Tonight I watched Stephen Lewis give a speech about the global environment, and man, I felt like crying. It brings me back to the day when I saw 'An Inconvenient Truth' in the movie theatre, and felt totally devastated. 

  He gave the most blatantly honest, heartfelt speech I'd ever heard. I'm going to paraphrase some of his points for you while they're fresh in my memory.

  The most compelling new thing he said is that studies are showing that with climate change, sexual violence will rise around the world. If you heard his stories about what is happening with political violence against women in Africa, it would give you extra stimulus to do something about climate change.

  He said he knows the secret date in 18 months when we'll have another election and belives we'll have a chance to make a difference and get a new government who will deal with issues of poverty, violence against women, climate change, AIDs, etc. He said he can't give up hope because doing nothing won't change anything.

   It looked to me like he was almost crying at on point, saying he just doesn't understand how people can let this go on~like the US bailing out the banks with $700 billion which was a fraction of what the global community had agreed upon and had not paid to deal with AIDs.

  I'm worried that we won't have time to turn these crises around, and I felt like quitting my job as a municipal councillor and only dealing with climate change issues 16 hours a day. That isn't really possible, because I have a family and I have to keep my sanity, but I hope you'll all join me in following his advice and getting active both in our personal lives and in the public sphere to address these horrrendous problems and get serious.

I have to admit that I am a bit of a James Bond fan (hey, isn't everyone) - so much so that a buddy and I were foolish enough last night to watch the midnight showing of the latest flick, Quantum of Solace. Foolish because I think I was the oldest person in the theatre and because I am paying for the lack of sleep this morning :)

James Bond has generally reflected the sign of the times. The bad guy (one of my favourite villains, played by Christopher Walken) in View to a Kill planned to bury Silicon Valley under water in 1985 but Roger Moore got the best of him. Elliot Carver planned to use the media to manipulate the start of a war in Tomorrow Never Dies, Pierce Brosnan's second turn as Bond.

I am encouraged, in an odd kind of way, that the villain in Quantum of Solace wreaks havoc with the environment. Not to worry, I won't spoil the plot, but you do know that Bond does save the day. I will share that one of Bond's vehicle in this movie is hydrogen powered (not the Aston Martin) and oil does play a small role.

As everyone who has seen the first Daniel Craig crack at 007 in Casino Royale knows, the franchise went back to the beginning and introduced a James Bond before the Aston Martin and the vodka martini. They are starting to recycle :) We find out a bit more about Bond in Quantum of Solace and how he came to be the man that Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan portrayed.

Much like 007, we are recycling more and more and we have to learn about how we got here today in order to move ahead tomorrow. 

Bottom line, Enviro-Bond to the rescue in this movie. I hope that Bond uses more green gadgets in the future and ultimately that someday we won't need Bond at all because all will be right with the world. Someday...

Well what's coming up for family holidays?

 Some people in Canada and definitely in the United States of America have a wonderful ThanksGiving holiday coming up in the next few weeks.  My Aunt lived in the states for many years and still thought of the US Thanksgiving as a holiday.  I think in the USA it appears that airlines are inondated by busy travellers.  These travellers are going to leave their Carbon Foot print.  I would like to think that many travellers would do a carbon offset to help the environment.  Equally, of course as we book our travels for the Christmas season it will be important to use the most efficient method of transportation.  Start thinking about transportation and offsets that can assist in reducing carbon foot prints for the holidays and of course carry these methods through to other seasons and times.

What can we do to make Thanksgiving and other holidays better?

I'll start with a few and hopefully there will be more people submitting thoughts and ideas as we move towards our seasonal holidays.

1)  Serve locally grown Turkey and Ham? 

2)  Have a veggitarian meal at one of the holidays

3)  Plan early next year and prepare your own pickles and preserves.  While there are fresh carrots, beets and all those wonderful veggies will be so good later for holidays and so good healthy eating. 

4)Decorations should be as energy efficient as possible.  Make sure that lights are on a timer or that they are not left on longer than necessary.  LED or solar light sets are more energy efficient.

5) Gift Wrapping can be using eco-bags instead of non-recyclable gift bags or packaging.

These are just a few options and I'll blog about holiday planning again. 

I am going to start a group for discussion so that we can all share ideas and then have a greener holiday.

Start thinking, start planning.  A better world is ahead of us when we share ideas and take action.

