One quarter of methane emissions on oil and gas sites come from tanks, which are designed to allow the methane to off-gas: that’s not a leak, that’s a design problem. [CBC]
Beavers are being reintroduced to Utah’s desert landscape. If they become established, “their impacts can be wide-reaching. Just one beaver dam can improve water quality, as well as acting as a firebreaker for the surrounding land.” [BBC]
Upcoming Events
Efficiency Canada is hosting a virtual energy efficiency networking event from 1-1:45 pm, July 22.
Join a nation-wide backyard bioblitz coordinated by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, July 29-Aug. 2.
City of Saskatoon residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am-3:30 pm, Aug. 8.
All events are listed on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar
Local News
SOS Trees is urging Saskatoon residents to ask City Council to eliminate landfill fees for the safe disposal of elm as a contribution to protecting the city’s urban forest. [SOS Trees]
Global warming, urban growth, and spring run-off from farm fertilizers are degrading surface waters in southern Saskatchewan and creating poisonous toxins. [Regina Leader Post]
The Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan and The Fur-Bearers address issues surrounding human-wildlife coexistence through local efforts to protect a family of foxes and to respond to the trapping and killing of coyotes in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. [WRSOS, The Fur-Bearers]
Prince Albert's plastic bag ban will go into effect Oct. 12 after being delayed due to the pandemic. Saskatchewan produces the second-most waste per capita in Canada. [CBC]
Some reusable kitchenware products have a greater environmental impact than single-use products. Silicone sandwich bags and beeswax wraps use too much water and energy to be beneficial. [Anthropocene]
More and more products aren’t easily repairable – from laptop computers to farm machinery. Here's why we need the right to repair and what it should entail – information, parts and tools, legal unlocking, and accommodating repair in design. [New York Times Wirecutter]
Retrofitting Our Homes & Cities
“Pavement — comprising roads and parking lots — takes up roughly 30% of the city surface. . . Removing urban pavement would reduce stormwater run-off and treatment, rebuild natural climate buffers in cities, release soil from confinement, make space to plant trees, sequester carbon, and allow people to breathe fresh air, not asphalt.” [Next City]
Home energy renovations (insulation, heat pumps, better windows) could create jobs and save on healthcare costs. [Pembina Institute report]
EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app.
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