Fuel Without Fear, VB6 Diet, Quiet Windturbines, Happy Activist – GCNews #683

683: 31 May 2010 – Published by Green Communities Canada.

CANADA WALKS ON THE ROAD. Mandy Johnson, consultant with Green Communities Canada, talked about Canada Walks: A Multi-Sectoral Engagement Approach to Creating Walkable Communities at the Healthy Communities Conference, 11-12 May. Canada Walks facilitates a multi-sectoral approach to address key priorities of physical activity, injury prevention, and mental health through the development of local walkability strategies. Actions include active school travel initiatives, master classes, webbased tools, conferences, events and workshops.

OLD HOUSE RETROFIT. Waterloo Green Solutions’ REEP House, aiming at net zero energy, is featured on Treehugger.com.  Watch the cool videos, too!

WORKERS, COMMUTE! Winnipeg mayor and Manitoba premier helped launch Resource Conservation Manitoba’s 2010 Commuter Challenge, 18 May. The event challenges commuters to find alternative methods of travel than their vehicles for an entire week.  Last year, more than 6,500 people and 256 work places participated in the program. 30 May- 5 June.

SINGING FUNDRAISER. Jack Johnson Foundation will donate $500 to Toronto Green Community as a concert tour partner and match all donations made to TCG from 1 April to 15 October 2010, up to $2,500. A video about TGC will be posted on the tour website, and the foundation will donate $1 to TGC for every complete viewing. Concert  19 July.

ECODRIVING NEWS. Durham Sustain Ability partners with Canadian Tire Uxbridge and Smart Commute Durham for a Tire Pressure Clinic. Participants receive a free EcoDriver tool kit: tire pressure gauge, EcoDriver tips and brochure, tire tread indicator, coupons. 12 June … Ali Mustapha, hired through the YMCA/YWCA Youth Eco-Internship program, delivers EcoDriver programming for Toronto Green Community until December 2010.

VB6 DIET. Rose Bergeron, coordinator of Green Communities Canada’s EcoDriver program, adopted a modified version of food critic Mark Bitman’s VB6 Diet (Vegan Before 6) to lessen her family’s environmental impact. “My son has no idea he is Vegetarian After 6.  He just loves tofu fingers and lentil soup” … See the Plastic-Free Vegetarian.

FUEL WITHOUT FEAR. Rocky Mountain Institute’s Reinventing Fire roadmap uses whole-system thinking and integrative design to move the U.S. off fossil fuels by 2050, led by business for profit.  See video … Road Map to Harmony explores how to make all of the parts of the world work well together: energy, water, transportation, etc.

QUIET WINDTURBINES. New report from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer Of Health says there is no direct causal link between wind turbines and adverse health effects. Noise levels do not exceed 40 decibels at the nearest residence: this is approximately the noise level experienced in a quiet office or library.

THE HAPPY ACTIVIST. People engaged in political activism are more likely to live happier and more fulfilling lives than the average person, according to two psychologists … David Suzuki’s classic speech about why global economic growth is suicidal.

PLANT MAGIC. The Global Forest (book) weaves together ecology, ethnobotany, horticulture, spirituality, science, and alternative medicine.  See bioplan to promote health, counteract pollution and global warming, and maintain biodiversity.  By Canadian scientist Diana Beresford-Kroeger … High school student invents a water filtration system using oregano as a purifying agent. "Water went from non-potable to potable."  A solution for keeping pitcher filters out of landfills?

SAVING WATER. Tapped (film) examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on health, climate change, pollution, and reliance on oil … See The Story of Bottled Water … Commercial encourages Brazilians to pee in the shower to save water.

JOBS.   EcoSource, Urban Agriculture and Gardens Program Assistant/Education Focus. Region of Peel, due 4 June … Jane Goodall Institute, Coordinator/Development & Marketing. Toronto, no due date … International Institute for Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Energy Project Officer.  Ottawa, due 11 June … Retire Your Ride, Bilingual Administration Support. Toronto, no due date … Metrolinx, Program Coordinator /Smart Commute Outreach. Toronto, due 6 June.