Green Halifax

In a feature called “The catch” in The Coast’s February 26 issue, news editor Tim Bousquet explained why it’s so very difficult to get sustainably caught seafood here in Halifax. The expression “sustainable seafood” is itself fraught with problems. There isn’t enough of a demand for it, as there is in the organic produce and […]

One of the world’s best surfers worries that the Nova Scotian coast is in danger. Three-time world champion surf legend Tom Curren is in town today and tomorrow to raise funds for the Coastal Access Committee, a group of surfers fighting to keep beach access open for all Nova Scotians. He’ll be playing Friday with […]

Westmount looks like the perfect place to live. Kids frolic in the field behind St. Agnes School and neighbours greet each other by name. The neighbourhood has a unique design—front yards are the size of backyards—so people see more of each other. There’s just one problem and it’s keeping Lois Beaton up at night: “They’re […]

Jean Snow says she gets her best rest between 5am and 9am. She hits her sleep stride when most farmers are getting up. “But we’re urban farmers,” says the 53-year-old. “So it works perfectly.” Snow and her husband Bob Kropla, their two teenagers and their five-year-old golden retriever, Sam, live east of Prince Albert Road […]

When you can’t get a local organic English cucumber, what’s your next choice? An organic one from Israel or a conventionally farmed one from Maitland, Nova Scotia? It’s an important question in the quest for reducing our food’s impact on the environment: What does more harm—the greenhouse gas emissions from long-distance hauling by air or […]

This time last year on a hot day the smell of the Halifax waterfront was enough to make your stomach turn. But in a couple of weeks, parts of the former sewage swamp will be open for swimming and those beaches could turn into Halifax hot spots. Though it’s hard to shake memories of tampon […]

The debut of Green Halifax, the latest edition in The Coast’s stable of City Guides, happened around town on April 3. A directory of local businesses and organizations that are trying, in ways small and large, to make a difference to the environment, the guide offers lists of local organizations, restaurants, grocery stores, alternative energy […]

Our need for coffee is a huge burden on the environment. Setting aside the energy expended to get the beans to us here in Atlantic Canada, there’s also the issue of all those disposable cups. With a Timmy’s on every corner, it’s easy to point the finger at the popular coffee shop chain, especially as […]