[Image-1] The conversation surrounding the opposition of oil sands and the fight for eco-justice has been too buzz-worthy to ignore. But it should come as no surprise that our environmental agenda still needs reworking. Though it won’t come overnight, Canada is engaging in a shift in attitude that reaffirms our eco-consciousness. One of the new […]
environment
Posted inNews + Opinion
Crushing it: the journey of a can
It’s Sunday, the evening before collection day in south end Halifax. Outside the houses on Edward Street, tidy mounds of rubbish decorate the curb: plastic bags of recycling, trash and what appear to be loose remnants of spring cleaning. And there are, of course, plenty of empty beer cans—evidence of a boozy weekend. These […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The scoop on soil: carbon storage is lost after clear-cutting
[Image-1] Soil seems so simple—the stuff of childhood (mud pies taste a bit gritty), the smell after a rain, dark-crested fingernails after a hard day in the garden and stains on pants. Dirt. But it turns out that soil is in fact quite complicated, and a lot more interesting. And in this spongy matrix beneath our […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nova Scotia feeling the burn on biomass
[Image-1] Public concern about the state of Nova Scotia’s forests is driving the government to look at cutting back on clearing trees as a means to generate electricity. While the department of natural resources laments that the general public doesn’t understand clear-cutting, the department is committing to a recommendation from the provincial auditor general to more […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
CarbonCure offers concrete solutions to climate change
[Image-1] Environmentally-friendly design is an easy concept to support, but deciding which building materials are best for the environment is a tricky business. For its strength and durability, concrete has long been the top choice for new construction, despite its large carbon footprint. Five percent of all CO2 emissions come from cement production—one of the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
SCIENCE MATTERS: Shocking migratory changes bring electric rays to Canada’s Pacific
[Image-1] Gary Krause was mystified by an unusual fish he caught in his trawl net off BC’s Pacific north coast in October. It was a Pacific electric ray, named for a pair of organs behind its head that can knock a human adult down with a powerful shock. Trawl fishery records show 88 of these […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Long Lake park upgrades met with criticism
[Image-1] Fifteen minutes from downtown Halifax sits over two thousand hectares of gorgeous green space. But some nearby residents say upgrades to the park are destroying the area’s natural beauty. “It’s absolutely ruining the park, at least that portion of the park,” says Lesley Hartman. Developers Polycorp and Atlantic Developments are in the midst of sprucing […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
SCIENCE MATTERS: Got milkweed? Monarchs still need your help
[Image-1] Three years ago, the eastern monarch butterfly population plummeted to 35 million, a drop of more than 95 percent since the 1990s. More than a billion milkweed plants, which monarchs depend on for survival, had been lost throughout the butterfly’s migratory range—from overwintering sites in Mexico to summer habitat in Canada. We needed more […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
SCIENCE MATTERS: Tapping into geothermal, the clean energy source under our feet
In the midst of controversy over B.C.’s Peace River Site C dam project, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association released a study showing the province could get the same amount of energy more affordably from geothermal sources, for about half the construction costs. Unlike Site C, geothermal wouldn’t require massive transmission upgrades, would be less environmentally […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
SCIENCE MATTERS: Environmental deficit tarnishes Canada’s rights record
[Image-1] Many Canadians see our country as a human rights leader, but a United Nations committee says we should do better. In early March, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights concluded that Canada’s lack of environmental protection and climate action mars our rights record. The committee’s periodic review of Canada put our country’s […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
One-on-one with Stephen McNeil
[Image-1] Earlier this month premier Stephen McNeil joined other Canadian premiers on the other side of the country for the much-publicized first ministers conference in Vancouver with prime minister Justin Trudeau. Those meetings covered such environment-related topics as climate change and carbon pricing, and were meant to lay the foundation for a national climate strategy. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Flawed science, poor consultation the cause for Alton Gas appeal
“This is an environmental disaster. It’s got to stop. It’s got to be stopped.” Sipekne’katik member Jim Maloney didn’t hold back Thursday morning when criticizing Alton Gas’ plan to carve out dozens of natural gas storage caverns and dump millions of litres of leftover brine into the Shubenacadie River. “There’s no way this can […]