A Million Green Lights

Water

2011-03-22T01:07:00.000-07:00

Today is World Water Day (UN)!

Who created World Water Day and why does the world celebrate it from year to year?

Well, the United Nations can answer that question for you...

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.

Over the next few weeks and months, I will be writing predominantly about the topic of water, what people around the world are doing with water, and the undeniable crisis that surrounds it. Water holds a special interest in my heart, so I look forward to sharing with you my take on all water-related the tidbits, research articles, reports, photos, videos, journals, documentaries that I find on the internet and around the world!

So, to kick off this waterthon, let me start by asking you the following two questions:

What does water mean to you?

What do you think water means to

these children?

Photograph by Jonathan Hodgson, My Shot

Ask yourself, and answer to yourself! Or better yet, answer to the world! Share your thoughts with your friends, with your family! And feel free to share your thoughts in the comments box. Maybe we can start a discussion!

Spend a minute in a test tube with David Suzuki!

2011-03-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

Yesterday, I found an awesome 'thing' (I'm not exactly sure how to describe it without spoiling it) called 'Spend a minute in a test tube with David Suzuki'. It's a short but powerful experience. I can't say much without spoiling it, but if you've got one minute to spare, I would definitely check this out, because it will probably change you.

Then pass it onto your friends because it is exciting! And it only takes one minute to complete.

Click here, to spend a minute in a test tube with David Suzuki!

Andrew

Dealing with Water Usage in Canada's Oilsands: "There is no system"

2010-12-21T15:33:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Hope everyone is enjoying their winter holidays. I wanted to post this recent article about the water system (or lack of a real one) used at the Oilsands in Alberta (essentially the Canadian Oilsands). As we know, water usage, conservation, and preservation is a very crucial issue not only to all the people living in Canada but all the people living around the world.

Please take a read at this news article by CBC, and form your own conclusions and opinions! If you stick around, I have a few words to say after the article.

Oilsands panel recommends critical fixes

Last Updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2010 | 5:22 PM ET

A high-level scientific panel has sharply criticized the water quality monitoring system in Alberta's oilsands, going so far as to say “there is no system.”
The Oilsands Advisory Panel, appointed by former federal environment minister Jim Prentice, made its findings public in Ottawa on Tuesday in a joint news conference with current Environment Minister John Baird, who promised to act on the panel’s recommendations. The panel’s chair, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, was critical of a piecemeal approach to water quality monitoring, saying the system is fragmented with no links between data on water quality — including ground water — and air quality.

She also said there is no reliable longitudinal data that would give a solid understanding of the environmental impact of the oilsands.

“There is no holistic and comprehensive system. There is no system,” said Dowdeswell, president of the Council of Canadian Academies and former executive director of the United Nations Environment Program.
“The panel was unanimous: Do we have a world class monitoring system in place? In short, no. However, we could have,” she said.

The panel underlined a critical need for a new governance structure including an inter-jurisdictional steering committee, an external scientific advisory committee and sufficient resources to follow through.
Dowdeswell did not cast blame. “It’s not that anybody has had any particular ill will,” she said. Rather, the present regime of water quality monitoring has just grown up as a very piecemeal system.

Response to criticism

She was one of six experts appointed to the panel in September and given a mandate by the federal government to review water data in the oilsands and make recommendations on the monitoring system.
The other panel members were Peter Dillon of Trent University, McGill University's Subhasis Ghoshal, Andrew Miall from the University of Toronto, Joseph Rasmussen of the University of Lethbridge and Queen's University's John Smol.

Prentice convened the panel in response to criticism about water monitoring in the Athabasca watershed in northern Alberta. In particular, a peer-reviewed study published by University of Alberta water scientist David Schindler found elevated levels of cadmium, mercury, lead and other toxic elements in the Athabasca River.

This contradicted provincial government and industry scientists who claimed the toxins were naturally occurring.

Despite previous federal claims that the oilsands are properly monitored, Baird said on Tuesday that his government accepts the panel’s findings and will act on them.
"For far too long, we have heard concerns about quality of water downstream from the oilsands," he said

'Ready to act'

"We've heard the panel loud and clear and are ready to act…. We accept this responsibility and will ensure our monitoring systems are properly and securely in place,” said Baird.

The minister said he has already directed senior officials to create a water quality monitoring plan in co-operation with the provincial government within 90 days. Once that is complete, he said the government will ask for scientific input to assess the plan, after which it will be implemented. He said monitoring data will be made public at no charge.

The government plans to use same process to examine air quality and biodiversity in the oilsands region, Baird said.

On Monday, Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner said his province is changing how it monitors water in the oilsands. He announced that a group of independent experts will gather in January and report to the province in June on how to best set up an environmental monitoring system.
He said the expert group will guide the province on how to implement recommendations from both the federal and provincial panels.

In September, Alberta announced its own panel of independent scientists to review the oilsands water quality monitoring system. It is due to finish its report in February.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/12/21/oilsands-pollution-report.html

---

Regarding the oilsands, it is especially necessary for all measures in minimizing environmental disturbance to be taken. One probably cannot believe just how much water is used and used and used to process the oil. Now, because Canada currently is so reliant on the operation of the Oilsands, overseeing parties such as the government and the operating companies must be more than responsible for their day to day actions. There is no hiding from that. Until the day when they are forced to ween off from using the Oilsands, responsibility for the entire environmental issue spectrum is number one.

