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Current What's New
October 6, 2008 The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 13 No. 8
October 3, 2008 posted
click here.
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: NOT
THE WAY TO GET THERE FROM HERE
Theme: (general current affairs issue)
REALITY
CHECK ON CARBON EMISSIONS AND PRICING
DAVID
COLLYER: POINTMAN FOR THE ALBERTA TAR SANDS
GM VOLT:
SUNSPOTS GET IN YOUR EYES
GM Fastlane
Blog
LETTER
TO THE EDITOR
THIRTY
SECOND SUMMARY
Wayne Richardson Retiring
GUEST
COLUMN: SLOW MONEY, MANURE AND PRUDENCE
By Woody Tasch
INVESTORS
CIRCLE
GREEN
MONEY JOURNAL
ENVIRONMENTAL
FABLE BECOMES A PLAY
GL TAKES
A FLYER
CANADA’S
LEADERSHIP IN HEWING OF WOOD THREATENED BY MAINE
***************************************************
ABOUT
THIS ISSUE
Welcome to the first of our exclusive
“current affairs” issues, responding to our readers’ expressed desire
for more but shorter issues of Gallon Environment Letter (GL). Rather
than stating that there is no feature topic in this issue - features focussing
on specific topics will still appear in alternate issues - we would prefer
to think that every article is a feature. As always we welcome your feedback.
If you are wondering what has happened
to the big issues and why governments are focussing on the smaller issues,
take a look at our editorial. GL suggests that Canada’s environmental
NGOs are at least part of the problem. Drs. Robert Page and Mark Jaccard
recently discussed climate change strategies on CBC Radio’s excellent
and popular Quirks and Quarks program. It was one of the best such discussions
GL has heard in the media for a long time. We provide a brief summary
and tell you where you can find the complete radio program.
The broadcast media has been covering
climate change and the environment with greater intensity recently - not
only the above mentioned Quirks and Quarks show but also a morning radio
show about the “tar sands”, and a Colbert Report segment with Bob Lutz
of General Motors, a company which apparently still falls into the camp
of climate change denyers. We have received and share with you a letter
from the OECD on our coverage of their Environmental Performance of Agriculture
report. Our Guest Column this issue is very relevant to the current debate
about the economy: it is entitled Slow Money, Manure and Prudence and
it is from Woody Tasch, Chairman and President of Slow Money and is reprinted
from Green Money Journal. Our “GL Takes a Flyer” feature looks at another
absurd environmental claim, we update our past coverage of an environmental
fable for children, and we draw to your attention that not only is Canada’s
reputation on Kyoto Protocol leadership highly tarnished but now we are
even at risk of losing our reputation as leading hewers of wood.
Our next issue, in just a few days, will
be our Canadian Election Summary. We will report on the green issues,
the platforms, and our expectations as to how these will affect the business
of the environment for at least the next two or three years.
***************************************************
October 6, 2008 Events Posted click here
New additions are:
October 2008 Federal
Election 2008. Throughout Canada.
November 2008 Carbon
Emissions Business Forum. Toronto, Ontario.
APPrO 2008 20/20 Building tomorrow's power system today. Toronto, Ontario.
Carbon Finance workshops. Toronto, Ontario.
December 2008 The
India's Envirotech '08 and Energy Tech '08. Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
September 30, 2008. The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon
Environment Letter Vol. 13 No. 7 September
4, 2008 posted
click here.
