Alternatives Journal articles from August 2005

Alternatives Journal archives from August 2005

The nature of health.(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... THE LATE 19th and early 20th centuries drew pictures of health and disease in the broad strokes of the public hygiene movement, which brought us the miraculous successes of clean water, sewage disposal and food safety. These improvements were...

Veggies on the road.(CANADIAN NEWS)(biodiesel from used cooking oil)(Environmental Youth Alliance)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Environmental Youth Alliance and the University of British Columbia have joined together to design and build a medium-scale biodiesel processing facility. They will produce 1000 to 3000 litres of biodiesel weekly from used cooking oil....

Goodbye GDP.(CANADIAN NEWS)(Gross Domestic Product)(Canadian Index of Wellbeing)(Atkinson Charitable Founda)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Atkinson Charitable Foundation will officially launch the first report on the new Canadian Index of Wellbeing in the fall of 2005. Unlike the GDP, which only measures economic activity, the wellbeing index uses a set of health,...

Global dust up.(CANADIAN NEWS)(sandstorms)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Sandstorms in Asia and Africa are increasingly contributing to Canadian health problems. According to the "Ecosystems and Human Well-Being," a report released as part of the United Nations' Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, eight percent of the...

Dolphin school.(social learning of bottlenose dolphins)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A 20-YEAR STUDY that began in 1984 shows that Shark Bay, Western Australia, is home to a population of bottlenose dolphins that use tools to forage for food and have acquired this skill through social learning. It is extremely rare for animals...

West coast conservation.(west coast of North America)(Marine Conservation Biology Institute)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... THE MARINE CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) have identified 28 priority conservation areas along the west coast of North America. The initiative is meant to encourage joint efforts by Canada,...

Fungi fight malaria.(Science Desk)
August 1, 2005... DUTCH AND BRITISH RESEARCHERS have found that certain fungi may provide a safe and effective means of fighting the spread of malaria. In separate studies reported in the June 10, 2005 issue of Science, two species of fungi proved highly...

TreeHugger.(Hot Green Websites)(www.treehugger.com)
August 1, 2005... Appealing to environmental and aesthetic concerns, New York-based TreeHugger is a unique online magazine offering news stories and articles and promoting environmentally friendly products and campaigns. With significant Canadian content, you...

Green Communities Canada.(Hot Green Websites)(www.gca.ca )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Find out how communities throughout Canada have taken environmental initiatives from reducing household energy use to lowering the environmental impacts of personal transportation through Green Communities Canada. As an association of...

Guzzle this!(GLOBAL NEWS)(increase in the annual road tax )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Britons who choose to drive gas-guzzling vehicles could soon find their mode of transportation even more costly. The UK government-funded Energy Savings Trust has proposed a five-fold tax increase in the annual road tax from [pounds...

Five say no to GMO.(GLOBAL NEWS)(European Union environment ministers)(genetically modified organisms)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... European Union environment ministers have voted against revoking GMO crop bans in five member countries, allowing them to uphold their preference for GMO-free agriculture. Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Luxembourg can continue to refuse...

Green Star cities.(GLOBAL NEWS)(sustainable urban living)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Fifty mayors from cities around the world have made a commitment to 21 actions that promote sustainable urban living. The actions, approved at the United Nations World Environment Day Conference held in San Francisco last June include energy,...

The citizens are watching.(CAMPAIGNS)(collaborative project to monitor Oak Ridges Moraine)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A collaborative project between Citizens' Environment Watch, Save The Oak Ridges Moraine and the Centre for Community Mapping will prepare citizens to make informed recommendations for the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan review in 2014....

Greenbelt grief.(CAMPAIGNS)
August 1, 2005... Contested land and conservation easements are the latest focus in controversies surrounding new Ontario legislation establishing a Greenbelt planning area around the Greater Toronto area. Defying the province's initiative, the City Council of...

Turtle-free diet.(CAMPAIGNS)(illegal consumption of sea turtle meat )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Several Mexican conservation groups have initiated a high-profile media campaign against the illegal consumption of sea turtle meat in Mexico. Pressure on the threatened species is particularly high during the Catholic season of Lent when...

Bus shelter enlightenment.(solar-powered lighting system)
August 1, 2005... THE BUS SHELTER NEAR YOU may soon be equipped with a solar-powered lighting system. To promote public transportation and renewable energy, many transit agencies worldwide have installed solar-powered bus shelters and even more are interested in...

The hydrogen cycle.(Emissions Neutral Vehicle )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... SOON THE GUTTURAL growl of the motorbike may be replaced by the sound of silence. The Emissions Neutral Vehicle (ENV), the world's first fuel-cell motorbike produces noise from its cooling fan and tires only. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Healing communities.(Letter from Ottawa)(benefits of naturopathic medicine)
August 1, 2005... MOST OF US who have ended up in the field of holistic or complementary medicine have a personal story that led us to embrace this seemingly radical (though actually traditional) model of self and patient care. I am no exception to this...

