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 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, 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, April 13, 2021

This Week’s Highlights 

The Centre for the Study of Science and Innovation Policy, JSGS, is hosting a video conference to discuss “Are SMRs right for Saskatchewan? Five questions that need answers” from 12-1 pm, Apr. 15. 

A rare, newly-discovered habitat in northern Saskatchewan is home to extraordinarily high numbers of rare species. Unfortunately, the Saskatchewan government is currently refusing to protect it from resource development. You can help by contacting the Ministry of Energy and Resources. 

Upcoming Events 

Nature Conservancy of Canada will present a new national study on the importance of wildlife corridors in a webinar at 12:30 pm, Apr. 15. 

City of Moose Jaw residents can dispose of hazardous waste from 9 am-3 pm, Apr. 17. 

Gravelbourg Green Initiatives is hosting an online composting workshop from 10-11 am, Apr. 17. 

Saskatoon Makerspace invites you to drop in and work on a sewing project with an instructor there to help from 11 am-2 pm, Apr. 17. Tickets are $50. 

Branimir Gjetvaj will discuss action for climate and biodiversity: why small steps are important at the 7 pm, Apr. 19, virtual meeting of Nature Regina. 

Regina Public Library is hosting an online talk to help you identify the birds you see in your community at 7 pm, Apr. 20. 

There will be a noon-hour webinar on native pollinators in the prairies on Apr. 20 as part of the Native Prairie Speaker Series. 

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society will hold their virtual annual general meeting and a series of short presentations on powering the transition: outstanding issues in our energy future at 7 pm, Apr. 21. 

Our Land, My People covers the impact of resource exploitation on the Lubicon Cree. The film will be shown at 7 pm, Apr. 22, in Regina. 

The Saskatoon Nature Society’s Golden Eagles invite retirees and partners who are interested in birds and the natural world to attend their field trips: 

Apr. 22, 10 am – Wanuskewin Heritage Park 

Apr. 29, 8 am – Waterfowl Trip

 

Local News 

The Saskatchewan government plans to tax electric vehicles. Other provinces are offering rebates. The government has also cut the funding for the provincial office responsible for climate change policy by almost 50%. 

Saskatoon’s spruce trees could be at risk as drought makes them more susceptible to insects and disease. 

From Information to Action 

Three Canadian trucking companies are employing emission-reducing solutions that also improve their bottom line. Musket Transport “provides training to drivers on fuel-efficient driving techniques, such as reducing acceleration and deceleration, and identifying optimal speeds.” Canadian Tire is using one third less fuel by replacing two trucks with one long multi-trailer vehicle. Erb Transport is employing a variety of tactics to reduce drag and rolling resistance. 

There’s a lot of hype about green hydrogen. But the questions remain: Make it from what? Move it how? At what cost? And who benefits? 

Light pollution is increasing at more than 2% per year and has a surprising number of implications, including increased transmission of the West Nile Virus, changes in landscape, and interfering with the food supply for entire marine ecosystems. 

The GHG+H2O Green Facility Toolkit provides health care organizations with a specialized package of educational materials, awareness tools, and technical resources. 

Food for Thought 

“Nobody is denying that humans are exceptional. The concept of human uniqueness is only a problem when we deny the beauty and necessity both of our animal lives and the lives of other animals. . . . We’re only at the beginning of scientific discoveries about the way memory and intentions grip animal bodies from tip to claw. Eventually, we’re going to have to reckon with the true complexity of the other lives that surround us.” 

Avian Magic 

To power their perilous migratory journeys, birds undergo extreme feats like doubling their body weight and rearranging or even consuming their internal organs. 

16 fabulous photographs of birds, from a comical duckling and a surfing penguin to sunlit birds of happiness. 

Did you know? Nesting colonies of Ring-billed Gull normally include a few two-female couples, both of whom lay a clutch of eggs. (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 by email (top right corner). 

EcoSask News, April 21, 2020

Earth Day (April 22) Events (online)
Drive Electric Meetup
Join Plug In America, Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association for a virtual event from 12-1 pm honouring EVs and their positive impact on the planet.

Endlings 
Joanna Lilley will launch her new collection of poetry about extinction at an online panel discussion at 7 pm in Saskatchewan.

