Adam Clare

Ozone Hole Stabilizing

ozone Lisa writes to us and says that “the hole in the ozone layer has stabilized, and may close again in 60 years, thanks to successful international environmental agreements.”

This latest report is similar to one we mentioned earlier about the ozone hole, however the new report says it will take a few years longer. I still find it rewarding to see that when politicians notice an environmental problem (the hole in the ozone layer) and work on it internationally things happen.

Proof that if we tried hard enough we can combat climate change.

Stay in School Forever

I really like this dude’s suggestion that we live our lives like we are in school. You know, read some, learn some, run some, and do all sorts of things that a “normal” day-to-day working life forgets.

“If we model our lives on the structure of how we were educated as children, our lives would be a lot more balanced. We would constantly be learning. We would try new things and learn a wide range of skills. We would appreciate literature, music, science and history – even more now than when we were kids. We would have our own phys. ed. classes were we wouldn’t have to feel like we are competing with everyone else – it would be enough just to BE active. Here are some of my tips on how we would re-capture that spark of life that was learning and being educated.”

Blair Calls for Better Poverty Reduction

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is calling for a better approach to fight poverty in Britain. Current government programs are not reaching “deeply excluded” families and that needs to change in order for the government to make a much bigger impact.

“He said a small percentage of every generation were “stuck in a lifetime of disadvantage”. “We have to recognise that for some families, their problems are more multiple, more deep and more pervasive than simply low income,” he continued.”

Belated Thanks

I’ve been gone for a week working at a camp in Ontario’s north so I haven’t had a chance to thank everyone for coming out to our GOOD event last week! (Photos to come later) We were able to raise over $300 for Amnesty International!

Thanks to everybody who came out, and thanks to those who showed their good art!

The bands that rocked our socks were:
The Jeff Selver Experience
Terror Lake
Foxes

The artists that made our eyes feel special were:
Vivian Chong, Adi Zeharia, Sarah from The Rage, and Colin Stark, and Vivek from One Spirit Jewelry.

Let’s do it again sometime!

Flushing Rainwater

Clean, drinkable water is a precious resource, so why are we flushing it down the toilet? I ask this question almost daily (no joke). Well, LifeHacker has a great comment thread going on this very question.

The thread is part of a post about how one man actually uses rainwater to fill his water toilet basin. This is a great way to do to less harm to the environment, but some municipalities in Canada don’t like people doing this though. Other parts of the world, buildings are built incorporating rainwater collection.

“Domestic potable water collection requires effort, energy, and chemicals for purification and transport. Toilets use 20 to 25% of water consumed in a residential house. Why are we flushing drinkable water down the toilet? In some other countries of the world, rainwater harvesting on a residential level is a mandatory part of building codes.”