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.
This week’s issue of EcoWest News highlights some of the challenges and opportunities facing Canada’s farmers, explores how communities can build back better after a wildfire, and looks at ways in which we can make our playgrounds and health facilities greener. Last but not least, photographers focus our attention on the natural beauty of dancing sharks, tiramisu mountains, and praying mantises disguised as Pink Panther.
Across the West
Congratulations to the Nature Canada award winners from Western Canada: Deborah Simpson, NatureKids BC; Bird Friendly Regina; and Calgary Climate Hub. [Nature Canada]
A national poll demonstrates that farmers and ranchers are already feeling the impact of severe weather events and fear future climate change impacts. Policies to address producers’ concerns should include emphasizing farmer/rancher-led solutions, investing in soil health, and providing multi-facetted support. [Discover Humboldt]
Despite its cold climate, Canada has become the world’s fifth largest pesticide user, with pesticide sales increasing by 47% from 2011 to 2021. [Ecojustice]
The Pathways Alliance carbon capture hub in Northern Alberta could fail to break even due to “rising operating costs, uncertain revenues, an oversupplied market for emission credits, and stalled efforts to improve the technology”. [The Energy Mix]
Human recreation on mountain trails is displacing grizzly bears and wolves from their natural habitats, even when the trails are hundreds of meters away. [Phys.Org]
Reducing the amount or type of salt used on icy roads in Vancouver would protect fertilized salmon eggs in the area’s creeks. [Vancouver Sun]
Orca whales face imminent threats to survival, but the Federal Court dismissed a claim that Canada breached the Species at Risk Act when it approved a major container terminal expansion in Metro Vancouver. [The Narwhal] Your letter to the federal Ministers of Environment and Climate Change and Fisheries and Oceans will help pressure them into introducing an Emergency Order under the Species at Risk Act to protect the whales. [Ecojustice]
After the Fire: Building Back Better
Some homes survived the Palisades fire in Los Angeles thanks to architectural and design choices such as a metal roof, stucco siding, no overhangs, and double-paned windows. [The Guardian]
Early community engagement and education is important in assisting families whose homes were destroyed by fire to see the benefits of rebuilding to higher standards for energy efficiency and fire resistance. [Inside Climate News]
Making a Difference
Paris is updating its school playgrounds so they will absorb rainwater, reduce urban heat, encourage biodiversity, and provide students with a fun, active play environment. [Earthbound Report] The photographs provide plenty of examples of what could be done in Canada's cities. [CAUE]
Forget For A Moment, a registered Canadian charity, strives to promote awareness among healthcare institutions about the importance of integrating nature within their premises. Their projects include planters and living walls. [Forget For A Moment]
The Constitutional Court of Ecuador ruled that coastal marine ecosystems have legal rights that must be protected, potentially requiring stricter limits on human activities like industrial fishing. [Inside Climate News]
Katowice, once the heartland of Poland’s coal industry, has committed to phasing out coal-fired power generation and is diversifying its economy with a new focus on services, technology, and culture. [EuroNews]
Pembina Institute has published a guide to help small fleet owners and operators make informed decisions about adopting electric vehicles. [Pembina Institute]
Natural Beauty
A mysterious encounter with a deer, tiramisu mountains, and praying mantises stepping in time to the Pink Panther theme music are just some of the award-winning photographs in the Wiki Earth contest. [Wikimedia Foundation]
The winning images in the Ocean Art Underwater photo contest include dancing sharks, a tiny, camouflaged fish that perfectly matches its host, and a sea dragon with its precious cargo of eggs. [Underwater Photography Guide]
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/9884131574
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.