Going to hell, in a run-down honda civic

What is it about living in small towns that creates a perceived license to drive big rigs, leave your behemoth running while at the grocery store, and generally treat the earth like your personal garbage bin? I don't know, but whatever it is, it's contagious, and I think I may be coming down with it. I have driven the 1.5 km to work more times than I care to admit, accepted plastic bags at the grocery store, and generally shown the environment the backside of my departing honda at every opportunity. I drive the dogs to our favourite walking spot (the one closer to me is not as 'pretty'), and have been actively seeking out the purchase of a gas-guzzling, polar-bear killing truck to ferry me, bikes, skis, and people up logging roads.

Last winter on my first trip to Revelstoke, I watched a couple get out of their truck, leave it running, and go into the store to buy something. We stood there staring in disbelief as they came back outside, realized we were gauking at them, and promptly explained that the truck doesn't restart reliably, so they have to leave it on. This occurred not 15 minutes after explaining to German visitors that yes, Canadians really care about the environment.

I am writing this blog post in an attempt to declare my sins, and my intentions, to snap out of it. I am but a shadow of my former bike-riding, pannier-wearing, walk-to-work self. It really is fascinating how quickly my motivations changed. Suddenly I am surrounded by vast natural beauty and clean(ish) air, so the urgency of what we are doing to the earth is diminished.

Out of sight, out of mind.

P.S. For the record, Revelstoke is a lovely blend of rednecks, hippies, mountain men and woman, and assorted people for which no category exists.

Truly Shocking

Paul Martin said it, and now Sheila Fraser has as well. Canada needs to move, and move quickly, on Aboriginal issues across the country. As a developed, wealthy nation it is ‘truly shocking’, according to Fraser, that First Nations communities around the country continue to live in poor, substandard conditions. While other Canadians experience improvements in their quality of lives, many First Nation communities continue to live in conditions that rival third-world countries. Water sources are undrinkable, housing is overcrowded or condemned due to mold, and all manner of social services from education to health care are underfunded. Some schools operate with limited or no running water, and allocated education funding is less for Aboriginal children than is it for other Canadians. Quality housing is hard to come by, and many First Nation communities have a significant number of homes requiring major repairs in order to remain habitable. Some families continue to live in homes that have been condemned, simply because there is no other choice. With the median income just $11,000 on-reserve, many residents are unable to service the debt that comes with owning a home, so instead rely on rental or social housing.

In a country with one of the highest standards of living, why do we continue to permit this country’s first inhabitants to live without clean water and safe homes? Equally as important, how do we go about fixing it? Some suggest that until Canadians care more about what is happening and demand action from Ottawa, the status-quo will continue. Others critique that we are imposing outside ‘fixes’ on a unique nation, and not relying on their traditional knowledge to guide the way. Lastly, some contend that we have created a culture of handouts; crippling communities from helping themselves. International aid organizations know from experience that providing financial handouts simply prolongs poverty and need, and does not get to the root of problems.

The causes are complex and multifaceted, and so too are the solutions. We need to seek creative alternatives that build capacity for First Nation communities, supporting them to help themselves without substituting our will for theirs. Aboriginal peoples have culture, knowledge, and relationships with each other and with nature that need to be the foundations of their future path, not relegated to museums of the past.

If you know me, and you don't vote, we're no longer friends

I'm only kidding of course. But really, please do vote. I'd like to think that there is no moment in history when voting has been more important than now, but truthfully democracy has been and will continue to be one of the most important fundamental human rights. People all over the world are still fighting for it today, and as Rick Mercer cleverly pointed out, Canadians should be doing 'what young people all over the world are dying to do....vote'. You can watch Rick's Rant to young people of Canada here. Funniest man alive.

I posted a blog back in January on democracy and engaging with your vote, and discussed the ease with which we can now cast our ballet. Transportation is accessible, advanced voting is accommodating, and there are more polling stations than Starbucks. I also joked that 100 years ago they had to travel by camel, and was recently informed by one of my colleagues that actually, Canada did at one point have camels. Not indigenous mind you, but still, camels in Canada!

I rode the elevator to my office this morning, and on the fancy screen in the elevator news feed it said, 'Voter turnout expected to continue to decline'. Please help prove them wrong. May 2nd, 2011. Vote.

