By SpF, on July 22nd, 2010
 A record of sunspot activity for the last 400 years, argued to be directly responsible, or strongly related to climate change.
Today on the show we heard a two-part feature with Tim Patterson. A professor of Geology at Carleton University, he has made a number of appearances in the media over the years arguing against human caused climate change. Henry Hawkins spoke with him a few weeks ago, to hear his side of the argument, one that is largely ignored, and he talked about solar cycles, weather processes, and the cultural phenomenon of climate change.
On the Environmental News, Henry covered the spill in the gulf of Mexico that has finally been capped after 3 months, the rise of electric car battery manufacturing plants in the US, summer 2010 being the hottest ever on record, lakes being discovered on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, and the end (?) of the ecofee.
By SpF, on July 15th, 2010
 A polar bear and young cub; hear about the danger of extinction facing polar bears in the Hudson Bay region in the Environmental News
This week on the show we heard from Sean Carey, professor of Geography at Carleton University and head of the Cold Regions Hydrology lab. He recently won the Young Scientist Award from the Canadian Geophysical Union for his research in understanding hydrological processes in northern environments. His research also focuses on snow, ice, and frozen ground in the north and how they affect hydrological processes, as well as being involved with environmental reconstitution of the Alberta Oil Sands. Robyn Penney spoke with him about the award, as well as some of his research.
On the Environmental News, Henry talked about the new Ontario eco-fee, some updates from bp, the dwindling numbers of Hudson Bay polar bears due to climate change, water shortages around the world, and in Panama, the first islands being abandoned due to rising sea levels brought on by climate change.
By SpF, on July 8th, 2010
 A winter road crossing snow, ice, and lakes, similar to the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road
Northern Canada is a harsh environment, with conditions that make transportation a major problem. The Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road stretches 568 kilometres from Yellowknife to Nunavut crossing frozen lakes, and several narrow portages. As a road that is only open for two months each year, small changes to the local climate can have great impacts on the industries who rely on the route. With that in mind, Tim Patterson, a professor of Geology at Carleton University is conducting a research project to determine the long term feasibility of the road. Henry Hawkins spoke with him this past week about what the process entails.
Northern Canada is a harsh environment, with conditions that make transportation a major problem. The Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road stretches 568 kilometres from Yellowknife to Nunavut crossing frozen lakes, and several narrow portages. As a road that is only open for two months each year, small changes to the local climate can have great impacts on the industries who rely on the route. With that in mind, Tim Patterson, a professor of Geology at Carleton University is conducting a research project to determine the long term feasibility of the road. I spoke with him this past week about what the process entails.
By SpF, on July 1st, 2010
 Liz Marshall and Maude Barlow at the screening of Water On The Table at the Mayfair.
A couple of weeks ago, The Mayfair put on a special screening of Water on the Table, a film about the worldwide fight for recognizing water as an essential human right, and not a commodity to be bought and sold to those who can afford it. Maude Barlow, chair of The Council of Canadians, former consultant to the UN, and water activist was at the screening, along with the director of the film, Liz Marshall. After the film they did a short question and answer session, discussing some of the issues surrounding the film. We come into the conversation while Maude is discussing Canada’s role in a recent UN meeting on the human right to water.
Later in the show, we went to the archives to hear a Green Routine from Brittany Boychuk, on how to have a ‘green’ vacation. We also had this week’s Environmental News, looking at the bp oil spill, news from Syncrude, and a recent report on scientists’ views on anthropogenic climate change.
A couple of weeks ago, The Mayfair put on a special screening of Water on the Table, a film about the worldwide fight for recognizing water as an essential human right, and not a commodity to be bought and sold to those who can afford it. Maude Barlow, chair of the Council of Canadians, former consultant to the UN, and water activist was at the screening, along with the director of the film, Liz Marshall. After the film they did a short question and answer session, discussing some of the issues surrounding the film. We come into the conversation while Maude is discussing Canada’s role in a recent UN meeting on the human right to water.
