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May 31, 2010 The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 15, No. 2, May 5, 2010
posted
click here
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: 3
RS STILL A GOOD CONCEPT
Theme:
WATER QUANTITY
THE
WATER SOFT PATH
The Trouble with Water
The Soft Path Concept
Watermarks
Editors and Writers
DIRECT
AND INDIRECT WATER WITHDRAWALS FOR U.S. INDUSTRIAL SECTORS
THE
ISAACS WETLAND
CANADIAN
WATER WITHDRAWAL
HOUSEHOLD
WATER USE
Polaris
Institute: Water or Companies?
Canadian
Household Water Use
CARBON
DISCLOSURE PROJECT AND WATER
DEAR GUEST: SAVE OUR PLANET
ALBERTA
AG REVIEWS WATER MANAGEMENT
QUANTITY
OF WATER IN THE GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT
CASCADES
INC. REDUCES WATER INTENSITY
HORTICULTURE
- THE FOOD EDGE
EARTH
DAY: EMPHASIZING INDIVIDUAL INVOLVEMENT BUT COLLECTIVE ACTION
CLIMATOLOGIEST
ANDREW WEAVER SUES NATIONAL POST
PRODUCT
OF CANADA AND SUGAR
OINGGREEN:
GREEN AT THE (LAW) OFFICE
BP
WELL OUT OF CONTROL - WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT OIL DRILLING RIG SAFETY
****************************************************
People frequently refer
to environmental initiatives as 'saving the earth'. GL tries to avoid
being sucked into that kind of terminology. The earth is not threatened.
As far as we can tell, the earth will be here for as long as the solar
system continues in something like its present form. With the possible
exception of a collision with another body, or a nuclear explosion of
a size so far unimagined, we cannot see any threat to the survival of
the earth.
Environmental threats are
primarily threats to the human species and, secondarily, to the ecosystems.
So lets stop talking about 'saving the earth' and instead talk of saving
habitat that is hospitable to human beings.
Having made that clear,
regular readers will also know that we are reluctant to predict the future
or to rank the seriousness of environmental threats. However, declining
water supplies appears to be right up there with climate change as a threat
that could make large areas of this planet extremely inhospitable to human
beings. The fact is that, while fresh water is a renewable resource, in
most places we are using fresh water at a rate much faster than its rate
of renewal. This means that, sooner or later, and in some places it is
likely to be sooner, we will run out of fresh water. In this issue we
present some of the most recent information on water quantity and what
can be done to address the looming shortage.
Our editorial in this issue
addresses that fundamental environmental marketing slogan - the 3Rs, this
year celebrating its 40th anniversary. Following our review
of water quantity issues in industry and households we respond to some
feedback on our Product of Canada food editorial, last issue, discuss
a green law firm, and make light fun of the safe oil drilling rig comments
of a CNN reporter who happens to be a Canadian.
In the last few issues
we have reported in some depth on current environmental issues. Next issue
we plan to use the opportunity to catch up on some general environmental
news including letters readers have sent and in a subsequent issue we
will move from water quantity to water quality. Not only are we facing
a shortage of water where it is needed but the quality of that which remains
is declining. Purifying water for human consumption takes energy, which
all too often is produced by burning fossil resources, which contributes
to climate change, which leads to further evaporation of water and desertification.
We respond to desertification by pumping more water from greater depths
and over longer distances, which takes energy, which contributes to yet
more climate change and desertification. Are there any simple environmental
issues? Will we ever reach a sustainable state?
