elissasmith.ca

The good news is that we can only get better!

CBC News
Tue, 18 Oct 2005 15:19:06 EDT

Canada is one of the worst environmental performers in the industrialized world and has shown no improvement over the past decade, a new study says.

The report, researched at Simon Fraser University and released by the David Suzuki Foundation, ranked Canada 28th out of 30 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The ranking was based on what the study described as 29 key environmental indicators.

For example, Canada placed 28th in energy consumption, 26th in greenhouse gas emissions, 29th in water consumption, 27th in sulphur oxides pollution, and 30th in nuclear waste and carbon monoxide.

“Our research found Canada’s environmental performance to be surprisingly low,” said Thomas Gunton, who headed the research team. “Canada lags behind in almost every performance indicator.”

European countries such as Switzerland, Denmark and Germany ranked at the top of the environmental list, while Belgium and the United States joined Canada at the bottom.

Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions are two times higher than the average for other industrialized countries. Major smog-causing air pollutants are two-to-three times higher.

The study found Canada has shown no improvement over the past decade. Canada’s rank today is the same as it was in 1992.

There were a couple of brighter notes. Canada ranked ninth in recycling and eighth in pesticide use.

“The Canada we see in this report does not reflect the one we hold in our hearts,” Suzuki said. “Canadians expect more and they expect better. We should be outraged that we are among the worst in the industrialized world.”

Suzuki wants the federal government to pass a National Sustainability Act, which would require Canada to set out targets and timelines to improve the country’s environmental performance.

Elissa is currently living in Ottawa where she spends far too much time day dreaming about camping and skiing instead of working! For the past few years Elissa has been actively seeking to strengthen the youth environmental movement and increase youth participation in decision-making.

Currently, she is the Development and Communications Coordinator at DreamNow- a youth led organization that teaches youth to take action.

She is the president of the Canadian Youth Environmental Network, they represent over 300 environmental youth organizations in Canada. She is a member of the executive committee of the Sierra Youth Coalition- Canada’s largest youth environmental NGO. She is a member of the Canadian Youth Round Table on the Environment, a small group of youth that provide input on Environment Canada’s departmental programs and policies, advising on how to make these programs more accessible and relevant to youth, and bringing forward youth priority issues.

Elissa has volunteered with international organizations such as Rising Tide, World Carfree Network, People and Planet, and the European Youth For Action. Additionally, Elissa is the representative for North America on the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Youth Advisory Council. Elissa was the youngest ever government delegate to the 7th session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program in Kenya and the 13th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in New York.

Elissa has spoken at many events including the UNEP International Youth Conference, the UNEP Global Youth Retreat, and the UNESCO World Youth Parliament on Water.

She is studying Global Resource Systems at the University of British Colombia. She is a recipient of the National Millennium Excellent Award for Community Service. She runs a business teaching youth to win scholarships- www.scholarshiptraining.ca. She has been a researcher for the Underground Research Laboratory of Canada, the National Research Council of Canada, and Natural Resources Canada, and was the valedictorian of the National Science Academy of Canada in 2001.

Elissa tends to analyze all environmental issues from a social justice perspective. Climate change, sustainable consumption & production, and grassroots environmental education & action are her main areas of interest. But lately she has been focusing her interests on environmental economics, policy and international development.

Elissa has cycled across 8 European countries and traveled to Africa and Asia.

When young people enter the workforce they choose 4 general categories of work; Government, Business, NGO, and/or academia.

I don’t want to work in either of those categories. Instead I will make a movement that combines the strengths or each discipline.

NGOs

Strengths:
Core communication
Facilitation, community building, team building
Leveraging of free resources
Openess to partnerships within the movement
Initial dedication of volunteers

Weaknesses:
Fundraising strategy
Partnerships outside of the movement
Motivating people long term (altruism & self-sacrifice does not work).
Culture of appreciation/ownership
Definitive decisions and leadership

Businesses

Strengths:
Professional/together
Good promotions, marketing and general control over image
Adequate analisis of what works and what doesn’t
Economic powerhouses that keep the other 3 spheres running
Skilled at influencing the other 3 spheres
Good funding strategy
Motivation short and long term
Good balance between leveraging quality resources for free and paying for them
Partnerships with bus, gov and academia strong
Strong culture of ownership (businesses buy peoples lives)
Strong culture of appreciation (with money)
Definitive decisions and leadership

Weaknesses:
Too much heirarchy
Not enough community or team building
Damaging to people and the environment
Greedy, non-ethical, self-serving

Government

Strengths:
Best funding strategy
Authority
Good partnerships
Image & marketing

Weaknesses
No innovation
Beaurocratic and too heirarchichal
Not long-term thinking enough (only 4 years)

Academia

Strengths:
R&D professionals
artnerships with gov and business strong

Weakensses:
Beaurocratic
No way to connect ideas into action

The Youth Environmental Network, the Sierra Youth Coalition and Energy Action Network are my favourite organizations ever! I have so much respect for them and I have learnt all I know from them- they rock my world!

