Spreading the word about geothermal power, little green thumbs, prairie bees and warblers, Saskatoon’s car share co-op, and and a gourmet feast
Upcoming Events
Warblers and Songbirds, August 19 & 25
Join the Saskatoon Nature Society as they look for warblers and other songbirds. On Sunday, August 19 from 8 to 10 am, they’ll be in Cosmopolitan Park, while on Saturday, August 25, the walk will be held at the Forestry Farm.
Sustainable Gourmet, September 22
The Saskatchewan Environmental Society is hosting their annual fundraising dinner on September 22 at the Saskatoon Club. All the main ingredients are grown by local producers. The guest speaker is Candace Savage.
David Suzuki & Jeff Rubin, October 2
Join award-winning geneticist and broadcaster David Suzuki and bestselling author and economist Jeff Rubin on October 2 at 7 pm for an evening of discussion on how to create a truly sustainable future. The event is being held at the Broadway Theatre. Tickets are $15 and available at McNally Robinson Booksellers.
Urban
Saskatoon CarShare Co-operative
The Saskatoon CarShare Co-operative is conducting a feasibility study to better determine start-up locations and practices. Like their Facebook page and complete the survey.
Municipal Efforts to Reduce GHG
An interactive map showcases Canadian municipal efforts to reduce greenhouse gases - from hybrid buses to organic waste collection programs.
Sustainable Consumption
Greendex 2012: Consumer Choice and the Environment—A Worldwide Tracking Survey measures consumer behavior in areas relating to housing, transportation, food, and consumer goods. The top-scoring consumers of 2012 are in the developing economies of India, China, and Brazil, while the lowest scores are all earned by consumers in industrialized countries.
American consumers’ behavior still ranks as the least sustainable of all countries surveyed since the inception of the study, followed by Canadian, Japanese, and French consumers.
Consumers in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, China, and India tend to be most concerned about issues like climate change, air and water pollution, species loss, and shortages of fresh water—all factors affecting the planet’s ability to support life. In contrast, the economy and the cost of energy and fuel elicit the most concern among American, French, and British consumers.
Energy
Geothermal Power
Plans are underway for Canada’s first geothermal power plant. It is expected to supply the Hamlet of Fort Liard, NWT, with 600 KW of electricity, with the future option to use waste heat in direct use applications. The community currently produces all its power through diesel generation.
Agriculture
Bees: Farmers’ Friends
Cory Sheffield, the new curator of invertebrate zoology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum is using photography to identify native bees that can help fight the current pollination crisis due to the declining numbers of honey bees.
Community Pastures
Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart says that the farmers who have been using Saskatchewan’s 60 community pastures should be prepared for change and re-emphasized the government’s intention to sell the pastures.
Agriculture in the Classroom
There’s a garden in the Confederation Park school yard being carefully tended by students in the Little Green Thumbs program. You can read all about it in the August 3 edition of the Saskatoon Wellbeing Magazine.
Five Saskatoon schools participate in this program run by Agriculture in the Classroom, an educational charity dedicated to connecting children with agriculture. They welcome donations – both of money and gardening supplies.
EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. A complete listing of all upcoming events can be found on our Calendar.
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