The NLEN E-Update – August 13, 2007

The E-Update � August 13, 2007
The Newfoundland and Labrador Environment Network
A Network of more than 30 Member Groups
Many Voices for the Environment

In this E-update you will find:
1. Call for nominations of wetland champions
2. MUN Project Green Planning Meeting, Tuesday August 14th at 7 pm
3. Starting September: Letter Writing Sessions at the EGP
4. Torbay Open-Air Community Market
5. Ocean Net’s ‘Milestone’ Initiative is Catalyst for 25-kilometer Bonne Bay Shoreline Cleanup
6. Job Opportunities with CPAWS
7. Job Opportunity: Administrator for the New Organic Federation of Canada
8. Green Drinks, Wednesday, August 29th
9. Newfoundland and Labrador’s Invasive Alien Species: Workshop at MUN Botanical Garden
10. Call for Environmental Stories
11. Job Opportunity: Dalhousie University Hiring Student Sustainability Coordinator
12. Oxfam Call for Squareball Volunteers!
13. Call for Resources for NLEN Library
14. Green Speak Radio, Monday’s 4-5pm, 93.5FM or www.chmr.ca
15. Recycle for the East Coast Trail Association!
16. David Suzuki Article: Public interest in global warming still high
17. Industrial Polluters on Google Earth
* A Message for the NLEN Members
** A message to Readers of the NLEN E-update
*** What is the NLEN about?
**** For more information.
Now for the details:
1. Call for nominations of wetland champions
Do you know a person or group that is dedicated to conserving and protecting Newfoundland and Labrador’s wetland habitats? The Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) are looking for nominations for the prestigious Lieutenant Governor’s Greenwing Conservation Award.
The annual award recognizes individuals or groups who have demonstrated leadership in a project or activity that has contributed to the public awareness of wetland conservation in Newfoundland and Labrador, and/or individuals and groups demonstrating outstanding volunteer service in assisting organizations that benefit wetland conservation.
If you know an individual or group that meets the award criteria (http://www.ducks.ca/conserve/leaders/pdf/crit_nl.pdf), please nominate them for the Lieutenant-Governor’s Greenwing Conservation Award. Please complete and forward the form (www.ducks.ca/conserve/leaders/pdf/nom_nl.pdf) for the individual or group, by mail, to Ducks Unlimited Canada, 6 Labrador Place, St. John’s, NL A1A 3S3, or by e-mail to du_newfoundland@ducks.ca by September 20, 2007.
Up to 70 per cent of wetlands have been lost in settled areas of Canada, and the efforts of concerned individuals and groups are vital to conserving remaining wetland habitats, which are home to approximately 600 species of Canadian wildlife. DUC conserves, restores and manages wetlands and their associated habitats for the benefit of North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.
2. Project Green Planning Meeting, Tuesday August 14th at 7 pm
To all PAST and PRESENT members of MUN Project Green:
We would very much appreciate your input into the future of Project Green! As a university club we have been in existence since 2002, so this year marks our 5th year anniversary. We think its time to talk about what we do, how we do it, and how to make us better. What projects do you think Project Green should work on? How should we structure our group? How can we continue to recruit and retain our valuable volunteers? Please help us answer these questions and more this Tuesday, August 14th at 7 pm in UC 6011. Snacks will be offered!
Please let us know if you plan to show up so we can get a good idea of who will be there. Thanks!
3. Starting September: Letter Writing Sessions at the EGP
The NLEN would like to announce a new service for its member groups and the general public! The NLEN will be offering a letter-writing group session one evening a month in the boardroom at the Gathering Place. Everyone knows that writing letters to politicians and newspapers makes a difference! It lets your voice be heard and contributes to public discussion on important issues.
That’s why we’d like to offer a dedicated letter writing session that will focus on a different topic each month. Member groups will have the opportunity to choose topics for each session, and then they will have a few minutes at the beginning of each session to present their topic and answer questions before the writing begins. Presenters are also welcome to bring along any background documents that might be helpful to the letter writers. A template letter would also be helpful so that groups not able to attend can still take part in the letter writing at home.
These sessions will be open to all member groups, as well as to the wider letter-writing public. Members are asked to contact the NLEN at nlen.ed@gmail.com to suggest topics, which can be as local or as global as you wish.
Sessions will start at the end of September, and I’ll send out a reminder as we get closer to that time. Please let me know if YOUR group would like to be the first presenter!
4. Torbay Open-Air Community Market
You want it and we got it: It’s locally grown and locally made!
Fresh local and organic produce, arts and crafts, baked goods and more – all in one family-friendly, community-inspiring place. Keep your money in the local economy and support local farmers; come on out and see the fruits (and vegetables) of their labour!
