Review of "Two decades of failed climate change policy" by Mark Jaccard

First, I want to apologize because while I heard the second half of the lecture, I couldn't take notes as my battery died half way through (actually, exactly half way through). So, the notes you're going to read are pretty much only from the first half. Since Mark is an academic (and so am I), I think I would be making him a disservice if I wrote what I recall. The rest of my notes are pretty verbatim (I type really really fast) so I think I captured what he said.

Second, my overall assessment. I think Mark's lecture was excellent. I know that a lot of people are going to complain about certain points that he made, or about his particular viewpoints on a number of issues (for example, on why he opposes Gateway). And quite honestly, I do disagree with some of his points as well (particularly in regards to carbon offsets). But the truth is, he really made it easy for a general audience to understand the rather conceptually complex theory behind environmental policy instruments. I think that there is a place for academics like Mark who are able to connect to general audiences and explain these concepts to them in an easy and accessible way. I know three other experts in the field of climate change in Canada who have the same ability, although they are based at UBC (not SFU).

He first started by explaining four broad categories of environmental policy tools to reduce GHG emissions from fossil fuels, based on four methods of reduction:

• Energy efficiency
• Switch to renewable energy sources or nuclear energy
• Pollution control (carbon sequestration)
• Catch-all

In Mark's words, politicians don't do the above. Consumers, households and industry do it. So, governments only have policy tools to lead us to change actions. The four categories of policies he suggested are:

• Information programs
• Subsidies
• Regulation
• Financial charges

Mark made a point that I found interesting - he is NOT an advocate of a carbon tax, as often portrayed in the media, but he said he was an advocate of compulsory policy because research has shown him that's the way to do it. That's not surprising to hear (that his research is often misinterpreted and portrayed in the wrong way on the media - that's happened to a number of other researchers - just ask Robert Putnam and his latest research on social capital, diverse communities and 'hunkering')

Mark also made a point that all previous policies that had been implemented in Canada had failed to meet the target. According to Jaccard, energy efficiency is more costly than we think (what he called the second inconvenient truth), but that doesn't mean that we ought not to do it, we still should do it.

While I have a smattering of other notes, I think that the best I can do is to just give you what were his main points. He suggests that non-compulsory policies (like subsidies, information programs, etc.) are NOT a substitute for compulsory policies.

I was a little surprised (and taken aback) that he apparently doesn't advocate or even like the idea of offsets (as noted below)

With apologies to people who have worked very hard to establish offsets emissions. It can give us a sense that “we don’t need to put in the compulsory policy”. An offset is a subsidy from an individual to another individual. Still has the same problems with subsidy – we have to try to make sure that the money will indeed make people behave differently – how can you be sure of that?

I do like the idea of offsets because (a) at least they're at least a first step in reducing emissions and (b) there are systems that can be third-party audited. But then again, each one of us is entitled to our own opinion.

Overall, I liked his delivery style, and it was an interesting lecture. I think that what VTACC is doing is rather important (educating people on climate change issues). I also think that they can't stop with three lectures and they need to keep this going. You'd be surprised. I got to the Canadian Memorial Church to see a room pretty much full with people who wanted to learn more about climate change. I don't think that VTACC should stop, they should continue the lecture series (and bring lots of other perspectives, even within the academic realm).

VTACC will make his PowerPoint slides available freely on their website (he didn't want us to 'read the slides' so he only showed one or two throughout the conference). If you want to learn more about what Dr. Mark Jaccard does, you can look here.

The Green Living Show recap

My good friend HZ and I were talking about the fact that we already lived 'green' and he pondered "how much greener can I live?" I think that while generally I live a fairly environmentally-aware life (that's what I do for a living, so it would be kind of ironic if I didn't). But the Green Living Show did give me an opportunity to see a number of other opportunities for improvement.

For example, transportation choices. Yes, electric cars can be an option, I think. Since I am not a transportation expert, I can refer you to the blogs of Stephen Rees and Paul Hillsdon if you want to talk about those issues. But definitely, walking or biking or taking the bus are the only options we have.

Another area (rather important to me given my busy social life) was beer consumption. I am not kidding! Organic beer is good :) I will send you to check Rebecca's, Keira's and Phaedra's blogs for very good recaps of the Green Living Show that include the topic of organic beer. Furthermore, a visitor to my blog informed me that the Canadian Wildlife Federation's magazine (Checkerspot) was liveblogging, so check them out too. Here I would like to just make some broader comments about GLC.

First, I really think that BC Place was a very good choice, but I wonder if Canada Place would have been better (just simply in terms of transportation access to the show). Although come to think about it, maybe it was just the fact that I didn't remember how to get to BC Place by transit. I attended the Green Living Show on Saturday morning with Phaedra, and we walked from Our Town Cafe on Broadway and Kingsway all the way down to BC Place. It was a very beautiful walk. But if it had been raining, we probably would have had to take the Skytrain. I really had forgotten that Stadium Skytrain station is very close to BC Place.

Second, the overall theme and design of the show was fantastic. I didn't feel that the show was crowded at all. And they really brought some high-powered speakers (Stephen Lewis, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Adrienne Carr). Really, that was a very very good idea.

Third, the only thing I was a bit surprised was that Green Table wasn't there. Almost every aspect of every day life was showcased. To give a few examples, soy-based candles, organic beer, water-saving and energy-saving appliances, sustainable and sweatshop-free clothing, organic snacks. But the question in my head remains - why wasn't our very own Sustainable Restaurants Association there? Of course, I can always email and ask :)

Going there with Phaedra was really a highlight of the weekend, because she is really awesome. We have had the chance to e-mail and comment on each other's blogs, but it was very very nice to really hang out outside the blogosphere. It's always awesome to get to know the person behind the blog.

One of the things that really hit home with me was that the organizers realized that the show would have environmental impacts, and looked for ways to reduce them. You'd be surprised how many organizers of environmentally-themed events don't really look INSIDE their event! But this wasn't the case with Green Living Show. If you click here, you can read all the ways in which they reduced environmental impacts.

All in all, I really enjoyed the show, and will definitely do my best to attend next year's. Kudos to the organizers! Now, on the critical side of things - the statistical profile they provide of a typical Green Living Show attendee would suggest (and thus, even possibly confirm) that to be more sustainable you need to make enough money to pay the environmental premium price (just read this fact - 37% of last year's attendees make more than $ 100,000. Wow!).

I am not sure that I like reading this fact, to be quite frank. Saving money is one of the selling points of going greener in this city (given the exorbitant prices of housing and gas). Thus, if you tell me that I need to first make more money and THEN go green, it becomes a hard sell (particularly for those like me whose money-making power is not yet in the six figures realm).

Overall, as mentioned, the show was great and I'm looking forward to next year's.

Please note: This post is cross-posted on both my blogs (Blogger and WordPress) for the time being, but I think that the time is coming for me to just continue on with WP. I'll post an announcement when that happens.

Upcoming climate-change and environmental events in Vancouver

Well, hello sunshine! Today was a beautiful day and thus I had a chance to enjoy the sun for a bit. Worked from home for most of the day, although felt really sleepy at times. Anyhow, for those of you enviro-folks in town, here are some events you can hit.

• Via one of my close friends, here is a link to a lecture that will be given tomorrow by Sheila Watt-Cloutier, sponsored by the Terry Project at UBC, on The Right to be Cold: The Global Significance of Arctic Climate Change. This will be at the(Life Science Institute, West Atrium, Friday Feb 29th, 12noon. If you don't know who Ms. Watt-Cloutier is, she was one of the top nominees for the 2007 Nobel Prize (which ultimately went to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).

• Via Keira-Anne's blog, I found out about the Green Living Show (February 29th to March 2nd, 2008). She is going to head there on Friday with Rebecca (aka Miss604) so if you want to check the show AND hang out with two beautiful women, I'd suggest you head there on Friday. I plan to go on Saturday morning as I have a pretty packed social weekend, and most likely I'll go with Phaedra and probably my friend HZ. I wish I could go on Friday but I'm totally booked (so blog updates unlikely until Saturday afternoon).

• Via VTACC (Vancouver's Taxpayers Against Climate Change), I found out about a lecture by Dr. Marc Jaccard on "Lessons for the Future from Canada's Climate Policy Failures", Tuesday March 4th, at 7pm at the Canadian Memorial Church (15th and Burrard). From VTACC website, here's the abstract:
  

Decades of climate policy under different governments have failed to reduce or substantially slow the growth in greenhouse gas emissions in this country. How has this happened? How can we get out of this muddle so that Canada can do its share in the fight against global warming?
Go here for more information

• And, from a colleague of mine, here are the details for a special lecture at SFU Harbour Centre by Professor Michael Grubb: ‘Cutting carbon in Europe to 2020: competitiveness, emissions trading and beyond’, Room 2200 (RBC Dominion Securities Executive Meeting Room), Monday March 3rd, 2008 - 9:00am to 10:30am (yes this is a morning seminar).
  

I am probably going to attend all four. Hope you can make it to at least one of them!

Upcoming events - BC Anti-bullying Day

Given that the Government of the Province of British Columbia has proclaimed February 27th, 2008 as BC Anti-Bullying Day, and a number of organizations (like CUPE) and public figures (including Christy Clark) are encouraging the public to wear pink (by the way, great website from the CKNW), I figured that, in celebration of BC Anti-Bullying Day, I'm should share with the blogosphere an intimate look at a part of my life I wish I had never had to endure, and how I dealt with it.

When I was in primary school, I used to be as tiny as a midget. For some bizarre reason, I started growing when I was 17. I am not kidding you. Nowadays, at a my 5'11" (6' on a good day) and 170 pds, it's kind of hard to mess around with me (well, my height/weight and my martial arts and street fighting training kind of help). Unless, of course, you're 6'7 and super strong... but I digress.

So back then, when I was short and wore glasses, I was bullied by taller, stronger young men. After all, "I was in an all-boys school and had to learn to fight" (their words, not mine). Many, many times, my brothers (particularly my eldest brother) had to intervene and calm some of these bullies. But I couldn't have my older brothers always protect me. I had to learn to do it myself.

I have always been privileged in that my parents have always been my best friends, so I needed to tell them what was going on at school. After careful deliberation we (my parents and I) decided that I needed to take martial arts training. Not because I enjoyed kicking people's butts, but because I wanted to be able to defend myself should I ever need to do so. As a young kid (and to this day), I always tended to be extremely sensitive, emotional and sweet. These were not traits that aggressive bullies would take in a positive light. But I didn't want to be a victim or a target. I wanted to empower myself and be able to break through to these bullies.

One day (several months after I had started my martial arts training), a guy who had bullied me for a long while started picking a fight with me (Gustavo was his name), right before school was over. I was faced with the choice I never wanted to face - "do I fight or do I run?" I decided it was time to fight back. I grabbed Gustavo's arm and applied a judo move on him. I threw him over the top of my shoulder and, strategically, forced him to land with his back towards a trash can. I did this purposefully as I knew that would immobilize him completely. He started crying on the spot and ran away from me as fast as he could.

My classmates were astonished. "How could Raul, the tiny little midget, defend himself now? What happened to him?" From that moment onwards, I never looked back, and never had to face another bully. The word was out: Raul was never going to let anyone else pick on him ever, ever again.

So, in celebration of British Columbia's Anti-Bullying Day, I am going to wear a pink t-shirt to the office tomorrow (Wednesday February 27th, 2008). I encourage you to do so, too. Because bullying is simply wrong, and because once upon a time, I had to fight back too. And if you know someone who is being bullied, there are resources out there that can help him/her deal with it.

Band review - Delhi2Dublin

D2D in full force
Originally uploaded by Raul P-V (Rolex)

Great friends usually means great perks. And having a close friend who is a die-hard fan of talented local bands usually means getting dragged along (very willingly I might add) to impromptu gigs. So HZ brought JH and myself along with him to see a live, in-studio performance of Delhi2Dublin. His review of the evening is here.

I don't think I can add much more to his review. You have to listen to D2D to really understand the uniqueness of their music. They simply rock (and no, they don’t actually do rock – it’s a fusion of Irish, Indian with some overtones of African I’d say).

It had been a long time since I saw a live performance (admittedly I am a fan of the Backstage Lounge, which is one of the venues where you'd see local bands perform). But, back to the D2D review. I was absolutely transported, and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. One of the things that I would have personally enjoyed would have been to hang out with them after the performance (maybe have a drink or something). I've done that with other bands and the insight you get into their music and style is much better.

In this case, we ended up doing dinner (where our good friend BS joined us) and then a drink at 1181. More in-depth review forthcoming. But here is a picture of the performance last night. I am SO sorry that it's such poor quality, but I don't have the equipment. JH and HZ, on the other hand, are much better photographers and own better tools for their hobby. So, I am sure that at next D2D's gig you'll get better pictures. For now, you'll have to do with mine.

