Podcasts about ecology action centre

On the phone-in: Our guest is Steve Aiken, an associate professor of audiology at the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Dalhousie University. He answers listeners' questions about hearing loss. And off the top of the show, we speak with Thomas Arnason McNeil from the Ecology Action Centre. He comments on the topic of climate change and how it figured into the federal election. We also hear your feedback on income inequality.

The tariff war has inspired many people to buy local, but that's often easier said than done when it comes to seafood. Christina Callegari, SeaChoice representative from the Ecology Action Centre, explains why that is.

Holly Isnor is the Marine Campaign Coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre in Nova Scotia, and our  guest on The Blue fish Radio Show. Holly will explain why the 184 fishers in Nova Scotia that hold swordfish harpoon licenses are interested in adding the option of filling their quota using hook-and-line, and bringing along paying customers interested in reeling in swordfish that can reach weights of 500 kilograms. Find out what it's going to take to open up this new big game recreational fishing opportunity.

People concerned about open-net pen salmon farming met in Dartmouth, N.S., on Thursday to voice their concerns about the lack of regulation in Nova Scotia. Simon Ryder Burbidge, the senior marine campaign co-ordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, was there. He joins host Jeff Douglas to discuss those concerns.

The provincial government has left Nova Scotia property owners to rely on their own instincts and better judgments when it comes to protecting coastal property. Environment Minister Tim Halman introduced the government's plan for coastal resiliency, The Future of Nova Scotia's Coastline this week. The Progressive Conservative say the plan will protect people, homes and nature from climate change along Nova Scotia's 13,000 kilometres of coastline by introducing 15 actions for property owners, municipalities and the province to take to make coastal homes, communities and natural areas safer. The plan supplants the Coastal Protection Act that passed with full support of all Nova Scotia political parties in 2019 but was never proclaimed. In this podcast, we hear from Carolyn Bolivar-Getson from the NS Federation of Municipalities and Marla MacLeod from the Ecology Action Centre along with Minister Halman.

The Ecology Action Centre says the Province's decision not to enact the Coastal Protection act makes no sense.

Five years after all parties voted for it, the provincial government has decided to drop the Coastal Protection Act and go in another direction. The environment minister says the new plan will 'empower' Nova Scotians. But the Ecology Action Centre's Marla Macleod disagrees.

Nancy Anningson who is the director of operations and development with the Ecology Action Centre discusses why she's disappointed the NS government has backed off from bringing the Coastal Protection Act into effect. Senator Brian Francis discusses renaming the Confederation Bridge to Epekwitk Crossing as an act of reconciliation. And on the phone-in: Dana Calder-Boutillier - the "Coupon Nannie" - provides advice on saving money on groceries.

There has been discussion about the proposal of a spring bear hunt, from those who are in favour of it and those who are opposed. Raymond Plourde at the Ecology Action Centre shares his take on why he thinks introducing a spring hunt is a bad idea. 

The Senior Wilderness Coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre shares his thoughts on the province's proposal for a pilot spring bear hunt.

You might think green hydrogen and decarbonizing the energy grid have a lot in common, but one of our guests is not so sure. David Neira, Energy Co-ordinator for the Ecology Action Centre, shares his concerns.

Nature Nova Scotia and the Ecology Action Centre have joined forces on a campaign urging the provincial government to amend and strengthen the Provincial Parks Act, in order to close loop holes and prevent future development proposals on protected park land.

The federal government has announced changes to the roll-out of the carbon tax. We speak with Chris Benjamin, a Senior Energy Coordinator, specializing in efficiency with the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax. And on the phone-in: Niki Jabbour answers your gardening questions.

Federal Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has announced a deal on a renewable energy plan with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston and New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs. Ecology Action Centre energy co-ordinator Katharine Turner shares her perspective.

Eelgrass grows on the seabed, 40 metres under the water. it's home to numerous species of fish and other creatures, and it helps the planet's marine ecosystem. Researchers in Gros Morne will be learning a whole lot more about eelgrass over the next three years. The Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative and the Ecology Action Centre are doing the work, along with Grenfell Campus, Memorial University. CBC producer Hillary Johnson reached two people involved with the project.

Premier Danielle Smith's government has been taking aim at the federal government's draft clean energy regulations. The campaign is running in Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Brenna Walsh with the Ecology Action Centre looks into what the ads say.