Where: Torbay Town Hall, Torbay Road
When: Saturday, August 25th from 9:00am to 1:00pm
Cost: FREE
Contact: Torbay Environment and Trails Committee 437-7200 or torbayenviro@nf.aibn.com
5. Ocean Net’s ‘Milestone’ Initiative is Catalyst for 25-kilometer Bonne Bay Shoreline Cleanup
This summer marked the first time a concentrated effort has been made to clean up the entire southern shoreline of Bonne Bay, most of it within the USESCO World Heritage Site of Gros Morne National Park.
Gayle Tapper credits Ocean Net with generating the initial interest when it circulated an “Oceans Day” challenge to municipalities throughout the province to spearhead beach/shoreline cleanups in their home communities. A copy of the challenge was also circulated to musician friends of Ocean Net’s Founder/Chair Bob O’Brien, including Gayle Tapper – the rest has become part of the environmental history of both Ocean Net and the beautiful Bonne Bay area.
Gayle and friends initially formed the “Bonne Bay Shoreline Cleanup Team” � a group that quickly formed alliances with the municipalities of Woody Point, Glenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal Brook, the local DFO office, Gros Morne National Park, businesses in the area, and like-minded individuals.
In planning for the two-day cleanup, Tapper created educational displays and material that she displayed at in local schools, and at the Granite Coffee House, donated by a supportive owner as headquarters for the cleanup. Teams were formed and the event became a real community effort as they scoured the coves and shoreline of beautiful Bonne Bay following the basic guideline of collecting only debris, leaving everything that was natural to the marine environment.
DFO provided a boat to take volunteers to sites not readily accessible by the teams combing the shoreline. Literally tons of garbage was collected by the volunteers � Parks Canada stepped in to provide their trail crew and truck, supplemented by crews from the participating towns.
Prizes donated by the business community and individuals, combined with a beach bonfire ended a significant Oceans Day tribute to the marine environment on the scenic coastline of Bonne Bay. .Ocean Net extends its congratulations to Gayle Tapper and all who participated � with everyone looking forward to 2008 and the second annual Bonne Bay Shoreline Cleanup!
Anyone interested in undertaking a beach/shoreline cleanup can contact Ocean Net at (709) 753-3680 or by email at info@oceannet.ca. Check out similar cleanups on our website www.oceannet .
Your contribution to our marine environment will help move the earth towards a greener future!
6. Job opportunities with CPAWS
A) CONSERVATION COORDINATOR
As Conservation Coordinator you will support a volunteer board of directors in determining the strategic direction of CPAWS NL and to provide leadership to staff and volunteers in implementing environmental strategies. You will carry out sound fiscal management practices to ensure effective environmental stewardship activities which build relationships with community and business partners.
As a leader with this, vibrant and diverse environmental committed to environmental protection, your responsibilities will include:
1. Liaising with individuals, industries, community groups, businesses, non�governmental agencies, and governments to build formal and informal partnerships
2. Providing support and coordination for the Board of Directors and volunteer Stakeholder Committee
3. Overseeing the administrative and financial management of all programs and projects under the control of CPAWS NL
4. Managing and supervising staff
5. Designing and implementing projects based on CPAWS NL’s comprehensive mission and Vision Statements
6. Promoting and marketing the organization
Your most important skills are team leadership, collaborative management and a proven ability to communicate effectively on behalf of CPAWS NL and the environment of Newfoundland. Relevant educational experience and credentials and an extensive knowledge of environmental issues in Newfoundland and Labrador is an asset.
Salary and benefits will be competitive with those of environmental NGOs, and commensurate with your qualifications and experience. This is a Graduate Transition to Employment Program position.
Submit your letter of application, a current CV and the names and addresses of three references by August 18th, 2007 to nlcoordinator@cpaws.org Attention: Conservation Coordinator Selection Committee
B) Community Environmental Coordinator
Location: St. John’s
Duties: Community outreach, education and promotion in the field of conservation and terrestrial and marine protected areas. Develop environmental campaigns; assist with on going projects, proposals, and seminars. Promote environmental stewardship within local communities of Newfoundland and Labrador. Aid in developing marine protected areas education campaign. Organize and participate in Park Days and environmental days etc.
Student SWASP Position, applicants must be attending post secondary in the fall.
Qualifications required:
v Ability to work with children
v Good communication skills
v Computer Skills
v
Desire to help protect our natural environment
v Attending a post-secondary, vocational or technical program in September 2007.
v Preferable background: education, phys. ed., outdoor recreation, biology or related
Employer: Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society � NL Chapter
Contact: Danielle Gregory � Marine Coordinator
Phone: 709-726-5800
Fax: 709-726-2764
Email: marinecpaws@gmail.com
Please send resumes to marinecpaws@gmail.com and be sure to put the job title as the subject. Resumes must be received as soon as possible but no later then Wednesday August 18th, 2007 only those candidates select for interviews will be contacted.
7. Job Opportunity: Administrator for the New Organic Federation of Canada
The job is full time, requires fluency in both official languages, and can be located in a home office. For more information please contact Stephanie Wells (President) at
wellss@earthlink.net � closing date for applications is August 31st. Please pass along to anyone you think might be interested and qualified.
8. Green Drinks, Wednesday, August 29th
The next Green Drinks St. John’s will take place on Wed. Aug. 29th from
7-9 at The Ship, and not on August 20th as previously listed. You are welcome to stay later but please be aware that Folk Night starts at 9 and there is a cover charge for that.
Thanks to everyone who joined us for Green Drinks on Wed. July 25 at
The Ship. It was great to see so many new faces and we hope to see you
again soon!
We have a new email address that we are creating a contact list and
that we will send out once-monthly reminders of Green Drinks from. To
be added to this contact list – and never miss a Green Drinks again –
email greendrinks.stjohns@gmail.com
Hope to see you there!
Shelley Pardy, Green Drinks St. John’s*
*interested in helping out with Green Drinks? There’s only a little
work to be done and there’s fun to be had doing it, I’d just like some
help. If interested email greendrinks.stjohns@gmail.com
9. Eyes Across the Province
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Invasive Alien Species: Workshop at MUN Botanical Garden
Think you’re the only one whose garden is being taken over by that big
“bamboo-like” plant? If so, then you need to join us on September 22 from 9
to 12 at the MUN Botanical Garden for an informative session on invasive
alien plants. Due to the overwhelming success of our first workshop, we’ve
decided to have a second. Join us and learn about the little (and sometimes
enormous) green aliens creeping around in your back yard and wilderness
areas. Help us fight back with our “Eyes Across the Province” monitoring
campaign. Pre-registration is required. To receive more information call
Costa or Joy at 737-8590 or visit the Garden’s website at
www.mun.ca/botgarden. Cost is $10 per person and a light snack will be
provided.
Become the ‘eyes across the province’ and take a closer look at some of the
“green aliens” that may be invading our natural areas. Find out how these
alien species are spreading. Learn about using native trees and shrubs to
beautify your own garden. Encounter some of our “Canadian Bandits” and
learn how you can help prevent an invasion of alien species.
10. Call for Environmental Stories
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: THE ENVIRONMENTAL STORY TO BE REMEMBERED IN 10 YEARS
The Sustainability Network is collecting short stories from environmental leaders across Canada to highlight our country’s environmental movement, our commitment to future growth and the significant role ENGOs have as champions of the cause.
This is a core project of the Sustainability Network’s 10th Anniversary celebrations and we’ll be promoting this in a variety of ways. The Top Ten Selections will be highlighted in our October edition of Nexus, our website, media releases and in partnership with Corporate Knights magazine. We’ll also include “honourable mentions” wherever possible. Here are the guidelines:
* Submissions are due September 7, 2007
* Maximum 300 words in length, and a headline for your short story
* Include your name, title, and name of your environmental organization
* Highlight the environmental cause/issue, and why it’s important to be remembred in 10 years
* Print-quality photos are encouraged with your emailed submission, but not essential in the selection process.
* Email your Environmental Story to be Remembered in 10 Years to:
info@sustain.web.ca
Find out more about the Sustainability Network at http://sustain.web.ca
11. Job Opportunity: Dalhousie University Hiring Student Sustainability Coordinator
NOW HIRING:
Student Sustainability Coordinator
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia
_________________________________________________
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: FRIDAY, AUGUST 17th
Please submit resume and cover letter to: sustaindal@dal.ca
_________________________________________________
SustainDal is proud to announce the job opening for the Student Sustainability Coordinator.
Term: September 1, 2007 – August 31, 2008 with option to renew
Type: Full-time
Salary: $28,000
Criteria:
– Bachelor degree or equivalent
– Minimum 1 year experience in a sustainability related group or organization
– Leadership, listening and diversity awareness skills
– Excellent communication skills
– Competency with computer programs
Job Description Summary:
The Coordinator shall:
– Work with student volunteers and advisory committee
– Give guidance to student volunteers when applicable
– Coordinate education and awareness initiatives
– Oversee student action committees and projects
– Coordinate campus sustainability assessment research
– Work towards the implementation and enforcement of policy and operations
– Maintain internal communications
– Develop policy and action plans pertinent to the Dalhousie Student Union
– Work closely with the Sustainability Director under the Dalhousie Administration
– Coordinate finances and ensure financial viability
________________________________________________
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: FRIDAY, AUGUST 17th
Please submit resume and cover letter to: sustaindal@dal.ca
12. Oxfam Call for Squareball Volunteers!
On August 17 and 18, 2007, Oxfam Canada, in partnership with the MUN Squareball Society, will host Square Up, an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for longest continuous squareball game.
