Brazil is out to prove that its biofuels are sustainable.

After being in a tight squeeze since the beginning of this year, the Brazilian government has left the defensive position and in the last few days announced various initiatives to convince Europeans of its commitment to support a sustainable production of sugar cane, the raw material used to make ethanol and sugar.

Brazil is the second biggest producer of ethanol behind the United States, producing 16 billion litres extracted form sugar cane annually.

On Wednesday July 18th the minister of agriculture said that within a year the federal government would release a map to indicate the areas adequate to plant sugar cane in Brazil. Under pressure from Europe Union and environmental NGOs, the federal government anticipated that the map would exclude the planting of cane on the sensitive Amazon and Pantanal biomes.

Degraded land--some occupied by cattle--will be outlined by the map and recommended for cultivating sugar cane, with incentives given by the government.

Certification

The minister also announced that models for social and environmental certifications of ethanol and biodiesel would be ready by next December. The certification will assure that the ethanol and biodiesel sectors follow environmental, social and labour criteria according to international law, making the exports of green fuels easier for Brazil.

The announcement is a clear response to NGOs concerns about possible negative impacts on the Amazon forest caused by the ongoing rapid expansion of sugar cane in Brazil. The questions raised by environmentalists led the European Union (EU) to moderate its initial enthusiasm for the Brazilian ethanol programme.

In order to convince Europe (a key export market for Brazilian ethanol companies) president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tried to persuade an EU-sponsored international conference in Brussels earlier this month that sugar cane crops are placed far from the Amazon and do not damage food production.

Lula da Silva met EU leaders eager to know more about Brazil’s ethanol, which could help the EU to meet its target of a 10% biofuels mix by 2020. Activists demand, however, that the EU import biofuels from Brazil only if environmental and social standards are met.

A dark past, and present

The powerful agribusiness camp is used to accusing Europe of covering its protectionism with environmental and social demands to Brazil.

In fact, the environmental and social concerns have some truth attached. The history of sugar cane production in Brazil is marked by the exploitation of a cheap labour force after emancipation of slaves in 1888 and the destruction of the Atlantic Forest, a rainforest near the coast with high biodiversity rates. A few sugar cane farms and mills are still suspected of maintaining their workers as explicit slaves.

The current worry is that almost 200,000 sugar cane cutters (“cortadores de cana”) migrate every year from arid and impoverished areas of the Northeast to harvest sugar cane in Minas Gerais and São Paulo in the Southeast, Brazil’s richest region.

The cortadores provide raw material to fuel the “energy revolution”, as president Lula da Silva has dubbed the ethanol boom and the start of the biodiesel programme. But during the six-month harvest season, they live in minuscule cubicles earning 400 reais (100 pounds) a month, arriving only with the clothes on their backs and sometimes bringing their children, who often suffer from malnutrition.

Mounting participation of foreign investors in the ethanol sector and increasing international pressure for human rights and environmental protection are expected to hasten the adoption of sustainability standards for biofuel crops like sugar cane, soya, castor and palm.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels has the potential to make a difference in this market. It is drawing up guidelines in a steering group made up of governments such as Netherlands and Switzerland, companies like Shell and Toyota, NGOs and universities. The guidelines are due to be ready in the middle of 2008.

So far the group has agreed to the essential parameters of the future text, divided into four groups: respect to national laws, low levels of greenhouse gases emissions, local environmental impacts (mainly pollution) and social impacts.
Copyright ClimateChangeCorp

It is absolutely critical that you and everyone you know uses the 30-day EBR comment period to let the government know that you strongly support a legally binding phase-out deadline and interim reduction targets. This is a tremendous opportunity to get the coal phase out back on track, but even the 2014 deadline is likely to be opposed by the Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario (e.g., Dow Chemical, Imperial Oil, Inco).

“China needs to step up efforts to reverse environmental degradation and cut energy consumption, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Tuesday.

The OECD, in its Environmental Performance Review of China, said efforts by Beijing so far to preserve the environment and reduce energy use are laudable. But it said China must strengthen its monitoring of industries, local authorities and enforcement of rules. ‘The biggest obstacle to environmental policy implementation is at the local level,’ the report released Tuesday said. It said economic priorities have overridden environmental concerns in China because of the project funding pressures faced by local governments, and a lack of accountability.

