Newsletter
No. 152 - Serving the Vision of a Sustainable Vancouver
Island -
September 2005
Before we start, our hearts go out to the people of
New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport, and the surrounding area, who
have
been through such a battering, and who are still suffering so
much. There is a definite connection to global climate change,
since the waters of the Gulf of Mexico have been so much warmer,
but that’s for later. Right now, we must send them whatever support
we can. –G.D.
And now, back to EcoNews:
TURNING FROM WAR TO PEACE
There is a craziness at loose in the world which is threatening
to overturn 60 years of careful progress.
We humans have a long and miserable history of making war when
we want to get our way. We have used violence, torture, rape and
murder to seize land, control resources, and impose our will on
others, and glorified in doing so.
After the First World War, in which 15 million died (8.5 million
soldiers and 6.5 million civilians), the American President Woodrow
Wilson put a huge amount of effort to form the League of Nations,
as part of the Treaty of Versailles which ended the war. The League
set up a system whereby the world’s nations would work together
for their collective security, and settle their disputes by lawful
arbitration; any country which resorted to war would be subject
to economic sanctions.
The first resistance came from Republican congressmen in the USA,
who could not stomach the idea that other nations should tell them
what to do. The US never ratified Versailles, and never joined
the League. Japan left the League in 1933, Germany in 1933, and
Italy in 1937, so life was frustrating, but the League was successful
in averting wars between Bulgaria and Greece (1925), Iraq and Turkey
(1925), and Poland and Lithuania (1927). It also had success in
the fields of drugs control, refugee work, and famine relief. On
the downside, it failed to stop Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in
1931, Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, and Germany’s invasion
of the Czech Sudetenland in 1938.
Then came the Second World War, and the deaths of 55 million.
(http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm).
After the war, the leaders came together once again, and created
the United Nations, determined:
"to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,
which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind;
"to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one
another as good neighbours;
"to unite our strength to maintain international peace and
security, and
"to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution
of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common
interest."
Russia, the US, France, Britain and China were given seats on
the Security Council, and a veto over any resolution in order to
avoid a situation where the UN would be called to act against one
of the world’s most powerful military nations, in the full knowledge
that it could not succeed.
The amazing thing is that in a manner of ways, it worked. During
the long years of the Cold War, when the world was often on the
edge of nuclear conflict and annihilation, we have withheld from
a third global conflict. The United Nations acted collectively
to stop the Chinese invasion of Korea (before China was a member),
but it could not stop the conflicts in Vietnam, Afghanistan, or
Iran-Iraq in the 1980s. As a global organization, it has always
been difficult when the big nations wanted to impose their will:
which is the core of today’s problem.
Today’s US government has in effect been taken over by a group
of right-wing neo-conservatives, as a result of democratic "coups" in
which they appeared to have rigged the elections first in Florida
(2000), and then Ohio (2004). The regime is quite clear in its
wish to undermine the United Nations. Their stated goal is to maintain
global dominance, with war as an acceptable means to do so.
When the US invaded Iraq in 2003, their desire to get UN approval
was purely a fig-leaf. When they failed, it was back to the real
agenda, in which no-one tells the US what to do. If the US is allowed
to continue with this doctrine, it will take us back to the days
of the 19th century, when nations formed pacts to defend
each other against aggression.
It is for this reason that Gwynne Dyer, the eminent writer on
military matters, writes in his latest book Future Tense that
the sooner the US is defeated in Iraq, the better it will be for
all of us, so that the world can get back to its agenda, to abolish
war.
As we enter the last years of oil, the temptation to invade, overthrow
or otherwise undermine other nations in order to seize control
of the remaining supplies of oil will become enormous. This makes
the need to show leadership on the development of sustainable energy
resources hugely important, alongside returning to global cooperation
on peace and conflict.
As Canadians, we must show leadership. We must oppose the current
US policies with a strong, clear voice, while supporting the many
millions of Americans who would agree with every word that is written
here. As a world, we must move, now and forever, from dominance
to cooperation.
Guy Dauncey
ECONEWS
A
monthly newsletter, funded by your donations, that dreams of
a world
blessed by the harmony of nature, the pleasures of community, & the
joys of personal fulfillment, protected and guided by active citizenship.
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A big thankyou to Norah
Forrest, Vera Gottlieb, DK, Frances Johnson, Karen Chapple, Kathleen
Gibson, Irma Berlin, Stefan
Ochman, Patrick & Jane Fawkes, Alan Drengson, Barbara Hourston, Martin
Weideman, Christo Pandelidis, Alandra Mclaren, Emile Lacroix, Daphne Taylor,
Ann Johnston, Janet Kretz, Friends of Mount Doug Park, New Society Publishers,
Centre for Earth & Spirit, Merv Wilkinson, Martin Golder, Jack & Heide
Martin, Shelagh Levey, Rosie Tanner and Peter Carilho.
THE ECO-CORNER
$5/line (non-profits, low-income free)
1" box $40, $2" box $70. Insert $180
* Unused letter envelopes always needed for EcoNews.
Call 881-1304
* Charming Guest room, $25/night. Cook St Village ,
ocean. 250-361-3102
* Seeking partners to buy land for sustainable living. rainwalker@shaw.ca
* Retired couple can house/pet sit in Victoria, Oct/Nov/Dec
2005. Roy 250-359 6896, rball2@imagotrackers.com
* Vegan House seeks 3-4 veggies to rent house together
in Victoria by Sept. Dave: veganhouse@shaw.ca
* Looking for affectionate Green Man to share values
and activist companionship. 60s+ plus, NS. Reply to DK, Suite
215, #1-5765 Turner Rd, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6M4.
* Winter getaway. Columbus, New Mexico. Gorgeous round
adobe house in intentional community on sunny desert lease
land, nr Mexican border. Solar & propane. $35,000 negotiable.
Chris 250-247-8102 or 505-531-2353 after mid-October.
* Practical Herbalist Program. Local economical environmentally
friendly herbal medicine Vancouver. Oct 15th to
June 11th. One weekend/month 1-866-592-7523 www.herbalhealingpathway.com
* Courtenay Cohousing Call 250-339-5993 www.creeksidecommons.ca
* Cob Sculpting Aug 5-12, Courtenay 338-0711 www.hobbithomes.ca
* Retired couple can house/pet sit in Victoria, Oct/Nov/Dec
2005. Roy 250-359 6896, rball2@imagotrackers.com
* November municipal elections. If you want to get
involved, drop a line to the Conservation Voters of BC at info@conservationvoters.ca
* Organic gardening: Want to learn? Register for the
Organic Garden Expert Course and the Ecological Landscape Design
Certificate. 250-709-2229 www.gaiacollege.ca/news.php
* Organic Farm Land for lease or share, near
Elk Lake. 382-2612.
* Wanted to rent small quiet dwelling, pref rural,
nr transit. Can pay $500 inc; work exch for rent. Joanne 886-8285.
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Elite Earth-Friendly Dry Cleaners
Victoria’s only solvent free dry cleaner
1019 Cook St. 381-2221 Mon-Fri 8-6 Sat 10-4 www.greendrycleaner.com
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SOLAR BREAKTHROUGH?
Every few months, there’s a report of a breakthrough in solar
technology which promises the world, but rarely come to anything.
Well, I have just had a tour of a Burnaby company called Day4Energy
which has developed a subtle change to the regular solar cell,
which allows it to receive concentrated solar energy. If this
pans out, it will allow solar PV to sell for the same price
as wind energy: 7-12 cents kwh in BC. Maybe…? www.day4solar.com
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OUR ELLIE
Ellie Boisvert was a very sweet soul, who loved nature, and
contributed to all sort of good green causes in Victoria, including
the Victoria LETSystem community currency (www.lets.victoria.bc.ca),
native plant gardening, and the monthly Social Justice Film
Nights that she ran in her own living room. She also helped
out quite often at the EcoNews Mailout parties. Ellie had an
illness of some kind, which caused her much pain. In late July,
she took her own life. Her body was found in Layritz Park three
weeks later, with a note in which she said that she couldn’t
stand the pain anymore. She said she was cozy and comfy, snuggled
up among the summer moss and lichens, and she apologized to
her friends and neighbours for this way of going. We thank
you, Ellie, for 56 years of love, goodwill, initiative, and
compassion. One life, full of love. We know that you will now
be at peace, in your new world. To say goodbye to Ellie, see www.pej.ca/elli
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LIBERTE, EGALITE, NATURE
Ellie would surely have approved. The French Parliament has
approved (by a vote of 531 to 23) an amendment to its constitution
which places environmental protection right up there next to
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
- Art. 1 - Every person has the right to live in a balanced
environment that is conducive to his or her health.
- Art. 2 - Every person has the duty to participate in the
conservation and improvement of the environment.
- Art. 3 - Every person must, under the conditions defined
by law, prevent or at least limit the impact they are likely
to
have on the environment.
- Art. 4 - Every person must contribute to the repair of
damage that they cause to the environment, under the conditions
defined
by law.
Among other things, it enshrines the precautionary principle
into the country’s constitution. Now the French have to turn
their ideals into practice. For all ten Articles, see www.earthfuture.com/econews/back_issues/03-12.asp
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ETHICAL INVESTING
The Pinch Group
Connecting your money with your values
www.pinchgroup.ca 250-405-2468
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WASTELESS IN SEATTLE
Garbage, garbage, garbage. In spite of all our recycling,
there’s still so much of it! Here in the CRD, we have a solid
waste reduction goal of 50%, but our recycling and waste diversion
rate has been falling steadily since 1998, when it hit
a high of 42%. By 2004, it had fallen to 36%, while the volume
we dump in the landfill is rising. Yikes! This comes as something
of a shock.
What to do? Seattle has a similar problem; their goal is 60%,
and performance is also under 40%. So the city has launched
a new initiative called Wasteless in Seattle, which include mandatory recycling,
and fines for violators who throw things like paper or cans
into the garbage, beginning in January. It places a big focus
on waste prevention, with a $400,000 budget to that end. People
are being encouraged to set their copy machines to default
to double-sided copies on recycled paper, and a product stewardship
initiative is being set up with "take back" programs
for computer monitors, furniture and maybe prescription drugs.
They also have Use-It-Again Seattle, which features community "garage
sales" throughout the city, when residents are allowed
to drop off and pick up items for free (except electronics,
appliances, couches and mattresses). Should we let Seattle
beat us? Come on Victoria! We need to get seriously back on
track, and beat them to that 60% goal.
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Renovations
Residential * Commercial * Indoor * Outdoor
Eco-friendly Carpentry * Woodworking Flooring * Composters
* Creative Storage
Harald Wolf 250-882-9653 www.wolfweb.ca/allegra
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CAR SHARING
Worried by the price of gas? You’d better get used to it;
chances are the price will go up every year, as we pass the
peak of oil production, and production can no longer keep up
with demand. One solution that makes sense is car sharing,
where instead of owning your personal tonne of steel, you own
a share in a pool of vehicles, and use one when you need it,
with transit, cycling and walking for other trips. Worldwide,
300,000 people are car sharing. In Switzerland, 60,000 people
share 2,400 cars. In Vancouver, 2,000 people share 102 cars.
Here in Victoria, 120 people share six cars in James Bay, Fairfield,
Oak Bay, UVic, downtown and Fernwood, with more planned for
other parts of the city. If this intrigues you, call Susan
Belford at 995-0265, and learn about the Victoria Car Share
Cooperative. (www.victoriacarshare.ca).
There’s also car sharing in Nanaimo, Courtenay, Cortes, Tofino
and Whistler. The overall effect is a 30% to 45% reduction
in vehicle miles traveled for each member, so this is good
for your pocket book, and a good way to meet your One Tonne
Challenge for global climate change.
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I Find the Best Morṭgage Deals from Leading Lenders
who Care about Sustainability
I arrange loans at the lowest rates with lenders who commit
to community programs and investment, corporate social responsibility,
and sustainable business practices.
Ian Baker, Morṭgage Consultant
BEYER MORṬGAGE SERVICES, INC. (250) 592-8969
ian.baker@beyer
morṭgage.com www.beyermorṭgage.com
(In some rare, challenging situations, a broker/lender fee
may apply)
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UVIC’s BUSINESS SCHOOL
In a recent issue of EcoNews, UVic’s MBA program was shown
to score poorly in the Corporate Knights survey of sustainability
education in MBA programs across Canada. The staunch UVic MBA
staff retorted that the magazine took its information from
their website, not from personal interviews, and that their
website did not do justice to their efforts. So stand by to
see UVic’s MBA romping up the ranks of sustainability education!
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NOVEMBER ELECTIONS
This is a brief reminder that we have municipal elections
in November, and by far the best way to make green progress
is to elect environmentally active councillors, who will advance
the green agenda. This might be you! Please think about
it. But please note: it makes no sense to run several green
candidates, who will split the vote, and prevent any one from
getting elected.
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THE OTESHA TOUR
Stand by for Otesha! "Otesha" is a Swahili word
that means "reason to dream". The Otesha Project,
founded by two young women in 2002, is a youth-run charitable
program that has delivered green educational programs to 12,000
youth across Canada. Their message is that since the world’s
biggest problems are caused by humans, they can also be solved
by humans. They are touring BC, and will be doing full day
events and programs on the Island promoting their dreams, and
the One Tonne Challenge, in Port McNeill, the Comox Valley,
Parksville and Duncan. It ends with The Otesha Jam, a Youth
Summit for a Sustainable Future that will bring together 20
youth from 16 communities across BC for 3 days at OUR EcoVillage,
in Shawnigan. For details, see www.otesha.ca, call Brooke
at 361-9625 or email bctour@otesha.ca
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GRANOLA GROOVY ECO STORE
1005 Broad St, Victoria
Now proudly carrying
COYUCHI Organic cotton bedding
(250) 477-0146 http://www.granolagroovy.com
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ISLANDS IN THE SALISH SEA
Watch out for the launch of this new Community Atlas at the
end of October (see Green Diary): it’s a stunning collection
of 30 artwork maps created by people who live on the 470 Gulf
Islands; it’s worth a trip to Salt Spring especially to see
the last public viewing of the maps themselves. These maps
really show the love that the islanders feel for this beautiful
land, and why they want to protect it.
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Garden Path Organic Nursery
WINTER VEGETABLE & BEDDING PLANT SALE
Sat Aug 27 thru Mon Sept 5
10am to 5:30pm Daily (250) 881-1555
For the best selection of winter vegetables available
www.earthfuture.com/gardenpath
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FRUIT TREE PROJECT
Do you have apple, pear or other fruit trees that you’d like
to have picked, for the benefit of the wider community? The
Lifecycles Fruit Tree project has volunteers who will come
and gather your autumn harvest. The delicious fruit is then
distributed among homeowners, volunteers, food banks and local
community organizations. They also host preserving workshops,
so that you can enjoy local fruit year round. Got trees? Call
Laryl, 385-7425.
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ACTION OF THE MONTH:
THE SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE
Roy Ball writes: Gordon Campbell has promised to move
forward with electoral reform, but any delay will jeopardize
implementation in time for the next BC election. The electoral
boundaries commission must begin its work in the spring of
2006, and needs to know if it is to set boundaries for our
current system, or a new STV system. Fair Voting BC is calling
on the government to implement STV without further delay. The
people of BC have voted overwhelmingly in favour of STV, and
now is the time to act.
Action: Write to the Premier and your local
MLA, and ask them to move quickly to implement STV. Rt Hon
Gordon Campbell, Rm 156, Leg Assembly, Victoria V8V 1X4. premier@gov.bc.ca For
your MLA:
www.legis.gov.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm
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THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WEB
Some sites that have passed my way:
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EcoNews,
Guy Dauncey
395 Conway Road, Victoria V9E
2B9
Tel/Fax (250) 881-1304
Author of "Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate
Change"
(New Society Publishers)
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