An Outside Chance

“Getting to zero” is a lousy goal

Also published on Resilience In an alternate reality, gradually moving toward a zero-carbon-emission economy and arriving there in two or three decades would be a laudable accomplishment. In an alternate reality – for example, the reality that might result from turning the clock back to 1975 – a twenty-five year process of eliminating all … Read More

attention to scale

PHOTO POST It’s a great idea – but does it scale? “Warm-blooded flying dinosaur” is not only a time-tested concept, but one that works at a wide range of scales. This post stars the tiniest bird in our neighbourhood – but a distant relative a thousand times as big also makes an appearance. If we expand … Read More

as big as life

PHOTO POST On a bright day in July it’s hard to go a more than a few fathoms in any direction without coming across some arresting sight. Just off the front step, a web of spider silk has caught the rain over a cluster of sedums. At the end of the lawn, Black Mud-Dauber Wasps … Read More

Segregation, block by block

Also published on Resilience Is the purpose of zoning to ensure that towns and cities develop according to a rational plan? Does zoning protect the natural environment? Does zoning help promote affordable housing? Does zoning protect residents from the air pollution, noise pollution and dangers from industrial complexes or busy highways? To begin to answer … Read More

bright lights of june

PHOTO POST In the first week of June, the last of the far-north migratory birds were still passing through. By the end of the month some local nesters were ushering fledglings out into the world. In the meantime a wide variety of flowering plants made up for a chilly spring by growing inches a day … Read More

The high cost of speed

Also published on Resilience Imagine that we used a really crazy method to establish speed limits. We could start by recording the speeds of all drivers on a given stretch of roadway. Then, without any clear evidence of what a safe speed might be, we might argue that the great majority of people drive too … Read More

Dangerous roads are no accident

Also published on Resilience If you watch network television you can see auto companies spending a lot of money making our roads more dangerous. One slick ad after another glorifies massive cars and trucks as they careen around curves, bounce over bumps and potholes, and send up clouds of dust on always-open roads. The message … Read More

a whistling of whimbrels

PHOTO POST It’s always fun to gaze across the water looking for our usual residents. But in springtime you never know when a beautiful stranger might drop by for a few hours or a few days. On a warm evening in the marsh, you might spot an ancient snapping turtle looming large at the surface, … Read More

an eye on the sparrow

PHOTO POST One morning last week two of the less-seen sparrows visited our front yard together. These two sparrows, plus the Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, and the Dark-Eyed Junco, often search for food in the lawn and gardens. The Savannah Sparrow and the Swamp Sparrow occasionally allow themselves to be seen in … Read More

in and around the woods

PHOTO POST The forest floor is still cold and in many places soggy. But the flowers that live there are in a hurry to bloom before the canopy fills in and blocks the sunlight. That means there is a lot of beautiful change happening every day – and a lot of delicate growth that might … Read More

red shift

PHOTO POST The green is on its way, but the first vivid colours of spring around here tend to the red. Tiny sedums poke out between twigs. Alongside the fence rhubarb erupts. On a path a weathered log feeds new life. Venturing beyond the yard, I find a few birds that I don’t see every … Read More

Climate liars, Canada branch

Also published on Resilience “Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week. He decried the “litany of broken climate promises,” adding that “some government and business leaders are saying one thing – but doing another. Simply put, they are lying.” As if on cue, the Canadian … Read More