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Vancouver

Four days in Vancouver, courtesy of Alcan and Simon Fraser University. Such a good city. 750,000 people (so not exactly a big city), lots of water and mountains all around. Made one feel pretty good about urban living.

Came in on the back end of a bit of a shock, in that the Premier of British Columbia (deeply conservative, apparently, bordering on neo-con even) has suddenly “got” climate change. Very ambitious new targets on energy efficiency and climate change, “inclusive approach”, long term vision and so on.

It made me wonder how we might mass-produce these epiphanies. They seem to arrive so arbitrarily at the moment. Decades in denial, then a chance encounter with reality. And guess who provided the reality on this occasion? No less an Evangelist than Arnie Schwarzenegger himself – he of Hummer fame again. With his own unique brand of muscular environmentalism, full of scorn for boring environmentalists (“like prohibitionists at a fraternity party”), seeking to redefine sustainability in terms of passion for life rather than guilt. He has got a good point there, I have to admit. Sadly, Arnie is said to have given up on converting George Bush. Even the Governator has his limits.

Posted on May 15, 2007 4:50 PM |

Comments (3)

It is a shame that even someone as conservative as the Premier in BC has 'got it' and not the Mayor of Vancouver. With the upcoming Winter Olympics happening in Whistler the homeless of Vancouver will certainly suffer. The previous Mayor worked hard to help those living on the streets and the low economic earners live in housing in a more ethnic area of town. Now the new mayor has decided this will be the Athlete's accommodation so these people will have to find new places to live. After my visit to Whistler last week where many businesses are really trying to be sustainable (many using The Natural Step to achieve this), the social aspect of sustainabilty will be pushed under the carpet as an embarrassment and something that will be seen but perhaps not heard about. A little like the Simon Fraser University, which is all about sustainability but didn't think alot about the rammerfications of where it is located or the sustainabilty of travel to and from its campus.

Pity how so much hard work can be suffercated by the 'too hards' or the 'unthought of' issues.

Posted by Mardi Neumann | May 17, 2007 8:43 PM

How to achieve "epiphanies"?

Maybe not biblical changes, but people certainly can change. One needs to understand how individuals think and a little of their basic aims in life. So many differnet ways exist. The narrower one's agenda the less likely are people to listen or read.

To most people, health, relationships and money/success are driving forces. Offer solutions or better still demonstrate your ideas in your own life and people cannot disbelieve their eyes. They do not even need to take life seriously.

As a small example, at age 73 I get people approaching me "where do you get the energy to dance all night long etc?" Unlike marathons, that is what some people want to do! When they learn that no drugs/alcohol and a veggie diet helps, they are surprised. Of course they don't change overnight, but the seed is planted.

(the above 3 things do tie in with our whole wasteful life that has brought about, not only climate change, but our western diseases and other problems).

Posted by Mike Maybury | May 21, 2007 5:04 PM

Jonathon.

Your return flight to Vancouver created over 2 tonnes of CO2, or one fifth of an average UK citizen's annual emissions.

Based on a CO2 reduction goal of 60% by 2050, coupled with there being 9billion people on the planet at that time, per capita, this would be twice the amount you would be 'entitled' to emit.

Let this be an flying epiphany for you.

Posted by Caroline | June 13, 2007 6:23 PM

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