APRIL 2009

The Sustainable Environment Network Society (SENS) Newsletter

 

Support Us! You can become a member (Family - $20.00, Individual - $15.00, Basic - $5.00), attend our monthly meetings (the 4th Thursday usually), donate and/or volunteer.  Mailing address: c/o the Boys and Girls Club, 3300-37th Avenue, Vernon, V1T 2Y5.  Website:  www.sensociety.org 

*** SENS provides tax-deductible receipts for donations ***

 

SENS MEETINGS/EVENTS

 

April 23: 7 pm, Schubert Centre. Run of River Power in B.C. and the Federal navigable Water Act.

 

May 4: 7pm, Schubert Centre. All-Candidates Forum on Sustainability and the Environment. Bring your questions for candidates and hear a short presentation on how the Single Transferrable Vote (STV) would work. Answers to questions already answered by candidates will be posted on the walls for all to read.  Admission by donation to cover room rent.

 

May 28: Air Quality in the local area – what is/isnft happening. More details to follow.

 

May 30: 3rd Annual Green Enviro-Fair, sponsored by SENS for green/sustainable businesses and not-for-profit egreenf groups,  10 am – 3 pm, Vernon Rec Centre auditorium followed by business award presentations by the  City of Vernon and NORD. Information  is on the SENS website.

 

May 30 – June 5, Environment Week: Get involved! Watch the papers for details of daily events.

May 30 – Enviro-Fair – see above

June 1 – Becker Park - weed education and clean-up.

June 2 -  Commuter Challenge Kick-off

June 2 – Water Day Events

June 3 – Clean Air Day/Astronomy at OSC/Guided Bike Rides

June 4 – Waste Reduction Day Activities

June 5 – Commuter Challenge Wrap-up/Local Food Promotion Day

 

LOCAL STUFF

 

1. Environmental Fair: April 8, 5:00 – 8:30 pm, JW Inglis Elementary Library

 

2. Ecological Design and Sustainable Living (Permaculture) Workshop: Learn concrete ways to reduce our footprints and cope with and decrease climate change! April 25 – 26, 9:00 – 5:00 pm, Falkland. For Info and registration, email mrichoux@telus.net

 

3. Green Fair: The Armstrong Spallumcheen Environmental Trust invites green businesses and not-for -profits to take part in their third annual green fair, Saturday, April 18. Contact Aaron at aaronvallejo@hotmail.com

 

4. Call Out for Nominees: RDNO and the City of Vernon are looking for environmental leaders this spring. The RDNO is also looking for anyone in financial need that is starting a waste reduction project. There are a lot of people doing great things in our communities, so nominate them for recognition and please pass this information along! The deadline for both is Earth Day (April 22).  Nominees and Fund recipients will be highlighted during Canadian Environment Week (May 31 - June 6), and recognized at RDNOfs Awards Gala on Saturday May 30th. For more information, contact Karmen at 250

 

5. Local Air Quality Committee disbanded:  The Regional District of the North Okanagan has chosen to remove all volunteers and non-political representatives from the Air Quality Committee and will do all decision making ein housef from now on. It is not known if a recently completed Air Quality Action Plan will  now be implemented.

 

6. More on Local Water: The Citizenfs Coalition to Save Silver Star Provincial Park reports that the  local ski resort uses a series of 3 aerated lagoons, and a 20 million gallon exfiltration lagoon, which allows effluent to seep into the ground, then surface around the lagoons, causing high nitrate levels  (up to 28 mg/litre) in the mountain streams at the headwaters of our community watershed. 

Typical flows through the current system are about 500 cubic metres/day during the ski season (900 max), and about 150-200 cubic metres/day in the summer. The resort is planning a massive expansion which will triple or quadruple the size of the resort.

 

7. Sewage by Water: Abby A. Rockfellerfs article gSewers, Sewage Treatment, Sludge: Damage Without Endh highlights some of the inherent environmental dangers of sewering and sewage treatment.  She argues that sludge, the residue created when clean water is retrieved from sewage, is so dense with potentially hazardous material that it should be deemed hazardous waste.  Spreading sewage sludge on land as a gfertilizerh is advocated by some, but Rockfeller argues that is is foolish to consider this safer than dumping sludge into the ocean due to the nature of sludge as unmonitorable, unregulatable, and irremediable. The root of the sewage-management problem is the use of water as a transportation medium for sewage. Central collection and treatment of sewage will only perpetuate increasingly complex pollution problems, not solve them. We need to avoid sewers by dealing with pollution problems at the source via on-site remediation technologies and initiating gback-off-the-sewerh programs in cities and towns that are already sewered.

 

SENT BY MEMBERS AND READERS

 

1. Websites of interest:

·         www.hijackedfuture.com/index.html is the site for the documentary on how food is being ghijackedh by corporations. A must see!  

·         www.solarroadways.com suggests using solar powered LED panels instead of petroleum-based roads, parking lots, and driveways. Efficient and environmentally friendly!

