EcoSask News, February 1, 2022

“It is good to have dreams to work towards. To desire a world that is once again full of life is to conjure a singing, bright planet of wonder, awe and fear. It is to yearn to be taken to where the heart leaps for joy or trembles in trepidation. To be awe-full. That has to be a goal worth striving for.” [Nearby Wild] 

Upcoming Events 

The WildEcol Seminar Series is hosting an online presentation on using movement data from brown pelicans to answer ecological questions at 3:30 pm, Feb. 4. 

SaskOutdoors is hosting an online Adventure Smart presentation by Saskatoon Search and Rescue at 7 pm, Feb. 8. 

Join Wild About Saskatoon and expert guests for a NatureCity Conversation about starting native plants from seed from 7:30-8:30 pm, Feb. 10. 

Looking Ahead 

Wetland Knowledge Exchange is hosting a presentation on the Canadian model for peatlands: a national scale peatland carbon accounting model from 1-2 pm, Feb. 16. 

As part of a webinar series on law’s relationship with the North Saskatchewan River, Cameron Jefferies will present ecological sustainability and intergenerational stewardship as preferable alternatives to sustainable development at 1 pm, Feb. 16. 

The Saskatoon Nature Society is hosting an online presentation on wetland drainage and its impacts on biodiversity in the prairie and parkland region at 7:30 pm, Feb. 17. 

Nature Regina is hosting an online presentation with updates on the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas at 7 pm, Feb. 21. 

Carole Tink and Greg Kuntz will discuss Regina’s energy and sustainability framework in an SES/SPL online presentation from 7-8:30 pm, Feb. 22. 

Full details about all upcoming events are listed on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

 

Energy 

In-depth reporting provides a valuable explanation of the options and the issues involved in undertaking and financing carbon capture and storage on the Prairies. [The Narwhal] 

“A tax on emissions forces firms to internalize at least some of the costs of dirty production, which incentivizes them to find cleaner ways of producing in the most cost-effective way possible.” [Futurity] 

Natural gas cookers expose households to formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxide. They also leak a lot of methane (comparable to the carbon dioxide emissions of 500,000 gas-powered cars) even when they’re off. [Futurity] 

Youth 

An activist youth group is calling on the Oregon government “to end freeway widening projects that contribute to increased congestion and carbon emissions.” They may be having an impact. [Planetizen] 

“If we are serious about tapping into education’s potential to help us achieve a more sustainable future, we need to recognize activists as educators and help build bridges between them and schools.” [Yes Magazine] 

Nature’s Wonders 

Joe Gray says he experiences pleasure when in the presence of insects and a sense of reverence. He reports on a two-part seminar in which he participated that discussed invertebrate animal sentience. [Ecological Citizen]

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner). 

Sweat bees are extremely hard working and pollinate a wide variety of plants. [Nature Companion]

EcoSask News, January 25, 2022

Upcoming Events 

PCAP-SK is hosting a webinar on habitat occupancy by breeding Pied-billed and Horned Grebes in Prairie Canada: correlates of pond use and breeding success at noon, Jan. 27. 

Nature Regina is hosting a winter bio-blitz at various times on Jan. 29. Register on their website. 

EMTF-SK will host an online breakfast presentation on Saskatchewan's Energy Storage Advantage: Compressed Air Energy Storage in Salt Caverns on Feb. 2. 

PCAP-SK is hosting a webinar on a watershed stewardship approach to invasive species education and management at noon, Feb. 2. 

The Institute for Environmental Sustainability is hosting a webinar on the importance of peatlands for nature and people on Feb. 2. 

Full details of all upcoming events are listed on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Low Tech 

A low-tech solution – hot water bottles. [Low-Tech Magazine] 

Zero Waste 

British Columbia leads the way on recycling and composting programs, but more is still needed. A plan to get BC to zero waste by 2040 emphasizes reducing waste production, repair & maintenance, extended producer responsibility, and closing disposal loopholes. [The Tyee] 

A frying pan made from recycled aluminum cans, bicycle parts, and other recycled metal can be manufactured using 95% less energy than a conventional aluminum frying pan. [Kuhn Rikon] 

Energy 

Carbon capture at Shell’s blue hydrogen facility near Edmonton is capturing less than 50% of the facility’s total emissions. [Gizmodo] 

Satellites can play an important role in identifying methane emissions, the first step in tackling a key source of GHG emissions. [Smithsonian] 

Turning big box store rooftops into solar farms could generate a lot of electricity. [Gizmodo]

 

We Can Make a Difference 

A new conservation foundation plans “to provide Indigenous and other land-based communities with funds to protect endangered ecosystems and build economic alternatives to the logging of at-risk old-growth forests.” [CTV] 

A low-energy kitchen, carpets made from recycled fishing nets, solar panels, and bees and wildflowers on the roof – this hotel is paying more than lip service to environmental sustainability. [The Guardian] 

John Stimpson has built 30,000 nest boxes for swifts, not to mention the nest boxes he’s built for barn owls, blue tits, finches, blackbirds, and thrushes. [The Guardian] 

Tips to help you clear dangerous pollutants out of your home (and your body). [The Guardian]