Jen Powley, a Halifax disability rights advocate and environmentalist, is being remembered for the impact she had on Halifax and the people around her. Host Jeff Douglas spoke with Maggy Burns, who worked with Jen at the Ecology Action Centre.

The provincial government wants Nova Scotians to send feedback on its environmental assessment process, but where do you even start? We talked to the Ecology Action Centre's Karen McKendry about this public consultation process.

Brenna Walsh is the Energy Coordinator at the Ecology Action Center. She's made a career out of bringing different communities together to strengthen and accelerate climate policy and action. Walsh is focused squarely on understanding what has worked and not worked in the past and on exploring new initiatives to build climate resistant communities. In this interview I aimed to get a deeper sense of the economic reasons behind the policy measure that's usually referred to as a “carbon tax.” Brenna breaks down how that measure of carbon pricing is just one part of a whole array of emerging measures for addressing the climate crisis. We have Clean Fuel Regulations, a modest removal of some “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies at the federal level, among other policies and incentives. Brenna breaks it all down. I don't want to spend too much time in this introduction giving an overview of the conversation actually, because the conversation itself is an overview of what we have in terms of tools for limiting carbon and some of the history of those tools. We start by talking about the conceptual and policy tool of the so-called “social cost of carbon,” and how that social cost is calculated in economic terms. The whole goal, though, is to figure out a means of building, really, a different system from the fossil fuel based one that we currently have. Walsh is interested in how to calculate the damages, but she's more interested in bringing the diverse array of people that feel there is not enough being done into the conversation about crafting and supporting solutions. There are a few invaluable resources that Brenna cites that are included in these show notes. Overall, it's a matter, though, of using these resources, and conversations like these, as a means of going further faster, of making a complex transition simpler, doable and more seamless for people at the grassroots level. RESOURCES: More Mobility, Less Mining: https://www.climateandcommunity.org/more-mobility-less-mining The State of Carbon Pricing in Canada: https://climateinstitute.ca/reports/the-state-of-carbon-pricing-in-canada/ Ecology Action Centre's Carbon Pricing FAQ: https://ecologyaction.ca/sites/default/files/2023-06/Carbon_tax_FAQ_2023.pdf

How do we normalize “sustainable seafood” so that it becomes the DEFAULT way of sourcing and buying? Why should we bring diverse (and even opposing) viewpoints TOGETHER to solve the global challenges facing our oceans? And what makes us fall in love with seafood in the first place—what are the moments that make working in this industry SO exciting and fulfilling?  We dive into ALL of that, covering everything from crab boils to eating fish with “Cheeto raspberry yogurt sauce” on the newest episode of The Conch podcast, which features not one, but FOUR innovators from various organizations reimagining the future of fish and seafood!  Episode Transcript  Episode Guide: :00 Intro 00:54 Meet Laura Miller of the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions (CASS), Christina Callegari of the Ecology Action Centre, Corbett Nash of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, and Jenny Barker of FishWise 10:11 Our guests share their favorite seafood memory 19:05 What should the sustainable seafood community and seafood industry pay more attention to? Our guests share what they think Resources:  Click the links to learn more about the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions, Ecology Action Centre, FishWise, and Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch. Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about ensuring the survival and wellbeing of the seafood sector for years to come.  

Part A of a project that has been years in the making was given the go-ahead by Halifax Regional Municipality this week. It's an initiative to address the fact that HRM has a household food insecurity index that is higher than the provincial and national average at 18.6 percent. This Action Plan for Food is about helping producers and consumers come together in a time where there are supply chain and geographical access issues. More Vail is the Community Food coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, the agency that was a co-chair in the development of the plan from the beginning.

Don Morgan of the Port de Grave Harbour Authority on fishing vessel fire + Rebecca Brushett of Ecology Action Centre on a creating a marine spatial plan for Gros Morne region.

