Queen's Journal, Volume 147, Issue 5

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the

Queen’s University

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journal

Volume 147, issue 6

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Friday, September 13, 2019

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Situated on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples.

since 1873

ALUMNI WITH POWER IN CANADA’S

FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY Page 6

Q&A WITH TORONTO STAR EDITOR IRENE GENTLE Page 3

KINGSTON’S

CLIMATE

EMERGENCY Page 2

THE AMAZON AND OUR LIMITED ATTENTION SPAN Page 11

CARING ABOUT SPORTS AND OUR

CLIMATE Page 8

RAMPING UP

CLIMATE RHETORIC Page 5

VEGAN AT

QUEEN’S Page 12 ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

queensjournal.ca

@queensjournal

@queensjournal

@queensjournal

@thequeensjournal

News

2 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, September 13, 2019

Kingston councillor talks the climate crisis Jim Neill talks climate emergency declaration, public transit Carolyn Svonkin Asisstant News Editor Since Kingston declared a climate emergency in March, the City is focusing on improving transportation sustainability, and passed a motion to ban shops from keeping doors and windows open while air conditioning is running.

On March 5, Kingston became the third municipality in Canada, and the first in Ontario, to declare a climate emergency.

Moved by Councillors Jim Neill and Robert Kiley, the motion passed unanimously.

The Journal spoke with Jim

Neill, who represents Kingston’s Williamsville district, about what actions the City has taken since the declaration and what it’s hoping to accomplish.

“Climate change is an emergency,” Neill said. “We need to take timely action. We need to lead by example.”

Neill said the City established a Climate Emergency Working Group as well as a Climate Action Committee, which is slated to publish a report with recommendations in October.

One of the central initiatives the City has pursued since the declaration is making different modes of transportation in Kingston more sustainable.

Neill said a motion was passed in August that will ask the City to ban people from leaving vehicles idling. Neill also emphasized the importance of switching from gas-powered cars to hybrid or electric.

AMS talks sustainability initiatives

“People don’t want to give up their SUVs, trucks, and other vehicles that aren’t sustainable, but we need to convince them buying a new, shiny gas-guzzler isn’t the way for their children or grandchildren to survive,” he said.

The public transit system is now not only included in student fees for Queen’s and St. Lawrence students, but free for all school-aged children, which Neill said creates an alternative to cars.

According to Neill, in an effort to make public transit a more appealing option for Kingstonians, parking charges in some parts of the City now cost more than a bus pass.

He also mentioned a plan to replace the entire bus fleet with electric vehicles, and said the first electric buses have been ordered.

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE Following constituent City councillor Jim Neill talks climate crisis. complaints, Neill returned to an initiative proposing a law that doors and windows open with air parallels between Queen’s and the would put a stop to shops keeping conditioning running.

City of Kingston.

“Some stores turn air “There is a challenge for Queen’s, conditioning on high, open the just as there is for the City, with doors, and put a fan blowing onto old infrastructure and heritage the sidewalk with the rationale buildings,” he said. that it entices people into their Neill said he thinks Queen’s store,” he said. has been doing a better job Neill believes this practice, with sustainability, but would which he called a “huge waste of recommend “an ambitious plan energy,” needs to stop. to plant trees and maintain Neill’s first motion seeking green space.” to impose this bylaw in 2011 “Climate change is a crisis that’s failed, but it was passed after been ignored far too long, but Neill brought a similar motion to there’s not a light switch we can Council in August. He credits this flip on and say ‘there, we’ve done to the “most progressive” council it’,” he said. “It’s an ongoing crisis, he’s worked with over his five and we need an ongoing plan to elected terms. address that crisis.”

Neill said there are many

Society introduces reusable mugs, tests composting abilities of TAPS products Sydney Ko Assistant News Editor As the school year gets underway, the AMS is introducing a host of sustainability initiatives, including reusable Common Ground Coffeehouse mugs and a review of services’ products to determine how compostable they are.

Following the announcement of the Student Choice Initiative (SCI) in January, which significantly decreased AMS funding by making the Society’s fee non-mandatory, the incoming AMS executive was forced to abandon their original plan of reinstating a commission focused on sustainability within the Society.

As Sustainability Week approaches, AMS President Auston Pierce and Vice-President (University Affairs) William Greene told The Journal despite limited funds, the Society has been seeking other ways to make its services green.

Although the AMS was unable to reinstate a commission focused on sustainability, Greene said through collaborations with the social issues commissioner, the deputy of environmental affairs, and other senior management on both the corporate and government sides of the Society, they were able to initiate sustainability projects through fundraising efforts.

Pierce and Greene said that instead of banning and eliminating product lines, they’re aiming to

change students’ personal habits by giving them an opportunity to choose products that are compostable.

“One special thing that has been done is a 30-cent discount on a Common Ground-branded reusable mug,” Greene said.

According to Greene and Pierce, the discount will make Common Ground coffee the least expensive on campus, and will provide an opportunity for students to save money.

Greene said there will also be changes made to sustainability promotion on campus, like the product graphics on receptacles in the JDUC and the Queen’s Centre.

According to Greene, the graphics currently don’t reflect what is supposed to be disposed of. “[We] want to work with Plant Physical Services (PPS) to conduct a report and see how we can make the labeling more specific,” Greene said.

The AMS has also partnered with the Sustainability Office to test products from Common Ground café and TAPS to determine how compostable they are.

“We were pleasantly surprised to find out that a lot of the product line is compostable,” Greene said.

“Now that we have that data from those tests, we know which areas we need to focus on and which areas to further transition away from plastics and recyclables to more compostable products.”

According to the AMS, every “togo” product except for cutlery items

from The Brew are compostable. Queen’s Pub has also introduced compostable takeout containers and serving paper.

For the first time this year, the AMS introduced an auditing program to measure the sustainability of Orientation Week events like the Sidewalk Sale.

Through a sustainability orientation review, student

volunteers filled out forms addressing waste, energy, food procurement, and other categories to measure environmental impact.

Greene said the program witnessed a strong turnout of first-year students, exchange students, and engagement from PPS, which the AMS marks as a sign of success.

While the data from Orientation Week isn’t fully synthesized, the

executives hope it will lay a foundation for future leaders to improve the carbon footprint on campus.

“It’s clear to us that people on this campus care deeply about the environment, so our whole job this year is to push the needle and change the culture on campus,” Pierce said.

Friday, September 13, 2019

queensjournal.ca • 3

News

In conversation with Star Editor-in-Chief, Irene Gentle Star editor talks covering climate in Canadian media

it’s coming into a federal election, where this is going to be a focus. Climate is a big, top-of-mind issue for many Canadians, which we’ve known from our own metrics, we know it from readers, and from actual national polls. We think it’s a huge issue for younger people, too. And sometimes Iain Sherriff-Scott it feels like, especially in national media, Managing Editor that they don’t get a voice to the same degree, and especially again in an election The Toronto Star is the only national year where there’s always a concentrated Canadian newspaper to sign onto Covering effort to get out the youth vote, but that Climate Now, an international journalism doesn’t mean that they always do come coalition dedicated to covering the climate out. We want to make sure that issues crisis with the urgency it deserves. The that we think actually will impact the Journal spoke to Irene Gentle, The Star’s future are what we’re focused on, too. editor-in-chief, about the paper’s decision In your view, what responsibility do to sign onto the global initiative and its journalists bear when covering an issue unprecedented coverage of the climate like climate? crisis in Canada.