Our two-day marathon will combine the excitement of a playground favourite with Oxfam’s efforts to eradicate global poverty. Eight brave athletes will play ball for a minimum of twenty four hours under the national media spotlight. At the same time, Oxfam Canada will call upon the Canadian government to square up to the developing world by promoting free and equal access to vital public services, namely healthcare, education, water, and sanitation.
In order for Square Up to be a success, we will need a dedicated team of volunteers to help coordinate the event. We are looking for advertisers, stewards, record keepers, setup and cleanup crews, entertainers, public greeters, and, of course, squareball enthusiasts.
Square Up will take place at Memorial University in parking lot 16A. We will start at noon on Friday, August 17, and serve, volley, tap, smash, pass, smack and spin our way to Saturday, August 18 at 4:00pm. Volunteers can sign up for particular shifts but they are welcome to ride out the full 28 hours with the players. All volunteers are also asked to attend an afternoon information session and practice run on Sunday, August 12.
If you would like to jump in and get involved in this one-of-a-kind event, please contact Square Up Volunteer Coordinator Jeremy Burridge, at jnburridge@hotmail.com and check out the website at www.squareup.info
Play Squareball! Set a world record! Help Oxfam fight global poverty!
Volunteer and Square Up!
13. Call for Resources for NLEN Library
Hello NLEN members,
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Annie Antonenko and I am helping out at the NLEN office this summer. One of my tasks is to organize, update and catalogue the resources in the NLEN library. If you have any resources that you would like to contribute to the library please feel free to forward them to us.
Please send any print materials to:
NLEN
Box 5125, Station C
St. John’s, NL
AIC 5M3
Please send any e-resources to the following e-mail at:
nlen.library@gmail.com
Please feel free to use this address if you have any questions, concerns or ideas with respect to the resource library or resources. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you, Annie Antonenko
14. Green Speak Radio, Mondays 4-5pm, 93.5FM or www.chmr.ca
Green Speak Radio, Mondays 4-5pm, 93.5FM or www.chmr.ca
The August 13th episode of Green Speak Radio will feature an interview with Anthony O’Neill of Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador with musical guest Jill Porter.
Have an idea for a feature guest or artist for Green Speak Radio?
Email your suggestions to greenspeakradio@gmail.com
Green Speak is sponsored in part by the NL Environment Network, the
Western Environment Centre, MUN Project Green, the Wellness Coalition
St. John’s Region and 93.5 CHMR-FM.
15. Recycle for the East Coast Trail Association!
If you have any goods for recycling please consider donating the proceeds to the ECTA. No fuss, no waiting, just label your bags with “East Coast Trail Association” and drop them off at one of the three recycling depots listed below. If you have any questions about what can or cannot be recycled, call 777 3596.
1) 79 Blackmarsh Road
2) 92 Elizabeth Avenue, Regatta Plaza Building
3) Cowan Avenue next to the Waterford Hospital
16. David Suzuki Article: Public interest in global warming still high
Six months ago, a friend told me that public opinion and media fascination with global warming would be over in six months at most because the public is fickle and the media are obsessed with latest trends. My friend clearly forgot to inform the public and the media.
A quick scan of the “latest news” page posted on New Scientist online finds no fewer than six stories about global warming: “Europe’s recent heatwaves aren’t a mirage,” “New flood warning to save rural Bangladeshis,” “Revealed: America’s most polluting power plants,” “Sunshade for global warming could cause drought,” “Asia’s brown clouds heat the Himalayas,” and “Early springs show Siberia is warming fast.”
Many of these stories weren’t just in the science news, either. Several, including the more obscure articles, made it into the mainstream press. I think, rather than getting bored with global warming, reporters and readers are surprised by how complex and interesting these issues really are.
Some of the stories are quite simple – like the one on heatwaves. According to the latest research, Europe’s current heatwave is part of a trend that shows increasing numbers of very hot days on that continent. In fact, today there are three times as many very hot days in Europe every year as there were in 1880. Interesting. And pretty simple, really.
But other stories are decidedly more complex, making them harder to understand, but much more fascinating in that they help explain how our planet works. Our atmosphere, for example, is complex and connected to everything else in the biosphere (that thin layer of our planet in which life exists – including the air, soil and water). Because everything is connected, small changes in one area cause large, unexpected changes in another. And global trends and regional realities can actually be quite different.
Take the story on Asia’s brown clouds. For years, brown clouds of pollution have wafted over Asia – sometimes making their way all the way across the Pacific Ocean to North America. These sooty clouds come from burning wood, dung, charcoal and fossil fuels in Asian countries, particularly China and India.
While most people tend to think of air pollution as just dirty air, it is actually a complex soup of particles and gases that all have different effects. Some of those gases or particles may hurt our lungs, for example, while others, like carbon dioxide, don’t cause direct damage, but build up in the atmosphere and heat up the planet. Others can do both.
One of the least-understood factors that make up air pollution is the effect of small particles, sometimes called aerosols, and how they relate to global warming. When sunlight hits aerosol particles in the atmosphere, the light scatters. Some of that light and heat is reflected back into space. This reflectivity is why aerosols have generally been thought to be cooling agents. In fact, many scientists say that all the aerosol pollution in our atmosphere may be masking as much as 50 per cent of the impact of increasing greenhouse gases.
But a new study published recently in Nature shows that while aerosols may have an overall cooling effect, locally they can do quite the opposite. The study, headed by Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, used unmanned aircraft to fly into Asia’s brown cloud and take measurements. The team found that because aerosols can also hold solar energy as well as reflect it, these brown clouds of pollution actually increased solar heating of the local lower atmosphere by 50 per cent. These findings may help explain why the Himalayan glaciers, which are in the path of these brown clouds, appear to be shrinking at an alarming rate.
They also show us that we obviously need to consider the entire mix of what we put into the atmosphere, and not just greenhouse gases. Global warming is a very serious problem and one that we are only beginning to understand. But it is also an issue where interesting, relevant and important scientific research is actually making it into the mainstream press. And in the long term, an educated public will be one of the most powerful tools in the fight against the problem.
17. Industrial Polluters on Google Earth
MAPPING INDUSTRIAL POLLUTANTS IN NORTH AMERICA
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has launched an
interactive Google Earth tool which maps point-specific industrial pollutant
data in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Information includes the
pollution profile of each facility, including which pollutants are generated
and how the facility handles them. Users can also compare the performance of
facilities in their community to similar facilities locally, nationally and
across North America. For information, access
http://www.cec.org/naatlas/prtr.
* A Message for NLEN Members
This E-update is intended to announce your meetings and showcase your interests and events. Please send notices by Friday 10 a.m. as a paragraph with 12 point font, no bold/italics/underline/all caps, single spaced and left hand justified. Notices less than 200 words, and with no attachments, are best.
** A Message to Readers of the NLEN E-update
Attempts are made to cover a range of environmental issues and events. You are welcome to contribute information by Friday 10 a.m. At this time not all submissions are guaranteed.
*** What is the NLEN about?
The NLEN (www.nlen.ca) is a network of more than 30 member groups and associates throughout the province. The goal of the NLEN is to facilitate communication between non-government environmental organizations, and assist members with initiatives through non-advocacy means. Member groups operate to conserve, protect or restore the Earth’s ecosystem through action, education; stewardship and/or modeling ecologically sound ways of life. All provinces and the Yukon have environmental networks funded by the Canadian Environment Network. Visit CEN /RCEN at www.cen-rce.org.
The NLEN recognizes the link between environment and health and therefore is a member of the Environmental Health Working Group of the Provincial Wellness Advisory Council as well as a member of the Wellness Coalition � St. John’s Region and a member of its’ Healthy Environments Sub-Committee.
The NLEN is located on the third floor of the Environmental Gathering Place, sharing space with 5 environmental groups including: Protected Areas Association, www.paanl.org; Northeast Avalon Coastal Action Program, www.naacap.ca; Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-NL, www.cpawsnl.org ; and the Atlantic Canada Sustainable Energy Coalition.
**** For information about the environment, NLEN mandate and membership, or this E-update (comments, contributions, subscribe, unsubscribe, preference for E-update with NO attachments) contact:
Katie Temple, Executive Director
Newfoundland and Labrador Environment Network, www.nlen.ca
Located at the Environmental Gathering Place
172 Military Road
P.O.Box 5125, Stn.C
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5M3
The NLEN is a member of the Wellness Coalition – St. John’s Region and recognizes the link between environment and health. The NLEN also recognizes the link between environment and adventure tourism. All provinces and the Yukon have Environment Networks, funded by the Canadian Environment Network.