The report largely reiterated the final conclusions and recommendations given by an OECD working party in November. The OECD gave about 51 recommendations, including … raising the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) to a ministerial agency to give it more enforcement power. …” [Dow Jones/Factiva]

Reuters notes that “… Environmental groups have been pushing for SEPA to be given more status and power, and there has been speculation that it could happen as early as next year. Zhou Jian, Vice Minister of SEPA declined to say how long it might take for SEPA to become a ministry or how the transition might be made. …” [Reuters/Factiva]

AFP adds that “… The report said energy consumption per unit of economic output was about 20 percent higher than the OECD average. It also said that large-scale transfers of water from southern to northern China needed to keep up with growing demand. Among the policy recommendations, the OECD prescribed higher prices for energy, water and other natural resources that would better reflect their scarcity. … That step should go hand-in-hand with compensating or mitigating the impact of price hikes on the poor. An interministerial group should also be set up to examine how environment-related taxes might be restructured to help better achieve environmental policy objectives, it suggested. …” [Agence France Presse/Factiva]

Xinhua writes that OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria “… said ‘air pollution levels in some cities are among the worst in the world, one third of water courses are severely polluted and illnesses and injuries are associated with poor environmental and occupational conditions.’ China is also the world's second-largest producer of greenhouse gases and is still the largest producer and consumer of ozone-depleting substances, the report said. While Chinese authorities have introduced some regulatory and economic measures, ‘these efforts have not been sufficient to keep pace with environmental pressures and challenges generated by the very rapid growth of the economy,’ the OECD said. …” [Xinhua(China)/Factiva]

Statscan - Access to recycling programs, and their use, have improved substantially in Canada since the mid-1990s, and Canadian households are recycling more waste than ever before, according to a report in the new online publication EnviroStats.

The vast majority of Canadian households that had access to recycling programs made use of them in 2006, regardless of household income, the occupants' education levels, or the type of dwelling, the report showed.

The use of recycling programs was high across all provinces, whether households were in apartments or single-detached homes.

Among households that had access to recycling programs, about 97% of those in single-detached homes recycled waste, as did 95% of those in low-rise apartments. Education levels of the occupants had only a slight impact on recycling behaviour.

The report was published today in the inaugural edition of EnviroStats, Statistics Canada's new quarterly bulletin on environmental and sustainable development statistics.

In 2004, households produced 13.4 million tonnes of waste, according to the Waste Management Industry Survey. Of this amount, nearly 3.6 million tonnes went to recycling, a 65% increase from 2000.

During this four-year period, the proportion of household waste that was diverted to recycling increased from 19% to 27%.

In 2004, the average Canadian recycled 112 kilograms of material, compared with 71 kilograms in 2000. Recycling rates in 2004 ranged from a high of 157 kilograms per capita in Nova Scotia to a low of 54 kilograms in Saskatchewan.

The provinces: Not all offer equal access to recycling programs

Although access to recycling programs has improved over the years, not all provinces were offering equal access to recycling programs in 2006.

Data from the Households and the Environment Survey (HES) show that in 2006, 93% of Canadian households had access to recycling programs for at least one recyclable material: glass, paper, plastics and metal.

Prince Edward Island led the pack in terms of both access and use. Nearly all the province's households (99%) reported having access to, and making use of, at least one recycling program. Nova Scotia and Ontario rounded out the top three for both access to and use of recycling programs for glass, paper, plastics and metal.

Manitoba was below the median for use of all recycling programs. While 90% of households in the province had access to recycling programs, only 88% of these households did recycling, making Manitobans least likely to recycle.

In general, provinces offered fairly comprehensive access to recycling programs for different materials. About 88% of households had access to glass and paper recycling programs, 87% had access to plastic recycling, and 86% had access to recycling for metal cans.

The notable exception was Newfoundland and Labrador, where only 35% of households reported having access to paper recycling, while 61% had access to metal recycling, 72% to plastic and 75% to glass.

Use of paper recycling in Newfoundland and Labrador was only 74%, but it was 90% and above for the other three materials.

Overall, access in Canada to glass, paper, plastic and metal recycling programs improved between 1994 and 2006. This was also true in each province, except for New Brunswick, where access to glass and metal recycling declined slightly.

Of all the provinces, Prince Edward Island showed the biggest improvement in access between 1994 and 2006. Fewer than 21% of households had access to programs for each recyclable material in 1994. By 2006, this had increased to over 95%.

Factors affecting access to programs

While access to recycling programs varied by province and municipality, results of the 2006 HES show that access also differed according to social and economic characteristics.

Access to recycling was highest for those living in single detached homes, with 96% having access to a recycling program. Households living in mobile homes and apartment buildings were less likely to have access to recycling programs. About 90% of households in mobile homes had access, compared with 85% in low-rise apartments.

Differences in access are also apparent based on income and education, important indicators that can influence whether households own or rent, and whether they live in detached homes or apartments.

On average, 98% of households with an income greater than $80,000 had access to recycling compared with 89% of households with an income of less than $40,000.

As well, 95% of households with at least one university graduate had access to recycling programs. On the other hand, only 87% of households where no one had completed high school had access.

Residential recycling, 2004
	Residential recycling	Residential recycling per capita	Residential recycling rate1
	tonnes	kilograms	%
Canada	3,582,301	112	26.8
Newfoundland and Labrador	x	x	x
Prince Edward Island	x	x	x
Nova Scotia	147,317	157	45.1
New Brunswick	61,519	82	22.8
Quebec2	697,000	92	19.4
Ontario	1,504,678	121	29.9
Manitoba	80,326	69	15.1
Saskatchewan	53,445	54	15.2
Alberta	361,926	113	27.7
British Columbia	606,603	144	37.7
Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut	x	x	x
x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act 1. The residential recycling rate refers to the amount of residential waste diverted as a proportion of waste generated. 2. Waste diversion data are derived from a survey administered by RECYC-QUÉBEC.

Households that had access to and used recycling programs, by province, 2006
	Access to any program1	Used any program2
	%
Canada	93	97
Newfoundland and Labrador	87	94
Prince Edward Island	99	99
Nova Scotia	97	99
New Brunswick	86	96
Quebec	91	95
Ontario	95	98
Manitoba	90	88
Saskatchewan	91	96
Alberta	89	96
British Columbia	94	99
1. As a percentage of all households. 2. As a percentage of those households that reported having access to a recycling program. Note: Includes access to any type of recycling, including programs for glass, paper, plastics, or metal cans.

Note to readers

This release is based on the feature article titled "Recycling in Canada" in EnviroStats (16-002-XIE), Statistics Canada's new quarterly bulletin of environmental and sustainable development statistics.

The article used data from three surveys: the 2004, 2002, and 2000 Waste Management Industry Survey; the 2006 Households and the Environment Survey, conducted as part of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators project, and the 1994 Households and the Environment Survey.

The Waste Management Industry Survey publishes data on the tonnage of waste disposed and diverted, by source.

Residential recyclable materials include solid non-hazardous materials produced in residences, such as materials that are picked up by the municipality (either using its own staff or through contracting firms) and materials from residential sources that are self-hauled to depots, transfer stations and disposal facilities. Data do not cover any wastes that are managed on-site by the waste generator.

For the Households and the Environment Survey, access to a recycling program indicates that households reported that they had access to a municipally- or privately-operated collection system, including curb-side pick-up or drop-off centres or depots.

Farmers will be the first to feel the heat from global warming as they grapple with new and aggressive crop pests, summer heat stress and other sobering challenges that could strain family farms to the limit, warns David Wolfe, a Cornell expert on the effects of climate change on agriculture.

His gloomy assessment was part of a report by the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA) Synthesis Team, presented July 11 at a press conference at the New York Botanical Garden.

Choices made today could have profound impacts on tomorrow's agriculture and natural landscapes, he said.

In simultaneous press conferences in seven northeastern cities, the team of independent experts, in collaboration with the Union of Concerned Scientists, presented analyses of the impact of climate change on key sectors in the northeastern United States. By providing the best available science on the issue, they hope to persuade opinion leaders, policy-makers and the public to make informed choices about climate-change mitigation and adaptation.

"Today's energy and emissions choices lead to starkly different pictures of what the future holds for our farms, gardens and natural landscapes in terms of climate change impacts," said Wolfe, Cornell professor of horticulture and lead author of the NECIA agriculture chapter.

