Hasta La Gadget!

Canada’s federal government should follow the example of provincial regulations and unify the country’s climate policy.

Is Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper a “climate villain”? He has come out strong against a carbon tax, calling it a job killer, pulled the country out of the Kyoto Protocol, weakened its most extensive environmental law, and has been slow to regulate the oil and gas industry, with new rules three years overdue.

Yet this December, Harper surprised many when he indicated that he would be willing to accept a price on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on a continental basis, with the United States (US) and Mexico. This may come as a result of heightened international pressure that faults the government for not adequately addressing climate change or tackling domestic emissions.

At the United Nations (UN) climate conference, COP 20, in Lima last December, Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq led the Canadian delegation, joining policymakers from 195 countries to negotiate a legally binding international climate change agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

When COP 20 came to a close in mid-December, the parties had produced the “Lima Call for Climate Action,” which according to the UN reaffirmed governments’ decision to announce national climate pledges in advance of COP 21 in Paris, and established ground rules for the Paris 2015 agreement. These Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) will form the basis for climate action post 2020, when the Paris agreement will come into effect.

Additionally, COP 20 achieved the USD $10 billion goal set for initial contributions to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Canada pledged CAD $300 (about USD $250) million to the GCF to support developing nations address climate change. Many, however, believe that COP 20 showed how out of touch governments are with their populations, and that political agendas won over scientific urgency, as 2014 is poised to be the hottest year on record.

Canada ranks among the world’s worst climate protectors

At COP 20 Canada was criticized for not backing up its talk with action and waiting to follow the lead of other nations. The Climate Change Performance Index of 2014 by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe lists Canada among the world’s worst in tackling climate change. The Sustainable Governance Indicators by Bertelsmann Foundation too rank Canada near the bottom on global environmental protection as “the current government has demonstrated little if any commitment to this objective.” The study ranks it 38th out of the 41 countries in the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union.

At the Lima conference, however, the Canadian government argued that it was making progress to reduce the country’s overall GHG emissions through strong domestic action through investments in adaptation and commitment to phase-down hydroflourocarbons (HFCs). The government noted that GHG emissions in 2012 were 5.1 percent lower than in 2005 while Canada’s economy grew by 10.6 percent during that same period. During that same period, however, emissions from the oil and gas sector, especially due to tar sands production, rose by 107 percent.

While Canada ranks seventh in the world in carbon dioxide emissions per capita, the government points out that national per capita emissions have now fallen to their lowest level since recording started in 1990. Yet, an investigation by Climate Action Tracker reveal that Canada may have been underreporting emissions, missing as much as 212 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2011.

Additionally, Canada is set to overshoot the emissions level it committed to under the Copenhagen accord, reducing their GHG emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. This target was aligned with the United States’ pledge of the same decrease in emissions over that time period. While the US is on track to meet the target, Canada’s carbon emissions are predicted to increase 38 percent by 2030.

Canada, the world’s fifth-largest oil producer, will thus struggle to achieve national GHG emissions reductions, as it continues to develop its oil and gas resources such as tar sands — which require more water and energy than other forms of oil and emit more GHGs in the refining process.

Majority of Canadians support carbon tax

The Canadian people are increasingly concerned about the impact of climate change on future generations, and more than half support a carbon tax. Even the oil and gas industry of the province of Alberta — Canada’s largest oil and gas producer — has been calling on the government for a carbon tax due to the global concerns in addressing climate change and because the industry views the tax as providing a social license to sell Alberta’s oil to the world.

In advance of Paris 2015, they must keep up the pressure, and so must international actors. Harper’s government has shown short term economic gains take precedent over long-term national interest, arguing that regulating the oil and gas industry is “crazy economic policy” in the current fiscal environment of falling oil prices, and without other nations making similar regulatory commitments.

Due to Canada’s lack of broad-sweeping environmental policy, implementation has been at the provincial level.