This youth movement is testing grounds for future leaders. I have messed up so many times that I would be thrown out if I were an adult; spilling food on the high commissioner of Africa, sleeping in for important meetings, making-out instead of attending conference calls, saying unintellegent stuff to the media, making crappy speaches, missing deadlines, you name it and I’ve done it.

I imagine that the steep communicating and decision making learning curve would be hard to overcome without a network of friends to help you through it. It would be really hard to become an adult in a leadership role if you haven’t had years of intensive training in one of the many youth movements.

Just another reason to get involved now!

This is my master list. I have another detailed list that has 30 things on it- some of them are embarassing so I won’t post it here.

1. Become a more effective social justice and environmental organizer.
2. Have an impeccable daily routine that includes adequate sleep, excersize, and food.
3. Always make time to nurture my relationships with my friends, family and partner Matthew.
4. Get better at writen and oral French and Spanish.
5. Make my money ethically. Distribute it ethically. Invest it ethically.

The way that I think about the world has changed so radically in the past few years that I have been accostomed, almost addicted to paradigm changes. I now think that my general philosophy on life is solid- I just have to flesh it out more.

As I read, watch, surf or listen to the news I realize that the artcles are completely interconnected and interdependent- the very same articles that once seemed random. The adds perpetuate our unhealthy capatilist system. The issues deemed news-worthy are the symptoms of our unhealthy capatalist system. It’s all connected.

Me and my friend Juan from SustainUS are the new North American Youth Advisors for the United Nations Environment Program. If you have something to say to UNEP let us know. UNEP is focusing on “climate issues” lately. More info on this to come.

This is the world that I am working towards:

“Imagine for a moment a world where cities have become peaceful and serene because cars and buses are whisper quiet, vehicles exhaust only water vapour, and parks and greenways have replaces unneeded urban freeways. OPEC has ceased to function because the rice of oil has fallen to five dollars a barrel, but there are few buyers for it because cheaper and better ways now exist to get the services people once turned to oil to produce. Living standards for all people have dramatically improved, particularly for the poor and those in developing countries. Involuntary unemployment no longer exists, and income taxes have largely been eliminated. Houses, even low-income housing units, can pay part of their mortgage costs by the energy they produce; there are few if any active landfills; worldwide forest cover is increasing; dams are being dismantled; atmospheric CO2 levels are decreasing for the first time in two hundred years; and effluent water leaving factories is cleaner than the water coming into them. Industrialized countries have reduced resource use by 80 percent while improving the quality of life. Among these technological changes, there are important social changes. The frayed social nets of Western countries have been repaired. With the explosion of family-wage jobs, welfare demand has fallen. A progressive and active union movement has taken the lead to work with business, environmentalists, and government to create “just transitions” for workers ass society phases out coal, nuclear energy, and oil. In communities and towns, churches, corporations, and labour groups promote a new living-wage social contract as the least expensive way to ensure the growth and preservation of valuable social capital.”
- Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins

What sort of world are you working towards?

Someone asked me recently who was/is the most persuasive person in my life. It took me a while to realize that indirectly the most influential person is my partner, Matthew. He gives me the stability & freedom to experiment with who I want to be.

Matthew cooks me tasty meals, makes little pillows for my feet before I go to sleep, wakes me with breakfast and back scratches every morning, makes me do my homework but above all he believes in me. He encourages me to push myself to my limits, to take myself seriously. He loves me! I can tell him anything- and he’ll always love me.

We met at the UN when I was in high school. He was finishing typing up his masters thesis (something to do with the upper atmosphere and lasers). I have known Matthew for 2.5 years and I can honestly say that he is the most genuine, reliable, dependable, understanding, thoughtful, emotionally stable and ethical person I know. He is also remarkably modest and humble. Sometimes I feel like telling everyone how about his achievements and how amazing/capable he is- but that’s not his style.

His parents sure did something right!

I might get an EU passport soon! Bonus!

I had a conversation with my brother the other day and we decided that there should only be 4 lists in life;

1. Principles
2. Projects
3. Long Term Goals
4. Action Items (otherwise known as “To Do” list)

I wrote up all four lists and now my life feels so organized. I suggest you all try it out!