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

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.

Patterns of Our Footsteps - Bridging the Gap

Two weeks ago, Parliament gathered for Vote No. 631, concerning the role science should play in policy-making, the level of disclosure of government supported scientific research and funding for scientific capacity in Canada. The figure below displays the results of the votes, categorized by party affiliation and the direction of the vote, i.e., ‘yay’ or ‘nay’.

Food for Thought

Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed by the information and science that I read, and often wonder how to evaluate the ‘science’. This video challenges the theory that most of desertification is because of cattle and large mammals. This ecologist claims, just as once we were certain that the world was flat, we were wrong then and we are wrong about the causes of desertification.

Ending the Silence, and Moving to Discussion

The video below, Ending the Silence on Climate Change, provides insights on the difficulties in achieving social and political consensus and what the potential communication-based solutions are for moving past these difficulties. Climate change is a widespread and encompassing issue that exerts its effects on the entire planet; however, the planet is comprised of many different belief systems and worldviews.

Patterns of Our Footsteps - Counting calories without looking at what actually counts

Last week, we released the Solutions Agenda dialogue on sustainable food systems. We discussed the complexities surrounding sustainable food systems and how these systems are also linked to social factors such as access to housing, culture, and employment.