pharethoughts
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Water Law We Really Need
If you could create a law that would protect the water near where you live, what would you put in that law? Anything at all....what's the best, most creative approach we could take? What would you really love to see in that law?
Friday, July 6, 2012
Laughing Under Water
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Laughing Under Water
Monday, February 27, 2012
A Series of Thoughts on Reconciliation
Reconciliation as the Goal of Consultation with Aboriginal Peoples
Things that do not lead to reconciliation:
The idea that consultation does not require change, and that the doctrine created by the SCC has limited practical meaning. So governments can proceed with their decisions as originally intended. Consultation without damages, without changes, without response. This idea is the one where procedural matters are what matter, but substantive outcomes do not.
Friday, July 22, 2011
The Toilet Reinvented
The Gates Foundation’s Water Sanitation & Hygiene program collaborated with Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) in Global Health and challenged 22 universities to create a proposal for a technologically advanced toilet. The criteria for the toilets are pretty intense. Each toilet has to be hygienic, affordable, and independent from a sewage system.
Surprisingly, eight of these universities not only devised proposals that met the above criteria, they also used technological and scientific advances to make the toilets even more cutting edge. These proposed inventions even have the ability to transform waste into energy, clean water and nutrients. It’s pretty incredulous, but if you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself. The Gates Foundation has a list of the eight toilet proposals that were awarded grants.
Maybe we could consider some of this innovation to address our water and waste woes?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
No First Nations Water - or any water- at COF talks
The Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, Inc. (MKO) recommends that the Council of the Federation amend the August, 2010 Water Charter to declare that "Whereas access to clean running water is a basic human right of all Canadians" and to further amend the Water Charter to include the corresponding action item “Ensure that all Canadians have access to clean running water”.
Further, they ask:
As Chair of the Council of the Federation, MKO urges you to ensure that the matter of “Access to Clean Running Water is a Basic Human Right of all Canadians” and the two amendments to the Water Charter as proposed above are placed on the agenda of the Council’s meetings being held on July 20, 21 and 22, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia.