The Big Smoke

There was an article in the Toronto Star the other day about the incinerator which is taking shape just south of the 401 highway in our municipality of Clarington. Construction on the first incinerator to be built in the GTA in 22 years is moving along and the projected start-up will be in the Spring of 2014, just over a year away. The Star article includes these paragraphs:

When the first puffs of smoke emerge from the single smokestack of the Clarington incinerator as it fires up for testing next spring, the Mayor Adrian Foster says a tear will roll down his cheek.

“Even if it’s mostly water vapour coming out of that stack, we still have another stack at the lake, which I don’t think is anyone’s vision for their waterfront,” said the Clarington mayor, who campaigned against the controversial plant during the 2010 election. “We lost the fight,” he said. “Moving ahead, we just want to make sure it’s as clean and as safe as possible.”

The Durham-York Energy Centre will convert 140,000 metric tonnes of post-recycled garbage into 20 megawatts of electricity annually. It was originally projected to cost $272.4 million. But a Durham region report last year tacked on an additional $11.5 million to cover inflation and other costs, including utilities and HST.

Doesn't this make you feel all warm inside? And do you want to bet that within five to ten years the trucks will be rolling down one of the busiest stretches of one of North America's busiest highways loaded with Toronto's garbage? Sometimes I refer to TO as the Big Smoke. It will be more accurate to call Clarington the Big Smoke.  

Many St. Paul's members attended public hearings on the incinerator, and the majority came away opposed. After thoughtful consideration some became quite involved in the opposition. Most of us saw this as an opportunity to live out the phrase "to live with respect in Creation" in the creed, not to mention protecting our lungs. Clarington has one of the highest rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in the province.

Anyone else see the article? As the incinerator goes up, where are your thoughts?

Calling all Hinterlanders!

Fifty years ago I was a nerdy eight-year-old developing an interest in the natural world. Something wonderful happened. The Canadian Wildlife Service began running one-minute, black and white television spots called Hinterland's Who's Who featuring various Canuck creatures in their natural habitat. The gentle flute intro and the looowww-kkkeeeyy narration have been much parodied through the years, and the late John Candy's woodchuck bit is a classic.

At the end of each vignette there was an invitation: "For more information on the [animal], contact the Canadian Wildlife Service, in Ottawa." You may have wondered if anyone ever did contact the CWS. Oh ya, it was moi. I would send off my letter and before long a package would arrive in the mail with bulletins on the birds and animals I had requested. It was wonderful. Stop sneering!

As a nerdy fifty-eight-year old I am still fascinated by the complexity of the world around us. I have developed a theology of creation and come to appreciate how the evolutionary process informs my sense of God as Creator. Hey, this is God's Wondrous World. Fifty years ago few of us had much of a sense of the web of being, the complex interconnection of all living things, but it has developed over time.

There is still a Hinterland's Who's Who but of course today it is accessed online. http://www.hww.ca/en/index.html  Perhaps it is more important in this 50th anniversary year  than back then. As a kid I was outside all the time, as were most children of the day. Our 'biophilia" or love of nature came about by osmosis. There is so much helicopter parenting now and earnest inside activity (not to mention virtual reality) there aren't the same opportunities for children to immerse themselves in the natural world. Or so it seems to me.

Any other Hinterlanders out there? Are we creating a generation of kids who don't know the out-of-doors? What is our responsibility as Christians to encourage appreciation of creation?

Critters and Compassion

Humans are compassionate, and we are the only creatures who exhibit this trait. That used to be the philosophical perspective and it was argued, sometimes to an extreme, that animals did not have emotions and therefore could not demonstrate care and altruism or any feelings comparable to human higher feelings. Any attempts to ascribe emotions, let alone altruistic behaviour, was dismissed as anthropomorphizing.

In recent years this perspective has been challenged repeatedly through both empirical studies and anecdotal stories. In the last two weeks two stories have emerged which are intriguing. A pod of sperm whales off the coast of Portugal appear to have adopted a bottlenose dolphin which may have been rejected by its own kin. Researchers can see no other likely reason for the ongoing relationship other than providing care.

The more recent story is from South Korea where a pod of a dozen dolphins created a "life raft" to support a sick member (above.) The pod worked at supporting the sick dolphin for a lengthy period before it eventually succumbed to its illness.

We have also heard of elephants and seen them on film as they support a sick herd member or appear to lament a death.

Why did we assume that other animals couldn't feel what we feel? The Christian faith supported that notion for a long time. Was it, and is it still in some circles, that we figure that our human relationship with God gives us a status that doesn't allow other creatures whom scripture tells us are created by God to think or feel or have personalities?

When I proposed a joint blessing service to my colleagues here in Bowmanville several balked, considering it suspect theology. What theology supports the belief that God's creatures are only here for our benefit? Read Psalm 104 and we find quite a different perspective.

Does it make sense to you that creatures of higher intelligence can demonstrate care for others? Is this a shift in outlook for you, or one you have always embraced. What about the theology?

The Father, Sun, and the Holy Spirit

At St. Paul's we are pleased that our 40 solar panels are installed and we are waiting to be hooked into the grid. Until that the electricity these produce is "all dressed up with no place to go.

As I was doing some paper shuffling today I came across an article in The Atlantic magazine with the title The Father, the Sun, and the Holy Spirit by Stephan Faris. It could have been called The Father, the Sun, and the Green Pope.  I know I snipped this article for a reason, but I had totally forgotten about it. It describes the completed installation of 2,400 solar panels on a building at the Vatican, instigated by Pope Benedict. Twenty four hundred panels! These will prevent 230 tons of carbon dioxide from reaching the atmosphere. Our effort at St. P's represents one sixtieth of this installation.

I am no fan of Benedict XVI, but I must say that I admire this initiative. In fact, Benedict has been dubbed the Green Pope for his commitment. He has frequently expressed concerns about global climate change, and he speaks of a "covenant between human beings and the environment." The Roman Catholic church has joined with environmental movements in Latin America and the Philippines to save rain forests, protect species, and actively support indigenous peoples who are most effected by their destruction.

Okay, maybe I can warm up to the pontiff just a tad. Now if he would only recognize that Protestants are "real" Christians.

Did you know about the green inclinations of Pope Benedict? Are you impressed?

Airpocalypse

While there are few comment on this Groundling blog, you are reading, so I will not be discouraged!

There was a piece on CBC news last night about the growing crisis of air pollution in China and particularly in its large cities. http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2328559425/ Beijing, presented as a showcase during the Olympics, is shrouded in an acrid, almost inpenetrable cloud of pollution. Citizens are warned about the health risks of being outside, many wear masks to go about routine activities, and lots have pollution apps on their cellphones to let them know how dangerous the levels of particulate are. It is estimated that 400,000 Chinese die per year of air pollution illnesses. What a price to pay for rapid economic growth.

Of course this isn't just a Chinese problem. At the risk of sounding crass, there can be no peeing and non-peeing sections of the swimming pool, and as we have already concluded in this country, no smoking and non-smoking sections in the restaurant. We realize that we share water and air and it is naive or willful ignorance to say that what happens elsewhere in the world doesn't affect us. And the prevailing winds are from west to east.

We have participated in the 350.org campaign out of our conviction that Christians must act to cherish and protect our planet home. The goal is to bring greenhouse junk from a dangerous 390 parts per million back to a threshold of 350.

Do you think we really comprehend the extent of this airpocalypse, as it was termed last night? Yesterday I came out of the church to see a large pick-up truck in one of the staff parking spots, idling, with no driver. I was tempted to drive the truck down the street and turn it off. This virtually beneath our new solar panels Still, I use fossils fuels and our Canadian oil sands are major producers of greenhouse gases.

Is it worth even pondering?

Positive Energy

There was an article in yesterday's Toronto Star about a pilot project by Toronto Hydro is install large scale batteries to store and regulate the availability of electricity through peaks and troughs of demand. The first of these encased lithium ion batteries has been installed in a North York neighbourhood and can power nine homes if the grid goes down. http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1318213--big-batteries-could-solve-hydro-surges-and-shortages

Of course this is a big deal if the power goes out altogether, but it could also make a difference in those times of significant demand during the summer when everyone has their air-conditioning units chugging away. It would mean that rather than building new nuclear power plants at the cost of billions to respond to the highest demands, these neighbourhood units could be charged up and then meet the need in those peak periods.

