Plastic-Free 2012

I usually have a bunch of personal New Year's resolutions that I'm lucky if I remember by the time a new year rolls around. This year I won't have the luxury of absent-mindedness. Linnet and I have signed-on to be part of a documentary, following 12 households in the Lower Mainland who are going "plastic-free" for a year. I put "plastic-free" in quotations, because we are allowed to create some personal exceptions (e.g. health-related products like medicine in a plastic bottle, or toothpaste in a tube). The bottom line is that apart from a few exceptional items, we aren't allowed to collect any new plastic. Any plastic that we do acquire (e.g. someone sends us a gift that has plastic, or we accidentally buy some unwittingly) we have to keep for a visual record for the entire year. How's that for a not-so-private New Year's resolution?

Truth be told, I'm slightly apprehensive and excited about this new adventure. I'm apprehensive because plastic is so ubiquitous in our society that it can be difficult to avoid (and I have a traditional weakness for potato chips...which I'm going to have to learn to make by hand), but I'm also excited to be doing something positive and engaging with respect to the legacy and footprint we're living and leaving behind.

It's not that we think plastic is evil, it's actually a pretty amazing and durable material with important applications (healthcare comes to mind), but the problem is that we take this incredibly durable material and make it into disposable items that we use and throwaway on a daily basis, or that we use to store or even heat food in (plastic does contain scary chemicals you don't want in your body). That's the problem and the point of this exercise - to eliminate the casual disposable use of plastic.

Plastic is connected to all kinds of nasty environmental and health issues. My mom and her friends recently tossed their Tupperware due to fears about plastic and cancer, and more and more people are learning about the Great Pacific garbage patch and the immediate effects plastic has on animals like Albatross, which mistake disposable plastic like bottle caps and lighters, for food.

As I've previously blogged, plastic does not biodegrade – literally every scrap that has ever been produced in history lives-on somewhere in some form, either as buried plastic bags in landfills or as tiny particles of plastic bobbing in the ocean, working their way up the food chain. It’s a legacy that suddenly makes a plastic-wrapped sandwich or plastic take-out fork look a lot less appealing.

At a minimum, this new resolution will mean that we're living a healthier life, and having a much smaller environmental footprint. Reflecting on a recent article by George Monbiot, I'd say that we're restricting our freedom to consume plastic, in order to protect the freedom of other people, animals and ourselves, who would suffer from its ill effects.

Doing away with disposable plastic necessitates a shift in diet towards fresher, healthier, more local food in general. I'm excited about homemade bread and hand-cranked pasta, and while some of these things will take more time to prepare, others don't. For the ones that do, it feels like time well spent, slowing down, connecting to our food and the seasons, spending time together, and all that other blah, blah, blah, that's actually true.

We're also making connections with other folks who are trying to go plastic-free, and that means a new community is taking shape (which can only be a good thing). Folks are already swapping recipes for crackers and sharing plastic-free shopping tips.

As our adventure takes shape, I'll post on the experience. Today we purged plastic from our kitchen and toiletries, and yesterday we found a source for plastic-free bulk toilet paper (100% recycled with 40% Post-Consumer Waste) - it seems to be just as green and even cheaper than the environmentally-friendly stuff we've all been wiping our asses with.

On that note, Happy New Year! Wish us luck in 2012 (or better yet, join us)!

Thesis Defended!

I formally submitted my Masters thesis to the Simon Fraser University library last week. I officially defended it on December 9th in front of a great mix of friends, colleagues and professionals from the fields of environment and ecology.

Man, it feels good to be done!

If you're interested in subjects like public engagement, climate change, environmental communication, or science communication, you'll find lots of useful and practical findings and recommendations inside.

Please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you're interested in further discussion of my research.

Abstract: This case study investigates the role of the intermediary in public engagement on climate change, through interviews with twenty Canadian presenters of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The study explores the relationship between presenters, audiences and The Climate Project Canada (recently renamed the Climate Reality Project Canada), the organization tasked with training and coordinating presenters. Investigating the development and delivery of climate change presentations, the study looks at each unique phase of presenting, including preparation, personal edits and affective engagement with the public. Areas of emphasis include communication of climate change science, spokesperson credibility, localization, rhetorical strategies, humour, narrative and presentation of solutions. The study concludes with recommendations for how to develop more effective forms of public engagement on climate change.

Worm Composting!

We're about two-weeks into a trial of the new continuous-flow indoor worm composter I built for our red wiggler compost worms. Seems to be working well! Our goal is to get to a point where we're composting 100% of our food waste (except fish and meat-related scraps), and to use the rich vermicompost for our garden. It's all about transforming our waste stream from something that contributes to landfills and climate change (when food rots anaerobically in landfills, it can produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas), into a nutrient stream that helps produce food in our garden, and keeps our indoor plants healthy!

It's also an important part of our efforts to go "plastic-free" by cutting-out the need for garbage liners (more on that in a future post, let's just say it involves a documentary and a one-year commitment...we're excited and a little nervous!).

The plans for the continuous flow composter, which I modified very slightly to make it longer and wider, are easy to follow and available on instructables here (amazing site!), c/o Amy Youngs. Ms. Youngs is an Ohio-based artist and Associate Professor of Art at Ohio State University. She does cool stuff with "bioart" including this "digestive table" which was the creative spark for the more hardy "worm bag" that our composter is based on.

The idea behind this design is that the worms will stay near the top of the bag, where the food is, and the finished compost gravitates towards the bottom of the bag, where a tie string can be undone, emptying the compost into the blue bin. And this isn't just any compost, this is vermicompost, richer and higher in plant-beneficial microbes and nutrients than regular compost. You can even make a tea from the stuff and spray it directly onto plants to improve their growth and repel pests.

Best of all, the design is unobtrusive and with the natural wood and glass lid, even kind of attractive. I'll update you on our trial as we get closer to harvesting our first compost.

In the meantime, if you're interested in trying worm composting yourself, the City of Vancouver sells plastic composting bins and offers quick trainings at the compost demonstration garden, operated by City Farmer. When it comes time to buy worms, the man with the best prices, the best worms and the best advice in town, is Bintoro Gunadi (a very friendly man, who loves his worms and knows them inside out...he's got a PhD in soil ecology).

As for worm composting itself, I've only been doing it for a couple months now, but I gotta say, I love the little critters  - they're like pets, and I find myself looking at our food scraps post-dinner and thinking, "What will they find the tastiest?" Truth is, they like a lot of things, and are prolific eaters. They need to be fed at least once a week.

Here wormy, wormy!

Media Round-Up: First Nations Oil Sands Export Ban

It was an honour and a privilege to conduct media relations on behalf of the Gathering of Nations for last week's oil sands export ban declaration. We got great coverage and forced Enbridge to rush their announcement of an "agreement" with the Gitxsan - an announcement that has since unraveled, and resulted in the wider Gitxsan nation firing the negotiator who made the deal with Enbridge.

Here's a summary of the print coverage we generated:

Natives to oppose West Coast oil pipelines Reuters December 1, 2011

First Nation leaders say they are closing B.C. borders to Gateway pipeline The Canadian Press December 1, 2011

Native leaders vow to block Norther Gateway pipeline Globe and Mail December 1, 2011

Aboriginal groups stand against Canadian oil pipeline Toronto Star

Enbridge pipeline faces 'unbroken wall of opposition' from B.C. First Nations Postmedia News (Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald and others) December 1, 2011

B.C. First Nations form 'united front' against pipeline: Leaders vow to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in front of bulldozers to halt construction CBC News December 1, 2011

Should Enbridge's proposed Alberta-B.C. oil pipeline go ahead? CBC News December 1, 2011

First nations claim alliance is barrier that pipelines won't break The Vancouver Sun December 1, 2011

Opposition to pipeline grows as Ottawa, First Nations plan summit The Edmonton Journal December 1, 2011

Native leader to Harper: 'We will be the wall that Enbridge cannot break through' The Tyee December 1, 2011

Native groups form 'wall' to block oil exports BCLocalNews.com December 1, 2011

The Gitxsan people are outraged with the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Agreement

This press release just found its way into my inbox - an interesting read for those following the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline story: GITANMAX, BRITISH COLUMBIA (December 2, 2011) - Contrary to the announcement of Elmer Derrick of today’s date, the representatives of the Plaintiffs to the British Columbia Supreme Court Action No. 15150, cited as Spookw v. Gitxsan Treaty Society, oppose the Agreement.

