I totally recognize that I've done almost nothing on this blog for ages, and I'm super depressed about that, but I'll see what I can do to make that change. So since I don't have very much time to talk, I'm going to make a few comments really quickly.
1. I finally decided what I want to do with my life. I'm taking another year of high school, then I'm looking at applying to the Environmental Studies program at York University in Toronto, Ontario. After that, I'm thinking about taking a year of Broadcast Journalism at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, just so that I have a broad range of knowledge and experience. Has anyone taken either of these programs? I'm not entirely positive that I'm going to make it into the programs, but I think that if I can step it up again this year then I'll do better.
2. Live Earth was AWESOME. I just caught bits and pieces of it because I had some other stuff to do on Saturday, but I'm amazed at how well everything came together in the end. However, there was so much negativity toward it that I really don't know how much good it did. Even if nothing happens, how many times have we had live music from all seven continents at the same time, on the same TV channel? (MuchMusic broadcasted in 7-part picture-in-picture for a while)
3. I found this cute little email about "Why Global Warming Isn't So Bad". It's totally ridiculous but it makes a good point about what could happen to us.
The Ten Best Things About Global Warming:
10) Why pay for tattoos when melanoma's free?
9) No more pesky weeds. In fact, no more pesky plants.
8) Nile Encephalitis: not just for Egyptians anymore.
7) Furnaces convert easily into tornado shelters.
6) Helsinki: the new Riviera.
5) Middle East oil producers feel right at home— everywhere.
4) Golfers only need a putter and a sand wedge.
3) For those who can't get enough of global warming. One word: Venus.
2) Steaks, medium rare, on the hoof.
1) Three thongs and you're dressed!
4. This site gives 50 ways to stop global warming.
That's it for now, but I will for sure be back at a later date to keep you updated!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
SFMwha?
Sustainable Forestry Management is given the [working] definition from the United Nations Forum on Forests as:
In layman's terms, this means "don't be an idiot and cut down all the trees." Trees are more than just trees: they also provide homes for animals.
Just as a reference, here’s a map of Ontario's forested land.
Now, trees don't exactly grow quickly, so it's not exactly like people can just say "Oh, well we can cut down all the trees and then plant some new ones and come back next year for more!" It's not like they grow on trees, you know (although apparently cell phones, money, laptops, funk and shrimp do).
According to this report, entitled "Sustainable Forest Management in Canada: Clear Policy -- Questionable Practice", Canada is making a
P.S. This site has a lot of great articles about climate change. It's from CBC News, so you're probably guaranteed accurate information.
P. P. S. If you want to visit a great Ontario National Park, I highly recommend the Bruce Peninsula -- I visited this cliff last summer, and it is amazing.
“...the stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfill, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social functions, at local, national, and global levels, and that does not cause damage to other ecosystems.”
In layman's terms, this means "don't be an idiot and cut down all the trees." Trees are more than just trees: they also provide homes for animals.
Just as a reference, here’s a map of Ontario's forested land.
Now, trees don't exactly grow quickly, so it's not exactly like people can just say "Oh, well we can cut down all the trees and then plant some new ones and come back next year for more!" It's not like they grow on trees, you know (although apparently cell phones, money, laptops, funk and shrimp do).
According to this report, entitled "Sustainable Forest Management in Canada: Clear Policy -- Questionable Practice", Canada is making a
P.S. This site has a lot of great articles about climate change. It's from CBC News, so you're probably guaranteed accurate information.
P. P. S. If you want to visit a great Ontario National Park, I highly recommend the Bruce Peninsula -- I visited this cliff last summer, and it is amazing.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Introducing... Robbie!
I realized the other day that I’ve done almost no posting in the last few weeks, so I decided to actually get my butt into motion. But first I wanted to drop a quick note introducing everyone to my new best friend, Robbie!
Robbie is a sugar maple tree. He was donated to our “green space” (more about that in a minute) by Angelina Pickering, but because he’s so tiny, he’s staying with me for a while until he’s big enough to hold his own against the lawnmowers and snowmobiles. He likes Dasani bottled water and car rides with the radio blaring. I’m not helping myself in the “I’m-not-insane” thing, am I? No, I didn’t think so. That’s okay; I love trees, and I'm apparently not afraid to broadcast it to the world.
For our final ISP project, our class was asked to choose an issue we think is important and then attempt to make a change in the school and community. Our group chose to plant trees at the back of the school in order to create a sitting are type "haven" for seniors wanting to get away from the terrors that are the grade nines and tens at our school. We've already put aside a crabapple tree and a red maple, but those are both well-established and able to go into the ground. Robbie, however, is about 25 cm tall, 3mm around and has some sort of disease that I'm not able to identify, but his leaves are yellowing and full of holes. He's getting plenty of water (yes, tap water too) and sunlight, so I really am stumped as to what I'm doing wrong.
Robbie is a sugar maple tree. He was donated to our “green space” (more about that in a minute) by Angelina Pickering, but because he’s so tiny, he’s staying with me for a while until he’s big enough to hold his own against the lawnmowers and snowmobiles. He likes Dasani bottled water and car rides with the radio blaring. I’m not helping myself in the “I’m-not-insane” thing, am I? No, I didn’t think so. That’s okay; I love trees, and I'm apparently not afraid to broadcast it to the world.
For our final ISP project, our class was asked to choose an issue we think is important and then attempt to make a change in the school and community. Our group chose to plant trees at the back of the school in order to create a sitting are type "haven" for seniors wanting to get away from the terrors that are the grade nines and tens at our school. We've already put aside a crabapple tree and a red maple, but those are both well-established and able to go into the ground. Robbie, however, is about 25 cm tall, 3mm around and has some sort of disease that I'm not able to identify, but his leaves are yellowing and full of holes. He's getting plenty of water (yes, tap water too) and sunlight, so I really am stumped as to what I'm doing wrong.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Post # 4: My Ecological Footprint
Hi again!
The blog for this week is about calculating your Ecological Footprint. Click the link and check out how you did!
CATEGORY GLOBAL HECTARES
FOOD 3.1
MOBILITY 0.1
SHELTER 0.5
GOODS/SERVICES 0.5
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 4.2
IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 8.8 GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON.
WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 1.8 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON.
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 2.3 PLANETS.
-------------------------------
Okay, so I took the Ecological Footprint test. I think I did okay -- check out my other classmates' blogs (side bar on the left) to see how I compare!
Next, I checked out my Lifestyle Footprint!
Footprint summary results
This totals up your future lifestyle choices and their footprint scores. The implication is a 'scenario' or FUTURE VISION for the region - a glimpse into what may lie ahead.
F2: Low Growth
Everything goes wrong that can go wrong, in this future of risk and paranoia. Total ecological footprint is halved, but for the wrong reasons - economic stagnation and social malaise. The rich consume avariciously while others tighten their belts, amidst a host of problems - climate change, urban unrest, toxic waste, mutant organisms, and international terrorism.
Here are the "potential scenarios" for my F2 Footprint...
2005: LOW GROWTH -- NOW!
STAYING SANE
How can the best of intentions go horrendously wrong? Take a modernizing centrist government, and place in a world which is increasingly dysfunctional and chaotic. The result? Water shortages, floods, droughts and storms: toxic bio-accumulation, trace carcinogens, genotoxic food contamination, genetically modified insects and bacteria, radioactive storage, tropospheric ozone, heat stress, tropical disease, soil erosion, invasions of weeds and rodents. It seems tragic that a golden age of prosperity could be destroyed by such obvious physical problems.
Mental aid at the mind-bank
With record numbers of people suffering from stress, paranoia, depression and psychosis, there is now a solution in sight. While picking up the groceries at your local hyper-mall, why not drop into the mind-bank, plug into your personalized alpha wave generator and breath some really cool fresh air imported from the Swiss Alps. In fact you can even don the VR gear and go skiing for an hour in our cyber-surround simulator. Much more ecologically sound, and safer, than the real thing!
------------------------------
2010: LOW GROWTH -- SOON
RISK SOCIETY
In the cities there is a sudden increase in morbidity, which are now hot and fetid for most of the summer, when temperatures are regularly over 400. This accelerates the exodus of the wealthy to remoter rural areas, where house prices rocket upwards. These incoming ‘nouveaus’ build self-contained communities with jobs, schools, services and entertainment, venturing out occasionally in semi-armoured cars. In the cities, organized crime spreads rapidly, aided by a corrupted and demoralized public sector, in an atmosphere of fear and paranoia.
Risk-u-tainment
With airfares rising fast and the outdoor environment getting nastier by the day, why not get some real quality leisure time on the risk-u-tainment system. This takes extreme sports and other extreme experiences to extreme lengths, in a highly addictive system of multi-sensory stimulation, which substitutes for material consumption. This kind of thing used to be called computer gaming, or just getting stoned. Now you have a choice of chemical, digital, sexual, or mystical pathways. You can also adjust the levels of risk and aggression for that optimum balance of adrenaline buzz and ecstatic relief. While you may experience death and after-life many times in a session, the real danger is that you will not want to stop playing!