The hidden cost of fish oil pills to personal and environmental health. [The Guardian] 

On the Bookshelf 

Though the Earth Gives Way, a novel by Pullitzer Prize-winning journalist Mark S. Johnson, shares the stories of individuals fleeing a climate apocalypse. “We are good at divorcing ourselves from consequences,” Johnson says. “I wanted readers to feel as if they’d glimpsed the other side, the world to come.” [Madison Magazine] 

Nature’s Wonders 

A rare sighting of blanket octopus. Males are 2.4 centimetres – females grow up to 2 metres! [The Guardian] 

When large numbers of snowy owls appear in southern Canada and the US, we assume they’re starving. Not so, according to SK researchers. “It’s due to a bumper crop of young snowies during a very good breeding season.” [All About Birds] 

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

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, January 18, 2022

Upcoming Events 

Wild Ecol Seminar Series is hosting an online presentation on the seasonal migration of Water Boatmen as a linkage between wetland and river ecosystems at 3:30 pm, Jan. 21. 

Catherine Beaudoin will discuss local food and reducing food waste in an online presentation from 7-8:30 pm, Jan. 25, organized by the Saskatchewan Environmental Society and the Saskatoon Public Library. 

SaskOutdoors is hosting an online presentation on tools and resources for teaching about climate change and sustainability at 4 pm, Jan. 25. 

Looking Ahead 

The Citizens Environmental Alliance – Saskatchewan is hosting the second half of a virtual conference on Farmland Drainage and the Environment from Feb. 28 to Mar. 4. Topics include: does farmland drainage actually pay, wetland policies in the Prairie provinces, and landowner rights and responsibilities: laws, stewardship ethics, and conservation psychology. 

Full details of all upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Energy 

Reinventing the electric grid is essential if we are to reach 100% renewable electricity. Storage, greater generation range and transmission, and managing demand to better match supply will be required to accommodate the variability of wind and solar energy. [Undark] 

Women who live closer to oil and gas drilling are at higher risk of pregnancy complications, while infants have a greater risk of health complications. The oil industry has fought the introduction of setback requirements. [DeSmog] 

The oil and gas sector accounted for 26% of Canada’s GHG emissions in 2019, while oilsands emissions rose by 137% between 2005 and 2019. To meet Canada’s climate goals, the government will have “to follow through on a series of increasingly stringent caps on emissions from oil and gas sources.” [Pembina Institute]

 

Fashion 

The New York Fashion Act will require large fashion companies to “detail the lifecycle of their garments: from the farms where the raw materials were extracted, through to factories and shipping. They must then identify the points where they have the greatest adverse impact on the environment and people. It will require them to examine fair wages, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water and chemical management. They also have to make concrete plans to do better … Failure to do so will see the firms fined up to 2 per cent of their annual revenues.” [Euronews Green] 

Nature’s Wonders 

Giant millipedes as big as cars (2.7 m long weighing 50 kg) roamed Great Britain approximately 326 million years ago. [Euronews Green]

 

The Yellow-spotted Millipede is found in the Pacific Northwest. The yellow spots are a vibrant warning to steer clear or you’ll be sprayed with hydrogen cyanide, which is lethal to birds and rodents. (Cool Green Science) 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

Looking Ahead: Cities in the Next Decade

With over 80% of the Canadian population now living in urban areas, how we design, build, and live in our cities has a significant impact on the environment. Cities can lead the way in addressing climate change or lag behind. We’ve found a number of reports and examples of how cities can successfully address climate change. 

A Changing Climate 

“The climate determines almost everything about how we design, build, and live in our cities. The streets and sidewalks, businesses and homes, parking lots and public transit that we use every day have been created to suit our climate. Now, with our climate changing, we need to re-think important aspects of how we live our urban lives.” [Canadian Cities and Climate Change, Climate Atlas of Canada] 

The Prairie Climate Centre’s interdisciplinary team are climate change storytellers. They’ve developed Building a Climate-Resilient City, a set of 9 reports on how we can set about building climate-resilient cities. Specifically addressing the concerns of Calgary and Edmonton, the reports cover economics and finance, agriculture and food security, urban ecosystems, transformational adaptation, transportation infrastructure, water supply and sanitation systems, electricity and information and communication technology infrastructure, the built environment, and disaster preparedness and emergency management. In addition to providing an overview of the issues, the reports share ideas and approaches that can be implemented immediately to bring about meaningful climate action in the face of a changing climate. 

Nature-based Solutions 

The Green Communities Guide from Alberta’s Land Stewardship Centre is designed to help communities plan and implement nature-based solutions and strategies to conserve water, protect water quality, preserve agricultural land, and protect critical open spaces and wildlife habitat. Nature-based solutions are actions designed to protect, manage, and restore natural ecosystems in ways that benefit both humans and biodiversity as a whole. The online guide outlines the benefits of nature-based solutions for communities, businesses, and nature, providing case studies and tools to assist with financing, recommended practices, and other practical considerations. 

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, England, has introduced far-reaching plans to green his city. They include: 

• Rewilding parks and other green spaces through reintroducing lost species, rewiggling streams, creating pocket parks, and setting up nest boxes; 
• Rain gardens, trees, and a reduction of impermeable paving to reduce flash flooding; and 
• Living roofs and walls. 

