Sunny Days, Pesticide Talk, Voluntary Poisoning – GC News #632

632: 19 May 2009 – Published by Green Communities Canada

TONY WOODS. A tireless champion of building energy efficiency has died. Tony Woods, a friend to Green Communities, was founder of Canam Building Envelope Specialists and ZERODRAFT. Don Eaton notes: "He was definitely one of the main guys who woke Canada up to the opportunities presented by sealing houses and buildings. It was great to see the success he had in the last few years after all the time he spent slogging in the trenches."

GREEN UPDATES. Have a look at Peterborough Green-Up’s collection of weekly television segments.

WALKABILITY. The first leg of GCC’s Canadian Walking Master Class kicked off in Hamilton last week. It collected a fair amount of media attention: two radio spots, a television feature, and an article in the Hamilton Spectator.

ACTIVITIES. Clean Calgary offers a visit to the local waste water treatment plant on 30 May; anIntroduction to Permaculture course starting 11 June; and a workshop on Bokashi, an indoor composting method using fermentation to decompose materials, 11 June.

WEB WEBSITE. See Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador’s new Well Aware website.

SUNNY DAYS. Solar Neighbourhoods program helps residents of Toronto’s Ward 30 tap into sun power by providing a $1,000 discount to homeowners who install solar water heating systems. Windfall Ecology Centre is a delivery agent.

COMMUNITY PLANNING. Live Green Toronto, a program helping communities launch neighbourhood climate change and clean air projects, holds a Community Strategy Session, 23 May. Contact Toronto Green Community‘s Minaz Asani-Kanji for more information.

HOME, SEALED HOME. Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada’s Sustainability at Home: A Toolkit for Your Co-op offers help for making everyday choices.

WIND ONLINE FORUM. Community Wind Energy Web Conference is a two-day event featuring more than 25 industry experts presenting community wind opportunities and challenges. 26-27 May.

PESTICIDE TALK. Free audio conference on pesticides with participants from Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canadian Environmental Law Association and a representative from Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Organized by Canadian Network for Human Health and the Environment. RSVP before 21 May.

VOLUNTARY POISONING. Two of Canada’s leading environmental activists ingest and inhale a host of everyday things, all suspected of being toxic and posing long term health risks to humans, and reveal the pollution load in their bodies before and after the experiment in Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects our Health.

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD. The Pocket Guide to Eating Sushi helps consumers protect threatened marine species while satisfying their cravings for sushi …Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood may change your seafood-eating habits.

JOBS. Green Venture, Summer Students, 12-week placements (four positions). Due 27 May … Credit Valley Conservation Authority, Supervisor/Corporate Communications. Due 28 May … Smart Commute,Program Manager, Northeast Toronto. Due 24 May.