Halibut Herald January 29

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ALIBUT HERALD January 29, 2009

Bits and Bites Fog in Vancouver

Just when we thought the sun was going to come out, the fog came back this week. Here’s a photo taken last week from Cypress (I believe). Photographer Unknown. Now, no matter the weather, we Vancouverites cannot help but complain. It’s too rainy, too foggy, too hot, too cold, too sunny, too windy…. Let’s just weather the storm and be thankful Mother Nature rarely ever gets too extreme on us…

The 9 Most Extreme Places on the Planet The images below, though beautiful, one might question the extremity of the conditions in some of the photos. From Left to Right, top to bottom: deepest point in the ocean; lowest point on earth; biggest pure vertical drop; hottest place on earth; coldest, wettest AND driest place on earth; highest point on earth (sort of); highest point accessible by vehicle; most remote island; deepest ice on earth. READ ON: http://webecoist.com/2009/01/21/extreme-places-on-planet-earth/

The 9 Most Extreme Places on the Planet

Burmese Star Tortoise Hatchlings

This week the Knoxville Zoo became one of only four AZA accredited zoos to hatch critically endangered Burmese Star Tortoises. READ ON: http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/01/burmese-star-tortoise-hatchling.html

More News Links ‘Organic’ robots to mimic primitive life

A University of Tokyo research team led by professor/computer graphic artist Yoichiro Kawaguchi is developing robots designed to imitate primitive life forms. Mockups have been put on display at a Shinto shrine in Tokyo, and working versions of the robots are scheduled for completion in two years. According to the researchers, these robots are being developed as a way to explore artificial life and gain insights into how living things survive in a world governed by the law of the jungle. READ ON: http://www.pinktentacle.com/2009/01/organic-robots-to-mimic-primitive-life/

Realistic 3D Animation, Customize & Play! Drag body or legs and add insects by pressing SPACE bar.

http://www.onemotion.com/fla sh/spider/

Vancouver Aquarium's beluga whale Aurora pregnant again Neil Fisher, Aurora & Dr. Marty Haulena’s hair are famous for the day! http://www.vancouversun.com/Travel/Vancouver+Aquarium+beluga+whale+Aurora+pr egnant+again/1231183/story.html

We’ve got a copy of this short (Canadian!) gem on DVD in the Robin Best Library but if you’ve got 20 minutes to sit around in front of the computer, PLEASE CHECK OUT the video & this website and revive some time. The Story of Stuff is a straightforward reminder (and a great learning tool) about where all that STUFF in our lives came from and where it goes when we toss it. Great for those of all ages!

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

How Carbon Footprints Work We’re told we need to reduce our carbon footprints all the time, but how does it even work? http://science.howstuffworks.com/carbon-footprint.htm

D.I.Y. Compost tumbler on a stand

FULL INSTRUCTIONS HERE: http://www.instructables.com/id/Compost_tumbler_on_a_stand/

MORE AWESOME SLASH EDUCATIONAL ANIMATED VIDEOS! VIEW HERE: http://www.animalssavethepla net.com/?page=home

Archival Photo

Specimen Hunt. Porteau, BC. 1970

Green News Greening your Commute Every day is a good day to walk, bike, or swim to the Aquarium! Are you a green commuter? Trying to become one? It’s pretty easy being green here in Vancouver, especially when it comes to travel. Hop, skip, swim, cycle, walk, take the bus, or carpool to work! The bonus: not only is it a greener way to get to work, but it is also a great way to meet your fellow coworkers! Need some assistance?
Public Transportation o TransLink’s Trip Planner will help you get here faster: http://tripplanning.translink.bc.ca/. o Are you a fulltime employee? Join Translink’s Employer Pass Program and receive 15% off an annual transit pass! Contact Melanie Vaughan for details!
Cycling o Extra cycling maps for the City of Vancouver are available at Heather’s desk. Pick one up today! Or download the map: http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/cycling/pdf/CTVAN_BikeRoute_MAP_2007.p df o Shower facilities, lockers, and more are available in the basement of Aquaquest!

Secure storage is available near Door #2! Other bike racks are available throughout the building. Ask if you have questions! o Worried about cycling in the dark or rain? Find a cycling buddy to ride in and out of the park with! There are many here! Carpooling o The Vancouver Aquarium has its very own Ride Share site for Aquarium employees! Jack Bell Ride-Share allows you to find ride matches with coworkers to fill your personal car, find a driver to carpool with, or use a Jack Bell fleet vehicle! This calculates both costs and greenhouse gas savings at the same time! o Registration is restricted to email addresses ending in @vanaqua.org. Register today!
Go to http://vanaqua.ride-share.com/en/my/
Register for free with your @vanaqua.org email address
Enter your home address
Search for matching commuters with adjustable search options
Click matching commuters to suggest a ride-share
Start ride-sharing! o




Need extra information on getting there greener, no matter where you are going? Check out the Getting There Greener report and find quick tips and handy information: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/solutions/cleaner_cars_pickups_and_suvs/greentravel/get ting-there-greener.html Quick Tip: Did you know that approximately 45% of commuters in Metro Vancouver travel alone in their vehicles? Ridesharing with just 1 other person would eliminate over 1 million cars a day crossing in and out of Metro Vancouver. This is equivalent to 1.6 million litres of gas saved, and 4000 tonnes of greenhouse gases not emitted.