In general, the Canadian government needs to be much more prudent and responsible with what they do for the environment. Right now, we are witnessing the Canadian federal government focusing almost solely on the economy. Undoubtedly, improving the economy should be a top priority, but if the government made the environment as much of a top priority as the economy in terms of rigourous planning and investment, we would probably have a healthier economy, too. It comes down to not only the direct connections between environment and economy, but the intricate and infinite relationships between humans and the environment - ecosystem health. If the health of an ecosystem is optimal, it leads to a healthier community and stronger performing economy. I strongly believe that a healthy environment is a healthy community and healthy economy. Higher ups in the government just overlook this.

What can you do? It's hard to deal with some upper level issues like this one, but citizens in Canada and around the world can and must just continue to voice themselves to press their governments to demonstrate more environmental conscientiousness. Don't quit trying if you care.

We must be responsible with this:

To protect this.

Saving the Chinook Salmon - A Story of Grassroots Action

2010-10-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Andrew at Hidden Valley Park

First of all, happy Thanksgiving!

I returned home for this weekend, and was absolutely in love with the pleasant autumn weather. So I thought, what better to do then spend some time enjoying the beauty of the Canadian outdoors? With one of my best friends, we decided to go to Hidden Valley Park in Burlington to observe the seasonal Chinook salmon that are currently running up the rivers and spawning.


Chinook Salmon

When we got to Hidden Valley Park, we ventured through some brush to get to a shallow, somewhat narrow stream. We were suddenly amazed to see at least a dozen large Chinook salmon attempting to swim further upstream!

Chinook salmon are an anadromous fish species, meaning live in the ocean mostly, and breed in fresh water. They are native to the Pacific Ocean, but some were planted in the Great Lakes in the 1970s to control the population of an invasive species known as the alewife.

The Alewife, an invasive species to the Great Lakes.

So, the Chinook salmon are currently passing through the rivers of Southern Ontario, upstream to larger, deeper, and safer spawning grounds. Their nests (called redds) are the place where females they lay hundreds of eggs that will be guarded by the female fish for several weeks before they die. At the same time, the males mate.

Returning to what we saw during our outing, we soon wondered why the salmon hadn't moved upstream at all after several hours. Then, as we looked upstream, we noticed a very major problem that confronted the salmon, and that was the existence of a beaver's dam blocking the entire width of the upstream. With the dam there, the salmon could not go any further upstream. This troublesome situation prompted us to go and investigate the beaver's dam.

You may be wondering what we saw once we got there. Luckily, I brought my camera with me, so I actually ended up making a short documentary to capture the amazing action that we witnessed. Now you may be thinking, "it's just a beaver dam, how could there be any 'amazing action' "? I'm talking about watching people getting their hands dirty to make real grassroots action to solve a problem.

Please watch the short video below to find out what one man (and some very motivated youth) took upon themselves to save hundreds of future Chinook salmon, and in doing so, preserve, support, and respect one of millions of species of wildlife.

This is just one incredible example of the kinds of people that we have in our communities; people who take action and do good deeds when no one is necessarily looking. I hope that, by reading this story and watching the video, you have been inspired even a little bit more to become a person who takes the time to help the world become a little better - healthier, cleaner, safer, happier - through your own personal actions.

Keep striving,
Andrew

Post-Arctic Expedition! The Photo Album!

2010-10-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

The Arctic Expedition.

It was a beautiful, life-changing, eye-opening, very real, and at times shocking experience.

I learned a lot not only about the Arctic and its issues but about the human nature. Since returning back home, I've done a few presentations sharing my experiences and what I saw to friends other community people. Mind you, it's been surprisingly difficult getting used to urban life once again,

as the contrasts are huge between the Arctic and back home. While I could describe this as a

once-in-a-lifetime experience, I won't, because I do hope to return someday,

hopefully soon, and with a renewed sense of purpose.

That was a little snippet of a journal entry about how I felt right after the expedition upon returning to the urban world.

Well, it's been quite a while since I last wrote a post, dating back to pre-Arctic expedition times. Well, I thought it is definitely worthwhile (and quite overdue) to share with you my Arctic expedition photos by now!

My original vision in sharing my experience on my blog was to post my authentic expedition log accompanied by these photos, but I have not gotten around to doing so as of yet.

Please still enjoy and appreciate these photos in the link below. But remember, photos only capture what is seen through the lens. It is difficult to really know what the Arctic is like, and what is happening there without actually planting your feet on that soft tundra moss, looking up with amazement at the dancing Northern Lights, smelling the pristine and wholesome air of the Arctic, tasting that Arctic char (an Inuit staple food), or...listening to the chorus of hundreds of walruses as they (roar?) !

I hope, however, to soon share with you what it is like to embrace the Arctic's spectacular elements with all five senses through my writing, documented videos, and more.

Click here to see my Arctic Expedition Photo Album!

In the (post) expedition spirit,
Andrew

2010-07-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Andrew Wong embarks on Arctic Expedition

with Students on Ice - August 2010

______________________________________________

Today I would like to share with everyone that I have the very special privilege of joining Students on Ice as one of the participants of the Students on Ice 2010 Arctic Expedition! This expedition, happening from August 4th - August 20th, 2010 involves a ship-based journey encompassing regions around Nunavik and the Eastern shores of Baffin Island.

The team on the expedition includes 79 youth. These 79 members include youth from every region in Canada, 25 aboriginals, and youth from around the world- China, Monaco, Norway, and the United States. Also embarking on this expedition are 35 scientists, historians, artists, Inuit elders, explorers, authors, educators, leaders, innovators, and polar experts. The year 2010 is a very important year. We all join together in celebrating many important year-long events, including the: International Year of Youth, 2010 International year of Biodiversity, Year of the Inuit, and continuing on the legacies of the International Polar Year.

