Helping to make you feel better

If you think your life sucks, check out some of these hilarious stories from people. It will make you feel better, unless you are one of the people who posted a story...

www.fmylife.com

Flowcharts are fun

Crashed Ice!

I ended up heading to Quebec City last weekend with Red Bull for their Crashed Ice event. If you haven't heard of it, it's an insane frozen track down a huge hill that people race down on skates. It was sooo cold, but we made up for the weekend with lots of booze. I think if I ever see another Jaggerbomb I'll be sick. We left on the Atlantic express bus from Dal at 6am, people started drinking while it was still dark out. They were the ones passed out by Fredericton. The bus was fun, and there was definitely some insane stories from the weekend.

Best things from Crashed Ice:
-sleeping on the bus in the dark while everyone else drank
-free beers and lunch at the UNB Social club
-Jersey's off at the french Swiss Chalet
-low raffle number for the on-board bus bathroom
-cheap/free beer
-redbull/Jagger action belt, haha
-50km/hr down a frozen a 550m ice track
-its so cold out, pee freezes all over the go-johns
-layers in the extreme cold
-front and centre for MSTRKRFT
-huge dancefloor at the Dag
-packing drunk at 6am with no memory

Thesis mentioned in local indy weekly

The Coast, the local indy paper, is only once a week but is pretty popular in Halifax. This column was writting about a Master's student in Jeremy's lab, my former thesis supervisory, that is continueing some of the research I helped Melissa on the summer I worked for him. My project/thesis is mentioned briefly about half way down the article (about the 50+ green roofs found a few years ago). Haha, no name mentioned or anything, but still pretty cool!

Liven up your house: Building green roofs could create the "Hanging Gardens of Halifax"

by Chris Benjamin

http://www.thecoast.ca/Articles-i-2009-01-08-152937.113118-p19973.113118_Liven_up_your_house.html

There are secrets to greening Halifax in the coastal barrens of Peggys Cove.

Scott MacIvor is conducting groundbreaking research there as part of his master's degree in applied science at Saint Mary's University: "I'm studying the plants."

MacIvor notes that coastal barrens plants live in similar conditions to those you might find on a Halifax rooftop. "There are high winds, they are exposed to sun and drought and they are regionally specific, accustomed to our climate," MacIvor says. He and his supervisor sought local plants that survive in harsh conditions in the hope of revolutionizing Halifax rooftops.

A green, or living, roof is a plant-based extension up from an existing roof. It requires extensive waterproofing and protection from root growth, a drainage system and relatively lightweight plants.

"I'm passionate about green roofs because I've always lived in urban environments," MacIvor says. "We have a lot of impervious surfaces, roads and buildings, which don't allow water through."

Concrete and asphalt create storm-water runoff, one of the reasons Halifax Harbour is polluted. These hard surfaces also trap the heat of the sun, creating the "urban heat island effect," whereby cities tend to be a few degrees hotter than surrounding greener pastures.

MacIvor lists the many benefits green roofs provide: "They counter the urban heat island effect and mitigate carbon dioxide and other air pollutants; increase biodiversity; provide refuge for valuable urban wildlife including carnivorous insects for pest control; allow for storm-water retention; provide cooling, insulation and energy savings and they protect the roof membrane so the roof lasts longer." Green roofs also increase sound insulation and fire resistance, improve general health and reduce stress.

The environmental and health benefits of green roofs have been documented as far back as the hanging gardens of ancient Syria and in Western European nations such as Germany and France they blossomed into a multimillion-dollar industry in the early '90s. We've been slower on the uptake in North America, where the benefits are poorly understood. According to MacIvor, we have the potential.

"I see increasing growth across North America," he says. A few years ago, a survey of green roofs in Halifax turned up more than 50 examples, atop institutional buildings and personal residences. MacIvor notes a few recent highlights, including a green roof at Citadel High and a second, bigger green roof being installed at SMU. He says that with an increasing understanding of locally appropriate plant technology, the number of green roofs in town could explode.

"Green roofs in North American conditions are not well researched," says MacIvor. "And you have to do it city by city; you can't copy what we know from Toronto in Halifax." The climates are too different. Most of the world's research on green-roof technology comes from Germany, which means that we may not be using the best available plants for our climate.

