Here in Ontario, we are facing a municipal election this fall, and a provincial one next fall, with a question of a federal election somewhere in there. Six years ago, I saw a need and I decided to try to fill it: I realized that one of the biggest problems in our society is that often people don't run for election who are good, caring, peaceful, big picture thinkers, organizers and communicators.

 

I've tried hard to figure out why. I've heard many reasons why people don't offer themselves for this type of community service, and I’ve been advised by some people I look up to with very different perspectives to run, not run, run for the top, don’t waste too much time. I’ve got to admit: they go through my head sometimes too, most recently when trying to decide if I’ll run again (spoiler alert: I decided to be a leader).

 

Here are the negative thoughts that could go through your head if you think of running:

 

1)   You can get more done faster outside government & its bureaucracy, particularly when you’re interested in a particular topic or like to run under the radar

2)   ‘Politicians are corrupt’: therefore, if you become one, people will think you are corrupt, will treat you differently, or you’d be put in the position of not being able to speak against things that seem wrong

3)   Your views can be broadcast wrong, with a bad spin, and rumours and gossip may fly

4)   It’s a big time commitment, particularly in areas where it’s not a full-time job

5)   In governments, almost always you have to start out being a follower of a leader (mayor, premier, prime minister, etc.) who may not be someone you want to support or work with, or even seem to support for the chance that you are misleading the public who knows you

6)   The compromises needed to be effective in order to keep respect and the ability to sway opinions can be unethical and unacceptable to you or the public

7)   Once elected, since the unspoken mandate is to get re-elected, every single thing you do or don't do has dire consequences: you could lose the next election and the ability to have a voice at the table

8)   You're tied into a system that has obvious flaws, can be misused, manipulated or just screwed up

9)   Your private life for you and your family will be gone, because you’ll be stopped at the grocery store, the beach, everywhere!

10)                  The money is never what your time is worth: you could make more money and get better results spending time doing other things instead, and people will always argue that you get paid too much or that you should do more since you’re paid to do it

11)                  People will have unrealistic expectations and ask you to do things you are either incapable of affecting or not the best use of your time

12)                  You’re not sure who you’ll be elected with, so you don’t know how difficult it will be to work with them or whether they share your values and vision

13)                  Unless the chairperson is acclaimed, it’s hard to know if things will be run properly, with good procedures and policies

14)                  People will be angry with you for things that don’t make sense, and not value what you do

15)                  You’ll have to learn about and deal with a lot of issues you are not interested in or you don’t have the same priorities as your fellows

16)                  People assume that you’re in politics for an ulterior motive of some sort: money, power, greed, control!

17)                  The staff members own culture and direction will affect your ability to create change

18)                  It’s hard to balance out being a leader, being persistent in what you think is best, and allowing democratic processes to work effectively

19)                  Politics is frustrating, slow, mundane, pervasive, and sometimes even boring!

20)                  Being a leader is like herding cats!

But, there are also strong positives!

1)   You are looked up to in your community as someone who is willing to sacrifice their personal life for the good of the community

2)   You have the ability to put forward ideas that can create positive change

3)   There is an opportunity to work with like-minded people as well as a diversity of opinions

4)   Your civic responsibility to your community would be met in spades

5)   Your community will have a voice through you

6)   You can make influential decisions on things that matter

7)   Once elected, you are part of a culture of politicians that accords at least some respect to you around the world

8)   Problems can be resolved by sharing your knowledge, expertise, and using your connections

9)   Issues you care about can be addressed by being put on the table by you

10)                  You can tie the threads together and help present the big picture

11)                  Being elected can give you a stronger voice at other levels of government and in other places, like the corporate world

12)                  Future generations will thank you for looking after their interests, especially when you address climate change

 

But, the biggest consideration of all is: who will be leading when people like you who care don’t run for election? Are you willing to risk your kids and grandkids’ future?

 

 

 

Will cruise control improve fuel economy?

The answer: it depends.

On level highways with light traffic, it is YES: cruise control holds a vehicle to a steadier speed than most drivers can, and that’s more efficient than continuous acceleration and deceleration. 

However, in hilly terrain, cruise control 'tramps on it' when it encounters a climb, trying to maintain a constant speed - and that consumes a lot of fuel.  So in hilly areas, a driver with a skilled foot can easily get better mileage than cruise control.  (A skilled foot means allowing the vehicle to slow down on the upgrades instead of tramping on the gas, and then using the other side of the hill to pick up speed.)  

