The Green Planet Monitor

Twelve Canadians - Ken Lewenza

Dave Kattenburg — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 14:45:52 +0000

Looking back over a 42-year career in the Canadian trade union movement — a journey that took him from a Chrysler assembly line to the national presidency of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union — what stands out most for Ken Lewenza? It's the connection between shop floor organizing and community life at large.

In this audio documentary, produced by Ottawa writer Stephen Dale, Lewenza speaks of the labour movement’s continuing relevance to Canadians as a force within communities -- championing causes that benefit society as a whole, promoting beneficial policies, and working to improve conditions in the places where people live and work.

Twelve Canadians: The Nashwaak

Dave Kattenburg — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 21:39:50 +0000

twelvecanadians_nashwaak.mp3

In this episode of Twelve Canadians, Stephanie Merrill and Gary Spencer, both from the New Brunswick town of Stanley, ecologist-teacher-researcher Larry Woest, from Green Hill, and Alma Brooks, a Maliseet elder who knows the Nashwaak’s correct name, along with the names and uses of local medicinal plants, guide us up this very special New Brunswick salmon stream.

Twelve Canadians: Zack and Dinah

Dave Kattenburg — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 19:39:33 +0000

twelvecanadians_zackanddinah.mp3

Who exactly coined the phrase "think globally, act locally" is a matter of dispute. Dinah Ceplis and Zack Gross certainly exemplify the philosophy in action. Listen to them chat.

The Good Food Club

Dave Kattenburg — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 00:34:16 +0000

twelvecanadians_goodfoodclub.mp3

John K. Sampson’s poignant song about Winnipeg captures the cold anonymity of Prairie Canada’s capital on a grey dismal day. But there are many more reasons to love this town than to hate it. The socially conscious West Broadway neighborhood, and its Good Food Club, is one.

Twelve Canadians: Midwives

Dave Kattenburg — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 13:37:35 +0000

twelvecanadians_midwifery.mp3

Midwives catch babies. A midwife cares for a pregnant woman throughout her pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. Most everything relevant to a woman's health in the childbearing period comes under the midwife's watchful eye. This episode of the Green Planet Monitor's Twelve Canadians series features the voices of three pioneering Canadian midwives: Elaine Carty, Lee Saxell and Marla Gross.

Twelve Canadians -- Cheryl Greenberg

Dave Kattenburg — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 18:05:56 +0000

twelvecanadians_cherylgreenberg.mp3

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Twelve Canadians: Prairie School for Union Women

Dave Kattenburg — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 15:02:22 +0000

twelvecanadians_prairieschool.mp3

Saskatchewan's Prairie School for Union Women has been building leadership skills and solidarity among women workers for sixteen years. Here are the voices of a few of its organizers. Thanks to Adriane Paavo for capturing a bit of the Prairie School’s 2013 opening session, and to Debbie Lussier for the PSUW photos.

Twelve Canadians - Fundy Baykeeper

Dave Kattenburg — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 19:07:53 +0000

twelvecanadians_fundybaykeeper.mp3

Matt Abbott patrols the waters of Passamaquoddy Bay, tucked into the outer, northwestern corner of the Fundy, on the edge of the Gulf of Maine, on behalf of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. His job: keep an eye on salmon farms, fish trash out of the water, and cultivate community along these beautiful shores.

Twelve Canadians: Jessica Ernst

Dave Kattenburg — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 22:26:55 +0000

twelvecanadians_jessicaernst.mp3

Imagine what it would be like to have your water supply morph into a fire hazard; to have to haul this most precious of life's resources from a public tap an hour's drive from your home, in the dead of winter, because the liquid flowing from your own tap has been contaminated with methane gas and is liable to explode if you light a match. This is Jessica Ernst's story.

Twelve Canadians: Inka Milewski

Dave Kattenburg — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 17:40:25 +0000

inkamilewski_gpm_vf.mp3

Inka Milewski was a marine biologist, not a public health researcher or epidemiologist, when she received a call from some Bathurst, New Brunswick folks worried about a local smelter. As is often the case with energetic people of conscience (and a famous role model of hers), Inka took up that call. She had no choice. It was something she had to do. These days, Inka is also investigating the impact of industrial salmon aquaculture on the floor of Shelburne harbor, in Nova Scotia.

Twelve Canadians: The Watershed Sentinel

Dave Kattenburg — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 18:53:39 +0000

twelvecanadians_watershedsentinel.mp3

Twelve Canadians is a multimedia series about women and men who’ve been devoting their lives to social, economic or environmental justice, and to the healthy development of Canadian communities and the world. Each episode examines a specific issue or situation, through the voices of people who’ve been active in that area. Lots more than just twelve. Thanks to the UNIFOR Social Justice Fund for its generous support. Thanks as well to CKUW, University of Winnipeg Radio.

Twelve Canadians: Fracking

Dave Kattenburg — Sun, 25 May 2014 23:37:04 +0000

twelvecanadians_fracking.mp3

I knew little about this most notorious of earth-gouging techniques when I journeyed to New Brunswick last summer to attend a fracking "Day of Protest" in Kent County, between Moncton and Miramichi -- Elsipogtog First Nations territory -- but I was familiar with the horror stories.

Twelve Canadians: Social Enterprise

Dave Kattenburg — Thu, 15 May 2014 22:02:56 +0000

twelvecanadians_socialenterprise.mp3

Winnipeg's Social Enterprise Centre was founded in 2011 as a partnership between Pollock's Hardware Co-op, Building Urban Industries for Local Development (BUILD), and Manitoba Green Retrofit (MGR). The wonderful space they've occupied at 765 Main Street -- on the north side of the CN tracks -- is filled with other groups like Lite (Local Investment Toward Employment)and the social enterprise Aki Energy. Interested in community-driven economic development founded on training and job creation? Check these folks out.

Twelve Canadians: David Phillips, Canada's chief climatologist

Victoria Fenner — Thu, 08 May 2014 19:10:05 +0000

twelve_canadians_-_david_phillips_climatologist.mp3

In the age of apparently accelerating global warming, no one has their finger on Earth’s weather pulse more squarely and firmly than Phillips, Canada’s chief climatologist and an eminent Canadian. Anyone who regularly listens to the radio here in Canada is likely to have heard Dave Phillips on various occasions. He’s “Canada’s Weatherman” (although Environment Canada is quick to point out that Phillips is their chief “climatologist”). One thing’s for sure: David Phillips is Canada’s leading public commentator on that subject of all-consuming interest for Canadians -- the weather. In this land of withering heat, bitter cold, endless snow, and buckets of rain, no one tells it like it is better than David Phillips.

The Green Planet Monitor -- Edition # 16

admin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:20:39 +0000

ecp-2007-04-24.mp3

The Green Planet Monitor is produced by Earth Chronicle Productions, with the support of the Mass Media Initiative of the Canadian International Development Agency and the Social Justice Fund of the Canadian Autoworkers Union. Further information about the projects and people featured in this edition can be found at the following sites: