Waste Not, Sustainable Street, and Unlikely Places – GC News # 667

667: 8 February 2010 – Published by Green Communities Canada

SCHOOL TRAVEL PROJECT. Building on a successful pilot, a partnership led by Green Communities Canada will receive $2.18 million for a Canada-wide project to expand active school travel, using a community-based process known as School Travel Planning (STP). The two-year project is funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Public Health Agency of Canada through the CLASP initiative (Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention). Partners include active transportation organizations in all provinces and territories, University of Toronto (links between school travel and the built environment), and Cape Breton University (links between active transportation, sustainable happiness, education and health) … See latest School Travel Planning newsletter online.

SUDBURY FUNDRAISER. reThink Green hosts a fundraising event for 2010 Greater Sudbury Earth Day Festival: food, entertainment, and silent auction, 23 February.

FEED-IN TARIFF. Windfall Ecology Centre’s Sheppard House Solar Photo Voltaic Array operates under Ontario’s Feed-in Tariff program: nine residential scale panels generate 2.1 kilowatts of electricity. Online web interface gives detailed statistics by hour, day, month and year.

WASTE NOT. See EcoSuperior’s winter composting tips … Durham Sustain Ability member promotes waste reduction on local television … Be eligible to win a prize by submitting waste reduction tips. Due 28 February … Mother Jones’ Report on Waste include article by Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org … Article explores the significance of waste for a tribe in Mali.

ECODRIVER. Peterborough Green Up’s televised weekly update featured EcoDriver last week  …   Fuel-efficiency teaching is science, not religion, says DriverWiser columnist. “Hard stops and starts, idling, speeding and infrequent maintenance have all been proven scientifically to increase fuel usage and CO2 levels — but as far as I know, do not qualify as one of the seven deadly sins just yet.”

ENERGY. Hearthmakers Energy Co-op’s ecoEnergy services are featured on a SWITCH brochure. See SWITCH wiki …  See television coverage of Durham Sustain Ability’s We Have the Power program … Energy transition scenarios are overly optimistic: energy conservation and population decline must become primary strategies for achieving sustainability, says Searching for a Miracle report.

CLIMATE CONCERNS. The Climate Challenge (book) by Guy Dauncey offers 101 solutions to global warming: zero carbon buildings, green collar economy, and 99 more … Climate change will have important consequences for mental health, say researchers … Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Gripvideo explains global warming’s tipping point.

COMMUNAL TRANSPORTATION. See City of Toronto’s Bloor Street/Danforth Avenue Bikeway Class Environmental Assessment Study request for proposal. Due 1 March … “Just as buses have added kneeling and wheelchair features to open themselves up to passengers with disabilities, electric pedal assistance moves bike-sharing to a wider audience,” says  report … London’s free bike rental program makes 6,000 bikes available on a daily, weekly or yearly basis.

SUSTAINABILITY STREET. Corporate Knights Most Sustainable Cities Ranking highlights: Toronto corporate greenhouse gas emissions are now at  40% below 1990 levels; Vancouver condos’ parking stalls wired for electric vehicle charging; and 24% of Yellowknife’s residents walk  to work … Positive Loitering involves setting up tables,  tent and grills on the street  for a Neighbourhood Night.

UNLIKELY PLACES. Inmates involved in US Sustainable Prisons Project grow organic produce, raise bees and partner with scientists to do ecological research projects …  Urban farmers challenge zoning laws to sell vegetables and eggs, keep goats, and use city green spaces.  See US Food and Flowers Freedom Act …Toronto Seed to Feed Your City creates heritage seed banks on school properties.

CONTESTS. Nature Matters! contest invites Canadians age 9 to 35 to submit a written or video essay on “Why is nature important to you?”  Due 28 February … Environmental Photographer of the Year competition celebrates photographers who raise awareness of environmental and social issues.  Due 31 July … CBC Propaganda Contest challenges secondary and post-secondary students to create a poster or a video for a cause such as global warming. Due March 19.

WATER PRESENTATION. Troubled Waters narrated multimedia presentation examines global freshwater issues and showcases international grassroots leaders. Free download.

JOBS. Cape Jourimain Nature Centre, Executive Director. New Brunswick, due 13 February … ForestEthics, Director/ Climate Program. Vancouver or Toronto, no due date … Greenpeace (Toronto) has two positions: New Media Fundraiser, due 19 February, and Bilingual Fundraising Administrative Assistant, due 15 February.