During each and every moment of the expedition, I will open their eyes wide to deeply appreciate the stunning wildlife the Arctic region has to offer. Wildlife certainly includes: whales, seals, walrus, seabirds, and of course, polar bears. The expedition also involves meeting and spending time with local Inuit communities to learn and appreciate their culture and way of life. Equally if not more valuable are the lessons to be learned: grasping the real effects that climate change on the Arctic ecosystems, connecting and integrating scientific knowledge with social implications, and participating in very real research relating to sciences such as glaciology and climatology.

**Throughout the expedition, from Day 1 to Day 17, I will be writing a daily journal entry** which is viewable here. I encourage everyone to join in and read the sure-to-be exciting and unique adventures, lessons, and experiences that I encounter while on the Arctic Expedition. Feel free to write a comment or ask questions;

I will try my best to respond to you!

To learn more about the expedition team, itinerary, and educational program, please visit here: http://www.studentsonice.com/arctic2010/
To learn more about the innovative Students on Ice organization, visit here: http://www.studentsonice.com/

In the expedition spirit,
Andrew
________________________________________

BP 'Spills Coffee'

2010-07-24T20:31:00.001-07:00

By now, the world should be well aware of the destruction that has been going on in the Gulf of Mexico - that is, the extremely large crude oil spill caused by a broken British Petroleum (BP) oil well in the middle of the ocean.

Every day we keep on reading the news about the 'progress' BP is making to stem the leak. What progress? I put the word progress in quotations because there really hasn't been much progress. The truth is, it is very difficult to cleanse a GULF of water that has been choked with hundreds of millions of litres of oil. Undoubtedly, this event is a very serious issue and the future of oil drilling and oil exploration must be re-evaluated constantly. I shudder when I hear that oil exploration is happening in the Arctic.

As I said earlier, we keep reading the news about the oil spill. But information and opinion on this tragedy is not contained to only the news. It has leaked to many different media, from concerned citizens making their own youtube videos in offering their own solutions to stop the oil spill, to blogs and much more. I found a youtube video today that I would say is a very truthful representation - a comedic parody - of how British Petroleum and other parties have handled the situation thus far.

Canadian Federal Government ADMITS Greenhouse Gas Targets WEAKER than Predicted

2010-06-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

There is something terribly wrong with that title.

More than one thing wrong.

I mean, how often does a government admit wrongdoing, and when you read that 'greenhouse gas targets are weaker than predicted', you know there is a problem.

In fact, the Canadian federal government today announced (through a posting on the Environment Canada website) that their climate change policies would be 10 times weaker in effect than what they had said only 1 year ago.

A news article in June 2nd's National Post stated, 'the government said its policies would reduce the growth in greenhouse gas emissions from Canada by about five megatonnes in 2010. The figure marks a substantial drop from an estimate made last June that federal policies would reduce the growth of emissions by 52 megatonnes for the year.'

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?!

It means that the Canadian government is remaining consistent in their absolute non-effort, their sit-back-and-watch-the-glaciers-melt approach towards establishing stronger environmental laws and policies. And they are certainly living up to their honour of being the planet Earth's Fossil of the Year.

As a young Canadian citizen, I feel utterly disgraced to have my country's leaders do just about nothing for the environment! With Canada's beautiful natural outdoors, wildlife, and resources, the Canadian people should ALWAYS feel privileged to live here. Canadians must do everything we can to be gentle on the Earth. Canadians must appreciate, enjoy, and protect our natural surroundings.

Stand up for what you believe in, Canadians, and citizens of the world! Stand up and do whatever you can think of to send the message through the thick skull of Mr. Government Of Canada. Think of some innovative action ideas or find existing campaigns that are bringing awareness and advocacy to environmental problems that relate to poor environmental governance. Look at the great world awareness and advocacy that the 350 campaign brought to the world, about the dangers of exceedingly high carbon dioxide concentrations in our atmosphere.

You can begin your creative awareness and advocacy action by yourself, or with your friends. Just think, the 350 campaign must have started out with a small group of individuals who were inspired to do something about what they felt passionate for. You also have the same ability to create change, just as they did.

Start now.

(To read the entire National Post news article, click here.)

Earth Day!

2010-04-22T20:48:00.001-07:00

Today, is Earth Day. I am writing now as this inspirational day of appreciation for the environment comes to a close. Although April 22nd is coined as 'Earth Day', every day must truly be lived as an Earth Day. Every Day.

Watch this video made exclusively for Earth Day that is just awe-inspiring:

The video starts with a dark scene, of human hands desperately extending up in futile attempts of obtaining these wants. Manufactured wants. Think: what do we really want? What do we really need?

I want to write more, and I want to share so much more about this topic, but it will have to wait a few days. Several interesting posts are coming!

2010...International Year of Biodiversity! Plus: A Look into the depths of the Plastific Ocean

2010-03-01T13:52:00.001-08:00

"You are an integral part of nature; your fate is tightly linked with biodiversity, the huge variety of other animals and plants, the places they live and their surrounding environments, all over the world.

You rely on this diversity of life to provide you with the food, fuel, medicine and other essentials you simply cannot live without. Yet this rich diversity is being lost at a greatly accelerated rate because of human activities. This impoverishes us all and weakens the ability of the living systems, on which we depend, to resist growing threats
such as climate change."