The ants come marching.(RESEARCH FINDINGS)(global ant invasions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Research based on 665 ant colonies in regions ranging from the tundra to tropical rainforests indicates that climate change may increase global ant invasions. Michael Kaspari of the University of Oklahoma determined that contrary to common...

Underwater antibiotics.(RESEARCH FINDINGS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... At the bottom of Lake Michigan, Yi-Qiang Cheng and two students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are looking for new strains of bacteria and fungi that develop anti-bacterial chemicals for antibiotics and/or cancer treatment drugs....

Toxic inheritance.(RESEARCH FINDINGS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Exposure to environmental toxins is not just unhealthy, it can also cause inheritable genetic alterations. Researchers at Washington State University have found that genetic alterations caused by endocrine disruptors such as Vinclozolin (used...

The last word: Neil Arya interviews legendary epidemiologist John Last.(Interview)
August 1, 2005... JOHN LAST has been a professor in epidemiology and community medicine at the University of Ottawa since 1969, where he is now professor emeritus. His influence on the field of epidemiology--the branch of medicine that deals with the study of...

Ecosystem health: prescribing a new vision for the future of medicine.
August 1, 2005... MEDICAL CARE IS IN CRISIS throughout North America. In the United States, health care is excellent for those who can afford it, or for those who are fortunate enough to have comprehensive medical coverage. But there are millions of Americans...

An ounce of prevention: since the Industrial Revolution, public health has fostered healthy environments to prevent disease.
August 1, 2005... WHEN WE THINK of health, two things usually come to mind. One is health care--doctors, hospitals, and all the other pieces needed to make a sick person well. The other is health in the sense of wellness--being healthy, staying healthy, and...

Greening health care.(St. Mary's General Hospital's environmental achievements)
August 1, 2005... IN 2001, Lion's Gate Hospital in British Columbia was the first health care institution ever to have its ecological footprint calculated. The study, conducted by Susan Germain and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, has...

Teaching green practices.(Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... SO HOW DO WE EDUCATE our colleagues about these ideas and promote them throughout the health care sector? The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care is composed of 25 major national health care and environmental organizations, and health care...

Building a green team.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... MANY OPPORTUNITIES EXIST for health professionals to green their offices. In Montreal, in May 2003, employees at the Centre de Sante et Services Sociaux Cote-des-Neiges banded together to create a green team of 20 (out of 450 employees). These...

The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care.(Resources)(www.greenhealthcare.ca)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care is a group of nonprofit health and environmental organizations and health care facilities whose current initiatives include the development of environmental management systems at six health care...

Health Care Without Harm.(Resources)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of hospitals, health care systems and other organizations dedicated to making health care ecologically sustainable and harmless to public health and the environment: www.noharm.org

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.(Resources)(www.cape.ca/greening.html)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment is an advocacy group that works to educate hospitals, health care professionals and Ministries of Health about the possibilities of caring for health without harming the public or the...

Susan Germain.(Resources)(www.c2p2online.com/documents/Lionsgate.pdf)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Learn more about Susan Germain's study of the ecological footprint of Lions Gate Hospital in Vancouver, BC at www.c2p2online.com/documents/Lionsgate.pdf

St. Mary's General Hospital.(Resources)(www.smgh.ca/~Environmental/environmental.asp Copy To -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CutCopyPasteSelect All -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FindReplace -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Create TableDelete TableCreate TBCAuthorTitle Annotation Text -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BiographeeNames of PersonsCase NameCompany NamesEventsGeographic Scope DesignatorsGeographicGovernment AgenciesNamed CharacterNamed ThingsOrganizationsProductsStatutesSubject DescriptorsWorks)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Read more about environmental management at St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario: www.smgh.ca/~Environmental/environmental.asp

The Boulder Community Foothills Hospital.(Resources)(www.bch.org/aboutbch/foothillshospital.cfm/Environmental%20Impact)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Boulder Community Foothills Hospital was the first US medical facility to receive LEED certification for its attention to air quality and resource and energy efficiency: www.bch.org/aboutbch/foothillshospital.cfm/Environmental%20Impact

Planetree.(Resources)(www.planetree.org)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Planetree is a non-profit membership organization working with hospitals and health centres toward a holistic, patient-centred model of health care: www.planetree.org

Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention.(Resources)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Learn more about the importance of green health care, and discover practical ways to reduce the impact of health care activities on the environment by visiting the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention's website at...

