Guest Post for Aguanomics

Check out my guest post for David Zetland's Aguanomics blog. It's co-authored by me and my friend, Erik.

"Over the past two months, we have had the fortune of researching an innovative and highly participatory project in one of our graduate courses at the School of Community and Regional Planning. Both of us had an interest in exploring groundwater in the developing world and were fortunate to stumble across an article in the Economist magazine entitled “Making Farmers Matter” with a focus on India. Why India you may ask? India is the world’s largest user of groundwater with an estimated 22 million wells. As Steven Solomon writes in his newest book, “in India's breadbaskets of Punjab and Haryana, the water tables are falling over three feet per year; monitored wells in the western state of Gujarat show a fall in the water table from 50 feet to over 1,300 feet in thirty years”. India accounts for 25% of the world’s total groundwater draw. Interested in more statistics?"

Read the whole post here.

Minnesota's Adopt a Highway Program...

I am nearly 1000 km into my bicycle journey and have just arrived into Michigan, having passed through Manitoba, Minnesota and Wisconsin over the past week. The routes have been absolutely stunning, as fall approaches and the roads are lined with miles and miles of multi-colored leaves sitting in the trees, just waiting to fall. But before they fall, plenty of volunteers will be making the final roadside clean up throughout much of northern Minnesota.

Along my route in Minnesota, I encountered what seemed like hundreds of different "adopted highways". Adopt A Highway programs typically involve and organization of some kind volunteering to pick up trash along a stretch of highway a few times per year. In exchange, the government puts up a big sign exclaiming the group's effort. You see these from time to time in Ontario and Manitoba (I'm sure they are elsewhere in Canada, too), but I have never seen them in such abundance as I did in Minnesota.

I have never personally been involved with an Adopt A Highway program, but it seems like a great idea. You get free advertising, the roadsides become cleaner (very noticeable by those of us who stop there frequently) and people can get outdoors and do some volunteering. Moreover, it reminds us that some environmental problems are still fixed simply by doing a little hard work, even though much of the world has moved on to the more exciting and global problems, like climate change and solving our energy needs.

I'm on a bike most of the time, so I'll admit I have little desire to research this any further and I have no substantive evidence that proves how popular Minnesota's program is. This is simply something I've noticed. Why is it so popular compared to other places? My only guess is that the signs the Minnesota government puts up are far larger than what you'd get in Manitoba or elsewhere. Advertising is advertising.

Local carbon offsets...

Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t like carbon offsets. I think that they overshadow the real problems we have to deal with by allowing us to buy our way out of it. Feel guilty about driving your Escalade? Just pay someone to plant some trees. Phew, that guilt was getting a little heavy.

But what I will concede is that they are better than nothing. If Johnny is going to drive his Escalade no matter what, it’s preferable that he does something to offset the drive as opposed to nothing at all. That being said, involuntary programs like a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system might hit Johnny closer to the source so he wouldn’t drive his Escalade as much.

Now, some carbon offset programs are better than others. I won’t go into detail about all the drawbacks and general silliness of the industry this time, but you can find my views on it here. Quite simply, I think that national and international carbon offset programs are fraught with dangers, most notably the arbitrary – and profit-raising – price-setting by offset companies and the occasional ineffectiveness of the actual offset project, disappointingly common with tree planting.

I am currently involved in a project exploring the feasibility of different carbon offset programs that would operate locally in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Despite all I hold against offsets in general, local offset programs do have a certain appeal.

Instead of putting your money towards a project that could be on the other side of the world, you could instead put your money towards a project you could see every day, be run by people you know, or that even yourself are involved with. Your money could go towards a community-owned renewable energy project, the protection of natural land you think is important or even educational projects.

Such programs do face many barriers. There is only so much money that can come from a local market, especially in areas that are not densely populated. And the added costs of financing projects without high economies of scale – and in some cases, without profit in mind – might prevent financial viability. The impending arrival of international carbon trading markets might also prevent some programs from getting off the ground, as communities wait for regulations and standards to be set so their projects would comply. Local projects would share the arbitrary nature of price-to-carbon valuation, but people may be less concerned about precise pricing with local projects they have a direct connection with, especially those of the non-profit type.

