The Conscious EarthThe Conscious EarthEarth-centred news for the health of air, water, habitat and the fight against global warming Articles
Obama Commits to Climate Talks
2008-11-24 08:15:00 Has a new era truly begun? The clarity of direction and concrete details being issued by President-Elect Obama would certainly indicate it.In a video address, Obama committed to putting the US back at the climate change negotiating table and to begin playing the role as leader that they always should have. He's promising a federal cap and trade system with targets to bring US emissions down to 1990 levels by 2020 and to reduce them a further 80% after that."Few challenges facing America, and the world, are more urgent than combating climate change. The science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear. Climate change and our dependence on foreign oil, if left unaddressed, will continue to weaken our economy and threaten our national security."In the lead up to the announcement, 350.org created a global petition to urge Obama to join other countries and bring atmospheric CO2 down to 350 ppm - the level generally agreed to be sustainable and safe by world experts. Powered by Biro Cr...
A Visionary Win
2008-11-23 00:28:00 On November 15th, our Vancouver civic election came to a close with a landslide win for Gregor Robertson and the Vision Vancouver party. Gregor won the mayor?s seat by a 14 point margin, while the party sent 15 of 16 candidates to City Council, School Board and Park Board. The NPA, the traditional ruling party of Vancouver politics, was handed a devastating defeat, electing only a single candidate elected to council.Like the presidential election, the theme of our campaign was change. However, the change we are seeing recently goes well beyond a simple swing in political leanings from left vs right or from one candidate to the next. The new change represents the leading edge of a new emergent consciousness. It is not coincidental that Barack Obama?s personage, and transparent, participative campaign emerged hand in hand with a massive global economic downturn, a sharpening environmental crisis, and wars of scarcity that have not been experienced in our generation. The traditional ... More About: Visionary
The Dark Side of Recycling
2008-11-14 00:46:00 The following is a disturbing profile of the state of the computer recycling business in the United States, and where the electronics end up.The town of Guiyo in southern China is now one of the most polluted places on earth, registering the highest levels of cancer causing dioxins anywhere recorded. Governments are guilty of turning a blind eye, as businesses in both the US and China profit from the poisonous conditions."The situation in Guiyu is actually pre-capitalist. It's mercantile. It reverts back to a time when people lived where they worked, lived at their shop. Open, uncontrolled burning of plastics. These are among the most toxic compounds known on earth.""We have a situation where we have 21st century toxics being managed in a 17th century environment."Watch CBS Videos Online More About: Recycling , Dark , The Dark , Side , The Dark Side
Loan Reveals Two Spins on Democracy
2008-11-11 20:08:00 Most political news in Vancouver has been swirling around the $100 million loan that is reportedly been authorized as a bailout cushion to either Millennium Development Corp (the company building the Olympic Village) or Fortress (the American lender funding the project).Despite the host of petty questions that have gained centre stage in the drama - who leaked the info, is this political grandstanding by Vision, is it a distraction from Gregor Robertson's $173 transit fine - the key question for the most voters is the one concerning democratic principle. There are two ways of looking at the situation. In broad terms they fall along two distinct philisophical lines:1. The corporate meritocracy: NPA argues that the details concerning the $100 million loan are part of ongoing negotiations with the developers and financial backers and that strict confidence is necessary to protect the city and to obtain the best outcome for tax payers. Implicit in this statement are two points, 1) th... More About: Loan , Democracy , Spins
The S#@! Hits the Fan for the NPA
2008-11-07 22:44:00 A shaky looking Peter Ladner fielded some tough questions from Global TV this afternoon over city council's authorization for a loan of up to $100 million to bailout Vancouver's Olympic Village.During the interview, Ladner defended his refusal to divulge the details of the in-camera meeting that led to the potential loan. His spin may have carried the day had it not been for Global's damning follow up story.Quoting documents released through Freedom of Information requests, the Global story implicates the former president of Ladner's NPA party, Paul Barbeau, with Armeco, the group who owns the Millennium Development Corp - developers of the Olympic Village and a potential recipients of the city's $100 million loan.To quote:"Millennium is the development arm of the Armeco Group. The NPA council picked Armeco's Millennium for the massive (Olympic Village) deal, and Paul Barbeau was the President of the NPA and the President of Armeco Construction Limited in the years prior to t... More About: Hits