It’s also an excellent question because, as you know, even with what you’re doing at This interview has been edited for clarity. your school, the media itself is in kind of a financial crisis. It means that resources are What was making the decision to sign always getting smaller, and they have to be on to covering climate now like, and why put towards things that are going to make did you feel it was an important step for readers happy, that are things that people the paper to take? are going to care about. So doing things that We obviously feel climate is an important are really important, but are not necessarily issue. We think it’s not exactly under- reader-grabs, becomes harder and harder to covered, but maybe it’s under-focused on, justify, they become harder and harder to do. given the magnitude of the issue. We felt So it mattered, and that’s where we did feel

News in Brief

Queen’s Sustainability Office hosts third annual Sustainability Week More than 40 partners, including local businesses, student groups, and University administration, will collaborate to host Sustainability Week from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3.

The initiative will provide participants with the opportunity to engage and inquire about the environmental issues facing local and global communities and ecosystems.

In doing so, Sustainability Week strives to cultivate a culture of sustainability on campus, and to promote sustainability initiatives in the Queen’s and Kingston communities.

Through a variety of events during the week, Queen’s staff, faculty, students, and

Kingston businesses will highlight different aspects of sustainability and discuss how both individuals and the community can tackle climate crisis.

These events will be organized according to the “Five Days, Five Ways” theme, which include Sunday: explore, Monday: act, Tuesday: inspire, Wednesday: eat, and Thursday: engage.

2019 will mark the eighth year of Sustainability Week, and the third year the Queen’s Sustainability Office has led the week’s organization.

This organizing responsibility was assumed when the AMS Commission of Environmental Affairs folded in the spring of 2017.

—Luca Dannetta

a responsibility. It’s getting harder for people to be able to put [in] these investments—it was hard for us—it was a lot of time and resources, it was very difficult for us to be able to do it. But if it was really difficult for us, it’s going to be pretty impossible for a bunch of other people. And that means that

“Sometimes it feels like, especially in national media, that [young people] don’t get a voice to the same degree.”

—Irene Gentle, Star Editor-in-Chief

it just falls off the public agenda. Well, that’s not right.

What advice would you give to small newsrooms like The Journal interested in covering the climate crisis in their own communities?

I think one of the things that you have to your advantage is that you are the generation that is going to have to be part of

Climate strike planned for end of month On Sept. 27 at noon, Queen’s students will gather at Union and University to hold strike for climate action, two days before Sustainability Week kicks off.

Organized by Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change (QBACC) and Divest Queen’s, the strike will be the second climate strike to occur this year.

This past March, more than 300 people marched downtown as part of a global

the change. That’s not taking responsibility away from my generation, or the boomer generation, but it means you guys actually have a lot more power than you might realize. I’m a really big believer, The Star is a really big believer, in partnering up with other outlets as much as possible, because that gives combined power.

Looking forward for The Star, where do you see the paper taking its climate coverage?

We want to build on what we’ve started.

We want to be able to find where the spots are that we can make changes. We don’t want anything to be an exercise in futility.

We will be looking at the policy level, again, trying to bring it home to people in a way that they can relate to it—in a way that they don’t feel they’re helpless. That’s a real difficulty issue, but I think it’s also really key. And I don’t think we’ve all nailed that.

I don’t think any of us actually have really nailed that. We’ve been looking at where we can find those spots, that a) can help either change policy, or b) can help amplify the movement. It’s going to keep changing. It’s going to keep evolving. And finding a way to actually get it to reach people and politicians is an ongoing challenge. journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

protest against climate change.

The rally occurred on March 15, just over a week after City Council declared a climate crisis emergency in Kingston, the first Ontario municipality to pass the motion.

While the March climate strike took protestors to the streets of Kingston, next Friday’s rally will only march through campus.

—Raechel Huizinga

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Friday, September 13, 2019

OPINIONS

Your Perspective

Kyra Smith touches on the difficulty of being eco-friendly on a student budget.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

As a student, going green comes with a price tag There’s no denying that climate change and Take the produce section of the grocery friendly, and those changes cost money. One money are closely intertwined. Whether store, for example, where there’s often two Energy Star-certified window goes for more it’s big industry polluters cutting corners to iterations of the same item: conventional than $300 before installation costs. save (or make) a buck, carbon taxes in the and organic. Unlike conventional products, Even if students could afford to retrofit a news, or the cost of cleaning up after yet organic products are grown without house, there’s the snag of home ownership— another extreme weather event, dollars and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. These or rather, the lack thereof. Renting means cents contribute to the dialogue around our fertilizers are a major source of nitrous oxide, lacking the authority to make upgrades to planet’s decline. a powerful greenhouse gas. a living space, and having little authority It can be difficult to separate our Unfortunately, this reduction in carbon over energy use. A house’s thermostat can bank accounts from the climate crisis, emissions doesn’t come cheap, as organic only be kept so low before its pipes—or its especially when the contents of those bank products are generally pricier than inhabitants—freeze. accounts—and how much we’re willing to their conventional counterparts. A 2015 This is significant, given that 81 per cent spend—might be our best means of bringing Consumer Reports comparison found of Canadian greenhouse gas emissions about change. that within the grocery store chains they and 78 per cent of global emissions come We live in a democratic and capitalist surveyed, organic products cost on average from energy production and consumption, society, meaning many find it empowering 47 per cent more than the same product according to Natural Resources Canada. By to voice our opinions with our ballots grown conventionally. overhauling homes, we could reduce the and paycheques. Unfortunately, elections Conscious consumers might want to opt amount of energy wasted and our carbon typically only occur once every four years for for the eco-friendly option, but they’re forced footprint. Unfortunately, these big changes each level of government, which restricts our to consider the bite it’ll take out of their are difficult to make for most students for window for lasting political action. grocery budget. Someone staring down next financial reasons often beyond their control.

Money, on the other hand, can be used term’s tuition or struggling to pay off OSAP The choice between what’s good for the every day to tell business and political loans will find a bag of conventional carrots planet and what’s good for our wallets isn’t leaders what we want, from social reform to less attractive but more financially feasible always easy, but it’s critical to put our money action on climate change. When your voice than a bag of organic carrots. to good use. can’t be heard, speak with your wallet.

The same issue arises when purchasing With the effects of the climate crisis But if a student don’t have much in their clothing, footwear, hygiene products, already being felt, a need for change directed wallet, they shouldn’t feel disenfranchised. and other necessities. High prices and by everyday people is urgent. Now, more For many students, university is a time low bank balances mean students can’t than ever, we need to spend and invest our of frugality. While every person’s financial always spend money to reflect their money wisely to send a message to people situation is unique, many Canadian students environmental philosophy. in power. We need to support companies live on limited funds. After tuition, textbooks, When it comes to housing, too, students that do their part for their environment and, rent, and utilities, there often isn’t much cash aren’t in a position to shrink their carbon even more importantly, stop consuming the left over for us to use to express our opinions. footprint. Many student houses are old, with products of companies that do not.

It doesn’t help that environmentally outdated appliances, inefficient heating, and This is where strategic spending comes in. responsible options tend to be more poor insulation. Big changes are needed in Strategic spending means understanding expensive than their alternatives. order to make student accommodation eco- that not every purchase we make must lead

to a clean, green future. That’s not financially sustainable or realistic. However, at the least, we can inform ourselves.

We can gather knowledge and apply it to our shopping choices to reflect our ethical standards despite a tight budget.

Instead of spending on organic produce at the cost of being able to pay rent, research the products you buy most frequently and find out which ones are the biggest climate change contributors. If you can’t bring yourself to remove the worst offenders from your diet entirely, spend a little extra on ethically produced food like meat, if you eat it. Save elsewhere by buying cheaper, conventional products for more minor offenders.