Carbon offsets bother me, but they’re better than nothing. And certainly better than nothing when done on the local level with local interests and benefits to the community in mind.

Guest Entry: Bike Lanes Serve all Torontonians

This guest entry was written by Yvonne Bambrick for the Toronto Board of Trade. With the author's permission, Yvonne was kind enough to share it with us.

By: Yvonne Bambrick

Bike lanes are a non-partisan issue because they serve all Torontonians. These inexpensive pieces of infrastructure are an important component of the changing realities of urban transportation — not, as many attempt to paint them, a pet project for a small number of commuters.

Cities across North America have been transitioning from merely viewing bicycles as a recreational tool, to understanding that cycling is a legitimate and necessary transportation option. Bicycle infrastructure (lanes, sharrows, bike boxes, etc.) and an active cycling culture benefits drivers, pedestrians, transit riders and cyclists alike. However, infrastructure alone will not suffice — it must be paired with public education.

There are many immediate and positive impacts with bike lanes. They create a dedicated space in which cyclists feel safer, and encourage more people to choose cycling as a mode of transportation — they are a boon to local business and the most affordable and sustainable way to grow our road capacity.

More people on bicycles means fewer people taking up precious road space in cars, and a pressure valve for an overburdened peak-hour transit system. Bike lanes add a greater level of predictability to our roads by showing more clearly where we can expect each transportation mode to be traveling.

With more cyclists on our roads, the phrase “safety in numbers” holds true — the greater the number of cyclists, the more visible they become to motor vehicles and pedestrians. One of the greatest impacts of bike lanes is as a tangible expression of the fact that bicycles have a place in our transportation network.

Economy and Taxes
Encouraging and creating space for Torontonians to choose cycling transportation is one of the cheapest, fastest and most effective ways to accommodate our growing population, and to increase the capacity of our roadways to efficiently move people from A to B.

Bike lanes are cheap! A quick look at Portland, a prime example of a North American city that has fully integrated cycling, confirms this. They calculated that their entire complement of cycling related infrastructure — some 300 miles of bike lanes — cost approximately $60million; the equivalent to the cost of 1 mile of new freeway!

We often hear the argument, ‘If cyclists want bike lanes, they should pay for them.’ Cyclists already do pay for them. Anyone who pays rent or property tax in Toronto is paying for our municipal roadways. If you compare the relative impact of cars and bicycles on the roadways themselves, on our collective airspace, and the healthcare costs of pollution and a sedentary life that driving promotes, it is quite apparent that cyclists are actually subsidizing automobile drivers.

Cycling is also good for business. A recent study by the Clean Air Partnership conducted in Bloor West Village counters the popular myth that removing on-street parking is “bad for business.”

Their conclusions include:
•People who arrive by transit, foot, and bicycle visit more often and report spending more money than those who drive
•People who preferred to see street use reallocated for widened sidewalks or a bike lane were significantly more likely to spend more than $100 per month than those who preferred no change
•The majority of people surveyed, merchants included (58%) preferred to see street use reallocated for widened sidewalks or a bike lane, even if on-street parking were reduced by 50%.
•In this neighbourhood, the majority of merchants predicted that reducing on street parking in favour of widened sidewalks or a bike lane would either not impact or increase their daily customer numbers, and therefore do not believe it will negatively affect commercial activity.

Flow & Congestion
The core function of our roadways is to efficiently move people to and from destinations across the city — not simply, as some still believe, to rapidly throughput automobiles. In fact, the broader aim of Toronto’s much delayed 2001 Bike Plan and proposed Bikeway Network that was designed by our city’s transportation experts, is to insure minimum disruptions to motor vehicle traffic, transit and parking, while creating a safer transportation environment for the growing number of tax-paying Torontonians who choose to ride bicycles for getting around the city.

The streets of Toronto, with or without bike lanes, are a shared environment and all road users have a role to play as we negotiate these busy spaces on a daily basis. Predictable, responsible behaviour, indicating ones intentions through verbal and non-verbal communication, and a bit of good old fashion respect are the keys to safely sharing the road and maintaining the flow of all forms of traffic.

