From Pipes to Parks
Halifax is a wet city! And when all that rain, snow, slush, sleet, etc is done soaking through your clothes, it all ends up somewhere.
Atlantic Chapter
Sierra Club Atlantic is a vibrant grassroots organization that empowers people to protect, restore, and enjoy a healthy safe planet. We are your chapter of Canada’s only national grassroots environmental organization, working to bring your community’s concerns to the attention of regional and national leaders. Together, we are a credible, influential voice working to make a better world a reality.
What are we up to?
The Atlantic Chapter works through education and action to green the economy and protect the environment. We engage in projects designed to connect children to nature, protect wildlife and wild spaces, and to offer solutions to climate change.
WHY PARKS MATTER - A SPEED-DATING STYLE LEARNING EVENT
Gretchen Fitzgerald — June 17, 2016
City parks matter for many reasons!
Learn from a range of experts why parks are important to people and the environment. At this speed-dating style event, groups of attendees will be rotated through to learn from a series of 8-minute "dates" with the experts.
When: Saturday, June 18, 2016, 1 - 3 PM.
Where: Kenneth Rowe Building, Dalhousie University, 6100 University Avenue, Halifax, NS
Sierra Club Canada Foundation Asks People to Re-Imagine Halifax Harbour
Posted on June 8, 2016World Oceans Day, June 8, 2016
Halifax, NS – In honour of World Oceans Day, Atlantic Chapter of Sierra Club Canada Foundation with support from Halifax Water is launching a program to engage citizens in re-connecting with Halifax Harbour. Harbours are often our entry point to experiencing the ocean, but they are also polluted and industrialized.
Submission to Centre Plan from Sierra Club Canada Foundation – Atlantic Chapter
Posted on June 7, 2016Publication Date:
May 31, 2016
In Halifax, the naïve discourse about sustainability seems to be rooted in the notion that there is the need to counter to “bad” sprawl. The discourse around solutions is just as naïve and seems largely limited to densification by way of building tall massive high-rises. There is no huge increase in population projected for HRM. The 2013 Stantec Report indicates 35,000 housing units could be constructed within the regional centre without changes in zoning rules.
Sierra Club, ECELAW to Intervene in Judicial Review of NAFTA Tribunal Decision on Digby Quarry
Posted on June 2, 2016
The Federal Court of Canada has granted the Sierra Club of Canada Foundation and East Coast Environmental Law (ECELAW) standing to intervene in a key environmental case with international consequences. Ecojustice lawyers will be working on behalf of the interveners in this case.
In 2007 the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia rejected a proposed 120-hectare coastal quarry and marine terminal to be located on Digby Neck., N.S. The decision followed a detailed environmental impact assessment and the recommendations of an independent Joint Review Panel.
Why Trees Matter
David Foster — May 3, 2016
Have you noticed the drastic transformation that is underway in our city? How and why it happens is complex however well understood, but it is clearly a sign of the times – May, to be specific. If you are lucky enough to see a tree out of your window, you might notice it is finally coming to life after a long winter’s sleep. Some trees start sooner than others and our city’s dominant Norway maple population is one of the first to reanimate. The end result is an annual inevitability, the urban canopy weaving through our neighbourhoods restored to its full, luscious glory.
The View From Paris, Apr. 11, 2016
A video recording of the first in our PARIS NOW series, held Apr. 11, 2016 at the Halifax Central Library.
Panelists, Apr. 11th:
Summary of Specific Changes Proposed for Amending the Mineral Resources Act for Nova Scotia
Posted on February 10, 2016Publication Date:
January 20, 2015
This document outlines in detail the changes we wish to see in a modern and effective Mineral Resources Act (MRA).
Fogarty's Cove Quarry
Posted on February 10, 2016Publication Date:
February 3, 2016
The Fogarty's Cove (AKA Black Point) Quarry in Guysborou
gh County is a large export quarry which will have major impacts on the landscape, seascape, and other industries such as tourism and fishing.
Mines and Quarries
Gretchen Fitzgerald — February 9, 2016
Mines and quarries can impact the environment in a variety of ways such as water contamination, diverting water systems, air emissions, and destroying habitat for wildlife.
The way to reduce these impacts is through careful consultation, land-use planning, and - when serious impacts can't be avoided - saying "no" to certain mines and quarries.
Black Point (AKA Fogarty's Cove) Quarry Impacts - Survey for Round 2 of Consultations for Environmental Assessment
Posted on February 1, 2016Publication Date:
February 1, 2016
The results of the Environmental Assessment for the Black Point Quarry are now available here, and comments are due Feb 3rd! We want your response!
