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

A Calgary city councillor is calling “for a cohesive environmental strategy to ensure that future developments protect the greenbelt around Nose Creek and preserve the area’s biodiversity.” [Discover Airdrie]

Free-roaming horses have existed in Alberta for hundreds of years. Are they wild creatures deserving of protection or are they a nuisance? Who decides? [Canadian Geographic]

Modern Goose, a 23-minute National Film Board production, captures the way Canada geese experience the urban world. It’s a look at Winnipeg through the eyes of the goose. [Winnipeg Free Press]

If we stop persecuting and polluting wild animals and ensure they have a place to live, their populations will recover. That’s been the case in the Pacific Northwest for bald eagles, peregrine falcons, trumpeter swans, sea otters, humpback whales, red-tailed hawks, elephant seals, and Vancouver Island marmots. [Vancouver Sun]

The Building Material Exchange program on Vancouver Island will work as a go-between to help construction companies find a home for their salvageable materials. [Capital Daily]

A Calgary-based company plans to install new turbines and electrical substations at five of its Saskatchewan oil and gas production sites to convert waste flare gas into electricity. [CBC]

Across Canada

A political scientist says, “the unpopularity of the carbon tax is, to a large degree, driven by voters misunderstanding it and having the facts wrong.” Dale Beguin, Canadian Climate Institute says, “Climate policy isn’t easy. It requires some effort to push against the things that are easy and simple politically, because that’s this transformation that we need.” [The Guardian]

“Bill C-59 says that climate change … requires verifiable assertions, not unsubstantiated opinions … Businesses can put forth any narrative they like — as long as they buttress it with verifiable facts.” [Alberta Beyond Fossil Fuels]

Around the World

Using agricultural feedstock as the primary source for global aviation fuel would have various negative effects, including competition with food crops, increased fertilizer production and usage, and the construction of thousands of production facilities. [National Farmers Union]

“AI is very, very energy-hungry. Anything you do with AI consumes a lot of power … creating an image with AI… that uses about 10,000 times the power of a simple Google search.” [The Energy Mix]

Making a Difference

California’s Room to Roam Act calls on local governments to “minimize the disruption of wildlife movement” through wildlife-friendly fencing and lighting in new developments. [Planetizen]

A British football club is designing a green new stadium with air source heat pumps and solar panels. It will also be centrally located close to a train station and bus interchange. [The Earthbound Report]

DIY

You’re invited to send a letter to the federal government encouraging them to develop a stronger ocean noise strategy that includes clear commitments and actionable measures to ensure a quieter ocean for orcas and other marine wildlife. [West Coast Environmental Law]

iNaturalist is hosting a Less Lawn More Life challenge to encourage people to rewild part of their backyard. [1.5 min video, YouTube]

Nature’s Wonders

It’s a lot less work if another bird sits on your eggs and raises your chicks, but you have to be fast, clever, and ruthless. [Knowable]

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/31024944451

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 Twitter or Mastodon, or subscribe by email.