Tuesday 25 August 2020

EcoSask News, August 25, 2020

White-lined Sphinx Moth

Upcoming Events
Outdoor Family Adventure, Aug. 29 (Regina) 
Families can rotate through a variety of outdoor experiences organized by Nature Regina in McKell Wascana Conservation Park from 10 am-2 pm, Aug. 29. The event is limited to 40 families and registration is required.

Household Hazardous Waste Day, Aug. 29 (Moose Jaw) 
The City of Moose Jaw is holding a household hazardous waste day from 9 am-3 pm, Aug. 29.

Wildlife Corridor, Aug. 31 (webinar) 
Find out about the work Nature Conservancy of Canada – Alberta is doing to protect the wildlife corridor in the Crowsnest Pass at noon, Aug. 31.

Looking Ahead 
Curbside Swap, Sept. 19 (Saskatoon) 
The City of Saskatoon is hosting a city-wide curbside swap on Sept. 19.

A full list of upcoming events (online and in person) can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News 
Lumsden has received federal funding to install solar panels on 4 municipal facilities, putting 3 of them on track to reach 100% net-zero emissions.

The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation hopes to turn the former Saskatoon police firing range into a multicultural interpretive centre focusing on the historical and future importance of areas like the Northeast Swale.

Life Outside Gear Exchange, opening in September in Saskatoon, will sell high-quality, gently used outdoor clothing and gear.

flowering tree

“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues. And I am asking you, sir, at the top of my lungs. Oh please do not cut down another one.”

The City of Saskatoon’s Trees on City Property policy prevents the removal of city-owned trees unless they are dead, dying, or diseased. The Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services is proposing an amendment that would permit the removal of public trees that individual residents perceive to be a nuisance (e.g. too much shade, too few leaves, “ugly”). The amendment would also place a greater financial burden on the City. SOS Trees Coalition is asking people who view trees as a public asset and value Saskatoon’s urban forest to email their City Councillor expressing their concerns.

From Information to Action
“We can only have pandas and eagles (and clean air and water, for that matter) if we also have the complex and interconnected ecosystems that support them. And yes, those ecosystems include bugs…

Moths – easy to spot and endlessly fascinating.

One-eyed Sphinx moth

Routine gas flaring is wasteful, polluting, and under-measured.

Human beings cannot flourish and maintain health without healthy ecosystems to live within. That’ll be one of the biggest lessons of the twenty-first century, and I think COVID-19 points us in that direction.”

An Indigenous health care facility was built using rammed earth, and scientists have developed a method for 3-D printing greener buildings using local soil.

Solar panels are starting to die, leaving behind toxic trash – we need a recycling plan.

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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Check out EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces