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Green Do Gooder

“IT WAS A BAD YEAR,” David Donnelly, Earth Day Canada’s Hometown Hero for 2008, tells me. We’re sitting at a long table beside the open-concept kitchen in the common room at 215 Spadina Avenue in downtown Toronto. It’s the official hangout for socially conscious non-profit groups in Canada’s largest city. […]

Buyer Be Good

IT SEEMS THAT every time I open the newspaper, turn on the television or check for online news, some company is touting its environmental commitment. I am encouraged to use reusable shopping bags, purchase more concentrated detergent and wear organically grown, cotton T-shirts. Done in the name of saving the […]

6 Steps to Cut the Greenwash

WHETHER YOU WANT to purchase a green product or invest in an environmentally responsible company, deciding where to place your dollars is a multistep process. It includes visiting a variety of sources, appraising the available information, and then synthesizing it to make a balanced and thoughtful choice. The following guide […]

Notice of My Death

[…] I BELIEVE MY environmental advocacy contributed to making Canada’s environment a little better than it would have been without my efforts. I liked being an environmental­ activist. I enjoyed a good argument (as long as it wasn’t personal), I liked challenges and I liked making a difference. I also enjoyed […]

A Scientific Romance

WHEN I BEGAN writing A Scientific Romance 15 years ago, I pictured the ruins our civilization might leave behind if it died from its own folly like so many others. My tale is set in Britain and told by an archaeologist who travels to the year 2500. I made satirical […]

Working Words

COMBING THROUGH scientific studies and correspondents’ reports in her seaside home in Maine, Rachel Carson saw nature bludgeoned by a chemical barrage. Telling stories about the northern Barren Lands, Farley Mowat expressed the spirit and meaning of wolves at home in the wilderness. Drawing on advice from every continent, Barbara […]

Extra Curriculars

The university experience can mean long hours in the lecture hall, but this doesn’t have to come at the expense of getting involved. Even those awkward two-hour breaks between classes provide enough time to explore environmental groups and activities. For those who long to make their mark, a smart place […]