By Shaun Vardon, CTV News, September 26, 2021
OTTAWA -- Ecology Ottawa is seeing record demand for tree seedlings at its annual giveaways this year.
They are on track to giveaway a record 15,000 trees, which Ecology Ottawa says is the largest free tree giveaway in Ottawa’s history.
The program started in 2014 and partners with community organizations, including the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville, to raise awareness and distribute saplings grown by the Ferguson Forest Centre in Kemptville.
By Kate Porter, CBC News Ottawa
The National Capital Commission's land in Ottawa's Mechanicsville neighbourhood could soon be rezoned for up to five embassies, but Ottawa's planning committee agreed the federal park proposed for the site should be larger than previously planned.
The committee approved the application on Thursday and the file now heads to city council for final endorsement on Oct. 13.
By Emily Chung, CBC, Sept 22, 2021
Warblers, hummingbirds, hawks and other migratory birds across Canada and the U.S. hung out in cities during the pandemic lockdowns in the spring of 2020, treating urban-dwelling humans to far more visits than usual, a new study finds.
Birding is a hobby that surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. And many birders logged the species they sighted, and their locations, through "citizen science" apps such as eBird that allow data gathered by volunteers to be used by scientists for conservation research.
Par Julien Paquette, Le Droit, le 21 septembre 2021
Avec les nombreux confinements, la consommation d’eau potable à domicile a crû de façon importante. Dans un rapport présenté au Comité de la protection de l’environnement, l’administration de la municipalité a indiqué que les infrastructures ont tenu le coup.
By Shailee Shah, The Fulcrum, September 12, 2021
On Sept. 10, over 100 people attended a local protest held at Besserer Park organized by community organization Action Sandy Hill.
By Dani-elle Dubé, City News, September 8, 2021
...
Starting Wednesday, Ecology Ottawa will be hosting virtual debates in three ridings around the city: Ottawa West-Nepean on Wednesday, September 8 at 6 p.m.; Kanata-Carleton on Thursday at 6 p.m.; and Ottawa-Vanier at 8 p.m.
“We’re looking at giant crises like climate change and biodiversity loss worldwide, and Canada’s leadership on these issues is absolutely critical,” Robb Barnes, executive director of Ecology Ottawa, told The Sam Laprade Show on Wednesday.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, September 3, 2021
Yasir Naqvi’s fight to become the MP for Ottawa Centre includes a promise to legislate the protection of the Central Experimental Farm as plans move ahead to bulldoze the eastern portion of the federal land to build a new hospital.
...Now, running as Ottawa Centre’s federal Liberal candidate in the Sept. 20 election, Naqvi is including the hospital project in his “climate action plan” for the riding as he calls for security for the Experimental Farm and O-Train integration with the future hospital campus.
By CBC News Ottawa, September 6, 2021
The province's environment ministry has been alerted after firefighters responded to reports of a petroleum spill Sunday evening in the Rideau River.
Ottawa Fire Services received a call at approximately 7 p.m. from a passerby who reported what they believed to be petroleum under the Adàwe Crossing Bridge near Range Road.
By Linda Poon, Bloomberg City Labs, August 25, 2021
...But a new study suggests that while density is indeed necessary to limit the greenhouse gas emissions of a growing population, height is not. In fact, a densely packed city of low-rises — think central Paris, where buildings typically stay below 10 stories — may be the best kind of urban environment for curbing carbon, even if they use more land than a high-rise-filled one that accommodates the same number of people, according to the researchers.
· CBC News · Posted: Aug 29, 2021
...
Year by year, a plethora of invasive earthworms have been quietly burrowing their way through our forests' leaf litter, grasslands and backyard gardens.
Although earthworms are beneficial for growing food, research shows they are harming our forests, and could potentially be contributing to climate change.
By Caroline Whitzman and Paul Johanis, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed
...We’re told to focus on personal choices to take climate action — recycle, use public transportation, eat less meat. These are all positive actions, but do little to impact the major systemic challenges we have ahead of us to prevent climate change from the worst-case scenario.
In Ottawa, we have an opportunity right now to take urgent action with the soon-to-be-approved City Official Plan. This document guides municipal policy actions for the next 25 years. While higher levels of government have critical leadership roles to play, the policies guiding what happens in our neighbourhoods can make significant differences to climate change and the housing crisis and are in some ways, the places we have the most control.
By Tim Radford, Energy Mix, August 24, 2021
The world’s pollinators are in decline—and scientists now have a surer idea of why. The bees, butterflies, wasps, beetles, flies, bats, and hummingbirds yes, animals and birds, too) that shift pollen from one flower to another and help three-fourths of the world’s food crops to fruit and reproduce are on the way out. Oblivion awaits insects and other pollinators because of the things humans have done, and go on doing.
And it will be humans that could pay the biggest price as the decline goes on.