This week in Nova Scotian and Canadian law, I start with an analysis of the Mass Casualty Commission announcement that they are releasing their final report on March 30th in Truro. Next, I review the strange case out of Musgrave, NF where a municipal councilor was re-instated by the Court after having been removed for violating the Town's vaccine mandate. Next, I review the William Sandeson jury verdict, where they found the Dal Med student guilty of 2nd degree murder. There was also this week an insightful decision on Sandeson involving a violation of rules at the Burnside Jail, where the Justice involved did not find Sandeson to be a credible witness. The family of Allison Holtoff is suing Nova Scotia Health, after Ms. Holtoff died in the hospital in Amherst after waiting over seven hours to be seen. Former MLA Hugh MacKay managed to avoid jail time in his second DUI conviction, after pleading guilty to drinking and driving in 2018. The details revealed at sentencing were troubling in several senses. Antigonish Town and County are pursuing amalgamation, but it is being delayed by a group of County citizens who are taking the municipality to court over the procedures adopted. A future court date has been set for July, making it unlikely that the Province will introduce legislation this spring effecting the amalgamation. The Ecology Action Centre has successfully appealed their denial of public interest standing in the re-alignment of the road around the proposed Pieridae LNG plant in Goldboro. I discuss what that means for the project. Finally, I go back to last week's report from Justice Rouleau following the Emergencies Act Inquiry.

The UN Biodiversity Conference wrapped up in Montreal, with a historic deal to protect biodiversity. Karen McKendry, wilderness outreach coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre, attended COP15 and tells us about her experience at the conference

Nova Scotia's Department of Environment and Climate Change has issued a report, outlining the coming effects of climate change. We speak with Will Balser, the coastal adaptation co-ordinator with the Ecology Action Centre. We hear about the "Holiday Hosts" program on PEI for newcomers. And on the phone-in: Rosmarie Lohnes on coastal erosion.

Nova Scotia is getting warmer, precipitation patterns are changing, Nova Scotians are experiencing more frequent and intense storms, sea levels are rising and the oceans are changing. That's part of the province's climate risk assessment released this week. Later, they'll be discussing how they are preparing to deal with these impacts. Will Balser is the Coastal Adaptation Coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre. He shares his thoughts on the impact on coastal communities and the ways we should prepare.

Hear about a special evening of music and art at Nocturne that celebrates fifty plus years of environmental action and honours the memory of Dalhousie University graduate and student activist Danielle Moore.

As Nova Scotia nears completion of the long-awaited Coastal Protection Act, some advocates say there's a crucial piece of coastal development left out of the legislation – wells and septic systems. The CBC's Moira Donovan speaks with Will Balser of the Ecology Action Centre.

Raymond Plourde with the Ecology Action Centre and David Patriquin, a retired biology professor from Dalhousie University, say using biomass to heat buildings is not always climate-friendly. They spoke with host Portia Clark about the study that New Glasgow is undertaking to look at the viability of burning wood biomass for district heating.

The Ecology Action Center's Easy Ride Program is renting out e-bikes to anyone who wants to try one to potentially reduce their carbon footprint. So, Portia takes an e-bike for a test drive along with the EAC's transportation coordinator Ashleigh Boers.

The Ecology Action Centre has put out a new report that looks at how to decarbonize all of Atlantic Canada by 2050. We ask the EAC's energy coordinator Gurprasad Gurumurthy to walk us through the findings.

People around the planet have been recognising Earth Day on April 22nd since 1970. The goal in the beginning was to demonstrate support for environmental protection. And over the years, we have seen more focus on the natural world around us and the attention to issues like global warming. But what difference can one individual make? And how do you keep working at effecting change on something that can seem so overwhelming? Joanna Bull is the Community Engagement Manager with the Ecology Action Centre based in Nova Scotia. She offers her thoughts on staying positive and realistic and shares ways we can make a difference for the planet by thinking globally and acting locally.

The Ecology Action Centre's director of programs Marla MacLeod assesses the new provincial budget from a climate lens. Hear why she says it falls short when it comes to earmarking money to address climate change

With the risk of sea level and coastal erosion, Will Balser with the Ecology Action Centre urges developers not to build too close to the coast.

The IPCC has released its latest report. It finds climate change is causing dangerous disruption around the world and warns that we need to act now to avoid further dire consequences. Will Balser, with the Ecology Action Centre, shares his perspective on the report's findings.

In the end, they backed off on making people with solar panels pay to access the grid. But Nova Scotia Power is still looking for a ten percent increase in rates over the next three years as they transition away from reliance on coal-fired power generation. But the greening of the grid doesn't have to be adversarial. Gurprasad Gurumurthy is an Energy Coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre. And he says there are lessons to be learned as we move to more renewables. And the lessons are for the utility and for the elected representatives in Halifax.

