Two of my favourite things—the environment and comedy—come together on Sunday, November 20, 2011. The Ottawa Region Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council and Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club are hosting Green Building Hysteria, a “relaxing evening that will make your belly hurt (from laughing) AND advance Green Buildings.”

The Ottawa Region Chapter is a non-profit corporation that promotes green buildings in Ottawa, Gatineau, Eastern Ontario, and Western Quebec. What’s particularly appealing is that the Yuk Yuk’s event will support the Third Annual Ottawa EcoLogical Student Green Building Design Competition. This friendly competition pits teams of students along with young professionals against each other to come up with innovative building designs. In the third annual competition, scheduled for March 2012, participants will design a sustainable Community Health Hub for Ottawa Community Housing and the Carlington Community Health Centre.

An event that supports green buildings, community health and well-being AND is fun—what’s not to like? The bill includes Insensitivity Training, Alex Wood and Matt Carter. It starts at 8 p.m. at Yuk Yuks, 292 Elgin St. Tickets $10 advance, $12 at the door.

In Ottawa we usually don’t make a big deal of internationally-designated days, but this year’s UN World Habitat Day on October 3 seemed significant. The theme: Cities and Climate Change.

According to UN-HABITAT, the world’s cities are responsible for up to 70 per cent of harmful greenhouse gases. Transportation using fossil fuels and industrial activity are particularly significant sources of urban greenhouse gas emissions.

So cities are big contributors to climate change – but people in cities are also affected by the consequences of climate change, like flooding. And cities are, arguably, a big part of the solution.

The City of Ottawa has said municipalities can play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In Ottawa, transportation and buildings’ energy use each account for 40 percent of greenhouse gases, with the remaining 20 percent from the waste sector. The City has had a climate change management plan to address these. But there’s a long road ahead of us.

One of the problems is that climate change here isn’t that obvious, so it’s easy not to think much about it. But the City says our hottest days are getting hotter and more frequent, and declining air quality is a big concern. In 2005 the City recorded 290 deaths and 750 hospital admissions attributable to air pollution, and projected increases in these numbers over the next 25 years. Climate change is affecting our health, changing our environment and costing us in many ways.

Individual action helps – people riding bikes instead of driving, choosing locally-grown food when possible, and turning down thermostats. We need more from all levels of government, though. And we need to be talking about it a lot more.

I think this is happening. Just last week, for example, we had the Ottawa Action to Protest the Tar Sands, a Museum of Nature screening of the film Carbon Nation, and – if you happened to attend the Kickass Talks for CARE on October 2 – Ottawa’s Richard Weber sharing evidence of climate change from the Arctic.

There’s another event coming up this week. It’s part of the System Change Not Climate Change initiative launched by the Council of Canadians’ Climate Justice for People and the Planet campaign to build awareness and inspire people to find alternatives to climate change. Members of Transition Ottawa are hosting a presentation and discussion about what system change means and how environmental and social justice are linked. The event is on Thursday, October 6 from 7:30-9:15 p.m. at 2 Monk St. (one block from 5^th Avenue and Bank St.) in the Glebe; RSVP at http://transitionottawa.ning.com.

It seems daunting, even impossible, to do anything about climate change. But groups and movements like Transition Towns, System Change Not Climate Change, and Worldchanging and its successor are coming up with solutions that are feasible yet retain what’s best about our cities. Check them out when you have the chance.

Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who writes on local and global social and environmental issues.

In case you haven’t heard, the Council of Canadians, the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) and Greenpeace Canada along with other organizations and individuals are calling on people to protest the tar sands industry with an action and rally in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 26 on Parliament Hill. A planned sit-in and a solidarity rally at the Centennial Flame both begin at 10:00 a.m. (Organizers held a mandatory training session on Sept. 25 for people participating in the sit-in which is a civil disobedience action.) Be sure to check the Ottawa Action website for details if you’re thinking of getting involved or want to find out more.

