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September 20, 2011

What Could the Peace and Environment Resource Centre Become?

Posted by greenlivingottawa under arts and culture, books, climate change, energy, fair trade, food, health, household, media, organic, Ottawa, recycled, transportation, volunteering, waste reduction, water
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Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who writes on local and global social and environmental issues.

“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.)

 

April 1, 2011

Another Environmental Movie Event: Breathtaking on April 4th

Posted by greenlivingottawa under arts and culture, fair trade, health, household, media
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A new movie by Canadian film-maker Kathleen Mullen will be shown in the auditorium of the Ottawa Public Library (120 Metcalfe Street) at 7pm on Monday April 4th. The screening is free and there will be a panel discussion after with the Director, Kathleen Mullen and special guests.

Breathtaking takes on the asbestos industry through a moving and personal investigation into the death of Kathleen’s father from Mesothelioma, and the confounding present-day use of asbestos that continues to exact a human toll. Valued since pre-history and commercially mined since the Industrial Revolution, asbestos was nicknamed the ‘magic mineral’ for its fabric-like properties and its capacity to protect against fire, and was used in everything from brake pads to oven mitts. After it was discovered to be carcinogenic, asbestos use was banned from use in many countries and limited in others. But Canada, along with Russia and several other countries, still mines asbestos and exports it for use in developing nations.

With moving clips of her dying father’s legal testimony, family photos, and Super 8 home movies as a narrative springboard, Mullen takes the audience on an investigative journey from her family’s home in British Columbia to Quebec, India and Detroit, painting a global, yet still personal picture of the many lives affected by the continued use of asbestos.

Monday, April 4, 7:00 PM
Breathtaking: a personal investigation into the present-day use of asbestos
Auditorium of the Ottawa Public Library, 120 Metcalfe – OTTAWA
Admission free

For more information contact through gmail with the address of breathtakingfilm or see the website: www.kathleenmullen.com/breathtaking

This special screening is co-presented by the Ottawa &a p; District Labour Council (ODLC) and the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and supported by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), Canadian Building Trades, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), Women’s Healthy Environments Network and Prevent Cancer Now (PCN).

 

October 11, 2010

Upcoming Food Events: A Thanksgiving Post

Posted by greenlivingottawa under 100-mile, fair trade, food, organic, Ottawa
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Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who writes on local and global social and environmental issues, even when they don’t involve food.

Maybe it’s because I’m writing this on Thanksgiving, but everything right now seems to be about food. Or maybe it’s because this coming Saturday, October 16 is World Food Day, or just that Ottawa’s markets are bursting with goodness. In any case, here are some opportunities to discuss, celebrate and support sustainable and accessible food:

 

Starved for Attention: The crisis of childhood malnutrition: Public talk October 13 and Multimedia Exhibit October 13-31

On Wednesday, October 13, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is holding a public talk by Marilyn McHarg, MSF Canada General Director, and Susie Tector, Medical Doctor. 6:30-7:30 pm in the amphitheatre, Saint Paul University, The Atrium, Guigues Hall, 223 Main St. Registration is limited and free at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/878586877.

From October 13-31, visit Starved for Attention, a free multimedia exhibit in the Atrium of Saint Paul University, 223 Main St. MSF says, “Blending photography and video, the exhibit features the work of award-winning photojournalists from the VII Photo Agency, who travelled to malnutrition hotspots around the world to shed light on the causes of the crisis and approaches to combat this condition.”

 

Kitchen Table Talks: Public talks about access to food in Ottawa, October 14 and 18

Just Food, in connection with the national People’s Food Policy project, presents:

Thursday October 14: Access to Healthy Food in Urban and Suburban Ottawa. 7:00-9:00 pm, Dominion Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper St.
Monday, October 18: Poverty and Access to Food in Ottawa: Building Solutions. 7:00-9:00 pm, Dominion Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper St.

 

Empires of Food: World Food Day forum with Dr. Evan Fraser, October 15

A USC Canada public forum about avoiding global food disaster. In his new book, Empires of Food, Dr. Fraser chronicles the fate of societies which depended on favourable climates and unsustainable farming practices. Dr. Fraser will speak about parallels between those fallen “Food Empires” and our modern global civilization, and what we need to do about them. Friday, October 15 at 7:00 pm (meet & greet at 6:15) in the atrium of Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St. Free admission. For more information contact Kate Green by email or phone 613-234-6827 x228.

 

Organic Week October 9-16: Check out events in and around Ottawa.

And speaking of food, everyone is welcome to join Ecology Ottawa for Eat, Drink, Vote! Ecology Ottawa’s 4th Annual Dinner on Wednesday, October 13: an evening of vegetarian food, silent auction, local live music, speeches, and the Ecology Ottawa Community Leadership Awards. All proceeds to Ecology Ottawa. 5:30-11:00 pm (dinner at 7:00 pm), Christ Church Cathedral Hall, 420 Sparks St. For information or to reserve a ticket, email events@ecologyottawa.ca or phone 613-860-5353.

 

September 6, 2010

AQUA and the Ottawa River

Posted by greenlivingottawa under arts and culture, fair trade, health, media
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Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who has worked in international and community development, and sees local-global connections everywhere.

I’ve been thinking about water again. And not just because last week’s temperatures of 32° with humidex of 43 made me want to jump into a lake, or because of this week’s forecast of rain.

Last week my family visited the renovated Canadian Museum of Nature, including its special AQUA multimedia exhibit – which, I’m sorry to say, was here only until September 6.

A group of about 30 of us, adults and kids, entered the first of three AQUA viewing areas. There, we were each invited to pick up a “raindrop”, a glowing blue light shaped like a drop of water, which we carried throughout the half-hour performance. After passing through a water “curtain”, we were presented with a mix of 360° film projections, music and narration, props and special effects. The exhibit’s messages were compelling, delivered heavily at times and joyfully at others: that water is essential for life, that it is at risk from pollution and overuse, that it is inequitably distributed, and that everyone has responsibility for it.

Actually, I came out feeling angry – that I had to explain to my 9-year-old why one child in the world dies every 8 seconds from lack of clean water, and that it’s taken years for the United Nations General Assembly to recognise water as a human right, which they did on July 28 this year. (Even then, 41 countries including Canada abstained from the vote.)

In Ottawa, we’re fortunate to have an excellent water system. Still, our water source is at risk: from municipal and industrial wastewater, stormwater and agricultural runoff, dams, and floodplain and shore development, according to the Ottawa Riverkeeper. The Ottawa Riverkeeper is inviting residents to sign a petition asking municipal and local leaders to make river management and protection a priority. And their Ottawa River Summit on August 27 brought together First Nations leaders, elected officials and municipal staff from Ontario and Québec to discuss the health and future of the Ottawa River watershed.

If you didn’t get to the AQUA exhibit, you can read about it online at onedrop.org, where you can also pledge to take on an action to reduce water consumption and preserve clean water.

And you can still visit the Museum of Nature’s new Water Gallery, a permanent exhibit with a wealth of information about water in the world and in Canada – what it contains, what lives in it, and how we use it. (You can book museum tickets online as well as purchase them at the museum; a friend also alerted us to the 2 for 1 admissions coupons available through Attractions Ontario.)

 

April 20, 2010

Earth Day in Ottawa, 2010

Posted by greenlivingottawa under arts and culture, books, climate change, energy, fair trade, food, health, household, media, organic, Ottawa, waste reduction
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Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who generally tries to do the right thing if she can figure out what that is.

April 22 is Earth Day. In fact, this year it’s Earth Day’s 40th birthday, and its 20th 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.

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:

  • 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.

 

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