Coffee shop review - Cafe Artigiano

There are few things I love more than coffee. Real coffee. The stuff that makes you smile when you wake up in the morning to the smell of a dark, freshly brewed concoction. Unfortunately, my tummy has begun to be slightly sensitive (please replace that with VERY sensitive) to irritants, and therefore coffee is now more or less off grounds.

The problem with this is that my daily routine does involve coffee. Even if I work from home for about one or two hours before heading to the office, that’s the first thing I do: I wake up, barely conscious, stagger until I reach my coffee maker and turn it on. However, I’ve recently had several episodes of stomach ache that are associated with dairy consumption (cheese, of all things!) and caffeine consumption.

Therefore, what I did today (as an innovation) was to make a pot of English breakfast tea, and start working. The kick wasn’t enough, I got to tell you. So, when KP said that she wanted to meet for coffee downtown, I jumped at the possibility. Particularly since we haven’t seen each other (and I totally missed her birthday!) and so she suggested Café Artigiano.

Now, to the uninitiated, this could be just any other coffee shop. But no, don’t be fooled. This is Café Artigiano. The one and only. This is gourmet coffee, even the Americano is amazing. The atmosphere is extremely warm. And the staff… not only are they beautiful (physically speaking), they are so incredibly sweet. *swoons*

I have been to Café Artigiano many a time, but had never actually had the time to sit down and write a coffee shop review, so now that I’m waiting for KP to show up, it’s the perfect occasion.

As I write this review, I’m looking at the baristas (both male and female) and they keep smiling. How do they do that, particularly after a really long day at work? I don’t know, but those smiles are beautiful and I feel so welcome at this place, it’s going to be kind of hard to leave. Of course, the incentive to get out of here is that I’m heading down to CBC Studios to see a live performance of Delhi2Dublin. I’ll tell you all about it afterwards.

Small inconvenients of Café Artigiano:

• If you’re a blogger or need a wireless connection, you are pretty much SOL. This place doesn’t provide wifi. But on the plus side, if you actually want to work on a paper or read stuff, you can do it without the added distraction of having an internet connection.
• The people coming here (and working here) are pretty damn hot. That may be a bit of a distraction if you’re trying to concentrate on a project. I have a very, very short attention span and can easily be swayed away from an assignment with a beautiful smile [ that being said, I’ve also been blamed for charming people away from their work by using my eye-lash batting powers and my mega-watt smile… ooops :o) ]
• Not enough power outlets to connect your laptop. So, make sure you got a nice battery before heading down here to do work. I managed to sweet-talk my neighbours into letting me connect to the power outlet and run my cord undernearth their legs, but it’s slightly embarrassing.
• The atmosphere is quite animated, so if you’re trying to concentrate on something that requires attention, you may be SOL. I am wearing my headphones and listening to Miguel Migs on my iPod and still can hear my neighbour’s conversations.

Overall, I still would come to CA (Hornby and almost Robson, near the Vancouver Art Gallery). Just accompanied with a nice book though ;)

Putting this beautiful day to good use

Normally, I work from home on Fridays (I used to do this to avoid being dragged out for a pint, but then I caved in and it has become a nice tradition). Anyhow, I'm working from home today as my building is not going to be well-heated and thus I preferred to be here. While I can't complain (I'm getting lots of natural sun light through my windows), I think it's a waste of a beautiful day to work at home. So I'm going to take my laptop and go somewhere to do work (and take this opportunity to take some nice photographs).

Suggestions for good locations to work? All I need is wifi :) Was thinking of hitting the Lonsdale Quay (I know of a fairly secluded spot where I read lots of research papers related to work). But other suggestions accepted. I'll have online access so I'll know what you suggest :)

No recap of Green Drinks :(

Sorry guys, but as it turns out, in my intent to be as "non-specific" and "protecting everyone's privacy", my photographs turned out horribly and thus I don't want to post a detailed, non-pictorial recap of Green Drinks. Suffice it to say, it was fun and I had a really delightful time. I think I actually need to bring my business cards next time. And perhaps ask people in advance if they mind photographs, because the ones I got are hideous and really don't show anybody's face.

Green restaurants: More than a gimmick

While reading Morning Brew this morning, I came across a commentary from John Martin (published by The Province). Up until now, I had never heard of Martin, truth be told. But the commentary (provocative and somewhat shocking) made me think that people aren't really aware of what green restaurants (or sustainable restaurants) are, and that in a very similar fashion to carbon offsets, the public is criticizing the idea before really understanding it.

