Guelph City Councillor Vicki Beard is among only five from Canada, the United States and Mexico to be recognized by the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) with the 2007 Pollinator Advocate Award.

The honour – to be presented to Councillor Beard in Washington DC tomorrow – recognizes her efforts to protect existing pollinator habitats and foster new ones, and for her work to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators. “Pollinators are just one piece of our complex natural world,” explains Councillor Beard. “Without them, we would cease to exist.”

North America has experienced a significant decline in pollinators – including bees, butterflies, humming birds, and moths – in recent years. Pollinators are endangered by development, which destroys or fragments their natural habitats; pesticides; insecticides; and bacterial and fungal disease.

Though not widely recognized, pollinators are crucial for crop production, and for allowing plants to grow and thrive. Most foods, beverages, and many medicines are derived from crops that are pollinated by animals. Without them, crop production is put at risk.

Councillor Beard points out that while small areas of land for habitat are a good start, North America needs large areas for pollinator habitats as well. Her work with City staff and the University of Guelph has involved discussion of what a pollinator habitat might look like in Guelph.

Mayor Farbridge commends Councillor Beard’s commitment to the issue and congratulates her on this significant and prestigious achievement. "Vicki has worked very hard with City staff and the University of Guelph on this issue. We are proud that one of our own has been recognized as a North American leader in advocacy for pollinator species."

Councillor Beard, who was nominated for the Pollinator Advocate Award by Dr. Peter Kevan and Dr. Vernon Thomas of the University of Guelph, devotedly maintains a garden on her own property that measures three quarters of an acre and is home to more than 350 plant species. The plants are ‘pollinator-friendly,’ and were chosen so they could support pollinators during each phase of their lives.

US - “Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to former US Vice President Al Gore and the UN climate panel widens a definition of peacemaking and will raise pressure for the world to agree a new deal to combat global warming.

‘I hope this will enhance further a sense of urgency,’ said Yvo de Boer, the head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat who wants governments to set an end-2009 deadline to work out a new long-term plan to fight global warming. …” [Reuters (10/12)/Factiva]

AFP adds that “The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday to …Gore and the UN's paramount authority on global warming comes at a crucial time. …

‘It is a confirmation of the role of climate change as an international issue and particularly the future of climate change as an issue for peace,’ Thomas Downing, director of the Oxford Office of the Stockholm Environment Institute, told AFP. …” [Agence France Presse (10/12)/Factiva]

NYT notes that “The Nobel Peace Prize committee made a powerful statement Friday that the consequences of increasing carbon emissions are as dangerous as the ravages of war and - more directly - that '’green’ equals peace.

The award to Gore and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reflects a growing conviction on the part of scientists, politicians and economists that such emissions will not only change climate patterns but also lead to economic mayhem, social upheaval and conflicts between nations or groups trying to survive in an increasingly disrupted natural environment. …”

[The New York Times (10/13)]

FT writes that “…Gore yesterday won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change in a move that is likely to place the issue at the forefront of the political debate in America as the country moves into its presidential election season. …

It will also give fresh impetus to efforts to persuade the US to back a successor to the Kyoto treaty at a crucial international conference set to take place in Bali this December. …” [The Financial Times (UK, 10/13)]

As in last year's report, the water quality indicator shows that guidelines for protecting aquatic life were not met, at least occasionally, at many monitoring sites across the country. Phosphorous, a pollutant derived mainly from human activities, was a major concern for the quality of surface freshwater in Canada.

The indicator results are partly due to the growing Canadian population and economy. Between 1990 and 2005, Canada's population increased by 17%, to 32.3 million. This increase, coupled with economic growth, led to greater resource use and waste production, increased greenhouse gas emissions and, in certain cases, more air and water pollution.


These results were released today in a "highlights report" of the 2007 Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators. A full report is scheduled for release in December 2007.

Exposure to some components of smog increasing over the long term

The air quality indicators track measures of Canadians' exposure to ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter during the warm season (April 1 to September 30). These pollutants are key components of smog and can lead to adverse health effects even at low concentrations in the air.

The report shows that the ozone exposure indicator increased by an average of 0.8% a year between 1990 and 2005. This is equivalent to an overall increase of about 12% between 1990 and 2005.

