Canadian Thanksgiving is at Odds with Columbus Day

Although they co-occur, in many respects Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving are diametrically opposed to each other. While Canadian Thanksgiving is a harvest festival celebrating nature's bounty, Columbus Day marks the start of our systematic destruction of the natural world.

Monday October 12th is Canadian Thanksgiving a time to be grateful, it is also Columbus day in most parts of the new world. It is hard to reconcile the start of our exploitation of the new world and the expression of gratitude for the bountiful harvests nature provides. 

Reflections on Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving

Monday October 13th is Columbus day in most parts of the new world, in Canada it is Thanksgiving. Columbus day and Canadian Thanksgiving offer us an opportunity to reflect and be grateful for the bounty of life in the new world. It is also propitious that we should think about our impact on the natural world at this time of year. Since 1970, Columbus day has been celebrated on the second Monday in October. As of 1959, this day is also Thanksgiving in Canada. Columbus day marks the start of our habitation of the new world and Thanksgiving is a time where we express our gratitude for the bountiful harvests nature provides.

Video - Green Star Awards 2013 Message from Valerie Amos

Through the Green Star Awards, Valerie Amos addresses the importance of those who work to deal with environmental and climate issues. The Green Star Awards recognize a select group of outstanding individuals and organisations from around the world, who have confronted environmental emergencies. Valerie Ann Amos, Baroness Amos, PC is the eighth and current UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Before her appointment to the UN, she had been British High Commissioner to Australia. She was made a Labour life peer in 1997 and served as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council.

2013 Brownfield Renewal Person of the Year Award

The 2013 Brownfield Renewal Person of the Year Award went to Daniel Walsh, Director of the Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) in New York City.

Dr. Walsh is an outspoken advocate for municipal governance of remedial action programs by US cities which is a role traditionally played by state government. His efforts have contributed to local economic development, public health protection and community development goals.

He established the New York City Voluntary Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP), the nation's first municipally-run brownfield cleanup program. The NYC BCP was launched in 2011 and has become one of the most prolific cleanup programs in the country. In its first 32 months of operation, OER has approved cleanup plans for more than 160 brownfield projects, enabling over $4.5 billion in new development of more than 13 million square feet of building space-40% of which is job-producing retail, commercial and office space—and producing over 4,500 permanent new jobs and 13,400 construction jobs, and generating more than $1.5 billion in new, long-term tax revenue for city and state government.

2013 Global Excellence Project of the Year Award Winners

The 2013 Global Excellence Project of the Year awardees were selected by the editors at Renewable Energy World and Power Engineering. These project winners were selected based on having made a significant impact on the entire renewable energy industry in terms of the technology that was employed, as well as their industry and community impact. The winners displayed excellence in five renewable energy technologies: Solar, Wind, Biomass, Geothermal and Hydro.

2013 Green Star Awards for Environmental Emergency Heroes

In 2013 the collaborative initiative between the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Green Cross International (GCI), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) conferred the Green Star Awards for those who have confronted environmental emergencies to the following 6 people:

Preparedness

Kenya Red Cross Society; Prof Nikola Nikolov of Macedonia
Sundar Prasad Sharma of Nepal, and Prof Sergiy Zibtsev of Ukraine (joint Award)

2013 Brower Youth Awards

In October, Brower Youth Awards acknowledged six winners for 2013. These six winners distinguished themselves with their creative and effective work tackling problems ranging from community organization, renewable energy and climate education.

Alex Freid, 22, of New Hampshire, for reinventing waste diversion on college campuses through his non-profit organization The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN).

2013 SEAD Global Efficiency Medal for Computer Monitors

The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, an international collaboration of 16 member economies and an initiative under the Clean Energy Ministerial. As reported in Energy Manager Today, the winners of its 2013 Global Efficiency Medal competition for the world’s most energy-efficient computer monitors are:

The LG 16EN33SA received the SEAD Global Efficiency Medal in the small-size category with 53 percent greater efficiency than conventional models (15 inches to less than 20 inches). This monitor can be purchased in India.

2013 Cleantech Open Cleanie and National Sustainability Award Winners

The Cleantech Open is a technology accelerator that acknowledges teams that have made a significant contribution to cleantech. Here are the 2013 winners of the "Cleanie" and "National Sustainability" Awards:

Cleanie Award

The Cleantech Open has awarded PowWow Energy the Grand Prize Cleanie award. As the top cleantech entrepreneur of the year, PowWow Energy earns a monetary award of $200,000. PowWow was selected for developing a technology that enables farmers and ranchers to quickly detect water leaks that can destroy an entire crop or cause thousands of dollars of damage.

2013 WWF Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Medal

The Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Medal was created in 1970 and is awarded annually by WWF for outstanding service to the environment. This year the WWF has awarded the Medal to Paul Polman, Chief Executive Officer of international consumer goods group Unilever. Polman is a widely recognized sustainability leader who has led Unilever on one of the most successful sustainability journeys ever witnessed in the business community.

