The more research I do, the easier it becomes to let the information I learn get me down. It really does make me realize that ignorance is bliss. And I’m surrounded by blissfully ignorant people who drive huge SUVs, throw away recyclable plastic, and shop at places like Walmart. It makes me realize that the […]
Category: Global
My thoughts and ideas about local environmental issues.
third world living
When trying to describe Phnom Penh, I toy with words, as they choke my throat like dust as it swirls in the city streets. I stammer, never knowing exactly what I want to say. How do I describe a place which has endured the kind of anguish we only read about in Holocaust accounts, yet […]
cruel beauty
After scouring the internet for a number of hours, I have compiled what I believe is a pretty complete list of companies that still test their products on animals. Many of us shop for cosmetics and personal/household products without realizing that we’re supporting animal cruelty. It disturbs me that, before switching to all-organic products, my […]
Avaaz.com – World to Dilma: Save the Amazon
Avaaz is less than 13,000 votes away from it’s goal of 1,000,000! Sign the petition here From Avaaz.com . . . The Amazon is in serious danger: Brazil is on the verge of gutting its forest protection laws — unless we act now, vast tracts of our planet’s lungs could be opened up to clear-cutting […]
what are carbon emissions
Nowadays you hear phrases like global warming, greenhouse gases and climate change being thrown around by scientists, environmentalists and politicians. These phrases are abstract sounding, can be difficult to fully grasp, and can be easy to ignore. But climate change is a real problem, even if the average person doesn’t totally understand what it means. […]
the real dirt on soap lather
The more lather, the cleaner the hair, right? We have come to associate the effectiveness of our cleaning products with the amount of lather they generate while being used. What most people don’t realize, is that soap, shampoo, toothpaste and other cleaning products (both personal and household) don’t need to have a lot of lather […]
the BP oil spill, all but forgotten
In case you had forgotten, the largest oil spill in US history happened just over a year ago. After the explosion of a drilling rig, 5 million or so gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico over a three month period, before the pipe could be capped. To mark the one year anniversary […]
shame on us, Canada
Recently I learned something about the Harper Government that makes me embarrassed to call myself Canadian. Canada Blocks Inclusion of Chrysotile Asbestos In UN Convention Here in Canada, we have banned the use of chrysotile asbestos for use as a building material because it is deemed as a hazardous substance. Asbestos fibres lodge in the […]
troubled oceans
Scientists warn that oceans’ marine life on ‘brink of extinction’ Our oceans made the news recently. Environmental news doesn’t win the popularity contest for most-reported topic in the media world. This article was buried beneath Vancouver riot updates and other sensational human-interest pieces. After all, reading about human-caused environmental catastrophes does not peak the interest […]
2010 – worst carbon emissions ever
I just read a report in the Guardian stating that 2010 saw the biggest rise in global carbon emissions ever. This is scary stuff. Humans are having a horrific impact on the planet, and now that the recession is considered to be over, we’re polluting more than we ever have before. Now is the time […]