Similar practices can be applied to housing. Most can’t afford to rent a new, energy efficient apartment, but you can start paying attention to utility bills and monitor your energy usage on your Utilities Kingston account.

Strategic spending can be applied almost anywhere. It isn’t perfect, but that’s alright.

It makes a difference on a personal scale and encourages others around you to take similar easy steps. It gets the message across where and when it really matters.

While personal habits won’t save the planet, they encourage consciousness of the climate crisis—which is a good start.

Kyra Smith is a fourth-year Biology student.

Friday, September 13, 2019

queensjournal.ca

EDITORIALS

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL

The Journal’s Perspective

Canadian politeness has no place in climate politics

ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

With Canada’s 2019 federal election campaign officially underway, now is not the time to extinguish the climate debate—it’s time to ramp it up.

A recent Globe and Mail opinion disparaged the emphasis on climate rhetoric as the upcoming election approaches.

The contention between the Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties’ environmental platforms has led critics to condemn the fierce disagreement as diversion from traditional political civility.

But political civility doesn’t achieve anything in the fight against the climate crisis.

We don’t need compromise to reduce Canada’s carbon emissions and reach our 2015 Paris

Agreement targets—we need bold, radical action.

If anything, when it comes to climate policy, the division between Canada’s four main parties is not distinct enough.

The Liberals champion carbon pricing, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government purchased the controversial Trans Mountain Pipeline. Green Party leader Elizabeth May is calling for Canada to move away from foreign oil (and oil in general), but is content to supplement that with the Alberta oil industry in the meantime.

American politics have seen an uptick in drastic policy proposals addressing the climate crisis with the seriousness it deserves—from Bernie Sanders’ call for a nationwide ban on fracking to the Democrats’ New Green Deal. Canadian

politicians, however, have failed to present carbon emission solutions of the same progressive calibre.

There isn’t any time for our federal parties to waste on supposed civility when forest fires and extreme weather events abound.

Political polarization surrounding climate action is inevitable. The looming climate crisis weighs heavily on the minds of the majority of Canadian voters. Skirting around the issue won’t suffice—Canadians deserve thorough, concrete, and detailed plans of action to inform their votes.

The conventions of Canada’s democracy discourage politicians from addressing the long-term impacts of the climate crisis—to citizens’ detriment. That’s why bold political action is required if Canada is going to do its part to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale.

Traditional four- and five-year terms in office mean a government’s goals are often too short-sighted. Parties shy away from expensive proposals to reduce carbon emissions out of fear of alienating voters rather than pushing for sustainable plans for the future. But climate rhetoric is essential now more than ever: it allows voters to decide where their vote will have the greatest positive environmental impact.

Politicians need to champion long-term environmental action—without fearing the repercussions—before the damage to our planet is too great.

—Journal Editorial Board

It’s time to root out unsustainable grass lawns A melia R ankine Given the severity of the climate crisis, we need to consider sustainability in every component of our lives—and that includes landscaping.

Whether in an urban centre or on a suburban street, grass lawns are an eco-unfriendly standard for our domestic and community greenspaces.

Lawns aren’t meant to survive a North American climate. They’re monocultures native to the wet, mild conditions of Europe.

As such, to maintain their picturesque nature, grass lawns require an unreasonable amount of irrigation, fertilizers, and toxic pesticides and herbicides.

Today’s lawns originate from seventeenth-century wealthy landowners.

Instead of using their property productively, for farming or livestock, they used the space aesthetically. Their well-trimmed grass was a status symbol: it proved they could afford to expend labour and land on maintaining their appearances.

Hundreds of years later, this pointless tradition is still ingrained in our culture.

We waste water trying to keep our lawns green throughout the summer. Household water use can increase up to 50 per cent during the summer months, as people use hoses and sprinklers to water their lawns.

Insects struggle to survive when bombarded with the pesticides used to maintain our flawless, uniform green turf.

The so-called weeds that lawn-owners aim to eliminate, like the ubiquitous

dandelion, are sources of food for bees and other essential pollinators—insects integral to the production of three-quarters of our major food crops.

Lawns are more than a waste of space—they’re harming our ecosystems.

We need to stop trying to keep our manicured lawns alive and opt for environmentally conscious alternatives. Clover, for example, is a soft, hearty, and sustainable turf that just so happens to be drought-resistant. It produces tiny flowers that are bee-friendly as well.

Municipal investments into repurposing green spaces to create bee gardens or vegetable gardens are a necessity.

Transforming public parks and sports fields from grass to clover would be a simple and eco-friendly transition. It’s vital that we create suburban communities that are not only more sustainable, but that actively

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combat the climate crisis in a material way.

Furthermore, province-wide pesticide and herbicide bans and restrictions on outdoor water consumption effectively deter these tedious and harmful lawn maintenance practices.

As young people mobilizing to take action, we should call upon our municipalities to encourage the prioritization of sustainable greenspaces. We can only combat the climate crisis through a holistic approach.

We cannot continue to maintain old-fashioned aesthetics at the expense of our planet’s wellbeing and our own survival.

Amelia is The Journal’s Production Manager.

She’s a fourth-year Fine Art student.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

Volume 147 Issue 6 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

Editorial Board Editor in Chief Managing Editor Production Manager News Editor Assistant News Editors

Features Editor

Meredith Wilson-Smith Iain Sherriff-Scott Amelia Rankine Raechel Huizinga Luca Dannetta Sydney Ko Carolyn Svonkin Andrew Schjerning

Editorials Editor

Shelby Talbot

Opinions Editor

Aysha Tabassum Brittany Giliforte

Arts Editor

Pamoda Wijekoon

Assistant Arts Editor

Jack Rabb

Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor

Alina Yusufzai Ally Mastanuono

Lifestyle Editor Assistant Lifestyle Editor

Tegwyn Hughes Tessa Warburton

Photo Editor Assistant Photo Editor

Jodie Grieve

Assistant Video Editor

Jonathon Fisher Sasha Cohen Chloe Sarrazin

Copy Editors

Contributing Staff Contributors

Rebecca Frost Jeff Misner Geneviève Nolet

Business Staff Aidan Chalmers

Business Manager

Christina Zheng

Sales Representative

Want to contribute?

For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute or email the Editor in Chief at journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions.

The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston.

The Journal’s Editorial Board acknowledges the traditional territories our newspaper is situated on have allowed us to pursue our mandate. We recognize our responsibility to understand the truth of our history.

Editorial opinions expressed in The Journal are the sole responsibility of The Queen’s Journal Editorial Board, and are not necessarily those of the University, the AMS or their officers.

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Contents © 2019 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of The Journal.

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6 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 1, 2019

The alumni with power in Ca The Journal explores Queen’s ties to Canada’s oil and gas industry Andrew Schjerning Features Editor

2018, Suncor, along with Teck Resources, which is also on this list, opened the Fort Hills oil sands expansion, which currently produces nearly 200,000 barrels of oil per day.

Teck Resources

Queen’s has at least 11 alumni above the senior vice-president level at eight of Canada’s 10 largest fossil fuel companies, a Journal inquiry has found.

A broad survey of the University’s investments, donations and corporate-backed research shows deep ties to Canada’s oil and gas sector. Across its three largest portfolios, Queen’s invests nearly $78 million in Canada’s 10 largest fossil fuel companies, making up more than a third of the university’s total oil and gas investments.

