Terra Trip News

SOIL : The Secret Solution to Global Warming

2007-06-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

The new online video SOIL: The Secret Solution to Global Warming (22 minutes) addresses the number one and number two concerns of citizens: It can be executed at no extra cost, could lead to significant health care savings and provides industry with time to reduce their greenhouse emissions.

In the video, Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser makes the case: shifting existing subsidies to sustainable organic farming practices could offset greenhouse emissions 10% to 20% by annually sequester millions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere by storing more carbon in the soil. (597 million for the USA, 152 million for Canada and 56 million for the UK)

Percy Schmeiser is a Saskatchewan canola farmer who was charged with patent infringement by Monsanto in 1997 and brought it all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. In October of 2000, Schmeiser received the Mahatma Gandhi Award for working for the good of mankind in a non-violent way.

A 23-year comparable study by the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania clearly demonstrates that land farmed organically through methods like no till and winter cover crops, absorb 30% more CO2 than conventionally farmed land. This translates to a decrease of 1.8 metric tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere per acre of land converted to organic farming methods. In turn the extra carbon in the soil increases food nutrients, which could reduce healthcare costs by billions.

According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, healthier diets could prevent at least $71 billion per year in medical costs, lost productivity and lost lives.

SOIL: The Secret Solution to Global Warming can be watched here at Quantum Shift TV, a Canadian web-based television network who has proposed a government policy that could reduce greenhouse emissions by 10% to 20%.

If you agree with the content of the video and want to do something about global warming and the quality of life of future generations, please take time to vote on policy proposal via online poll at Quantum Shift TV.

For those interested in learning more about the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade, I strongly recommend viewing the documentaries The Future of Food.

Get Naturally High at Whistler Wellness

2007-05-07T11:21:00.001-07:00

Whistler gets "Naturally High" at the opening reception of Whistler Wellness Week last Saturday.

Whistler Wellness Week will Showcase an Incredible Collection of Wellness

2007-05-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Whistler Wellness Week from May 5 to May 13th will be a 10 day festival offering many of the wonderful wellness opportunities. This is the 2nd year of Whistler Wellness Week and 4th year of the Wellness Fair.

The organizers of Wellness Week and the Wellness Fair have again joined forces. The informative Wellness Fair will be held this year at the Whistler Telus Conference Centre on Saturday May 12th.

Whistler wellness encompasses many traditional practices and will also profile a collection of innovative and specialized wellness therapies. From our traditional recreational products such as skiing, snowboarding, golf and mountain biking to varied unique therapies and spiritual practices the diversity makes Whistler a wonderful wellness destination. Darlene Samer of Whistler Wellness comments that “This year’s version of Whistler Wellness Week will enhance the profile of local business and will also offer a selection of activities from wellness specialists outside of Whistler.”

“The support from the wellness community in first year was incredible and began to build a foundation that will help us grow and build on our vision as North America’s premier wellness festival” states co-founder of Whistler Wellness, Glenn Iles.

Whistler Wellness Week was created to help build awareness of the incredible variety of wellness offerings within our mountain community and to offer a variety of unique and interesting wellness opportunities to both visitors and locals during the week.

For more information visit Whistler Wellness at www.whistlerwellness.com

Get inspired by an artistic evening on Earth Day with Hilltrip

2007-04-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

Building on the momentum of Step it Up series, Hilltrip is happy to invite the community to come to the sixth and final Step it Up event at MAXX FISH, nicely coordinated to happen on Earth Day. Celebrated every April 22, Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. First launched as an environmental awareness event in the United States in 1970, Earth Day is celebrated as the birth of the environmental movement and is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities.

For Step it Up no6, Hilltrip is presenting an Expression Session including Kostaman & The Vibrations opening at 7pm sharp, followed by a slate of local artists including Angie Nolan with poems, MollyFi with spoken words, Daniel Poisson and Chris Dyer with visual art, Chili Thom & Feet Banks with “High in the Mountain”, Animal Nation with a few raps, John Parris with a few mixes and more.

At 10pm, the winners for the Earth Raffle will be draw. Everybody attending the Expression Session will have a chance to enter the raffle to win one of the grand prizes by writing their name at the back of a Step it Up flyer and dropping it off at the Surfrider table during the session. All the ballots collected trough the whole series will be included in the raffle, so people who entered at previous Step it Up sessions will have their chances to win. Prizes include a 3-day Surf Experience Expedition sponsored by Deep Snow & Surf Experience, an Option snowboard, a pair of SPY goggle, O’Neill goodies among other.

