crc blog feed

April 30^th, 2013

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.

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).

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.

April 5^th, 2013

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.

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.

February 28^th, 2013

Socrates emphasized knowing one’s self, introspection, but modern society needs more outrospection. The ultimate art form for outrospection is empathy. Why is empathy important? Because empathy can be part of the art of living well, it allows us to be more creative thinkers, it can improve our relationships, and possibly contribute to a revolution of human relatedness.

What does Edward Soja mean by ‘spatial justice’ and why is it important to the good society? A recent McMaster study suggests children are at greater risk of being hit by vehicles driving through their neighbourhood than from drivers who live nearby, posing particular dangers in poorer, downtown areas where traffic levels tend to be highest. The research points to the issue of high traffic in low-income residential neighbourhoods, where drivers are more likely to take shortcuts to avoid congested main roads.