You can indicate if you wish to remain anonymous or if you would like your name included in our report to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
PEI Sierra Club to Celebrate 'International Leap Day' Feb 29
Gretchen Fitzgerald — January 16, 2016
PEI Sierra Club invites Islanders to sign the Leap Manifesto and mark their calendars for February 29, 2016 as “International Leap Day", a day of events to demand action on climate change.
Sierra Club, SOSS Disappointed as Corridor Granted Third Free License Extension in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Posted on January 15, 2016
Sierra Club Canada Foundation and the Save Our Seas and Shores (SOSS) Coalition are deeply disappointed that a third extension has been granted for Corridor Resources’ exploration lease in the Gulf of St. Lawrence by federal and provincial natural resources ministers. The junior oil company was obliged to pay $1 million dollars to extend its lease beyond Jan.
What the day meant to me ...
Gretchen Fitzgerald — December 29, 2015
I remember the first time I talked to a fiery Mary Gorman on the phone, as a new staff person at the Atlantic Canada office, her impassioned narrative about the need to protect the Gulf of St. Lawrence from oil and gas development was inspirational. It made me excited to work with her and others from the Save our Seas and Shores Coalition. That phone call was in 2010, and over the past five years I have many fond memories of our campaign to protect of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
It's as Easy as Getting Outside.
Wild Child is all about learning the art of being in nature. We work to help the children deepen the understanding of the world they sense, and build up the knowledge of connection a little bit at a time. One of the most important components of the Wild Child program is getting children out into natural areas. Having children experience a new space is one of the easiest ways to get them engaged and excited. All of the games and activities are designed to get them to use their senses more fully, inhabit their bodies, use their imaginations, and ask questions.
Off on New Adventures!
I'm so excited to start this adventure with the children of PEI!
There is magic in nature. As a small kid growing up in the PEI countryside I climbed trees, swam in streams, & watched the shadows of clouds race by on the hillsides in my valley. My earliest memories are of being fascinated by the tiny life all around me in overgrown meadows and the peace I felt sitting in the tall plants waving in the ever present summer breezes. I counted the tiny white moths, lady-bugs, and earthworms as my friends. I held countless little lives in my hands; toads, frogs, garter and northern redbelly snakes, and my all time favourite; spotted salamanders!
Wild Child Forest School Announces Fall Programing to Get Kids Active Outside
Posted on July 23, 2015If you think today’s children’s are spending too much time indoors, you’re not alone.
In response to concerns that increasing numbers of today’s kids are more disconnected from the natural world than any previous generation, the launch of Halifax’s Wild Child Forest School comes as a fresh of breath air for families keen on getting their kids back outside and in a healthy setting.
Following on from a successful pilot program in the spring, Wild Child Forest School has launched an ambitious program of ½ and full day sessions at 2 wooded locations within 20mins to downtown Halifax, beginning in September, giving kids an opportunity to discover and explore nature from this September
Feeding Birds, Signs of Spring, “Guess Who?”, and Farewell Visits
Hanna Hameline — March 25, 2015The last two weeks have concluded my scheduled visits for Wild Child (although I do have make-up visits scheduled for next week due to all the snow days!). These weeks have been really fun. I have noticed that the by my 3rd, 4th, and 5th visits that relationship with children really starts to become more evident. I remember many childrens names and we can recount experiences from my past visits. Children’s excitement levels seem to increase with each visit. I have also noticed increased comfortability in myself as I revisit each daycare. In terms of relationship building and material retainment, I am curious how a week long visit to each daycare would compare to the bi-weekly visit approach that I have taken. This may be something that the next season of Wild Child could consider trying.
Wild Child and the Community
Hanna Hameline — March 16, 2015The last two weeks has really shown me that there is a large amount of community interest and support to get children back into nature. Perhaps you saw the segment on CBC’s Compass with Boomer or made it out to the fundraiser for the Wild Child Program, or maybe you will pick up the Guardian this week and read about Wild Child in the paper.. regardless, the support for this program has been great and is very encouraging to those interested in getting nature programs into childcare and education systems. From news stories to fundraisers, I am getting the notion that people genuinely want children to reconnect with nature. What an inspiring message!
Sir Charles Tupper Elementary wins Name the Whale Challenge
Posted on February 26, 2015Media Release, February 26, 2015
Taking matters into their own hands, Grade 6 students in Halifax raised $512.50 for blue whale research and public awareness in Atlantic Canada
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2015
HALIFAX -- Thanks to the creativity of Matthew Szeto’s Grade 6 classroom at Sir Charles Tupper Elementary in Halifax, blue whale B392 will hereafter be known as Iris, named for the uncanny shape of an eye discovered in her pigmentation. The students participated in the Sierra Club Canada Foundation/ the Mingan Island Cetacean Study “Name the Whale Challenge”.
“Children haven’t named something this big since the planet Pluto,” said Blue Whale Campaign coordinator Zack Metcalfe.