Safety
Road safety is everyone’s responsibility, and we could all use a refresher on our responsibilities. Due to the classification of bicycles as vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act, some confusion still exists because of the hybrid nature of bicycles – they are self propelled and human scale, yet mechanical vehicles. While subject to the same rules of the road, bicycles rely on momentum, have no protective shell, and are vulnerable to minor road surface disruptions.

For example, a small pothole or utility cut that might not affect a car could endanger a cyclist. In the absence of clearly designated places for cyclists to ride, the line between pedestrian/vehicular spaces has been blurred. Poor roadway conditions, combined with an often hostile roadway environment, caused in part due to a lack of sufficient infrastructure that would allow all traffic to flow better, and occasional bullying by intolerant drivers has in some cases pushed cyclists onto the sidewalks where they don’t belong.

Ultimately the thing we must all remember is that in a car/bike collision it is always the cyclist that loses – a bit of skin, a week of work, or in the worst circumstance, a life. That loss could be suffered by your neighbour, your child’s schoolteacher, your lawyer, or your brother — we all know and love a cyclist. Bike lanes and public education about road sharing responsibilities and best practice serve all Torontonians regardless of mode. We’re all in this together.

With education in mind, the Toronto Cyclists Union and our partners, have submitted a full update proposal for the Ontario Driver’s Handbook with far more pedestrian & cycling-related road sharing content throughout; we have created the Toronto Cyclists Handbook (soon available in Toronto’s top 17 languages), and we proposed a shorter and more accessible ‘Urban Cycling 101’ course to be added to the City’s Can-Bike cycling skills curriculum.

Leadership
Leadership regarding active transportation is needed from all levels of government in Canada. While we have seen modest improvements at the municipal level in recent years, and the beginnings of active transportation policy implementation at the provincial level via Metrolinx, we have yet to hear anything at all from the federal level.

On this issue, the US is several steps ahead of us so-called ‘progressive’ Canadians with the US Department of Transportation’s Policy statement on bicycle and pedestrian accommodation. This personal blog post from US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood’s tabletop speech at the National Bike Summit in March 2010 reflects their new Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation Regulations and Recommendations. Canada, clearly, has some catching up to do.

Strength in Numbers
Those who have thus far been courageous enough, given current conditions, to choose cycling transportation should be supported and encouraged, not made to fight for acceptance and respect against ignorant, politically motivated, fear-mongering rhetoric. More people choosing cycling transportation is of benefit to all.

Yvonne Bambrick is the Executive Director of the Toronto Cyclists Union

Poll results: Planning your community...

This past week's poll question pertained to planning. The poll question was: You are asked to plan the potential use of a large plot of land outside of the downtown. Would you...

Plan a sub-division. People need housing and lots of space 1 (4%)
A golf course. Outdoor recreation is always appealing 2 (9%)
A condominium with over 600 units 3 (13%)
A Casino. Potential revenue generator and
source of entertainment for the community 4 (18%)
A city park offering recreation and green space for the community 10 (45%)
None of the above 2 (9%)

Total votes = 22

The main motivation for this poll question is my interest in urban planning. The question pertains to fundamental urban planning but is nonetheless an important one considering how complex and multidisciplinary planning is. Enviro Boys suspects that many of our readers and followers are environmentalists and/or progressive in their environmental thinking. Planning a city park offering recreation and green space for the community had the most votes (n=10). The casino, condo, golf, sub-division and none of the above were not as popular.

While the benefits (aesthetics, health, nature and protection of native species) are clear with the creation of parks and public spaces, they are not always a priority for a city's planning department. Planners are faced with stiff challenges endeavoring to facilitate development and ensure that numerous stakeholders are satisfied. Green spaces and parks are needed for any growing city, however, developers are not shy to propose condos, sub-divisions and even casinos to occupy the potential space and reap economic benefits from this. Such commercial, entertainment and housing options also increase the city's tax revenue base which is certainly appealing in a time when city's have constrained municipal budgets.

As a city urbanizes, arable land and resources become scarcer. Thus, when an open plot of land is available, planners are consulted to determine how they can best optimize the land use while looking at environmental, economic and social considerations. So, a condo, while contentious to many, can be appropriate given the city's growth patterns and housing market. It would lift with the property values of homes within the area and potentially make the local real-estate market more appealing. However, it could also cause car congestion, block off sunlight from reaching parts of the city and use more surface area for parking thereby creating more impervious surface and increasing the potential for flooding.

Every plot of land in a city is valuable. How we plan it is totally contingent on whose interests are part of the equation. As citizens, we always have a role to play in planning our respective communities. If a plot of land is being examined for best use (whether commercial, public, residential, industrial etc) we can throw in our opinions and thoughts regarding how it could be planned to maximize the best interests of the community. We can attend city council meetings and write letters to propose recommendations on how the plot of land could be better planned.

For every individual that gets involved with this process, eventually, it could lead to a more cohesive and unified community that is actively involved in shaping how the community is planned. This can help in reaching environmental, social and economic objectives.

An angry wind is blowing around Peterborough...

"No more wind! No more wind!"

These were the fledgling cries flying from directly behind me last night. The source of the quickly defunct chant was an irate man attending a public meeting in Manvers, Ontario where a controversial wind farm is being proposed. After the initial and vague proponent-driven open house drew hefty criticism from the community, a second, more open meeting was held.

Manvers is only one of the many small towns sitting southwest of Peterborough that lies within the study area of the proposed Settlers Landing Snowy Ridge Wind Park, a hypothetical wind farm being developed by a group based out of Brighton, ON, known as Energy Farming Ontario (EFO).

The project was initially considering 30 2MW turbines over an area covering several thousand acres, but has since been reduced to several clusters of turbines.

I attended the packed meeting last night in Manvers and arrived to find a large room in the local arena packed with so many people that we were forced to stand by the doors -- where a photo similar to the one above was plastered -- for much of the meeting. Estimates of attendance were well over 500, a sure rise from the 150 or so that attended the open house earlier.

Although I have been studying these kinds of meetings all summer, I had never actually been to one. But it played out just as expected. The proponents, well-dressed out of towners and armed with fact-filled powerpoint presentations, went through the motions of describing the project, its numerous benefits and perhaps stealing some of the fighting energy from the crowd as it drew on and on and on.

After scoffs by the crowd in response to certain claims by the proponents -- surrounding property values might actually increase -- members of different 'wind awareness' groups informed the audience, several times inaccurately, about the dangers of wind power. This included a man who spent over thirty minutes associating decibel levels from wind turbines with a myriad of health and quality of life defects, prompting several people to leave as he droned on.

However, another presenter showed a very powerful video taken by a farmer in the US showcasing the effects of the shadows of the turbines on his property. The thought of these very significant light changes going 24 hours/day and 7 days/week was sure to ramp up the opposition to the project.

The most interesting, and exciting aspect of these meetings is the question period. The floor was opened to anyone, as members of the public took turns blasting the project, lambasting the province's Green Energy Act -- which will reduce the power of local governments -- and pushing the proponents for answers they were never really able to give.

As you may have gathered, the crowd was less the excited about the project and there were consistent hoots and hollers from the audience.

Several interesting talking points were raised in the car ride back. Are the developers naive? Did they not know what types of questions would be asked of them? Are they really bad people, or are they well meaning people dipping their feet into a sensitive issue? Is their out-of-town nature a severe hindrance?

What about the public? How many of them were really against it? Are they just selfish landowners expressing NIMBY attitudes in the face of climate change? Will they even stay interested in the project?

The questions are endless, but an especially important question needs to be asked. How much are we willing to risk the change of our livelihoods against that of the changes coming from climate change that will ultimately effect nearly everyone?

One last interesting piece were the politics at play. The local MPP, Rick Johnson, a member of the Liberal Party -- the majority government pushing the Green Energy Act through -- was quoted as wanting to defend his community's interests, although it was implied that this would involve some criticism of the Green Energy Act. Dalton McGuinty & George Smitherman might get a little upset with him.

Community outreach and recycling on campus

A number of months ago Trent launched a new environmental program with a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Trent has officially partnered with a not-for-profit group called Community Living Peterborough to establish an innovative waste diversion program on campus. The Ontario Trillium Foundation has agreed to provide funding of $67,400 for this program which is centred on institutional and community interaction.

