I'm putting them up here.
Cause I can.
Narcissism at its best.
GO BLOGS!
Article for the Bugle
The Great White North is often seen as the Mecca for freshwater. As Canadians, we identify with various purely “Canadian” items; moose, beavers, maple syrup, snow, hockey and water. Water is our lifeblood, and history has shown that very little other than water issues can get our polite Canadian selves riled up. This being said, we are inefficient at water conservation and our water policies leave much to be desired. As of 2006, Canadians were consuming over 330L of freshwater every day and approximately 1400 cubic metres of water every year. To date, Canada has yet to ratify a modern national water policy that encourages conservation and environmental education is sorely lacking across our country.
Our disregard for water consumption may be because we see it around us in such abundance that we suppose it will never run dry. Yet, the amount of actual available water in Canada belies our common misconceptions. Although media and international opinion casts us as a water-rich country, Canada has only a fraction more renewable freshwater reserves than the United-States, tying us in fourth place for water richness.
Water is obviously not evenly spread throughout the country and some areas are more abundant in renewable freshwater than others. Due to water-demanding production sectors like agriculture and industry, water is often diverted from natural ecosystems to suit human needs and often returns to the environment severely degraded.
It is crucial to keep in mind that we live in a closed system and that we cannot create more water. The water that we use today has been on the planet since before humans existed and we have the responsibility to leave it as clean as possible for future generations. There is a myth of water abundance in Canada that leads to irresponsible administration and overuse of our most precious resource.
Water conservation is not simply a matter of turning the tap off when we brush our teeth, installing rain barrels and investing in low-flow showerheads. Water conservation must also occur on a larger ecosystem scale by protecting the areas that filter, purify, decontaminate and store our water, all the while creating areas for biodiversity to flourish. I am talking about wetlands.
These areas are crucial parts of our watersheds and are severely underrated and underappreciated. The GeoNB project (available at http://geonb.snb.ca/geonb/), launched this past January, is an important tool in determining where these areas are. People fear that this tool may lead to decreased land values if wetlands exist on their properties. These fears are unfounded since the regulations about developing wetlands are not changing; the tool simply allows government departments, non-government organizations, industry, not-for-profit companies, academia, and the general public to view the landscape and then plan for strategic and sustainable development. GeoNB is just one of many examples of how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to manage and protect the environment. The system is a useful device for understanding our surroundings.
By understanding our environment and the ecosystem that we live in, we can better understand our place within it and create a society that protects and maintains our clean freshwater supplies. Wetlands need to be protected, not only for the next generations, but also because of the immediate benefits they provide to communities. Don’t take my word for it though. Get out there and find out for yourself how important they are. Find out how you can get involved in wetland conservation at http://www.ducks.ca.
Article for the County Bridge
“RUN!”
“FASTER!”
“KEEP RUNNING!”
“YOU ALMOST HAVE IT!”
My friends hollered encouragements and advice at me, while I ran at full speed through the wet grassy field, soaking my shoes and my jeans. After ten seconds of running, I was laughing so hard that I could barely catch my breath enough to pump oxygen into my leg muscles. Still, I kept running, hoping that the big colourful bumblebee that was floating behind me, attached to a string, would catch some of the non-existent breeze and soar higher than the real bees that were hiding from the rain. I felt a little tension on the string and released some more, likely too soon. I’m no expert. In fact, this was my first time flying a kite.
Following the seasonal trend, the annual kite festival was rained out this year. A few die-hards came to show their support and partake in the damp festivities, bringing smiles and sharing stories about previous sunny years. As the FBC interns, we showed up to see what the fuss was about and even with the rain, we weren’t disappointed. I was giddy with excitement to fly my first kite and no amount of rain was going to stop me from trying.
Though I wasn’t able to get my bumblebee airborne, a fellow intern lent me his soaring kite so that I could feel what it was like to fly one. I giggled the whole time. There I was, standing in a field of dandelions on a rainy day, looking up at a tiny speck of a kite that was flying high above my head. Whoever invented kites should win some kind of medal for “Most Fun Flying Toy Ever”. It was an amazing feeling, akin to harnessing the power of the wind… something that we in fact do here at FBC. If generating wind power could be made to be as fun as flying a kite, no one would object to alternative technologies.
The rain petered out after 2pm and having worked up an appetite by running around, chasing after the smallest puff of wind, we lined up to put in our orders for personalized pizzas. Meat, cheese, onion, broccoli, green peppers, fiddleheads… FIDDLEHEADS! ON PIZZA! Will wonders never cease? The portable copper oven that they must be magical because that was the most delicious, perfectly cooked pizza I had ever eaten. It took my mind off of the soaking wet shoes that I was splashing around in.
After a snack in the yurt (Mongolian style round tent), we filed back outside to try our luck again on the windless day. As I photographed my fellow interns running around like children, I realized that there one thing that brings everyone to the same level: fun. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how mature you are, how much your monthly mortgage is, what kind of car you drive, what colour your tricycle is… when you’re flying a kite, everyone experiences the same child-like glee. My most recent epiphany has been: GO FLY A KITE!
Tea Time With Emma
I tend to get colds when seasons change and I have found that tea is the best medicine. Several years ago I became interested in herbal medicine and I was thrilled when I became the intern in charge of the herb gardens here at FBC.
To treat my cold, I went on a steady tea diet. I’m not generally one for using recipes, so the quantities here are approximate.
Rescue Tea
 |
| Thyme |
 |
| Oregano |
1 tbsp of fresh thyme
1 tbsp of honey
Squeeze in half a lime or lemon
It is also good to inhale the steam from this tea to clear out the lungs and sinuses.
On one of the many cloudy, overcast days, we were all feeling grumpy and blue. By chance, I found a patch of lemon balm in a weedy, overgrown herb garden. Lemon balm has mood uplifting qualities so I picked a few handfuls and made a big pot of tea for everyone.
Cheery Tea
1 tbsp fresh lemon balm
1 tbsp fresh spearmint
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| Chocolate Mint |
2 tbsp chocolate mint
1 tbsp cocoa shells (or cocoa powder)
1 tsp of honey
This is a good tea to drink with dessert.
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