THE HOUR OF POWER !

5 days till earth hour ! This Sunday March 27 at 8:30 p.m., turn off your lights and
send your best vibrations to the gods of lunar tides and glaciers. (read: say a prayer for the deteriorating natural environment and subsequent death of all living creatures.)

10 million canadians and 50 million others did it last year ... but that was just the beginning !

What I'm planning on doing this year: getting lillypads and exotic swamp creatures tattooed on every square inch of my body. One small step for a gal like me, but surely a triumph for the ozone layer.

Foot Power !

(These are Paris Hiltons feet.)

Millions of people on foot in London will be doing more than getting from point A to point B – they will be powering subways and streetlights via foot power !

Pavegen systems, a London based company with a goal for a zero carbon society decided to take the kinetic energy and convert it into electricity using green pavement slabs that compress 5 millimetres when stepped on. The kinetic energy is stored in an internal battery or sent along a wire to a light source. 8 million people walk the streets of London everyday, taking over 11 trillion steps every year.

But in case people are weary their souls will be snatched upon gracing these glowing, turf like slabs, the disc in the middle of the rubber surface glows every time they are stepped on – kind of like those sweet light up shoes that really inspired us when we were young’ns.

The slabs, made of 100% recycled car tires, are put in areas where at least 50 000 steps are taken every day. The goal is two have 5 slabs around every bus stop in London, and 16000 of them installed by summer 2012.

The concept of using our crowded streets to fuel the urban environment is the pinnacle of recycling - and we can count on that resource not running out, to be sure. They look a little futuristic and scary, but the light actually increases pedestrians visibility at night, making the streets less foreboding during the wee hours. Cool idea !

Of course, it is mucho important to support your local scene in day to day life, for many reasons. But sometimes, like when we are really busy / intoxicated / getting married, it becomes easy to forget this.

LPK’s Culinary Groove makes it a delight to spread the love on a grand scale, no matter how lazy (or drunk) we may be. When it comes to wedding cakes, LPK provides a variety of bad ass, eco-friendly customary creations to suit laid back souls and bridezillas alike.

This quaint bakery prides itself on being Toronto’s “first organic pastry and chocolate shop”. Using fair trade, organic ingredients, LPK is conscious of keeping a minimal carbon footprint - the store is run on Bullfrog power, using LED lighting and gas powered convection ovens. LPK also accommodates vegan, gluten free, and kosher diets, so your wedding cake can be heart healthier, AND earth savvier. Their vegan products incorporate super delicious, fresh ingredients, so not even the most discerning soul will be able to tell the difference.

All this and they make a mean date square - something I really appreciate in a bakery. Yeah, you heard me.

LED lighting uses up to 90% less energy than conventional lighting and has the advantage of allowing a nearly infinite colour range.

They also contain no mercury or filament, making each light more durable, easier to handle, and a longer lasting. Performances lit on 5 kilowatts (about 5 spotlights) arranged in the “right way” can do wonders, and shows that it’s possible to have effective lighting and still reduce consumption.

LED lights are gaining in prominence across the globe – 8,000 Starbucks across the U.S. have switched over, and Radiohead’s last tour was lit by these energy saving specimens.

Either way, I still loathe starbucks and feel like slashing my wrists when I listen to Radiohead.

This is not to say I don't participate in supporting both these enterprises regularly. However I probably wouldn't let Thom Yorke have unprotected sex with my sister regadless of how meritous his environmental positions are.

And if Starbucks thinks they are going to get all friendly neighborhood joint on all of us, they are fucking mistaken. This is precisely what Snapple tried to do and now look at it. Union square was flooded with the sticky goo of their enormous popsicle, costing their PR people at least a testicle on the black market, making make perfect asses of themselves.

This has nothing to do with environmentalism I just think Snapple and Starbucks are pretty much on the same page and serve to show us that before we know it we're going to be eating dead people in wafer format in all primary colours. I don't want to be around for that shit unless I'm rolling on soy vanilla lattes and sugar high on the great popsicle of life.

Whoever said arts students were doomed to failure ??

Not me, bitches !

And neither did Ben Todd, the creative director of the Arcola Theatre.