Your thoughts and comments
are always welcome through Letters to the
Editor. We publish a
balanced selection of those received. Keep them coming.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
May 31, 2010 Events Posted click here
June 2010 3rd
Annual The Ontario Brownfields Regulatory Summit. Toronto, Ontario
October 2010 20th
Annual Conference. Wild Rockies and the Changing West. Society of Environmental
Journalists. Missoula, Montana.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
April 8, 2010 The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 15, No. 1, March 26, 2010
posted
click here
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: CURRENT
FEDERAL POLICY BAD FOR APPLE PIE
Theme: BRIDGING SCIENCE AND SOCIETY: 2010 AAAS
ANNUAL MEETING
WE LIVE IN UNPRECEDENTED TIMES: INTEGRATIVE
SCIENCE FOR SOCIETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
SCAMS
IN CLIMATE DEBATE
PEER
REVIEW
SCIENTISTS
POPULARIZING SCIENCE
MONSANTO:
DOUBLING THE DOUBLESPEAK
UNION
OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS CHALLENGES MONSANTO CLAIMS
WHOSE
HAND IS TO BE ON THE THERMOSTAT? - GEOENGINEERING THE CLIMATE
EARTH
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH AWARD: BEST PUBLISHED PAPER
SCIENTIFIC
FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY AWARD
BAD
PRESENTATION BINGO
LETTER
TO EDITOR
THIRTY
SECOND SUMMARY
Science and Budgets Matter
Federal SD
THE
GREEN WAY VIA THE GREENWAY
JASON
BROWN: OUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED
SALTWORKS:
ON LIST FOR GLOBE AWARD FOR EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
CLIMATE
ACTION NETWORK: CANADA'S FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUZZLING SCIENCE
MICROCHIPS:
PAY AS YOU THROW
TRUTH
IN FUN: THE IG NOBLE AWARDS
****************************************************
ABOUT THIS ISSUE
The Annual Meeting of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science is billed as the largest annual general
science conference in the world. At this year's conference, held last
month in San Diego, close to 30% of papers related to environmental topics.
In this issue we are providing an overview of some of the more interesting
presentations and sessions, several of which focused on various aspects
of climate change. Others focused on such topics as biotechnology and
geoengineering, even going so far as to suggest that humans may be able
to outperform nature in running global systems.
We also share some notes from a conference
handout called Bad Presentation Bingo. This should be a must-read for
all presenters. Otherwise many presenters may be hearing BINGO in a lot
of the conference halls in which they are speaking!
The editorial in this issue is about apple
pie. You may wonder why, but there is a strong link between the federal
government's food labelling rules and our ability to preferentially purchase
locally processed foods. The Canadian government did not get it right
the first time around, in part because of the way it makes policy, something
that can affect all corporate victims of federal government regulations.
Our editorial hopes they have learned from their mistake and will do better
in future.
In response to our article on the Ontario
green universities initiative we have a Letter to the Editor on another
post-secondary greening initiative. Well done, Georgian College. We also
catch you up on a couple of items in our 30 Second Summary section, we
look at Ontario Nature's views on desirable natural heritage policies,
we review a mathematics book which has a lot to do with the way we approach
environmental issues, and we look at one of the nominees for a Globe Award.
They weren't the winner but we think the company has much to commend it.
While reporting on AAAS and implicitly
advocating the important role that science plays in the environment and
the economy, we could not help but notice a recent report from the Climate
Action Network which suggests that the federal government is once again
muzzling its scientists. If the government responds we will let you know.
While mentioning Big Brother, there is a group in the UK that is worried
that incorporation of microchips in garbage cans may be a serious invasion
of privacy. GL is not aware of any Canadian municipality that is currently
using microchips in garbage or recycling bins but it would seem to be
the kind of thing that could come. Chips could report not only on weight
but other aspects of our recycling and garbage habits. If consumer products
also contains chips, the day could be not too far off when our garbage
bin chip contains all the information about the goods we are discarding.
We have no doubt that some companies and municipalities are studying this
possibility - maybe we should start the discussion on whether or not it
is a 'good thing'.
In our next issue we will be looking a
recent developments in the area of water quantity and quality. Water is
rapidly becoming as important an issue as energy. Stay tuned and while
you are waiting for the next issue let us know what you think of this
issue. Send Letters to the Editor to editor@gallonletter.ca
****************************************************
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
March 23, 2010 The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 14, No. 12, February 26, 2010
posted
click here
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: HAS
THE IPCC UNDERSTATED THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE?