Queen’s has also taken in high-dollar donations from Canada’s largest polluters. Here are Queen’s connections to 10 of Canada’s largest oil and gas companies: Imperial Oil

Total investments: $491,085.95 Donations: $1,000,000 - $4,999,999 Research contributions: $498,000

Alumnus: Theresa Redburn, senior vice-president, commercial and corporate development

The company contributes more to research at Queen’s than Canada’s ten largest fossil fuel companies combined.

It also holds the top spot for donations. Redburn, who has a Bachelor of Science degree from Queen’s, takes home the second-largest salary at Imperial, according to the company’s disclosures. In May 2018, along with Rich Kruger, Imperial’s CEO, Redburn met with Paul Rochon, deputy finance minister, to personally lobby against the government’s clean fuel standard (CFS)—an initiative that would require producers of fossil fuels to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with making their products. According to CBC, the company is now researching ways to reduce those emissions. The Journal confirmed last week some of that research is currently happening at Queen’s. The company funds a $96,000 project aimed at minimizing emissions associated with producing and refining oil.

Suncor Energy

Total investments: $10,322,333.42 Donations: $500,000 - $999,999

Alumni: Mike McSween, executive vice-president, upstream; Paul Gardner, senior vice-president, human resources; Mike Agnew, vice-president, mining

Suncor is Canada’s second-largest producer of oil.

In 2017, the company was responsible for releasing more than 17 million tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, according to Environment Canada. It operates primarily in Alberta’s oil sands and focuses on domestic oil production and export markets, including the US and Mexico. Queen’s doesn’t have active research funded by the company, but holds a more than $10 million stake in Suncor through various investments.

The University has also taken in more than half a million dollars in donations from the company. McSween, who holds a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s, leads the company’s oil sands portfolio and all of worldwide production and exploration. In September

Investment

Total investments: $2,736,082 Donations: $100,000 - $500,000

Alumni: Donald R. Lindsay, president and CEO; M. Colin Joudrie, vice-president, business development

Teck Resources, a Vancouver-based diversified mining company, has recently proposed the largest-ever expansion to Alberta’s oil sands. The proposed $20-billion, 260,000-barrel-per-day Frontier Project, found its way to Environment and Climate Change Minister, Catherine McKenna’s desk for approval this summer. The company, led by Queen’s alum Donald Lindsay, is pushing for the project’s approval despite its proposed location just 30 kilometres from Wood Bison National Park, one of the world’s largest protected wildlife reserves and a UNESCO world heritage site. In a statement to The Journal, Queen’s said it’s “proud” to count Lindsay as one of its distinguished alumni. Both Teck and Lindsay are high-dollar donors to the University. If the project is completed, it will increase Alberta’s oil sands capacity enough that Canada will fail to meet its Paris Accord targets.

Enbridge

Total investments: $25,531,927.01 Donations: $100,000 - $500,000

Alumni: Vern Yu, president and chief operating officer, Liquids Pipelines; Matthew Akman, senior vice-president, strategy and power; Michele Harradence, senior vice-president and chief operations officer, gas transmission and midstream.

Enbridge operates the world’s largest transport network of crude oil. It controls a series of pipelines that span 27,564 kilometers across Canada and the United States. The company is responsible for transporting 25 per cent of crude oil in North America, and delivers more than 3 million barrels of liquids and crude oils daily.

In February, Enbridge sponsored a speaking series at Queen’s promoting the oil and gas industry, where Harradence, a senior VP at the company who holds a mechanical engineering degree from Queen’s, spoke to students. The company has also donated between $100,000 and $500,000 to the University. Currently, Enbridge is planning to install pipelines in Ottawa, Simcoe County, the Durham region, and Liberty Village.

TransCanada

Total investments: $21,734,763.47 Donations: $100,000 - $500,000

Alumni: D. Michael G. Stewart, chair, governance committee

The company owns and operates liquid pipeline infrastructure that stretches more than 4,900 kilometres through both Canada and the United States. The Keystone Pipeline system, the company’s largest and most contentious pipeline, is responsible for moving 20 per cent of Alberta’s crude oil to refineries in Texas, Oklahoma,

and the US Gulf Coast. While the University doesn’t have active research backed by the company, TransCanada has donated between $100,000 and $500,000 to Queen’s.

Stewart, a member of the company’s board of directors, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Science from the university, and has held several senior executive positions with companies including Westcoast Energy and Orleans Energy Ltd. Currently, the company plans to install a 200-kilometre pipeline in Edmonton, Alberta, with the capacity to transport more than 900,000 barrels of oil each day.

Husky Energy

Total investments: $2,060,128.89 Donations: < $100,000 Research contributions: $15,000

Alumni: Janet Annesley, senior vice-president, corporate affairs and human resources Husky manages pipelines primarily in Western and Atlantic Canada, although they also have operations in the United States and the Asia Pacific region. Their largest series of pipelines spans more than 1,900 kilometres through both Alberta and Saskatchewan. The company also has a 4.1 million barrel storage capacity in Hardisty, Alberta. While Husky hasn’t met the $100,000 minimum donation threshold to earn themselves a place on Stauffer Library’s Benefactor Wall, Queen’s has an active research contract with the company worth $15,000 to study the impact of hydrocarbon migration, which occurs when petroleum exits source rocks during drilling. Annesley, a senior VP at Husky, holds a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s, and also serves on the board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Husky owns and operates asphalt refineries, like the Husky Lloydminster Refinery, and ethanol plants, which are scattered across Saskatchewan and Alberta and produce 260 million litres of ethanol annually.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. Total investments: $9,584,770.95 Donations: < $100,000

The company is the largest independent natural gas producer in Canada, as well as the largest heavy crude oil producer. Its operations in natural gas are predominantly in northwest British Columbia and northwest Alberta, while their crude oil production takes place in both Alberta’s oil sands and overseas in countries like Côte d’Ivoire. While the company doesn’t currently have active research with the University and hasn’t donated more than $100,000 to the University, Queen’s invests nearly $10 million in the company. Canadian Natural Resources also owns and operates several oil sands mining assets in Fort McMurray and Edmonton. In anticipation of the federal government’s Clean Fuel Standard, the company is currently exploring technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with mining and resource extraction.

Cenovus Energy

Total investments: $3,194,898.05 Donations: < $100,000

Alumni: Drew Zieglgansberger, executive vice-president, upstream

Friday, February 1, 2019

nada’s fossil fuel industry Cenovus is an oil and natural gas company headquartered in Calgary. The company produces oil and natural gas in British Columbia and Alberta, but specializes in oil sands extraction in northern Alberta.

Cenovus has been drilling in Alberta’s oil sands for more than two decades, and has oil-producing operations in both Christina Lake and Foster Creek. The company also has assets in the Deep basin, a natural gas fairway in northwestern Alberta. Cenovus produces 120,000 barrels of oil per day from these assets. Zieglgansberger, who holds an advanced executive certificate from Queen’s, is responsible for the safe operations and future development of both the company’s oil sands assets and its Deep Basin operations. The company plans to expand their oil sands assets by opening two more drilling locations in Narrows Lake and Telephone Lake, both located in northern Alberta. The University currently holds a more-than-$3-million stake in the company through various investments.

EnCana

Total investments: $2,206,184.78 Donations: < $100,000

Alumni: Corey Code, executive vice-president and chief financial officer; Michael McAllister, executive vice-president and chief operating officer

Encana is a North America-based energy company that specializes in the production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. The company operates primarily in three resource-rich locations: the Permian oil basin in Western Texas, the Andarko basin in Oklahoma, and the Montney basin, which spans northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. In 2018, the company produced an average of 1.158 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 78.2 thousand barrels of oil per day from its assets.

Code, who holds a Master of Business Administration from the University, serves as the executive vice-president and chief financial officer for the company, while McAllister, who completed the Executive Program from the Queen’s School of Business, has served as president since his appointment in September 2019.

Syncrude

Donations: < $100,000 Research contributions: $40,000

The company is one of the largest oil sands producers in Alberta. With a cumulative production of oil exceeding 2.8 billion barrels, they are also the single largest source producer of crude oil in Canada.The company currently has a $40,000 research contract with the university based on information technology. Headquartered in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Syncrude has the capacity to produce 15 percent of Canada’s crude oil consumption. In 2005, the company was ranked as having the seventh highest air releases of combined air polluting gases in Canada.

In 2012, the company’s Mildred Lake plant location was found to be the highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the country, emitting more than 12 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent gases. Syncrude plans on expanding their Mildred Lake location to further the company’s crude oil mining and processing capabilities. This project, called the Mildred Lake Expansion Project, is expected to begin in 2023.

—with files from Iain Sherriff-Scott

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Sports

Friday, September 13, 2019

Make climate action your pregame warmup Why you should be worried about the future of sports Jack Rabb Sports Editor You might wonder where the crossover is between sports and wanting to fight climate change. Sports and environmentalism seem worlds apart, but they’re more interconnected than they seem.

If you care about sports as an institution, you owe it to yourself to be more climate-conscious. Summer sports are getting dangerous and winter sports are becoming endangered.

Winters are getting warmer. According to figures from the federal government, since 1948, Canada has become on average 1.7°C warmer.

At our current pace, warming winters

will begin to curtail the viability of ski hills. Downhill winter sports will continue to become more expensive and tougher to access.

According to York University’s Laboratory of Mathematical Parallel Systems, Toronto, which currently sees 16 nights where temperatures reach -15°C or below, will see four by 2050 and just one by 2100, if current trends continue.

That means your outdoor rink will be slush, you won’t be able to find anywhere to watch ski jumping, and you can kiss your snowshoeing goodbye.

The loss of winter sports might feel pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and maybe it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s

not valid. Sports are a valuable part of life, and they’re going to suffer from the climate crisis just like everything else.

If you’re not willing to take action to address this crisis for your grandkids, do it for their football careers.

Kingston has four days a year with a sustained average of 30°C over a 24-hour period. It’s projected to have 30 by 2050.

And that’s accounting for the moderating effect of Lake Ontario. Other municipalities across Canada and the rest of the world are going to have it worse.

These high temperatures can be dangerous for athletes (not to mention the elderly). Exertional Heat Stroke is the third-most suffered injury in sports. It’s

especially frequent in football, owing to heavy equipment and old-school coaching methods like restricting water intake or assigning sprints as punishment.

Exertional Heat Stroke occurs when somebody has exerted themselves to the point that they can’t sweat out the excess heat, and their core temperature rises to a point that their cells start to denature.

This can cause failure of the kidneys, liver, and the brain.

So, outside of food insecurity, ocean acidification and pandemics, you have to worry about being more likely to have your cells explode during intense exercise.

Sports—not just the finished product that you see on TV or that we write about here, but the entire culture surrounding them, that massive space they occupy in our collective consciousness—are going to erode. If you care about sports, you should also care about your carbon footprint.

Gaels fall short in Ottawa 0-3 Gaels now have to run the table to slip into playoffs Connor O'Neil Contributor On Saturday, the Gaels headed east to our Nation’s Capital to take on the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. The two teams were both in search of their first win of the season.

In the previous week of OUA football action, the Gaels took a hard-fought 40-23 loss to the Western Mustangs, the defending Yates Cup Champions. The Gee-Gees fumbled their season opener in Week Two with a 35-22 road loss against the McMaster Marauders.

Head Coach Steve Snyder and his Gaels started the game firing on all cylinders. On their first offensive drive of the game, the Gee-Gees were backed up deep in their own end.

Gee-Gees quarterback Ben Maracle had his eyes downfield looking for a receiver to put Ottawa in better field position. Maracle dropped back and fired a pass across the middle of the field, intended for a crossing Kaleem Beaver. Maracle, however, didn’t see Gaels linebacker Will Bannatyne, who was dropping into coverage and intercepted

the pass.

The interception gave the Gaels great field position. On the Ottawa 30-yard line, Gaels quarterback James Keenan dropped back looking to pass, but found no open receivers.

Keenan rushed the Gee-Gees defence for a 24-yard touchdown run that gave the Gaels an early 7-0 lead over the Gee-Gees.

In the second quarter of action, Gaels kicker Nick Liberatore knocked through a pair of field goals, 42 and 49 Cam Lawson (92) and Tyler Roy (90) wrap up a Gee-Gee. PHOTO BY JEFF CHAN yards respectively, to extend the Gaels lead to 13-7.

Shortly after, the Gee-Gees answered back On second down and two at the Ottawa The Gaels were then forced to concede a with a touchdown of their own to regain their 51-yard line, Licandro got the ball to Tucker, safety. And then, with just over a minute and 10-point lead going into the final quarter who had it punched out of his hands and a half left to play in the first half, the Gee-Gees of action. scooped up by Gee-Gees defensive back struck for a score, hitting their speed receiver Early in the fourth quarter, the Gaels Cody Cranston. Cranston ran it into the Gaels Kaleem Beaver down the middle of the field struck for a score once again. This one was end zone to seal a 44-27 victory for the for a 38-yard touchdown to end the half with a 13-yard rush from running back Rasheed home team. the score Ottawa 16, Queen’s 13.

Tucker, who danced his way around a few The Gaels now fall to 0-3 on the season, On the Gaels first drive of the second Gee-Gees defenders before finding the with some tough matchups left to play. half, following a six-yard rush from running end zone.

They’ll face the Laurier Golden Hawks, the back Rasheed Tucker, James Keenan fired an The Gaels trailed by just three points for Guelph Gryphons, ranked sixth nationally, interception which the Gee-Gees returned to the better part of the fourth quarter, until and the upstart Toronto Varisty Blues, whose the Queen’s 11-yard line to set up Ottawa for finally the Gee-Gees broke the standoff with resurgence has been led by Queen’s coaching a score. Keenan’s day was over and backup a five-yard touchdown run from Amlicar alumni Greg Marshall. quarterback Ryan Licandro took the reins for Polk to put Ottawa up 37-27 with under three Queen’s next matchup will come this the remainder of the game. minutes remaining.

Saturday afternoon at Richardson Stadium Just as the game looked to be getting out Down 10 points with time winding down, against the 1-2 Windsor Lancers in Chris of hand for the Gaels, who were down 23-13, Snyder and the Gaels were looking to pull Osei-Kusi’s return to Kingston.

Licandro found Marko Xidos in the end zone. within a field goal.

Arts

Friday, September 13, 2019

PUBLIC ART

queensjournal.ca

its broader intent.

Alongside the written proposal, participants must include a sketch of their intended design. This is all due by Sept. 13.

Students can enter individually or as a team, as long as this is mentioned in the submission.

The only condition on teams participating is that if they win, the prize money—$100 in Starbucks giftcards—must be equally distributed.

After they’re chosen, they have a seven- to 10-day period to paint their dumpsters before

Dumpsters to decorate Queen’s campus this Sustainability Week Students show what sustainability means to them on improbable backdrop Brittany Giliforte Arts Editor This Sustainability Week, Queen’s campus will be colourfully decorated with environmentally themed paintings on an unlikely canvas—dumpsters.

