Earthgauge Radio

Full program audio:

On Earthgauge Radio this week, it’s our Earth Day Special. Click the audio player above to hear the whole show. We have 2 interviews on today’s program:

• Jed Goldberg, President of Earth Day Canada

• Jamie Henn of 350.org and climatedots.org on their Connect the Dots campaign and Climate Impacts Day on May 5

Earthgauge Radio is broadcast every other Thursday morning at 7:00-8:00 AM on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa. Right click here to download today’s full show.

Earth Day is this Sunday,  April 22 and it marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. So I spoke with the president of Earth Day Canada, Jed Goldberg, who told us about the importance of Earth Day and what is being planned for the 2012 edition.

Jed Goldberg interview (right click here to download):

Also on the program, I spoke with Jamie Henn of the organization 350.org about their Connect the Dots campaign and Climate Impacts Day, which is coming up on May 5. Connect the Dots is a campaign to draw the connection between extreme weather and climate change. Climate Impacts Day will bring together thousands of communities to take action to highlight the dramatic climate change impacts we are witnessing around the world so we’ll talk to Jamie about what they have planned for May 5 and how you can get involved in planning your own event or joining an event already being planned.

Jamie Henn interview (right click here to download):

We also had our usual segment with Ecology Ottawa who updated us on local environmental events and campaigns. And we heard the week’s round-up of international eco-news from Deutsche Welle Living Planet.

Remember that Earthgauge Radio is podcast on iTunes if you type earthgauge into the search bar, you’ll find us. Contact us at . Facebook address is www.facebook.com/EarthgaugeRadio and Twitter handle @earthgaugeCA. Please do get in touch if you have story ideas, a comment on something you’ve heard or want to get involved or contribute to the show.

Upcoming local environmental events (courtesy of Ecology Ottawa):

From now until May 15th, you can take part in Cleaning the Capital, a city-wide cleanup campaign. Help keep Ottawa green and litter-free by cleaning up public property where you live, work or play. Registered participants
receive a cleanup starter kit to assist them with their projects and are eligible to win prizes donated
by the campaign’s generous sponsors. To find out more, visit the City of Ottawa’s website and search
for “Cleaning the Capital”.

Continuing tonight, April 19th, until Saturday April 21st, is the Environmental Film Festival at the
Canadian Museum of Nature. Don’t miss this excellent and provocative selection of films about current environmental issues, which include the Alberta Tar Sands, colony collapse disorder in bee hives, hydroelectric dams, climate change, marine conservation, waste generation and more. Each night will feature a guest speaker. These films were chosen by a Canada-wide selection committee from the best films of the October 2011 Planet in
Focus Environmental Film festival in Toronto. For listings, visit the museum’s website at nature.ca and
click on “Plan Your Visit”.

On Saturday April 21st and Sunday April 22nd, from 10am to 4pm, come check out the ECO EXPO –
Ottawa Healthy Living Show at the RA Centre on Riverside Drive. This Earth Day weekend event is like three great shows in one – an Eco Festival, a Local Food Fair, and a Health & Wellness Show. At a great central location with easy access to public transit and free parking, the ECO EXPO will feature up to 100 local exhibitors, demonstrations, presentations, free food sampling and much more. Admission is by donation; all proceeds will go to three selected charities. For more information, visit ecoexpo.ca.

Also on Sunday, April 22nd, an environmental art show will open at Wall Space Gallery in Westboro. The
exhibit, entitled “Where the WildThings…Aren’t”, will run until May 6 th. The show will bring together several artists from Ottawa, Toronto and beyond, each of whom will be responding to the theme of “the human relationship to nature”. For more information, consult the gallery’s website at http://www.wallspacegallery.ca.

On Monday, April 23rd, the City of Ottawa will be holding a second Public Open House from 4:00 to
8:00 pm at Jim Durrell Recreation Centre on Walkley Road to discuss plans to address the emerald ash
borer problem in Ottawa. The emerald ash borer is an invasive insect that poses a serious threat to the
survival of ash trees across the city. Councillor Peter Hume and the City Forestry Staff will be leading the
meeting.

On Wednesday, April 25th, the fourth and final installment in a series of Organic Gardening Workshops
will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at the Sandy Hill Community Centre. These workshops are a
presentation of Canadian Organic Growers Ottawa in collaboration with Just Food and the City of
Ottawa. Workshop number 4 will focus on ecofriendly yard care, including a discussion about maintaining a
healthy lawn, tips on how to control weeds and grubs, and alternatives to grass. Other topics will include
organic flower gardening, decorative fruits and vegetables, composting, natural fertilizers, ecological
friendly fences and patios, natural pest management, and others.
Call 613-564-1062 to register or for more information.

On Saturday, April 28th, a symposium will be held from 8:00am to 2:00pm at Robertson Hall, Carleton
University to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit. The symposium is
called “Return to Rio: Progressing Toward Sustainability?” and will bring together practitioners from the
academic community, government, industry and the third sector to explore the theory, governance,
and practice underpinning the three pillars of sustainability that were cemented in Agenda 21. For more
information about this event or to register, visit signalscarleton.wordpress.com.