Volume 49, Issue 9

The Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Toronto Mississauga since 1974

Issue 9 Volume 49

November 14 2022

themedium.ca

OUR GREEN FUTURE

EMMA JULIETTE SHERLAND, FRESH/DEATH, 2022

CLIMATE PROPAGANDA

BANANA FIBER BAG

BETWEEN THE LINES

They gave us products that they claimed were from recycled or organic materials, which were meant to be more sustainable.

But, how true are these claims? Are we being manipulated to believe that we are making a change?

To help reduce plastic pollution in Ghana, Sauliha Alli, a thirdyear medical student at U of T, created a multi-use paper bag called the “Banana Fiber Bag” with her team at the Yayra-Si Youth Foundation (YSYF). . >> read more on page 10

Parable of the Sower explores the intersections of race, poverty, capitalism, and religion, in an imagined but very possible future.

The science fiction story centres around a young black girl during a time of limited representation in mainstream media.

>> read more on page 08

>> read more on page 12

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NEWS

Editor | Larry Lau news@themedium.ca

Fresh/Death Emma Juliette Sherland Still life photography, 2022 Fresh/Death examines food insecurity, and presents the question “What is a sustainable lifestyle?” The contrast of apples, oranges, flowers, and used tea bags in states of both ultimate freshness or becoming rotten symbolizes how consumer standards have dwindled. Here, the paring knife and butcher’s cleaver represent “cutthroat” decision making and the beginning of “cutting costs” for consumers as their liquidity of income has been put into perspective in recent years, leading to constant questioning of “What food is a necessity?” and “What food is a luxury item?”

Emma Juliette is an emerging bi-racial artist based in Mississauga, Ontario.

Her work is focused on processing negative experiences and themes with extreme scrutiny to further understand through art-making, specifically on photographic and printmaking processes. She graduated in 2020 from Art and Art History, a joint program between the University of Toronto Mississauga and Sheridan College. Since then, she has founded The Take Action Gallery, an online gallery for current students of the Art and Art History program and has established a presence with the community. See more of Emma Juliette’s work at www.linktr.ee/juliettetheartist.

The Canadian government has an emissions reduction plan, but is it enough?

The 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan outlines Canada’s initiatives to combat climate change through cutting emissions and pollution, though experts question the government’s commitment.

Mihail Cubata Associate News Editor

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n March 29, 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Canada’s Next Steps for Clean Air and a Strong Economy. The 290-page document details the federal government’s plan to reduce the country’s emissions to 40 per cent below its 2005 levels by the year 2030, with a long-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The plan promises $9.1 billion in investments that will “cut pollution and grow the economy,” according to a federal government press release. Key focuses include improvements to electric car infrastructure; sustainability programs for homes, agriculture, and power grids; as well as increases in funding for emissions-reducing community projects.

Economic policy changes are also part of the plan.

Trudeau’s signature carbon tax headlines the document, with plans to gradually raise the price on carbon emissions per tonne to $170 by 2030. The government goes on to propose signing contracts with “low-carbon project investors,” thereby guaranteeing future tax rates on carbon. If implemented, these agreements would remove the political uncertainty that plagues the carbon tax, letting investors plan for long-term emissions reduction projects.

Canada has a poor track record in fighting climate change.

The country ranks seventh in the world for carbon dioxide emissions, despite having less than half the population of Iran,

the country ranking eighth. Among members of the G7—a forum comprised of the world’s leading economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US—only Canada and the US saw increases in greenhouse gas emissions during 2016 to 2019.

Some experts question how the Emissions Reduction Plan will be implemented.

“There’s always the obstacle of federalism,” says Andrea Olive, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto Mississauga. “Justin Trudeau can set all the targets he wants, but he doesn’t have the power to make it happen.

It’s the provinces that have that power.”

Olive says that several provincial governments are failing to take action on climate change. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been outspoken about her opposition to the federal government’s climate change measures. On November 4, 2022, Ontario Premier Doug Ford proposed that land in the Oak Ridges Moraine Greenbelt be redesignated for housing construction.

Other experts question the federal government’s commitment to fighting climate change. “It’s telling that Justin Trudeau chose not to attend the COP27 summit in Egypt,” says Stephen Scharper, Professor of Anthropology and Environment at U of T. Scharper states that Trudeau—while having stepped up in climate action from the preceding Harper administration— has waned on his message of climate accountability.

Scharper notes that Canada is actively investing in envi-

ronmentally destructing projects. He lists the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project and the Bay du Nord Offshore Oil Project as recent offenders. “As long as the federal government continues to invest in oil and gas, these [emissions reduction] plans will ultimately not work,” Scharper says.

Scharper also puts forth that the emissions reduction goals outlined by the plan are biased towards the oil and gas industry. He points out that the plan only proposes a 31 per cent reduction in emissions below 2005 levels from the oil and gas sector, compared to 45 per cent for the country overall.

“Canada has a history of being an extraction dependent economy, all the way back to the fur trade. Now it’s oil and gas,” says Scharper. “The problem with extraction industries is that they create these boom-bust situations. You use a natural resource until it’s destroyed, and suddenly thousands of people lose their jobs.”

Scharper compares Canada’s current oil reliance to the destruction of Newfoundland’s cod fishing industry in the early 1990s, where technology-driven overfishing caused the collapse of a 500-year-old market and resulted in more than 30,000 lost jobs.

“Politicians and industries push this false dichotomy; that we have to pick between the environment and the economy.

It’s a lie,” Scharper states. “The green sector can produce more jobs than the oil and gas sectors. It’s a matter of making the transition.”

To Scharper, a sustainable future lies in the hands of the younger generation just as much as the government. “I have seen young people come up with solutions to climate problems that I or people my age would’ve never thought of,” he says. “I believe it’s critical to empower young people into the climate decision making process, because that’s really where some of the best ideas come from.”

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Environment Canada issues air quality statement for Diwali fireworks People voice concerns over backlash and stigmatization of Hindu groups as Environment Canada specifically identifies Diwali in an advisory over air quality.

Emily Prete Contributor

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n the morning of October 24, Environment Canada issued an air quality statement for the coming evening for Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto, citing a combination of expected fireworks for Diwali and stagnating weather conditions. According to a CBC news report, “Environment Canada issued, then removed, what a meteorologist said was believed to be its first air quality statement in relation to holiday fireworks on [October 24], prompting questions about why a major Hindu holiday was singled out.”

Before the statement was edited, it read, “A special air quality statement is in place due to the possibility of deteriorating air quality as a result of fireworks for Diwali.”

According to Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) readings, air quality in Brampton reached “very high risk” levels during the evening of October 24 and early morning of October 25. AQHI readings measure the concentrations of five common pollutants in the air that threaten respiratory health—ozone, PM 2.5., nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and carbon monoxide—and calculate both the risk for vulnerable populations and for the general public. Their recommendation for the vulnerable population during periods with “very high risk” air pollution levels is to avoid strenuous activities outdoors, with advisories for the general population to reduce their outdoor activities as well.

The Medium spoke to U of T Chemical Engineering Professor Dr. Arthur Chan about air pollution and health. “Air pollution in general affects health of the airways,” says Dr. Chan, as he explains that pulmonary problems like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma can be exacerbated by high levels of air pollution, and that long-term exposure to air pollution can lead to heart disease, among other illnesses.

Dr. Chan advises that, “[During a festival], most of these sources are outdoors, so if you want to avoid or minimize the exposure, you can stay inside, close your windows and make sure the air indoors is clean.” He says the opposite may be true in other instances, like when cooking or lighting a candle. Some-

DNA

times the air indoors is “dirty,” and in those instances, it is advisable to open a window and let “clean” air from outdoors flow in.

Regarding the role of stagnating weather conditions, Dr. Chan explains that “you can think about [how] hot air rises, and cold air sinks.” If the air low to the ground is cold and doesn’t move around, pollutants cannot quickly disperse into the atmosphere.

Thus, he says, “[Particles from fireworks] keep emitting into a small volume [of air], [causing] higher pollutant concentrations.”

As such, Dr. Chan says that Environment Canada was technically sound in predicting poor air quality. He has seen new research that particles emitted from fireworks might be especially toxic because of the metals in them.

Regarding setting off fireworks at home, in Brampton, fireworks that travel less than three metres into the air are allowed without a permit on Victoria Day, Canada Day, Diwali, and New Year’s Eve. In Mississauga, the list includes Victoria Day, Canada Day, Diwali, and Lunar New Year, with no height limit specified.

Environment Canada’s statement naming Diwali specifically for air pollution risks—while not reportedly having done so for other festivals, such as those on the aforementioned lists— caused people to voice concerns over stigmatization towards the South Asian community. “The person who made the statement didn’t do their due diligence or consider the impact of their statement,” Hindu Federation president Pandit Roopnauth Sharma told CBC. While any mention of Diwali in the statement was later removed, Environment Canada did not issue an apology through any public channels.

From products to investments, companies to governments—greenwashing’s omnipresence Greenwashing—attempts to label actions or products as environmentally sustainable when the truth states otherwise—runs rampant as organizations strive to meet changing expectations of sustainability.

Larry Lau News Editor

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ccording to a January 2022 press release from Competition Bureau Canada, the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network revealed that around 40 per cent of environmentally-friendly claims made on the Internet are misleading. The press release defines these acts as greenwashing, where companies create advertisements that promote their products and services as being “eco-friendly” without evidence or with the intent to mislead potential customers. This tactic is employed as an attempt to profit off consumer’s rising awareness for sustainability.

Misstatements about a product’s alignment with sustainable practices—either through its composition or production process—are common.

In January of 2022, Keurig Canada, a company that produces coffee makers and coffee pods, reached an agreement with Competition Bureau Canada to pay $3 million in fines for misleadingly stating that

its disposable coffee pods were recyclable in every Canadian municipality. The pods were only accepted by recycling programs in British Columbia and Quebec.

Regardless, a physical product is not needed for greenwashing to take place. In recent history, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have found increased significance in the business world.

Firstly, the environmental issue concerns a company’s commitment to the environment and sustainability, exemplified through corporate policies and initiatives. Secondly, the social issue delves into a company’s relationship with various communities and parties. Lastly, the governance issue considers a company’s internal controls, transparency, and accountability to shareholders.

A strategy named ESG investing—where investors consider the three aforementioned issues alongside financial factors when making investments—has seen increasing popularity. Recognizing this, companies present themselves to investors as ESG compliant, though their actions may suggest otherwise.

In May of 2022, banks in Canada were criticized for offering “sustainability-linked

financing” to companies within the petroleum industry, which contradicts the reliability of their net-zero emissions goals.

Such financing options were offered at prices dependent on whether or not the borrower has met ESG compliance requirements. However, whether the funds would be used for environmentally friendly activities had no bearing on securing the loan.

In October of 2022, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) was investigated by Competition Bureau Canada for its contradictory messages and actions regarding sustainability and tackling climate change. Environmentalists claimed that RBC has continued to invest in the fossil fuel sector, undermining the bank’s highly advertised support

LIGHTSPRING/SHUTTERSTOCK

for the 2015 Paris Agreement, an international treaty addressing the climate crisis.

According to Greenpeace, an organization focused on raising awareness of climate issues, RBC is “Canada’s largest financier of fossil fuels” and “the fifth largest financier of fossil fuels globally.”

Unfortunately, governments can also be culprits of greenwashing. U of T alumna and author, Naomi Klein, wrote an article published October 7, 2022 in The Guardian that criticized the Egyptian government for its greenwashing behaviours in relation to the ongoing COP27—an intergovernmental conference hosted by the United Nations focused on tackling climate change.