2013 Year End Review: US Environmental Success Stories

In 2013, concerned people, organizations and companies in the U.S. and around the world helped move environmental causes forward. From new legislation to the protection of habitats and ecosystems, here is a sampling of U.S. environmental achievements in 2013.

A new study showed that a solid majority of Americans accept the reality of global warming and are calling for action on climate change.

Video - NRDC Environmental Victories in 2013

This NRDC video shows what people can achieve when they work together. NRDC Members helped to secure many environmental successes in 2013, this video summarizes some of those victories.

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Video - Gratitude for Nature (2011): Documentary Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg Tedx
Video - Nature's Beauty: Life is a Gift and the Only Appropriate Response is Gratefulness

Video - Gratitude for Nature (2012): Documentary Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg Tedx

Nature's beauty inspires gratitude. In this video Louie Schwartzberg addresses flowers and the fate of the bees which are so dependent on flowers. In the same way that the bees are dependent on flowers for their sustenance we are dependent on the bees to pollinate our crops.

Video - Gratitude for Nature (2011): Documentary Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg Tedx

Nature's beauty is the focus of the work of filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg. He is an award-winning cinematographer, director and producer who captures breathtaking images that celebrate life — revealing connections, universal rhythms, patterns and beauty. His stunning time-lapse photography, accompanied by powerful words from Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast, serves as a meditation on being grateful for every day.

Video - Thank You for Taking Action to Save the Climate!

While it may seem like a daunting task, people all over the world are working hard to save the climate from the ravages of global warming. People who have lived through climate disasters are giving thanks, people who are deeply concerned about the fate of our climate are giving thanks. This profusion of gratitude goes out to all those who do not succumb to hopelessness and strive to protect our planet from climate change.

Winners of the 2013 Green Supply Chain Awards

In mid-November, Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine announced their green award winners for 2013. Companies were selected based on their inculcation of sustainability into their supply chain strategy. These companies have demonstrated measurable sustainability goals within their own operations and/or supply chains, in the areas of Sourcing/Procurement, Fulfillment/Logistics, Operations, Product Lifecycle Management and other areas of the supply chain.

Volvo Environment Prize Goes to Chinese Climate Scientist for his Work on Extreme Weather

The Chinese glaciologist and climate scientist Dr. Qin Dahe has been awarded the 2013 Volvo Environment Prize. Dr Qin Dahe was recognized for his elucidation of the connection between the increasing frequency of extreme weather and climate change over the last 50 years including droughts, heat waves, torrential storms and rain.

Previously the head of the China Meteorological Administration, Dr Qin Dahe is a glaciologist at the Cold and Arid Regions Environment and Engineering Institute in Lanzhou, China, and Co-chair of Working Group 1, IPCC. Qin Dahe is one of the key contributors to the IPCCs fifth assessment report released in September, 2013. He wrote the opening section on the “Physical Science Basis”. His research demonstrates the relationship between climate change and extreme weather events. Dr. Qin has published more than 170 scientific articles in English and 230 in Mandarin.

Smooth Criminals Win Corporate Responsiblity Honors

Three companies associated with criminal activities top the list of corporate responsibility leaders for 2013. For the third consecutive year, Corporate Responsibility (CR) Magazine ranked the Top 10 Best Corporate Citizens by industry in 10 sectors.

The first three selections on their list are understandable. Accenture won top honors in the Business Services sector, Mattel earned the number one spot in Consumer Items and Campbell Soup was recognized as the leader in Consumer Staples.

The wheels come off the proverbial cart when we get to their number one picks for energy, Financials/Insurance/Real Estate, and Healthcare sectors.

Enter Environmental Leader's Product & Project of the Year Awards

On September 30th, 2013, Environmental Leader (EL) launched its second annual Product & Project Awards, a program which recognizes excellence and innovation, both in products and services that provide companies with environmental and energy benefits in the areas of environmental and sustainability.

Do you have an innovative product that improves energy management, waste management, water efficiency, supply chain efficiency, packaging, air quality, or any other area of energy and environmental management? Has your company (or client) implemented a successful project that reduced energy costs, improved supply chain sustainability, reduced waste sent to landfill, or made strides toward any other environmental or energy management goals?

Sustainability Leadership Award Goes to The Kendeda Fund for 2013

Southface, a nonprofit leader in the promotion of sustainable homes, workplaces and communities, presented their 2013 Argon Award for unique achievement and leadership in sustainability to The Kendeda Fund.

The Kendeda Fund widely promotes sustainable and efficient practices, through a number of channels including pulpit-based messaging, community involvement and higher education arenas. The Fund has contributed over $400 million to organizations that promote sustainability, social equity, human achievement.