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Simple plans for a sustainable world

Dr. David Suzuki special guest of sustainability speaker series
david_suzuki

What: Dr. David Suzuki presents Sustainability within a Generation: A New Vision for Canada

Where: Telus Conference Centre

When: Monday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m.

Cost: Admission by donation, with proceeds going to the 2004 Sustainability Speaker Series.

Although Canadians like to think of ourselves as environmentally aware and consistently rank the environment as one of our top priorities, the facts tell a different story.

According to a 1999 survey by the Organization for Co-operation and Development Canada ranked 28 th out of 29 developed countries with low marks in 25 key environmental indicators, including air quality, water quality, energy use, climate change initiatives and biological diversity.

The David Suzuki Foundation unveiled a new Web of Life campaign last year to promote sustainability in Canada, with separate initiatives geared towards individuals and institutions like government and industry.

The first initiative is called The Nature Challenge, which is a simple 10-step program for people to follow to reduce their net negative impact on the environment. It was launched in September of 2003 and already more than 111,000 people have signed up.

The most recent initiative is the Sustainability within a Generation project, which outlines a series of steps that governments must take to achieve social, economic and environmental sustainability in Canada in the next 25 years.

Dr. David Suzuki will give a special presentation on this project in Whistler this Monday, April 26 as part of the Sustainability Speaker Series, hosted by Whistler. It’s Our Nature and the Early Adopters of The Natural Step.

David Suzuki was not available to comment but David R. Boyd, the author of the Sustainability within a Generation report, says that it has been well received at all levels of government.

"The response has been fantastic. David Suzuki had a one hour meeting with (Prime Minister) Paul Martin back in February when we released the report in Ottawa, and Paul Martin was really engaged, really interested," said Boyd. "I actually have a follow-up call tomorrow with a couple of people from the Prime Minister’s Office to talk about moving forward on this Sustainability within a Generation agenda, so certainly at the highest levels of government the response has been positive.

"They also distributed this report at the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities in February, so pretty much every municipal leader in Canada has a copy of this, too, and we’ve been getting some really good feedback from folks."

The goal is to make Canada sustainable by the year 2030, giving governments, businesses and citizens a generation to adjust to changes. According to Boyd it was important to set a realistic timeline, given the complexity and scope of the issues.

"There is kind of an emotional appeal to the concept for Sustainability within a Generation… giving generational timelines provides people with a sense of empowerment and optimism that gives us a chance to really, realistically address these problems," said Boyd.

There are several components to the plan to address the root causes of Canadian unsustainability, ranging from general shifts in attitudes to specific changes to the way industries are taxed and regulated.

The report identifies nine critical challenges for Canada:

• Generating genuine wealth – Supplementing the narrow goal of economic growth with the objective of genuine wealth;

• Improving efficiency – Increasing the efficiency of energy and resources use by a factor of four to 10 times (depending on the technology);

• Shifting to clean energy – Replacing fossil fuels with clean, low-impact renewable sources of energy;

• Reducing waste and pollution – Moving from a linear "throw-away" economy to a cyclical "reduce, re-use and recycle" economy;

• Protecting and conserving water – Recognizing and respecting the value of water in our laws, policies, and actions;

• Producing healthy food – Ensuring Canadian food is healthy, and produced in ways that do not compromise our land, water, or biodiversity;

• Conserving, protecting and restoring Canadian Nature – Taking effective steps to stop the decline of biodiversity and revive the health of ecosystems;

• Building sustainable cities – Avoiding urban sprawl in order to protect agricultural land and wild places, and improve our quality of life;

• Promoting global sustainability – Increasing Canada’s contribution to sustainable development in poor countries.

Some specific ideas on how to achieve these goals include shifting gasoline taxes to public transportation, supporting investment in green infrastructure projects in municipalities, and expanding funding for renewable energies like solar and wind power.

Some of these critical challenges are already being addressed at some level but should be part of a national plan, says Boyd.

"I think the first step is, and what Canada is really lacking these days, is a long-term plan for achieving sustainability, and that puts us at a disadvantage because if you don’t know where you’re going you’re not going to get there," he said. "The first order of business is to develop a long-term sustainability strategy, which is something that the world’s most environmentally-friendly nations like Sweden and the Netherlands have already done, and have done successfully."

Changing the way people think won’t be easy, but Boyd believes awareness is growing.

"We have a huge advantage over just about any country in the world in that we have a really small population in a giant country, an incredibly beautiful country. But if you took 30 million Canadians and put us in a country the size of the Netherlands or another geographically smaller country we would have extraordinary environmental problems.

"Canadians consume more water and energy and resources than just about anybody else on earth, and if it wasn’t for the fact that we have this huge country… then we’d be much more face to face with the environmental challenges that people elsewhere are coming to grips with," said Boyd.

Although there are political differences in Canada, Boyd is encouraged by signs that the environment is starting to become a priority for both sides of the political spectrum, right and left. He looks forward to the day when parties compete for recognition of the fact.

"Some very interesting things are happening in Alberta, for instance, which is the conservative capital of Canada. Because of the challenges they face they put together a very innovative provincial water strategy and the government of Alberta has actually reached an agreement… to buy more than 90 per cent of its energy from low-impact, renewable energy sources," said Boyd.

"I don’t think there is a single party responsible for making the changes we need to make, I think all of us have to play a role, whether its individuals or families or communities or businesses or government. The challenges are so deep and so profound that we’re all going to have to hold hands and move together on this.

"Another fundamental challenge we face is that often with our actions, the things we do economically that cause environmental damage, there’s no real connection between those things. So we need to make modifications to our economic system so we can bring our actions into alignment with our values," added Boyd.

"Education is one of the big areas where we have a lot of work to do."

Dr. Suzuki’s presentation on Monday is sponsored by the Whistler. It’s Our Nature group and the Early Adopters of The Natural Step, an internationally recognized framework for environmental sustainability. The Early Adopters include Whistler-Blackcomb, Tourism Whistler, the RMOW, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, AWARE and Whistler Foto Source.

As for Dr. Suzuki, he almost needs no introduction. He has been the host of CBC’s award-winning The Nature of Things since 1979, which is broadcast in more than 40 countries around the world. He is an author and co-author of more than 30 books, as well as a regular columnist and contributor to several Canadian and international publications.

His 1985 television series A Planet for the Taking, averaged over two million viewers per episode and won him the United Nations Environmental Program Medal.

A powerful public speaker, Suzuki has also left his mark on thousands of audiences over the years by influencing organizations and individuals to get more involved.

The David Suzuki Foundation was founded in 1990 to inform and influence the public, politicians and corporations, providing practical advice and solutions to the day’s pressing environmental issues. It’s one of the most prominent environmental groups in Canada today, as well as a respected force on the world stage.

The Whistler Sustainability Speaker Series will wrap up for the year following Dr. Suzuki’s presentation. He is the fourth speaker since the series was revived this January and the ninth speaker since the series began in 2002.

For more information on Dr. David Suzuki and his initiatives, visit www.davidsuzuki.org.

For more information on Whistler. It’s Our Nature visit www.whistleritsournature.ca.