Green Bonds for a Greener Planet

I was doing some research in my spare time on green bonds, and how they can really help the planet. I came across this great article by Scott M. Stringer and the Huffington Post, which really describes how green bonds can work in New York City. I believe it can relate to how green bonds can also help British Columbia and the environment within this province as well. I recommend you check it out here.

Marge and Eco-Fashion

Special thanks to Tanny Kabir for the drawing!

Electrafest 2015

We recently went to Electrafest 2015, where we learned quite a bit about the electric car industry, as well as other modes of transportation requiring an electric design. We had a great time and met some great people as well. Check out some pictures below of the event!

Which is seen as better?

Special thanks to Tanny Kabir for the drawing!

Interview with Paula Williams- Communities and Coal (Part Two)

We once again had an interview with Paula from Communities and Coal. We went more in-depth into their organization, what they do, and the struggles and achievements that they have gone through. Read it below!


1) Can you give a quick recap about what you do and who exactly you are targeting?

We’re a grassroots residence-based group that started in Surrey two years ago. Fraser Surrey Docks was willing to ship off tons of U.S. thermal coal through BC into China. We held a town hall meeting to see whether or not it is a concern and how the community felt. 150 people showed up in this tiny community hall. This was a catalyst in deciding that we would go forward with it, but with a focus on staying neutral in this debate. What we wanted was for the port to conduct a comprehensive, independent health assessment. This would cover the health, and environmental impacts of the coal transport. All stakeholders would be involved, from the residents, to health authorities, to municipalities, etc.We started by canvassing our neighborhoods for signatures on a petition asking for a health impact assessment. We ended up getting around 11-12,000 signatures. There are two parts to this group, the community aspect (raising awareness) and the gaining support from federal politicians.


2) What are the negatives of coal/why is coal so bad?

We are actually quite neutral on this subject, and we are just looking for a health impact assessment. We worked with Watcom Doctors (Over 250 doctors) on this study. They had scoured through many medical journals on coal dust, diesel particulates and noise. Diesel particulates can cause respiratory impacts and illness, noise can cause health impacts, learning disabilities, and coal dust has toxic heavy metals that can cause respiratory illnesses. 


3) What do you feel is the biggest misconception about your organization?

We’ve been very careful in saying that we are a grassroots, citizen based group. When we went after the Surrey council, we had hundreds of people emailing council respectfully. We wanted to show that we were giving them respect. We want politicians to see that these are your people that are voting, and we aren't just an environmental group, even though we do have a tremendous amount of respect for environmental groups. We also do realize that the whole coal debate needs to be looked at, but if we looked at BC coal industry as well, it’s a much bigger and more complex issue at the moment. Many BC jobs are connected to coal, and it is sensitive to people and politicians. This issue of US Thermal Coal is more clear,since there is not a lot of jobs offered, and it's not even our coal. The U.S. doesn’t want it, and there are lots of potential negative impacts. It is easier to stay out of other coal issues at the moment. If you’re known as the group against everything, it dilutes its effectiveness.

4) What do you think is the biggest roadblock preventing the success of this movement for you right now? How can this road block be overcome?

I see roadblocks as milestones and opportunities. Our group has a clear vision and reasonable requests, so all the support we’ve garnered over last two years has flowed easily. I still don’t see issues as roadblocks, but the ability to continue a dialogue. When you talk about coal, people know exactly what we’re talking about. Just that people are aware makes it worth it.

5) Explain what’s currently happening regarding your lawsuit- 

In August 2014, the port approved the project. 30 days later, we filed our lawsuit against the port on two grounds. 

1) The port failed to consider climate change impacts for their decision of  sending U.S. thermal coal through British Columbia to power plants in Asia.

2) The ports conduct gave rise to reasonable apprehension of bias. 

Later on, a third piece of evidence came by

3) Robin Sylvester who is the CEO of the Fraser Docks, didn’t have proper decision making authority to approve the project.

We’re proceeding on Tuesday in Federal Court in Vancouver. 

6) How do you feel about politicians from Delta not showing up to meetings regarding coal?

Many people are disappointed at that fact. We let actions of political leaders do the talking,  and are not about leaning one way or the other. It’s disappointing because it’s a simple topic. People are cynical when there are no-shows or MP's that are denying that there is an issue. A positive that comes out of this is that it shows that people have to get out and vote.  If everybody did vote, it could be a game-changer. I don’t think people understand the power that they have, and I wish they could realize that.


7) If someone else was asking for advice for a different campaign but in a similar format, what advice would you give them?
1) Be organized – It can be overwhelming, 

2) Get support- What you really need is people’s support first. It makes a huge difference.

3) Conduct yourself properly- Every little thing you say and do important. A lot of people come at it from an angry position. It may work in some cases, but I prefer getting the support from the people and keeping a strong level of conduct and neutrality.

Special thanks to Paula for taking part in this interview. Check out some links below for more information about Communities and Coal.

Website
Twitter
Facebook

The Return of Eco-Fashion

Last year, we went in-depth into the eco-fashion industry, interviewing several organizations about their company, what they do, and how they contribute to protecting our environment! We'll be catching up with some organizations, and looking to meet new individuals in this industry as well. Stay tuned for future pieces on Eco-Fashion!

You can also check out some of our interviews with Eco-Fashion companies such as We3, Pure Magnolia, Dandelion Kids and Adhesif Clothing for more information.

Choose against BC Coal Shipments

Special thanks to Tanny Kabir for the artwork!

Is that what we will all need one day? Stop coal.

Cloudy with a chance of coal.

Special thanks to Tanny Kabir for the drawing!