Wingnut Wednesday: A collection of the things discovered over the past week that have shaken my faith in humanity.

Just before I started blogging again after my self-imposed hiatus, I started considering a concept for an ongoing series on this blog. Over the course of trying to keep up to date on current events last semester, I came across a plethora of hit-my-head-on-my-desk stupid comments that are quite funny, until you remember that these people are allowed to vote.

From that sad realization comes this reprieve from the mid-week blahs: Wingnut Wednesday: A collection of the things discovered over the past week that have shaken my faith in humanity.

It should be worth noting that the quotes featured in these posts most certainly do not reflect the opinions of this blog.

The above are courtesy of the Huffington Post, from the recent "Tea Bagging" protests in the United States.

On "Spongebob Squarepants":

"I've only seen the show a couple of times with the kids, but it most definitely is not very clean....I could clearly pick up on the undertones...I remember hearing (either on television or from a friend) that the creator of the show have written sponge Bob and his pink friend to be homosexual lovers....while I cannot be sure if this is true or not, it wouldnot surprise me in the least....the liberals will stop at nothing to promote their views in our children's television....its despicable..."

On "the music played by kids these days":

"Rock music is the Satanic music because it inspires the youth to go out and desecrate the name of the Lord. It is dangerous for a Christian society. Bands like Creed and Switchfoot are only further allowing for Satan to penetrate and rape the Church."

Earth Day 2009: The Good, The Bad, and The Dumb

Today being earth day, here are a few reasons to hope that our planet might not be heading for environmental Armageddon, some reasons to recognize why we have a long way to go, and an example of the silly reasoning we must confront.

The Good
New Provincial Park in Nova Scotia

“On the eve of Earth Day, the provincial government declared the 1,312 hectares of streams, lakes, wetlands and forest that sits next door to one of the most intensively developed areas in the region officially protected under the Wilderness Areas Protection Act.”

Wetlands play an important role in protecting biodiversity in the surrounding ecosystem, and filtering groundwater. Canada can definitely do more to protect wetlands, and that a new park is being created in Nova Scotia to help do that is encouraging.

Barack Obama, speaking at Georgetown

“The third pillar of this new foundation is to harness the renewable energy that can create millions of new jobs and new industries. We all know that the country that harnesses this energy will lead the 21st century. Yet we have allowed other countries to outpace us on this race to the future.”

"If businesses and entrepreneurs know today that we are closing this carbon pollution loophole, they will start investing in clean energy now. And pretty soon, we’ll see more companies constructing solar panels, and workers building wind turbines, and car companies manufacturing fuel-efficient cars."

"Investors will put some money into a new energy technology, and a small business will open to start selling it. That’s how we can grow this economy, enhance our security, and protect our planet at the same time."

It's good to see the new US president recognizing the role that green jobs and renewable energy will play in lifting his country out of the recession.


Green Jobs a solution for Economic Woes
The Edmonton Journal has a story on a joint report from the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and the Alberta Federation of Labour that touts green-collar jobs as a solution for recent job losses in Alberta. According to the report, up to 14,000 Albertans could be put to work over 2 years through home retrofitting programs.

Economist Nicholas Stern compares climate change deniers to “Flat Earthers”
Hee hee hee.

8 in 10 Albertans believe it’s possible to have a healthy economy while protecting the environment.
I'm glad to see the people of my home province aren't buying in to the "Envrionment or the Economy" tripe.

The Bad
Alberta’s Auditor General is critical of Sustainable Resource Development Alberta’s failure to develop performance measures for replanting efforts

“The department has planned to report publicly on reforestation for almost five years, but has still not done so. ... If the department does not measure and publicly report reforestation outcomes, the public will not have the assurance that industry is complying with reforestation standards or that the standards themselves are stringent enough to ensure satisfactory reforestation."

Corporate Knights Magasine releases a provincial environmental report card:
Alberta receives a C- environmental rating, and a D+ for energy efficiency, and dead last on air quality from Corporate Knights. Nova Scotia fared worse overall with a D grade overall, but earned a B+ for energy efficiency. (BC earned the top mark with a C+).

The Dumb
Blogging Tory wonders why picking up litter doesn’t reduce greenhouse gasses:

“But, are we adults actually doing that? Because, I can remember planning those types of activities when I started teaching back in the early 1970’s. Yet, we are told, things are getting much worse. ”... "While they are all good ideas and worthy goals, they will NOT save the planet — because in my view — it does not need to be saved. It — and our sun – are simply going through climate and other changes as they have for millenia."

