It's sad

I started the continuation of yesterday's post but have not gotten it ready yet. Instead I fitted in a few pages of still the same book while watching baby. Vanessa meets a bloke, environmentalist of course, and at some point he says something like "what we really need is an apocalyptic environmental catastrophe to wipe out  a significant amount of the world's population and then finally people might be willing to stop driving SUVs and actually live responsibly." It sounds more than harsh I know but I agree. It's sad to see hundreds and thousands of animal and plant species die because human beings interfere with just about anything on the planet that's been here way before us. It's sad to see oceans and waterways collapse under the burden of pollution due to the waste dumped into them every day. It's sad to see forests chopped down for fields that will erode anyway, to see land depleted under ever-growing cities, to see soil suffocate under the chemicals of big-scale agriculture and the machinery used for mining. It's sad to see the Earth's resources exploited due to the greediness of industries, economies, consumers, and for the quick buck. Being the "smartest" creatures on Earth we have still no right to trash the planet - so the planet might as well pay us back one day. I hope it wipes out all the SUV drivers and those that live stubbornly in ignorance and denial about our environmental problems. I'm not trying to be overly pessimistic - it just happens to be, kind of looking out the window.  

On some other issue: I came across an interesting article in the Edmonton Journal about the low approval ratings of Alberta's Premier - http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Rising+from+deep+unpopularity/3930721/story.html. 
So when do we get rid of him?   

sustainable or not sustainable

Vanessa Farquharson went to an Anti-Styrofoam party Toronto. The goal of the supporters is to get rid of polystyrene and replace it with something biodegradable like NaturoPack. It’s made out of corn, sugar cane and potatoes. That’s a little controversial to me because we have seen the consequences from ethanol where farmers suddenly produce more corn for fuel than for human consumption and market prizes go through the roof so that people who depend on that food can’t actually afford it any more. This can’t be it.  

Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, writes instead in his blog “To hell with sustainability”. He then makes the point that we can not actually sustain our current life style without destroying our planet and we therefore have to seek a life style that is better for us and the environment. This change includes that we shouldn’t try to make the packaging for junk food, or any take away as for that, more sustainable as in bio-degradable. The goal should be to make our kids, and ourselves I would say, eat food that is biodegradable to start with such as an apple. Since that is very idealistic and against the odds I suggest we should consider a bring-your-own-container-policy for take-away restaurants. At least for the transition period to healthier eating habits for everyone.             

Walking versus driving

I'm still reading that book of Vanessa Farquharson. She interviews Peter Tombrowksi, resident of Calgary, who got rid of his car and walked everywhere ever since. She finds it uncool to wear Gore Tex, running shoes, take a backpack to a party in order to swap clothes & shoes, and haul home somehow everything you buy. He mentioned that one becomes less self-concious, something Vanessa surely still has to learn. Also, Peter says he found freedom in moving slower, talk, look around, reflect, and interact on the way. But the heightened awareness can be depressing, he admits. The strange feeling of walking alone on the side walk, nobody in front or behind but with lots of cars passing, that's depressing, and I know exactly what he's talking about. The argument that changes Vanessa's attitude at last is that our first big accomplishment in life is to learn how to walk. Humans are made to walk, no to push a gas pedal. That's right, we are just now very much looking forward to see Ruby learn how to walk. It's exciting!

I am pretty sure Calgary is not much different to Edmonton. People here think it is impossible to live without a car, unless you are single and student. Or, if you are in that situation you are literally stuck at home. Dave heard lots of comments from his co-workers being like "what do you mean, you have baby but no car - that does not work". It's not true. We prove them wrong every day. Peter Tombrowski made a movie "To Costco and Ikea without a car" and wrote a book "Urban camping". Learn more at http://www.pressplus1.com/cdnfilm-interviews/going-to-ikea-without-a-car.html

Why people can't go green

I am currently reading "Sleeping naked is green" by Vanessa Farquharson, a Toronto-based journalist who took on the challenge of doing one more green thing everyday for a year. It's not quite as radical as Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, but it gives me a good insight why some people have a hard time to act in a greener way.


I was wondering if I could get a list together like hers but lots of the things on her list already do not apply to me. Changing to recycled paper towels - there are no paper towels in my household. Switching to eco-friendly make up - I don't do make-up. Using tote bag - done that for many years, in fact the first thing I say to every cashier is 'I don't need your plastic bag'. The list goes on but let's stick to the tote bag. Apparently for lots of people that's like a big fashion faux pas, does not look cool, all tote bags are generally ugly, they don't show off the expensive label I just bought - that's a few of the issues Vanessa and her sister have with tote bags. Get over it, is all I can say. I don't care what's written on my tote bag, what its colour is or what other people think about it. That's just one of the problems that society has created for itself, we care too much about what other people think about us, that we have to maintain a certain image of ourselves, the latest advertisement campaign just told us we have to get this not that and so on. We are not going to safe this planet if we concentrate so much on ourselves! Any tote bag will do but do skip the plastic. I can't believe there's still supermarkets in Canada that do not charge for the plastic. 

Of course, the tote bag is only an example of where people have trouble to go green but in my opinion it's not a huge sacrifice. Now image these people had to get rid of their car. Let's face it cars in Canada are a bigger addiction to many than alcohol or other drugs. It's going to be a loooong therapy.