The sooner the world moves on from coal, oil and gas power, the better off we’ll all be. Climate and pollution impacts will be reduced, as will energy price and supply volatility, the wealth gap and global conflict. “But we can’t get off fossil fuels overnight,” people have been saying for at least the past […]

You’re invited to get a first-hand look at cutting-edge sustainability features showcased at a pair of buildings in Castlegar, Selkirk College’s Castlegar Campus and the Confluence building, at a tour on Thursday, April 23. The first stop is Selkirk College’s Castlegar Campus. Moving from the main building to the Mir Centre for Peace, the tour will […]

Residents across the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) can now access energy retrofit funding through HomeSave Central Kootenays, a new program designed to help improve home comfort, reduce energy costs, and lower associated emissions for Kootenay residences. HomeSave Central Kootenays is an innovative home energy retrofit support program that provides personalized guidance to help residents understand their home’s energy performance, plan upgrades, […]

It has become a habit to check the gas price every time I leave the neighbourhood. I would not have imagined that I would be seeing prices over $2.00 per litre a few months ago. Since I don’t yet own an electric vehicle, I choose ecodriving techniques to save money and realize that my choice […]

In Canada, progress on social and ecological justice often faces roadblocks. When women got the right to vote here in 1918, organizations sprang up to argue voting was incompatible with women’s “traditional roles.” When universal health care was introduced in the 1960s, doctors in Saskatchewan went on strike, accusing the government of exercising too much […]

When large tracts of forest are clear-cut, we lose more than the trees and their shelter and all the other plant and animal species they nurture and protect; we also lose water. Our demands for water are increasing. Growing populations, water-hungry industries (including fracking and nuclear power production) and the growth of data centres all […]

Canada is among the world’s most resource-rich countries. Forty per cent of its land is covered in forests. It holds 20 per cent of the world’s freshwater reserves. It’s the fourth-largest crude oil exporter. It produces more than 60 minerals and metals and ranks in the top five for 14 of them — critical to […]

B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) is seeking feedback on a newly proposed expedited environmental assessment process designed to reduce assessment timelines and support more efficient decision-making for major projects deemed to be in the public interest. The expedited process has been created for projects that are designated under the Infrastructure Projects Act, so they can […]

A new international order is emerging, according to representatives at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and at the Munich Security Conference — one of fragmented states acting in their own self-interest, sovereign fortresses sliding toward economic nationalism. A Munich conference statement places much of the blame on Canada’s neighbour: “The international order […]

PFAC report highlights forestry problems, but political will remains the barrier to real reform The Provincial Forest Advisory Committee’s (PFAC) newly released report on forest management acknowledges long-standing problems in B.C.’s forestry system, but ultimately fails to address the core reasons meaningful reform has stalled for decades, says Wildsight. While the report includes some positive recommendations — […]