-from the International Year of Biodiversity website

2010 is synonymous with: the International Year of Biodiversity! But what is Biodiversity and why are we celebrating it this year?

Biodiversity is...

Everything in nature, all the different species of animals and plants living on this earth. Throughout the year, I will be promoting and celebrating biodiversity with you.

Why are celebrating it this year?

Why? Because there is no better time to bring awareness to this seemingly hidden but strangely obvious topic. Biodiversity, or the diversity of biology, is decreasing every minute, and every hour of every day. Did you know that ONE species goes EXTINCT every 10 MINUTES? After reading that last sentence, your lack of urgency and lack of empowerment probably kicked in. Do you realize that everything you do has an influence on the survival or extinction of all life in nature?

That plastic bottle cap that you properly recycled may have made it to the recycling station...or it may not have. It may have found its way out of the recycling bin and was washed into the sewage, where it then made its way to the nearby lake and out to sea. Who knows, a few years from now, that same plastic bottle cap may be one of billions of other plastic bottle caps floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, choking the aquatic environment out of a school of endangered fish species. If you want to prevent this from happening, just STOP USING PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES. Use a reusable aluminum/plastic canteen!

What I just described in the paragraph above is not some make-belief story. It happens every day. The Pacific Ocean really is becoming a Plastific Ocean (I just made that up), or better known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Watch this amazing video about Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation who first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch— an endless floating waste of plastic trash. In this video, he draws our attention to the growing problem of plastic debris in our world seas.

Enjoy the video, but keep in mind that we are all always interconnected by our actions. Interconnected with nature, and interconnected with each other.

Visit the website of the International Year of Biodiversity: http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/

Biomimicry, human innovations from Nature's R+D

2010-02-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

My friend showed me an incredible TED presentation by Janine Benyus, who presented an amazing idea called biomimicry. Biomimicry is the act of looking to nature for solutions to our world's problems. This means observing how nature (insects, plants, animals) does things in daily life, and how they have successfully adapted to their environments to overcome problems. Janine Benyus tells us that nature has spent millions and millions of years in R+D (research and development), developing new behaviours, and physical traits in their quest for solutions to age-old problems that pose a threat to their survival. Benyus argues that the solutions nature's creatures have found can be applied by humans to solve similar problems that humans face and have not solved; problems such as pollution, energy conservation, production and efficiency.

I personally think this is idea is simply ingenious. There are countless applications of biomimicry, as long as we are able to locate solutions in nature that we can model. However, this question should be asked: is Biomimicry all about creating human innovation from unoriginal ideas? Absolutely.

This concept has been applied to many situations in the world already, as Benyus explains in the presentation. Humans should be so thankful of nature's doing. Nature has provided humans with an Earth to live on, resources to thrive on, and now solutions for problems that humans have caused themselves (pollution, efficiency issues). Here's a thought: maybe humans should repay nature for once. Act in the good interest of nature!

Watch Benyus' presentation below:

My Outlook on the Upcoming Decade

2010-01-03T14:34:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

We have an entire decade in front of us, one where we can achieve a lot. After all, a decade is 10 years and in that time, progress can and will be made on all fronts, whether it be in the fast-paced technology innovation, strengthening the economy, improving all facets of life in developing countries such as world peace and poverty, the environment, and so many more. We have an entire decade to excel at what we do and make this world a better place for everyone.

Below, you will find an inspirational video telling us that after the flurry of environmental events that happened in 2009, it is not over yet. We must realize that. We are not done trying, and we must not stop just because it's a new decade and it may seem that there is so much more time to get things done.

I certainly hope that in 2019, the world will not be where it currently is or worse yet, moving backwards in terms of environmental sustainability practices. We are all very capable people and have the capacity to act as local and global citizens to make the world a better place.

Just a thought about world leaders. They sometimes need extreme, extreme motivation to act. I just really hope that their motivation to do environmental good does not come in the form of a natural disaster. Knock on wood (tree).

Enjoy the video, and keep in mind what you wish to accomplish this decade!

UN Climate Change Conference: The Most Important Conversation of Our Time.

2009-12-07T15:26:00.001-08:00

Actually, it's not a conversation. It's a very serious chat that will influence the future of mankind. That sounds exaggerated, but truly, it's not. Think about it.

Now consider this:

December 7, 2009.

This day marks the beginning of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Attending this most important conference are world leaders, officials, and delegates from 192 states and countries. I feel that this conference is one of the most important events that must bring the world forward in terms of creating REAL, FUNCTIONAL policies and infrastructure. There are many countries that have fallen behind and even gone backwards in their progress towards establishing climate sustainability solutions.

*cough* CANADA *cough*.

Yes, I am putting Canada under the spotlight. Canada's leaders deserve it.

"Canada enters the climate talks as a global laggard. With the oil sands and Ottawa's response to Kyoto under heavy scrutiny, the country's reputation is on the line."- as quoted from the front page of the Globe and Mail for December 7, 2009.

So what can we do to take part in the climate change 'negotiations'? If you are not traveling to Denmark this December, the most effective action is to make impacts on the local level, and gradually attempt to go larger-scale. It isn't hard to get in contact with your city's mayor or an elected municipal official regarding your city's infrastructure and how green and efficient it is. And having support from your peers and community is always better than presenting yourself alone. Just a thought that could go a long way.

By the way, the logo for COP15 as seen above looks impressive. Hopefully what is accomplished there is also impressive.

Andrew

The Age of Stupid

2009-11-23T16:59:00.001-08:00

Think about yourself and your actions. You must have done something stupid in your life! But really, look around you. Think around. We are truly living in THE AGE OF STUPID.

The Age of Stupid: Trailers: Global Premiere from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

Agriculture: The Idea of Vertical Farming

2009-11-22T14:59:00.000-08:00

I haven't written a post in more than a month! Anyways, I came across a very interesting article explaining the concept of 'vertical farming', or the cultivation of crops inside multi-story buildings as opposed to greenhouses or even the conventional fields. Please read! What are your thoughts about this?

Growing crops in buildings proposed as solution to
world's food woes

Last Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009 | 9:58 AM ET
By Grant Buckler, CBC News

Vertical farms would grow crops hydroponically,
in a water-and-nutrient solution, or perhaps aeroponically,
using a mist of nutrient-laden water.
(Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press)

Vertical farms would grow crops hydroponically, in a water-and-nutrient solution, or perhaps aeroponically, using a mist of nutrient-laden water. Vertical farms would grow crops hydroponically, in a water-and-nutrient solution, or perhaps aeroponically, using a mist of nutrient-laden water. (Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press)Is it an elegant solution to pressing problems related to the food supply, or another example of putting too much faith in technology?

That's a tough question to answer. But what is clear right now is that vertical farming is in its infancy.

The idea is to grow food inside buildings — not conventional greenhouses, but multi-storey buildings, quite likely in cities — in closed ecosystems using hydroponics rather than soil, and without the use of pesticides.

So far it has only been tried on a very small scale. Paignton Zoo in South Devon, U.K., for example, is growing produce to feed some of its animals.

But advocates of vertical farming — notably Dickson Despommier, a Columbia University professor of public health — envision towering gardens in the heart of a city. Despommier, who is working on a book on the idea, sees vertical farming as part of the answer to global warming, water shortages and inner-city health problems.

The key arguments for vertical farming are these:

* Conventional farms waste water. Despommier says irrigation accounts for 70 per cent of worldwide water use, and much of that is wasted as runoff, but because it's contaminated with silt, pesticides and fertilizers, it can't be captured and reused. Vertical farms would grow crops hydroponically, in a water-and-nutrient solution, or perhaps aeroponically, using a mist of nutrient-laden water. The approach could grow the same crops with as little as 10 per cent of the water used in traditional agriculture, Despommier argues.
* Vertical farms would make it easy to grow food without chemicals. There is growing concern about the environmental effects of pesticides and fertilizers used in traditional agriculture. Some see organic farming as the answer, others argue organic farming can't deliver the yields necessary to feed the world. But vertical farming would virtually eliminate the need for pesticides because air coming in could be filtered to keep pests out, and whatever fertilizers were used could be kept within the system and out of lakes and rivers.
* Growing fresh produce in cities would make it more accessible to poor city-dwellers. As a public-health professor, this one particularly interests Despommier. "It's very difficult to find fresh produce in inner cities," he said, so people who live there tend to eat less nutritious foods. "The data is overwhelming," he added: If healthier food is available, people will eat it.
* Growing food close to where it's eaten would reduce transportation needs, which would cut greenhouse-gas emissions. Reduced use of fossil-fuelled farm machinery would also help cut emissions.
* Vertical farms would improve air quality in cities by consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

All this sounds too good to be true — and some people argue that it is.

The arguments against vertical farming aren't as numerous as those for it, but one of them in particular stands out: Urban land is just too expensive for vertical farming to be commercially viable in cities.

"I think it's going to be really hard to make the numbers work out," said Ryan Avent, a U.S. blogger with an interest in urban land use and a contributing editor to The Economist magazine.

On his blog, Avent points out that steel-and-concrete buildings, without fancy finishing, cost $300 per square foot or more in large cities. That works out to about $13 million per acre, compared with $3,000 per acre for farmland in Indiana.

Thanks to year-round production and other efficiencies, vertical farming can deliver up to 20 times the yield of traditional agriculture, says Chris Bradford, managing director at Valcent Products EU, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based Valcent Products Inc. The company provided the equipment for Paignton Zoo's vertical-farm experiment at no cost to the zoo, in order to demonstrate the technology. But even that impressive yield is nowhere near enough to cancel out the difference in land cost between basic farmland and a vertical farm building.

'I think it's going to be really hard to make the numbers work out.'—Ryan Avent, blogger

That's part of the reason Valcent doesn't see city-centre agriculture as a significant market for its vertical-farming technology, Bradford says. Rather, he envisions it taking root in low-rent industrial buildings on urban fringes, where land is significantly less expensive than downtown but transportation to urban markets is cheaper and faster than from rural farms.

Despommier concedes that suburban industrial areas might be the most promising sites for vertical farms. However, he also argues that there is disused land in most major cities that municipalities might make available below market cost.

"I can take you to a place in New York City that's five square miles of unused property," Despommier says, referring to Floyd Bennett Air Force Base, in the borough of Queens, which opened in 1930 as the city's first municipal airport, was later used as an air force base and is now a historic district managed by the U.S. National Parks Service.

Despommier says Vertical Farm Technology LLC, a startup he has founded to work on vertical farm projects, has spoken with officials in cities that have parcels of land like this in mind for vertical farming experiments. Universities could also run vertical farm experiments on their urban campuses, he says.

