Every March 22, the world celebrates water in all its myriad forms. This year’s World Water Day theme is Glacier Preservation and protecting our frozen water resources for future use. While this theme is important to life all over the world, here in Canada it is vital, as our country is home to the Canadian Arctic and the Rocky Mountains, both landscapes that rely heavily on the conservation of this frozen resource.
For the 2024/2025 academic year, the Cinema Studies department at the University of Toronto launched a new experiential learning course called Sensory Ecologies: Theory and Praxis in Environmental Studies. Led by Professor Nadine Chan, our class has explored how media helps us construct and understand the concept of environmental degradation. Through scholarly research, various forms of media, and even experimenting with making our own media projects, we have seen firsthand how important storytelling is in conceptualizing the environment, and stoking passion for climate justice.
Every time I enter the ocean, it shows me something beautiful and unexpected. I’m looking for sharks, and a fin whale surfaces, breath bursting into fine mist. Sea lion pups encourage me to play, spinning in the water, swimming fast then turning on a dime and blowing bubbles. Floating at the surface, a comb jelly mesmerises me with rainbow bands of bioluminescence.
Winter can feel endless sometimes, even if temperatures are mild and there is barely any snow to shovel. Daylight hours are shorter, the weather is often less pleasant and we generally spend more time indoors and being less active. For many people seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a very real issue during the cold months and if you’ve ever felt the pains associated with it, you’re certainly not alone.
As told by Julia Barnes, a documentary filmmaker, volunteer with Water Docs, and friend of the late Rob Stewart. This speech was given as part of our Water Warrior Award presentation at our 11th annual Water Docs Film Festival in Toronto on Nov. 17, 2023. Rob’s parents, Brian and Sandy Stewart, accepted the award on Rob’s behalf.
With advanced polls open across the province and the parties’ campaigns in full swing, politics is yet again front of mind for many Ontarians. The general election will take place on Thursday, June 2 and it’s been widely reported that the cost of living is by far the number one voting issue in this post-pandemic time and it’s easy to see why: gas prices, rental costs, housing market and even groceries are all seeing record high prices.
When I was a newly minted Certified Natural Health Practitioner, I started Anarres Apothecary as a social enterprise storefront, online and mail-order resource for anyone who wanted body care, DIY supplies and housewares that are Good For You and Good For The Earth. For me, holistic health does not mean merely the health of our individual minds, bodies and spirits, but also the health of the Earth and all of its inhabitants. That’s why, for a dozen years, I’ve been a fan of Water Docs…
In May 2017, my charity had a booth at the Canada-Wide Science Fair. People came by, I did some water testing with children, and it was an interesting event. Then, one man came by who was very excited to see our booth at the Science Fair. His name was Wilson, and the reason he was so excited to see our booth was that one of our water testing kits had been used by one of his students and that was the reason that student was at the fair.
In many ways the advancement of technology is partly responsible for the climate crisis. On the surface, it’s easy to see the correlation between increased consumer demand for electronics and the global impact those demands have. Everything from our desire to have the latest and greatest to just how disposable technology has become these days, drive up the amounts of things like electronic waste, production and shipping related emissions, precious metal mining expansion, greater energy demand to power our electronics… and the list goes on.
But beneath the surface, when we start thinking about how technology has enabled our mistreatment of the planet, we begin to see the whole picture emerging.
