Eco-friendly coffin company springs to life in Lanark County
By Evelyn Harford, InsideOttawaValley, January 16, 2021
Most people think about green living. But what about green death?
Donna Klassen started Earthbound Coffins — a family-owned business — to
provide an alternative, eco-friendly option for people who desire a simple and
green burial.
(...)Each handcrafted coffin is made with Lanark County timber. The rope
handles are made together with a local craftsperson. The use of non-toxic glue
and minimal hardware make them biodegradable, unlike more contemporary caskets
adorned with satin and flashy hardware, rich stains and polishes.
The production of the coffins is sustainable, too. The offcut wood heats the
workshop and wood shavings are reused as lining or used for Klassen’s horses
and chickens — the wood ash is even used in the family’s vegetable garden.
Klassen’s coffins offer simplistic beauty and an option for those wishing to
choose natural burial — something Klassen is passionate about.
“Instead of putting more chemicals into the earth, you’re actually enriching
the earth,” she said. “After taking all your life from the world, it’s the one
way that your body actually gives back.”
Green burial is one of the most eco-friendly options for a person to choose
for their body’s final resting place after death. Traditional burial requires
a lot of resources underneath and above ground including lawn maintenance,
concrete encasement of caskets, which are often made of polished wood or
metal. There is also worry that chemicals used in embalming will eventually
leak into the earth, polluting water and soil.
Cremation contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Natural
Burial Association, the average cremation uses 106 litres of fuel to burn a
single body and it emits toxins like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
By Randy Boswell, Ottawa Citizen, November 24, 2023
The City of Ottawa’s auditor general has slammed municipal officials for mishandling a major housing development in Barrhaven that involved extensive alterations of the Jock River floodplain to accommodate a sprawling new subdivision with nearly 1,000 new homes.
Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon has released a scathing, 14-page report detailing her team’s investigation into the project after allegations of mismanagement were made through the city’s fraud and waste hotline. The report has been tabled for discussion at the city’s audit committee meeting on Monday.
...The plan involved cutting away more than 100,000 cubic metres of soil along the north shore of the Jock and depositing more than 400,000 cubic metres of soil on adjacent land immediately to the north so houses could be safely built there, beyond any flood risk.
By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen, November 25, 2023
In a head-spinning move that has angered some community groups, Ottawa is asking the province to reverse its decision to override the city’s official plan on building heights.
A motion, approved by council this week in a 19-2 vote, instructs city officials to ask Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra to reinstate rules allowing higher buildings heights along minor road corridors. It’s something the city’s planning committee rejected two years ago, when it approved Ottawa’s new official plan.
At the time, city staff had recommended higher buildings, but council bowed to pressure and limited buildings along minor corridor roads to four storeys.
By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, November 24, 2023
The City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission and Parks Canada are launching a consultation on the Rideau Canal, and they want our opinions.
What they hope we do iscomplete a survey, attend a virtual meeting, visit a pop-up kiosk at Landsowne Christmas Market on Nov. 25 and send our comments. I’m going to skip right to the last step.
...Around here, we only think of roads for commuting. Everything else — even a lovely gem like the Canal — is for recreational purposes. It’s a failure of imagination that deprives everyone, residents and visitors alike, of truly magnificent public spaces in the nation’s capital.