Tuesday 31 July 2012

EcoSask News, July 31, 2012

Bison and meteors, moose vs. men, energy efficiency, drowning islands, 
sustainable cities, and community gardens


Energy & Climate Change
The Island President
The Island President tells the story of the president of the Maldives as he confronts rising ocean levels that could swamp his island nation. The documentary will be running at the Roxy Theatre from August 3 and is co-sponsored by the Saskatchewan Eco-Network. Elaine Wheaton will speak on climate change before the film on August 3. There will be a workshop on climate change activism following the film on August 7.

Energy Awareness/Bike Power
Small Change Fund is a crowd-funding platform that uses the power of the internet to connect charitable organizations with donors. They are currently promoting two Saskatchewan projects:

Bike Power & Bike Laundry, Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op

Energy Awareness Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Environmental Society

EcoFriendly Sask has donated $1,500 to each of these initiatives. Now, it's over to you to support these local initiatives.

Canada’s Poor Energy Efficiency Score
Canada finished second last – right between Russia and Brazil – on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s scorecard, which measures the energy efficiency of 12 of the world’s largest economies.

The poor rating is primarily due to the energy-intensive resource sector and inefficient building and transportation sectors.

The report recommends various energy efficiency opportunities, including generating more electricity at industrial plants so that the leftover heat can be used in industrial processes (i.e., combined heat and power plants), energy retrofits, better building codes, increased use of transit, and better fuel economy measures.

Urban 
Community Gardens
You’re invited to tour some of Saskatoon’s community gardens between 5:30 and 8:30 pm on the following evenings:

August 8 - Caswell Hill and Nutana
August 14 - Good Earth and Confederation Park
August 15 - College Park Accessible and Emmanuel Village

Directions for finding each site are available on the CHEP website.


Building Cities for the Future
Cities occupy just 2% of the Earth's land but account for over 70% of both energy consumption and carbon emissions. As a result, they represent our best chance for reducing our carbon footprint.

Sustainable Cities: Building Cities for the Future includes expert views and practical solutions on topics ranging from construction and waste management to security and disaster resilience.

Nature Volunteers
Old Man on his Back
Join Nature Conservancy of Canada volunteers in one or all of the following activities from August 10-12 at Old Man on his Back:

Bison Ranch Hands
Green Grass and Gone Weeds
Life in the Grassland Understory

You are welcome to camp on site. Meals and snacks will be provided. Enjoy the Perseid meteor showers with no light pollution.

Transportation
Moose vs. Cars 
Saskatchewan is considering allowing hunters to kill more moose, fearing the animal's growing population is becoming a danger to drivers. An article in the Montreal Gazette outlines the problem, while BC’s Wildlife Collision Prevention Program suggests ways that highways can be designed in order to avoid the problem.

Share the Road
This short video outlines Colorado’s law regarding vehicles and bicycles who share the road. Car drivers are urged to only pass when it is safe and to ensure that there is 3 feet between themselves and the cyclist.

Photography + Nature
NCC’s Maymont Property
Branimir Gjetvaj joined members of the Saskatoon Nature Society on a field trip to one of the newest protected areas managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. His account of the day includes a number of excellent photographs.

When Science and Photography Meet
Chris Helzer, a scientist for the Nature Conservancy discusses how his love of science and photography complement one another.



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.

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Thursday 26 July 2012

Grasslands National Park: Accessible to All


By Penny McKinlay

Grasslands National Park in southwest Saskatchewan is huge, offering wonderful opportunities to get away from civilization and immerse yourself in the rolling hills and grasslands. But arthritis is really limiting my mobility these days. Would I be able to enjoy the park and get a taste of what it has to offer without hiking long distances?

Yes! Despite limited mobility, you can experience the varied landscape, animals, birds, and plants in Grasslands National Park.

Frenchman River Valley Ecotour
The manager at The Convent, where I spent the night in Val Marie, recommended taking the Frenchman River Valley Ecotour.

You follow a gravel road through the park for approximately 20 kilometres, stopping at 8 interpretive stations along the way. You can either return the way you came or make an 80-kilometre loop, but I was warned that it was easy to get lost on the longer loop.

