The Enviro Boys Finale

It has been two years and eleven months of blogging for Enviro Boys. This blogging experience, to which Chris FM called a “blogospheric experiment” was a real delight. Over the past two years, we have written over 480 blogs posts on topics as diverse as transportation, water policy, renewable energy, waste management, climate change, environmental politics, bottled water, and the joys of blogging itself.

When we first started this blog, it was an opportunity to share what Chris and I were learning in our classes - from environmental policy to the more theoretical concepts in resource management, economics and geography (a combination of what we studied). Sharing this material in a more accessible and engaging way was exactly what the blogosphere enabled us to do. We have written posts specifically on why we enjoy blogging as a hobby in and of itself. You can read a few here and here.

Over the years, we have had 57,000 page views from over 11 countries around the world. This includes over 15,000 views from the U.S., 14,700 from Canada, 2,300 from Germany and 1,600 from China, to name a few. It's been special for us to see readership grow across the world.

This is our last chance to thank all of our esteemed readers, followers, guest post authors and everyone else who has made this a worthwhile experience. It has been fun, memorable, and something we have enjoyed so much since our third 3rd year of undergrad. I remain grateful to this day to Chris, who approached me three years ago to ask if I was interested in joining him with this side project.

To conclude, I will leave you with two links: one is my favourite blog post that I wrote for Enviro Boys, the other is my favourite post that Chris wrote.

Please use this website as an archive of knowledge and information. The google search bar at the top of the page will allow you to search our site (internally) for the various topics we have written about over the years.You can also view all of the topics we have blogged about on the right side of page below our blog list.

My enthusiasm for blogging will continue for years to come. Indeed, I am starting a blog with a friend in January. The blog will focus on cities - their economic rise, ability to attract talented and industrious people, their impressive public transportation networks, and their role in the coming years as the world becomes more urbanized. As the blog will be written by a planning student (me) and my friend (urban geographer), it will naturally have an urban spin. Once the blog is created, it will be advertised on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you, once again.

Tim and Chris

Follow us on Twitter

Dear esteemed readers and followers,

We now have a twitter account. Given the ubiquity, popularity and widespread interest in twitter and blogging these days, we figured that a Twitter account would be cool.

Check us out here:

http://twitter.com/#!/EnviroBoys

The Enviro Boys Graduate

Chris and I graduated at Trent on June 3rd, 2010. It was a wonderful day spending time with fellow graduates and collectively cherishing the accomplishment of receiving our undergrad degrees. Both Chris and I had very fulfilling undergrad experiences from the courses we took, to the faculty research we assisted with and to our culminating honours theses. Trent is a school we will dearly miss.

In December 2008, when Chris asked me if I was interested in co-blogging with him, I was honoured, not knowing how much we would benefit from the blogging experience. In January 2009, we started this blog and have grown tremendously from it. It was an Environmental Policy class at Trent that was our source of inspiration for starting this blog. Among many of the benefits we attained from a Trent education, we developed a blog at this university and we are grateful that it provided the inspiration to do so. We will continue the blog as we both begin new journeys; ones that will be full of adventure, learning and challenge.

At our Convocation ceremony, Nancy Strictland was the recipient of the honorary Doctor of Laws degree. She received her Honours B.Sc from Trent in Physical Geography. Nancy has dedicated her life to international development and global citizenship. She has done great work in creating educational links between Bhutan and Canada. Indeed, from 1992 to 2008 Nancy worked for the University of New Brunswick coordinating a series of Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded education projects and heading the Canadian Cooperation Office in Bhutan.

She also worked with the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) as a geography teacher in rural Zimbabwe. You can view her acceptance speech below:

Our Guest Post for Aguanomics

David Zetland was kind to write a guest post for Enviro Boys. David's key message was: with good water management in place, the conditions for equity, efficiency and sustainability are all achievable.

On that note, Chris and I wrote a guest post (an exchange) for David's blog at Aguanomics. We wrote about Guelph, Ontario, as Canada's water steward leader.

Feel free to check out our post at Aguanomics.

Our first guest blogger!

Well, after countless hours of begging and Tim's midnight raids on children's piggy banks to fund our bribes, we have finally done it. We have found a guest blogger.

Emmalea Davis is an Environmental Studies student at Trent University, just like us. We met her in a couple of courses and it was quite clear that she had an expertise in areas that Tim and I will never come close to sharing. Luckily we were able to convince her -- through empty promises of fame and fortune -- to share her expertise on our site.

