EcoWest News, December 17, 2024

Welcome to EcoWest News, a weekly round-up of news and resources that you can put to use in addressing environmental issues and protecting the wild in your community.

Across the West

Winnipeg’s 15-site, community drop-off compost program has diverted about 40,000 kg of organics from landfill in just 2 months. [CBC]

Nature Saskatchewan is actively trying to build the provincial Motus network of radio telemetry towers tracking birds, bats, and insects. Residents who are interested in hosting a tower should contact Jordan Rustad, Conservation Coordinator. [Nature Saskatchewan]

There may be less than 1,000 wolverines left in Alberta. Only about a quarter of those are breeding females. Unrestricted trapping could spell disaster for this species, along with lynx, otters, and fishers. [The Conversation]

A massive expansion, without a federal environmental review, of the Vista thermal coal mine near Hinton, AB, is expected to “have disastrous impacts on surrounding water and land, endangered species, and nearby communities”. [The Energy Mix]

The collapse of a tailings dam at a mine in BC’s Interior sent poisoned waters surging into Polley and Quesnel lakes. 10 years later, the mine continues to dump chemical-laden wastewater in Quesnel Lake and charges have only just been laid. [The Tyee]

Across Canada

LinkedIn’s 2024 Global Green Skills Report projects that half the jobs required by the green economy in 2050 will lack qualified candidates. In Canada, “entire industries, from energy and forest products to plumbing and risk management, will have to be re-engineered. Business and post-secondary schools have to work together to create curricula, get more people trained, and find the best ways to retrain older workers.” [The Energy Mix]

Around the World

Synthetic clothing (e.g. polyester, nylon, acrylic) accounted for 18 million tons of plastic waste world-wide in 2019. The study recommends greater recycling and increased use of renewable, non-synthetic textiles. [Futurity]

Shipping traffic is increasing exponentially, leading to greater numbers of collisions with whales. However, the highest-risk spots cover less than 3% of the world’s oceans and could be protected with go-slow or no-go zones. [Anthropocene]

AI requires a tremendous amount of energy (and water to prevent overheating). Tax breaks for cutting emissions and greater oversight or restrictions on new development will be required to increase sustainability. [Audubon]

Making a Difference

Winnipeg’s Gordon Bell High School is undergoing a retrofit “targeting a 51% reduction in energy use and a 71% drop in natural gas consumption at the school”. A Retrofit Guide will assist other schools to adopt similar measures. [Government of Canada]

North America’s biggest bottled water company is closing Canada’s largest water bottling plant, “strong evidence that organized opposition and the public backlash against single-use plastic bottled water are having a major impact.” [The Conversation]

Tips to empower dog walkers to keep their dogs on a leash in nature reserves: provide nearby fenced dog parks and promote dogs on leash as wildlife ambassadors. [The Conversation]

A Vancouver Island study is tracking 9 orphaned raccoons released into the wild from a wildlife rehab centre to see how they make out on their own. [BC SPCA]

New methods are emerging in the UK to preserve, improve and generate new habitat and, in many cases, attract back or reintroduce species not seen for decades. [The Guardian]

Nature’s Wonders

Grizzly bears are doing more than building fat reserves as they feast on huckleberries each summer in the Rockies – they’re spreading and germinating huckleberry seeds over vast distances. [UBC Okanagan]

Winter is the perfect time to take up crow watching. [Audubon]

EcoFriendly West is taking a short break over the holidays. EcoWest News will be back online on January 7, 2025.

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/31861050462

EcoFriendly West informs and encourages initiatives that support Western Canada’s natural environment through its online publication and the Nature Companion website/app. Like us on Facebook, follow us on BlueSky, X, and Mastodon, or subscribe by email.