Your Earth

In recent months we've witnessed a dramatic shift in Canada's military commitment in Afghanistan. After a half-a-century as the world's peacekeepers, we have suddenly been thrust into the role of peacemaker. The difference is subtle and deadly. audio link

30 years after it began construction on its newest nuclear power plant, Ontario, Canada's largest province, has recently announced an investment of $ 35 billion in new nuclear construction. audio link

Podcasting, on a weekly basis, is a commitment. I was really beginning to wonder if it was worth all the work. I then I saw the movie “Children of Men.” While the movie doesn’t explain why woman can’t have babies anymore, it reminded me of something Rosalie Bertell said to me 18 years ago. And then I realized the power of words… To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website. audio link

Our entire culture is based on the buy now pay later idea. Why put off having anything that you want or desire when you don’t have to pay a cent until 2008? As a result, we live in a constant state of indebtedness. Nowhere is that more evident than in how we treat our environment. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website. audio link

When we talk about creating a safe environment for our children, the things that immediately come to mind are clean air, safe drinking water, and chemical-free places to grow, learn and play. But as the terrible shootings at Dawson College, Platte Canyon High School and the Amish schoolhouse so tragically demonstrated earlier this fall, we must learn to re-define what it means to create a truly safe environment for our children. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website. audio link

With Ontario’s municipal elections only a week away, garbage has once again become a burning issue – literally. According to survey conducted by Decima Research, 91 percent of Greater Toronto Area (GTA) residents favour garbage incineration. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website. audio link

There is a direct connection between Canada’s CANDU nuclear reactors and Korea’s nuclear weapons test. In North Korea’s case, the plutonium (and the nuclear technology needed to build the bomb) came from Pakistan. Pakistan in turn got its plutonium and nuclear know-how from Canada. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website. audio link

After almost two decades of terrorizing its neighbours, perhaps it’s time somebody pointed out that Canada’s largest city, Toronto, might want to start looking for a better solution to its garbage problem. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website. audio link

The fact that my father’s birthday, September 23rd, fell on the autumn equinox this year is a bittersweet coincidence that is not lost on me. His death this summer is a reminder that to everything there is a season. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website. audio link

Last week, GM announced that the Camaro, its newly redesigned muscle car, will hit the streets in 2009, just about the time that experts predict that global oil production will start to decline. Since the Camaro isn’t designed to meet everyone’s driving needs, GM is currently aggressively marketing the H2, the smaller and more user-friendly cousin of the monster H1 Hummer, as an alternative to the family van. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website audio link

With all this talk about energy conservation, we decided to see if we could further reduce our electricity bill. Given all the improvements we’d already made, the question became, “Can we do better?� To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website audio link

The summer of 2006 saw the beginning of a new movie phenomenon – the environmental epic. Topping the list is Al Gore’s much touted An Inconvenient Truth, a film about the global warming crisis. I have to admit, I had high hopes for this movie. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website audio link

As energy costs continue to escalate, energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important. While we all want to spend less on home utilities, most of us don't know where to begin. The answer is clear. In the average home, heating and cooling costs account for at least 60% of your energy bill. An estimated 25% of all heat loss literally flies out the window. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website audio link

The internal, infernal, combustion engine, and the family car that it powers, has impacted our lives more than any other single invention. It’s ubiquitous. It’s also destroying the planet. It’s high time we made a stand and said, “I won’t drive a car that isn’t as smart, or as environmentally aware, or as creative as I am.� To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website audio link

This week marks the 10th anniversary of GM’s innovative electric car, the EV1. Sadly, there will be no victory parades. In 2003, GM ordered all of the popular cars recalled and destroyed. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website audio link

The environment has found a new champion. Justin Trudeau, famed firstborn son of Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, has added his voice and name to the fight to save the planet. To read more, please go to the Your Earth Website audio link

And so it begins. With a final clanging of the bell, school is over for another year. And while every child will soon be singing the songs of summer, somewhere their parents are wondering, "How on Earth am I going to keep these kids busy for two months?" audio link

There comes a point, in every society, when it is time to either, lead, follow, or get the heck out of the way. For Ontario, Canada’s most populous and powerful province, that time is now. At issue – how to power a province that will lose 80% of its generating capacity within the next 15 to 20 years. audio link

June 5 marks the 24th anniversary of World Environment Day. Given that 40% of the planet’s surface is already covered in drylands, this year’s theme, Deserts and Desertification, is particular timely. audio link

Canada’s recent announcement that it won’t be honoring its commitment to the Kyoto Protocol has taken the country from leading the world and making a difference to misleading the world and making excuses. audio link

The fast food and soft drink industries spend billions of dollars every year on advertising and promotion, and yet nobody seems to make the connection between their carefully crafted images and what happens to it when it ends up squashed in a ditch or smeared all over the road. audio link

Incineration, once the bane of the waste industry, is rising like a phoenix from the toxic ash as a perceived win-win solution for two of the major environmental issues that we currently face: What do we do with our garbage and how do we meet our growing demand for electricity. audio link

With the official opening of gardening season looming on the horizon, and municipalities passing by-laws to restrict the cosmetic use of pesticides, the beleaguered lawn care industry has gone on the offensive. Thanks to the innovative ideas of one Canada's greenest entrepreneur, it's possible to have a weed-free, healthy lawn, without having to resort to cancer-causing pesticides. audio link

20 years after the worst nuclear accident in history we are on the verge of a global nuclear revival. The reason? The nuclear industry's carefully crafted misinformation campaign that has positioned nuclear as the environmentally responsible alternative to the burning of fossil fuels. audio link

