¶ Published Friday, July 31st In Environment - No Comments »
While it’s impossible to make a factory blasting at full output TV studio quiet, steps can be taken to reduce noise as much as possible – which translates into high productivity and fewer worker’s comp claims for hearing loss. – By Isaac Rudik at Compliance Solutions Canada – A Nimonik Affiliate In a world where workplace and outside noise can seem like an unyielding din, it is easy to take hearing for granted. Moreover, symptoms of hearing loss can be overlooked since they appear gradually and are seldom associated with pain. As a result, increasing deafness remains unnoticed often forRead the Rest…
¶ Published Thursday, July 30th In Environment - No Comments »
The British Columbia Utilities Commission is telling Premier Gordon Campbell that the province must rethink its energy plan to acquire new sources of clean, alternative energy, by relying on the development of new independent power projects. In its ruling this week, the Commission stated that parts of B.C. Hydro’s long-term acquisition plan were “not in the public interest”. BC Hydro has been mandated by the government to make the province self-sufficient in electricity by 2016. Though the Commission did approve some of the utility’s spending plans, the ruling is welcome news to critics who charge that the province is handingRead the Rest…
¶ Published Friday, July 24th In Environment - No Comments »
Overfishing and the depletion of our oceans is often described as a case of the tragedy of the commons. Brandon Keim explains why bluefish tuna “is headed for oblivion”. Don’t blame the fishing industry, he argues. It’s simply responding to supply and demand. The real culprits are consumers eager to show that they can afford to order a mouthful of really expensive rare fish : “And this is the brutal truth: bluefin, which beyond their intrinsic value as living creatures happen to be one of the universe’s more majestic species, a Platonic ideal of oceanic speed and grace, aren’t beingRead the Rest…
¶ Published Wednesday, July 22nd In Environment - No Comments »
Institutional practices waste far more water than other countries thanks to a series of bad choices. As important as is conserving water, a sound water use policy brings significant savings. – By Isaac Rudik at Compliance Solutions Canada – A Nimonik Affiliate Partner When you think of it, no one should really be surprised that hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities and other health care providers are among the country’s largest users of water. Beyond the obvious such as a significant number of people simply drinking water there is – hopefully – frequent hand washing by doctors, nurses and otherRead the Rest…
¶ Published Tuesday, July 21st In Environment - No Comments »
IBM as a nifty little website about sustainability and their efforts to become more green. Definitly recommended, go here to see.
¶ Published Tuesday, July 21st In Environment - 1 Comment »
Julius Melnitzer explains why new green laws, more than ever before, are narrowing the gap between business and environmental law. And indeed over the last couple of years, law firms have worked hard to show their expertise in this field. I have spoken to more than a few lawyers now that tell me that climate change is becoming a mainstream practice area, albeit one that draws upon a number of specialties. Lawyers are now giving advice on the ability to generate and trade carbon credits, ownership of those credits, and how offsets must be treated from a tax perspective. There’sRead the Rest…
¶ Published Monday, July 20th In Environment - No Comments »
Stewart Brand, fervent environmentalist, outlines his view of the future in this 16 minute TED Talk. He advocates genetic engineering of crops and the installation of micro-nuclear reactors – both controversial, but potentially powerful solutions to our problems. With genetic engineering, you require much less pesticides and herbicides and the soil can retain more of it’s nutrients. The impacts of these foods are not proven to be dangerous or safe, yet. But opposing them simply on the basis that they are different and “scary” seems unwise. See the talk for more details. Micro-nuclear reactors are closed systems that contain theRead the Rest…
¶ Published Thursday, July 16th In Environment - No Comments »
Not exactly hot of the press news anymore, but here‘s my rundown on the Supreme Court decision in St. Lawrence Cement Inc. v. Barrette.
¶ Published Thursday, July 16th In Environment - No Comments »
This week, Wal-Mart had a “sustainability meeting” and announced new questionnaires to assess the environmental footprint of their suppliers. The data will eventually be converted into green labels for products that will indicate the environmental impact. Other retailers are likely to follow, in fact Wal-Mart has invited Costco, Target and Tesco to join on this initiative. Wal-Mart, once the pariah of social and environmental activists is now leading the charge. Here is a good New York Times overview of the meeting. Here are a couple of the questions suppliers will be encouraged to answer. 5. If measured, please report totalRead the Rest…
¶ Published Thursday, July 16th In Environment - No Comments »
With the garbage crisis in Toronto, we think these ideas from our friend Isaac Rudik at Compliance Solutions Canada are particularly useful, be sure to visit his site for help with managing your environmental risks. The more a business reduces, reuses and recycles, the less waste it needs to dispose. The less waste, the fewer bins or pickups are required and disposal fees drop. Anything that lowers operating costs adds to the bottom line. By Isaac Rudik at Compliance Solutions Canada Not long ago, a 70-year old Ontario hospital was to be razed – right down to the footings andRead the Rest…
¶ Published Wednesday, July 15th In Design & Features - No Comments »
We have recently completed a new feature in Nimonik. Our “Dates” function allows you to see a calendar of important environmental dates. Three types are displayed Legislative updates are mentioned based on the date written and date in effect. Important reporting dates are on the calendar (NPRI, GHG, Hazardous Materials…). Any documents you upload to your facilities are posted to the calendar as expiration dates approach. See this video to better understand the new feature. Let us know what you think! P.S. Soon, you will be able to synchronize the calendar with your desktop application (Microsoft Outlook, iCal, and others).
¶ Published Tuesday, July 14th In Environment - No Comments »
There are many benefits to local and foreign grown food. Local is not always better, but outsourcing our food to developing nations does not seem wise either. Not very much to add, except that the video below is quite remarkable. I highly recommend watching it to appreciate the state of Canadian produce. Video: Hellman’s – It’s Time for Real from CRUSH on Vimeo.
¶ Published Monday, July 6th In Environment - No Comments »
Dianne Saxe discusses the options available to Ottawa and the provincial governments when it comes to climate change legislation. Here’s what she has to say about Ontario’s current situation: “Comments on Ontario’s cap and trade plan are due in three weeks, on July 24. However, the policy context has changed dramatically since Ontario’s discussion paper was drafted, and is continuing to mutate quickly. Canada has done so little for so long that our climate policy has laid us wide open to the serious protectionist provisions in the 1500 page US House of Representatives Bill HR 2454, the American Clean EnergyRead the Rest…
¶ Published Saturday, July 4th In Environment - No Comments »
Manufacturers storing raw material from paint to corrosives will face much heftier fines and stiffer “we got you” sanctions – all the way up to temporary plant closures – if storage cabinets don’t meet regulations. – By Isaac Rudik at Compliance Solutions Canada – a Nimonik Affiliate Partner As anyone who fishes can attest, getting caught over the limit –- whether it’s one too many trout on a line in an isolated, northern lake or a huge trawler netting too many tons of albacore in the middle of the open ocean -– can result in a hefty fine and otherRead the Rest…
¶ Published Friday, July 3rd In Legal Issues, Miscellaneous - No Comments »
At Nimonik, we are trying to change an established market – never an easy chore. Notably, we are trying to pull companies away from using excel spreadsheets to manage legal obligations and get them to use an online tool that is always up to date, always accessible and collaborative by definition. Sounds obvious, right? But, people know excel and email. Our job is to convince them of the merits of the change, no easy task, but once the ball gets rolling, industry tends to follow quickly. People dislike change because implicit in any change is a critique of how theyRead the Rest…