So I went back to the Green Table website to see if they had put up something newer that could help educate the readers (and perhaps Martin himself if he comes across my blog) about the concept of greening a restaurant. They now have an educational video that might be of some use. You can see it here (I copied the original link from Green Table's site).

It is clear to me that being oblivious to the reality that global environmental change is happening is just a demonstration of what I've called the "ostrich technique" (otherwise known as putting your head in the sand). Admittedly, I am one of the advocates of not putting all our eggs in the climate change basket. I want the public to know that there are many pressing environmental problems other than just climate change (e.g. wastewater, hazardous waste, e-waste).

The way Martin frames his article is very much that of the opinion of someone with limited exposure to the idea of sustainability in the food industry, and that's ok too. There is one basic fallacy though, that should be rebutted. Being a sustainable restaurant does NOT mean being a lousy restaurant. That's something people should be very well aware of. The idea of greening a restaurant which is already high quality is important, and I would hope that good restaurants will want to transition to becoming greener restaurants.

Take the list of Green Table members, and tell me which one you think is NOT a good restaurant. Hard to do, right? So, it's not that hard to be greener AND high quality. There will be some trade-offs, for sure. And there are products for which solutions are harder to find (I dare you to pack a steaming curry with basmati rice in a non-styrofoam container).

I can understand the frustration of Martin if the restaurant's efforts aren't legitimate or true. He clearly says in his article that he doesn't want 'pseudo-green gimmicks' confused with real efforts to be energy efficient or water efficient. That's why you have third-party certification and audits. That's why you enter in an eco-labelling scheme. That's why you make sure that restaurants comply with industry codes of conduct. That is precisely the reason why we have an organization like Green Table: to avoid restaurants with poor environmental performance to use green marketing to position themselves without actually making real efforts to improve the environment.

Just my $ 0.02 ...

Third Tuesday quick recap

So I went to Third Tuesday Vancouver (brilliantly organized by Tanya and Tod) which was held at The Network Hub. The gracious hosts at TNH offered wine to all attendees and were extremely personable and sweet. The venue was phenomenal. TNH provides office space (all the back end for new technology-based startups) and they also may be able to fund some entrepreneurial ideas.

The speaker was Jeff Young, an intellectual property lawyer with a great personality and a fantastic wit. He made the evening absolutely enjoyable. Some of the familiar faces I saw, in addition to Tanya and Tod, were John Biehler, Monica Hamburg, and in addition, some new friends were made (shout out to Vern, Chris, Dario, Ryan, Rastin, Jennifer)

After the event a smallish group moved down to Century (pretty much next door to TNH), a very nice restaurant that I'll have to check next time. I was somewhat surprised at the Mexican food choices that their menu presented, so I'll have to see how well they work. It was a very pleasant evening, and I learned lots about intellectual property (and actually Jeff would be proud of me, as the post previous to this one makes a political opinion, yet it is within the proper boundaries of IPL!)

UPDATE - Oh my God, Warren and John were faster than I was in blogging about it! Click on their names for their recaps of this evening.

Green shoes, green taxes, green hypocrisy?

One of the things that really irks me is the announcement of a new budget, because it usually brings the associated element that the Finance Minister wears new shoes. Nobody really knows the origins of this tradition, but I've seen the BC Minister of Finance unveil new budgets and wearing very expensive shoes. As noted in local newspapers, the current BC Minister of Finance, Carole Taylor, will be wearing 'green shoes' to go with her new 'green budget'.

There are several ironies here. First, shoes are very expensive (particularly in Canada). Wearing new shoes when you are about to hit taxpayers with new taxes or to speak about budgets doesn't really reflect very well on you. Second, shoes' manufacturing process is not really environmentally friendly (I do know this for a fact, and if you want to challenge me on this particular area, I dare you). Therefore, to say that you're wearing 'green shoes' is somewhat of a contradiction (yes there are more environmentally-friendly materials for shoes, but I saw a photo of Taylor's and they don't seem to be manufactured in that way). Third, shoes are often the commodity that homeless and poor people can least access. Thus, it's somewhat ironic that Taylor spends a few hundred dollars in a new pair of shoes that could very well be spent on feeding a few homeless people.

Wouldn't it be better if (even if just for PR purposes), every time a new budget was tabled, the Minister of Finance actually auctioned his/her shoes and all proceeds went to charitable causes? Or that the actual money that they were supposed to spend on new shoes goes to those charities? Oh, no... That might actually require to have some degree of sensitivity for the poor and marginalized, something that it is clear, politicians in this province, city and country don't seem to have that much of.