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: COMMUNICATIONS
IS ALMOST AS IMPORTANT AS PREVENTION
Theme: AGRICULTURE
AND BIODIVERSITY
OECD
AGRICULTURE REVIEW INCLUDES BIODIVERSITY
Trends in
Agricultural Impacts
Ag Biodiversity
Intersects with Wild Biodiversity
Trends
in Biodiversity as Related to Agriculture
Conserving
Plant Genetic Resources
Ag Environmental
Management Practices
Complexity
of Biodiversity
OECD AG REVIEW: CANADA
AG CANADA REPORT: BETTER FARMING, BETTER AIR
Three
Key Greenhouse Gases
Agricultural
Emissions of GHG
Ecosystem
Services
Connecting
Consumers to the Land
Henry
Janzen
Report
for Citizens Not Available to Citizens
LOCAL
FOOD PLUS: BIODIVERSITY ACTIVITIES FOR CERTIFICATION
EAT A RARE BREED
RARE BREEDS CANADA
STIRRING
IT UP: FUN, SAVING THE PLANET AND MAKING MONEY WITH ORGANICS
Greening
Sugar
Single
Use Yogurt Cups
Canadian
Company Supplies Wastewater Technology
Mooving
on Environmental Practices
MORAL ROUTE TO STEADY STATE
ECONOMY TO PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY
SCHOOL DAYS: OUT WITH OLD,
IN WITH THE NEW
BEEP BEEP
****************************************************
ABOUT THIS ISSUE
Our theme in this issue is Biodiversity and Agriculture. Despite
increasing interest in Product of Canada food and food safety
our national media pay very little attention to what is happening
in the food production system. According to a recent OECD review,
Canada's food system is adversely impacting biodiversity, only
slightly improving its less than satisfactory environmental
performance, and increasingly becoming large scale. Many commentators
bemoan the fact that so many young people do not know where
their food comes from. GL hopes that our summary of the OECD
report may help readers and others understand that the agricultural
eco-system is not nearly as healthy as it needs to be for sustainability.
It is not only the OECD that is considering the environmental
impacts of agriculture. We review a recent report from Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
It is not clear that AAFC really wants Canadians to read the
report but we give you a synopsis of a report that could be
key to Canadian agriculture's involvement in a future GHG emission
reduction strategy. Farming can be both an emitter of and a
sink for greenhouse gases - the challenge is to get the mix
right through sound GHG management.
Intuitively, humans should not eat rare breeds. But when it
comes to agriculture the only way to maintain rare breeds might
be to eat them. GL tells you why, where, and how. Hurry along
to the Rare Breeds Canada website if you want to bid on the
auction. Our book review this issue, of Stirring It Up: How
to make money and save the world, discusses how Stonyfield Farm
grew to become a hugely successful organic yogurt supplier.
Read it to understand the key role of the CEYo. After reading
the book you will want to try the product. Fortunately you can
buy Stonyfield Farm products at some Canadian grocery stores.
Our letter writers continue the theme
of degrowth and enhance our efforts to discuss biodiversity.
Another book review looks at ethics rather than economics as
a pathway to preserve biodiversity. It is back to school time
so GL links it all together by looking at a book that was maybe
twenty years ahead of its time. And to celebrate our editor's
birthday, this issue of GL ends with a link to a song that has
been amusing him and others more easily amused for fifty years.
In our next issue we will review a number
of current topics, including water in bottles, slow money, controlling
agricultural runoff, and dead zones in marine and freshwater
environments. In early October our next feature issue will look
at the topic of Environment and Intellectual Property, unless,
that is, the federal election campaign generates much more environmental
and climate change excitement than we are expecting.
****************************************************
August 7, 2008 The Honoured Reader (free) edition of
the Gallon Environment Letter Vol. 13, No. 6 July 14, 2008 has
been posted click here.