The recycling program on campus provides volunteer opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities and other individuals who use the services of Community Living Peterborough. This environmental partnership is an example of how communities can collectively play a role in waste reduction whether it is on campus, at elementary schools or community centres. Such a program can have social benefits and practical waste diversion outcomes. Moreover, with the support of community volunteers, Trent's waste diversion program is strengthened and gives Trent staff, students and faculty an opportunity to operate a sustainable program. This program will also create better awareness over efficient waste management practices that can influence the city’s waste diversion programs.

The waste diversion initiative, funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation is a step forward with bottom-up planning. With the environmental partnership between the university and Community Living Peterborough, community volunteer positions are now created on campus giving these individuals an opportunity to be engaged with the university’s waste diversion process and have a hands-on education. This initiative is an example of how a community group, a group of students, faculty and staff can come together to increase waste diversion on campus. As our campus progresses on waste diversion, we may see more funding opportunities if we articulate the connection between education, waste management and community well-being.

Wildlife and Community Based Natural Resource Management in Namibia…

This is our 100th post. Special thanks to all of our passionate readers, keen followers and avid "enviroboys" fans for continuing to read this blog. We appreciate the comments and input that you have provided to us to make this blog more exciting and more fun to read.

Among many of the aims of this blog, one is to maintain an on-going dialogue on several issues that pertain to the environment. Chris and I blog a lot about some of the contemporary environmental issues within North America and feel that providing some insight and analysis into issues from different parts of the world would be useful for our readers. This entry is about the successes of community based natural resource management in Namibia.

Wildlife management is always tricky business. As I alluded to with India, tigers are becoming more scarce and the state government wants to protect them by relocating people who are living within the park. An effective tactic, but not the most equitable. When it comes to actually preserving wildlife in national parks or game reserves, numerous challenges arise. Mostly due to the fact that wildlife is an open access resource meaning no one owns it and therefore there are little incentives to conserve them. Consequently, a lot of wildlife is lost due to excessive poaching.

Namibia is an exception however. The government principally relies on community based natural resource management (CBNRM), which is premised on the management of natural resources and wildlife through development that is economically viable, socially beneficial, and ecologically sustainable. There has been this push because the locals have witnessed uncontrolled poaching of wildlife. The locals also have cultural and spiritual connection to wildlife and the land. They do not control it, but they highly value it. With the starting of CBNRM policy approach in 1980, wildlife has been better protected and valued across the country. It has brought about a system that gives locals a chance to identify poachers and bring them to justice. These locals are like traditional authorities serving the interests of the common good. The country is slowly seeing a shift towards giving the local people land rights to manage natural resources and wildlife in game reserves.

In addition, they have established “conservation conservancies” which are land titles held by the government but give the locals the opportunity to manage wildlife through ensuring adequate protection of these species. Conservancies disallow poaching on these lands which makes it easier to control and monitor hunting. With a population of about 2 million people, 220,000 (10%) are living on these conservancies. The people are very connected so much that there are annual general meetings so that people can vote on the future course of action for wildlife preservation. Folks this is a democratic process for wildlife protection and preservation, something we are not accustomed to in North America. Tourism has also been on the rise in Namibia employing the locals with jobs that they are generally content with because they know that they are contributing to the betterment of their natural environment. Moreover, they are getting trained through these jobs and many go on to start their own local businesses (developing human capital).

Through a CBNRM approach, and with the implementation of conservation conservancies, the people have been given appropriate incentives to protect wildlife and this has avoided the tragedy of the commons. The country understands that you do not need PhD wildlife biologists to manage these game reserves and conservancies. The locals can manage them just as well given the right incentives, rights and laws that permit them to do so. CBNRM has also given women a chance to get closer with land rights ultimately providing them with an avenue to look after endangered species and not worry about being forcefully relocated by the government.

Key message: CBNRM provides incentives to conserve natural resources and protect wildlife. Legislation that gives communities the power to create their own conservancies is very progressive and equitable. Allowing local communities to create conservancies to manage and benefit from wildlife on communal land is a step in the right direction.

The Law of Diminishing Intent and its hindrance to effective decision-making...