While a warmer climate will trigger a longer growing season and the opportunity to experiment with new crops, "it will also open the door to invasion by new and aggressive crop pests, damaging summer heat stress and serious challenges with water management," said Wolfe. "Adapting to change will add economic stress to family farms already stretched to the limit."

The Northeast can also expect more frequent summer heat waves that could compromise the health of crops, livestock and humans, said Wolfe. What will happen in the future, he said, depends "on whether we as a society follow the business as usual [higher] emissions scenario or begin taking action now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

For example, he added, "Our analysis found that under the higher emissions scenario, parts of New York are projected to reach temperatures by late century that would reduce milk production up to 15 percent during summer months." Although farmers can better cool dairy barns, the extra costs involved could squeeze out small family farmers.

The apple industry also could be threatened as winters become so warm that the "winter chilling" period required for maximum flowering and yield is no longer met. "With a lower emissions scenario, apple and other affected tree fruit crop industries would have several more decades to adapt, possibly switching to different varieties or crops," he said.

Of perhaps greatest concern in the next few decades, he stressed, is increased pressure from aggressive, invasive insect, disease and weed pests. Many of the most aggressive weeds, research shows, grow faster with more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

"On top of this, our study found that, at the higher emissions scenario, weed species currently constrained to southern states by our cold winter temperatures could encroach throughout the southern half of New York by mid-century," said Wolfe.

His recommendations to farmers and gardeners included plowing and tilling less to reduce the burn off of stored soil carbon that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and using less nitrogen fertilizer, which produces nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.

The full reports are available at http://www.climatechoices.org. Wolfe's specific study also will be published in a forthcoming issue of Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change.

Copyright Cornell University

The survey found that close to 6 in 10 households now use compact fluorescent bulbs, and over 4 in 10 have a programmable thermostat, up considerably in recent years. More households composted, and more also had water-saving showerheads and toilets.

Other aspects of household behaviour have not changed greatly since the survey was last conducted during the mid-1990s.

For example, the use of chemical pesticides in 2006 was down only slightly from 1994 levels. The sole exception was Quebec, where the share of households applying lawn and garden pesticides plunged by one-half over this period. Household pesticide application was highest in the three Prairie Provinces.

Another finding was that the majority of Canadians commuted to work alone in a private car or truck.

The survey also examined behaviours with respect to drinking water. Almost 3 out of every 10 households drank bottled water predominantly in 2006, whether they had a municipal or private water supply.

The rest consumed water from the tap, but half of the households that did so treated the tap water in some way. While the majority treated their water to improve the taste or appearance, 40% did so to address concerns about possible bacterial contamination.

The survey also found that rates of household recycling have jumped. Data from this portion of the survey will be analyzed in a report to be released on Friday, July 13, 2007, in the inaugural issue of EnviroStats, Statistics Canada's new source of analysis on environmental issues.

Almost 3 in 10 households choose bottled water

Households with municipal water supply in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador were the least likely to drink tap water and were the most likely to drink bottled water.

Among Canada's largest cities, the highest rate of households drinking bottled water primarily was found in the Kitchener area (46%) and in St. Catharines–Niagara (41%).

The survey found that only 35% of households with a non-municipal water supply had their water tested by a laboratory in 2005. This suggests a reasonably high level of confidence in the quality of water, or a prior knowledge of its limitations for drinking.

Among the households with a non-municipal water supply, 85% of those who tested their water reported that the laboratory did not find any contaminants.

Households in Ontario were the least likely to report water quality problems after testing. Those in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta were the most likely to have problems.

Regardless of any tests, many households opted to treat their water supply. The survey found that 48% of all households that had a municipal water supply, and that consumed tap water, treated it in some way. This was a slightly higher proportion than those who had a non-municipal source.

Aside from drinking water issues, another important theme in the survey was water conservation. The survey found a big increase in the number of households with water-saving devices.

In 2006, 60% of Canadian households had a water-saving showerhead, compared with 42% in 1994. About 41% had a water-saving toilet, nearly triple the proportion of 15% in 1994.

Energy use: Turning down the power

Households are taking advantage of new power-saving devices, the survey showed. Between 1994 and 2006, the proportion using at least one compact fluorescent light bulb more than tripled from 19% to 59%.

Households in all provinces contributed to this rise. In 2006, British Columbia and Ontario had the highest percentage of households using compact fluorescent light bulbs, nearly two-thirds in each province. In contrast, only one-half of all households in Quebec used them.

