Action Speaks . . . Empowering Local Business
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Answering Our Question

This month's Question of the Month asked...

What actions are you taking in your personal life to insure a sustainable future?

This month we'd like to take that question further. In response to the urgency of global climate change and other world sustainability news we'd like to present this special Call To Action issue. Here you will find a mixture of solutions, from the simple to the structured, from local to global, all asking — What will it take to make this happen?

If you'd like to comment or have responses to some of what you see here, please contact newsfortona@hotmail.com, with your positive thoughts on how we can all work together to achieve planetary success in charting our course for a sustainable future.

Earth Emergency - Call to Action

This brief Earth Emergency - Call to Action has been drawn up by the Schumacher Society, Positive News, Sustainable Society, Right Livelihood and the Gaia Foundation with input from various individuals such as James Robertson (UK) Vandana Shiva (India) and is supported by amongst others, Fritjof Capra, Susan George, Anita Roddick, Maxfred Max Neef, Dr. Herman Scheer (German MP), Dr. Caroline Lucas (Member European Parliament) and The Bishop of Hereford. We hope you will feel able to join the growing number of individuals and organizations worldwide who have put their names to this initiative.

The object is twofold: to unite the non governmental organizations and activists and local and global networks around an agreed agenda, based on a planetary ethic of respect for all life and human dignity and to urge governments worldwide join us in using the coming decade to adopt the new thinking and actions required to restore the earth and secure a sustainable future for present and coming generations. It is intended for presentation at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg at the end of August.

The Earth Emergency is brought into focus by the latest WWF Living Planet Report which states that in the past 30 years we have destroyed over one third of earth's natural resources. It concludes that if we continue business as usual we will need two extra planets by 2050.

As the great American theologian, Thomas Berry, says: we are at a defining moment in history, a time in which the earth itself calls out to us to embark upon a re-sacralization of nature, a new ecological beginning. We are all invited to play our part in what he calls The Great Work of the 21st Century.

If you feel able to sign up please help by passing this Call to Action onto your own contacts.

We are producing a special issue of Positive News in support of this initiative which we are also planning to print in South Africa for distribution at the Summit. If you would like copies to distribute or would like to support us financially please get in touch.

In peace and unity.

Jane

Jane Taylor
Associate Editor,
Positive News.
Tel: 01588 640022
Fax: 01588 640033
jane@positivenews.org.uk
www.positivenews.org.uk

Good News for a Change
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Affordable Solar Made in Canada, Eh?



Here's something we thought you'd like to know about: www.spheralsolar.com.

From CAMBRIDGE, ON, July 17, Canada Newswire reports... "ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. announced it plans to begin commercial manufacture of next generation solar cells utilizing a breakthrough proprietary photovoltaic technology - named Spheral Solar™ Technology (SST). These revolutionary solar cells, comprised of thousands of tiny silicon beads bonded in an aluminum foil, are expected to dramatically reduce the cost of solar energy and open a broad range of new uses of solar power by industrial, commercial and residential users worldwide...

"We believe Spheral Solar™ cells will be ideal for everyday use on the electrical grid as a supplement to traditional forms of energy and as an enabling technology for a variety of remote power applications", says Milfred Hammerbacher, President of Spheral Solar Power"...

ATS has started design of a new 120,000 square foot, highly automated commercial SST production facility and intends to begin commercial production of these pliable, highly efficient solar cells by the fall of 2003. ATS is currently nearing completion of a pilot production line at its main Cambridge, Ontario facility and will begin producing small quantities of the SST product, for testing and product development purposes, this summer.

"We fully expect Spheral Solar™ Technology to revolutionize the solar energy industry for two reasons," said Klaus Woerner, ATS President and Chief Executive Officer. "First, the SST unique design only requires a fraction of the raw materials — particularly the silicon - used in traditional multicrystalline solar cells to produce the same amount of energy. Based on technical design enhancements made over the past year to SST, we have achieved a sunlight-to-energy conversion ratio that is competitive with conventional multicrystalline solar cells. Therefore, we expect to generate energy at far less cost per watt. In effect, we're talking about a new era for solar energy, where our technology can stand on its own in the marketplace, as a viable energy alternative."