One caveat: safety first!  Always ensure your driving style is compatible with road and traffic conditions.

Thanks to Stephanie McClellan in St. Anthony, NL for the question that led to this Green Idea!

In the news:

Coral reefs around Indonesia seem to be dying faster than ever as ocean temperatures hover at 4 degrees C above normal, say scientists.

Renewable IS doable in Ontario, says a new Pembina Institute report – pointing out that the growth of green power is exceeding expectations.

Think local food – it’s flavour, freshness and nutrition, but a whole lot more too.

Does the type of transmission in your vehicle affect your mileage?

It does!  Generally speaking, vehicles with automatic transmissions use more fuel than similar vehicles with manual transmissions.  A comparison of the 2010 models listed below produced the following results:

On average, manual transmissions will result in fuel savings of about $60 per year.

In city driving, manual transmissions will go about 7% further on a litre of fuel, or about 32 KM further per tank.

In highway driving, manual transmissions will go about 1.3% further on a litre of fuel, or about 8 KM further per tank.

Note that savings vary for every model of car, so it’s wise to check NRCan’s Fuel Consumption Ratings here before buying.  Also, some models now have continuously variable transmissions, which are often even more efficient than manual.

2010 models compared: Chevrolet Aveo and Cobalt; Ford Fusion; Pontiac G3, G5 and Vibe; Honda Civic; Nissan Frontier and Versa; Toyota Corolla, Matrix and Yaris

In the news:

Yet again, evidence: a recent report by climate scientists in 48 countries highlights 10 key climate indicators as 'unmistakable' scientific evidence that our world is warming.

The Empire State Building: can the tallest be the greenest?

While mowing the lawn, have you ever paused to wonder...about the lawn?

Linking Tiger Woods, the BP oil spill and the current state of weather related events around the world may seem like a stretch. Please humour me for a few hundred words, by the end of this piece; it may not seem like a stretch.

The inspiration (if you can call it that) for this blog came from watching a piece last week on ABC News. Clayton Sandell, an ABC reporter, asked experts whether they believe that recent incidents around the world, such as the forest fires in Russia, the heat waves around the world, and the flooding in Pakistan where related to global warming. The good news is that they did talk to respected scientists who stated that there certainly is a link (kind of perverse to call it good news); the bad news was that they also gave Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe air time in the news piece.

Inhofe certainly has an interesting approach to explaining why climate change is not happening (note he is one of the most of vocal of remaining climate change deniers kicking around). The reporter told Inhofe that the summer of 2010 will go down as the hottest on record – his response included “A few days here and there means nothing”, “we are currently nine years of a cooling trend” and “look at the snow that fell on the east coast last winter, that is evidence that this global warming thing is not happening”.

Last time I checked, temperatures are getting hotter decade over decade, and about the snow? Roughly 90% of the North American east coast is experiencing a trend of increased precipitation as a result of increasing temperatures. Last time I checked, snow is precipitation!

So what has this got to do with BP and Tiger Woods?

The link to BP isn’t that hard – the risk of environmental disaster (beyond climate change) is high when things go wrong when extracting oil.

So what do Tiger, BP and this summer have in common? The ugly underbelly of all things we enjoy are showing their true colours.

·        All but a few people knew Tiger was doing what he was doing while the rest of us enjoyed watching his golf. Some of Tiger’s inner circle must have known his escapades would end badly.

·        We happily consume oil from the Gulf (and everywhere for that matter), but a few people on that rig figured it was a ticking time bomb, they were correct – they likely knew it would end badly.

·        Millions of people around the world are, right now, being affected by extreme heat, smoke, forest fires, and flooding. For those who have lost their lives as a result, their lives ended badly.

How many more ghosts are in our collective closet?

We have to stop merrily rolling along and assume all things are ok. We have to demand transparency, ethics and honesty from public officials, business, and even athletes. We cannot continue to allow cancers to fester while we roll along in denial of all things that can harm us in the near and distant future. Our collectively financial obesity caught up to us in the last year or so, Tiger’s behaviour caught up to him last year, and ignoring the impact of a warming planet is catching up to us now. When we will take our collective head out of the sand and work together towards a course of financial, health and environmental sustainability? There are certainly enough of us trying, just not enough people listening and acting on it yet!

