Out of the Box 34.1

From the Leaf-O-Matic to La Corda dei Panni and ChatEau du Robinet, Peter Stock has some great gift ideas for the season.

Peter Stock is a freelance writer and radio broadcaster. He drinks tap water, would rake his lawn if warranted and fashions wire hangers into a makeshift clothesline.

It has been 20 years since the World Commission on Environment and Development issued its ground-breaking report on sustainable development. Convened by the United Nations in 1983 and chaired by the former Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, this independent commission was born of the international community’s frustration with the world’s inability to deal effectively with the vital global issues of the day.

Referred to as a “mass persuasion exercise,” Al Gore’s Live Earth was by far the biggest, boldest and loudest environmental public education event ever created. Over 100 musical acts, performed on seven continents, attracted two-billion viewers within 24 hours. Undeniably, it was an incredible feat. But did the celebrity admonitions, the poignant vignettes, and Al Gore’s seven-point pledge inspire us to change our lifestyles and reduce our carbon footprint? Were SUVs suddenly abandoned at the curb, laundry hoisted outside to dry and electric wine chillers traded in for more efficient models?

The glaring fluorescence of Atlantic Superstore lights must have blinded me. How could I buy a shiny, temptingly red – and cheap – Mexican tomato when I knew I could purchase local, organic ones at the Halifax Farmers’ Market? ...