Plug into this great organization who is helping to engage voters, particularly youth, across the country. http://leadnow.ca/

Climate change needs IT, but at what cost?

cross post from ISIS blog

Mitigation strategies meant to address climate change often require new technologies, connectivity, and access to information in order to achieve their targets. Smart meters, smart grids, and energy efficiency buildings all rely heavily on information technology (IT) and communications as a means of reducing energy consumption and promoting or enabling energy conservation. Other mitigation strategies such as the dematerialization of goods and services (think e-books, e-services, and the proliferation of all things accessible through the web) also rely on IT, in particular the storage and computation of vast amounts of information. Facebook, Google, Amazon, and other IT players have many large data centres located around the globe providing continuous access to searching, information, and other online services (known as cloud computing). And by ‘large’, we mean ‘tremendously huge’. Apple’s new data centre, iDataCenter, is expected to use as much power as 80,000 US homes.

This shift towards the digital or information age enables a reduction in materials and resources, but consequently drives up the need for data centres and the energy required to operate them. A report released on Earth Day by Greenpeace describes the data centre as the factory of the century. In the same way that offshore manufacturing of goods has offloaded GHG emissions to developing countries, so too are individuals and businesses shifting GHG emissions to the cloud. The only way to ensure that there is a net reduction in GHG emissions from all sources is to ensure that data centres are supplied by renewable energy. As we noted in a previous blog, energy efficiency programs are not enough to secure a low-carbon future. Data centres must therefore be located near available sources of renewable energy to ensure that the energy consumed is clean, even as demand grows.

Coveted User

Data centres are an energy utility’s best friend; that is, if you are a coal powered or nuclear plant. Data centres consume a nearly constant supply of energy, creating the predictable 24/7 baseload that these plants desire. Traditionally data centre site selection, or ‘siting’, is evaluated based on three main criteria:

1. Reliable, low-cost source of power
2. Reliable telecommunications infrastructure with sufficient capacity
3. Minimal risks such as earthquakes, floods, civil unrest, etc

As such, energy utilities and the regions that house them offer data centres large tax incentives to build infrastructure investments in their region, creating a compelling financial case. Greenpeace’s report makes the strong case for including additional criteria when evaluating potential sites, in an effort to shift data centre construction to low-carbon regions:

1. Availability of and proximity to renewable energy sources; located away from coal and nuclear plants
2. Carbon shadow pricing

Data centre owners have the unique opportunity to spur new demand for renewable energy and shift policies both regionally and nationally. Data centres the size of Apple’s iDataCenter can force the issue, demonstrate leadership, and create investments in renewable energy sources. Just last year, Google created a subsidiary, Google Energy, that can buy and sell electricity, effectively allowing Google to act as it’s own energy utility. Google has since invested $100 Million in a joint venture to build a wind farm in Oregon, and last year signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with a wind farm in Iowa . The electricity will not be used in their data centre; instead Google will resell the electricity and retire the renewable energy credits.

Welcome to Canada

It just so happens that many areas of Canada, notably certain regions of British Columbia and Quebec, meet the criteria outlined above. Renewable energy is abundant, telecommunication lines runs east-west across the country, and Canada is a safe place to invest. Canada, in particular British Columbia, has an opportunity to leverage the report published by Greenpeace and advocate for the location of data centres in regions such as BC, where renewable energy sources are abundant. ISIS has recently produced a similar report (link) discussing the opportunities of creating carbon neutral data centres through proper siting and the use of direct or indirect investments in renewable energy (RECs or green premiums).

Do we really have an impact?

I have been shirking my blogging duties lately, partly because it becomes exactly that, a sense of duty. I have realized that I don't like to blog about timelines and day-by-day happenings. I'd rather be inspired by something, have an opinion, and write about it.

To wrap up the travel portion of this blog, I spent another couple days in Luang Prabang where we did some touristy things including visiting a beautiful waterfall, ate at some incredible restaurants, shopped at the night market, and (surprise) ate more food. We also watch the morning alms at 6am, as monks gather food from the locals along the main street. I opted to cut short my trip and fly home from Luang Prabang, but went out for a farewell morning ride with everyone. It was a rainy and very wet ride, and I turned around at about the 20km to ride back into town, as I still had to track down a bike box and disassemble my bike. The rest of the group had a very big day ahead of them, including 2000m climb and 70 km in the pouring rain. Sounds like fun. I've been informed that it has rained every day since I left...a sign if there ever was one. I definitely miss the carefree and zero-stress feel of Laos, and also 'team punishment'.

