|
For archives click What's
New Past
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
December 14, 2009 The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 14, No. 9,
November 18, 2009 posted
click here
A SMART APPROACH TO MARKETING
Theme: SLAPP Strategic
Lawsuits Against Public Participation
GUEST COLUMN: Planning's
Uneven Playing Field: the Asymmetry of Power and Resources as a Barrier
to the Public Interest and Participation
Excerpt from Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario / Annual
Report 2008/2009 Part 3 Building Resilience in Planning
The Big Bay Point Decision
The Need for Equal Footing
BENNETT ENVIRONMENTAL VS CONSERVATION
COUNCIL OF NEW BRUNSWICK
Update
ANTI-SLAPP LEGISLATION
COSTS
MORE PROBABILITY OF IT BEING SAFER
TO CRITICIZE CANADIAN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS
CCLA INTERVENES IN MUNICIPAL SLAPP
US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: CLIMATE
CHANGE AND THE YES MEN
High Profile Exits from the US
Chamber of Commerce
Film: Yes Men Fix the World
US CHAMBER ADVOCATES FOR LESS
FRIVOLOUS LITIGATION
GOING BANANAS!*
TECK COMINCO COUNTER SUES
LAWSUITS AGAINST REGULATORS SEEKING
TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
HILTON VS HALLMARK
INDUSTRY CAUGHT MISREPRESENTING COMMUNITY
GROUPS
FAMILY LAW AS A MODEL FOR INFORMED
CONSENT
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF CCNB
BP FINED $87 MILLION
RECYCLED CLAIM FOR OLYMPIC MEDALS
***************************************************
ABOUT THIS ISSUE
SLAPP suits, designed to slap down critics and, in some cases, to
put individuals and families of opponents of so-called development initiatives
through mental anguish have been around for many years. Recently the
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario and other governmental organizations
have been taking a more critical look at how corporations misuse their
wealth and their political power to beat down their opponents. We review
the state of thinking in this field, beginning with a guest column from
the ECO.
SLAPP suits might sound like a dry and legalistic theme but Gallon
Environment Letter always strives to make our reading interesting and
fun. Seek our movie trailer link in this issue for what The Yes Men
thinks is an "honest representation of what Dow should be doing". Read
about Bananas!*. And it is not only critics who spoof the deep pockets.
Consultants to the coal industry were recently caught with forged letters
purportedly from an icon of American society. Paris Hilton does not
find her way into the pages (screens?) of Gallon Environment Letter
too often but here she is in our SLAPP suit issue!
This issue of GL also marks 40 years of work by the Conservation
Council of New Brunswick, one of the founding groups in Canada's contemporary
environmental movement. David Coon is its executive director; many readers
will know him from his days as manager of Ecology House, an energy demonstration
home which once stood over the back of the Spadina subway station on
Madison Avenue in Toronto. BP has been hit by very large fines, which
it is disputing, and Canada's winter Olympic medals may not be quite
as green as they seem.
Enjoy this issue and keep those Letters to the Editor coming to editor@gallonletter.ca
Our next issue will take a realistic look at the question of local
food for year-round eating and the holiday season. Unless, of course,
the Copenhagen climate talks really heat up, in which case we may bring
you an analysis of the Copenhagen conference.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
November 4, 2009 The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 14, No. 8,
October 21, 2009 posted
click here
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: CAN
SUNCOR BECOME AN ENERGY LEADER?
Theme: NANOMIRACLE,
OR NOT?
IEHN:
DISCLOSURE OF NANO WEAK
Vol. 14, No. 10, December 15, 2009
NANOTECH
MAY HAVE NO ROLE IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
AMEC BOOK:
NANOTECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Public
awareness is low
Benefits
and risks
Properties
Ecological
hazards
Health
risk assessment
2008 REPORT:
SMALL IS DIFFERENT AND NEEDS REGULATION
US: NATIONAL
NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE
Environment
health and safety
CANADA
DOMESTIC SUBSTANCES LIST
BLUE PLANET
AWARD
ENVIRONMENT
CANADA: LINKING SCIENCE AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT
INTERMEDIARIES/RESEARCH INTERPRETERS
IEA: URGENT
NEED FOR ENERGY POLICIES FOR CLIMATE
CO2 STORAGE:
IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, IT'S ROCK SCIENCE
BJORN
LOMBORG: ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE STATE OF THE WORLD
Nature
journal's review
Lomborg
errors web site
Lomborg's
2001 book: not good scientific practice
Intermediaries
US FEDERAL
DEPARTMENTS TO SET ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMPLE
DOE FAILS
TO SET-BACK TEMPERATURE CONTROLS.
NOBEL:
CHANGE OF CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
EarthShastra
****************************************************
ABOUT
THIS ISSUE
In the 1960s romantic sitcom, I Dream
of Jeannie, Barbara Eden plays a genie Jeannie. Jeannie is a couple
of thousand years old, beautiful, and sometimes lives in a bottle.
Her so-called master is an astronaut. Jeannie, who today might be called
a nanogenie, is the same in miniature as she is in her larger form.
Unfortunately, for our health of ourselves and the environment, such
may not be true for nanomaterials. Quantum rather than conventional
physics applies when the scale is at the atom and molecule level. In
this issue we look at the challenge of nanomaterials and share some
ideas of what needs to be done to ensure their adequate safety.