5Point Unlocked 
Join host Chris Davenport for 90 minutes of films that shine a light on the wild places within and without at 7 pm.

Earth Day Songs
Join Glen Sutter for a Facebook Live evening of original tunes and writing  at 7 pm and raise money for local environmental action.

Additional Events (online) 
Yard Waste, Apr. 21-Nov.10 (Swift Current) 
Swift Current’s Yard Waste program runs from April 21 to November 10 with a few modifications for physical distancing restrictions.

Imagining the Green New Deal, Apr. 23 
Join the Council of Canadians in imagining a Green New Deal at 5 pm, Apr. 23.

Wildlife Rescue, Apr. 25
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan is holding an online volunteer orientation session at 2 pm, Apr. 25.

EnviroCollective, Apr. 27 
EnviroCollective Regina is meeting online from 7-9 pm, Apr. 27.

Environmental Society AGM, Apr. 27
The Saskatchewan Environmental Society is holding its annual general meeting online at 7 pm, Apr. 27.

Citizen’s Guide to Climate Success, Apr. 28
Mark Jaccard, professor of sustainable energy, will speak on how climate-concerned citizens can overcome myths that hinder us from acting in time to prevent extreme climate impacts at 2 pm, Apr. 28.

Enviro Law 101, Apr. 30 
West Coast Environmental Law is offering a youth-focused workshop on using the law to protect the environment and tackle climate change from 12-1 pm, Apr. 30.

More and more events are going online. Check the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar for details.

In the News
A revised edition of Prairie: A Natural History of the Heart of North America by Candace Savage has just been released. Find out more about the book and the author in these interviews. Candace describes the prairies as “a world that needs to be appreciated in miniature, ideally on hands and knees with your nose in the grass.” The book “gives you the information and insights you need to go exploring.”

Federal funding for cleaning up orphan oil and gas wells will create employment but puts taxpayers on the hook for costs that were supposed to be paid by the oil and gas industry.

Tens of millions of radicals, moderates, and conservatives took part in Earth Day 1970.

A new app, Earth Challenge 2020, hopes to use millions of people around the world to monitor environmental problems, including plastic and air pollution.

Just for Fun
Andrew spotted a tiger salamander while there was still snow on the ground in Saskatchewan!

Red-winged blackbirds are eavesdropping on yellow warblers.

We knew ravens were smart, but this is pretty impressive! “Y’all right love?”

Bats can be pretty darn cute – see if you don’t agree!

Celebrating National Volunteer Week
Rick Huziak: The High Cost of Lighting up the Night 
Branimir Gjetvaj: Conservation Photographer
Citizens Environmental Alliance – Saskatchewan: We’re Losing our Wetlands and That’s a Big Problem
Repair Café Prince Albert
Melanie Elliott: Taught by Nature: The Importance of Outdoor Education
Jared Clarke: Naturalist and Climate Change Activist
Claire Bullaro: Zoos are for Education
EnviroCollective Regina
Meghan Mickelson: Nature through the Camera Lens

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. 

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

EcoSask News, November 26, 2019

Upcoming Events
Falconry, Nov. 28 (Saskatoon) 
Paddy Thompson will discuss the amazing world of falconry at 7 pm, Nov. 28.

Buy Nothing Day, Nov. 29 (worldwide) 
Climate strikes being planned world-wide for November 29 coincide with Buy Nothing Day, an international day of protest against consumerism.

Nature Travels in Iceland, Nov. 30 (Fort Qu’Appelle) 
Ed Rodger will speak on his nature travels in Iceland at the 7 pm, Nov. 30, meeting of the Fort Qu’Appelle Nature Society in the Fort Qu’Appelle Train Station.

Grasslands: A Hidden Wilderness, Dec. 2 (Regina) 
Join Nature Regina and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum to watch the documentary Grasslands: A Hidden Wilderness followed by a question and answer at 7:30 pm, Dec. 2.

Future of Parks, Dec. 3 (Saskatoon) 
Mitchell Silver, Commissioner, New York Department of Parks, will talk on the Future of Parks and Public Space: What’s Next? at 7 pm, Dec. 3.

Civilization Critical, Dec. 4 (Saskatoon) 
Darrin Qualman will speak about his book, Civilization Critical, at the Nov. 6 breakfast meeting of the SK Energy Management Task Force.

Innercity Clothing Swap, Dec. 5 (Saskatoon)
There will be an Innercity Clothing Swap from 6-10 pm, Dec. 5, at The Underground Café.

Saskatoon Nature Society Field Trips
Dec. 1, 2-4 pm – Winter Wildlife Tracking in the Small Swale
Dec. 7, 9 am-5 pm – Gardiner Dam Birding
Everyone is welcome. 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

Saskatoon Freeway & the Swales
If you love nature and want to protect it, you’re encouraged to attend the Saskatoon Freeway public consultations on Nov. 26 and 27. Here’s why:
1. The decisions around Phase 1 will affect the freeway’s route through both the Small Swale and the Northeast Swale;
2. The environmental data for the area crossed by Phase 1 is not complete, but Highways is making decisions about the specific route and design;
3. Decisions about the route will affect Wanuskewin's natural and cultural landscape which might affect its application for UNESCO Heritage status;
4. The route is being decided before having a full consultation with affected landowners; and
5. Highways says it is consulting with groups such as the Northeast Swale Watchers but has also declared that the route is non-negotiable.

Trees
Local people are concerned that the proposed logging of more than 7,660 acres of forest in Meadow Lake Provincial Park will do more harm than good.

Myles MacDonald, Paddockwood, was arrested trying to prevent municipal workers from chopping down all the trees and bushes that provide wildlife habitat in the road allowance.

“It’s often argued that logging trees killed by insects or diseases is beneficial for forests—but evidence is mounting that it causes long-term ecological disruption.”

In Other News
The risks of farming over top of pipelines: crop degradation and lower yields, leaks and ruptures, sinkholes, junk pipes never removed.

Canada has the third-highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions from healthcare in the world, with healthcare accounting for approximately 4% of the country’s total emissions.

“Redesigning parks to increase the naturalness, ecological function and diversity of active and passive recreational uses . . . can support higher-density urban areas.”

Noise, especially in urban areas, can have a very negative impact on wildlife.

Insect deaths can be cut by switching off unnecessary lights.

Our home delivery habits are reshaping the world: enormous warehouses, packaging that accounts for 30% of the US’s solid waste, and increased traffic.

Wolverines have vast home ranges and always take the shortest route, whether it’s straight up a mountain or a 50-degree ice pitch.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. 

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

Cities Combatting Light Pollution

If you live in North America, chances are you can’t see the Milky Way. But that’s not the worst impact of light pollution. It’s also affecting our health and the health of plants and wildlife. An earlier article, based on an interview with Rick Huziak, explores light pollution in greater detail. For now, let’s look at what cities (and countries) around the world are doing to combat light pollution.

Tucson/Flagstaff
Tucson and Flagstaff, Arizona, have been attempting to reduce light pollution since 1958. And it’s working. You can see the Milky Way from downtown Flagstaff. Streetlights and parking lot lights must be shielded. They’ve banned upward-facing billboard lighting and restricted the type and amount of light per acre.

“The key factor is getting people passionate about the value of clear night skies, and how light pollution takes them away. To that end, the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition hosts annual star parties in the fall and year-round events—art exhibits, lectures, and musical performances—that promote cultural connection to the night sky.”

High Line Park, New York
High Line Park’s designers tried to ensure there was enough lighting to keep pedestrians safe while also ensuring they could still see the night sky. “They chose to use warmer tones in their lighting, and installed the fixtures such that they are hidden, which creates the effect of a pleasant, subtle glow. The lighting is oriented such that it is no higher than waist level, thus reducing glare.”

Mont-Mégantic Dark Sky Reserve, Quebec
The Mont-Mégantic Dark Sky Reserve is centred around the national park and observatory, but it also includes the City of Sherbrooke and 34 other municipalities.

San Francisco
Lights Out, a voluntary program, encourages building owners, managers, and tenants in San Francisco to turn off lights from dusk until dawn during migration season. “This includes internal lighting, external decorative lights and lobby or atrium lights.”