Organizers say the action is necessary to send a message to the Canadian government that tar sands mining and other unsustainable forms of energy extraction like shale fracking are unacceptable – not only because of their harmful effects on people and the environment but because they extend our dependence on fossil fuels when we should be investing in alternatives. The Council of Canadians, for example, has called for a Canadian Energy Strategy based on principles of energy security and ecological sustainability.

The Ottawa Action follows the protest earlier this month in Washington, D.C. of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would transport oil from the Alberta tar sands to the U.S. Gulf coast. So far dozens of organizations have endorsed the Ottawa Action – including, for example, the Assembly of First Nations, the Dene Nation, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), Physicians for Global Survival (PGS) and the UK Tar Sands Network. Individual supporters include Bill McKibben (founder of 350.org), Gorden Pinsent, Graham Greene, Naomi Klein, Shirley Douglas, Tantoo Cardinal and Dave Thomas as well as scientists, First Nations leaders and other prominent Canadians.

You can also follow what’s happening through Ottawa Action on Twitter (@OttawaAction) on Twitter or Facebook (see OttawaAction.ca for details).

“What could the Peace and Environment Resource Centre become?”

It’s a question that Ottawa’s Peace and Environment Resource Centre (PERC) is asking. PERC is inviting anyone with an interest in the environment, peace and social justice to meet on Thursday, September 22 2011 to explore what PERC does – and what it could do. The session will take place from 6:30-9:00 p.m. at St. Giles Presbyterian Church, First Street at Bank.

PERC has been promoting social justice and the environment in Ottawa for years. It’s a volunteer-run, charitable organization that raises awareness, links groups and individuals working on similar issues, offers a resource library, and provides alternative media coverage of social and environmental matters. It publishes a print newspaper, the Peace and Environment News (PEN), 6 times a year – recent issues have covered sustainable energy, food, green business, mining and human rights, and more. The PERC website offers news, highlights from the PEN and links to other resources.

PERC provides a forum for groups and individuals to keep in touch and informed on important issues, thanks to a core of dedicated people who keep it going. Still, PERC’s board, staff and volunteers are thinking ahead. They’re opening up the discussion to get people’s thoughts on what PERC could be. The public meeting is a great opportunity to have some input. (They can always use volunteers year-round, too – see their website for details.)

Ottawa has quite a few winter cyclists, but for many of us the disappearance of snow and the onset of spring weather have us pulling out and tuning up our bicycles.

May is Bike to Work month in Ottawa. The Bike to Work website has information for people at all levels of cycling, including how to create bike-friendly workplaces, and a list of events throughout the month and into June. You can pledge to cycle to work more often, and keep informed through the Bike to Work Facebook page. Bike to Work is part of the City of Ottawa’s TravelWise program and is coordinated by EnviroCentre.

May is also Physical Activity Month. The City has launched the iWalk iBike campaign to encourage people to use active transportation like walking and cycling whenever possible.

Meanwhile, the National Capital Commission is holding public consultations on proposed new rules governing the use of electric bikes and other electric-powered vehicles on NCC pathways. Consultations will be on Tuesday May 3 and Wednesday May 4, or residents can send comments until May 18 to info@ncc-ccn.ca.

The Bixi bike-share program is scheduled to launch in mid-May. The plan is that people will be able to rent bikes at any of 10 stations in downtown Ottawa for short-term rides. Check their Facebook site for updates on the launch and facilities.

If you’re looking to acquire a bike on a more permanent basis, there are lots of places to check out. You can buy refurbished bikes from Cycle Salvation and re-Cycles community bicycle shop. Re-Cycles also provides space and expertise for do-it-yourself repairs, and both accept donated bikes (check their websites for details).

If you want to brush up on your cycling skills, check the City of Ottawa’s website for information on cycling courses. Ottawa Start also has a good list of bike-related links.

Happy and safe spring cycling!

Another beautiful summer morning. I step outside my house. The cool air carries a hint of heat to come. I hear the bright chirp of robins, the high buzz of cicadas, the deep hum of … air conditioners.

During Ottawa’s humid summers and especially in heat waves like the one we had recently, air conditioners can save lives. But running them costs us, in money, energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

And our reliance on them is increasing. Canadians’ use of energy to cool our homes has almost tripled since 1990. Now, 4 out of 5 Ontario households have some type of air conditioning. Offices and retail establishments are often so overcooled that we have to wear jackets or sweaters in them.

I was thinking about use and overuse of air conditioning when I came across the book Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer) by Stan Cox (The New Press, 2010). According to Cox, air conditioning has profoundly influenced recent history, as it increases global warming, alters how our bodies deal with heat, and isolates us from each other and from the outdoors. Judging by the buzz surrounding his book, Cox is on to something – many people have strong feelings about air conditioning. Cox’s view, though, is not that we should do away with air conditioning but rather that we should change how and how often we use it.

In Ottawa, fortunately, there are some alternatives for keeping cool in summer:

• Fans: ceiling, floor, and tabletop fans can all help cool us down.
• Natural cooling: close doors, windows and blinds when it’s hot, and open them when it’s cooler at night; try to get a cross-breeze. Outdoors, seek shade; install awnings, plant trees.
• Water: visit a city wading pool or splash pad for free. Check out a swimming pool or beach (contact the City of Ottawa for hours, fees and conditions. On Wednesdays during July and August, seniors can swim for a loonie at city pools.) Run through a sprinkler, or spray yourself lightly with water.
• Spend time in public places: libraries, community centres, shopping centres or other public buildings listed by the City of Ottawa (or call 3-1-1). Rainbow Cinemas and the City have an arrangement to reduce prices for movie showings when the City issues a heat warning.
• Drink water.
• Minimise use of appliances and lights; dry laundry outside, avoid using the oven – all those things that we know about.
• If used, air conditioning should be energy efficient, well-maintained and the appropriate size and type for the space it cools. Turning the thermostat up a few degrees can significantly decrease electricity use; Natural Resources Canada recommends 25°C, or 28°C if the residence will be unoccupied for more than a day. Use a timer or programmable thermostat — it’s more efficient to let a room cool gradually than to try to bring the temperature down quickly. Use a “fan-only” setting in the evening and early morning to bring cooler air from outside into the house.

Using alternatives to air conditioning more often can help us get more in tune with our natural environment – living within it rather than trying to conquer it – while still staying healthy and comfortable.

Environment Week 2010 is May 30-June 5. It’s scheduled to coincide with the UN’s World Environment Day on June 5. In Ottawa, Environment Week is quickly followed by Bike to Work Week, so it might be a good time to get a tune-up if your bike needs one.

Here are some of the events coming up in Ottawa:

May 30-June 5: Commuter Challenge

Commuter Challenge is a Canada-wide program to get people walking, running, rollerblading, cycling, taking public transit, carpooling or teleworking instead of using their cars. Individuals and workplaces can register online. The site will also track which cities and workplaces have the highest participation over the week (last year Ottawa was 4^th in Canada).

June 2-6: Environment Week Film Festival
An impressive array of films – some twenty documentaries in all — will be shown at the Canadian Museum of Nature’s new theatre, in partnership with the Planet in Focus International Film & Video Festival. Schedule at http://nature.ca/en/plan-your-visit/what-see-do/whats/environment-week-film-festival-0. Call 613-566-4791 or visit the Museum reception desk for tickets.

June 2: Clean Air Day

You can find information and suggestions for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions at the Clean Air Day website. At Ottawa City Hall from 12 noon-1 pm, Councillor Clive Doucet and the Netherlands Embassy will present speakers, cycling groups and a “best dressed” bike commuter contest (see www.commuterchallenge.ca).

June 7-11: Bike to Work Week
Sign up or get information at EnviroCentre, or join the Celebration Station on the Ottawa River Pathway by the War Museum on June 8, a free cycling lunch and learn at City Hall on June 9 at noon, or the BBQ on Bank Street between Laurier and Slater on June 10 from 11:30-1:30.

