And back to snow again…

Okay, this weather is really wierd. I’ve heard several people make comments along the lines of “where is that global warming we’ve been promised?” Snow on the west coast in April might seem funny (especially to everyone in the east who normally have to endure long winters and the bragging of west coast relatives enjoying early spring), but global Climate Change is no laughing matter. Flooding, drought, loss of some species and the spread of others like malaria carrying mosquitos…..

I’ve always thought a story can have more of impact than a bunch of statistics or dry facts, so in honour of Earth Day, I’ve posted a list of some of my favourite eco novels on the Chapters/Indigo website. Click here for the list.

One book, which didn’t make it on the list, because it doesn’t seem to be in print anymore (or at least isn’t available from Chapters/Indigo) is Secret in the Stalakum Wild by Christie Harris. I loved this novel when I read it as a kid in the 1970s. It was the first novel I’d read that drew on West Coast First Nations’ mythology and suggested the forest I loved was in need of protection (plus it was a riveting fantasy adventure — I thought it was a bit dated and didactic when I read it over again as an adult, but it still deserves a place on my personal list of influencial novels).

Are there any novels you’d like to see added to the list?

Countdown to Earth Hour

On March 29, 2008 people and cities around the world will be switching off their lights for one hour to reduce energy consumption and draw attention to climate change.

Last year 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney Australia turned off their lights for the first Earth Hour. This massive collective effort reduced Sydney’s energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, which is the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year (wow, just think of the difference people could make if we switched off lights more than one hour one day –and switched off our cars as well!). The action drew attention from the world. This year, millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Vancouver, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane and Tel Aviv, will unite and switch off for Earth Hour, 8pm March 29.

If everyone switches off at 8pm, viewed from space, spots of light will be going dark in a wave moving across the globe as the Earth turns. It would be great if all the lights in Vanouver were turned off, and we could actually see the stars!

Blogging for global change

I’ve just been nominated for a “Blogging for Global Change” award by fellow blogger, CraftyGreenPoet of Edinburgh Scotland. The award originates at Climate of Our Future, a blog dedicated to discussing climate change and how it can be prevented. The “award” is a way for individuals to acknowledge and ecourage eachother’s efforts and make links with others. This is how it’s described on the site:

This award goes out to all of the Bloggers for Positive Global Change. It’s not limited to any specific ideologies, religions or philosophies. It puts a premium on human compassion and the desire to make the world a better place for all of us, without exception.

The participation rules are simple:
1. When you get tagged, write a post with links to up to 5 blogs that you think are trying to change the world in a positive way.
2. In your post, make sure you link back to Climate of our Future.
3. Leave a comment or message for the bloggers you’re tagging, so they know they’re now part of the meme [“Meme” is a new word for me. It’s dictionary meaning is “a system through which behaviour is passed on from one individual to another” — kind of like a chain of people, I guess.].
4. Optional: Proudly display the “Bloggers For Positive Global Change” award badge with a link to the post that you write up.

Wow! Well, I’m honored to be nominated. I like the idea of making connections and supporting people who are concerned about the world and want to make a positive difference. I hope I can live up to the nomination.

I’d like to nominate True Stitches, the blog of my friend Heather, who believes in making the world a better place one stitch at a time (and in other ways as well).

I’d also like to nominate author Diane Haynes and her Wildlife Rescue Series blog in which she talks about her wildlife-rescue-mystery-themed YA novels, the writing life and her concern for nature and animals.

Here are a few more intriguing web logs written by people who care about people, animals and the natural environment (a couple of them have already been nominated for the Blogging for Global Change award):

Green Girls Global

World Changing

Teaching Environmental Sustainability

Whorled Leaves

Wardrobe Refashion

Bee Creative

Sew Green

SecondHandNation

Olympia Dumster Divers

No Impact Man

(some of my latest “green” one-inch buttons)

The writing is on the wall!

Yesterday I discovered this graffiti on a neighbourhood wall and received an email about action to raise awareness about Global Warming. It seemed appropriate to pass them both on:

The 1st of February 2007:

Participate in the biggest mobilization of Citizens Against Global Warming!

The Alliance for the Planet (a group of environmental associations) is calling on all citizens to create 5 minutes of electrical rest for the planet. http://www.lalliance.fr

People all over the world should turn off their lights and electrical appliances on the first of February 2007, between 1.55 pm and 2.00 pm in New York, 18.55 for London, and 19.55 for Paris, Bruxelles, and Italy. 1.55pm in Ottawa, 10.55am on the Pacific Coast of North America.

This is not just about saving 5 minutes worth of electricity; this is about getting the attention of the media, politicians, and ourselves.

Five minutes of electrical down time for the planet: this does not take long, and costs nothing, and will show all political leaders that global warming is an issue that needs to come first and foremost in political debate.

Why February 1? This is the day when the new UN report on global climate change will come out in Paris.

This event affects us all, involves us all, and provides an occasion to show how important an issue global warming is to us. If we all participate, this action can have real media and political weight.

Please circulate this call to your utmost ability to your network.