Tuesday 9 February 2016
EcoSask News, February 9, 2016
Upcoming Events
Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 12-15
Join the Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 12-15, and help create a snapshot of where the birds are in North America.
Bird Banding & Citizen Naturalists, Feb. 15 (Regina)
Join Nature Regina at 7:30 pm, Feb. 15, for a discussion about banding birds and how we as citizen naturalists can help to provide a link between field observations and the gathering of data.
Family Week at Beaver Creek, Feb. 15-19
Enjoy winter walks, a craft and information about owls at the Beaver Creek Interpretive Centre from Feb. 15-19.
Electric Vehicle Movement, Feb. 16
Kent Rathwell, Sun Country Highway, will discuss electric vehicles and filling stations at 7 pm, Feb. 16, at the Frances Morrison Library as part of the Sustainable Speaker Series.
Sustainability through Disruption, Feb. 18
Kent Rathwell and his wife run bird seed company Sun Country Farms, Saskatchewan’s first zero-emission company and installs electric vehicle charging stations. He’ll be speaking at the Saskatoon Nature Society’s monthly meeting at 7:30 pm, Feb. 18.
Field Trips
Young Naturalists
Mar. 12, 1-3 pm – Great Horned Owl Ecology
Apr. 9, 1-2:30 pm – Birdhouse Workshop
Space is limited; register early to avoid disappointment.
Other Saskatoon Nature Society Field Trips
Feb. 13, 1-3 pm – Weir and City Park Birding
Feb. 27, 9 am–5 pm – Gardiner Dam Field Trip
Check the Saskatoon Nature Society’s website for full details and updated information.
A full list of upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar
News
SK’s First Bullfrog-Powered Hotel
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre has become the first hotel in Saskatchewan to be powered by Bullfrog Power. Bullfrog Power will ensure that all the power used in the conference and meeting rooms as well as the three Hilton HHonors floors comes from clean, green sources.
Single-Stream Recycling is a Pain in the Glass
“a quarter of single-stream recycling is hauled to the dump due to cross-contamination. Glass represents roughly 40 percent of landfilled recyclables”
Biodiversity in Vancouver
“The Vancouver Park Board has voted unanimously in favour of a biodiversity strategy that will see 25 hectares of ‘natural area’ in the city restored or enhanced by 2020.” Restoration projects are designed to protect 20 species that have been designated at risk.
Energy Storage
A Welsh home has installed the UK’s first Tesla Powerwall. Solar-power energy not used during the day will be stored and become available in the evening when the family is at home.
Powered by Poo
A Welsh dairy farm is creating enough biogas from manure to power 6,000 homes. The farmer insists he is only going to use waste to create power rather than switching from food to fuel crops. "We're here to make cheese, and if we can make power out of what was once waste, that's great. And there is plenty of muck to go round."
EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include.
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