   First of all, if you would like to see a cool website with ways to do some Acts of Green on Remembrance Day, see: http://www.greenmuze.com/green-your/celebrations/538-green-remembrance-day.html

   On a more serious note, today I think of my grandfather who served in the 'war to end all wars', the first world war from 1914-18, because he thought he could make a difference. Private Victor Kindree (I'm his namesake) tried to enlist too young with one of his older brothers, was turned away, yet eventually was taken on as a bugle boy, trained in warfare and sent oversees. He thought it was his duty to protect his family, his community, his country, so they would not face the war in his homeland. He used to talk with my mother about the endless mud; explained the war not in glorious terms, but with realism: what it was really like, to trudge on, foot by foot, yard by yard, at Vimy Ridge and elsewhere in Europe as his friends, family and comrades died. He talked about the fear and the horror, while still respecting the sacrifices so many made, including two of his brothers.

   Although I never had the privilege of meeting him, Victor was an avid lover of nature who taught his children to respect all living creatures. He was a settler of disputes, a peaceful man, community minded, quiet, gentle, charismatic, and well respected in his home town of Owen Sound, Ontario. Because he was shot in the back with shrapnel, he was reminded daily and painfully of the effects of war. He understood nature, liked to hike, would enjoy one beer after work in the backyard, and wanted to be at peace in the world. Even when he had flashbacks, he would encourage my Mom and her brother Bill to sit outside on the porch and enjoy the thunder, and respect our planet's power and might.

   I often wonder what he would think of the world today. I bet he would have been proud of Canada's previous role as peacekeepers, because he fought in a war that they were determined would be the last one. What would he think of the soldiers in Afghanistan, like my husband's friend who was shot by Americans in 'friendly fire'?

   I wish that all wars had ended in 1918.

   Today, as I attend the Remembrance Day ceremonies and lay a wreath as a councillor on behalf of my town of Saugeen Shores, I will think of the importance of the day, respecting the tremendous sacrifices that all troops give when offering their life for others...sadly thinking of the people around the world who are still fighting over resources, land, past grievances..of the wars to come because there will be so many eco-refugees moving from a lack of water, good farmland, rising sea levels...

   But I'll be thinking especially of my grandfather. He gives me hope, for just as veterans have offered their lives for a cause they believe in, I can also have the strength and power in me to take on the tasks that face us today, like the climate crisis, with respect and steadfast faith that we can turn the tide and change the world.

I'd like to hope that if he were alive this Remembrance Day, he would be proud of me.

First of all, I must say how excited I am to see a visionary and someone of a visible minority elected as the President of the United States. Since I am married to an authentic Tex-Mex, my daughter is a dual citizen and we have family in the US who will be affected, and as a climate change educator, I have been watching the campaign closely to see what comes up about our climate crisis.

I have been thinking about how much hope Obama is able to bring to people around the world: that politics can be different than we thought. Power doesn’t have to corrupt absolutely. There is a possibility that we can have honest, open and thoughtful elected leaders. I first got involved in politics because I saw a need: for heartfelt community-minded politicians who engage people and show that we care about our communities and the world.

But, at the same point, I've been stewing about Obama's environmental policies, because I've heard some opposition within the environmental community about his and Biden's ties to the coal industry, and the grumblings about whether people who have probably received a lot of financial support from coal money will really be able to do about climate change.

So, I did a little research on his website, http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy_more#emissions, and found some great commitments:

"Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050

    * Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

      The Obama-Biden cap-and-trade policy will require all pollution credits to be auctioned, and proceeds will go to investments in a clean energy future, habitat protections, and rebates and other transition relief for families.

    * Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.

      Obama and Biden will re-engage with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) -- the main international forum dedicated to addressing the climate problem. They will also create a Global Energy Forum of the world’s largest emitters to focus exclusively on global energy and environmental issues."

When you look around the site at the other parts of his platform, you can see many helpful planks, but honestly, I wonder how practical it will be for him to carry them out. An 80% reduction in GHGs is a major major reduction to pull off in a country that is such a current glutton for energy. If they pursue coal without a safe means of storing the carbon, their GHG emissions will rise, since burning 1kg of coal produces 1.8kg of CO2~more than other fossil fuels. Without a solid plan, if the US starts relying heavily on their supposed ‘clean coal’ technology, it could make the climate crisis worse.

Also, as a politician and someone who was involved in developing a provincial platform to address climate change, I know better than most how serious the targets and comprehensive programs must be to really address the climate crisis and provide the leadership our world needs to reduce our emissions.

For me, the jury will be out on the Obama-Biden’s shade of green until I can see a wide range of specific programs that will address climate change from a multi-prong approach: through grassroots social networking, initiatives for home owners, governments, businesses, corporations...everyone must be included and engaged at home, at work, in the media, on the street.

