Your Christmas Trees, of course!

I know I’m probably a little late this year for most of you, but here’s something for you to think on for next year. Real or artificial?

You might think artificial is better. The tree looks perfect every year, you can use it for years and years, so in the end it’s cheaper, there’s no needles to clean up and it doesn’t need to be watered. Plus you saved a tree from being cut down so it’s better for the environment, right?

Wrong!

Artificial trees are made out of plastic. So the fact that you can use it year after year also means it will be around for years and years, like hundreds of years. Eventually that artificial tree will end up in a landfill where it will biodegrade at a rate pretty close to zilch.

Another wonderful thing that plastic trees can do for you…off-gas. Have you ever noticed how something new and plastic smells plasticy? That’s because it’s giving off chemicals and you’re breathing them in. We already get enough toxins from other sources, we don’t need to add another.

Real Christmas trees are grown on farms. And sure you’re cutting down a tree, but that tree farmer is going to make sure another tree gets planted in it’s place because that’s their source of income. Plus if you happen to live in Nova Scotia, we have a huge Christmas tree industry and you’d be buying local! Everyone wants to buy local these days.

So what if you already have an artificial tree? Well, if it’s likely to end up in a landfill anyway you might as well do your body a favour and send it there now. There’s not much you can do about the landfill bit after it’s been bought (is there a market for second hand artificial trees?), but at least spare yourself some chemicals.

Our very real Christmas tree

We had a fantastic day going to a u-cut and chopping down our own tree. I hope it becomes a yearly tradition, and that you think about starting this tradition too.

PS I know some people are allergic to real trees, but you can always have a fun alternative like a deciduous tree!

There’s a new round of climate talks taking place in South Africa. A bit of a surprise yesterday when China called for a binding agreement. Let’s let that sink in for a mintue.

CHINA.

China wants binding emissions targets. What does Canada want? To stick it’s head in the sand, the Tar Sands to be precise.

Last week’s Quirks and Quarks had a segment on the talks in Durban and a little recap about how we’re all doing with Kyoto. Did you know Canada’s emissions rose by 17% from 1990 levels (the 1990 levels were the baseline for Kyoto, we were actually supposed to decrease from that)? Did you know the US only went up 7%? Yup, we’re worse than the US. We’re basically the worst climate offender in the world.

Overall developed countries actually did decrease their emissions, mostly due to European counties. This was partly due to the economic downturn but Germany seems to be doing OK and also lowering it’s emissions, caused in a large part to government initiatives.

So Canada failed Kyoto and now it’s poo-pooing on the very thought of a new agreement. It’s past whines include “The US isn’t doing it, why do I have to?”. Basically Canada says some of the largest emitters (US, China, Brazil) aren’t covered by Kyoto so it’s useless. Right, because we wouldn’t want Canada to set a progressive example, or do our part to reduce global emission anyway, maybe just because it’s the right thing to do. And now China’s on board and Canada still poo-poos it!

All the Canadian government wants is to work the Tar Sands for all they’re worth and leave the rest of the world with the consequences. We all knew this going into the last elections and yet we still gave Harper a majority government. So shame on Harper for not recognizing what climate change really means, but also shame on Canadian voters for doing the exact same thing. Get informed.

Well, after venting most of the frustrations I might have put on my blog through twitter, I finally have something else to say that needs more than 140 characters. I sent this letter to our premier and MLA tonight:

Dear Mr. Dexter and Mr. MacDonell,

My husband and I want to live in Nova Scotia. This is where we grew up and this is where our family lives. We both moved away at one point, but we made a conscious decision to move back. This is where we want our kids to grow up too.

But Nova Scotia is not making this easy. We had moved back for 11 months before I found a job in my field. I have a masters degree and I had to work at a department store to pay the rent. Then the province raised the GST, so I had less money in my pocket with every transaction I made. Then I hear power rates are going to go up, at a much higher rate than my yearly pay increases. But we tolerate and adjust because we love Nova Scotia.

And now I am terrified that our beautiful province is going to allow shale gas fracking. To me, as someone who loves Nova Scotia, someone who is making financial sacrifices to live here, this could put the nail in the coffin that drives us to another province. The risks just seem too high. Not only is this system water intensive, it could potentially ruin our drinking water supply. Nova Scotia’s fresh water is a blessing, and water resources are not something to be taking lightly. As a family looking to really settle into Nova Scotia life, we have to look at the long term. Allowing fracking seems short-sighted to me. How can we invest ourselves long term in this province if we fear one day we won’t be able to turn on the tap and have safe drinking water?

We want to do our part to help Nova Scotia be a better province. Protesting shale gas exploration is part of that. Even if it can’t be claimed that fracking will or won’t contaminate our water, it is not a risk you should place on the shoulders of Nova Scotians. Preserve this province’s natural splendor for future generations.

Help us make our lives in Nova Scotia.

Thank you,

Carolyn Marshall

Milford Station, NS

I like to take this post to highlight one of the great things going on in Halifax. A lot of Canadians outside of the Maritimes (*cough* Vancouverites *cough*) see us as a little behind the times, a little old fashioned, a little backward. Those people have never been here. We have great minds here and they’re doing great things.

The Urban Garden Project is happening through the Ecology Action Centre. This project supports local community gardens in Halifax. They give advice, help provide equipment and connect volunteers with gardens in need.

This project is great as it creates a source of local food while at the same time raising awareness of why local food is important.

Thanks to the Urban Garden Project for making Halifax a little more forward-thinking, a little more environmentally friendly, and a little cooler!

That’s more or less the headline of a story that ran yesterday on the CBC news channel.

What? I didn’t know we had food shortages! But after a little searching, well there’s some bad stuff going down in the world.

7 people in Egypt died in a riot of people waiting to get bread.

People in Haiti are eating mud to get essential minerals.

Here in Canada wet weather is taking a bite out of crop harvesting in the prairies.

Eep. I didn’t realize things were so bad. There was a day when I couldn’t find spinach in any grocery store in Halifax, but other than that things haven’t really appeared on my radar. However, with extreme weather becoming more and more of a norm, we can only expect more of the same. Prices for food staples are going to continue to rise, especially on the things we eat (or our food eats) all the time, like flour and corn.

Is fake meat really the answer? I had written about fake meat before, but I never thought about this side of the issue. With the technology of growing meat tissue in a laboratory, can we feed the world’s population? Maybe. But do we need to? NO

Like I said, I haven’t noticed a food shortage. I don’t have to resort to standing in line for hours for bread or eating mud to survive. I have a lot of food in my cupboards. It sometimes goes bad and I have to throw it away.

People are eating mud and I’m throwing food away.

This is wrong. Why do I have so much and they don’t have anything? Because I can afford to pay for it? The way we perceive our food in the Western world needs to change. We eat way too much! We’re obese. We join gyms to counteract the very act of eating. We really could get by with eating a lot less as a society. One particular food item we eat too much of is meat. Why would we need to grow more of it in a lab?! North Americans have an extremely high protein diet. Our portions of meat are too big and our frequency of meat consumption is too high. If we start eating only what we need, we wouldn’t need so much food in the first place!

What you can do:

1) Know your portion sizes. One protein serving is about the size of a deck of cards. How big was the last steak you ate?

2) Only buy what you need. Are you always throwing out half a head of lettuce? Make a list of what you want to eat that week and know how much of each item you want to buy. Also, clean out the fridge regularly. That way you remember what’s in there and don’t let it go bad or buy doubles.

3) Think about all the money you’re saving and weight you’re not gaining. Like I’ve said before, it’s hard to care about a riot in Egypt but easy to care about things that hit close to home. So be selfish and do this for yourself!

We need to change the way we perceive food now, before the problems does hit close to home. Growing meat in a lab is not the answer we need right now.