Glendon Roots & Shoots

Canadians and the citizens of other Western industrialized countries are
growing increasingly worried about the losses of high-paying
manufacturing jobs to low-wage developing countries, particularly China
and India. Yet, as these jobs go up in smoke in the West, the jobs
replacing them in Asia are themselves creating a lot of real smoke with
all its attendant pollutants and carbon emissions.

As CIBC economist Jeff Rubin put it this week: “It becomes absurdly
quixotic to ban coal plants in North America while at the same time
China’s got 570 coal plants slated to go into production between now and
2012, 30 plants between now and the Olympics.”

With the growing realization in the West that the economy and the
environment are but two sides of the same coin, a consensus is emerging
that the only sure way to halt climate change is to put a realistic
price on carbon that captures the environmental damage it is doing. This
view, however, is being fiercely resisted on the other side of the
planet, where carbon emissions are surpassing those of the West.

But putting a carbon price on goods produced in the West, through either
a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system, will raise the price of those
goods and thus lead to the export of even more jobs to countries that
refuse to impose a price on the carbon that goes into the goods they
produce. The net effect would be an economic loss in the West without
any gain on the global climate change front.

When the link between trade and climate change are viewed from that
perspective, the solutions become obvious. If developing countries are
not willing to incorporate the price of carbon into the prices of the
goods they produce, the industrialized world will have no choice but to
impose a carbon tariff on imports from those countries.

By levelling the playing field in that way, the West would not only give
these other countries a real incentive to start cutting their own carbon
emissions, but it could also win back some of the jobs in industries
where the reduction or elimination of carbon content more than offsets
the developing world’s low-wage advantage.

The time has come to recognize that globalization doesn’t simply mean
mutual dependence in trade and investment; it has to be reinterpreted to
mean interdependence on a far broader scale.

Fossil Fools Poster and Details

fieldhouse — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:36:23 +0000

Hey friends,

The notes from the Fossil Fools Meeting are up! We have three confirmed speakers now!

Please bring any water-related clothing or props you have to the event – life vests, water wings, snorkels, goggles, swimming caps, etc.

We’ll have another meeting this Tuesday to finalize the plans, and to make posters and decorations.

Tell everyone you know at Glendon – its going to be fun and hopefully very photogenic!

The Lorax Challenge

fieldhouse — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:34:23 +0000

Here’s an idea for funding for some of our projects:

—–

Earth Island Institute’s New Leaders Initiative
http://www.newleadersinitiative.org
(Open to applicants from anywhere in the world.)

So, you’ve got a great idea for a new environmental
organization or project and you’ve got peers and supporters
who are as dedicated as you are. What do you do now?

The Youth Venture – Lorax Challenge can give you the
support you need to launch your idea, including up to $1000.

Earth Island Institute has partnered with Youth Venture
and Dr. Seuss Enterprises – organizations dedicated to
empowering young leaders – to give people ages 12-20 from
around the world support to launch lasting environmental
ventures that will change the world.

Find out more at http://www.newleadersinitiative.org
The deadline for Action Plan submissions is May 30th, 2008.

—–

notes, fools and facebook

fieldhouse — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:01:19 +0000

Hey everyone!

Check out our documents section for the notes to our latest meetings, including the meeting Darnel and I went to at the Conservation Advisory Committee.

Also, Fossil Fools Day now has a facebook group, so invite lots of folks! It is looking like we’ll have a good group of people to organize and amazing event!

Keep on being amazing! Post any ideas, comments or suggestions!

Chris

Green Communities Opportunity

fieldhouse — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:56:27 +0000

Salut mes amis! See below a volunteer opportunity with ARSTS Green Communities (en français), and also ASRTS Green Communities!

Chris

—————

Le programme ASRTS (ARASPÉ en français)* de Green Communities cherche 3
bénévoles pour assister un projet de transport actif avec Glendon. C’est
un projet qui aura lieu en partie sur le campus de Glendon et avec deux
écoles, le Collège Français et l’école élémentaire Gabrielle-Roy.

Nous cherchons des participants de Glendon qui pourront prendre un rôle de
leadership et de mentor avec leurs équipes du Collège Français. Avec leurs
équipes, ils feront une évaluation de l’infrastructure de transport du
campus. Il s’agira ensuite de superviser et d’assister à l’organisation
d’un événement de notre programme ‘Printemps… action!’ durant la semaine de
la terre. Nous demandons de 30 à 40 heures en tout, entre le 25 février et
le 30 avril (environ 10 semaines). Il faudra être disponible pour une
journée complète durant la semaine de la terre.

Des honoraires modestes seront fournis.