In British Columbia’s carbon tax of CAD $30-per-metric-tonne levy currently increases the price of gasoline and natural gas by 6.67 cents a liter and 5.7 cents a cubic meter respectively, but residents benefit in lower income taxes. Introduced in 2008, the tax has been called the “gold standard,” and praised for reducing emissions without hurting the economy. Alberta imposes a price on emissions for companies that do not meet energy-efficiency targets, instead of reducing GHG output. It went into effect in 2007. Stephen Harper supports this model.

In 2013, Quebec introduced a cap and trade system that forces businesses to take the cost of emitting carbon into account in their decision-making process.

Another provincial example of climate action is Ontario’s phasing out of coal-fired power plants. In 2014, the province closed its last coal-fired plant, becoming the first jurisdiction in North America to fully eliminate coal as a source of electricity generation.

Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia all use different economic, environmental and political instruments to achieve their climate goal but have helped Canada lower GHG emissions over the years and tackle climate change at the national level.

Best practices from Canada’s provincial regulations can be adopted elsewhere to improve clean energy practices, climate policy, and enhance resilient solutions. For Canada to keep building towards a sustainable future, and meet its international climate agreement goals, Harper’s government should unify the nation and its climate policy.

This article was published first by SGI News.

I knew this day would come. I’d been dreading it. But I thought I had more time. I thought my son would be little for just a bit longer. But last night, as I zipped his lunch box and placed it on a shelf in the refrigerator, we had this conversation:

Trey: “Mom, could you please not put notes in my lunch anymore?”

Me: (Pause, as my heart sinks and I gather myself, and then) “Why, buddy?”

Trey: “The other kids laugh at me.”

Me: “They do?”

Trey: “Well, a couple.”

Me: “Their moms don’t put notes in their lunches?”

Trey: “No. And sometimes M. grabs my note and reads it out loud. It’s embarrassing.”

Me: “Well, I don’t really write anything embarrassing. I usually just say ‘have a nice day.'”

Trey: “Sometimes you write ‘buddy’ and ‘Love, Mama’ and ‘xoxo.'”

Me: (Gulp) “But I like writing you notes.”

Trey: “I like it too (pause), but I don’t want to be humiliated in front of the whole school.”

Me: “Okay. But… I already made your lunch and put a note in it.”

Trey: “Mom!”

Me: “Can this just be the last one?”

Trey: Okay.

Me: Don’t throw it away. We’ll save it because it’s the last one. We’ll put it in your memory box.

Trey: Okay. (smile, pause) Maybe you can just draw pictures from now on. Just don’t write anything.

Me: “Okay, buddy.”

I turned away, my eyes filled with tears, as I put away the peanut butter and jelly. He’s only 8. I’m not ready for this, I thought. It’s all going by too fast. I knew I should take advantage of the teachable moment and say something inspiring, but I just couldn’t. My heart was in my throat.

I was filled with so many emotions; it was all I could do to hold back the tears as we moved on to a different topic. I was sad and already feeling the loss of a special daily ritual. And yet, I was also feeling immense pride for my son. I could tell that the conversation was difficult for him, not because of his own feelings, but because he was worried about hurting mine. My heart was also breaking for him because I knew he was conflicted; he liked the notes, but didn’t want to be laughed at or seem different. He came to such a mature decision, asking me to include pictures instead of notes, holding onto a piece of the ritual — a piece of something special between us — while protecting himself too.

My husband wasn’t home, but if he had been he might have told me that it was okay, that it’s just lunch box notes. But it’s more than that. It’s the first of many rituals that I’ll have to say goodbye to. I won’t get any notice that I’m going to lose them, no time to prepare myself; they’ll just be gone one day.

I’ll be honest; part of me doesn’t want my boys to grow up at all. I know that sounds crazy, but there are days when I just want to freeze time. With every passing year, my kids lose some of their innocence and it feels like I’m losing something too. Something precious that I’ll never get back. But I know that part of parenting is preparing our kids for these moments of growth and change, and letting them go a little along the way, too. The hard part is letting go when all you want to do is hold on.

Trey came to a compromise, and I think I’ve found one too. I may just have to write him breakfast notes instead of lunch notes. He’ll still receive a positive message for the day, but with no chance of embarrassment. I’ll tell myself that I’m honoring his request and acknowledging that things are changing, while I hold on for just a little while longer.

Though I need no reason, I’ll give you one anyway.
Every day, I’ll wake you with a smile and a hug so that I might show you each day must be met by bold gestures for the ones we love.

Though I need no reason, I’ll give you one anyway.
Every morning, I’ll remind you to feed all the animals so that I might show you the value of responsibility for taking care of yourself and others.

Though I need no reason, I’ll give you one anyway.
Every time I take you to school, I’ll kiss you on the lips so that I might show you that the world deserves to know how much I love you because such gestures need not be hidden behind a mask of shame.

Though I need no reason, I’ll give you one anyway.
Every time I pick you up from school, I’ll be outside waiting for you, on time, every time, so that you might know that work never comes first and that you can always depend on me.

Though I need no reason, I’ll give you one anyway.
Every day, when I ask you about your day, I’ll listen deeply, hanging on your every word so that you might know how listening with purpose should look and feel.

Though I need no reason, I’ll give you one anyway.
Every night, as you struggle through your homework, I’ll be by your side, encouraging you to keep trying, so that you might know that you have support without fail.

Though I need no reason, I’ll give you one anyway.
Every night before bed, when you ask me to read that same old story using that same old silly voice, I’ll do it, so that you might see that it’s important to remember not to take yourself too seriously, even when you get old like me.

Though I need no reason, I’ll give you one anyway.
Every night, as you sleep, I will tiptoe into your room silently, avoiding the numerous tripping pitfalls and toe-endangering stubberies, so that I may give you one more goodnight kiss, and as I do:

I’ll think of all the parents picking out tiny gravestones,
I’ll think of all the moms and dads waiting for a diagnosis,
I’ll think of all the orphans and foster kids longing to belong,
I’ll think of all the families without roofs and beds and food,
I’ll think of all the children nursing undeserved bruises, both physical and emotional,
I’ll think of all the people blindly reenacting their parents’ mistakes and I’ll think of their children, whose futures seem doomed to follow the same path.

And at that moment, as my lips touch your cheek,
I’ll have all the reason I’ll ever need.

Read more from Josh Misner, Ph.D. on the Facebook page, Mindful Dad

In the same week that the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held its first hearing on the issue of rewriting No Child Left Behind, two separate groups of lawmakers introduced bills that would also work to dial down aspects of the law’s divisive legacy.

In recent weeks, lawmakers have renewed calls to rewrite the controversial school accountability law, which emphasizes standardized testing and doles out penalties for poor scores. While No Child Left Behind, or NCLB, expired in 2007, efforts to overhaul it have failed on several occasions and the law is still in effect today. The Obama administration has offered waivers allowing states to evade some of the law’s more stringent aspects, although states are still required to annually test students in reading and math in grades three through eight, as well as one time while students are in high school.

But as legislators continue to hammer out what a rewrite of NCLB might look like, two groups of politicians introduced bills this week that would change the role that law previously established for school standardized testing.

The first bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and introduced Tuesday, would empower states to reduce the amount of low-quality and redundant testing given to students. While it would not affect the number of federally mandated tests given in schools, it would allow states to use federal funds to audit their assessment systems.

“This commonsense legislation gives us the tools and resources to work with states and districts to reduce unnecessary assessments, especially by targeting redundant and low-quality tests,” Baldwin said in a statement Tuesday about the bill, known as the Support Making Assessments Reliable and Timely (SMART) Act. “As Congress begins what I hope is a truly bipartisan process to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, I’m proud to lead this effort to address one of the shortcomings of No Child Left Behind.”

The second bill, reintroduced by Rep. Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) on Wednesday, takes a more extreme approach on the issue of standardized testing. The Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act would allow states and schools to scale back federal testing so that a student would only be tested once every few years — once during grades three through five, once during grades six through nine, and so on. The bill was first introduced in 2014.

In a call with reporters Wednesday, Sinema explained that during her time as a school social worker, she noticed that increases in standardized testing also boosted the amount of “teaching to the test,” lessening the quality of instruction.

