Green Communities News – GCNews #595

595: 25 August 2008

TIME FOR
ACTION. Register now for Green Communities’
conference on tackling
energy poverty in Canada through energy efficiency. Toronto, 29
September-1 October.

INTERVIEW. Listen
to an interview with Bruce Pearce, vice-chair of Green Communities
Canada, on our forthcoming Time for
Action conference on low-income energy efficiency. Also on the
interview: a conversation with Shaun
Loney, of a Winnipeg-based organization delivering low-income
retrofits and training community members to do the work.

EVENING
CLASSES. Become a Certified Master Composter or
an EcoCalgarian by taking Clean
Calgary‘s six-week courses: Master
Composter and EcoLogic
201. Fee: $200 or $75 with a 25-hour volunteer commitment.

PLASTIC
FLOW. See Atlantic Coastal Action Program Cape
Breton‘s convincing PowerPoint presentation, The Dangers of Plastic
Bags.

THE WHEELS ON THE
BUS. Green
Venture‘s Totally
Transit program equips elementary school students with the
skills to use Hamilton’s public transit system safely and
confidently. Includes a classroom visit focusing on climate change
and health, a ride and a lesson on the bus.

COMMUNITY
TRANSPORTATION. The Federation of
Canadian Municipalities‘Green Municipal
Fund is for capital projects that remove barriers to sustainable
transportation, such as improvements to infrastructure around
transit junctions, safe and accessible walking and cycling networks,
and the development of “complete streets.” Applications evaluated
continuously in a non-competitive process. Up to $2 million in
low-interest loans and $400,000 in grants.

BUILDING
GREEN. The Green Building Festival
features workshops and seminars for building professionals:
geothermal innovation, biomimicry, sustainable neighbourhoods,
benchmarking, biofilters and international case studies. Toronto,
9-10 September.

CARBON
TAX. Tax What You Burn, Not What
You Earn evaluates British Columbia’s carbon tax, introduced in
July 2008. The paper says that BC’s new tax reflects key carbon tax
principles: broad, gradual, predictable, and structured to assist
low-income people.

TAP ISSUES.
City council voted to eliminate sales of bottled
water at all city-run facilities and possibly even golf courses in
London,
Ontario … In Toronto,
100 millions bottles of water are drank annually; 35 millions
bottles are not recycled and end up in landfills.

AIR
POLLUTION. No
Breathing Room: National Illness Costs of Air Pollution, a
report from the Canadian Medical Association, predicts that 21,000 Canadians will die
prematurely from the effects of air pollution in 2008. The economic
costs of air pollution are evaluated at $8 billion this year
alone.

IDLE-FREE
SPEAKER. Ron
Zima, founder of The
Children’s Clean Air Network (Halifax), offers a multi-media
journey on lessons learned in green activism free of charge.

PUBLIC
BIKES. Learn about Montreal’s public bike
sharing programs and help plan a Toronto program at the Stakeholder
Roundtable, Toronto Coalition for
Active Transportation. Toronto, 19 September. RSVP.

MOBILE
CREATIVITY. The US Northeast Sustainable
Energy Association challenges car companies, youth and inventors
to design, build and bring to market vehicles that aim to reduce oil
use and climate change emissions to zero. Check Green Car Club and Neighbourhood
Electric Vehicles.

INDUSTRIAL
WASTE. In 2006, 27 million tonnes of waste went
to landfills and only 8 million was recycled or composted, reports
Statistics
Canada. Although most waste comes from non-residential sources
(2/3 in the Greater
Toronto Area) municipalities cannot regulate commercial waste,
which is under provincial juridiction.

BACK TO
NATURE. Camping
Green Awareness Program promotes the use of non-toxic biological
products to control RV holding tank odors. As green as an RV can
be.

JOBS.
Saskatchewan
Eco-Network, Executive Director. Saskatoon, due 5 September … Children’s Water Education Council,
Fund Raising Assistant. Kitchener Waterloo, due 15 September … BC City
Green has several positions: Office and Administration
Assistant, due 5 September;
ecoENERGY Program Coordinator/
Administrator, asap; Home Energy Advisors, no due date.