The conference is being held at Sharm El Sheikh, a resort town that is situated far away from Egyptian communities that bear the brunt of the government’s lackluster sustainability initiatives.

While consumers are becoming increasingly mindful of sustainability and the environment, cases of corporate and governmental greenwashing frequently plague the world. Across industries and countries, greenwashing has made its mark as an obstacle to sustainability efforts.

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Will increasing the industrial carbon tax reduce carbon emissions?

The Ontario government proposes to increase carbon tax for industries in alignment with federal benchmarks and initiatives, though it remains unsupportive of a federally-imposed price on carbon.

Razia Saleh Staff Writer

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n the summer of 2022, the Ontario government released its proposed amendments of the Emissions Performance Standard (EPS) program for 2023 to 2030. While the carbon tax will not increase for residents, the Ontario government intends to increase carbon tax for industries. This motion will increase the taxed amount per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted from $40 to $65 by 2024, and then $15 yearly until it reaches $170 by 2031. This aligns with the federal benchmark denoted by the Government of Canada’s climate plan—known as A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy Act. The carbon tax was first implemented in March of 2007, when Alberta declared it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, after which many provinces followed along.

In June 0f 2018, the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act was passed. The act mandates a carbon emissions pricing system for all provinces and territories that meets the federal benchmark requirements, or to use the federal system altogether.

The amendments come more than a year after Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan’s provincial governments lost their carbon tax case against the federal government before the Supreme Court of Canada on March 25, 2021. The three provincial governments argued that the federal government lacked the jurisdiction to set a minimum tax on carbon in the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act that all provinces must comply with. The Supreme Court concluded that having a minimum national price standard for carbon dioxide emissions was vital to Canada, stating: “This matter is critical to our response to an existential threat to human life in Canada and around the world.”

Ontario’s Environment Minister David Piccini explained to Global News that the provincial government must comply with federal government’s carbon tax policy and benchmark, especially after the Supreme Court’s ruling in March of 2021. However, he states that the Ontario government does not support the federal standard for carbon prices, and that the province has a “made-in-Ontario solution that works for Ontario industry.”

Notably, Piccini states that the provincial government aims to ease carbon tax pressure on industries that are struggling to meet carbon dioxide reduction targets. Ontario will also be using its own structure— the aforementioned EPS program— for taxing carbon emissions as opposed to the federal Output-Based

Pricing System. Regardless, the Ontario government will still comply with the federal target of $170 taxed per tonne of carbon dioxide by 2031.

Logistically, it is easy for the government to implement carbon taxes. On the David Suzuki Foundation: One Nature website—an organization focused on promoting sustainable development—it is stated that carbon tax policy “can rely on existing administrative structures for taxing fuels and can therefore be implemented in just a few months.”

Biodiversity is at risk in Canada Recent audits reveal that several federal organizations have failed to establish links between their plans and sustainability or to report conservation activities, highlighting the lack of accountability and commitment.

Yusuf Larizza-Ali Contributor

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ccording to the Biodiversity in Canada: Commitments and Trends backgrounder, released October of 2022 by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, biodiversity is at risk in Canada.

The conclusion was drawn from a series of audit reports that evaluate the state of Canadian biodiversity. As of November 2022, 10 reports have been published, with more slated for release between 2022 to 2024.

The ninth report focused on the audits of three specific organizations—the Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Parks Canada—and evaluated their contributions to the federal government’s plans for species at-risk. The report specifically examined federal organizations’ progress in implementing strategies aligning with sustainable development. In a press release from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, it was revealed that the three organizations “did not include some conservation and recovery activities that are needed to track and demonstrate progress [in implementing sustainable development strategies].” Additionally, none of the organizations mentioned how their plans would work towards the United Nations goal, even though they were required to disclose such information.

The eighth report specifically spoke about potential mismanagement on the government’s side when evaluating the progress report of Environment and Climate Change Canada. As noted

in the report’s highlights, “progress reporting information for [five] out of the [eight] targets under the goal of the greening government was incomplete and untimely.”

Stephen Scharper, an associate professor at the School of the Environment at U of T, shared his insight on the matter of Canada’s biodiversity through an interview with The Medium. He contends that there are three major threats to biodiversity in Canada.

“The first is habitat loss, and that’s leading to a diminishment of biodiversity across Canada,” says Scharper.

He explains that habitat loss stems from improper land use, either through mismanagement or a lack of consideration for endangered species when developing land.

“The second one is pollution that injures species and changes their habitats,” continues Scharper, stating that widespread air, water, and land pollution poses significant risks to species.

Scharper puts forth that the third threat is climate change.

Changing patterns in growth, food, and migration have a direct impact on the availability of food sources for certain species. He also brings up the issue of overexploitation and overharvesting of species, which can cause biodiversity loss. One example of this would be the Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario, which went extinct due to overfishing.

Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry DeMarco stated in a press release that “measurable actions and clear reporting on progress are important for conveying to Parliament and to Canadians whether Canada is meet-

ing its biodiversity commitments.” He explains that: “Reporting is important, but results are what really matter.”

While Canada has displayed limited progress in maintaining biodiversity, such issues are receiving greater attention from the government. Scharper states that numerous actions at both the federal and provincial level have been taken. This includes the federal government’s vow in 2021 to increase nature protection and prevent biodiversity loss, such as through “investing $460 million dollars over five years to protect and expand twenty-two of Canada’s national wildlife areas.”

Regardless, Scharper points out that new governments can implement new policies that could halt progress that has already been made. He lists the Oak Ridges Moraine—a geological landform that is a part of the Greenbelt—as an example. The McGuinty administration (2003-2013) had protected the environmentally sensitive area, though the Ford administration (2018-present) has proposed to open up parts of the landform for housing development.

The 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention of Biological Diversity is slated to take place this year from December 7 to 19 in Montréal. Scharper compares this summit to the Paris Accords, the Kyoto Accords, and the Montréal Protocol, the last which was a key event in consulting climate issues related to the destruction of the ozone layer.

However, Scharper states that there are many mitigating factors between different governments and parties, which may limit the implementation of protection arrangements and regulations around development.

Regardless, Scharper holds hope for the upcoming biodiversity conference in Montréal, stating that “the potential [for the meeting] is there, and people are realizing now, through climate change, and the whip-sawing weather patterns that climate change engenders, that it is critically important to protect [biodiverse] spaces.”

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Governments failing to commit to environmental goals as global climate crisis brews Two United Nations proceedings highlight insufficient global climate action initiatives while also introducing new targets and solutions to meet net-zero emissions goal by 2050.

Angelina Jaya Siew Staff Writer

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he most recent report on climate change—released October 27, 2022 by the United Nations (UN)—states that the world’s powers have failed to meet the goals set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius at most by 2050. Based on current policies, we are now looking at a 2.8 degrees Celsius increase in global temperatures by the end of the century, with the best possible outcome of 2.4 to 2.6 degrees Celsius increases.

To meet the aforementioned objectives of the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions need to be decreased dramatically. The Emissions Gap report stipulates that the world must cut emissions by 45 per cent in order to prevent a climate disaster. Current Nationally Developed Contributions—which are countries’ climate action plans—can only reduce emissions by five to 10 percent leading up to 2030, a meager result, compared to the intended 45 per cent.

To reach the 45 per cent threshold for emission cuts, it is stated in the Emissions Gap Report that many changes are needed in the electrical supply, industrial, transportation, and

construction sectors. Systemic reforms in the food and finance sectors are also necessary.

To address these climate issues, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) is taking place from November 6 to 18 at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The location was chosen to draw attention to African nations, which often experience the worst effects of climate change.

More than 100 world leaders are currently meeting in the Egyptian city to address climate change. However, China’s Xi Jinping and India’s Narendra Modi, the world’s largest and third-largest carbon emitters respectively, are the most noticeable absentees. Additionally, Canada’s Justin Trudeau is also absent.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, delivered the COP27 opening remarks on November 7, declaring that “we are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing. Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing. Global temperatures keep rising.” Stiell believes that vulnerable communities are the most severely impacted by climate change. He also calls for assistance to Pakistan, which is facing food insecurity due to flooding.

The most contentious issue at the conference is that wealthy, developed nations—who account for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions—should offer compensation to vulnerable, developing countries that face the consequences of climate change despite contributing minimally to it.

French President Emmanuel Macron echoes this statement in

his speech on November 7, declaring that “we see a number of states that are struck by the consequences of climate change […] they have shown us once again that the climate emergency is here.” He adds that, “we will not sacrifice our climate targets in the face of war raged by Russia.” He also highlights the European Union’s “Fit for 55” plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 per cent in 2030. According to the plan, divesting from fossil fuels and further relying on renewable energy is paramount to driving positive change.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also gave a speech at the summit on November 8, stating that “there can be no effective climate policy without the peace on Earth.” Notably, Zelenskyy states that the Russo-Ukrainian war has destroyed “five million acres of forests in Ukraine in less than six months.”

On November 8, the use of sustainable energy was discussed to reduce emissions. Renewable energy sources, such as hydrogen—which only emits water when used as a fuel—have been highlighted potent options to reach net-zero emissions.

In response to the catastrophic effects of climate change on vulnerable people worldwide, COP27 President Sameh Shoukry launched the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda during the summit. This agenda offers 30 Adaptation Outcomes to improve the climate resilience of four billion people living in vulnerable regions by 2030.

As leaders and experts continue their discussions at COP27 until November 18, the world awaits new plans and initiatives to address the ongoing climate crisis.

10,000 days and counting: Decades-long drinking water advisory continues for Neskantaga First Nation Contaminated tap water sparks questions about environmental racism and overall healthcare inequity faced by Indigenous communities.

Maryam Lela Contributor

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n June 22, 2022, the Neskantaga First Nation, a community containing approximately 300 people, “marked its 10,000th day under a drinking water advisory,” reads a CBC news report. Members of the Northwestern Ontario-based community have been drinking unclean tap water for almost three decades—longer than any other First Nation community in the country’s history.

The contaminated water has caused residents of the Neskantaga First Nation numerous health issues, such as skin rashes and sores. Mental distress has also been prevalent within the community, with a woman committing suicide while retrieving water from the faulty treatment plant.

In an interview with CBC, Chris Moonias, former Neskantaga chief, says that the drinking water problem began in the early 1990s.

Although newly built, the governmentfunded water treatment facility proved to be unreliable soon after its construction. Since then, the community has endured decades

of a boil-water advisory, as boiling unclean drinking water reduces the likelihood of contracting serious illness.

The Liberal government had previously contracted companies to repair the Neskantaga’s water treatment plant. In 2017, Kingdom Construction Limited was hired to upgrade the plant. However, the company failed to meet deadlines, and thus had their contract terminated in February of 2019. In April of 2019, Razor Contracting took over work on the plant. In spite of the repairs made on the plant, an “oily sheen” was found in the Neskantaga’s water reservoir in October 0f 2020, which prompted evacuations.

Speaking to the CBC, Moonias stated: “Every time we fix something […] something else breaks.” He believes that the best solution is for the government to replace the old system, rather than only repair it. He adds that, unless the Canadian government provides a lasting solution to the community’s water problem, the Neskantaga First Nation will keep its boil water advisory in place.

The Neskantaga community’s water disparity is considered a form of environmental racism—a term used to describe the disadvantages that racialized and minority groups

face due to disproportionate environmental policies. According to the United Nations’ report in 2020, Canada’s Indigenous population endures environmental conditions that would be considered unacceptable for other communities in the country.

Like the Neskantaga community, many First Nations groups across Canada experience environmental racism in the form of water pollution. An example is the Pictou Landing First Nations community living in Boat Harbour, Nova Scotia, whose water has been contaminated by pulp mill run-off since not long after the plant’s opening in 1967.