“My experience as social worker in Arizona schools for nearly a decade taught me the importance of empowering teachers and parents,” said Sinema in a press release. “Teachers should focus on the content they want their students to master — not simply material for an upcoming standardized test.”

The bills come amid much recent public skepticism about standardized testing from teachers and politicians alike. An NCLB rewrite draft recently circulated from Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the HELP committee, includes an option that would give districts more freedom over the tests they use.

During the HELP hearing Wednesday, Alexander quoted a letter from Carol Burris, a high school principal in New York, who wrote that “the unintended, negative consequences that have arisen from mandated, annual testing and its high-stakes uses have proven testing not only to be an ineffective tool, but a destructive one as well.”

You finally did it.

You’ve been hired at a resort to live out your dreams of skiing daily or you’ve saved up enough to convert your truck into a winter-home-on-wheels so you can hit as many ski areas as possible. Your mom isn’t too keen on this decision, but her love is unconditional, just like your love of skiing — which is why you’re spending this winter as a ski bum.

It’s likely that you’ve already started at your shiny new ski job or are currently reading this with a -20° bag pulled up to your chin (while sneaking free wifi from a hotel parking lot, of course). Life seems pretty sweet right now. You have nothing to gripe about because your bank account is still padded. But the novelty may wear off once your notice your account dwindling as fast as the snowpack in May.

Take advice from one who has been in your shoes through many seasons: start planning now. You’ll keep your stoke-level high enough that even your mom will be happy for you.

PHOTO: Whistler Blackcomb

1. Budgeting
Skiing doesn’t last all year — well, unless you swap hemispheres. Either way, you’re gonna need money at the end of the season to get home or go abroad. In addition to saving enough each month for rent and food, put some aside to make sure you aren’t stranded in “Skiville, North America” come summer. As much fun as resort towns are in winter, the vibe gets lonely — fast — when you’re the last man standing post-season.

Keep that in mind as you’re spending funds on gear and parties.

2. Sacrifice
We need to talk about your perception of “needs.” When you first start on this ski bum lifestyle, you’re too fresh to understand that most of what you take for granted, as a normal part of living, is pretty flippin’ luxurious. Ask any true ski bum about:

1. Their living accommodations (they share a two bedroom with eight people);
2. Their heating bills (nonexistent; throw on a layer of down, buddy!);
3. Their monthly grocery bill (how many PB&J’s can be created with25?); and yeah, even
4. Their drinking habits (microbrews don’t exist in this world. PBR is now your favorite beverage).

Heck, the extreme, but rare, disciples of the lifestyle have chosen to forgo the last one altogether. (Don’t argue with me on that — I was one of ’em.) For them, there is powder and nothing else. And guess who gets the freshest tracks? Not the one still in bed with the hangover.

PHOTO: Tiny House Blog

3. Jobs
Pride in your slope style is one thing. Pride in your occupation? You need to let that go, pronto. The work you need pays big in ski time but has an inverse relationship on the figure printed on your paycheck. It’ll be enough to make ends meet if you’re wicked smart about your spending (see pointers, above).

If you can’t find a job that allows you to clock in when the rest of the world is clocking out, consider a split shift; it’ll at least get you three to four hours of riding in every day.

And if you’re super lucky, you can work remotely as a writer, web designer, etc., making up your own hours as you please.

Hashtag: Dream Job.

PHOTO: Matt Crawley/Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort

4. Ski Pass
Pay full price for a pass? Not you! Outside of the wonderful workings of sites like Liftopia where you can score great deals if you purchase in advance, do you know how to score a free lift up all season long?

Volunteer.

Many resorts are looking for folks to come in one or two days a week to help out with mountain operations in exchange for a season pass. Many times these opportunities will fall under the title of “Mountain Host” where you’ll ski all day anyway, albeit with people who are more into stopping for photo opportunities at every viewpoint rather than slaying the stashes, but hey, on your days off, you’re skiing for free.

Put those saved bills toward a ticket home, which brings us full circle to point number one. See how nicely it all adds up?

Got any tips to add or any bones to pick with these tips? Bring it (nicely, please) in the comments!

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By Gina Bégin / @Ginabegin