Regionally, the ozone exposure indicator increased in southern Ontario and in southern Quebec over the period. The indicator level was unchanged in other regions.

The exposure indicator for fine particulate matter did not show any significant increase or decrease between 2000 and 2005, the only period for which consistent data are available.

Transportation, electricity generation, wood burning and the use of chemical products such as paint and solvents can increase levels of ozone and fine particulate matter in the air.

Greenhouse gas emissions up sharply since 1990, despite decline in intensity

The consensus of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is that greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity are having a discernible impact on the climate.

In 2005, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 747 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, up 25% from 1990. These emissions were 33% above the target set by the Kyoto Protocol.

Greenhouse gas emissions increased significantly between 1990 and 2005, despite the fact that 17.8% less greenhouse gas was emitted per unit of economic activity in 2005 compared with 1990. Increases in overall economic activity resulted in increases in both energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Contrary to the general trend since 1990, greenhouse gas emissions were nearly stable between 2003 and 2005. This change was due primarily to a reduction in emissions from electricity production (reduced coal-fired generation and increased hydro and nuclear generation), reduced demand for home heating fuels due to warm winters and a reduced rate of increase in fossil fuel production.

Freshwater quality: Phosphorous a concern for aquatic life

This indicator assesses surface freshwater quality with respect to the protection of fish, aquatic invertebrates and plants. It does not assess the quality of water for human consumption and use. The indicator is based on information gathered from 2003 to 2005.

Water monitoring results throughout southern Canada show that guidelines for protecting aquatic life were not met, at least occasionally, at many sites.

Tests at 359 river and lake monitoring sites in southern Canada found that freshwater quality was rated as "good" or "excellent" at 44% of the sites, "fair" at 33%, and "marginal" or "poor" at 23%.

The report found that phosphorus was a major concern for surface freshwater quality in Canada. Phosphorus levels in southern Canada did not meet the water quality guidelines for aquatic life over half the time at 127 of 344 monitoring sites.

Most phosphorus in water comes from sewage, agricultural runoff and industrial wastewater.

An oversupply of phosphorous in water can result in excessive growth of aquatic plants such as algae and reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen available for fish and other aquatic animals. Some algal blooms can be toxic, threatening livestock and human health.

Note to readers

This release is based on highlights from the third annual report of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators, prepared by Environment Canada, Statistics Canada and Health Canada. A full report is scheduled for release in December 2007.

This report provides updates on four indicators in the following three areas: air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater quality. The indicators are intended to provide Canadians with more regular and consistent information on the state of the environment and how it is linked with human activities.

These indicators, first reported in 2005, have now been updated for a third year.

Environment Canada, Statistics Canada and Health Canada are working together to report and continue the development of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators. This effort has benefited from the cooperation and input of all the provinces and territories.

The air quality indicators track measures of Canadians' exposure to ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter.

The greenhouse gas emissions indicator tracks the annual Canadian releases of the six greenhouse gases that are the major contributors to climate change.

The freshwater quality indicator uses the Water Quality Index endorsed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment to summarize the status of surface freshwater quality.

Guelph - Residents can bring fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs to Household Hazardous Waste Depot

The City of Guelph now recycles fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), and has expanded its household hazardous waste drop-off program to accommodate the new recycling initiative.

Residents can now dispose of their fluorescent tubes and CFL bulbs at the Household Hazardous Waste Depot, located at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre. The Depot is open Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Tubes and bulbs must be intact when brought to the Depot.

The new recycling program responds to a switch many residents have made from incandescent light bulbs to CFL bulbs in an effort to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Guelph, thousands of households have made the change in advance of the Ontario government plan to ban inefficient light bulbs by 2012.

Fluorescent bulbs and tubes collected at the Depot will be recycled by Fluorescent Lamp Recyclers (FLR) Technologies Inc. FLR specializes in treating all mercury-containing lamp waste in a safe, economical and environmentally-friendly process. Each lamp is separated into its individual elements (glass, aluminum, phosphor powder, mercury) and recycled. Over 98 per cent of each lamp is recycled and diverted from landfill.

City staff at the Household Hazardous Waste Depot has been trained to safely handle fluorescent tubes and CFL bulbs, and to be familiar with the procedures to ensure the safe clean-up for broken lamps containing mercury.

CFL bulbs contain trace amounts of mercury, a toxic compound that can accumulate in the environment if not properly disposed of. If a bulb breaks, mercury vapour is released into the air and can be harmful. Although one compact fluorescent bulb contains less mercury than a household thermometer or watch battery, there are still concerns about how to safely dispose of the bulbs.

WHITBY - Some of Canada's largest retailers are moving quickly to respond to consumer demand for higher environmental standards by changing a key aspect of their marketing that touches nearly every Canadian - the humble weekly retail flyer.

Innovative retailers and progressive printers are forming partnerships with Atlantic Newsprint Company, one of Canada's largest suppliers of 100% recycled newsprint, to test a new newsprint line designed for the colourful printed flyers that make their way into millions of Canadian homes each week.

The five new products, labeled Fooder News, Eco-Brite, Eco-Smooth, Eco-Gloss, and Eco-Direct, have been created with higher gloss and brightness than standard newsprint for printers that produce the millions of weekly flyers and directories. Each product is made from 100% recycled fibre and is manufactured at the Atlantic Newsprint mill here.

While newspaper publishers have adopted varying degrees of recycled fibre in their newsprint (including Atlantic 100% recycled), the printers of flyers have favoured paper made from virgin fibre or which contain smaller percentages of recycled content.

"Canada's best retailers are very much in touch with their customers, and their customers are setting ever-higher standards for environmental performance," observes Michael Booth, vice president of sales for Atlantic Newsprint, a division of Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd. of Toronto. "Customers' expectations touch all areas of the retailer's business, so moving to environmentally responsive products like our enhanced 100% recycled newsprint for flyers is a step that leading retailers find appealing."

Major supermarket, hardware and general merchandise retailers are testing the new Atlantic newsprint. Booth says the trials are producing excellent results.

"These are respected retailers with high expectations and they are careful about any change they make in the face they present to consumers," says Booth. "They understand the value of presenting their marketing messages on 100% recycled newsprint, and we think they will be pleased with the results."

The Whitby newsprint mill was Canada's first 100% recycled fibre newsprint mill when it opened in 1991. It is one of five giant paper machines in the Atlantic organization. Other machines manufacture tissue, linerboard and 'medium' paper for use in box manufacture - all from recycled paper. The Whitby mill consumes more than 200,000 tons of old newspapers and magazines a year. The four new lines of 100% recycled newsprint were developed from the newsprint the company currently makes for newspaper publishers across North America.

There are subtle differences between the 100% recycled newsprint used by leading newspaper publishers and the new product created for flyers, Booth says. "Retailers have specific demands for things like weight, brightness and printing characteristics that we have to meet," he says. "They want to do the right thing for the environment but they also have high standards for the quality of the printed pieces they produce. With our Atlantic sheet, we think they can have both."

Atlantic 100% recycled newsprint has been awarded the Green Seal Certification in the U.S. and been selected for the Environmental Choice Program in Canada.

On Thursday, ConocoPhillips and Archer Daniels Midland announced they reached an agreement to collaborate on the development of transportation fuels from biomass.

According to the firms they will seek to commercialize the conversion of biomass from crops, wood or switchgrass into biocrude, in addition to the refining of biocrude to produce transportation fuel.

According to the Associated Press the pairing creates a partnership between the biggest U.S. ethanol producer and one of the biggest oil refiners.

The companies did not release financial details about the agreement, but according to Conoco spokesman Bill Tanner, they will spend close to $5 million per-year combined, at least initially.

“ConocoPhillips believes that the development of next-generation biofuels is a critical step in the diversification of our nation’s energy sources,” said Jim Mulva, chief executive officer of ConocoPhillips. “We are hopeful that this collaboration will provide innovative technology toward the large-scale production of biofuels that can be moved efficiently and affordably through existing infrastructure.”

Patricia Woertz, chief executive officer at ADM, added, “As we advance our global bioenergy interests, this alliance with ConocoPhillips represents an important next step. Innovative collaboration like this will identify and bring to market feasible, economic and sustainable next-generation biofuels.”

Mark Gilman, an analyst at the Benchmark Company, said the announcement demonstrates Conoco’s commitment to evaluating the potential in the area, but added it would be premature to suggest what the implications of the agreement are.

Conoco has announced similar deals previously. According to Tanner, earlier in 2007 the company had promoted a collaborative relationship with Iowa State for $22.5 million to conduct research in biofuels.