Opened on credit cards in a reformed factory building in east London, the Arcola Theatre is an inspiration for students wishing to change the world via the arts. Commitment drove it all the way from the first production lit by candles, to generating its own sustainable energy onsite. The Arcola theatre thrives today because it stuck to its core values – integrating several strands of specialization to lead the way toward change in arts organizations.

What is so special about the Arcola theatre is that it marries art, engineering, community and sustainability. Ben Todd, the executive director of the theatre, spent 10 years as an engineer before he decided to commit to the arts five years ago. When he joined the Arcola Theatre, he joined a mission to shift the culture in London toward a more sustainable one.

If art is the means by which cultural change can be brought about, then it must encompass more than simply its performance aspect. Todd points out the fact that the artists he knows are more one trick pony’s. He believes that artists, unlike any other specialist, are a select group who can take an idea and make it a reality in a matter of months. However, in order to maximize the power of invention, artists need to extract from their other faculties. Da Vinci for example, a Renaissance man in his many abilities, was an architect, a poet, an engineer, an anatomist, a musician. His influence on the world is unparalleled, and remains impressive to this day because he was able to harmonize his artistic abilities with other passions.

If artists don’t see the need to restrain themselves and their consumption habits, they fail to see a priceless creative challenge - one that would look great on a CV, make an organization more interesting, more marketable, and more prolonged. Of course, it is also increasingly necessary. While the carbon footprint of a theatre is negligible compared to that of a hotel, (theatres representing 2% of London’s total carbon emissions) they have to get involved with the cultural players if they wish to shift the culture.

The Arcola’s emphasis on community work makes it a vital facet in the district of Dalston. The area in east London is becoming progressively more and more gentrified, adding more affluent inhabitants to its arts oriented environment. The theatre acts as a mediator between the newcomers, who like to come to the theatre and drink organic beer, and the remaining original population who share the edge that the theatre had maintained since before property prices swelled. Taking pride in its status as a welcoming place, the theatre boasts a variety of groups for different crowds, including 50+ groups, Turkish & Kurdish groups, youth and writers groups.

Green Sundays are one of the many examples of local projects the theatre has organized. The monthly open house welcomes ecologically interested supporters of the theatre to share their ideas on environmental issues. This is done through film screenings, poetry readings and discussion, and also includes a “swap shop” for books and clothing, drum circles and DIY workshops (past topics have included cake decorating and home-made toiletries). Green Sundays show that environmental issues don’t have to be uninteresting; instead they aim to get people involved in their community and invoke the questions that will lead to a hopeful future.

I reckon this is something you could do with an arts degree. I know everyone wants a sweet job and creative stuff like this doesnt come along so often. But elbow grease (and a few proper blowjobs) are certainly not to be underestimated. I look at all my friends in Arts and Contemporary studies and I'm amazed at how inspirational(and attractive) everyone is. I'd say we all have something to offer the world. If worst comes to worst, I'd have no qualms with scrubbing toilets at this magnificent establishment.
I cannot guarentee, however, that I wouldnt be drunk while this was happening, nor can I guarentee that I wouldnt throw the scrubber directly at my managers face on occasion. For some reason I picture myself in this career with lots of colourful chest tattoos and cornrows.

OK I take it back, I wouldnt scrub toilets at the Arcola theatre.
But the point is, I applaud the soul who does.

The Body Shop was founded in 1976 in Brighton, England by an Italian immigrant with a simple desire to save the whales. (I know, I know ... isn't that what everyone who opens up an enormous bath product company really wants?)

Thirty four years later, The Body shop is a multi-national business with some 2,500 stores in over 61 different countries. Anita Roddick, the woman behind the production, began selling skin care products in the interest of supporting her two daughters while her husband was absent, travelling. What started off as a small organization in between two funeral homes in England launched into a major corporation advocating for sustainability, women’s self esteem and human rights.

In the early days, Roddick started recycling simply because she didn’t have enough containers for her products. Eventually, the Body Shop would turn its resourceful values into a partnership with Greenpeace in 1986. After this, Roddick began to launch other promotions tied to various social causes, obviously attracting public attention to her products. For her, “campaigning and good business is also about putting forward solutions, not just opposing destructive practices or human rights abuses”.

