Posts

Showing posts from 2008

11 MILLION LITRES A DAY: THE TAR SANDS' LEAKING LEGACY

Image
For the first time, this report, from Environmental Defense , uses industry information to arrive at a conservative estimate of what the overall leakage from the tar sands tailings ponds is today and also what it would likely be if proposed projects go ahead. The results are staggering....

DROUGHT AND DEFORESTATION ACCOMPLICES OF GLOBAL WARMING

Image
Check it out here!

SUN, WIND & WATER BEAT BIOFUELS, NUCLEAR AND COAL FOR CLEAN ENERGY

Image
Check it out! (Credit: LM Glasfiber)

HUMAN DEBRIS CAUSES MASSIVE HARM TO MARINE LIFE - GREENPEACE

Image
The hurt we continue to inflict on the natural world has sunk to new depths, as our filth fills up the seven seas. Read more here .

Plight of the Humble Bee. Canadian regulators refuse to protect a priceless pollinator from a known toxin.

Image
by Larry Powell A honeybee forages on a flower. A PinP photo.   The crop chemical, clothianidin, approved almost five years ago by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, has since been found to be "highly toxic to the honeybee, apis mellifera." Despite knowing this for at least four years, the PMRA, a division of Health Canada, has kept the product's temporary license in place. So it continues to be used.  Clothianidin is a member of the chemical family, neonicitanoids, used, among other things, to treat canola seed to ward off flea beetles. Another "family member," imadacloprid, has been used in Canada for more than 25 years.  Bees are dying from toxic chemicals and the feds won't save them. In 2004, the PMRA and its American counterpart, the Environmental Protection Agency, jointly reviewed data on clothianidin. In addition to their conclusion of high toxicity, they found that other studies, which  found the product had "no significant impact,&quo

Lake of the Prairies – The New Lake Winnipeg?

Image
New Report Expresses Water Quality Concerns - by Larry Powell "Clean, potable drinking water is critical for human life and, therefore, a necessity for prosperous, sustainable communities." - Shell River State of the Watershed Report - 2008 A study of western Manitoba’s Shell River watershed points to the buildup of nutrients as the most serious water quality problem in the region. The 2008 "State of the Watershed" report by the Lake of the Prairies Conservation District is a report card on the health of our surface and ground water. Its verdict? It could be better! Autumn in the Shell Valley - photos by L.P. The Shell River rises in the Duck Mountains and meanders southward for almost 80 kilometers before emptying into the Lake of the Prairies at Asessippi Park. The watershed stretches well into Saskatchewan. In Manitoba, it covers almost 3,000 k

Future Hog Barn Development Will Be Less "Extreme." Minister

Image
ROBLIN, MB. Oct. 20-'08 by Larry Powell Manitoba's Conservation Minister, Stan Struthers, promises that past mistakes in the way factory hog barns have grown up in parts of the province, will not be repeated elsewhere. Struthers makes the remarks in an interview wit h "Paths Less Travelled" today. (Struthers Photo Courtesy Gov of MB) In the face of sustained and sometimes vicious opposition from the hog lobby, Struthers (also the Minister responsible for the environment) recently piloted a law through the provincial legislature, freezing the development of new factory hog barns in three areas of the province; the Interlake, the Red River Valley and the southeast. But new ones will still be allowed in the rest of the province! In that regard, Struthers has reassuring words for people in these areas (like myself) who might fear they will be adversely affected by new barns. He says a working group will bring recommendations back to him that will address such things as s

A SPIKE IN ETHANOL'S COFFIN?

Image
Reviewing biofuel policies and subsidies; Annual report weighs opportunities and risks of biofuels 7 October 2008, Rome - Biofuel policies and subsidies should be urgently reviewed in order to preserve the goal of world food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural development and ensure environmental sustainability, FAO said today in a new edition of its annual flagship publication The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2008. (also see post directly below and my article "Bursting the Ethanol Bubble" in older posts.) L.P .

ANOTHER NAIL IN THE ETHANOL COFFIN

A secret report by the World Bank finds biofuels are contributing way more to the current world food crisis than has ever been suggested before! Read more..... (Also see my article, "Bursting the Ethanol Bubble" by scrolling way down to older posts.) L.P.

