"Greenest" part of Canada
 

I currently live downstream from one of the world's biggest environmental disaster zones (the Alberta oilsands) but am getting out of here for, amongst other reaons, my family's health. We are probably moving to New Brunswick for a year or so at school/ university and had considered staying there. I am deeply concerned however by the Provincial Government's desire to press ahead full speed with their extraction of natural gas by hydraulic fracturing, despite the apparent environmental dangers.

I am curious as to what other posters here think is the most "environmentally friendly" part of the country. Is there any province where clean air and water take priority over oil and gas exploration? Do you care?

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

I don't think there's any province where that's true. There are some pockets where green policies hold sway, Salt Spring Island might be one, but they're populated by people who made their money elsewhere and can afford to be hectoringly environmentally friendly.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

I'm with dbd33 on this one. Pretty much most of Canada is an environmental nightmare.

If you want to have a minimal impact in the environment, go and live in the middle of Toronto.

If you don't care about the environment, go and live in a big house in the suburbs, or on an acreage.

There are rare exceptions to this of course but the marginal viability of true green living means it's mostly left to eco-martyrs or people who've already made a pile of (dirty?) money.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Nova Scotia seem, at least, to pay lip service to the greener ideal..

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

I don't agree

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Thanks so much for adding to the open debate..?!...:confused:

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Some photos of Salt Spring island:)

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

I don't think they are green there anyway. Anywhere that is reliant on ferries to import everything can't really claim that.

The way I see it is that Canada is green only when compared to the US. And as this is the comparison that Canadians like to make they think they are environmentally friendly.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Thanks for the responses.

Your opinions help to confirm my impression that Canada is a very "ungreen" place. The point about comparison with the US is an accurate one. Canada's sole claim to ecologically sound credentials seems to be based on the argument that we're not as bad as our neighbours. From what I've seen however that just seems to be because there aren't as many people here and therefore less cumulative impact. There are places on the West Coast of the US, in particular, which seem much more progressive than most of Canada.

I never thought the UK was a particularly green place but it now seems like a environmentalist's dream compared to Canada.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

So I imagine you've already checked out/booked flights for your return to the UK.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Flights? An environmentalist should knit a canoe.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

sorry for that, I got interrupted while writing and had to leave ... but i am back now and I just wanted to say that I am very very disappointed with the attitude towards environmental issues here in NS.
I have had very bad response to trying to be environmentally friendly.

In spring I volunteered to do spring clean-up along the side of the road. My friend and I cleaned both sides of a 6 km stretch of highway. (about 15 big garbage bags full of waste ) and it happened to us several times that some guys in pick-up trucks threw Tim Hortons cups and garbage right in front of us, laughing...
We found stoves, BBQs, propane containers, tires, a fridge etc... called the municipality to report illegal dumping, they noted it and said it was the owner's responsibility. It's still there after 3 months.
My neighbour never puts any garbage bags outside, he burns his plastic and we get the smell.
We often walk a long sandy beach and clean up what the fishermen throw overboard.. we find lots of rubber gloves, bait boxes, plastic straps etc. all from the people who need to make a living from the ocean, but pollute it and then whine at the government for more financial support, because there is not enough marine life any more. (I know that pollution is not the only reason for that)

They pour bleach down their wells to "clean" it, but don't realize it kills all the septic bacteria as well.

I could give you more examples, but you probably get the idea... I am very passionate about a clean environment and it doesn't get me anywhere. There is no sense in saying anything to people either , because they think you are just one of those crazy green people and laugh about it.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

When shock chlorinating your well - recommended every year or so - you should run the chlorinated water away to soakaway somewhere via a hoserather than letting it go into the septic for that very reason.

As for the rest of your post - same thing happens here I'm afraid. Woods are full of dumped crap.:(

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Tried that already - although by knitted canoe rather than plane of course - but came back here anyway. I love this country but just really struggle with the careless attitude towards the environment and the priority given to exploiting natural resources with little thought as to the wider consequences. South west BC does seem like the most forward thinking part of the country in regards to environmental issues. I was hoping to find some of the same qualities in Nova Scotia but I'm not convinced that is the case. At least they seem to be holding back a bit on the natural gas stuff which is good.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Caledon has green pretentions:

http://www.town.caledon.on.ca/townha...nvironment.asp

though many people who live there commute to Toronto. In SUVs.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

We cant entirely blame governments for their failure to clean up the planet, we are all to blame.

We all demand cheap energy and in order to satisfy our needs we turn a blind eye to how it is provided as long as it is cheap and readily available.

So if you want to find a green place to live stay put and start by cleaning up your own space.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Agree completely Keith.