Each of the stations highlights a different aspect of the park, and I was amazed by how much the terrain could change within such a short distance. You can often get a sense of the location without getting out of your car, but I jumped at the opportunity to go for a short hike along the trails at each station.

The first station overlooks the Frenchman River Valley, and I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a pronghorn antelope and some bison. One bison was quite close, and he didn’t seem to be too impressed when I interrupted his grazing.

The second station was at a large black-tailed prairie dog colony. There were so many of them! It was a joy to listen to their high-pitched warning cries and to watch them standing up tall to get a better view.

Other stations took me to some of the early ranches in the area and to teepee rings left by the Aboriginal people who travelled through this area so many years ago. From the grassy heights overlooking the valley bottom, I moved on to a short trail beside a curving stream and watched a heron fly overhead until he landed much further up the valley.

There were so many songbirds and wild plants and grasses, and I thoroughly enjoyed my two and a half hour tour of the park.

Interpretive Trails
You can also follow two short interpretive trails not far from Val Marie – I’m saving these for my next visit to the Park.

The Two Trees Trail is 1.5 kilometres long and is the only marked interpretive trail in the park. There is also a short trail beside the creek, starting from the same access point.

Information
The Visitor Centre in Val Marie has lots of brochures as well as staff on hand to answer all your questions.

Val Marie
I recommend The Convent if you are looking for accommodation. It was built in 1939 and still contains the original chapel and many signs of its previous life as a school run by the Sisters of Assumption.

I was happy to sit on the long, second-storey verandah in the evening and read my book while enjoying the view. The fresh-cooked breakfast was excellent.

Friends of Grasslands operates Prairie Wind & Silver Sage, a combination coffee shop, museum, art gallery and store.

There’s wifi access, hot and cold drinks, and an amazing collection of nature books for sale (including lots of children’s books). It’s definitely worth stopping by.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

EcoSask News, July 24, 2012

Fun for kids; butterflies, owls and hotlines; valuable trash; chocolates for cyclists
a hodgepodge of environmental news and events


Children’s Activities, Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek Conservation Centre is holding a Bird Blitz from July 16-31. Learn to identify some of the birds that are common in our area and find out how to encourage more birds in your backyard. You can borrow a pair of binoculars to use while you walk the trails.

Make a nature-inspired craft every Tuesday afternoon in July and August.

Redberry Lake Kids’ Club
Kids aged 5-14 are invited to participate in the kids’ club activities at Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve on Friday, July 27; Friday, August 3; Saturday, August 11; and Friday, August 17 from 1-2:30 pm. There will be games, hikes, crafts, snacks, and educational activities.

Butterflies V, August 5
Take a close look at some butterflies with the Saskatoon Nature Society. Call 665-6074 for additional information. 

Wildlife Rehabilitation, August 15
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan will be hosting a hotline orientation course in Moose Jaw on August 15 from 7-9 pm. There will be hotline orientations in Saskatoon on September 1 and 15.

Young Naturalists Program
The Saskatoon Young Naturalists program offers an amazing variety of fun (and educational) nature outings and activities for 5 to 11 year olds. Upcoming activities include a butterfly field trip on July 26, a grasslands hike on August 22, and a sandhill crane field trip on September 29. Some of the programs fill up fast (such as the Northern Saw-whet Owl field trip in October), so be sure to register quickly.

Pesticide Reduction Campaign
EcoFriendly Sask is participating in the Saskatchewan Environmental Society’s social media campaign in support of using less pesticides. The Pesticide Publications on the Society’s website range from fact sheets on getting rid of ants and quack grass to dandelion recipes. 

Interesting Reading 
Green Project Inches Closer to Full Power – The City of Saskatoon plans to capture methane gas from trash at the landfill and feed it into a power generation facility. 

Commuters Pedal to Work on their very own Superhighway – An 11-mile cycle-only superhighway now connects a western suburb of Copenhagen to the city centre in an effort to encourage bicycle commuters. Copenhagen is trying out various cycling innovations, including garbage cans tilted at an angle, conversation lanes where people can ride side by side and talk, and a karma campaign that rewards polite cyclists with boxes of chocolates. 

