Emily Carr University Blogs

by Tom Laskawy. In 2006, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) made a now-famous declaration doubting that Americans were capable of farm labor. He dared audience members to accept a job picking lettuce for $50 per hour, insisting, even when one person accepted, “You can’t do it, my friends.” While that comment created an uproar at the time, [...]

by Sarah Henry.   For those who like to get lost in the vast world of heirloom fruits and vegetables, the first National Heirloom Exposition , held mid-September in Santa Rosa, Calif., didn’t disappoint. The three-day event—which drew seasoned farmers, seed savers, edible educators, and backyard growers—included an exhibition hall filled with an…[Read more]

At the end of the last Ice Age, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose rapidly as the planet warmed; scientists have long hypothesized that the source was CO2 released from the deep ocean. But a new study using detailed radiocarbon dating of foraminifera found in a sediment core from the Gorda Ridge off Oregon reveals that the [...]

Everyone wants a green healthy-looking lawn, but at what price?  Many people that want the perfect lawn turn to pesticides and herbicides to keep their grass and plants looking fresh.  While chemical pesticides can keep a lawn looking healthy, appearances are deceiving.  The same chemicals that kill unwanted insects and weeds also kill beneficial…[Read more]

Not many people realize that without blue-green algae life as we know it would not exist. From its formation 4.6 billion years ago up until about 2.45 billion years ago, Earth’s atmosphere contained little or no oxygen. Blue-green algae originated 2.7 billion years ago and were the first organisms to produce oxygen through photosynthesis. The…[Read more]

Forests are an important part of the global carbon cycle .  Trees retain a portion of the CO 2 they remove from the atmosphere, sequestering that carbon in the tree for as long as it lives.  Dead trees and fallen leaves and branches decompose on the forest floor, at which point the carbon is either released back into [...]

Google recently announced that all of its future buildings will be built with no materials or chemicals that are on the Living Building Challenge’s Red List (p.29). This includes materials that contain such ingredients as mercury, asbestos, PVC, formaldehyde and lead.  This announcement ignited quite a fire under building material vendors since…[Read more]

There is something about a vinyl record that presents a classic and timeless feel. Perhaps it is the nostalgia associated with it or even the crispness of the sound when it’s played. Whatever the case, the record will forever be a symbol of the golden ages of music. But times have changes now, [...]

At 23, Severn Cullis-Suzuki is one of the world’s most remarkable youth activists. Born and raised in Vancouver, Severn has been working on in environmental and social justice issues since kindergarten. At age 9, she and some friends started the Environmental Children’s Organization (ECO), a small group of children committed to learning and…[Read more]

Companies, and individuals concerned with their impact on climate try a number of measures to reduce their emissions of air pollutants which impact the greenhouse effect of our atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is the reality that our atmosphere traps a portion of the heat we get from the sun, and from fires (both natural and [...]

Sometimes people wonder whether climate change really matters. They may ask, “What difference can a few degrees make?” or even complain, “We could use some of that global warming now” in the winter. Statistical predictions about changes in temperature and precipitation can seem abstract and unimportant to the…[Read more]

                                                                                      Mike Stilkey Love sharks? Going on now at Spoke Art Gallery in San Francisco, is an art fundraiser that’s about bringing awareness to the rapid depletion of them. Working with PangeaSeed, a Japan-based non-profit organization, Spoke is calling the show Sink or…[Read more]