Recognizing heterogeneity in Vancouver's urban form - The pitfalls of EcoDensity

In a very recent post, Stephen Rees links to an article written by Erick Villagomez (a Vancouver-based architect, and I might add a very fine writer) on the actual urban densities in Vancouver. Making use of really nice visualization tools, Villagomez shows that East Vancouver is highly dense (despite whatever people's perceptions may be).

Since Rees asked the question "do you think EcoDensity(R) will make a difference)?" I figured I'd answer with a short essay of my own. Furthermore, I wanted to express some ideas that relate to the concept of urban density and the realities of sustainable urban form.

First off, we need to think about what we define as urban density. The statistical figures offered by Villagomez are in dwellings per acre. While one could criticize his data for not actually including the number of people in each dwelling, these data shed some light on whether there has been an increase in urban density (as measured by dwellings per acre) or not. Let's accept his data for the insights they provide - there are more physical units in more denser areas than there are in less dense areas. We don't know if there are more people there, but we could safely assume that it is the case (imagine 10 houses per acre with 4 people each house, vis-a-vis 10 buildings per acre with 10 apartments each with 2 people - the ratio is 40/200 or 1/5)

Clearly, from Villagomez's map (which you can find here) the Downtown core is the most dense area. There are some surprises with areas like northern Kitsilano having a comparable density to that of downtown (or at least so would appear from Villagomez's map). What I find interesting is that there is now evidence to support the statement that the West Side of Vancouver needs to increase its density.

Villagomez's point seems to be that we should look at homogeneous densification processes (e.g., achieving the same densities in East Vancouver and the West Side). That would be a good idea. The problem is that it would go against the realities of heterogeneity in urban form in Vancouver.

That is the point I am making in this essay: That we should recognize the heterogeneity of communities and populations in Vancouver. The West Side has been traditionally considered affluent and wealthy. The East Side houses more middle-income (and in some areas, low-income) population. There are natural heterogeneities in Vancouver's urban form that have been in place longer than I've been on this planet. We should find rational and smart ways to address these heterogeneities, and first of all, we should recognize them.

Now, don't get me wrong - I am not saying that recognizing this heterogeneity means that we should just keep our arms crossed. Not at all! I think what we ought to do is to call things like they are and tell the politicians that we are aware that there should be a middle-ground where some single family homes may need to remain. However, that doesn't mean that densification shouldn't occur. The chasm between the East Side and the West Side can be bridged with smart densification strategies.

One of the problems I see with urban planning consultations is that they are very prone to problems of NIMBY-ism (Not In My BackYard). Sometimes, communities even go as far as to go BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone). We should try to make it clear to the people living in areas that are potential targets for densification that the intent is not to bring crime to a certan area, but to reduce car trips, build vibrant communities and strengthen social capital. These would all be good objectives of an EcoDensity strategy. And to respond Stephen's question - no, I don't think EcoDensity is making a difference right now. But I would like it to. So, here's hoping...

Upcoming event - Green Drinks (Vancouver) Wednesday Feb 20th

I have been so insanely busy that I have missed many of the most recent Green Drinks events. However, this coming Wednesday I am NOT busy and thus will definitely be going to Green Drinks. This is a gathering of enviro-minded folks from ENGOs, academia, industry, etc. Yes, there are actually 'green drinks' on tap.

From the Green Drinks Vancouver website:

There's no agenda or other formality - it's just a chance to meet regularly to chat, debate, socialize and connect with others in Vancouver who are passionate about environmental and sustainability issues. Whether you're keen on green building & design, sustainable energy, organic gardening, or something else entirely, you'll find like-minded people. Please feel free to bring your business cards, brochures, info sheets, magazines and newsletters to put on a table for people to take away with them. Do make sure to take whatever you left on the table with you when you leave.

I suggest that you check it out. I am not generally a fan of Steamworks, but it's a great pub for this kind of gathering. Plus, I always end up bumping into lots of friends of mine from the environmental field (kind of the point, isn't it?). Plus, if you end up going, you'll get to see my megawatt smile :)

Vancouver's most romantic restaurants for Valentine's Day 2008

As many of you may, or may not know, I'm one of the contributors to UrbanSpoon - Vancouver that has the highest number of restaurants reviewed (I think my latest count was 42). I am not saying that this makes me a food critic, but I would like to believe that I know the restaurant scene pretty well.