Also, my particular bugbear is that nobody in Canada seems to drink water from the tap. Plastic bottle use - for WATER!!! - is one of the biggest environmental sins of the past 10-15 years. And nobody seems to care.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Ireland and the UK are top of the list for bowel gas.
http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top...countries.html

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BC is always covered in a cloud of smug all year round from what i see. Self polluting hypocrites :thumbdown:

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Me too.

I don't understand the phenomenal increase in the consumption of bottled water in the last ten to fifteen years. It just defies logic.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

The whole of BC?

Incidentally, even exploration for oil and gas off the coast of northern BC is forbidden, even though it is a widely held belief there are substantial deposits there.

Big oil is trying to get the moratorium lifted. No luck for them so far.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

It's called slick marketing Steve.

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Why should BC be any different? It will happen eventually as long as we continue to turn up at the gas pumps.

But then we can always depend on Alberta and the Tar Sands to fill your tank.

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It won't last. The oil will be drilled eventually.

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From what i've seen, the smug cloud covers the entire province, with extra thickness over VI.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Next time I will try and read what you wrote, not what I thought you wrote.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

To be fair some of that is left over from when U2 played Vancouver.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

I thought that was Moncton.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Boner tends to leave his mark wherever he goes, so i read once.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

a poignant moment from their recent concert in Edmonton.

Bono, quietens the crowd, and then slowly and rythmically starts clapping.
about 30 seconds later, still clapping, he says "every time I clap my hands, a child in the third world dies"

Voice from the back

"Well stop f****g clapping then"

;)

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Echo what Alan says here, though I wonder whether the US is worse. Rewind the clock back to Copenhagen and you'll find that the US had a better engagement with that conference than Canada.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

I partly agree with this but one of the reasons I am moving is that modern life as we know it is particularly unsustainable up here in the Northwest Territories. The only way to live a low impact life in this part of the world would be to live in a log cabin and eat fish and bears. My wife is reluctant to embrace that lifestyle for some bizarre reason.

The part of your comment I disagree with though is that sometimes it's not possible to "clean up your own space". As I mentioned in my original post, I live downstream from a major source of nasty pollutants (allegedly of course) over which I have no control. My pitiful efforts at green living feel pretty worthless when our water is being poisoned (allegedly of course).

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Thats the problem right there (please don't take this a an insult because I for one am about as far from green as it's possible to get) - unless you are a full on member of the "crochet'd canoe" brigade - then living a green life proper is nigh on impossible.

Some try it and find it so difficult due to the conveniences they have known before - that they go back to more modern living whilst giving themselves a pat on the back for attempting to live greenly.

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I suppose it depends what you mean by "live greenly". If the objective is to reduce your impact on the planet then city living is the way to do it. Country living is all about the use of engines of one kind or another.

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If we all just did a little bit it would help, ie, dont use drive ins, park your car turn of the engine and get of your lazy butts and walk to get your crappy Tims. If Canada banned all drive ins it would save millions of liters daily.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

In NA a drive-in is for movies, Timmies have drive-thrus. You have about as much chance of that happening as flapping your arms and flying.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Those who like to get closer to nature by "glamping" in their RV's and trailers are pollutants.

Packaging for most items (food, electronics, furniture....) is terrible. Packaging within packaging within....such a waste.

Urban sprawl breeds waste and pollutants and is ****ing ugly

Spending $B's on increasing road infrastructure to allow higher vehicle usage instead of targeting more effective public transportation = bad

Large capacity engined everyday commuter vehicles = pollutants

I'd also say anybody immigrating into Canada is not helping with the green aspect either. More people = more housing = more road network = more... Therefore, all "green" immigrants are hypocrites :thumbup:

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Green isnt a place, its a code of personal behaviour isnt it?

I suppose things like recycling facilities and a choice of energy options helps, but its what you do that counts, not where you are.

I suppose you could fool yourself that you are living green by moving to some pristine wilderness, but if you drive a 4x4 and have to burn 2000 liters of heating oil a year to keep warm, and all your food has to be flown in, then its not all that green.


On the other hand if you stick to local produce and burn wood from sustainable sources instead then maybe its greener. But then that applies to living anywhere I guess.

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Please excuse my ignorance:o:o as I dont use either Tims nor drive thrus:unsure:
Infact when my wife drove into a drive thingy full of cars I got out and went inside, orderd just what I wanted went back out side ,ate it before wifey got served. She got really pissed at me, but now she stops and gets out aswell.:thumbup:

Re: "Greenest" part of Canada
 

Hahaha, I'll have to try that sometime, though imagine the girlfriend would have a similar unimpressed reaction :lol: