility of him seeing any action and was surprised when the next news I received was in 2007 about his Humvee exploding. I guess it hits home pretty quickly that people are somewhere across the globe holding true to the Canadian ideals whether it be as a peace keeping mission or on the aggressive side. Our communities have their own problems (economy, environment, government) but when the issue isn't on your front door step it is easy to get caught taking people like Malcolm for granted.
The main reason I chose to write this blog today is because today's headline reminded me of the community that we don't always remember or recognize but one that requires just as much if not more attention. Surely it is not easy to change issues regarding the military in our communities when the problems persist so far away, however we can change the perception that people have regarding our troops. I believe that we must all take notice of Canada's armed forces choices globally rather than just the families affected by causalities. I am not sure anyone in our class has ever initiated a conversation with me surrounding our involvement in Afghanistan, which is interesting considering that the Americans in Iraq issue seems to have come up several times. Why is this? Most likely the recent election that saw the fall of a war supporting President in favour of one who would choose to start the removal of troops in Iraq. I guess I just don't understand why we aren't more interested in our own people in Afghanistan. It took a friend getting injured for me to realize the conflict in Afghanistan and what was really going on but I hope that we can make our communities more aware of what Canada's role is within global conflicts. At a time when the U.S.'s patriotism is declining because the rest of the world has a negative view of their ideals, Canada should be promoting ours. We need to support our troops, celebrate our sovereignty, and show we care both at home and across the sea. A topic that requires a major discussion I think.
"Roadside Afghan bomb kills one Canadian, injures four"
By Archie McLean , Edmonton Journal March 8, 2009 8:01 PM
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Economy Eats Old growth!
In yet another turn of events for forestry on the island, economically failing companies are pushing for old growth logging. Old growth logging has long been a concern for community activists, environmentalist groups, and recreational enthusiasts on Vancouver Island. These are relevant concerns for those involved, yet some of the tree lots in close proximity to towns and communities that were previously untouched are now feeling pressure to be cut.
This comes at a a time when the economy (especially for logging companies) has hit record lows. The high costs associated with tree removal on the island are going up because the areas left to log are not easily accessible, which means taking another look at the old growth they have left out of the picture until now. The marginal costs of these old growth trees is also going up, lending them to niche markets where logging companies can still make good money. Many companies have allowed the public to use to their lands for recreation but are now going in and cutting down species such as mature Douglas firs because they yield high profits due to their quality and rarity. The public now has an in your face look at how these trees affect biodiversity in the forest and frankly they don't like what they see.
It is the right of the land owner and logging company to log these trees but once again at what cost? It is understandable that in these poor economic times companies are searching high and low to turn a profit but if this means negative environmental affects that cannot be recouped then how does anyone win?
I believe that the communities involved in these projects feel quite strongly about what surrounds their town in terms of environment. Also these trees have become a great source of education for youth on sustainability of forests and their role in the natural environment. To take them away would most definitely negatively affect the community but on the other side of the coin what about communities that have grown and been established based purely on the logging industry?
I think it is about time that we put aside local protests, cutting without consulting and had mediated round table discussions where the needs of the industry can be meshed with the needs of the community. Its obvious that both sides are in need of an equilibrium where both community and industry can live symbiotically. To do this we need to meet face to face establish concerns from both sides and of course there will have to be giving in on both sides to reach agreements but after this is established the future of logging old growth will be easier to deal with. Just a though?
Times Columnist.2009.March 7. Page 1 "old-growth forests fall in tough economy"
This comes at a a time when the economy (especially for logging companies) has hit record lows. The high costs associated with tree removal on the island are going up because the areas left to log are not easily accessible, which means taking another look at the old growth they have left out of the picture until now. The marginal costs of these old growth trees is also going up, lending them to niche markets where logging companies can still make good money. Many companies have allowed the public to use to their lands for recreation but are now going in and cutting down species such as mature Douglas firs because they yield high profits due to their quality and rarity. The public now has an in your face look at how these trees affect biodiversity in the forest and frankly they don't like what they see.
It is the right of the land owner and logging company to log these trees but once again at what cost? It is understandable that in these poor economic times companies are searching high and low to turn a profit but if this means negative environmental affects that cannot be recouped then how does anyone win?
I believe that the communities involved in these projects feel quite strongly about what surrounds their town in terms of environment. Also these trees have become a great source of education for youth on sustainability of forests and their role in the natural environment. To take them away would most definitely negatively affect the community but on the other side of the coin what about communities that have grown and been established based purely on the logging industry?
I think it is about time that we put aside local protests, cutting without consulting and had mediated round table discussions where the needs of the industry can be meshed with the needs of the community. Its obvious that both sides are in need of an equilibrium where both community and industry can live symbiotically. To do this we need to meet face to face establish concerns from both sides and of course there will have to be giving in on both sides to reach agreements but after this is established the future of logging old growth will be easier to deal with. Just a though?
