conservation : In The News

Last weekend, more than 10,000 people marched for climate action in a Toronto rally that attracted the likes of Jane Fonda and David Suzuki. Its message was precedent-setting for one big reason, according to The Guardian: an emphasis on the notion that tackling climate change can make for a more fair and equitable society. 

“I’m here because I think that the coalition that is represented in today’s march and rally, and not just today but ongoing in Canada — First Nations, labour unions, working people, students — this is the kind of coalition that will make the difference,” said Fonda. 

Read the whole story here.
Source: The Guardian. 

This week's wintery conditions brought travel delays and early do-we-or-don't-we? shovelling dilemmas. But they also brought along this lovely – nay, adorable – treat, broadcast by the venerable Washington Post itself: video of Da Mao, one of the Toronto Zoo's two giant pandas, playing in the cold white fluff.

The video isn't just a feel-good reminder of the cuteness our world has to offer, though. The Toronto Zoo is one of only six in North America to currently claim the winsome bamboo chomping east Asian bears among its menagerie. As it happens, one of the other six zoos is located in Washington D.C.


Catch the full video here. 
Source: Washington Post
 

Toronto’s chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat delivered a keynote speech at the Planning Institute Australia WA State Conference at the end of July to highlight Toronto’s “shift” to public transit and its mission to improve congestion, all while challenging the constraints of urban sprawl.

Perth and Toronto have different challenges. While Perth expands outward, Toronto’s challenge is to improve conditions within the boundaries of a city that has reached its growth boundary.  Still, Keesmaat said, Australia’s largest city with a population of just under two million could learn a thing or two from Toronto. 

“There might be some interesting lessons learned with respect to how you begin to transform to an advanced form of urbanism once you move away from that approach of continuing to develop in a very suburban way,” she said. 

“We’ve been there and gone down that trajectory over the course of the past 30 years and we’re now at a moment where we are beginning to urbanise our suburbs by focusing on adding mid-rise development along our corridors and by ensuring we have the density we need in order to make transit a real option.”

Toronto and Perth are both maturing cities, Keesmaat said, and as cities mature limits need to be put in place. She told Perth about Toronto’s protected greenbelt which caused a “fundamentally shift the land economics of the region and forced many suburban developers to become urban developers — they changed their game.” But beyond this, the focus of her speech remained on transportation and congestion, and its direct ties to population growth. 

She said planning high-density communities makes transit options more sustainable, the key to reducing traffic congestion in the long run. 

“It’s a zero-sum gain, that if you continue to plan low density communities there will never be environments that can successfully sustain public transit because there simply isn’t the critical mass to make high-frequency transit use work,” she said. 

For more from her speech, read the full story here. 
Original source: Perth Now

Plans to create a national park in the Rouge Valley are picking up steam.
 
On April 10, Pickering council voted to endorse a statement of intent from Parks Canada that confirms the commitment of all parties involved.
 
"A staff report noted that the creation of the park will require the transfer of lands from various governments and public agencies within and adjacent to the Rouge Valley, including Pickering. Once transferred, those lands will no longer be subject to taxes or payments in lieu of taxes."
 
"Planning discussions to identify the boundaries of the park are expected to begin this year under the direction of Parks Canada. No budget numbers for the park have been announced as yet."
 
The creation of a national park was announced during the June 2011 throne speech.
 
Read the full story here
 
Original Source: DurhamRegion.com
 

Digital Journal reports on how it's possible to go camping without leaving city limits. Writer Bryen Dunn recounts his own experience of pitching a tent in Toronto.
 
"There are actually two campgrounds located within the city of Toronto that provide both visitors and residents an opportunity to experience an urban-rural setting. The 4,700 hectare (47 square km/11,500 acres) Rouge Park is operated by the City of Toronto, and is located in the northeast part of Toronto, within the Rouge River, Petticoat Creek and Duffins Creek watersheds. It's been designated as a protected natural ecosystem since the mid 1990s, and parts of the area are also designated as National Historic Sites because of the ancient 1600 Seneca native archaeological findings."
 
"The Toronto Regional Conservation Authority operates Indian Line Campground, which is located at the opposite end of the city, in the northwestern reaches. This site definitely has more of an urban feel to it, far removed from nature, but still providing a fun experience. The nearby Claireville Dam gives a simulated lakeside camping experience, where campers are able to fish or float around in motor-less floatation devices such as canoes, kayaks, or rubber rafts. "
 
Read the full story here
Original Source: Digital Journal
 

Toronto is the ninth greenest city in North America and the second greenest city in Canada (behind Vancouver), according to the newly released North American Green City Index. Conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (and sponsored by Siemens), the study ranked 27 North American cities based on categories including CO2 emissions, green energy and environmental governance.

"Toronto's strongest category was waste, where it ranked fourth in North America while it also ranked in the top half of the index in the CO2, energy, buildings, water and air categories."

"Meanwhile, Toronto wasn't looking so good in the transportation category (surprise, surprise). The T-dot had the longest commute time of all 27 cities in the index with plenty of traffic congestion and sprawl within its borders. The study also noted that, while Toronto has a good ratio of public transit vehicles to total area, it lacks large, centrally located pedestrian-only zones."

read full story here
original source buzzbuzzhome.com

The Globe & Mail interviews green entrepreneur Geoff Cape about the importance of Toronto's extensive ravine network. Cape, who conceived and championed the Evergreen Brick Works project, argues that Toronto's ravines have the potential to become a defining feature of the city. An excerpt from the interview:

"The ravines of Toronto are unique in the world. No other city has such an elaborate, such an extensive network of natural spaces. It's the defining aspect of Toronto. We have great hospitals, great cultural institutions, great universities, but so does New York, London, Chicago, Milan, Beijing. What we do have categorically unique is the ravine system. It's an asset for everyone. It doesn't distinguish between rich and poor and cultural diversity. It's available to all of us and it weaves virtually every neighbourhood, every community together, because it's physically so extensive. It connects us all."

read full story here
original source Globe & Mail