Media Releases

5 Most Common Concerns from Recent Climate Townhall

Last nights Ottawa Vanier Town Hall was a fantastic demonstration of grassroots democracy in its rawest form: concerned citizens meeting with their elected officials in order to work towards solutions.

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Over the course of the evening, two things struck me as interesting: First, was the diverse age range in attendance. Whether they were fourteen, forty, or seventy-five, many shared the same concern - Fossil fuel production must be brought to an end by innovating Canada with green energy alternatives. The second surprise - not a single person out of the roughly 100 who attended, came to voice support for expanding fossil fuel production, or even to continue using fossil fuels in their current capacity. I don't think a single person in the room saw fossil fuels as part of Canada's sustainable future.

Trees and Noise Pollution

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"Anything that isn't music is noise," or so the saying goes. From loud aircraft noise to roadway noise, noise is a constant disturbance in our lives. Noise can cause anxiety, tension, or even illness, and prolonged exposure to high levels of noise can cause hearing loss. Noise is also regarded as a form of environmental pollution, and is sometimes considered an international health concern.

The Rainbow Warrior

Have you heard of the Rainbow Warrior?

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The Rainbow Warrior is a ship made by Greenpeace, one of the most famous environmental activists groups in the world. This ship was built 100% by donations, and is probably the most environmentally friendly ship on that large of a scale out there. As of now, Greenpeace has gone through 2 Rainbow Warriors, the third having begun its operation on October 14th, 2011.

Opposition to Energy East an Easy Decision for Former Calgarian

What is wrong with you people?! - Those were the words immediately out of my step-dad's mouth as he heard about my exciting new position at Ecology Ottawa.

That new position, is replacing my friend Avery Dawes on the Tar Free 613 Campaign, a grassroots movement opposing TransCanada's Energy East pipeline here in Ottawa, which is proposed to transport 1.1 million barrels of oil a day right through Ottawa's watershed. To me, the Energy East pipeline represents a $12 billion commitment to oil and gas infrastructure and everything that's included: worsening climate change, degraded ecosystems, and a missed opportunity to begin shifting towards renewable energy. To my step-dad Chris, the Energy East pipeline represents the opportunity to get people back to work, increase government revenues from oil royalties, and secure Canada's energy independence. Our views differ radically, which is a statement I can apply to almost anyone in my social life. But when you come from an oil-crazed town like Calgary, you end up getting questions thrown in your face that are far more derogatory than those by my step-dad.

Volunteer Opportunity – Data Entry Team Member

Ecology Ottawa is looking for volunteers to help with managing and entering data. If you are looking to gain some experience or build your resume by working for a great organization, we would love to hear from you!

Responsibilities

Enter data into excel collected from campaign petitions or Ecology Ottawa events.
Update profiles of people who support and/or interact with Ecology Ottawa.

Orleans Climate Change Consultation With MP Andrew Leslie

The next iteration of the Canada Climate Action consultations in Ottawa will be held in the federal riding of Orléans on 20 July. There, MP Andrew Leslie will meet with constituents to hear their thoughts on climate change and how we as a country can best ameliorate the effects thereof. It will be held at 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the Shenkman Arts Centre, 260 Centrum Blvd in Orléans. Ecology Ottawa will host a pre-meeting gathering at 6 PM outside the venue for attendees to meet and go over key climate issues and talking points; all are welcome to attend. Much like the many consultations held across Ottawa in recent weeks with MPs McKenna, McGuinty, Vandenbeld, and McCrimmon, this is an historic opportunity for people to tell their elected representatives that climate change must be taken seriously.

Ottawa Vanier Climate Change Town Hall Information

The next iteration of the Canada Climate Action consultations in Ottawa will be held in the federal riding of Vanier on 11 July. There, Councillor Fleury, Nussbaum and Tierney will meet with constituents to hear their thoughts on climate change and how we as a country can best ameliorate the effects thereof. It will be held at 6 PM – 7:30 PM at the Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre, 300 Des Pères-Blancs in Vanier. Ecology Ottawa will host a pre-meeting gathering at 5 PM in the same location for attendees to meet and go over key climate issues and talking points; all are welcome to attend. Much like the many consultations held across Ottawa in recent weeks with MPs McKenna, McGuinty, Vandenbeld, McCrimmon, and Arya this is an historic opportunity for people to tell their elected representatives that climate change must be taken seriously.

Livable and Biodiverse Cities

aronson-urban_gardens We all know biodiversity is extremely important. We've all seen numerous calls for preserving and protecting forests and oceans, and other large areas of wilderness.

But what about urban biodiversity? How does that fit into the picture?

A recent academic paper titled Unexploited Opportunities in Understanding Liveable and Biodiverse Cites. A Review on Urban Biodiveristy Perception and Valuation explores how many researchers and policymakers from various disciplines highlight the role of urban biodiversity in delivering ecosystem services to enhance human wellbeing in a rapidly urbanising world.

Why Plant Trees in your Yard?

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Planting trees: a socially encouraged in the notion done to help protect and preserve the environment. Though planting trees do help preserve biodiversity and nature, having trees in your yard also is economically and psychologically beneficial.

Trees in your yard saves a significant amount of lawn and energy consumption. Did you know that a young, healthy tree can provide a net cooling effect equivalent to ten room-sized air conditioners operating for 20 hours a day? Just think of the money you'll save on air conditioning during Ottawa's hot summers! Similarly, trees can act as wind guards against blowing snow, which can ultimately help lower your heating bills too. So in reality, having trees will lower your house temperature maintenance systems all year round!

Volunteers Needed!

Are you passionate about making your community more green and environmentally friendly? Volunteer with Tree Ottawa!

The Tree Ottawa Data Team:

Responsibilities for data volunteer include data entry and upload, as well as screening of our database. The skills required include a basic grasp of Microsoft Excel, good organizational skills, and attention to details. We need data volunteer year round, particularly at our peak season in the summer.

Orphan Tree Program

OrphanTreeProgram Tree Ottawa is officially launching our Orphan Tree Program!

Do you have any unwanted orphan trees? Do you want to adopt any donated trees?

If you answered yes, our new Orphan Tree Program is perfect for you!

This program allows citizens to drop off any unwanted orphan trees at one of these two locations, where they can be picked up by anyone looking to adopt trees.

Climate Change: Québec Boreal Forest

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Have you been to the Boreal Forest?

A recent scientific article published explores how Québec's Boreal Forest may very well be a climate change refuge. This study was done to analyze and predict the effects climate change will have on this vast forest, and the results were extremely surprising!

Research suggests a Spain-sized area of forest in the centre of the province will be one of the rare places where nature will ease the effects of global warming and preserve existing ecosystems.