Qualifications demandées :
-Francophone
-Leadership
-Capacité de travail avec jeunes
-coordination d’événements
-expérience en communication/médias serait un atout

Le but est de créer un poste payant de coordonnateur régional à Ottawa, à
Toronto et éventuellement à Sudbury. Ci-dessous vous trouverez de
l’information sur Green Communities (www.gca.ca) et le programme ASRTS
(Active & Safe Routes To School) – ARASPÉ en français (
www.saferoutestoschool.ca).

Le programme ARASPÉ, une initiative de transport durable, est un des quatre
volets de Green Communities, une organisation à but non –lucratif en
Ontario. Le programme débuta en 1996 avec 3 écoles et compte maintenant
plus de 2000. Récemment nous avons attiré l’attention des médias avec la
marche qui a battu le record Guinness (http://worldrecordwalk.ca/) et la
conférence internationale que nous avons organisé avec la ville de Toronto
Walk21 (www.walk21.com et www.toronto.ca/walk21/). Notre travail est
reconnu mondialement et sur le niveau national nous avons plusieurs
partenaires avec qui nous travaillons.

Ci-joint vous trouverez la description du projet. Si vous avez des
questions, n’hésitez pas de me contacter.

Bien à vous,

Gabriel Sirois
ASRTS/ARASPÉ, Coordonnateur francophone
Green Communities
www.saferoutestoschool.ca
www.gca.ca
647 236 9875

*ARASPÉ (Allez –retour actif et sécuritaire pour l’école) / ASRTS (Active &
Safe Routes To School)

Alberta Tar Sands – Health Risks

fieldhouse — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:17:57 +0000

Hey there friends,

Canada’s (until recently) continued economic growth in light of the US recession was fueled by high mineral prices and high oil prices, both of which are key commodities of our economy. Unfortunately for those living downstream (to the North) of the Alberta Tar Sands, increased demand for oil also means increased risks of cancer and other diseases.

We do not fully know the health and environmental effects of Tar Sand development, but we do know somethings: increased levels of chemicals and heavy metals in water in northern Alberta are killing people; our continued dependency on fossil fuels is polluting our skies and is leading to global climate change.

The short-term and unsustainable economic benefits afforded by continued Tar Sands development do not outweigh the future costs to our health and to our environment.

Below are some links to Tar Sands Resources:

Sierra Club of Canada

Oil Sands Truth

Wikipedia: Tar Sands

Treehugger.com – Tar Sands Overview

From Greenpeace:

Increasing numbers of the small aboriginal community of Fort Chipewyan
(downstream from the Alberta Tar Sands) are being diagnosed and dying from
rare cancers and other auto-immune diseases. A recent water study confirmed
that the water in Fort Chipewyan had increased levels of arsenic, mercury
and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and was not safe for
consumption, particularly in the fish eaten by local residents.

The study further supports the Mikisew Cree’s recent call for a moratorium
on tar sands development.

But as stated by Councillor Russell Kaskamin of the Mikisew Cree First
Nation, “The Federal and Provincial governments are continuing to issue
approvals for projects despite all of the uncertainties with the true
environmental effects of oilsands development. This analysis suggests that
we can no longer continue to exercise our rights to harvest foods due to the
uncertainty of potential health risks.”
It is time to demand justice for the Mikisew Cree and the residents of Fort
Chipewyan.

—-

Take Action Now!

Write to your MP, to John Baird the Environment Minister, and to Stephan Harper.

Tell your friends what you think of the expansion of the tar sands.

Cut your consumption of fossil fuels!

Fossil Fools Day

fieldhouse — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:53:01 +0000

So I just finished reading “Fight Climate Change Now!” – a book by Bill McKibben and the students who brought us “Step It Up!” (a massive, decentralized and highly successful US movement to pressure congress to commit to an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050).

Its a very quick read, and gives lots of ideas, resources and inspiration for self-organized action on climate change. Reading it made me pretty excited for Fossil Fools Day (April 1, 2008).

There is a post in General Discussion outlining the project, but in order to put on a successful event we need some innovative collaboration! What do you guys think we should do? Have a bathing suit, snorkel and hawaiian t-shirt day at Glendon? Get some speakers? Post any comments or ideas you have! Let try to get collaboration with other groups on campus and the community at large! Woot!

Welcome/Bievenue!

fieldhouse — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:15:29 +0000

Welcome to the Glendon Roots and Shoots blog!

If you are new to the club, we have our meetings on

MONDAYS at 4pm outside the SENATE CHAMBER.

I’ve organized the blog into several pages – to post on each page simply “reply” to the page, and you can post links, articles, opinions and comments (all you need to do is enter your name and email, and then I have to approve your first comment, but after that you’re all set!)

You can get a membership to WordPress very easily and its a very good website for this type of thing. I’m looking into getting more people to be admins on this particulary blog, but in the meantime, if you have links or things that you would like posted to the site/added to the side bars, let me know and I’ll make sure to include them! Take care everyone, and hope to see you all soon!