Why is America Throwing Away $11.4 Billion Per Year? - Discarded packaging in the United States in 2010 was worth $11.4 billion. “We’re talking about valuable stuff like aluminum . . . and PET plastic, which not only the beverage companies here want, but also the textile and automotive industries, both here and in China.” 

Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math – Bill McKibben says that we must sever our ties with the fossil-fuel industry if we want to fight climate change.

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.

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Tuesday 17 July 2012

EcoSask News, July 17, 2012

Greenhouses and ponds, shore birds and parks, BC shows leadership, and the benefits of sustainability 


Northern Greenhouses, July 18
The U of S International Centre for Northern Governance & Development and the Canadian Society for Horticultural Science are offering a mini greenhouse symposium for those interested in learning about sustainable energy and food production in the greenhouse environment from 3:30 to 5 pm on July 18. RSVP in advance (susan.prpich@usask.ca or 966-1238).

Lucky Lake Shorebirding, July 28
Pack a lunch and rubber boots, and join Saskatoon Nature Society members in observing shore birds at Lucky Lake. Call 374-8571 for additional information.

Survival Celebration Camp, August 3-6
The Committee for Future Generations is hosting a Survival Celebration Camp for Sustainable Earth at Lac Ile à la Crosse Recreation Site from August 3 to 6. There will be workshops on sustainable energy sources, daily talking circles, speakers, and campfire music jams. For further information, contact Candyce Paul (306- 288-2079 or 288-3157, committeeforfuturegenerations@gmail.com).

Pond at Innovation Place
The staff at Innovation Place has been busy re-establishing a healthy ecosystem in the pond. Microbes, insects, frogs and fish all have a role to play in creating a healthy water environment that is home to various transient wildlife.

Status of Canadian Parks
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) has just released its annual report on the State of Canada’s Parks. The report points to four key concerns: the impact of federal budget cuts, inappropriate tourism and recreational developments, growing industrial development pressures, and new park boundaries that maximize neighbouring industrial development opportunities rather than protecting ecosystems.

BC Leads the Way 
Carbon Tax is Working: The Sustainable Prosperity research network believes that BC’s carbon tax has “had a positive environmental impact without harming the (BC) economy” in its first 4 years.

There has been a drop in fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions are declining. At the same time, economic growth has been unaffected, and the tax has been revenue neutral, with tax cuts exceeding carbon tax revenue. 

Sewage as Energy: Vancouver and Whistler became the first cities in North America to use sewer systems to provide energy and hot water when they decided to create neighbourhood energy-generating plants for their Olympic Villages.

The carbon signature for this method of energy creation is low because most of BC’s power comes from hydroelectric generation. “'In Alberta, [where power would be generated from coal] the carbon signature with that heat pump can be worse than burning natural gas,’ said Mr. Homenuke” [engineer with Kerr Wood Leidal that designed the Whistler system].

Emphasize the Positive 
In Recrafting the Green Message, Tyler Caine comments on a lecture by Francis Moore Lappé in which she says that we should stop focusing on society’s environmental shortfalls and start advocating the benefits of sustainability. “So here’s the irony: Much of what gets labeled self-seeking consumerism may actually reflect our deep need for connection with others. The seemingly endless purchasing by some modern humans might not be about “things” at all or the comfort or convenience they bring us. Might the urge – be it for a McMansion or cool new sneakers – really be about relationships, our yearning to enhance our status with others? 

“…If there’s truth here, then an effective strategy for calming our mad shopping may not be to scold us as selfish consumers. Might the scorn only diminish further our sense of self – and therefore backfire? If so much more effective would be to foster new, compelling connections in communities of common purpose instead of common purchases–a shift enabling us to feel more secure and powerful.”

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.

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Thursday 12 July 2012

Canadian Animal Stories for Children

“I am a river otter. . . . I am part of a litter of three pups . . . . What fun we have as we wrestle, chase and roll over and under each other.” 

“I am a porcupine. . . . I can swim naturally without being taught how to swim.” 