Essentially this is why we have water towers in communities. Instead of installing huge pumps to respond to the highest demand times the stored water is used, then the holding tanks are recharged during the night when demand is low. The batteries are the electricity equivalent, the way I figure it.

Another way of responding to peak demands periods is to have solar installations all over the grid. Solar panels work at maximum efficiency when the demand is greatest -- at midday and in summer, when it is sunny. The Ontario Microfit program encourages this alternative, non-polluting form of energy generation to reduce brown-outs and smog.

Hey, what if churches installed solar panels as part of this program? Hold on, that is what St. Paul's is doing right now! Those panels on our south-facing roof will soon be contributing to the grid, reducing greenhouse gases and particulate in the air.

I hope this makes you breathe easier about why a Christian congregation is installing the panels in January. Think June, July, and August. Folks, we're awesome!

Comments?

Eight Sentences on Climate Change

President Barak Obama is apparently emboldened as he entered into his second term of office. In his inaugural address he spoke of gay rights and gun control. But he gave the most attention --eight sentences -- to responding to climate change. It certainly makes sense after 2012 was marked by severe weather events including Superstorm Sandy. Amongst those sentences were:

“We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.”

This is encouraging in a country where climate change denial is finally eroding, with more than 70% of Americans now conceding that it is real and a threat. Unfortunately conservative Christianity in the U.S. is a bastion of denial for reasons difficult to understand. This anti-scientific view has nothing to do with Christian faith but that is how it is perceived.

This initiative won't be easy for Obama and the Democrats. The president introduced legislation during his first term which went nowhere. Controlling greenhouse gas emissions is views as anti-business as well, and in a fragile economy there will be vigorous opposition.

Were you aware of this emphasis in the inaugural address? Are you encouraged? Do you believe that Obama will do more than talk?

Winter is News in Canada?

Late breaking news! Mid-January in Canada is Winter! Why, oh why are we receiving Extreme Cold Weather Alerts when it is a mere minus six degrees? Sure the poor souls living on the streets of Toronto are suffering, but the rest of us don't have much to complain about.I have the sinking feeling that we have been totally wussified here in Southern Ontario.On the one hand we are now calling hockey a religion. On the other hand we can't handle weather cold enough to actually create the ice for outdoor skating. What has happened here?

When I go to the States for conferences at least one of the other participants claims he/she would like to live in Canada because we are a kinder, gentler nation, but they couldn't handle the winter weather. I don't even bother to explain that we wouldn't know how to deal with a blizzard anymore, at least not in these parts.

If you are a climate change denier, look no further than the eruption of whining over a few cold days and the obsession with the temperature as news. God, are you shaking your head in disbelief, except that you don't have a head because that would be anthropomorphizing you, and does that non-existent head wear earmuffs?

How do you feel about this? Has climate change made us pathetically weak? Or you hoping for palm trees?

Drying Up The Mississippi

The first revelatory novel of my teen years was Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I haven't read it in years, but I came back to it several times in my twenties and I really should delve into it again. Huck and Jim float down the river and on the way the white boy discovers that the black man is a person. The racism he has bathed and swum in through his young life made no sense and was immoral. Huck decides that he will "swim against the current" even though he had been taught that this is a sin which would lead to eternal damnation.  

The river of Huckleberry Finn was the mighty Mississippi, a river which is much different than the waterway of 125 years ago. While the river is still used for commerce -- billions of dollars worth per year -- it has been drying up as drought affects it and its tributaries. The Army Corps of Engineers is using every means to both deepen the river and raise water levels, but without rainful it is a losing battle. The giant barges must carry lighter loads or run aground.


Isn't it sobering that once again the resources we assume will be around forever and impervious to change because of their size and abundance are finite and fragile? In a way the new story is that we need to be awakened to the oppression of nature itself, something akin to racism.

I have never seen the Mississippi -- have you? Any thoughts about what is happening here?

