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The Earth needs all the friends it can get!

  Earthwords

Friends of the Earth CANADA E-Newsletter                     January 2007-Issue 15
Text Box: To subscribe to our Earthwords e-newsletter, click here. To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here. Questions or comments? E-mail us at info@foecanada.org or call 1888 385 4444 Website: www.foecanada.org Text Box: Tell Mr. Baird you want Canada to act on its climate commitments! Copy and paste these ABCs, add to them or write your own. Click Here Text Box: Take action Text Box: CPP’s investment in repressive dictatorship cause for concern. FOE and Canadian Friends of Burma press concerns at CPP Investment Board public meeting. Read More... Text Box: Be part of the solution! There are several ways you can make a difference: Donate Monthly Giving Charitable Gift Annuities Gifts of Stock & Securities Gifts of Property Text Box: Join FOE Text Box: highlight

January 5, 2007— In a letter sent to Canada’s new Minister of the Environment, John Baird, FOE advised him on key environmental ABCs which require immediate action. FOE encourages readers to send us your thoughts. Read full letter

 

A

Act on Canada’s climate commitments :  Reduce greenhouse gases by setting clear targets and schedules that meet our Kyoto commitments; cut the bafflegab and spin from your predecessor’s “Dirty Air Act”; and, admit that we’ve blown it so far, but we’ll try our best now (this may mean taking a penalty from the Kyoto Compliance folks, but why not be proactive and responsible about it instead of wallowing in deep denial).

 

B

Boil water :  Boil your own drinking water for a month – then you’ll experience the fear and aggravation created by boil water advisories in communities from Newfoundland to British Columbia, including many First Nations communities. Safe drinking water is a human right which should be supported at home and at the UN.

 

C

Compete with California to have the cleanest, most efficient vehicles and fuels :  Set regulated targets for Canada’s auto and truck makers and invest in the next generation of biofuel technologies (such as cellulosic), so that Canada can lead in this area, protecting rather than damaging the environment.

 

D

Drive examples home - get on the bus yourself : then maybe you’ll see why investing in mass transit is so important to Canadians.  Make your departmental car the best hybrid available. Get the federal house in order to lead by example in reducing greenhouse gases and purchasing cleaner, greener products and services.  Insist that Canada’s Ecologo is earned on every product and service the federal government buys, so you know it’s the leader in its class—from energy efficient electronics to dual flush toilets, green electricity and biofuels.

 

E

Enforce the law : Make sure your green cops have the budget, equipment and marching orders to insist our laws work to protect the environment.

 

F

A sophisticated filter on the Devils Lake Outlet in North Dakota is a priority item for negotiating with the US. Sure, we’d prefer you and Ambassador Michael Wilson figure out how to shut the boondoggle outlet down but failing that – you have to help the good folks of Manitoba protect the entire Hudson Bay watershed from invasive species and chemical pollution. The key here is to treat pollution where it occurs – not to send it from one watershed to another.

FOE Advises Canada’s New Environment Minister :

Start right, Start now with your ABCs!
Text Box: Fast Facts about drinking water in Canada: What are boil water advisories and boil water orders? They are public announcements advising citizens that they should boil their tap water for drinking and for other uses. They are preventative measures issued to protect public health from waterborne infectious agents that could be or are known to be present in drinking water. The BC island First Nation community of Kwicksutaineuk has been under a boil water advisory for 10 years – due to a break down in the water purification system – the water is too salty to drink. All 26 houses in the community are “condemned”. As of February 2006, 76 First Nation communities were under boil water advisories. 1999-2004: 584 boil water advisories were issued in Newfoundland & Labrador, six of which were in force throughout the five-year period.

Finally, be compassionate. The world is seeing the first wave of climate refugees as entire island states disappear. Expect more. Canada has always been a safe haven for immigrants for political and economic reasons. Now is the time to reach out to help victims of climate chaos with humanitarian relief where severe weather creates havoc and when displaced peoples require new homes.