I keep in touch with Ethan from UrbanSpoon quite often, we communicate via email and share some ideas and stuff. But even though we correspond, I did not know that they had a blog. And in their most recent post, they review the most romantic restaurants for Valentine's Day 2008.

While I must admit that I am totally tempted to tell you which ones I think are the most romantic (thus increasing the probability that I will end up bumping into you on Valentine's Day), I think I'll just indicate my own suggestions for where to take your loved one for dinner on that special day (or your friends, as the case may be).

However, I thought I'd plan this post in a slightly different way. Instead of telling you the most romantic places to take your sweetheart or go out with your friends, I'm going to give you a few suggestions of places to go based on how expensive the deal may get.

So, say that you are a starving student yet you still want a nice meal out with a loved one (or a group of friends)... or you are getting paid the big bucks and want to surprise your sweetheart... here are my top recommendations for dinner for Valentine's Day (bear in mind that I will definitely recommend local business over chains).

On the budget-savvy side of things...

The Red Sea Cafe - One of the best, if not the best Ethiopian food in town. Definitely romantic, has a nice atmosphere at night. Great service. Good food for your coin.

The Cascade (I think they've dropped the 'Room') - Excellent food and service, and not really expensive. However, I don't expect them to have a lot of space for Val's Day.

Cafe Luxy - Great Italian food, although with all the Davie Street crowd overflowing with love, I'd probably say that they'll be fully booked.

The Dunbar - Yes, I know that it may look a bit like a pub now, and have pub food. But it can get romantic, for sure. And it's not really expensive.

A bit more expensive, yet affordable...

Burgoo - I am afraid they may be fully booked for Val's Day. Great stews, soups and burgoos.

Ouisi Bistro - Definitely great Creole food. Romantic, and not too too expensive.

Enigma - Oh yeah, romantic for sure. Although a sure destination for UBC students who will want to take their girlfriends/boyfriends out for dinner, I imagine.

Crave - It's good for dinner - and not horribly expensive. Though I am also thinking it may get a little bit busy.

If you really want to go all out...

Aqua Riva - Many people hate it, but I love it, and it's one of the nicest views in town. And yeah, it can get expensive.

The Observatory at Grouse Mountain - You'll pay $ 35 dollars for the lift, but the view is SO worth it.

Horizons - I went there with a very close friend of mine, we probably should've waited for a much more meaningful occasion but it was great. And yeah, it's a bit on the pricey side.

Seasons in the Park - Located at Queen Elizabeth Park, this is one of the best spots for a great view of the city. And yeah, it may burn a hole in your wallet.

Cloud 9 - Enough said. Revolving restaurant, great view. And costly! But definitely worth it.

If you want, of course, you can leave a comment and tell me what you think of my suggestions, or make different ones... or simply tell me where you plan to go out for Val's Day. Whatever it is that you do on that day, I hope you enjoy it!

Blogging for Big Brothers - and bowling too :)

So Rebecca (aka Miss604) is organizing a team of bloggers who will be bowling for Big Brothers. As most of you know, dear readers, I have a tendency to volunteer. I've done a lot of charity work -- literacy campaigns, sex education, meals-on-wheels, etc. Since I became a blogger (and again, thanks to the positive influence of Rebecca), I found yet another avenue to give - the Blogathon. This was one of the most fun things I have done for charity.

Must confess that I was deciding whether I should Bowl for Big Brothers, and I factored a number of elements in my decision. First, it's a charity and an important one. Second, it would give me a chance to have fun with my fellow bloggers, hang out and do a good deed. Third, it is important for a dear friend of mine (the event itself, Bowling for Big Brothers). And fourth, although I am definitely busy, I'm not as crazy busy as I've been in the past couple of years.

Well, I did it. I signed on. I'm not 100% sure that my page is correct, so I can't link you to my "Sponsor Raul" page right now, but I'll get to it. The first thing (and most important thing) is that I signed up :)

I was considering the possibility of raising funds through carefully written posts. Yeah, kind of what I did for Blogathon. My individual goal is $ 100, so let's say that I wanted you all to contribute. So I'd basically do a 24 hour Blogathon to raise the funds, and I'd be asking people to say, give $ 0.50 (fifty cents) per blog post (so if I did 48, that automatically would ensure a $ 24 dollar donation). I'm mulling over how to do this. Suggestions accepted.