Promised Land

I suppose a motion picture on the subject of fracking ran a fairly high risk of failure. Matt Damon and John Krasinski and Frances McDormand offer some star power to Promised Land, but the critics say that it isn't enough. To remind you, fracking is shorthand for hydraulic fracturing -- you push water mixed with other stuff under high pressure down, and up bubbles the natural gas. It works, and this relatively new techonology is making industry analysts confident that the United States will become an energy exporter rather than dependent on OPEC and the commies up here in Canada with their oil sands. Here is the plot description for Promised Land:

"...two flacks from a natural gas company (Matt Damon and Frances McDormand) come to a rural Pennsylvania town, where they’re supposed to convince residents that fracking on their land is a good idea--and one that will make them rich. Krasinski’s environmentalist character soon appears in town, complicating their plans."

The film gets an underwhelming 50% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, 41% from viewers. This one is headed for summer school. Or maybe an "On Demand" viewing. It's too bad, because this is an important subject. Whether it is fracking, or sequestering carbon underground, we seem to have decided that what we once pumped into the air and sea we can now squirt underground where no one will notice. Except that lots of folk who live in the areas where fracking takes place insist that wells have been poisoned and humans and animals get sick and die.



I see that the United Methodist Church in the States, something like our United Church, has made some statements about fracking, and encourage viewing the award-winning doc by John Fox called Gasland. The United Church of Canada chirped a bit, here and there, but I don't find any "in depth" analysis. Perhaps we should screen Gasland here, even though I haven't heard of any fracking projects in Southern Ontario.

Have any of you been following this development? Should we have a policy on this in the UCC, or are our fingers already in too many pies?

Waste Not, Want Not

I am often dismayed that packages of cold cuts in our fridge go largely uneaten, or that food in the "crisper" (aka the "rotter") languish there until inedible. I feel guilty for the waste. Then there is the concern about best-before dates, which, bye the way, are often established to protect the manufacturer rather than reflecting the actual expiry. Not sure? Chuck it. Well, read this:

As much as half of all the food produced in the world – equivalent to two billion tonnes – ends up as waste every year, engineers warned in a report published on Thursday. The UK's Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) blames the "staggering" new figures in its analysis on unnecessarily strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free and Western consumer demand for cosmetically perfect food, along with "poor engineering and agricultural practices", inadequate infrastructure and poor storage facilities.

In the face of United Nations predictions that there could be about an extra 3 billion people to feed by the end of the century and growing pressure on the resources needed to produce food, including land, water and energy, the IMechE is calling for urgent action to tackle this waste.Their report, Global Food; Waste Not, Want Not, found that between 30% and 50% or 1.2-2bn tonnes of food produced around the world never makes it on to a plate.

In the UK as much as 30% of vegetable crops are not harvested due to their failure to meet retailers' exacting standards on physical appearance, it says, while up to half of the food that is bought in Europe and the US is thrown away by consumers. And about 550 billion cubic metres of water is wasted globally in growing crops that never reach the consumer. Carnivorous diets add extra pressure as it takes 20-50 times the amount of water to produce 1 kilogramme of meat than 1kg of vegetables; the demand for water in food production could reach 10–13 trillion cubic metres a year by 2050.

This is 2.5 to 3.5 times greater than the total human use of fresh water today and could lead to more dangerous water shortages around the world, the IMechE says, claiming that there is the potential to provide 60-100% more food by eliminating losses and waste while at the same time freeing up land, energy and water resources.

You know what this means? When my mom told me to eat everything on my plate, because it was wrong to waste food when kids were starving in India -- well, she was right.

I read recently that there is a research centre in California where they test food that has supposedly expired and in the majority of cases it is still safe to eat. They tested canned goods from a ship which sank in the 1930's and found it was still edible.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to try to actually eat when we have purchased. It seems to be the responsible and Christian thing to do.

Are you are as much of a culprit as we are? Did you have any idea we humans are so wasteful? Are you going to attempt to do better?

Every Person for Themselves?

