What is SFM?

Canada is well on their way to sustainable forest practices, but there is still much work to be done. Canada’s government would agree that they have been sustaining their forests with a variety of methods. However, non-governmental organizations (NGO) would state otherwise; they believe the Canadian government has the right idea, but have put nothing into affect. I also agree with this. For example, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia have all made reports explaining they are doing their part in conserving and sustaining forests, although they have no real evidence. In 1992 National Forest Strategy came up with SFM Criteria and Indicators (C&I) in order to determine the success of sustainable forest management. “The first and only report on Canada’s forests using these C&I was published in 2000 (based on the 1995 C&I)… The report is a view of Canadian forests and their management through the lens of the six criteria, but it offers no inferences or conclusions regarding the sustainability of Canadian forests except to suggest that the efforts by various governments to protect more land are positive,” (http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/prb0513-e.htm). In conclusion, the Canadian government is doing a good job planning practices to sustain our forests, but the plans need to be put into action.

The current (2003-2008) National Forest Strategy, A Sustainable Forest: The Canadian Commitment, defines actions and goals that will lead to sustainable forest management in Canada. These are grouped under eight broad themes:

• ecosystem-based management;
• sustainable forest communities;
• rights and participation of Aboriginal peoples;
• forest product benefits;
• knowledge and innovation for competitiveness and sustainability;
• the urban forest and public engagement in sustainability;
• private woodlots’ contribution to sustainability; and
• reporting and accountability.

The six criteria under the Canadian approach to SFM are:

• biological diversity;
• ecosystem condition and productivity;
• soil and water;
• role in global ecological cycles;
• economic and social benefits; and
• society’s responsibility.

(Information gathered from SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN CANADA:CLEAR POLICY - QUESTIONABLE PRACTICE:Prepared by: Michel CharronScience and Technology Division19 July 2005 )

Mmmmm... genetically modified... drool

Are genetically modified foods a good idea? Genetically modified food is a very touchy subject here in Canada and other places around the world. I believe that just like European countries have done, Canada needs to start labeling food letting consumers known if it has been genetically modified. Although many hours of research is done regarding allergies and sickness that can result from GMO’s, it is still not totally sure if there are consequences. However, I do not think that GMO’s are totally bad since there have been some advantages. For example, a species of rice has been genetically modified to become a new kind of rice called “golden rice”. “Golden rice” had a gene planted in it that produces Vitamin A which will reduce the amount of blind children in undeveloped countries. Blindness is a result of a Vitamin A deficiency. Evidently, GMO’s can potentially be very helpful in solving hunger and vitamin deficiency. Although useful, I believe laws should be put in place to label GMO foods. This way, if consumers don’t believe in genetically modified products, they can choose other varieties of food. In conclusion, I believe GMO’s could have a bright future, but more testing has to be done, and more laws need to enforced.

References
http://www.thecampaign.org/
http://www.gene.ch/genet/2001/Oct/msg00004.html
http://www.msu.mcmaster.ca/sil/archives/010301/oped/bartoll.htm

What can YOU do?

I have found a variety of ways to reduce my greenhouse gas emissions. They are as follows:
1.) Use my vehicle less often and choose to car pool or use public transit
2.) While I am driving, drive more moderately. Do not accelerate as quickly, and drive slower to save fuel.
3.) Make regular adjustments to my vehicle, and keep it in good working condition. Properly tuned engines use 50% less fuel, and vehicles with well inflated tires also use less fuel.
4.) Lower my thermostat at home; I can save about 3% on heating costs for every degree you reduce your thermostat.
5.) Use my microwave more often instead of a stove top element as it uses much more energy.
6.) Reduce my computers energy consumption by turning on the energy saving feature.
7.) Reduce the lighting I use by taking advantage of natural light and also turning off lights while I am not around.
8.) Hang my clothes instead of putting them into a clothes dryer.
9.) I can be a smart shopper by buying groceries in recyclable packaging.
10.) I can be open to new ideas about the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
11.) Buy energy star appliances.
12.) When using dishwashers and clothes dryers, make sure it is a full load.
13.) I can weatherize my home by making sure it is well insulated (more heat escaping means more your furnace has to work).
14.) I can replace any incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones.
15.) I can buy solar panels and set them up for an alternate energy source.
16.)I can decide to eat low on the food chain. On average, it takes nearly 10 times as much fossil fuel to produce animal protein compared to plant protein, like beans and grains.

17.) People who live in the city could ride their bike to work/school etc instead of driving.
18.) The last thing I could do, is educated people around me like family and friends on how they can also reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
http://envirorentals.com/Topic_of_month/reduceemissions.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Reduce-Your-Greenhouse-Gas-Emissions
All of these suggestions could be used by myself, friends, relatives, co workers and so on. I think there are quite a few good ideas to contribute to lowering GHG emissions, but people just have to try. We all need to do our part.

My Footprint

After taking the first footprint test, these were my results:
Category Global Hectares
-Food -3.3
-Mobility -0.7
-Shelter -1.2
-Goods/ Service -2.0
TOTAL FOOTPRINT -7.2
If everyone lived like me, we would need 4 planets.

Next, I took the future life-style footprint quiz and this was the result:
F4: Factor Four
As people reinvent a new kind of quality of life in local communities, true wealth spreads more evenly. The ecological footprint is reduced overall by a factor of four, by combining increased efficiency, better distribution, and zero-waste closed cycle production and consumption.

In order to reduce my footprint, I could do a couple of things. For food, I could choose local, and fresh foods instead of packaged and processed food. As for the mobility section, I could car pool with friends, choose to ride my bike more often, and in the future buy a fuel efficient vehicle. It is a little difficult to lessen my footprint when it comes to shelter. At this point, I cannot change the house I live in, or the number of people that inhabit it. In the future, perhaps in university, I could share a home with several room mates. The goods/ service section I could alter. I could choose to purchase less services like dry cleaning, mechanics etc.
In conclusion, I think this would lower my footprint by a large quantity. We all have to do our part in incorporating change, this could be somewhere to start.

Canadian Carbon Tax

In order to save our environment, and reach the Kyoto Protocol goal’s, I believe that a carbon tax is a good idea. People will not just reduce their emissions, there has to be a disincentive or an incentive to make a change. People need to be motivated whether it be positive or negative persuasion. If people were taxed for an excess of carbon, people would make an effort to try and reduce their emissions. However, if this tax were to work, proper techniques need to be implemented so carbon emissions can be properly measured. A reason the One Tonne Challenge was a "flop" was because there was no system to calculate the amount of carbon emissions produced by companies and people. Before any carbon tax is decided, both pros and cons of the topic need to be considered; CBC describes these points quite well in an article. We also need to be aware of the effects it may have on certain industries. For example, Alberta is one of the main produces of oil and gas in Canada, and they would be hit quite hard with carbon taxes. Also, trucking industries would suffer as they rely on the burning of fossil fuels to keep the companies going. Of course though, one of the most famous environmentalist in Canada, David Suzuki, totally agrees with carbon taxes. He makes a good point that the USA has had one for years, and if they can do it, so can we. In conclusion, I think a carbon tax would be a wise idea for Canada, but further research needs to be done.

I really enjoyed An Inconvenient Truth. After I watched the movie, I felt that I need to somehow do my part in stopping global warming or help in preserving the Earth. Of course, it is difficult to do any major change, but I thought I could at least do little things. I decided that I should be more cautious in turning off lights, turning off appliances, shorter showers and not leaving water on. Also after watching An Inconvenient Truth, I was more convinced that global warming is happening. It is hard not to believe the facts that Al Gore suggests; how could he possibly “make” up all of that information and show it to millions of people?
I have found four websites, two of which support An Inconvenient, and 2 that are against the arguments. The first website is: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmFiZDAyMWFhMGIxNTgwNGIyMjVkZjQ4OGFiZjFlNjc which is titled “Gorey Truths”. This site has counterpoints for all of Al Gores main points. The second site that I found has various news paper and people that disagree with Al Gore’s statements. These people also say that Gore is exaggerating his arguments. The URL is http://newsbusters.org/node/11377 . The third website is http://tgws.org.uk/ which agrees with the documentary. The site is committed to convincing people to take global warming seriously. Their objective is stated as: “To move the crisis of Global Warming to the very top of everyone's personal and political agendas; above increasing prosperity, health, education and the "War on Terror"”. The final website that I found is also dedicated to stop global warming, with the trailer of An Inconvenient Truth accessible.
In conclusion, I think there are a lot of different ideas when it comes to global warming. Some people totally agree, while others despise the topic. It is difficult to know what is correct, but possibly with more data and scientific analyses, we will find an answer.

Did January Seem Warm to You?

The NOAA stands for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The 'Goldilocks Effect' is that Earth is the perfect temperature. Like the story of Goldilocks, she finds the porridge that is just right, and the other bowls are either too hot or too cold. Venus is too hot, Mars is too cold, and the Earth is just right.
I have always believed in global warming and I think this article proves some good points. It is not sure if global warming is for sure, and there are supporters of both sides. Personally, when December came around, and there was no snow, I got quite worried. Ever since I was little, I could remember playing in snow at least by the month of December; but this year was different. I was starting to get frustrated by January because I wanted to snowmobile and snowboard; and then it finally it happened. Suddenly, it seemed that “winter” had come and we were hit with snow. Along with the snow, temperatures dropped drastically; late January resulted in temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius. After the cold chill, I wasn’t so sure as to what to think about global warming. Yes, we had some very warm periods, but also some very cold periods as well. Perhaps, the wide range of temperatures could average out to similar trends in the past years.
At this point, I am still unsure exactly what to think. It may not be the result of global warming that we are experiencing above average temperatures across the globe. We will just have to wait to see what happens I suppose.