A $100 Million Olympic Hole in Vancouver
2008-11-07 04:12:00 A big story broke this morning in the Vancouver civic campaign via the Globe and Mail. Gary Mason reported that the city had agreed to provide loans of up to $100 million to the Millennium Development Corporation in order to shore up the floundering construction of the Olympic Village.The city's Director of Finance has apparently resigned over the issue, and NPA mayoral candidate (and the current chair of the city finance committee) Peter Ladner has been silent since being confronted with the story at this morning's mayoral debate.In addition to local media, the CBC, The Canadian Press, The Calgary Herald and The UK Guardian have all picked up the story, dealing a potentially a devastating blow to Ladner and the NPA with just 9 day's left in the campaign. It was the top story on the Global TV, and to be frank, the sight of Ladner publicly shocked when confronted with the news that the city's Director of Finance had resigned was not good for his cause.More from Vision here and ... More About: Hole , Million
A Winning Compilation for Obama
2008-11-06 01:01:00 The Boston Globe has an excellent photo compilation honouring the next President of the United States. Congratulations USA. More About: Obama , Compilation , Winning
US Election Day
2008-11-04 18:35:00 The United States is on the verge of history today and at the polls they are making it already. News reports from around the country are predicting the highest voter turnout in more than a century as 80% or more of all registered voters are lining up at the polls.People are not lazy. They?re not apathetic. And if there is a lesson to take away from today it has to do with the quality of the individual who chooses to run for office. People care about politics everywhere, and they?re waiting for the smallest sign of leadership, direction, and a vision of tomorrow that is better than what we have today.It?s the failure of our parties and representatives to offer that hope that keeps people from the polls, not a flaw in the voters themselves.Enjoy today?s moment in history, and work to bring a part of it to your country and your community. More About: Election
Unclogging Ted Steven's Tubes
2008-10-28 20:39:00 Everyone remember Ted Stevens?The Democrats may be able to chalk up another seat, as the "Internets" challenged Republican Senator from Alaska has been found guilty of seven counts of corruption and is now facing up to 35 years in prison.It looks like Ted may soon have a new use for his tubes.video source: crooks and liarshat tip: Rob Cottingham
Fighting for Truth in Political Debate
2008-10-25 02:03:00 The failure of the mainstream media to engage in even the most basic fact checking exercise is one of the biggest barriers for change across a host of issues.It's an issue well known to any advocate of action on the climate crisis. A three second Google search is more than enough to prove false the most sophisticated misinformation, so it takes a perverse level of intellectual blindness to continue to print so called balanced stories that feature facts on one side and outright lies on the other.That brings me to the events in Vancouver this week. Gregor Robertson and Peter Ladner squared off in the biggest debate of the election schedule on Wednesday night to take on the front line issues of homelessness and affordable housing.It fell to the campaign team to lay out the truth behind a blatant misrepresentation of facts by Mr. Ladner when he said that he had never voted against the city's Homeless Action Plan - a clarification that took no more work than checking the Council Meet... More About: Truth , Political , Debate , Fighting
The Vision Map Goes Live
2008-10-21 19:22:00 The municipal campaign is hitting high gear in Vancouver and online outreach a key part of the strategy to make Gregor Robertson the next Mayor of Vancouver.Today we launched The Vision Map, an interactive city map that gives every voter the chance to have their voice heard and to show their support for Gregor Robertson and a new era of change at Vancouver City Hall. More than a simply an online device, it is a front line call for change that lets visitors drop their name onto their local neighbourhood and send a strong message about the issues they care about the most. It's a clear message from the community to the Peter Ladner that business as usual is unacceptable and that the people of Vancouver want better.Stop by, have a look, and if you live in Vancouver sign on and tell a friend. More About: Live
Two Views of Leadership
2008-10-20 21:11:00 While the Federal Liberals took a step further into the leadership void today, political junkies can fall back on some good news south of the border. The big news out of the US this weekend was the unequivocable endorsement of the Obama campaign by Gen. Colin Powell. In the words of the former Secretary of State, Barack Obama is "a 'transformational figure' who has reached out to all Americans with an inclusive campaign and displayed 'a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity' and 'a depth of knowledge' in his approach to the nation's problems." The Guardian has a great video compilation, audio clip and coverage of the announcement. Or you can watch Powell's complete endorsement via YouTube here: More About: Views , Leadership
Overcoming the Aftermath of October 14th
2008-10-20 02:31:00 Well, here we go again. Despite the overwhelmingly progressive values of Canadians, and the general unpopularity of the Conservative Party, Stephen Harper is back in the saddle for another minority term as "our" PM. Opposition leadership has never looked shakier with Stephane Dion heading out the door tomorrow, Elizabeth May failing lead her party to Ottawa despite a modestly bigger share of the popular vote, and Jack Layton failing to make greater gains in seats because he doesn't realize that attacking the Conservatives, not the Liberals, is the NDP's ticket to success.In offering some solutions I'd like to go back to a post I wrote back in August of 2006 - Why the Green Party Loses - as it's even more relevant now than it was then. Specifically the following passage:The number one priority of every Green Party in Canada, both provincial and national, is to ensure that the upcoming referendum on electoral reform is passed in BC. The referendum date is set for the next provin... More About: October
Want More? Join My Networks
2008-10-14 03:36:00 For those wanting to follow along through other channels, you can now join me on Facebook, Twitter or my professional network on LinkedIn. See the links below or the Join My Networks section along the sidebar.
Gregor Changes Vancouver, Ladner Goes on Vacation
2008-10-10 09:06:00 I believe in a genuine free market where consumers are offered choices and business needs to compete in order to deliver the best product. Most of us embrace this vision in one form or another, but in the hands of many right wing parties the idea often become bastardized. It's another form of the rights vs responsibility argument I laid out some weeks ago. The idea that the market will solve all problems by the simple force of our own self interest is an alluring fairy tale because it allows us to ignore one entire half of the moral imperative - responsibility - and dwell solely in what our own individual rights are, a simple and sometimes more appealing view because its easier than concerning ourselves with the consequences of our actions that extend beyond ourselves. One form of that is a certain apathy that evolves in some political parties. Harper has been badly caught out in this trap over the past days as the world's economy continues to recieve bad news and he continues ... More About: Vancouver , Vacation , Gregor
Help Stop Harper
2008-10-07 08:25:00 The Canadian Federal election is an admittedly frustrating affair that is puncuated by poor leadership on one side, and leadership in entirely the wrong direction on the other. Despite the chaos, there's one thing we all can readily agree on - a Harper majority would bode poorly for everyone outside of the oil sands. I recommend Avaaz.org. They're the leading online activist organization in the world and over the past number of weeks they have set their sights squarely on mobilizing action against Stephen Harper and the Canadian Conservatives. Their current project is to bring in funds to help fund ads in key ridings throughout the country. Over 10,000 have signed on towards their goal of 25,000 signatures. If you believe strongly in the effort, as I do, give a few dollars to the campaign after you add your name. If you can't right now, tell a few friends. We don't have to be stuck with a Harper majority on October 14th. More About: Stop
Campaigning for Change
2008-10-06 06:05:00 With most of the world's people facing the catastrophic fallout of the worst US presidency in history and the now undeniable threats facing the Earth's environment, there's seems to be an almost universally shared sense of flux, change and uncertainty. As unpleasant as that might feel, it's also a needed and necessary good that can clear the way towards real change and a new way of looking at the shared problems that, together, we desperately need to solve. So, following the themes of responsibility and action that I've outlined over the past several months, I hope you'll follow me on my next path. Vancouver is coming up to a municipal election on November 15th, and I'm happy to announce that I'll be running the online campaign for mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson and the Vision Vancouver party. For those unfamiliar with the local business and political scene, Gregor Robertson is a progressive Vancouver businessman who first rose to prominence by creating an immensely s... More About: Change , Campaigning
I've Been Hacked! - Authentication Message Problem
2008-09-28 04:27:00 Hi everyone. This is just a quick status update regarding the "Authentication Required" message that is appearing when you load the page. Please simply click "cancel" and continue to visit. I'm consulting some tech friends to figure out how to solve this. More About: Message , Problem , Hacked
8 Months of Photo Highlights
2008-09-18 09:25:00 Thanks to all my readers for hanging in while I get my feet back on the ground here at home. Many new developments are coming soon, but in the mean time, please enjoy these photo highlights of 8 months of travel.Thanks to everyone for following along. More About: Photo , Highlights , Months