Sustainable Hospitals.(Resources)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Sustainable Hospitals provides a database of environmentally friendly products for hospitals: www.sustainablehospitals.org/cgi-bin/DB_Index.cgi

ISO 14000.(Resources)(www.iso14000-iso14001-environmental-management.com)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... To learn about the ISO 14000 series of international standards on environmental management, visit www.iso14000-iso14001-environmental-management.com

Canada Green Building Council.(Resources)(www.cagbc.org)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Canada Green Building Council, a coalition of representatives from different segments of the design and building industry, aims to accelerate the design and construction of green buildings across Canada. Learn more about their organization...

The International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment.(Resources)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment is a forum for information on advancing the energy and environmental performance of buildings: www.greenbuilding.ca

The Environmental Choice Program.(Resources)(www.environmentalchoice.com)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Environmental Choice Program is a listing of environmentally responsible products and services: www.environmentalchoice.com

Engineering consulting firm.(Resources)(www.enermodal.com)(Enermodal Engineering)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Find out about an engineering consulting firm recognized for its sustainable designs, evaluations of environmentally appropriate technologies, building inspections and energy audits at www.enermodal.com

Environmental Working Group.(Resources)(www.ewg.org)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... To learn about current environmental issues related to agriculture, corporate accountability, public lands, transportation and toxins, visit the Environmental Working Group's website (which also features archived reports dating back to 1995):...

New school: innovations in medical faculties will teach students to focus on the overall health of society and the environment.
August 1, 2005... THE LAST century's uncritical love affair with technology is having increasingly adverse impacts on the health of both ecosystems and people. In a real sense, this love affair has affected health care systems themselves. Like other scientific...

What is the most serious global health problem linked to environmental conditions? Poverty.
August 1, 2005... IN JULY 2000, part of a 70-foot high mountain of garbage at a dump in Manila collapsed onto the shanties that surround it after a period of heavy rain. At least 150 people--and perhaps several times that number--were killed. They lived in one...

What is the most serious global health problem linked to environmental conditions? Denial.
August 1, 2005... WE HUMANS DON'T get worked up about environmental issues, because we deny death. It's the biggest environmental problem of all. Many Canadians live as if amassing material wealth is the purpose of life on earth. Reality TV portrays people...

Drugs and bugs: the widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture may build resistant bacteria and affect our ability to treat human disease.
August 1, 2005... "SUPERBUGS", bacteria resistant to all or nearly all of the antibiotics available to doctors, have received a lot of press lately. It's scary to think that common infections that we are used to treating with antibiotics may someday be...

Zoonoses: climate change affects the modes by which diseases are passed from animals to humans.
August 1, 2005... ACCORDING TO THE World Health Organization, zoonoses are diseases naturally transmitted to people from non-human vertebrates. Even before the current concerns about climate change emerged, it was well established that many infectious diseases...

When the boy met the bear: at age 13, Simon Jackson gave a voice to the endangered spirit bear in BC, and now they are off to Hollywood.(British Columbia)(Spirit Bear Youth Coalition)
August 1, 2005... FOR THE PAST ten years the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition has been amassing a global network of your average young person, continually searching to find ways to engage them in an issue few would have otherwise become involved in. The result is the...

Alien invasions: it's back to the legal drawing board for Canadians who want to stop the spread of invasive species.
August 1, 2005... ANOTHER invasive alien species was recently discovered in the St. Lawrence River. The mitten crab, a native of Asia, was found near Quebec City in the fall of 2004. Experience in other countries suggests that this species has the potential to...

Public water works.(Reclaiming Public Water: Achievements, Struggles and Visions from Around the World)(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Reclaiming Public Water: Achievements, Struggles and Visions from Around the World, Belen Balanya et al., eds., Amsterdam: Transnational Institute and Corporate Europe Observatory, 2005. Even thinking about privatization of water approaches...

Embedded science.(Nature's Experts: Science, Politics and the Environment)(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Nature's Experts: Science, Politics and the Environment, Stephen Bocking, Piscataway, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2004. Science and those who do it are generally highly regarded. Science promises reliable, authoritative knowledge,...

Grand stands.(Towards a Grand Sense of Place: Writings on Changing Environments, Land-Uses, Landscapes, Lifestyles and Planning of a Canadian Heritage River)(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Towards a Grand Sense of Place: Writings on Changing Environments, Land-Uses, Landscapes, Lifestyles and Planning of a Canadian Heritage River, Gordon Nelson, ed., Waterloo, Ontario: Environments Publications, University of Waterloo, 2004. ...

Power crashing.(On the Shelf)(One Good Outfit)(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... A FEW YEARS AGO reporters covering a high-level political gathering in Paris found themselves unable to put a name on the European head of state standing between Margaret Thatcher and the president of Belgium in the official group photo....

How the cookie crumbles.(Brain Mulch)(Cookie Monster's diet makeover)
August 1, 2005... COOKIE MONSTER was a steady and reliable character for generations of children who watched Sesame Street. The depth of his character started and stopped with his voracious appetite for chocolate chip cookies. He was so busy seeking out and...