On Sept. 22, Queen’s Society for Conservation Biology’s (SCB) third annual dumpster art contest will display its painted submissions outside of Ontario hall.

In the event’s first year in 2017, the event was run by the University’s Sustainability Office.

But from 2018 onward, the Office has collaborated with the SCB on the artistic competition.

SCB co-president Andreea Bosorogan (ArtSci ’20) has been involved with the society since 2018. This is the second dumpster art contest she’ll be involved in organizing, and she has high hopes for its success.

“Last year when I got involved, we got quite a positive message.

People were excited and everybody seemed to talk about it,” Bosorogan told The Journal.

Despite being an artistic competition, the contest isn’t judged by the painters’ skill.

Instead, the judges look for creativity, composition, and message.

“We’re looking for someone that shows initiative and that communicates clearly through their design what sustainability is for them,” she said.

Last year, the submissions came from all faculties.

“We were excited to see that they weren’t only Fine Arts [contestants] that participated in the art contest. We had entries

from the Engineering faculty, as well as Arts and Science,” said Bosorogan.

“It’s basically just getting people to express a sustainable message via imagery.”

To enter, contestants must submit a proposal that conveys their environmental message and how it relates to the Queen’s and Kingston community, along with

Painted dumpsters in 2018.

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

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Arts they’re revealed to the public outside Ontario Hall during Sustainability Week from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3.

The event started as a way to get students to pay more attention to how they consume and dispose of garbage.

“We chose dumpsters because they’re huge, first of all, they catch attention, but they’re something we throw garbage or recycling in, and we think it’s impactful to see that imagery. It has a powerful message,” said Bosorogan.

The SCB’s focus is on sustainability and incorporating it into our daily conversations.

Their goal is to get students talking about what the issues facing our society are, and how we can change to combat them.

That’s why the competition’s overall object is to continue the conversation surrounding sustainability and the current state of the environment.

GALLERY

Studio 22’s exhibits blend nature and music

The Concert Series, by Evelyn Rapin

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE

to 29, Studio 22 is exhibiting a work that blends the visual and the literary arts.

The exhibit is titled The House the Spirit Builds, and is a combination of work by two photographers and one poet.

Photographers Peter Coffman, Carleton University professor in architectural history, and Diane Laundy spent two years Brittany Giliforte photographing, the Southeastern Arts Editor Ontario educational retreat centre, Wintergreen.

The House the Spirit Builds They sent their work to poet Lorna Crozier, who then composed Coinciding with the Kingston a series of poems inspired by WritersFest happening Sept. 25 the images in the photography

Downtown gallery displays photographic, poetic, and abstract works

duo’s work.

Crozier is the head chair of the writing department at the University of Victoria and has won the Governor General’s Literary Award for English Language Poetry.

Crozier is a featured author at the Kingston WritersFest this year where she’s talking about her new book by the same title as this series: The House the Spirit Builds.

Wintergreen offers people outdoor educational opportunities, where they teach about sustainability and mindful living.

They prioritize off-the-grid living and a return to nature.

At the retreatcentre, participants can also enroll in workshops where they’re taught art and literature.

“The photographs ended up being a gateway for the poet into the environment,” Ally Jacob, owner of Studio 22, said about the exhibit.

In the exhibit, there are ten pieces. In each one, there’s a combination of all three artists’ work.

Coffman and Laundy, however, didn’t identify which of the photos were either of theirs.

They instead share credit for all of them.

The photographers, in their two years photographing the retreat centre, focused their work on the natural elements of the centre.

Their photos show how the centre is intertwined with nature, rather than being distinct from it.

The exhibit centres around simplicity and enjoying a life without excess.

Coffman and Laundy’s photo subjects include streams, animals on the property, and trees.

The simplicity of their subjects complement the fluidity of Crozier’s poetry.

In “In the Country,” the poet uses three lined stanzas to talk about the rural scene.

The artwork reflects the lifestyle at Wintergreen, grounded in nature and rejecting unnecessary grandeur.

The Concert Series

Upstairs, Studio 22 exhibits the work of Evelyn Rapin, whose work can regularly be seen at the gallery.

Rapin’s The Concert Series was inspired by a concert Rapin attended at The Isabel Bader Centre while sitting in the front row in 2017.

The concert was of music written by Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich, who taught music composition at Queen’s from 1991 to 2010.

After attending the concert, Rapin was so moved by seeing the performance up close that she immediately started work on this series.

Her series uses multiple forms of media: there are drawings on paper, which show the first stages of the artist’s process.

These are followed by her paintings on 40-by-40-inch panels, and finally shown are the mixed media works.

One of the painted panels consists of three individual panels painted to complete one work—a triptych.

“Sometimes you’ll see things that look like soundwaves, so you get a lot of the musical influence,” said Jacob.

“They’re her response to the concert.”

After completing the series, Rapin sent images of her work to American writer James Balestrieri, who has previously written about music and art and their effects on one another.

Rapin asked the writer to write about her series and use what he knew based on his past writing, to investigate her pieces. Jacob said that Balestrieri far exceeded Rapin’s expectations and wrote a long, complimentary piece about her work.

This series’ evolution shows the power of artistic inspiration and the effect of art on the individual.

“It became very much […] his reaction to her artwork based on the concert. There’s various levels of people responding artistically to somebody else’s artistic creation,” said Jacob.

LIFESTYLE

10 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, September 13, 2019

CULTURAL COMMENTARY

What Beyond Meat means for social and climate change The rise in meat alternatives reveals a push towards green market trends Jeff Misner Contributor

I believe public and private enterprises are key to saving the environment. Although private enterprises have spent years turning a blind eye to the environment’s welfare for the sake of profit, I think our generation’s sense of global responsibility can help to bring change.

Look at the recent success of the Beyond Meat movement.

The best solution to the climate crisis would involve everyone making big life changes like

switching to electric cars, going plastic-free, and saving water by only flushing their toilets once a week. But the likelihood of that happening tomorrow is slim to none. However, without a doubt, people are already beginning to make more eco-friendly choices, like reducing their meat consumption and buying locally.

That’s why companies are investing so much into making their greenhouse gases, water usage and waste control more efficient—millennials and Gen Z consumers are starting to expect more from the companies they buy from.

A phenomenon indicative of this eco-friendly trend is the push towards meat alternatives, popularized by Beyond Meat. Beyond Meat is a Los Angeles-based company producing plant-based meat substitutes, whose products can now be found on the menus of fast food joints such as Tim Hortons and A&W.

POP CULTURE

ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

The popularity of meat alternatives has skyrocketed in response to the well-publicized fact that animal meat production has dire consequences for the environment. Animal agriculture generates 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and uses about 70 per cent of agricultural land.

That’s one of the reasons why Beyond Meat is one of the best performing initial public offerings on the Toronto Stock Exchange this year, and why Canadian companies like Maple Leaf Foods are developing their own plant-based proteins.

Consumers are realizing the pressing need to shift toward greener eating habits.

The creators of Beyond Meat and companies like Lightlife and Impossible Foods believe meat is only five ingredients: amino acids, lipids, trace minerals, vitamins and water. The main ingredients they use to make vegan “meats” are pea

The 16-year-old Swedish teenager who’s saving the planet How Greta Thunberg is doing more to fight the climate crisis than most politicians Tegwyn Hughes Assistant Lifestyle Editor

With federal elections looming in both Canada and the US, politicians have been emphasizing for months where they stand on hotbutton issues like the economy, job security, and health care. One of these issues that’s become increasingly polarized is the world climate crisis.

