SMALL DROPS CAUSE BIG RIPPLES Glocal

Who are these guys? Do you trust them?

How have the Big Bosses have dealt with the environment issue? “And you bet I want to open up a small part of Alaska, because when that field is online, it will produce a million barrels a day. Today, we import a million barrels from Saddam Hussein. I would rather that a million come from our own hemisphere, our own country.” (George W. Bush, on opening parts of the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling) Carbon dioxide does not cause or contribute to smog, and the Kyoto treaty would do nothing to reduce or prevent smog.” (Stephen Harper, Toronto Star, June 10, 2004).

This is Where Glocal Comes in… If we can’t trust our politicians to get the job done on their own, it’s time for a little grassroots encouragement!

Local Action Community-based Sensitive to the local needs Local resource concerns addressed Local & traditional knowledge structures

Global Impact International framework & bodies International Agreements Control most resources Globally situated

The Web of Life Get an eco-card – this represents the part of the ecosystem you represent One student gets a ball of string, and must find another eco-card to which your eco-card relates to You both hold on to the string and the second student connects their eco-card to another’s, and another’s, and another’s – till everyone is holding a part of the string

So what does it all mean? How are we connected to the world? How to we affect the world around us?

Margaret Mead “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

Buy light. A typical car produces 3 times its weight in carbon dioxide Annual fuel costs 3 times

Highway to Hell Cars create a full 30% of greenhouse gas emissions They also create 50% of toxic air pollution They even cause 20% of water pollution! They are putting at risk your little brothers and sisters, your grandparents, and anyone with asthma or allergies Alternatives can be riding your bike or rollerblades, taking public transit like the TTC, or joining family errands so you can carpool

More cars mean more roads and parking, and less green spaces and recreation areas. European cities devote less than 10 per cent of the land to transportation. North American cities devote up to 50 per cent! One busload of passengers takes 40 vehicles off the road during rush hour. It saves 70,000 liters of fuel and reduces 9 tones of air pollutants a year.

If you have to drive… Don’t idle Accelerate smoothly Warm up your car Take care of your car

Food Facts Throughout the world, about the same amount of land is used for food production as ALL of Africa – the second largest continent on Earth! It costs as much to produce 10 oz of beef as it is to produce 850 oz of potatoes (that’s a lot of French fries) A North American meal travels 2,400 km from field to table Veggie Protein Alternatives Nuts and Seeds Beans Grains and Cereals

Can you find your native country?

Energy waste: did you know? Regular light bulbs waste over 90% of their energy as heat!  Opt for a fluorescent bulb – they are over 75% more efficient, and you need to change the bulbs only once every 2-5 years Phantom loading  Disconnect your electronics from the wall when you’re not using it – otherwise they’re still using up energy and fattening up your electricity bills  Use energy efficient electronics like Energy Star

AND DON’T FORGET: EVERYONE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Thanks for listening! If you’re interested in getting involved, contact your school’s environmental club, or look up environmental groups such as Greenpeace and the David Suzuky Foundation online