Why Just On August 27th?

http://www.crazysustainablecommute.org/

March 4, 2010 Meeting 7:00 pm TRUSU Boardroom

The folks who brought the 350 rallies to Kamloops last fall are now asking for the public’s participation in a new venture. Jan Greenwood, chair of the Social and Environmental Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, says the group is following up on a promise to kick start a local environmental/sustainability network with an evening meeting on March 4 at TRU.

Ideally, the group would like to see involvement from a broad spectrum of community organizations, everything from fly fishers to local food networks to backcountry users to birdwatchers to riverkeepers to conservationists. “Everyone has a vested interest in maintaining a healthy environment to pass on to our children,” says Greenwood. “Each community organization comes at it from a slightly different angle, but there are many places where our interests overlap. Our goal is to set up connections between these groups, and set up a real web of communication.”

What would this community network look like? What form would it take? How would it be set up? Those are questions that will be answered at the organizational workshop planned for 7 pm March 4 at the TRUSU Boardroom at TRU’s Independent Centre.

No Impact Man (2009)

We rented No Impact Man  tonight and loved it.   (Google YouTube and No Impact Man to watch the trailer.) Don't get me wrong - I'm not giving up electricity - especially not living in Canada where we need electrical power or the furnace won't run - but I loved the point the movie made about life being - gasp! - MUCH BETTER without constant consumption.   I highly recommend it....
From his blog at http://noimpactman.typepad.com/

The No Impact Experiment is a one-week carbon cleanse. It is a chance for you to see what a difference no-impact living can have on your quality of life. It’s not about giving up creature comforts but an opportunity for you to test whether the modern “conveniences” you take for granted are actually making you happier or just eating away at your time and money.

Velvet climate revolution, here we come!

A Very Interesting View from Davos

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-sad-state-of-the-world-and-other-themes-from-davos/article1453817/

But the financial meltdown and recession are arguably symptoms of a bigger systemic crisis and deep institutional failures.  ...Then sustainability became a matter of competitiveness and cost reduction, by capturing efficiencies such as reducing waste and energy use. CEOs everywhere at Davos said we've now arrived at the point where sustainability must be integrated into business strategy – what a business is, and how it operates and relates to the rest of the world.   ....There is growing agreement that gross domestic products and gross national products are flawed tools for measuring the health of country, and we should instead emphasize the idea of Gross National Well-Being or something similar. ....Just as some companies have moved to “triple-bottom line” reporting for their impact on society, many economists argue that GDPs and GNPs measure activities that are detrimental to society and ignore activities that are beneficial.

Read Don Tapscott's entire articles at the above website.   I find it hopeful that, at an elitist event like the World Economic Forum,   themes such as those listed  emerge.  An ever-increasing awareness that the world we live in is flawed is the precursor to improving it.  We cannot create a more egalitarian and more sustainable way of life until we admit the system we have doesn't work for the poor and for the eocysystems we exploit.

The Living Planet City

http://community.wwf.ca/livingplanetcity/
Click on the above link for an interactive experience.   You will find lots of information on alternate energy sources, green roofs, amd green beer!  And the site is fun!  And there is always the "Take Action." link you can click on .......
And one of the best actions to take right now is sending the Right Hon. Stephen Harper a message: tell him you want to ensure that Canada is on the right side of history.  Instruct the Prime Minister (he does work for us, the electorate) that you wish him to send our negotiators to the UN Climate Change Conference with a commitment to legally binding, science based greenhouse gas reduction targets.