Still, while the idea of businesses growing food for profit in city centres seems dubious, Bradford does see a possible niche for downtown vertical farming — growing high-value produce for customers who will pay a premium for freshness. A vertical farm in a Manhattan high-rise, for instance, might produce herbs and salad greens for a handful of fancy restaurants close by.

He also suggests Valcent's systems might be used in climates — such as the Middle East — that are simply too hot and dry for conventional agriculture to work well.

"We have never suggested that it will replace conventional agricultural systems," Bradford says.

And whatever potential vertical farming has, it won't be realized overnight. Even Despommier, probably its most enthusiastic proponent, says the idea could take 50 years to take hold — but he does expect some significant experiments in the next couple of years.

Grant Buckler is a Canadian freelance writer.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/11/20/f-vertical-farming-agriculture.html
Date acquired: November 22, 2009

Search for a 350 Action near you!

2009-10-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Look for Nelson High School's 350 event, being held in Burlington, Ontario!

For more details on Nelson's 350 event visit: www.350.org/burlington

View Actions at 350.org

Blog Action Day '09...Climate Change Style!

2009-10-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

Watch this video and learn one of the many reasons why I've created this blog- to make a difference no matter how small it may be.

Suffocating Over Population

2009-10-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

Today, I did a 60 minute presentation and discussion in french to my french class about the major issue of overpopulation. Overpopulation has been coined as the major reason feeding the increase in CO2, and depletion of natural resources.

It is true to say that the number of births is greatly outnumbering the number of deaths every day (around 400,000 to 150,000) therefore the world is seeing an increase of about 250,000 new citizens of the earth every day. This is why we should be worrying, and being conscientious about decisions we make- good family management and conservation of all resources.

As you can see below, it is hard to believe that by 2050 the world population will have already reached NINE BILLION people. Where will people live? How will people live without conflict in such a crowded and resource-strapped world. It is sad that the world is quickly spiraling into a whirlpool of problems, none of them in which we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I found a website that shows the astounding increase of human population in real-time. It also shows various other world statistics in real-time. Here is the link: http://www.worldometers.info/

Finally, here is a video that you must watch if you have time! It is about overpopulation and its negative impacts It also provides a shocking comparison between humans and...I won't spoil it! But please watch this video I found on youtube! I thank the creator of the video for his efforts for the awareness of human overpopulation.

Do everything you can to get rid of Invasive Species!

2009-09-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

During the summer of 2009, I participated in various invasive plant species removals, learning that there are so many species inhabiting Canada's green space that are detrimental to native species. An invasive species usually takes over a native species habitat and does not let it grow, such as by growing so fast that it covers the native species' leaves, causing death by photosynthesis.

I also stumbled on this article today on cbc.ca, which talks about a 'new' invasive species in Canada that has just been discovered, and must be controlled/destroyed.

Invasive plant species takes root in Canada

Last Updated: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 | 2:19 PM ET

A patch of kudzu grows in Leamington, Ont., the first patch of the invasive species
ever to be found in Canada. (Sam Brinker/Ministry of Natural Resources)

An invasive plant that has destroyed large swaths of land in the southern United States has been discovered for the first time in Canada.

The patch of kudzu vine was found on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie in Leamington, Ont., a farming community about 30 kilometres southeast of Windsor.

It measures 120 metres by 50 metres and is "pretty well established" but contained, according to Rachel Gagnon, a co-ordinator with the Ontario Invasive Plant Council (OIPC).

"There's a possibility to control that spot before it starts spreading into new areas," Gagnon said.

If not destroyed immediately, the plant could wind up costing "millions of dollars to eradicate," said Rowan Sage, a biology professor at the University of Toronto, who began studying kudzu 20 years ago.

"It becomes a nuisance on land people want to be productive," Sage said. "Once it gets established in a region, it gets to be a problem."

The patch could easily be pulled out or even fed to a herd of goats, Sage said.

Aggressive growing behaviour

Kudzu is "an aggressive invader," the OIPC says in a pamphlet describing the vine, which looks like two-metre-tall bean stalk.

A close up of a kudzu leaf. The vines
can grow as much as 30 centimetres
a day and reach heights of 2.1 metres.
(Rachel Gagnon/Ontario Invasive Plant Council)

It grows up to 30 centimetres a day, blanketing everything in its path, including hydro poles, fences, houses and highway signs. It destroys tree species and other vegetation, the pamphlet says, "either by girdling them as it climbs, breaking them from the weight of the vines, or eventually by blanketing them and causing death by preventing photosynthesis."

Kudzu is also an alternate host for soybean rust, a pathogen that reduces crop yields.

Southern Ontario accounts for more than 66 per cent of the province's total soybean production, according to the Ontario Soybean Growers' 2008 annual report.

But the spread of kudzu is not "a major issue," according to Horst Bohner, a soybean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, because the crop disease cannot survive the region's cold winter.

"When you have a frost like we obviously do, the rust cannot overwinter," Bohner said.

'The vine that ate the South'

Originally imported to the United States from Asia in 1876 for the World's Fair, kudzu was later planted widely along highways to prevent erosion.

In time, however, the aggressive vine invaded at least a dozen southern states, including Florida, Tennesee and parts of Texas, giving it the nickname "the vine that ate the South."

It began to migrate north and has been reported in Ohio and southern Michigan, meaning it can "clearly survive at this latitude," Sage said.

He is especially curious to know whether the kudzu growing in Leamington floated over Lake Erie from Michigan or if it was imported on purpose.

"Knowing how it got there is probably more important than it being there," he said. "It's the 'how' that will help us prevent this in the future."

Polar ice sheets melting into sea: study

2009-09-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is a news article published today on cbc.ca that I happened to stumble upon.

Last Updated: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 | 1:58 PM ET

These maps show the pattern of surface height change over the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets for the 2003-2008 period. Red areas indicate where the surface height is lowering. (H. Pritchard, British Antarctic Survey)

The massive ice sheets that cover Greenland and Antarctica are thinning rapidly, say British researchers who have analyzed 50 million laser measurements from a NASA satellite.

Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Bristol said the most dramatic loss of ice was the result of glaciers flowing into the sea at a faster rate.

"We think that warm ocean currents reaching the coast and melting the glacier front is the most likely cause of faster glacier flow," Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey said in a statement.

The scientists said data from the ICEsat instrument on NASA's Earth Observing System satellite showed that "dynamic thinning" can be seen on the coastlines of Greenland and Antarctica and is spreading into the interiors of the ice sheets.

"We were surprised to see such a strong pattern of thinning glaciers across such large areas of coastline," said Pritchard. "It's widespread and in some cases thinning extends hundreds of kilometres inland."

In Antarctica, the ice sheet is thinning fastest in West Antarctica. The Pine Island Glacier and the Smith and Thwaites Glacier are thinning at a rate of nine metres per year.

The authors of the study, which appears this week in Nature, said the results of the satellite measurements are important to accurately predict rises in sea level as the ice melts into the ocean.

Fuel Premieres Today

2009-09-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Today is the premiere for 'Fuel', an inspirational documentary about solutions to global climate change. Check out the trailer to preview the film!

Burlington's First Environmental Conference - IMPRINTS Make Your Mark, Leave No Trace!

2009-09-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

Please click image to see high quality version (so you can actually read it).

Burlington's 1st Youth Environmental Conference FOR youth BY youth
FREE EVENT - ALL DAY 8:30-3:00 PM for high school students Gr. 9-12
October 22, 2009 @ Robert Bateman High School, Burlington, Ontario
Please visit: imprints.eventbrite.com for more information
Please contact andrew_wong92@hotmail.com for password to enter website!

Help tell our leaders the world is ready for bold climate action

2009-09-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

TckTckTck is an unprecedented global alliance of civil society organizations, trade unions, faith groups and people like you—all calling for a fair, ambitious, and binding climate change agreement Copenhagen 2009. If enough of us stand up, world leaders will listen.

This is a message from tcktcktck.org

"Right now, we are counting down to the most important meeting of our lives. This December, world leaders will come together in Copenhagen to hammer out a global climate treaty. There are less than a hundred days left, which is enough time to show them that we want a bold, ambitious, and fair agreement. It is time for us to come together to build a cleaner and more secure world, but the clock is ticking.

Please join me in adding my voice to the largest mandate for action that the world has seen.

Check out www.tcktcktck.org and sign the pledge. You can also share your own climate story, find campaign tools, and more."

Volunteering for a Greener Ribfest

2009-09-04T21:56:00.001-07:00

This evening I was volunteering at the Canada's largest annual Ribfest, held at the waterfront in Burlington, Ontario. My task was to sort waste into the proper recycling/composting bins. I did this with several other 'green' volunteers. I was situated at a waste station located in the middle of an eating area. I think the recycling program at this year's Ribfest turned out to be very successful, and much of the waste can actually be recycled and biodegraded. This is because all of the people eating bring their leftover compostable trays, ribs, pop cans, water bottles, and other waste to us when they finish eating. They simply put their waste on the table in front of us, and we take it to properly sort into the respective bins. For example, if someone gave me a biodegradable tray with a platter of rib bones, and an empty pop can, I could put the ribs and tray into the green biodegradable bin and the empty pop can into the recyle bin. These bins are conveniently located behind me, in the waste sorting station so the process can be done in an efficient manner. After all, there are hundreds of people enjoying their ribs and bring their garbage to us once they are done.

After a gruelling four hours sorting garbage (Yes, I know. Other volunteers do it for the entire four day span of the festival) I really realized just how much waste we produce every single minute, since I was getting food scraps piling up on the table in front of me every minute. I also realized the importance of sorting garbage, and the consequences of not doing so. They say that if more than 2% of the sorted waste in a bin is contaminated with the wrong type of waste, it can not be recycled/sent off for further processing. Therefore, it was crucial that I sort everything properly!

I really learned a lot from this short but meaningful volunteering event. As always, I enjoyed making a contribution to my community, and because I got to help the environment as well, I was especially happy. Some people would shy away from sorting garbage non-stop because they think it's dirty and a hassle. But I would definitely do it again in the future if I get the chance, because I feel that it is a very important task that needs to be done, and its importance should be understood and appreciated by everyone. After all, if no one sorts garbage, who will?

350 Video Presentation

2009-09-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

350 is the number for the safe level of particles per million of CO2 in our atmosphere. Gravely, we are surpassing this level as we progress day by day into the future. Please check out the 350.org campaign, and become a part of the 350.org movement that happens on October 24th, 2009.

Check out their website for more information. www.350.org

350.org Photographers

2009-09-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

Check out these breathtaking photos that have been captured by 350 professional photographers!

http://www.350.org/photographers

Impact!: Youth Conference for Sustainable Leadership

2009-09-04T12:41:00.001-07:00

Shad Valley: Synthetic 2 Organic Campaign

2009-08-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

This past July I participated in a student enrichment program called Shad Valley. It involved being with 45 other top high school students for one month, staying at a university campus (I spent my month at Memorial University of Newfoundland) We were split into six teams, and one of the main projects during the month was to design a product and company that followed under the provided theme of "Looking to Nature and Natural Fibres." At the end of the month each team competed and one winner was decided. That team, named Siseel Corporation created a product which is artificial eelgrass made of sisal, a natural fibre. They chose to create this product to address the issue of cod fish populations declining due to natural eelgrass being unrooted by strong ocean currents. Eelgrass is a very good habitat for cod fish to live and spawn in, and when it is non-existent the cod populations suffer. That is why the artificial eelgrass could be a viable alternative.

By the end of the month, after the competition between the six teams, all teams were disbanded except for the winning team, which moved on to compete against nine other winning teams from their respective nine Canadian university campuses (Shad Valley happens at ten separate campuses across Canada). Siseel Corporation has been given one month (this August) to further enhance and improve on the existing product and company and add features such as a company website. I was allowed to join the winning team.

I (and several other Shads) decided that we would begin an environmental campaign (named Synthetic 2 Organic) to try to curb and eventually ban the use of synthetic fertilizers. We chose to create a campaign focusing on this issue because synthetic fertilizers contaminate land, water, and when it runs off from land to water it causes uncontrollable growth of algae in water. This causes oxygen concentrations to be depleted, thus killing living organisms in the water that require specific O2 concentrations.

Our team has been working on this campaign for the past month of August. We sent a formal letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, explaining the nature and dangers of synthetic fertilizers. I also produced an awareness video about synthetic fertilizers and organic fertilizers. We also have a campaign website. Check it out at: http://memorial.siteignite.net/synthetic2organic.html
Our website introduces the reasons behind why we have started the campaign, and has background information to learn about fertilizers. So check it out! :)

This is the awareness video on synthetic fertilizers:

This is the letter we wrote to the Prime Minister: (its ideas can be used by you to send to your municipal government, members of parliament, or members of provincial parliament)
Campaign Letter

And this is an informational brochure educating the public about synthetic fertilizers:
Synthetic Fertilizer Informational Brochure

Please promote reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers and to use organic fertilizers and other organic products/foods. Switch from Synthetic 2 Organic!!

Andrew Wong
Shad Valley MUN 2009

A Polluted World

2009-08-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

A Polluted World
8.5'' x 11.0''
Acrylic Paint
August 19, 2009

I painted this last night (August 19th, 2009). It depicts a toxic, polluted world that I envision if the human race fails to act to successfully combat environmental issues such as climate change, water, air, and land pollution.

This painting really isn't supposed to be a painting that one enjoys when they look at it. It is supposed to look ugly and disgusting. This is the point of the painting, for the observer to feel displeased and angry by the sight of A Polluted World.

The End of Toronto's Garbage Strike

2009-08-19T09:46:00.001-07:00

Several weeks ago, the Toronto garbage strike finally ended. After more than a month of garbage piling up outside, a deal was reached between City of Toronto and the union responsible for civic workers collecting waste. Prior to this, there were hundreds of stinky mountains of garbage sitting wherever there was public space available, such as basketball courts in public parks.

While the Garbage Strike of '09 created major havoc and inconvenience for the citizens of Toronto, any casual pedestrian walking down Yonge Street could and should have learned something from seeing the ugly heaps of garbage everywhere.

The lessons learned are:
1. Humans produce a huge amount of waste. Quickly.
2. If civic workers don't collect the garbage, it is clearly visible and accumulates quickly.
3. No one likes garbage. Who wants to eat, sleep, work, and play beside a garbage dump?
4. It is a health hazard. There's a reason why it smells bad.

5. When no one collects your garbage for a month, you learn to REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE!

I'll leave you with this question.

Imagine if landfills didn't exist. Where would all our garbage go?

(Photo Credit: Christian Lapid. Source: link)

Antarctic glacier melting at faster rate: scientists

2009-08-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Source: Link
Date of Article: August 14, 2009

Photo (Left) : In this Nov. 9, 2007 file photo, a scene of melting icebergs is shown in Antarctica. Satellite images of Antarctica have shown one of the continent's largest glaciers has been declining at a rapid rate. (Roberto Candia, file/Associated Press)

One of the largest glaciers in Antarctica is thinning at a rate four-times faster than just a decade ago, researchers said Friday.

Researchers at the University of Leeds, writing in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, said the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica is thinning at a rate of up to 16 metres a year and has lowered as much as 90 metres in the last decade.

At its current rate of thinning, the glacier could disappear in a century. Previous predictions, based on the glacier's rate of decline a decade ago, said the glacier would likely disappear in 600 years.

The Pine Island Glacier is the largest glacier in West Antarctica, and at 175,000 square kilometres is roughly the size of the province of New Brunswick and the island of Newfoundland combined.

Located in one of the more inaccessible regions of Antarctica, it has only recently become the subject of observations from scientists. Prof. Andrew Shepherd, a co-author of the research at the University of Leeds, said the new estimates were based on continuous satellite measurements over the past 15 years.

Shepherd suggested warming waters around the continent are likely responsible for the thinning of the glacier. The resulting ice melt could have implications on estimates of sea level rise around the world, he said.

"Because the Pine Island Glacier contains enough ice to almost double the [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's] best estimate of 21st century sea level rise, the manner in which the glacier will respond to the accelerated thinning is a matter of great concern " he said in a statement.

Lost Generation

2009-08-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

I'd like to begin this blog by posting a video that I found on youtube. It is called "Lost Generation."