Times Columnist.2009.March 7. Page 1 "old-growth forests fall in tough economy"
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Four sides to making the right descion
The title is aptly named for the BC Healthy communities foundational chart that was displayed in class last week. Oh you don't remember? Well then take a look!
I was thinking today about how people make decisions and how this little chart is a an easy way to explain how to make the right decision.
When simply trying to influence some one to be more environmentally conscious the task is easy, you show them an example of something they do everyday like take out the garbage, then you say 50% or whatever amount of that garbage could be recycled and so less will go into a land fill. Or in opposition to that you place a regulation on those who put out too much garbage. Now of course remember this is the easy way to get one thing changed but it does not reflect the chart above because you haven't thought about it from enough angles. The beauty of the chart is that it reminds me that there is no way we can change an entire country's ideas about the environment with just a regulation or just the grass roots movements. It reminds me that in order to actually change something you must fundamentally change the reason a person makes a choice. That is to say that you must influence people to make the right decision because they want to, not because they have to or because it "makes sense". People love to do things once and then procrastinate for ever after and that is why we love to experience things so much, its our lust for an ever stimulating environment that always keep us interested. Well i have a news break and that is sometimes change is hard and dirty and not fun at all but the if you can see the reason for sticking it out then you will profit. Unfortunately, this is no game and we are loosing and if all of us rush the scene with out the knowledge of what position we play and how to play it then we are useless. It will take time to understand but I encourage anyone the next time you talk environment, the you explain why you choose it and how the choice is right. If we can't do that than is the choice worth it to even you?
Monday, January 19, 2009
Forest Policies Don't Match Reality....What the?
So yeah, this was not really directly related to class discussion but the article was interesting. It seems that our lovely government is keeping with the idea that we can't trust our politicians. In an interesting move to contradict what was layed out in election platforms to protect the forests here on Vancouver Island , the Premier Gordon Campbell has allowed about 5% of the islands useable forest reserves to be opened up for two private companies.
The classic say one thing do another is typical of politicians but I mean this article says it all. The press release where he states that we need "a commercial forest reserve, where forest jobs are the priority and where the long-term security and confidence in those jobs is there for people in communities across this province", has little or no bearing on his actions. This issue provides great evidence to suggest that we can only be as "green" as our actions.
I guess it is hard for me to understand how to promote a sustainable community when the one I live in taxes me for things which they told me they wouldn't do. That is not to say that we should be defeated. Maybe marketing our issues to help educate people that are not in the forefront of environmental issues would be a great investment. Go forests go
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Forest+policies+match+reality/1193808/story.html
The classic say one thing do another is typical of politicians but I mean this article says it all. The press release where he states that we need "a commercial forest reserve, where forest jobs are the priority and where the long-term security and confidence in those jobs is there for people in communities across this province", has little or no bearing on his actions. This issue provides great evidence to suggest that we can only be as "green" as our actions.
I guess it is hard for me to understand how to promote a sustainable community when the one I live in taxes me for things which they told me they wouldn't do. That is not to say that we should be defeated. Maybe marketing our issues to help educate people that are not in the forefront of environmental issues would be a great investment. Go forests go
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Forest+policies+match+reality/1193808/story.html
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Canada's Federal Budget?
Not sure how to start this off but after reading some CBC news online I started to think about how I am not sure if the Conservatives or the purposed "Coalition" can create a Federal budget that will work in my best interests but still manage to stabilize the economy enough to help Canada work towards a sustainable future. I hope to convince you that whatever the plan, we should start with a central focus on Renewable energy is in my mind the key to environmental and economical prosperity.
In class this week the idea of the electric car was brought up with regard to solving our dependance on fossil fuels in the auto industry. I think that although this would remove emissions directly from the vehicle, when you go home to plug your car in or charge it up you are using energy. This energy is in the form of Nuclear and Coal for the most part. The point is, either way you choose to drive we are creating emmisons in one way or another.
If we can create a budget that puts more money and incentives towards renewable energy technology, local production of renewable systems and a continuous commitment, we can stabilize the economy by becoming leaders in these fields. Also this could help create jobs, lower renewable energy equiptment costs (lowering economies of scale), and unify Canadians as commited sustainable practitioners.
In class this week the idea of the electric car was brought up with regard to solving our dependance on fossil fuels in the auto industry. I think that although this would remove emissions directly from the vehicle, when you go home to plug your car in or charge it up you are using energy. This energy is in the form of Nuclear and Coal for the most part. The point is, either way you choose to drive we are creating emmisons in one way or another.
If we can create a budget that puts more money and incentives towards renewable energy technology, local production of renewable systems and a continuous commitment, we can stabilize the economy by becoming leaders in these fields. Also this could help create jobs, lower renewable energy equiptment costs (lowering economies of scale), and unify Canadians as commited sustainable practitioners.
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