Ultimate Frisbee: Peterborough's Hidden Environmental Gem...

Frisbees are most commonly associated with college kids, hippies and beachgoers. That a sport, ultimate frisbee, could be built around the flying disc might baffle some. I am often laughed at by friends in the hockey, football crowd when they try to picture it.

But when chatting with a fellow environmentalist last night over a few beers, he was equally astonished when I told them that Peterborough's ultimate frisbee league is the most environmentally-focused social network I've come across in all of Peterborough. Having been involved for a few years I had never really tried to organize my thoughts and figure out why. So here it goes.

Ultimate frisbee, by its very nature, encourages social cooperation. The game is not refereed and is instead officiated through a complex honour system. The level of obnoxious competitiveness synonymous with many other sports is non-existent as the game lives by something called the Spirit of the Game, summed up by the Ultimate Players Association:


Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship which places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling, or other 'win-at-all-costs' behavior are contrary to the spirit of the game and must be avoided by all players.

These 'rules' reflect something of a social contract in which the greater good is prioritized over any individuals. Such an approach is similar to that of the socially progressive and social justice movements, which have traditionally had a strong tie to environmentalism.

Driving is discouraged through a variety of league policies that encourage carpooling, walking or taking bikes, most notably the Carbon Flip, where the beginning disc flip -- similar to a coin toss in other sports -- is not 50/50, but determined by the number of non drivers on each team. Those that enter the league without a hint of environmentalist cares are almost forced to adopt a certain approach to the world during an ultimate frisbee game. This may have as much to do with the type of people playing ultimate in Peterborough as the game itself.

The makeup of Peterborough's players is extremely diverse. It is neither limited to a bunch of hippies nor is it an exclusive club for the rich and famous. I was astonished when I joined my first team to find out it was full of doctors, professors and engineers. Yet any social class system built entirely on household income is non-existent in the Peterborough Ultimate League. The people are generally adults under 40 -- with some exceptions --, an age bracket that seems to be more environmentally conscious that its elders. Many people I've played with are teachers, professors at Trent and Fleming -- two very eco-conscious schools, -- civil servants at the Ministry of Natural Resources, NGO folks and local business owners with green companies.

So you want to find the real movers and shakers in the 'green' world of Peterborough? Just look for a frisbee.

Photo: Tourne Disc

Greening the greens...

Mark Twain once called it a good walk spoiled. Others have defined it simply as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle. No matter how poetic you get with it, there is no game quite like golf.

Golf has been around for centuries and is played by millions throughout the world. But it is certainly not without its critics. Apart from the myriad writers and many others who can't seem to hone their skills very well, golf has frequently come under fire as a sport for "rich, white guys". More recently, golf has been targeted as an environmental monster.

Golf uses huge amounts of land, outrageous amounts of fresh water and often large volumes of cosmetic pesticides to keep the course looking very green. They tend to be built on highly viable agricultural land and can have a detrimental impact on wildlife.

But before I continue, Tim and I have a confession to make. We, dare I say it, are golfers. And we hit the greens yesterday afternoon. We have spent many hours discussing the appropriateness of two guys who study the environment and write about it playing a game that has so much environmental impact. Consider it a guilty pleasure.

But as we were playing yesterday, I kept thinking about how golf could be made more environmentally friendly. So let's explore some ways golf could be made a little more 'green'.

Golf courses could start to use high grade compost instead of cosmetic pesticides and conventional soil. High quality compost can often be more fertile than synthetic treatments and as more communities turn to it, supplies could be plentiful and cheap.

Courses could also turn to using xeriscaping (or drip irrigation) to try and use as little water as possible without harming the quality of the game.

The courses could also work together with local conservation authorities and ministries of the environment to protect wildlife habitat and any special species. Indeed, the Audobon Society has a certification program that awards certain courses that meet their environmental standards.

Turning to energy use, the courses could use renewable sources to power things like the clubhouse and to charge the golf carts.

The Conservation Council of Ontario is looking at this and has developed a project that is examining all the facets of 'greening the greens'. I suggest looking at its site if you have more interest in exploring what can be done.

Some of this might be expensive, but the beauty of working with golf courses is that they tend to be -- as critics highlight -- played by those with considerable levels of income. Some of the private courses charge annual membership fees of thousands of dollars. For many golf clubs, money is not much of an object for their membership base.  