Olga Majola has a Master’s degree in Education and has spent 25 years teaching elementary school, spending four of those years in fly-in communities in the Canadian boreal forest. She is now writing, promoting and selling children’s books about animals.

“I believe that children must learn about animals in order to appreciate them and work on their behalf,” Olga says.

Written in the first person, each of the books introduces children to a different Canadian animal as it matures from infant to adult.

There are currently four books in the series: I Am A FoxI Am a MooseI Am a Porcupine, and I Am a River Otter, as well as a resource guide for teachers. 

The books are beautifully illustrated by various Canadian artists, and Olga has consulted with both children and biologists to ensure that her books are not only accurate but also appealing to children.

"The Moose book has the easiest vocabulary and many Kindergarten and Grade One children can read it," Olga says. "One mother told me that her son has had the book for two weeks and knows everything about the moose but still wants to have it read almost nightly."

Olga is selling her books on Saturdays at the River Landing Market (south side of the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market). They are also available from McNally Robinson Booksellers. You can contact Olga at omajola2002@yahoo.ca.

Illustrations: I Am a Porcupine was illustrated by Sheri Gordon. I Am a River Otter was illustrated by Ray Keighley.



Tuesday 10 July 2012

EcoSask News, July 10, 2012

Bash a Burdock, Rescue a Plant, Bike to the Festival, Support Wildlife Rescue, 
Green your Neighbourhood - all this and more in EcoSask News


Gardens & Plants
Burdock Bash & Northern Leopard Frog Splash, July 14 
Join the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) at the Burdock Bash & Northern Leopard Frog Splash on July 14 from 9 am to 4 pm. You’ll be assisting the NCC as they battle burdock, an invasive species, in the Upper Qu’Appelle Natural Area while bird-watching and searching for the elusive northern leopard frog.

Permablitz, July 15 
The Permaculture Research Institute is looking for volunteers to help with a Permablitz from 9 am to 3 pm on July 15. Transform a front yard in Saskatoon by adding a rain barrel, connecting it to swales and pathways and putting down sheet mulch for garden beds. Email permablitz@permasask.ca if you’re interested.

Hanging along the North Saskatchewan, July 21
Join experts from the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan and Nature Saskatchewan as they help the Nature Conservancy of Canada to inventory the flora and fauna at one of the NCC’s newest protected areas along the North Saskatchewan River. The landscape supports diverse plant communities and some rare species of birds and plants.

Applied Permaculture Workshop, September 7-9 
Hatchet & Seed Contracting is offering a three-day hands-on permaculture garden design course at Ness Creek Ecological Site near Big River from September 7-9. Apply before August 1 to receive the early bird price.

Rare Plant Rescue
If you live on a farm, ranch, or acreage, you can help identify and protect rare plants. Nature Saskatchewan has operated its Rare Plant Rescue program since 2002 and has helped 68 farmers and ranchers to conserve rare plants and valuable rare plant habitat in southern Saskatchewan.

Program staff conduct rare plant searches and engage producers in voluntary conservation activities. The information has been valuable in federal assessments of species at risk. Interested landowners can contact Nature Saskatchewan at 1.800.667.4668 for more information.

Urban 
Bike to the Festival 
Saskatoon Cycles has added a Google Map to their website so that you can find out exactly when and where you can use their Bike Valet. They’ll be at Taste of Saskatchewan (Kiwanis Park at 20th Street) from July 10 to 15, SunCycle, July 28 & 29, and at the Fringe from August 2 to 11 (supported by an EcoFriendly Action Grant).

Sustainability Presentations 
Contact the Saskatchewan Eco-Network (SEN) if you would like them to make a presentation on sustainability at a community group meeting (306.652.1275, info@econet.sk.ca).

The “State of the Art in Sustainability” slideshow was shown at SEN’s annual general meeting and showcases successful models from various regions around the world.

Grants & Rebates
Green Your Neighbourhood 
CN EcoConnexions From the Ground Up will provide up to $25,000 for the greening of municipal and First Nations properties, especially areas in close proximity to its rail lines. Year One applications must be received by July 12, 2012. Year Two applications must be received by March 13, 2013.