Take the Green Team Lantern Festival Challenge After seeing the pumpkin creations at Halloween we thought it was only fair to get your creative juices flowing with a Chinese New Year Challenge. February 9th marks the end of the Chinese New Year and the first full moon of the year. The Lantern Festival is traditionally celebrated on this day and in order to join in with the festivities we invite you to join our Lantern Making Challenge. Using recycled, reused and sustainable products we would like to issue a department wide challenge to design a beautiful Chinese lantern! The theme can be anything you like as long as the materials you use to make it are green. We will set up a table in the staff room on 9th February between 11.30 and 1.30 with a selection of crafty goodies to help and inspire you. The lantern can be any shape, colour size and design you like but if you need some tips the Green Team will be on hand on the 9th to get you started. Make sure your lanterns are finished and in the staff room by 1.30 for judging! This event is open to everyone! You don’t have to enter the competition to test out your lantern making skills.

http://damncoolpics.blogspot.c om/2008/08/chinese-lanternfestival.html

Paper Request: In order to help make our lanterns as sustainable as possible we are putting the call out for any old 2008 calendars, fancy used wrapping paper and brightly coloured magazine – anything in fact that might make a good lantern! There will be a box in the staff room for you to put you paper – thanks!

Happy Chinese New Year from the Green Team! 26th January marks the start of Chinese New Year. We would like to wish you a happy and prosperous New Year with some Chinese New Year Tips and Facts: The GREEN (BLUE)TEAM At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The color green-blue symbolizes the spring when everything is brimming over with vigor and vitality (Association of Asian Research). Well, isn’t that just the Green Team in a fortune cookie! Festive Food! Why not check out some Ocean Wise Chinese food at Wild Rice. www.wildricevancouver.com If you are travelling further afield how about some sustainable Dim Sum at the Victoria Pacific Restaurant from 11.30-3.30 every Saturday and Sunday. For more details check out: http://www.hotelgrandpacific.com/about/pressreleases.php?id=55 Reuse and Recycle! A former city employee in the Fukushima prefecture town of Koriyama has built a 4-meter (13-ft) long canoe from thousands of used disposable chopsticks recovered from the city hall cafeteria. Bothered that perfectly good wood was going to waste after a single use, Shuhei Ogawara —

whose job at city hall involved working with the local forestry industry — spent the last two years of his career collecting used chopsticks from the cafeteria. An experienced canoe builder, Ogawara spent over 3 months gluing 7,382 chopsticks together into strips to form the canoe shell, to which he added a polyester resin coat. The canoe weighs about 30 kilograms (66 lbs), which is a bit heavier than an ordinary cedar canoe, but Ogawara is confident it will float. A launching ceremony is planned for May at nearby Lake Inawashiro.

Events

http://vancouver.ca/oneday/index.htm

FREE EVENT!

The 2nd Annual Engineers without Borders' Halala: Wine and Cheese Silent Auction Fundraiser

Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is one of Canada's fastest growing international development organizations and we are hosting our second annual wine and cheese to raise funds to continue our overseas efforts. The evening will pay homage to the Women of Africa and their unequivocal desire to, not only take care of their family, but also their communities. For being the backbones of many African communities, they are usually always under represented and overly neglected. But this evening we will toast to them and take the time to be educated about their challenges and rejoice about their successes, value and importance. The spectacular evening will take place at the beautifully scenic Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre. Tickets include the opportunity to bid on many spectacular items in our silent auction, a fantastic complimentary glass of wine, delicious hors d'oeuvres, a live African drumming and dance performance, a photo exhibit, the chance to engage with and meet many like minded individuals and not to mention, a perfect evening. Additional beverages will be available for purchase.

http://www.sfu.ewb.ca/halala/about/

Mt. Seymour Guys Night Out - Girls Ride FREE* January 12 — March 16, 2009 Guys Night Out - Girls Ride FREE is back by popular demand for the 2008/09 season with lots of great prizing and specials for event participants! Girls Ride Free every Monday night from the 12th January 2009 to the 16th March 2009. This great night is to support breast cancer research at the BC Cancer Foundation and is an awesome social night to share with friends. Not only do girls get to ride for free, but we have plenty of giveaways, and food and drink specials in Elevations Restaurant each Monday night. http://www.mountseymour.com/events

READ ON: http://www.pacificpermaculture.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81:inroduction-topermaculture-january-2009

Win a copy of "A Good Catch: Sustainable Seafood Recipes" CONTEST DETAILS HERE: http://www.granville online.ca/gr/contests

www.theinternationalvillage.com For Sale