“Every time history repeats itself the price goes up.”

Surviving Progress presents the story of human advancement as awe-inspiring and double-edged. It reveals the grave risk of running the 21st century’s software — our know-how — on the ancient hardware of our primate brain which hasn’t been upgraded in 50,000 years. With rich imagery and immersive soundtrack, filmmakers Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks launch us on journey to contemplate our evolution from cave-dwellers to space explorers.

Ronald Wright, whose best-seller, “A Short History Of Progress” inspired this film, reveals how civilizations are repeatedly destroyed by “progress traps” — alluring technologies serve immediate needs, but ransom the future. With intersecting stories from a Chinese car-driving club, a Wall Street insider who exposes an out-of-control, environmentally rapacious financial elite, and eco-cops defending a scorched Amazon, the film lays stark evidence before us. In the past, we could use up a region’s resources and move on. But if today’s global civilization collapses from over-consumption, that’s it. We have no back-up planet.

Québec’s waterways face numerous environmental threats, from industrial pollution, shipping, and oil and gas to a variety of other economic activity. How do we reconcile global demand for resources from this region with the need to protect this area’s fragile ecosystems and endangered species? How can companies that tap these resources do so sustainably? How can we encourage Quebecers to recognize and reduce their personal impact on our freshwater resources?

This discussion, the second in a national series, will address the importance of freshwater ecosystems, showcasing examples of effective business and NGO collaboration to achieve greater environmental, social and economic impact.

The speakers will include:

• Daniel Cotte, Président et chef de la direction des Eaux Naya
• André Martin, Président-directeur général, Fondation de la faune du Québec.
• Karel Mayrand, Directeur général, Fondation David Suzuki Québec.
• Melody Badgett, Senior Vice-President, Marketing, Acquisitions and Membership, 1% for the Planet.

There will be presentations in both English and French.

For more information, please see the attached media advisory or event poster, or alternatively, please visit http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/en/conversations/montreal.php

The first red flags started coming up during Dragons’ Den episode 5 aired on Oct. 12. The last segment contained a ‘pitch’ by a young Canadian entrepreneur who developed a waterless car washing product. Yes, tested and true, GoClean allows you to clean your car without using water. What’s even more interesting (if washing your car with no water is not enough!) is that the company has teamed up with African Well Fund which receives funds from the purchase of the product (each purchase provides fresh drinking water for 21 days).

This partnership was too much for Kevin O’Leary, who, without much further ado launched:

“Why? Why don’t you wait to be profitable, then you can give to the baby whales? [...]I find that absolutely offensive. The DNA of a business is to make profit for its shareholders[...]If I were to invest in you, you are stealing money from me. I decide what charities get my money, not you.” (you can watch the whole exchange here – episode 5 at 35min in).

It is certainly disappointing to see that when faced with climate change, urban pollution and increased resource scarcity, some business gurus have not yet made ‘Triple bottom line‘ part of their vocabulary and modus operandi. More disappointing is the fact that young entrepreneurs’ eco-ideas can be so blatantly bullied to conform to outdated and dangerous business models that have caused the environmental crisis we are faced with today. Fortunately, the rest of the Dragons crew supported with cash and moral outrage the young innovator and that gives at least some hope that more eco-conscious investors are out there.

And since we are on the topic of Kevin O’Leary, he managed to anger a couple of hundred viewers this week when he called Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author Chris Hedges “a left-wing nutbar”. The name calling took place during the Lang & O’Leary Exchange which focused on the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Such was the public wrath that the CBC ombudsman had to write up a lengthy quasi-apology on behalf of Mr. O’Leary. Hopefully such lack of professionalism, while it may be acceptable in the boardroom, will not creep into our public broadcasters’ programming.

Bucharest: September 28^th, 2011

Today, 28th of September 2011, the protest action called “The Gold March” or “Gold for the President” reached it’s final point. The action was initiated by Florin Suciu-35, which along with his younger fellow, Sebastian Muscalu - 21, started on September 19th, 2011, a 9 day long walk, from their hometown Bacau to Bucharest, with final destination the presidential palace, following the route: Bacau-Focsani-Ramnicu Sarat-Buzau-Bucuresti.

Yesterday, September 27th, 2011 the march reached the Cotroceni Palace. Over 400 protester joined the two in Bucharest on the route: University Square-Central Army House – Military Academy, where from a small group consisting of Florin Suciu, Sebastian Muscalu, accompanied by volunteers of the Save Rosia Montana campaign, proceeded towards the palace, in order to find out that the president left the location earlier that day.