Toilet Replacement
Replace a high-volume toilet with a dual flush or 6-litre per flush or less toilet, and you may be eligible for a $50 rebate. Additional information is available from the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.

Pagan Lake Clean-Up
Three cheers for the Meadow Lake Junior Forest Wardens who cleaned the trail and installed birdhouses at Pagan Lake (supported by an EcoFriendly Action Grant).

Interesting Articles
8 Ways to Green Your Summer Travel 
Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation & Photos
Saskatoon's Urban Nature Reserves 

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.

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Thursday 5 July 2012

Urban Fruit Harvest & Bicycle Parking

EcoFriendly Sask is pleased to announce grants to Whitespace and Saskatoon Cycles to support the following projects.

Urban Fruit Harvest 

Flavio Ishii, Whitespace, is developing an open source mapping and organization tool to help urban fruit harvesters, such as Out Of Your Tree in Saskatoon. The tool, called Pando Branches, will spread and automate much of the workload for coordinating the harvest of fruit trees in urban Saskatoon neighbourhoods.

Neighbourhood coordinators, harvest volunteers, tree owners, and charity groups will all be part of this system. Pando Branches will capture tree type and volunteer data sorted by neighbourhood, later to be viewed in visual reports and on an interactive map. The resource will be available and customizable for other fruit harvesting organizations across Canada.

The $500 EcoFriendly Action Grant will pay for a three-month membership at The Two Twenty for the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association (SIA) mentorship program's intern who will assist Flavio with the project while gaining Canadian work experience.

Out Of Your Tree is a Saskatoon grassroots group started by Danae Taylor in 2011. It has over 60 volunteers, over 30 fruit tree/bush owners, and 5 charities signed up. Volunteers will harvest the fruit rather than leaving it to go to waste. One third of the fruit will go to the tree owner, one third goes to the volunteers, and one third goes to charity.

Bike Valet 

The PotashCorp Fringe is one of Saskatoon’s biggest summer festivals. EcoFriendly Sask wants to encourage people to cycle to the event, so we’re contributing $500 to Saskatoon Cycles to ensure that the Bike Valet will be up and running at the Fringe. The Fringe and Saskatoon Cycles are also lending their support.

The Bike Valet will be in place at Taste of Saskatchewan, Toontown Smokedown, SunCycle, and the Fringe.

As part of an ongoing effort to “green” the PotashCorp Fringe, plans are being developed for a Buttons on the Bus program to encourage participants to use public transit, and staff are talking to Loraas about a comprehensive on-site recycling program.

EcoFriendly Action Grants 
Our original plan was to offer grants on a monthly basis. We quickly realized that this schedule was far too rigid. Groups needed help now, not later. In future, we will be considering grant applications on an ongoing basis.

We’re not looking for elaborate proposals, but we do need enough information to help us make wise decisions. So, describe your project, explain why it is important, and provide a detailed explanation of why you need financial support and how you will use the grant money if you are successful.

See our Action Grants page for details of past grants.

Wednesday 4 July 2012

A Year of EcoFriendly Sask


"Be the change you want to see in the world" -- Mahatma Gandhi

It's hard to believe it's already a year since we launched EcoFriendly Sask. As with any new venture, we had high hopes. The reality was that it was slow to gain traction. At several points we discussed whether the small impact was worth the effort. We almost folded. But I'm glad we kept going.

Penny has done a fantastic job of writing, editing, and promoting EcoFriendly Sask on our website, Facebook, and Twitter. We now have over 100 Facebook followers and over 300 Twitter followers. We've done over 100 posts on our website, 2 posts per week, week in and week out, for a full year. Our readership continues to grow.

Recently we started our EcoFriendly Action Grants program. We were reluctant to do this at first because it didn't fit our original plans of just being a publication. But I'm glad we did; it has already been very satisfying. It's great to see the proposals come in and to be able to support them. So far we've given out almost $9000 to 14 different projects. I could have given that money to some big environmental organization, but that wouldn't have helped any of these local grassroots projects. As the saying goes, think globally, act locally.