The Gitxsan plaintiffs include Hereditary Chiefs and four Gitxsan bands with a population of over 6,000 Gitxsan people; the majority of whom are House members in the Gitxsan traditional system represented by Hereditary Chief, Spookw, in the court action.

The representatives do not support Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline agreement entered into by Elmer Derrick and state “Elmer Derrick and the Gitxsan Treaty Society/Gitxsan Economic Development Corp. does not speak for all Gitxsan. The Gitxsan people had no knowledge of the proposed Agreement nor were they consulted”.

The Plaintiffs contend that the Gitxsan Treaty Society, or the Gitxsan Development Corporation, does not have the authority to enter into such Agreements without consulting or being authorized by the Gitxsan people.

Knowledge of the signed Agreement was only obtained through media, much like the Gitxsan Alternative Governance Model of May 2008, the subject matter of litigation in Spookw v. Gitxsan Treaty Society.

The representatives say that not only were the communities not consulted, but importantly, the Environmental Review Process is not yet complete with community hearings being scheduled for January 2012; therefore, a decision to support it is, at best, premature. Until the Environmental assessment is complete there is no basis for saying this project is safe to build.

The Representatives say the 7 Million dollars is a pittance in comparison to the potential environmental impacts which will be catastrophic. The GTS/GED is willing to jeopardize the sustenance of the First Nations people for a few million dollars is reprehensible and is not supported by the Gitxsan people.

Mr. Derrick espouses the importance of Gitxsan Law; however, breached such law by announcing and celebrating the Agreement on the day of the funeral of an elder matriarch and Hereditary Chief. This type of conduct brings shame and is disrespectful to the grieving family and the traditional system.

The representatives say that Mr. Derrick has embarrassed and shamed the Gitxsan people by undermining the 61 First Nations who are opposed to the project. The representatives say “We stand in solidarity to those opposing it.”

Contact Information:

Chief Councilor Marjorie McRae Gitanmaax Indian Band 250-847-0393

Hereditary Chief Guuhadawk, Norman Stephens 250-842-8197.

Opposed First Nations on Enbridge pipeline route react to announcement of support for pipeline

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - Chief Na’Moks (John Ridsdale) representing the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, made the following statement in response to today’s announcement of a First Nation deal with Enbridge: "Enbridge is just not going to happen. We have said no and banned this pipeline from going through our territories - not only to protect ourselves and our lands, but also all the communities downriver from our lands. We have reviewed the project, and we have made a decision based in our traditional laws that we will not allow the devastation of an Enbridge oil spill in our lands to affect us and other communities further away who are all connected to us through the water.”

Chief Jackie Thomas of Saik’uz First Nation, speaking for the Yinka Dene Alliance, stated:

“Enbridge has always had a strategy of offering money to lots of First Nations. Lots of First Nations have refused this money. This is just the same old divide and conquer tactic we've known for centuries. It doesn't matter who they get a deal with. The wall of First Nations saying no is unbroken. They plan to come through our territories and we've already said no, and we'll use every legal means we have to stop them.”

She added:

“Their proposed pipeline is against our laws because we refuse to put our communities at the risk of oil spills. Water means more to us than money. We know we have overwhelming support from a large majority of British Columbians for stopping this dangerous Enbridge pipeline."

Contact Information:

Chief Na'Moks, Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs: 250-643-0771

Yinka Dene Alliance Geraldine Thomas-Flurer, Coordinator 250-570-1482

Oil Sands Export Ban: BC First Nations Unite to Declare Province-Wide Opposition to Crude Oil Pipeline and Tanker Expansion

Harper's push for west coast oil exports bound to fail, say First Nations

VANCOUVER, COAST SALISH TERRITORIES, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Dec. 1, 2011) - First Nations, whose unceded territory encompasses the entire coastline of British Columbia, have formed a united front, banning all exports of tar sands crude oil through their territories, and effectively all of BC - whether by Enbridge in the north or Kinder-Morgan in the south.

Several new First Nations signed the Save the Fraser Declaration in a Vancouver ceremony, expanding First Nations opposition in western Canada to more than 130 Nations. These First Nations form an unbroken wall of opposition from the U.S. border to the Arctic Ocean. This is the first time that First Nations have come together publicly to declare a ban on oil tankers and pipelines on both the north and south coasts.