Janice Ashworth - Project Manager at City of Ottawa Climate Change Unit (99+) Janice Ashworth | LinkedIn Janice has been a tireless advocate of community-owned power for more than decade.  She played an important role in developing 17 solar power projects in Eastern Ontario with a total generating capacity of 1.7 MW. She has been with the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-op since 2011 and has 10 years of experience in renewable energy. At OREC, she is responsible for business development, project management, and financing. Janice Chairs the Ontario Federation of Community Power Co-operatives, is a member of the Sustainability Committee of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, and sits on the Net Metering Working Group of the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association. She coordinated the Nova Scotia Sustainable Electricity Alliance and worked in wind energy with the community-owned Colchester-Cumberland Windfield. Her non-profit experience includes community organizing for Ecology Ottawa and promoting solar energy with the Ecology Action Centre. In her time as General Manager of OREC, Janice has been named as a 40 Under 40 business leader by the Ottawa Business Journal, and was awarded the 2017 Solar Woman of Distinction by Women in Renewable Energy. 1:25 start  2:12 where did the interest come from 7:00 how are we doing energy use, the effect of covid  12:50 Community-owned power what is it? 14:10 Energy democracy  17:45 OREC - solar and wind projects in Ottawa,  18:57 Co-power  19:40 Green Energy Act  22:10 ONEC - community farm  24:45 Farm co-op  - organic vegetables   29:00 Growing our own garden 31:00 Climate refugees   32:30 Project manager -  Ottawa climate unit - what they do  Climate change resiliency  Climate change mitigation  Specific role -  financial modeling, private building retrofits  35:11 Private building retrofits  - better homes loan program - 0% financing to homeowners, Oct 25th loan program starts. 39:43 how does it work, energuide audit 44:00 energy evolution  - strategy to achieve master plan net zero 2040

Tim Houston's PC party laid out a plan, in its campaign platform, to become a world leader in the green economy. Ecology Action Centre's Raymond Plourde takes a closer look at that promise.

Information Morning's culture columnist Tara Lynn Taylor is back with this week's entertainment picks — a script reading, art scavenger hunt and the Halifax Urban Folk Festival!

How important is the fight against climate change and for environmental protection during this provincial election? Host Jeff Douglas spoke with Maggy Burns at the Ecology Action Centre and Gretchen Fitzgerald with the Sierra Club Canada Foundation about their concerns.

Eelgrass isn't just for eels! It's also a carbon sink, and provides habitat for young lobster. The Ecology Action Centre wants residents to participate in mapping eelgrass along Nova Scotia's coasts.

What's for dinner? Are we having sustainably caught Arctic Char from right here in Canada? Or are we easting an endangered species illegally caught from halfway around the world?Well unless you have a DNA testing kit there's no way to know. Seafood in Canada has been shown to be labelled incorrectly 47% of the time so you really have no idea what you are actually eating. How can we help support our honest fishermen and women and stop supporting criminal fishing organizations and save our oceans?Well tuning into today's podcast is a great place to learn from the experts who are working hard to sort this issue out!In today's episode you will hear from Christina Callegari the Sustainable Seafood Coordinator from Seachoice and the Ecology Action Centre. Christina works hard to raise awareness about seafood fraud and to advocate for seafood traceability to be adopted across Canada wide.

What's for dinner? Are we having sustainably caught Arctic Char from right here in Canada? Or are we easting an endangered species illegally caught from halfway around the world?Well unless you have a DNA testing kit there's no way to know. Seafood in Canada has been shown to be labelled incorrectly 47% of the time so you really have no idea what you are actually eating. How can we help support our honest fishermen and women and stop supporting criminal fishing organizations and save our oceans?Well tuning into today's podcast is a great place to learn from the experts who are working hard to sort this issue out! In today's episode you will hear from Christina Callegari the Sustainable Seafood Coordinator from Seachoice and the Ecology Action Centre. Christina works hard to raise awareness about seafood fraud and to advocate for seafood traceability to be adopted across Canada wide.To give us an economics point of view on food fraud we spoke with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from the Dalhousie  University Agri-Food and Analytics Lab. You may have seen him on the news whenever there is a major story about food or may have even tuned into his podcast The Food Professor Podcast. Dr. Charlebois shared many nuggets of wisdom about why food fraud is an issue everyone should be concerned about and how it impacts many sectors of the food world.Everyone we spoke with directed us to talk to the team from Oceana Canada who discovered 47% of the seafood tested from across Canada was labelled incorrectly. We spoke with  Sayara Thurston who is a Seafood Fraud Campaigner about this complicated issue and how Oceana Canada is taking it head on!And last but not least you'll hear from Sophika Kostyniuk the Director of Fisheries and Seafood of the Oceanwise Seafood Program. You'll learn all about how buying sustainable seafood can be as easy as looking for a Oceanwise logo when your at a restaurant or grocery store.The Aquatic Bisophere Project The ABP is establishing a conservation Aquarium in the Prairies to help tell the Story of Water.

