The City of Regina has recently begun consulting residents about the subject of “Rooming Houses,” which are homes in residential areas in which both the owner and renters are residing. If all renters in a home are relatives, then it is not a Rooming House.1 The City has asked that comments on the subject be […]
Tag: Sustainable Development
Response to Design Regina Draft Documents
Preface This document is a response to the draft documents posted as part of the Design Regina process. The authors of this response are also the primary authors of Transforming Regina: Planning for 2040 and beyond, which achieved a place in the finals of the Regina Morph My City competition. Readers interested in a detailed […]
Harvest and Hunger: Amy Jo Ehman on local food choices
Hello! This is my first post on Vision of Earth. Glad to be here. On November 9th & 10th, SCIC (Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation) hosted an event in Saskatoon called Harvest and Hunger (introduced in our earlier post: Harvest and Hunger: Brainstorming the future of the world food system). SCIC is an umbrella organization that represents […]
Vision of Earth submission chosen as finalist in Morph My City Competition
Vision of Earth has been selected as a finalist in the Regina Morph My City competition. We’ll be presenting our work at the National Infrastructure Summit and releasing all of it to the public.
Moving Planet Montreal
Moving Planet Montreal was a celebration of the transition away from fossil fuels in our society. The event was a green kilometer drive and a grand picnic, symbolizing the central role of transportation and food in sustainability.
Envisioning a Green Life: 10 ways you can make a difference
Simple, practical advice on how to live a green life. Based on years of research and thought on the matter by the Vision of Earth team.
Ben’s Interview on Radio CKUT 90.3 FM
Ben Harack was interviewed on the Ecolibrium radio show on CKUT in Montreal. Topics were Moving Planet, Saskatchewan’s sustainability, and peer-based cross-disciplinary efforts towards sustainability.
Wage reduction through inflation
Inflation means that a dollar is worth less at the end of a year than at the beginning. Real wages go down when raises are not higher than inflation rates.
Opportunities and perils of natural gas usage on the road to renewables
Our increasing reliance on natural gas brings with it both opportunities and dangers during the shift towards renewable energy. This issue deals with some major issues regarding natural gas deployment in industry, power generation, food production, and heating.
Capitalism’s Labour Transitions – An Argument for Social Welfare
Capitalist labour transitions are a heavy burden on the working class and society in general, but they are also one of the cornerstones of progress. We can solve this problem in an economically practical as well as morally and socially desirable through the creation of a strong social welfare system.
A renewed look at 2010, a sustainable vision for 2011
Here we review major renewable energy topics from 2010 and then turn towards analyzing energy issues for 2011 and beyond.
Curtis Dorosh: Green living, building, and volunteering
How to live green? Build green buildings? Put our efforts towards a better future? Curtis Dorosh has spent much of his life trying to answer these questions. Collected here are some of his answers.
Lindsey Simpson of TEDxMcGill on volunteerism and planning major events
Lindsey Simpson, one of the organizers of TEDxMcGill, talks in this interview about why she likes to volunteer and work hard to plan such big events. TEDxMcGill is an externally organized TED event in the city of Montreal, Canada on November 20th, 2010.
Science denial: Vaccines, vitamins and GMOs
Michael Specter delivered a clear and powerful message in his talk at TED in 2010. Vaccines save lives, yet people fear them. GMOs are primarily opposed for reasons unrelated to the method of their construction.
What keeps communities locked in the extreme poverty trap?
Extreme poverty is a state of subsistence living in which most, if not all, efforts are directed towards survival. Extreme poverty has many direct consequences. What we are discussing here are the direct feedback effects that tend to cause cycles of deepening poverty on a community level.
Jim Elliott shares his thoughts on sustainability, community, and living green
Jim Elliott is a notable figure in the sustainability movement in Regina and Saskatchewan. He is involved with many environmental action groups, poverty-reduction groups, and the Citizen’s Public Transit Coalition for Regina.
Hans Rosling: Health, wealth, and progress of the world
While demonstrating the changes on his graphs, Rosling delivers a rapid-fire description of the major political choices and world forces that are driving the change.
Tim Jackson: Towards a more human economic system
Entire dimensions of human experiences, cares, and thoughts are underserved by the current economic model, but it is within our power to change that.
Progress and potential of renewable energy
The intent of this publication is an ongoing investigation of the progress and potential of renewable energy in our world. Our goal is to collect the best writing and news on the subject of renewable energy projects and policies. We have observed that humanity is innovating rapidly as the energy security of the future becomes a global priority. Current trends indicate that the age of coal will end before we run out of coal.
Solar power from photovoltaic panels
Photovoltaic solar power is the technical term for solar panels that convert sunlight directly into electricity. This is in contrast to techniques that capture solar energy in other ways, or for different uses. Other techniques include hot water heating, interior temperature control, and concentrated heat for electricity production.