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China’s environmental struggles

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There's some encouraging news from China where the judiciary is moving to ban plastic bags and go just a little bit greener. It goes without saying that the fate of any global efforts towards sustainability will depend heavily on the actions of countries like China, now home to much of the manufacturing capacity of the world. However, the country has a long way to go to rein in Western-style consumerism unleashed by its economic transformation and emergence of an affluent middle class. Moreover, the enormous demands of its industries for power and resources, are only eclipsed by the titanic levels of pollution that are prompting hundreds of protests throughout China's countryside. As such, China's fate will very much depend on whether the tattered regulatory mechanism of its state can effectively implement environmental policies and safeguards, and whether its leaders will have the foresight and resolve necessary to struggle with these issues beyond simply cleaning up Beijing for the Olympics this fall.

The Toronto Star also carries a detailed article on China's green leap forward. Despite the ginormous challenges, China seems to be on the move.

March 8th – International Women’s Day

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When I spent time in Tromsø University, Norway, in 2005 and 2006, developing a joint International Polar Year project with my colleagues there, I was very lucky to have my office in the Peace Studies Centre. While this very modern building reminded me of a Dalek from Dr. Who, simply sitting there, got me thinking about and paying attention to recent Nobel Prize winners (this is me with the bust of Mahatma Gandhi outside the Centre - ironically, he never won the Nobel Peace Prize, though he was nominated. I was so inspired by this bronze bust that I wrote an essay about Busts of Gandhi in Toronto and Norway).
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I was particularly inspired by the story of Wangari Maathai, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work on women’s rights and environmental protection in Kenya. Wangari Mathai is a feminist, environmentalist and human rights activist, who has, in the past, been jailed for speaking out. Her autobiography, Unbowed, is a fascinating read, and I highly recommend it. Women’s rights - access to education, political office, and simply basic human security - are as much an issue today as when I was learning about them, while growing up, attending all-girls schools, and reading authors like Germaine Greer. I am delighted with the support that the Nobel Foundation gives to women - visit their web site today.

Linda Lundström announces bankruptcy

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Just over a year ago, I attended the Green Carpet Series, an event promoting sustainable fashion. The evening was aimed at an audience of younger people who work in the downtown Toronto core, and who might not normally be prone to thinking about their ecological footprint. Numerous young women were lured there by the presence of George Stroumboulopoulos, host of CBC's The Hour , who acted as a co-host for the fashion show (I had no idea that he's considered such a sex symbol - I simply admire his in-depth interviews with authors, when I manage to stay up late enough to watch his show!). The fashion show featured lots of cool, environmentally-friendly fashion, including some amazing recycled dresses, along with local food, wine and biodegradable spoons and forks. The gorgeous designs of Canadian, Linda Lundström were also featured. She has been actively involved in and leading efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry. Her clothes are made locally, and her latest lines featured many organic materials. I was very disappointed to hear, just one year after this event, the sad announcement, that her business has failed. It's incredibly disheartening that she hasn't been able to make it in the current business environment. I very much hope that Linda Lundström will be able to make a come back, and to continue to provide much needed leadership on the fashion and clothing front with respect to sustainability.

Dawn Bazely

Blogging on IRIS

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Hello everyone. This is an exciting time for both sustainability in general and York University in particular. More and more people in North America are realizing how important it is to be aware of our ecological footprint, and to actively reduce it (check out http://calc.zerofootprint.net/). At IRIS we are exploring ways to increase York's sustainability profile. In this new BLOG, we will be bringing you updates of what's going on at York. IRIS affiliates - students, faculty and staff - are constantly in touch with our many colleagues and friends both in Canada and across the world, learning about what's going on with sustainability initiatives, and we are going to write about what we hear.

To kick off, I want to introduce the resident members of the IRIS blogging team. Myself (Dawn Bazely, Director), Melissa Leithwood (Acting IRIS Co-ordinator), Duane Lakin-Thomas (IRIS Co-ordinator - occasional blogger), Rajiv Rawat (IRIS webmaster) and Annette Dubreuil (International Polar Year Project Manager). We will also be having guest bloggers.

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