elissasmith.ca

I ask for forgiveness for my past climate crimes. I am currently spiritually agnostic but I went to confess my climate crimes in a Catholic Church the other day.

One of my 2005 Summer Conclusions was that “I will challenge myself to be as effective an organizer as possible while keeping within my sustainability values. For example, I will be aware of how much I fly, how environmentally harmful communication technology is, and where the funding for my projects comes from. I will strive to seek a balance between these awareness and my desire to be an effective organizer who is both efficient and working for global systematic change.”

I don’t know how to calculate accurately how many CO2 molecules I have emitted into the atmosphere since my birth but this handy internet tool has helped me to roughly calculate my flight emissions.

Return Flights

1. Toronto – Vancouver, Canada 0.73 Tonnes of CO2
2. Toronto – Edmonton, Canada 0.59 Tonnes of CO2
3. Toronto – Winnipeg, Canada 0.59 Tonnes of CO2
4. Toronto – Quebec City, Canada 0.18 Tonnes of CO2
5. Hamilton– Ottawa, Canada 0.11 Tonnes of CO2
6. Buffalo – New York City, U.S. 0.15 Tonnes of CO2
7. Toronto – London, U.K. 1.58 Tonnes of CO2
8. Toronto – Winnipeg, Canada 0.59 Tonnes of CO2
9. Toronto – Nairobi, Kenya 3.71 Tonnes of CO2
10. Ottawa – Victoria, Canada 0.78 Tonnes of CO2
11. Ottawa – Victoria, Canada 0.78 Tonnes of CO2
12. Montreal – Vancouver, Canada 0.80 Tonnes of CO2
13. Ottawa – Bangalore, India 3.70 Tonnes of CO2
14. Montreal – Hong Kong, China 3.39 Tonnes of CO
15. Toronto – Caracas, Venezuela 1.07 Tonnes of CO
16. Toronto – London, U.K. 1.58 Tonnes of CO2

Total = approx. 20.33 Tonnes of CO2 from airplanes alone!

It is clear that I need to seek a better balance. For me traveling is a dirty vice that I am having trouble expunging from my life. I tell myself that everything is about balance and moderation. That I emit less CO2 than the average Canadian because I am vegetarian, I don’t own a car, I try to use recycled goods as much as possible, I buy local produce and green energy and I’m responsible with the way I use electricity. That arguement don’t seem to cut it anymore….

I am registered for Bachelor of Science in Global Resource Systems at the University of British Columbia in the fall. Check out some of the cool courses that I will be taking!

1. Sociology of Development and Underdevelopment
   Processes of social change in the Third World and other developing countries. Major themes stress the relationship between urbanization and industrialization; modernization and ethnic conflict; imperialism, neo-colonialism, and foreign aid; and intra-national modernization problems such as regional underdevelopment in industrial societies.
2. Introduction to International Finance
   Exchange rate policy regimes; international financial organizations; the interaction between monetary policy and exchange rate regimes; financial crises.
3. Introduction to International Trade
   The determinants of trade patterns, trade policy, tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, political economy of protectionism, bilateral and multilateral trade disputes, trade liberalization, trade and development.
4. Introduction to Global Politics
   Applies conceptual tools to topics such as war, conflict management, the global economy, poverty, and civil society.
5. Land, Food and Community
   Introduction to managed systems and concepts of sustainability; economic, ecological and social components; managed landscapes, agri-food systems, and communities; urban and rural systems; the land, food, nutrition and human health continuum.

All of my parental figures live on farms. My mother and step-father live on a farm in Wainfleet, Ontario. My father, step-mother, and grandparents live on a farm in Grimsby, Ontario. My parents-in-law live on a farm in Canon Frome Court, England. I’m planning to visit and help out on all three of my farms this summer!

My friend Zoë Caron wrote a beautiful poem today entitled “Wouldn’t it be…”. The poem is special to me because these seemingly ‘far-fetched’ and optimistic thoughts that keep me going.

“Wouldn’t it be …”
by Zoë Caron

Wouldn’t it be nice, to wake up today
And hear the voice on the radio say:

The smog has lifted, the air is clear
You could breathe anywhere – without any fear

Wouldn’t it be nice, if this afternoon
You were told climate change would be over soon

(more…)

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 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.

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 know that the environmental and social justice movements are going to become as big as the Vietnam war, the Women’s movement, the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Black Panthers was for students decades ago.

I feel the passion, the energy, and the excitement wherever I go.

The only difference these days is that with the higher tuition fees youth have to spend more time working. I know people who are full time university students, work full time and manage to squeeze in time to contribute to the movement. GO GABRIEL, KIRA and PETRA- you guys are rock stars!

The challenge is greater. But we’re back stronger than before!

This movement is built on love and friendship.

We’ve united. We’re all working towards a common vision- we’ve just bitten off different chunks of the cookie- whatever we’re most passionate about. There is so much solidarity and mutual understanding for the interconnectedness between the fair trade, anti-oppression, anti-globalization and different environmental movements.

People show respect for the “diversity of tactics” approach. There is a deep sense that we’re all in this together. I fight inside the UN against trade liberalization, for a human right to water, for environmental refugees and I know my friends are fighting riot police outside the WTO meetings. The anti-nuke movement gave us brilliant decision-making tools to organise by “consensus” rather than with heirarchies.

Our potential for mass mobilization is greater than ever before. We’re the best educated generation ever. I have access to so much information. We’re able to communicate to one another and the wider public better than ever before- the internet’s organic structure is connecting us. The internet was originally a military invention- how ironic!

This movement is only going to get bigger and stronger- so you may as well make the decision to get involved now!

“There ain’t no power like the power of the people cuz the power of the people don’t stop.”

The original purpose of this website was for me to unify my presence to the public. I don’t have that problem anymore, I know who I am- and I always project that image. So the purpose of the website has been evolving. Now it’s more a space for me to put cool thoughts that I don’t want to forget about, and that I think other people should think about. Neat eh?

Here is an interesting article that sums up 4 types of thoughts about the future. I admire Susan Cannon for her ability to think and communicate clearly. Susan describes what I think about the future better than I could have myself! I definitedly fit into the “Necessary Simplicity” quadrant and I like to think that I am part of the fringe movement that she talks about!