I haven't given up on this blog, I've just been slightly sidetracked by work and Christmas. I've just started readinga book by RObert Hunter entitled 2030, which exsposes the truths about global warming and it's catastrophic impacts, which will appear within my lifetime. I started writing somethin after reading the opening chapters - it had a huge emotional impact on me and writing was the only way I could save myself from crying endlessly in despair. I may post this in the future, but I have to work on it first

I can't believe I haven't posted on this in over a month. It's not because I am lacking in thoughts or things to say about Earth, it's just that it's all become quite overwhelming and I really don't know where to start.

Actions speak louder than words, although i do believe words have their place! I want to start DOING more with my thoughts - finding outlets and ways to communicate what I have learned...I am sure that in the process I would learn even more myself.

I am going to think on this a bit more...maybe a little hiatus from posting on this site. I'll make note on my main blog, All Shanadian, when I figure it all out..or at least some part of it!

Corporations aren't our greatest enemy in the journey towards sustainability. For years we've passed the blame for pollution, for water degradation, for overflowing landfills and a mountain of other environmental problems squarely on the shoulders of 'them' - the profit-mongering beasts of the corporate world. 'They' are at fault, and they, along with Government (the other big culprit), need to get their act together and save the world from destruction.

But it's easy to pass blame isn't it? And in this case it seems fairly obvious that much of the world's current environmental problems, not to mention a myriad of other societal issues, are the direct result of unscrupulous corporatoins and complacent governments. I am sorry, but I have two arguments against this notion:

1. If you drill deep enough you'll realize that it is you & I who have the power to influence change. We are the consumers, we are the citizens.

Every time we go shopping, we make a choice - do we support the big corporation that is polluting third world countries, or do we support fair trade/local producers/scrupulous businesses whose footprint on the Earth is much more minimal. With the global marketplace expanding every day in every way, we have the power to make choices, we have the power to influence. It turns out, the main motivation for most corporations ot change their practices is either due the threat of legal implications or the threat of losing money because consumers are not happy with some aspect of their product or service. So, get on the email or write a letter or phone that toll free number.

Do we chose merely to moan when the Government offers a financial rebate to offset spiking gas prices, or do we lobby our governments to produce more creative solutions & policies that will guide us towards a more sustainable future? Do we simply sit back and watch as our government makes policies without a view to the long-term impacts on our nation, our children and our environment? Or do we take action? We, the people, are the government. The moment we dismiss the power that this concept provides us with, is the moment we allow our democracy to become an empire.

2. Corporations and governments are not simply huge entities, they represent groups of people with many of the same worries and conerns that you & I have.

We are all human. We all want to provide our families with security, we all want happiness, we all want to be loved, and we all want to believe in a brighter future. At the core of each and every one of us, these are the needs that drive us. Yes, of course we are different in the way we go about striving to achieve happiness & security. That is merely because we've been conditioned in different ways, raised within systems that navigate our activities and propel us in different directions. But believe me, the CEO of that big bad company cares just as much about providing for his family as the stay-at-home Mom. They 're approaching the same destinaiton, but have chosen different roads to get there.

So what am I saying? I'm saying it's not anyone''s fault. I'm saying, let's stop blaming entities. We created these entities. We created the systems that now dictate our own lives and the workings of these entities. Let's get over that and work together to find new systems that are not destructive to the environment, or to our own well-beings.

We have to start thinking outside the systems that exist - outside the Monday to Friday 9 - 5 job that takse us out of the home, away from our families and to an isolating workplace where creativity is drained by policies and procedures that are based on an assemby-line mentality.

Corporations have to start seeing that decreasing their footprint on the Earth will not decrease their bottom line profits. In fact, the path to sustainability can only lead to increased profitability. Don't believe me?

Here's one story that may change your opinion: http://www.interfaceinc.com/getting_there/Ray.html

And that's what it all comes down to folks: change. And our fear of it. That is ultimately what holds our evolution up every step of the way. Oh, you can resist all you want. You can try, try again within the system that you are used to, but it will do no good. If the system is inherently faulty, you can not succeed within it.

Imagine a human maze, the walls are made of shrubbery, the paths of red dirt.. Instinctively, you know there is a way to the middle, because this is what makes a maze a maze. So you start running, but find that every way you try is blocked. You redouble your efforts, sure you have missed the right path. You aren't running anymore, now you are carefully backtracking and making marks in the path to ensure you don't go down that same path again. Eventually you give up and declare the maze to be impossible. But is it really? Did you consider getting down on your knees and pushing your way through the shrubbery. Did you think about brinign along garden shears and cutting your own path to the middle?

The path is not always clear, sometimes we have forge new paths and break down barriers along the way. Once we do that, the flood gates to success will open.

So You Wanna Change the World? Well, you've got start by changing yourself. That's the bottom line.

Here's a website that can help you incorporate littel change sinto your life that will make you feel better about yourself, save you money and help save the planet! Please take a look:

www.wearewhatwedo.org

I've been home on PEI for two weeks, trying to get my brain back in gear. It's been on hiatus for the last year and a bit, while I played in Scotland. So now I am back 'on air' and its all a bit frightening and exhilirating at the same time.

I am helping with a webcourse offered through UPEI, which is called The Natural Step. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn where we are, where we CAN go and how we can get there. Yes, it's a course about teh environment and it's a course about business, but it's also a course that can teach us a lot about ourselves and the power we wield as consumers and citizens.

Some people are a bit hesitant about webcourses as they don't offer the same interaction that one can get in a classroom setting, but you know what? They offer an equally refreshing interaction - an interaction that is not bound by geography or tine and, most importantly, they offer the type of forum where people feel comfortable expressing their opinions and thoughts without fear. It's an incredibly supportive medium for exchangin ideas and encouraging action. Again, I highly recommend it!

For more information about The Natural Step, which is a methodology for businesses looking to reduce their footprint, I have posted a link to the main website (see right column).

So - where is PEI making progress?

Well, a recent announcement that the Wind Test site at North Cape is going to become the National Site for Research is one big leap forward. Expect increased funding from the NRC, perhaps increaesd access to wind energy and increased employment opportunities/research opportunities that will draw educated and influential people to our wee Island.

To quote Bob Dylan : 'The answer is blowing in the wind'

There's also the organic movement, which seems to be gaining strength in numbers from both the producers side and the consumers side. As part of my university studies I did a case study on an organic farm, Springwillow Farms, run by Raymond Loo. What a fascinating opportunity to learn more about food, farming and the playres involved! Raymond is such an inspirational person too!

Then, of course, there's reputed to be a transit system in the works for the big city of Charlottetown. DO I sound skeptical? OK< I must admit I am. They are gonig ot have four buses running! Four buses is not enoguh, not nearly enough. For a transit system to be effective it needs to be efficient. I can see the transit system being useful to people who don't have cars at the moment, but it will hardly encourag motorists to park their cars and start using public transit. The incentive just isn't there.

OK - for the moment that is all the time I have.....Reduce, Recycle, Reuse & Respect Mother Nature!

There's a rather fierce debate going on at the moment here on Prince Edward Island. The topic is Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and whether there should be a blanket ban on them across the Island's agricultural community. Opinions appear to be divided, as seems the norm on PEI whenever there's a whiff of proposed change in the air.

Ideally, I would love to see PEI go all the way and revamp it's entire agriculutural industry in line with the tennents of organic farming. All the elements for success seem to be here - we have a well established agricultural industry as it is, thus there is a great deal of knowledge held within the community, the Island is isolated, thus boundaries from other agricultural communities are well-defined, there is an every-growing demand for organic produce both on and off the Island (I was astounded at how busy the Farmer's Market was on Saturday!) and there are already some established organic producers on the Island who could provide leadership and knowledge.

But it's not that easy is it? Nobody likes change, least of all when the current way of doing things appears to be working alright..maybe not briliantly, but well enough. So what incentive is there for farmers on PEI to switch to organic farming, which is riskier, would involve futher capital investments and it could take up to seven years to become certified organic? The incentives to change just aren't there. Or are they? Maybe it's simply that the benefits haven't been illuminated properly, or maybe it's that people, generally, are resistant to change and will reject it if they have the ability to. So what's the solution? Incentives? Policies and laws? Education?

One way to show support for the organic community on PEI might be to attend the Organic Harvest Dinner being put on by the Culinary Institute on September 29. If you are interested in checking out the menu or picking up tickets here is a link to further information http://david.goldnet.ca/index.php?page=coop_programs Hope to see you there!!

Welcome fellow inhabitants of Earth. I've recently returned from a year long hiatus from reality (chosen location of hiatus = Scotland) to find myself smack dab back in a world full of pressing matters, ever-increasing natural disasters and increasingly consuming self interests. It's not all bad though. Positive change has been happening since I left too. People are, I believe, starting to gain an awareness of how day-to-day activities and the basics tenets upon which we carry on with life are having a global impact. Hope remains alive.

I have taken the advice of a very inspiring friend and mentor, Rob Paterson, to create a 'passion' blog in addition to my personal blog. The result is Earth to Shannon, which will be a forum for discussion about any and all topics relating to the environment - from global topics such as climate change to topics closer to home such as whether GMO foods will be banned on Prince Edward Island.

My hope is that by posting on this blog I will find myself actively engaged in a learning process that will help me better understand the complexity of the environmental issues/concerns that exist and perhaps give me a heads up as to how I can actively participate in change for the better. I'm also hoping that this blog will be more interactive and invite everyone to make comments and/or introduce new topics to the discussion.

For this first post, I invite you to take a look at this site http://www.myfootprint.org/ to calculate your personal footprint on the world.

I find it intersting that the largest footprints on the world are created by the most 'advanced' nations, as we have the wealth to consume more meats, take long-haul flights, drive autombiles, etc. At the same time, the greatest devastation from our lifestyles has not been, until very recently, evident in our own backyards. Most of the environmental degradation is taking place in third world countries, particularly in Asia, where corporations take advantage of cheap labour and non-existent environamental laws to bring us products at bargain prices. So the garbage remains far, far away.

Ahh, but climate change is starting to catch up with us and there appears no way to keep that from entering our backyards. The number of destructive floods, hurricanes, mudslides, heat waves, etc over the past few years seems unprecedented. Whether these climate changes are due to human activity that has taken place overhte last century still seems to be up for debate, but with the glaciers melting and the ozone layer depleting it seems hard to continue denying that our existence is interfering with Mother Nature's maintenance of our hom, Earth.