Programmable thermostats, which automatically adjust the temperature setting, have become increasingly popular. In 1994, 16% of households with a thermostat had one that was programmable. By 2006, this proportion had more than doubled to 42%. On the other hand, among households that had such a device, about 16% had not programmed it.

In Ontario, 52% of households had a programmable thermostat, more than double the proportion of 24% in 1994. Households in the Atlantic Provinces were the least likely to have one.

Pesticides: Slight decline in use nationally, but big drop in Quebec

Nationwide, the proportion of households using pesticides on their lawn or garden dipped slightly from 31% in 1994 to 29% in 2006. However, in Quebec, where strict regulations on pesticide use were imposed in recent years, the proportion plunged from 30% to 15%.

Pesticide use was highest in the three Prairie Provinces and lowest in the Atlantic Provinces and Quebec.

In Manitoba, 44% of households used pesticides, the highest proportion in the nation, followed closely by Saskatchewan (43%). In the East, the proportion ranged from 14% in Prince Edward Island to 21% in Newfoundland and Labrador.

While the use of pesticides by households in the West was relatively high, households tended to apply them only as needed. However, those in Ontario and Quebec more often applied them as part of a regular maintenance program.

Composting and special wastes

Composting has grown in popularity. The survey found that 27% of households composted in 2006, up from 23% in 1994.

The increase was especially large in the Atlantic Provinces, some of which prohibit the disposal of organic materials in landfills or incinerators. The only province in which household participation in composting declined was British Columbia.

Some household wastes require special disposal procedures. About 29% of households had leftover paint to dispose of. Just over one-half (54%) of these households reported that they took it to a depot or returned it to the supplier.

Still, 38% replied that although they had leftover paint to dispose of, they still had it in their possession, and did not know what to do with it.

About one-quarter (24%) of households had unwanted or expired medications to dispose of. In all, 4 in 10 of these disposed of them in their regular garbage, flushed them down the toilet or put them down the drain. Just under one-third (31%) said they returned the products to suppliers.

Electronic waste, such as old computers, is a growing environmental problem. Almost one-quarter of households with old computers or other electronics disposed of them at special waste depots or returned them to the supplier. On the other hand, almost 1 in 5 put them in the garbage, and just over one-third said they did not know what to do with them.

Transportation: Most travelled to work alone in a motor vehicle

The transportation sector accounts for about 24% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 54% of these emissions are due to passenger transportation, according to federal government figures.

In 2006, 83% of Canadian households had at least one motor vehicle, according to the survey. Just over 1 in 10 had three or more vehicles.

The majority (58%) of households in Canada travelled 20,000 kilometres or less in their motor vehicles in an average year, whereas 12% travelled more than 40,000 kilometres.

In Ontario and Alberta, 14% of households travelled more than 40,000 kilometres in a year. In Oshawa and Hamilton, the proportion exceeded 18%.

The survey asked respondents about their daily commuting habits. Nationally, in the warmer months of the year, 57% of all people who worked outside of the home usually travelled to work alone in a motor vehicle. In the colder months, this proportion increased to 64%.

Among Canada's urban centres in the summer time, Saskatoon, Abbotsford and Windsor had the highest proportion of people travelling alone in a motor vehicle to work. Victoria and Ottawa–Gatineau had the lowest proportion.

The size of a community has a big impact on commuting patterns. In the largest cities, relatively fewer people travelled to work in 2006 by motor vehicle (alone or with a passenger), while more used public transportation.

Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver and Ottawa–Gatineau all had a relatively low incidence of motor vehicle commuting compared with smaller urban centres. Yet, a motor vehicle was still the dominant form of commuting in these large cities.

However, while the rate of motor vehicle commuting was lower in Canada's major urban centres, when people did use their motor vehicle they tended to travel further. In both Toronto and Ottawa–Gatineau, nearly one-third of those travelling to work by motor vehicle travelled over 20 kilometres each way.

People who used public transit took longer, on average, to get to work than people who used private motor vehicles. Nationally, almost two-thirds of public transit users needed 30 minutes or more to get to work, while only one-quarter of those using motor vehicles took this long.

