Tar, ducks and screw-ups

In a previous entry I made note of the fact that there really isn’t anything that we can do that we won’t eventually screw up. Well here we go again. Now let me preface this entry by saying that I think the entire tar sands development in Fort McMurray, Alberta is one colossal screw up; a huge boreal destroying, water polluting, air fouling mess on the landscape, driven by greed and the insatiable appetite of our neighbor to the south for oil. Amid this great green house gas making disaster are the little disasters like the news that broke this morning that 400-500 ducks and waterfowl are dying in oil contaminated Syncrude Canada Ltd. settling ponds.

The ponds are the environmental horrors left over from the extraction of the oil from the bitumen impregnated sand that surrounds Fort McMurray. The water comes from the nearby Athabasca River, 359 million cubic metres of it per year according to 2006 numbers; that’s twice the amount of water that is used by the city of Calgary over the same period. Only 10% of the water used in the oil extraction process (that’s up to 4.5 cubic metres of water to extract 1 cubic metre of oil) is fit to return to the Athabasca River. The rest is lost as steam or is pumped into vast settling ponds that surround the site, contaminated by oil and silt. It was these ponds that ducks, migrating north to their spring nesting grounds, unfortunately, landed in.

Being the good corporate citizens they are, Syncrude deploys noisemakers that are supposed to discourage waterfowl from landing on the ponds. But with all the snow that Alberta had last week they just hadn’t managed to get them up and running yet. They say it’s the first time in 30 years that these noisemakers failed; too bad for the ducks and too bad for us. The gutless environment ministries in Ottawa and Alberta are of course threatening investigations and possible fines but does anyone actually think anything will happen??? Do we really believe a plan to deal with the environmental fallout will be drafted? Oh no, I think we can probably count on bigger and better noisemakers! Let’s face it; a few people are making a ton of money on this oily mess so promises will be made that this will never happen again. Right. All while the settling ponds grow in size and number as even more water is pumped from the Athabasca; 50% more just to service the expanded tar sands development plan currently on the books. That means a lot less water will flow through Wood Buffalo National Park and the Peace Athabasca Delta, the species rich wetland system that just happens to be the only nesting grounds for the Whooping Crane, just down river and to the north of this blot on the landscape.

Thank god we can all settle back into complacency and inaction, confident that the next screw-up is just around the corner.


Sources: Oilsands activity threatens water supply: study
by Dennis Bueckert www.energybulletin.net

My Campaign Against PET

If our romps through Sam Smith Park have taught me anything, its that PET bottles are a scourge on the landscape. They're everywhere, and I've really developed a hate on for them. The only thing more prevalent are Tim Horton's cups (they are so evil, but at least they have a better chance at breaking down). And I've already turned my back on those evil things by 'hiring' my own personal barista (his name is Steve) or picking up my coffee at the local Birds 'n Beans which serves up java in either ceramic mugs (how novel) or recycled and biodegradable paper cups AND lids.

Now, I'm setting my sites squarely on plastic bottles. First, this whole leeching thing is a real turn off. If Bisphenol A is unsafe for consumption, what's next, and is it in those nasty flex bottles? Second, water tastes way better coming out of a Sigg metal bottle than out of something derived from petroleum. Finally, they're a symbol of excess. They're overpriced, and designed for people too lazy or too unprepared to get their water out of a tap before they head off to work or school. And they're really easy to throw on the ground. Just ask the hundreds of people who seem to do that regularly at Sam Smith Park, or on any street around the world. Take a look. Next to cigarette butts and Tim Horton's cups of course, I bet ya you'll find a crushed water bottle before you'll find a can.

So, no more plastic bottles for us. If I want a Diet Coke (I know, I know, but only an occasional sin on my part) or a pomegranate juice, it's gotta be in a can or a glass bottle, or I don't buy it. Why? Because glass, aluminum, even cardboard tends to have way more post-consumer recycled material within than PET bottles. And they are way easier to recycle. So nuts to you PET. Who knows, next I may even turn my back on fleece...  

