This year, 2022, marks the 50th anniversary of The Club of Rome’s 1972 publication of The Limits of Growth, a book that attempted to warn humanity about the consequences of excessive use of the world’s resources. The genesis of the idea came two years earlier from an Italian industrialist, Aurelio Peccei, who invited to Rome a group of scientists, businessmen, academics and diplomats to explore how they might address his concerns.
Continue reading The Quadra Project: The Club of RomeTag Archives: Ocean plastics
West Coast infrastructure is on the rise to stem the wave of ocean plastics
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Editor’s note: FOCI volunteers carried out a ‘Mother’s Day Beach Clean-up of the beach between Hollyhock and Seaford Road, Cortes Island on May 9, 2022.
Coastal community cleanup groups on eastern Vancouver Island have been itching for the opening of B.C.’s newest ocean debris recycling depot.
The Cumberland site, operated by Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) in partnership with the Ocean Legacy Foundation, opened in mid-June to tackle the tonnes of plastic washing ashore in the region, said Stephanie Valdal, CSWM’s waste management services co-ordinator.
Continue reading West Coast infrastructure is on the rise to stem the wave of ocean plastics
Recycling isn’t the ‘panacea’ that will save oceans from plastic at UN Ocean summit
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada has the opportunity to position itself as a leader in tackling the world’s marine plastics problem at this week’s UN Ocean Conference, experts say.
However, to effect real change, Canada and its international partners will have to aggressively wean themselves off unnecessary plastics and accelerate the development of a global circular economy to make sure plastic pollution doesn’t end up in oceans.
Continue reading Recycling isn’t the ‘panacea’ that will save oceans from plastic at UN Ocean summit
B.C. shellfish growers experiencing a watershed moment
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Quadra Island oyster farmer Steve Pocock believes B.C.’s shellfish sector is facing a watershed moment.
West Coast growers have endured a tough couple of years as the COVID-19 pandemic dried up demand from restaurants and international markets, and extreme temperatures in June cooked countless beach-grown oysters and clams alive in their shells.
And now growers have another sink or swim dilemma — the need to change farming practices and tackle marine debris created by the shellfish sector, said Pocock, who is also president of the BC Shellfish Growers Association (BCSGA).
Continue reading B.C. shellfish growers experiencing a watershed moment
Ecology? Look it up! You’re still involved
Originally published on Greenpeace International
This year has been the 50th Anniversary of Greenpeace; 2022 will be the 50th anniversary of the Limits to Growth study. During this era, a half-century ago, citizens around the world began seeing signs of a pending ecological crisis, and began to talk about it.
The image above could be considered the first Greenpeace public media statement, one of twelve billboards erected in Vancouver, in 1969, by Greenpeace co-founders Dorothy and Ben Metcalfe.
Continue reading Ecology? Look it up! You’re still involved