Unfortunately, denying the climate crisis has become a defining characteristic of right-wing leaders, who have prioritized economic concerns over immediate climate action.

This means that instead of banding together to fix the crisis almost guaranteed to destroy our planet, North American politicians, both left- and right-leaning, are wasting time arguing about the nuances of carbon taxes, fossil fuels, and private jets. They spend days attacking one another over these specific issues instead of seeing the climate crisis for what it is: a threat to humanity.

Popular climate activist Greta Thunberg may be a teenager, but she has a clearer view of Earth’s dire future than most adults. She doesn’t just spread knowledge about the climate crisis—she lives a sustainable lifestyle to show that individual change is possible.

The Swedish climate activist has been vegan for a few years, alongside her parents, but that’s far from the most drastic change she’s made to her life.

In the fall of 2018, Thunberg started taking Fridays off high school and standing in front of government offices to protest the crisis. Since then, countless other schoolage students worldwide have joined in her efforts, sharing their solidarity with the social media hashtag

#FridaysForFuture.

Most recently, Thunberg was invited to speak at the 2019 UN Climate Summit in New York City.

Due to her pledge not to travel by air because of the harmful emissions caused by airplane travel, the crew of the Malizia II invited the activist to board their monohull sailing yacht, retrofitted with solar panels and underwater turbines to become carbon neutral.

This means Thunberg was able to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to share her thoughts with North America without further damaging the planet, while simulaneously raising awareness about eco-friendly travel.

Having now landed in New York, Thunberg is giving speeches, participating in interviews, and striking with other students on Fridays, just as she’s done for the past year. While her visit to North America has been widely celebrated on social media, some right-wing politicians and media figures, uncomfortable with her drastic words about the climate crisis, have taken to personal attacks against Thunberg—an activist who (some people need reminding) is a young teenage girl.

Maxime Bernier, Member of Parliament for Beauce and leader of the People’s Party of Canada, was criticized for his Tweets about Thunberg on Sept. 2, when he called her “mentally unstable” and criticized her action on climate change as leftist fear-mongering.

Lifestyle protein isolate, refined coconut oil, and expeller-pressed canola oil.

Beyond Meat is also relatively balanced in terms of macronutrients. Beyond Meat patties have 290 calories, which is close to the 283 calories of an 85 per cent lean beef patty. Although the Beyond Meat burger has about the same amount of fat and protein as an animal meat burger, it has 0 milligrams of cholesterol.

The main reason you should substitute meat with Beyond Meat (at least every once and in a while) is because of how much it benefits the environment in comparison. A quarter-pound Beyond Burger is produced with 90 per cent fewer greenhouse gases, 99 per cent less water, 93 per cent less land, and 46 per cent less electricity compared to beef-based products.

With new agricultural technologies advancing, these statistics will likely only improve when compared with traditional meat.

Whether or not you choose to eat Beyond Meat or similar meat alternatives, it’s clear consumers’ desire to take better care of Earth directly impacts market trends and the choices companies make.

I’m optimistic that our society is adopting a communal spirit that generally cares about our planet’s health. People know things need to change. That’s why they’ve proven they support companies that want the same thing.

Cleaning up the environment starts with changing the way we behave, but it ends with developing technology to make it easier for us to live green.

Thunberg has been open about her OCD and autism diagnoses, which she calls her “gift,” and has also spoken publicly about past struggles with an eating disorder.

If politicians resort to using an incredibly brave child’s mental health and diagnoses against her, they must be scared of her power, which grows to enfranchise other youth every day.

It’s important to remember that Thunberg’s impassioned pleas for climate action have become so popular worldwide because children are now doing the work to save our planet that adults have avoided.

Instead of setting aside political differences to take a look at our society’s impact on Earth, elected officials are spending their time Tweeting insults at teenagers.

Greta Thunberg has done an incredible job of rallying today’s youth in the pursuit of climate action, but younger students can only protest so much. While university students might not have the ability to skip school on Fridays to protest, we have a valuable weapon against the climate crisis—our ballots.

It’s up to us as young adults who can vote to ensure the climate crisis is stopped and the politicians holding us back from progress are voted out of office.

It’s up to us to attend protests, lobby governments, and invest in sustainability before it’s too late.

In a hurricane of bureaucracy, debates, and lies, Greta Thunberg has emerged as a sole carbon-neutral lifeboat. We should join her with a fleet of our own.

LIFESTYLE

Friday, September 13, 2019

queensjournal.ca

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CULTURAL COMMENTARY

What the Amazon fires reveal about our attitude towards the climate crisis We need to pay as much attention to our burning resources as we do to burning monuments.

Our misplaced priorities have dangerous and lasting effects Ally Mastantuono Lifestyle Editor

In recent months, the Brazilian Amazon, the Earth’s largest tropical rainforest and its most biodiverse region, has been devastated by thousands of fires—and it continues to burn.

In the midst of a global climate emergency, this environmental tragedy has the potential to push us to a devastating tipping point.

Our response to it is a reflection of how little we seem to care about the future of our planet.

Fires in the Amazon are not a new phenomenon. They occur every year due to slash-and-burn deforestation, a farming method that involves cutting and burning

How to tend plants even the most careless student can keep alive Amelia Rankine Production Manager

In my first year at Queen’s, my friend gave me a plastic plant for my birthday because I couldn’t “kill this one.” I entered first year with three houseplants, and since then, my collection has grown to almost a dozen. I’ve probably killed half as many.

Having plants in your residence room or student house can bring much-needed life into your

patches of forest to clear land for agriculture and development. The difference is that this year alone, there have been more than 90,000 fires, marking the highest number in recorded history, and an almost 80 per cent increase compared to 2018.

Facing the fear that September’s dry season will cause the fires to intensify, the resulting carbon emissions and threat to biodiversity are set to increase. This will lead to drastic consequences on a global scale.

Unfortunately, widespread and irreversible ecological damage isn’t the only hallmark of this tragedy.

Another is the lack of attention it’s received from the media.

The Amazon burned for weeks

before the world took notice. And when it finally did, people took to social media to condemn the lack of media coverage, monetary pledges, action, and care it received.

Many compared the tragedy to April’s Notre Dame fire, which, in addition to having aroundthe-clock coverage and inspiring worldwide outcry, reached more than $1 billion in donations in two days.

While comparing disasters can be problematic, the difference in response to and coverage of these incidents says a lot about our misplaced priorities. As does typing “Amazon fire,” into a Google search bar and discovering that (depending on the day) the first few results are for Amazon’s Fire

STUDENT LIFE

TV Stick and tablet.

Perhaps one explanation for the difference in global response is that, for a lot of people, the Notre Dame feels closer to home, literally or culturally. The building is widely recognizable, featured in textbooks, pop culture, and tourist photographs. It’s a familiar representation of human culture and excellence, and has personal meaning beyond its physical structure.

We can also ignore the Amazon fires in a way that we couldn’t ignore the burning structure of the Notre Dame Cathedral, sitting in the middle of Paris, a densely populated tourist hotspot.

Although the effects are and will continue to be detrimental, for

The Journal's guide to student-friendly houseplants personal space. Whether a row of succulents on your windowsill or a leafy houseplant in your living room, any greenery can make your house more like home. But as a busy university student, it can be hard enough to take care of yourself, let alone a plant. This is especially true when you need to worry about variables like humidity levels, fertilizer type, and proper water drainage.

