Do you believe in New Year's resolutions? I don't. I just hope next year is better than this year.
One must not think that the residents or the city of Kitchener knows when and how to clear snow and ice off sidewalks (and streets). I don't care too much about the streets right now because I don't commute by bus and so far the roads cleared simply by having cars driving on them but the sidewalks matter - to me at least. I don't think to too many other people because most Canadians keep their ass attached to a (heated) car seat during the winter so what do they care what the sidewalks look like. Argh! Two days ago it first rained, then snowed fairly wet snow. Clever people would have gone out that evening and cleared the slush off their sidewalks before it could freeze. And they would have burnt off a lot of turkey calories at the same time! But nobody did. So yesterday my daughter and I stepped out the door and after my first step I thought, "oh shoot, ice!". By that time my daughter was already lying flat on her back, slipped in the ice (no, we did not have to go to ER). Poor baby, she will not be walking much outside this winter. Salt seems the most common "tool" in the fight of winter here in Kitchener and I don't like it. The slush sticks far too well to the stroller. Never mind the puddles we leave behind every time we go into a shop or other building - stop starring, I am not going to clean it up. Get out the snow shovels and sand., they are much more effective and better for the environment. But I have not seen any yet.
So, I got a little book for Christmas called Life Lines. One of the first ones is, "We own nothing, everybody rents." It's true, especially when it comes to our planet. I received an email today from CPAWS asking for donations and listing their achievements for this year. I am not even happy about the achievements, even though I probably wrote letters to lots of MPs telling them to help protect this or that space or area. But the tarsands are still there, still operating, still expanding. No change. Kyoto, a disaster - Canada, the big loser, bailed out. F*** this. The Canadian government ought to be jailed for it. Or have above phrase tattooed onto their foreheads. Do they really not get it? No they don't. That's far more than embarrassing.
Oh, and the worst, last year at this time we did make donations to different environmental organisations, this year we are far from it, low tide in the bank account due to a dead job market. Instead, we have the prospect of taking our building management to court over our windows. Hey, there's a new experience looming! When it rained inside our bedrooms the day we moved in we were told this problem is new. Recently I found out leaking windows have been an ongoing issue and the windows were apparrently repaired last spring. With no improvement obviously! Our building management is well aware of the problem, it has been contacted by our superintendents verbally and by us in writing at least twice. Nothing has happened. As soon as the temperatures dropped the outside window panes froze shut they were so wet. (Are they going to burst when too much ice accumulates?) The inside panes are daily covered with water and mould grows everywhere on the frame and surrounding area unless I clean it off every week. We think the windows do not comply with the local building standards. Neighbours have unsuccessfully tried to change the situation, with the management getting away with their poor maintenance. How can that be, I wonder?
I read an article recently from an engineer who wrote a letter to The Record suggesting Canada should produce pre-fabricated houses, just like they put up here everywhere but smaller, and ship them overseas to help with the housing crisis in poor countries. After all, Canada has plenty of forest to turn into lumber and it would help the economy. My quick thoughts on that: Safe the forest, and safe the rest of the world from these poor constructions called houses. Unless of course they come without windows. Maybe new houses like in all those ugly suburbs are better than the oldish apartment buildings we live in but then again I don't want to live in suburbia. That's for car-addicted people, not people like me who dream of giving their bike an upgrade and have fenders and other handy things installed. That is once I earn money of course.
Over Christmas we rented a small car and unlike in Edmonton we got one too. Wow! It was a Toyota Yaris and with the three of us, car seat, stroller, Christmas gifts etc. it was well loaded too. It worked well and still it was very fuel-efficient. We need more of those, the cars I mean, and rental agencies that rent them out.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
How safe is your water?
Quick, look at the Essentials of Waterproof which will tell you what Canada's Federal government and the provinces do (or not do and should be doing) to protect our drinking water. Thankfully, we live in Ontario now which has the highest standards in the country! If you don't have the time to read 4 very interesting pages look at least at Canada's drinking water report card by Ecojustice.
Click on this Link to get more information, access to the full report and to sign the petition to support safer water for all Canadians. At least, I don't want to end up having to buy bottled water for my every day needs like drinking and cooking!
Once more yes, I found it shocking, disappointing but not surprising to find out the government does not do anything to protect our drinking water sources!
Click on this Link to get more information, access to the full report and to sign the petition to support safer water for all Canadians. At least, I don't want to end up having to buy bottled water for my every day needs like drinking and cooking!
Once more yes, I found it shocking, disappointing but not surprising to find out the government does not do anything to protect our drinking water sources!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Which world does he live in?
Frauenfelder's book Made by Hand obviously focuses on Do-it-Yourself-activities and still I am buffled how ignorant towards other benefits of his enterprises he (and his family) is. The first chapter was about replacing his lawn with a vegetable garden. The second one was about mending his espresso machine to make better espresso, something I can't relate too because I am no coffee-addict nor would I bother to cause myself high blood pressure by drinking espresso. The third chapter is about his chicken coop. Apparently he wanted to chickens for the eggs, although building the coop was the major DIY-job, but once the hens start laying eggs his family is all put off. On page 109 he admits that they buy packaged food, including eggs in a box from the refrigeratored shelves in the supermarket, and it obviously did not occur to them that this food comes from living creatures. The fact that the eggs slip out the hen's bottom upsets them. So it takes the family a while to actually overcome their absurdism and consume the eggs. Shockingly, when his kids bring friends over they all react the same, can't believe the eggs are edible and keep them as toys instead.
I don't think I need to point out in detail my reaction to his revelations. I have a lot of trouble to believe anybody, ANYBODY, could be so disconnected from their food sources, have such a city-dweller attitude of "food comes from the supermarket", that they have trouble eating certain products like eggs once they realise it comes from an animal like a hen. What do biology classes teach nowadays? I bet Frauenfelder and his family could not drink milk from a cow milked in front of their eyes. I wonder if his wife breastfed their two daugthers. At the beginning of the book he mentioned that they took a breast pump when they moved with their newborn to the Cook Islands.
Also, he does not mention anywhere that his home-produced food should be healthier than supermarket stuff. He notices the eggs look and taste different but does not seem to come to the conclusion that this is because the hens aren't battery-kept and fed on grains. Unfortunately, his vegetables aren't necessarily poison-free. Until he got the chicks he had pest control come in every month to treat his garden against insects, spiders and beetles and such. He stopped doing this in order to not poison the hens. It did not occur to him that the treatment might harm him directly or through being absorbed by his produce? For him it's all about the experience of creating something with his own hands. He does not even mind to buy whatever it takes from the hardware store to complete a project. More accidently, he realises there are cheaper ways and he for example can use scraps from his junk pile that he tends to have in a corner of his garden.
I appreciate that he gardens, keep hens (and later in the book probably bees too) and gets his hands dirty. I would love his efforts even more if he considered his impact on the environment too though.
I don't think I need to point out in detail my reaction to his revelations. I have a lot of trouble to believe anybody, ANYBODY, could be so disconnected from their food sources, have such a city-dweller attitude of "food comes from the supermarket", that they have trouble eating certain products like eggs once they realise it comes from an animal like a hen. What do biology classes teach nowadays? I bet Frauenfelder and his family could not drink milk from a cow milked in front of their eyes. I wonder if his wife breastfed their two daugthers. At the beginning of the book he mentioned that they took a breast pump when they moved with their newborn to the Cook Islands.
Also, he does not mention anywhere that his home-produced food should be healthier than supermarket stuff. He notices the eggs look and taste different but does not seem to come to the conclusion that this is because the hens aren't battery-kept and fed on grains. Unfortunately, his vegetables aren't necessarily poison-free. Until he got the chicks he had pest control come in every month to treat his garden against insects, spiders and beetles and such. He stopped doing this in order to not poison the hens. It did not occur to him that the treatment might harm him directly or through being absorbed by his produce? For him it's all about the experience of creating something with his own hands. He does not even mind to buy whatever it takes from the hardware store to complete a project. More accidently, he realises there are cheaper ways and he for example can use scraps from his junk pile that he tends to have in a corner of his garden.
I appreciate that he gardens, keep hens (and later in the book probably bees too) and gets his hands dirty. I would love his efforts even more if he considered his impact on the environment too though.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Waterloo Regional Museum
The Waterloo Regional Museum had its Grand Opening today. It's a great museum with lots of stories about the region, no doubt about it. It also is a LEED certified building and to let people know about a touch screen in the main hall of the museum tells you all about it: The Region of Waterloo Council aims to have all their new buildings LEED Silver certified. They do already have LEED Gold certified buildings. The Blue Bin program for recycling was first established in Waterloo Region, too, FYI.
So the museum was built with over 30% locally sourced materials, uses 25% less energy than ordinary buildings, has low-flow toilets, faucets & urinals which are also fed by storm water for 8 months of the year. The storm water is collected from the building itself and the parking lot and kept in a pond. The roof was painted white to reflect the sun and prevent the building from heating up too much which would then require air conditioning. Interestingly, a decision against installing solar panels or a living green roof has been made due to cost. Both options were more expensive than the white roof that still has its environmental benefits. After all the museum was built from taxpayers money. Ah! The museum planners consider adding on solar panels when they become more affordable. These are not all the building plus points but all in all I must say they made a great effort. I am glad to live now in a place where the environment matters, and seemingly matters more than profits from environmentally-invasive industries.
So the museum was built with over 30% locally sourced materials, uses 25% less energy than ordinary buildings, has low-flow toilets, faucets & urinals which are also fed by storm water for 8 months of the year. The storm water is collected from the building itself and the parking lot and kept in a pond. The roof was painted white to reflect the sun and prevent the building from heating up too much which would then require air conditioning. Interestingly, a decision against installing solar panels or a living green roof has been made due to cost. Both options were more expensive than the white roof that still has its environmental benefits. After all the museum was built from taxpayers money. Ah! The museum planners consider adding on solar panels when they become more affordable. These are not all the building plus points but all in all I must say they made a great effort. I am glad to live now in a place where the environment matters, and seemingly matters more than profits from environmentally-invasive industries.
My news about diapers, meat, balcony and parking
Our daughter now uses the potty at home when she is wearing panties. I am so glad she got the hang of it now even though she has not learned yet how to pull her panties down but we'll get there. At least she fights having diapers put on which is understandable now that she is all proud to use that thing that her parents kept pushing under her bottom for quite a while. When we go out she is in cloth diapers and at night we have to use disposable. I can't squeeze enough layers around her and into her diaper cover to prevent her from soaking through. Only disposable will keep her dry.
We ate organic meat that we had actually purchased for the first time tonight. I can order from the same store that delivers the organic box and is does not even cost more than the supermarket stuff. Surely, it is the only organic meat we can afford right now. A roast of beef (around 1.5kg) costs $74. Organic ground beef is it for the next while or else we eat vegetarian and fish and thinking about it, salami and wieners from the European Import Store. Luckily I don't get there too often.
I love our balcony. It stores our bikes, I dry the laundry there and it's a great playground and place to catch a fresh breath of air when need be during any nerve-straining home activities. Looking out on the buildings car park, a line of tall trees and dead-end neighbourhood street and in the distance the city centre light pollution is so little that we can see the stars, when they happen to be around. I noticed neighbours drying their clothes on their balcony as well.
The car park with 70 spots is always half empty which we take as a good sign. There are about 46 units in the building. That means that not every unit has a car and most units defnitely do not own two cars.Talking about parking, the newly opened Waterloo Regional Museum has only built the minimum number of car parking spots required by law. Great, but they should have advertised this more before the Grand Opening today. Once the car park filled up drivers just put left their cars along both sides of the road despite the no-parking signs. The option to take a shuttle bus from the nearest mall was not well advertised either. We took a bus from home and then walked 2 km through a park to get there. Alternatively we could have taken two other buses and would have been gotten off 900 m from the museum. But the connection was so time-consuming it would have taken longer than the walk-option. If that's the nearest bus stop to the museum though arriving without a car will not appeal to many visitors.
We ate organic meat that we had actually purchased for the first time tonight. I can order from the same store that delivers the organic box and is does not even cost more than the supermarket stuff. Surely, it is the only organic meat we can afford right now. A roast of beef (around 1.5kg) costs $74. Organic ground beef is it for the next while or else we eat vegetarian and fish and thinking about it, salami and wieners from the European Import Store. Luckily I don't get there too often.
I love our balcony. It stores our bikes, I dry the laundry there and it's a great playground and place to catch a fresh breath of air when need be during any nerve-straining home activities. Looking out on the buildings car park, a line of tall trees and dead-end neighbourhood street and in the distance the city centre light pollution is so little that we can see the stars, when they happen to be around. I noticed neighbours drying their clothes on their balcony as well.
The car park with 70 spots is always half empty which we take as a good sign. There are about 46 units in the building. That means that not every unit has a car and most units defnitely do not own two cars.Talking about parking, the newly opened Waterloo Regional Museum has only built the minimum number of car parking spots required by law. Great, but they should have advertised this more before the Grand Opening today. Once the car park filled up drivers just put left their cars along both sides of the road despite the no-parking signs. The option to take a shuttle bus from the nearest mall was not well advertised either. We took a bus from home and then walked 2 km through a park to get there. Alternatively we could have taken two other buses and would have been gotten off 900 m from the museum. But the connection was so time-consuming it would have taken longer than the walk-option. If that's the nearest bus stop to the museum though arriving without a car will not appeal to many visitors.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Compost & Recycling in K-W
K-W has started a green bin system for compostable garbage. Unfortunately apartment buildings are excluded so far. We have recycled bins for corrugated cardboard, paper, plastics/ metals/ juice boxes etc. and the standard garbage container. The recycling bins regularly flow over on the weekend before pick-up day on Monday. I don't think that supports people with the recycling because in the end you are just going to throw everything in the garbage container. I would like the compost bin jsut because I decided not to have a worm composter in our apartment, or in the summer on the balcony. Our child is far to inquisitive and I don't want worms and compost all over my apartment.
By the way, the garbage containers in the parks have been removed for the winter. A really bad idea because now there's lots of litter in parks. The city knows it's not ideal. They remove the bins because they can't be accessed once the snow falls - there is not winter maintenance on lots of trails. They should leave at least the bins that border onto a sidewalk but it is probably to difficult to map where bins need pick-up and where not. So they take them all. My husband has picked up garbage in our nearest park a few times, on his way to playgroup with our daugther. Since I have been in contact with the volunteer coordinator of the city of Kitchener I asked for help and the city sponsors us gloves and garbage bags. Not quite as elaborate as in Edmonton where you get one of those spears that help you pick things up off the ground but it's better than nothing. Since we have lots of time, unemployed life it's called, we might as well clean up the park. After all, we take our daugther to parks and playgrounds practically every day and we prefer them tidy.
Talking about going outside. Our daughter loves going outside so much that she will collect her shoes and jacket and stand at the door, clearly indicating to her parents her intentions. Or, that's a new favourite, she goes onto the balcony, probably still hoping that one day a magical door opens in the railing and she can step right onto the ground. Weather does not matter, she wants out in any weather. We don't mind.
By the way, the garbage containers in the parks have been removed for the winter. A really bad idea because now there's lots of litter in parks. The city knows it's not ideal. They remove the bins because they can't be accessed once the snow falls - there is not winter maintenance on lots of trails. They should leave at least the bins that border onto a sidewalk but it is probably to difficult to map where bins need pick-up and where not. So they take them all. My husband has picked up garbage in our nearest park a few times, on his way to playgroup with our daugther. Since I have been in contact with the volunteer coordinator of the city of Kitchener I asked for help and the city sponsors us gloves and garbage bags. Not quite as elaborate as in Edmonton where you get one of those spears that help you pick things up off the ground but it's better than nothing. Since we have lots of time, unemployed life it's called, we might as well clean up the park. After all, we take our daugther to parks and playgrounds practically every day and we prefer them tidy.
Talking about going outside. Our daughter loves going outside so much that she will collect her shoes and jacket and stand at the door, clearly indicating to her parents her intentions. Or, that's a new favourite, she goes onto the balcony, probably still hoping that one day a magical door opens in the railing and she can step right onto the ground. Weather does not matter, she wants out in any weather. We don't mind.
How is your lawn doing?
The grass is still green here in K-W which is sooo nice. Of course the grass gets mowed too, right over the 3 inches of leaves that cover it up and get mulched in the process. Only few people put paper bags filled with leaves onto the curb for pick-up. Some just rake (or blow) the leaves onto the street which I don't like. I prefer the leaves left on the ground, in parks and on sidewalks I love to shuffle through them. I don't think many people leave the leaves on the ground due to organic gardening practices, a natural fertiliser. Maybe, they just can't be bothered to invest the time for raking them up. After all, most front and back yards are still fairly large here, compared to German standards. And the maple trees dump a lot of leaves, that's for sure. I think a lot less people here rake up the leaves than in Germany. There, it is kind of a competition. Then the leaves get either picked up or (improperly) composted in a corner of the garden. My husband told me today most people will rake up the leaves in spring, something I have not heard of before. We are both reading Mark Frauenfelder's book "Made by hand" right now. Hubby started on it and told me what happened on every page so I decided to read it myself. It's a great book. Frauenfelder got rid of his lawn a long time ago, turned the space into a garden and grows a huge variety of fruits and vegetables on it. Mind you, he lives in California. Lawns were the result of posh Europeans who thought it necessary to demonstrate they did not need their land to grow food on it because they could afford to buy it. It's a trend that spread like a bad weed but without benefits. That is unless you have kids that need green space to run around in but even then a more natural approach (wild flowers & grasses mix?) would be much nicer. I'm glad Frauenfelder applied the natural method to killing his lawn, with vinegar, newspaper and mulch. Pouring Monsanto's Roundup on top of the grass surely would not have been an appropriate start to organic gardening. Can't wait for next spring to try our balcony garden again.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Food's important
One of the first things we did in Kitchener is obviously to check out stores, food stores. There are different supermarkets here that weren't in Edmonton. Instead of Safeway and Save on Foods we have Food Basics and Value Mart. I was shocked to not find any organic fruits and vegetables (nothing beyond bananas) in any of the supermarkets. Even Sobeys and the Superstore are lousy. So we got straight into business with Pfennig's Organic Box delivery and I am happy as anything. Don't get me wrong, these big stores do have packaged organic foods just not fresh produce. The offer at the farmer's market was meagre too. There I could not believe how many stalls sells their produce for cheap, really cheap, obviously having bought it wholesale somewhere and needing to get rid of it. There was nothing like that in Edmonton, it was all local and at the time of the year were there's barely any local fruit and vegetable the stalls simply got filled with local crafts and arts. Not saying, one or the other way is better, just mentioning it. I suspect that in order to buy for example from the Mennonites here in the area we' d have to drive into the countryside and get it directly from their farm. We can still try the Farmer's Market in Waterloo but for this season it's closed.
The other thing I noticed is the higher prices for dairy here and whole wheat flour. The latter one really bugs me. First of all it only comes in 5 kg and nowhere in 10 kg bags and then, depending on the store, costs 60-100% more than in Edmonton. Argh! So I'll keep now white flour in my cupboard too. I have taken to baking our own bread again very quickly because the first two loaves of bread I bought in Kitchener in different stores both were mouldy on day 3.
Today my bread rose so well it does not fit into the freezer bags. Can't wait to taste it tomorrow.
The other thing I noticed is the higher prices for dairy here and whole wheat flour. The latter one really bugs me. First of all it only comes in 5 kg and nowhere in 10 kg bags and then, depending on the store, costs 60-100% more than in Edmonton. Argh! So I'll keep now white flour in my cupboard too. I have taken to baking our own bread again very quickly because the first two loaves of bread I bought in Kitchener in different stores both were mouldy on day 3.
Today my bread rose so well it does not fit into the freezer bags. Can't wait to taste it tomorrow.
Snow and buses
K-W is still way greener than Edmonton was over a month ago. I love that! Did you read that in the Rockies the first ski resorts have opened? I don't want to be there, not yet. I can't wait to see though if snow removal here is really so much better than in Edmonton. After last year's disaster of cars stuck everywhere city council aims to keep the pack at 5 cm this year. Sorry, pack is pack, 5 or 10 cm in the end does not matter. Drivers still have to navigate for days through all kinds of snow conditions until the pack forms and then, voila, gets icy. Good luck with that!
From where we live on Westmount Road in Kitchener there are several buses running in all kinds of directions. To catch some of them we have to walk to the next intersection but generally it's no big deal. It's been an illusion though to think that public transit is better here. Most buses run every half an hour which is nice and good if I only need one bus but not so fun once my journey requires a connection. When this connection is between a Kitchener city bus, the express bus to Guelph or Cambridge and a local bus there it's not tempting at all. We have therefore resigned to applying for jobs in K-W. My husband could have had a job in Guelph but the commute would probably have worn him out after a week, and me too since I have to look after the child for that time. Never mind, we are still resisting the pressure to buy a car before we have an income. After all, this move to a smaller city was also meant to help up live AND work locally. Commuting to the neighbouring cities was not on the list. Call it stubborn or inflexible we insist that long commutes are disastrous to one's life. We are still optimistic we can find work though, soon and near to home, and am sure we will have plenty of opportunity over the winter the still test the bus system.
From where we live on Westmount Road in Kitchener there are several buses running in all kinds of directions. To catch some of them we have to walk to the next intersection but generally it's no big deal. It's been an illusion though to think that public transit is better here. Most buses run every half an hour which is nice and good if I only need one bus but not so fun once my journey requires a connection. When this connection is between a Kitchener city bus, the express bus to Guelph or Cambridge and a local bus there it's not tempting at all. We have therefore resigned to applying for jobs in K-W. My husband could have had a job in Guelph but the commute would probably have worn him out after a week, and me too since I have to look after the child for that time. Never mind, we are still resisting the pressure to buy a car before we have an income. After all, this move to a smaller city was also meant to help up live AND work locally. Commuting to the neighbouring cities was not on the list. Call it stubborn or inflexible we insist that long commutes are disastrous to one's life. We are still optimistic we can find work though, soon and near to home, and am sure we will have plenty of opportunity over the winter the still test the bus system.
My map, my best friend
We have had some nice autumn days recently, they do come as a surprise still. Used to the Edmonton weather I feel like the weather in K-W changes a lot faster and surely overnight. This brought me already to the conclusion that I have to go for a bike ride when it looks sunny now as later might be too late. I mean, unless I have to, I don't fancy cycling in the rain.
Cycling in K-W shrinks the city. Suddenly I am at the end of our city map. Yeah! That would not have happened in Edmonton where even the longest bike ride moved us barely within the city limits. On Sunday, a crisp sunny morning, oh it was so beautiful, I cycled north past the university and around Laurel Creek Conservation Area. To my disappointment there is an entrance fee to use this area and the picnic tables at the lake. That does not make my picnic any cheaper than going down the road (any road as a matter of fact from where we live) to Tim Hortons and having lunch there. Boo! Any way, cycling around the fence of the conservation area gave me wonderful views of the lake as well. Today I cycled in the same direction but ended up criss-crossing residential areas that look like part of Waterloo but once you are there you feel like out of town. That's because they are need-a-car bed communities, people only come there to sleep since there's no stores, no offices, no nothing else, apart from the lovely parks for walks and bike rides. That's worth a lot to me but I would not move there. The older neighbourhoods have more charm. Our ugly apartment building is surrounded by them. Old brick buildings with treed gardens and trees along the side walks. I love it. The newest neighbourhoods look like in Edmonton, wider roads and without trees. Bah!
K-W does not have a grid system and the residential areas have (like in Edmonton) terribly windy and curving streets. No surprise people need GPS to go anywhere. I prefer the good old map and out on explorations we always carry one with us. You can tell by the look of the map it's survived a lot during the last couple of weeks. I taped it today to keep it from falling apart. Did I mention yet I like the bike lanes in K-W. Travelling North-South and vice versa by bike is pretty comfortable here, going East-West and vice versa has not quite so good options of off-road and on-road bike paths. In order to get to the Grand River and its park system we'll have to one day suck it up and cycle bike-lane-free roads. It's going to be a Sunday. Two days ago I cycled on busy roads south to drop off an application. I could have mailed it but for the added benefit of exercise and getting to know more of Kitchener I cycled and was all proud when I made it there and back safely, without getting lost.
Cycling in K-W shrinks the city. Suddenly I am at the end of our city map. Yeah! That would not have happened in Edmonton where even the longest bike ride moved us barely within the city limits. On Sunday, a crisp sunny morning, oh it was so beautiful, I cycled north past the university and around Laurel Creek Conservation Area. To my disappointment there is an entrance fee to use this area and the picnic tables at the lake. That does not make my picnic any cheaper than going down the road (any road as a matter of fact from where we live) to Tim Hortons and having lunch there. Boo! Any way, cycling around the fence of the conservation area gave me wonderful views of the lake as well. Today I cycled in the same direction but ended up criss-crossing residential areas that look like part of Waterloo but once you are there you feel like out of town. That's because they are need-a-car bed communities, people only come there to sleep since there's no stores, no offices, no nothing else, apart from the lovely parks for walks and bike rides. That's worth a lot to me but I would not move there. The older neighbourhoods have more charm. Our ugly apartment building is surrounded by them. Old brick buildings with treed gardens and trees along the side walks. I love it. The newest neighbourhoods look like in Edmonton, wider roads and without trees. Bah!
K-W does not have a grid system and the residential areas have (like in Edmonton) terribly windy and curving streets. No surprise people need GPS to go anywhere. I prefer the good old map and out on explorations we always carry one with us. You can tell by the look of the map it's survived a lot during the last couple of weeks. I taped it today to keep it from falling apart. Did I mention yet I like the bike lanes in K-W. Travelling North-South and vice versa by bike is pretty comfortable here, going East-West and vice versa has not quite so good options of off-road and on-road bike paths. In order to get to the Grand River and its park system we'll have to one day suck it up and cycle bike-lane-free roads. It's going to be a Sunday. Two days ago I cycled on busy roads south to drop off an application. I could have mailed it but for the added benefit of exercise and getting to know more of Kitchener I cycled and was all proud when I made it there and back safely, without getting lost.
Friday, October 28, 2011
We now live in Ontario
This fact alone gives me reason to write several posts (e.g. about the wind turbine protesters!) but I currently am too busy writing job applications so they have to wait. But a few quick remarks can be made.
It's so much greener here, it rains more too but I am so happy about the green. Even when I left Edmonton a month ago it was not anywhere near as green as Kitchener-Waterloo is still now. K-W is much smaller than Edmonton which is great for walking and cycling - in only my hubby did not have a flat tire already. The old neighbourhoods looks so cosy with their old front-porched houses and tree-lined streets. I like it. The new neighbourhoods look similar to Edmonton's with wider streets, no trees along the street and not as cosy houses. I have spotted lots of cycle lanes on the roads and there are trails like the Ironhorse or Laurel Trails that also connect parks.
Our new apartment is in a high-rise (6 floors) and there's some concrete in the construction. It seems that keeps the building warmer since we have barely used the heating, actually less than half an hour per day, and the apartment stays at around 20 C. The windows are two separate panes again and absolutely lousy. One of the windows has not been caulked and during a stormy night it was "raining" in our bedroom. Hopefully the contractors come soon.
I am very disappointed that none of the supermarkets here sells organic produce. They do have packaged organic food but no produce. Even at the Farmer's Market organic produce is rare. Thanks to Pfennig's we will be receiving an organic box though starting next week and I look forward to it. I also found an organic food store in Kitchener's city centre but regularly shopping there will only be convenient if I was to find a job in that area.
Yesterday I came across the Waterloo-based organisation World Accord that amongst other things currently runs a Sustainability Tour in the area. The competition is about to finish but reading about it I found out about businesses in the area that stand out for their environmental commitments and buying/ living local policies. Very interesting!
Last but not least I recently came across Living Cities, a company that started out in 2008 in Kingston (hey, we almost moved there!) and is now expanding into other parts of Ontario. They developed products and run programs that encourage local food production, which also benefits the environment of course. I am thinking about applying for a job with them but the job would not start until April 2012 ... unfortunately that's 5 months from now and I could do with the money earlier. I am sure I would enjoy this job more than any other one I have applied for.
It's so much greener here, it rains more too but I am so happy about the green. Even when I left Edmonton a month ago it was not anywhere near as green as Kitchener-Waterloo is still now. K-W is much smaller than Edmonton which is great for walking and cycling - in only my hubby did not have a flat tire already. The old neighbourhoods looks so cosy with their old front-porched houses and tree-lined streets. I like it. The new neighbourhoods look similar to Edmonton's with wider streets, no trees along the street and not as cosy houses. I have spotted lots of cycle lanes on the roads and there are trails like the Ironhorse or Laurel Trails that also connect parks.
Our new apartment is in a high-rise (6 floors) and there's some concrete in the construction. It seems that keeps the building warmer since we have barely used the heating, actually less than half an hour per day, and the apartment stays at around 20 C. The windows are two separate panes again and absolutely lousy. One of the windows has not been caulked and during a stormy night it was "raining" in our bedroom. Hopefully the contractors come soon.
I am very disappointed that none of the supermarkets here sells organic produce. They do have packaged organic food but no produce. Even at the Farmer's Market organic produce is rare. Thanks to Pfennig's we will be receiving an organic box though starting next week and I look forward to it. I also found an organic food store in Kitchener's city centre but regularly shopping there will only be convenient if I was to find a job in that area.
Yesterday I came across the Waterloo-based organisation World Accord that amongst other things currently runs a Sustainability Tour in the area. The competition is about to finish but reading about it I found out about businesses in the area that stand out for their environmental commitments and buying/ living local policies. Very interesting!
Last but not least I recently came across Living Cities, a company that started out in 2008 in Kingston (hey, we almost moved there!) and is now expanding into other parts of Ontario. They developed products and run programs that encourage local food production, which also benefits the environment of course. I am thinking about applying for a job with them but the job would not start until April 2012 ... unfortunately that's 5 months from now and I could do with the money earlier. I am sure I would enjoy this job more than any other one I have applied for.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
More ranting about politics
I started writing this a while ago too so it's slightly outdated but the government is still in place.
A while ago I read this article Consumer group files complaint against 8 retailers and I just loved, loved, loved the comment from a Ruy Lopez who writes: "Since when did right wing gov't's start caring about the little person? I wish I could get treated as good as a Canadian company instead of just a lowly human being."
In my husband's latest CGA (Certified General Accoutants) magazine the editor's note talks about Parliament returning for the fall session. The article calls for "strong leaders who do not compromise on ethics and integrity." One of the MPs well known for "ethically intelligent leadership" was Jack Layton who will be missed. I think his death is the worst that could happen to Canadian politics! In German there's an idiom that says "Unkraut vergeht nicht" (meaning 'weeds never die') and that's why it probably did not hit that irresponsible leader of this country.
Did you read the articles on protests against the oil sands outside Parliament Hill in Ottawa. One politician said he could not believe that 200 people gather together to object to something that gives thousands of people a livelihood. What's wrong with that? These people had all right to protests. Let's see what will happen to the Wall Street protests - they have all reason for protesting too. After all our corporate-ruled capitalism does not keep us or the planet healthy.
A picture of skeletons posted by a friend on facebook reads: Get a job. Go to work. Get married. Have children. Follow Fashion. Act normal. Walk on the pavement. Watch TV. Obey the law. Save for your old age.
Now repeat after me: "I am free'
Are you free?
A while ago I read this article Consumer group files complaint against 8 retailers and I just loved, loved, loved the comment from a Ruy Lopez who writes: "Since when did right wing gov't's start caring about the little person? I wish I could get treated as good as a Canadian company instead of just a lowly human being."
In my husband's latest CGA (Certified General Accoutants) magazine the editor's note talks about Parliament returning for the fall session. The article calls for "strong leaders who do not compromise on ethics and integrity." One of the MPs well known for "ethically intelligent leadership" was Jack Layton who will be missed. I think his death is the worst that could happen to Canadian politics! In German there's an idiom that says "Unkraut vergeht nicht" (meaning 'weeds never die') and that's why it probably did not hit that irresponsible leader of this country.
Did you read the articles on protests against the oil sands outside Parliament Hill in Ottawa. One politician said he could not believe that 200 people gather together to object to something that gives thousands of people a livelihood. What's wrong with that? These people had all right to protests. Let's see what will happen to the Wall Street protests - they have all reason for protesting too. After all our corporate-ruled capitalism does not keep us or the planet healthy.
A picture of skeletons posted by a friend on facebook reads: Get a job. Go to work. Get married. Have children. Follow Fashion. Act normal. Walk on the pavement. Watch TV. Obey the law. Save for your old age.
Now repeat after me: "I am free'
Are you free?
Just a story out of my life
I started writing this post a while ago and got side-tracked by packing up our apartment in Edmonton. But the story is still great.
Leaving Edmonton my husband and I both agreed that we will most miss our "hillbilly" friends H&J from the farm. The ones without running water in the house, and without electricity until recently when they installed solar panels to power their radio and lights around the home. The ones that heat with a wood stove, cook on a gas stove, carry water in for their every-day use from a pump outside the house.
On a weekend in August we visited them and they took us to a German couple that came out to Alberta 13 years ago in the search of more space and privacy. We had a BBQ with vegetables from their garden and organic beef. They don't trust the supermarket meat either. We had a heck of a great time, like-minded as we were, talking about our values, food, life, raising kids. While I was roaming the yard with my outdoor-loving daughter he made me a compliment. Women like me were hard to find. No surprise I often feel like an alien! The looks I got for CYCLING across Edmonton with a trailer (up to 4 times a week working at a school). The 3-month-trip I took on my own to Europe with my 1 1/2-year-old. The way I raise her: it's not perfect but it's much appreciated that I "know" when to say no to her. And obviously I'm not on the prudish side.
We stopped at Pembina river provincial park on a hot day. There were lots of people out, the whole car park full, most of them floating on rafts on the river. Since this was an unplanned stop we had no bathing suits with us. I only waded in the river although I was dying to dive in but thought it would be too offensive if I did so naked. But we stripped the toddler naked to play in the river. When a raft with people came by we heard them say "Look, there's a nudist in training". Children walked along the river and shouted something like, oh no, a naked baby, don't look! -- Excuse me?? Talking to other foreign mums I know it has not only happened to us. Apparently, we don't have enough shame to keep our kids covered up. Ah! But imagine all the fabric we saved if I did not need a new bathing suit every year (they wear out way too fast), and if everybody else did not wear one either?
Did I mention I got my skinny dip in a beaver pond of our friends's neighbour's acreage. The neighbour was out in her inflatable canoe when H and I rode past. We joined her and dived off the canoe into the pond. So good!
Leaving Edmonton my husband and I both agreed that we will most miss our "hillbilly" friends H&J from the farm. The ones without running water in the house, and without electricity until recently when they installed solar panels to power their radio and lights around the home. The ones that heat with a wood stove, cook on a gas stove, carry water in for their every-day use from a pump outside the house.
On a weekend in August we visited them and they took us to a German couple that came out to Alberta 13 years ago in the search of more space and privacy. We had a BBQ with vegetables from their garden and organic beef. They don't trust the supermarket meat either. We had a heck of a great time, like-minded as we were, talking about our values, food, life, raising kids. While I was roaming the yard with my outdoor-loving daughter he made me a compliment. Women like me were hard to find. No surprise I often feel like an alien! The looks I got for CYCLING across Edmonton with a trailer (up to 4 times a week working at a school). The 3-month-trip I took on my own to Europe with my 1 1/2-year-old. The way I raise her: it's not perfect but it's much appreciated that I "know" when to say no to her. And obviously I'm not on the prudish side.
We stopped at Pembina river provincial park on a hot day. There were lots of people out, the whole car park full, most of them floating on rafts on the river. Since this was an unplanned stop we had no bathing suits with us. I only waded in the river although I was dying to dive in but thought it would be too offensive if I did so naked. But we stripped the toddler naked to play in the river. When a raft with people came by we heard them say "Look, there's a nudist in training". Children walked along the river and shouted something like, oh no, a naked baby, don't look! -- Excuse me?? Talking to other foreign mums I know it has not only happened to us. Apparently, we don't have enough shame to keep our kids covered up. Ah! But imagine all the fabric we saved if I did not need a new bathing suit every year (they wear out way too fast), and if everybody else did not wear one either?
Did I mention I got my skinny dip in a beaver pond of our friends's neighbour's acreage. The neighbour was out in her inflatable canoe when H and I rode past. We joined her and dived off the canoe into the pond. So good!
Are all magazines a waste of paper?
I have spent more than two weeks now at my mother-in-law's waiting for our stuff to arrive from Edmonton. We are currently moving from Alberta to Ontario, well not really, there is not much moving right now or I would not be so damn bored. The moving company has turned out to be very incompetent despite the fact that we could find lots of "10 out of 10"- type reviews for them. I give them 1 out of 10 if they manage to actually deliver our stuff before the end of the year. Receiving lots of quotes from moving companies was interesting too. One touted that they only used trucks, no trains. Weird, I thought immediately. Why do they think that customers may prefer that? Personally I think my stuff was better off in a container on rails instead of in a truck. Imagine how many truckloads of belongings you could move on a single train, cutting down emissions too. Next time I require a moving quote I should ask if my stuff can be transported by rail.
Back to me spending lots of days unsure of what to do. I miss my bike, the bike trailer, my household, ... I miss getting up in the morning having in my mind things that I want to get accomplished. So I took to skimming through the towers of glossy magazine pages in the house. They are called Chatelaine, Best Health, Reader's Digest, Canadian Geographic, Our Canada, Opera News ... The latter 3-4 are pretty okay but the first ones to me are definitely a waste of paper. Every second page is advertisement. Sometimes booklets are inserted and the magazine then comes in a plastic wrap to prevent loss of the inserts. The articles are basically promoting consumerism, talking about the must-have fashion items, the must-have cosmetics, the must-have nutrional supplements ... go get them, it is the only way to stay healthy and beautiful. Once in a while there is an article on how to save money advising you to avoid big brandnames but, besides the brandname advertisements, a few pages later the recipe sections suggest to use Robin Hood flour, Heinz Ketchup, Kraft mayonnaise etc. I prefer forests alive over all those beauty, fitness and gossip magazines, that tell us lots of lies any way.
The Canadian Geographic should use recycled paper, those grey pages without gloss so it's obvious. In the Our Canada magazine an article started off pointing out that a country as vast as Canada is perfect for road trips. Really? I don't see that connection. For me, because it is so big I hate going on road trips. You drive for days and don't get anywhere. A train at 300 km/h would be my choice if it existed.
Back to me spending lots of days unsure of what to do. I miss my bike, the bike trailer, my household, ... I miss getting up in the morning having in my mind things that I want to get accomplished. So I took to skimming through the towers of glossy magazine pages in the house. They are called Chatelaine, Best Health, Reader's Digest, Canadian Geographic, Our Canada, Opera News ... The latter 3-4 are pretty okay but the first ones to me are definitely a waste of paper. Every second page is advertisement. Sometimes booklets are inserted and the magazine then comes in a plastic wrap to prevent loss of the inserts. The articles are basically promoting consumerism, talking about the must-have fashion items, the must-have cosmetics, the must-have nutrional supplements ... go get them, it is the only way to stay healthy and beautiful. Once in a while there is an article on how to save money advising you to avoid big brandnames but, besides the brandname advertisements, a few pages later the recipe sections suggest to use Robin Hood flour, Heinz Ketchup, Kraft mayonnaise etc. I prefer forests alive over all those beauty, fitness and gossip magazines, that tell us lots of lies any way.
The Canadian Geographic should use recycled paper, those grey pages without gloss so it's obvious. In the Our Canada magazine an article started off pointing out that a country as vast as Canada is perfect for road trips. Really? I don't see that connection. For me, because it is so big I hate going on road trips. You drive for days and don't get anywhere. A train at 300 km/h would be my choice if it existed.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Poor fish
I was a bit sceptical when suddenly all the fish in the supermarkets had eco-labels on. One day it's just ordinary fish from the ocean the next day it's caught sustainably, they want to make us believe. Read this short article from David Suzuki why fish need a bicycle and you have all reason to question any fish you eat. The Marine Stewardship Council does intend a certification that in my eyes doesn't keep the promise that the organisation gives to the consumer. Considering the amount of by-catch mentioned in the article they can stick their vision of keeping the ocean alive up their a.. . As a friend said, don't eat anything that comes out of the ocean! I have to agree. That's very sad though because I love fish, alive and on my plate.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Heat or no heat
We are moving to Kitchener, Ontario to be closer to family. Mind you we moved already twice within Edmonton in less than 2 years and I am getting fed up with stupid landlords, noisy neighbours, all kinds of critters and the heating. We don't know if Kitchener will be any better but at least we are not taking chances again in Edmonton. My husband who's already in Kitchener looking for apartments has a long list with him what to check for. He looks at high rise buildings since those are made of concrete and we therefore should not hear our neighbours so well. We have to take chances with the bugs since I doubt landlords would give us an honest answer about when they had bedbugs or cockroaches last in the building. Our current management just could not be bothered to deal with it and we had to chase our landlord a while to bring the pest control in before having to throw out our stuff. The bed frame is gone though. A friend was surprised we have not had more pest issues! What? I have not ever had any in any other country I lived, apart from mice on farms but that's expected.
Top of the list is the heating still. It got switched back on where I still live and all my windows are open because it's unbearable. I don't need 30 C inside. Especially not when temperatures outside are still high. Even in deepest winter it's not acceptable. But of course in Kitchener plenty of apartments have one temperature for all, too. Again a friend commented that might just be the way it is! What? Have not had this before either, not even in cheap student accommodation. Fine, in Southern Spain and Caribbean Mexico there was no heating at all but those are hot countries. Canada is cold for at least half of the year.
So one place had heat regulation but heat was not included in the rent as it usually is the case. Left me with two questions: 1) Is it metered per unit or does every unit pay the same share no matter how much they heat? I don't know the answer yet. 2) How much will the electric heating cost us per month? Obviously we have no idea if the building is insulated or not (unlikely though). We might end up having to run the heating 24/7 to keep the place ice-free. Not too sure about that, especially if we are not home, say because we both work and our baby is in childcare.
I am looking forward to getting out of our Edmonton apartment but I am very sceptical too about what we will get in Kitchener. Oh, and the thought of getting something better in Kitchener for the same price (rent) as in Edmonton seems to be an illusion too, sigh.
Top of the list is the heating still. It got switched back on where I still live and all my windows are open because it's unbearable. I don't need 30 C inside. Especially not when temperatures outside are still high. Even in deepest winter it's not acceptable. But of course in Kitchener plenty of apartments have one temperature for all, too. Again a friend commented that might just be the way it is! What? Have not had this before either, not even in cheap student accommodation. Fine, in Southern Spain and Caribbean Mexico there was no heating at all but those are hot countries. Canada is cold for at least half of the year.
So one place had heat regulation but heat was not included in the rent as it usually is the case. Left me with two questions: 1) Is it metered per unit or does every unit pay the same share no matter how much they heat? I don't know the answer yet. 2) How much will the electric heating cost us per month? Obviously we have no idea if the building is insulated or not (unlikely though). We might end up having to run the heating 24/7 to keep the place ice-free. Not too sure about that, especially if we are not home, say because we both work and our baby is in childcare.
I am looking forward to getting out of our Edmonton apartment but I am very sceptical too about what we will get in Kitchener. Oh, and the thought of getting something better in Kitchener for the same price (rent) as in Edmonton seems to be an illusion too, sigh.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The apparently most dangerous foods
I just quickly have to post this link to the 11 most dangerous foods.
You may notice right away that they are all simple, some may say natural, foods, nothing processed but they are "dangerous". I eat them all the time and nothing has ever happened. But I also don't belong to the kind of people who put foods into the fridge, freezer or cupboards and forget about them for the next weeks or months to come. The conclusion out of this article could almost be: Eat processed foods. Stuff yourselves with junk food. It's safer! - Never mind that you will probably catch some other health issues due to excess fats, salts and sugar. Oh, maybe I should say then, chose your foods depending on which health issues you mind less. It's all up to you now. Not eating at all is an option too, will lead to the quickest death but at least you died healthily. No I am not going crazy, just disliking this rubbish article.
By the way I also don't agree with all the storage tips they give. I have friends who live without a fridge, they just have a cool pantry. But they also built their home themselves. Surely, most of us live in one of the modern standard housing options that keep in all rooms the same temperature which is too high for most foods. (I will write about that shortly) . Comes in the invention of the fridge and if you live in North America they are even twice as spacious as in most European countries.
You may notice right away that they are all simple, some may say natural, foods, nothing processed but they are "dangerous". I eat them all the time and nothing has ever happened. But I also don't belong to the kind of people who put foods into the fridge, freezer or cupboards and forget about them for the next weeks or months to come. The conclusion out of this article could almost be: Eat processed foods. Stuff yourselves with junk food. It's safer! - Never mind that you will probably catch some other health issues due to excess fats, salts and sugar. Oh, maybe I should say then, chose your foods depending on which health issues you mind less. It's all up to you now. Not eating at all is an option too, will lead to the quickest death but at least you died healthily. No I am not going crazy, just disliking this rubbish article.
By the way I also don't agree with all the storage tips they give. I have friends who live without a fridge, they just have a cool pantry. But they also built their home themselves. Surely, most of us live in one of the modern standard housing options that keep in all rooms the same temperature which is too high for most foods. (I will write about that shortly) . Comes in the invention of the fridge and if you live in North America they are even twice as spacious as in most European countries.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
An example of solar power investments in Ontario
The article on the web is titled something like How to make money from your hydro company although that may take many years but it's still an interesting watch.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Read the news - still no good ones
I happened to have a look into the paper today. I have not read much the news since I returned to Edmonton because they are upsetting and I was proven right again today. The Fisheries Resource Conservation Council suggests that "70,000 grey seals should be killed over a one- or two-year period to test the hypothesis that the animals are preventing recovery of groundfish in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence." What???
In the 1990s the cod stocks collapsed due to overfishing by human beings, not by seal, but now they want the seals to be killed because the cod does not recover!!?? Apparently fishermen have been complaining that the "hungry seals have hindered the recovery of cod stocks". I bet they are hungry and I can't blame them because it is not their fault. They are victims too. It's again one of these cases where our species has messed around far too much with nature and now puts the blame for not being able to quickly enough continue their exploitation on a different animal species. I can't belief somebody dared to make such a stupid suggestion.
The other upsetting point obviously is the search for a new Premier of Alberta. Elections are held on Saturday. Does not matter who it's going to be all candidates want to expand the oil sands and do more business with Asia because there is a growing opposition in the US to a planned pipeline. One candidate cautioned that there are not enough refineries and therefore the oil sands growth should only be moderate until the maximum value can be achieved. Along with that comes a demand for Alberta's very own immigration law to get more workers in to help with the expansion of the oil sands. A man called Ted Morton said that economical growth must come without polluting air, land and water. He's not going to win. No change for the better in sight then. Alberta, one fine day you will have to suck up your mistakes.
There was a recent study done on commuting times in Canada. Edmontonians have the shortest commute to work from all Canadians. That came as a surprise and the city of Edmonton is all proud of it. My explanation for this "win" is that Edmonton - sprawl, sprawl, sprawl - devotes a lot of space to streets, roads, bigger roads and back alleys. Don't walk, don't cycle, just drive. Traffic lights are timed to keep motorized vehicles going even if that means that pedestrians might have to wait up to 3 minutes to get a green light. That's not only frustrating it adds up to a lot of time once you need to cross at more than one light. Having rented a car recently I must say I was astonished how many errands I could run in a single day. It would take me at least a week by any other means.
In the 1990s the cod stocks collapsed due to overfishing by human beings, not by seal, but now they want the seals to be killed because the cod does not recover!!?? Apparently fishermen have been complaining that the "hungry seals have hindered the recovery of cod stocks". I bet they are hungry and I can't blame them because it is not their fault. They are victims too. It's again one of these cases where our species has messed around far too much with nature and now puts the blame for not being able to quickly enough continue their exploitation on a different animal species. I can't belief somebody dared to make such a stupid suggestion.
The other upsetting point obviously is the search for a new Premier of Alberta. Elections are held on Saturday. Does not matter who it's going to be all candidates want to expand the oil sands and do more business with Asia because there is a growing opposition in the US to a planned pipeline. One candidate cautioned that there are not enough refineries and therefore the oil sands growth should only be moderate until the maximum value can be achieved. Along with that comes a demand for Alberta's very own immigration law to get more workers in to help with the expansion of the oil sands. A man called Ted Morton said that economical growth must come without polluting air, land and water. He's not going to win. No change for the better in sight then. Alberta, one fine day you will have to suck up your mistakes.
There was a recent study done on commuting times in Canada. Edmontonians have the shortest commute to work from all Canadians. That came as a surprise and the city of Edmonton is all proud of it. My explanation for this "win" is that Edmonton - sprawl, sprawl, sprawl - devotes a lot of space to streets, roads, bigger roads and back alleys. Don't walk, don't cycle, just drive. Traffic lights are timed to keep motorized vehicles going even if that means that pedestrians might have to wait up to 3 minutes to get a green light. That's not only frustrating it adds up to a lot of time once you need to cross at more than one light. Having rented a car recently I must say I was astonished how many errands I could run in a single day. It would take me at least a week by any other means.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Space junk
Have you read the article Space junk reaching "tipping point" yet. No, it's not surprising but it's still shocking and sad. Go on reading the comments, too. One of them, by Miff, goes like that: "This makes me so happy. Humans have proven themselves to be the most inefficient, destructive species. I always worry that the rich elite already found their new planet and have their escape route planned. If 'space garbage' is true, they die with the rest of us. Like the dinosaurs, we're unworthy of survival.
I remember, pre-90's, people talked about wanting world peace. That hope is gone. Now we just want iPads and our own reality shows. Good riddance humans."
It's true isn't it. And what's your favourite reality show?
I remember, pre-90's, people talked about wanting world peace. That hope is gone. Now we just want iPads and our own reality shows. Good riddance humans."
It's true isn't it. And what's your favourite reality show?
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Forget about the economy, think future
CPAWS has invited people to leave comments about 100 years Parks Canada. There's one from Judy Gibson pointing out very well what we all should know by now and that is that the new government sucks. They only think about economical growth, specifically through the exploiting or contaminating Canada's natural resources. She writes: "...but I am extremely worried that a number of new MPs have no real understanding of the enormous responsibilities awaiting them. They will need to be trained to think as responsible adults who care about social and environmental concerns, .... Much focus has been on ‘the economy’ as though it were not itself driven by a balanced and responsible management of the environment, and social programs, and ethical business practices."
David Suzuki writes in his recent blog Science Matters that it's not our right to leave the world's devastated environment to our children and expect them to clean up. He also reports on a speech of his daughter that left world leaders speechless and on a boy who started at 13 his own organization to raise awareness of climate change. This boy wants children to ask their parents and leaders, "Do I matter to you?" ... For many adults, the honest answer would have to be, "No, we're more concerned about cheap gas, the economy, profits for the fossil fuel industry, and having more stuff."
Richard Louv in Last Child in the Woods certainly has similar phrases in his books. There is far too much focus on the economy and one's own wealth than on the environment. Obviously, that's got to do with our lost connection to the environment and the scarce knowledge that we have about it makes us not care.
Something in our economic model also seems to trigger a thinking that care for the environment and economic growth can't go hand in hand. I actually find it odd, but good, that our electricity provider, EPCOR, promotes ways on how to safe energy. Maybe they hope nobody listens. Any way, those two E's are not opposites like hate and love but it surely needs a will to make them run smoothly together.
That reminds me of a brochure my daughter picked up today. It advocates to stop animal cruelty by becoming vegan! But you don't have to be vegan to protect animals and assure them a happy life. If you are concerned about feed lots and inhumane slaughter methods, you could find out where your animal products come from and chose those that allow you to eat them with a clear conscience. Honestly, we would not keep cattle, pigs and hens just for cuddles if nobody was to consume their products (meat, eggs, milk). If the whole world turned vegan there's no need to keep livestock. So this can't be the goal of vegans and vegetarians. Returning them to the wild is impossible. Besides, we are not capable any more to live with wild animals around us, near us. It's scares the hell out of most of us to think of a bear in the backyard.
Interestingly, Louv mentions that we are disconnected from the sources of our food too; that lots of people dislike hunting and think children shouldn't play shooting at birds. But we are hunters & gatherers! In my opinion there's nothing wrong with hunting or fishing as long as the animal gets used well, e.g. eating - eat more than just the filet or steak, turn the hide into clothing, make a pillow from the feathers, ..... Compared to this, killing an elephant to get the ivory and then leave the carcass to rot is plain wasteful and stupid and unacceptable.
We don't have to go to the extreme ends of options. But our priorities certainly need a makeover and reordering.
David Suzuki writes in his recent blog Science Matters that it's not our right to leave the world's devastated environment to our children and expect them to clean up. He also reports on a speech of his daughter that left world leaders speechless and on a boy who started at 13 his own organization to raise awareness of climate change. This boy wants children to ask their parents and leaders, "Do I matter to you?" ... For many adults, the honest answer would have to be, "No, we're more concerned about cheap gas, the economy, profits for the fossil fuel industry, and having more stuff."
Richard Louv in Last Child in the Woods certainly has similar phrases in his books. There is far too much focus on the economy and one's own wealth than on the environment. Obviously, that's got to do with our lost connection to the environment and the scarce knowledge that we have about it makes us not care.
Something in our economic model also seems to trigger a thinking that care for the environment and economic growth can't go hand in hand. I actually find it odd, but good, that our electricity provider, EPCOR, promotes ways on how to safe energy. Maybe they hope nobody listens. Any way, those two E's are not opposites like hate and love but it surely needs a will to make them run smoothly together.
That reminds me of a brochure my daughter picked up today. It advocates to stop animal cruelty by becoming vegan! But you don't have to be vegan to protect animals and assure them a happy life. If you are concerned about feed lots and inhumane slaughter methods, you could find out where your animal products come from and chose those that allow you to eat them with a clear conscience. Honestly, we would not keep cattle, pigs and hens just for cuddles if nobody was to consume their products (meat, eggs, milk). If the whole world turned vegan there's no need to keep livestock. So this can't be the goal of vegans and vegetarians. Returning them to the wild is impossible. Besides, we are not capable any more to live with wild animals around us, near us. It's scares the hell out of most of us to think of a bear in the backyard.
Interestingly, Louv mentions that we are disconnected from the sources of our food too; that lots of people dislike hunting and think children shouldn't play shooting at birds. But we are hunters & gatherers! In my opinion there's nothing wrong with hunting or fishing as long as the animal gets used well, e.g. eating - eat more than just the filet or steak, turn the hide into clothing, make a pillow from the feathers, ..... Compared to this, killing an elephant to get the ivory and then leave the carcass to rot is plain wasteful and stupid and unacceptable.
We don't have to go to the extreme ends of options. But our priorities certainly need a makeover and reordering.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Anne of Green Gables and other great books
Have you read the Anne- series from Lucy Maud Montgomery? It's awesome for somebody like me tired of long winters. I started a couple of months ago and am almost done. There is 7 or 8 books to the series. They have the most amazing descriptions of nature in them and because every 250-300 pages book covers 3-4 years of Ann's life the season change frequently, with spring and summer receiving the most glorious descriptions. I watched a few episodes of the film series too and I hope the did not manicure the landscape too much but it looked great. I bet P.E.I. a hundred years ago was still nicer than it is supposed to be today - apart from those pesticide-laden potato fields. I did not like the fact that for the film series they made stories up, especially the part where Ann & Gilbert get involved in WW I. That's not in the books! Any how, the characters in the books are awesome too. So it is to read about life and values a century ago. Lots has changed and it keeps changing even faster.
I have also read in between Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, a book about children growing up alienated from nature. It's a sad book because it so true. It's about the situation in the USA in particular with lots and lots of studies done in the US. And even though I like to pretend everything bad is worse in the US I bet it's not too far off from Canada and other developed countries (some exceptions become obvious in the book, such as the Scandinavian countries). Alone the quotations in the book from parents and children about nature are worth reading. When gardening is boring because tools have not improved, when playing indoors is better because all the electrical outlets are there, when more and more people consider themselves shy because of growing stranger-danger fear, when people don't make the connection between riding ATVs in the desert or forest and harm caused by motorised vehicles in natural environments, when children learn more about the rain forest than about the plants and animals outside their window then something is wrong. The next generation is growing up with a lack of nature and this books picks it out every single reason and discusses it. It also presents solutions and shows off where change is taking place for the better. Even if you don't have a kid it's a great read.
I have also read in between Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, a book about children growing up alienated from nature. It's a sad book because it so true. It's about the situation in the USA in particular with lots and lots of studies done in the US. And even though I like to pretend everything bad is worse in the US I bet it's not too far off from Canada and other developed countries (some exceptions become obvious in the book, such as the Scandinavian countries). Alone the quotations in the book from parents and children about nature are worth reading. When gardening is boring because tools have not improved, when playing indoors is better because all the electrical outlets are there, when more and more people consider themselves shy because of growing stranger-danger fear, when people don't make the connection between riding ATVs in the desert or forest and harm caused by motorised vehicles in natural environments, when children learn more about the rain forest than about the plants and animals outside their window then something is wrong. The next generation is growing up with a lack of nature and this books picks it out every single reason and discusses it. It also presents solutions and shows off where change is taking place for the better. Even if you don't have a kid it's a great read.
My view of Alberta
After I spent last week getting to know Alberta a little better I decided there is landscape-wise not much to it apart from the Rockies. Back in 2006 I made it all the way from Jasper through Banff down to Waterton National Park and back. The Rockies are like a paradise, surely a bit rough but soooo beautiful. Lakes, rivers, mountains, wildlife, trees.
From Calgary I drove through the prairie to Drumheller and visited coal mines, hoodoos and crazily carved sandstone canyons in the Red Deer River valley. This river and what has developed around it after the last ice age is truly amazing but it's located right in the middle of the Alberta prairie, not quite as flat as Manitoba & Saskatchewan but not exciting either. The wind last week was unfortunately very fierce and literally blew our hats off our heads while the sun was burning stubbornly from the big blue sky. Not my kind of weather. The carved out river valley, called the Badlands for a reason, appears rather hostile and from what I found out does not have much wildlife in it. I understand that it is worth protecting and there are several provincial parks for that reason (and to make the collection of the plentiful fossils illegal it seemed), but there's little appeal for outdoor enthusiasts like me. Often a parking lot and a picnic area made up all the "amenities". No hiking trails whatsoever. Driving back to Edmonton from Drumheller seemed a never-ending journey through endless prairie landscape again, with oil & gas wells scattered about!
One of the last weekends we spent in Elk Island National Park, 30 min east of Edmonton, and although this was a nice change to the city it was a little disappointing. Elk Island encompasses the Beaver Hills, 50-60 metres high sticking out from the prairie. Originally founded to protect a herd of Elk it later became home to plain bison and then wood bison. Today it counts 700 bison! That's lots considering the size of this, in Canada the only fenced-in, park. Of course we saw the bison. We also saw lots of birds including a bald eagle, frogs, waterfowl, a beaver, two coyotes, and lots of gophers. I was surprised by the number of bogs, swamp and ponds. Elk Island also features lakes with picturesque islands and I longed to go canoeing. The forest is boreal forest, yes, it's a boreal island in the prairie, definitely worth protecting! But the forest was also my disappointment - the trees are so little. Most actually had there tops chopped off, from storm, not from human hands. The forest obviously had not seen a fire in a long time although controlled fires are applied in the park to prevent meadows from overgrowing. I know that in the north trees grow slower and with long winters growing season is short and the dry climate of the last decade certainly did not help but I am missing big, tall trees. I mean Germany does not have big trees compared to B.C.'s rainforest but they are majestic compared to the stalks here. Where is the shelter from the sun that makes summers more pleasant?
It's interesting. I never thought I am so keen on the landscapes I grew up with but not having them leaves me a little empty too. Like in Spain or Mexico I admired the palm trees but even they did feel wrong somehow. Luckily, we have some nicely grown trees right out of our apartment (which we will not stay in because the management company and landlord suck).
From Calgary I drove through the prairie to Drumheller and visited coal mines, hoodoos and crazily carved sandstone canyons in the Red Deer River valley. This river and what has developed around it after the last ice age is truly amazing but it's located right in the middle of the Alberta prairie, not quite as flat as Manitoba & Saskatchewan but not exciting either. The wind last week was unfortunately very fierce and literally blew our hats off our heads while the sun was burning stubbornly from the big blue sky. Not my kind of weather. The carved out river valley, called the Badlands for a reason, appears rather hostile and from what I found out does not have much wildlife in it. I understand that it is worth protecting and there are several provincial parks for that reason (and to make the collection of the plentiful fossils illegal it seemed), but there's little appeal for outdoor enthusiasts like me. Often a parking lot and a picnic area made up all the "amenities". No hiking trails whatsoever. Driving back to Edmonton from Drumheller seemed a never-ending journey through endless prairie landscape again, with oil & gas wells scattered about!
One of the last weekends we spent in Elk Island National Park, 30 min east of Edmonton, and although this was a nice change to the city it was a little disappointing. Elk Island encompasses the Beaver Hills, 50-60 metres high sticking out from the prairie. Originally founded to protect a herd of Elk it later became home to plain bison and then wood bison. Today it counts 700 bison! That's lots considering the size of this, in Canada the only fenced-in, park. Of course we saw the bison. We also saw lots of birds including a bald eagle, frogs, waterfowl, a beaver, two coyotes, and lots of gophers. I was surprised by the number of bogs, swamp and ponds. Elk Island also features lakes with picturesque islands and I longed to go canoeing. The forest is boreal forest, yes, it's a boreal island in the prairie, definitely worth protecting! But the forest was also my disappointment - the trees are so little. Most actually had there tops chopped off, from storm, not from human hands. The forest obviously had not seen a fire in a long time although controlled fires are applied in the park to prevent meadows from overgrowing. I know that in the north trees grow slower and with long winters growing season is short and the dry climate of the last decade certainly did not help but I am missing big, tall trees. I mean Germany does not have big trees compared to B.C.'s rainforest but they are majestic compared to the stalks here. Where is the shelter from the sun that makes summers more pleasant?
It's interesting. I never thought I am so keen on the landscapes I grew up with but not having them leaves me a little empty too. Like in Spain or Mexico I admired the palm trees but even they did feel wrong somehow. Luckily, we have some nicely grown trees right out of our apartment (which we will not stay in because the management company and landlord suck).
Suburbia live
Last week I visited a friend in Cochrane near Calgary. She lives in a new development on the outskirts of the town with a gorgeous view to the Rockies. Apart from the view there was not much to this development. Far away from anything you depend on your car. My friend admitted that if she was to walk shopping she'd have to carry her groceries uphill for 40 minutes. You better be a fitness-fanatic to do so. The houses were large but close to each other because gardens were practically non-existent. Since all houses are on dead-end streets there's no through traffic and therefore no sidewalks. It seems safe to walk on the street but how am I going to teach my child not to do it? For being a large house it had only 3 smallish bedrooms. Even the wardrobe between the living area and the garage was bigger than the bedrooms. Unless you host dozens of people regularly I don't see why you would want extremely spacious living roomS.
It was my first trip from Edmonton to Calgary and luckily I did not have to go right into Calgary as Cochrane is located Northwest of it. I drove Stony Trail though, a new road around the outskirts of Calgary that helps you avoid going through the city. At the moment the road is surrounded by barren, of nature cleared land but soon there will be neighbourhoods everywhere as beginnings can already be seen. It's not looking beautiful. I said to my husband, in Alberta the population must be expected to double very soon or who is going to live in all those houses? I would not want to. Despite the fact that Calgary has an apparently pretty good LRT (Light Railway Transit) system these new neighbourhoods will not be connected right away. There's a Park & Ride (in driving terms) nearby but even those massive (ugly and space-consuming if built as a single level) parking lots can only take so many cars. In Edmonton Park & Rides opened last year in the two locations where new stations were opened and residents still complain that unless you are there at 7 AM you can't get a spot until 3 PM when the first commuters go home again. So Albertans will keep driving for many years to come - don't complain about gas prices!
The new federal government just looks stupid to ask oil companies why petroleum prices are high. It's a free market, you can do it as long as somebody pays the price. Besides, the oil industry is highly supported and subsidised by exactly this Conservative government - so shut the f*** up!
It was my first trip from Edmonton to Calgary and luckily I did not have to go right into Calgary as Cochrane is located Northwest of it. I drove Stony Trail though, a new road around the outskirts of Calgary that helps you avoid going through the city. At the moment the road is surrounded by barren, of nature cleared land but soon there will be neighbourhoods everywhere as beginnings can already be seen. It's not looking beautiful. I said to my husband, in Alberta the population must be expected to double very soon or who is going to live in all those houses? I would not want to. Despite the fact that Calgary has an apparently pretty good LRT (Light Railway Transit) system these new neighbourhoods will not be connected right away. There's a Park & Ride (in driving terms) nearby but even those massive (ugly and space-consuming if built as a single level) parking lots can only take so many cars. In Edmonton Park & Rides opened last year in the two locations where new stations were opened and residents still complain that unless you are there at 7 AM you can't get a spot until 3 PM when the first commuters go home again. So Albertans will keep driving for many years to come - don't complain about gas prices!
The new federal government just looks stupid to ask oil companies why petroleum prices are high. It's a free market, you can do it as long as somebody pays the price. Besides, the oil industry is highly supported and subsidised by exactly this Conservative government - so shut the f*** up!
Gardening season has started
The grass is finally green, the sun is out, and the last weekend of May is coming up and so does the planting season in Edmonton. Of course I have already seen the first people wasting drinkable, clean tap water on their lawns. And I am waiting to see all those signs spring up again when people hire a "Green something"-company to treat their lawns with fertilizers and herbicides. Since every gardening company's goal is to make your garden look green and flourishing they represent this in their company's name. But I doubt that many of these companies apply biodegradable "green" substances to the lawns. The fact that they put signs up advising passers-by to keep off the lawn after the substance has been applied makes me personally suspicious. For those of you who do not hire help - well done, because gardening is good for you, especially if you don't use poisons - it's time to think about exactly what to throw on your beds and grass. Native plants are never wrong, vegetables will feed you and if you have children you should not even care about how green or yellow your grass looks, it's being run over frequently any way, hopefully. Children need nature and a garden is a great start. More about this, in another post.
By the way, you might end up fitter leaving all those motor-powered garden tools in the shed and doing one or the other job manually.
By the way, you might end up fitter leaving all those motor-powered garden tools in the shed and doing one or the other job manually.
Edmonton's river valley
is definitely the part I like most of this city, from the few things I like here. I took my baby into my favourite park today which has a pedestrian bridge across the river from where more trails spread, some of them into ravines, some of them make up the dog off leash park, some lead to the zoo, and one is so hidden it's quiet and peaceful. I found that latter one today when I was wanting to explore a ravine. The ravine was not exciting because the city had put sewer pipes into the ground last autumn and the trail still has holes in it and looks, well abused by machinery. So that other trail actually builds a connection to another park, a connection that I had suspected before because I found it odd there was not meant to be one. It's a trodden path, somewhat unofficial but then again there are staircases from two residential streets that lead down to it. It's definitely not maintained and that kind of wild touch makes it so wonderful. You finally don't walk a manicured city parks path but you don't have to get out of the city! There were some ups and downs and a few wet spots with planks and washed out parts, just how I like hikes most. Baby slept peacefully on my back. As I returned from the ravine to the trail along the river I saw a large owl! That was beautiful. It did not seem to mind me much as I could slowly move pretty close to it. I did not see the coyote that is suspected to live in the area. Next time I have to take my husband along but before baby and I got more paths to explore.
If only every city had a river valley packed with trails.
If only every city had a river valley packed with trails.
Just a comment on plugging your ears
With reference to my last post I must say that even in cities it annoys me to see everyone walking around with their ears plugged listening to something from their ipods or talking on the phone. As a cyclist I have to pass pedestrians frequently and a bell often will not do the job of warning them of my approach. Yelling at the pedestrian does work mostly but that does not make me a pleasant companion on the trails. Admittedly, I had a time where I'd go jogging with plugs in my ears but I eventually came to the conclusion that it is much nicer to just listen to nature. Sure, walking around a city and even on some of the river valley trails in Edmonton there is not much nature to hear because the road is right there along the trail or sidewalk. Still, for safety's sake it's no good to pull yourself out of your immediate environment by listening to music while walking, or worse cycling.
Natural disasters & Parks Canada's 100. anniversary
The winter has made its departure even from Edmonton. In fact the last couple of weeks have been sunny and warm (up to 20 degrees C). And it's been so dry that Alberta is fighting its first wave of forest fires. The current extend of the roughly 100 forest fires, a quarter of them out of control, is covering an area equal to the whole area destroyed by fires in the 2010. And the fire season has only started ... The community of Slave Lake, 250 km north Edmonton, will hope to see no more of it since half the town has already been flattened by fires. Meantime Manitoba is being flooded and those who still have dry feet are trying to escape too much water. The USA has seen a huge number of tornadoes; the Mississippi has reached a 500-year-flood level.
I hate to say straight away it's all due to global warming. But no doubt the first months of this year have seen a lot of natural disaster all over the world. At a point where lots of people possibly hate the forces of nature that they have to give in to it's hard to advocate for the protection and conservation of exactly that nature. Mind you, nature has always done its thing, only human beings have never been so numerous and therefore find themselves in nature's way just about anywhere.
Parks Canada is celebrating its 100 anniversary this weekend. But doubts are rising that Parks Canada is not true any more to its original vision of preserving the wonderful landscapes of Canada's national parks. Although visitor numbers in Canada's national parks have remained steady over the last decade, compared to a noticeable decline in US national parks, Parks Canada seems to allow more and more installations in its parks to promote "more fun activities", trying to compete with the virtual worlds that modern gadgets offer. Some of those installations and what comes along with them do in fact threaten some already endangered species even more. People who long to have those installations should find them somewhere else, outside national parks, that's my opinion. If you can't enjoy a hike without blasting music into your ears, stay in the city and walk in the park there. Obviously, Parks Canada raises money through park entrance fees which in the end help to fulfil their duties but honestly, there's no point in wanting to have everybody in for the money's matter. Where people create more damage than good they might as well be kept away. I'm almost glad some of Canada's national parks are pretty much inaccessible, especially for cars.
I hate to say straight away it's all due to global warming. But no doubt the first months of this year have seen a lot of natural disaster all over the world. At a point where lots of people possibly hate the forces of nature that they have to give in to it's hard to advocate for the protection and conservation of exactly that nature. Mind you, nature has always done its thing, only human beings have never been so numerous and therefore find themselves in nature's way just about anywhere.
Parks Canada is celebrating its 100 anniversary this weekend. But doubts are rising that Parks Canada is not true any more to its original vision of preserving the wonderful landscapes of Canada's national parks. Although visitor numbers in Canada's national parks have remained steady over the last decade, compared to a noticeable decline in US national parks, Parks Canada seems to allow more and more installations in its parks to promote "more fun activities", trying to compete with the virtual worlds that modern gadgets offer. Some of those installations and what comes along with them do in fact threaten some already endangered species even more. People who long to have those installations should find them somewhere else, outside national parks, that's my opinion. If you can't enjoy a hike without blasting music into your ears, stay in the city and walk in the park there. Obviously, Parks Canada raises money through park entrance fees which in the end help to fulfil their duties but honestly, there's no point in wanting to have everybody in for the money's matter. Where people create more damage than good they might as well be kept away. I'm almost glad some of Canada's national parks are pretty much inaccessible, especially for cars.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The big oil spill near our back yard
Did you hear about the latest oil spill right here in Alberta? It's the by far biggest oil spill in Alberta in the past 30 years, the second one in the last week alone (yes, it happened last Friday and only got into the news today!!!!), and it happened "within the traditional territory of the Lubicon Cree, who lead a largely subsistence lifestyle within the pristine ecology of northern Alberta's boreal forest." Reading alone the quote I wonder why on Earth is a pipeline in this area?
It's unclear yet how long the clean-up will take. My sarcasm tells me that this is due to the fact that corporations in Canada pay enormous tax rates and it's therefore likely that the culprit oil company has little spare cash to deal with the issue quickly and responsibly! Five days have past and the extend of the incident is unknown - who are you trying to fool?
The suggestion of the David Suzuki Foundation is to get of oil and find alternative energy sources - sorry, but with a strongly oil-addicted leader of this country this seems an overly ambitious suggestion so why don't we keep doing business as usual and ignore what happened while pumping further subsidies into the oil & gas industry. Long live Stephen Harper!
It's unclear yet how long the clean-up will take. My sarcasm tells me that this is due to the fact that corporations in Canada pay enormous tax rates and it's therefore likely that the culprit oil company has little spare cash to deal with the issue quickly and responsibly! Five days have past and the extend of the incident is unknown - who are you trying to fool?
The suggestion of the David Suzuki Foundation is to get of oil and find alternative energy sources - sorry, but with a strongly oil-addicted leader of this country this seems an overly ambitious suggestion so why don't we keep doing business as usual and ignore what happened while pumping further subsidies into the oil & gas industry. Long live Stephen Harper!
Increase in bikes requires change in people's thinking
Montreal (in Quebec!) has Bixi bikes though which have proven to be very popular and will now be offered in Toronto, too. For some reason, the Toronto Bicycle Union thinks that would be great for tourists to go sightseeing. Personally, I don't think any sane tourist will go on a bike ride unless they see a certain number of local cyclists, for me an indicator for how
safe and convenient cycling in this location is.
I do love cycling and I enjoy cycling even in Edmonton, although I mostly cycle in the river valley where I hit no roads. But the comments I hear are surprising, as I would not get those in Europe where walking and cycling is far more wide-spread. Some people just admire me (for being "brave" and fit), others are scared especially about baby's safety in the trailer (what if a car bumps into it? - I know you are poor driver, is that why you freak at the sight of a cyclist on the road?), some people think I'm enduring a lot of hardship living with alternatives to driving a car.Actually, you should feel sorry for yourself for depending on that fossil fuel consuming metal box so much.
An acquaintance reported from her daughter who studies in the Netherlands that she really enjoys it. She can hop on a bike or train and go places so easily. She went to some event by train recently and got all caught up in the festive atmosphere on the train. Surely, that's not going to happen to car drivers stuck in a traffic jam wanting to attend that event.
safe and convenient cycling in this location is.
I do love cycling and I enjoy cycling even in Edmonton, although I mostly cycle in the river valley where I hit no roads. But the comments I hear are surprising, as I would not get those in Europe where walking and cycling is far more wide-spread. Some people just admire me (for being "brave" and fit), others are scared especially about baby's safety in the trailer (what if a car bumps into it? - I know you are poor driver, is that why you freak at the sight of a cyclist on the road?), some people think I'm enduring a lot of hardship living with alternatives to driving a car.Actually, you should feel sorry for yourself for depending on that fossil fuel consuming metal box so much.
An acquaintance reported from her daughter who studies in the Netherlands that she really enjoys it. She can hop on a bike or train and go places so easily. She went to some event by train recently and got all caught up in the festive atmosphere on the train. Surely, that's not going to happen to car drivers stuck in a traffic jam wanting to attend that event.
4.5 years of suffering ahead
I will need a long time to recover from that devastating election on Monday. Still, I dared to look into the paper today, but only the Metro. The first page is sickening already. It reports on Harper's goals for the next term:
— Ongoing cuts to corporate tax rates.
— Ongoing increases to provincial health-care transfers.
— Many more felons behind bars for longer terms, in more prisons.
— An end to the long-gun registry.
— An end to the per-vote taxpayer subsidy of political parties.
— New laws targeting group refugee arrivals by boat.
— Relaxation of rules for the telecom industry and foreign investment.
Reading those goals I wonder what the average Canadian gets out of them - almost nothing!!, unless you are high in the hierarchy of a corporation that will pay even less taxes and stuff the pockets of its high ranking staff even more so. That's why the rich get richer in Canada, and the poor poorer. And where is the environment??? Harper possibly does not even know how to spell this word.
The Metro also did a survey and asked readers how they spent election night. The results are as follows:
- watching Dancing with the stars: 0%
- cheering: 22%
- crying: 22%
- planning my emigration: 55% - There's an idea!!!, as the cousin of my mother-in-law would say.
Yip, I fall into that last category, too. Thank goodness, I have a German passport, already, still, forever. My husband and I have been considering moving to Ontario but it just got the blues really badly and I'm now more inclined to join the French-Canadians. Well, not really, but we ought to live in a NDP riding. Unfortunately, that's not the only requirement since I'm pretty damn demanding when it comes to living where I ought to be happy (not complaining). House with garden, quiet location, close to childcare, grocery store, my husband's and my workplace, near countryside (preferably in walking distance - In Dunedin (NZ), Nelson (NZ), Edinburgh (UK), Malaga (Spain), Cozumel (Mexico) I could walk or cycle right from the town into the countryside, no vehicle required). Close means within walking/cycling distance or on a convenient bus route - think we can find that in Canada? Let me know where! I don't think we get away without a car but we don't want to depend on it.
Here a little joke my husband told me. Justin Trudeau was asked if he would run for the leadership of the Liberal party. He replied he did not know if a cute leader would make a difference. My opinion: Yes, it does. Why would so many women otherwise vote for Layton. Not that he's cute (he's too old to be cute) but he was by far the best looking candidate. Surely, Trudeau would certainly bring a few more votes for the Liberals, no matter the policies (which obviously didn't matter to 40% of Canadians who voted) and kick Harper's visage off the front pages.
— Ongoing cuts to corporate tax rates.
— Ongoing increases to provincial health-care transfers.
— Many more felons behind bars for longer terms, in more prisons.
— An end to the long-gun registry.
— An end to the per-vote taxpayer subsidy of political parties.
— New laws targeting group refugee arrivals by boat.
— Relaxation of rules for the telecom industry and foreign investment.
Reading those goals I wonder what the average Canadian gets out of them - almost nothing!!, unless you are high in the hierarchy of a corporation that will pay even less taxes and stuff the pockets of its high ranking staff even more so. That's why the rich get richer in Canada, and the poor poorer. And where is the environment??? Harper possibly does not even know how to spell this word.
The Metro also did a survey and asked readers how they spent election night. The results are as follows:
- watching Dancing with the stars: 0%
- cheering: 22%
- crying: 22%
- planning my emigration: 55% - There's an idea!!!, as the cousin of my mother-in-law would say.
Yip, I fall into that last category, too. Thank goodness, I have a German passport, already, still, forever. My husband and I have been considering moving to Ontario but it just got the blues really badly and I'm now more inclined to join the French-Canadians. Well, not really, but we ought to live in a NDP riding. Unfortunately, that's not the only requirement since I'm pretty damn demanding when it comes to living where I ought to be happy (not complaining). House with garden, quiet location, close to childcare, grocery store, my husband's and my workplace, near countryside (preferably in walking distance - In Dunedin (NZ), Nelson (NZ), Edinburgh (UK), Malaga (Spain), Cozumel (Mexico) I could walk or cycle right from the town into the countryside, no vehicle required). Close means within walking/cycling distance or on a convenient bus route - think we can find that in Canada? Let me know where! I don't think we get away without a car but we don't want to depend on it.
Here a little joke my husband told me. Justin Trudeau was asked if he would run for the leadership of the Liberal party. He replied he did not know if a cute leader would make a difference. My opinion: Yes, it does. Why would so many women otherwise vote for Layton. Not that he's cute (he's too old to be cute) but he was by far the best looking candidate. Surely, Trudeau would certainly bring a few more votes for the Liberals, no matter the policies (which obviously didn't matter to 40% of Canadians who voted) and kick Harper's visage off the front pages.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Caribous or no caribous
The Big Wild referred in its latest newsletter to two articles that kind of aim for opposite goals - one to protect the caribou, the other one to simply not care about caribou for industry's sake.
The first article from Globe and Mail reports on the newly established Boreal Business Forum that will try to ensure that the 21 member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) take actions towards meeting the goals of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. The (unfortunately only) three-year-agreement was signed last year and aims to protect much needed habitat for caribou and other species as well as to implement more sustainable wood harvesting practices.
The nine companies that make up the forum are consumers of the FPAC's products. They include newspaper and magazine publishers, office supply retailers, and consumer products companies such as Kimberly-Clark; Lowes, Rona Inc., Office Depot; Axel Springer AG, Time Inc., The Globe and Mail and Hearst Corp.
From the article: The signing of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement “represented a historic milestone in the environment-forestry debate. But like many agreements, signing is not the end point – it’s the start,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, director of environmental strategy at Office Depot. “As a business that uses forest products from Canada … we look forward to working with [the signatories] to achieve the desired outcomes of the agreement,” Mr. Siddiqui said.
Let's hope for the best.
Meanwhile in Ontario, the Ministry of Natural Resources, lead by the Honourable Linda Jeffrey, announced plans to exempt all industries from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for most of the caribou habitat in Ontario. This proposal, when enacted, would effectively remove all legal protections under the ESA for caribou. The Ministry is jeopardizing the recovery of caribou in Ontario and failing to uphold its North American-leading Endangered Species Act.
There is nothing Honourable about that intention! First of all there should not be any exemptions to this act because it beats its whole purpose. Second, the North American-leading act makes me roll my eyes. I do not know the act in word and detail but it makes it sound to me that it's kept rather vaguely so to ensure no endangered species gets overly protected. Considering North American recklessness with nature - in the name of progress and economic growth of course - I wonder how hard it can be to be leading in any environmental issue in North America. Yes, I'm sarcastic again. This woman ought to be fired. Ontarians will shriek now that they don't need more unemployment and I wonder if this step of the ministry has something to do with getting certain industries back on track. Quote: Ontario has spent the last three years and significant public resources to create massive exemptions for industry instead of implementing the ESA to protect species and using the tools contained in the Act to assist with industry compliance. The Big Wild was therefore so kind as to pre-write a letter to Linda Jeffrey and you should click and sign it, too, now.
The first article from Globe and Mail reports on the newly established Boreal Business Forum that will try to ensure that the 21 member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) take actions towards meeting the goals of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. The (unfortunately only) three-year-agreement was signed last year and aims to protect much needed habitat for caribou and other species as well as to implement more sustainable wood harvesting practices.
The nine companies that make up the forum are consumers of the FPAC's products. They include newspaper and magazine publishers, office supply retailers, and consumer products companies such as Kimberly-Clark; Lowes, Rona Inc., Office Depot; Axel Springer AG, Time Inc., The Globe and Mail and Hearst Corp.
From the article: The signing of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement “represented a historic milestone in the environment-forestry debate. But like many agreements, signing is not the end point – it’s the start,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, director of environmental strategy at Office Depot. “As a business that uses forest products from Canada … we look forward to working with [the signatories] to achieve the desired outcomes of the agreement,” Mr. Siddiqui said.
Let's hope for the best.
Meanwhile in Ontario, the Ministry of Natural Resources, lead by the Honourable Linda Jeffrey, announced plans to exempt all industries from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for most of the caribou habitat in Ontario. This proposal, when enacted, would effectively remove all legal protections under the ESA for caribou. The Ministry is jeopardizing the recovery of caribou in Ontario and failing to uphold its North American-leading Endangered Species Act.
There is nothing Honourable about that intention! First of all there should not be any exemptions to this act because it beats its whole purpose. Second, the North American-leading act makes me roll my eyes. I do not know the act in word and detail but it makes it sound to me that it's kept rather vaguely so to ensure no endangered species gets overly protected. Considering North American recklessness with nature - in the name of progress and economic growth of course - I wonder how hard it can be to be leading in any environmental issue in North America. Yes, I'm sarcastic again. This woman ought to be fired. Ontarians will shriek now that they don't need more unemployment and I wonder if this step of the ministry has something to do with getting certain industries back on track. Quote: Ontario has spent the last three years and significant public resources to create massive exemptions for industry instead of implementing the ESA to protect species and using the tools contained in the Act to assist with industry compliance. The Big Wild was therefore so kind as to pre-write a letter to Linda Jeffrey and you should click and sign it, too, now.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
When it comes to the environment Alberta more than sucks - yet another proof
I copied below the header of a recent email I received and a link to the article in the Edmonton Journal. In Alberta they just don't get it that it is not of public interest to have water issues dealt with by energy industry leaders! Environmental matters are getting neglected more and more every time there's change in who gets to deal with it. How dare they?
Dear supporters of Our Water Is Not For Sale,
Research into water is critically important to our collective future, yet this research is being compromised and controlled by corporate interests.
The article below, printed in the Edmonton Journal last week, addresses the changes with the Alberta Water Research Institute, whose work will now be directed by a board with energy industry priorities. The board is chaired by a former Syncrude CEO, and includes a former vice president for Petro-Canada, a senior director with Agrium, a former CEO for Nexen, and a senior vice president for Capital Power.
This move further indicates the corporate hold on water and the steps the corporate sector is taking to control a substance that is vital to all life. We continue to be concerned by the push towards water markets in our province, and protecting the public interest requires research that is not dominated by corporate interests.
Please help us spread the word! Share this article with anyone who might share your concern. Thank you for your continued support to Our Water Is Not For Sale!
Read the full article below, or click here to read it on the Edmonton Journal website.
Dear supporters of Our Water Is Not For Sale,
Research into water is critically important to our collective future, yet this research is being compromised and controlled by corporate interests.
The article below, printed in the Edmonton Journal last week, addresses the changes with the Alberta Water Research Institute, whose work will now be directed by a board with energy industry priorities. The board is chaired by a former Syncrude CEO, and includes a former vice president for Petro-Canada, a senior director with Agrium, a former CEO for Nexen, and a senior vice president for Capital Power.
This move further indicates the corporate hold on water and the steps the corporate sector is taking to control a substance that is vital to all life. We continue to be concerned by the push towards water markets in our province, and protecting the public interest requires research that is not dominated by corporate interests.
Please help us spread the word! Share this article with anyone who might share your concern. Thank you for your continued support to Our Water Is Not For Sale!
Read the full article below, or click here to read it on the Edmonton Journal website.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Culture Shock continued
I suppose I should say a few more things about our little farm adventure. Sure, we did not mind to have our running water back at home, and internet. I think one would get used to cooking on the wood burner, heating water this way, and cooking and baking without electrical appliances (blender, coffee machine etc.). The reason they don't need a fridge is that the first room when you enter the house lies a foot lower than the rest of the house and is tiled. So even with the wood burner going in the same room, the tiles stay cold and keep the food fresh. That's so simple. Compare that to our apartment desgined to keep all rooms equally hot and we need a fridge to cool our food. What a waste of energy.
I was wondering why they have not hooked up the well, 15 m from the house, to the house, or why they put in a water toilet instead of a compost toilet, why they don't have a black water container outside to heat water, or a wind turbine for a bit of electricity. Maybe one day. They for example know about the Earthships and want to go see them to figure out what would fit into their farm. They also consider a "treadmill" that would pump the water and gently exercise the horses (http://www.treadmill-horsepower.com/ and http://www.alphaag.net/HorseTreadmills/tabid/127/language/en-US/Default.aspx. )
Actually, I thought every single person should live for a week in our friends' conditions. Imagine carrying all the water you need - those 300 something litres that a Canadian wastes - to where you need it e.g. toilet, shower, kitchen. I bet you every single person would very quickly use a lot less. Since both of our friends are teachers they started taking school classes on a once 12 day, now 8-day-trip to Southern Alberta. Each child is given a certain amount of money per day to shop for food and prepare it. They go visit places, hike, explore nature, camp, learn about history, animals, plants etc, and learn to look after themselves including that bit of financial literacy. It seems that most parents are not capable of doing that. I bet you this kids have all a great time.
Really, human beings are flexible and capable of easily changing their behaviour. We are able to adapt but we also have stubborn minds that might be prevent us from doing exactly that, including adopting a more environmentally friendly life style.
I was wondering why they have not hooked up the well, 15 m from the house, to the house, or why they put in a water toilet instead of a compost toilet, why they don't have a black water container outside to heat water, or a wind turbine for a bit of electricity. Maybe one day. They for example know about the Earthships and want to go see them to figure out what would fit into their farm. They also consider a "treadmill" that would pump the water and gently exercise the horses (http://www.treadmill-horsepower.com/ and http://www.alphaag.net/HorseTreadmills/tabid/127/language/en-US/Default.aspx. )
Actually, I thought every single person should live for a week in our friends' conditions. Imagine carrying all the water you need - those 300 something litres that a Canadian wastes - to where you need it e.g. toilet, shower, kitchen. I bet you every single person would very quickly use a lot less. Since both of our friends are teachers they started taking school classes on a once 12 day, now 8-day-trip to Southern Alberta. Each child is given a certain amount of money per day to shop for food and prepare it. They go visit places, hike, explore nature, camp, learn about history, animals, plants etc, and learn to look after themselves including that bit of financial literacy. It seems that most parents are not capable of doing that. I bet you this kids have all a great time.
Really, human beings are flexible and capable of easily changing their behaviour. We are able to adapt but we also have stubborn minds that might be prevent us from doing exactly that, including adopting a more environmentally friendly life style.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Culture shock
Easter is over when you consider that my husband has the pleasure to work on Easter Monday. Never mind. We spent the last 2.5 days in rural Alberta with a farmer (he's over 70) and his partner (50 something). We also got to know half the family, they have a total of 6 children and several grandchildren. They have built the farm all by themselves, started out 10 years ago. The house is an insulated! joint-venture of two wide trailers and very cosy. There are no doors to any rooms - just has not been a priority. The sheds and barns are self-built of wood. The fences are wood as well as wire (for the cattle & chickens). Between all the family members they own 27 horses for riding and driving. They regularly go on trails into the Rockies, camping out for days. For them it's fun, not roughing it, especially since they don't have running water, cook and heat with a wood oven/ stove, and use electricity scarcely because it comes from a battery that they have to recharge in the nearest village, 11 km away. So no fridge. They have a well near the house and pump water up as much as needed, fill it into a variety of containers and carry it to where ever it is needed. They do drive cars. They also have cattle, sheep, goats, chickens and ducks, and a dog of course. That provides them with meat, eggs and milk. The meat from slaughtering is kept frozen in a freezer in the village (friend's farm?). Besides they have a garden from which they preserve lots of the produce for winter (carrots, beans, potatoes, beets, ...) Especially in winter they still need to go to the supermarket but are not as dependent as city-dwellers are.
They love their life (style). Both teachers, they are well educated. They have a great interest in alternative building options, healthy food, the environment, and he's an expert on the failures of current government systems but that's a different story. When we talked to each other it turned out we'd seen the same documentary's or read the same books/authors (The world of Monsanto, Food Inc., Michael Pollan etc). They plan on putting up solar panels on their house. I was actually surprised they don't have a compost toilet. But the farm is a work in progress and will always be. They take it one step at a time, invest what they can afford without taking a mortgage and enjoy. I'm sure they enjoy their life much more than most people who have all the amenities and gadgets they desire (think they "need"). We had a great time. It was an experience. Getting up with the animals out the window, no city noise, no city smell, actually fresh air. Unfortunately it's no all that glamorous. They regularly have problems with city idiots coming out on 4WD and Ski-doos, ignoring private property, breaking fences, destroying trails, causing noise and even stealing from private property! The local paper listed the crimes of the week and you just knew that those were not committed by farmers stealing from their neighbours - why would they, they all know each other and they help each other. The rural people feel a bit helpless. They don't drive into the city to scavenge in people's front and back yards and take home what they please. They can't do much against the motorised rowdies in the countryside but have the damage.
I think lots of city people are so ruthless because they don't respect nature, take it for granted to get their joy out of it when desired and don't care about damage since they don't have to deal with it , they don't see how they depend on the land. I have just started reading this book that the farmer gave me: Last child in the woods, Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. The intro alone is great but I'll write about it later.
Before I forget. The culture shock is being back in Edmonton with the noise, smell and garbage that we did not miss out on the farm.
They love their life (style). Both teachers, they are well educated. They have a great interest in alternative building options, healthy food, the environment, and he's an expert on the failures of current government systems but that's a different story. When we talked to each other it turned out we'd seen the same documentary's or read the same books/authors (The world of Monsanto, Food Inc., Michael Pollan etc). They plan on putting up solar panels on their house. I was actually surprised they don't have a compost toilet. But the farm is a work in progress and will always be. They take it one step at a time, invest what they can afford without taking a mortgage and enjoy. I'm sure they enjoy their life much more than most people who have all the amenities and gadgets they desire (think they "need"). We had a great time. It was an experience. Getting up with the animals out the window, no city noise, no city smell, actually fresh air. Unfortunately it's no all that glamorous. They regularly have problems with city idiots coming out on 4WD and Ski-doos, ignoring private property, breaking fences, destroying trails, causing noise and even stealing from private property! The local paper listed the crimes of the week and you just knew that those were not committed by farmers stealing from their neighbours - why would they, they all know each other and they help each other. The rural people feel a bit helpless. They don't drive into the city to scavenge in people's front and back yards and take home what they please. They can't do much against the motorised rowdies in the countryside but have the damage.