Theme: CORPORATE
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: CAUSE OR CONTROVERSY
CORPORATE
KNIGHTS: GLOBAL 100 MOST SUSTAINABLE COMPANIES
CANADIAN
CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN CSR
TOO EARLY
TO TELL
NORWAY
FUND EXCLUDES CANADIAN MINING COMPANY BARRICK GOLD
BILL C-300:
CANADIAN EXTRACTIVE COMPANIES AND ACCOUNTABILITY
QUEBEC
PREMIER: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, CLIMATE AND ASBESTOS
ASBESTOS
CANADIAN
BUSINESS ETHICS RESEARCH NETWORK
NORWAY:
INVESTMENT CAN CHANGE COMPANY PRACTICES
ISO 26000
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STANDARD
JANTZI-SUSTAINALYTICS
Perspectives
in Responsible Investment
2009 Ivey-Jantzi
Research Report
RBC JANTZI
FUNDS
INDIAN
SD INSTITUTE WINS CORPORATE CITIZEN AWARD
GEIG INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE
COU: GREENING
ONTARIO UNIVERSITIES
GUELPH
ORGANIC AG CONFERENCE AND STONYFIELD FARM
Numbers
Count
WORDS
AND CONCEPTS
SAVE THE
EARTH
TEXTILEWASHING?
DAVID
SUZUKI FOUNDATION: OLYMPIC CLIMATE SCORECARD
Too Few
Measurable Criteria for a Medal
****************************************************
ABOUT
THIS ISSUE
In this issue we focus almost entirely
on recent issues in Corporate Social Responsibility. That’s not too narrow
a topic: for many companies the term CSR has superceded and incorporated
environmental responsibility as well as social responsibility and it is
used in many others as a synonym for corporate Sustainable Development.
Operational definitions of CSR are few and far between while operational
definitions of corporate Sustainable Development are usually based on
the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development definition of
Sustainable Development: Development which meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. Recently the Government of Canada decided to promote CSR and the
International Standards Organization is working on a standard for CSR.
We even wrap up this issue with a review of some current topics, "Avoid
Bamboozling Your Customers" and the Suzuki Foundation review of the 'Vancouver
Climate Olympics', that are all about Corporate Social Responsibility.
Whether you are a citizen, consumer, a customer, an individual or a corporation,
we welcome your views and, as always, will print a selection of letters
received.
In our next issue we will bring some of
the highlights of the very recent American Association for the Advancement
of Science annual conference, which took place on the theme of Reconnecting
Science and Society, and will catch up on some recent news on business
and environment matters. As a teaser for our next issue, our editorial
in this issue reports on the climate presentations at the AAAS conference.
There is lots more to come in the next issue. Meanwhile, enjoy this
one.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
March 23, 2010 Events Posted click here
March 2010 Ontario
Meets the World: Post-Globe 2010. Toronto, Ontario.
June 2010 A&WMA’S
103rd Annual Conference & Exhibition. Calgary, Alberta.