The company has also collaborated with Tyson Foods, by taking discarded animal protein to produce a form of diesel fuel.

Conoco and ADM's deal contributes to a trend across the energy sector which, supported by government initiatives, are exploring the potential of renewable sources of fuel.

One example: Lou Burke, Conoco's manager of alternative fuels, says Chevron is an a relationship with Weyerhaueuser Company, a paper company based in Tacoma, Wash., which handles a large amount of biomass.

Marathon Oil is also in a relationship with The Andersons, a Maumee, OH-based ethanol company.

Statscan - The number of Canadian households using pesticides on their lawns and gardens has edged down, especially in Quebec, but two-thirds of households use polluting gas-powered lawn mowers, according to a new study.

The study examined the prevalence of a number of techniques for lawn and garden care with potential environmental or health impacts, including the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and watering and lawn-mowing devices. The study was published today in Envirostats, Statistics Canada's new quarterly bulletin on environmental and sustainable development statistics.

The proportion of households using pesticides on their lawns and gardens dropped from 31% in 1994 to 29% in 2005. The trend was most pronounced in Quebec, where the proportion of homes using pesticides on their lawns and gardens was cut in half, from 30% in 1994 to 15% in 2005. This likely reflects the municipal pesticide bans put in place in the province in recent years.

Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta led the country in pesticide use in 2005, with about 2 out of every 5 households using them on their lawns and gardens.

Although overall household pesticide use was highest in the Prairie Provinces, Manitoba (41%) and Saskatchewan (42%) had the lowest proportions of households using pesticides as part of a regular maintenance routine in 2005. The remaining households only applied pesticides when a problem arose.

Household use of chemical fertilizers, which can contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, was also highest in the Prairies. Chemical fertilizer use was highest in Saskatoon (57%), Regina (54%), Calgary (49%) and Edmonton (48%), and lowest in Montreal (13%), Saguenay (15%), Sherbrooke (16%) and Trois-Rivières (17%).

Two-thirds of households with lawns and gardens owned a gas-powered lawn mower in 2006. In one year, the average gas-powered mower can emit the same amount of a key smog pollutant as the average car travelling about 3,300 kilometres.

More than 4 out of 5 households watered their gardens in 2005, and over half watered their lawns. While garden watering was relatively consistent across the country, lawn watering varied. In Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, about 2 in 10 households watered their lawn, compared with 6 in 10 in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

In 2005, nearly a quarter of households with lawns or gardens used sprinkler timers, which can reduce water use. Sprinkler usage rates were higher than the national average in only British Columbia and Quebec.

About 14% of households used water-conserving rain barrels and cisterns, a practice that was most common in the Prairie Provinces.

Lawn and garden care is a booming industry in Canada. Sales of related products and equipment hit more than $2 billion in 2006, up by more than $600 million from 2002.

Note: This study is based primarily on data from the 2006 Households and the Environment Survey, conducted as part of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators project. Household pesticide use data was also derived from the 1994 Households and the Environment Survey. Data on households with lawns or gardens, ownership of gas-powered lawn mowers and the use of rain barrels or cisterns is for 2006. Data on lawn and garden practices, such as pesticide and fertilizer application, lawn watering and the use of water sprinkler timers, is for 2005.

Statscan - Exports represented nearly half of the industrial emissions of greenhouse gases in Canada in 2002, the largest single share of emissions from a demand perspective, according to a new study.

Typically, emissions are reported from a supply perspective, showing how much pollutant is produced and by whom. While this supply perspective is important, it is also useful to look at emissions from a demand perspective. This shows how the consumption of goods and services for different purposes (household use, for example) drives the industrial production of greenhouse gas emissions.

The study found that between 1990 and 2002, total greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources increased 18.4% to 573,843 kilotonnes. Exports accounted for the vast majority of this increase.

During this period, greenhouse gas emissions from the production of goods and services sent to international markets surged 49.9% to 264,358 kilotonnes.

After exports, the production of goods and services purchased by Canadian households was the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from a demand perspective. However, emissions associated with industrial production to meet this personal spending rose only 6.9% during this period to 209,787 kilotonnes.

Because of the far greater rate of growth in greenhouse gas emissions associated with exports, personal expenditure and exports switched positions in terms of their relative importance.

In 1990, exports accounted for 36.4% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions. By 2002, this proportion had jumped to 46.1%.

In contrast, in 1990, personal spending accounted for 40.5% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions. Twelve years later, this proportion had declined to 36.6%.

The remainder of industrial greenhouse gas emissions resulted from the production of goods and services for investments in construction, machinery and equipment, for government purchases, and for inventories.

Exports: Fossil fuels largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions

As globalization has led to better access to world markets, Canada has increased its overall trade with the rest of the world. While this has benefited the Canadian economy, it has also caused greenhouse gas production in Canada to increase.

Between 1990 and 2002, industrial greenhouse gas emissions from the production of goods and services sent to international markets increased 49.9%.

In contrast, there was only a 0.4% increase in industrial greenhouse gas emissions from other demand sources, that is, emissions caused by the production of goods and services to satisfy the demands of the domestic market.

Looking at exports more closely, the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions was from the production of fossil fuels (coal, crude oil and natural gas) for export. In both 1990 and 2002, the production of these fuels for export emitted more greenhouse gases than any other exported commodity. Between the two years, greenhouse gas emissions from the production of exported fossil fuels jumped 135%, as worldwide demand for these fuels surged.

Imports also a source of emissions, but not at home

As exports overall have increased in quantity and value, so too have imports. The production of imported goods and services also creates greenhouse gases. However, these emissions are not produced in Canada and are not typically included in Canada's emissions estimates.

The study found that between 1990 and 2002, emissions outside the country associated with demand by Canadians for imported goods and services increased an estimated 15%.

Use of motor fuel largest factor in direct household greenhouse gas production

The study found that the use of fuel to power motor vehicles was by far the main source of greenhouse gas emissions associated directly with households.

These emissions are considered direct because they result from households' own use of fossil fuels. The other direct emissions from households are from the use of fuel oil and natural gas to heat homes.

Greenhouse gas emissions associated with the direct consumption of fuels by households amounted to 111,276 kilotonnes in 2002.

Direct greenhouse gas emissions from household use of heating and motor fuels accounted for about one-third of the total amount of greenhouse gases associated with households in 2002. Total household emissions include direct emissions plus the indirect industrial emissions associated with supplying household purchases.

The household purchase with the highest associated indirect industrial emissions was electricity, which accounted for 13.5% of total household emissions.

Total direct plus indirect household greenhouse gas emissions in 2002 amounted to almost half (46.9%) of total national greenhouse gas emissions.

He and his colleagues have calculated that growing some of the most commonly used biofuel crops releases around twice the amount of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O, also known as ‘laughing gas’) than previously thought – wiping out any benefits from not using fossil fuels and, worse, probably contributing to global warming.

‘The significance of it is that the supposed benefits of biofuels are even more disputable than had been thought hitherto,’ Keith Smith, a co-author on the paper and atmospheric scientist from the University of Edinburgh, told Chemistry World magazine. ‘What we are saying is that [growing many biofuels] is probably of no benefit and in fact is actually making the climate issue worse.’

The work is currently subject to open review in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, and Crutzen himself has declined to comment until that process is completed. But the paper suggests that microbes convert much more of the nitrogen in fertilizer to nitrous oxide than previously thought – 3 to 5 per cent, which is twice the widely accepted figure of 2 per cent used by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to calculate the impact of fertilizers on climate change.

For rapeseed biodiesel, which accounts for about 80 per cent of the biofuel production in Europe, the relative warming due to nitrous oxide emissions is estimated at 1 to 1.7 times larger than the relative cooling effect due to saved fossil CO2 emissions. For corn bioethanol, dominant in the US, the figure is 0.9 to 1.5. Only cane sugar bioethanol – with a relative warming of 0.5 to 0.9 – looks like a better alternative to conventional fuels.

In the wake of the findings comes a recent report prepared by the OECD for a recent Round Table on Sustainable Development, which questioned the benefits of first generation biofuels and concluded that governments should scrap mandatory targets. Richard Doornbosch, the report’s author, says both the report and Crutzen’s work highlights the importance of establishing correct full life-cycle assessments for biofuels. ‘Without them, government policies can't distinguish between one biofuel and another – risking making problems worse,’ he said.