Enough venting for now J

One of the more complicated green living decisions in our household each year is choosing sunscreen. That might sound a bit ridiculous but based on a lot of recent research, making a choice can be quite difficult. Here’s why: Sunscreen contains toxins that can be harmful when absorbed through your skin; your sunscreen is likely to be much less effective than the SPF rating leads you to believe; chances are it won’t protect you from harmful UVA rays; and the higher the SPF you choose the more time you’re probably going to spend in the sun slathered in a false sense of security.

These are the findings of Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) fourth annual review of sunscreen. For this year’s report they analyzed 500 sunscreens, including all of the major brands, and rated them according to their safety and effectiveness.  EWG isn’t trying to scare us away from sunscreen (although that might be your first reaction) their goal is to help us choose our sunscreen very carefully. 

Potentially hazardous oxybenzone is an ingredient in about 60% of the sunscreens tested. It’s a hormone-disruptor that gets absorbed into your body through your skin. About 41% of sunscreens tested also contain a form of vitamin A called retinyl palmitate (a compound that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found could promote the development of skin cancer because of the way it reacts with sunlight.)

Studies show that on average we only apply about a quarter of the amount we should to get the SPF protection promised and we don’t reapply often enough to sustain protection. Even if you apply and reapply as directed your brand still may not protect you against UVA radiation, the sunlight that doesn’t cause burns but still damages your skin.

And finally, studies have also shown that those who choose sunscreen with a really high SPF rating spend a lot longer in the sun than those who sport products with a lower SPF.

Before you stress out over what to slather on this summer remember that there are plenty of ways to stay safe in the sun, with and without sunscreen. 

Cover up with clothing and a hat to protect your skin from the sun. (Sunscreen should never be your first or only line of defense against the sun.) MEC has a great selection of sun shirts that block 98% of UV rays and eliminate the effort of applying sunscreen. 

Search EWG’s database of sunscreens to find a safe and effective brand of sunscreen. EWG has slotted brands into three categories: green for recommend, yellow for caution and red for avoid.  The database also provides a UVA and UVB protection rating and rates how well the sunscreen holds up in the sun.  

I searched some of the most common brands around and found that Coppertone Water Babies (the pink bottle) offers excellent UVB protection, good UVA protection, excellent stability (doesn’t breakdown in the sun) and has a moderate toxicity rating of 3, just one point out of the “recommend” zone. Be sure to buy the cream, not the aerosol. This is by far the easiest sunscreen to find and is great for people of all ages (not just kids).

 

My best find yet is the Badger Sunscreen Face Stick. It offers good UVB coverage, excellent UVA protection, excellent stability and a low toxicity rating of 1. (Check your local health food store for this brand).

Beware of other popular brands like Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic and Aveeno. Most of these brands fall to the “avoid” zone, even the lines for babies and kids. 

With a simple click, you can save a square meter of rainforest every day

Most of us don't think about which website opens when we start our internet browser every day; it's usually Facebook, MSN or something similar.  But we can use our first click of the day to help preserve the planet's rainforests.

Here’s how: make the Rainforest Site, www.therainforestsite.com, the home page you start from every day.  Then just click the box "Click here to give - it's FREE".  And with that simple action, you've preserved just over a square meter of the world's rainforests, the lungs of the planet that can absorb back some of the CO2 'exhaled' by our burning of fossil fuels. 

It's not much, but those square meters add up - over 100,000 people click the site every day, and nearly 30,000 hectares have been preserved so far.  

The land is paid for by sponsors who advertise on the Rainforest Site.  If you visit, you'll also see similar sites in support of breast cancer, hunger, literacy and more - all causes you can support with the simple click of a mouse.

You can make The Rainforest Site your home page by going to it, then clicking Tools - Internet Options - General - Use current.

In the news:

Lake Superior, a huge natural climate change gauge, is running a fever.

Poisoning ourselves to look and smell better???  That’s exactly what we’re doing, according to The Story of Cosmetics: a new video that tackles the issue of toxic product ingredients.

Free hot water?  Yep, and lots of it – from the sun! 

Recently I read the book, The Male Factor: The Unwritten Rules, Misperceptions, and Secret Beliefs of Men in the Workplace by Shaunti Feldhahn (1). The book is based on seven years of intense research, interviews and surveys with more than 3,000 men. It reveals the unfiltered, private thoughts and expectations of men in the workplace. I read this book to help me understand why some men respond so differently to the climate crisis compared to me. (I am a woman). From it I gleaned four things we might need to keep in mind when thinking about men and their response to the climate crisis. 