I will of course be bugging my close friends to sponsor me, but I also kind of want to 'earn' the sponsorship, particularly if it comes from my readers. I mean, there must be some kind of reward or incentive for you all, right? :) Anyways, suggestions taken for a fun method to raise funds for Bowling for Big Brothers. My individual goal is $ 100.00 but I'd be more than happy to surpass it.

Definitely, Maybe - Well, I'm definitely lucky!

I *never* win anything. Other than tournaments, of course, when I play a sport competitively. What I mean is that I never win raffles or any kind of contests. Well, recently, the Vancouver-based gossip doyenne Lainey (from LaineyGossip) held a contest for advanced passes to the movie "Definitely, Maybe"

Everyone and their mother know that I really like Ryan Reynolds. Not only he is from Vancouver, he is funny and good looking and has some really cool movies. This one is a pretty sweet one, so I'm quite excited about the prospect of seeing 'Definitely, Maybe'. Well, lo-and-behold, I ended up winning some sweet swag from LaineyGossip, so I am headed to an advance screening on Monday. I can't tell you how happy I am!!! If only Ryan was at the advance screening, hehehe... just kidding!

I'll do a movie review after I've seen it. In the meantime, thanks so much to Lainey for the swag, and keep up the great work with the celebrity gossip site!

Snowing in Vancouver (part 2)

Since Blogspost is going to have an outage, I figured I'd take this opportunity to insert a photograph that I took recently. The photo shown below is looking outside my bedroom window. It does look kinda cute. But OMG, is it ever cold! It's hard on my eyes, unfortunately. Not because of the beauty (it is indeed beautiful) but because of the sunlight reflected on the snow.

I won't be a good samaritan anymore (at least in Vancouver)

On the way to my office today I saw a young woman who was on the brink of bursting into tears. As I usually do, I pondered whether I should say something or not. Usually, I try to help people out and offer a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. But in Vancouver (in Canada, in general) I find it really hard to do that, because people are quite jealous of their personal space.

I figured "hey, what the heck..." and I approached her gently, asking "are you ok? I saw you a few minutes ago and saw that you were about to cry. I just wanted to make sure you were ok" and she said to me, rather bluntly "I'm fine." FINE, WHATEVER. That's what I get for trying to be nice.

This is disturbing. In a city already renowned for being aloof and unfriendly, there are still a few of us who will want to approach random strangers and offer our help. And what do we get? Almost a slap in the face. Sometimes, I wonder how can campaigns like "Free Hugs" succeed in a city like this. At any rate, I learned my lesson. No more "Good Samaritan"-ing.

Upcoming event - Vancouver's Next Gay Top Model

I first heard about this event from the Georgia Straight, then I saw a link at VancouverVibe.ca, and finally I decided to check out the website. Something that really made me happy was to find out that the organizers are raising funds for an important charity: Friends for Life.

This past summer, I Blogathoned in support of 'A Loving Spoonful' (I doubt they actually knew that I did this to raise funds for them, but quite frankly I don't care - I did it because I thought it was a worthy cause). More information about Friends for Life:

The Vancouver Friends For Life Society serves as a catalyst to enhance the wellness of individuals living with a life threatening illness by providing complementary and alternative health and support services.

Friends For Life was built on the belief that no one should have to face the many challenges of serious illness alone. Our philosophy recognizes the connection between the mind and body with a view towards treating the whole person - the mind, body and soul - rather than treating the illness alone. [Friends for Life Society website]

This is a worthy cause and of course I encourage you to participate. It should be fun. The list of contestants (with pictures and all) can be found here.

Restaurant review - The Old Spaghetti Factory (Vancouver)

There is no better way to spend a nice lunch than with extended family and friends, at a great restaurant: The Old Spaghetti Factory. We went to the Gastown location, although I have been there and to other locations with J, my brother, and other friends. I recognize I should have written this review LONG ago, but anyways.

The great thing about the OSF is that there is no way in hell you will not be full at the end of your meal. I ordered a spicy chorizo penne, and to be honest, I don't think I could have eaten it all had it not been for the fact that I had not had breakfast (I was too busy trying to finish off some work, as I knew that my afternoon was a total write-off - I had family members visiting).

The food is, as always, great. The staff (servers and host) were very nice, greeted us with drinks and bread and butter, and provided us with soft drinks refills all the way. So I can't complain. The best part was visiting with extended family, but also it was very nice to just have some really good food. If you have a large group, it's really worth the price of the food (less than $ 20.00 for a REALLY GOOD lunch). I'd seriously recommend it.