This week:

• Liz Benneian, President of the Oakville Green Conservation Associataion, speaks with Jordan Poppenk about the development of urban green spaces, the successes her organization has had at preserving them, and the tactics it has used.
• Jordan and Kevin Farmer discuss new global warming adaptation spending in Canada’s Arctic.

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The headlines in brief:

• Environment Canada is considering ending its funding of a bundle of environmental programs, such as the Canadian Environmental Network, that provide a financial and operations backbone to grassroots community environment groups across the country;
• Six all-time temperature records were set in British Columbia this week;
• Toronto City Council unanimously passed Phase 1 of its Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan;
• Toronto passed new environmental policy calling for a program to shift all taxis and limousines to hybrid or low-emission vehicles by 2015;
• The city of Toronto has finalized an agreement for the operation of a “biosolids pelletizer'’ at the Ashbridge’s Bay treatment plant;
• The County of Simcoe is refusing to provide Tiny Townships’s Site 41 Community Monitoring Committee with a copy of the mathematical model used by the County to evaluate a new dump site;
• 28 cities committed to a goal of 15 per cent reduction in water consumption by 2015 at the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative conference;
• A US Geological survey has found that melting sea ice is driving polar bears onto dry land to give birth;
• A new study says that the best way to protect tropical forests is to set up small community projects to harvest forest products;
• The ministry of health in Italy is urging employers to let their staff dress more casually so that air conditioners can be turned down.

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