This article marks my debut as the environmental columnist for this paper and I am excited for the opportunity. In these columns I will explore environmental issues with an emphasis on local relevance. To me, it is important to build awareness and interest in our local green projects as well as tell the stories of […]
If it were April, you may have thought this were a joke: This is my farewell column. I have moved. Flown the nest, moved to new pastures. While modern technology would, of course, allow me to continue writing and submitting this green column from a distance, Beaches–East York readers will do better with a writer […]
As yet another June rainfall pelts against my windows, I am thinking about the still flooded Woodbine Beach, and photos and film footage I have seen of the Toronto Islands underwater. I know I am not the only one worrying about this year’s disturbing spring weather and how it affects homeowners, nature lovers, motorists, wildlife […]
From April 7-9, the Green Living Show made its annual appearance at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Once I had fought my way through that Friday’s stormy headwind, I spent a good four hours exploring the almost 260 vendor booths and live presentations. I had been tasked to find and report on my Top Five […]
I felt great satisfaction and relief when I recently placed another two large bags of my used and still wearable clothes on my front porch for pickup. As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. This time, my “castoffs” went to the Ontario Foundation for Cerebral Palsy. Their free pick-ups service the […]
Every December, seasonal holidays and festivities like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and others bring together families, friends, and community. Although it can be a tough time for some families and individuals, the days are marked by celebratory foods and drink, festive decorations, music, presents, happy cheer, and, at times, some reflection. And every year, the preparations, […]
At the September 14 Town Hall hosted by Beaches-East York MP, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, yours truly attended as one of the panel members. There, I spoke about the top six ways in which each individual or household can do their share to reduce their environmental ‘footprint’ and impact on climate change. I could only say so […]
Every year when the warm season arrives and flowers, shrubs, and fruit trees bloom and provide nectar and pollen for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insects, often-feared and misunderstood little yellow and black ‘buzzers’ start arriving too. The differences between “the birds, the bees, and the butterflies” are surely obvious, but do you know who’s who […]
I am in an eco-funk. After many years of environmental volunteering and efforts to engage my fellow citizens, this year’s disappointing winter – I like my winters cold and with lots of snow – and our current confused spring have made me a little cynical about un-met expectations. Last month my expectations of the annual […]
I LOVE watching documentaries. Aside from enjoying 50-minute segments with no advertising, I marvel at stunning landscapes or underwater scenes, amazing animal footage, human stories of survival and creativity, and how things are made. When I was growing up, our family religiously watched underwater explorations by Jacques Cousteau and his team and any mesmerizing animal […]