I was startled to hear this morning that there is now a disaster relief industry which caters to those who have the moolah to avail themselves of the services. Afraid that your house will burn down in a wildfire? For $50,000 your place can be flame-proofed. Worried that a hurricane could trap you with all the other riff-raff? There is a helicopter service which can whisk you away before the storm hits.

It is such a dismal picture of the future in a world affected by climate change. Apparently in Canada we won't be able to count on the military to bail us out of disasters anymore, at least not without a fee. The proposal is that municipalities and provincial governments will be billed for relief efforts. If our armed forces aren't fighting wars, why wouldn't they consider relief as part of the job description.

Last year the United States had a record eleven weather events with an economic impact of more than a billion dollars. Superstorm Sandy will probably ring in at more than 50 billion. Who pays? It was shameful that Republicans in the US blocked an aid bill because of partisan politics.

We don't hear that one of the possible outcomes of climate change will be gross selfishness, every man and woman for him or herself. Is this the world we want to live in? As Christians I think the answer is an emphatic no. But this is more than pondering the outcome of a society which could be reshaped by the climate we are altering. It can be motivation to act with purpose and conviction as Christian communities and individuals for "tikkun olam," mending the world.

What are your thoughts on this?

Leviathan

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
²⁶ There go the ships,
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. Psalm 104:24-26

It has been suggested that we know more about aspects of space and the geography of the moon than the depths of our oceans. Recent attempts to "boldly go where no one has gone before" in the oceans have revealed scores of new species, often in locations presumed unable to support life.

Even massive creatures such as the giant squid are so elusive that only a few have been found, and they were dead. Giant squid are large and fierce enough to do battle with some of the whale species and can grow to over 18 metres in length. A Japanese scientific team managed to take some photos of a giant squid about a kilometre below the surface. Cool.

The justifiable concern is that we humans are guilty of the hubris of exploiting the environment we don't yet know. We are often plunderers and proud of it. If we have trouble snapping a shot of a sea monster 60 feet in length, what hope is there for many other less photogenic creatures?

Charlie The Tuna

Remember Charlie, the tuna who was perpetually confused about the difference between good taste and tasting good? If you have no recollection, congratulations, you are too young to share this memory.

Charlie would have been astounded to hear that a bluefin tuna sold at auction in Japan for 1.76 million dollars recently. That works out to about $3500 a pound. The Japanese consume 80% of the annual global harvest of bluefin, a species which is threatened by over fishing. Canadian bluefin tuna is prized, with a single large fish weighing close to a thousand pounds. The trouble is, these tuna are becoming increasingly scarce.

Coincidentally, today the program Land and Sea looked at the challenge of the diminishing Canadian tuna fishery. Some are calling for a total ban, and the bluefin may go on the endangered species list. Others are looking for alternatives. Some fishermen are now running catch-and-release sport fishing trips which generate revenue without killing the tuna. They also make catch trops but the sport fishery allows them to make a living without destroying the resource.

There is a small shrine in the sprawling fish market in Tokyo, a venue where millions of dollars of seafood is sold daily. Perhaps if would make more sense for the Japanese government to prayerfully encourage a different approach to consumption, one which bring about sustainability. The way it looks now, the bluefin tuna could disappear, so why not find a different approach?

Have you heard about this fishery? What are your thoughts?

Rights of Nature

I heard David Suzuki talking about a trip to Ecuador and Bolivia, two relatively poor countries in South America, both of which have decided to forego the immediate gain of selling natural resources for the sake of long-term environmental sustainability. Ecuador is rich in oil, and Bolivia has vast reserves of lithium, used in batteries and electronic devices. Both countries are choosing to take a measured approach to resource development, and Ecuador is aware that it walking away from ten billion dollars, at leas in the short term. Listen to The Current episode to learn more:
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2013/01/04/david-suzukis-andean-adventure/

Ecuador is the first nation to include the rights of nature in its constitution:

Rights of nature

Article 71. Nature, or Pacha Mama, where life is reproduced and occurs, has the right to integral respect for its existence and for the maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structure, functions and evolutionary processes.

All persons, communities, peoples and nations can call upon public authorities to enforce the rights of nature. To enforce and interpret these rights, the principles set forth in the Constitution shall be observed, as appropriate.

The State shall give incentives to natural persons and legal entities and to communities to protect nature and to promote respect for all the elements comprising an ecosystem.

Article 72. Nature has the right to be restored. This restoration shall be apart from the obligation of the State and natural persons or legal entities to compensate individuals and communities that depend on affected natural systems.

In those cases of severe or permanent environmental impact, including those caused by the exploitation of nonrenewable natural resources, the State shall establish the most effective mechanisms to achieve the restoration and shall adopt adequate measures to eliminate or mitigate harmful environmental consequences.

Holy Pacha Mama! Are you wondering, as I am, why relatively wealthy Canada can't be as progressive? As a Christian concerned about the environment I think I would weep if our "grab it and run" federal and provincial governments could come close to matching the resolve of these two nations. I plan to watch the Nature of Things episode next week which takes us south. http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episode/david-suzukis-andean-adventure.html

What are your thoughts about this? Are you heartened or saddened or a little of both?

Cars by the Hour

When son Isaac and his wife Rebekah were students in Montreal they didn't own a car and got around by bicycle and public transit. The time came though when they realized how inconvenienced they were when it came to buying groceries or getting to destinations off the beaten transit path or heading out of town to hike and camp.

Should they buy a "beater" with the prospect of repairs, unreliability, insurance, and Montreal parking? No, instead they chose to sign up with Communauto, the car share program in the city. They could walk ten minutes down the hill from their apartment to a pick-up spot for a late-model vehicle which they had booked online. They could reserve for an hour, a day, a week if they so chose. This solution fit their earth care sensibilities which were "driven," at least in part, by their Christian convictions about being good stewards of the world God has created.

Yesterday Avis, the car rental company, announced the half billion dollar purchase of Zipcar the multi-city car share outfit. Zipcar finally made money in 2012 and Avis has decided that rather than trying to beat 'em, they'll buy 'em. The rental companies, including Avis, have scoffed at the car share concept for years. Now they are seeing the possibilities, and of course Avis has locations already, and a fleet of vehicles which could do double-duty.

We have been a one-car household for years, possible because we may be the only couple in Durham where both of us walk to work. I do try to walk to the hospital and to appointments for health reasons as much as environmental ones. I do my best to avoid the "lemming lines" at fast food joints because I hate an idling car. Could I do better? Certainly, but I am mindful of the impact of the internal combustion engine. What point is there in being a member of a denomination which opposes the unbridled expansion of the oil sands and the building of pipelines if I'm not willing to do my part when it comes to curtailing my use of fossil fuels?

What are you doing to reduce your tailpipe emissions? I'm referring to your car! Any thoughts about this development with Avis? Can we reimagine our car culture? Would you consider sharing a car under the right circumstances?

Memories: An Ancient Past

 I was intrigued to hear about an exhibit at Washington D.C.'s prestigious Smithsonian Institute of the work of a Canadian sculptor. Read this CBC blurb:

Abraham Anghik Ruben has become the first Inuvialuk sculptor to get a solo show at the Smithsonian’s American Indian Museum in Washington, D.C. The carver — who works in bone, stone, ivory and bronze — says his work reflects his roots in the North and Inuit core belief systems.
“For myself, it's an exhibition that I've been waiting 40 years for. It's taken 40 years to get to this stage in my life, and I'm extremely pleased with the events and the effort that went into making this exhibit..."

One of Ruben's pieces called Memories: An Ancient Past, is a reflection on the changes of the Arctic environment, and a statement about the effects of climate change on the lives of those who live in the Far North.

The fact that this solo show is taking place in Washington is significant. The American public woke up to the grim realities of climate change in 2012. After the worst nation-side drought in more than fifty years, extreme weather events including Superstorm Sandy, and oppressive heat in many parts of the country people are witnessing the changes in their world and the effects on the economy. The percentage of those acknowledging climate change has jumped from just under 50 percent to 70 percent.

But sometimes prophets say it best, including those who are artists. The facts and figures can be bleak and overwhelm us. We need those in every sphere, including the religious communities, to find "artful" and provocative ways to call us to attention.

Comments?