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: LIABILITY
FOR PUBLIC STATEMENTS
Theme: BIODIVERSITY
ECONOMICS
OF ECOSYSTEMS AND BIODIVERSITY - TEEB
The Nature
of Value / the Value of Nature
Business
as Usual Is Not an Option
Impact
on the Poor
Costs
of Loss of Biodiversity
Policies
to Strengthen Biodiversity
Examples
of Biodiversity Policies
BIODIVERSITY
IN GOOD COMPANY
Leadership
in Biodiversity in Good Company
UN Earth
Summit 1992 and Later
CBD: FRAGMENTED
B &
B: BUSINESS AND BIODIVERSITY AT CBD
ICC GERMANY
- ROLE OF BUSINESS IN BIODIVERSITY
BUILDING
BIODIVERSITY BUSINESS
CORAL
IN HOT WATER
The impact
of business
GREEN
ROOFS FOR HABITAT
RBC(R):
BIODIVERSITY IN FINANCE
US MAYORS:
HIGH-CARBON FUELS RESOLUTION
FORESTETHICS:
TAR SANDS ACCOUNTABILITY OVERDUE
OIL SANDS
COMPANY WANT TO TALK
PEOPLE
AND BIODIVERSITY: WINNERS AND LOSERS
Total
Economic Value of Biodiversity
Policy
Examples
LETTERS
TO EDITOR
PHIL BEARD
GUEST
COLUMN:
ALUS:
AN AGRI- ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY SOLUTION FOR ONTARIO'S FARMLANDS
by Phil Beard, General Manager of the
Maitland Valley Conservation Authority MVCA, Ontario
THIRTY
SECOND SUMMARY
SHIFT
OR GET OFF THE POT
GREEN PARTY: GREEN TAX SHIFT
HERBICIDE: A LITTLE GOES TOO FAR
Dow Agrosciences Notice
Milestone(tm): Reduced Environmental Risk
COMPETITION BUREAU: NEW GUIDE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LABELLING
INVITATION TO ALLEGED TELEVISION SHOW
***************************************************
ABOUT
THIS ISSUE
Our theme this issue is biodiversity.
GL often touches on biodiversity; the last theme was Landscaping for Biodiversity
in GL V9 N9 May 10, 2004. The global community seems to have begun
to recognize that biodiversity is not just an aspect to be managed or
protected but is also something which has economic value and which presents
economic opportunity. GL’s editor recalls trying to make this case to
a Canadian government biodiversity conference several years ago when the
vast majority of participants were interested only in protecting and preserving.
Today the Value of Nature is a theme for the most prestigious events.
In this issue we review the economics of biodiversity and a multitude
of ideas for good corporate roles in biodiversity. However, not all companies
have yet got the message: we look at the example of coral death and the
role of business in lobbying against Marine Protected Areas. If only the
effort was put into protecting instead of fighting protection.
Our editorial, while appearing to pick
on the cellular phone industry, is intended as a caution to all those
industries whose knee-jerk reaction is to deny the existence of any environmental
or public health problems with their production or product lines. The
lawyers are coming to take you away, ha ha.
Related to biodiversity, we report on
the US Conference of Mayors recent resolution against the use of high
carbon fuels such as those from the Canadian tar sands. It is difficult
for anyone concerned about the environment to deny that they have a point.
The question will be how Canada and the companies involved respond. Will
it be with major efforts to address the problem or will it be with a denial
of the existence of a problem? The ngo ForestEthics has already expressed
an opinion. We bring you the industry view as well.
As a preview for the second part of our
biodiversity review which will focus more on the role of food and agriculture
in biodiversity (next issue) we include in this issue a guest column by
Phil Beard on Alternative Land Use Services: Balancing the environmental
demands of society, with the needs of farmers and rural communities.
In this issue we also focus on the carbon
policies of the federal Liberal and Green parties. Will climate be a major
issue in the next election? Perhaps jaded by the fact that environment
has never yet taken its position as a major election campaign issue, GL
is betting that environment will not make it on to the politicians’ agenda
in the upcoming federal campaign, but we note that this is one occasion
when we very much hope that we are wrong.
A relatively new apparently low risk pesticide
appears to have some issues. We bring you news of a report from the UK.
The Competition Bureau has introduced updated rules for environmental
labelling of products. Brand owners who have been following the old rules,
in effect since the early 1990's, are unlikely to notice much change.
However, environmental groups may have to remove their logos from products.