Grenoble
Following community consultation, Grenoble made changes to its street lighting: the lights “are now switched off from 12.30 a.m. to 4.30 a.m. on weekdays and from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturday nights/Sunday mornings. Among other planned developments, sensor-controlled lighting is an option being considered in certain neighborhoods.”

Toulouse
Toulouse’s lighting master plan includes test projects involving solar and motion-sensing lighting in pedestrian areas.

Norway
Norway is experimenting with radar-controlled street lights along a stretch of highway. “The radar units . . . detect traffic along the route and its speed. The lights are then increased to full brightness in the path of the vehicle from the default illumination of 20 per cent of full output.”

France
On January 1, 2019, France adopted one of the world’s most progressive light pollution abatement policies. The goal is to establish regulations “to prevent, limit and reduce light pollution, including excessive disturbance to persons, fauna, flora or ecosystems, causing energy wastage or preventing observation of the night sky” and will apply to both public and private lighting. It covers a wide variety of areas including light over waterways, light trespass into private dwellings, and the restriction of blue light.

See Also:
Light Pollution: A Growing Problem

Protecting the Things We Love

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” John Muir

We protect – with fences, and laws, and force – the things we value. Yet, far too often, we fail to recognize the value of intangibles – sunlight, ancient forests, open trails, beauty. We either take them for granted or we place a higher value on development, profit, and what we see as progress. But not always. Here are a few examples of cities and countries that are attempting to recognize and protect intangibles.

Right to Light
Visit the downtown core of any large city and you find yourself surrounded by skyscrapers that blot out the sky and shade the streets below. “For cities, shadows present both a technical challenge — one that can be modeled in 3-D and measured in ‘theoretical annual sunlight hours’ lost — and an ethereal one. They change the feel of space and the value of property in ways that are hard to define. They’re a stark reminder that the new growth needed in healthy cities can come at the expense of people already living there. And in some ways, shadows even turn light into another medium of inequality — a resource that can be bought by the wealthy, eclipsed from the poor.”

Some cities are endeavouring to protect sunlight. San Francisco has a “sunlight ordinance” that legislates the review of plans for buildings over 40 feet that might shadow public parks. Toronto’s Tall Buildings Guidelines stipulate that tall buildings must be 25 metres apart. Toronto also takes into consideration “pedestrian comfort” by reviewing the shadows created by proposed buildings, paying particular attention to shadows over public areas such as Nathan Phillip’s Square.

Ancient Trees
There are trees in the United Kingdom that are hundreds, even thousands, of years old. Ancient woodlands are protected by the National Planning Policy Framework, but there is a loophole in the law permitting development to go ahead if "the economic benefit of a development outweighs the loss.” The Woodland Trust is campaigning to close this loophole, so far with no success.

Tourists flock to visit California’s redwoods. But their eagerness to take a selfie next to one of these ancient giants is compacting the soil and damaging the trees’ roots. The Redwood Park Conservancy is fundraising to build raised walkways so that tourists will no longer damage the ground cover and hurt the trees.

Right to Roam
England has protected its footpaths, granting public access to private land, since 1925. Andrew Weaver, leader of BC’s Green Party has introduced a Right to Roam Act to protect public access to lakes, rivers, and public forests through privately owned land. Weaver says, “The ability to access and experience nature is a public right, and we must protect it. . . . People protect what they know and love. If we become disconnected from our environment we risk disengaging with the fight for its future.”

Beauty
It may seem quaint, but the City of London safeguards the view of St. Paul’s Cathedral from King Henry’s Mound in Richmond Park. Developers have been forced to alter their plans to protect the viewline.

The City of Vancouver has 27 protected view corridors to maintain views of the North Shore mountains, the ocean, and the city skyline. They do, however, make exceptions, which are not always supported by the general public.

Voting for Nature
In 2014, England’s Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds proposed a nature and wellbeing act that would put nature at the heart of decision-making both locally and nationally and would commit to securing the recovery of nature in a generation. The Blue Dot movement is similar, advocating for legal recognition of every Canadian’s right to a healthy environment.

The proposed laws are examples of “positive environmentalism, setting the agenda, rather than merely responding to the policies we don’t like. We must do both, but while those who love wildlife have often been effective opponents, we have tended to be less effective proponents.”