It’s probably not fair that I pick on this one member of the Blogging Tories role. She’s certainly not the only one who holds on to the “climate change is a myth” lunacy; she just happens to be the one whose Earth Day comments got caught in my news feed.

This little gem contains two fallacies that I’m amazed that people actually hold on to. The first being that if you can't directly observe a phenomena in real time, then it’s not happening (one might therefore logically assume that they don’t believe in evolution, continental drift, relativity, and planetary motion) and the second being that beautification projects like picking up litter and putting it in the trash has anything to do with greenhouse gasses.

MEC to consider boycott of Israeli products

Apparently, there’s a motion to be considered at the Annual General Meeting for Mountain-Equipment Coop that proposes that the organization cease purchasing products produced in Israel. A spokesperson for an organization calling itself BC Teachers for Peace and Global Education was quoted in the article as saying:

"We just don't think (Mountain Equipment Co-op) should be doing business with Israel until it changes its behaviour".

In contrast, a statement on the MEC blog states:

“Just as creed and country are not barriers to being an MEC member, we do not divide our supply chain along political lines. In short, we will not take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

It remains to be seen if the proposed boycott will pass.

I’ve been a big fan of MEC for a number of years. As someone who spends a large chunk of his time exploring the great outdoors, a trip to MEC can be incredibly dangerous, as I’ll inevitably end up pawing at merchandise and pondering whether it’s time to replace my 2year old sleeping bag. Aside from the gear available, MEC presents a business model that shows how sustainability need not be sacrificed for good business practices.

This motion concerns me. Boycotts, if implemented properly, can be effective at forcing one company to change its business practices. However, when imposed in a blanket manner against companies operating within a certain country, I’m not convinced that they are successful at changing that government’s domestic policy. Despite whatRather, the people who end up being hurt are small businesses and workers who suddenly find themselves out of work.

To what extent are the workers and business owners responsible for the actions of their government? Do all citizens of the United States bear responsibility for the Iraq war and the Katrina response, regardless of whether they voted for George Bush or not? As a Canadian, am I responsible for all the efforts undertaken in my name by the current government?

Why there's hope in the fight against climate change

Normally it would have taken an act of extreme stupidity on the part of a government somewhere to enflame my desire to blog again after a month’s hiatus. This time it’s not. It’s hope.

Falling victim this morning to some insane east-coast weather for which I was ill prepared, I sought refuge in a local Starbucks before continuing on to campus for a day of exam preparation. While in line, I looked up and, as if struck by divine providence, the urge to blog again reappeared.

On the board behind the Barista was a notice highlighting the company’s goal of having 100% of its coffee purchases from fair-trade sources by 2015, along with other environmental initiatives. Starbucks isn’t alone in embracing the green trend lately. In an attempt to energize their lagging market, GM’s latest advertisements highlight its new attempt at developing a predominately electric car, the “Volt”, due for release late next year. According to GM, the first 40 miles of driving will be done on an overnight charge before switching to a standard gasoline engine is necessary. In approaching climate change, some of these private sector organizations are more ambitious than some governments when it comes to addressing the problem.

While the more cynical among us may simply chalk these initiatives up to lip service, there is no doubting that these products represent an important development in the fight against climate change: Green is Chic.

Hummer drivers have become social pariahs, with the new status symbols being personalized Enviro Mugs from MEC and hybrid Priuses. While some of these initiatives may have started as attempts at corporate social responsibility, neither Starbucks nor GM would invest as much as they have been into advertising if there wasn’t already a growing public demand for environmentally conscious products.

Residential heating and personal transportation make up a large percentage of this country’s carbon footprint, and in order for that to change; the onus is placed not only on governments, but also on our neighbours; and on ourselves to change our everyday habits. No amount of placard waving or stunt is going to change the personal patterns of 33 million Canadians. If we seek a more environmentally conscious society, then the “Green Choice” must also be the “Convenient Choice” and the “Chic Choice”.

The fact that large companies like GM are spending big bucks during this recession to highlight their environmental and socially conscious practices speaks volumes. Green is in. It’s what consumers are asking for.

And that gives me reason to hope.

Apologies

The past few months have been somewhat hectic for me, both within the realm of academia and what remains of my personal life. As such I didn't really have the motivation to blog, falling into a "what's the point" type of funk.

But I'm back... Kinda.

I've got a few posts up my sleeve, and the nature of this little space may change somewhat over the next few weeks. I'm looking at incorporating a few new features for you readers - including a little less punditry, and a little bit more "check this website/comment out".

For those of you who have been reading this space up until now, any reader feedback would be greatly appreciated. Rumors of [this blog's] death have been greatly exaggerated.

-FSW