I have my fingers crossed that Barack Obama can inspire the world to turn the US in a different direction, and say "Yes, we can solve the climate crisis and be the leaders who will restore this planet for future generations."

As my daughter is standing next to me, carving her jack o'lantern, I want to impart a few more greening tips before the big event tonight.

In addition to my last post, here's my laundry list of ways to green Hallowe'en:

Trick or treat: 

-pick up cell phones to recycle (see http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/01/50_ways_to_recy.php)

-walk, don't drive...good for you and the earth

-hand out organic products if giving out food...there are now organic chip bags & raisins. It seems at Hallowe'en in bigger communities, the food must be packaged to be safe. The new term for green goodies is 'eco-friendly candy'.

-use biodegradable bags for your handouts

-use a strong reusable bag to collect goodies

-if buying chocolate, try to find organic fair trade brands

-don't litter, and pick up any garbage you see en route

-rent costumes, find them second hand (2nd 'R'~Reuse), or look in your closet instead of buying new

-use organic/natural makeup

Hallowe'en Party

-use healthy, seasonal, local organic food

-send invitations via email, or if using paper, use recycled/reused

-use reusable plates,cups, utensils, napkins, etc. or find biodegradable ones

Decorations

-use efficient lighting, solar lights, etc. outside your home

-but local, organic pumpkins if possible

-roast your pumpkin seeds and eat them ~ yum!

-try not carving a pumpkin, decorating the outside, and then baking it for consumption later

-reuse decorations, and buy second hand

-use natural items to decorate, like fallen tree branches, berries, corn stalks, etc.

-compost your carved pumpkins after the great night

Alternative Hallowe'en ideas...

-visit a pumpkin farm

-pick apples

-talk a hike outside

-enjoy the moon

-look at the sky

-appreciate the bounty of the earth

Have a wonderful Hallowe'en!

Tonight I went to the Saugeen Speakers Toastmasters group that I've belonged to for the last few years, and enjoyed chairing the meeting. I was able to add in many plugs about green activities for Hallowe'en and the rest of the year, and even did a speech about One Million Acts of Green.

I told them about my favourite green act ~ getting fair trade organic coffee at my locally owned noshery (I love that word!) 'It's All Good'. Fair trade organic coffee is usually shade grown (no need to cut down rainforests) and is grown and processed without the normal chemicals, so the taste is purer and rich. I bet you haven't thought about how it also uses less natural resources to go to a shop to get an expresso, instead of everyone having their own machine at home. I can walk there, get organic food produced in my region, buy homemade jewelry and hats, support my local community, eat yummy organic vegan cookies and drink artistic and tasty soy gingerbread lattes ~ pure heaven!

I challenge all Toastmasters out there to do a manual speech on OMAoG at the next meeting! 

I challenge everyone else to find their own local noshery and order a soy gingerbread fair trade organic latte as your Act of Green today! 

Hallowe’en is fast approaching, and my daughter and I are getting ready (in fact, she’s been getting ready for 6 months already!) It is the one night a year when it is socially acceptable to be as evil as possible, and she always takes advantage of it to be the most black and nasty character she can be.

I might be a queen this year (suits my name) so I could at least have one night where I could tell everyone what to do and get away with it (as a municipal councilor it actually doesn’t happen often, believe it or not!) but sometimes I like to become someone from another culture to try to understand it better. I’ve dressed Japanese before, and I’ve been thinking that it might be useful to dress up as someone from the Maldives or Bangladesh and walk around in wet feet all night in tribute to the trouble they are having from rising sea levels. However, I wouldn’t want to make light oftheir hardships, but finding a way to raise the profile of their plight on Hallowe’en would be cool.

But, when you think about it, Hallowe’en is another holiday where Canadians often are not considerate of their environment. It is estimated that we spend $1.5 billion on Hallowe’en every year, with most of the expense being candy to hand out. This blog is the first of a series about what we can do to make it greener and healthier and funner (if that is a real word).

When I was doing the research to find out who had the best ideas, I came across a cool website, which is the most comprehensive, in my humble opinion: http://www.greenhalloween.org/

The most innovative idea I found was Reverse trick-or-treating. Instead of going to the doors and getting just regular chocolate, you go to the doors and hand out fair trade chocolate with some information on fair trade. http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/

When I was little, I always collected for UNICEF, and it felt good to be helping children around the world, on a night when it was easy to see that we had more than we needed. It would be nice to see children being considerate of others when they are receiving goodies. My daughter used to collect goodies then give most of them to extended family members who usually couldn’t afford treats like that.

Watch for another blog where I’ll list off the best of the green ideas I’ve found. Have fun greening your Hallowe’en!