Green Halifax

Two years ago Claire Campbell was a professor working in the Department of History at Dalhousie University. That is, until Dal’s College of Sustainability opened in September of 2009. “I always knew I wanted to do something about the environment,” says Campbell, now splitting her time between the history department and the new college to […]

A study at the University of Chicago in 2006 found that adopting a vegan diet has a greater impact in the fight against global warming than switching to a hybrid car. In a 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, it was estimated that 18 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions come […]

In terms of electricity generation, Nova Scotia is one of the dirtiest, most polluting jurisdictions in North America. We now produce about 85 percent of our electricity by burning fossil fuels—mostly in four gigantic, greenhouse gas-belching, coal-fired power plants in the northern reaches of the province. The provincial government has set a firm target for […]

Last year saw the beginning of a new opportunity for people who want to support sustainable and small-scale fishing in Nova Scotia: Off the Hook, Atlantic Canada’s first community supported fishery. On June 26, 2010 fishers and interested seafood lovers enjoyed a barbecue on the Halifax Waterfront, giving a chance for the consumer and the […]

Green roofs are not new. They’ve proven to be a huge hit in Germany, where an entire industry has shot up around the environmental and economic benefits of covering your roof with living plants. Beyond the extra insulation providing energy savings to the home or office it grows above, a green roof limits storm water […]

Every day thousands of Haligonians take their cars to work, all by themselves. The cars they drive can usually seat at least three others comfortably. Yet this lonely form of commuting remains the standard way to get from point A to point B. This inefficient form of transportation comes at a high cost for many […]

When it launches later this year, the Nissan Leaf will be the first automobile in Nova Scotia to not require an internal combustion engine. Even fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles—the Toyota Prius and GM’s Chevrolet Volt—require at least some gasoline to run. The Leaf, however, is completely electric. From the motor, to the air conditioning and the […]

If you’re still driving in a vehicle that was made in 1995 or earlier, guess what? It’s probably issuing 19 times more emissions than a vehicle made after 2004. Yep, that old Tercel that works “just fine” is actually one of the worst polluters on the road. Probably time to recycle it. It’s important to […]

Back in 2004, Metro Transit was touting its use of biodiesel as making a new era of sustainability for the city of Halifax. The fuel was made up of 20 percent fish oil and 80 percent diesel. “Moving to biodiesel has allowed HRM to replace 1,550,000 litres of non-renewable diesel fuel with a source that […]

Animal Bylaw A-300 allows for residents of the Halifax peninsula to keep rabbits, fish, lizards, birds, cats, dogs, snakes, spiders, and a veritable Noah’s ark of other creatures, great and small, as pets. But allus gallus domesticus, otherwise known as the common chicken, is species non-grata on the peninsula, and that has feathers flying among […]