MacIvor's research, conducted out of SMU's Green Roof Testing Facility, aims to enhance our green-roof plant selection and bolster efforts to green Halifax's skyline. The data will be used to create "habitat templates," plans for real living rooftops.

If these hardy flora prove effective, Halifax may be the perfect milieu for a green- roof renaissance because of our low density and relatively flat cityscape. According to a recent paper from the American Institute of Biological Sciences, "Green roofs will have the greatest effect on energy consumption for buildings with relatively high roof-to-wall-area ratios." In other words, low-rises.

Green roofs offer the greatest energy savings for homeowners, who may eventually benefit from another advantage of coastal barrens plants: "They can grow in only two inches of soil," says MacIvor. This saves money and reduces weight, a factor in making green roofs workable on smaller
structures.

Aside from the lack of local research, cost is the biggest reason green roofs have yet to flourish on your street. Costs vary widely depending on a roof's size, type and angle, but generally fall between $10 and $20 per square foot. It's a serious investment for something that could cause its progressive new owner a winter of suffering over die back---when the plants go dormant.

For that reason, many "green" builders prefer to stick with tried-and-true solar panels, but MacIvor resists the garden-versus-solar-panel debate. "Solar panels can be used in combination with green roofs," he says. "But green roofs offer benefits to the environment beyond thermal benefits, like absorbing storm water." Green roofs also save money long-term due to energy savings and increased longevity of roof membranes.

Overseeing the economic and the scientific is the political. In European states with large green-roof industries, inevitably you find legislated green-roof requirements written into building codes. So far, Halifax has talked good sustainability talk, but regulated little other than building heights and planning processes.

The prophet T.I.

When most rappers are going to shit, this song has some cool lyrics about the crap state of the music industry. It could use some help with the grammar though. But I started listening to the song because it's sampling an old AIESEC dance song, haha

I'm the opposite of moderate, immaculately polished with the spirit of a hustler and the swagger of a college kid.
Allergic to the counterfeit, impartial to the politics.
Articulate but still would grab a n***a by the collar quick.
Whoever havin problems, with they record sale just holla TIP.
If that don't work and all else fails, then turn around and follow TIP.
I got love for the game but ay I'm not in love with all of it.
I do without the fame and the rappers nowadays are comedy.
The hootin' and the hollerin', back and forth with the arguing.
Where you from, who you know, what you make and what kind of car you in.
Seems as though you lost sight of what's important with the positive.
And checks until your bank account, and you're about poverted.
Your values is a disarrayed, prioritizing horribly.
Unhappy with the riches cause you miss-poor morally.
Ignoring all prior advice and fore warning.
And we mighty full of ourselves all of a sudden aren't we?

Just live your life, ay ay ay

If you need some inspiration

My Bucket List

Do:
Run a marathon
Find a new species
Climb a tall mountain
Go into space
Road trip across Canada
Sky dive and bungee jump
Fly a fighter jet
Discover a star/asteroid, name it after me
Drive a race car
Learn to sail
Be on/host or see live SNL
Learn sign language
Write a novel/book
See Radiohead live
Heli-snowboard

See:
Northern Lights/North Pole
African Safari
India
Deep ocean
Angel falls

Hatefull propaganda

Here is some hateful propaganda that "Canadiens fans" have maliciously been spreading around. Don't believe a word of it. It's not true at all. Go Leafs Go!!



David was in his 5th grade class when the teacher asked the
children what their fathers did for a living.

All the typical answers came up - fireman, policeman, salesman, etc.

David was being uncharacteristically quiet and so the teacher asked
him about his father. 'My father's an exotic dancer in a gay bar and
takes off all his clothes in front of other men.

Sometimes, if the offer's really good, he'll go out to the alley with
some guy and make love with him for money.'

The teacher, obviously shaken by this statement, hurriedly set the
other children to work on some colouring, and took little David aside to
ask him, 'Is that really true about your father?'


'No,' said David, 'He plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs but I was
too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids.'