"North or south, it makes no difference. First Nations from every corner of BC are saying absolutely no tar sands pipelines or tankers in our territories," said Chief Jackie Thomas of Saik'uz First Nation, a member of the Yinka Dene Alliance. "We have banned oil pipelines and tankers using our laws, and we will defend our decision using all the means at our disposal."

It is impossible for oil pipelines to go around opposed First Nations, and their consent to pipelines and tankers in their territories is required by international law. Today's announcement - on the first anniversary of the Save the Fraser Declaration - comes in response to recent calls from the Harper government and oil executives to push through pipeline and tanker projects against the wishes of British Columbians and First Nations.

"The government can talk all it wants about pushing tar sands oil pipelines and tankers through BC. There is no way our Nations will allow it," says Chief Art Adolph representing the St'át'imc Nation. "If they are serious about respecting our rights, the government of Canada must stop pushing the oil companies' line that this is in the public interest, and the government of BC should step up to the plate too and begin protecting our rivers and coastlines from further environmental damages that violate our basic human rights. Especially now, when Canada is a global embarrassment for failing to address climate change and systemically ignoring Indigenous rights."

The Save the Fraser Declaration, signed by more than 61 First Nations, bans tar sands oil pipelines throughout the Fraser River watershed. It also prohibits tar sands crude oil tankers in the ocean migration routes of Fraser River salmon. Until now, the Declaration has been used to fight Enbridge's northern pipeline plans. Now it is being recognized by First Nations as effectively banning tar sands crude oil exports on the whole coast, including the south. Adding to the chorus last week, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs - representing most First Nations in BC - passed a resolution endorsing the Save the Fraser Declaration and the Coastal First Nations Declaration, and expressly recognizing that they prohibit the transportation of tar sands crude by pipeline and tanker anywhere in BC.

The Coastal First Nations declared a ban on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of BC in 2010. Harold Yeltatzie, president of the Coastal First Nations, stated: "The Coastal First Nations support the First Nations communities along the Fraser, Bulkley and Skeena rivers in their fight to ban crude oil pipelines in their territories." Yeltatzie added that the ban on crude oil tankers on BC's coast must be maintained, saying, "The consequences of a catastrophic oil spill on our people and our culture cannot be calculated or compensated."

"We won't let government and industry play First Nations off one another with their usual divide and conquer strategies. We are drawing the line in BC and First Nations are more united than ever before to stop the threat of oil spills," said Chief Na'Moks, on behalf of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, who signed the Declaration today on behalf of his people (who are not members of the Yinka Dene Alliance). "We have stood against tar sands pipelines from day one and we join with our brothers and sisters today in a shared commitment to put a stop to them."

Contact Information:

Geraldine Thomas-Flurer Coordinator, Yinka Dene Alliance (includes Nadleh Whut'en, Nak'azdli, Takla Lake, Saik'uz & Wet'suwet'en First Nations) 250-570-1482

Local Green-Tech Company Envisions An "Open Source" Clean Transportation Future For Vancouver and Beyond

Big Green Island Transportation is a local company that specializes in residential home and commercial fleet charging installations for electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and clean transportation hub design for municipalities

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Dec. 1, 2011) - Electric vehicle ownership in Metro Vancouver is expected to rise to 30,000 vehicles by as early as 2020, spurred on in part by provincial incentives for electric vehicles and charging systems that take effect today (Dec. 1^st 2011).

New electric vehicles (EVs) are eligible for point-of-purchase incentives of up to $5000, and home charging systems are eligible for a $500 mail-in rebate.

"Vancouver is on the cusp of an open source, clean transportation revolution," says J-M Toriel, founder of Big Green Island Transportation, the company that installed the home charging system for Vancouver's first Nissan LEAF owner. "EV owners are going to be looking for electrical outlets the same way we look for Wi-Fi signals today, and our goal is to build that network."

Thousands of new electric vehicles will necessitate the installation of new charging infrastructure and thousands of home garage charging systems. With dozens of charging options available to consumers, Big Green Island's extensive knowledge base and in-depth consultation will educate consumers to make ethical purchase decisions and help save them money.

According to the B.C. government, battery-powered vehicles will cost as little as $300 per year in electricity bills, compared to upwards of $1,500 per year to fuel a gas-powered car. The growth in this industry will also fuel green jobs, as the need for new infrastructure creates business opportunities.

"We're embracing an open source approach to charging infrastructure by offering a wide range of products and services, from mainstream systems endorsed by car manufacturers, to systems that some people may not even be aware of," says Toriel. "We're also offering options that allow consumers and municipalities to generate their own renewable electricity locally, and to share it with others through community charging stations."

In addition to installing residential chargers, the company has designed a series of clean transportation hubs for local municipalities. These "Big Green Islands" offer a modern-take on the gas station, with community cafés where drivers can sit and talk, have a coffee and check their email while their vehicles charge.

"With electric cars, the only thing we're asking people to give up is their tailpipe," says Toriel. "Everything else is about building community, retaining convenience and saving money."

Contact Information:

Big Green Island Transportation J-M Toriel President 604-771-4954 www.biggreenisland.com

Media Advisory – BC Tar Sands Pipelines and Tankers: First Nations Leaders to Make Major Announcement in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Nov. 29, 2011) - What: First Nations leaders from north coast, south coast and Interior of BC, will come together to make an announcement on the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, and other provincial pipeline and tanker proposals.

When: Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 9:15 a.m.

Where: Vancouver Public Library, Alice MacKay Room, 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver.

Details: Visuals include a signing ceremony, traditional regalia, drumming and territorial maps.

Contact:

Andrew Frank Media Relations 604-367-2112

Why Not Eat Insects?

That's the title of a TED talk by Dr. Marcel Dicke, Professor of Entomology at Wageningen University, in which he makes the case for eating insects as part of a sustainable diet. Maybe I was hungry at the time, but I actually found myself hankering for some bugs after watching this video.

I think the reason I found the video so persuasive is that Marcel does a good job of dismantling Western taboos against eating insects by pointing out the fact that we're already eating them. That's right, almost everything we eat has an "allowable ammount" of insects in it. The government actually sets the amount of insects allowed in common foods like peanut butter, chocolate and tomato soup (and they're in there). In fact, it's impossible to avoid eating insects.

When it comes to eating bugs, Western nations are the weird kids, because we don't eat them. According to an article in the Guardian newspaper, more than 1000 species of insects are known to be eaten by choice in 80% of the world's nations.

Marcel also points out that we're already eating lots of other species of arthropods - delicacies like shrimp, lobster and crab, which apparently taste similar to insects like locusts ("flying shrimp"), an insect that Western nations have historically celebrated as a biblical food. Locusts and honey anyone?

Also compelling is the fact that insects contain high levels of protein (with all the essential amino acids), vitamins and minerals, superior to beef, pork and chicken, and because they are cold-blooded, they are extremely efficient at converting food to protein. Commonly reared insects like crickets, grasshoppers and mealworms have an energy input to protein output ratio of around 4:1 vs. raised livestock which has a ratio closer to 54:1. This helps explain why 33 percent of global arable land is used to produce feed for livestock (e.g. genetically-modified corn and soybeans), with 70% of the Amazon's former forests turned over to grazing alone.

In addition to hogging more than their fair share of land and fossil fuels, livestock produce 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions (more than the transport sector). Clearly, any other meat that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions is critical in the fight against climate change, especially with global population and meat consumption on the rise. Farming insects is an important solution, as it produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions, emitting far less carbon, 10 times less methane, and 300 times less nitrous oxide than traditional livestock. Insects also produce much less ammonia, a pollutant produced by pig and poultry farming.

While there is clearly a "yuk" reaction to eating insects in Western society (one unfortunately exploited by reality television shows like Fear Factor), it's all about the way they are prepared. Insect advocates are warming-up Western consumers with ground-up insect flour, incorporated into things like protein bars, cookies and muffins (remember, there are already insects in flour...we might as well eat them properly and really get those nutrients). From there, it's on to more interesting fare, and most people are at least willing to try a bug delicacy.

Personally, I'm planning to give mealworms a try by growing some at home. All they eat is apples and whole wheat or oats (with some brewer's yeast added for vitamins)...when's the last time you felt confident about what your meat was eating? Apples and oats sound pretty clean to me. Maybe it's because I haven't eaten breakfast yet, but mealworm fried rice actually sounds pretty tasty right now. I'll keep you posted on how that turns out.

Why not eat insects?