Transition Brockville              

Recorder and Times / Megan Burke / 04 February 2012

The Brockville Bike Ministry, which [Eric] Montgomery has been setting up since last year with the help of Kelly Potvin, is holding its grand opening during March break so school-aged children can join in.

“Our plans for March break is to help 25 youths build their own bikes to their own specifications,” said Potvin.

“Everything from the frame up, we'll help them build.”

The youngsters and teens, from Grades 4 to 12, will choose their own handlebars, seat, pedals, brakes and more out of the approximate 150 bikes the ministry has collected from the surrounding area.

[ FULL ARTICLE HERE ]

Dissident Voice / Stuart Jeanne Bramhall / 03 February 2012

The basic theme of Fleeing Vesuvius, which is aimed at the growing sustainability movement, is TEOTWAWI (The End of the World as We Know It). The title refers to the volcano that destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD, specifically the large number of residents who failed to save themselves, despite weeks of earthquakes, gaseous clouds and other obvious signs that an eruption was imminent. For more than a decade, a growing body of evidence suggests that the planet is on the verge of economic and ecological collapse. Yet the vast majority of us do absolutely nothing to prepare for the stark conditions ahead.

[ FULL REVIEW HERE ]

Think Recycle is a cost-free fundraising program that rewards members with money and environmental incentives for the collection of unwanted electronics including laptops, tablets, cell phones, digital cameras, inkjet cartridges and toner cartridges! Organizations that are eligible to participate in Think Recycle include schools, charities, institutions, churches, teams, clubs and even businesses.

Think Recycle works with more than 20,000 members, across the United States and Canada, to meeting their fundraising and environmental goals.

[ WEBSITE HERE ]

This Canadian CSA farm directory lists Ontario Community Supported Agriculture farms (also known as Community Shared Agriculture farms), their locations, contact information and websites. All CSA farmers in Ontario can post their information on this directory, free of charge.

What are CSA farms? CSA farmers receive a set fee (from you - the consumer) prior to the start of the growing season. In return, you receive shares (produce) in the farm's bounty and you also share the risks due to weather and other factors beyond the control of the farmer.

[ LEEDS-GRENVILLE CSAs ]

University of Auckland / Niki Harre

This book contains numerous strategies for inspiring others to join with those of us who are trying to make a difference. It is for the teacher who updates her class on the latest climate change negotiations, the office manager who buys Fair Trade coffee, the student who cannot accept that our current way of life is the best we can do, the builder who suggests his clients install solar panels, the mother who refuses to provide take-home bags of plastic toys at the end of her child’s birthday party, the city counsellor who lobbies for cycle lanes. Whatever your social location, if you believe a more sustainable world is possible and desirable, then (I suggest) this book is for you.

[ DOWNLOAD HERE ]

American Public Health Association: Environment • Health • You from Lila Films on Vimeo.

This short film presents a historical overview of public and environmental health in the United States over the past century. It's a complex story of the interconnections between air, water, soil, food production and distribution, chemicals, population, climate change, national, state and local policy, and communities taking their health into their own hands. Learn about the success and challenges, regulations and radical changes this country has seen in the past century.

The Guardian / Fiona Harvey / 01 February 2012

Community-owned green energy projects present the best chance of converting the UK to a low-carbon economy and should receive more government support, civil society groups representing 12 million people said on Wednesday.

Giving local people a stake in energy generation often overcomes planning objections to structures such as wind and solar farms, and dozens of communities across the UK have seized the opportunity to create their own power. But the move has not been fast enough, according to the coalition of community groups, which adds that many places are missing out on the chance to produce their own low-carbon and low-cost energy, supported by government subsidies.

The civil society groups include some of the leading non-governmental organisations in the UK, including the Co-operative, the National Trust, the Church of England and the National Federation of Women's Institutes.

[ FULL ARTICLE HERE ]