Global Ecological Integrity Group GEIG International Conference. Ecological
Integrity and Globalization: Science, Human Behaviour, Public Policy
and the Law. Vancouver, British Columbia.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
January 31, 2010 The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 14, No. 11,
January 26, 2010 posted
click here
Editorial by Colin Isaacs: NATURAL
DISASTER RISK DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE
Theme: CLIMATE
CHANGE
COPENHAGEN:
DEAL NOT SEALED
CONTENTS
OF THE COPENHAGEN ACCORD
PROGRESS
ON MEETING THE FIRST COPENHAGEN TARGET
NEW ZEALAND:
KYOTO LIABILITY
IPCC 5TH
ASSESSMENT REPORT
JIM PRENTICE
IN COPENHAGEN
JIM PRENTICE
ON CBC THE HOUSE
VYING
FOR WORLD'S GREENEST CITY: SEOUL, KOREA
VYING
FOR WORLD'S GREENEST CITY TOO: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
STEEL
INDUSTRY MAY BE REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
COPENHAGEN:
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF PETROLEUM PRODUCERS
WRITING
OFF CANADA'S PAST 100 YEARS
COPENHAGEN:
CANADA USED TO BE AN ENABLER
THREE
MAJOR PARTY POSITIONS ON CANADA’S CLIMATE TARGET
CLIMATE
SCEPTICS TRY TO TURN A TRICK
HOGGAN:
CLIMATE COVER-UP
COMMUNICATING
CLIMATE SCIENCE
HACKED
EMAILS: COUNTERING THE HUFFING AND PUFFING OF CLIMATE SCEPTICS
LOBBYING
AGAINST US EPA ENDANGERMENT FINDING ON GHGS
SOME SHORT
FACTS ABOUT THE CLIMATE
US EPA:
SCIENCE SUPPORT FOR GHGS AS HARMFUL POLLUTANTS
LETTER
TO THE EDITOR
THIRTY
SECOND SUMMARY
ISO 31000:
RISK MANAGEMENT STANDARD
20TH ANNIVERSARY
OF HAZMAT MANAGEMENT
CONFOUNDING
REASON
****************************************************
ABOUT
THIS ISSUE
Our editorial honours two members of
the environment industry who are missing in Haiti. But we also use the
tragedy to discuss risk and our attitude towards it. There are lots
of things that can and should emerge from the wreckage of Port au Prince:
most importantly, a sustainable future for the people of Haiti but also,
perhaps, a new attitude towards the natural disaster risks that are
faced around the world and even in Canada.
Gallon Environment Letter does not normally
cover issues that are receiving significant coverage in the rest of
the press but climate change, and the Copenhagen aftermath, is of such
a magnitude that the time will never be that everything that can be
said has been said. Hence, in this issue, and likely in issues to come,
we have our say. Our focus, as always, is Canadian and global policy
that has implications for Canadian business. Our keynote article, Jim
Prentice on CBC the House, is a summary of an interview given by federal
Environment Minister Jim Prentice. We hope that our analysis is helpful.
Many cities have been vying for the
title of world’s greenest. So far there are few robust mechanisms for
comparing the green credentials of various cities but it is pretty safe
to say that others have so far achieved more than any city in Canada,
including Vancouver, whose plan we also discuss.
As we explain in the article Climate
Sceptics Try to Turn a Trick, the term " climategate" applied to the
theft of emails from the University of East Anglia drives us nuts. We
promise that this issue will be our last comment on it, unless, of course,
something much more substantial is unearthed. We always invite Letters
to the Editor (send to editor@gallonletter.ca) but "climategate" is one topic on which a writer would
have to move the entire Watergate building to get us to publish!
This issue is mostly about climate change
but there are some other topics included. Communicating Climate Science
includes good advice that can be applied to other environmental areas,
a Letter to the Editor from David Brooks on our local food coverage,
ISO 31000 Risk Management Standard, and congratulations to HazMat magazine
on its 20th anniversary round out this issue. Next issue
we plan to feature Corporate and Organizational Social Responsibility
initiatives. Meanwhile, enjoy this issue and keep those Letters to the
Editor coming.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
January 31, 2010 Events Posted click here
March 2010 Presentation
by Federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
- Office of the Auditor General. Toronto, Ontario
April 2010 4th
Annual Cap-and-Trade Forum Toronto, Ontario
June 2010 Windfall
Ecology Festival Newmarket Ontario
October 2010 Centralia
2010: a Global Business to Business Forum Winnipeg, Manitoba. .......................................................................................................................................................................................................
December 30, 2009 Events Posted click here
March 2010 4th Annual
Growing the Margins Conference and Exhibition. London, Ontario.
