David Suzuki Foundation Blog

Another chance to hear The Last Call

Wed, 08 Jul 09 18:30:00 UT

Did you catch The Last Call, hosted by David Suzuki, when it aired originally on CBC Radio? If not, now’s your chance to catch it again on Monday, August 3rd at 12pm, or Sunday August 9th at 11am.

Can’t tune into CBC radio during those times? Watch for the podcast, coming soon to the CBC website. You won’t want to miss hearing David Suzuki interview James Lovelock (Author, The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning), Annie Leonard (activist and creator of an online video called The Story of Stuff), David Cheesewright (CEO of Wal-mart Canada), and Heather Reisman (CEO of Indigo Books and Pistachio), and Al Gore (former Vice President of the United States).

Amazon natives stand up for all of us

Tue, 07 Jul 09 18:00:00 UT

Peru's president, Alan Garcia, believes that trees in the Amazon that aren’t being cut down are “lying idle”. And so, according to the Independent's Johann Hari, the president “sold the rights to explore, log and drill 70 per cent of his country's swathe of the Amazon to a slew of international oil companies.”

But the indigenous people of the Amazon rose up and eventually had to face President Garcia’s military might. They won. As Mr. Hari points out, “the indigenous peoples acted in their own self-defence, and ours.”

That’s because, as Mr. Hari notes, “The rainforests inhale massive amounts of warming gases and keep them stored away from the atmosphere. Already, we are chopping them down so fast that it is causing 25 per cent of man-made carbon emissions every year.”

Read about the fascinating struggle in Mr. Hari’s "A fight for the Amazon that should inspire the world: The uprising In the Amazon is more urgent than Iran's - it will determine the future of the planet".

Tar Sands wins Rachel Carson prize

Thu, 02 Jul 09 17:30:00 UT

Andrew Nikiforuk’s best-selling book Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent is important not just for what it has to say about the dirty fuel project in Northern Alberta but also for what it has to say about Canada’s energy and economic policies.

The book, published by Greystone Books with the David Suzuki Foundation, also has a lot to say about the effect of the tar sands on the entire continent. Because of that, it has garnered a lot of interest in the U.S. as well as Canada.

The book’s importance has now been recognized by the U.S. Society of Environmental Journalists, which is awarding it their highest honour, the 2009 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award.

According to the judges, all of whom are accomplished journalists or journalism educators, “The competition in most categories was intense.” Awards are given out in nine categories for reporting, one for a student, and one for a book.

The prize, which comes with US$10,000, will be awarded at the SEJ’s 19th annual conference in Madison, Wisconsin, on October 7.

The book was also awarded the $5,000 City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, an award for outstanding books written by authors from Calgary.

Pedal for the Planet

Thu, 25 Jun 09 21:45:00 UT

Do you enjoy cycling? Do you care about the environment? Then get involved with Pedal for the Planet!

Between June 28 and July 4, people across the country will join in to show their support for meaningful climate action. Using bikes, trains, and other modes of green transportation, participants will show their personal commitment to change and relay their call for a strong new climate treaty to be negotiated in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009.

Participants will converge on Ottawa during the weekend of September 18-20, bringing the hopes and wishes of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

You can join the team for an hour, a day, a week - or for the whole ride. The Pedal for the Planet team would love to have you for as long as you would like to participate.

Orientation events are happening starting June 27. Check out the Pedal for the Planet site at www.kyotoplus.ca/pedal/ for more details.

Climate change, energy issues require cooperation

Wed, 17 Jun 09 16:15:00 UT

We’re pleased to see that both elected political parties in B.C. – along with the B.C. Green Party – agree that a carbon tax is a necessary tool for dealing with global warming. With the NDP advocating for a strengthened tax, we have the opportunity to develop an effective climate change policy in B.C. that can set an example for other jurisdictions.

We also agree with the 21 B.C. mayors who have called on the government to improve the carbon tax by allocating a portion of the revenues to public transit.