After 10pm, Rainbo and Lexi Moon will perform hula hoops go-go dances to the sound of DJ Jamie Vale.

Also on the sensory extravaganza menu is Martinis at Midnight offering the ‘Oxymoron’ martini, a martini with a healthy twist containing FrequenSea, a unique ‘Superfood’ discovery containing all of Mother Nature’s essential nutrients. This martini has so much good stuff in it that it will relieve all the guilt of consuming alcohol.

“There are so many good messages from artistic expressions; and art is also a powerful catalyst for change. This event is going to be Hilltrip’s 3rd Earth Day event in Whistler and I hope to inspire people to be part of the solutions and care for our planet thought different art forms” says Marie Fortin, event organizer. “April 22 is the last day of the TWSSF, so this last Step it Up event will be like a cleansing evening for the body and the soul and a great way to close the festival and the series in beauty.”

Admission is a $10 donation and includes a free Cool Tag from Clif Bar and a beer from Whistler Brewing Company. A Cool Tag™ is a renewable wind energy credit that will keep an estimated 300 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) — the main contributor to global warming — out of the air. That’s roughly the same as neutralizing the global warming emissions generated from traveling 300 miles (more than 480 kms) in the average car.

As with every Step it Up event, proceed will support the Snowrider Project, a campaign of the Surfrider Foundation, which aims to bring greater understanding of the hydrological cycle and foster a sense of stewardship towards alpine and valley watersheds. One major initiative for Snowrider is organizing local mountain clean-ups in spring after the snow melts to pick up garbage haphazardly littered during the season by skiers and boarders.

Thanks to Clif Bar, Whistler Brewing Company, O’Neill, Option Snowboards, Spy. Deep Snow & Surf Experience and Maxx Fish for their support on the Step it Up series.

For more info visit www.hilltrip.com

Take Action on Global Waming

2007-01-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Write to your MP to ask him/her to take action on climate change now. Just copy our format letter to your email, add your name and send it.

Click here for our Format Letter to fight Global Warming here >>

Click here to get the email of your MP >>

Will Environmental Policy Shift with New Minister?

2007-01-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

With the appointment of John Baird as environment minister on January 4th, the Conservative government has a new opportunity to deliver regulations and programs that protect Canada’s ecosystems and meet our international obligations says Sierra Club of Canada.

“John Baird is no environmentalist but he is an experienced cabinet minister. Still, he cannot succeed in the difficult environment portfolio unless he has a clear mandate to act from Prime Minister Stephen Harper,” said Stephen Hazell, executive director of Sierra Club of Canada.

The Prime Minister’s mandate to Minister Baird and other ministers regarding Climate Change must include:
• Recommitting to meeting Canada’s Kyoto targets and redeeming Canada’s international reputation;
• Accelerating issuance of regulations that reduce industrial emissions of greenhouse gases and drive innovations in energy efficiency;
• Eliminating the $1.5billion in annual subsidies to the oil and gas sector; and
• Regulating California vehicle emissions standards.

“This is an opportunity for the government to show real commitment to meeting its obligation to enforce the Species at Risk Act,” said Jean Langlois, national campaigns director of Sierra Club of Canada.

The Prime Minister’s mandate to Minister Baird and other ministers regarding Species at Risk must include:
• Keeping politics out of the listing of species at risk in Canada, which must be based on science;
• Ensuring that recovery strategies identify the habitat that species need; and
• Taking effective action to protect habitat.

Sierra Club of Canada hopes this Minister will bring a spirit of cooperation and consultation with all Canadians, and a commitment to halt human-caused climate change and loss of biodiversity.

Posting from The Sierra Club of Canada Press Released on January 4th, 2007.

Have a GREEN Christmas Holiday and a Happy New Year!

2006-12-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

During the year, Canadians generate more waste per capita than any other country in the world, with a significant increase during the holiday season.

It is known that our choices have the biggest impact on the environment in 3 areas: transportation, energy use and food choices. Christmas is time for excess – more traveling, more consuming and more eating. For the occasion, Hilltrip thought educating people about how making informed choices during the holiday season could reduce their environmental footprint and be good for their own body environment by organizing a Sustainable Food Session in Whistler on December 22^nd. The session covered the concepts of SLOW food, RAW food and SUPER food and there was a slide show to give ideas to people on how they can green their holidays. Those ideas have been posted bellow so that YOU too can learn about how you can GREEN Christmas Holiday and a Happy New Year!

