Pollution Probe and the Phosphate Problem

One of the early concerns of Canadian environmentalists was the high level of phosphates in laundry detergents. This, of course, led to massive algal blooms in the Great Lakes. While the International Joint Commission recommended in 1965 that the governments of Canada and the United States should resolve the issue immediately, in the ensuing four years little had changed. As such, Pollution Probe took it upon itself to break the deadlock. During the 1969 Christmas holiday a team of Probe volunteers analyzed the phosphate content of  a wide range of laundry detergents. On 8 February 1970 Brian Kelly and Peter Middleton appeared on the popular CBC television program, Weekend, to announce their findings. (Watch it here.) The plan was to arm consumers with the information they needed to make an eco-friendly decision at the marketplace. The list appeared in magazines, newspapers, and even on store shelves throughout the country.

According to Jennifer Read, Probe "helped to concentrate public concern and kept the issue before the government while the parliamentary committee considered the legislation." Consumer pressure, meanwhile, led the manufacturers to lower the phosphate content of their products.

Premier Angus MacLean on the Environment

"I believe that civilizations decay when ... people lose sight of the fact that we humans are merely part of the intricate web of life, and that if we damage that web, we do so at our own peril."

-- J. Angus MacLean

Angus MacLean was one of Prince Edward Island's most successful politicians. Serving in the House of Commons from 1951-1976, including a six year term as Diefenbaker's Minister of Fisheries, he later served as premier from 1979-1981. A Progressive Conservative, he was well known for his love of the environment. Upon retiring from politics in 1982 he focused on raising sheep and farming blueberries. As he explains in his memoirs, "I still hoped to be of service to my home province and perhaps to the world outside it, but I also planned to devote much of my time to husbanding the land my ancestors had hacked out of the wilderness. My modest goal was to enhance one tiny corner of the world." (249)

I wrote my undergraduate honours paper at the University of Prince Edward Island on MacLean's provinical election campaigns. Currently I'm working on a paper with Jeremy Marks exploring Angus MacLean, conservative politics, and environmentalism. I'll post an update when that paper is available.

A Green Party breakthrough in the offing?

One of the interesting storylines in the as-of-yet unannounced forthcoming federal election (I know, that's a mouthful) will be whether the Green Party of Canada can send its first candidate to the House of Commons. It is generally assumed that the candidate with the greatest chance of winning is Elizabeth May, given her accomplished background and national profile. There's a somewhat smarmy article in today's National Post that assesses May's chances in the Vancouver Island riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands. Journalist Dan Arnold, a self-professed "active Liberal," devotes much of the article to mocking the Green Party before finally admitting that May's decision to contest this riding "was actually a fairly solid choice." Hardly a ringing endorsement, but one doesn't expect much better from the Post.

You can read the article here.

(Edit: Turns out that Arnold jumped the gun. According to this Canwest interview with May, published August 12, she has not yet decided where she will run in the next election. However, she claims to be "strongly leaning" towards the Saanich-Gulf Islands option. You can read a much more positive assessment of May's chances in this riding at Camille Labchuk's intriguing blog, found here.)

Lawrence Solomon on the death of the nuclear industry

Lawrence Solomon of Energy Probe had an interesting piece in this weekend's edition of the National Post about the decline of the nuclear industry. You can read it here. You can also read an earlier post of mine about Solomon, Energy Probe, and nuclear power here.

Anniversaries in the Movement

This is a big year for environmentalist organizations across Canada. As mentioned previously in this blog, it marks the fortieth anniversary of Toronto's Pollution Probe and the British Columbia-based Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC). Of course, that's not all. Also celebrating their fortieth anniversaries in 2009 are the Conservation Council of New Brunswick -- which I understand is the oldest environmentalist organization in the Maritimes -- and the Conserver Society of Hamilton & District, which was originally known as Clear Hamilton of Pollution (CHOP). I wouldn't be surprised if there are other groups celebrating their fortieth anniversary in 2009 ... and if so I hope somebody sends me an email about it.

I wonder how many of these organizations have taken the time to write down their histories. I suspect very few. That said, there's no time like an anniversary to undertake such a project.

"it's no longer a movie": Three Mile Island, The China Syndrome, and Anti-Nuclear Activism in Canada

On March 28, 1979, the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania experienced a partial core meltdown. Just twelve days earlier The China Syndrome, a Hollywood blockbuster starring Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas, made its theatrical debut. Suddenly, the safety of nuclear energy was at the forefront of public debate.

Energy Probe, a Toronto-based organization, had long expressed concerns about the economic and environmental shortcomings of nuclear energy. As it turns out, Lawrence Solomon had just finished an anti-nuclear pamphlet the morning of the Three Mile Island accident. Upon hearing the breaking news, he quickly changed the headline to read "it's no longer a movie: it just happened in Pennsylvania (and it could happen here)". After churning off a batch on the Energy Probe Gestetner machine, staff visited nearby theatres and handed out the copies to unsuspecting moviegoers. As Solomon explained to me in an interview, "The China Syndrome ended up being a perfect fundraising opportunity for us." Funding would take on particular importance the following year, as the organization severed its relationship with the Pollution Probe Foundation and struck out on its own.

"The Air of Death and the Origins of the Environmental Movement in Canada" audio available

Back in May I presented a paper at the annual gathering of the Canadian Historical Association. The paper, titled "The Air of Death and the Origins of the Environmental Movement in Canada", was recorded and the audio can be heard here.

Thanks to the folks over at NiCHE for making this available.