·         www.stellarseeds.com offers B.C. grown organic seeds for your garden. They come in a variety of shapes, smells, colours and tastes and promote biodiversity and soil health.

*      http://saveourrivers.ca/video-library-mainmenu-29/298-watershed-election  A 3 minute video      on BCfs rivers ahd historic energy security.

*     www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016  slideshow on impact of plastic bags.

*     www.bitsandbytes.ca/   food security database – recipes, food miles, nutrition and more!

*      http://www.bcseeds.org/index.php new data base for seed trading +link to BC seed growers

 

2. Sewage Deregulation is a Health Risk: A coalition of B.C. health experts report warns that the industry-dominated, gself-regulatory system established (for septic systems) is profoundly deficienth as there is no regular monitoring or government inspection or approval process. Health officials have no power to protect the public & therefs no public notice or right of appeal. A public health disaster (eg outbreak of E. coli) can easily happen. Less reliance on curb-cutting private sector technicians and engineers is crucial.

For the experts, the province's deregulation is a classic case study in regulatory failure.  The B.C. government would do well by buying back lands and reforesting them, rather than developing the top of the watershed and having to treat polluted water throughout. The result would be water of a far superior quality, much healthier ecosystems, and the protection of the people.

 

3. The City that Ended Hunger: Hunger is not caused by a scarcity of food but a scarcity of democracy. Brazilfs 4th largest city, Belo Horizonte, with the aid of local farmers, stopped hunger. Food was declared a right of citizenship. A newly created city agency devised a new food system, got citizens involved, and made it easier for local farmers to sell their produce to urban consumers. "People's Restaurants" served 12,000 or more people daily with locally grown food. Extensive community and school gardens, nutrition classes and information campaigns also helped.

In just a decade Belo Horizonte has cut its infant death rate-by more than half, and  benefitted almost 40 percent of the city's population. Malnutrition has also fallen and consumption of fruits and vegetables is up in the city. The cost of these efforts was only around $10 million annually, or less than 2 percent of the city budget. A right to food can mean building citizen-government partnerships driven by values of inclusion and mutual respect. Source: YES! Magazine (Spring 2009)

 

4. Move over Global Warming: Human pollution is causing ocean acidification at an alarming rate, placing 'unprecedented' pressure on marine life and causing mass extinctions. Without deep, fast CO2 emission cuts,  history will record that our civilization had the wisdom to develop high technology, but did not develop the wisdom to use it wisely.

 

5. Deadly Arctic Meltdown: The permafrost is melting fast (and accelerating) all over the Arctic, lakes are forming everywhere and methane is bubbling out of them. By 2030 there may be no summer ice in the Arctic. Consequences?   - changes in ocean currents, runaway warming and changes in wind patterns and it gets worse...www.newscientist.com/article/mg20127011.500-arctic-meltdown-is-a-threat-to-humanity.html

 

6. Your Jeans: It takes 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton for 1 pair of jeans, 200 gallons to estonewashf a pair, and up to 2,000 chemicals throughout.

 

7. Peak Soil: per year, 12 – 20 million acres of the worldfs arable land becomes unproductive, which means food will becomes even more expensive.

Peak Helium: half the helium used in the US comes from a WW2 reserve stockpiled to fill blimps.  That stockpile will be exhausted by 2017. All helium will be gone by 2037.This inert gas is also used in  hospital MRI machinesc

Peak Uranium:  world-wide, all high grade Uranium will be gone by 2034.

Peak metals: By 2025 wefll no longer have such rare metals as indium, gallium, hafnium, terbium and antimony. Others are also becoming scarcec.no more fluorescent bulbs, flat screen TVfsc

 

8. Sea Sick: The Global Ocean In Crisis. Some Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority stats: 80% of the Carribeanfs coral reefs have died in the past 30 years.   The  Great Barrier Reef, off Australiafs East coast is over 2000km long and  is home for 33% of the worldfs soft corals, 360 species of hard coral, 1500 species of fish, 4000species of mollusk, 1500 species of sponge, 800 species of echinoderm, 500 species of seaweed, 30+ species of marine mammals, 6 of the worldfs 7 species of marine turtle. Numerous species are listed as rare or threatened. With rising water temperatures due to global warming, the coral will be killed and the lives of those other organisms depending on the reef will also be threatened with extinction.

 

9. Free iPhone Services: It has a Seventh Generation Label Reading Guide for common household products.  Enter the ingredient and youfll find out ingredients and effect on humans. Also, Shopgreen can provide  recycling tips,  recipes, and track and store your exercise amounts and then provide coupons for use at green—friendly retailers.

 

FROM RECYCLING COUNCIL OF BC

 

1. Recycling Ideas: Electronics Stewardship Association of BC (ESABC) is inviting public comment on which products will be included in its recycling program. An open house has been scheduled in Kamloops on April 15th (Coast Canadian Inn, 1 pm to 4 pm) to provide the public with an opportunity to meet with representatives of ESABC and find out more about the planned expansion of the ESABC program.

 

2. Zero Building Waste:  Only 1/6th of Canadafs construction, demolition, and renovation waste is recycled but more municipalities are heading for zero waste targets. Ask NORD to incorporate Zero waste and cradle to cradle philosophy in all their new OCP work. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16859.cfm

 

3. Sustainability-Focused Companies as Economic Winners:  An A.T. Kearney Inc. study - gGreen Winners:  The Performance of Sustainably-focused Companies in the Financial Crisish found that in 16 out of 18 industries, companies with a commitment to sustainability were the clear leaders in the financial markets.  The study looked at 99 companies, identified as having a strong commitment to sustainability and compared their performance with industry averages.

www.atkearney.com/shared_res/pdf/Green_Winners.pdf

 

4. Competition Encourages Conservation:  In Sacremento, energy users who received personalized bills with gsmiley facesh (because residents had lower fuel use compared to that of equivalent-sized homes)  reduced their energy use even more afterwards compared to those who only received standard statements.  Behaviour modification could be as effective in promoting conservation as trying to get customers to install new appliances and maybe more so.  Colleges and neighbourhoods are also using gcompetitionh to encourage conservation strategy. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/31/science/earth/31compete.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=sacramento%20utility&st=cse

 

FROM LIVING OCEANS SOCIETY

 

1. The Very Real Danger of Oil Spills in B.C.: Twenty years ago the Exxon Valdez spilled 284,000 barrels of crude oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska. Communities there are still paying the price for the disaster and oil spills still occur. More, larger tankers, carrying even worse oils, might be in our waters soon, and our accident response times and preparedness are slowing.  Living Oceans Society is calling for government action. To become involved, go to: www.livingoceans.org/newsletters/oceans_update/oceans03240901.aspx#a1

 

2.  Farmed Salmon: Living Oceans Society constantly brings public and marketplace attention to the negative environmental impacts of open net-cage salmon farming. This spring, Compass Group, one of Canadafs largest food service companies joined Living Oceans in this awareness-raising. Twww.livingoceans.org/newsletters/oceans_update/oceans03240901.aspx#a2

 

 

FROM CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK

 

1. Banning Bisphenol A: Recently, a study conducted by Health Canada found bisphenol A in 96% of all of the drink cans tested, including carbonated, non-carbonated, diet, non-diet, fruit-flavoured and energy drinks. Please add your voice to the growing demand for government action in banning this harmful chemical from all food and beverage containers. Sign the petition at http://petition.environmentaldefence.ca/bpa_in_drink_cans/.

 

2. Ontario Bans Cosmetic Pesticides: Taking effect on April 22nd, Ontario's cosmetic pesticides ban will prevent over 250 pesticides from being used for cosmetic purposes on lawns, vegetable and ornamental gardens, patios, driveways, cemeteries, and in parks and school yards. The provincial ban supersedes municipal bylaws and creates one clear, transparent and understandable set of rules across the province. Ontario now joins Quebec in banning the use of cosmetic pesticides.

 

3. Environmental Enforcement Act: The Federal Government just introduced Bill C-16, the Environmental Enforcement Act, which proposes to amend the fines, sentencing provisions and enforcement tools of six Environment Canada administered statutes and three Parks Canada administered statutes. Another environmental Act authorizes the use of monetary penalties for infractions of several environmental Acts. An overview of the Bill is available at www.ec.gc.ca.

 

4. Weeding Out Pesticides in Your Province: Keeping unnecessary lawn and garden pesticides off store shelves is the best way to stop their use. That's why the David Suzuki Foundation is working to ban both their sale and use in provinces across Canada. Voice your support now for strong regulations in your province. Visit www.davidsuzuki.org to become more involved.

 

5. Canadians Still Support the Environment: According to a February poll, a majority (57%) of Canadians agree that Canada should take serious action on climate change right now, even if it means higher deficits.  Furthermore, 75 per cent say we should only adopt stimulus measures that are environmentally sustainable. Sounds like green jobs are in!

 

FROM SMART GROWTH BC

 

1.Overcoming Barriers to Green Building:  The Living Building team has just published their first report on identifying barriers to the level of green building performance beyond LEED Platinum (www.cascadiagbc.orgt/lbc/resources1/codestudy). Two more reports to be published later this year will outline strategies for removing these barriers and give a cost/benefit analysis of proposed code changes, respectively. Training sessions are planned for this year in Oregon.

 

2. gEco-suburbh Plan Proposed:  c no cars, 80% reduction in carbon emissions, and the ability to produce its own food and itfs just outside Melbourne, Australia.  The site would feature on-site sewage treatment that captures methane to be used for power production, solar panels and wind towers, and mini-urban farms.  A government funded think-tank  proposed the vision for this government-owned site. http://www.theage.com.au/national/eco-suburb-plan-unveiled-for-city-20090224-8gw7.html?page=-1

 

 

Edited by Egan Mandreck and Claire Truesdale