By SpF, on June 24th, 2010
 A 14 MW solar power plant in Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, formerly the largest photovoltaic installation in North America.
This week on the show we heard a report from Matt Street and John Wall on their participation in the Canadian Association of Geographers Conference. They both made the trip to Regina a couple of weeks ago, talked to some people from Carleton who were also attending the conference. We heard about their own experiences, as well as some of the projects other participants were working on.
We also heard a Science Moment about the science of Solar Cells. The Science Moment is one of our first recurring features here on SpF, last done just over three years ago. We’ve brought back the feature, and will be in the future, having a look at some of the science behind geographic trends and topics. This one looks at the technology behind solar cells, different kinds for home and use in power plants, as well as the future of the industry.
In this week’s Environmental News we heard about the latest in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a senior government scientist retracts defamatory remarks made about scientists skeptical about the oilsands, two stories about solar technology, and the Earthquake that struck the Ottawa region just north of Gatineau on June 23rd.
By SpF, on June 17th, 2010
 Sunspots seen in ultraviolet light; hear all about the sun being out of sync in this week’s Environmental News.
This week on the show we heard from John Wall with a discussion on getting job with a Geography degree. What are employers looking for, and how should geographers sell themselves in a job market? How can geography undergrads get the most out of their undergrad degree?
In this week’s Environmental News, Henry discusses the sun’s cycles being out of sync and baffling scientists, the latest on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the gulf and what President Obama and the congressional hearings have accomplished, climate talks in Germany, the Japanese Hayabusa space probe, and the anniversary of Jacques Cousteau’s birth.
By SpF, on June 10th, 2010
 A satellite image of the oil spill from the former Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
Today on the show we heard from Henry Hawkins with a recap of the first 50 days of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf Of Mexico. He explained what happened to cause the explosion, the spill, and all the attempts to stop the flow so far. With bp suffering extreme fallout from the US government, from plummeting share prices, the environmental damages rising rapidly, and fallout being felt in the tourist and fishing industries, the oil spill is expected to continue until at least August.
We also heard from Robyn with another update from her 4th year Honours Field Course in Oxbow Park. This week she spoke with Leanne and Leslie about their contributions.
By SpF, on June 3rd, 2010
This week on the show we heard from our friends at Ontario Waterkeeper, and an episode from their podcast series entitled ‘Living at the Barricades’. This episode was called Environmental Prosecutions, and looked at the cases against Syncrude in the Alberta Oil Sands in their contamination of local wildlife and waterways.
Our thanks to the Ontario Waterkeepers for the feature; you can find out more about them, and download the rest of their podcast series at www.waterkeeper.ca
By SpF, on May 27th, 2010
This week on the show, Henry Hawkins spoke with Dana Meise, who is travelling across Canada on the Trans Canada Trail. He began in Newfoundland in 2008, and has been walking (minus winters) ever since. He has now made it to Ottawa, and we checked in with him to hear about how his travels have been going. You can find out more about him at his website.
What happens when a bicycle faces off against a train? If it were a contest of strength or speed the bike wouldn’t have a chance. But in many parts of Canada, rail travel is declining and outdoor activities are on the rise. From coast to coast, discontinued railway line are being turned into recreational pathways for cyclists, rollerbladers, skiers and snowmobilers. We heard from Carol Hunsberger, who took us on a bicycle trip along a former railway corridor in the Laurentians, and looked at what the conversion of rails to trails says about our changing transportation pattern.
By SpF, on May 20th, 2010
This week on the show we had the second part to our spring biking feature, hearing from Robyn Penney on where to buy, fix, and ride your bike here in Ottawa.
We also heard from Matt Street with an interview with Hugh Campbell at the Brockville Climate Action Group. They talked about what the group is doing in their community to combat climate change on a small scale, and heard about some of their upcoming events.
We also had another update from Robyn Penney on her Geography Field course, as she spoke with Leanne Bing about their progress with the planning for Oxbow Park.
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