GREEN Gift Ideas
• Give gift certificates such as dinner out, massage, yoga, movie passes and theatre tickets
• Donate in somebody’s name to a local charity or non-profit
• Adopt an animal or a wild space though the World Wildlife Fund
• Make your own gifts from the kitchen such as cookies in reusable containers
• Make you own crafty gifts such as pictures frames, necklaces or beanies

Change your Buying Behaviors
• Buy less! Pick names this year instead of buying for everyone on your list
• Buy used, buy secondhand , buy recycled
• Buy local…food that has traveled less is fresher, tastier and contribute less to global warming.

Wrapping it Up
• Wrap your gifts in reused gift bags, newspaper, towels, or cloth bags instead of gift wrap...it’s the intention that counts right!?!
• If you buy wrapping paper, make sure it’s made of post-consumer paper

GREEN Decorating
• Use LED Christmas lights
• Use material that can be composted
• Make your own wreathes of tree branches and pinecones

Planning Ahead
• Plan your shopping trips…drive less and fight global warming.
• When traveling, take the bus, organize car pooling and use a fuel-efficient car…offset the emissions you produce by buying carbon credits.
• Plan your menu to avoid leftovers that end up in the garbage.

Food Choices
• Informed food choices can be a good way to reduce your impact during Christmas and throughout your entire life
• Buy locally and buy organic
• Cut back on meat
• Compost your organic waste
• Learn about SLOW, RAW and SUPER foods.

Resources:
www.slowfood.com
www.slowfood.ca
www.winningteamsolutions.com
www.hilltrip.com

For more info on Hilltrip’s Sustainable Food Session please read the Press Release by clicking here.

Roll-N-Green at Nedfest 2006

2006-11-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

Lately, I was part of the Nedfest 2006 for the Roll-N-Green visual production. We attached the biodiesel program to it because there’s different way to Roll-N-Green, especially in boulder. Support the farmer and explain to people that the can make there own difference......because actions speak louder than words!

Biodiesel FYI

A 1998 biodiesel lifecycle study, jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Agriculture, concluded biodiesel reduces net CO2 emissions by 78% compared to petroleum diesel. This is due to biodiesel’s closed carbon cycle. The CO2 released into the atmosphere when biodiesel is burned is recycled by growing plants, witch are later processed into fuel.

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirement of the clean air act. I found biodiesel here in Fort Collins in two different stations. They had been in operation for the last 3 years and they just opened a new one in Boulder, Colorado.

Using biodiesel reduces carbon monoxide, lifecycle carbon dioxide, ozone-forming-hydrocarbons, acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide and hazardous diesel particulates.

Kate

Note: This post is part of Hilltrip.com’s Carbon Offset Program, which helped Kathleen Marcotte convert her car to run on biodiesel to travel south of Whistler and than back to Quebec. While traveling Kate wrote stories about her biodiesel experience and they are now available here on TerraTrip.org’s blog for everyone to read.

Cooking the Fuel in the Rockies

2006-11-09T22:37:00.000-08:00

Aug 10

I am now in Colorado in a Rancho by the Colorado River and I work for a rafting company doing shuttles. I’m loving it! It’s like a big family and I get to go in the water everyday on a kayak or a ducky. So I am now stuck in the middle of the Rockies until the season is over because they trained me and I have to work. My car is doing better. It broke down in Sin City. It was too hot and crazy for me, so here I am. I have no access to a computer nearby to write some stories for you. The nearest town is 45 min away. But don’t worry; I am still cooking my fuel so it’s biodiesel all the way!

Kate

Note: This post is part of Hilltrip.com’s Carbon Offset Program, which helped Kathleen Marcotte convert her car to run on biodiesel to travel south of Whistler and than back to Quebec. While traveling Kate wrote stories about her biodiesel experience and they are now available here on TerraTrip.org’s blog for everyone to read.

Thirsty of Biodiesel in Hollywood

2006-10-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

July 16

What a great project. I am running with 100% biodiesel since Seattle and I am now in Hollywood. Mission accomplished for now. There is a biodiesel in Ventura, that’s where the Vans Warped Tour 06 is and here I am staying in the same house as the drummer of Sum 41.

It’s really nice to be here, especially that my car almost died in front of the house. It’s too hot right now and my car started over heating. Lucky me in my bad luck, when trying to fix my fan, a car pulled beside me and 2 mechanics started helping me. We borrowed tools from a shop not so far from where I was stuck and we tried to figure it out until the sun went down. We had no success on that day. Finally, a miracle, my car came back to life again and thirsty of biodiesel.