An Urban Greening Factor will be part of all new developments. 

“The Urban Greening Factor (UGF) formula, inspired by the Swedish city of Malmö’s ‘green points’ system, scores each part of a development’s plan – including street-level areas, balconies and roofs – from 0 to 1, with trees, planters and green roofs earning high scores, while paving slabs and barren rooftops receive no score. Central government has also set out plans in the Environment Act 2021 to make developments deliver an uplift to biodiversity, which will require a 10% ‘biodiversity net gain’.”

In 2020 46.5% of Singapore’s land was covered in green space, with a tree canopy percentage of almost 30%. One of the greenest cities in the world, it has over 300 km of green corridors as part of the city state’s Park Connector Network. 

Tackling GHG Emissions 

As part of France’s massive Climat et Résilience bill, property owners are now expected to notify potential buyers of the home’s energy rating. Landlords will be unable to raise the rent on poorly insulated buildings and, by 2025, they will be unable to rent them out. 

Berlin-based activists are pushing hard to eliminate private vehicles in a 55-square mile area of the city centre. There are also plans to reintroduce the tram network and expand the subway system. Ghent’s city centre has been designated a low-emission zone, strictly limiting the number of cars driving through the downtown core. Oslo has removed all on-street parking from its city centre.

 

France plans to ban short-haul flights where a 2.5 hour train journey could be provided as an alternative. Both environmentalists and industry experts say it’s not enough. Too many train journeys are under 2.5 hours and the highest emissions come from long-haul flights. 

Working Together 

What may feel challenging or impossible on our own becomes doable when we band together. 

Transition Streets, a Transition Network program, brings neighbours together to implement simple household changes building community and addressing environmental issues. The 7-session handbook “empowers neighbors to improve household energy efficiency, reduce waste and water use, explore transportation options, and eat healthy, local food.” 

A network of cities, regions, and countries, have pledged to work towards producing everything they consume by 2054 as part of the Fab City Global Initiative. Canadian participants include Montreal and Bas-St.-Laurent. Local projects explore small batch design and production, open source data and technology, and novel materials, processes, and applications. 

“Addressing the regional environmental contamination and global ecological footprints associated with modern urbanisation is a historic challenge. On the positive side, it is in cities that dynamic, new ideas are often generated. In the face of the planetary emergency that is upon us, the challenge is to utilise this creativity to rethink cities as regenerative, environmentally beneficial systems, linking the wellbeing of individual urban citizens with humanity’s collective interest in the health of our home planet. Only by mainstreaming renewable energy resources and by protecting and continuously regenerating the ecosystems and soils from which they draw their sustenance can cities become a viable, long-term home for humanity.” [A New Age, Herbert Girardet, in a special issue of Resurgence & Ecologist dedicated to cities]

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, January 4, 2022

Upcoming Events 

SaskOutdoors will be hosting the following virtual workshops: 

Below Zero - 7-9 pm, Jan. 11 & 18 

Get Outside & Play - 7 pm, Jan. 17 

Project WILD - 7-9 pm, Jan. 24, 31, and Feb. 7 

Friends of Wascana Marsh will be holding a virtual annual general meeting at 7 pm, Jan. 20. 

Full details on all upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Energy 

Countries “will never agree to ‘phase down’ or ‘phase out’ fossil fuel energy without a reasonable substitute source of energy.” Is nuclear power the answer? [Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy] 

“The federal government should cap oilsands production to stop the rapid growth of toxic tailings. Then, industry should recycle the toxic waste instead of immediately dumping it.” Releasing tailings into the Athabasca River endangers the river and the people and wildlife that depend upon it. [The Narwhal] 

The largest solar project in Kentucky is being built on top of an abandoned mountain-top strip mine. [Yale Environment 360]

 

Conservation

Pittsburgh plans to become dark-sky compliant, switching to lower wattage LED bulbs and adding shade along bridges, roads, and other public areas. It will also be the first city to follow the International Dark Sky Association’s new values-centered outdoor lighting [IDA], comprehensive suggestions surrounding wattage and colour temperature as well as when and how to keep lights on. [Bloomberg CityLab] 

“Expanding the area and number of protected areas is not the solution to maintaining or restoring ecological connectivity. Instead, management for conservation should address unprotected areas, especially ones near existing protected areas to minimize the loss of connectivity.” [Conservation Corridor]

 

Celebration 

“The yellow birch is not ‘just a tree,’ but a life filled with generosity, and is a life that will be around 150 years beyond my own.” [Nature Canada] 

Marvel at the intricate detail and colourful complexity of Singapore’s microfauna. [Nicky Bay’s Macro Photography] 

“For many scientists, the resonant mystery is no longer which animals are conscious, but which are not.” How birds, fishes, bees, and other sentient beings experience the world. [The Atlantic] 

“By land or by sea, early whales moved between continents and were a larger part of Earth’s ancient ecology than paleontologists previously expected.” [Smithsonian Magazine] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, December 14, 2021

Song Sparrow make short, fluttering flights pumping their tail up and down. They prefer areas with low shrubs and bushes. [Nature Companion] 