Roddick has been referred to as “one of the country’s true pioneers”, campaigning not only for green issues, but also women’s self esteem. A 1997 advertising campaign utilized the familiar image of Barbie to make a statement that would earn them a lawsuit for copyright infringement from Mattel. A mascot for The Body Shop was created in the form of a doll in Barbie’s likeness, except for the fact that she was a size 16 and had red hair. The slogan for the ads in which she was depicted read “There are 3 billion women who don’t look like supermodels and only 8 who do”. Her name was Ruby, and she caused the Body Shop to be forced to rethink their ad campaigns. I always thought she was pretty cute.

Anyone who has visited the Body Shop’s website will be aware of their pride in a small ecological footprint. The company states an aim to reduce waste by 9 million bottles per year. All the packaging used is made with 30% recycled plastics, and a greater percentage is currently in the works. The ingredients used are a significant part of their sustainably approach to business. Their popular hemp line in particular demonstrates an effective use of this environmentally friendly crop. Hemp requires little fertilizer and no pesticides in its cultivation, due to few natural predators. The Body Shop makes note that hemp is one of the most environmentally friendly crops they have found yet.

Unlike palm oil, which entails incredibly destructive cultivation process. 90% of the palm oil we use is located in Malaysia and Indonesia, which is bad news for the wildlife that also resides there. The Body Shop was one of the first retailers to join the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), which promotes the growth and use of more sustainably cultivated palm oil. On top of all this, the Body Shop has never tested their products on animals.

While the company boasts a range of efforts pertaining to sustainability, their website leaves a lot to be desired. The ingredients are said to be “inspired by nature” – (a term almost as vague as “all natural”), and their corporate offices claim to be “energy efficient”, as well as some of their new stores. (What about the old ones?) They state a goal, on their website, to be carbon neutral retailer by 2010 ... this is now. I wonder if this has been achieved?

At least the Body Shop is making a genuine effort, which is more than can be said for most other corporations of its size. The woman behind all this is pretty inspirational any way you cut it. She is actually said to have single handedly shaped ethical consumerism. Her strong sense of values pertaining to human and animal rights and sustainability is one to be admired. I can get behind any organization that makes sure its personal massagers are certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council. Talk about self gratification you can truly feel good about.

Deep ecology isn't an academic philosophy, nor is it institutionalized as an ideology. What happens in deep ecology is people coming together in direct actions, organized efforts to improve the ecosystem. It is a lifestyle, of sorts, a social movement.

There is no separation between the self and nature for proponents of deep ecology. The self is expanded into nature, and overcomes the narrow concerns of industrial life, devalues the particular, and emotional based attachments. Human life is one with the ecosphere. Deep ecology believes in equal rights of the human and the environment. We have the same right to flourish.

It makes sense then, that Arne Naess, the philosopher who coined this phrase, believed the most influential participants to be artists and writers, who express their insights not in academic tones, but through the arts. Unlike other anthropocentric (human intersted) views of the environment, this ethic embracing plants and animals as well as people is required for HARMONY! Such an ethic is effective if people actually believe in its validity, rather than just its usefulness - conservation strategies are implemented by people who love what they conserve. Lovers feel no need to hide their attitudes, they embrace their passions and wish to impart them to others. (Maybe this is really emo and girly, but I'm down, ok?)

Deep ecology is about questioning the fundamental beliefs of the impacts of human life on the earth, rather than considering the relationship simply as a branch of biology. Deep ecology is a more holistic view of the world. The parts of the ecosystem we consider to be separate function as a whole for the deep ecologist, who believes that all life forms have instrinsic value, and have a right to life that can't be quantified.

Akin to Arne Naess's deep ecology, Aldo Leopold believed humans to be "plain members of the biotic community" - (knocking us down to size a little) which is a general scheme I find pretty nifty. Leopold's idea of land ethic states that "a thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise". This supports deep ecology at its most fundamental level.

I'm a dude, your a dude, we're all dudes, some of us just trying not to destory everything in our path ... I don't care HOW emo it sounds, deep ecology starts with LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

I don't do organic.

I got talking to this woman who came into my restaurant on a slow day. We were talking about restaurants, and I mentioned one of my favourites, Fresh. “Is it organic?” she inquired. “Yeah” I replied. She was unimpressed. “Oh, I don’t do organic”.