Contaminated drinking water is an example of only one of the health disparities that First Nations communities experience in Canada. The accessibility of healthcare services is another issue— one that heightened during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a Statistics Canada report concerning Indigenous Peoples living off reserve, 43 per cent of Indigenous Peoples reported difficulty booking appointments with healthcare providers, as compared to 37 per cent of non-Indigenous people. Travel restrictions during the pandemic, as well as

insufficient transportation services, made seeking healthcare even more difficult. Additionally, the services that Indigenous Peoples do receive are not tailored to their cultural values and needs.

As a result, many do not receive adequate or appropriate medical treatment.

The pandemic has also exacerbated mental health struggles—which are more prominent within Indigenous communities than their Indigenous counterparts, affecting approximately “one in five Indigenous adults”, as opposed to “one in ten non-Indigenous adults” as depicted in the report.

Years have passed as environmental racism and healthcare inequality remain a cause for Indigenous communities across Canada to endure physical, psychological, and emotional health disparities. In August of 2022, following its visit to the Neskantaga First Nation, Indigenous Services Canada implemented the “Trust the Taps” program, which aims to assist the Neskantaga First Nation in recovering from trauma created by unclean drinking water.

MASTHEAD EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Provost editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Juliana Stacey managing@themedium.ca News Larry Lau news@themedium.ca Opinion Kareena Kailass opinion@themedium.ca Features Prisha (Maneka) Nuckchady features@themedium.ca A&E Julia Skoczypiec arts@themedium.ca Sports Alisa Samuel sports@themedium.ca Photo Samira Karimova photos@themedium.ca Design Manjot Pabla design@themedium.ca Copy Aidan Thompson aidan@themedium.ca River Knott river@themedium.ca Social Belicia Chevolleau social@themedium.ca Podcast Kareem Al-Sawalmeh message@themedium.ca

ASSOCIATES

Emily Rogers, News Mihail Cubata, News Dalainey Gervais, Features Olga Fedossenko, Features Melody Yang, Sports Radhia Rameez, Sports

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OPINION

Editorial

Sustainable travel is doable— even internationally A personal guide to your next eco-friendly adventure.

Julia Skoczypiec Arts & Entertainment Editor

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few weeks ago, I had a dream that I owned a private jet. It happened shortly after I watched the film Top Gun: Maverick (2022)—clearly my mind remained in the clouds long after I left the theatre. In my dream, I explored Rome, Paris, and zoomed between the peaks of the Canadian Rockies. I toured busy cities, pictured my toes sinking in the sands of worldwide beaches, and lounged in a pink poolside chair like Sharpay from High School Musical 2 (2007). Then I woke up.

Out of pure curiosity, I Googled what it would take to own and maintain a private jet. Aside from millions of dollars, one major factor stood out to me: operating a jet—and any aircraft for that matter—burns at least 200 gallons of fuel per hour. Airplanes also emit carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, contributing to climate change with every trip. Needless to say, my dream of owning a jet wouldn’t make Mother Earth happy.

Planning a sustainable vacation often seems impossible— especially if you are looking to travel internationally. While air travel isn’t going anywhere, many airlines are taking steps

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in the eco-friendly direction. From using “more sustainable fuels” to being more mindful of yearly emissions, aviation companies—Air Canada being one of them—are slowly taking the necessary steps to care for our planet.

Many Canadian vacations end up in the mountains.

In the summer 2018, I had the chance to venture through Lake Louise in Banff, Alberta. The nature was breathtaking, and the air was crisp. I packed trail mix in my backpack before every hike—a true showcase of my inner “granola girl.”

Along the paths of Banff National Park, visitors can find stations to fill water bottles, composting bins, and recycling bins. The area is extremely eco-minded, with locals encouraging sustainable transportation through bikes, shuttle services, and gondolas.

Of course, visiting Canada does not have to mean mountains and hiking. From coast to coast, our country offers vast landscapes—each including unique wildlife and eco-friendly attractions. Our climate is rich with evergreen trees, the Pacific breeze, and snow up to your knees.

When planning your next vacation, consider the term “sustainable tourism.” Choose a location with accessible bike trails, fresh food markets, and gorgeous natural scenery. Remember, the key to travelling sustainably is to give back to the climate that we already take so much from.

TikTok is my go-to outlet for climate action news As mainstream news sources focus solely on the “doom and gloom” aspect of climate change, I turn to social media for my fix of good news.

Kirsty MacLellan Contributor

A WRITE FOR US

Editor | Kareena Kailass opinion@themedium.ca

lack of compassion from mainstream news sources has pushed Gen Z to gather their good news from TikTok, rather than CNN. It is no secret that digesting large amounts of negative news is harmful to our mental health; yet, there seems to be no intent from media outlets to slow down their reports on horrifying statistics, shocking stories, and tragic accidents.

“There seems to be no intent from media outlets to slow down their reports on horrifying statistics, shocking stories, and tragic accidents.”

Although negative news has an important place in the media, when it comes to climate action, the world may benefit from more sensitivity and optimism. There is no shortage of reports detailing the rising anxiety and distress people feel when reading updates on natural disasters and other climate-related emergencies. As main-

stream sources like CNN are blasting negative headlines like “‘Delay means death’: We’re running out of ways to adapt to the climate crisis” that focus on the irreversible consequences of global warming, readers and viewers feel an undeniable sense of hopelessness.

With an overwhelming amount of bad news available at our fingertips, “doomscrolling” has quickly become Gen Z’s pastime.

Combined with the lack of climate initiative in real-world politics, many Gen Zs feels left out of the discussion around climate laws.

However, with the abundance of over-reporting on bad news, comes opportunities for creators to focus on the good. TikTok users such as Sam Bentley, as well as the YouTube Channel Daily Dose of Internet, seem to be single-handedly giving my generation, and their millions of followers, hope for the future.

Bentley opens each video with a positive voice—“Here’s some good news!”—and quickly rattles off instances of climate innovation, animal protection initiatives, and entrepreneurial projects that aim to protect and save the planet. Bentley’s videos are generally a minute long, and he manages to announce more good news in 60 seconds than mainstream news outlets do within an entire day of reporting and broadcasting. >> TIKTOK continues on page 07

07 >> TIKTOK continued from page 06 From focusing on good news like Tokitae, the captive orca from Miami Seaquarium that was reunited with its family, to reporting on The Ocean Cleanup, who predict they can clean the entire Pacific Garbage Patch—Bentley single-handedly re-ignites his viewers’ hope for climate action. Not only is he spreading valuable information on climate initiatives, but he is also combating the norm that news must be delivered with a “doom and gloom” persona.

As Gen Z flocks to social media for their trusted news sources, we are actively reshaping what we want and expect to learn about the world. As the stigma around mental health dissolves, we become more aware of the damaging mental health effects of negative news. It becomes clear that the mainstream reporting industry, widely run and upheld by older generations, is not supported by younger folks.

Gen Z has little say in the individual laws made and passed regarding climate change and action, and yet, by following good news outlets on social media, we create hubs of people who want to hear the positives. In turn, social media allows Gen Z to become a community of young people who crave a future that isn’t all doom and gloom. Although Gen Z may seem radical and ignorant in their rejection of negative news, we are building new support systems that focus on the good and reinstall hope for our futures.

Achieving sustainability in the food industry Fast food spots, restaurants, and other eateries should have mandatory composting.

Kuicmar Phot Contributor

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estaurants and fast-food spots are known to throw out hundreds of servings of leftover food at the end of the night, ultimately ending up in a landfill. Only a small portion of this food waste is recycled or composted. As food insecurity continues to plague households around the world, it’s essential to reduce food waste by recycling our waste into resources that can benefit the environment.

Although food waste can be reduced in various ways, it is nearly impossible to completely avoid it. So, it is important for restaurants to repurpose food waste. Composting would help reduce the large amounts of food sent to landfills annually.

In Lebanon, Aline Kamakian, owner of the Mayrig Restaurant, has reduced her restaurant’s environmental footprint by composting leftover foods, as well as recycling bottles and plastics. Composting provides plants and soils with new nutrients, while also allowing Kamakian to stay accountable for the food waste her restaurant generates.

Composting, is a process that can be done at home, in small community composting facilities, or larger decomposition facilities. Through composting, organic matter is naturally recycled by decomposers

like bacteria, fungi, and worms that turn the waste into plant and soil fertilizer, enriching gardening and general agriculture. This process is known as aerobic decomposition.

The thing is, when food goes into landfills, it cannot undergo aerobic decomposition due to the lack of oxygen present for natural decomposers. Instead, it is forced to undergo anaerobic decomposition, which creates biogases, which are composed of toxic greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. The use of composting facilities reduces the occurrence of anaerobic decomposition, in turn, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

One of the only downfalls of facilitybased composting is the expenses from transporting food waste to composting facilities, which may hinder the general financial ability to maintain eco-conscious habits. However, the normalization of composting can lead to new ways to make composting more accessible for all individuals.

Restaurants are often evaluated on their health safety. However, Sustainability is a concept that focuses on maintaining the health and safety of the Earth and all of its citizens. Therefore, restaurants should be mandated to maintain sustainable habits to ensure the health and safety of consumers and the planet. As our planet gradually becomes less habitable and corporations continue to disregard their responsibility to reduce their eco-footprints, it is necessary for all individuals to find ways to help slow the effects of climate change and ensure a livable and greener future.

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Cycling in Mississauga is an extreme sport Mississauga’s love affair with jam-packed traffic leaves no room for cyclists.

Rola Fawzy Contributor

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hen I say that I would love to bicycle throughout the year, people look at me like I am insane. It seems that in the collective psyche of Mississauga, cycling is at best a summer hobby that is done through certain neighborhoods and trails. But as far as commuting is concerned, you drive. The only socially acceptable excuse not to drive is if you are a newcomer to Mississauga, if you’re a highschooler, or, if you’re a senior citizen.

I am 23 and I don’t have a driver’s license.

At first, my excuse for being unlicensed was because I lived in the city center. I was able to access downtown Toronto, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), and any other place I needed to be in 30 to 50 minutes of public transit. But when I moved deeper into the suburbs, I realized why most people my age relied on cars.

Mississauga was designed with cars in mind; roads are maintained in the summer and plowed in the winter for the convenience of drivers. I often come across poorly lit and worn-out roads that only a car can navigate.

For drivers, they can get through these roads easily and safely, regardless of the time of day, or the weather conditions. Since roads are only plowed if snow is more than five centimeters high, cyclists are forced to share the snowy roads with cars.

In the summer, many cyclists opt to bike on the sidewalks. This is illegal, but the alternatives look grim: access bike lanes and paths that barely exist or split the road with drivers who aren’t too keen to have you. Most cyclists would risk a potential ticket rather than travel on roads that are not safe. However, even that option isn’t available in the winter. It is not uncommon for sidewalks to remain uncleared for long stretches of time. Nor is it uncommon to have snow dumped from roads onto bike paths and trails for the benefit of cars.

Cycling down Mississauga Road to campus is perhaps the clearest example I can give as to how dangerous cycling in the city can get. To get to the UTM campus, I ride down Queen Street. At first, doing so is pleasant due to the presence of a bike lane and the pretty shops on either side of the street. Then, when Queen Street becomes Mississauga Road, the bike lane soon disappears. The road becomes steeper and turns into a bridge. Then the road

slopes down and becomes a hill. There is a specifically steep part of the road where there is not even a sidewalk—it’s a sharp turn where you can’t see oncoming traffic. Every time I descend that part of the road, I say a prayer.

Because of how steep that part of the road is, it is easy to make a life-threatening mistake.