So I hope you enjoy our first guest post and hopefully it won't be the last, from Emmalea or anyone else interested in contributing...

Enviro Boys Visiting Statistics...

Although Enviro Boys began in January of 2009, it was not until April of the same year that we stumbled across Google Analytics. For about a month I had struggled to insert one of those 'hit counters' to track visits to the site, but could never wade through the website language. Google Analytics, however, as with almost everything Google, was very easy to use. Moreover, it is far more useful than a simple hit counter. In a nutshell, Google Analytics is a free piece of software you can use to track visits to your website and check it in real time. It tracks visits, the city of origin of people reading your site, time on the site, how people found your site, which pages are most popular, and much, much more.

We have been tracking Enviro Boys for exactly one year today: April 8, 2009. I thought today would be an appropriate day to report one year's worth of statistics.

A few things to mention before I go into detail: From May 15, 2009 to June 16, 2009, nothing was tracked because we changed the URL to enviroboys.com and did not update the Analytics until June 17, so really all of these stats are really representative of eleven months; Nothing was tracked for the first three whole months of the site being up and running; Google Analytics is very detailed, but we don't know stuff like your Social Insurance Numbers or banking information.

Since beginning tracking of Enviro Boys on April 8, 2009, we have found the following:

• 7,273 total visits, from 3,516 different visitors -- which means some people actually come back!
• 11,462 total page views - approximately 1.5 per visit
• Average length of visit is 1:30
• 48% of visits are new visits, meaning over half are from people coming back!
• Visits have come from 97 countries
• Most are Canada and the USA, but significant amount from UK and Europe
• Visitors used 52 different languages - sorry to the non-English speaking folk... 
• 58% have come from referring sites, 30% from search engines and 12% from direct traffic
• The most popular page outside of the main page has been Tim's post on Curitiba, which for a long time showed up on the front page when searching 'curitiba transit' on Google
• The most visits any one day was 66, on April 5th
• The number of visits per day has increased drastically from ~8 in the first six months of tracking to ~21 in the past six months and ~27 since the new year!

Thanks so much to everyone who continues to read Enviro Boys!  

Blogging part 3: Environmental communicators…

Last semester, I took a course titled “environment and communication”. We mainly learned about various techniques and approaches (i.e. blogging) that could be used to communicate science and environmental issues to the public. Through writing articles and making weekly presentations, we were challenged to communicate our topics in a way that a Grade 8 student would be able to understand. It had to be simple, effective and relevant. More than that however was our exposure to the media and how the media perpetually attempts to communicate science in a simple and thought-provoking way. We examined media sources that did a thorough job on reporting environmental issues and also media that was dreadful at it.

Some of these topics included climate change (the science, economics and politics of it), urban air pollution, geo-engineering and hazardous waste disposal just to name a few. These topics are by no means a simple equation that makes sense to everyone. They require a good level of understanding, application and research. This doesn't mean that we have to spend a day doing field research or looking through academic journals to understand them. It means reading online sources to understand the basics and be critical of what is being produced.

A positive trend indicating an improvement in communicating environmental issues is the increased use of internet. We are now living in a more digitalized world. Technology is all around us and the ubiquity of the media perpetually reinforces topics that citizens actually want to hear. Information about science and the environment is all around us. With blogging, online news sources and television, you can now read or view numerous topics that capture your interest. Sure, with this increase in information your level of critical thinking and scepticism should increase as well. What’s trash and what’s good? I am sure you can ascertain that yourself after 15 seconds of exposure to the article.

Some will share their latest findings on climate change so as to accept or reject human-induced climate change. Overall, the level of uncertainty regarding numerous scientific and environmental topics can really infuse dubiety but this forces us to seek out more information, learn and share our criticisms.

With the ubiquity of information and the glorious internet, all of us are gaining knowledge every single day. Some of this knowledge pertains to the environment and current affairs. My challenge for you is to start utilizing that knowledge and spreading awareness. Climate change continues to be a very critical environmental topic and current affair of our day. With the knowledge you learn about the subject matter, whether it is political or scientific, a great way to communicate it is to share information (blogs, news articles, youtube videos) with as many people as you can.

Ultimately, the more informed we are about these issues the more critical we can be of our elected officials and perhaps have more of an inclination to vote in our next election. To communicate environmental issues does not mean you have to have a Bachelor’s degree in the field, it means you have the passion and interest to spread the word just as much as Chris and I do on this blog. Not all of us are in a position to make policy changes on the environment. However, we are in a position to communicate as we are living in an era where access to information is easily accessible.