How can you not "do" organic? Is there anyone out there who especially wishes for their plants to be sprayed with toxic chemicals? Organic has become such a foreign concept, a sort of inaccessible fad that only few hold the key to. In reality, it’s what our food should effortlessly be. We should be able to go to the grocery store and buy a rutabaga and not risk consuming a dozen synthetic chemicals. Pesticide free food is the simplest form of life, and we have strayed so far from it after all these years of chemical experimentation. Health is naturally occurring, believe it or not.

A study at the Mount Sanai school of Medicine in New York found an average of 91 chemicals in the blood and urine of its nine volunteers. The volunteers had no occupational or geographical connection to the chemicals inside them, including some chemicals that were banned in the 1970's. Is there any way to flee the chemicals Have we become entirely toxic species? The synthetic revolution stems from the fact that money permeates into our food sector, the pharmaceutical industry – our lives. From start to finish, we are exposed to a myriad of chemicals, regardless of if we know it or not. The funny thing is, we have to exert effort to avoid these toxic chemicals.

The Food and Drug Administration (US) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Canada) whom we place a lot of trust in, rely on safety information from the food manufacturers to make its approval decisions. These manufacturers would never let it slide that there could be something hazardous in their ingredients, so how can we make an objective decision if we can’t rely on the powers that be?

Having chemicals inside our bodies may not be a death wish, necessarily. But how do we know when a chemical is truly toxic? When animals in the wild start dying, seems to be a good indication. Only then do things start to change. But things should never come to that point.

Competitive markets dictate what we eat. We are the only ones truly looking out for ourselves, and in order to live past your 50’s, this requires you to be a god damn anarchist, apparently. With everything I read regarding chemicals in the food or drugs we ingest regularly, I am becoming increasingly aware that I shouldn’t really have faith in anything. I don’t think it’s good to be cynical, but it’s good to be sceptical.

Down with SUV's.

I recently went home to Brantford for a couple nights to hang out with the fam. We always have a good time together, and this visit was no exception. There was only one problem. My mother told me that my father was contemplating replacing their Toyota Matrix with an SUV.

I was utterly horrified. I tried everything in my power to convince her to convince him otherwise. I can’t think of anything more frivolous. What on earth does a 55 year old male with a grown up family and no pressing career, really need an enormous gas guzzling SUV for? Hauling mulch? Flagstones? I’m not trying to undermine my beloved father, or any retired lifestyle. He’s 55. He should be able to do whatever the hell he wants. But there is one thing I can’t deny. To exist is to be an activist. We make choices on a daily basis that support or deject environmentally friendly initiatives, directly or indirectly, and we do it with every item we buy. Our decisions affect other people and the greater world whether we know it or not.

What comes to mind when we hear activist? A raving protestor, drunk on passion for a cause? A persistent douche bag who scrutinizes your every piece of garbage? People who cause detours on roads because of protest rallies?

The negative stereotype around activists exists because no one makes it easy for the public to be environmentally friendly. Our governments and our food manufacturers take path of least resistance – it’s cheaper and easier to buy food from No Frills as opposed to grow your own, organic food and renewable energy are both more expensive and hard to come across than conventional food / energy. We often have to hunt to find information on animal testing and nutrients. As a result, we allow ourselves to be poisoned. We are unhealthy and uninformed. (Revlon Moondrops lipstick, Lysol All Purpose cleaner contain mystery phthalates – substances added to plastics to retain their flexibility and durability - that act as neurotoxins and reproductive toxins ... two in a long list of products.)

We have to go against the grain to achieve a healthy, green lifestyle. Since when should it be so unconventional to eat real food, trust a doctor, or have the desire to bring my children into a risk free world? Since when does living green have to mean anarchy?

My parents were obviously irritated by my hassling to make them turn off the lights and the TV when they left the room. My badgering in the electricity department made my disproval in the SUV department all the more expected.

“But we’re so not SUV people” I pleaded to my mother. Being a woman of aesthetic, (a hairdresser) I tried to persuade her against the idea in terms of the surface qualities.

"It's not me, it's your father who wants it!" she said. Perhaps her intentions were good, (and I don’t doubt my fathers are good, too) but his decision will still effect her, and me, and every other earth dwelling creature. It is everyone`s problem, everyone`s responsibility. We`ve all heard how harmful SUV`s are, and what a state the earth is in. People turn their ears off when someone starts ranting. My parents love that I am passionate about the environment, but sometimes I think that's really all they see – a raving kid who wants the world to be a better place.

Broke as a joke? Pat yourself on the back !

I think it’s safe to say that the student lifestyle imparts a pretty small footprint on the earth. Many of my friends in the city cycle, take the ttc, co-habitate with others in small-ish apartments, buy used books, used clothing, local food, and some are even vegetarian. Our modest lifestyles are quite eco-friendly. This is mostly because most of my student friends are broke as a joke.

A sign of social status lies in material things, cars, gym memberships, imported food from Thailand, big screen tv’s, condos. It seems like the richer you are, the more energy you use. Maintaining such a social status requires that you stay on the cutting edge of consumerism. How could one not partake in a weekend wine tasting tour in Niagra on the Lake? Or deny oneself of a shopping trip to New York?

Travel is one of the most significant signs of social status, vital for being a cultured and well travelled individual. Air travel in particular poses an unmitigated catastrophe for the environment. As well as carbon dioxide, jet engines produce oxides of nitrogen and water vapour, both powerful warming agents.

Those who have the money to travel and buy things obviously have a larger footprint than those who don’t. But there are different implications in flying than don’t exist in choosing which car to buy, for example. There is not much I can do about the fact that my entire mothers side resides in New Zealand. I can’t try and prevent her from visiting her brothers once a year (that would be most insensitive.) Nor can I deny that I myself would like to retain ties to my family down under. Choosing to buy an SUV over a Corolla doesn’t pose such a personal dilemma.

Cheap airfares and infinite destination possibilities make it hard for a traveller to resist. How can one truly experience another culture without it? Unfortunately, this also means treading pretty hard on the earth. The technologies for reducing fuel consumption are improving efficiency by 1 or 2 % per year, while air travel numbers are rising over 5% per year. Bus travel, where possible, is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative. But sometimes, it is just not possible.

In an interview with the Guardian, Chris Martin talked about his song Twisted Logic. He called it “an intense, angry track encouraging people to make the right decisions about how they live their lives and how they treat the planet” A little futher into the interview, he states that “the band could now afford to fly wherever possible, and the increased privacy and speed mean that Apple will be able to join her father on tour more often.” Hmm …

Obviously, no one is perfect. Chris Martin is hardly a monster for wanting to take his daughter on tour with him. If anything, it makes him a better father. But the fact remains: stepping into an airplane pretty much makes up for any other green things we do.

Even as I continue to write about the environment on this blog, I have participated in air travel almost more times than I can count. Maybe this is utter hypocrisy. I do take the ttc, and I recently bought a rad bike. This is how I get around Toronto. I don’t fly all the time, but it is a necessary part of my family life. Conflicted as I feel about it, staying in touch with my aunt and uncle, cousins, and family friends involves hopping on a plane - unfortunate for many reasons, but awesome for many reasons. Until I get a hovercraft, or find a friendly wale who could give me a ride, I remain unsure of the best way to go about air travel.

Since we all need another reason to be more like Europeans.

Switzerland is the pinnacle of environmental leadership.

SwissEnergy, Switzerlands energy program, lies in close co-operation between the federal government, the municipalities, trade and industry partners, environmental and consumer organizations, and public and private agencies to sets efficient standards for buildings, appliances, and transportation.

Freight trucks have cut thier annual road milage by 6%, while freight volumes have increased, an action that saves 1 trillion dollars per year. Since they are saving all that, money, more funding is allowed for rail infrastructure. Thanks to the funding boost, rail travel will see a 40% growth by 2030. They even have classes called EcoDrive to show people how to drive more efficiently.

I bet road rage doesn't even exist there. The Swiss Godfather is cleary at work behind all this.

styrofoam is the debbil.

We all know that the world is full of carcenogens left right and center, but here are some numbers that will make you feel even worse about your coffee shop addiction.

