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sustainability

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

Essential listening on why we buy stuff – CBC’s The Age of Persuasion

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The superb CBC radio series, The Age of Persuasion, hosted by Terry O'Reilly, is essential listening for everyone interested in Sustainability. There is an unofficial podcast.

This series introduces us to the world of advertising. In the past 100+ years, advertising has been encouraging us to consume more. It seems to me that if sustainability is about getting people in North America to consume less, then we need to harness the know-how of the advertising industry to help us here.

In 2003, the Canadian per capita Ecological Footprint was 7.6 global hectares per person, while that of people in many African and Asian countries was under 1 global hectare per person. So, that means that I am the equivalent of 8 people from those countries, in terms of what I consume - wood, metal, water, hydro. HOMEWORK for sustainable shopping is to read WWF International's 2006 Living Planet Report. In 1999, I started using the Living Planet Reports to teach my second-year Ecology class, BIOLOGY 2050, about ecological footprints. The 1998 report was only available in hard copy. The idea of the ecological footprint is very clearly explained in these excellent reports in which the data are pulled from many international government sources and vetted by various experts.

Dawn Bazely

Politically correct coffee grounds & sustainability Part 2

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While on a coffee break from doing field work in London, Ontario, I was amazed to discover Starbucks' innovative programme in which they make their used coffee grounds available for people to put on their gardens. This is local resident and teacher, Trish Robertson, who told me that she really does use the grounds in her condo planters on a regular basis! While we don't see this in Toronto, presumably because municipal composting is available (I will be checking into this), in places like London, this programme must be diverting huge amounts of beans from landfill. I'd love to know the numbers on this and where all those other coffee grounds from other coffee shops are ending up. (Hello students - this would be a great research project...).

What's more, Starbucks even has a World Water Day link on their website. And, their business cards are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled material. Okay, okay, now I am beginning to feel bludgeoned by their sustainability initiatives. I take my hat off to them for their innovative leadership in both upstream and downstream coffee operations (I learned that term from my studies on oil and gas pipelines). I AM going to ask them more about the tons of coffee grounds that they need to dispose of at the end of each day. Many thanks to Michael and Lena at the Starbucks for their patience and enthusiasm in answering my questions.
Dawn Bazely

The truth about remote Scotland – a reply to Rural Scotland Regenerates

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I honed the observation techniques for my PhD thesis, which was on sheep grazing behaviour, sitting on a hill in Shetland. Over the decades, I have either visited or spent extended periods of times in most of the more remote parts - Highlands and Islands - of Scotland. So, I'd like to give an alternative view of Scotland and the sunny days and gorgeous views shown in the Al-Jazeera video about land ownership.

The video, described in Rajiv's blog on Rural Scotland, is definitely worth watching. It's pretty bang on in its explanation of the incredibly archaic, feudal system of land ownership that still prevails in Scotland, and which led, among other things to the Highland clearances. At the time, the clearances were often regarded as a violation of human rights. While there WERE other contributing factors there were also many clear examples of gross mismanagement by greedy landlords who forcibly herded their tenants on to emigration ships so as to make way for sheep.
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