An Outside Chance

heat of summer

PHOTO POST As the most intense heat wave in years takes hold of the lakeshore, the growth of some plants accelerates, others parch and wither, and many marsh-dwellers seek mid-day shade or the cool of twilight hours. With a still bountiful supply of moisture, green plants in the marsh are tall and lush, though the … Read More

Can nuclear power extend the economic expansion?

Also published at Resilience.org and BiophysEco. Richard Rhodes’ new book Energy: A Human History does an excellent job of describing the scientific and technological hurdles that had to be cleared in the development of, for example, an internal combustion engine which can convert refined petroleum into forward motion. But he gives short shrift to the … Read More

Energy: A Human History – a slim slice of history and science

Also published at Resilience.org and BiophysEco. “The population of the earth has increased more than sevenfold since 1850 – from one billion to seven and a half billion – primarily because of science and technology,” Richard Rhodes concludes at the end of his new book Energy: A Human History. “Far from threatening civilization, science, technology, … Read More

Colour in the eye of the beholder

Photo Post The marshes are a sea of green, wild and garden flowers are coming into bloom, and one 24-hour period this week saw a burst of nesting activity by the Snapping Turtles. Notwithstanding all the vivid hues, the tranquility of many midsummer days comes across beautifully in photos of minimal colour. In our … Read More

light lines

PHOTO POST Bright light and shadows run through this week’s post, with photos from garden and forest, marsh and lakeshore. This Mullein plant, lit from the other side by early morning sunlight, grows just beneath a bird feeder. The spot is a favourite hangout for squirrels, who encourage the Blue Jays to spill as … Read More

Kings of the Yukon: a travel story as deep and wide as the great river

Also published at Resilience.org. It’s a simple truth: the slower you travel the more you see. This was impressed on me in the summer of 1988, as I traveled through the Yukon Territory at the frenetic pace of a bicycle tourist. Where the highway occasionally crossed the Yukon River, I sometimes shared campsites with a … Read More

The edge of summer

PHOTO POST While a few migratory birds are still stopping by on their way to nesting grounds far to the north, some resident birds have already hatched big broods. Meanwhile woodland flowers are hurrying to develop before the leafy canopies above cast a blanket of shade. A few days ago a pair of Dunlins paid … Read More

Don’t blink, you’ll miss it

PHOTO POST Spring is a long time coming this year, especially along the lakeshore – so we can expect it may give way to summer in a great rush. In the marsh the vegetation looks brown and dry – but a muskrat can still find a fresh green salad, simply by uprooting a cattail. Underneath … Read More

First principles for sustainable and equitable transportation

A review of Beyond Mobility Also published at Resilience.org. Subway systems, trams, Bus-Rapid-Transit, high-speed trains, cars – these can all play useful roles in well-designed transportation systems. But we must not forget what still is and what should remain the world’s most important transportation method: walking. That is one of the key messages of Beyond … Read More

The mobility maze

Also published at Resilience.org. Mobility is good, so more mobility is better, right? If only it were so simple. Mobility, after all, is generally less important to people than accessibility. When we go somewhere it’s not the movement that’s valuable, it’s the access to something – a school, shopping, a workplace, a friend’s house or … Read More