Once that part is over, I cross the intersection of Mississauga Road and Burnhamthorpe Road. I hate this portion as a pedestrian, let alone a cyclist. When I took the bus down Burnhamthorpe Road in my first year of university, I used to walk from the intersection to my classes as the 44 would either take a long time to get there or be at capacity. Only one side of the road had pavement I could walk down, which was chipped with cracks and collected slushy snow, making for an uncomfortable trek to campus.

Unsurprisingly, it was there that I had one of my most dangerous accidents as a cyclist.

Yes, I was pedaling a little faster than usual to get to class. Still, under normal conditions, the speed wouldn’t have warranted this incident.

There wasn’t much space for my bicycle at the edge of the road. So, I made the best I could with what I had, going on and off the discontinuous rugged pavement. A poorly leveled

part of the curb knocked me off my balance.

In a split second, I was able to lean away from traffic and veer off the road, where my bicycle partly shielded me from a great impact, as I flopped onto someone’s driveway.

The issue with cycling in Mississauga is not a result of the change of seasons. It snows longer and harder in Oulu, Finland. Yet, its natives’ cycle with little regard to weather or time of day. I love Mississauga, but I hate that it loves cars to the detriment of cyclists.

CITY OF MISSISSAUGA

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The misinformation of climate propaganda Corporations are aware of the public’s little knowledge on sustainability and use this to push products and propaganda onto us.

Mari Khan Contributor

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don’t really know what it means,” my friend said when I told him I was writing an article on sustainability. That was when I realized that most people perceive sustainability as a trend and don’t understand the significance of it.

Yes, there are some of us that have more knowledge of sustainability—but we are not the majority.

So, allow me to begin with two definitions of sustainability as per the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary: “the use of natural products and energy in a way that does not harm the environment” and “the ability to continue or be continued for a long time.”

Most of us are familiar with the first definition— this is the one that is pushed on us by capitalist corporations. When there was a cry and demand for these corporations to take accountability for their wasteful methods, what was their response? They gave us products that they claimed were from recycled or organic materials, which were meant to be more sustainable.

But, how true are these claims? Are we being manipulated to believe that we are making a change?

Yes. We are.

Let’s talk about the fast-fashion retailer H&M. Already, fastfashion and sustainability are two terms that do not go together.

However, let’s give H&M the benefit of the doubt. On the surface, everything seems great. H&M has garments that are made from organic material or have a percentage of their garments made from recycled material. Wonderful! They even have a website that is dedicated to informing you of how sustainable the company’s garments are. Everything looks great.

So then why was H&M sued this past July?

An article from Renewable Matter covers this lawsuit and dives into the two main reasons: H&M being “deceptive” and “greenwashing.” H&M employed a system called the Higg Index. The Higg Index is a self-assessment tool used by fashion companies to gauge sustainability. The index provides results based on the entire production line.

However, the scores showed on H&M’s website were false. H&M was inverting results by misinterpreting values. According to the lawsuit, “If a dress has a water consumption rating of [minus] 20 per cent, H&M reported the opposite, showing 20 per cent less water consumption than average.”

Since being called out, H&M has removed the Higg Index from their website and chalked the false scores down to a “technical error.” The lawsuit also called

out H&M’s use of recycled material. Apparently, H&M has several products marketed as sustainable that are composed of 100 per cent polyester.

The problem: polyester is not biodegradable and is quite harmful to the environment. So, how sustainable is H&M? Is the huge price markup compared to their other products worth it? No. It’s not.

Now, let’s address straws. You might be familiar with the paper straws from Starbucks that have terrible integrity and lose their structure faster than my will to do well in university. We switched over to these “more sustainable” straws to save the turtles. But, now we’re killing land creatures instead. Yes, you read that right. In the time it takes for paper straws to decompose, the little papers left behind are Bambi and his friends’ lunch—or demise.

The manufacturing of paper straws is also not environmentally friendly; it uses a lot of energy and releases greenhouse gases. Paper straws also contribute to an increase in deforestation.

I implore you to question statements and movements that claim to be sustainable. Otherwise, sustainability will forever be a trend while corporations continue to push narratives upon us and get away with manipulating sustainability.

Controversial protests are not a movement, they are a moment Performative protests that target van Gogh’s will not solve climate change.

Elizabeth Provost Editor-in-Chief

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n November 4, 2022, three members of the Ultima Generazione (Last Generation), a climate protest group from Italy, hurled pea soup at van Gogh’s “The Sower,” then glued their palms to the wall. The painting, protected by glass, was not damaged. The protest was the most recent of a slew of attacks led by international climate activists like Just Stop Oil, who approach their protests in a manner similar to Ultima Generazione.

After the incident, my Twitter feed was flooded with memes and news briefs on the incidents. I debated the absurdity of the question asked by Just Stop Oil activist and university student Phoebe Plummer: “What is worth more, art or life?” Plummer partook in another attack on October 18, throwing two cans of Heinz tomato soup at van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” in the National Gallery in London, and gluing her hand to the wall adjacent to the painting.

The “soup-and-superglue movement” has many flaws, one of which is that it’s an awkward form of protest—particularly when the protestor tries to super glue his bald head to Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” When we see these acts of vandalism on the news, we discuss the painting chosen, the age of the protestors, and wonder if there were damages. At least that’s how I

LETZTE GENERATION/GETTYIMAGES

reacted the first few times. After the fourth attack, I inquired further, but I couldn’t rationalize the link between art and climate change, so I brushed off the protests as a few angry, maleficent teens trying to make it onto my Twitter news feed.

Is this how we measure the success of a protest? We can measure popularity by the number of clicks, follows, or likes a person or organization receives, but does the same metric indicate a successful protest? While controversial protests often gain the most attention, they seldom change policies or overturn laws.

The organizations that are behind these protests also plan less controversial protests, but this is the first time they are making national news. This makes it seem like the only way to make a difference is to throw soft foods, vandalize van Goghs, or glue your receding hair line to a wall. But, doing so doesn’t make a difference, it just makes them different. They become news-worthy

protests because they’re provocative and controversial, not because they are effective.

As part of the September 2019 global climate strikes, my friends gathered at Queen’s Park to demand action for climate change. The “global alarm” sounded across 185 countries, demanding to cut emissions and stabilize the climate. After 1,500 Amazon employees walked-out, CEO Jeff Bezos pledged to reduce emissions and the usage of water by at least 50 and 80 per cent, respectively. Across the ocean, in Germany, protestors successfully compelled their government to pass a 54-billion-euro plan to reduce carbon emissions. Over 1,000 local governments across 19 countries pledged to take action to decrease emissions. The climate strikes worked; they weren’t controversial or absurd, they were simply effective.

Both Ultima Generazione and Just Stop Oil are funded by the Climate Emergency Fund—a platform where benefactors can provide safe, legal donations to support the

protestors. The contributions help to fund recruitment, training, education, and capacity building needed for these disruptive, nonviolent protests. They also fund movements like climate change rallies, online petitions, and global social media movements.

One of the co-founders of the Climate Emergency Fund is the philanthropist Aileen Getty, whose grandfather was the American industrialist J. Paul Getty, whose trust and personal collection founded the J. Paul Getty Museum, as well as its adjacent art research institutes in Los Angeles. He was also the founder of the Getty Oil Company. The call is coming from inside the house. We’re being forced to think about climate change, but just like everything else we come across on the internet, it’s a momentary thought, soon overshadowed by other, more controversial news. Afterall, this is the premise of news media: the next big break, delivered an instant after the previous.

These radical, absurd acts of vandalism are a moment, not a movement.

Climate change is the most pressing issue facing humanity. It’s terrifying, but there’s also a slew of other, equally overwhelming issues that test us on the daily. The climate change alarm is ringing, and we are hitting snooze. Unfortunately, it will probably take something that affects our day-to-day routines for us to start talking about climate change. Performative protests are unlikely to push us to look climate change in the face. Getting angry about climate change is easy, but making a difference is hard.

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Fast fashion and its even faster destruction of the environment The environment is paying the true price tag for fast fashion.

Angelina Jaya Siew Staff Writer

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ccording to a report by Business Wire, the fast-fashion industry is projected to continue to grow rapidly from US$91 billion in annuals sales in 2021 to US$133 billion by 2026. The term “fast fashion” describes the mass-production and distribution of inexpensive clothing that meet the latest fashion trends. While fast fashion represents a big payday for brands like Hollister and Zara, it also represents a heavy dependence on fossil fuels and significantly contributes to the rapid depletion of our non-renewable resources.

The race to snag the most trendy and cost-effective clothes consumes many of us.

The trends change quickly and so does our wardrobes. So, we remain trapped in the never-ending cycle of discarding outfits and shopping for new ones. According to the 2015 documentary The True Cost, in the past two decades we’ve increased the amount of clothes we purchase annually by 400 per cent. Every year worldwide, people purchase almost 80 billion new articles of clothing.

Have we stopped to consider the implications of fast fashion on our environment?

Well, I’m here to tell you the indulgence of fast fashion is extremely wasteful.

Since clothing sold by fast fashion brands is relatively cheap, we tend to feel less guilty about throwing away older outfits to make

room for new ones. Replacing our clothing to follow the latest fashion styles means that we are constantly increasing global waste.

According to a report by Earth.org, approximately 92 million tonnes of clothing end up in landfills annually. If this trend continues, by 2030, fast fashion waste is projected to accumulate 134 tonnes per annum.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, under 1 per cent of clothing is recycled, further exacerbating the waste creation of the fast fashion industry.

“We remain trapped in the never-ending cycle of discarding outfits and shopping for new ones.”

As if that isn’t bad enough, fast fashion is severely depleting the Earth’s resources— both renewable and non-renewable. Many don’t realize that fast fashion uses approximately 100 million tonnes of oil annually.

Additionally the fashion sector is the second greatest consumer of water, due to its high dependence on cotton plants for materials.

Manufacturers use approximately 700 gallons to make one cotton shirt, and 2,000 gallons to manufacture just one pair of jeans.

This mindboggling waste of potable water is enough to enrage even the most passive environmentalist when one considers that the average person drinks just over 180 gallons

of water per year. Not only this, but, clothing manufacturers are accountable for up to onefifth of the world’s water pollution. Wastewater from production is often disposed of in bodies of water, which in turn poisons rivers and oceans with toxic dyes, carcinogens, and other harmful chemicals that are by-products of the manufacturing process.

Fast fashion also has negative implications on the environment through carbon emissions. According to a report released by the United Nations Environment Programme, the fashion industry contributes ten per cent of annual greenhouse emissions. This is more emissions than of all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

If we don’t address the waste created by the fast fashion industry and its environmental impact, then by 2050, the fashion sector is projected to have consumed a quarter of the world’s carbon budget.

Additionally, working conditions in sweatshops or garment factories for fast fashion brands such as Shein are unfavourable, as workers are exploited.

Some shifts last up to 18 hours and workers, reportedly, are offered as little as four cents per clothing item. Additionally, a report by Forbes shares that fast fashion

“disempowers women.” The company states that 80 per cent of the workers making clothing for these big brands are mostly women aged between 18 to 24 years old, with some as young as 14, working for limited pay, ensuring they remain impoverished and disempowered.

We need to face the harsh reality that fast fashion hurts our environment. The fast fashion model encourages consumers to regard cheap clothing as easily disposable—a view that is entirely opposite to that of sustainable thinking. The fix? We need to consume less.

So, the next time you pick up that pair of jeans at H&M or Shein, think about whether you want to support the label brand in the destruction of the environment, and in creating a polluted wasteland that your children will have to call home.

SABRINA MUTUC /THE MEDIUM

Electric vehicles are not as eco-friendly as they seem All that glitter is not gold when it comes to electric vehicles.

Alan Tran Contributor

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or years—from middle school to high school—I had my mind set on buying a Honda Civic. I didn’t crave a Ferrari, or Lamborghini, or Bugatti (I would’ve been happy with a Porsche though). I knew a small, slim car that would fit my needs was enough. And then I learned that insurance existed, and that there were increased rates for males, especially those who owned a Civic. Naturally, I concluded the obvious: “Yeah, I’ll pass on the Civic.” Then the Tesla arrived, the same slim look with a slicker logo. From H to T, from basic to luxury, from gaso-

DAVID GARI MORERA/PEXELS

line to electric. Plus, the Tesla brought with it a clean aesthetic, comfort, a noble, eco-friendly goal, and CEO who now owns Twitter—Elon Musk.

Electric vehicles (EVs) work through a rechargeable electric battery. The battery supplies the energy needed to spin the motors attached to the wheels. A 15-minute charge drives a Tesla 320 kilometers. In their 2021 Impact Report, Tesla claimed to have saved 8.4 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Their goal is to remove fossil fuels from the car market and create a sustainable, renewable, and luxury car service. In the same report, Tesla reported that as of the end of 2021, they have generated over 25 Terawatt hours (TWh) of energy through solar panels for its cars and have used less than an eighth of it.

Another competing company, General Motors (GM), wants to completely rid their products of fossil fuel emissions. Their goal’s model revolves around the Ultium Platform, a sturdy, four-wheel undercarriage that functions as the battery. Their car creation process works with other renewable and environmentally friendly companies. Renewable energy, locally sourced minerals, and efficient and trustworthy battery producers are all in GM’s plans for their new products. We have more than enough renewable energy to spare as these companies at-

tempt to reduce costs even further to battle fossil-fueled vehicles.

According to Climate Scorecard, of the 250 million sports utility vehicles, cars, and light-duty trucks on the road in the United States, just one per cent of them are EV. If car producers shift to EVs, analysts project that by 2035, a quarter of new sales will be EV, making 13 per cent of all vehicles on the road electric.

However, new technology and advances in engineering are working against the eco-friendly movement. Analysts predict that by 2050, 60 per cent of new sales will be electric but without policy changes, the roads will still be filled with gasoline cars.

To achieve a zero-emission world, the sale of gasoline-run cars must end by 2035.

There’s always the opposition. People believe that the creation of the lithium battery, a powerful and rechargeable battery found in EV cars, produces 74 per cent more carbon dioxide emissions than a gasoline car. I will not denounce the claim that the creation of EV batteries requires a lot of energy and carbon dioxide emissions. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the creation of one lithium battery equates to a gasoline car travelling about 4,000 kilometres. The mix and melts of metals required for the battery craves a heat over 800 degrees Celsius— a process primarily achieved through burning fossil fuels. The production of cars is neglected within advertisements that focus on eco-friendly products, but an EV car in the long run expresses a smaller carbon footprint than fossil fuel cars.

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features

Editor | Prisha (Maneka) Nuckchady features@themedium.ca

Learning from the mistakes of building Mississauga John Farrow, responsible for the first Official Plan of Mississauga, discusses key issues, sustainability, and regrets from planning the city.

Juan Esteban Lamilla Cuellar Contributor

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n 1974, the City of Mississauga was first incorporated. Over the next two years, John Farrow prepared the city’s first comprehensive plan. Since then, Farrow has enjoyed a long and successful career in urban planning.

He was formerly the chairman of the LEA Group—an infrastructure consulting firm. He was also a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at U of T’s School of Planning and has worked extensively in Canada, and globally in the United Kingdom, India, Central Europe, and the Middle East. In an interview with The Medium, I was honoured to discuss his experiences designing Mississauga, the challenges he faced, and how the young developing city prepared for an exciting, yet uncertain future.

We began the interview with a discussion on sustainability. “Sustainability as an idea and a concept wasn’t in the planning realm,” admits Farrow. During the 1970s, the definition of sustainability largely focused on the local preservation of ecological systems, specifically on the regeneration of forests. The Brundtland Report, often cited as the first guidebook for sustainable development principles, was not released until 1987.

“When people talked about environmental responsibility,” Farrow says, “they were talking very much about local environmental responsibility. They weren’t talking about greenhouse gases at all.” Rather, the planners of Mississauga were focused on protecting the local environment. This included the Lakeshore Project’s goals to protect Valleylands (naturally

occurring areas, usually between mountains, through which water flows during periods of the year), wetlands, floodplains (flat land near rivers) and agricultural land. “Climate change, certainly, was only just emerging and […] it wasn’t part of the policy thinking of the politicians at the time,” adds Farrow.

However, addressing these sustainability concerns came with their own challenges for Farrow. Guidelines for allocating and restricting land use and forest cuttings was not formally introduced to Ontario until 1969, leading to confusion among local governments.

“Before I did this plan, I had to go around and lecture local councils about the need to control land use and not just let it happen in a haphazard way,” he explains.

So, what was the primary focus when planning the city? “Uncontrolled urban growth,” Farrow states. “That was the major concern— that urban growth was going to be scattered all over the place and was going to eat up farmland, destroy the natural environment, lead to inefficient use of public infrastructure and public services, and destroy local communities. That had to be stopped,” shares Farrow.

Another objective on Farrow’s mind was the large majority of people who commuted out of Mississauga into downtown Toronto. With a growing population, the planners knew that this system was not sustainable. So, Farrow explains that they prioritised building employment centers, especially around Square One. As of 2011, StatsCan reported that 55 per cent of commuters in Mississauga also worked in their city.

Although the planners always intended for Square One to be Mississauga’s center, political influences didn’t necessarily agree. Lobby-

SAMIRA KARIMOVA/THE MEDIUM

ists argued for having the central commercial area in Cooksville, calls that have since been echoed due to its public transit connections.

From the planners’ perspectives, however, the “Cooksville area did not have the capacity to develop in the way that the modern office and retail center would develop. I’m not sure I like the way Square One has developed. But this was more in line with what was possible,” explains Farrow.

Expectations at the time for the city’s growth were far more modest. Since, the female participation rate in the workforce was much lower, the city’s planners were unable to accurately predict the amount of traffic generated from each household. Had they been able to an-

ticipate the high commuting volumes, Farrow explains that there might have been greater emphasis on building social facilities such as daycares, which were virtually non-existent, alongside creating denser, tighter neighbourhoods to decrease commuter times and improve families’ quality of life.

Although large public transit infrastructures have been slow to arrive to Mississauga, initial plans had already reserved land for a light rail transit, specifically along Burnhamthorpe and Lakeshore connecting to Toronto. But Farrow blames himself and his team for the slow deployment of the infrastructure, noting that back then, they did not fully understand funding worked: “It’s not just putting a line on a map and saying you can have it. You’ve got to get commitments to fund it. So, planning major bits of infrastructure, which isn’t linked to some funding source, isn’t very effective.”

Farrow used this as a learning opportunity for his later work. “I’ve been frustrated at how slowly the transit lines have come to Mississauga and so that’s something that in my subsequent work I’ve addressed more aggressively,” he shares. Currently, Mississauga is focused on completing the Hurontario Light Rail Transit Project. This 18-km, 19-stop line connects the Port Credit Go Transit Station, the Cooksville Go Transit Station, the City Centre at Square One, and the Brampton Gateway Terminal.

Construction began in 2021 with an expected completion date in the fall of 2024.

For many of us, Mississauga is home. John Farrow helped shape the original landscape of the city, but now it’s our turn to use past experiences alongside modern information on sustainability to build a better and stronger Mississauga.

Banana fiber bag: A way of reducing plastic consumption and creating gender equality U of T Medical student Sauliha Alli on her innovative project for reducing plastic pollution in Ghana.

Olga Fedossenko Associate Features Editor

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n June 2015, 150 people lost their TW lives in Accra, the capital of Ghana, ITT ER as a result of a massive flood caused by storm drains clogged with plastic. Two years later, flash floods hit southern Ghana again, killing 29 people and displacing 100,000 more. In 2019, Accra was once again underwater, causing at least 12 children to drown on their way to or from school amidst periods of heavy rainfall.

Plastic bags, used for packaging water among other products in Ghana, pose a serious threat to the environment and

the safety of people. Every year, Ghana imports 2.58 million metric tonnes of raw plastic. Throughout the country, polythene waste—a major driver of pollution and floods—ends up on the streets, in open gutters, and in gathering areas.

To help reduce plastic pollution in Ghana, Sauliha Alli, a third-year medical student at U of T, created a multi-use paper bag called the “Banana Fiber Bag” with her team at the Yayra-Si Youth Foundation (YSYF). Alli serves as co-founder of the non-governmental organization, which aims to amplify the rights of women and youth in Ghana. Together, they plan to manufacture the bags from the stems and leaves of banana trees—plants that can grow with very minimal water and dry soil conditions. “With the funding from U of T, we created a custom machinery that

processes the stems of the plant and grinds them up into smaller bits. Then another part of that machine grinds them into even smaller bits and boils the pieces. After that, we add some chemicals to create pulp from the plant. We can turn that pulp into paper that we mould into the shape of a bag and paint designs,” says Sauliha, describing the process.

She sees gender equality as the long-term goal of her project. Sauliha wants to teach young women from communities with an abundance of banana plants how to produce banana fibre bags. “Our strategy is to train 60 per cent of women and 40 per cent of men. We want to promote gender-inclusive training, and then allow these people the opportunity to start satellite businesses,” shares Sauliha. >> BANANA FIBER continues on page 11

11 >> BANANA FIBER continued from page 10 Right now, when the bags are not yet at the production stage, the team is obtaining the stems and leaves for free local banana plants in Ghana. As soon as the project reaches largescale production, Sauliha hopes to be able to support local farmers and buy the plants from them. “This way, Ghanaians will not have to rely on plastic from external markets anymore because they will have domestic production that they can support,” she explains.

“We want to promote genderinclusive training, and then allow these people the opportunity to start satellite businesses.”

Overall, projects within YSYF have focused on creating gender equality and self-sufficient production in Ghana.

Sauliha’s organization started with her first trip to Ghana as

an undergraduate student. Sauliha completed her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough. As part of her International Development Studies Co-op, she travelled to Ghana to work on a global health project. Throughout her volunteer work, she met her co-founder of YSYF in Ghana. The team is committed to making an impact in Ghana, where the project started, before expanding production to African and Latin American countries, where there are abundant banana fibre resources.

“When I was choosing Ghana as the country for my volunteer work, I can’t say I didn’t participate in the problematic narrative where we see Ghana as this hopeless undeveloped country,” admits Sauliha. “I think the biggest issue with that line of thinking is that it doesn’t contextualize that poverty, or those kinds of social issues, are deeply embedded in colonial histories.”

She came into her co-op with limited exposure to social justice work. But Sauliha’s stereotypical thinking was quickly shut down after being in Ghana for a few weeks. She had to reflect on her privileged position after seeing the locals’ daily lifestyles. Stigmatization of women, low health literacy

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rates, and high rates of adolescent pregnancy, these are the systemic problems that have been perpetuated for generations in Ghana.

With the prototype Sauliha’s team manufactured using their new machinery, the Banana Fibre Bag project aims to reduce polythene pollution and empower Ghanaian women to participate in the male-dominated labour market in the near future.

Should we fear predatorial marine animals or should they fear us?

Susha Fountain and Professor Richter talk about how our actions have endangered marine life and why protecting them is crucial to preserving the entire ecosystem.

Emily Rogers Associate News Editor

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lorious, sharp-toothed, and baleenmouthed creatures have ruled the oceans for tens of millions of years—some even before dinosaurs walked on land. Throughout the course of marine history, sharks, rays, and whales have captured humankind’s curiosity and fear. In our exploration of the oceans, we’ve studied these animals in hopes of understanding their behaviours and environments.

However, we have also captured and killed them along the way. Often, this is not only a detriment to the animal but a detriment to the whole ocean ecosystem. Currently, many large fish and marine mammal species are endangered, with over 41,000 species verging on extinction. Amid controversial issues surrounding animal captivity, fisheries, and climate change, the threat of extinction these creatures face must be addressed by conservation scientists, animal caretakers, and the global community altogether.

The dangerous reputation of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) is a result of their role as predators in marine food webs. Susha Fountain, an educator at Ripley’s Aquarium in Downtown Toronto, teaches about shark and ray (or “elasmobranch”) conservation. In an interview with The Medium, she describes how elasmobranch’s placement as “high trophic level predators in their communities is important for maintaining ecosystem homeostasis.” She elaborates that their position at the top of the food chain is key for stability in the ecosystem despite environmental changes. When these top predators start disappearing, it disrupts the rest of the ecosystem.

University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) professor and passionate admirer of whales, Professor Christopher Richter agrees with Fountain. When whale populations decline, Professor Richter explains, the impact can be observed in fluctuations all the way down the food web, to seagrass populations.

Professor Richter notes how “we are just starting to assess how important whales are in contributing to the idea that the oceans are a carbon sink [oceans store and absorb carbon dioxide].” Because large species, like blue

whales, sequester carbon in their bodies even after they die, they play a role in combating rising atmospheric carbon levels. This carbon is further recycled into deep sea communities when whale carcasses begin to decompose—a phenomenon referred to as “whale falls.”

Having researched sperm whales during his PhD at the University of Otago, and harbour porpoises during his master’s degree at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), Professor Richter studied how their populations are impacted by human activity—the primary threat elasmobranchs and cetaceans face.

Fishing, for one, presents many issues. During the first project Professor Richter worked on at MUN, he observed that “in the Bay of Fundy, little harbour porpoises get caught in ground nets for cod. […] Since they’re so close to the bottom, they asphyxiate—they can’t come back up to the surface.” This by-catch (a term for animals accidentally caught by fisheries targeting commercial species) has impacts beyond harbour porpoises.

Alongside by-catch, abandoned fishing gear poses pollution issues that can be fatal.

Referred to as “ghost gear,” Professor Richter explains that buoys, nets, and lines made primarily of nylon and metal “don’t disintegrate; they’re out there for years. But [the gear] keeps fishing and nobody pulls them out, or at least not on a systematic basis.” For animals that feed on the surface, like the iconic Canadian right

SAMIRA KARIMOVA/THE MEDIUM

whale, whose population has declined to numbers lower than 350, this plastic pollution can be detrimental.

Historically, the fishing industry has caused the greatest threat to these large fish and mammal populations—the sperm whale populations that Professor Richter studied are still recovering from the hundreds of years of whale hunting, also known as whaling. However, in past decades, more complications have emerged.

Fountain explains that for sharks and rays, climate change threatens to leave many species without a home. “Coral reefs only make up about 1 per cent of the ocean floor, but house around 25 per cent of marine biodiversity. […] The loss of these habitats affects the whole community but is most visible in shark and ray species because these high trophic level species need to consume the most energy,” shares Fountain. For example, Fountain points to the presence of reef sharks as a general indicator of a healthy reef because it means the ecosystem meets the high productivity levels they require.

Fountain holds a unique position as an expert in biology and marine conservation by studying and educating people on conservation and the environment while working at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. Conservation of marine species is as complicated as the ecological networks trying to be preserved. Professor Richter comments that “even though we might be sitting here, by Lake Ontario—really far away

from the ocean—regardless, what we do has an impact on [marine organisms].”

While aquariums and zoos have a somewhat controversial reputation, they also support conservation research, advocacy, and education.

The dichotomy in question is “What’s the tradeoff?” Professor Richter asks, “Is it worth removing an animal from not only its habitat, but also its social environment?” Both Fountain and Professor Richter agree that most zoological societies such as Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums consider the captivity of cetaceans to be inhumane.

Professor Richter states that “Bottlenose dolphins [and] killer whales are social. And we know removing individuals from these groups has an impact on the rest.” So, although not as quantitatively detrimental to populations as fishing, captivity still raises important concerns. “Being a professor, education is always a solution or part of the solution. So, I definitely think zoos and aquariums have a role to play,” says Professor Richter. Even without displaying these species, aquariums can make a positive impact by talking about cetaceans, other species not suitable for captivity, and the threats that they endure. “The most important thing to keep in mind,” adds Fountain, “is that we are respectful to animals in the wild and in captivity.”

A few weeks prior to Professor Richter’s interview with The Medium, UTM hosted a screening of the documentary The Last of the Right Whales (2021), where Professor Richter participated in the panel discussion. The documentary focused on a marine biologist, whale rescuer, and wildlife photographer’s fight to protect the endangered right whales from pervasive ghost fishing gear. After the release of the film in 2021, with their passion and hard work, and by urging viewers to support the Right Whale Coexistence Act, the government passed the legislation, addressing ghost gear, fishing, and shipping traffic in the North Atlantic region of right whale’s inhabitation in February of 2022. “They showed what we can do as a nation,” Professor Richter says. “If we show our government [that] right whales are important to us because they are a symbol of how we treat the oceans, we can make it a priority,” he continued. Whether we do is not only a question of the future of whales or sharks or any one marine organism, but the future of the ocean and, by extension, our future.

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Arts

Editor | Julia Skoczypiec arts@themedium.ca

The call to climate action in WALL· E Looking back at a Disney and Pixar classic that has reshaped the ways we think about our environment.

Daanish Alvi Contributor

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irected by Andrew Stanton in 2008, WALL·E is a film to remember for its simple yet impactful message. Our favourite little robot urges people across the globe to look inward and pay attention to the lack of respect we have for our environment. It is baffling to see that, fourteen years after the movie’s release, our climate might be in an even worst spot.

Taking place in the year 2805, the film follows a trash-compacting robot named WALL·E, otherwise known as a “Waste Allocation Load-Lifter: Earth-Class.” He is the last of his kind left on Earth—a once beautiful climate now turned to a wasteland. WALL·E’s job is to clean up the messes left on the planet by mega-corporations.

Stanton depicts corporations as evil entities with positive aspects. In the movie, “Buy n Large” is a mega-business that helps humans “temporarily” evacuate from Earth. They provide humanity with a starship named the “AXIOM,” allowing them to seek refuge in space. The trash-compacting robots are left on Earth to try to make it habitable once again, even though “Buy n Large” is a huge contributor the tragic state that

this fictional Earth is in. WALL·E is the last robot left, and it is clear that the clean-up mission has not progressed according to initial expectations. As such, “AXIOM” becomes the new permanent home for humans, where they have every single one of their needs catered to by robots on the ship. This proves to be an issue, as the population slides into helpless obesity.

As WALL·E continues to try and clean up Earth bit by bit, he meets EVE, an “Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator.”

EVE is sent from a starship to scan Earth for any signs of life.

WALL·E, excited to have found a friend, takes the chance to

BEATRIZ SIMAS/THE MEDIUM

show EVE everything he has collected over the years—including a healthy, growing plant. This finding sends EVE into standby mode and alerts the starship to pick her back up from Earth. Realizing that Earth is indeed able to sustain life after all, WALL·E and EVE stop at nothing to bring everyone from the starship back home.

It is not far-fetched to say that this film is borderline perfect in every way. It is another one of the many collaborations between Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures, and it yet again highlights the best aspects of each production company. While the plot is uplifting, WALL·E highlights the dangers that come with refusing to take action on environmental issues.

According to NASA, Earth continues to progress toward “a long-term warming trend due to human activities.” The planet’s surface temperature consistently breaks new records, with each year being hotter than the last. Billionaires can continue to deny the existence of climate change, but the facts are visible. Change is needed, and that change needs to happen now.

We as a population must do everything in our power to make this world a safer place— not only for ourselves, but for the people around us. As WALL·E reinforces, all we truly have is each other.

Our troubling climate represented in The Parable of the Sower In her dystopian yet environmentally relevant novel, Butler allows readers to think about the seeds that grow our future.

Tiana Dunkley Contributor

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ublished in 1993, Octavia Butler’s novel The Parable of the Sower tells the story of Lauren Oya Olamina, a 15-year-old black girl living in the once distant future of 2024.

Through Lauren’s journal and poetry entries over the course of three years, Butler tells a tale of societal chaos evoked by climate change and economic crises.

Lauren and her family live in a sheltered cul-de-sac neighbourhood, away from the anarchy that takes place in the fictional town of Robledo, California. Food and water scarcity affect the entire world, but Lauren’s community manages to find a pocket of security.

To survive, they grow their own crops and protect themselves. As the conditions outside of her walled neighbourhood worsen, Lauren begins to contemplate her own future by reflecting on her past. “People have changed the climate of the world. Now they’re waiting for the old days to come back,” she shares.

Butler identifies the complacency that older generations may have towards the changing world. She places focus on figures like Lauren’s father, a pastor and community leader, as he anchors the community in a

belief system resemblant of a cherished but non-existent past. Like the many adults in the novel, he holds a belief that somehow the world will renew itself—despite its chronic and unchangeable conditions. Lauren fights against this idea. She begins to prepare for a life outside of her neighbourhood—learning survival tactics by reading books in her father’s library.

“People have changed the climate of the world. Now they’re waiting for the old days to come back.”

Lauren’s journey is not simple. As the plot progresses, we learn that Lauren suffers from “hyper-empathy”—a condition which causes her to literally feel others’ pain or pleasure.

As her body aches based on the suffering that happens around her, she is weary of witnessing or inflicting pain, complicating her ability to survive in a dystopian society. Her father, aware of her condition, still trains her in gun combat and exposes her to destitute atmospheres.

As families begin to look for other privatized towns to escape to, Lauren senses the community coming apart. After the death of her father, her people are left without a lead-

er. Soon, the security of her neighbourhood is tested—robberies, shootings, and fires set by intruders become frequent occurrences.

One night, Lauren wakes to her neighbourhood in flames, forcing her to start her journey North—where conditions are rumoured to be better. Along the way, she gains allies and shares her writing. Her “hyper-empathy” makes her welcoming, and she re-thinks violent approaches to outsiders. She forms her GOODREADS

poetry into a collection titled Earthseed: Books of the Living.

Agriculture acts as a cornerstone for the entirety of the novel. As the story unfolds, Lauren’s journey becomes intentional. Her goal is to establish a self-sustaining community where Earthseed acts as the guiding principle. Upholding sustainability, Lauren fosters a hopeful vision for the future and demonstrates that humanity can create beauty after disaster. She and her allies achieve this by establishing their settlement, Acorn.

Butler’s vision of 2024 in Parable of the Sower may not look like our visions of the near future, but there is still much to learn from this tale. With climate change, we cannot expect the world to remain the same. As people become desperate for food, water, and shelter, those who possess these necessities gain power. Through Lauren’s character, Butler emphasizes that in moments of trauma, empathy for others may be our biggest strength.

Parable of the Sower explores the intersections of race, poverty, capitalism, and religion, in an imagined but very possible future. The science fiction story centres around a young black girl during a time of limited representation in mainstream media. If you are a lover of science-fiction, this novel is sure to satisfy.

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How digital art is ecofriendly

Reimagining sustainability through Scandinavian architecture and philosophy

Considering the sustainable aspects of digital art and how it impacts our current climate.

A review of eco-minded architecture in Scandinavia and how it promotes unity with the earth.

Hannah Grace Wang Contributor

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igital art is becoming more prominent than ever. With devices such as iPads and Wacom tablets, drawing digitally is efficient and enjoyable. Most importantly, creating digital art is sustainable. But how?

Eco-friendly and technologically advanced, digital art doesn’t require the use of canvases, paintbrushes, painting supplies, and other disposable materials. All you need is a drawing tablet, a stylus, and a graphic design software—one of the most popular programs is “Procreate.”

Digital art comes with many perks. You can easily move and resize sketches and drawings, experiment with different digital pens and brushes, and change colours in whatever way you like. If you draw using the “layers” function, your options are even more extensive. Learning digital art is also a basis to learning new disciplines—like animation, Virtual Reality drawing, and graphic design.

Many artists are beginning to advocate for the use of digital art platforms. Zach McCraw, a digital artist who has created more than 4,000 digital artworks, states, “My love of nature and its preservation inspires me to champion digital art as the most eco-friendly art form, especially for painting. The amount of waste that goes into traditional paint products is done away with in my digital process, especially at the rate I paint.” McCraw is passionate about using art to promote eco-preservation initiatives and wants others to realize the eco-friendly nature of digital art.

Of course, digital art still contributes to the ecological footprints we leave behind. All virtual activities result in the “carbon impact of the digital world.” While using digital devices is eco-conscious, the production of the electronics still emits greenhouse gases. The digital community (including artists, collectors, galleries, and auctioneers) is continually working to find greener solutions.

Many creatives are starting to voice their concerns relating to the production of art and its impact on the environment. Guillaume Cerutti, the CEO of Christie’s, an auction house states, “At Christie’s we understand that the experience of art is positive and meaningful, a source of personal joy and enrichment as well as a privilege. This experience, however, should not come at the expense of the environment.” The company, heavily involved in the art world, pledges to be net zero by 2030.

Alice Audouin, founder of a sustainable art non-profit known as Art of Change 21, says, “The first thing to do if we want a more ecological art sector is to work with the best engineers and bring them together to create data and tools that are accessible to all.” For art to create our green future, it must be accessible.

As a university student with a limited budget, creating artwork digitally has been a great means of self-expression and creativity. I find that digital art helps me save on resources and storage space. While traditional art continues to hold value and is beloved in the artistic community, digital art deserves not to be left behind.

Mashiyat Ahmed Contributor

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he peoples of Scandinavian nations—Norway, Sweden, and Denmark—have rich cultural and philosophical traditions when it comes to their relationships with the environment. The values of natural beauty, sustainability, and frugality regarding consumption are all deeply embedded within the Scandinavian way of life.

Scandinavians use the word “friluftsliv,” a term that refers to “open-air living,” to guide their values and traditions. First popularized by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, “friluftsliv” was used to describe a way of thought that relates to our physical and psychological responses when we are submerged in nature. More recently in Scandinavia, “friluftsliv” has emerged as a core part of one’s relationship with nature—it denotes the experience of being in harmony with natures’ powers.

In the last 50 years, Scandinavia has seen striking architectural changes. For example, Scandinavian “green roofs,” a roofing design used since the Viking Age, have now been reproduced as a sustainable living option in rural and urban settings. Green roofs serve a variety of ecological and aesthetic purposes relevant to upholding the philosophy of “friluftsliv.”

Their benefits include providing shade, reducing storm water runoff, and facilitating local biodiversity. Additionally, as a testament to their versatility, green roofs can lower temperatures during summer months by absorbing heat while also providing natural insulation during winter.

Bjarke Ingels, a Danish architect known for his design of upscale buildings, unites modernist designs with sustainable additions. His architecture includes features like green roofs and flood resistance shields. In his work, Ingels places focus on “hedonistic sustainability”—a concept suggesting that a sustainable future does not need to come at the expense of one’s morals or political standings. “Hedonistic sustainability” affirms the notion that social engagement and environmental living can mutually exist in a world with growing technologies.

In other words, pursuing a green future should not come with dramatic compromises. Instead, architects, design creatives, and even everyday citizens, need to recognize that climate change solutions are not solely political in nature.

As countries like Norway and Sweden relish in their sustainable living spaces and continue to maintain low carbon footprints, their architectures demonstrate that sustainability is possible—although it is challenging. Still, the future of sustainable living rests upon effective architectural and creative decisions that better the structure of urban living and promote pro-sociality among citizens.

ARTEM GALYCHYI/UNSPLASH

Here’s why John Constable’s paintings matter The 19th century landscape painter couldn’t have predicted our climate today, but he sure wouldn’t be happy.

Hannah Grace Wang Contributor

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ohn Constable was a 19th century landscape painter known for his romanticist paintings of the English countryside. Born in 1776 in East Bergholt, Suffolk, England, Constable specialized in painting the Suffolk landscape, with works that largely consisted of “open-air sketches”—a term that refers to painting outdoors as opposed to in a studio. Constable, a self-taught oil painter and student at the Royal Academy, used his sketches as the basis for his large exhibition paintings.

One of Constable’s most beloved paintings, “The Hay Wain” (1821), perfectly captures the idyllic, mellow essence of the English countryside. Constable’s iconic painting recently made headlines on BBC News after climate activists chose to use oil paintings in museums as their medium to protest oil control. On July 4, 2022, two “Just Stop Oil” protesters and students Eben Lazarus and Hannah Hunt appeared at London’s National Gallery and covered Constable’s work with a poster of “an apocalyptic vision […]” of the English countryside. They demanded that the British government stop supporting the fossil fuel industry.

Both activists called on the British government to stop new oil and gas licenses, as Lazarus cried out, “When there is no food, what use is art? When there is no water, what use is art?”

In today’s climate, Constable’s paintings of the countryside are more than just quaint scenes showcasing the landscape of Suffolk. Instead, his works have become public reminders that our natural landscapes are endangered. Constable’s picturesque oil paintings relate to our current climate now more than ever.

In some ways, looking at a Constable painting today makes you

JOHN CONSTABLE, 1819-1820 STRATFORD MILL YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART, PAUL MELLON

think deeper, pause longer, and express gratitude. It helps us appreciate our natural landscape a little more.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Emma Mahony, a professor who studies museums and activism at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin said, “You’re not going to make friends with oil bosses, but you have to bring the 99 per cent onboard if you want to achieve something.” She worried that these activists may unintentionally drive away potential supporters of their cause.

If John Constable were here today, he would be shocked at the chaotic mess that is our legislation—the groups that make the decisions for the state of our climate. With ongoing discussions on how the oil industry is contributing to our carbon footprint and the increasing need for sustainability in oil and gas, Constable could not have predicted that his painting of a nature scene created 200 years ago would now be a tool that environmental activists have turned to in hopes of rewriting the future.

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Taylor Swift’s insomnia leads to her biggest album debut of all time Swift’s Midnights broke Spotify, the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and our hearts.

Paige France Staff Writer

TAYLOR SWIFT/SPOTIFY

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n October 21, Taylor Swift released her tenth original studio album Midnights, a thematic spin on her usual discography where each song is inspired by her favourite time of day—midnight. The album recounts “13 sleepless nights” throughout the course of Swift’s career. With her penchant of penning her life into prose, Swift pines in anticipation, revels in regret, and wishes for the sun to stay hidden under the horizon.

Potentially her most cohesive album yet, fans are receiving not only a glimpse into Swift’s mind, but also her life. Equipped with electric pop and soul-crushing ballads, Swift reminds us of her autobiographical prowess. Breadcrumbing her life through whispers of lost love and past arguments, a “chaotic surprise” came three hours after the initial album’s release. Midnights (3am Edition) includes seven bonus tracks fueled

by the sleep-deprived anti-hero. Just when we had experienced enough heartbreak, songs like “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” were added to the Midnights’ roster.

When Swift advised to “meet [her] at midnight,” the world listened. With wildfire success, she broke the record for the most streamed artist within 24 hours in Spotify history, causing the streaming platform to

crash when the album released. If we are speaking about stats, Midnights grabbed the number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart and, most impressively, Swift became the first artist in history to claim all top 10 slots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The album commences with “Lavender Haze,” a beat-heavy production where Swift refuses to apologize for staying comfortable in a private relationship. She chants, “get it off your chest/get it off my desk,” mocking those who have scrutinized her for enjoying her love bubble with long-time actor boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. Through her upfront and authentic lyrics, Swift sheds light on society’s habit of placing women in labelled boxes.

With Midnights, collaboration hits new heights. “Snow on the Beach” features Lana Del Rey with previous Teen Wolf star, Dylan O’Brian, on the drums. “Lavender Haze” and “Karma,” two immediate album standouts, were co-written alongside actress Zoë Kravitz. Moreso, William Bowery (AKA Joe Alwyn) slows the album down through

his co-written lyrics for “Sweet Nothing”— an intimate ballad alongside his muse. The entire album was co-produced by Jack Antonoff, frontman for the band Bleachers.

Arguably the most depressing track, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky,” released as part of the 3 a.m. edition of the album, has received rave reviews and has united communities on many social media platforms. The sad ballad immediately moved listeners as Swift explored deep loss—one that many listeners who have suffered miscarriages found comfort in. The track has encouraged many to open up about their own experiences with pregnancy loss and trauma.

With its laidback vibe, Midnights feels like a dazzling shimmer of light—even despite the dark environment Swift has painted. To relieve us of the day’s constant drudgery, Swift has concocted the perfect album for us to just press play and sit with our own selfloathing. Through her words and melodies, Swift reminds us that we are on our own. We have always been.

Identity, trauma, and the beauty of friendship in Theatre Erindale’s The Wolves The theatre’s rendition of Sarah DeLappe’s award-winning play left audiences speechless.

Megan Freedman Contributor

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right green turf lined the stage and walls of Erindale Studio Theatre at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). Dim lights created a sense of intimacy in the dark auditorium. Prior to attending Theatre Erindale’s rendition of Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves, all that I had known about the Pulitzer Prize finalist was that it centred around an American soccer team. I did not know what to expect of the plot or production.

While The Wolves is about a soccer club for teen girls, the themes covered in the show went far beyond a simple match.

After UTM’s land acknowledgement was given, loud electronic music and a blackout signified the top of the show.

As the lights came up, nine players in blue and red uniforms stretched onto the turf. The cast was roughly split in half— one group debated an article they had been assigned in class on the Cambodian Genocide, and the other group teased a more religious member of the team for her choice of menstrual products. The dialogue was witty and quick, layering the two conversations on top of each other boldly.

A new member of the team, known only as #46 (Mirphie Kinanga) interjected, saying that she had been to Cambodia.

The others ignored her. With youthful ignorance, #46 was treated as an outcast. Her teammates mocked the stories she shared about her homelife, misunderstanding her words— like “yurt” for “yogurt.” Emotional, #46 gave a poetic monologue, comparing her feelings with her teammates’ accusation that she lives inside a “yogurt.” #46 butted heads with#7 (Reena Goze), a foul-mouthed striker who was rumoured to have had an abortion. The gossip about #7’s abortion, a recurring topic in the show, gave me the understanding that the play was about the societal struggles of young women. Another important topic was portrayed by #2 (Ava Patterson), a team member that

struggled with an eating disorder. In a memorable scene, she refused to eat orange slices in front of her team, only to binge on the entire bag when they left.

Every scene in the play took place prior to the team’s games, while they stretched and warmed up. The team captain, #25 (Sydney-Paige Scott), attempted to keep the team motivated, despite the indifference of their coach. Wanting to maintain the bonds that her team created, #25 struggled to keep it together while she watched several of her teammates meet with university scouts. As #25 grew to realize her sexuality, she blossomed through her relationship with an unseen character named Louise.

MIKE SLATER

Every character in The Wolves dealt with something internal. #11 (Sierra Small) battled her psychiatrist parents, as she did not want to be constantly psychoanalyzed. #13 (Juliet Spizziri) had no filter and said whatever came to mind—regardless of the offence that may have been taken. #8 (Chloé

Castrucci) was insecure about her physical appearance.

Under the direction of Anita La Selva, every member of the cast gave a stellar performance. However, stand-out performances came from Abigail Henry as #00— the team goalie—and Nasim Sedaghat-Ramirez as #14 and Soccer Mom. Henry’s character suffered from intense anxiety that stemmed from the immense pressure she was under to perform exceptionally—both academically and in her extensive extra curriculars. #00’s solo scene was one of the most impactful moments in the play. She stood on stage, the turf empty, and authentically portrayed the reality of an emotional breakdown. She did not speak. Instead, she let out a blood curdling scream and collapsed to the ground—an unexpected but powerful moment.

Loss was an ongoing theme within The Wolves. #7 lost her chance at a soccer career due to an unfortunate skiing injury.

She also strained her relationship with #14, abandoning her teammate during a ski trip and leaving her with a boy she did not know. The biggest loss in the play, however, came with the shocking death of #14.

After the loss of her daughter, Sedaghat-Ramirez entered as Soccer Mom and gave an outstanding and delirious monologue. It was a heartbreaking moment, showcasing the strength of a mother that is completely broken inside. This scene was unexpected and riveting.

The Wolves placed importance on the numerous battles that young women go through. If I had one critique however, I wish that some of the darker topics were explored more thoroughly. For example, it was implied that #14 experienced some form of harassment or assault, but her story was not explored in detail. Similarly, #2’s eating disorder was only implied.

Overall, Theatre Erindale put on a fantastic production of Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves. Every performer left everything they had on the “turf.” If you have not had a chance to see a Theatre Erindale play, I recommend you check out what they have coming up this season. All information and tickets can be found at tickets.sheridancollege.ca.

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sports & health

Editor | Alisa Samuel sports@themedium.ca

E. WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY

Jodi Emerson rides the path to a passionfuelled career The 2022-23 U of T Equestrian rider on Hocus Pocus to the Irish National Stud.

Radhia Rameez Associate Sports & Health Editor

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odi Emerson was seven years old when she first rode on horseback at a friend’s birthday party. The horse, called Hocus Pocus, was solid black with white socks and a stripe down his face. When the party ended, Jodi went home and asked her parents if they could take her back to Hocus Pocus. She had fallen in love with riding.

“After [the birthday party], I started going to horse camp and then started lessons,” says Jodi, a second-year student in the Professional Writing and Communication and Geography programs at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). “I have been riding for about 12 years now.”

“I have been riding for about 12 years now.”

Today, Jodi rides competitively as an intermediate rider on the University of Toronto Equestrian (UTEQ) team.

The UTEQ team welcomes students with an interest in riding from all three U of T campuses to get involved recreationally as well as competitively. It is not, however, classified as a sports team at UTM. “This is mostly because of the dangers and the costs associated with riding,” Jodi explains.

“So, we’re more of a club at the moment.”

The UTEQ team is mostly self-funded, though it occasionally gets sponsors like Ogilvy, an equestrian brand that specializes in the design and production of high-quality

saddle pads. The company has given its products as prizes to team members who won championships in their respective divisions.

Currently, the team also rides with the Ontario Collegiate Equestrian Association, an organization that supports university students who participate in equestrian sports during their studies.

Moreover, horse owners “donate” their horses to the team for use in a practice called “catch riding.” “You can’t ride your own horse,” Jodi says. “You must ride the horses donated by different people.”

“Riders, in other words, get no bonding time with their assigned horses, and they must adapt quickly to the unique quirks of different horses for each class.”

Catch riding, according to Jodi, is the most challenging part of being an equestrian: “We do two classes, jumping and a flat class, and we have a different horse each time.”

Riders, in other words, get no bonding time with their assigned horses, and they must adapt quickly to the unique quirks of different horses for each class. “But it’s also fun,” Jodi says. “We get a little bio for each horse before we ride, then we just hop on and go!”

For Jodi, the most rewarding part about riding with the UTEQ team is being able to spend time with her team-

mates. “We get along really well, and everyone always cheers for each other,” she says. “We have a special cheer for each person.”

Jodi and her fellow equestrians also attend events as a group. In fact, they watched show jumping (competitive speed-based obstacle course horse riding) together at the Royal Agriculture Winter Fair at Exhibition Place in Toronto last week.

“There’s always drama in the [cutthroat] horse-world, but not in U of T’s Equestrian team” where everyone is friendly, and the competitive atmosphere is relaxed.

When she is not riding with the UTEQ team, Jodi rides at a farm in Burlington called Trinity Trotters Equine. During the summer, she hopes to compete in hunter equitation shows, an equestrian discipline in which riders are judged on their form, skill, and style.

“Riding is more than just a hobby to Jodi; it is a career path.”

Riding is more than just a hobby to Jodi; it is a career path. “I took a gap year before I started school, and I did work in a breeding farm for racehorses,” she says. “That’s what I plan to do in the future.”

Once she completes her degree, Jodi aims to attend the Irish National Stud, a top-class horse breeding school in County Kildare, Ireland. There, she will learn to train her own pure-bred racehorses before returning to her work with horses here in Ontario.

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Students should spend two minutes each day talking to a plant A horticultural therapy specialist explains the health and wellness benefits of interacting with nature.

Cristina Pincente Contributor

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ccording to the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association (CHTA), “Horticultural Therapy (HT) is a formal practice that uses plants, horticultural activities, and the garden landscape to promote well-being for its participants.”

In 2020, the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health published a study that evaluated the effectiveness of an eight-session HT program for people with schizophrenia. Researchers of psychiatric rehabilitation in Hong Kong had hypothesized that, for those with mental disorders, interactions with plants—whether through gardening or an admiration for nature— could alleviate stress and promote interpersonal and intrapersonal health.

After comparing the participants’ statuses before and after the test, the researchers found “higher levels of mental well-being,” but did not see significantly reduced stress levels or increased social exchange, possibly because the participants started with low-stress levels.

The researchers then asked a focus group of eight participants to reflect on their experience with HT. They learned to practice patience and thinking skills—psychological benefits of horticultural activity. Many also “shared group photos, logbooks, and end products with peers and family members,” suggesting some social enhancement. In terms of spirituality, the participants “said they had learned to appreciate the miracle of life” through their observations of the plants. “Some participants gave examples like outdoor plants could grow better and stronger after severe storms, and it is pleasurable to take care of plants as they grow up.”

How? When people explore the things which draw them to nature, they learn from what they see. “Remark on its plentiful sunshine, its near potential bloom, or its surrounding plants holding it up, then reflect, ‘Well, how can I relate to that? What

do I have in my life that may be supporting me in a way I hadn’t thought of before?’” says Cheney Creamer, the Chair of the CHTA in an interview with The Medium. “Find a plant that you’re drawn to and then start to build a little relationship with it,” she suggests. “Have a conversation with that plant.”

“I need to find some small way every day to have a relationship with some life outside of myself.”

Cheney encourages us to practice this simple exercise daily for long-term impact.

“I need to find some small way every day to have a relationship with some life outside of myself,” she shares.

Cheney understands that students might find it difficult to break the endless pattern of hyper-focused overwhelming thoughts (directed attention fatigue) they often experi-

ence. She recommends that students find “a sit spot” or “a forest trail that is a loop that you can walk around” to develop a relationship with some plants and then to observe them: “look up, look around, and look often.”

Cheney consults many individuals with “eco-anxiety,” an emerging type of anxiety over safe access to fresh, healthy food and clean water though nature. Watching nature’s regenerative powers in gardening, as Cheney suggests, renews that hopeful feeling, leading people to ask: “How can my little choices really make an impact on a larger global scale?”

One green choice that students can make is to purchase a CHTA student membership for the annual price of $55. This membership includes access to various resources, such as educational HT webinars. Certain months also offer the opportunity to join book or film clubs about nature-based books, films, and documentaries.

If interested, sign up for the newsletter developed for Cheney’s biophilic wellness business, One Green Square—named after the fact that “a glimpse of a small green square for two seconds has been shown to increase creativity by up to 20 per cent.”

Reset and Reload No matter how hard the Toronto Maple Leafs may fall, the team always gets back up twice as strong.

Omar Khan Columnist

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fter a poor start to the regular season in October, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now making the most of their top players.

Leading the way is Captain John Tavares, who had a statement game against the Philadelphia Flyers with his 11th career hat trick in Toronto on November 2, 2022. He helped end the night with four points, a season-altering win for the Leafs, and a potential sign of good things to come. Tavares’ second goal was one of the best of his career, as he faked out the Flyers’ defenceman Travis Sanheim, grabbed the rebound for his sixth goal of the season, and sent Leafs fans into an excited frenzy.

Matthews hurts other teams by scoring and putting up points, not fighting.

Following that game against the Flyers, the Leafs took on their biggest rivals, the Boston Bruins. This is a rivalry that runs deep and throughout generations so every game these two teams play against each other is a must watch. This time, the Bruins are easily the best team in the league so it was a tough test for a Leaf team that has struggled at times during the beginning of this season.

Despite those struggles, the Leafs played very well and beat Boston in a close game. Young defenceman Timothy Liljegren, who suffered an injury during training camp, made his season debut that night and provided some much needed stability on the defensive end for the team. Liljegren had a strong rookie season last year. His skill set could prove to be very useful for

“Most recently, the Leafs beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in an important game that began with honouring Maple Leaf legend Börje Salming.”

“A season-altering win for the Leafs, and a potential sign of good things to come.”

“Those silky mitts belong to one man, that’s a true captain right there,” says die-hard Leafs fan Daanish Alvi, a fourthyear student in the Technology, Coding and Society program.

Tavares was not the only Leaf to step up against the Flyers.

Auston Matthews, who’s had a slower than usual start to his season, is finally heating up. Matthews tallied one goal, one assist, and most notably, got into an altercation with the Flyers’ Travis Konecny near the end of the third period.

Mark Giordano and Michael Bunting stepped in to defend their star teammate, only to see him skate away and laugh at the opposing players—a controversial move leading some hockey fans to believe that he purposely started the scrum and should be fighting his own battles.

Most Leafs fans disagree with that take because Matthews is a star player who should not be wasting his time fighting.

the team considering their defensive issues so far this season—like Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin’s turnover in a losing game against the Montreal Canadiens last month.

The momentum of this win carried into the next night, where the Leafs beat the Carolina Hurricanes, another top five team in the league. This game was the second half of a backto-back, where the Leafs played the Bruins one night, and the Hurricanes the next night. Typically, the second night is very difficult for teams because they are tired from the previous night; however, the Leafs persevered and won the game, even after having a slow start.

The next two games the Leafs played—against the Vegas Golden Nights and the Pittsburgh Penguins—were both disappointing loses, even with the Leafs playing well against Pittsburgh.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Most recently, the Leafs beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in an important game that began with honouring Maple Leaf legend Börje Salming. Salming, at the age of 71, was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The Leafs legend was visibly emotional throughout the touching pre-game tribute. After conducting the ceremonial puck drop, the Leafs went on to beat Vancouver in a close game.

After an emotional win, the Leafs look ahead to their next test—a rematch against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It will be interesting to see how the Leafs learned from their previous loss to the Penguins and how they make necessary adjustments.

Hopefully, the Leafs can clean up their defensive game and come out with a strong performance against the Penguins.