And I don’t blame you. The ongoing destruction of the environment by humans remains one of the most undecided, wishy-washy areas of contention. When I say contention, I’m not talking about the debate over its actual existence. At this point, that debate isn’t even worth having. Nor am I talking about whether it is human-induced or the natural cycle of the earth – it’s both. The area of contention is: what to do about it? You can of course turn the tap off when you brush your teeth, turn the light off when you leave the room, take public transport rather than your car, or recycle. But all these are pretty miniscule compared to the big picture, and the crippling free-rider problem: those who reap the benefits of others’ sacrifice.

Though I know these are all actions I should take, the reality is I don’t want to compost because it only takes one banana peel for my kitchen to undergo a fruit fly version of Hurricane Sandy. I don’t drive, but there is a chance I will reach a point in my life when I might actually need a car, and I can’t say the environment will necessarily stop me from doing so. And even if we mass market electric cars, we are still paving roads and still living in a car-centric culture. And I really want to give up meat. But the fact that it will still be produced whether or not I consume it refrains me from running the risk of further exacerbating my anemia.

Harriet Kim, co-president of McGill’s Environment Student’s Society (MESS), believes that all these little steps (such as wearing hand me down clothes, re-using containers and having a vegetarian diet) are important. She explains: “I do think it’s silly when people choose not to pursue any of these things. There are big environmental problems out there.” Even though we need leaders to get passionate about environmental policy, Kim stressed “that doesn’t mean you don’t do anything at all.”

Meanwhile, Aaron Eger, a U2 Water Environments and Ecosystems student, and co-president of MESS, paints the deeper problem perfectly: “Through our studies we contribute to our consumptive society. We do research on our laptops, we go to class in heated and air conditioned buildings, Burnside is kept alight all night for the sake of the five weary science students in its basement studying, we fly home for Christmas.” He concluded, “Our very existence in the system helps fuel the very problem many of us are working to solve.”

So there we have it. My livelihood is destroying the earth.

Worst of all, ‘taking action’ is not only pretty abstract, it’s also deceiving. I walk into my hot yoga studio and there is a massive placard on the wall: “GREEN BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD.” Green Business of the year? Hot yoga? You mean to tell me that selling organic products and glass bottles is meant to make up for the fact that you heat up two massive studios at forty degrees between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.? Asked who is doing the assessing of ‘greenness,’ McGill Management professor Dror Etzion explained: “Anybody can say whatever they want. There are no legal requirements, no oversight or consensus within the community or any other stakeholder group as to what this means.”

Commentators have coined the term ‘greenwashing’ to describe this tactic.  For consumers, it is very difficult to assess who is genuinely environmentally friendly, or who is simply marketing themselves that way. There is usually very little difference between them. “Most major companies and corporations aren’t manufacturing at home anyway,” explained Etzion. “If you look at Nike or even HP computers, how much of their environmental footprint actually occurs within their organizational boundary? It’s miniscule,” he said. So you might be using an “environmentally friendly” product that is actually only environmentally friendly based on 4 or 5 per cent of the entire supply chain.

But how is it that the American presidential debates – arguably the biggest political event of the year – did not even discuss environmental issues?  The two candidates, who are supposed to address their country’s most pertinent issues, managed to campaign throughout the hottest month in U.S. history, last July, and across the heartland during an epic drought, without even bringing up the subject. As they spoke, the Arctic was melting at a speed that astonished even the most pessimistic climatologists. Yet, it was almost predictable. Congress would have to go through some kind of psychotic episode if it were to break its twenty-year bipartisan record of accomplishing absolutely nothing on the topic.

Canada isn’t much better. Stephen Harper doesn’t believe in carbon taxes, because he doesn’t really believe in taxes. The government pulled out of the Kyoto agreement – in fact, in 2002, Stephen Harper referred to Kyoto as a “socialist scheme” in a fundraising newsletter to the now-defunct Canadian Alliance party – and is instead focusing on the creation of one of the world’s biggest oil pipelines. Furthermore, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Environment Canada, Bob Hamilton, when asked what causes climate change in October, was incapable of answering the question. It’s a truly pathetic performance. In July, scientists marched through Ottawa in retaliation against Stephen Harper’s cuts toward research labs, accusing the government of pushing through policies that are weakening or even abolishing environmental protections and monitoring.

On Monday, November 6, the Midnight Kitchen Collective at McGill formed a workshop aimed at highlighting how capitalism is destroying the planet. These kinds of conversations deserve attention, particularly because for politicians, the economy always comes first. One clear example of this is Quebec’s Plan Nord, introduced under the Liberal government of Jean Charest. Plan Nord is an economic development initiative aimed at increasing Quebec’s natural resource exports that will ostensibly create 200,000 jobs. The environmental issues came at the bottom of the agenda. The Quebec government claims it will create a “50 per cent protection area” by 2035, but such vague assertions have little substance, especially in the context of such environmentally destructive actions as mining, foresting, and constructing hydroelectric dams.

I originally began this article with the assumption that the solution had to be top-down; we in our everyday lives cannot make the dramatic changes necessary to help the environment. I retain that view. However, the lack of environmental issues on the political agenda is not solely the fault of the government; we are also to blame. Politicians cater to what the people want. Today, people want jobs, security, and a good lifestyle. A spokeswoman for the federal government’s Minister of State for Science and Technology, Gary Goodyear, highlighted this desire in her statement, issued in response to the protest held by Canadian scientists in July: “The government has made historic investments in science, technology, and research, to create jobs, grow our economy, and improve the quality of life for Canadians.” Yet Canada already has one the highest standards of living in the world! What more do we actually need?

This is where the shift must occur. Instead of whining about politicians’ lack of action over the subject, we need to use the political system, rather than simply radically try and overturn it. Politicians cater to our needs, and the priorities we present to them have to change. I know there are millions of practical problems that get in the way, like the fact that Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein had no chance on earth of winning the presidential election. But let’s stop being realists. Realists are a waste of time; realists explain things, they don’t improve things. If your priorities change, the government’s priorities will change with you. Global warming isn’t the future, it’s now.

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Brad Vaughan, a member of the Midnight Kitchen collective, began the discussion with a brief history of capitalism. He chose not to focus on its ideological dimension, but rather looked at it through the manner in which it has been manifested across the world.

“This isn’t about Adam Smith or Milton Friedman. This is about the accumulation of wealth within the hands of a few,” said Vaughan, reminding the audience of the divide capitalism has created between capital and labour and the manner in which every field of our lives is controlled by that dynamic of working and owning.

It was argued that this consequence of capitalism has perpetuated itself in food. One example given was that of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which presenters argued may be great for commodity output, but at the expense of plant life.

Eric, another member of the collective, explained that “global warming is not a ‘thing’ which fits into the market” and is therefore ignored.

Shon Wi Jin, a member of CKUT, disagreed, citing the corn drought in the United States as an example: “It will make its way into the market once it affects the market.”

In the third part of the presentation, Cera Yiu, Midnight Kitchen’s Outreach Coordinator, explained that the Plan Nord – the Quebec government’s development strategy to develop the natural resources extraction sector in the north – represents yet another clear example of capitalism’s exploitation of land and mining.

According to Yiu, the plan operates “under the pretence that it will create 200,000 new jobs as well as $80 billion in public money, all the meanwhile having dire environmental impacts.”

One member of the audience, who chose to remain anonymous, attempted to explain the reasoning behind Plan Nord, saying that “it is a marketing campaign to get international investment and bring more respect to the Quebec government globally” and fails to factor in environmental concerns.

The talk ended with a debate on alternatives to capitalism. Although no consensus was reached, most agreed that support for capitalism in its current form is not progressive. Disagreements occurred, however, on whether this brings about the need  to totally overthrow the capitalist system or rather to make an adjustment within it.

From Midnight Kitchen’s perspective, they believe that capitalism creates high amounts of wasted food – a good that they say should not be part of capitalism since it is a fundamental human right.

Others, including Wi Jin, disagreed.

“Privatization makes food production more efficient,” said Wi Jin. With the huge population boom, “GMOs and capitalism are the only means of feeding the entire world.”

Others also pointed out that Midnight Kitchen does use food produced from GMO crops, and still others suggested that GMOs and capitalism may not be the most important focus. As one member from the audience explained, “We have so much food, yet people in Africa don’t. That’s the area we need to work on.”

Midnight Kitchen stuck by the argument that food production and distribution are part of a larger system of oppression, and that we must reclaim control over the distribution of food in the community in order to pursue social and environmental justice. It was largely agreed upon that people need to be more informed on the current problems surrounding capitalism and consumption, that more community meals and meetings from the grassroots need to take place, and that we must continue to question corporations and government in order to maintain our real freedom, not the freedom based on capital. More open discussions, such as these, they said, should take place.

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It is the only Canadian university to place in the top 25 of the QS World University Rankings eight years in a row, competing against privately-funded universities in North America.

Like many other schools, McGill places considerable effort into obtaining donations to support its competitive status – between 2008 and 2011, McGill received $78.5 million from 32,051 donors.

Derek Cassoff, director of communications of Development and Alumni Relations, explained that “about 75 per cent of our gifts come from individuals, the majority of whom are alumni.”

“Every donation shows not only a big financial investment, but the personal engagement speaks volumes to the rest of the community both in Montreal and Canada,” he said.

Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi pointed out that McGill “was founded as a result of a philanthropic gift – James McGill’s bequest – so our origins are in philanthropy, and like most universities, [McGill] has depended on philanthropy for a portion of its revenue.”

Ayesha Mayan, associate director of the Annual Fund – McGill’s yearly appeal to alumni, parents, faculty and staff, and friends to help support the University – pointed to a long history of alumni support. The Annual Fund has existed since 1948.

Lesley Preston, a U2 Chemistry and Political Science student, worked at the Phonathon, a program that solicits donations from alumni and parents. It hires 60 to 75 students a year, each of whom spend a minimum of eight hours a week calling potential donors.

Preston spoke to being subject to aggressive responses from some – one person she called “went on for many minutes about how he would never donate to McGill because they support Israeli apartheid.”

During the MUNACA strike, some alumni and parents expressed similar sentiments about their donations.

Still, Cassoff estimated that about 25 per cent of alumni donate.

According to Mayan, “45 per cent of our donations from the Annual Fund are under $100, which totals about half a million dollars.”

Service Point, which has existed for two years, was supported by the Annual Fund in order to create an “accessible way for students to get information they need,” said Mayan.

Alumni and parents can donate to any organization on campus. “You could donate to the Red Cross through McGill, so you’re not necessarily supporting McGill administration and stances, but the students that are trying to get involved even outside the University,” Preston said.

Mayan agreed: “The overwhelming majority of dollars we bring in go to specific programs, not the overall budget of the University.”

She explained that the Annual Fund has recently begun soliciting donations from parents of students.

“The culture of philanthropy in the States has been longer standing than in Canada,” said Mayan.

Cassoff agreed. “In Canada, there is a certain culture that education is considered as part of service that government provides,” he said.

“In the US there is a long history of private education, separate from government service,” Cassoff said. “Here, it’s equated with healthcare and other social service deliveries.”

Manfredi explained that “certainly, philanthropy is not our main revenue; McGill is largely a publically funded University.”

“I’d say philanthropy contributes in total maybe 10 to 15 per cent of the overall revenue available to the University,” he said.

“When you look at where McGill ranks internationally, we are operating with a much lower budget, and we are still having the same output on a research level,” said  Mayan.

“[Donations] can have a huge impact, and an impact right away,” Mayan said.

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The government’s own job posting stated: “proficiency in both official languages is essential.”

On November 3, the Liberals walked out of the Senate and all NDP members voted against the appointment, calling the decision an abuse of power.

Asked why NDP did not choose to boycott the vote, co-President of NDP McGill Samuel Harris explained, “The NDP strongly disagree with it. We represent the most francophones out of any party, but expressing our opinion in Parliament and voting against it sends a stronger message.”

Section 20 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom states, “Any member of the public in Canada has the right to communicate with, and to receive available services from, any head or central office of an institution of the Parliament or government of Canada in English or French.”

However, McGill political science professor Richard Schultz said that Section 20 does not specifically apply to the position of Auditor General.

“If I was to go up to the Auditor General’s office, it would be like me going to the post office in the sense that I could get service in English or French, but there is nothing in there that says he has to be [bilingual], it’s just taken for granted,” he said.

Schultz called the decision “offensively rude,” however.

“It’s an affront to Parliament because the Auditor General is a parliamentary officer. He or she serves Parliament, not the government,” he said.

In fact, Schultz believes opposition parties were “snookered.” Ferguson had been the Auditor General of New Brunswick, Canada’s only constitutionally bilingual province.

“It must have been assumed he spoke both languages,” said Schultz.

Schultz continued by saying he didn’t consider the appointment anti-francophone, but noted, “I can’t imagine how Anglophones would feel if we appointed a unilingual francophone to that position.”

Harris disagreed, saying, “It’s plain and simple, because he’s not bilingual, he’s not qualified for the job. It’s not partisan, it’s just part of the job requirements.”

Schultz said that, though he has no doubt Ferguson is highly qualified, he thinks Ferguson should resign as Auditor General.

Ferguson declined to comment, writing in an email to The Daily that he “[wasn’t] taking interviews at the present time.”

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With almost every major city in the world now hosting a marathon, the races have become somewhat of a trend. While there is a professional and competitive side to the sport, its popularity comes principally from the personal euphoria and sense of accomplishment achieved after completing a 42 kilometre run.

Mya Sherman, a U3 McGill Environmental Sciences and Latin American and Caribbean Studies student, who ran the Montreal half-marathon last month, explains that it was the surroundings and atmosphere which allowed her to complete the race. She says, “The entertainment on the road really pumped you up. I also definitely pretended that everyone on the sidelines was cheering specifically for me. Adrenaline really gets you going on race day.”

“I think overall it was a great experience and finishing was fantastic, I had such a runner’s high,” she continues.

It is no secret that exercise yields plenty of health benefits. It lowers the risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels. Dennis Barrett, McGill’s Cross Country and Track and Field coach, confirms, “Running releases a lot of good hormones and makes you feel good about yourself, and it’s a terrific way to bring down the costs of our health services.”

But is 26-miles too far? The death of Jean-Francis Presseau garnered a lot of media attention, and Dennis Barrett admits, “I am not a big proponent of the marathon, it’s not something I recommend to people, I think it’s excessive, just because of the impact on the body.”

Dr. Donald A. Redelmeier, a professor at University of Toronto, ran a study that looked into 26 American marathons in the past  thirty years. It found that only 5 per cent of deaths occurred in the first half, whilst 50 per cent occurred in the last 1.6 kilometres.

Dennis Barrett explains, “What I’ve looked at in the past years is that marathon runners don’t last that long.” However, he also admitted that it may just be his philosophy since he suffered from bad shin splints when he started running.

However, the health consequences which occur after long-distance running are usually linked to personal previous medical conditions that the runner was unaware of. While the autopsy is yet to reveal the exact cause of his death, it is important to reiterate that Jean-Francis Presseau died during the half-marathon (21 kilometres).

The deaths surrounding marathons have not deterred people from participating in long-distance runs. Tens of thousands of people successfully complete marathons every year. For Christopher Barrett, a U3 Finance student at McGill, who ran the Montreal marathon this year in 4 hours, 1 minute, and 42 seconds, the health fears and recent deaths have not been discouraging. “The marathon was definitely not a one-off for me, I’m planning to run the Montreal and New York City marathons next year,” he says.

Nevertheless, marathons are not for everyone. Dennis Barrett would not expect or encourage his own athletes to compete in marathons until after they have left university. “They need to have enough volume and mileage behind them,” he says.

But, with the right training, cross training, medical advice, and nutrition, these deaths should not deter people from running. The race day alone is not the only achievement. The training is an equal laudable accomplishment. For those looking to run a marathon, you need only look to the thousands of runners who make it through the finish line for inspiration.

The post Runner’s high appeared first on The McGill Daily.

With 500 demonstrators inhabiting “Place du Peuple” – formerly Square Victoria – as part of the Occupy Montreal movement, multiple committees have been created to deal with the environmental impact of the occupation. Activities such as composting, recycling, and the management of human waste fall under the purview of the occupation’s committees.

Erin, a volunteer who has worked in the kitchen for four days, told The Daily that, so far, the kitchen iniative has been a success.

“About two-thirds of food comes from individual donors,” she explained. “Various restaurants, catering, and cooking companies have donated food and appliances as well.”

“Meat is avoided for sanitary reasons,” she continued. “We feed up to 500 people a day and, therefore, waste surprisingly little.” The most common dishes include bean salads, rice and tuna salads, quinoa, soup, and curries.

According to Sara Ducharme, a member of the kitchen committee, different organizations have been cooking for the occupiers.

“The Raging Grannies cooked French toast for us one morning,” Ducharme said, referring to the Montreal sector of the international non-violent activist group.

Ducharme expained that the kitchen committee recently created an energy-conserving bike-powered blender, which she said is “great for cutting vegetables, and you get a workout.”

Jessy Bruneau, who has been occupying Place du Peuple since the movement began on October 15, explained that coffee has been readily available. “Santropol and Starbucks have been generous, but about two-thirds of our coffee comes from individual donors,” he said.

Composting and recycling bins are positioned throughout the community, and according to Ducharme, “the kitchen committee composts as much possible.”

However, rules concerning individuals’ recycling cannot be imposed.

“This is a free movement,” said Ducharme. “People should be able to do as they wish.”

According to Zoe Wolfe, a member of the environmental committee, sanitation is the biggest concern for occupiers.

Wolfe explained that the committee has plans to create dry toilets, and added that, although they have drawn up sketches of structures, this process will take time.

Wolfe explained that this is not only an environmental issue, but a financial one as well. Toilet facilities have been set up on-site, but are not being donated. Toilets have been purchased for $75 each.

According to Wolfe, clearing the waste is costing the committee $900 a week.

“I use the toilets around me, mostly in commercial centers,” said Ducharme. “There are public toilets about a two minute walk away, and I go to Palais des Congrès a lot.”

Wolfe said that occupiers are currently undergoing discussions to create a Sanitation Committee.

“We do really need a committee [for sanitation and waste],” she said. “We’re not where we want to be, but we’re working on it, and we want to have a positive impact.”

In an earlier version of this story, it was incorrectly stated that Occupy Montreal began on September 15. The movement began on October 15.

The Daily regrets the error.

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In 2005, there were 1,818 collisions in Montreal involving pedestrians, including 24 fatalities. In response to this issue, Officer Sophia Provost,  the lead officer for Pedestrian Safety, worked with the SPVM Road Safety Division on a five-year plan, based on the “three E’s”: engineering, education, and enforcement.

Furthermore, the plan increased fines for jaywalking. Emma Quail, a McGill graduate, was fined for jaywalking three years ago.

“I walked across the street on Mont-Royal and just east of St. Denis when the light was red and some person on the other side was waving at me to stop, but I did not think much of it, so I continued regardless,” she said.

A police car was stationed across the street and she was ticketed $38.

“Apparently the cop was just waiting there for people all day,” she continued.

Despite the ticketing threat and visible SPVM presence, Montrealers are still jaywalking. The Daily spoke with several students at the intersection of Duluth and Milton, all of whom admitted to jaywalking regularly. Even Quail admitted that she still jaywalked, “just not when a police car is around.”

One international student, Fanny Devaux, a U2 Political Science and Hispanic Studies student from France, didn’t know jaywalking is illegal in Canada.

“I had no idea, I do it all the time,” she said. “I guess I’ll be more careful now.”

Students do not appear to factor into pedestrian accidents, however. It is Montreal’s ageing population that weighed significantly in the statistical analysis, representing up to two-thirds of accidents.

However, Emilie Boutin, a U1 Education student, said she jaywalked much less in Montreal than in her hometown of Ottawa.

“I know three people who got fined in Montreal. Don’t do it in front of the police in Montreal, you will get fined,” she said.

The SPVM’s program seems to be working. The police issued 44,000 jaywalking tickets to pedestrians last year.

Other than fining jaywalkers, by the end of 2010 the municipal government had completed streetscape improvements at 114 intersections, including painting zebra crossings and installing countdowns on pedestrian traffic signals.

Despite the increased ticketing and infrastructure improvements, pedestrian fatalities have not been reduced. There have been nine pedestrian deaths in Montreal since September 1 this year.

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