Coldstream
district in BC goes carbon neutral
by
Adam Proskiw - Story: 87483
Feb 16, 2013 / 11:55 am
The District of
Coldstream is one of 180 BC municipalities that signed the Climate ActionCharter, pledging to be operationally carbon neutral by 2013. The District has
measured its emissions associated with municipal operations, reduced emissions
where possible and offset what the municipality was been unable to reduce.
“The District of
Coldstream has worked hard to reach the goal of being Carbon Neutral.
This initiative will help to ensure that we become a more sustainable
community. I am glad that we have reached this point and will continue to seek
new initiatives for the betterment of our community,” says Mayor Jim Garlick.
As well as offsetting carbon emissions, the District also implemented reduction
initiatives, including: Development of a Civic Building Action
Plan; Development of a Fuel Efficient Action
Plan; Development of a Green Infrastructure Plan; Adopt the Solar-Ready Initiative; Install solar panels on the old Fire Hall; Acquire a hybrid vehicle; Adopt a Tax Revitalization Program to
support Sustainability Initiatives.
“Maintaining Carbon
Neutral status is an important step in ensuring that individuals, corporations
and governments at every level do their part in reducing the impacts of Climate
Change,” says Michael Stamhuis, Chief Administrative Officer.
www.Castanet.net
Sockeye Salmon Return in 2012 Washington state and British Columbia residents are ecstatic. Over half a million salmon have returned to the Columbia River basin and the Okanagan region in British Columbia. Half a million......this from a low of 24,376 in 2007. Details at: http://www.cbbulletin.com/421414.aspx
Why Whales Are People Too Scientists have identified socializing and specific speech patterns within whale communities. Article at: http://www.readersdigest.ca/magazine/true-stories/why-whales-are-people-too
"The good news is technology and future-focused groups are providing
us with some great tools and resources to get inspired and make smart decisions”
Philippe Cousteau, environmental advocate
Oceans: Environmental victim or savior?
By Philippe Cousteau,
Special to CNN
(CNN) -- My grandfather Jacques Cousteau and my father
Philippe dedicated their lives to revealing the ocean's wonders and helping us
understand our connection to this vast expanse of water. Their work inspired
generations and filled people with awe.
Times have changed and
so have circumstances and perceptions about the ocean. In recent years, the
focus has been on the very serious challenges the ocean faces and the impact
these challenges are already having on our daily lives.
The effects of climate
change, pollution and overfishing should be making headlines because the ocean
and all of us -- and I literally mean all humankind -- who depend on its
resources are facing the very real prospect of the catastrophic
collapse of ocean ecosystems if we continue on our current course.
"The
ocean can and should be a source of hope and solutions for a brighter future
Philippe Cousteau, environmental advocate
Despite the challenges
our ocean faces, I believe it's time to recapture the sense of wonder and
inspiration my grandfather and father felt when they gazed on its surface. In
fact, the ocean can and should be a source of hope and solutions for a brighter
future.
Before you accuse of me
of eschewing cold hard reality for a world view through rose-colored glasses,
hear me out. What I'm proposing is that we step back and look at the potential
a healthy ocean has to provide us with a prosperous and sustainable future.
Just take a moment to
think about what the ocean does for us on a daily basis: it produces half of
the world's oxygen; it provides more than one billion people with their primary
source of protein; its natural eco-systems like coral reefs, mangroves and
wetlands provide protection against coastal erosion and natural disasters such
as tsunamis; it regulates our climate; and a healthy ocean fuels sustainable
businesses and a strong economy in industries such as seafood, tourism,
pharmaceuticals and shipping.
That's really only the
beginning. Check out Ocean Conservancy's
"Why the Ocean Matters" feature if you want to be truly amazed.
My point is the answers to many of our greatest environmental and social
challenges literally surrounds us.
For the ocean to
continue to do what's it's done for millions of years and serve the needs of a
rapidly expanding human population, it needs to be healthy. Biodiversity, coral
reefs, wetlands and trash-free seas aren't just terms on a page they are
environmental imperatives that dictate the future of the planet.
We have the know-how and
resources to conserve and restore the aquatic and marine systems that keep the
ocean and us healthy. As my grandfather once said, "The technology that we
use to abuse the planet is the same technology that can help us to heal it."
Big technology like
renewable energy, carbon sequestration and advances in aquaculture certainly
have a major role in restoring the ocean and the planet to a healthy balance,
but in many cases it's a matter of giving nature the space and time to do what
it needs to do with a helping hand from all of us.
Regulations that help
replenish and protect fish stocks, restoration and conservation projects to
protect and nurture natural barriers like reefs and wetlands, and reforestation
efforts are all things that can have a huge impact on ocean health with no
rocket science necessary.
Take fisheries for
example, with two billion people joining us on this planet over the next 40
years, there will be a huge need for more sources of protein. If these needed
protein sources were to come primarily from livestock there is the very real
potential for catastrophic pollution of water and land, not to mention the
exponential increase in carbon emissions.
"The
good news is technology and future-focused groups are providing us with some
great tools and resources to get inspired and make smart decisions" said Philippe Cousteau, environmental advocate.
But, by some estimates,
simply managing fisheries better could feed up to one billion of those people
and remember, seafood is 7-10 times more efficient as a source of protein than
land-based meat sources ... if managed properly.
If you are thinking this
all sounds like the future of the ocean is in the hands of policymakers and big
industry, please think again. Every hour of every day each of us have the
opportunity to make choices with impact, from what we eat and the things we buy
to the examples we set for our children and friends.
The good news is
technology and future-focused groups are providing us with some great tools and
resources to get inspired and make smart decisions.
We can make sure the
ocean continues to provide inspiration, wonder and solutions for generations,
however, it all comes down to personal and collective will. Ask yourself this
question: When you look upon the ocean 10 years from now, do you want to see a
sad reminder of what could have been; or do you want to be filled with awe and
inspired by a sense of endless possibilities?