We bring you the scoop. Finally a caution to Canadian environmental business
and organizational spokespersons: an invitation from the US to appear
in a television show about environmental technologies and services may
be just another way to get you to pay for advertising which may or may
not be useful to you. We bring you a caution.
In our next issue we plan to continue
our coverage of recent advances in biodiversity.
In the meantime, enjoy this issue and
keep those letters to the editor coming to editor@gallonletter.ca
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
August 7, 2008 Events Posted click here
New additions are:
August 2008 International
Water Symposium August 12-14 2008 Winnipeg Manitoba
September 2008 The
Composting Council of Canada's 18th Annual National Conference. Chateau
Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec.
12th European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (erscp2008),
Berlin
October 2008 Canadian
Environment Network AGM, Toronto, Ontario
January 2009 28th
Annual Organic Conference Guelph, Ontario.
March 2009 Americana:
Environmental Technology Trade Show. Montreal, Quebec.
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June 23, 2008 The Honoured Reader (free) edition of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 13, No. 5 June 9, 2008 has been posted
click here.
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: THE
FOOD VERSUS BIOFUEL CONTROVERSY
Theme: ASBESTOS
PART 2 (See GL V13 N1 for Part
1)
ROTTERDAM:
RESPONSIBLE INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ASBESTOS
CHRYSOTILE
ASBESTOS AGAIN RECOMMENDED FOR PRIOR CONSENT LISTING
CANADA'S
ASBESTOS LEGACY
Awards
for Environmental Health Work
HEALTH
CANADA SHOULD MAKE ASBESTOS REPORT PUBLIC
Stayner Wins Award for
Work on Chrysotile Asbestos Research
SCHMIDHEINY:
CHANGING COURSE
Phasing
out Asbestos at Eternit
Charges
of Injustice about Eternit's Asbestos Legacy
BRAZILIAN
WORKERS SEEK COMPENSATION FOR ASBESTOS
Fernanda
Giannasi: the Erin Brockovich of Brazil
EMERGENCIES:
REDUCING ASBESTOS RISK
CARBON
NANOTUBES ACT SIMILARLY TO ASBESTOS
CIELAP
Releases 2nd Nanotechnology Policy Document
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Subject: Degrowth Conference GL V13 N4
Subject: CANSEE Conference 2009
BIOFUELS
NOT ONLY CAUSE OF FOOD SHORTAGE
CANADIAN
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING - BEST PRACTICES 2008
GUEST
COLUMN - Note
on Degrowth: "De-growth" Debate in France Originally Sent to Sylvia Lorek
by Emmanuel Prinet (see also Letter to
the Editor):
STEADY
STATE ECONOMY
GLEN DAVIS
UPDATE: PUBLIC ASSISTANCE REQUESTED
by Monte Hummel, O.C. President Emeritus
WWF-Canada
WASTE
- THE SOCIAL CONTEXT '08
BOOK:
SOME LIKE IT COOL
ANOTHER
KICK AT THE GALLON CAN
...Bisphenol
A
...National
GHG Emissions
CSR AT
EDC
CSR Advisors
Performance
Measures
The Enviroexport
Program
Review
WATER
HYACINTH: FROM WEED TO CASH CROP
A New
Profitable Use
BEEKEEPERS'
OUTRAGE LEADS TO TEMPORARY GERMAN BAN ON CHEMICAL
Canadian Approval
of Poncho
REDEFINITION
AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO ACTION
****************************************************
ABOUT
THIS ISSUE
Our two part update of asbestos issues
concludes in this issue with a special focus on asbestos and international
relationships. Even as conservative a group as the Canadian Cancer Society
has called for “the eventual phasing out of use and export of asbestos”
and for Canada to support the inclusion of chrysotile asbestos on the
Rotterdam Convention’s Prior Informed Consent list for 2008, yet both
past Liberal and the current Conservative governments have consistently
declared that chrysotile asbestos can be handled safely. As our articles
indicate, support for asbestos has trademarked Canada as a country that
has insufficient concern for the health of workers and citizens in many
developing countries. See GL V13 N1 for Part 1 of this series. Even
if you are not directly involved with asbestos, our stories illustrate
how international organizations, companies, governments, and individuals
are teaming up to defeat the Canadian government’s position on asbestos.