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING "EARTH DAY, TOO"

Image
Thanks to all who turned out to support our "Earth Day Too," end-of-season farmers market and celebration in Roblin, Manitoba, Canada on Labour Day weekend! While the crowds were perhaps not all we had hoped for, those who did attend clearly appreciated the produce, crafts, information, tea party put on by our host, the Life & Art Centre, and the live music. Enthusiasts of local food production and marketing and the so-called "eat local" movement are well aware that many in our community grow their own gardens and share their bounty, free-of-charge, with their friends and neighbours। This is a time-honoured tradition and is as it should be. It is a culture that is well-entrenched and understandable, given the convenience factor. Come to think of it, this practise surely is as central to the "eat local" movement as any other element - another pillar in a structure we know as "food security." The consumers we are &quo

LEARNING ORGANICS "DIRTY" SECRETS

Image
Martin Entz, pictured above, is a professor at the University of Manitoba's Department of Plant Science. In 1992 Martin Entz started growing crops in an un-Western way to prove to himself that it couldn’t be done. But after nearly 17 years of comparing organic and conventional agricultural practices at research farms around Winnipeg the plant scientist delightfully notes his assumptions were wrong. The Glenlea long-term organic/conventional crop rotation study is Canada’s oldest and it’s providing valuable insights into natural farming systems. A major finding pertains to soil health, specifically, the microorganisms living in it. (To re-cap from a first-year Biology course, over 95 per cent of vascular plants have fungi in their roots and this association benefits the plants in numerous ways.) In Year 13, graduate student Cathy Welsh, working with Entz and soil sciences’ Mario Tenuta, compared the plots’ fungal spore density and diversity – a hallmark of soil health, and indi

"EARTH DAY TOO" RETURNS TO ROBLIN

Image
Tired of wooden tomatoes from Mexico? Tasteless strawberries from California? Potatoes from Texas or apples from Australia? (All of which grow quite nicely here on our Canadian prairies, thanks very much!) What's wrong with this picture? Wouldn't it be better on so many levels to buy your veggies or baking, or preserves, or meat,for that matter, from a local producer rather than some faceless corporation in the supermarket? Obviously this is not always possible in the "off-season." But how about when these items are at their best, right in your own community? Does common sense not tell us; a) local food would be fresher,safer, better-tasting and even healthier; b) we'd save a lot in transportation costs; c) this would be kinder to the environment (avoiding all the harmful greenhouse gases produced when our food is trucked over long distances); d) we'd boost the economic health of those local producers? Keep reading and find out what folks in the Roblin are

ORGANIC MEAT JUST ONE OF THE GOODIES AVAILABLE

Image
Visitors arrive at Kate and Doug Storey's Poplar Glen Organic farm near Grandview, MB. Kate (far r.) shows her guests some of the livestock. In addition to pork, the Storeys will have their free-range eggs for sale at the market, too! OTHER VENDORS: Tamela Friesen (l.with straw hat) and partner Karen Hardy (r. pic.);(AKA,the "Famous Bicycling Chicks.") They sell all kinds of fresh veggies and preserves. (They also operate a bed and breakfast just north of Roblin.) _____________________________________ Rowena and Larry Powell operate a vegetable market garden on a 6-acre parcel they call Earthkeeper Farm. It’s less than 20 kilometers northwest of Roblin. For five years, their produce was certified organic through the Organic Producers’ Association of Manitoba. While they no longer have their crops officially certified, their growing methods remain the same. “We grow organically because we believe in it,” says Larry. “I think far too many

INDIGENOUS CRAFTS WILL BE AVAILABLE.

Image
Yvette Bouvier of Boggy Creek, north of Roblin, will display an array of aboriginal art, including antler jewelery, caribou pictures and birch bark biting. ___________________ LATE ENTRY! Pat Kisiloski of Lake of the Prairies, near Roblin, will be there with sweet corn and some zucchini! ____________________ Don't forget, all during the summer, every Tuesday,the Roblin Farmers Market is going strong - from 10am to 2pm - next to the Post Office on Main Street! OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Plans are in the works for an herb demonstration, complete with recipe samples. (Those plans have yet to be finalized.) Paul Chorney of the Manitoba Food Charter will be there with a display about his organization. Funding from Heifer International - a US-based charity which strives to achieve food security for people around the world - made available through the Food Charter, has made this event possible. MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT: Pint-sized fiddling sensation Scott Cornelius will drop by the market in t

DEAD ZONES: HOW FARM FERTILIZERS ARE KILLING OUR RIVERS, LAKES AND OCEANS

Image
Greenpeace challenges the sacred cows of modern society -farmers - and calls them to task for their considerable contribution to the degradation of our planet.