On this episode of Establish, Holly and Anna speak with our two esteemed guests, Soren Bondrup-Nielsen and Riley Scanlan, about the importance of connecting with nature and how this connection influences one's own motivation to protect it.Soren is a retired Biology Professor, who taught ecology and conservation biology courses at Acadia University, and currently works as the President of the Blomidon Naturalists Society in Nova Scotia. The Blomidon Naturalists society was one of the organizations involved in the successful judicial review of the provincial government's failure to uphold the 1988 Endangered Species Act.Riley is a youth working as a Program Coordinator for the Blomidon Naturalists Society, as well as being a member of Ecology Action Centre's and helping run the website for the Healthy Forest Coalition. You can find out more about the Blomidon Naturalists Society at https://blomidonnaturalists.ca/

May 21 is Endangered Species Day and May 22 is International Day for Biodiversity. Both of these give people a day to focus communications and actions on these subjects. And that's something we discuss with Karen McKendry, Wilderness Outreach Coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre.

The podcast begins with commentary with the latest on the pandemic in the region. Mike Cassidy who is the owner of Maritime Bus, is on to discuss how the pandemic has affected his business. Raymond Plourde, who is a Senior Wilderness Coordinator at the Ecology Action Centre is on to talk about a recent advertisement campaign targeting the organization. Help the podcast by kindly taking a few moments to rate or like the show on your podcast platform of choice. We also ask that you continue to talk about the show with your friends and family. If you would like to help us financially, please consider donating either via Paypal or through Patreon. Every dollar received goes back into the show and helps us pay for production necessities such as podcast hosting. You can send us feedback by email to info@toddveinotteshow.com or by tweeting to @toddveinotte. Todd is also available on Facebook under Todd Veinotte. Thanks for listening!  

We've been covering the debate over Nova Scotia's new Biodiversity Act. New radio and newspaper ads are accusing Halifax activists of using the bill to stop private land owners from doing everything from snowmobiling to farming on their own land. Raymond Plourde from the Ecology Action Centre responds.

The Ecology Action Centre has joined an international coalition that wants the European Union to stop burning wood to generate electricity. We hear from the EAC's senior wilderness coordinator.

The Ecology Action Centre created and sent a survey to each of the three candidates running for the provincial Liberal Party leadership to see how they plan to address environmental issues.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) were quick to seize Moderate Livelihood, but the DFO looked the other way for years while corporate seafood giant Clearwater ignored key fisheries regulation. This week, we speak with Shannon Arnold of the Ecology Action Centre about the events leading up to the exposé of Clearwater's "gross violation."

Canada has committed to protect 30 per cent of our lands and oceans by 2030, with an interim goal of 25 per cent by 2025. Host Jeff Douglas spoke with Megan Leslie from the World Wildlife Fund and Raymond Plourde from the Ecology Action Centre about why this is a big deal and what Nova Scotia can do.

The provincial government recently announced it would spend $230 million on shovel-ready infrastructure projects to help jump-start the economy. Aimee Gasparetto with the Ecology Action Centre says it's time food security be part of the province's economic stimulus plan.

The provincial government recently announced it would spend $230 million on shovel-ready infrastructure projects to help jump-start the economy. Marla MacLeod from the Ecology Action Centre says economic stimulus must also align with environmental goals.

HEPAC Podcast Show Notes Jill Van Horne Jill Van Horne is the network development coordinator for Our Food Southeast and also the co-chair for the provincial food security network, Food For All NB. Our food SENB supports the food movement in Westmoreland, Albert and Kent Counties. They promote working together, sharing knowledge, cultivating food initiatives and growing connections to make easier, fair and more sustainable food access a reality for everybody. Our Food Southeast got started in 2011 when the Westmoreland-Albert Community Inclusion network had a community conversation and food security needs werehighlighted. A volunteer action committee came together with a shared vision and a coordinator was hired. They were able to help leverage about a million dollars forfood work since 2011 between grants, resources, and in-kind contributions. In 2014, the Ecology Action Centre’s Our Food Projectput out a request for proposals (RFP) to food actors outside of Nova Scotia , which was a great match with what was going on already. The Westmorland-Albert Food Security Action Group (WAFSAG) connected with Pays de Cocagne sustainable development group and Foods of the Fundy Valley and were successful in winning the RFP. In 2017, what was formerly known as WAFSAG has entered into the3rd and final phase of funding /partnership with the Ecology Action Centre which continues until 2020. Jill’s top 3: Favourite Place in NB: Castalia Marsh retreat in Grand MananFavourite food: Bulgogi Favourite activity: Playing her guitar! LinksOur Food SENB: http://www.ourfoodsenb.ca/en/ Ecology Action Centre: https://ecologyaction.ca/ The Southeast NB Regional Food Pledge: http://www.ourfoodsenb.ca/en/take-the-pledge/ Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group: https://ecopaysdecocagne.ca/en/ Foods of the Fundy Valley : https://foodsofthefundyvalley.ca/ NB Health Council (Food Security Stats): https://www.nbhc.ca/ Food For All NB: www.foodforallnb.ca Adventures in Local Food (Our Food Project/Our Food SENB blog):  https://adventuresinlocalfood.com/Where Jill learned about the magic of having worms: https://thecompostess.com/2015/04/03/compost-city-book/Castalia Marsh Retreat: https://www.castaliamarsh.com/Good Korean restaurant in Halifax: https://www.facebook.com/halifaxbbq/ (I think?? Andrew? Confirm/deny?)

Gabrielle Donnelly, Ph.D. is a scholar and practitioner of creativity, social change, and innovation. In this episode, we discuss the dynamic between the scholar and practitioner sides of oneself; working with perceived polarities in groups, individuals, and society at large; finding your voice as a scholar; the dissertation process as creative and personal transformation; "kissing people over the edge," and much more. Co-founder of Brave Space, Gabrielle works with methods for meaningful public engagement, participatory leadership, and systems change such as The Art of Hosting, Deep Democracy, and Participatory Action Research. Her passion for integrating theory and practice leads her to work with organizations like Coady International Institute, FoodARC, ALIA Institute, Government of Nova Scotia, Ecology Action Centre, Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, and Now Lunenburg County. Gabrielle is a professor at Acadia University, an associate of the Taos Institute, ​and publishes in the areas of creativity, social change, participatory leadership, and transdisciplinarity. She is the Managing Editor of World Futures: The Journal of New Paradigm Research. Born in London, England and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Gabrielle lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. Donnelly's website: www.gabrielledonnelly.ca The Brave Space website is www.bravespace.ca The Art of Hosting website www.artofhosting.org/ Deep Democracy (Lewis Method) https://deep-democracy.net/ Rune Soup episode with Dr. Jeffrey Kripal: https://runesoup.com/2018/03/talking-secret-body-jeffrey-kripal/ Strieber, W., & Kripal, J. (2016). The Super Natural: A New Vision of the Unexplained. Tarcher Perigee. Zia Sardar: http://ziauddinsardar.com/2011/03/welcome-to-postnormal-times/ Montuori, A. (2005). How to make enemies and influence people: anatomy of the anti-pluralist, totalitarian mindset. Futures, 37(1), 18-38. Link to Montuori article on academia: https://www.academia.edu/168673/How_to_Make_Enemies_and_Influence_People_The_Totalitarian_Mindset Jordan Peterson: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jordan-peterson-clinical-psychologist-canada-popularity-convincing-why-left-wing-alt-right-cathy-a8208301.html https://medium.com/s/story/a-field-guide-to-jordan-petersons-political-arguments-312153eac99a

