Views from the Edge

Conversations from the Edge

Welcome to the CRC blog, where we discuss bleeding edge issues around sustainable community development. The term ‘bleeding edge’ connotes the idea of our failure to somehow or other convince the publics about the urgency of responding to climate change now, and that we need to better communicate the principles and practises of sustainable development to the wider publics. So, yes it takes courage to be 'at the edge', and sometimes one 'bleeds' a lot, but let's start the conversation now. I encourage our students and former students to use this blog and share what they are learning out in the real world.   Ann

Design, Redesign and Multi-Functionality

Further gains in urban sustainable development are right before our eyes, by design and redesign. These four videos show what innovations can be made--oysters, suburbia, design, and greening the ghetto.

And Now for Something Completely Different

In my world of academic institutions, it is too easy to take yourself too seriously. Taking one's work seriously is very different from taking one's self too seriously. Learning occurs everywhere and anywhere. For example, it seems to me that the moomins have what we call in the academy a very sustainable framework for life.

Community Regeneration

The Canadian Community Economic Development Network suggests 4 key actions to stimulate prosperity.

1. Create a Social Enterprise Capital

2. Implement an RRSP eligible CED tax credit

3. Support local procurement policies

4. Create an enabling environment for co-operatives and social enterprise growth

Patterns of Our Footsteps - Stepping Back to Look at the Bigger Picture

Our most recent HEAD Talks release, The Bigger Picture, complements our research on energy, one of the Solutions Agenda theme.

Just watch this!

Just watch this.

Wonders of the World

Why would we muzzle any of the natural, social sciences and humanities that allow us to 'see' the wonders of the world and to understand them, and to change our negative impacts so that we sustain this beauty?

Patterns of Our Footsteps - Do we have the energy to handle growing pains?

Last week, MC3 released the Climate Action Agenda for BC Municipal Decision-Makers, which included twelve recommendations for stimulating future innovation and implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation in BC.

Living Well While Dying

I haven't been blogging as regularly as my beloved mother fell ill on February 27th and died March 26th. As one of my colleagues said, Ann, you know have fulll autonomy, and even though I am in my sixites, it is a novel and frightening place. As I said in my eulogy to my beloved Mother, we thought we had more time, she would never die, and we took her for granted, for we so we loved you.

Permaculture and the City

This presentation shows how by integrating five permaculture districts into the City of Guelph's official land use plan can lead to a sustainable food system, while at the same time, increasing the physical beauty of the city, and probably reducing greenhouse gas emissions?  Imagine combining vegetable and herb gardens, roof gardens, patio & balcony gardens, greenhouses and SPIN farming (backyard bounty).

A Major Breakthrough

When students learn about sustainability in colleges and universities, they often are taught this Venn diagram early on in their studies, which displays sustainable development as the overlap of three intersecting human spheres.