Ontario Member of Parliament Norm Miller has tabled Private Member's Bill 228: Keeping Polystyrene Out of Ontario's Lakes and Rivers Act. "The Bill requires persons who sell, offer to sell or construct floating docks, floating platforms or buoys to ensure that any expanded or extruded polystyrene in the dock, platform or buoy is fully encapsulated."1. Thus prohibiting unencapsulated extruded or expanded poystyrene for docks, buoys, or platforms. (Status: First reading has carried, much more to go)
My three years at Georgian Bay Forever has given me the opportunity to learn and grow in ways that I still can’t fully appreciate. This experience provided me the tools necessary to overcome many challenges and obstacles.
Title: We Are the Weather, Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast. Author: Jonathan Safran Foer
Reviewed and recommended by Helen Bryce, GBF director and chair of the Education Committee
In this unsettling and uncertain COVID-19 environment, we are thankful that the majority of society practices “social isolation/physical distancing", that the medical profession bravely carries on treating the infected, that businesses retool to produce what society needs and that governments step up to the challenge of protecting us all. Why then, can we not do the same things to save our planet before we reach “runaway climate change” and nothing can save us?
We want to assure you, our community, that we are taking every precaution in light of the current circumstances of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019).
GBF has postponed or cancelled public events and site visits to avoid risk to public health, volunteers, and staff members. For instance, the April 25th talk and electric vehicle testing event, Energy Rights and Wrongs, Can we more right? has been moved to the Fall (date TBD).
We will continue to be your environmental ally, but like so many of you, we are working from home to advance projects as possible, and all of us are practicing social-distancing.
Thanks to all the frontline and essential workers who are at the forefront for all of us, and to all of you for your responsible community care.
How to protect yourself and what to do. GBF is not the authority, but these contacts may be able to help you.
Georgian Bay Forever is a charity and our mission is dedicated to scientific research and public education on Georgian Bay's aquatic ecosystem. We continue to serve this mission during this pandemic.
We are very concerned about you, the Georgian Bay community, but we are not the right authority for guidance or information as it relates to COVID-19.
There are several organizations and governmental agencies whose responsibility it is to provide guidance in these times, or may be able to provide you with local information around closures etc. Here are some links or potential contacts to provide some assistance:
Check out this 1/2 hour presentation on septics from H2O 2019 on YouTube. A little about it: I bet you don't think septic maintenance can be interesting. It "can", pun intended. We learned at H2O 2019, that Rick Esselment is a great speaker who can break-down what is needed for septic maintenance that challenges the notion it is always about doing a pump out. He keeps you watching, and it's important for potentially saving you money and certainly helping the environment in the long run. Check out the 1/2 hour presentation on YouTube: Click here.
The effects of global warming are here locally and abroad – from rapidly swinging lake levels in Georgian Bay to more intense bush fires in Australia - to name a few.
Many scientists are afraid of being called alarmist, and that there is a conservative bias in much reporting on future scenarios that could result in a lack of preparation. This was noted by Georgian Bay’s Executive Director who attended a presentation from Dr. Huaiping Zhu, professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science, York University, who received a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) to improve climate risk assessments in the province. David noted with alarm that Dr. Zhu’s modelling showed a trajectory of 6-9 degrees of warming in northern communities. Northern limit of corn crops today is Parry Sound…by 2100 it will be almost up to James Bay.
While we can’t reverse where we are now, we can collectively work together to limit its extent by century end. At Georgian Bay Forever (GBF), we are committed to bringing helpful information and solutions to you.
On April 25th in Toronto, GBF invites you to an event that includes 2 parts in each session:
Learn more about Ontario’s renewable energy grid, and future possibilities from David Sweetnam.
Test drive an electric vehicle. Ask Plug ‘N Drive experts any questions you want to know.
“We cannot avoid the consequences of our warming climate but we can take actions to limit the damage,reduce our carbon dioxide emissions and,over the longterm,limit the warming of our planet.” From GBF’s position papaer. Learn more about impacts on Georgian Bay and GBF’s position here:
Title: The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World
Reviewed and recommended by Jennifer Ferguson, GBF director and chair of the Communication Committee
Published by: Greystone Books Ltd. and the David Suzuki Foundation
A walk in the woods or down a tree-lined street will take on new wonders after you read Peter Wohlleben’s fascinating book, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World.