I'm back in Vancouver now, and officially declare that jet lag is the devil. I also have a renewed sense of gratitude for being born and living in such a great place. Lastly, I wonder how we are going to make a difference in the world, while large swaths of the population are concerned with other issues such as making a living, surviving, and getting by.

Surprise, we're here!

Did I mention yet that I love Laos? It really is an amazing country. I could find myself a hammock and stay for a very long time. The day before yesterday was a well-deserved rest day, which I spent almost entirely in a horizontal position on the hammock, reading, eating, and dozing. Banana pancakes with chocolate sauce, coconut shakes, and vegetables and cashews. Delicious. We were in Nong Khiaw, a town 150 km from the old capital city, Luang Prabang. B and I did get out for a little while when we went to check out some caves a few km outside of town that were used by the villages during the IndoChina war.

Yesterday we were meant to cycle about 40km, part way to Luang Prabang. However when we made it to our 'destination' before 10:30 am, we decided to push on all the way to Luang Prabang, another 110 km. We were only able to do this because the road was flat, paved, and it was slightly overcast which took some of the bite out of the sun's heat. It was still quite hot though and a few of us ended up with heat rashes all over our body. We drafted each other almost the entire way, which has its benefits and drawbacks. The upside; it's much easier. The downside; I can describe in intimate detail the look and colour of Monica and Peter's back tires. I wasn't able to look around much since I was concentrating on not running into them.

Today for breakfast I ate more banana pancakes ( I think I might actually be pancaked-out), then visited some of the many temples around the city, spent the afternoon in the shade (you sweat in the shade while doing nothing), and had a massage at the Red Cross in town. They train local students to do massages, which provides employment and also some funds for local Red Cross programs. While we were at the wat (temple) some of the monks were chanting, which is an experience like no other. I'd like to find that again before we leave.

Laos

I cannot think of anything witty or insightful to say about Laos. I am still in shock at the vast differences between it and Vietnam. Immediately upon crossing the border, everything feels different. The pace of life is slower, people seem happier, and best of all, there is no incessent horn honking. It is a much needed relief for the senses.

We were up very early the other morning to catch our truck to cross into Laos. The truck driver dropped us and our bikes off on the Vietnamese side of the border, a 35km climb up to the top of a mountain pass. It was without a doubt the best decision we made. The road is heavily used by construction trucks and trucks carrying rocks from the quarry. Navigating the trucks and a long uphill would have been less than ideal. Okay, it would have sucked. We crossed into Laos without much excitment, and immediately the terrain changed. The road was dirt, sometimes loose dust, for an entire 70 km of climbing and descending. We arrived to our first town, Muang Khoa, completely covered in red/brown dust. Laos has a significantly smaller population (8 M vs 85 M) so we see far fewer people and towns, and often went an hour or more without being pased by a scooter or truck (such a treat). My favourite moment on our first day in Laos was stopping for a break on a rather large hill, finding some shelter to hang out under, and was greeted by two boys on their way to go fishing. We shared some cookies and they showed me how to work their fishing spears.

While in Muang Khoa, we ran into some other bikers who are from, of all places, Vancouver, and went out for dinner with them to exchange knowledge. They told us of some hot springs we will bike by, so we'll be sure to check those out. The road from here is also paved the entire way, so it sounds like our 'adventure' portion of the trip is done. Civilived pavement from here on out.

Yesterday we took a boat along with some other tourists and locals down the Nam Ou river to the next town, Nong Khiaw. The ride is quite cramped, and seats consist of planks of wood, but it was a lot of fun and gives you lots of time to bond with everyone (5 hours to be exact). It's fairly touristy, but the peace, quiet, and simplicity of life more than make up for the fact every restaurant is comprised almost entirely of westerners. Oh yes, and the food is utterly outstanding. We are staying in a bamboo hut, complete with a squat toilet and a tap for a shower. Very primitive but it turns out you don't need much to live here. Just a book, a hammoc, and some free time.