The experts don't always like sharing their stuff, they want their research to be published and usually it will stay within the academic community. Take what you can from what you learn (as we are all journalists in some kind of way) and start writing, sharing, telling and presenting what you know.... this can lead to more solidarity on the subject and lead to the government making more informed and fair decisions.

Key message: We are all environmental communicators in some sort of way. Continue to share your knowledge through the internet and media to get out salient information that the public needs to know more about.

Call for guest bloggers...

When Tim and I started envisioning this blog nearly a year ago, one of our visions was that of other folks chipping in with a post from time to time. In the words of nearly every modern fundraising campaign, Make our Vision a Reality.

Lame. I know.

But seriously, it would be cool.

Feel free to respond to this post or simply email myself or Tim and we can set it up.

Hope to hear from you.

Scientists and the blogosphere...

Scientists should write blogs. To quote from an article written by Nature (one of the world`s top science journals) "The standard scientific paper is irreplaceable as a fixed, archivable document that defines a checkpoint in a body of work, but it's static, it's very limited”. Scientists should continue to publish in journals, but they should provide a synopsis of their research via blogs.

When scientists communicate their research to the public, more of a discussion takes place. Whether it is climate change research or geo-engineering- people can formulate their opinions on the subject matter if it is made publicly available.

People from other academic communities learn about the research and about its applicability to society. As one author from Nature writes “academia is a marketplace of ideas”. As such, ideas can be more informally shared within the academy through wikis and blogs. Anyone can read them. Scientists produce material that is controversial at times and highly criticized by other members of the science community. Once scientists put a description of their paper on a blog, people far from the usual circle start thinking about the subject.

In the blogosphere, scientists analyze a topic and provide discussion over it- information that is educational and generally interesting. This discussion is usually more interactive, inclusive and engaging.

In terms of environmental debates, blogging is the ultimate information engine comprising arguments and opinions from various individuals. Environmental debates are current with blogging and the insight is more in-depth. A journal publication in a scientific paper, while highly scholastic, is limited to readers and analysis from other communities.

Blogging is also a challenge for some of these scientists because they have to communicate jargon and scientific terms to an audience that will understand them. This theoretically makes the scientist think more carefully about language and how to communicate more effectively to environmental debates. Generally we know that scientists are not the best communicators to the public. I think blogging can help with this.

One main risk identified by the Nature article is “many scientists don't blog because they fear it has a poor image and could damage their careers.” Blogging is not universally accepted in academia, supervisors caution their students not to share academic information because others may steal their ideas. Or, it may be dangerous to share your academic work online because others may publicly criticize it deeming the author untrustworthy, biased, ill-informed etc. These impede the process of blogging acceptability, but this will change over time.

The benefits of blogging are wide-ranging: sharing novel research ideas allows for collaboration. Scientists can work with others to produce ground-breaking scientific ideas. Blogging allows for other communities to read the work which can bring diverse opinions, knowledge and interests to the table.

Blogging in a sense does compromise the peer-review system (essential for journal publications). However, blogging is not meant to be an academic forum or research database, it is meant to generate discussion from all communities. Nature says “Once scientists come up with some sort of peer-review mechanism for blogs that increase their credibility, without diminishing their spontaneity, blogs will take off.”

Scientists may have their reservations about blogs but must understand its true purpose. A peer-review mechanism will add another dimension to the blogosphere ultimately making it more popular for the scientific community. But hopefully this does not transform blogging into an esoteric and inaccessible commentary base.

Key message: Blogging is for everyone. Scientists are researching very complex and salient topics that the public should be aware of. Keeping this information reserved in journals is not only exclusive, but disallows other academic communities to learn about the topic. Having said all this, please check out this science blog.

Blogging part 2: Taking blogging to another level….

One of the main objectives of this blog is to maintain an on-going dialogue about the environment. For a number of months, Chris and I have really got a grasp of what blogosphere journalism really feels like. It is certainly a wonderful break from the research papers we are accustomed to in our classes- where referencing is a requirement.

Learning about various environmental and urban issues in my classes has given me some level of optimism- at least an opportunity to communicate these issues through blogging to my friends, family and others who are genuinely concerned about the environment.

At this stage of my academic experience, I am by no means an expert on a given topic. However, my undergrad education thus far has really got me thinking about these issues and has provided me with an inclination to further explore them in a professional Master's program. Blogging has given me the chance to share my undergrad academic interests in a more fun, engaging and inclusive manner.

About 36% of the Canadian population is now reading blogs (this number is only increasing), which is 8.8 million people. People who read blogs as an alternative to newspaper articles may be looking for more in depth analysis of an issue. More opinionated and contentious writing is what the blogosphere is all about.

The blogosphere has certainly provided university students with an avenue to communicate their concerns- but how many actually do this? Whether it is the environment or Canadian Social Policy, blogging allows for an online discussion to exchange ideas and voice opinions.

Further, I hope this rise in blogging hits the university environment whereby professors and students can actively engage on more intellectual levels via online- making this information available to the public. Many university courses are structured through an online system called Web ct. Professors post links, course updates and relevant articles for students to read. There is also a discussion component which allows students to interact and post interesting articles of relevance to the course - a wonderful thing to have within the academy but exclusionary to those not in the courses. Blogging is an excellent alternative to this because everyone can read the academic discussions and engage in the material that they find interesting.

One professor of mine created a blog for his course. Students were required to submit one to two entries a semester about a subject relevant to urban geography. This counted for participation marks and created a great online forum (between students and others interested) with comprehensive commentary, high readership and inclusivity.

Key message: Blogging has the potential to do many things. They give people a chance to communicate opinions and ideas, they are inclusionary as anyone can contribute to them and they are informative. As blogging becomes more popular in our generation, hopefully we will see its acceptance in universities and as a trustworthy source of journalism.

Blog Update...

Hey Y'all,

Tim and I have stepped the blog up a notch. No longer will we be chained by the lame URL of "enviroboys88.blogspot.com", but will now simply exist as "www.enviroboys.com". Pretty cool, eh?

For those who continue to the original URL, it will continue to be updated, but once everything is finally finished in a few days, it will automatically redirect them to the new site (which isn't different in any way, just has a new URL).

Woohoo.

Blogging part 1: Blogging is great, you should do it...

After blogging for a couple of months now, I have begun to understand why so many individuals these days have become fascinated with this hobby. Blogging is an excellent way to share and exchange ideas. Further, ideas become more solidified when readers make comments and expand and build on knowledge.

Some of the blogs I follow are managed by university professors out of the United States. Anyone can read them and they also give students a chance to gain more insight into their beliefs, opinions and arguments. And reading these blogs by university profs are not too academic, but are written in a more journalistic format making the blog more fun and enjoyable to read. I think blogs are ideal for the university environment as students can elaborate on concepts, theories and ideas learned from their respective courses. But unlike a Web CT system, blogs are open to everyone and anyone can contribute to them.

As university students continuously learning and building on knowledge, blogging gives you the opportunity to communicate what you have learned and apply the critical thinking by making persuasive arguments to friends, peers and professors. Another great thing about blogs and blogging is that the material is never too esoteric. Blogs always have a unique context to them which explains the material very well making it open to individuals from various backgrounds.

I think Seth Godin said it best "The best measure of a blog is not how many people it reaches, it’s how much it changes what you do. Changes your posture, your writing, your transparency, your humility. What blogging has done for me is made me think. I get to think about how the outside world will understand something I’m trying to do, for example."

Environmentalism and its discontents

Welcome friends, family, peers and fellow environmentalists. This blog was created for the purpose of sharing ideas, perspectives and opinions on the various topics that revolve around the environment including economics, geography, politics and current affairs. This idea was put forth by my friend and co-administrator Chris, who figured that discussing topics around the environment would inform and educate others about the importance of this issue. I chose the title "environmentalism and its discontents" because there is still a lot of skepticism and cynicism regarding the environment from climate change policies to international agreements like Kyoto to general doubt about this whole global warming thing, and if it's actually real and caused by humans. For instance, something as simple as conservation or reducing your energy use or driving a more fuel-efficient car may not be as appealing to people because A) it may be more expensive (for some odd reason) B) it may be more inconvenient and C) you may come across as a hippie or hardcore environmentalist. Both former and latter arguments are not very strong but in reality, this is the mind-set of a vast percentage of North Americans. Environmentalism is all about change. We will bring many different perspectives to the table explaining concepts and common ideas that are hovering around the environment today. Feel free to contribute. We all have lots to learn and share and what better way to do this in the form of blogging. To kick-off our blog for 2009, we leave you with this quote from John F Kennedy that symbolizes change and progress, two central components of environmentalism: "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future" John F. Kennedy