Recently the media, spurred on by some
of the silliness at the Rome Food Summit, have been full of the biofuel
versus food debate. The Food Summit was attended by national leaders
from around the world, including President Sarkozy of France, President
Lula of Brazil, President Mubarak of Egypt, Prime Minister Fukuda of
Japan, and more including the most senior of Canadian representatives,
our Ambassador to Rome. GL’s editorial explains where this periodical
comes out on the food versus fuel debate.
Are you an Ecological Economist yet,
or are you into Degrowth? Our letter writers in this issue would encourage
you to be. Our guest column also focusses on the Degrowth issue - GL
is inclined to think that, while the term is unattractive, the concept
is well worth contemplating. If Degrowth is not for you then try the
Steady State Economy, a similar concept which we also address in this
issue. We review a conference, Waste: the Social Context '08, and an
excellent new book by Robert Paehlke: Some Like it Cold, The Politics
of Climate Change.
Stratos has published its Canadian Corporate
Sustainability Reporting - Best Practices 2008 report - we give you
its highlights and tell you where to find it. Stratos did not review
the corporate social responsibility report of the government’s export
agency, EDC, so we will do it for you. We also look at a chemical that
is widely used in Canada but which has been put on temporary ban in
Germany because it may be implicated in the death of bees, something
that was of great concern to Charles Caccia and is still of concern
to many beekeepers and orchardists. Water hyacinth was for many years
regarded as the worst of weeds but now some local entrepreneurs in Africa
have worked out how it can be used as a for-profit resource. Isn’t that
what Sustainable Development is really all about? Almost finally, in
this issue we are introducing a new feature, Another Kick at the Gallon
Can, in which we will provide updates on issues previously covered.
Finally, it is unusual, in fact never
before done, that GL publishes a request for assistance from the police.
In this instance, however, the victim was such a strong environmentalist
and the circumstances so tragic that we have decided to publish the
appeal on the extremely unlikely off-chance that one of our readers
was in the area of Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto on May 18, 2007. If
you think you may be able to help please follow the link given in our
article.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently
spoke to Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
which held its ninth meeting in Bonn May 19-30, 2008. Given no Canadian
Minister participated in the 2008 World Food Summit and the enthusiasm
from Ottawa for the Bonn Climate negotiations is similar to the enthusiasm
with which a pike swallows a hook, GL has decided that the Biodiversity
Convention must be part of a really big deal. We’ll be looking at some
of the business aspects associated with this Convention (target sectors
include agriculture, animal breeding industry, energy, fisheries, financial
institutions, forestry, infrastructure, mining, shipping and tourism)
in our next issue. That is if we survive the kamikaze attacks of the
red-wing blackbirds protecting their nests in our yard not just by fluttering
overhead and squawking but also by diving to make actual human body
contact.
Excellent reporting on the High-Level
Conference on World Food Security is available through IISD’s Earth
Negotiations Bulletin Linkages reporting service at http://www.iisd.ca/ymb/wfs/
****************************************************
June 23, 2008 Events Posted click here
New additions are:
September 2008 Green
Party National Convention, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
October 2008 Canadian
Environment Network AGM, Toronto, Ontario
January 2009 28th
Annual Organic Conference Guelph, Ontario.
March 2009 Americana:
Environmental Technology Trade Show. Montreal, Quebec.
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Please note: The Honoured Reader edition of the Gallon Environment
Letter does not contain most of the links of the paid subscription. However,
any urls listed, checked at the time of publication of each issue, may
no longer be current.
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