It's not the best time or place to care about the environment. Canada is one of the worst of the developed countries, and Saskatchewan is one of the worst of its provinces. People who care about the environment are being labelled dangerous radicals and compared to terrorists. It's hard to be optimistic, but we can't give up. We only have one world, and all we can do is try to protect it.

-- Andrew McKinlay

Tuesday 3 July 2012

EcoSask News, July 3, 2012

Leave No Trace, Go for the Gold, Protect Bird Habitats, Campaign Creatively - EcoSask News covers the spectrum of environmental action


EcoTours, First Aid & Leave No Trace
The Saskatchewan Outdoor & Environmental Education Association (SOEEA) has 4 upcoming events: 
  • Leave No Trace Master Educator Course (August 2-6) – Vinessa Currie-Foster from Clearwater Canoeing will be leading a Leave No Trace Master Educator Course at Forest House
  • HELP International Eco Tour (August 11-12) - Spend the weekend learning about development issues in Canada and in Africa complete with hands-on, real research and development opportunities at HELP International (Weyburn). Families are welcome. 
  • Backpacking Eco Tour (September 1-3) – Learn to prepare for a backpacking trip and spend 2 nights backpacking on an Eco Tour in Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park with experienced trip leaders. Families are welcome. Leave No Trace principles will be discussed and practised. 
  • Wilderness & Remote First Aid (September 14-16) – The basic level of Wilderness & Remote First Aid covers material in Standard First Aid & CPR plus special material on techniques for wilderness and remote areas and strategies for providing extended care for up to 24 hours. Part of the course is taught outdoors and it requires greater physical activity and endurance than typical first aid training. The course will be taught at the Boreal Forest Learning Centre near Big River. 

Generating Momentum, August 23-26 
18-29 year olds are invited to participate in Generating Momentum: Activist Leadership Training Camp, August 23-26 in Dundurn. The theme is developing, supporting and uniting progressive voices.

Will Civic Buildings Go Green?
The City of Saskatoon’s environmental advisory committee has recommended that the City install a minimum LEED standard of gold for all new civic buildings of more than 5,400 square feet. "Leading by example demonstrates commitment and provides direction and experience for the design and building sectors and enables our city to take advantage of many long-term benefits including lower civic operational and maintenance and renewal costs," the report from the advisory committee says.

Melville Goes Paperless
The City of Melville is the second Saskatchewan municipality to adopt the iCompass Meeting Management Solution. The web-based program streamlines the creation, approval and distribution of agendas, minutes, and related meeting material for small-to-medium-sized municipalities.

Beaver Bonanza 
Visit the SaskEnergy Beaver Pond room at the Beaver Creek Interpretive Centre and discover why beavers build their lodges and dams and how their busy work benefits others. Beaver Creek is open from 9 am to 5 pm on week days and from 9 am to 8 pm on weekends and holidays.

The State of Canada’s Birds 
The Canadian Wildlife Service and Canadian NGOs have jointly produced the first State of Canada’s Birds report.

Trevor Herriot comments, “The report, some 36 pages, is well done, but I wish these kind of documents could be more direct and forthright instead of taking the mincing, bureaucratic tone of every report edited by committee. When are we going to admit, for example, that our focus on individual species in the Species at Risk, endangered species approach is an abject failure; that we are not making any progress securing important bird habitats and preventing industry from destroying them?” 

Who Will Care For Our Parks? 
The Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that there will be 21 fewer employees at Saskatchewan’s national parks and historic sites this fall. The hours and/or season of 11 additional employees may also be affected. There are 260 Parks Canada workers in Saskatchewan, 157 of whom work at Prince Albert National Park, as well as 103 people employed at 6 historic sites.

Bicycle Helmets 
Mikael Colville-Andersen, an urban cycling expert, says that bicycle helmets have one measurable effect – they discourage cycling by making it seem too dangerous. What do you think?

Beautiful Trouble
Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution “consists of short, interrelated modules – creative tactics, action design principles, case studies, and theoretical frameworks – that together comprise an accessible matrix of best practices and ideas in creative campaigning.” It’s available in either paperback or ebook format.

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 listing of upcoming events can be found on our Calendar.



Follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right hand corner).