HOT ISSUES @ bpeg.ca

Your ideas are special. I want to know you.

Thanks for making the effort to describe the terminlogy towards the newbies!

I had fun understanding this post.

I came across your website, i think your blog is interesting, keep posting.

Kudos for posting such a useful weblog. Your blog is not only informative and also extremely artistic too. There are very few people who can write articles that creatively. Keep up the great writing !!

thanks

It makes me so sad to hear this sort of thing. It seems like nothing can just be left alone. Businesses simply don't care about anything other than their profits. It's disgusting!

I think that people should try to preserve the pristine nature at least for their offspring! Because the environment is already alarming, and what will happen next, no one knows!

I am always very sad when people destroy nature for their benefit. After all, our children will live on this earth, let think about them.

Global warming and the environment in general has become the #1 political concern in Canada. People are concerned and according to the polls now finally willing to do something about it. It is very difficult although by no means impossible for individuals to do a lot without political decisions and regulations to 'level the playing field' for larger industries and society in general. The issue has come to the fore for many reasons - news coverage, unusual,violent stormy weather, the many books and Al Gore's film 'An Inconvenient Truth' and so on apparently leading to a 'critical mass' of public opinion.
As a person with a long time interest and involvement in environmental affairs I can certainly attest to the frustration and anger that one experiences at the slow pace of awareness and change.But that does not mean one need give up and go hide in the disappearing woods. One can just go on doing what one can within the usually narrow confines of one's ability. This might be educating and local project work, writing letters, protesting or even more extreme forms of drawing attention to the issues. Modern history has shown the ability of society to turn around rapidly and even within months completely converting industry and technology to another purpose as did North Americans in the Second World War. If people perceive a crisis then action is possible.
On the other hand one can only shake one's head at the completely idiotic politicing and the extreme hypocracy being shown by our representatives in Ottawa at present. That's what really irks me!
Don

"We can't have it all. The belief that we can is one of the things that have driven us to this awful place. If insanity could be defined as having lost functional connection with physical reality, to believe we can have it all- to believe we can simultaneously dismantle a world and live on it; to believe we can perpetually use more energy than arrives from the sun; to believe a finite world can support infinite growth,much less economic growth, where economic growth consists of converting ever larger numbers of living beings to dead objects (trees, fish, cultures, endangered species etc. take your pick)-is grotesquely insane. This insanity manifests partly as a potent disrespect for limits and for justice. To pretend our present civilization can exist without destroying its own landbase and the landbases and cultures of others is to be entirely ignorant of history, biology, thermodynamics, morality, and self-preservation. This culture as a whole and most of its members are insane. The culture is driven by a death urge, an urge to destroy life". dj

The mess at the recycling bins is appalling and certainly needs to be cleaned up. But while I agree with your suggestions for solving the problem, I think we should also take a close look at ourselves and our habits as consumers. Why are we creating so much garbage in the first place? Why are we throwing away so much stuff? Remember that recycling is the last of the three R's so let's get our priorities right: REDUCE, REUSE, and, as a last resort, recycle.

Another thing: Yes, the site needs to be better run but why on earth would anyone just dump their stuff when the bins are full? Take it home and bring it back another day instead of expecting somebody else to clean up after you. Have some consideration for other users as well as for the countryside.

I salute this plan.

Several years ago "Natural History" a magazine published by the Smithsonian ran a full length article about the effects of the plastics used in these water bottles as well as tons of other packaging...baby bottles...even liquer is in plastic now. The stunning upshot of this article was that this type of plastic stimulated estrogen dependent breast cancer cells, This was an accidental discovery as the researchers were just doing a routine test and the control group's cancer cells multiplied just as rapidly as the innoculated cells. They repeated their experiment and discovered it was being caused by the "new" plastic covers on the petri dishes made by Dow or Corning (I cannot remember which) and the manufacturers refused to give the researches the formula for the plastic since it was propriotory information.

I have found it nearly impossible to find water in anything but this type of plastic...however sparkling water can still be found in glass. And yes, we do still buy water in these infernal containers.

When I was teaching tincture making this summer I discovered how many alcoholic beverages are being sold, as well as how hard it is to buy nearly anything in glass in the grocery store...mayonnaise etc. I needed glass jars in which to macerate my tinctures in sunlight before bottling...it was an eye opener...how do we make healthful products if the raw ingredients are packaged in this unhealthful plastic.....Pandora's box is Plastic!!!!

I agree with most of what you have saod, but would like to add a few comments. Net loss is a relative term, especially when comparing renewable fuels against fossil fuels. Eeven a net loss fuel may represent a reasonable 'bridge', helping us to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, while better alternatives are being developed. A key challenge though is in the economics of alternative fuels. Many of us may be willing to pay a premium, but too high a premium will limit their market penetration I think that's why ethanol has mostly been used in limited additive quantities to gasoline, or promoted as an octane improver.

I agree about our carbon footprint being a major problem, and am most concerned that it will precipitate the decline of our civilization if we don't take it very seriously. Judging from the positions of Mssrs Harper and Bush on this matter, it's not looking good right now.

But consider this; all that we can do to reduce energy to heat and light our homes pales in comparison to the non-renewable, CO2 heavy energy that is being wasted in our tailpipes every day. The typical automobile is about 15% efficient, wasting 85% of its combustion energy to the atmosphere. Transportation has surely got to be one of our biggest environmental challenges.

Thanks Don,

I think this issue is "hot" in more ways than one...and it would be interesting to know if Al Gore's (My president!!) movie has reached Canadian audiences.
If anyone up here has seen it...please let Alan and I know if it is still playing and where. I assume it will be available on DVD soon and I would think it would be an excellent program for us. I have read that he provides other materials for groups and individuals that want to present it to city councils, politicians, etc.

On the lighter side...a recent quote in The New Yorker from my president 'select' "W" Bush on ethanol...."there are limits to how much corn can be used for ethanol...after all we got to eat some." see more on the "Bush Quiz "in Shouts and Murmers p. 42 in the August 7 &14 issue.