Happy Turkey Day

So I'm home in Truro for Thanksgiving, I love long weekends. Especially now that I don't have Fridays off. I have a lot to be thankful for too, like close friends who came home from far away places for the weekend, and drunk texting those who didn't, and not going out to Chevys. There is definitely a mixed crowd at Keggers, but on our third pitcher of Ricard's White, we stopped noticing our friends' parents and old teachers. When that bar shut down too early for us, we went across the street to the Engine room. Free cover is awesome, and so is finding friends from elementary school on the dance floor. Its safe to say I had the best and worst Chinese food in Truro yesterday. We went to Chow family with my whole family, and then after the bars we went to the Asia restaurant, haha. Karth almost found her future husband. Finally having our Naked Gun night tonight, I'm already preparing for Leslie's subtle one liners and laughing so hard my face hurts. It was such a nice weekend, I wish I could have gone to the Wentworth valley. But hopefully make it there soon once it's covered in snow. Definitely will be posting pictures from Fri night soon, haha.

AIESEC Canada: Nurturing Young Leaders for 50 Years

I was fortunate enough to get Maroon and White, SMU's alumni magazine going out to over 27,000 alumni, to write an article about AIESEC. After all, it's our 50th anniversary! Below is most of the contents of that article. Special thanks to Cheryl Bell for writing an awesome article, and Helen Dolan for pushing our cause.

AIESEC Halifax is something of a hidden gem on the Saint Mary’s campus. Yet for those who have participated in its programs, it has been the gateway to life-enhancing experiences both professionally and personally.

AIESEC was established after World War II to help foster cultural understanding between countries. Today, it is the world’s largest student-run organization. It works in partnership with business and higher education to send students on internships around the globe and to give internationally aware young leaders valuable leadership and cultural experiences. Its programs are designed with the aim of giving its participants hands-on experience of running a small business long before they graduate from university.


Members proudly display their Nova Scotia tartans at the National Leadership Development Conference held at Ryerson University in 2007

At the time of its inception, AIESEC stood for “L'Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales." However, as fourth-year Science student and local alumni coordinator Adam Harris explains, the organization is now known solely as AIESEC. “The original name was appropriate when the organization was formed, but we are now inclusive of all Faculties – not just economic sciences and commerce. We continue to use the acronym AIESEC because of the well - established brand and history that it has.”

This year, AIESEC Canada is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a National Congress in Montreal, which will bring together more than 300 alumni to talk about the organization’s past and future, and to launch a new strategic plan. As part of its anniversary celebrations, AIESEC Canada is profiling 50 alumni, including Karyn (Mathieu) Power, an alumna of Saint Mary’s University. Karyn studied for a BComm at Saint Mary’s in the late 1980s. With her interests in business and working abroad, AIESEC was a perfect fit. Starting as a member, Karyn then worked on the special projects committee and served as vice-president of marketing between 1987 and 1989. To be a part of AIESEC, she explains, was to be involved in “running a not-for-profit organization on campus. We had to sell the concept of AIESEC to businesses in Halifax, manage the money coming in, run special projects, and attend conferences. For me, it was a chance to take the theoretical knowledge I was learning in class and apply it.”

After graduation, Karyn was one of six people chosen to run the organization in Montreal for a year where she was involved in encouraging Canadians to take traineeships in developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America. She then moved to the Dominican Republic to help give AIESEC a firm footing there.

In addition to providing her with a wealth of experience, Karyn also credits her involvement in the organization with helping her to land her first sales and marketing job with a manufacturer of medical diagnostic equipment in Halifax, a job she held for 17 years. “I know that I got my first interview because I had AIESEC on my resumé. Someone who had been with AIESEC himself saw my resumé roll off the fax machine and said that I would be a good person to interview. And when it came
time to do a mock sales presentation, I did it on AIESEC because that’s what I knew and believed in passionately.”


AIESEC members gathered for an alumni event at Your Father’s Moustache in Halifax. Left to right: Kim Yu, Bryan Ching, Adam Harris, Carol Cooley, John Sewuster, Sheena Francisco, Shani Pearson, Linda LeBlanc, Michelle Paradis, Sean Kavanaugh, Huay Woon Chee, and Johnnel Adderley.

Karyn’s work has seen her travel widely, both in Canada and abroad, and over the years fellow AIESEC participants have continued to crop up in unexpected places. Karyn has also continued to lend her support to the AIESEC Halifax group in particular, explaining to local businesses why they should hire students from abroad. “I say to them that if they are looking to do business with another country,
what better way to give their company a cultural awareness of their target market than to hire a student from that country.”

To mark this special year, AIESEC Halifax is planning its own anniversary celebrations, including a time capsule to which alumni can donate items such as pens, stickers, pictures, songs, and even old cheers from the last few decades. Alumni can also contribute to the timeline that is being assembled as the backdrop to a reception that will be held in the university art gallery early this
summer.