The action ended up today, 28th of September, when gold objects donated by supporters were refused by the Romanian presidential representatives. The gold objects were presented as symbol of the Romanian state’s insignificant financial gain, that might result from the proposed mining project, compared with the severe damage and permanent loss of the natural and patrimonial resources. The result of this action comes against the president’s pro-exploitation attitude. It sends a message to the people: Romania doesn’t need gold, therefore the Canadian company’s proposed mining project is not necessary.

The sum in the amount of 225 RON, obtained from supporters along the 9 day long journey from Bacau to Bucharest, was deposited in the Fund for the Sustainable Development of Rosia Montana, especially created for this occasion, in order to support the locals in Rosia Montana village. Also, the gold shall be donated to the Rosia Montana community.

This extreme action comes as a result of the President Traian Basescu’s numerous statements while trying to convince the Romanian citizens on the benefits of the proposed open cast mining project.

“I’m just a simple Romanian citizen. My conscience and the moral values that I believe in led me to take action against their absence in the current political system. Therefore, I decided to walk down to Bucharest and carry with me the message that Rosia Montana is not sale. Moreover, in order for this march to have yet a practical and symbolic value, I will personally go to the presidential Palace, and donate a piece of gold, family owned, as much as I can afford and ask the president to protect Rosia Montana’s treasure for future generations.

I’m definitely not convinced that, according to Mr. President’s statements, the gold of Rosia Montana will save Romania nor that the Canadian company’s proposed project will provide long term or even medium term benefits. But if the president truly believes this, then I’ll support him in my own way without having to destroy four mountains; pollute a few hundred hectares of land; create the illusion of any community enrichment; divide the political and social class. I’ll show my support without having to to lie in the benefit of foreign interests and without creating the illusion that this mining project is a viable way for Romania to get out of the financial crisis.

During the communism era we were not allowed to talk, nor to express our opinions. After we earned this right, the government doesn’t want to listen, nor care of our wants and needs. They are trying to ignore the Voice of the people (over 45 000 signatures against the mining project in 5 weeks) which shouts against the start of one of the largest open cast mining projects in Europe.

What happened with the rights we fought for in the 89′s revolution? The time has come to gain the right to be heard and listened to. By definition, the State exists because of and through its citizens.

I only have two messages: Rosia Montana is not for sale! and “Romanians, the time has come ...!” said Florin Suciu, initiator of the march.

The two marchers were accompanied for the last 25 miles of their walk by Alina Musatoiu and Violeta Neamtu, two “Save Rosia Montana” campaign volunteers.

Tomorrow, September 29th, Florin Suciu and Sebastian Muscalu will head to Rosia Montana to both share their story with over 500 participants coming from all over the world to support traditional agriculture in the International Camp Reclaim the Fields, along with the locals who have been fighting against the mining company for over a decade.

For additional information please contact:

Florin Suciu gliabacau@yahoo.com, 0755 807 378

Elena Rastei elena@rosiamontana.net, 0743 756 079

Alina Musatoiu comunicare@asociatiabucuresti.ro, 0721 375 730

Web-Site: http://www.rosiamontana.org (information about “Save Rosia Montana” campaign)

http://www.rosiamontana.net (petitions and direct actions )

Blog:

http://RosiaBlog.ro

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/rosia.montana.in.unesco

Help Alternatives Journal celebrate its 40th birthday by adding your choices to our Best-Of Lists for a Better World.

From National Parks to environmental books, pet peeves to green blogs, help us track Canada’s take on our environment. We want all regions of Canada to be represented in the survey, so please add your choices and send it along to your friends, family and colleagues, wherever they may be in Canada, so that they can participate too.

Results will be published in our 40th anniversary issue. On newsstands in November 2011.

Please add your voice by clicking here: Best-Of Lists for a Better World.

The exhibition took months to prepare including washing hundreds of plastic bottles and digging into the Center’s recycling twice a week to gather the materials that make up the installation: 13,750 bottles and 12 rolls of double-sided tape were used to build the pond; 6,080 plastic water bottles were put together to form the waterfalls; 5,000 square feet of cardboard boxes make the tree trunks; 1,600 square feet of cardboard boxes were used to make the 70-foot high tree raises from Sainte-Catherine Level up to the 5th Floor; and dozens of can pops and ice-cream buckets make up the lilies and other flowers.

Entrevue “Fragile”, de Roadsworth et Brian Armstrong from Projekroom on Vimeo.

Linking nature and man-made structures “the elements that make up this installation are reassembled into a clumsy semblance of their original forms, a poignant reminder of both the fragility and irrevocable loss of a natural and original state.”

• promoting healthy communities and ecosystems;
• addressing climate change by moving to a low-carbon economy;
• and working with partners in the private sector to green North America’s economy.

Of note, the CEC launched a new $1.4 million North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA) program to support a diverse set of projects by providing access to CEC resources for a broad base of hands-on groups and organizations. For more details on the program see the call for proposals here. Preliminary proposals are due 22 August 2011, before 5:00 p.m. EST.

The CEC was established by Canada, Mexico and the United States to build cooperation among the NAFTA partners in implementing the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the environmental parallel agreement to the NAFTA. The CEC addresses environmental issues of continental concern, with particular attention to the environmental challenges and opportunities presented by continent-wide free trade.

• Total investment of $1.625 billion of which

• $1.191 billion in infrastructure development
• $382 million in expenditures to cover essentially social measures, in particular housing, health, the reduction of transportation costs, and education
• $52 million over the entire period to cover the implementation by the Société du Plan Nord and initiatives to solicit foreign investors

• $500 million in equity investment with an overall investment of $2.1 billion for overall implementation

The first five years will create 20,000 jobs per year which are expected to be sustained over the 25 year life time of the Plan Nord. The social measures include the construction of 500 housing units in Nunavik in addition to the already planned 340 units; strengthening the training and education infrastructure and services in the northern regions covered by the Plan; an investment of $65 million in the development, retention and attraction of manpower; strengthening the health and social services to meet the needs of the population influx in the region; and measures for the ‘preservation of the living culture’ of the north which includes the production of a “documentary series on the Plan Nord”.

Natural resource development
Some critics have observed that even though it lists specific priorities in each sector, in terms of concrete planned resource development projects the new action plan only identifies the ones already underway, especially in the mining sector, leaving a sense of uncertainty in respect to upcoming projects in this sector.  The recent opposition to the shale gas industry has focused attention to the Mining Law which has been criticized by prominent environmental organizations and community groups. As the proposed implementation of Bill 79 to amend the Mining Law was repelled last year, last week, the government introduced a new bill – Bill 14 – to amend the Mining Law which includes an increase in set-aside funds to cover 100% of the costs of mine rehabilitation (previously set at 70%) and some measures to increase local participation in the implementation of mining projects by way of excluding urban and outfitting zones from exploration and exploitation.

The official opposition – Quebec Solidaire and Pati Quebecois – have attacked the plan, especially in what concerns the mining sector. Amir Khadir (Quebec Solidaire) estimates that even though royalty rates have been increased from 12% to 16%, this measure remains only a budgetary initiative with no legal clout (Bill 14 does not make any changes to the royalty regime) estimating that in the past decade the government has only touched 1.5% of the total profits of mining industry in the province. The PQ has demanded an increased public participation in the decision making. The new bill limits participation to acquiring a written consent from the private land owner within a 60 day deadline and notifying the municipality 90 days before starting exploration works. In addition, although the PQ welcomes the mandatory public consultation measures it is worried that the task is left to the mining companies.

In the energy sector the figures have remained the same – an additional 3500MW – nevertheless the plan specifies that 3000MW will be hydro, 300MW wind and 200MW of “other resources.” This breakdown will probably incite renewed criticisms in light of the already controversial Romaine project.

Aboriginal communities
The most interesting development is the increased participation of First Nations and Inuit in the development of the plan itself by way of consultation tables (see the chart below) as well as in its implementation, including representation on the Société du Plan Nord and other particular socioeconomic measures included in each sector.

Consultation framework

Cree Grand Chief, Matthew Coon Come, praised the plan as a “new era. We have gone from an era of a policy of exclusion to an era of a policy of inclusion.” However the Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, Ghislain Picard, refused to participate in the unveiling ceremony protesting the failure of the government to ratify the Approche Commune with the Innu. He maintains that:

“The Government of Quebec has not only the obligation to take into account the rights of all First Nations affected by the Plan Nord, but it also has the responsibility to engage in true dialogue with all First Nations in Quebec, including subjects like wealth-sharing, co-management and royalties. I am still waiting for a phone call from Jean Charest.”