Note to readers

The Households and the Environment Survey (HES) measured households activities that have positive and negative impacts on the environment. Over 28,000 households were surveyed by telephone in early 2006.

The HES collected data on some of the same environmental variables that were investigated in the 1991 and 1994 surveys. The topics covered in this survey were the water quality concerns of households, the consumption and conservation of water, energy use, the use of pesticides and fertilizers, recycling, transportation decisions and the use of gasoline-powered equipment.

The HES was conducted under the umbrella of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators project, a joint initiative of Statistics Canada, Environment Canada and Health Canada.

Research has uncovered alarming evidence that high Arctic ponds, many which have been permanent bodies of water for thousands of years, are completely drying out during the polar summer. These shallow ponds, which dot the Arctic landscape, are important indicators of environment change and are especially susceptible to the effects of climate change because of their low water volume.

As published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Marianne Douglas, Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Science and Director of the Canadian Circumpolar Institute at the University of Alberta, and John Smol, Professor of Biology at Queen’s University, studied these unique Arctic ponds for the past 24 years, collecting detailed data such as water quality and water levels from approximately 40 ponds. Collectively, this data represents the longest record of systematic limnological (the science of the properties of fresh water) monitoring from the high Arctic.

Over the 24 years the researchers spent monitoring the ponds, they recorded evidence of recent lower water levels and changes in water chemistry consistent with an increase in evaporation/precipitation ratios (E/P) and warmer temperatures. Until recently, the ponds of the study sites were permanent features of the landscape, but in early July 2006, because of warming trends in the Arctic, several of the main study ponds dried up completely, whereas others had dramatically reduced water levels.

“It was quite shocking to see some of our largest study ponds dry up by early summer,” said Douglas.

The ecological ramifications of these changes are likely severe and will be felt throughout the Arctic ecosystem, says Douglas. It would affect waterfowl habitat and breeding grounds, invertebrate population dynamics and food for insectivores and drinking water for animals, to name only a few.

“These surface water ponds are so important because they are often hotspots of biodiversity and production for microorganisms, plants and animals in this otherwise extreme terrestrial environment.” said Douglas.

Copyright ©2007 by AAAS

Guelph - U of G is working with Zerofootprint on a cutting-edge initiative that will provide members of the University community the opportunity to measure their ecological footprint and reduce the collective impact on the environment.

Set to launch in the fall, the initiative involves a web-based calculator that people can use to estimate and analyze the impact daily activities such as car travel and electricity use are having on the environment. Zerofootprint also provides users with suggestions on ways to diminish their footprint so they can then set goals and track their successes online.

“No one is in a better position to take advantage of the opportunities the Zerofootprint calculator presents than the University,” said president Alastair Summerlee. “The calculator is a way to take social action online. Change has always been about the individual acting as part of a collective – that’s what the calculator allows.”

Before the official launch, U of G is asking faculty, staff, students and alumni to visit the Zerofootprint website to test out the calculator and provide feedback.

The online tool is unique because it not only calculates a person’s carbon footprint, but it also determines their land, water and tree footprint. For example the calculator shows users how much carbon is emitted into the atmosphere based on the distance their food has travelled or how much land and water is required to sustain their diet.

As part of the initiative, the information obtained from the University community will be compiled and a total environmental impact will be measured. With the help of Zerofootprint, U of G will determine ways of reducing its collective footprint.

“We believe launching a massive bottom up green initiative like this one will be a huge success given the grass roots leadership that University of Guelph students have already demonstrated with its energy retrofit program,” said Ron Dembo, founder and chief executive officer of Zerofootprint.

Home buyers can now add rainwater harvesting systems to the list of choices to make when it comes to purchasing a new house. A team of researchers with U of G’s School of Engineering has designed and piloted a household system that collects rainwater from the roof and pumps it into the home to be used to flush toilets, run the dishwasher or water the garden.

The innovative approach has captured the interest of municipalities and developers across Canada as a possible solution to the mounting fears about water shortfalls, said Khosrow Farahbakhsh, an engineering professor who is leading the research team.

In Guelph, Reid’s Heritage Homes has incorporated the technology into a model home set to officially open Thursday. The house includes other green features such as solar panels and recycled building materials.

Farahbakhsh said designing a system that can be easily incorporated into new homes is part of a nationally-funded project aimed at making rainwater harvesting a “mainstream” practice in Canada.

“Having it as an option for all new homes will make rainwater harvesting a common practice and not something that is on the fringe,” he said. “In most applications, one could meet over 50 per cent of household water demands with rainwater harvesting. That’s significant when you consider the growing concern municipalities have about finding ways to supply water to their growing populations.”

The rainwater harvesting system is a modern twist on yesterday’s rain barrel, but on a much larger scale. It consists of a pipe that collects rainwater from an eavestrough running along the roof. The collected rainwater goes through a simple filter to remove debris and is stored in a 10,000-litre tank that can either be buried in the backyard or sit above ground. The water is then pumped into the household as needed. The price tag of the system can vary from several hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on the size and whether it is placed above or below ground, he said.

As part of the $250,000 national project, Farahbakhsh’s research group is also studying rainwater harvesting systems currently installed in seven buildings in the Guelph area, including his own home, to determine what barriers need to be removed to make the environmentally friendly practice more popular.

“In order to build capacity for large-scale rainwater harvesting in Canada, you need to determine what the appropriate technologies are, what policies, regulations and building codes are required and what needs to be done to make it economically viable and publicly accepted,” he said. “This project is not just technical but considers all aspects of introducing rainwater harvesting to the public.”

Farahbakhsh’s next proposal is to study ways of incorporating systems into Canadian industries. Besides relieving pressure on water-supply systems, rainwater harvesting can mean substantial savings in the long run, he said.

“Industries looking to expand are sometimes unable to do so because of the demands the expansion would place on water supply. Rainwater harvesting is an alternative solution and one that makes a lot of sense.”

Official opening of Reid’s Heritage Homes’ model home:

When: July 5 at 2 p.m.

Where: Goodwin Drive, Lot 30, in Westminster Woods, Guelph

Using feathers from museum collections all over the world, a University of Guelph integrative biology professor has tested a new hypothesis about what led to population decline of a species of seabirds in Canada.

Prof. Ryan Norris conducted a historical analysis of museum specimens of marbled murrelets going back more than a century to examine how dietary changes may have affected the seabirds’ numbers.

The study, which will be published in the August issue of Journal of Applied Ecology, also illustrates how scientists can use museum specimens to figure out what led to a species decline and to help focus conservation efforts.

“One of the biggest unknowns for endangered or threatened species is how their populations fluctuated naturally before human disturbances,” Norris said.

“But there are millions of specimens in museums across the country, many of which were collected before habitats started to decline and that can give you really important baseline information for designing plans to conserve species.”

For example, there is little historical information about marbled murrelets because the birds are highly secretive and difficult to study, he said. “The first murrelet nest wasn’t discovered until 1975 so gathering information about the causes of their decline has been extremely difficult.”

But Norris was able to reconstruct the diet of the seabirds by utilizing museum specimens dating back to 1889.

Working with Peter Arcese of the University of British Columbia’s department of forest sciences, he visited dozens of museums across North America collecting feathers from marbled murrelets gathered from the Georgia Strait — the waters between Vancouver Island and British Columbia’s mainland.

The seabirds spend more than 90 per cent of their time on the sea, but they travel up to 100 km inland to nest in old growth forests. The species numbers have been dwindling in Canada over the past 100 years, a drop that scientists previously attributed to a loss of coastal old growth forests.

Norris decided to examine how marine diet over the last 100 years might have influenced the birds’ populations by analyzing the stable carbon and stable nitrogen isotopes, chemical signatures that become fixed into the marbled murrelets feathers when they’re grown.

Their isotope analysis showed that prior to 1900, the birds were feeding most on fish, but that by the 1970s, 80s and 90s, their diet consisted of marine invertebrates, which are much less energetically rich than fish.

“Murrelets have to catch around 80 to 100 marine invertebrates to get the same nutritional value as in one forage fish,” Norris said.

The researchers concluded that the seabirds’ population changes in Canada after 1950 were likely influenced by a decline in the amount of fish in their diet. It’s an important finding because it suggests that to save the species, conservation efforts should be refocused.

“Instead of spending all their time and money on the murrelet’s nesting habitat, conservationists and managers may have to take a step back and evaluate how to optimally allocate resources to conserve this species,” said Norris.

“If we keep pouring all of our money into the current plan, it’s possible this amazing seabird will continue to decline anyway.”