Also coming up soon:

June 5-6: Doors Open Ottawa

Intended to promote heritage, architecture and design, Doors Open Ottawa is also a great way to learn more about how we live in our environment. The 119 buildings that will open their doors to the public include the C.D. Howe Building, the first federal building in downtown Ottawa with a “green roof”; the Fleet Street Pumping Station and Aqueduct, Ottawa’s first waterworks, the Lemieux Island Purification Plant, one of the city’s two water purification plants, and the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre for wastewater treatment; and the Rideau Valley Conservation Centre and Minto EcoHome. Not all buildings are open both days, so check the website for sites and hours.

June 11: Sustainability Summit
Choosing our Future is hosting a Sustainability Summit at City Hall for citizens and community leaders to discuss how we can become a more sustainable, resilient and livable community. More information online or call 613-580-2424, ext. 14686 or e-mail info@choosingourfuture.ca.

April 22 is Earth Day. In fact, this year it’s Earth Day’s 40^th birthday, and its 20^th in Canada. And there’ll be a big party: over a billion people in 190 countries are expected to participate in some kind of Earth Day activities, according to the Earth Day Network, which calls Earth Day “the largest secular civic event in the world”.

Finding this out made me curious about the Day. It began in 1970 in the U.S. as a protest by 20 million Americans against environmental degradation. It’s had an interesting history. The April 22 Earth Day is distinct from the UN”s World Environment Day held June 5 and from other Earth Days that are celebrated at the equinox.

Why this Earth Day? For some people, Earth Day is about grassroots movements drawing attention to and doing something about environmental concerns. But can one day, or even a week, make a difference?

I like the David Suzuki Foundation’s approach. This year it’s launched an Earth Week Book Swap, as I found out while visiting my local Bridgehead coffee shop with friends recently instead of finishing this post (thanks, you two!). The David Suzuki Foundation recognises that communities in which people are engaged are capable of doing something about local and global problems. So it’s encouraging people to swap books at local community spaces and coffee shops where people meet up, to connect and share ideas. As Foundation blogger Kim Peterson writes, community action comes from individuals who know each other and share concerns, important to remember when we’re trying to tackle big issues like climate change or overconsumption.

One more Earth Day is not likely to change the world, but it’s a reminder to reflect on what we can do to live sustainably, and a chance to participate in activities that also build environmentally-aware communities, whether those communities are local, global or both.

In Ottawa, many schools, organisations, businesses and government representatives are hosting Earth Day-related activities this week. Earth Day Ottawa, Earth Day Canada and Ecology Ottawa all have event listings. Here are a few highlights:

Wednesday, April 21:

• A screening of Toxic Trespass, a film about children’s health and the environment, 7:30-9:30 pm at Glebe St. James United Church, 650 Lyon St.

• The deadline for submitting video, photo, story, webcam, twitter, or facebook entries to CBC’s initiative “What Earth Day means to me.” See http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2010/04/earth-day-what-does-it-mean-to-you.html.

Thursday, April 22:

• Envirocentre’s Sustainable Transportation Fair, 11 am-2 pm at Place Bell, 160 Elgin St. Information about sustainable transportation options like car sharing, cycling and air travel.

• Writers’ Festival events:
  • The big idea: How Canadians are changing the way we eat at 12 noon at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St. Sarah Elton, food columnist for CBC Radio’s Here & Now, talks about the local food movement;
  • Global perspectives: Oil and the end of globalization, 6:30 pm at the Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St. Jeff Rubin, economist, energy expert and author of Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller speaks on local revitalisation;
  • Global Perspectives: The Necessary Revolution, 8 pm at the Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St. Joe Laur, Rabbi, teacher, Senior Manager of Greenopolis.com, and co-author (with Peter M. Senge) of The Necessary Revolution speaks on new stories and new strategies for addressing social and environmental problems.

For details see http://www.writersfestival.org/events.html.

Saturday, April 24:

• Earth Day Ottawa Concert, Exhibition and Award Show at the Canadian Museum of Nature. A “mini-folk festival” with performances 11 am-1 pm and 1:30-3:30 pm.

• Ottawa Eco-Stewardship Fair, 10 am-5 pm at the RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Dr. Exhibits by businesses, governments and non-profit organisations, with local artists, a 100 mile lunch, bike festival and more.

For ideas about how to live sustainably throughout the rest of the year, see Earth Day Canada at http://www.ecoactionteams.ca/pub/index.php and the David Suzuki Foundation.  Please let us know of other Earth Day events and links you’d like to share.

World leaders may have missed an opportunity at Copenhagen, but change was quietly taking place here in Ottawa last fall.  On September 15, without much fanfare, Ottawa became a Transition Town.

What this means is that a small group of Ottawa residents gained official recognition from the global Transition Town movement of our community’s commitment to taking on challenges of climate change and peak oil.  Peak oil, the start of a decline in the rate of production of the world’s oil (making it less cheap and plentiful), will have significant effects on our oil-dependent economy and lifestyles.

Transition Ottawa intends to bring together and support community initiatives that contribute to a more resilient and less oil-dependent city.  The idea is that efforts by individuals, families, neighbourhoods, businesses and local groups are all important in transitioning to lower energy use and lower carbon emissions.  And that these local efforts are a crucial part of the bigger picture that includes municipal, national and international initiatives.

Right now Canada has a growing number of Transition Towns – about a dozen – that have joined the hundreds of others worldwide.

The Transition Towns concept originated in the UK.  It’s about doing things like meeting more food and energy needs locally, reducing car use and promoting alternative modes of transport, using sustainable building materials and reducing waste.  It’s also more than that.  The Transition movement’s premise is that communities actually can plan for, and bring about, a low-energy future.  This idea is gaining more respect.

What’s also exciting is that Transition Ottawa is about solutions that are both practical and imaginative.  When you take a look at the ideas being generated, you see that it’s not just about reducing energy but also about creating the kind of city that Ottawa residents want, a city that’s sustainable and supportive.  Some of it may sound idealistic until you see that many of these things are already happening:  community gardens, farmers’ markets, information meetings on solar energy, shared cars, improved bicycle lanes, associations and networks like Sustainable Living Ottawa East and Sustainable Living Ottawa West, and much more.

Transition Ottawa’s site lists these and other initiatives, events and resources.  It also provides a space for discussion among interested people.  It’s a forum to “exchange ideas, share resources, learn from what others are doing, become inspired, encourage each other, and come together as part of the larger ‘Transition’ network.”  Worth checking out.

November 27 was Buy Nothing Day in North America. It passed by without much attention in Ottawa. But at least I can say I didn’t buy anything.

Or can I?

I didn’t spend any cash that day. No paper, coins or credit cards came out of my wallet. But my financial transactions continued.

On Buy Nothing Day, I still consumed electricity, water and heat, and was charged for them. I used bus tickets, purchased a couple of months ago. I ate food that I bought earlier in the week. I used my phone, cell phone and internet connections, all of which I’m paying for monthly.

Buy Nothing Day definitely made me think about how tied in I am to a financial system that doesn’t even need my active involvement. Maybe that’s the point. Adbusters would say I should also be turning off my computer and lights – the only way to draw attention to our default mode, consumption.

Still, Buy Nothing Day’s message is largely negative – don’t buy, don’t consume. Good to think about, but hard to engage people. What if it were about Doing Something as well? Are there alternatives to purchasing and consuming that we can participate in, to remind ourselves that there are other aspects to life? What about:

• Spending time with friends and family, taking a walk in the woods or neighbourhood, reading a book, talking to our kids and to each other about having less stuff?
• Trading or giving away something (e.g. on Ottawa Freecycle / Ottawa Full Circles), or finding a reuse for something no longer useful?
• Volunteering — for a favourite organisation, or through Volunteer Ottawa (click on “I want to volunteer”)?
• Writing a letter to an MP on climate change or another issue (for tips see David Suzuki’s website)?

I’ve been impressed by the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s campaign called “A Dare To Remember,” in which people commit to doing something brave or crazy or fun, to raise attention and funds for addressing HIV/AIDS in Africa. It’s a great way to capture people’s imaginations, and to prompt lots of people to do something, in their own way, to generate awareness about an issue. Maybe some lessons here?

Then, hopefully, we could sustain some momentum from Buy Nothing Day as we head into the December holiday and shopping season.