We are almost a month into the semester and there is so much to do!
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Keep busy!
Happy Winter Break!
Oh Christmas Tree!
by Melissa Frenette
Acting in a sustainable way is not easy this time of year. Many of the Holiday traditions revolve around consumerism and producing immense amounts of waste but there are many ways in which we can reduce our impact on the environment. For those celebrating Christmas, the Christmas tree is one of the most important decorations. It is under which all the gifts are found on Christmas morning. Some people prefer real pine or fir trees; others opt for an artificial kind. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, but the question remains about which is better for the environment. I love the smell of a real tree, Christmas isn’t the same without it but I always wondered if I was doing the right thing in buying a real tree for all these years. I had never given serious thought to the effects it might have on the environment until very recently. So I started to look into it and found some interesting facts for both real and fake trees. Continue reading Oh Christmas Tree!
The Revival of Keystone
by Melissa Frenette
With the recent elections in the United States, pipelines and oil development has come back to the forefront of discussions, especially the Keystone Pipeline project (Hodson, 2014). The pipeline would be located in both Canada and the United States, making this a multinational project. When speaking of the Keystone pipeline, there is no avoiding the issues of the Alberta tar sands; they are inherently linked. (Hodson, 2014; Genoways, 2014). We, Canadians, need to be involved in and educated about the decisions made by the United States because their decisions will have important repercussions on our environment. The Keystone pipeline project should not be accepted. There are economic, ecological and social components to take into account. Some of them will be discussed below.
An End to California Dreamin’
By Daniella LoScerbo
When “all the leaves are brown and the sky is grey,” as the Mama’s and the Papa’s put it nicely, it’s hard not to think about California beaches; hot sun, white sand, manicured, lush green lawns, and back yard pools around every corner are tempting compared to Montréal’s impending greyness. It’s difficult to believe that California is currently experiencing an epidemic that could leave the dream state in economic and environmental crisis within the year; as the US Bureau of Reclamation puts it, “the driest 14-year period in the last hundred years.” That is to say, we may be losing California, and everything that we depend on California for, due to an extreme water shortage, and an even more extreme misuse of water.
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Sustainability Education and Engagement (S.E.E.)
Sustainability Education and Engagement (S.E.E.) is at the heart of Sustainable Concordia’s mission to engage the Concordia community to take action on issues of Sustainability. For S.E.E., education is the first step of building an empowered and effective base for the mutual support systems we all require when advocating for more Sustainable practices of individuals, private entities, and public institutions. Through providing resources, popular education workshops, the Sustainable Communities Quiz, the Sustainability Popular Education Blog, and providing space and support for artistic educational endeavors, S.E.E. seeks to fulfill its mandate.