LIA MAZZOLINI: Alberta approves carbon-capture plan that says it will clean up the air. The deal says there will be production of electricity by combining the cheap price of coal-fired generators with the benefits of natural gas.

The Alberta government announces that Swan Hills Synfuels, has been given $285-million to drill, on Wednesday, July 27. The plan is to drill into a coal seam about a kilometer and a half underground.

The company will then change the coal into gas and pipe the gas to the surface. The next step would be to strip the gas of carbon dioxide. This type of gas is what’s called synthetic gas or “syngas.”  The expectation is for syngas to produce 300 megawatts of energy.

CEO of Synfuels, Martin Lambert says, the electricity from the company’s plants will be less expensive than natural gas-fired plants. He adds the syngas-produced electricity will make less carbon dioxide than natural gas and about 66% of what a coal-fired plant makes.

Skeptics claim the technology is very expensive. They argue that fossil fuels are still an attractive commodity, so it may be a hard energy source to sway from. [ index ]

MELISSA SHAW: This Sunday, a team of Canadian and international scientists released a study stating that climate change in Northern Canada is causing the release of toxic chemicals from melting ice. The chemicals in question are called persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, and they have been linked to cancer and other serious illnesses in humans. The new report explains that the man-made toxins, which are banned under the Stockholm convention, travelled to the Arctic via wind and ocean currents, where they became trapped in the region’s ice, soil, and water. With ice melting at an increasing rate over the past two decades, the previously trapped POPs are being re-released into the environment. According to the study, POPs have now entered the food chain in Northern Canada and traces can be found in wildlife. The study comes just a few weeks before Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to make his annual visit to Canada’s North. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: Clean energy advocates are pushing the Prime Minister to get some eco-upgrades on his house. Stephen Harper’s residency on 24 Sussex drive, is a 143-year-old home that is supposedly lacking many energy-saving features.

Green energy advocates are keeping their fingers crossed that Harper will use the government’s newly revived ecoEnergy program. The ecoEnergy program is s $5,000 incentive to Canadians who make their home more energy-efficient.

The National Capital Commission proposes the 19th century home should go through a $10 million renovation. Yet, Prime Minister Harper is refusing to move his family so the renovations take place.

Auditor General, Sheila Fraser says, that the building’s cost would be greatly reduced if it went through a renovation. However, she says Prime Minister Harper doesn’t want to change the home. Heritage architect Carlos Ventin also worries that the home may soon be at, “a point of no return.”

Other architects such as heritage design firm, + VG Architects, find it shame that Harper won’t send a good example to Canadians. [ index ]

MELISSA SHAW: Alykhan Velshi, the former communications director for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, has just launched a new project. He is taking over a website called EthicalOil.org that aims to clean up the image of Canada’s oil sands. Velshi, who was a key member of the team behind the Conservatives’ recent electoral victory, is now focusing his PR skills on casting Canada’s oil as the ethical alternative to oil from countries like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The online ad campaign makes the argument that Canadian oil funds democracy, peacekeeping, and even gay pride, while oil from corrupt regimes pays for terrorism and dictatorship. The campaign is partially a response to the damaging effect the oil sands have had on Canada’s environmental reputation. The European Union has threatened to label the oil sands as a dirty fuel source and the Canadian government is trying to combat this with extensive lobbying efforts. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: Calgary folk festival is now playing on a greener tune. Plastic is a thing of the past and eco-friendly substitutes are the standard. Plastic water bottles are now banned and compostable cups are only being served. Patrons and volunteers are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle.

The 31-year-old festival was already using recyclable plates and was known for being a green festival.

Team member, Doug Boyd, has been collecting the cans and bottles at the Calgary Folk Festival for more than 10 years. Boyd and his team is looking to notify the ticket holders that bottled water is no longer acceptable on the grounds.

Volunteers post at 12 waste stations to guarantee that festivalgoers recycle, compost and throw waste into the bins.

But the team doesn’t want to be more assertive then that. Boyd says they won’t search the festivalgoers for water bottles because it would be too intrusive. Punishing people would be over-enforcing the rule. He adds that the music is still the priority.

Calgary Folk Festival decision-maker, Leor Rotchild says more green ideas will likely be revealed at next year’s festival. Rotchild hopes that the fest will inspire other festivals, across the country, to do the same. [ index ]

MELISSA SHAW: Over 800 scientists from around the world met in Halifax this week for a conference on mercury pollution. The goal of the conference is to publicize the latest scientific information on mercury’s release into the environment and its effect on people. The conference’s Canadian organizers also hope the research discussed will equip policy-makers with the information they need to make responsible decisions. Mercury is particularly dangerous because it can spread as an airborne pollutant and can cause serious health problems in humans and animals. The control of mercury pollution is contentious, however, because coal power plants are one of its chief sources. Nova Scotia, the conference’s host province has delayed imposing environmental restrictions on coal plants because of the rise in electricity costs that this move would cause. [ index ]