#Walking the Edge of #Toronto

A Toronto man walked the perimeter of the city and reported on what he came across.

Water Energy Food Nexus video

I'm currently taking an online course offered by UBC through edX. The course is called Blue is the new Green: the Water Food Energy Land Nexus. I decided to participate in the course because I would like to gain a better understanding of how these systems are connected and I'd like to learn about various solutions for the global water crisis.

Each week we watch a series of videos and read some assigned readings. There is also an online discussion group that allows participants to communicate with each other and the course instructors. Last week, one of my coursemates posted this video. The video is a good explanation of what the word nexus means when we are discussing these systems. The video is produced by a large international company that brews beer and bottles pop. Some of that bias comes through in the video, of course, but it does give a good overview with interesting graphics, which I always appreciate.

They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds.

Each year I spend some time at the Latornell Conservation Symposium. I try to attend the day that the Young Conservation Professionals are graduating. The symposium organizers host the graduation during one of the lunch hours, followed by a keynote speaker.

Last year, we heard from Chris Hadfield about what it takes to be a resilient being and how to work through some of the most challenging situations we will face, such as going temporarily blind during a space walk.

This year, Ziya Tong from the Discovery Channel and the board of WWF spoke to us about transformations that are happening around the planet. She spoke about some of the greatest environmental challenges we have created, and are now facing, and presented facts that are difficult to hear. She completed her presentation on a hopeful note though, and quoted this proverb that caught my attention: They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds.

One of the reasons I like to attend conferences like Latornell is that I always leave feeling inspired to do good work. Lately, some aspects of my life have felt a little separate from my day-to-day living and I want to return to the state where all aspects of my life blend into good work. I'm much more comfortable when my job, responsibilities, hobbies aren't chores. Along those lines, I've been thinking about this blog a lot and I am going to start posting about more diverse topics. Most likely native plants will remain a strong theme, but every system is connected and I'd like to start thinking about that idea a little more.

A magical afternoon in #nature.

If there was ever a good reason to protect forest parks within city limits, this has got to be it.

"The Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough went on surprise field trip with Nature Valley to the TRCA's Kortright Centre.

The outcome: a magical afternoon in nature."

Learn something new @TED_ED

TEDEd has all sorts of interesting videos about good topics. I like to think that my classes were pretty interesting, but I'm pretty sure that these videos deserved some of the credit. Now you can build a custom lesson plan right on the website.

I like the mouse, the snake, and the typewriter.

@DavidSuzukiFDN #bluedot tour. so good!

The David Suzuki Foundation released The Blue Dot Tour website this afternoon. This is the promotional website for David Suzuki's final tour of speaking events across Canada. The entire site is great and I am completely chuffed that they chose my picture to represent Canadians who believe in our inherent right to a healthy environment. Moments like this really remind you just how much all the hard work matters. Go to their website, quickly, and buy tickets for all these awesome events!

#vegetable gardening cheat sheet via @thisbigcity

A very cool chart that shows how to organize, plant, care for, and harvest your veggies. I really like the companion planting section. Some of those pairs would be great for maximizing container space on the balcony.

Thanks for sending this! From Anglian Home via This Big City.