My Rights, Your Responsibility
2008-09-09 23:41:00 I?m home now in Vancouver, with the daunting task of summing up and integrating a journey that covered four continents and more than eight months of my life. It can leave a person wondering how to bring that much home, or what home even means.That said, there are a few common themes that became clear over the course of the journey. A major one concerns the views and assumptions that tend to guide the actions of our culture with the rest of the world, the damage of which becomes obvious when viewing there effects on some of the most impoverished nations on Earth.In the case of Rwanda, we have been told that there horrific genocide was the culmination of tribal conflicts that stretched back centuries. After a mere days in that country, the truth became quickly and overwhelmingly obvious ? that the division between Hutus and Tutsis was a colonial weapon established by the Belgians, and exploited by the French, in order to gain greater control over the population and later to profit ... More About: Rights
An Accidental Trip to Thailand
2008-07-21 20:49:00 It was meant to be a side trip to the Philippines where a good friend is doing anthropological research in a traditional Kalinga Valley village. Unfortunately, I let myself get bluffed out by the weather and never made it. My arrival date earlier this month in Manila ended up being the day after a second of two typhoons rolled through the country. Conditions on the newsreel looked pretty tenuous and I opted to disembark at our stop-over in Bangkok rather than risk being stranded in Manila for two weeks. As it turns out, the route north to the village was fine, much to my disappointment.Sooooo, I tried to go to the Philippines and all I got were these stunning photos of Thailand .... More About: Trip
Ladakh - The Last of India
2008-06-27 12:31:00 The past few weeks have definitely been a different flavour. Heading steadily to the north of India , the people and country side have both shifted towards mountainous and Buddhist, culminating in Ladakh which is called the closest thing to Tibet on the subcontinent. It was far and away one of my favorite places in the country.The main city of Leh is almost indescribably beautiful. The town is a fertile strip of green nestled between the desert hills of brown and a back drop of Himalayan peaks. Set against crystal clear skies the view is an every changing Crayola box of greens, blues, whites and brown.The culture is also an interesting departure. The area only opened to tourists in 1974 and until then a remarkably self sufficient society had braved the high desert and -50C winters for centuries, key to which was a strong sense of environmental values and strict population control. In addition to a large population of Buddhist monks and nuns, the area is one of a handful of cult...
Canada Sued for Climate Change Failures
2008-06-19 11:20:00 I've been substantially away from the home front news for quite awhile, but this is worth mentioning on both a national and personal note. On June 18, Canada became the first country ever to be brought to court for failing to comply with its legal commitments to combat global warming, specifically its failure to meet (and perhaps more to the point, their failure to do anything about) their mandatory legal obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.The lawsuit itself is being argued by a coalition of groups - most notably my former workplace, Ecojustice Canada - and seeks a declaration from the Court that the government has not complied with the law, and an order requiring it to do so. A decision is likely to occur in the coming months.For readers unfamiliar with Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund), I strongly recommend them as a worthy organization to support (I do so myself). For my American readers, think Earthjustice. More About: Climate Change , Climate , Change , Sued
Non-Cooperation and the Olympic Games
2008-05-31 06:04:00 "The present era is rampant with the five forms of degeneration, in particular the red ideology (....)"In future, this system will certainly be forced either from within or without on this land that cherished the joint spiritual and temporal system. If in such an event we fail to defend our land, the holy lamas, including the "triumphant father and son" will be eliminated without a trace of their names remaining; the properties of the incarnate lamas and of the monasteries along with the endowments for religious services will all be seized. Moreover, our political system will be reduced to an empty name; my officials, deprived of their patrimony and property, will be subjugated like slaves by the enemy; and my people, subjected to fear and miseries, will be unable to endure day or night. Such an era will certainly come!"These were the words of Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet, spoken two years before his death in 1931 (pictured above). With the exception of the demis... More About: Games , Cooperation , Olympic , Olympic Games
Generosity, Non-Violence & Non-Cooperation