I think lots of city people are so ruthless because they don't respect nature, take it for granted to get their joy out of it when desired and don't care about damage since they don't have to deal with it , they don't see how they depend on the land. I have just started reading this book that the farmer gave me: Last child in the woods, Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. The intro alone is great but I'll write about it later.
Before I forget. The culture shock is being back in Edmonton with the noise, smell and garbage that we did not miss out on the farm.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Canada's biggest parties and their goals for the environment
.. if they get elected that is. CPAWS together with a bunch of other environmental organisations went to ask the 5 major parties to answer a few questions about greenhouse gas emissions, protecting public water sources, public transit, oil sands, chemicals in every day products and more. Follow the link to read the answers. Guess what, the blue party (Conservatives, for all Non- Canadians) did not reply at all! Do I dare to say it?: Don't you dare voting for them!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
On the bike now
We got a second second-hand bicycle today. That means we can go on bike trips together now! My better half started cycling to work this week but it lasted only two days until winter returned. We really hope it's been the last snow for this winter. Last year at this time we had a BBQ outside without jackets on. Anyway, we took our first bike ride today and baby is fine in the trailer being pulled along. The hills in and out the river valley will be a little pain but hopefully the muscles grow quickly. The river valley is still the best way to get around by foot or bike, although somewhat limited in where one can go. Cycling on the road with the worst drivers of all of Canada on the wheels is still a bit of a scary thought but we'll get around it some day soon and fingers crossed it does not turn out suicidal. It just confirms to me why I want to move to a smaller city - hopefully safer, hopefully more cyclist, hopefully more sensible drivers (that's probably a challenge).
Checking out the Edmonton bike map today also made me realize how few designated bike lanes there are actually outside of the river valley. It's terrible. I'm also waiting for the building management to complain about where we lock the bikes up outside. These people with their stupid "strict rules" are even more terrible. We live in a "family building" with no provisions for strollers and bikes. Assuming we are all driving a car because there's one parking spot for each apartment and that's what one does here. Still getting stupid looks when I mention we don't have a car. Wonder why I don't like the people here?
Checking out the Edmonton bike map today also made me realize how few designated bike lanes there are actually outside of the river valley. It's terrible. I'm also waiting for the building management to complain about where we lock the bikes up outside. These people with their stupid "strict rules" are even more terrible. We live in a "family building" with no provisions for strollers and bikes. Assuming we are all driving a car because there's one parking spot for each apartment and that's what one does here. Still getting stupid looks when I mention we don't have a car. Wonder why I don't like the people here?
Friday, April 15, 2011
More bits and pieces
Winter made a return yesterday and dumped at least 10 cm of wet, sticky snow on the ground. Big sigh. I went to meet a friend and our good old stroller, the one we had right from the beginning, lost a wheel. It simply broke off after it got all covered in gooey, dirty snow, stopped rolling and I gave it a little kick. I thought about taking it home because there's a big items garbage bin outside at the moment. The apartment complex is having "spring" clean-up. I did not though because a closer look revealed that we would not be able to fix the wheel. So I left the stroller at a public garbage bin as I was now loaded with baby, diaper bag, blankets and too much clothing. My friend said, 'you do so much for the environment, you are allowed to do that for once.' Did I write a while ago about how convenient excuses are? Anyway, I hope the city disposes of the stroller properly when they empty the garbage bins.
Now that I got rid of the big plastic stroller I invested into a small plastic kitchen scale. That's coincidence, not intention. German recipes are in grams and it can be really difficult to convert different ingredients into cups so I finally gave in for the Easter baking. First I was told at the store that they are not selling scales any longer which left me in disbelief. Shortly after the clerk found three leftovers though, two with battery, LSD display and glass plates and one ordinary one with a scale that can be fine-tuned with wheel on the side, a bowl on top and increments of 25g. I took the latter one. Measuring flour on a glass plate seemed inconvenient so did the requirement of batteries. Batteries are a pain, to buy and especially to recycle. I have my dead laptop battery and other smaller batteries still in my kitchen. They have been there for many months. Now we live near an Eco-Station (Edmonton has 3) and since recently they are even open until late (6 PM) so I will send my husband around to drop the batteries off. Of course the Eco-Station is "conveniently" located in an industrial area but luckily it's the one my husband works in now and he cycles almost past there. Living local made easy (that's sarcasm).
My friend told me she had once found a blog where a woman was writing of her efforts to get rid of plastic in her life. I will search for it but if you have heard of that blog let me know please.
Did I mention that my husband has used handkerchiefs for quite a while now, that I don't use toilet paper any more at home, that I wash baby's diapers sometimes without detergent which makes them come out softer, that we signed up for wind energy, that I started using the Diva cup so no more of these wasteful tampons and pads and ... let me think about it.
My little contribution to the elections, just in case you have not made up your mind yet. You might have been at this site already since it has become very popular and oh yes it's good. S*** Harper did It's got comments on his environmental "achievements" in it, too.
Now that I got rid of the big plastic stroller I invested into a small plastic kitchen scale. That's coincidence, not intention. German recipes are in grams and it can be really difficult to convert different ingredients into cups so I finally gave in for the Easter baking. First I was told at the store that they are not selling scales any longer which left me in disbelief. Shortly after the clerk found three leftovers though, two with battery, LSD display and glass plates and one ordinary one with a scale that can be fine-tuned with wheel on the side, a bowl on top and increments of 25g. I took the latter one. Measuring flour on a glass plate seemed inconvenient so did the requirement of batteries. Batteries are a pain, to buy and especially to recycle. I have my dead laptop battery and other smaller batteries still in my kitchen. They have been there for many months. Now we live near an Eco-Station (Edmonton has 3) and since recently they are even open until late (6 PM) so I will send my husband around to drop the batteries off. Of course the Eco-Station is "conveniently" located in an industrial area but luckily it's the one my husband works in now and he cycles almost past there. Living local made easy (that's sarcasm).
My friend told me she had once found a blog where a woman was writing of her efforts to get rid of plastic in her life. I will search for it but if you have heard of that blog let me know please.
Did I mention that my husband has used handkerchiefs for quite a while now, that I don't use toilet paper any more at home, that I wash baby's diapers sometimes without detergent which makes them come out softer, that we signed up for wind energy, that I started using the Diva cup so no more of these wasteful tampons and pads and ... let me think about it.
My little contribution to the elections, just in case you have not made up your mind yet. You might have been at this site already since it has become very popular and oh yes it's good. S*** Harper did It's got comments on his environmental "achievements" in it, too.
Oil & gas spills happen "all the time"
Now it's official, after most of us have probably long guessed it. Americans are so addicted to oil that they knowingly put their natural environment at risk, at huge risks and don't give a s***. Yes, things often go terribly wrong but nobody blinks an eye because it has become business as usual. One could think the attitude is: Keep the cars rolling, keep the industry polluting, and hopefully the worst hits after me. (Might be helpful if you are of old age already).
Oil & gas spills happen "all the time"
Oil & gas spills happen "all the time"
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Blue Vinyl and other plastics
In the documentary Blue Vinyl a young woman is worried about her parents' decision to pull the wooden boards off the house and put blue vinyl on instead. They live on Long Island, New York, and have as so many Americans sturdy, cheap vinyl around their house and garage. Vinyl, aka PVC, is a very common plastic that is hazardous in its production and recycling as toxic substances are needed and released, including dioxin. The woman meets lots of people, all kinds of experts, around the country, from the representatives of the Vinyl Institute, oil refinery and plastic producers to scientists and people living in homes made out of "alternative" materials. The people from the Vinyl Institute want to make her belief that the biggest ingredient in the material is similar to table salt and that's found in our bodies anyway because we can't live without it. (I am always amazed by the stubbornness that industry representatives show when they defend their product, no matter how bad the product is for health and environment.)
As in most other documentaries where an inquisitive, concerned citizen wants to get a closer look industry will keep its doors closed. The woman was not allowed to visit a petro-chemical factory. She moves on to investigate other outside wall finishes but none satisfies her parents. The material does not blend in with the neighbourhood, the (natural) colour is not great, the price is not right. A young man that helps her convince her parents to get rid of the vinyl lives himself in a house made of straw, covered with a mixture of lime, sand and a bit of concrete which creates an "adobe finish" that the mother finds unacceptable. Meanwhile he refuses to stay at the house due to the vinyl and sleeps in a tent in the garden. In the end the woman has the house recovered in reclaimed wood - ignoring the by far biggest decision point in the issue: the price. It does cost her dearly but she's happy to have done the step towards a better world ... without vinyl.
Her parents soon sell the house and "downsize" (from a bungalow) to a townhouse in a brandnew retirement park where every single building is covered in vinyl.
At one point she went to see a Habitat for Humanity project where within a couple of days 25 houses for low-income families are erected. Each of these simple houses can be put together from single parts within a few hours. Sponsored by the Vinyl Institute, the houses are completely made of vinyl, from the flooring to the walls, the window frames, the ceilings, everything is made from vinyl. Of course the woman wanted to talk with the people involved about the health hazards, inform and warn them possibly, but when she sees the crying-out-of-happiness families that are about to move in she does not do it.
This morning then my husband asked if I thought it would be possible to get rid of ALL the plastic in our household. I said no straight away. Plastic is everywhere. It often could be replaced: storage containers, bowls, pitchers, soap dish, toys, hangers, coat hooks, blinds, plant pots, shoe rack, toilet seat, shower curtain, ... but a tooth brush without plastic? And what about the parts on the stroller, the radio, kitchen appliances like fridge and kettle, ... and what about all the packaging? If I did not want any plastic I would have to take lots of glass or ceramic containers to a store that sells everything in bulk from soap & hair shampoo to dishwashing liquid to all kinds of dry foods, meats, fish and drinks. That would be tough, not only to find that store (although the Earth General Store would score high here, mind you, they still use the bulk plastic containers) but to carry the containers around, without breaking them. Toys, I have been looking for wood but there's also tin toys, are somwhat harder to find but it's not impossible. Last but not least, comparing prices for all the named items it becomes very obvious that wood, tin & co. cost way more than plastics. As oil gets more expensive this might slowly change though ... Turning my head I just looked at our book shelves ... well, book covers are also coated in something plastic-like so they'd have to go too. And the laptop I'm writing on of course. Not too sure if my husband still wanted to get rid of plastic once it comes to his laptop.
As in most other documentaries where an inquisitive, concerned citizen wants to get a closer look industry will keep its doors closed. The woman was not allowed to visit a petro-chemical factory. She moves on to investigate other outside wall finishes but none satisfies her parents. The material does not blend in with the neighbourhood, the (natural) colour is not great, the price is not right. A young man that helps her convince her parents to get rid of the vinyl lives himself in a house made of straw, covered with a mixture of lime, sand and a bit of concrete which creates an "adobe finish" that the mother finds unacceptable. Meanwhile he refuses to stay at the house due to the vinyl and sleeps in a tent in the garden. In the end the woman has the house recovered in reclaimed wood - ignoring the by far biggest decision point in the issue: the price. It does cost her dearly but she's happy to have done the step towards a better world ... without vinyl.
Her parents soon sell the house and "downsize" (from a bungalow) to a townhouse in a brandnew retirement park where every single building is covered in vinyl.
At one point she went to see a Habitat for Humanity project where within a couple of days 25 houses for low-income families are erected. Each of these simple houses can be put together from single parts within a few hours. Sponsored by the Vinyl Institute, the houses are completely made of vinyl, from the flooring to the walls, the window frames, the ceilings, everything is made from vinyl. Of course the woman wanted to talk with the people involved about the health hazards, inform and warn them possibly, but when she sees the crying-out-of-happiness families that are about to move in she does not do it.
This morning then my husband asked if I thought it would be possible to get rid of ALL the plastic in our household. I said no straight away. Plastic is everywhere. It often could be replaced: storage containers, bowls, pitchers, soap dish, toys, hangers, coat hooks, blinds, plant pots, shoe rack, toilet seat, shower curtain, ... but a tooth brush without plastic? And what about the parts on the stroller, the radio, kitchen appliances like fridge and kettle, ... and what about all the packaging? If I did not want any plastic I would have to take lots of glass or ceramic containers to a store that sells everything in bulk from soap & hair shampoo to dishwashing liquid to all kinds of dry foods, meats, fish and drinks. That would be tough, not only to find that store (although the Earth General Store would score high here, mind you, they still use the bulk plastic containers) but to carry the containers around, without breaking them. Toys, I have been looking for wood but there's also tin toys, are somwhat harder to find but it's not impossible. Last but not least, comparing prices for all the named items it becomes very obvious that wood, tin & co. cost way more than plastics. As oil gets more expensive this might slowly change though ... Turning my head I just looked at our book shelves ... well, book covers are also coated in something plastic-like so they'd have to go too. And the laptop I'm writing on of course. Not too sure if my husband still wanted to get rid of plastic once it comes to his laptop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)