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Clean Air Commute Week – June 22-26, 2009

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New Release from CSBO.

Help us prove nothing is possible.

CONTRIBUTE NOTHING TO POLLUTION. YORK UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING SERVICES HAVE TEAMED UP WITH SMART COMMUTE NORTH TORONTO, VAUGHAN TO TAKE PART IN POLLUTION PROBE’S CLEAN AIR COMMUTE.

JOIN IN THE FIGHT TO REDUCE SMOG AND STOP CLIMATE CHANGE. TAKE PART IN YORK UNIVERSITY'S CLEAN AIR COMMUTE THIS WEEK FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A BIKE, A LAPTOP OR EVEN A CARIBBEAN CRUISE!

Transportation accounts for 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. By clean air commuting, you make a difference and reduce the impact that your commuting behaviour has on the environment.

It only takes a few small changes to your daily routine and, even if you only clean air commute for one day, you’re still participating and can win a prize for your efforts. You can even take part just by checking the air in your tires – anything that helps reduce emissions helps clean the air! Sign-up today for your on-line Diary Card to track your success!

You can participate by: Walking/ biking/ running, taking public transit, carpooling, working from home, tuning up your car, driving an electric or natural gas vehicle or by driving a scooter or motorcycle.

Just sign up for your unique York University Diary Card at this link to track the amount of emissions you reduce and be entered to win great prizes! A hard copy of the Diary Card will also be available outside the Parking & Transportation offices in the William Small Centre. Submit your diary card to room 120 William Small Centre, by June 30th for your chance to win!

Check out www.SmartCommuteNTV.ca for ongoing coverage about Clean Air Commute Events. Together we can prove nothing is possible!

For more information, email info@SmartCommuteNTV.ca.
To Sign-up for York University’s Carpool Zone: http://yorku.carpoolzone.smartcommute.ca/en/my/

HOME – we only have one planet

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As illustrated (I hope) by IRIS blogs, You Tube CAN be educational (although I am prepared to bet quite a lot that most people aren't being much educated while logged on to on the site). 

I recently learned from You Tube, that a there is new doc out from photographer extraordinaire, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, called HOME. You can watch HOME on You Tube for a few more days. If you don't know about his book, the Earth from Above, please, do check it out - it's amazing.

Dawn R. Bazely

United Nations General Assembly passes landmark resolution about climate change

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Last Thursday, while in Ottawa, during the 2030 North conference, I turned on the tv to see a beautiful young woman from Palau, with a flower behind her ear, talking about a historic UN General Assembly resolution that was passed on Wednesday. Small island states have been running a campaign about the threat that rising sea levels pose to their security. The link between climate change and the security of many countries was formally recognized. We heard a lot about this issue at our "Ecojustice: How will disenfranchised peoples adapt to climate change?" conference, in April, 2009.

Here's some of the press release:

"Introducing the draft in the Assembly today, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States, Nauru’s representative emphasized that rising oceans could, sooner than previously thought, leave little of that regional group’s already tiny homelands above water unless urgent action was taken. Already, the impact of climate change included inundation of heavily populated coastal areas, loss of freshwater, failure of agriculture and other results of saltwater intrusion.

As a result, resettlement and migration were already occurring and dangers to international peace and security would soon increase, she stressed. The Assembly’s adoption of the text would encourage dealing with climate change in a holistic manner, while demonstrating serious concern for the survival of whole populations and the existence of their lands.

Nicaragua’s representative, speaking before the vote on behalf of the “like-minded group” -- Bahrain, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Venezuela -– said the group would join the consensus on the compromise text. In addressing the issue, however, it was vital that Member States, particularly industrialized nations, promote sustainable development, while adhering to the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, and fully implement Agenda 21 and other relevant development commitments.

Following the Assembly’s adoption of the resolution, the representatives of many small island developing States took the floor to underscore the dire nature of the threats that climate change posed to their nations, including the Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa and the Maldives.

Palau’s representative said: “We do not carelessly call climate change a security threat. When we are told by scientists to prepare for humanitarian crisis, including exodus, in our lifetimes, how can it be different from preparing for a threat like war?” All United Nations organs, most particularly the Security Council, must act urgently. Under Chapter VI of the Charter, the Council may investigate any dispute or situation that might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions must be the focus, and the goal must be effective, enforceable action to that end."

Dawn R. Bazely

Pistachio’s Heather Reisman – “Buy less. Buy better. Buy forever”

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This past Christmas, I was delighted to find a great range of cards from Pistachio (the latest project of Heather Reisman of Chapters-Indigo). They were "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" cards, which thereby extended the Christmas card-sending season to March.  Plus, they were FSC-branded, 100% post-consumer waste fibre, Soya Ink, powered by Green Energy - Mohawk, Made in Canada.  Yeh!! Every kind of serious sustainability logo, right there. My decade-long lack of enthusiasm for cards has largely been driven by concerns about ecological footprints, as well as time crunches associated with grading 100s of final exams and essays at Christmas and attending untold numbers of "festivals of lights" school celebrations. But, I acknowledge that cards are an important means of staying connected and serve an important social purpose.  These Pistachio cards allowed me to do that, and simultaneously underscore my sustainability message to friends and relatives.

Pistachio was back in my thoughts today, thanks to Jennifer Well's article in the Globe and Mail Business magazine: "It's not easy being Pistachio - Heather Reisman is moving eco-products upscale. But will her aim exceed consumers' reach?" Reisman is quoted as saying: "Buy less. Buy better. Buy forever." Wow!!

Reisman has found that people are willing to pay a 5-15% premium for sustainable, ethically-sourced items.  This compares surprisingly closely with the student responses to question 9 of IRIS' Carbon Offsetting survey, in which just under 50% of those surveyed saying that they would pay 5-10% more for environmentally friendly products.  Only 20% said that they would be willing to pay over a 10% premium.

I wish Pistachio all the best, and recently stocked up on their thank you cards. But what I'd really like to see, and would buy, is a set of cards with the "Buy less. Buy better. Buy forever." slogan emblazoned across the front.

Dawn Bazely

Sustainable Transportation for the GTA

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Next Monday, April 27th, IRIS will be hosting our monthly Speaker Series event. This month we are discussing Sustainable Transportation for the GTA. Our guests include:

  • Chris Wong, Director of Master Planning and Transportation Planning for the York University Development Corporation, will speak to the development of the Buswayand the Subway to York.
  • Jody Graydon,Marketing Manager, Smart Commute , will introduce Smart Commute as an organization and the kind of projects they have been involved in.
  • Joshua Engel-Yan, Senior Advisor, Policy and Planning, Metrolinx, will talk about the Transportation Plan for the GTA.
  • Nicole Arsenault, York University Transportation Services, will review York’s Transportation Plan and its sustainability initiatives.

Upcoming IRIS Speaker Series Events

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Details about our next two speaker series events are now available:

  • Tour of the Earth Rangers Building — LEED Gold Certified building located in The Living City Campus at the Kortright Center, March 23rd, 2009 at 10 am. Contact Dominika Czerwinska (minc85@gmail.com) to make a reservation! Limited spots available! $10 fee included! Please contact before March 16th.
  • Exploring Sustainability Possibilities for University Campuses — Peter Love (Ontario's Chief Energy Conservation Officer), April 2nd, 2009 from 12-2 pm (room to be determined).

Sustainable Fish

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Next time you're buying fish at the supermarket, it would be a good idea to look for "MSC" on the label.

MSC stands for the Marine Stewardship Council, which has a certification program to identify sustainable fishing. So anything with the MSC label on it is recognized as eco-friendly fish.

Considering the amount of fish farming done which has been shown to not only be unsustainable, but unhealthy (see the Big Green Purse blogs for more info), you can help the environment by making informed decisions based on where your food is coming from.

To read more about this initiative visit http://www.msc.org/about-us

Arlene Gould Honoured

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Arlene was honoured at the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO)/International Interior Design Association (IIDA) second annual Leaders' Breakfast in Toronto on December 5th. The Partnership of ARIDO and IIDA brings together Ontario's top business leaders for a morning of informative and inspiring discussion. Arlene was honoured with the Leadership Award of Excellence. For more information, see the article in Interior Design. Congratulations Arlene!

IRIS envy

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What on earth do irises have to do with sustainability? In a world that's drowning in acronyms, I like to have mine mean something. It turns out that IRIS is a really common acronym. I get 90 million google hits for "iris", and 89.9 million google hits for "IRIS". So, maybe I should just be satisfied that despite it being the flowering season for iris, our IRIS (York U's Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability) made it to number 11 on the "IRIS" google list today.

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade", which obviously has the corollary: "when you get given IRIS as the sustainability research institute acronym, find some sustainability meaning in it". Well, here goes: the iris family, or Iridaceae, includes many native North American species. Ahaa! IRIS has an ecological aspect. My favourite member of the Iris family in Ontario is blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium montanum, which is widespread on Manitoulin Island.

Irises are also a renewable resource. Not only are they beautiful garden perennials, but the leaves can be used to make paper. Orris root, which comes from three species of iris, including Iris germanica (left), is mainly grown as a crop in Italy, and is used as a fixative in perfumes and pot pourri. And here's an odd factoid - orris root is also used in the flavouring of Bombay Sapphire gin (but you can't verify this on their website, unless you are of legal drinking age).

And the other faces of iris? Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow, and generally a messenger and errand runner. Well, part of our function is to communicate the message of sustainability. And what about the fleur-de-lis? This important heraldic symbol, particularly of French Royalty, is usually thought to be a stylized version of the iris, but there's a ton of debate about that too. Making a link between heraldry and sustainability... that's a stretch, unless we are allowed to incorporate a fleur-de-lis in York's logo, and that's unlikely.

But, overall I am good to go with IRIS being a fitting acronym for a sustainability research institute.

Dawn Bazely

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