Energy 

“Saskatchewan has a tremendous opportunity to use energy efficiency to achieve our climate commitments … every electron saved through energy efficiency results in fewer emissions from carbon-emitting coal and gas plants.” Martin Boucher outlines 5 effective options. [Martin Boucher, Regina Leader-Post] 

Calgary-based Canadian Premium Sand is shifting from providing fracking sand for the oil patch to producing solar panels. [CBC] 

Airports’ flat roofs, parking garages, and open spaces are an ideal location for solar panels. And, as many airports are connected to the municipal grid, they may even be able to feed energy back into the system. [Gizmodo] 

Making Choices 

Cities world-wide are beginning to employ sensor technology to monitor and minimize urban noise. [Bloomberg CityLab] 

I don’t want to leave children a future “full of cement, full of destruction”. The Austrian government halts 8 highway projects in an effort to slow climate change. [France 24]

Most coniferous trees keep their foliage all year round, adding a welcome touch of green to a snowy winter landscape [Conifers of Western Canada, EcoFriendly Sask] 

Maintaining Biodiversity 

Yellowknife to Yukon is an ambitious project designed to protect an interconnected series of wildlands. A research team has concluded that this is an effective conservation strategy. Compared to neighbouring areas that weren’t part of the project, the protected area gained more land, more grizzly bears, and more wildlife crossings. The project also received mention in popular media (Gray’s Anatomy) and scientific publications. [Anthropocene] 

Environmental DNA (fragments of aquatic creatures floating in the water) can provide an early warning of invasive species entering new regions or threatened species moving outside their expected range. eDNA “could shape policy for protected regions and help monitor population shifts on a rapidly changing planet, but it may ultimately prove only as revolutionary as it is widely available and usable across the globe.” [JSTOR Daily] 

Nature-based solutions “can be highly effective in building long-term resilience for nature and people. It is a valuable asset in our toolbox for linking biodiversity and climate and addressing these twin crises.” However, care must be taken to recognize the inherent value of nature, to avoid treating nature-based solutions as offsetting, and to include stakeholders in developing countries. [International Institute for Sustainable Development] 

That’s Amazing! 

“Migrating birds push their bodies to the physiological limit, which creates excess heat. Some species cope by ascending to cooler air during daytime.” Many species also have lighter-coloured feathers, another way to stay cooler. [Science News] 

Snow Geese eat grasses and can often be spotted grazing on leftover grain in farm fields. They root in the mud for food so their faces are often stained a rusty orange. [Nature Companion] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, December 7, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Citizens Environmental Alliance is holding its third annual Farmland Drainage and the Environment Virtual Conference from Dec. 14-17: 

7 pm, Dec. 14 – Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Projects Town Hall 

10 am, Dec. 15 – Crown (Public) Lands Gone Forever 

10 am, Dec. 16 – Wetlands and Their Role in the Resilience of Prairie Communities 

10 am, Dec. 17 – All Our Conversations Begin with Treaty – The Duty to Consult in Saskatchewan 

Full details on all upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Across the West 

The Government of Manitoba has leased St. Ambroise Beach Provincial Park to a private operator and is contemplating additional public-private partnerships. [CBC] 

“The South Saskatchewan River is well into the seasonal changes shared by cold-region rivers worldwide. As temperatures drop, life in and around the river begins to change. While a cover of ice suggests dormancy, under that cap of ice, water still flows, and life carries on.” An article by the South East Alberta Watershed Alliance explains how a cover of ice affects rivers and aquatic life. [SEAWA]

 

We Can Make a Difference 

“Organic and agroecological farmers … typically plant a cover crop to restore their soil with nutrients and organic matter. Turns out, cover crops and other key practices in organic, regenerative, and agroecological farming also help farms weather the climate crisis. In addition to keeping soils stable during floods, they protect the ground from extreme heat, which can kill important microbial ecosystems, and help retain moisture during dry spells.” [National Observer] 

A tiny bridge, just 12 metres long and 30 cm wide across a UK railway line, will connect two endangered hazel dormouse populations thereby increasing genetic diversity. [The Guardian] 

Strava Metro is a tool for charting human-powered movement. It is now free to urban planners and advocacy groups so they can keep improving active transportation infrastructure. [Strava] 

7 people talk about how they turned their back on consumerism – from furnishing a home for free to secondhand baby clothes to following the 90-day rule. [The Guardian] 

Education 

Climate Fresk is a collaborative workshop to collectively understand the implications of climate change and trigger action. Jeremy Williams, The Earthbound Report, says, “Climate Fresk have developed a set of cards that explain climate science … It deals with some surprisingly complicated science, but participants get to the answers through discussion and sharing what they know, tapping into a kind of ‘collective intelligence’.” [Climate Fresk] 

Climate Watch 

Soon, 1 out of every 15 points of light in the sky will be a satellite. There are currently no regulations to govern an industry creating air and light pollution. [The Conversation] 

While a controlled release of treated wastewater from oilsands tailings ponds is seen as preferable to a sudden accidental release, concerns are being raised about deteriorating water quality in the Athabasca River and downstream. [CBC] 

MiningWatch Canada has released an interactive map about mining impacts worldwide, noting issues with polluted air, land, and water; waste management; tourism; and biodiversity. [Environmental Justice Atlas]

 

Good News! 

“Ecuador’s constitutional court has blocked plans to mine copper and gold in Los Cedros, a protected cloud forest, ruling that the plans violate the rights of nature.” [Yale Environment 360] 

That’s Amazing! 

“Every evening, after twilight gives way to dark, hordes of marine creatures — from tiny zooplankton to hulking sharks — rise from the deep to spend the night near the surface.” Researchers are just beginning to understand the purpose and extent of this vertical migration. [Knowable Magazine] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, November 9, 2021

Upcoming Events 

There will be a climate rally in Saskatoon in support of COP26 from 11:30 am-1 pm, Nov.12. 

Nature Regina is holding an online presentation on the Prussian Carp from 7:30-9 pm, Nov. 15. 

Saskatchewan Environmental Society/Saskatoon Public Library are hosting an online presentation from 7-8:30 pm, Nov. 16, on the future of climate action in Saskatchewan following the Supreme Court of Canada’s carbon pricing decision. 

Learn about stewardship initiatives in the North and South Saskatchewan River Watersheds online at 11 am, Nov. 17. 

Kai Chan, UBC, will be presenting an online lecture on confronting the climate and ecological crisis with intention: what path to genuine policy solutions? from 7-8:30 pm, Nov. 17. 

SK-PCAP is hosting a noon-hour webinar on a prairie grasslands initiative on Nov. 17. 

Dale Eisler will be presenting an online talk on addressing climate change and economic growth: are they compatible? from 12-12:55 pm, Nov. 18. 

Saskatoon Nature Society is hosting an online presentation on fungi, how and where they grow, what they offer mankind at 7:30 pm, Nov. 18. 

Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin is hosting a webinar from 12-1 pm, Nov. 18, on the Bow River reservoir options. 

SaskOutdoors is offering a virtual Below Zero workshop from Nov. 22-29. 

Details about all upcoming events are available on the EcoSask Calendar

 

Local News 

The Citizens Environmental Alliance is a volunteer group addressing water drainage issues in Saskatchewan. Their current newsletter contains important information on the ongoing problems in the Quill Lakes Watershed, which could lead to problems in Last Mountain Lake. It also contains links to articles about the cumulative effects of farmland drainage, a First Nation study on toxicity levels in Pasqua Lake, and much more. [Citizens Environmental Alliance] 

A recent article assembles current Western scientific knowledge on what is known and not known about wetland drainage on the Prairies. [Canadian Water Resources Journal] 

Friends of Wascana Marsh are looking for volunteers for their board of directors. 

A 2-megawatt solar farm project in Saskatoon “would power roughly 330 homes and reduce greenhouse gases by an average of 450 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year.” [CBC]

 

Spotlight on Manitoba 

Winnipeg-based Bison, one of Canada’s largest trucking companies, is making an effort to go green. It’s currently testing two of only 40 pre-production battery electric Freightliner tractors in North America. "For a trucking company to jump on to a new technology that has different performance capacity, like shorter range and maybe the ability to hold less freight… the economies of the entire industry need to be adjusted. And the economics is not dependant on the individual corporate budget. It is dependant on the expectations of the entire supply chain." [Winnipeg Free Press] 

Great signage from Climate Change Connection – Winnipeg 

Local climate activists say change is too slow in Winnipeg – “We do need political champions at city hall.” [CBC] 

In Other News

The Netherlands has had a near-total dependence on natural gas heating. Natural gas-free districts are piloting alternative low-carbon technologies. Heat pumps, bio gas, solar-powered hydrogen electrolysers, and geothermal are some of the ideas municipalities are investigating. [BBC] 

“Making democracy work better for the climate doesn’t just mean hearing more from people. It means hearing less from those economic interests, such as oil majors and airlines, that have a stake in the high-carbon status quo … What is necessary, then, is not to dispense with democracy, but to double down on it. Seeing climate change not as something that can be solved by experts, nor through individual sacrifices – but by the negotiation of a new sort of social contract between people and the state.” [The Guardian] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, October 19, 2021

Upcoming Events 

City of Regina residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am-4 pm, Saturday, Oct. 23. 

Meewasin is looking for volunteers to wrap trees to protect them from beavers from 1-3 pm, Oct. 23, and from 4-6 pm, Oct. 25. 

Families are invited to enjoy guided and self-guided nature activities in Little Red River Park, Prince Albert, the afternoon of Oct. 24. Sign up for a time slot. 

Cinema Politica will be showing Surplus: Terrorized Into Being Consumers at 7 pm, Oct. 27, in Regina. 

SK-PCAP is hosting a presentation on the biology and ecology of snakes in southwest Saskatchewan at 7 pm, Oct. 28, in Val Marie. 