"Second", added Mr. Woerner "SST is lightweight, pliable and break resistance, which means it can be formed into a variety of shapes and sizes to develop innovative new products that can be seamlessly and attractively integrated into consumer products and even the most complex building designs. Spheral Solar™ Technology will allow ATS to lead the world to more quickly adopt a clean, renewable - and now economical - form of energy."

The Government of Canada, through Technology Partnerships Canada, also announced it has entered into a $29.5 million Research and Development investment agreement with ATS. The investment will help ATS to undertake development of a full-scale pilot manufacturing system for Spheral Solar™ Technology...

"Spheral Solar™ Technology's first factory is expected to produce enough cells to provide 20 megawatts of power annually, which is roughly the total annual power requirement of 6,000 homes," said Mr. Woerner. "Quite frankly, we believe Spheral Solar™ Technology will spark substantial new demand for solar energy and we expect to support that demand by building more automated factories in the future."

According to industry forecasts, demand for solar energy has been growing at rates of 20% to 38% over the past five years and is forecast to increase at 20% per annum through 2010 driven by growing power consumption and demand for distributed generation capability. The total solar energy market is estimated today at $3.4 billion. In spite of these high growth rates, cost per watt has been a major impediment to the growth of solar energy. SST is expected to lead the solar industry in cost per watt power generation."

What's the Leading Edge of Social Change
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Solutions At Hand — Getting to Work

An acute State of Emergency exists on Earth, imperiling its climate, its life support systems and the lives of billions of people. The related crises of environmental degradation and the destitution of a third of humanity are worsened by a profound failure of world governance. The world community is called upon to act, acknowledging and implementing a planetary ethic - of respect for life and human dignity - as expressed in the Earth Charter.

Millions of people worldwide are becoming aware of the connectedness of all life. By working together through our networks, globally and locally, we can accelerate initiatives already under way, shifting the global balance of power in favour of restoring the Earth, of sharing its resources equitably and assuring the sustainable wellbeing of present and future generations.

To achieve these aims, we call for a global alliance of all sections of society. The creativity of all of humanity is needed — using traditional knowledge, art, design, engineering, modern science and business as tools for creating a sustainable and thriving relationship between people and planet.

We urge world leaders at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development to join us in acknowledging the Earth's State of Emergency. Finance is made available at times of war or disaster. We ask the world's governments to commit the required resources to alleviate the crisis of hunger and destitution of billions, to restore the Earth's ecosystems and to create sustainable human settlements. We call for the current decade to be used to -

1. rapidly phase in renewable energy technology in place of current polluting energy systems - with appropriate strategies for industry, agriculture, transport and the built environment.
   
   
2. shift taxation from labour to the use of resources, pollution and waste - promoting conservation and clean production, and enhancing social welfare and jobs
   
   
3. create an ecological economy, compatible with the Earth's ecosystems - acknowledging that perpetual economic growth is not possible in a finite world
   
   
4. build global co-operation towards restoring local economies - prioritising local production for local consumption, and minimizing the need for long-distance transport of goods
   
   
5. make sustainable agriculture the global norm - securing food supplies with minimal environmental impacts, avoiding genetic engineering and prohibiting patents on life
   
   
6. protect tribal and traditional societies and their lands - acknowledging their right to decide their own future
   
   
7. reform worldwide monetary and financial systems to protect and enhance the well-being of human communities and the natural environment on which they depend
   
   
8. initiate a progressive shift of funds from military spending towards environmental security — providing adequate water, nutrition, healthcare, shelter and sustainable livelihoods for all
   
   
9. create a participative Earth Democracy — fundamentally reforming global governance, for the benefit of people and nature, so that international decision making is open and accountable within the framework of a strengthened and democratised United Nations
   
   

Another world is possible. Let's make it happen.

To sign this Call, please contact earthemergency@freeuk.com: www.earthemergency.com; or Earth Emergency, 21 Lonsdale Road, London NW6 6RA.

EARTH EMERGENCY: A CALL TO ACTION

Signed (so far)

Schumacher Society, Bristol, Positive News, UK, Sustainable Society, London,
Gaia Foundation, London, Right Livelihood Foundation, London
Friends of the Earth, UK, Ecologist Magazine, London, L' Ecologiste, Paris,
Resurgence Magazine, Hartland, International Society for Ecology and Culture, Dartington, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, Delhi
Centre for Ecoliteracry, Berkeley, Henry George Foundation, London,
Restore the Earth, Findhorn, ROSE Foundation, Findhorn
Simultaneous Policy Organisation, London, The Action Research Unit, Delhi
Management Institute for Social Change (MINSOC) Asia, Sustainable Development Network (SUSDEN) Malaysia, Sustainable Kuantan Initiative, Malaysia, People Centred Development Network, USA, Eurosolar, Bonn
Vandana Shiva, Fritjof Capra, Edward Goldsmith, Zac Goldsmith,
Susan George, David Korten, Anita Roddick, Fran Korten, Helena Norberg Hodge,
James Robertson, Dr. Hermann Scheer, MP (Bundestag), Dr. Caroline Lucas MEP,
The Bishop of Hereford, Chares Secrett, Tony Juniper, Satish Kumar,
Jakob von Uexkull, Herbert Girardet, Liz Hosken, Ed Posey, Roger Doudna,
Alan Watson Featherstone, Jane Taylor, Shauna Crockett Borrows,
Francesca Romana Giordano, Michael Hill, John Bunzl, Christine Eynon

Retailing Outside the Box — Is this a model for us?


In what U.S. grocery store can you find an entertaining newsletter, low prices, a GMO-free policy, regional sourcing as well as noteworthy imports, attractive employment opportunities, high product quality, honest labeling, and everything from soup to nuts to fine wines to vitamins? Where can you actually afford premium ice cream and Quebec maple syrup? Why, at Trader Joe's, of course.

It's a chain that has now expanded into 15 states, with about 200 company-operated stores, and it is wildly successful. The retailing strategy includes purchasing directly from producers and, when possible, finding "deals" on product surpluses. Savings are passed on to customers.

You won't find the usual multinational brands at T.J.'s; many items are instead packaged under the house label by small companies. Most products are regularly available, but some last only as long as the surplus that gave rise to the special deal.

The Fearless Flyer newsletter has been described as a cross between Consumer Reports and Mad Magazine, thanks to its woodcut-style art adorned with hilarious captions. Besides stories on the origin, composition, and nutritional value of products, Fearless Flyer educates customers. Readers have, for example, learned to appreciate Grade "2" or "B" products, which have nothing wrong with them whatsoever except a darker colour or some other insignificant distinction that results in a more affordable price.

Trader Joe's appeals to the informed, "cultural creative" consumer who needs to save money while seeking food that is interesting, perhaps unusual, and of good quality. The Mid-Island area is well populated with people who "think outside the macaroni and cheese box" (or the Big Box, for that matter), who want to support local suppliers while also enjoying interesting imports.

If you are a grocery retailer or entrepreneur who would like to have a closer look at the Trader Joe's model, please contact us at newsfortona@hotmail.com. NICN is prepared to contact one of their executives to have a chat.

For more information in the meantime, see www.traderjoes.com

I realize not all of you are gardeners and canners, but you may be interested to learn that Bernardin - the company that makes Mason and Kerr jars - is no longer manufacturing the 78mm lids that go on the quart, two quart and pint jars. This makes it all but impossible for thousands of people across the country to can fruits and vegetables now. Particularly if you have invested heavily in Bernardin jars over the years.

Bernardin is still making lids for the small (70mm) and large (86mm) jars, but not for the common 78mm jars that are found only in Canada.

There is a full story on it from CBC here: http://cbc.ca/stories/2002/08/25/canning020825

Heads Up
[ Dos and Don'ts Advice Lists ]
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So, What Will It Take?

A lot of the course-correcting for a sustainable path can seem quite complex and sometimes beyond the reach of that which is necessary to get through just today. However, on a simple consumer level, here are two very specific lists from the Union of Concerned Scientists, that will tell us quite clearly how powerful the choices each one of us can make every day ARE in achieving these goals! (We will do everything we can today; and never forget that tomorrow is another day when we can take yet another, even more positive step in the right direction.) In how many of these activities can your daily habits be altered to reduce and replace damaging activities with healthy and sustainable ones. Each effort helps to bring us ALL closer to the zero abuse limit or pure goals of sustainability!

Please note, the UCS is addressing present day unsustainable systems, ONLY in these lists. Their book talks about the real impacts in great detail. Try to think in terms of sustainable ways of meeting your daily needs. For example: Julie's Rule of Three (not in the book) - Can you drive your car only three days instead of five? Can you wait until you have three reasons to drive, before you take your car out or combine all your trips in the same three days? (Sorry Julie. I know that's not exactly it.)

• Cars and light trucks
  
• Meat and poultry
  
• Non-organic and non-local fruit, veggies and grains
  
• Unsustainable sources of home heating, hot water and air conditioning
  
• Household appliances and lighting
  
• Home construction
  
• Household water & sewage
  
  

High-Impact Activities

• Powerboats
  
• Pesticides and fertilizers
  
• Gasoline-powered yard equipment
  
• Recreational off-road driving
  
• Hazardous cleaners and paints
  
• Products made from endangered or threatened species
  

More ideas on ways to transform the above high-impact activities to low-impact ones details can be found in "The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices - Practical Advise from the Union of Concerned Scientists", Three Rivers Press, NY ISBN: 0-609-80281-X - Also see page 51, Table 3.1 for "Environmental Impacts per Household". Quite revealing! Or call Green Communities Nanaimo for more thoughts on the same. 754-2554

Making it Happen
[ Wishlists and Stories from the Local Not-for-Profit World ]
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Ecological Learning Comes to the Gulf Islands
— Just in the Nick of Time?

Thanks to Julie Johnston for this message.

Now picture those kids making friends with nature, discovering the essential rules for how life works: that the sun is the source of energy for all life on Earth, that the building materials of life must be used over and over again, that everything is becoming something else, or John Muir's classic, that "when we try to pick out something by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

And picture wonderful evening programs where students share with each other what these ecological principles mean in their lives, determine what they can do to tread lightly on the Earth, and breathe life into the rest of nature dramatically, musically and artistically. Their whole stay in the Gulf Islands will serve as a springboard for the changes they can make back at home and school, where applying their learning really counts.

This is the dream of the Gulf Islands Centre for Ecological Learning (GICEL), a growing partnership between School District 64, its Gulf Islands Educational Trust Fund (tax receipts available!), and organizations such as Raffi's Troubadour Foundation for Child Honouring, the Galiano Conservancy, and like-hearted groups, businesses and individuals on the other islands as well. Michael Dunn, Mayne Island naturalist and GICEL's catalyst and executive director, envisions nature-centred learning pavilions in each of the five communities, each one modelling minimal "ecological footprint" and eco-friendly building or renovation techniques. Our short-term goal is to host our firststudents on one of the islands in September 2003.

As GICEL's project coordinator, I will be assisting Michael with fundraising efforts and program development. I can't imagine a more beautiful place for kids to fall in love with nature and discover her secrets. We'll be combining art and music and poetry with science and ecology and fun, but mainly we'll be keeping the wisdom of William Wordsworth in mind: "Come forth into the light of things. Let Nature be your teacher."

We welcome your input and contributions. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation of funds, land or equipment, please contact me on Pender Island at (250) 629-3811 or gicel@sd64.bc.ca or write to our GICEL office at 535 Fernhill Road, Mayne Island, BC V0N 2J0.