The paradox of Easter, of spring, is that we can predictably count on the return of new life each year, and yet we cannot explain the unfathomable miracle of the new life that we celebrate. audio link

Celebrating Earth Day once a year begs the question, "What are we doing the rest of the time?" audio link

When Christ talked about Hell, one of the terms He used was Gehenna. Over the centuries we've made this word a general term for torment, but it originally had an exact meaning. Gehenna was the name of Jerusalem's garbage dump. audio link

There is an ancient Cree proverb that warns, "Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money." Perhaps we should add, "And the last field is paved." audio link

Bottled water sales now top $ 100 billion annually for a commodity that most of us can get safely from the tap. Meanwhile, the UN reports that 1.1 billion people don't have access to safe drinking water, which is turns causes 1.6 million deaths annually. The UN's Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people without clean water by 2015 has a price tag of $ 15 billion, a fraction of what we spend on bottled water. audio link

While it's hard to pass up fresh strawberries in the middle of winter, we need to become more aware of the hidden costs associated with having whatever we want, whenever we want it. audio link

An increasing number of scientists believe that rising sea levels, triggered by climate change, may pose a greater threat than the warmer temperatures that have caused them. With sea levels now expected to rise as much as 6 metres or more, our only solution may be to take swimming lessons. audio link

You may not be able to buy love, but you can certainly buy stuff to prove your love – at least that's what advertisers would have us believe. So when our kids are hurt, forget about the hugs: whip them up a smoothie instead! audio link

The province of Ontario is currently considering a $ 30 to 40 billion investment in new nuclear construction. A similar investment in renewables and conservation could meet the province's energy demands, without leaving behind a legacy of high-level waste. audio link

Despite the fact that over 200 scientific studies have confirmed the safety of aspartame, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest, much it anecdotal, that it isn't as safe as once thought. audio link

The US EPA plans to establish testing criteria to allow pesticide manufacturers to test their products on human subjects. At the same time, a French study has concluded that children who are exposed to pesticides are 50% more likely to develop acute leukemia. Maybe pesticide makers should volunteer to be their own guinea pigs audio link

While Canadian and American troops fight to establish stable democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq, citizens in Canada and the US ignore their right to vote at home. In recent elections, a mere 60% of eligible voters cast their ballots. audio link

January 15 to 21 is National Non-Smoking Week in Canada. Only 20 years ago, smoking was consider the norm. Today, the success of the non-smoking movement is a model for many of the environmental problems that we face. audio link

The internet is far more than a communications tool. Its ability to link every soul on the planet has levelled the playing field between rich and poor and created a powerful global community. audio link

Top Environmental Stories of December 2005 While most of us were busy finishing our holiday shopping, three major environmental stories broke in December. Each was the result of years of research and negotiation, to say nothing about courage and determination, and therefore worth repeating. audio link

Idling your car in the winter isn't just bad for the environment, it's bad for your car, and anyone unfortunate enough to get stuck behind your tailpipe, unless of course, you leave your car running with the door open… audio link

Four years after her death, the work of Canadian anti-nuclear activist Irene Kock has both the attention and respect of nuclear regulators. audio link

The pressure to spend more increases with each passing Christmas. But the true spirit of giving is priceless. audio link

With Christmas less than a month away, most of us are already caught up making are our lists and checking them twice. But before we send off those letters to Santa, perhaps it's time to remember that most of us have what we already need audio link

In an attempt to sell nuclear power as an environmentally responsible alternative to dirty coal and oil generation, the Canadian Nuclear Association has sponsored an expensive ad campaign entitled, "Unclear about Nuclear?". While the ads are misleading at best, they totally ignore the unresolved issue of high level nuclear waste. According to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization's final study, these wastes will leave a deadly legacy for at least a million years. audio link

The superheros that we see at the movies usually have cool costumes and supernatural powers. Suzanne Elston says that real life superheroes are simply ordinary people, doing extraordinary things. audio link

Reality TV has nothing on what Mother Nature has been dishing up this fall season. Natural disasters have left thousands dead and millions homeless. While the world watches with compassion, Suzanne Elston wonders how we can provide for so many wounded and helpless souls. audio link

The effects of climate change are being felt around the world. And as Suzanne Elston has discovered, even the greatest of our national landmarks cannot escape the impact of human activity. audio link

Walking for fitness or fun is a great way to rediscover the world around us. Suzanne Elston has learned that how we view that world can also be colored by whom we walk with. audio link

There has been a fair bit of attention focused on protecting the natural habitat of endangered species in the Great Lakes region. Meanwhile, less threatened animals are routinely displaced or destroyed by development. Suzanne Elston tells the story of one creature that got caught on the edge. audio link

Now that the warm weather is here, the season of the yard sale has begun. From now until the first frost of fall, bargain shoppers will be cruising the neighborhood on Saturday mornings in search of recycled gold. And even while this consumer craze is gaining momentum, Suzanne Elston wonders what would happen if they held a yard sale, and nobody came? audio link

It's summertime, and throughout the Great Lakes region, families are making vacation plans. While some will travel far and wide in search of adventures, many will stay closer to home and enjoy what their own area has to offer. Recently, Suzanne Elston discovered that some of the greatest wonders lie right in your own backyard. audio link

Now that spring is finally here, it’s easy to forget the long, cold winter that we’ve only recently survived. Suzanne Elston says maybe we should hang onto those chilling thoughts just a little while longer. audio link

Two recent medical studies have shed some light on the cause and possible prevention of childhood asthma. The first, a Canadian study, examines the relationship between breastfeeding and the risk of developing childhood asthma. The second study out of southern California indicates a connection between smog and childhood asthma rates. Suzanne Elston says that the reports confirm what the parents of many asthmatic children have understood all along. audio link