Full details on all upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News 

Peatlands play a significant role in managing floods and wildfires, in storing water and carbon, and in supporting insects, plants, and animals. But they’re still under attack in Canada. [The Conversation] 

Youth in Fort Belknap, Montana, are collecting and planting seeds to help restore degraded grasslands. The program offers the youth self-empowerment, cultural knowledge, and a new appreciation for the land around them. [High Country News] 

Photographers from BC, Manitoba, and Quebec are among the award winners in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards. [CBC]

 

Energy Choices 

“When people hold on to their vehicles for longer, the reduced emissions from manufacturing more than cancel out the increased emissions from driving a slightly less fuel efficient older car.” [Anthropocene] 

In an electrical grid based on renewables, consumers will have an active role to play in balancing supply and demand by shifting heating and cooling usage to times of day when there is peak availability (e.g., based on the availability of solar energy during the day but not at night). [Undark] 

Women currently face significant challenges in obtaining employment in the energy field. A recent report “documents the biggest barriers to women’s participation and opportunities for change to ensure the clean energy economy is more equitable and inclusive.” [Pembina Institute] 

Sharing the Earth 

“The loss of wildlife connectivity is the result of fragmentation by a thousand cuts. In a world that is rapidly changing through habitat loss and climate change, we need to develop and implement a vision of wildlife connectivity across our country.” [Wildlife Conservation Society Canada via Nature Conservancy of Canada] 

“Only humans own their homes. What if other species could own theirs as well?” In Wildlife as Property Owners, Karen Bradshaw argues that “wild animals should be integrated into our system of property law to prevent further habitat destruction — the leading cause of species extinction.” In Bradshaw’s view “an interspecies property system would be more flexible and pluralistic than the anthropocentric concept of property. Not only would it need to take account of how multiple nonhuman species use a space, but also how those uses intersect with human ones.” [The Revelator] 

Have you ever spotted a large flock of vultures and wondered what had died? Maybe nothing. Vultures swoop and circle even when migrating from southern Canada to their wintering area in Central or South America. [Cool Green Science] 

For more information about vultures, take a look at EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion. 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, October 12, 2021

Upcoming Events 

There will be a virtual Wild Ecol Seminar Series presentation on pronghorn and mountain goat population monitoring at 3:30 pm, Oct. 15. 

Ryan Fisher will describe a day in the life of the curator of vertebrate zoology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum at Nature Regina’s meeting at 7:30 pm, Oct. 18. 

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society and the Saskatoon Public Library are offering an online presentation from 7-8:30 pm, Oct. 19, on uranium: premises, promises & predicaments. 

There will be an online presentation on eagle research and conservation in the intermountain west at the Saskatoon Nature Society meeting at 7:30 pm, Oct. 21. 

Looking Ahead 

The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council is hosting a fall workshop from 9-11:45 am, Nov. 4. 

SaskOutdoors is offering a remote first aid course in Lumsden Nov. 12-14. 

Full event details are available on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News 

The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo has won an industry excellence award for the prairie dog exhibit and the Saskatoon Zoo Society for its virtual environmental education programs for children in K-8 that incorporate real-time animal interactions. [City of Saskatoon] 

The Saskatoon Freeway project has released its preferred route following public consultation. In addition, Partners for Growth has released a planning district zoning bylaw.

 

Peaceful Coexistence 

“When negative encounters arise between wildlife and humans, it isn’t a sign that coexistence is failing; it’s a sign that it’s time for those efforts to begin in earnest. Coexistence is a daily intention. A thoughtful and regular pursuit of behaviours and philosophy that humans and wild animals can adapt to living in the same spaces.” [The Fur-Bearers] 

The West is a “wiry place, containing enough fencing to circle the equator 25 times. Sage grouse, peregrine falcons, and other birds collide with fences, and ungulates must navigate an endless obstacle course.” Fences trap, injure, and kill large animals; separate mothers from calves; and exclude herds from prime habitat. The research done by fence ecologists will be important in identifying solutions. [Undark] 

Energy Gains & Losses 

Interprovincial connections between electricity grids are an essential element in delivering the clean electricity that is the key to decarbonizing Canada’s economy. [Pembina Institute] 

The environmental impact of using a ride-hailing app (Uber or Lyft) is 30-35% greater than using a personal vehicle, even if the entire app-based fleet is electric. Any potential benefits are lost when an Uber or Lyft driver travels from one drop-off to the next pickup, or simply drives around waiting for their next fare to be assigned. “Taxes and other public policy approaches could help hold down the external costs of app-based travel, the researchers suggest, for example by encouraging ride-pooling through Uber and Lyft, encouraging app-based travel to destinations where parking is in especially short supply, and discouraging it on routes that are already well served by public transit.” [Anthropocene]

 

Not in my Back Yard? 

“Why do insects have to be either beneficial or pests?” Every insect species is an essential “part of a complex web of interacting communities and ecosystems. Every (native) species plays an integral role that would be missed if it were gone … If you lean into the idea that you’re creating [garden] habitat for as many species as you can, success comes easily. Instead of worrying about what’s eating your plants, you’ll start to notice which plants attract the most caterpillars or grasshoppers. Then, you’ll notice where the crab spiders or assassin bugs like to hang out, trying to take advantage of that abundance of prey. Birds will appear too, catching those insects to feed their families or fuel their migration flights. A complex mass of dynamic interactions will be taking place literally in your back yard – and you’ll have a front row seat.” [The Prairie Ecologist] 

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

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, September 28, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Last of the Right Whales premieres at the Calgary International Film Fest Sept. 26. It will be available online from Sept 27-Oct 3 in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. 

The Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan is holding an online information session for rescue and transport volunteers at 2 pm, Oct. 2. 

Library of Things, Saskatoon, will be open for pick-ups by reservation from 1-4 pm, Oct. 2. 

City of Saskatoon residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am to 3:30 pm, Oct. 3. 

Saskatoon’s Energy Management Task Force is offering an online update on DEEP from 7:30-9:15 am, Oct. 6. 

The Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy is hosting a video conference on measuring greenhouse gas sources and sinks in the Canadian Prairies crop sector from 12-12:55 pm, Oct. 7. Register to participate. 

Looking Ahead 

The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council is hosting repair cafés in Regina, Saskatoon, and online from 10 am-2 pm, Oct. 23. You’re encouraged to book an appointment for both live and virtual events. 

Full details on all upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

 

Local News 

Great news - and well deserved! Wild About Saskatoon: NatureCity Experience is a finalist for a national Community Action Award from the National Museum of Nature. 

This article counters the current arguments in favour of grass-raised beef from a cost, scale, and environmental impact perspective. The article states, “Regenerative ranching begins with the assumption that cattle must be commercially ranched and then backfills an ecological narrative to sustain that assumption.” [The New Republic] 

A joint City/University research study has found a wide range of pharmaceuticals and chemicals in Saskatoon’s wastewater. “The levels we have measured are not high enough to be likely to acutely impact aquatic organisms living in the river. But that does not mean that there are no chronic, long-term implications that might manifest over longer time scales.” [CTV News] 

Urban Coyote, a poem by Glen Sorestad. [This Singing Land kanikamot askiy] 

Healthy People, Healthy Environment 

A new report states that climate change is a threat to public health as well as the environment and the economy. It will affect everyone but not equally, depending on factors such as age, access to health care, and economic disadvantages. [Canadian Institute for Climate Choices] 

The 3-30-300 rule is designed to create equitable access to urban forests, addressing air pollution and urban heat islands. A few communities, such as Saanich in BC, have adopted the rule which calls for every resident to be able to see at least 3 decent-sized trees from their home, live in neighbourhoods with at least 30% tree canopy cover, and live no more than 300 meters from the nearest public green space. [Nature Canada]

Pollution Prevention 

The Sierra Club has endorsed a strong statement opposing “unnecessary and harmful artificial lighting during the day and night.” They provide a comprehensive explanation for their rationale as well as a list of the over 70 references and resources that were consulted in developing the policy. [Sierra Club]

“The production of steel, cement, and ammonia together emit about one-fifth of all human-caused CO2. Technologies are emerging that promise to decarbonize these problem industries, but analysts warn that big challenges remain before the processes can be cleaned up.” [Yale Environment 360] 

Planned obsolescence may be good for phone companies but it’s bad for users’ wallets and even worse for the planet, because it encourages people to treat their phones as disposable. No one really knows how much e-waste (electronic refuse) is generated every year, but one recent estimate put it at 53.6m metric tonnes in 2019. [The Guardian] 

Book Reviews 

Gernot Wagner, author of Geoengineering: The Gamble, says it’s right to be skeptical about solar geoengineering (reflecting solar radiation back into space), but it can’t be ignored as somebody is likely to try it eventually. [Earthbound Report] 

“In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change, [Thor] Hanson talks to scientists all over the world about how plants and animals are moving and changing, and why some are inherently better set up for success than others.” [The Revelator] 

Did you know? Highbush Cranberry belongs to the honeysuckle family and isn’t actually a cranberry. 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, September 21, 2021

Upcoming Events 

There will be a School Strike for Climate from 11 am-1 pm, Sept. 24, in Regina. A similar event in Saskatoon has been postponed.

City of Regina residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am-4 pm, Saturday, Sept. 25. 

There will be an electric vehicle expo in Regina from 9 am-6 pm, Sept. 25 and in Saskatoon from 10 am-5 pm, Sept. 26. 

Looking Ahead 

SaskOutdoors is offering the following virtual workshops:

Growing Up Wild from 7-9 pm, Oct. 14

Flying Wild on Oct. 18 and 25 from 7-8:30 pm 

Getting Little Feet Wet from 7-9 pm, Oct. 28

Project Wet from Nov. 1-8. 

Full details for all events are found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

SES Wants to Depave Saskatoon 

Saskatoon storm water flows into the South Saskatchewan River without being treated; most of this runs right off roads and sidewalks, picking up road salt, pet waste, litter, and other pollutants along the way. In an effort to help slow down, soak up, and clean storm water while also creating habitats and benefitting our community, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society will be holding a “Depave” event in Saskatoon in May 2022. Depave, a project of Green Communities Canada, aims to improve rain flow in urban centres by “depaving” (removing the asphalt) in a small area (~100 m2) and cultivating the site by planting native plants and trees. If you have an area in your school, or church yard, or at your business where SES can hold a Depave event and build a beautiful greenspace, email them at depave@environmentalsociety.ca or call the SES office at 306.665.1915.