Looking to the future, local alumni coordinator Adam Harris maintains that the cultural understanding and business skills that AIESEC promotes continue to be relevant for both the students and the companies for which they work. And for Saint Mary’s alumni, hiring an AIESEC intern from another country is the perfect way to “give back” to an organization that means so much to so many.

AIESEC Halifax alumni can reconnect with the organization by contacting Adam Harris at 902.491.8673 or by emailing halifax.ca@aiesec.net

A greener view from the top - My thesis abstract

Incase you were at all wondering what my thesis was about, or maybe even a little bit interested in green roofs. Feast your eyes on this literary masterpiece, haha


Urban areas continue to expand as more people move into cities; there will be a further increase in environmental problems in these areas. Green roofs are one method to help mitigate some of the environmental problems which arise in urban areas. These problems, such as the urban heat island effect and storm water runoff, can be reduced by installing vegetated roofs. In Halifax, there has been minimal installation of green roofs. Previously installed green roofs in Halifax date back as early as the 1850’s (Citadel Hill National Historic Site), while most were built in the 1970s or in the past decade. The goal of this study was to find and classify the existing green roofs in Halifax, Nova Scotia as well as those roofs planned or under construction. The study took place from May to October 2007. In total, 46 roofs were found in Halifax, and over 50 roofs including the city and other parts of Nova Scotia. Temperature loggers and a hand-held thermometer were used to measure soil, roof surface, and air temperature for green roofs and paired conventional or non-green roofs in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Temperatures were compared between conventional and green roofs. Green roofs showed, on average, a 3.5°C reduction in roof surface temperature compared with the conventional roofs. Temperature loggers were also placed in urban areas of the city as well as the forested countryside to test for an urban heat island effect. While the majority of the results from the urban heat island effect were not statistically significant, a clear increase in air temperature of urban areas compared to rural areas is visible.

Green roofs and Baltimore

Back in May, between getting back from Cuba and starting my new job at SMUSA, I headed to Baltimore to present some interesting findings on my green roof research. Myself and Melissa, a Masters student, co-wrote a paper with our supervisor to present at the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities' conference called Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities...got all that? haha

The best part was I was leaving Halifax for NYC/Baltimore about an hour after we got back from Cuba, so I was a little pressed for time. At the stop=over in TO they told us we weren't on the flight back to Halifax, "didn't you pre-select you seat?"...oh you mean in Cuba, where there's lots of Internet? So we made it on stand-by, thank god, and got to Halifax on time. I made all my connections and survived US customs.

Baltimore is a really cool city I probably never would have visited otherwise. It's only about 30 minutes from Washington, DC. which we also got the chance to visit. We checked in and went right to a free Orioles game at Camden Yard once we got there. The GRHC people got us VIP in the Bullpen, but crap is baseball boring, and we didn't stay the whole game. I pretty much hadn't slept since Cuba either, after a full night of travelling and finding out I was on stand-by during the time I was supposed to sleep and then another full day of travelling kinda messed all that up.


The conference was really interested. I met a lot of people I cited in my thesis, and saw a lot of very cutting edge research in presentations and posters.

We saw a lot of random tourist stuff in Baltimore. I can't really compare it to any other city I've been in. It was very "American", and had lots of monuments and historical sites and all that. Washington was nuts. It sucked I was in the US capital before Ottawa. There was security everywhere, even the streets had big spikes the jolted up from the pavement to control car traffic. In a whirlwind tour of only a few hours, we walked all around downtown seeing all the major land marks.


Flight home to Halifax took us to Chicago first. Which was a cool coincidence, because Chicago is the green roof capital of North America. The skyline was sweet to see from the plane, and I swear I saw the Family Matters house. Once we got back in NS, it was nice to settle in and not travel...for a little while at least.

Cuba!

Holy crap, Cuba is an awesome place that should not exist, it's too awesome. We had an amazing relaxing and adventure filled time in Cuba after exams. Lisa and Katie and Chris and I went down to Varadero for a week and stayed at a pretty cheap resort that was still amazing, Club Puntarena. We had perfect weather and did some amazing day trips: into Havanna, went to a deserted island on a catamaran and swimming with the dolphins, and walking into the town of Varadero then took a bus tour of the peninsula and all the resorts. It was pretty sweet to just lay on the big white sand beach and drink all day and night.

Thing's I'll never forget:
-crazy flight schedules (TO right after exam, then quick terminal change and off to Cuba, last ones to check in, haha)
-singing Feist on the moving sidewalks at Pearson
-the sketchy Cuba airport, no trouble entering the country, and then beers on our tour bus
-Morty and Sally, our stray dog friends since the first night
-swan towels, canal view, amazing pool, neon night shows, bubba kegs, wave rolling, coconut drinks, crystal cerveca, all you can eat dining room and pasta bar, Al Capone's house, crazy market in town, cars from the '50s, sunsets, and pesos
-resort with 5 bars open 24hrs
-smoking a Cuban cigar on the beach and the midnight burger club
-losing or having the camera stolen on the island
-amazing sights in Havanna: revolution square, cemetery, cigar shop, old buildings, the capitolio
-being out of commission for a full day from traveller's sickness, gahhh

It's nuts how environmentally self-sufficient they are. Mostly because it's a communist country, but it still shows it could be done. They have a lot of local food and really low oil dependence. Unlike most places with a beach full of resorts, there was still beach access for all the local people. A lot of the streets lead right to the beach, and we saw a lot of local fishermen near our resort. It was cool to see the culture of the place too. We got to go into the village of Varadero, not just see the resort. Our tour guide on way to Havanna was also really interesting. On the 2 hour drive in he talked about communism, the collapse of the USSR and how it affected Cuba, and how most people work 2 jobs (one government required job and something else on the side, like fixing cars or babysitting, to pay the bills). You can't build any new houses their either, so there is nice big houses next to slum houses with 2 or 3 stacked levels.

It sucked to leave, but I really hope we get to go back soon. Anyone, next April?

Studying in the summer is just nuts

I think I've decided that I want to be a lawyer. Maybe not be a lawyer, but atleast go into Law. The first step is studying for the LSAT's, holy crap this sucks. Unfortunately reading about logic games didn't top the 10 things I wanted to do this summer, but here I am, haha. With a bachelor degree in environmental studies and biology, I am thinking about environmental law, but also international law. Being a lawyer is only a part of it, unltimately working for the UN or the government saving the world would be cool.

I realized at the end of my thesis, and also a little bit during, that I didn't want to do research forever. It's frustrating to complete a project, find interesting results, and everyone else just says "there, wow, let's file this somewhere for people to look up later". Where is the practical aplication, gratification, and immediate results? Maybe I'm wrong, but right now I want to be on the policy side of things, making big decisions and affecting change. Let's see if this all changes after another 2 months of studying arguement strategies.

Please watch this video

I don't watch a lot of YouTube videos, or Mad TV, I usually stick more with SNL, but this is hilarious. Please watch it and quote it and share it with all your friends.

AH

Elizabeth May on youth activism and not politics

I recently had the opportunity to listen to Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada and former President of the Sierra Club of Canada, speak at an environmental science conference. She was a fascinating speaker, and hardly mentioned politics during her talk, until most of the questions at tbe end focused on government. May spoke about the importance of youth activism in our current society, with the attempt to inspire the conference delegates into action. She talked about the need for science and how it is very relevant. We need to be innovative and find new solutions to many problems. For example, we are now changing the types of light bulbs we use, and finding alternate solutions to burning fossil fuels.

One of her coolest stories was about when she attended one of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The delegates from many different countries were having a hard time with negotiations. The youth delegates at the conference had a very impactful session where each on of them stoof before the assembly and said "look into my eyes and tell me my future is secure". This got the other delegates to realize the greater importance of what they were debating.

When the UN started hosting several conferences on climate change many years ago, not everyone was on the same page. One memorable quote the May said was "Humanity is conducting a global experiment...the consequences are second only to global nuclear war" -said at the a climate conference in Canada about 20 years ago. She spoke about how we need to make severe investments in reducing our CO2. Trees are only a 'feel good' measure, and there needs to be more green energy and carbon credits. She only travels for business, and usually by train, only plane if necessary. She doesn't take vacations to far away places.

