April
      1,
      2009
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      8
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Local
      schools
      part
      of
      sustainable
      future
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Tony
      Reddin
     
     
      Guest
      Opinion
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Can
      Islanders
      take
      control
     
     
      of
      our
      future?
      If
      the
      oceans
     
     
      don’t
      rise
      too
      soon,
      the
     
     
      bridge
      doesn’t
      get
      knocked
     
     
      out
      by
      ice
      jams
      this
      spring,
     
     
      and
      Mike
      Duffy
      gets
      re-
     
     
      called
      from
      the
      Senate,
      we
     
     
      may
      still
      have
      time
      to
      turn
     
     
      things
      around.
     
    

    
     
      The
      down-turn
      in
      the
     
     
      economy
      and
      overwhelming
     
     
      evidence
      of
      global
      climate
     
     
      crisis
      has
      motivated
      more
     
     
      and
      more
      citizens
      to
      take
     
     
      a
      critical
      view
      of
      ‘modern’
     
     
      consumptive
      lifestyles
      and
     
     
      policies
      that
      favour
      unfet-
     
     
      tered
      growth
      and
      high-profit
     
     
      corporations.
     
    

    
     
      We
      need
      to
      find
      new
      ways
     
     
      of
      living
      that
      doesn’t
      de-
     
     
      pend
      so
      much
      on
      fossil
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SOE
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Editor:
     
    

    
     
      Canadians
      often
      contribute
     
     
      to
      the
      better
      well-being
      of
     
     
      other
      people
      in
      the
      world.
     
     
      This
      was
      the
      case
      with
      the
     
     
      fair
      trade
      coffee,
      where
     
    

    
     
      the
      sales
      have
      increased
     
    

    
     
      by
      30
      per
      cent
      each
      year
     
    

    
     
      in
      Canada.
      This
      could
      also
     
     
      become
      the
      case
      with
      some
     
     
      other
      consumer
      goods,
      such
     
     
      as
      chocolate.
     
    

    
     
      The
      purchase
      of
      fair
      trade
     
     
      certified
      products
      has
     
     
      important
      consequences.
     
    

    
     
      It
      allows
      many
      produc-
     
     
      ers
      to
      receive
      reasonable
     
     
      prices
      for
      their
      products
     
     
      and
      numerous
      workers
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OPINION
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fuels
      and
      global
     
     
      trade.
     
    

    
     
      Meanwhile
     
     
      recent
      threats
      to
     
     
      small
      schools
     
     
      have
      motivated
     
     
      many
      Islanders
     
     
      to
      share
      ideas
     
     
      and
      work
      toward
     
     
      strengthening
     
     
      small
      communi-
     
     
      ties
      and
      neigh-
     
     
      bourhoods.
     
    

    
     
      One
      good
      tool
     
     
      which
      communi-
     
     
      ties
      can
      use
      to
      plan
      a
      sus-
     
     
      tainable
      local
      economy
      is
     
     
      The
      Natural
      Step,
      which
     
     
      provides
      a
      framework
      for
     
     
      ecological
      sustainability
      and
     
     
      social
      justice.
     
    

    
     
      A
      lot
      of
      emphasis
      is
      placed
     
     
      on
      reaching
      agreement
      at
     
     
      the
      local
      level
      regarding
     
     
      what
      kind
      of
      development
     
     
      is
      desirable
      and_how
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      free
      trade
      Easter
     
    
   
   
    
     
      climb
      out
      of
      poverty.
      It
      also
     
     
      has
      positive
      impacts
      on
      the
     
     
      environment.
     
    

    
     
      We
      believe
      that
      about
     
     
      15,000
      slave
      children
      are
     
     
      working
      on
      farms
      and
     
     
      cocoa
      plantations
      in
      the
     
     
      Ivory
      Coast,
      and
      this
      is
      only
     
     
      a
      small
      sample
      off
      all
      the
     
     
      misery
      linked
      to
      the
      pro-
     
     
      duction
      of
      chocolate.
     
    

    
     
      We
      should
      all
      work
      to-
     
     
      wards
      a
      world
      where
     
     
      solidarity
      is
      at
      the
      heart
      of
     
     
      economic
      development.
      A
      —
     
     
      fair
      trade
      Easter
      would
      be
      a
     
     
      big
      step
      in
      this
      direction.
     
     
      Bruno
      Marquis
     
     
      Gatineau,
      Que.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      achieve
      it
      (e.g.
      local
      or-
     
     
      ganic
      farms
      would
      fit
      with
     
     
      the
      framework
      much
      more
     
     
      readily
      than
      big
      box
      stores).
     
    

    
     
      See:
      www.atlanticsus-
     
     
      tainability.ca
      ,
      and
      www.
     
     
      gpiatlantic.org
      ,
      which
      has
      a
     
     
      slide
      show
      on
      “Community
     
     
      Sustainability”.
     
    

    
     
      In
      that
      light,
      it
      makes
      the
     
     
      most
      sense
      to
      have
      schools,
     
     
      and
      workplaces,
      close
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      home,
      as
      well
     
     
      as
      make
      bet-
     
     
      ter
      use
      of
      our
     
     
      public
      build-
     
     
      ings,
      including
     
     
      schools.
      This
     
     
      would
      minimize
     
     
      transportation
     
     
      needs,
      support
     
     
      small
      local
     
     
      businesses
      and
     
     
      encourage
      inter-
     
     
      action
      between
     
     
      community
     
     
      members,
      in-
     
     
      cluding
      schoolchildren
      and
     
     
      elders.
      Schools
      that
      have
     
     
      extra
      space
      could
      be
      both
     
     
      retrofitted
      to
      save
      energy
     
     
      costs
      [see
      www.brita-in-
     
     
      pubs.eu
      for
      extensive
      details
     
     
      about
      innovative
      retrofits
      of
     
     
      public
      buildings
      in
      Europe,
     
     
      as
      mentioned
      recently
      on
     
     
      CBC
      Maritime
      Noon],
      and
     
     
      adapted
      to
      include
      other
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      fossil
      fuel
      shortages,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
      services
      such
      as
      day
      cares,
     
     
      CAP
      sites,
      health
      services
     
     
      and
      seniors’
      centres.
      These
      -
     
     
      school/community
      centres
     
     
      could
      be
      supplied
      with
      en-
     
     
      ergy
      from
      wind
      and
      wood,
     
     
      using
      smart
      electricity
      grids
     
     
      and
      energy
      storage
      systems
     
     
      (info
      at
      www.ecopei.ca
      :
     
     
      Energy
      Project).
     
    

    
     
      In
      these
      days
      of
      global
     
     
      climate
      change
      and
      impend-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      we
      and
      our
      governments
     
     
      need
      to
      make
      the
      transition
     
     
      to
      a
      sustainable
      economy,
     
     
      by
      creating
      de-centralized
     
     
      ‘green’
      jobs,
      building
     
     
      ‘green’
      infrastructure
      and
     
     
      transportation,
      and
      invest-
     
     
      ing
      in
      education,
      health
     
     
      promotion,
      and
      renewable
     
     
      energy.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tony
      Reddin
      is
      a
      resident
      of
     
     
      Bonshaw