Marching in Shoalidarity
On September 12, hundreds of protestors marched from the Manitoba legislature to the Winnipeg Aqueduct Monument to raise awareness for the dire water situation in…
environment
Fossil fuel divestment: the way to the future
Although the reasons outlined above make a strong moral case for divestment, fossil fuel divestment also makes economic sense. A recent news article in the Guardian confirmed that fossil fuel free funds outperformed conventional funds by 1.2 per cent yearly according to MSCI, a U.S.-based provider of equity, fixed income and hedge fund stock market indices. Even former Shell chairman Mark Moody-Stuart said “divestment is a rational approach […] If you think your money can be used somewhere else, you should switch it. Selective divestment or portfolio switching is actually what investors should be doing.”
There are choices to be made in the near future that will have a great impact. The choices themselves are clear: we either take action toward a better future, or we allow our universities to support that future’s destruction. The right choice is clearly the former – we must choose to divest.
Landscapes of extraction
Approaching resource extraction by treating the hinterland as a provider for global economies isolates the local communities from their land, often excluding them from jobs and wealth associated with the resource industry as well as excluded from use of the physical resource. With extraction of resources increasingly for exports and global use, regionally the benefits of extraction landscapes are rarely reaped.
Protest! The conscience demands it
In heeding our conscience – and what, other than that, is the purpose of having consciousness – we will find a path clear before us. This is the path of protest, of differentiation form the norm. Not of calling out, but of turning away. True protest, the kind that seeks change, must be more affirmation than negation. It is focused on the actions we can ourselves take, not the actions not taken by others.
Stop and smell the roses
As with most artists, Candace Fempel of the Department of Floristry stumbled upon her talent quite naturally – but perhaps more so than most. “I think…
Hive mind
Farmers, beekeepers, and scientists began noticing honeybees disappearing in 2006. The honeybee is responsible for the pollination of crops around the world, and plays a…
UMSU officially endorses fossil fuel divestment
The University of Manitoba Students’ Union approved a motion this week to seek divestment from fossil fuel companies. An overwhelming majority of councillors at the…
Bringing it back
The Galápagos tortoise, an endangered animal, has begun to reproduce naturally in the wild after being unable to for 100 years. The threat of black…
My experience mastering composting toilets
Who hasn’t got a personal toilet story? Crappy humour has plugged humanity for eons. I grew up experiencing some rustic outhouses and have had some…
The intelligence of crows
Crows are extremely intelligent birds that are part of the corvid family, which also includes magpies and blue jays. Research done in collaboration between Moscow…