EarthMatters

Wayne Roberts is a Canadian food policy analyst and writer, widely respected for his role as the manager of the [Toronto Food Policy Council], widely recognized for its innovative approach to food security, from 2000-2010.

Wayne is the author of seven books including "The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food" and speaks to us about nutrition, health, economics and more.

We also speak with Melissa Houghton, CEO and Founder of Lumago Inc. - an Aquaponics systems distributor.

Over two billion cups of coffee are consumed, worldwide, every day. According to the International Coffee Organization, each year some 10 million tons of coffee is produced employing 120 million people with 25 million of them being small farm producers in 37 countries.

We spoke to three retailers of coffee, all using certified Fair Trade coffee, and asked how and why they got started. One company is a worker co-op, another is a certified B Corporation (meaning that social and environmental values are just as important as shareholder returns), the third is a private company but 100% of profits go towards food, water and education facilities in countries around the world.

http://planetbeancoffee.com http://ethicalbean.com http://earthgroup.org/

EarthMatters spoke to representatives from two organizations that understand the importance of conservation – one a small local group and the other a much larger, national, organization.  Land Trusts and Conservation agencies abound all around us, we simply need to take an effort to see what they are accomplishing and lend a hand.

Jen Baker, Land Trust manager for the Hamilton Naturalists Club.

Kristyn Ferguson, Acting Director of Conservation, Ontario Region of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

CoPower is a registered exempt market dealer and a certified B corporation that began in 2013 with the vision that new online tools, and the surge in profitable clean energy investments could provide an investing platform for people who care about their portfolios, their communities and their environment.

Trish Nixon, Managing Director & Head of Capital for CoPower explains what CoPower does and how investors can help fund environmental projects.  copower.me

While some of us buy fresh food from local markets and speak directly to those who produce that food, and many have at least heard of the 100-mile diet, the vast majority of society has little or no contact with farmers and the agricultural industry.

I spoke to Kelly Daynard, Executive Director, and Dave McEachren a Grain Farmer and Board Member, both of Farm & Food Care Ontario to find out more.  Farm & Food Care is a whole-sector coalition made up of representatives from all farming types and associated businesses, and positions itself as the helpful expert on agriculture. The common goal is to build public trust in food and farming. 

Environmentalists and Investors seem to be speaking different languages, yet everyone wants 'sustainability'. We've heard about Green Bonds and Impact Investing for several years but can we leverage our personal investments, pensions funds, and insurance pools to push corporations to embrace Environment, Social and Governance issues? EarthMatters went to the Responsible Investment Association of Canada to find out.

I speak with Lindsay Wiginton, Managing Director, Transportation and Urban Solutions for the Pembina Institute. The Pembina Institute is made up of engineers, scientists, analysts, MBAs, planners and communication professionals working throughout B.C., Alberta and Ontario. Lindsay talks about the carbon footprint of freight transportation and how its GHG emissions may outstrip passenger vehicles by 2030.

A report by Pembina titled "Improving Urban Freight Efficiency" is discussed.

Katherine Monahan, Senior Research Associate for Smart Prosperity Institute, discusses a new report, 'Economic Tools to Reduce Household Waste and Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions', and how incentives and environmental charges must be used to decrease the amount of waste we don't yet recycle.

Kawku Osei, CEO of Cooperative Capital (Detroit), explains how the new Michigan Invests Locally Exemption (MILE) legislation allows average citizen investors to fund local infrastructure to revitalize neighbourhoods.

Cooperative Capital is a community-based social enterprise raising money to re-build neighbourhoods in Detroit. By encouraging local citizens to invest in community projects, residents can take out loans to improve properties and realize increased values in their own neighbourhood, rather than relying on banks or out-of-town financial ventures.

www.cooperativecap.com

Juno award-winner, Sarah Harmer, combines her music career with her passion for the environment.  Can the two be compatible?  Sarah talks about her love for the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and her activism to protect biodiversity in the area.  Harmer produced an album of music dedicated to the Escarpment titled 'I'm a Mountain'.  We hear one of her songs from that album, discuss her music and what ordinary citizens can do to protect nature all around us.