-----------------
2020: LOW GROWTH -- CHILDREN'S WORLD
REGIONAL DEFENCE
Consumption and production in such a world becomes increasingly difficult. Economic growth stagnates, due to the disruption of climate change, international terrorism, almost daily cyber-attacks with bugs and worms, and the political tension between the USA, EU and East Asia power blocs.While the rich grow richer on the gangster capitalism model, for most the loss of trust and confidence means a dramatic fall in material affluence. Meanwhile the problems of mental health and racial or ethnic tension multiply.
The enemy without and within
The next stage in the regional defence system was opened to the public. This is a multi-purpose series of physical an electronic barriers which protects the region from unauthorized migrants and asylum seekers. It also protects the high value areas from those with low or negative value. Most of Surrey is fenced and gated off with the latest infra-red surveillance and ID technology, together with private security firms who mount a network of road-blocks. Meanwhile some of the most deprived urban areas are fenced in, not only with physical barriers, but by the combination of discretionary employment, security and insurance systems.
-------------
2050: LOW GROWTH -- GRANDCHILDREN'S WORLD
I should hope that I'm still alive then, too, but you never know...
NATURE BITES BACK
Each year now shows a more wildly uncertain weather pattern, as the sudden melting of the arctic ice creates chaos which baffles climate scientists. The SE sees its first real water shortages for 100 years, as a year-long drought is then followed by catastrophic flooding. The next year sees a malaria epidemic, for which the health service is quite unprepared, followed by an invasion of semi-lethal super-wasps. In some areas there is a spirit of pulling together against adversity, but in most areas economy stagnates as vital infrastructure fails, and fear and paranoia multiply. Ironically such economic and social problems cause a rapid fall in consumption and climate emissions.
Mother of all floods hits region
Last week saw the worst flooding ever recorded in the UK. Sea levels were at a 500-year high, with unstability in the Atlantic thermo-haline, a high tide and a hurricane-force westerly. A wall of water about 10 meters high in places hit what was left of Lewes, Eastbourne and other former resorts. The result is that about half of all coastal areas in the South East are now under water.With a full military evacuation the loss of life was kept to a minimum, but it is thought that fatalities could exceed 30 000, and that the homes severely damaged or destroyed could be over ½ million. In the chaos shops in Brighton and Portsmouth are being looted, there are arson attacks and violent demonstrations against global capitalism.
The blog for this week is about calculating your Ecological Footprint. Click the link and check out how you did!
CATEGORY GLOBAL HECTARES
FOOD 3.1
MOBILITY 0.1
SHELTER 0.5
GOODS/SERVICES 0.5
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 4.2
IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 8.8 GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON.
WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 1.8 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON.
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 2.3 PLANETS.
-------------------------------
Okay, so I took the Ecological Footprint test. I think I did okay -- check out my other classmates' blogs (side bar on the left) to see how I compare!
Next, I checked out my Lifestyle Footprint!
Footprint summary results
This totals up your future lifestyle choices and their footprint scores. The implication is a 'scenario' or FUTURE VISION for the region - a glimpse into what may lie ahead.
F2: Low Growth
Everything goes wrong that can go wrong, in this future of risk and paranoia. Total ecological footprint is halved, but for the wrong reasons - economic stagnation and social malaise. The rich consume avariciously while others tighten their belts, amidst a host of problems - climate change, urban unrest, toxic waste, mutant organisms, and international terrorism.
Here are the "potential scenarios" for my F2 Footprint...
2005: LOW GROWTH -- NOW!
STAYING SANE
How can the best of intentions go horrendously wrong? Take a modernizing centrist government, and place in a world which is increasingly dysfunctional and chaotic. The result? Water shortages, floods, droughts and storms: toxic bio-accumulation, trace carcinogens, genotoxic food contamination, genetically modified insects and bacteria, radioactive storage, tropospheric ozone, heat stress, tropical disease, soil erosion, invasions of weeds and rodents. It seems tragic that a golden age of prosperity could be destroyed by such obvious physical problems.
Mental aid at the mind-bank
With record numbers of people suffering from stress, paranoia, depression and psychosis, there is now a solution in sight. While picking up the groceries at your local hyper-mall, why not drop into the mind-bank, plug into your personalized alpha wave generator and breath some really cool fresh air imported from the Swiss Alps. In fact you can even don the VR gear and go skiing for an hour in our cyber-surround simulator. Much more ecologically sound, and safer, than the real thing!
------------------------------
2010: LOW GROWTH -- SOON
RISK SOCIETY
In the cities there is a sudden increase in morbidity, which are now hot and fetid for most of the summer, when temperatures are regularly over 400. This accelerates the exodus of the wealthy to remoter rural areas, where house prices rocket upwards. These incoming ‘nouveaus’ build self-contained communities with jobs, schools, services and entertainment, venturing out occasionally in semi-armoured cars. In the cities, organized crime spreads rapidly, aided by a corrupted and demoralized public sector, in an atmosphere of fear and paranoia.
Risk-u-tainment
With airfares rising fast and the outdoor environment getting nastier by the day, why not get some real quality leisure time on the risk-u-tainment system. This takes extreme sports and other extreme experiences to extreme lengths, in a highly addictive system of multi-sensory stimulation, which substitutes for material consumption. This kind of thing used to be called computer gaming, or just getting stoned. Now you have a choice of chemical, digital, sexual, or mystical pathways. You can also adjust the levels of risk and aggression for that optimum balance of adrenaline buzz and ecstatic relief. While you may experience death and after-life many times in a session, the real danger is that you will not want to stop playing!
-----------------
2020: LOW GROWTH -- CHILDREN'S WORLD
REGIONAL DEFENCE
Consumption and production in such a world becomes increasingly difficult. Economic growth stagnates, due to the disruption of climate change, international terrorism, almost daily cyber-attacks with bugs and worms, and the political tension between the USA, EU and East Asia power blocs.While the rich grow richer on the gangster capitalism model, for most the loss of trust and confidence means a dramatic fall in material affluence. Meanwhile the problems of mental health and racial or ethnic tension multiply.
The enemy without and within
The next stage in the regional defence system was opened to the public. This is a multi-purpose series of physical an electronic barriers which protects the region from unauthorized migrants and asylum seekers. It also protects the high value areas from those with low or negative value. Most of Surrey is fenced and gated off with the latest infra-red surveillance and ID technology, together with private security firms who mount a network of road-blocks. Meanwhile some of the most deprived urban areas are fenced in, not only with physical barriers, but by the combination of discretionary employment, security and insurance systems.
-------------
2050: LOW GROWTH -- GRANDCHILDREN'S WORLD
I should hope that I'm still alive then, too, but you never know...
NATURE BITES BACK
Each year now shows a more wildly uncertain weather pattern, as the sudden melting of the arctic ice creates chaos which baffles climate scientists. The SE sees its first real water shortages for 100 years, as a year-long drought is then followed by catastrophic flooding. The next year sees a malaria epidemic, for which the health service is quite unprepared, followed by an invasion of semi-lethal super-wasps. In some areas there is a spirit of pulling together against adversity, but in most areas economy stagnates as vital infrastructure fails, and fear and paranoia multiply. Ironically such economic and social problems cause a rapid fall in consumption and climate emissions.
Mother of all floods hits region
Last week saw the worst flooding ever recorded in the UK. Sea levels were at a 500-year high, with unstability in the Atlantic thermo-haline, a high tide and a hurricane-force westerly. A wall of water about 10 meters high in places hit what was left of Lewes, Eastbourne and other former resorts. The result is that about half of all coastal areas in the South East are now under water.With a full military evacuation the loss of life was kept to a minimum, but it is thought that fatalities could exceed 30 000, and that the homes severely damaged or destroyed could be over ½ million. In the chaos shops in Brighton and Portsmouth are being looted, there are arson attacks and violent demonstrations against global capitalism.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Today's Hot Topic: Everything
Okay, this post is going to be:
1) Shorter than my last one. Thank you, thank you -- I can hear you applauding all the way over here;
2) About random things that caught my interest today; and
3) Sarcastic and satirical, as usual.
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex County says, "Hello, Eco-Friendly Bandwagon!"
I picked up the mail today, and, among the usual flyers and bills, found this staring at me. Well -- that image is the title on the cover of a brochure advertising the new ideas of our riding's current (Conservative) MP, Bev Shipley. The brochure itself is actually decent: it outlines several ways to improve efficiency, mentions the new ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiative
Save the Environment! Oh... and buy a Lexus
The London Free Press today devoted half of page A5 and all but one column of Letters to the Editor on page A8 entirely to Global Warming today. Sandwiched between the two, on A7, is a three-quarter-page, colour Lexus ad. I know that journalism is supposed to be without bias, and that Lexus paid a pretty penny to get that ad, but readers are getting a mixed message from this. At least move your ad to another page?