Luckily, there are a few plants that can survive just about anything. If you choose wisely when selecting your new houseplant, you won’t have to go through the devastating experience of a plant funeral like I have.

The cast-iron plant

The cast-iron plant is aptly named for its resilience. It stays

strong in the face of even the most neglectful student.

For this long, leafy plant, you’ll want to let the soil dry out between watering times. This means you’ll end up watering it about once a week in the warmer months and every two weeks once the frost sets in.

A good spot for this plant is close to (but not right next to) a bright window.

It won’t do well with direct sunlight.

Echeveria succulents

A dorm-friendly option is any succulent of the Echeveria variety. These are the classic round

succulents normally found in a desert climate.

The small cactus relatives will thrive on a sunny windowsill with minimal watering and are best for forgetful students who don’t have much time to dedicate to plant care. If you do decide to get one, just make sure to avoid getting the waxy leaves wet when you’re watering it.

Devil’s ivy

If your room lacks natural light, you can still bring some green into your space with devil’s ivy. Devil’s ivy is almost impossible to kill, as it thrives in extremely low-light conditions.

While this plant does like being watered once a week, it

ILLUSTRATION BY SHELBY TALBOT

now, we can easily push aside thoughts of the deteriorating Amazon and ignore the gravity of the situation.

In truth, there’s nothing wrong with our desire to preserve the Notre Dame. It means we collectively value things like history, spirituality, and beauty.

That said, our willingness to ignore, and hesitation to address, what the earth is experiencing is dangerous.

Yes, it’s easier to grieve a building that we have an emotional or personal connection to. It’s also easier to rebuild a building than it is to save a burning rainforest, or solve the climate crisis.

But the Amazon is more than a remote forest—it’s beautiful and culturally significant, and it also happens to sustain the health of our planet.

There’s no point in preserving or building city skyscrapers if we can’t rally enough concern to protect the resources that ensure our planet has a future at all. won’t mind if you miss a week or two.

Swiss cheese plant

If you’ve scrolled through Instagram recently, you’ve probably seen the tropical-looking leaves of the Swiss cheese plant, or the Monstera deliciosa. Known for its modern look and often included in recent fashion, retail, and social media photos, this trendy plant even has its own Instagram hashtag: #MonsteraMonday.

To read the rest of this article, go to queensjournal.ca/ lifestyle

LIFESTYLE

12 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, September 13, 2019

POSTSCRIPT

Transitioning to veganism at Queen’s opened my eyes to sustainability

My journey to a plant-based diet proved the power of individual change Tegwyn Hughes Assistant Lifestyle Editor

When I tried going vegan at the end of my first year at Queen’s, my motivations were mostly personal.

I’d never been bothered enough by the concept of factory farming and animal abuse to stop eating meat, and I didn’t know much about the environmental reasons for veganism.

Initially, I tried the lifestyle because I wanted to challenge myself and prove to my friends in residence that I could last as a vegan. I was also revolted by the amount of Location 21 four-piece chicken strips and fries I was eating every week.

Clearly, my journey to eating plant-based grew from my individual needs, but those motivations were soon overshadowed by the real importance of my new lifestyle.

I didn’t try a vegan diet because I wanted to talk about it at length or be the figurehead for plant-based eating. But when I switched lifestyles, a lot of people asked me questions about veganism, and I realized I didn’t have the knowledge to talk about its benefits.

That’s when I turned to YouTube videos, Netflix documentaries, and published studies for more information.

Watching the documentary Cowspiracy by Kip Andersen was the final straw that changed my worldview.

I realized the animal agriculture industry, and its emissions, was going to be my hill to die on.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 14.5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the global livestock industry. This doesn’t include the amount of water wasted to grow plants that feed livestock—29 per cent of the water used in agriculture is directly or indirectly used for animal production.

When you learned about environmentalism in elementary and high school, chances are, you were told to reduce your shower time, turn off lights, and bike to school. You probably weren’t told that reducing your consumption of animal products is the number one way to shrink your carbon footprint.

As a caveat, any one of my friends will tell you I’m a so-called “cool vegan.” I won’t turn up my nose at you for digging into a delicious pepperoni pizza, sipping your favourite flavour of milkshake, or going through the McDonald’s drive-thru for a Big Mac. I really couldn’t care less what you decide is best for your lifestyle—as long as you do so with the awareness that these foods have larger emissions and greater consequences, along with an open mind to the alternatives out there.

Sure, if everyone in the world who had the resources and ability to change their lifestyle went vegan right now, we could set the climate crisis back a bit. But I know that kind of mass change

isn’t realistic. Some people just like to eat animal products, or don’t think they could eat happily and healthily on a vegan diet.

However, you also have to confront the reality that our planet is dying, and animal agriculture is a part of that. Some studies have found non-vegans eat more protein than the daily recommended amount, which means that omnivores could cut out some meat and dairy from their diets without compromising their health concerns in the slightest.

[O]ur planet is dying, “and animal agriculture is a part of that.

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It’s small, sustainable lifestyle changes like these that will actually show a remarkable reduction in individual carbon footprints, not shorter showers.

The sustainable journey doesn’t stop with animal products.

I’m a vegan, but I by no means live a carbon-neutral existence. I love ordering things from Amazon, despite the ample packaging I throw out when my mail arrives.

I try to buy as many used clothing items as I can, but can’t resist the pull of Urban Outfitters when I walk past. Sometimes, when I eat in the dining hall, I grab more food than I want and end up throwing out a ton of food waste.

I’m still learning.

Going to university is another hurdle to making environmental

Tegwyn wasn't concerned with the climate crisis until she went vegan and realized her actions have an impact.

changes that has set me back.

I wish I could buy food in bulk and cook sustainably, but I live in residence and eat in the dining halls. The vegan options there aren’t the tastiest, so I often find myself buying food in plastic containers from Grocery Checkout and Booster Juice.

At the same time, vegan university living isn’t as hard as many of my friends think.

Kingston has amazing restaurants with endless plant-based options.

Atomica’s vegan menu is to die for, Harper’s offers a mouth-watering burger selection, and Copper Branch is heavenly.

Plus, I’ve had the opportunity to meet fellow vegans and sustainability activists at Queen’s.

I’m proud of how vocal our student body is about the climate crisis, from championing fossil fuel divestment in our student paper to participating in climate strikes, like the one coming up on Sept. 27.

At the end of the day, going vegan opened my eyes to the ways people can transition to more sustainable lifestyles.

I’m not denying that the real cause of our climate crisis is the emissions of major industries.

But individual change is so much more than we give it credit for—it means there’s another person making a commitment to sustainability and proving to others that the climate crisis is worth changing for.

When I went vegan, it was for

selfish reasons. Now, two and a half years later, I choose to use my vegan lifestyle to inspire myself and others to effect change in our communities. Going vegan has helped me to explore the areas of waste I had never even thought of before. Reducing food waste, excessive plastic use, and fast fashion are my new personal challenges.

choose to use my “Ivegan lifestyle to inspire myself and others [...]

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Anyone can make a change or champion a cause, no matter how small, and create a ripple effect on others. They don’t need to completely overhaul their entire lifestyle to make a difference. That kind of oppositional thinking is the reason many people vilify vegans for never shutting up about slaughterhouses, and meateaters, for never shutting up about the joys of bacon.

I chose to write this piece not because I think I’ll magically convert all of Queen’s student population to veganism, or zero-waste living, or vocal protesting.

Instead, I chose to write this piece to show sustainability isn’t a black-and-white issue.

If at least one person reads my story and reduces their animal product consumption by even one meal a week, it’ll be enough for me.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON