canada's environmental performance

Since the report about Canada's Environmental Record was published on the 18th October 2005 (which I briefly blogged about then), I've been disturbed that Canada is one of the worse polluters amongst the industrialised nations. The report shows that the government needs to implement much more environmentally-positive policies. But I also believe that if you're disappointed in Canada's ranking as well, you need not be an activist to make a difference. The report indicated that nine out of ten Canadians rate the environment as one of their top concerns in 2000. So if you're one of the nine, or even one in ten, read on for some tips.

Given that I have limited time, I will keep posting different tips. But to start with, let's talk about water use. Also, you could certainly download the Green Guide by the David Suzuki Foundation. But keep checking in, I'll be posting about waste reduction, energy saving and all the fun stuff that keeps the earth breathing.

WATER

Water is a very basic necessity in life. It quenches thirst, produces energy and food, and cleanses our bodies. Yet water is a source of such injustice - from environmental to social (more on this on a later date - some say the next war will be over water). But our concern for now is how to reduce the use of our water.

Some tips:

• try to install water saving shower heads, spray heads etc
• when brushing your teeth, turn off the tap. Either use a small glass or spurts of water when needed. Don't keep it running and you could save up to 4.5 liters of water.
• fix dripping taps. In a week, a dripping tap could fill more than half the bathtub.
• if you use the washing machine or the dishwasher, make sure they are full loads
• reduce the use of clean water for lawns by collecting rainwater with buckets if possible
• put a brick or stones, or a more sophisticated device made for cisterns, in the water cistern of the toilet to save water with every flush (such as the Water Hippo)
• shower, don't take as many baths!
• when washing vegetables, wash them in a bowl rather than under a running tap. You could also use the bowl of water to water your plants

That's all I have for now. Until next time.

interesting enough?

I had such high hopes of writing some stimulating posts about things I'm learning here but as it turns out, my high hopes fall flat on my own desktop. Alas, I am stuck trying to save what seems to be my limited amount of intelligence and creativity to writing this essay I am spending a lot of time on with very little progress. If you do think of me, think of pacifism, and drop me a clever line you think I might be able to use for my essay. Of course, a true academic will not be begging like this...so you could trust that I'm kidding...

one who steals from death

It's been somewhat of a slow, lazy Friday. Both my flatmate, Danielle, and I are feeling under the weather. I did get some work done, and of course, the word 'some' might even be an exaggeration. I ended up seeing two films today.

Every week my department features a film. This week's film is called Ae Fond Kiss. It's a beautiful film set in Glasgow about a second generation Pakistani who meets the beautiful, independent Caucasian. It may sound cheesy (fortunately I'm not in advertising), but it is beautiful, heartfelt and at times painful.

After the department feature, Danielle and I went home, ordered a couple of pizzas (no wonder I'm feeling ill) and popped in Beyond Borders. Another difficult love story, but this one is set in some of the most conflicted areas in the world. I have to admit that I had a 2-second reconsideration of career choice. This film shows somewhat of the difficulty in humanitarian aid. It was both compelling and intimidating. For a moment I questioned my ability to emotionally handle such difficult situations, and I still do wonder if I'm able to manage - to love enough, but detach enough.

The title of this post came from a line in Beyond Borders. It was a name given to Sarah (Angelina Jolie) by a mother in Ethiopia whose life she attempted to save. It struck me because it reminded me that it is about life. It's about giving someone the chance to live.

bring on the canadian reports...though not always good

Two articles today caught my attention. The first, and more positive one is from Canada's Globe and Mail, describing how the world has less violence now. Interestingly, the UK since after the second world war has been involved in the highest number of armed conflicts (21), with Canada, coming in with a 5. Read the newspaper article here. But if you're interested in reading the full report, you could find it here. The report is published by the Liu Institute for Global Issues in the very beautiful Vancouver, BC. I want to make it noted though that I haven't read the entire report yet and my initial reaction is - what are the indicators that make them decide there is less violence?

The second article was sent to me by my friend Jesse, who found it in the CNN website. It's a disturbing article discussing the report by my very own alma mater, Simon Fraser University, about how Canada is one of the worst polluters among industrialised states.

Canada's greenhouse gas emissions are two times higher, and major smog-causing air pollutants are two-to-three times higher than the average for other industrialized countries, according to the report by the international environment watchdog group.

Looks like there's a lot of work to do in Canada...and here I was all proud of Canada's environmental consciousness...

Read the article here.

Everyone asks me what I'll be doing after my grad year, and I'm not all too sure. Canada would be nice place to return to but jobs in this field are few. From a purely self-beneficial perspective, I hope these reports encourage more job creation, hence more opportunity for me in a year's time.

Need sleep

It's 6am. Two fire alarms in one night. People, stop smoking in your rooms! First alarm at ten to four in the morning, the second one at quarter past five.

I have a massive headache and I can't get back to sleep. Today is going to be one inconherent day...although that's not any different from most days.

What's not to love about living in student halls again?

another productive week

I have probably read a whopping 10 pages all week. It started with my four day weekend trip to London, a visit from my mom to Bradford until Wednesday and a visit from a friend on Thursday night. It's all been fun though, certainly the best possible way to have spent the week.

It's Friday and my initial plans were to spend the whole day working on this essay, of which my draft is due this coming Wednesday. Instead, I will be spending the day grocery shopping at Tesco and trying to prepare a Canadian thanksgiving dinner with a fellow Canadian, Andwele. Now, how about that to postpone doing any work.

I plan to spend the entire Saturday doing work. Some of my colleagues are planning to go to Leeds tomorrow night but unless my rubber arm is twisted, I will be home writing this essay. I guess at some point in the year, the life of a student will incorporate studying.

weekend in London

I'm in London for a few more hours. I spent the weekend here. Given that my weekends from university are four days long, I came into London on Thursday. It's time to head back though.

I came down specifically for my mom's concert here. She and her piano partner, Dorothy, played to a very impressed crowd last night. I was proud of her, pleased that the organisation pulled through, and exhausted after needlessly worrying about it. Now, the distinguished pianists will be playing in Bilbao in a week after my mom spends a few days with me in my new home in Bradford.

So it's back to Bradford this afternoon. I am enjoying university life again. I am looking forward to a challenging, interesting and inspiring year in Bradford. The colleagues that I have met have all had fascinating and diverse histories, sharp minds and positive attitudes, which is intimidating for me but of course is an opportunity for me to learn a thing or two.

I've had classes for two weeks now and I have often spent time in class searching deep into my brain for definitions of certain words and phrases I have heard during the lecture. It's a high learning curve for me, almost having to learn a new language. My combined current knowledge of history, political science, international relations and critical theory seems lacking which is why I foresee a year buried in books and getting to know the library staff.

But worry not, I will not be spending the entire year just studying. It will be a 'balanced' year, whatever the heck that means.