This week marked the last hand off in the Vancity BikeShare experiment. If you have one, now is the time to find someone and pass it on. There are people out there who would love a turn in the experiment.

I went to see Vancity CEO Dave Mowat deliver his Inconvenient Truth presentation this week and it was great. I was truly inspired to get active around reducing my carbon emissions in my own life. So I took the OneLessTonne quiz (Pembina Institute) and found out what I can do to generate less emissions. Turns out I am already doing a pretty good job, but it offered me a chance to see where I can improve. I feel pretty empowered and hopeful that we can turn this thing around. It does not have to be doom and gloom after all, we just tweak the way we do some things.

Ouch. I found this collection of Youtube videos that make up this boy's weblog to be painful, awkward, scary, annoying yet somehow endearing. It really was truly like watching a train wreck. Is he acting? blog about it and tell us what you think

This post made me laugh out loud when I considered how ridiculous the idea of a lawn even is. Is anyone with me? In all seriousness though, I am pleased that people are reconsidering their relationship to pesticides. My landlords first solution to any kind of pest (including unsightly dandelions) is to destroy it with chemicals. So I just don't mention that we have silverfish and I turn a blind eye to the mice under the kitchen sink.

Having just returned from a trip to California last week (I flew) this story struck a chord. I have always thought I would die in a plane crash and every time I fly, I am actually quite terrified. My heart goes out to the folks who were scared and harmed in this tragic event.

And I Ioved this video that was posted in the comments of this post, I thought it was really well done.

If you haven't yet voted on our current poll about mandatory recycling in Vancouver, take a sec to do so. It'd be great if you'd direct your friends and family to the poll too, we plan to collect as many votes as we can and then present the results to City Hall. Oh and read this funny post by the 'recycling bitch'

There is another amazing story developing on ChangeEverything right now. Sharryn wants to change something for a Rwandan refugee living here in Vancouver while her 5 children remain in Uganda. These people have been through a living hell and yet remain strong and bright. I encourage you to read their story. You have the chance to be a part of making life-changing change happen for a family who have been through more than most of us could bear to even imagine. Even if all you are moved to do is to send a link to this story to the people you know who might be interested in learning about it, that will have its own ripple effect.
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Interestingly not a single person who voted on last week's 'tipping point' poll thought "there is no such thing, everything is fine" and the overwhelming majority thought that we are going to "reach a tipping point and things will get better". This made me feel very excited, indeed. I have been doom-and-glooming-it for a while now and it was getting pretty dark. It is nice to be moving past that and to know that I am not the only one letting go of the doom n' gloom scenario.
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The Tyee ran a great article this week on Net Neutrality. Net neutrality. Did you even know this is an issue here in Maple-leaf land? The video on this American site, sums the issue up in an easy to understand way. Basically the same threat exists in Canada, except as the Tyee says, we seem to be sleeping through the threat. And while it it turns out that who owns the internet doesin fact paint a pretty picture if we lose net neutrality - the internet, (which is not a truck incidentally) things may never be the same again.

Over the past few days, you may have noticed that some of the functionality on ChangeEverything.ca was turned off. This is because we were busy tweaking some of the things behind the scenes in order to make the site faster. On that note, if you have any feedback for us around things that would make your ChangeEverything.ca experience even better, please let us know by dropping me a line.

There was a lot of potty talk this week on ChangeEverything.ca - everything from toilet paper to bidets. There is our current poll, the archives of toilet paper, and one person even convinced London Drugs to stock recycled toilet paper.

One ChangeEverything-er has decided to go plastic free in 2007. From reading her posts, it seems to be harder than it sounds. But she is managing so far, in fact she even insiperd me to get rid of my old deodorant and replace it with some lovely Lush stuff that doesn't come in a plastic case.

I saw this and thought about all of our lungs. It made me decide that the folks over at the DeSmogBlog deserve and honourable mention for the blog that is working earnestly to save the world. They are working hard to clear the PR pollution that is clouding the science on climate change.

A couple of people on ChangeEverything have mentioned this site. It is useful for getting a sense of how you are doing footprint-wise. I did the survey and despite the fact that I think I am a conscientious person and was somewhat surprised to learn that we would need 1.8 planets to support us if everyone lived like me.

And these just plain old made me laugh out loud!

In a recent ChangeEverything.ca poll 61% of people thought it true that cow farts are guilty of speeding up global warming. You were right! In fact, methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.
According to this article, "It’s not man’s carbon footprint causing climate change but the 1.5-billion and still growing cattle population chewing cud out in farmer’s fields"

Libby Davies is hosting a 100 mile diet breakfast next Thursday, January 11 from 7:30 am to 9 am at Pondok Indonesian Restaurant, 2781 Commercial Drive (south of Broadway Skytrain). The event promises that Libby Davies, Jack Layton, Nathan Cullen, plus Ione Smith from SmartGrowth BC and Susan Kurbis, Environmental Youth Alliance will discuss the NDP Green Platform and Climate Change. It is by donation and I am going to be there!

And if you think it is critical to be able to adequately warn people about things, this is for you.

here is a collection of interesting things that are happening on ChangeEverything and in the Blogosphere at large. enjoy!

Ok folks, this one takes the cake for the most ridiculous thing I have read this week. Soy makes people gay? I mean come on....

Darren Barefoot has hatched a truly brilliant idea. Check out his suggestion for what to do with the fallen trees in Stanley Park.

And reading this article gave me the chills and made me question where I am living. A Vancouver school trustee is fighting for the right to carry a concealed firearm. No this isn't Alabama or Utah, this is Vancouver....BC.

Interested in what changed on the music scene in 2006? Beyond Robson's 'Sean' posts his top 10 albums of 2006

At the office last week we were wondering what is going on with Bob Barker these days. Turns out he has finally decided to retire Good for you, Bob. We think you deserve it.

In Vancouver this weekend, the Winter Solstice Festival

And we wanted to share this with you just because well, it is SO darn weird/cool/creepy/

here is a collection of interesting things that are happening on ChangeEverything and in the Blogosphere at large. enjoy!

Some great entries have been started for our $500 contest! Read them and consider entering the contest yourself!

Grassmonkeyz is still collecting goodies for the 100 care packages she plans to deliver Santa-style, to some of our less fortunate brothers and sisters in the downtown eastside on Christmas Day. The magazine 24Hours covered her story. (pictured above)

We published a couple helpful articles about how to use ChangeEverything.ca, in our learn-how section

Rumour that the Skytrain may go on strike, but that might not matter since nobody can seem to get on it anyway owing to our recent wind storm.

How many people does it take to power 1500 led light bulbs?

Apparently the Province has pledged to fund more social housing projects.

And just for fun, the world's tallest man saves dolphin.