After all those adventures in the last few days, I finally got to go to Venice and hang out a bit. Surfing time and boogie board time. I had to give up surfing… ohhhh what a mission.

It’s already been a week and a half since I got here and I don’t want to leave. I love it here; rollerblading, the ocean front walk everyday, the waves... I feel like a little kid.

Before I leave the ocean, I’ll fill up again in Ventura and get ready to hit Vegas.

I love the beach!

Kate

Note: This post is part of Hilltrip.com’s Carbon Offset Program, which helped Kathleen Marcotte convert her car to run on biodiesel to travel south of Whistler and than back to Quebec. While traveling Kate wrote stories about her biodiesel experience and they are now available here on TerraTrip.org’s blog for everyone to read.

Biodiesel by the Bucket is Greasy

2006-10-18T00:36:00.000-07:00

July 3

When I left Seattle, I went all the way up the peninsula to see the Olympic National Park with more than a tank of bio-diesel...tanks to Dr Dan. Lucky me, I was good until I got to California. Oregon was nice but there is not much to do there. Beaches and rock, that’s about it.

On the 101 south, somewhere in the centre of California, just before Berkeley, a beautiful little pump by herself was sitting there. I was able to fill up the tank with biodiesel with 70% less greenhouse gasses, 55% less particulate, 55% less hydrocarbon, 80-90% less mutogenicity and 100% less sulfur.

I finally got to San Francisco, just beside Berkeley, a hippies town! I had a really good time there. People are really mellow there. I found a special station of bio diesel that’s open 4-8pm Monday to Saturday. Those hippies really take life an easy way. What a nice life.

So after filling up, I drove strait to San Luis Obispo, the next stop with biodiesel. Lucky me, it was the 4th of July and right beside the biodiesel station, I found a little beach called Pirate Cove, where clothes are optional. It’s so rare in America to find that type of beaches that I decided to hang out there for a little while until the station that was just opening were ready with there pumps of biodiesel. They had just official opened their new pumps but I had to wait 2 hours because of a computer problem.

So I ended up buying my biodiesel by the bucket. I enjoyed a lot this town but when it’s time to go, it’s time to go. You should have seen me making a mess everywhere around me trying to keep the fuel in the funnel. I couldn’t even take a picture because I was to greasy.

This is how I found my fuel everywhere I go now:
http://afdcmap2.nrel.gov/locator/findpane.asp

Go look at it, it’s an amazing site!

Kate

Note: This post is part of Hilltrip.com’s Carbon Offset Program, which helped Kathleen Marcotte convert her car to run on biodiesel to travel south of Whistler and than back to Quebec. While traveling Kate wrote stories about her biodiesel experience and they are now available here on TerraTrip.org’s blog for everyone to read.

Finding Dr Dans Alternative Fuel Werks

2006-10-13T01:30:00.001-07:00

July 2

First Biodiesel at the Pump

On my way to find bio-diesel, a little Jetta 03 pulled in front of me and with a big surprise a biodiesel sticker was on the trunk so I started following the guy around to ask his some questions and made it.

Ryan Daudestel is a student in Engineering that believes in a sustainable relationship with his car, the environment and the economy. So he gave me direction to go meet Dr Dan, someone who has biodiesel at the pump!

Dr Dan (Dan Freeman) is a man with a lot of knowledge. He explained to me in details why sediments and junk clog my fuel filter. Diesel is considered as high sulfur in it. So when you switch to biodiesel who is considered as ultra low sulfur diesel, it has a solvent effect so that’s why it’s moving out sediments out of my tank to my fuel filter.

Because of the high sulfur in diesel, there’s apparently a law stating that there will be no more diesel car made by 2007. The Environment Protection Agency says that the petrol diesel is not clean enough anymore for the environment. It causes acid rain! In 1977 the law decided no more lead gasoline will be produce because it caused brain damage…well now it’s I think it’s time for petrol diesel to move on to biodiesel.

Dan Freeman opened his alternative fuel werks 5 years ago. His bio-diesel fuel comes from a farmers’ owned coop in Ohio. They make it from Soya been oil. An average, Dan has 3,500 people coming to his garage to fill up there tank.

Dr Dan Alternative Fuel Werks
912 NW 50 Ballard, Washington
206-783-5782
http://www.fuelwerks.com/

Biodiesel is:
-Non toxic
-Biodegradable
-100% renewable and domestic
-Reduce greenhouse emission
-Support local farming communities

Kate

Note: This post is part of Hilltrip.com’s Carbon Offset Program, which helped Kathleen Marcotte convert her car to run on biodiesel to travel south of Whistler and than back to Quebec. While traveling Kate wrote stories about her biodiesel experience and they are now available here on TerraTrip.org’s blog for everyone to read.

Biodiesel Batch and Party Bash

2006-10-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

June 2006 - Getting Ready

Biodiesel Batch & Party Bash

Just before I left whistler I made and other batch at Marie’s place, founder of Hilltrip. The complete process was a success but really interesting to smell. After we found the right amount of lye and methanol for 1 liter of waste oil, we where ready to mix it together. The oil started bubbling and getting thicker with and unreal stinky smell. Because I don’t have a blender to mix it properly for 30 min I had to stir it for and hour and a half by hand. It look like mayonnaise for a little bit and after, I put some in an empty bottle, so when it settle down you can see if this batch is a success and it’s easier to separate the oil you need for the car.

I feel that my biodiesel is thicker than regular diesel so I am doing a blend, I have 10 liters of biodiesel right now mixed with 40 liter of regular diesel and I am not sure yet but I think it make my car run longer, more kilometers with a full tank. Maybe it’s because the biodiesel is thicker!?! Well it’s just the beginning of the process…more is coming up!

EnviroFest

On June 10 we had a fundraiser at the Savage Beagle for the EnviroFest After Party supporting Hilltrip and its carbon offset program, witch is what is supporting my trip! The experience happened on the night of the full moon party. It was for me the last night I was able to enjoy all of my Whistler friends. Thanks to Marie who took a lot of her free time to organize an event full of surprise for everyone.

On this beautiful night full of stars in the sky I enjoyed the rhythm of DJ Phroh who made all of us groove to jungle music. You can enjoy the picture of the party on www.solartribe.ca. The energy of this special night was unforgettable for me. Thank for all of you who make it happen.

Sailing Trip

On the following week-end Nadine and Camas brought me to Gambier island to enjoy the weather on there sailboat. What an experience full of emotion. Being on the water give you that feeling of freedom where stress stay on the shore. We stopped at a catholic camp where we met some amazing staff who let me camp on there land after we realize we didn’t have enough bed for everyone on the boat!

Kate

Note: This post is part of Hilltrip.com’s Carbon Offset Program, which helped Kathleen Marcotte convert her car to run on biodiesel to travel south of Whistler and than back to Quebec. While traveling Kate wrote stories about her biodiesel experience and they are now available here on TerraTrip.org’s blog for everyone to read.

Making Biodiesel: An Adventure Itself

2006-09-09T00:11:00.000-07:00

Early June

My first batch of bio-diesel from waste oil was really interesting but dangerous. I took some oil from Samurai Sushi in Whistler and I went with my friend Shawn in the day lot parking to experiment the humidity factor.
When we weighted the amount of lye we needed in a liter of oil we have to be quick because the humidity make the lye stick together and it burns the plastic container that we put it in. I was surprise about it cause I taught the lye get hot only when it’s mixed with the methanol. So before I have time to mix both together the police show up to ask me a bunch of question about what I am cooking and because of the time I took to explain my project, my lye started taking the humidity and stick together so I had to wait and do other batch. But when I started to weight the other batch we realized that at the first time we had way too much lye for the methanol and if we had mixed both together I might have exploded! I was really lucky in my bad luck.

Kate

Public Doesn't Understand Global Warming

2006-08-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Posting from David Suzuki Foundation

Have you ever been to a focus group? They're very odd. Often used in marketing research, these small selections of randomly chosen people are brought together as a sampling of public opinion to gauge how folks feel about a particular product or issue.

Recently, my foundation conducted a focus group about global warming to see where people are at in their understanding of this complex and challenging problem. The results? Let's just say they were disconcerting, to say the least.

Simply put, most people don't have a clue. The majority felt that global warming was a very important problem and they were quite concerned about it. But when pressed as to why it was a problem or what caused the problem, all heck broke loose.

Apparently, according to the average Joe, global warming is happening because we've created a hole in the ozone layer, allowing the sun's rays to enter the atmosphere and heat up the earth - or something like that. The cause of the problem is cars, or airplanes, or aerosol cans. No one really knows for sure.

This is really quite remarkable. I would have thought that such confused understandings of the issue would have been commonplace five or six years ago, but with global warming being in newspapers on practically a daily basis this spring, on the front cover of magazines, in theatres (An Inconvenient Truth), and a hot political issue as well, surely people would get it by now.
Apparently I was wrong. People don't get it. This is a big problem, because if people don't get it, then they don't really care, so politicians and CEOs don't really care, and status quo rules the day. And blindly we march into the sunset.