“Das Boot” is now cleaner, greener and earth friendly

If you’ve been patiently waiting for a hydrogen fuel cell car and just can’t understand why it’s taking the automotive designers so long to come out with an engine design that works take heart; the military is way ahead of the curve.
For nearly four years Germany has had a prototype hydrogen fuel cell powered attack submarine in its arsenal and now has another three under construction. Dubbed the ‘type 212A’ this sub features a traditional diesel/electric power plant with a new silent running 50kW Siemens proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell plant, which produces electrical energy from oxygen and hydrogen, and permits the new class of submarines to cruise under water for weeks without surfacing. Unlike the reactor power plant of a nuclear powered submarine, the hydrogen fuel cell produces no heat thereby eliminating the tell tale detectable wake of warm water that nuclear boats release into the ocean. Needless to say the navies of the world are very excited about this new development with Italy, Greece, Portugal and South Korea either ordering or building their own versions of the sub under license. An improved fuel cell is also under development that will deliver 120kW per module that will permit even longer submerged operations.
This sub is the child of the traditional diesel/electric submarine that has been around since World War I that featured an air gulping, exhaust spewing diesel engine for surface cruising and a battery powered electric motor for underwater operations. Unfortunately the batteries were huge and heavy and never delivered enough juice to allow the sub more than a few hours of slow underwater prowling. The nuclear power plants that were developed during the 1950’s seemed to solve all of these problems. They offered an engine that could run independent of the atmosphere and could keep things humming along underwater at high speed for as long as the crew had food or could stand not seeing daylight. It was a perfect solution until navies developed even more sophisticated detection technology to track the little sounds that reactors gave off (think Hunt for Red October) and of course there was that warm water. Oh, and then there were the series of at-sea accidents that the Soviets had as reactors failed, boats sank and crew members were exposed to lethal doses of radiation.
But I digress from my opening; waiting for the auto industry to muddle through the hydrogen fuel cell development mess. Kind of amazing that they can develop something to push a submarine through the water, but can’t move a car with the same technology, technology that is both clean and affordable. But then again the military has never been affordable has it? Governments will pour billions into quiet submarines, but what are they currently investing in clean alternatives to the internal combustion engine? Oh right, there was an electric car once, wasn’t there?
Sources: www.fuelcelltoday.com www.deagel.com

Glamourous Green

Being someone who is passionate about environmental issues, I often find myself faced with the burning question: How can I open people’s minds to adopting a greener lifestyle? The environmental movement is in full force and awareness is at an all-time high. Yet still, people continue to freely commit acts of environmental assault and battery. Chucking old electronics into the wastebasket. Choosing disposable coffee cups over mugs at the office. Liberally spraying pesticides and herbicides on front lawns.

So I tried to imagine myself in their shoes – the shoes of a regular Mary-Lou or Joe-Shmoe. Ok, ok. You can’t really impress your date by asking for a glass of tap water, instead of imported bubbly eau. Participating in the Community Clean-Up and picking garbage isn’t very sexy. You will get weird looks if you bring your own container to the local fast-food joint.

But, I’m here to tell you blog-readers that ecofriendly CAN be cool. I’m not talking about getting on the waiting list at Holt’s for that highly coveted “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” purse. No, that’s just excessive and gross, and a whole other blog post. I’m talking about…

- Vintage clothing and salvage furniture. Find one-of-a-kind pieces that will make your friends green (with envy), without contributing more ‘stuff’ to the earth.
- Bicycling around the city. Eliminate your transportation emissions, and look cool doing it. There are a countless number of occasions where I received fashion inspiration from an ultra stylish woman riding a bike.
- Vegetarianism. I do not know a single vegetarian that does not have beautifully radiant skin and a shiny personality. Perhaps its all the
- Farmers Markets. A great outlet to find fresh, locally grown produce, which cooks into flavourful dishes you can amaze your dinner guests with.
- Living downtown. Be in the centre of the action, and flip the bird to urban sprawl.

But it doesn't stop there. Tons more environmentally sound lifestyle choices are out there, waiting to boost your cool credibility. Green is the new black, and it’s groovy, baby.

Shouldn't every day be Earth Day?

For the last week, Stevo and I have been on a mission to pick up recyclables on our walk in Colonel Sam Smith Park, at the base of Kipling just south of Lakeshore Blvd in Toronto. On Sunday alone, we picked up over 50 water bottles and cans strewn on beaches, pathways and caught in grasslands. We didn't have enough bags to pick up all the Tim Horton cups (a real bee in my bonnet I might add), straws, bottle tops, fry containers, etc that also polluted the landscape. The overwhelming message - people are pigs.

Post our blitz on Sunday, we managed to pick up at least another 25 more, in the very same spots. It's like empty water bottles are a winter crop. If only this were true, then one pass through the park on Community Clean Up Day (this Saturday) would solve the problem. Unfortunately, litter has no seasonal preference. It appears, surely not due to any questionable human behaviour, regardless of the time of year. And it's bullshit.

Wherever we find litter, we also find garbage and recycling bins. It seems it's too much to ask students at Humber College's lake shore campus, or its sister high school, to take an extra two steps to drop their junk in a bin. Lazy little bastards. It's their world they're polluting. I feel guilty about the legacy I'm leaving, then I see the way tomorrow's generation behaves when it comes to litter. The crying native had an impact on me. Perhaps this PSA needs to make a comeback.

Tomorrow, we'll head out, like we do every year, to clean up the crap left by people who don't really give a rat's ass about the future they're building for themselves. You can rest assure that within the week, we'll be retrieving yet another bottle (these things need to be banned, or at least have a deposit attached to them) from a water or path way.

At least our hands will be clean...after we wash them, after we pick up other people's garbage. But I'm not bitter...

Discovering Another Threat

While channel surfing last night I came upon a program on the ironically named Discovery Channel. I say ironically named because when this cable channel first came out I seem to recall that its content was focused much more on the discovery of the natural world. Nowadays the Discovery Channel is all about “discovering” the latest choppers or hotrods or weapons and technology that the human race has cooked up to make its existence more bearable. Last night’s episode of the show “Mega Builders” entitled Arctic Ice Crusher, featuring the construction of an oil super tanker at the Samsung shipyards in South Korea, was no exception. Alright, very impressive stuff, big pieces of steel, lots of people all working together under tight deadlines to create a big honking ship. What really hit me was that this particular super tanker was the first of its kind to be constructed with an icebreaker bow. Yes, an oil super tanker capable of transiting Arctic waters. At this point I felt a hollow form in the pit of my stomach. Was I the only person watching this show that felt the same feeling or was everyone else glorying in our accomplishment? There aren’t too many places left on earth that we haven’t messed up due to our greed and hunger for resources. The high Artic was one of those places that was getting off lightly due to its inhospitable temperatures and ice covering. Now thanks to global warming the Arctic ice pack is shrinking; the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center has reported that Arctic sea ice has shrunk to a record low 4.14 million sq km (1.6 million sq mile), more than 1.2 million sq km -- or the size of South Africa -- less than the previous low in 2005. A Norwegian study in the Barents Sea has found that sea ice thickness has shrunk by half since 2001.

I think most of us will have realized by now that there isn’t a ship, plane or structure we can build that won’t eventually crash, sink or collapse. It’s bound to happen eventually to anything we create; we’re not perfect beings after all, as much as we might want to convince ourselves otherwise. One day in our future this technological marvel will run aground, or sink and disgorge its cargo onto this fragile ecosystem. The mess will be chalked up to human error, or maybe instrument failure or perhaps even, irony of ironies, environmental conditions.

Hey Discovery Channel, while I think it’s important to know about the threats to our planet, could you be oh, I don’t know, a little less enthusiastic in telling us how super cool they are? The next time I would appreciate a show on how we are trying to save this planet rather than how we are creating a machine that will help destroy it. That’s the kind of discovery I appreciate.