[mobglob-discuss] David Suzuki & my reply

[Bella]

My comments which were posted to IndyMedia under this article are below. 
It's not just about the olympics, its about sustainability and
responsibility to the Earth and all species on her.  I cry for the earth
every day, as I'm sure you all do too.

Bella


Olympics could showcase our natural heritage
by David Suzuki • Thursday July 10, 2003 at 05:40 AM

By now, all of Canada and much of the world has heard that Vancouver will
host the 2010 Winter Olympics. It's an exciting time, to be sure, and now
that the decision is final, both those who were for and those against the
bid can work together to make sure the games are successful and leave a
positive legacy for the city, the province, and the country.

Canada — especially British Columbia and Vancouver — is world famous for
its natural beauty and conservationist reputation. Whether we've earned
our green stripes or not is another matter, but in the eyes of the world,
Canadians love, respect, and take care of our natural heritage. 

Those eyes will be on us in 2010. Canadians are expected to be world
leaders as environmental stewards, so we have a lot to live up to — and a
lot to lose. 

The 2000 Sydney Olympics set a new standard in terms of environmental
sustainability. Although they were far from perfect, the games in
Australia set a tone. The Olympics are now to be more than a giant party,
more than a celebration of sport and culture. They have become a showcase
of what we must do as a society to reduce our impact on the planet. 

That makes sense because the games could be perceived as an exercise in
waste. Tens of thousands of athletes, nearly as many media personnel, and
hundreds of thousands of visitors drive or fly in from all over the world
to eat fast food and buy Olympic trinkets. Without good planning, the
Olympics are wasteful indeed. 

Sydney raised the conservation bar by powering the Athletes' Village with
solar energy, recycling water, and using only recyclable packaging on the
event sites. It also took the focus away from the family car by expanding
rapid transit and encouraging walking and biking. 

Vancouver must now go a step further. This is an opportunity to show the
world that Canada really is a world leader for the environment. From an
expanded use of clean, renewable power sources like wind and solar energy,
to an expanded and comprehensive public transit system, to more bike lanes
and better urban design, to using eco-certified lumber and recycled wood
for the Athletes' Village, we can show that we are proud of our natural
heritage and we intend to conserve it. 

Canada has recently taken some steps in the right direction by ratifying
the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, finally adopting endangered species
legislation, and committing to creating new national parks. 

But British Columbia has been going in the opposite direction. While the
country as a whole is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the BC
government is planning to expand coal production and even build new dirty
coal-fired power plants. The government is also pushing to develop an
offshore oil industry on the coast — seemingly at any cost. 

Meanwhile, fees for the province's parks have greatly increased, while
service has been reduced. Staffing levels and budgets geared toward
protecting the province's forests and wild lands have been gutted. In
spite of promises, unsustainable clear-cut logging practices continue on
the coast, damaging fish-bearing streams in the process. 

BC's government has developed such a bad reputation that even American
environmental organizations are poking fun. One group recently ran a
side-by-side comparison of the environmental records of Premier Gordon
Campbell with President George Bush. It was hard to say whose was worse. 

It would be a terrible shame if the world's athletes and media were not
met by cheers upon arriving in Vancouver in 2010, but rather protesters
disgusted by the provincial government's dismal environmental record. We
must not waste this opportunity to show what we can really do. And we have
to get started now because we only have a few years to turn things around.

www.enn.com/news/2003-07-10/s_6419.asp



add your comments

lots to do !!
by Bella • Thursday July 10, 2003 at 11:39 AM


BC is going to raze spotted owl lands for the sake of the almighty dollar.
The spotted owl is on the endangered species list. 

Canada is lifting the moratorium on seal hunting. Greenpeace is already
instigating a boycott on Canadian tourism because we like to club little
baby seals. 

The offshore drilling moratorium will be lifted so rich guys can make more
money, regardless of their trespass on Haida Gwai territory and the
intrusion of their ancestral waters. 

Our country's premiers are kissing Shrub ass, nevermind that the Kyoto
Accord will benefit the planet in alot of ways, and nevermind that beef is
a total landuse waste and is on the market so rich animal haters can eat
steriods. 

For every public park there are 15 clear cut licenses. 

BC arrests little old ladies for getting in the way of logging machinery,
where logging should never happen. 

Canada grows genetically modified food crops which compromises the efforts
of organic farmers and goes against the publics right to know whats it our
food. 

BC plants genetically engineered trees on our landscapes to hide the
clearcuts, trees that resist the toxic chemicals sprayed on new growth
forests so that the trees will become valuable lumber for rich guys. 

The Callaghan Valley, which is indiginous land in the first place, will be
ripped to shreds for the sake of a 17 day elitist party. 

Canada is a car culture, we measure our societal status on what we drive.
To hell with the air quality. 

Canada's water is in grave danger of being privatized and our waterways
are becoming more and more polluted. Canada used to be so proud of our
clean water, now we have to defend it from private corporations who want
to profit from it. 

Our country refuses to invest in hemp crops which will save our forests
from further rape,and will create a whole new farming market for
Canadians. 

BC promotes Atlantic salmon fish farms which infect wild Pacific salmon
with sea lice. The return of wild salmon has decreased to such a degree
that the farms will very likely cause extinction. This devastation will be
passed through the food chain to bears, eagles and onward, affecting
natural wildlife all for the sake of profits. 

Have I missed anything? 

We, as a society of individuals who love the Earth and have respect for
all beings on it, have a lot of work to do. Instead of just reading about
this kind of thing - DO SOMETHING. Join an organization, volunteer some of
your time, walk in the old growth, taste the water in our lakes and
rivers. Walk the walk. 

Peace and sustainability, 
Bella

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
http://sbc.yahoo.com