Archives 2019

Hi all,

I have a few updates to share with you from Lucky Iron Fish today. Before I start, I have heard that there may be some discounts coming up, so watch here (or on their website) for further details. 🙂

1) They have a new item – a lucky iron leaf! Same benefits as the fish, in a new shape!

2) The Lucky Iron Cookbook has just lauched! Click here to for more details.

3) The have recently updated their website with more information regarding the role of iron in overall health. Click Click here for more details.

NOTE: As always, for full disclosure, I am part of their affiliate program. If you choose to buy products from them, and click my link first, I get a little bit of financial support from each purchase. That helps to cover some of the costs of my time etc, which helps to (hopefully, at some point) make my work financially sustainable. 🙂

If you are looking for something for yourself, or for a gift, or if you know others who might be interested, please consider sharing this with them. Thank you for your support!

Mass consumerism is destroying our planet. This Black Friday, let’s take a stand
And, by extension, this does not apply to only one day – or one week. To be clear, I am not against giving gifts, if that’s what is being bought – it’s the opposite, in fact. I love gift-giving traditions. This is about an end to the culture of mass consumerism that is destroying the planet. Instead of 3 cheap shirts from the mall, have 1 nice one from a business that is genuinely worth supporting. Support quality over quantity. Enjoy outings and experiences and relationships, instead of more cheap stuff. The change may feel hard sometimes, but it’s worth it. 🙂

Lucky fish make a great holiday gift! Simple, practical, and a lovely addition to any kitchen. Watch their website for details on sales, and go to my online store, and click on the link there to order. 🙂

NOTE: I am part of their affiliate program, so clicking on my link in my online store, which will take you through to purchase through the Lucky Iron Fish website, helps support my work and this website. Thank you for your support! 🙂

TIME: How to Halt Global Warming for $300 Billion.
Here is another reminder of one of many steps that need to be taken. And, to avoid jumping to any quick conclusions about not having the money to pay for it, here are some important stats. Depending on the calculation (ie how much direct vs indirect support is included etc), fossil fuel subsidies, globally, are in the range of $300 billion-$5.2 trillion/year.
So, in terms of the strictly financial/economic side, $300B is easily doable, even on a conservative estimate, by moving fossil fuel subsidies over for one year.* Every year, after that, along with any available funds that go beyond the conservative estimate, are available for job transition training for fossil fuel workers, support for renewables, and countless other important pieces of this response. (How about buying EV busses and trains for every school/university and municipality/province in the country, and then offering free public transit on all of them? How about adding in post-secondary tuition for students at the same time? Solar panels on school rooftops? Heat pumps in every building? The possibilities are almost endless, with that much money. :))
* Details on Guardian , the Atlantic, IISD and others. (NOTE: I am not an economist, so I am trusting them that their numbers are accurate.)
Ultimately, this is not the final or only piece of the puzzle. We will still need to make dramatic lifestyle and systems changes. This simply helps to buy a little bit of time.
So what does this mean for next steps? Here’s what I see (among others):

• Elect government officials who are committed to ending fossil fuel subsidies (and work towards proportional representation, which will likely help with this piece).
• If your current representative (including all levels, from local up to the PM) does support fossil fuel subsidies, write letters/arrange a meeting etc (if you can) and explain why you would like them to change. Public pressure is really important to moving these kinds of changes forward.
• Reduce our own fossil fuel consumption as much as possible, and encourage others to do the same. (Take the train instead of flying. Seriously consider how often we are flying, overall. Reduce consumption of animal products etc.)
  • One of the big obstacles that comes up in this discussion is “Others aren’t going to change, so there’s no point in me changing.” We are all responsible for our own piece, and, if we can help somebody else find a path to change with us, that’s even better. 🙂
• Remember that the point at which fossil fuel companies will start dropping in value (even in the current state) is likely coming sooning than many people realize.

How much longer are we going to subisdize something that is causing destruction, and isn’t even a good economic investment?

JK Rowling urges students not to volunteer at orphanages: Guardian
Well said! And, I would add, that applies equally to many other trips/donations that people make under the “voluntourism” or “going to help” or “just sending some cash” umbrella. Non-profit work is a profession, not a holiday or a hobby. If you don’t want random tourists from other countries coming and working in your kids’ school (or hospital or wherever else), then don’t go yourself, and don’t send your kids. There are much better ways to learn, and to help.
If you want to travel, go on a holiday. If you want to help a non-profit, either apply for a job at a reputable NGO, or donate the money that you would have spent on a flight to a reputable NGO or find other ways to be supportive. If a reputable NGO is not hiring you, and you don’t have training in program assessments/NGO program management etc yourself, consider who the trip or money is really benefitting, and what the best choice is moving forward.
Without the training to assess which projects are actually working effectively, even if you think that things look good, you may be missing something critical that impacts the project, and, by extension, the community and the region as a whole. Even seeing a project first hand isn’t enough to assess accurately, if you don’t know fully what to look for, which is usually the case for the general public.
Stick with giving your time and money to reputable NGOs, and let them decide which specific projects to partner with. They know better, and it’s their job to do the screening for you. Trust them.  🙂

Hello all,

Following yesterday’s election, and my frustration at having to vote, again, under FPTP, I have decided to take action to help empower change, and have started a public petition. Based on many conversations I have had, I know that there are many of us who are frustrated with the current system, and are asking for PR. PR is a more representative system, as well as a more cooperative way to work towards big goals on climate and other issues. Please support me by signing and sharing widely in your circles. Thank you! 🙂

Enact Electoral Reform and Proportional Representation in Canada on Change.org.

The Guardian: ‘It’s a crisis, not a change’: the six Guardian language changes on climate matters.

Important and valuable notes from the Guardian on their editorial choices, which is also highly relevant to the language that we all use when addressing the climate crisis.

Here are a couple of examples:

“climate science denier” or “climate denier” to be used instead of “climate sceptic”

The OED defines a sceptic as “a seeker of the truth; an inquirer who has not yet arrived at definite conclusions”. Most “climate sceptics”, in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, deny climate change is happening, or is caused by human activity, so ‘denier’ is more accurate.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/16/guardian-language-changes-climate-environment

and another one…

 Use “fish populations” instead of “fish stocks”

This change emphasises that fish do not exist solely to be harvested by humans – they play a vital role in the natural health of the oceans.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/16/guardian-language-changes-climate-environment

And, by extension, the same thing applies to other aspects of nature. Creation care, and a liveable climate, requires a change in how we view nature – from yet another consumable, to something that we genuinely are trying our best to care for in a sustainable manner.

I think that language plays an important role in how we frame the world, and our choices within our local and global context. Accurate representation is even more important when we are dealing with a crisis, and hard choices are required of all of us.

Thanks to the Guardian for their excellent journalism – on this and other issues. 🙂

The Guardian: Rise of renewables may see off oil firms decades earlier than they think.

Some rare good news in climate action. Here are several key quotes:

The world’s rising reliance on fossil fuels may come to an end decades earlier than the most polluting companies predict, offering early signs of hope in the global battle to tackle the climate crisis.

The climate green shoots have emerged amid a renewable energy revolution that promises an end to the rising demand for oil and coal in the 2020s, before the fossil fuels face a terminal decline.

The looming fossil fuel peak is expected to emerge decades ahead of forecasts from oil and mining companies, which are betting that demand for polluting energy will rise until the 2040s.

Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/14/rise-renewables-oil-firms-decades-earlier-think

Within the energy industry, experts believe the rapid rise of renewable energy in recent years may soon seem glacial compared with the changes to come.

Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/14/rise-renewables-oil-firms-decades-earlier-think

It is a cautionary tale for fossil fuel companies that believe the world’s demand for polluting energy will continue to rise until the middle of the century. It is also a new narrative of hope, he says.

“We’re a lot further on than we were. And yes, we need to go faster. And yes, it’s difficult and complicated. But at the same time we now live in a world where two-thirds of the global population live in a country where wind and solar power is the cheapest form of new electricity capacity. We have the tools to do this,” he says.

Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/14/rise-renewables-oil-firms-decades-earlier-think

BBC News: Climate change: Big lifestyle changes are the only answer.

The BBC has further evidence, again, that significant lifestyle changes will be needed for many people – specifically those who are currently living a lifestyle with higher carbon emission activities. The time for incremental changes was decades ago. What is needed now is a rapid transition off of fossil fuels.

As with any major change, there is a mix of both individual and systemic changes needed. Switching significantly towards plant-based eating is relatively easy (and, often, cost-effective) for many people to do. Eliminating fossil fuel subsidies requires enough pressure from civil society to enact government changes, at the federal level, across the globe.

On the flip side, while individuals, alone, do not have the power to create a federal government policy, we do have the power to be strong advocates. We can also make changes that replicate federal policies, and encourage others in our circles to do the same. To be clear, I am not suggesting any bans for anybody – simply encouraging all of us to look at how we can make changes in our circles of influence. 🙂

– Want a carbon tax? Using a reliable carbon calculator, estimate your own carbon footprint, and then tax yourself, by donating to a reputable NGO (or your local Green Party) that is working on sustainability. Adding in Bullfrog Power, or another similar option, is another possibility. Encourage others in your family/friends/circles of influence to do the same.

– Want a reduction in aviation emissions? Consider adjusting your own travel plans. Do you fly to go somewhere warm every winter with friends or family? Lead the way and encourage the group to go somewhere closer, instead. Do you fly to some meetings where you could call in or have someone local work on your behalf?

– Want to reduce emissions from eating animal products? Go plant-based (all or part of the way) and help build excitement with others. Help nudge the transition (politely, of course), and show that your journey is positive and something to embrace, not a negative to be endured. 🙂

This is not an exhaustive list, by any stretch. Simply a starting point for discussion, as we each discern our individual and collective responses to what climate change calls us to do. Let’s embrace the positive aspects that come from change and see where a new path might lead us. 🙂

https://www.charterchallenge.ca//

Since the Canadian Charter of rights and freedoms was established in the 1980s, the courts have been ruling in favour of fair and equal representation in Canadian and provincial elections. Now, it’s time to challenge the fairness of the first-past-the-post voting system itself. 

https://www.charterchallenge.ca/

Just heard about this court challenge to First Past the Post. Premised on the fundamental belief that a strong democracy depends on a strong correlection between votes case and representatives elected, they are moving forward with a court challenge to our highly unrepresentative FPTP system. If successful, this will help bring about the changes that we, in Canada, should have had long ago, and were promised in the last election. I’m hoping for success at the federal level, which will then, hopefully, spread quickly to create change at the provincial level, as well.