This past summer I was asked to read a book for my August Don training session. It was one of those quasi-inspirational books that are a joy to read, but very idealistic and overly positive about life’s greatest challenges. Anyway, the book was full of fascinating ideas and concepts, some of which relate to making rational and practical policy decisions on the environment. I came across a term called the “law of diminishing intent”. Simply put, it means that when a leader has a great idea with popular support, they should put it into practice expeditiously. A solidified idea can always expand and get bigger and bigger the more you delay it. While this is all well and good, it may distract someone from implementing the idea and putting it into practice. Therefore, the longer you wait to carry out your leadership initiative, idea or policy approach, your intent and inclination will gradually diminish. You lose motivation over time and your enthusiasm also decreases because you have waited so long to do something with your idea.

For environmental decision-making around the world, the same principle holds. Our politicians placed at the top of the hierarchy continue to release highly contentious environmental policy plans that not only face opposition from the public, but from members of their own parties. The law of diminishing intent has the potential to be both productive and counter-productive. Well-thought out policies that are environmentally, socially and economically sound are rarely spoken of. Probably because our decision-makers are too caught up on how to optimally deliver a policy that guarantees adequacy in all three categories. Our leaders, politicians and environmental lobby groups need to consciously think about how to execute and deliver their plans or ideas. With regard to our natural environment, it is the law of diminishing intent that vaporizes all of the sensible and practical solutions.

Key message: Overcoming the law of diminishing intent will require our leaders to stop getting caught up in overly ambitious targets. Our leaders focus particularly on quantitative targets that may be too ambitious and unrealistic to achieve like meeting our greenhouse gas emissions targets. They need to consider other approaches that are more inclusionary and efficient. They can start with meaningful action that engages citizens to participate and become a part of the decision-making process. When engaged citizens are working together and become part of the decision-making process, you minimize the law of diminishing intent because you have established a more cohesive decision-making body.

From Adversity and despair, to conservation and hope

Around the world, people are discovering the importance of preserving their natural environment. Southern India for one, has been adopting more conservationist ideals of late. Specifically, the Tamil Nadu region of Southern India has stepped up its environmental efforts since the devastating tsunami of December 2004. The amount of destruction caused by the tsunami has left millions of people, many of whom are enduring the troubling effects of poverty, in a worsened state of despair. Citizens of Tamil Nadu have started to overcome this calamity as conservation and ecological initiatives have become more commonplace.

M.S. Swaminathan, UNECSO’s chair in eco-technology, has drawn great attention to agro-biodiversity and bio-shields as a way to protect the coastal areas of Southern India from future storms, and more importantly to ameliorate the lives of farmers and community residents socially and economically. Much attention has been given to the significance of the Mangrove forests in the Tamil Nadu region. The eco-technology wing of UNESCO is currently fostering awareness by speaking about the importance of these forests as effective bio-shields against storms and tsunamis. Farmers are beginning to understand effective ways to achieve agro-biodiversity conservation.

UNESCO has emphasized the need to preserve the Mangrove forests. In essence, the Mangrove forests are highly dense and can act as a barrier to a fury of water. The forests reduce coastal erosion and mitigate the adverse impact of storms, cyclones and tsunamis in coastal areas. Throughout the tsunami of 2004, the villages that possessed thick mangrove forests were saved from the fury of the tsunami because of the speed-breaker role played by the mangroves. By contrast, communities that clear-cut the mangroves for fuel wood and aquaculture ponds, suffered great adversity and debilitation because the community was more exposed to the floods.

The people of Tamil Nadu have become more concerned about their livelihoods because they are dependent on the coastal areas and forestry for resources for economic interest and for subsistence agriculture. As a result of this sudden realization, mangroves are now being conserved. This in turn can very well serve as a protective tool in the event of drastic sea-level rises.

In light of this awakened optimism, farmers have become more conscious and more adamant to maintain ‘on farm conservation’. The ecological disaster caused by the tsunami has suddenly switched gears into an economic opportunity as farmers are more empowered and willing to take on a conservation movement, in spite of pervasive poverty along the Tamil Nadu region. The Chair of the eco-technology wing emphatically stated that “Preaching does not help. Enlightened self-interest, however, motivates people and leads to harmony with nature”.

Farming and fishing communities have collectively fostered an entire conservation movement that has inspired a whole community to take action and treat nature as a precious entity. The future looks promising for farmers and the people of Tamil Nadu. The lingering effects of poverty are slowly being minimized by enlightened self-interest for conservation farming and for a future with more hope.