By the end of her interesting talk, which was mostly preaching to the converted, many of the questions asked about her politics. May stated that the Harper government is anti-science. They have cancelled the position of National Science advisor. The IPCC graphs on climate change were removed from the Environment Canada website, and there have been significant cuts to research, etc. The White house had a reception when the IPCC and Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize, but the Tories did nothing for the Canadian recipient, so instead the other parties organized something. The Tories have also never been briefed by a scientist on climate change, ever, scary.

I'm hinking about going to Law school, so it was interesting to hear what else a former lawyer had done with her career. She mentioned how she understands policies very well, she sees the tricks and is ready for politics. Currently, she's studying theology, and spoke about how it wasn't to promote the religious dogma, but to be more critical when examining texts. She also joked about retiring as a priest after she is Prime Minister.

My favorite poem

Haikus are easy
but sometimes they don't make sense
refrigerator

The genuine progress index

GPI Atlantic is an NGO which measures the GPI or Genuine Progress Index: a new measure of sustainability, well being and quality of life. This is instead of measuring the GDP, which can be a false indicator because it is affected by high cost of living, crime, disease, natural disaster clean-up, war, and high cost of post-secondary education, among other things. But GDP, or Gross Domestic Product has become the convention method, even though it is a very scewed and unsatisfactory way of measuring our progress. GPI is a very interesting and critical way to ask questions about how we measure the success of our society.

GPI measures our overall well being and subtracts from the index for negative aspects, such as the social costs of obesity and tobacco use. GPI Atlantic has been resleasing reports over the past year on various topics, and when they are all completed it will be a unique description of the quality of life in Nova Scotia.

For example, their recent report on education showed the effects of increasingly rising costs of post-secondary education. This included things like students working longer hours at jobs while in school, and graduating with severe dept-loads. The report focused not on literacy rates, how long a degree was, or how much was payed for it, but instead on life-long learning and a range of 'literacies'.

Thesis on green roofs

Soooooo good to be done my thesis. I can't believe I made it or that it's finally over. For anyone who didn't know, I spend the last year completing an undergraduate honours thesis in Environmental Studies. Last summer, an NSERC research award payed me to find and categorize green roofs (literally vegetated roofs, with lots of environmental benefits) and perform a couple temperature studies. After that, I had a lot of data to analyze, which I spent most of the fall doing. In January, the write-up started, almost 70 pages later it was finished in March. After a few revisions I defended my thesis orally in April.

The whole process was very challenging, but well worth it. I'm satisfied with the result, and feel like I've contributed something useful. It was a struggle at first to figure out what I was going to do for a year that was interesting and that I wouldn't get sick of. And it was hard to force myself to meet smaller deadlines that meant a lot to a bigger deadline, because I am such a procrastinator. You can't procrastinate on something that large though, haha.

So for everyone who hadn't seen me all semester, sorry, but now you know why. It was really hard to stay in or go home early just to work on it, but I guess I learned something...I'm glad I'm not graduating this year though, sort of. It would be nice to be all done, but I would have missed out on the "last" of a lot of things. I'll catch up next year, and at least I only have a few classes left.

Doing the research and writing it up was definitely something very different than what I am used to in most of my classes. In the short term it will probably help me figure out what I want to do next. Do I want to go to grad school and keep researching, or try something different? All that is left now is a couple revisions and to get it printed and bound. I will probably do a bit more analysis on the data, once I get around to it, and hopefully submit some of it to a journal to get published. I also got to present my findings at a green roof conference in Baltimore, which was pretty exciting.

Cool beans

April 24, 2008 2:53 PM

Minister of Environment Mark Parent introduced a bill today, April 24, to formally create a stand-alone department dedicated to the environment.

The move will allow a sharper focus on one of government's five priorities, protecting the environment.

"The environment is a priority for everyone -- our citizens, business and government," said Mr. Parent. "We are very excited about the renewed focus this new stand-alone department will bring to the environment portfolio. Our renewed focus will help continue to be environmental leaders in this country and around the world."

The Department of Environment will be responsible for dealing with climate-change issues, and advancing the province's goals outlined in the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act.

"We are committed to combating climate change, to reducing air emissions and waste, and providing increased protection of our land and water," said Mr. Parent.

The department will ensure Nova Scotia remains a leader in achieving environmentally sustainable economic prosperity.

Mr. Parent was sworn in as Minister of Environment on April 1. The previous department responsible for environmental issues, Environment and Labour, will cease to exist.

The Department of Environment's new website address is www.gov.ns.ca/nse .