As always we have some general news
and views. Asahi Glass Foundation recently gave its Blue Planet
award for environmental work; Environment Canada has a project researching
links between science and policy development, and we pass on a couple
of reports on climate issues, with much more to come later this Fall.
A correspondent asked us what we think about the work of Bjorn Lomborg,
the Skeptical Environmentalist, so instead of telling you what we think
we share the thoughts of a number of people and organizations with much
more expertise than GL. You can even read about the findings of the
Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty, the kind of organization
that is sorely needed here in North America. We end this issue with
a commentary on the Nobel Peace Prize recently awarded to President
Obama. Somehow we think it unlikely that Prime Minister Harper will
receive a similar honour, at least not this year!
Our next issue will follow up on the
Ontario Environment Commissioner’s recent exposure of the democratic
unfairness of SLAPP suits against those who oppose almost anything.
How far we have come from the 1980's and 1990's when governments and
at least some industry leaders recognized the value of citizen participation
in the making of public policy. While waiting for the next issue we
encourage you to submit your comments on this one, or on anything else
relevant to the field of environment and Sustainable Development.
........................................................................................................................................................................................................
November 4, 2009 Events Posted click here
Ongoing:: Career
opportunities at the Saskatchewan Research Council.
November 2009 16th
Annual Charles Sauriol Environmental Dinner Toronto, Ontario
MEIA's 2009 Emerging Issues Conference: Enhancing our Environment Through
Innovation & Responsibility. Winnipeg, Manitoba
January 2010 SEIMA
2010 Business Expo & Trade Show January 11 and Linkages 2010 Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
October 10, 2009 The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 14, No. 7,
September 25, 2009 posted
click here
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: TECHNOLOGY
AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Theme: URBANIZATION
OF SOCIETY
BRUGMANN:
WELCOME TO THE URBAN REVOLUTION
MORE CANADIANS
LIVE IN CITIES
DOWNTOWN
DETROIT: PRIME LOCATION FOR LEASE
NATIONAL
SUMMIT
URBAN
CENTER LIGHT RAIL
GREEN
SHOOTS
COPENHAGEN:
CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
DANISH
CLEANTECH
CLIMATE
WARS
LIBBY,
MONTANA: ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
Public
Health Emergency
NIAGARA
ESCARPMENT
WHAT A
DIFFERENCE A LITTLE FISH (SPECIES) MAKES
ANOTHER
LITTLE FISH CAUSES RETHINK IN WATER POLICY IN CALIFORNIA
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
THIRTY
SECOND SUMMARY
IISD:
GLOBAL SEARCH FOR CEO AND PRESIDENT
BOOK:
GOOD TO GREEN
ONTARIO
SHOWCASE AT AWMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
TO WHOM
DOES THIS CORPORATE SLOGAN REFER?
****************************************************
ABOUT
THIS ISSUE
Both technology and cities were once seen
as blights on the environment. Today both are often seen as environmental
opportunities and perhaps necessities. “Back to the Land” and neo-Luddism
no longer represent the rallying cry of most environmentally-concerned
citizens. In this issue GL looks at both the role of technology and the
role of cities and finds that, if we are to improve our relationship with
the environment, they are probably both important elements of the future.
A review of a new book by Jeb Brugmann
anchors our look at cities but we are also practical, reviewing our experience
of downtown Detroit, Michigan, USA, earlier this year. If you can have
a green city without people, downtown Detroit probably qualifies.
In an issue that includes some catching
up on items postponed from the last two or three months it is almost inevitable
that we switch to climate change. With the Copenhagen Conference of the
parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change rapidly
approaching, today’s review will likely be the first of several we do
in the next three months. We are also including our review of the paperback
edition of Gwynne Dyer’s new book, Climate Wars, which, in GL’s opinion
should be mandatory reading for Prime Minister Harper and for all those
who are still uncertain about the topic.
As regular readers will recall, GL has
been on a bit of a campaign on the asbestos issue. Against that background
a recent US court decision in favour of W.R. Grace is disappointing, though
the jury’s reasons are interesting. The US EPA has followed up by declaring
Libby, Montana, to be a Public Health Emergency under the Superfund law,
the first time anywhere that this has been done.
Finally this issue catches up on some
recent environmental news: the Niagara Escarpment, a court order against
the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, a similar order in the US under
the Endangered Species Act, some letters to the Editor, which we always
welcome and try to publish, space permitting, a review of a new book,
Good to Green, from John-David Phyper and Paul Maclean.
We are also listing a job for a senior
sustainable development specialist.
In the next issue we’ll be updating our
coverage of the environmental aspects of nanotechnology. Meanwhile, we
hope you enjoy this one and find it useful.
........................................................................................................................................................................................................
October 10, 2009 Events Posted click here
October 2009 The
Recycling Council of Alberta's 2009 Waste Reduction Conference. Calgary
Alberta
November 2009 The
21st annual Canadian Power Conference and Networking Centre. Toronto Ontario.
Energy 2009 Lean and Green Energizing the Bottom Line with Energy Efficiency.
Toronto Ontario
January 2010 Guelph
Organic Conference and Expo. Guelph Ontario.
...........................................................................................................................................................................................
Please note: Except for occasional issues, 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.
|
