Interesting interview, in French, with Maude Barlow, who just finished her rotation at the UN’s water commission. She claims our water rights in Canada are progressively being sold off to private companies. Even more interestingly, she points out we do not have as much water as we might think. We are often told Canada has the most fresh water per habitant and should thus not be too worried about consumption and sale of it. However, she claims we have significantly less water when we account for how much we can sustainably extract and its accessibility – most is locked up in the north, far from cities who need it.

That being said, the technology to cheaply clean water is coming to a shop near you. A recent TED talk demonstrated the use of nano-filters to clean water without any chemicals or fancy technology. The filter is simply so fine it only lets the water get through. The smallest water-borne virus is polio which is 25nm in width, these filters are 15nm in width. Watch this video to be blown away:

In my latest article for National magazine, I assess some of the challenges facing lawyers and businesses in addressing the growing patchwork of climate change legislation.

Moving ever so swiftly, Ontario announced yesterday a series of Green Energy Act regulations that formally remove layers of municipal and provincial approvals for renewable energy projects. The MOE has now set up a one-stop agency to facilitate new approvals.

The MOE also officially launched the country’s first feed-in tariff, a key part of Ontario’s renewable energy plan, consacrated earlier this year by the adoption of the Green Energy Act. Administered by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), the “Feed-in Tariff” is the price paid to renewable energy suppliers for the green energy they produce.

It’s designed to guarantee market prices for electricity generated from renewable energy sources to encourage investment by proponents in renewable energy projects. The OPA will begin accepting FIT applications on October 1, 2009.

Hardly, according to the (albeit unscientific) calculations of theGlobal Footprint Network, a sustainability international think tank. The NGO has identified today, September 25th, as Earth Overshoot Day, a milestone that marks in this calendar year “the day when humanity begins living beyond its ecological means.” From now until the end of the year, we are in ecological deficit — the difference between the Earth’s biocapacity and our ecological footprint. It would appear we consume in 10 months what takes the planet a year to regenerate.

We really appreciate your time and to ensure the video is of the best possible quality, please read some of the tips below.

Set-Up

• Use a microphone

If possible, try and use a microphone, bluetooth or USB headset. This significantly improves the audio quality and makes for a better video.

• Good, frontal lighting is essential

In a typical office, there is often more lighting in back of you than in front, this leads to a dark face on the video. The lights in the background or on the ceiling lower the quality. Please place a desktop lamp in front of you and point it towards your face, it may seem very bright to you, but the video will be much better.

• Behind you should be clean

In back of you there should be a wall with as little as possible on it (books are ok), preferably all white. Anything in back of you will distract the viewer and we want them to focus on you.

• Be prepared

Please try to prepare for the interview by thinking about how you will introduce your company, discuss the topic at hand and conclude. However, overly prepared responses are not natural and we like to avoid them. Make a plan of attack to help us stay on topic and on time.

During the video

• Talk Fast(er)

When we talk in person, we tend moderate each others pace. On video, a third-party is watching and they have little time to waste. Viewers of video expect a fast paced discussion, when we hesitate or slow down, the viewer loses interest. It is important to focus on the speed of your responses, try to talk a little faster than you normally would to ensure that the viewer remains engaged.

• Lean Forward

You may have a tendency to lean back in your chair when talking into a camera, but this gives the impression to the viewer that you are not passionate about the interview. It is important to lean forward, this also helps you stay focused and speak a bit faster.

• Be Brief

This is probably the most challenging tip, but it matters. We like to keep our  interview around 5 to 10 minutes. Everyone is short on time and the attention span on the internet is about 3 seconds! Please try to be brief and keep your responses dense with useful information.

We hope these points help you prepare for your online (and offline) interviews, please feel free to send us questions or comments.