August 3, 2010
As green-collar jobs boom, Canada is mired in the tar sands
Canada and Abu Dhabi share one big trait: an economy addicted to oil. But while Canada doubles down on the tar sands, the emirate quietly plans a renewable energy hub in a gleaming zero-emissions city in the desert. Can either of these bets pay off? Artist's rendering of a Masdar public square. Click to enlarge. Looking out over the site of Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, it takes some imagination to... [More >>]
June 15, 2010
How bad science stifles rational debate about wind power
Stormy weather: pro-wind campaigns suffer from a lack of good, freely available data. Wind energy ought to be a shoo-in. Yes, the infrastructure costs a lot of money but the fuel is free and plentiful, turbines produce no emissions, and no mountaintops need to be removed. And unlike nuclear power, no long-term radioactive waste needs to be stored for millennia. Yet, bizarrely, small groups of committed... [More >>]
April 30, 2010
College students learn sustainable design—by building it themselves
Fleming College students constructing a green building. “No one would think it’s possible to have students with no construction experience making an entire selfsustainable building from scratch,” says David Elfstrom, a graduate of Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario. But that’s what he and 25 of his classmates in the sustainable building design and construction program did in 2006, erecting... [More >>]
April 22, 2010
An Alberta sculptor fights oil companies to exhibit art on his own land
Peter von Tiesenhausen with one of his sculptures. Photo courtesy the artist As you walk through Peter von Tiesenhausen’s land, artwork emerges as if summoned from the ground up. Ships and nests made of willow branches appear along well-worn paths. Statues carved from logs stand watch from between the trees. In Tiesenhausen’s studio, small canvases that resemble the cracked earth of recent droughts... [More >>]
April 20, 2010
7 environmentally friendly moves to quit the bottled water habit
In 2006, Canadians spent $731 million consuming 2.1 billion litres of bottled water, with most of those plastic bottles ending up in landfills. If you’re tired of slowly destroying the planet while building the bank accounts of companies like Coca-Cola and Nestlé, here are a few tips for going back to the tap. 1. Create your own “pure” water by investing in an at-home water filtration system.... [More >>]
April 6, 2010
Six visionary designers who are planning for our post-oil future
A new generation of designers propose products and buildings that are energy efficient and elegant MIT Professor Sheila Kennedy's solar-energy-producing textiles. Courtesy Sheila Kennedy. Rick Mercer’s quip during the Copenhagen climate conference last December summed it up best: “So [Stephen] Harper flew to Copenhagen to have a club sandwich and hide in his room?” The post-Copenhagen doldrums... [More >>]
March 24, 2010
How to build an eco-village in five easy steps
Volunteers building a wall as part of an August, 2009 strawbale building workshop in Craik, Sask. Creative Commons photo by CSLP. Ever wanted to live in a truly green town, full of energy-efficient homes and people working together for the environment? Then follow the lead of Craik, Sask., and start up an eco-village. Located halfway between Saskatoon and Regina, the town of Craik (population: 450)... [More >>]
February 18, 2010
Could farm-friendly ‘biochar’ suck up a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions?
The Claim Proponents believe that biochar—a fine charcoal produced when biomass is burned without oxygen—could dramatically cut our carbon emissions while improving soil productivity. The Investigation Here’s how it works: When organic matter decomposes, it releases carbon back into the atmosphere. This naturally occurring breakdown contributes a whopping 220 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide to... [More >>]
February 11, 2010
Four world records Canada should be ashamed to hold
Google Earth detail showing part of the Athabasca tar sands mining operation. The tar sands is both the most carbon- and capital-intensive project on earth. Photo via Flickr user Skytruth. Nothing brings out patriotic pride like the Olympics. But before we get busy reading about gold medals and new heights of athletic glory, let’s take a few moments to reflect on a few shameful Canadian records that... [More >>]
October 27, 2009
Interview: Power to Save the World author Gwyneth Cravens
She changed her mind about nuclear power—and she wants to change yours, too Gwyneth Cravens. Illustration by David Anderson. Novelist, journalist, and former anti-nuclear activist Gwyneth Cravens spent 10 years researching and writing Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy. She tells us why she now favours nuclear. This: How did you become an advocate for nuclear power? Cravens:... [More >>]