With an added cap-and-trade system, which all parties also support, we can put a price on carbon in a way that will lead to reduced emissions. A lot remains to be done, but this issue is so crucial that the only way to move forward is for everyone to work together.

The NDP’s call for a more thorough environmental review of run-of-river power projects is also great news.

We have argued all along that true run-of-river hydro has the potential to be an important part of the clean-energy mix needed to help British Columbia address the issue of climate change while protecting against local environmental impacts.

However, run-of-river hydro projects can result in unacceptable impacts if they are improperly located, poorly designed, or built and operated in a manner that does not minimize impacts on the local environment.

B.C. needs an ecosystem-based management strategy that minimizes the environmental impacts of development – one that assesses the cumulative impacts of multiple power developments, ensures that minimum water flows protect stream ecosystems, and minimizes wilderness fragmentation resulting from access roads and power lines.

We will gladly continue to work with all who believe in science-based solutions for climate change and energy issues.

David Suzuki Digs My Garden--100% Pesticide-Free

Tue, 16 Jun 09 22:45:00 UT

Wow. Ever wondered how resourceful, passionate and articulate Canadians are about the environment.

Happy Clean Air Day!

Wed, 03 Jun 09 16:15:00 UT

Here’s an amazing fact from the BC Lung Association: 6-10 litres of air enters our body every time we take a breath. That adds up to approximately 20,000 litres of air passing through our lungs each day! The simple act of breathing is a profound reminder of our connection to the environment.

Unfortunately, many of us live in cities where smog is a problem and this impacts our health. Last year, the Canadian Medical Association estimated that 21,000 Canadians would die from the effects of air pollution.

Back in 2007, the federal government pledged to cut air pollution from industrial facilities in half but hasn’t followed through. Join us in sending a message to federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice at: Jim.Prentice@ec.gc.ca. Wish him a happy Clean Air Day and ask him when the government is going to follow through on its commitment to reduce air pollution by 50%.

Check out the Clean Air Day web site at www.cleanairday.com

David Suzuki, most trusted Canadian

Tue, 02 Jun 09 21:45:00 UT

He’s outspoken. He’s often controversial. And people trust him. It’s no wonder. David Suzuki has been speaking the truth about environmental issues for more than 40 years.

In fact, Canadians place more trust in Dr. Suzuki than anyone else – by a long shot, according to the Reader’s Digest 2009 Trust Poll. “David Suzuki received more first-place rankings than the second and third places combined,” writes Jonathan Kay in the Reader’s Digest article “The Canadians You Trust”. (The Queen was second and Gen. Rick Hillier third.)

In 2004, voters chose Dr. Suzuki as the greatest living Canadian in CBC’s national contest “The Greatest Canadian”, in which he came in fifth overall.

We’re delighted that so many people respect and trust Dr. Suzuki. And we hope this will inspire even more people to take to heart his message that we must do all we can to protect this small blue planet we call home.

Earth Run was awesome!

Tue, 02 Jun 09 19:45:00 UT

More than 1200 green hearted people participated in the inaugural Earth Run events in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Nelson and Winnipeg.

Over $24,000 was raised toward environmental initiatives. THANK YOU to all those that contributed, raised the funds, participated and volunteered. You have set the seeds for expanding the run across Canada for 2010.

A BIG thank you! to all the participants and volunteers that made the events possible. We have set the stage for expanding the runs across Canada for 2010.

Earth Run 2010 is April 25, email info@earthrun.com to help/get involved.

It's time to put the planet before politics

Tue, 12 May 09 16:45:00 UT

It's election day and a number of B.C. mayors, community leaders, David Suzuki and the former premier Mike Harcourt are calling for the new government, regardless of political stripe, to take a concerted approach to climate change.

The "Planet Before Politics" call to action was launched in open letter published online in the Globe and Mail:
"As citizens of this planet, it is our responsibility to put the planet before politics and urge the next B.C. government and federal politicians to do the same."

Check out the full list of signatories and their call to action:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090508.wPOLbc_letter0509/BNStory/politics/