“You’re passionate about your work, you truly believe in it, and it’s a very long uphill battle,” says Courtney Morrison, the 27-year-old who plans to bring a little more attention to Green Drinks. “It’s frustrating and exhausting.” Morrison attributes this exhaustion to “activist burnout”—a considerable concern among people working within the environmental sector. She says […]
environment
Posted inNews + Opinion
Solar City might just keep on shining
[Image-1] Solar City, the renewable energy program that seeks to brings solar heating to thousands of Halifax homes, wants to expand. In a report to be given to council this Tuesday, city staff are recommending continuing the program for three years with an expanded budget that will offer solar options for electric and space heating. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Earth Day comes early when you take our easy eco survey
Don’t wait until Earth Day to start thinking about the environmental state of things. You can take our awesome and easy and sciencey survey about Halifax’s green attitudes right now! Just click the photo to get started.
Posted inNews + Opinion
Beet juice and cheese brine could season Halifax’s icy roads
[Image-1] Like syrups on a snow cone, Halifax streets might be getting some delicious new flavours to help clear away icy conditions. A request is being put forward next week by councillor Linda Mosher looking at best practices for street cleaning when salt isn’t working. The motion asks council to consider a staff report for […]
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Provincial tax review fails the Ivany test
[Image-1] Recently, Jim Vibert, who was hired to edit the government’s tax review report, wrote a Chronicle Herald editorial calling people who had concerns with it “knee-jerk tax review naysayers.” Ralph Surette asked people in his Herald editorial to “stop spewing rhetoric and digest tax report.” Not wanting to be a naysayer, I sat down […]
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Over a barrel, from Alberta to New Brunswick
[Image-1] The tar sands may be 4,600 kilometres away, but they’ll feel a lot closer should the proposed Energy East pipeline finally get built. The proposed TransCanada artery can carry over a million barrels of crude oil a day from the prairies to eastern Canada. But the cost may be too high. TransCanada formally applied […]
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Trash rises higher
“Residual waste; garbage, that is.” —councillor Reg Rankin “I’m sick and tired of plans. Sick and tired of it, silly master plan.” —councillor Barry Dalrymple “I drove by a Santa Claus today—it looked great—on a car dealership.” —Dave O’Connor, president of Glow Parties THROW AWAYS Yesterday was Halifax Regional Council’s last meeting of 2014, and […]
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Councillor spends $25,000 on robot tree
[Image-1] A Halifax councillor has spent $25,000 of the municipality’s money on a talking Christmas tree. Brad Johns, councillor for Middle/Upper Sackville-Beaver Bank-Lucasville, is eagerly awaiting his new tree as it’s shipped from the States. He says it will help Sackville compete with neighbouring districts. “Spryfield’s got the Santa parade, downtown has their tree lighting. […]
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Poop problems
[Image-1] “Clear and consistent problems with feces, urine and water pollution” around Nova Scotian fur farms is the reason behind several formal complaints lodged today with the Department of Agriculture. The complaints were submitted by the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals, which says it has documented numerous instances of pollution and improper animal […]
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Here’s to a new Nova Scotian economy
I have spent several weeks on a rollercoaster of feelings when it comes to fracking. First came relief, as the Nova Scotia review of hydraulic fracturing, led by David Wheeler, acknowledged the complete lack of social license for development of Nova Scotia’s unconventional onshore resources. The panel’s final report enshrined community consent as the only […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Province breaks up with fracking
It’s not you, fracking. It’s us. The province just isn’t ready for that kind of commitment right now, says Energy Minister Andrew Younger, who today announced Nova Scotia will introduce legislation in the fall to prohibit hydraulic fracturing. “Nova Scotians have overwhelmingly expressed concern about allowing high volume hydraulic fracturing to be a part of […]
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Catch your share of sustainable fish
Finding fresh seafood is no easy feat in our province, despite being almost entirely surrounded by water. We export over 75 percent of our seafood, and seafood in grocery stores locally has switched hands so many times that it might have been dead for a week by the time it lands on your plate. But […]