Ramblings on a sustainable world

“Bee”ing sustainable

General Mills Canada has taken Buzz, their mascot, off the Honey Nut Cheerios Box in hopes of bringing attention to declining bee populations. This campaign, along with a heartfelt video about helping animals in need, asks Canadians to help plant over 35 million wildflowers to help the bees. This may be blatant CSR but the brand alignment and simplicity of the campaign provides an authentic feel and I genuinely hope to see this campaign succeed. This powerful video combined with taking Buzz, their bee mascot, off the box, can…read more

Apr.08

Reduce. Reuse. Grow.

Posted by TessDavies in Environment, Sustainability

A California startup has put a new spin on compostable packaging. Reduce. Reuse. Grow. began by planting 1 plant in your community for every compostable cup you served. A true soldier for sustainability the founder, Alex Henige, was continuously seeking improvements and is now designing the compostable cup to contain the plant seeds, removing the middleman entirely. This seed embedded technology is going to be area specific, encouraging local flora. Practical concerns about the functionality of the product aside, this product presents a troubling potential for encouraging littering. While it’s true…read more

Mar.03

Consume Less, Think More

Posted by TessDavies in Environment, Sustainability

Recently, while I was in the middle of reading one of my classmates posts about excessive packaging and sourcing information for my own post regarding a revolution in compostable takeaway cups (Reduce. Reuse. Grow.) I was hit with a terrifying realization. It is quite possible that, despite all the amazing new solutions and innovative new products that work hard to solve some of the problems humans have created since the industrial revolution, the only path forward will simply be to consume less. This is a terrifying realization. There are many…read more

Feb.25

Out of the ocean, into the landfill

Posted by TessDavies in Environment, Oceans, Sustainability

After talking with Brianne Miller, Co-founder of Zero Waste Market, a new no-packaging grocery store looking to open in Vancouver fall 2016, I decided to look further into the problem of ocean plastics. Immediately I was shocked to realize a) how large of a problem it was, and b) how little is being done to remove this plastic. Just as I was reaching some upsetting conclusions about humanity I ran across The Ocean Clean Up project. Founded by Boyan Slat (NLD) in 2013, they have designed a system that will be…read more

Feb.11

Keep the crowds, preserve the nature

Posted by TessDavies in Environment, Sustainability, Uncategorized

Since last weeks posting the Mother Canada Statue (pictured above) has been scrapped, seen as both infeasible by the architecture firm approached to construct it and a lack of funds available to complete the project. While this puts this particular issue to rest for the moment I have no doubt there will be similar projects proposed in the near future. After some reflection I have a few recommendations for Parks Canada to help them boost attendance without needing to resort to the “disneyfication” of their spaces. Create events, not monuments….read more

Feb.05

Accessibility not Admissions: a battle over Canada’s National Parks

Posted by TessDavies in Environment, Sports

Our incessant need for entertainment as a culture has hit the last frontier, National Parks. With the building of a new Glacier Skywalk on the Icefields parkway and many other proposed projects, including a 24 metre tall Mother Canada Statue proposed in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, has raised concern across the country. To quote the ex-park superintendent Kevin Van Tighem “it’s as though nature is no longer enough”. An article published by the Globe and Mail dives deeper into these issues, claiming that Canada is suffering from the Disneyfication of it’s…read more

Jan.29

Protect our Winters

Posted by TessDavies in Environment, Sports

Climate change is a topic on everyone’s lips, but it is perhaps most notable to those who rely on consistent yearly weather patterns for their livelihood. While this is definitely an issue for farmers, which should make it a concern for society as a whole, this angle doesn’t seem to motivate individuals to create change. Perhaps we are too far removed from the real process of creating food or we are brainwashed by the media, but regardless of the cause, people are not inspired to action. To affect any real…read more

Jan.13