But while science magazines are all talking about carbon sequestration and climate-forcing mechanisms, the average person is still trying to decipher the nature of the problem itself. True, few citizens need to understand the complicated nuances of atmospheric science or the various mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, but people cannot care about things they do not understand. If our leaders are to take the issue seriously, the public must have at least a basic understanding of it.

So, to clarify - the ozone layer is a part of the atmosphere way up high that helps shield the earth from the sun's most harmful rays. A couple of decades ago, scientists realized that some of the chemicals we were using in our industries and homes were finding their way into the upper atmosphere, reacting with the ozone and destroying it. Scientists were concerned that if this continued, it would thin the vital protective layer, leading to increased skin cancers and crop damage. They sounded the alarm bell, the international community responded with the Montreal Protocol to phase out ozone-depleting substances, and today the ozone layer is gradually healing itself.

Global warming is a quite different phenomenon. Again, it's a human-made problem, but this time it's due to the heat-trapping gases we are putting into the atmosphere from our industries, cars and homes. These gases act like a blanket, keeping more heat near the earth's surface. More heat also means more energy in the atmosphere, which means more frequent or severe extreme weather events like droughts, storms and floods.

With each new piece of research, the expected effects of global warming become clearer, more urgent and more disturbing. Scientists say this will be one of the biggest challenges humanity will face this century. Right now we are not tackling the issue fast enough or direct enough to escape the most severe consequence.

So if you understand what global warming is, and what it isn't, please tell your friends. Please speak up and help ensure that we don't continue to grope blindly into the future, searching in the darkness for a light switch. Because at this rate, by the time we finally reach it, it may no longer work.

Protect BC's Parks

2006-08-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Provided by

Day of Action Launched to Protest Privatization of BC’s Parks

A protest against privatization and industrial development in provincial parks will be launched tomorrow (August 19th) by 11 conservation organizations. The protests will occur at 11 provincial parks in the Lower Mainland, on Vancouver Island and in the Interior of British Columbia.

AWARE will be at Brandywine Falls Provincial Park all day to discuss the immediate concerns that BC's Parks face, as well as gathering signatures for a petition to save BC's parks from privatization and industrial development.
PLEASE join us in protecting our national treasures, sign the petition, learn more about the issues and what you as an individual can do to protect our parks, or just come for a great hike to a fantastic waterfall.

Protect BC's Parks

There are over 800 parks, protected areas and ecological reserves in British Columbia covering nearly 13% of the province's landbase - almost 12 million hectares. Most of the protected areas are dominated by rock and ice landscapes, ancient rainforest do not have as much protection. Only 6% of BC's ancient temperate rainforest is in the protected areas reserves, while today BC accounts for about one-fourth of the world's remaining ancient rainforest. B.C has the greatest diversity of all the states, provinces and territories in North America, yet more than 50% of BC 73 eco-regions has less than on half of 1% of their areas protected.

Over 20 million people visit BC’s parks annually. In 1999, the last year the BC government publicly tracked the economic benefits of provincial parks, almost $500 million was generated by our provincial protected areas system. This amount is over six times the operating budget of BC Parks, the provincial agency responsible for parks and protected areas.

BC parks generate $10 for every $1 the government invests in our protected area system. According to a household survey conducted by the BC government in 2002, over 80% of those polled said parks are important because they protect natural environments and wildlife. Just over 50% of BC residents visit provincial parks on a yearly basis and over 90% have visited a park at some time.

While BC's parks system has doubled in number and area, the budget for BC Parks has remained relatively constant since 1993. There has actually been a 30% decrease in the parks' budget over the past four years. Although the size of the protected areas systems was considerably smaller ten years ago than it is today, the 2005-06 operating budget for BC Parks was just $28 million, 19% lower than in 1996. Additionally, parks today receive under
$2.63 per hectare in operating funds compared to $4.12 per hectare in 1996, even though currently, each hectare contribute $45 each year to our Gross Domestic Product.

Despite the overwhelming public support of the BC Parks, they face a multitude of critical issues, including commercial logging within park boundaries, a weakened Parks Act, and changing park boundaries to allow for industrial development. Government-funded park interpretive programs and the highly successful Park Extension Program, which coordinated park volunteers, have been disbanded and there have been massive lay-offs of park rangers, biologists and field staff. Today, BC and Mississippi are the only jurisdictions in Canada and the United States with no government-funded park interpretation programs. Campgrounds have closed, garbage pickup discontinued, water taps and pit toilets shut down and parking meters introduced in 41 popular parks.

Park Lodge Strategy
In the fall of 2003 the provincial government introduced the Parks and Protected Areas Statutes Amendment Act. The Minister of the Environment, Barry Penner, launched the Park Lodge Strategy by announcing that he would be issuing requests for proposals for the development of roofed accommodations in 12 parks. An immediate concern is that parks be maintained in perpetuity and that they not be sold, commercialized or privatized. Lodges should be restricted to gateway communities, outside park boundaries, and they should not be allowed in wilderness areas.

The Strategy is controversial because it allows private-for-profit development within park boundaries, has proceeded without public consultation, encourages expansion of private facilities, permits helicopter and float plane traffic and allows foreign multinationals to develop in BC Parks. Freedom of information documents show that the BC Park Lodge Strategy also includes provisions for "major resorts" within park boundaries. According to the government documents resorts of this scale typically "include pools, tennis courts, ski hills and/or golf courses." The documents also refer to "high end" facilities with up to 100 beds and staff housing.
User Pay Schemes
In 2003 the provincial government introduced parking meters for the first time in provincial parks. Originally, 27 popular parks in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island had meters installed. In 2004 the total meters in parks expanded to 41 by the government, with another 14 parks in the Okanagan. Immediately, visits fell by 20% in the first year of operation, resulting in over a million fewer visits to 14 Lower Mainland parks with parking meters. In addition, government documents show the meters missed revenue targets by 80%.

Staff Cuts
In 2001 the provincial government cut the BC Parks budget and staff by almost 30%. In 2000 there were 384 full time employees working for BC Parks, today there are just 177. 319 of 489 Ministry of Forests recreation trails will no longer be maintained. Although the provincial government restored funding for up to 25 seasonal park rangers in 2005, even with that increase the number of park rangers is below 2001 levels. There will be a 34% cut to BC Parks staffing (63 jobs) over the next three years.
This will eventually result in about one field staff person for every 7 to 8 parks.

Logging/Mining
Logging in parks has been implemented by Barry Penner, Minister of Environment, to stop wildfires and the spread of the mountain pine beetle, however intense reforestation and fire suppression have resulted in over-crowded stands of trees that compete for scarce nutrients, water and light which weakens the fir defences. The present outbreak is caused by warmer winters, misguided forest harvesting practices and fire mismanagement. The solution is allowing natural systems to prevail, prescribed burning, and tree thinning, piling and burning on site.

If you don't like these changes to BC's parks, please contact BC’s Premier, your local representative, and call, post, or email them with your concerns for BC's Parks.

Premier Gordon Campbell
Legislative Buildings
Victoria, BC, V8V 1X4
Email: premier@gov.bc.ca
Phone:(250) 387-1187
Fax: (250) 387-0087

Honourable Barry Penner
Minister of the Environment
PO Box 9047, Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC, V8W 9E2
Email: env.minister@gov.bc.ca
Phone:(250) 387-1715
Fax: (250) 387-1356

Honourable Bill Barisoff,
Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection Room 151 Parliament Buildings PO Box 9041 STN PROV GOVT Victoria, BC V8W 9E1
Phone: 250 356-6611
Fax: 250 356-8294
bill.barisoff.mla@leg.bc.ca

**********************************************************************
Sources:
BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Annual Report, 1996.
BC Ministry of Environment, "Survey on the Importance of Nature to
Canadians: A Federal-Provincial-Territorial Initiative" January 8, 2003 BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, "The Economic Benefits of British Columbia’s Provincial Parks" Special Report, September 2001 BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, "Planning Future Direction for BC Parks: BC Residents’ Views" Special Report, April 2002 p. 3 BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, "Planning Future Direction for BC Parks: BC Residents’ Views" Special Report, April 2002 p. 2 Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - BC; [http://www.cpawsbc.org/contact/index.php]
Hume, Marc, "Protest growing over plan for lodges in parks" Globe and Mail, August 18, 2006 Kines, Lindsay, "New conservation and park staff ‘not enough.’" Vancouver Sun, B1 February 11, 2005 Western Canadian Wilderness Committee; [http://www.wildernesscommittee.org/campaigns/policy/parks]
West Coast Environmental Law. Newsletter. "Draconian new law gives BC Ministers virtual license for backroom deals." Vol. 29:03, February 15, 2004

Compiled by: Sarah Valentine, Administrative Coordinator of AWARE: Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment

Hilltrip’s First Carbon-Offset Offset Project: The Biodiesel Trip

2006-08-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

The first Carbon-Offset project to be supported by Hilltrip is The Biodiesel Trip, which will help Kathleen Marcotte convert her car to run on biodiesel to travel south of Whistler and than back to Quebec. While traveling Kate will be writing stories about her biodiesel trip and they will be available here on TerraTrip.org’s blog for everyone to read.