2008-04-27 11:15:00 Having escaped Bombay I'm now in Rishikesh, where this morning I was listening to an old lecture by Jack Kornfield over a second cup of mediocre coffee.He was discussing the roots of generosity and what that force looks like when turned loose in greater world. Specifically, he talked about how at its root generosity requires an embrace of all hardships in this world as well as all joys, and it is only through that embrace that we can see and change the greatest of the world's ills. To quote,"...abundance means the willingness to open to life as it is, to face injustice and suffering. As Martin Luther King (Jr.) wrote, 'We will soon wear you down with our capacity to suffer in the struggle for the rights of others, and with that suffering we will win our freedom and (yours along with it)."To wear down an oppressor with a capacity to suffer is something worth considering in the context of our current social struggles, be them the ongoing protests over Tibet, to the war in Iraq, ... More About: Cooperation , Violence , Generosity , Non-violence
Beleaguered in Bombay
2008-04-26 09:10:00 I love cities. Though I profoundly love nature, I'll always choose to live within the human dense drama of the urban landscape. The bigger the better, and since first visiting there two years ago, Bombay has been one of my favorite cities in the world.With sixteen million people, water in every direction, and all the chaos that India has to offer, Bombay makes the head spin, the heart hurt and has you running for cover or screaming for more - usually in the same 24 hour day. That said, my most recent visit had me doing far more running for cover than rejoicing. The flu, heat in excess of forty degrees, and an overwhelming dose of human misery and cruelty left me suffering and gladly departing town.On the taxi ride from the airport to my hotel in the southern suburb of Colaba, my busted-up cab rear-ended a brand new Honda. We pulled to the side of to the side of the road and after getting out of the vehicle my nearly destitute and toothless driver was physically assaulted befo...
A Morning at Elephant Junction
2008-04-05 00:49:00 Although my recent elephant safari was entirely unsuccessful, I was able to spend a morning with several Asian Elephant s at the Elephant Junction sanctuary in Kumily.Throughout the three hour visit I vacillated through a range of emotions. A quiet grief for the confinement and captivity of these intelligent and sensitive creatures gave way to both exhilaration at being in such close quarters with them and optimism for the gentleness with which they were treated by their mahouts, all before feeling my heart spin back again towards remorse.By all indications the elephants were well treated and looked after. Verbal commands alone were being used to instruct them, and this even applied to the completely unruly 11 month old infant Kanan, who required all the will his mahout could muster just to stop him from eating the thatched shed within a trunk's reach of his enclosure. The enclosures themselves were immaculately clean. Dung was cleared out regularly, and all of them were layere... More About: Morning
Leech Trekking in Periyar
2008-03-29 05:52:00 Yes, that's a picture of a dead fish floating in a pond, and with the exception of a troop of monkeys, it represented all the wildlife I saw during a full day safari in Periyar National Park, India.The differences between here and Africa couldn't be more striking.While Africa has generally received most of the press about endangered wildlife, I walked away from every park that I visited filled with both awe and optimism for the future of species at risk. Periyar felt dead, and even though it boasts healthy populations elephants and tigers, as well as a few other large mammals, there was little sign of any. Meanwhile, the quality of the wilderness experience was greatly compromised by the carnivorous appetite of the jungles overwhelming leech population.The Lonely Planet guidebook (which now borders on useless thanks to some key format changes. I'm switching to Footprint) kindly advises that "leeches may be present following rain". While it's sporting of them to pass on the t... More About: Trekking , Leech
Shark Alley - South Africa
More articles from this author:2008-03-07 22:36:00 Here's one I've been looking forward to, in spirit since witnessing the breathtaking footage of Planet Earth, and in practice since first stepping foot in Africa - cage diving with the Great White Shark s.Before describing the experience there's a need to address the inevitable and already existing concerns about diving with the great white. In particular, some environmentalists take issue with the activity because they allege that diving with these predators conditions them to view human beings as food. After a day of close quarters observation, both in the cage and from the ship's deck, I can tell you with full confidence that this concern is both unwarranted and unfounded.To begin with, conditioning an animal to change its natural response patterns takes time, and a unique aspect about the South Africa n great whites is that they are a completely open population, meaning that any given individual shark is only spending about three or four weeks in the area. That's far to lit... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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