Wow – good on us … with a spring to our step, we lead the way to the curb toting our two allowed blue bags filled to exploding, with our carefully crushed cardboard boxes and lovingly scrubbed tuna fish cans; it’s all good and a nice pat on the back will do, but it’s becoming more and more apparent … that’s just not enough. There’s more than just landfill issues going on and it might be time to do our homework, and the math, and then take a stand on Global Warming. As a Northerner, the fact that the Mountain Pine Beetle is eating up our beautiful forests, together with the scary statistic that 9.2 million hectares were in an advanced stage of attack in 2006 is something I can definitely relate to. I have seen the devastation up North – but wait a minute, have you seen what’s going on in our own Kal Park? From what I understand, all we need is a few weeks of cold winter weather to wipe them out … so I don’t know … is Global Warming real?
It’s hard to know what’s true and what’s real anymore; valid arguments on both sides can confuse an already confusing topic, even writing about something so controversial is difficult to present – it’s almost easier to stick your head in the sand and hope it just all goes away and that ‘someone’ does ‘something’ about it.
However, respected scientist David Suzuki www.davidsuzuki.org believes Global Warming is real; he takes the skeptics head on and suggests we refer to www.newscientist.com for clarity. Isn’t he at least one scientist that the majority of we Canadians know and admire – so wouldn’t it be natural for us to at least listen to what he’s got to say and perhaps ‘consider’ there might be some truth in it all. Closer to home, there’s also a group of like-minded individuals in our own little town of Vernon that believe Global Warming is real as well, and all three of them are collectively trying to get our attention to hopefully create a snowball affect of awareness … at the very least.
Meet, Mary Stockdale, Celia Auclair, and Robin Genthon. These moms are serious in their stand for the future of all our children. “On a planet with limited resources and huge population growth throughout the world, there is a sense of urgency for us all” says Auclair. Amongst the many issues that they feel contribute to Global Warming, their research reveals, “the biggest concern is the Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHE)”, which are components of the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect. There are, of course, gases that occur naturally, but there is no one else to blame but ourselves for the burning of fossil fuels as well as the pollutants we pump into our atmosphere, which, in turn, changes its composition and prevents heat from escaping the earth’s surface. “When we were young”, says Stockdale, “we didn’t have to think about terrible issues like this … we believed in the future”. “We still do!” adds Genthon, “and if we are all aware and educate ourselves of what we can do as individuals … what we can as a country … a continent … then the world, we can bring pressure to the powers that ‘be’ to change their perception by thinking of our home … the place where we all live together … first”.
On June 30th, Wheels for Change will be launching a BC wide Cycling Campaign for Action on Climate Change. This tour is open to all ages who are interested in taking part, whether you cycle one hour, one day, one week or the full three week campaign from Nelson, B.C. to the legislative buildings in Victoria, B.C. – every kilometer will contribute to the grand total. With everyone’s help, the tour organizers hope to collectively cycle 40,000 km. – the equivalent to circling the Earth.
People based in Vernon can get involved by joining the Wheels for Change cyclists in riding from Kelowna to Vernon on Sunday, July 8th, or from Vernon to Salmon Arm on Monday, July 9th. For those cyclists who cannot commit to either of these rides, but still want to participate, especially children, there will be a short and colorful bike ride around town, starting at 5:00 pm from Polson Park on Sunday, July 8th. Participants can contribute their kilometers cycled to the Wheels for Change grand total. After the parade, join the festivities, vendors, and live entertainment at Polson Park until dusk. Check out their website for more detail www.wheelsforchange.ca.
by Kath Raeber
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