SO WHO'SE UNFRIENDLY? MANITOBANS OR THE HOG LOBBY?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 19, 2008 Beyond Factory Farming Manitoba, a group promoting the ethical production of livestock, has launched a new website as a response to the "Unfriendly Manitoba" ad campaign by the Manitoba Pork Council. “It’s time to put the friendly back into Manitoba farming,” says BFF's Glen Koroluk. There is a small minority in our community who would make you believe that Bill 17 would devastate our province. The Truth of the matter is that the Bill does not go far enough! It will still allow unfriendly factory hog barns to continue to operate and expand in most of rural Manitoba. Bill 17 is an amendment to the Manitoba Environment Act which. If enacted, it will prohibit the construction of new, confined livestock areas for hogs and hog manure storage facilities, or the expansion of exisiting ones, in specific areas of Manitoba. It allows existing factory farms in these areas to operate business as usual. However, these areas make up less than a th

AGROFUEL MADNESS - by Larry Powell

Image
WINNIPEG. Apr.29th - '08 - The awful consequences of the biofuel craze now sweeping the planet, were starkly brought to light at a public forum at the University of Winnipeg this evening. (Car/Combine rendering courtesy of  the Government of Manitoba।)   Called "Crops, Cars and Climate Crisis," the forum featured four notable experts on the topic. They all referred to the dramatic and disastrous food price increases that are devastating the world's poor and which are being aggravated by the diversion of so much food into vehicles. One of the guest speakers was Javiera Rulli, of "Base Investigaciones" in Paraguay. She told of an assault taking place on the environment, human health and human rights of citizens of that South American country। It is all due to the transformation of the small nation to monoculture crops for the production of "biofuels" or "agrofuels" to power vehicles, rather than to feed people, she sai

LOGGING AGGRAVATES CLIMATE CHANGE - GREENPEACE

Image
A new report released by Greenpeace on the 10th of April 2008 finds that logging in Canada’s Boreal Forest is making global warming worse by releasing greenhouse gases and reducing carbon storage. It also finds that logging makes the forest more susceptible to global warming impacts like wildfires and insect outbreaks, which in turn release more greenhouse gases. Executive summary Canada’s Boreal Forest is dense with life. Richly populated with plants, birds, animals, and trees; home to hundreds of communities; and a wellspring of fresh water and oxygen, the Boreal has long been recognized as a critically important ecosystem. But as rising temperatures threaten to destabilize the planet, the potential of the Boreal’s carbon-rich expanses to mitigate global warming continues to be underestimated. Based in part on a comprehensive review of scientific literature by researchers at the University of Toronto1, this report examines the complex relationship between global warming and Canada’s

A Special Place.

Image
Last fall, I had the privilege of visiting an enchanting area of my province along and around the Waterhen River. It's distinctive for a couple of reasons. It's the shortest river in all of the province, flowing out of Waterhen Lake and into northern Lake Manitoba. And it's also the province's most pristine. Environment Canada actually called it "excellent" in terms of water quality, the only Manitoba river to get that rating. I'm posting a few shots here for your enjoyment. PinP photos. ___________________________________

THE HOG DEBATE RAGES. WHY YOU SHOULD CARE!

Image
Photos Courtesy of "Stop the Hogs." Dear Editor, Seldom has there been a more important public debate in Manitoba than the one now raging over the hog industry. Make no mistake. The issues here are grave. A powerful industry, represented by the Manitoba Pork Council (MPC), is not only pitting itself against those of us who actually care about our air, water and soil, it's also challenging the very right of a democratically-elected government to govern on behalf of its citizens. Thrown into this explosive mix are questions about the role of our cherished academic institutions. Are they remaining "above the fray?" Or are they taking sides? Over a year ago, amid howls and threats from the hog lobby, the government of Manitoba imposed a temporary ban on new factory barns. This was to allow the Clean Environment Commission (CEC) to study how sustainable they are. After receiving that CEC study a few weeks ago, the government obviously decided, they aren't sustain