With climate talks well underway at COP21, where do the provinces stand on climate change and what are their strategies moving ahead?
So far it looks like Quebec is doing the best.
Source: Where do the provinces stand on climate change? | rabble.ca
Soil
Contamination of Country Food + MEGA DAM
I am in class learning about the current issues connected to Indigenous Enviornmental Studies and I couldn’t help myself from laughing at HEAVY METALS in our soil deposited by MEGA DAMS.
I know… I am awful.
I’ve decided someone needs to start an Eco-Metal band called MEGA DAM.
Start a band with me or steal my idea and show me what you do with it.* This is me being super-serious.
—-
* better give me cred, yo.
Resource Extraction and it’s impact on peoples’ health | rabble.ca
Is resource extraction/mining negatively affecting human health?
How do the things we do today in the environment and the economy impact peoples’ health? What about patriarchy and the impacts it has on women? Colonialism and Indigenous communities?
In this podcast, Dr. Baj Mukhopadhyay talks about the Canadian chapter of the global People’s Health Movement and answers some of these important questions.
Source: Extractivism, colonialism, and building a health justice movement in Canada | rabble.ca
SEEDS ARE ALWAYS FREE
Took a walk around town and I got some Echinacea (Purple Cone Flower), Columbines and Cosmo seeds by dead-heading plants in my neighborhood.
My Nonna also preserves tomatoes for sauce all year round. When she took Basil from our gardens, I shook out the stalks to get seeds for next year’s plants.
Echinacea Seed Heads.
Collecting seeds for next year’s plants is so easy. I’ve got myself a binder with all the seeds in different baggies labeled with the year, what it is and where I got them from. Here I am, starting my own seed library!
Nature’s bounty.
PRETTY FRIGGING AWESOME.
What is your pencil’s history?
Newspapers, old money, CD cases, plastic cups, wood scraps, tires and even blue jeans can get recycled into pencils!
Something to consider while you’re busy creating the future, scrawling in your notebooks.
I am forever amazed by the creative ways people stop waste from reaching landfills.
**Purchasing recycled, eco-friendly office supplies can really set the standard for future schools and workplaces. Plus, it sends a message to companies that endorse cheap-labor and poor environmental laws by saying “I CARE! THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SUPPORT.“ **
It may seem more expensive at first, but if you substitute that fancy coffee or an unnecessary bus ride, you can use the money you’ve saved to buy various recycled, earth-friendly alternatives.
I try to think of it this way:
- Paying a bit more now will help me pay less later (more demand = lower price)
- I genuinely feel good about knowing what my money goes towards.
- If I continue to make cheap purchases now, I will be spending more in the future (things breaking, extreme weather etc.)
- Corporations use slave-labor (extremely under-paid women & children) because I want things to be inexpensive.
- Spending an extra dollar gives working families a better quality of life.
- Quality of land and water are not considered or cared for when it comes to cheap products.
- By supporting corporate companies out of convenience, I am endorsing the possibility of corporate dictatorships fueled by economic demand and poor politics.
I know it is just a pencil, but the ideas are progressive and inspiring.
Sometimes change happens with little things that eventually add up to really big things.
Why is America telling me this?
Almost 2 weeks ago a pipeline spill occurred in Alberta, Canada just south of Fort McMurray.
My only knowledge of this occurred when checking my inbox… What the hell, Canada?
Why have I not heard ANYTHING about this in Canadian news & media? (to be fair, I haven’t checked CBC)
An American source sent me the email and THAT is how I heard about this! I’m appalled by us Canadians. Where have our values gone?!?
Nation of Change, an entirely non-profit American news source that encourages honest journalism about real issues that are not being covered by mainstream media was created because corporations buy mainstream news agencies and filter/sensor most of the news.
e.x. CP24, owned by Bell Media.
__
The oil industry is so big, and with so much at stake for politicians (Harper loves his liquid dinosaurs and is still pushing new pipelines) and corporations. I am sure covering something so close to home during a time of record-forest fires in Saskatchewan AND THE ELECTIONS is not the best move. When spills happen in California, along the Gulf Coast or in Asia, its o.k. to report: We are removed from the issue because it “does not directly affect us” making the news more sensational as opposed to catastrophic.