When it comes to environmental justice, are environmental organizations listening? Are we willing to change in the ways that we are being asked? Environmental justice movements define our environment more broadly than the mainstream environmental movement, recognizing the interconnectedness of the social and ecological crises we are facing. Centring the voices of Black, Indigenous and people of colour, environmental justice works to resist and reshape the ways that race, space and power intersect. These grassroots advocates have also repeatedly called on mainstream environmental organizations to address environmental racism, elitism in the movement, and lack of diverse representation on their staffs and boards. As questions around diversity, decolonization, and justice begin to gain more traction in mainstream social movements, environmental organizations are beginning to respond. But the path is messy and uncertain. As Ecology Action Centre‘s Joanna Bull describes: “We don’t actually even see what were being asked to do yet, I don’t think. We being the environmental movement. I don’t think we fully understand what is seen as problematic about the way we are now. And I think a lot of those things that are problematic are really deeply entrenched with the structure of how we exist.” In this episode we’re going to explore some of the ways that the environmental movement has responded to the challenges presented by environmental justice, including some stories of Ecology Action Centre’s own journey here in unceded Mi’kmaq territory. We’ll be asking some uncomfortable questions as part of this work to explore our complicity with the oppressive systems we are fighting. We’ll be practicing listening to environmental perspectives from outside of our bubble. And we’ll be wondering about our own roles and responsibilities when it comes to a just future here in Mi’kma’ki and beyond. We don’t have any answers, but we want to share the questions we have been asking so far, in the hopes that more of us can begin to share this messy work of shifting from good intentions to good practice. As Dr. Carolyn Finney suggests, these questions are just the beginning: “Maybe what we need to do is to be asking different questions. Maybe what we need to do is to restructure the way we’re in relationship to one another across difference. And that is a lot more work. It might change everything we’re doing.” We hope you’ll tune into this Shades of Green podcast episode, “Listen Up: On Building Relationships Across Difference in the Environmental Movement.” Stay curious with us as we dig into some juicy questions that challenge us to step up to the work of building a just future together. Featured Voices: Joanna Bull Eriel Deranger Dr. Carolyn Finney Barbara Low Randolph Haluza-Delay Lynn Jones Stephen Thomas Dr. Ingrid Waldron Quotes have been condensed here for clarity and brevity. Huge thanks to every one of the ears and voices that made this episode possible. Further thanks to Joanna Brenchley, Erica Butler, Cintia Gillam, Jen Graham and Peter Lane. Our theme was composed by the incredible Nick Durado. We are also grateful for permission from Ansley Simpson to excerpt from her lovely song A Mixture of Frailties. This project has been supported by Ecology Action Centre and the Community Conservation Research Network Subscribe on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or Feedburner. And follow us on Twitter! Further Reading: https://shadesofgreenweb.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/listen-up-building-relationships-across-difference-in-the-environmental-movement/

Why are there so many garbage dumps close to African Nova Scotian communities? Why do Mi’kmaq communities experience food insecurity on their unceded territory? Who defines what counts as environmental racism? The roots of environmental racism run pretty deep in Nova Scotia. About 500 years deep. On this episode of Shades of Green, we get curious about the forces that have shaped how we relate to the land and to each other here in unceded Mi’kmaq territory. Colonization has wrapped the histories of Mi’kmaq rights holders up with communities of Acadians, Scots, Black Loyalists, Maroons, Planters, and more recent immigrant communities. These displacements and migrations set the scene for the environmental racism that we see here today. Before European colonizers arrived on these shores, Mi’kmaq communities had long been caring gently for these lands and waters. We talked to Roger Lewis about the violent disruption that colonial settlers brought with them. Roger is the Curator of Ethnology at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History and a member of Sipekne’katik First Nation: “Environmental racism, really, dates back to those Indian reserves. They go from the whole province of Nova Scotia to tiny reserves; from like 1,200 acres instead of 40,000 square miles. So they’re on the river in Shubenacadie because it’s the most productive area, and then all of a sudden they’re up in Shubenacadie (Reserve)with no access to rivers.” Some European settlers brought enslaved African peoples to Mi’kma’ki. After the American Revolution, colonial governments also promised freedom, equality and land to Black Loyalists and other Black refugees coming northwards. Spoiler alert: these promises were broken. As activist and Lincolnville resident James Desmond described the origins of his small African Nova Scotian community: "(Black Loyalists) were promised land after they landed here, and were granted 3000 acres. But not too long after the French Acadians arrived and the 3000 acres was re-granted to the French Acadians. That was a loss of our good fertile land and our economic base because of the attachment to the fishery.” In 1974, a large municipal dump opened one kilometre away from Lincolnville. Since then, the community has been concerned about the potential impacts of various contaminants, including cadmium, phenol, and toluene. When it closed in 2006, a large second-generation landfill almost immediately opened in the same location. Sadly, Lincolnville’s experience is echoed across African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaq communities. These disproportionate impacts are part of a larger racist pattern of displacement and blocked access to land and resources. Join us as we pull back and take a bit of a long view, exploring some of the histories of colonization on these lands and how these severed relationships with the land connect to the environmental racism we see today. Thanks to the ears and voices that made this episode possible. Further thanks to Erica Butler and Jen Graham. This project has been supported by Ecology Action Centre and the Community Conservation Research Network Subscribe on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or Feedburner. And follow us on Twitter! Further reading etc here: https://shadesofgreenweb.wordpress.com/2018/02/08/s2ep2/

What is environmentalism? What do we mean when we talk about “the environment” here on unceded Mi'kmaq territory? Who defines what's included in that meaning, and what's left out?  At Shades of Green, these juicy questions have led to... well, more questions.  The Canadian Encyclopedia tells us that the environmental movement got started in the early 1900s, "when conservationists aimed to slow the rapid depletion of Canadian resources in favour of more regulated management.”  It sounds like a time where settlers were beginning to sense that the forests of Turtle Island weren't as endless as they'd once seemed. When we talked to Mi'kmaq rights holder and land defender Barbara Low, she described the origins of environmentalism a little differently. “When settlers started showing up we were doing our best to show them how to be human beings, like us. 'We’re the human beings and this is how the human beings interact with the trees and the rocks and the beavers and the deer and the moose'. They wouldn’t listen... they were just going to go on their way. And so they went on their way. Now a few hundred short years later, they come around and they are like, 'We need to save the environment!' 'Join us!" Environmentalism has shifted and changed over time, but as we'll hear in this episode, the movement is still shaped by colonial thinking, including unacknowledged racism and paternalism. As Dr. Carolyn Finney told us: "A student asked me, ‘I don’t know how to say this... but it’s so interesting how in the environmental movement it seems people care so much about animals, but they don’t really care about black people. So what do we do with that?” I said, ‘well you just hit that on the head!’" We found that folks outside of the mainstream environmental movement tend to define “the environment” more broadly. Mi'kmaq artist and metal fabricator Tayla Paul summed it up like this:  "This is my environment too. Kjipuktuk. Halifax. This is where my ancestors are. This is where their bodies are buried in the ground. This is the environment. It’s not just about the trees and the undeveloped areas. It is definitely about those areas but it’s not just about those areas. It’s about the environment that we experience every day, and that includes the social environment." Environmental justice takes that expanded definition and works to highlight how race, space and power intersect in unjust ways across the land and in our communities. As poet and activist El Jones put it, "The environment isn’t unattached to police brutality, police shootings and mass incarceration of black people. For me, adding justice moves it beyond simply thinking in terms of land and environment to thinking about how space and race intersect and interact, and how poverty and space interact.” We hope you'll tune into our first Shades of Green podcast episode, "What is the Environment and Where is the Justice?"  Pause, listen and get curious with us as we explore some different ways of understanding ourselves, our environment, and our work to protect it.   Featured voices:  Dr. Julian Agyeman Eriel Deranger Dr. Carolyn Finney El Jones Mark Leeming Barbara Low Catherine Martin Tayla Paul Dr. Cheryl Teelucksingh Dr. Ingrid Waldron Quotes have been condensed here for clarity and brevity. Huge thanks to every one of the ears and voices that made this episode possible. Further thanks to Joanna Brenchley, Erica Butler, Jen Graham and Christen Kong. Our theme was composed by the incredible Nick Durado. We are also grateful for permission from Lido Pimiento to excerpt from her gorgeous song Humano.  This project has been supported by Ecology Action Centre and the Community Conservation Research Network Subscribe on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or Feedburner. And follow us on Twitter!                        For further reading, visit the original post at ShadesofGreenweb.wordpress.com/Season2Ep1

Shades of Green is a podcast series exploring environmental justice from unceded Mi'kmaq Territory. It is supported by Ecology Action Centre and the Community Conservation Research Network. Our theme was composed by Nick Durado. (https://budi.bandcamp.com/) Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Feedburner or Soundcloud!

The Energy East pipeline is cancelled. Stephen Thomas, energy campaign co-ordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, explains why you should care. Plus, Tim and Terra talk about The Dome, El Jones and Sidney Crosby.

Our guest today is Aaron Ward. Aaron holds a law degree from Dalhousie’s Schulich school of law, sits on the board of the Ecology Action Centre, and also sat on the board of directors of the East Coast Environmental Law Association until 2015, after which he took on a staff role. The East Coast Environmental Law Association, or ECELAW, is Atlantic Canada’s only environmental law charity, established in 2007 as a non-profit organization. ECELAW responds to community inquiries, carries out legal and policy research and presents educational resources and opportunities to increase public awareness of environmental laws in Atlantic Canada. Aaron has been working with ECELAW on many things, but most relevant to us today, including an environmental bill of rights.