April 2010 Sustainability
Results: The Journey Continues. Food Industry Environmental Council and
the American Frozen Food Institute. Whistler, British Columbia.
May 2010 Our
Earth, Our Air, Our Water: Our Future. Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic
Society (CMOS) and the Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU). Ottawa, Ontario.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
December 29, 2009 The Honoured Reader (free edition) of the Gallon Environment
Letter Vol. 14, No. 10,
December 15, 2009 posted
click here
Theme: LOCAL
FOOD
LOCAL FOOD MILES: YES WE HAVE
NO BANANAS
Concentrating Farms: More/Bigger
Is Better
Range of Views of Local Food Advocates
CHANGE OF DIET REDUCES GHG MORE THAN CHANGE OF
FOOD MILES
VACLAV SMIL: RATIONAL FOOD PRODUCTION
AND SENSIBLE CARNIVORY
Two Actions to Reduce Water Use
HELLMAN: YOUR FOOD MATTERS
GLOBAL AGRICULTURE ASSESSMENT:
SMALL SCALE FARMING
Multi-functionality of Agriculture
Agro-ecology
Small-scale Agriculture
ORGANIC PRODUCTION HAS ENVIRONMENTAL
BENEFITS
BENEFITS: HEALTH OR ENVIRONMENT/ANIMAL
WELFARE
EUROPEAN RESEARCH
SOIL ORGANIC MATTER STORAGE AND
SOIL QUALITY/SOIL HEALTH
BIODIVERSITY
NUTRIENT LOADING
HIGH YIELD TRUMPS ECOVALUE OF LOCAL/ORGANIC FOOD:
MAYBE NOT
LCA MODEL
CALIFORNIA DAIRY POLLUTION
OTHER DISCUSSIONS IN THE ARTICLE
GUEST COLUMN: CONSUMER
OPINION SURVEYS
By Hugh Martin, Organic Crop Production Program Lead, Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
TESCO: CARBON REDUCTION LABELS
PAWLICK: THE WAR IN THE COUNTRY
RESKILLING CONSUMERS IN FOOD SYSTEMS
INCREASING NORTHERN SELF-SUFFICIENCY
USDA: KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR
FOOD
SOBEYS CR REPORT: LOCAL SOURCING
DIFFERENT REASONS FOR PARTICIPATING
IN ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
GREEN DRINKS
CANADA EXPORT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
AFTERWORDS ON FOOD
The Farm
Family Businesses
CESD: CUMULATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
***************************************************
ABOUT THIS ISSUE
In this issue Gallon Environment Letter reviews the local food movement.
Canadians are frequently told that both organic food and local food are
environmentally preferred but when we go to the store it is difficult
to find local organic food. What gives, and what should be done about
it? There are a wide range of views and we have presented both the opinions,
and some facts, in a point-counterpoint format. We encourage your input,
in the form of a Letter to the Editor, but we would ask you to read all
of the information we are presenting before you pick up your angry pen!
We had hoped to have an editorial in this issue about progress at the
Copenhagen climate negotiations but, even for those on the ground, it
is difficult to determine what progress, if any, is being made. Though
there is much to be said, there is also a risk that comments thrown into
the mash at this point in the negotiations would add to the confusion.
There is even controversy among qualified commentators over whether a
weak agreement is better or worse than no agreement. Gallon Environment
Letter will hold off commenting for a few more days. If Copenhagen produces
an agreement, we will dissect it in our next issue. If it does not we
will share our analysis instead.
Food is such a huge topic that it has consumed virtually all of the
space available in this issue. We hope, and suspect, that all of our readers
are interested in food, even if you are not in the food business. We have
covered it from many angles and many points of view, somehow most appropriate
for the holiday season, but for those who cannot get interested in food,
flip to the end of this issue where we have reviewed some comments from
the federal Commissioner for Environment and Sustainable Development on
cumulative environmental impact. We will return with a more diverse table
of contents in the next issue.
.c
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.
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