So what happened?
“[…] the largest pipeline spill in the province in 35 years, when a 54,000 barrel oil spill became Canada’s worst-ever pipeline incident.” – Source
& This is not the only issue that has come up recently.
“Meanwhile, Alberta is not the only place where oil spills are demanding attention. Halfway around the world in Australia, a potential oil spill was found on Friday along the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef, an especially delicate ecosystem and World Heritage Site, has come under multiple stressors in recent years, including development, fossil fuel export, and climate change.” – Source
Australia has been extorted by fossil fuel exporters for a long time. With major detrimental effects on the quality of life for people and animals on the island. If you want to know more, watch the documentary I blogged about in Fracking Our Lives Away
As shocked as I am, I’m not surprised.
These kind of events remind me to keep my eyes open and my mind constantly questioning, asking for more answers. It is our responsibility to take care of this planet. If we leave major decisions and law-making to a select few sociopaths, the next few generations may not have a planet worth living on.
I will leave you with my mantra, in the words of my favorite band ever: Free Thinkers are Dangerous.
xx Arisetotrash
Earth-Friendly Renovation and Construction (podcast)
Green Renovation and Construction
This podcast will teach you a bit about ways to renovate/rebuild your space while keeping the earth in mind. There are so many ways to be green — they’ll save you $$$ in the future.
Podcast Link: LISTEN HERE
Source: OFFICIAL WEBPAGE / SCRIPT
Check it out!
People make the Earth Shake
Can Humans Start an Earthquake?
Drilling, flooding, building. There are so many ways to shake things up!
Podcast Link: LISTEN HERE
Source: OFFICIAL WEBPAGE / SCRIPT
Stuff You Should Know is a little heavy on the ads for my liking, but I usually just skip ahead.
They are well-sourced and really informative.
I thought this was an interesting and important podcast to listen to and learn about.
Check it out!
March Against Monsanto – Toronto
No time to make a sign. No time to be a bee! 
But I still marched. I made a difference. One voice among thousands. We shouted
“HEY, HEY! HO, HO! GMOS HAVE GOT TO GO!”
We let our city know what we want:
“SEED FREEDOM”
& when we wanted it
“NOW!”
— — — — — — — —
It was my first time going to MAMTO, yet it felt so natural to me.
All morning I stared at my breakfast, mulling over my food choices. Where they organic? No. Where did they come from? I don’t even want to think about it.
How many GMOs are snuck into the food I eat everyday?
Denial.
I’ll admit it, I know about all the awful pesticides killing our lovely pollinators.
I try to buy local, farm-friendly and organic when I can, but I am unemployed and trying to get to university.
It’s hard to vote with your money when you don’t have any!
— – — — –
Attending events like March Against Monsanto, going to local farmers markets and supporting programs such as Food Share, FarmTOFork, or the Toronto GMO Coalition can still make a difference — even if you can’t afford to buy 100% organic and fair trade products.
Volunteering is a free way to show your support.
*PRO TIP* sometimes you get free stuff!
At the end of the march, I got to hear a few bands play in Christie Pits along with many speakers. I wish I remembered their names. These are real people making change! Some sacrificed their jobs standing up for what they believe in.
It blew me away that one girl (16) started advocating for labeling GMOs when she was just 11 years old!
If she can do it, we all can.
Step up and fight for a world we are proud to be a part of.
♥ A.R.T.T. xx
Food Education Through Child’s Play
I thought this was a really fantastic, lighthearted and educational way to start the necessary conversation regarding GMOs, hormone-fed livestock and pesticide use in agriculture.
Before the play, these kids must have had really great discussions with their teacher about alternative food choices and how they can support local and organic farmers. They seemed really passionate about what they were doing, and proud of the message they sang. It is so important to get children (adults, too!) to be aware of where their food comes from. Who ever wrote/directed this play did a fantastic job. : ]
What we put on our bodies and spray on our land becomes us, as we are interconnected with everything on this earth.
If we do not care for the quality of life in our livestock and produce, what can we say about ourselves?
Source: New MacDonald.
ARISETOTRASH 