1) Men compartmentalize much easier than females. Men can deal with one thing at a time, do it extremely well and they get annoyed when they have to deviate from this line of thinking. But the climate crisis is intimately connected to many other planetary crises including  water, food,  ocean depletion, over population, peak oil and peak soil. The climate crisis right now is affecting people in developing countries, on fixed incomes and Indigenous Peoples. If you are a compartmentalized thinker I would guess it would be easier to deal with the thought of our grandchildren inheriting a collapsed climate too.

2) Men can separate business from personal. "It's just business," thinking means that some men may be able to make executive decisions that will impact some people negatively but not be nearly as affected as a woman.

October 10, 2010: a day for local actions and global solutions

If you’re yearning for solutions to climate change and environmental degradation, mark October 10 – 10/10/10 – on your calendar.

That’s the day www.350.org is organizing work parties all over the world to tackle solutions through local actions.  From solar panels to community gardens to wind turbines to bike workshops: people will be working together to share information and implement the types of solutions our planet so desperately needs.  If you’re ready to turn your good intentions into great actions, why not take part?  Your planet needs you! 

Register here to join or lead a local activity - in your community, school, workplace, faith community or home. 

Click here for great project ideas, big and small. 

And click here to see a slideshow about 10/10/10 and learn what the 350 stands for.

Help make 10/10/10 a turning point.  Think globally, act locally!

In the news:

Good news for our fossil fuel industry: let the subsidies and tax breaks continue.

Check out this 2-minute video of an aviation breakthrough: a solar powered plane flies for 26 hours!

If you think you have no addiction problems, think again...you and I are both hooked on the same thing.

Fresh local produce will soon be hitting the farmers markets and grocery stores.  When you buy local, you’re doing a good thing for many reasons:

1.  You’re supporting neighbours and your local economy instead of anonymous, faraway suppliers.

2.  You’re helping build local food production capacity because the more local food people buy, the more farmers will produce.

3.  You’ll know where your food comes from, and can have confidence in higher standards of quality and food safety.

4.  You’ll be doing the environment a favour, because long-distance food has a huge transportation carbon footprint.  One article I’ve read estimates that one third of trucks on the road today are carrying food.  The average item on a typical dinner plate has traveled more than most people travel on vacation!

So, if you’re getting tired of the limited array of local veggies available, take heart: local produce is on the horizon, and it’s a good choice all around!

In the news:

Environment Canada has announced that Canada’s warmest winter on record was followed by Canada’s warmest spring on record.

Check out this interactive Climate Change Calendar showing by when during 2010 the average Canadian citizen will have produced as much greenhouse gas as a citizen from another country will produce during the whole year.  As of today, June 30^th, our per capita carbon footprint so far this year equals that of a typical Singaporean for the entire year.  (We passed Burundi January 5.)

2010 is the UN's International Year of Biodiversity. Mufasa (from the movie "The Lion King") has some good counsel to share.

Without investing a penny, most drivers can save 15% on their fuel bill – equivalent to almost two months of free driving a year.

It’s all in how you drive, and here are the two critical habits for savings:

1. accelerate gently – resist that urge to ‘tramp on it’, because that’s when your engine slurps HUGE amounts of fuel.  Then coast as much as possible, and brake gently.

2. limit your speed to 100 KMH or less.  Generally, the slower you go, the more you save.

Here’s proof these two practices work: my Toyota Echo gave me 60 miles per gallon (21 KM/litre) last week, well above the car’s official rating.  

For more great fuel-saving tips, visit http://www.ecodriver.org/pages/Fuel-EfficientDriving.php.  And take a 2-minute ride (via YouTube) with the ‘king of hypermiling’: he gets twice his vehicle’s rated fuel mileage!!

In the news:

Arg – the Harper government has (quietly) released a report showing that its programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will produce just 10% of the results forecast a mere 12 months ago.  Six Nobel laureates and a former PM join the chorus of voices urging that climate change be on the agenda of the G8 / G20 meetings.

Turn your old phone into new trees at http://plantmyphone.com/.  (Help expand the network: become a partner!)

The world is full of ‘disposable’ stuff, but is that really such a good idea??