I didn’t think I’d be swept in one day on what’s happening in the industrial disengagementworld (otherwise known as TV). But I think this is quite an accurate (although short) analysis, in popular language, of racism on TV.

I received the following e-mail from Ecology Ottawa today:

Dear Julien Lamarche:

There’s good news and bad news for the environment in the draft 2007 Budget that went to Ottawa’s City Council last week. The bad news is that if you care about clean air, energy efficiency, public transit and fighting climate change the draft budget will be a huge disappointment. The good news is that its a “draft”, so there is still time for City Council to turn things around if they are serious about saving money and keeping their promises to promote a healthy and environmentally responsible City. If we ACT NOW we might be able to help convince City Council to embrace measures to support clean air, energy efficiency and the fight against climate change this year.

On February 20, Ecology Ottawa presented our budget analysis to City Council, along with the Green Budget Petition signed by 1000 Ottawans from every ward in the City. The Petition was an important demonstration of support for the environment and we thank you for all of your help in making it happen! We had an opportunity to hand the petition directly to Mayor O’Brien, and asked him to support measures related to energy efficiency and other climate change issues in the 2007 budget. We also asked for a meeting with him after the budget smoke clears, to have a more detailed discussion on how Ottawa can become the most energy-wise city in the country and the Green Capital of Canada.

But that’s not enough. It is crucial that your City Councillor hear from you that you want them to invest in our environment and our health. We’re asking you to pick up the phone and call your City Councillor as soon as possible (leave a message if you can’t call during work hours). While you’re at it, send an email or fax. Let them know that you’ll be watching how the budget unfolds and how they vote. You can find contact information for your Councillor here: http://ottawa.ca/city_hall/mayor_council/councillors/index_en.html

If you want more background you can check out our budget presentation to City Council at http://www.ecologyottawa.ca/news/ There you will also find the analysis of the City’s Environmental Advisory Committee.

When you call and write your Councillor you should stress the issues that are most important to you, but here are some of Ecology Ottawa’s key messages:

* Support for the Air Quality and Climate Change Management Plan: Two weeks ago Council passed a motion that specifically instructed Staff to include support for the Plan in the draft Budget. Why has Staff ignored Council’s directions and what is Council going to do about it?

* Saving energy is saving money: City Council is wasting money by not investing in energy efficiency today.

* Clean air saves lives: City Council should fund more air quality monitors. Vancouver has 22. Ottawa has 1. Why hasn’t the City included funding for additional monitors in the draft budget?

* Raise parking fees, not bus fares: By keeping parking fees the same while raising bus fares, the City is sending a message that it wants people to get off buses and into their cars. We want the city to propose measures that increase, not decrease, transit ridership.

* Support organic recycling: The draft budget proposes $9 million for organic recycling, which could divert 100,000 tons of residential waste (up to 50% of the total). We urge Council to keep funding for this important initiative in the budget.

* Support Ottawa’s green spaces: Don’t cut the proposed funding to maintain natural areas within Ottawa’s Greenbelt. This funding will allow Ottawa to preserve valuable habitat and help combat the urban heat island effect.

Ecology Ottawa also cares about a pesticide ban and will support the Coalition for a Healthy Ottawa when the pesticide ban next comes before Council, but we’ve not highlighted that here because it doesn’t seem to be a budget issue at this moment.

Please spread this message far and wide and help ensure as many people as possible call our Councillors. They need to hear that Ottawans want them to invest in a healthy Ottawa now and for years to come.

YOU ARE INVITED TO DREAM GREEN WITH ECOLOGY OTTAWA:
Please consider joining Ecology Ottawa at our first fundrasing event - Dream Green - on Friday, March 2nd. Tickets cost $20 and include two drink vouchers. Funds will support core activities of Ecology Ottawa. Join us for music and dancing and drinks and snacks. Join us in making the green dream a reality!

Location: All Saints Church (side door)
317 Chapel Street, Ottawa, ON
When: Friday, March 2, 7:30pm
You are welcome to just show up, but if you can, please RSVP to
info@ecologyottawa.ca

Thank you,

Ecology Ottawa

*******************************************************

To subscribe to Ecology Ottawa Updates go to:

http://www.ecologyottawa.ca/take-action/sign-on/get-updates.php

My grand-father passed away. I don’t know if it was today or yesterday. He was a very proud franco-ontarian.

If you have the time, please read the short article on Regulation 17. For some more positive reading, feel free to read any section of interest to you of the Franco-Ontarian wikipedia arcticle. But if you are Canadian, please do read up on Regulation 17. It is a vital part of that people’s history.

People don’t want the same thing as their corporate, state, religious or media leaders do. I am not very familiar with the situation in Turkey, but this kind of solidarity is exciting to read about.

http://www.indymedia.org/en/2007/01/879055.shtml

I havn’t been very excited by web 2.0. Probably because I think it was more a corporate push than anything else. But also because my excitement arround software has generally been met with resistance and skepticism by the environmentalist community. Understandable.

However, this video made me think twice in the phenomenon.

De son côté, le ministre canadien de l’Environnement, John Baird, s’est dit surpris de l’ampleur du consensus dégagé par les scientifiques au sujet du réchauffement planétaire.

« Je sais que c’est une situation très grave. Ce qui était une grande surprise, c’est que 300 scientifiques du monde entier disent que c’est sans doute,  [l'activité humaine qui soit la cause du réchauffement]. Ça, c’est une grande surprise pour moi »

Lorsque j’ai lu ceci, j’ai “capoté” comme on dit en bon Québécois. Surpris du consensus que le réchauffement global est causé par l’activité humaine? Il est évident que notre économie, en nous séparant de l’environnement, nous a fait oublier son importance et ses concepts pertinents. Les grands oligarches pétroliers, comme leurs homolgues de l’industrie du tabac, ne peuvent plus ignorer les signes devant eux. Les signes sont rendus trop évidents.

Le Parti vert connaît l’importance de l’environnement et connaît les solutions au problèmes du changement climatique.

Yes, I got into the trend myself… Quite certain the background music is Aphex Twin, but I don’t remember which tune.