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Here are a few glimmers of light:

Guardian to ban advertising from fossil fuel firms: Guardian

CBC.ca: Sobeys removing plastic bags from its stores on Friday. Other single use plastics bans hopefully coming soon, based on several reports of possible movement with the Canadian federal government.

Public opinion, though, will need some work, at least in some circles. We were picking up a few things at a Zehrs location yesterday, and the person bagging noticed our cloth bags, but still tried to put things into a plastic bag. When we declined, he said something like “Well, if you don’t want single use plastic bags, why don’t you go to Sobeys instead of shopping here?” Instead of walking away and talking my business somewhere else right then, I suggested that Zehrs match Sobeys and get rid of the single use plastic, as well. Not sure that he got the message, but at least I said it – and I doubt that he is responsible for the corporate decision-making at Zehrs, anyways. Hopefully change will come sooner rather than later, because single use plastic (of all kinds) is a change that I have been requesting for a long time. 🙂

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.  🙂

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. 🙂

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/climate-change-denial-fossil-fuel-think-tank-sceptic-misinformation-1.5297236
Bottom line: Climate change is an absolutely critical issue, and the time for action (other than starting decades ago), is right now. Misinformation campaigns have no place in this, but they are there, and need to be dealt with, so that they do not impede climate action, at the pace that is needed.
Now is not the time for moderate action, or “let’s try a few things that aren’t too difficult and see how they feel” or anything else. It’s time to throw everything we’ve got at the issue.
For me, in the immediate term, that means electing Green MPs (because I believe that they have the strongest climate action plan.) Also, it means switching to proportional representation – to make it easier for people to vote positively (ie for Greens or whoever), instead of feeling pressured to vote negatively (ie “you have to vote for your second or third choice to make sure someone worse doesn’t get elected.”)
If we, collectively, vote overwhelmingly for candidates that support strong climate action, and PR, we can, in one election, shake up the current, broken system and build something better! (As far as I am aware, Greens and NDP are the only two parties that support both – though the Green climate platform is stronger). This will require massive turnout at the polls – but I believe that it’s doable, if we all work together, and bring others along. 🙂

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/20/climate-change-morally-wrong-carbon-abolition-movement

I love the approach the author is taking here. I agree that there are certainly technical and financial discussions that need to be had, and they have value. However, doing the right thing, is ultimately a moral/faith issue, not a financial issue.

If our primary motivation is financial or technical, lots of the important decisions and changes that we need to make will not happen – since the right thing is (often) not the easiest or the cheapest. A deeper sense that we owe it to others to live sustainably is, in my opinion, critical to grounding ourselves to make the radical changes that creation care calls us to do.

Societies have rallied around war efforts (which I disagree with). This is the time to rally around what is right, and set ourselves on a rapid transition to zero carbon, then to carbon negative. There is no more time to delay. With collective effort, we can move forward, at an incredible pace – towards what’s right, instead of what’s easy. 🙂

Hello all,

My recent discovery of a company that I am particularly interested in has coincided with the launch of my online store. I recently came across Lucky Iron fish, and (full disclosure), I am now a part of their affiliate program.

I am still learning all about the company, but I do like the work that they are doing, and am happy to help spread the word.

For more information, go to the Lucky Iron Fish website, or the online store page on my website. Happy browsing!

With the upcoming Canadian Federal election now called, I have added a page of info/resources etc related to the election, the Green Party and electoral reform. I will be adding to the page as additional info comes up throughout the election. 🙂

Hi all,

I am currently working on reorganizing the website – aiming to make pages and sections neater and tidier, with information easier to find. Please be patient over the next days (or longer) as things move around. Thank you! 🙂