I admit that golf is intrinsically an environmentally unfriendly sport, just given the need for huge amounts of land and to keep the playing surface of good quality. The most environmentally friendly thing we could do is just shut them down and return them to their natural states. But that isn't going to happen, so we should try to green as much of what we do as we can.  

(Photo: Atwood Lake Resort)

Hockey with a green spin...

There are few things more Canadian than the outdoor hockey rink. As temperatures dip, snow falls and the infamous Canadian winter sets in, people from all walks of life can be found strapping on their skates to enjoy the newfound outdoor skating rinks. They come in all shapes and sizes, from small backyard rinks, to boarded rinks at the local community centre, to the fantastically open frozen surfaces on rivers and lakes.

Tim and I managed to get out and play some old fashioned shinny -- pick-up hockey -- a few times this winter on the canal in Peterborough. We spent several hours there each time, joining other players for big pick-up games. But as we moved into March, the ice began to melt away and outdoor hockey came to an end. Although ball hockey on the road is also enjoyable, it is not quite the same. And getting ice time in indoor rinks, let alone paying for it, is extremely difficult.

My spirits were raised when I came across this article in the Globe & Mail about a business that had built a hockey rink inside the office. But unlike typical indoor rinks, it was made from synthetic ice. Specialized plastics coated with special oils provide a surface that is nearly identical to ice, allowing you to skate on it without any major concerns. While the synthetic ice is a little slower than typical rinks, it does offer several benefits.

First, you can put it anywhere. There is no season where a synthetic rink won't work and it allows you to go skating or play hockey in any climate. Tim and I are both considering further schooling on the West Coast where temperatures nary dip below freezing. Synthetic ice would be ideal in these locations.

Second, they are easily maintainable. The pieces of plastic simply fit together like a puzzle so you can create a rink as large as you'd like, be it in your basement or a full-sized hockey rink. And there is no need for a Zamboni to resurface the ice repeatedly.



Third, they are considerably cheaper than a comparable indoor rink. Much of this has to do with maintenance. Because the ice has to remain frozen, lots of energy is put into keeping it frozen and keeping the arena cold. Moreover, lots of hot water is used to resurface the ice. From an environmental point of view, synthetic ice is considerably more friendly as there is no need to keep the rink extremely cold.

Now, let me be clear. I would much prefer to play on a natural rink with real ice. It is smoother, faster and more realistic. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to gain access to those rinks. And outdoor rinks only last as long as the cold season does, which in southern Ontario, isn't particularly long. Synthetic ice allows us to at least enjoy hockey year round, with greater access without sacrificing too much quality of play. The environmental benefits are just icing on the cake.

A Real Canadian Gold Medal Flush...

Chances are, if you live in Canada, you didn't visit the bathroom while Canada and the U.S. were battling for hockey glory. I certainly know that bathroom breaks during play were frowned upon as unpatriotic at the venue where I watched the game.

As a follow up to my post on the energy consumption spikes that occurred during the Men's Olympic Gold Medal hockey game, I came across this graph from The Globe and Mail. Water consumption.

It pretty much speaks for itself, but is certainly an interesting case of cultural influence on our environment. I'm hoping more and more examples of things like this continue to pop up.

An electric win for Canadian hockey...

If you were like me and roughly half of Canada's population, you spent Sunday afternoon watching Canada's Men's Olympic hockey team claim victory over the United States. If you're living in Canada, it is likely that at some point you saw some part of the game. After all, some estimates have as many as 25 million people in Canada watching at least some of the game. And you probably watched the game on a TV.

I stumbled upon this interesting news release when perusing the Independent Electricity System Operators's website. Apparently the game had a significant impact on Ontario's electricity grid. Just prior to the game starting Sunday afternoon, the IESO measured an increase of 300 MW on the grid that lasted until just after Sid the Kid engraved his name in hockey history, at which point electricity demand returned to typical Sunday evening levels.

Moreover, during the intermissions, further electricity spikes were measured as people went to refill their drinks and turn on the oven or microwave to make some in-game snacks.

Who would've seen that coming?

300 MW is a lot, but can you even quantify the energy released among Canadians as soon as Crosby scored?

Well done, Canada. And congratulations to all of Canada's Olympic athletes.