An Unconventional Adventure has Just Begun
In July, an unconventional adventure has just begun, a project, a story and a dream in our reality; an experience that will make my difference. My name is Kathleen Marcotte and I am jumping into a project that witch consist in traversing North America in a bio-diesel car.

The idea came up to me after a discussion on the phenomenal rising price of fuel these days. Then the light came; what if I could change the diesel in my car by vegetal oil? After some research I realize that it was possible to change the diesel in my car to oil very easily. I lived in Whistler for 2 years and to see the beauty surrounding us being destroyed so quickly, I needed to do my part and pose concrete actions.

A good thing for the environment and my engine! All that is needed is the time and dedication to do it. A big thank you to Marie at Hilltrip’s witch believed in the project from the start and helped to make it happen.

Taking on this adventure takes preparation but since my car is already running on diesel I don’t need to do much on it other than change my gas filter. Before taking off, Randy Smith at Podium Auto Detail in Function Junction verified my car and insured my car was ready take on this North American road trip. Thanks Randy for your time. You can find Randy at #15 1209 Alpha lake road or call for an appointment at 604-938-3591.

Kate

***
Good Bye Kate
Kate is about to go on a trip. A trip propelled by biodiesel and commitment. A commitment to find or make the fuel she needs to go further on her trip, a commitment to share her experience trough blogging here on TerraTrip.org and at the same time minimize her footprint and other’s people footprint by being a source of inspiration.

Have a good trip Kate!

Marie

Provided by Hilltrip

Enviro Fest 2006 – A Sunny Day Full of Goodness

2006-07-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

From June 4 to 10, it was Environment Week in Canada. This year's theme was "Celebrating and Protecting the Natural Environment". For the occasion, Hilltrip participated to Enviro Fest in Whistler. The day was sunny and many people came to the Mountain Square to visit the booths relating to the theme. Hilltrip and other organization such as AWARE, HillbillyWax, Surfrider Foundation, Slow Food, Whistler Hemp Company shared the square with bigger players like Whistler Blackcomb and VANOC.

During the day, many people came to Hilltrip’s booth witch educated about climate change and how it affects our region. At night, Hilltrip organized The Official Enviro Fest After Party at Savage Beagle, where money was raised towards Hilltrip’s Carbon Offset Program, which fights global warming trough a raffle including over $1,000 worth in prizes from Evolution, Ultimate Distribution, Whistler Bungee, Lush, The Clearance Center, Gauge Clothing, Willy’s Java Coffee, Solarice, Showcase, Cyber Web, The Grocery Store, Whistler Hemp Company and Amsterdam Coffee.

One of the projects that Hilltrip’s Carbon Offset Program will be funding is The Bio-Diesel Project. This project is helping Kate Marcotte to convert her car to bio-diesel and raise awareness about how it is to live and travel with a bio-diesel car by publishing her stories on TerraTrip.org, a new website launched by Hilltrip on June 10th, the same day as Enviro Fest. You will be able to read Katie's adventures from converting her car to cooking her low emission fuel here throughout the summer.

A big congratulation to Corinne Galarneau, Hilltrip’s new intern, for her great work in organizing the after party and the raffle.

Review of An Inconvenient Truth

2006-07-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

Climate change is an inconvenient truth and the name of a must see movie documenting the journey of Al Gore to fight global warming. By exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it, Al Gore points out that climate change is a moral issue, not a political one and it’s unethical to let it happen.

For those unfamiliar with the climate crisis, this documentary is a great overview of the subject and a great awakening. For those aware, it is a comprehensive reminder that we need to change our way of living if we want to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced.

An inconvenient truth is in front of humanity. We already know what we need to know.
Go see that movie and start being the change in what you want to see in the world now!

Read more about An Inconvenient Truth at http://climatecrisis.org/

You can do it too!

2006-06-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Wanna share news, thoughts, opinions, knowledge relating to environmental topics, such as global warming and its impacts? Send them to us, we’ll review them and publish them right away.

Welcome to the Terra Trip Blog

2006-06-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new Terra Trip website with photos, news, and commentary from around Whistler BC and the world provided by a group of concerned earth citizens who will give you the low down on current evironmental issues and events.