Hats off to the LFPress today, though: I found three sources of amusement within its pages:
1. PM to announce $200M Afghan aid
Harper woke up the other day, rolled out of bed, opened a newspaper, and, looking at an article on the war in Afghanistan realized, "Oh crap! Canada promised to hand over $1B over the course of ten years to rebuild Afghanistan, but they haven't seen a cent!" Then, in a mad rush, ran around 24 Sussex Drive, wondering, "Where's my chequebook! Don't tell me I forgot it in Jean Charest's pocket again!" But all has been solved, and now $200M will be sent to Afghanistan. I'm actually happy about this, despite the fact that I'm sick of Canada cleaning up (literally, here!) after the United States. And I'm sure that Harper's happy too, seeing as he just bought the Afghan vote in the upcoming election.
2. Blogs not gospel, experts caution
I just had to laugh when I saw this. You mean to tell me that not everything I read is true? I sincerely hope that if you're reading a blog, you don't immediately assume that everything in it is true. Some try to stick to the truth, but I doubt that a lonely 12-year-old girl home alone on a Saturday night is going to cite her references when she posts "OmGz BrItNeY sPeArZ sHaVeD hEr HeAd!!!!!!!111111111111" onto her Livejournal. I try my best to keep my facts straight, hyperlinking everything so that you know I'm not just making all of this up. I encourage you to check my sources -- these are good sites (or at least amusing ones), and feel free to let me know if I'm wrong. I would just like to thank the London Free Press for pointing out the obvious and making my day.
3. This gem.
That's all for today, folks!
Stay tuned,
Lauren
P.S. Part two of the five-part Climate Change series in the London Free Press today is called "Buying Your Way Out" and is a look at carbon credits. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's "How Much are Canadians Willing to pay to Go Green?". Betting tables are now open: I'm at $35.
1) Shorter than my last one. Thank you, thank you -- I can hear you applauding all the way over here;
2) About random things that caught my interest today; and
3) Sarcastic and satirical, as usual.
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex County says, "Hello, Eco-Friendly Bandwagon!"
I picked up the mail today, and, among the usual flyers and bills, found this staring at me. Well -- that image is the title on the cover of a brochure advertising the new ideas of our riding's current (Conservative) MP, Bev Shipley. The brochure itself is actually decent: it outlines several ways to improve efficiency, mentions the new ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiative
Save the Environment! Oh... and buy a Lexus
The London Free Press today devoted half of page A5 and all but one column of Letters to the Editor on page A8 entirely to Global Warming today. Sandwiched between the two, on A7, is a three-quarter-page, colour Lexus ad. I know that journalism is supposed to be without bias, and that Lexus paid a pretty penny to get that ad, but readers are getting a mixed message from this. At least move your ad to another page?
Hats off to the LFPress today, though: I found three sources of amusement within its pages:
1. PM to announce $200M Afghan aid
Harper woke up the other day, rolled out of bed, opened a newspaper, and, looking at an article on the war in Afghanistan realized, "Oh crap! Canada promised to hand over $1B over the course of ten years to rebuild Afghanistan, but they haven't seen a cent!" Then, in a mad rush, ran around 24 Sussex Drive, wondering, "Where's my chequebook! Don't tell me I forgot it in Jean Charest's pocket again!" But all has been solved, and now $200M will be sent to Afghanistan. I'm actually happy about this, despite the fact that I'm sick of Canada cleaning up (literally, here!) after the United States. And I'm sure that Harper's happy too, seeing as he just bought the Afghan vote in the upcoming election.
2. Blogs not gospel, experts caution
I just had to laugh when I saw this. You mean to tell me that not everything I read is true? I sincerely hope that if you're reading a blog, you don't immediately assume that everything in it is true. Some try to stick to the truth, but I doubt that a lonely 12-year-old girl home alone on a Saturday night is going to cite her references when she posts "OmGz BrItNeY sPeArZ sHaVeD hEr HeAd!!!!!!!111111111111" onto her Livejournal. I try my best to keep my facts straight, hyperlinking everything so that you know I'm not just making all of this up. I encourage you to check my sources -- these are good sites (or at least amusing ones), and feel free to let me know if I'm wrong. I would just like to thank the London Free Press for pointing out the obvious and making my day.
3. This gem.
That's all for today, folks!
Stay tuned,
Lauren
P.S. Part two of the five-part Climate Change series in the London Free Press today is called "Buying Your Way Out" and is a look at carbon credits. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's "How Much are Canadians Willing to pay to Go Green?". Betting tables are now open: I'm at $35.
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