The Algonquin communities of the Abitibi region are still excluded from the Plan Nord as they reside just below the parallel 49 territorial limit. Indeed, for the nations that have not yet signed an agreement the implementation of the Plan Nord presents many challenges as they do not have a legal framework within which their interests can be protected – no recognized territorial or resource use rights.

Development model in question
Amir Khadir has accused the government of pursuing an outdated 19th century development model characterising it as “colonial” in its intent and substance. As other critics, M. Khadir calls for a long-term truly sustainable development model that engages local communities beyond “mere consultation”, applies cutting edge technologies, avoids destructive approaches such as open pit mining (such as the case of Malartic), in addition to meagre financial returns to society.  The “pillage” of the province’s resources to “the profit of multinationals” is, according to M. Khadir, unacceptable.

Although his view might seem extreme, especially considering the important and much needed economic development in these regions, M. Khadir might be in line with recent international paradigm change. On May 14, three days after the public announcement of the Plan Nord, the UN Environmental Programme published the first in a series of reports geared towards assessing the emergence of the Green Economy – Decoupling Natural Resource Use and Environmental Impacts from Economic Growth. Decoupling is defined as “using less resources per unit of economic output and reducing the environmental impact of any resources that are used or economic activities that are undertaken.” (UNDP, 2011: 8). Since resource consumption is “a reliable companion” of economic prosperity which makes “nearly all mainstream and development models” ignore resource constraints, worldwide resource use is expected to triple by 2050. “Over-exploitation, climate change, pollution, land-use change, and loss of biodiversity” point to an unstable world in the next few decades. The Panel argues that in order to avoid ecological, economic and social collapse, per capita resource use needs to be scaled down to 5 or 6 tons/year.

We are reminded that each Canadian uses an average of 25 tons of resources per year (mineral, agricultural, water, etc).  Tightening the belt may not only be needed during an economic recession, it’s becoming a necessity for the long-term survival of our society. Whether the Plan Nord will move the province into further ecological and social jeopardy or towards the Green Economy depends on the willingness of the decision makers to implement innovative strategic approaches. The civil society has an equal responsibility to improve well-being and social equity while reducing environmental risks.

• Urbanization
• Sanitation and Pollution
• Governance and management
• Investment and Finance
• Environmental Impact and Climate Change

As one in 2 people in the world spend their lives in an urban center and 95% of the urban population growth is projected to take place in the developing world, managing fresh water resources is becoming a priority for governments (UN Water, 2011). For cities the challenge of maintaining and improving infrastructure and public water utilities is increasing as 1 out of 4 residents (789 million) live without access to sanitation facilities and 1 in 6 (894 million) don’t have access to safe freshwater. We are appropriating 56% of all accessible freshwater of which 70% is used in irrigation, 22% is used by industries and 8% for domestic use.  But access is only half the story. The pollution of this source of life exacerbates the challenge faced by urban centers and increases the strain on entire river basins. Every year 2 million tons of human waste are disposed in water courses and an additional 70% of industrial waste in the developing world is dumped untreated into waters (UN Water, 2006).

The main UN sponsored event took place in Cape Town, South Africa. The international conference held on the 22nd was highlighted by three main panels: Connecting Cape Town to the World which brought together water experts, professionals and suppliers to discuss the “challenges and opportunities of water and urbanization”. The second panel focused on governance and policy and included mayors, representatives of development banks, and international organizations working with local governments. The conference closed with a High-Level Panel which resumed the recommendations put forward throughout the day. An exhibition and fair running from march 20 to 22nd showcased “key international as well a national organizations and companies presenting their activities on Water and Urbanization.”

In Montreal WWD was celebrated at the NDG Ecocartier with a water-themed workshop (6575 Somerled, #206 from 7-9PM), a photo exhibition of Oxfam-Quebec’s projects in developing countries (Eaton’s Center), and a presentation of Montreal Action H2O to the Post Graduate Student Society of McGill environment committee (at Thomson House restaurant 3560 McTavish, at 6PM). In Quebec City organisers of the Quinzaine de l’eau stretched out the activities for 2 weeks to mark the 2nd International day without bottled water (Development and Peace) and WWD.

For more information on water related stats visit the UN World Water Assessment Programme
For everything you need to know about water see UN Water and here for the WWD events and past campaigns

Watch the Message by the UN Deputy Secretary-General