Written by Denise Deby.
If you’re one of the lucky people who secured a ticket to David Suzuki‘s appearance in Ottawa at Centrepointe Theatre on October 17, 2014, you’re in for a treat.
If not, you should still know why he’s here. It’s important.
The esteemed scientist and environmentalist is travelling across the country for his Blue Dot Tour to raise awareness of the need for Canada to recognize people’s right to a healthy environment.
The Blue Dot initiative makes the point that we have the right to be sure that our food, water and air are clean and safe. That requires including the right to live in a healthy environment in legislation at all levels of government and in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, so that no government can undermine it.
The organizers are calling on Canada to join the more than 110 countries that have already declared the right to a healthy environment as a fundamental human right. That right includes the right to have clean air, water and food, to access nature, to know about pollutants in the environment and to participate in government decisions that affect the environment.
The thinking is that as individuals speak up, governments—from local up—will be convinced to recognize the right. According to the Blue Dot video, it’s about “ordinary people coming together to take extraordinary action.”
You can check out, and support, the effort at http://bluedot.ca/join-us/.
There’s more here about David Suzuki’s reasons for launching the Blue Dot Tour, and background here on why the right to a healthy environment is important.
Green Living Ottawa 