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3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Every little bit of green counts By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF G reen Party Leader Elizabeth May gave E.J. James Public School students some helpful tips on ways they can add more green to their lives. The now nationally-famous politician, who fought her way into the leaders' debate to represent the Greens for the first time this past federal election, spent a recent morning speaking to the students and staff at the school on how they can become more environmentally friendly. She emphasized that no action is too small when it comes to saving the planet. One environmentally friendly tip she gave was using green transportation. May demonstrated she is living this rule, by taking trains from Ottawa to Oakville, then riding to the school in a hybrid vehicle. "Anytime you can walk or bicycle to school, you should" she said. "You can tell your parents you want to walk to the store if you live close to it, or go by bus. You can also carpool. There's a lot of ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the way you get yourself around." May also said conserving energy in your home can make a big difference to the environment. "There is a long, long list of how you can do this," she said. "In terms of day-to-day stuff, you can replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent, don't leave the TV on and unplug appliances that aren't being used because even when they are turned off they are using electricity, compost and taking short showers because when you waste water, you waste energy. When you take a long, hot shower, you are hurting the environment." May also emphasized that you don't have to be an adult to create change, She said she started an environ- "When everyone gets together on an environmental problem, or any other problem, we can solve it." Elizabeth May, Green Party Leader LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER GREEN VISIT: Elizabeth May, author, Order of Canada recipient and leader of the Green Party of Canada was the guest speaker at an assembly at E.J. James Public School. mental club as a Grade 10 school student back in the 1970s. She hasn't looked back, spending the subsequent decades fighting for green causes. She said cooperation, whether between students or even citizens and politicians, is key to problem solving. "When everyone gets together on an environmental problem, or any other problem, we can solve it," she said. May said the biggest environmental issue facing the world right now is the climate change crisis. She said the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark being held in December 2009 is significant as a treaty may be signed committing countries to help stem the tide of global warming. "The next conference is the most important one ever and we have to have all the nations there agree to a good, solid treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," she said. "They are going to focus on one thing and one thing only, and that is finding a way to reduce our emissions globally, quickly enough, so that we can avoid the worst aspects of the climate crises. We can't avoid some climate change, but we can avoid the worst of it." Although the conference is for politicians, May encouraged students and teachers to get involved. "Every single person can make a difference," she said. "Here at this school, you can write a letter to your MP, your MPP and your newspaper. Working on this issue as a young person, you could make a big difference." May's message resonated with students, particularly those belonging to the school's active environmental club. "I think, before, a lot of kids thought maybe the environment wasn't the most important thing ever, but I hope now they realize that yes, it is important and yes, we can make a difference," said Bailee Johnson, a Grade 8 student. Alexander Glista, a Grade 7 student, also hopes that students at the school were inspired by May's visit and will take action to help Mother Earth. "I'm hoping other students in our school got some of the little points, like taking shorter showers and recycling, because little things make a difference," he said. Grade 7 student Joanna Kadwell said May's message on how to combat climate change was timely. "I think environmental causes are very interesting and we need to do something about climate change," she said. Abbey Park High School student and environmental crusader Meagan McKeen also spoke to the students. She told how she became involved in environmental issues when she was in Grade 7, eventually becoming a key voice in the successful bid to end cosmetic pesticide use in the town of Oakville. She has also advocated for the environment at major political events in places like England, Japan and Poland. The Oakville teenager is heading to the University of British Columbia in the fall to pursue environmental sciences. "It is definitely possible for you guys to become involved," she told the crowd of students. "Now is the time to start getting engaged in different issues, whether it is the environment or something else. There are lots of issues going on in the world right now. It is important that you take the time to find out what is going on, figure out where you stand on them and once you decide that, advocate for those issues." May revealed in an interview with The Oakville Beaver following her presentation that she tries to visit at least one school across Canada per month. Despite a hectic schedule, she said speaking to students is a priority to her. "I basically always say yes to schools," the Green Party leader said. "I think my role is a little different than other politicians. I feel that a lot of what I do should be about education. I really believe that kids' interest and engagement in politics and the environment is crucial. They need to know they can stop this. The two worst things in our society are denial and apathy, and to help kids avoid both is important." Green Energy Act should eliminate some red tape By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Those interested in bringing renewable energy projects to Ontario will now have an easier time getting their foot in the door. This was the way Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn summed up the purpose of the new Green Energy Act during a Town Hall meeting that was hosted by the Oakville Community Centre for Peace, Ecology and Human Rights last week. In his address to a crowd of around 50 people, Flynn noted the need to remove bureaucratic obstacles to green energy projects became clear to him during his time as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Energy. "We had groups of people coming into the office and saying, `I want to build a solar farm, but I just can't get through this bureaucracy. I just can't seem to get it done. You have to help us here, you have to get us through this mire,'" said Flynn. "It seemed like the people who "I have some very strong opinions about this issue and it's killing me that I have to keep them to myself." Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn Kevin Flynn were supposed to help the most were the biggest hurdle. When you had to deal with Hydro One or Ontario Hydro or even the power authority itself, it seemed like as much as we were saying we wanted to see more wind, more solar in this province, every time a group tried to do something, it seemed there was somebody there telling them a reason why they couldn't do it or that it wasn't their job or that they were at the bottom of a list." The Green Energy Act puts an end to this, Flynn noted, by streamlining the approvals process, which renewable energy projects must go through, thereby making it easier for the projects to get off the See Ministry page 5