Styrofoam cups take 50 fucking years to biodegrade. And 'biodegradable' paper cups take 5 - 15 years. 57 chemicals are found in styrofoam, polluting the air and the coffee they contain. Paper cups are often lined with polythylene, which makes them virtually unrecyclable. The average second cup goes through 5000 paper cups per week (just for hot drinks) and there are some 400 locations in Canada. Plus lids and stir sticks. WACK ! B.Y.O.M(mug). and save the world a little bit.

check this out ... http://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html

Money Aint a Thing.

A few summers ago, I lived in Calgary and worked on as a cook on a golf course called Wintergreen. It was an enjoyable summer. I only had one major qualm with my stay in Calgary, and perhaps it was born from a strange complex of my own. My qualm was this: the minute anyone found out that I was from Toronto, they seemed to have something questionable to say about it. Being a proud (recent) Torontonian, I have noticed that those who like Toronto seem to like it a lot. And those who hate it, despise it with every cell in their being. And in my few years of travel, I find that the latter type generally possess the same reasons for loathing - too fast paced, too many douche-bags, too big, too unfriendly, too intimidating ... the typical ‘big city’ complaints.

(I say fuck that, with all due respect.)

One golf club member in particular felt compelled to tell me that:
“People from Toronto want things to move too quickly, they miss out on things”

(Obviously, this is an enormous generalization and this man was an idiot.)

I told him “If you move too slowly things will miss out on you”
As you could imagine, I was so self satisfied after this that I never forgot it to this day.)

I really dug Calgary, (with the exception of the stampede, which was like being stuck in an all encompassing Gretchen Wilson video and furthermore, a vegetarian nightmare), and I also dig many other small towns in the world where things move slowly. But Toronto is truly one of my favourite cities in the world, and I feel completely at home in the busy streets. To be fair though, maybe this man did have a grain of truth in his statement. After all, my (enduring) defence wasn’t an attempt to thwart it, just to justify it. And I only have myself to blame.

In the city, the reason we move so fast is because we are such a success oriented society. This is what I meant by “things will miss out on you”. We attempt to please everyone, to achieve the unattainable idea of success that we end up spreading ourselves thin. To be successful in the urban world involves business suits, elevators, late hours and back pain. And when it comes down to it, harms our families, our health, and the people around us. Success is killing us.
Cowboy hats and country music aside, Canada suffers from the Western syndrome of unfeasible standards. Endless goals ‘pathways to success’ are promoted in schools, etched into our minds at a young and tender age. Are we meant to constantly feel like we aren’t enough?

Let us take a moment to notice the differences between Italian and North American ways of life. Perhaps the most significant difference is the pace. Fast food is basically a metaphor for North American culture. (George Ritzer called it the McDonalization of society – the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate American life, and gradually affecting the rest of the world.)Even Europe is being affected. It pains me to think that one day, the entire world will have a McDonalds on every corner.

The laissez faire lifestyle of European countries is, to me, the most opposing aspect of our two cultures. The term laissez faire means to let events take their own course. For one thing, its an exotic and appealing notion and the North American admires it for a second before mowing down on cheese cappelletti at the neighborhood east side Marios. Italians live longer, have healthier diets, and a hell of a lot less stress in their lives. Sure, the traditional Italian meal is riddled with saturated fat and wine, but the simple fact that they linger over a meal for like, 3 hours longer than any hamburger – scoffing American is telling. It’s a pleasure principle.

We North Americans have a completely different conception of pleasure. Quantity is quality for us. And that can be seen in our excessive use of condiments alone. Ketchup, salt, pepper, HP sauce, hot sauce. Does a hamburger even exist anymore under all those toppings? Why do we feel the need to cover shit in sugary tomato paste? You would never see that going down at an Italian family dinner. We’re not even eating food. We’re eating xantham gum, corn syrup, hemlock, arsenic... you get the point.

(I have an unhealthy addiction to hot sauce.)

On that note, I came across a quote by Thomas Merton one day that really resonated with me. He said “the plain fact is that the world does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, storytellers, restorers, lovers of every kind. So be anything you like, be madmen, be drunks, be bastards of every shape and form, but at all costs avoid one thing: success.”

This quote makes so much sense, and yet, the ideal is so persistent and carved into our minds that who knows how long it will take for the world to actually benefit from peacemakers and healers? But I do believe that things flow in cycles.
As a (very successful) rap star once said, “Bling bling, money aint a thing.” The truest words are the fewest words.