 

Personal Choices 

Is your toilet paper sustainable? Several major brands are still relying on virgin forests for their products’ fibres. [NRDC] 

Community Initiatives 

ECOWATER, a SK startup company providing eco-friendly approaches for the removal of contaminants of emerging concern from water and wastewater, won third prize and $10,000 in seed funding in Water Canada’s Aqua Hacking Challenge, Western Canada. [AquaHacking 2021 Challenge] 

Gabriola Island Recycling Organization receives over 45,000 kg of donated clothing every year. Half of that goes into their thrift store. They plan to sell upcycled products to avoid sending the other half to the landfill. [CBC British Columbia] 

Policy Decisions 

Getting people to drive less is difficult because North American cities are designed for cars, but there are solutions. 1) Make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, 2) End single-family zoning to encourage mixed-use development, and 3) Make drivers pay the cost of driving. [Vox] 

“Connecting provincial grids is essential to make the best use of the clean electricity resources available in each province, allowing renewable energy to be developed in areas with the best conditions and distributed elsewhere.” [ report prepared by Pembina Institute] 

Public Awareness 

Species awareness days (e.g. Bat Appreciation Day, World Rhino Day) boost fundraising and media coverage, especially for lesser-known species. It pays to include specific calls to action (e.g. go to this webpage or share this information). [The Revelator] 

Using quilting to tell a story is “bringing in new audiences to engage and talk about science”. [Smithsonian Magazine]

Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada's four western provinces

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, September 14, 2021

Upcoming Events 

The Saskatoon Nature Society is hosting an online presentation on amphibians at 7:30 pm, Sept. 16. 

Library of Things, Saskatoon, will be open for pick-ups by reservation from the back door in the alley from 1-4 pm, Sept. 18. 

Nature Regina is hosting a presentation on the Treaty Land Sharing Network at 7:30 pm, Sept. 20, at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. 

The Saskatoon Nature Society is inviting the public to attend a Sandhill Crane viewing from 6-8 pm, Sept. 20. 

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society and the Saskatoon Public Library are offering an online presentation on Electricity in Saskatchewan: Current Status, Future Prospects from 7-8:30 pm, Sept. 21. 

The Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy is hosting a video conference on nuclear development, communicating risk, and public engagement at noon, Sept. 23. 

There will be a global climate strike at noon, Sept. 24, in Saskatoon. 

 

Full event details can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

Local News 

William Hale has opened a used electric vehicle dealership in Saskatoon. William says he’s driven an electric vehicle (EV), winter and summer, for 3 years and loves it. “The electrification of transportation is one of the principal pathways to a low carbon economy and I want to help with this transition in Saskatchewan,” he explains. The dealership offers a lower-priced entry into the EV market and an opportunity to ask questions and test drive the vehicles. They also sell and install EV chargers for home use. 

Green Shift Automotive in Regina sells a range of electric vehicles from bikes, scooters, and skateboards to hybrid and electric cars. 

Alberta Lake Management Society is offering a fall webinar series with applicability across Canada. 

Transportation 

Exposure to traffic noise is associated with a range of health problems, including dementia, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. [The Guardian] 

The six problems aviation must fix to hit net zero: 1. fuel; 2. non-CO2 impacts, such as nitrogen oxides and contrail clouds; 3. frequent flyers; 4. policy development; 5. the new middle class; and 6. supersonic planes. [The Guardian]

Wildlife 

Wildlife rescuers are the first to provide medical care for injured or sick animals and could provide an early-warning system for illnesses that also affect humans. [The Revelator] 

“Mountain and boreal caribou are on a long-term slide to extinction; not because of what wolves and other predators are doing but because of what humans have already done.” [Raincoast Conservation Foundation] 

“Rebugging is looking at the ways, small and large, to nurture complex communities of these tiny, vital players in almost all the natural and not-so-natural places on earth. It means conserving them where they are managing to hang on, and restoring them where they are needed as part of a rewilding movement. And it means putting bugs back into our everyday lives, our homes and where we play and work.” [The Revelator, an excerpt from Rebugging the Planet: The Remarkable Things that Insects (and Other Invertebrates) Do – And Why We Need to Love Them More by Vicki Hird) 

When they’re not looking for a mate, some female hummingbirds are adopting the same brightly coloured ornamentation as males as it “helps them avoid aggressive male behaviors during feeding, such as pecking and body slamming.” [Science Daily] 

Energy 

“Air conditioning is the most obvious immediate response to the dangerous warming of the planet. It’s also making it worse. … People are going to keep buying air conditioners … so we need to offer them better, safer, cleaner devices … We’re doing a disservice to our citizenry when we let them buy something that is so expensive to operate, and so polluting that cooling is actually adding to the warming of the planet.” [The Guardian] 

Coal-fired plants made up 40% of global energy output in 2010. Here’s a breakdown of consumption on a country- by-country basis as well as a look at steps that could be taken to end coal use. [Climate Solutions] 

Despite what oil and gas companies would have you believe, blue hydrogen isn’t clean or economically viable. [DeSmog] 

Did you know? Wood Frog hibernate under logs or leaf litter and can tolerate below-zero temperatures by increasing the amount of glucose in their blood, which lowers the freezing point and stops ice crystals from forming. [Nature Companion] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).