Do You Believe Calgary is #1 Eco-City in the WORLD?

Mercer's Quality of Living and Eco-City survey of 221 cities world wide does not likely include Edmonton.  Not sure but if it were to find Calgary at the top ranking Eco-city in the world something is fishy about the survey.  Calgary has lots of merits but beyond the public transit system it is hardly a top ranked eco-city.  It has the largest number of cars per capita in Canada and is urban sprawl writ large...and that is still the norm in Cowtown with 100% of its growth in the suburbs.

Mercer says it used the following criteria for eco-ranking.  Water availability, water potability, waste removal, sewage, air pollution and traffic congestion.  Water availability is a serious problem for the future of Calgary.  In fact there was a restriction put on industrial use of water a few years ago.  Calgary suffers from water shortages and with the growth it has endured, that will only become more critical.  Only recently has Calgary metered water and that met with serious resistance I understand. Quality of water in Alberta is excellent almost everywhere with notable exceptions.  Waste removal and recycling are not big items in the Calgary civic culture - at least not compared to Edmonton.  Edmonton has a long standing and extensive blue box recycling system and city owned composting plant and even recycles Christmas trees.  As for traffic congestion with the largest per capita car population and the Deerfoot Trail rush hour "parking lot" and narrow downtown street system, traffic congestion is a serious problem for Calgary.

This is not a knock against Calgary.  It is  very livable city with lots going for it.  But to rank it as #1 Eco-City in the WORLD?  That stretched credulity. Mercer needs to broaden and deepen its Eco-City criteria and look to other locales for comparisons - especially in Canada.

Changing Landscapes in Calgary and Alberta

I did a short video for the Calgary ATA locals on what they need to do and be aware and engaged as community leaders and citizens of Calgary and Alberta. 

There is so much changing in learning these days and teachers are needed to be at the forefront of dealing with those changes. We need an expanded definition of learning, literacy and now we have no choice but to be lifelong learners. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI6ltnESuG0&feature=digest

There is another related video clip we did on Calgary's challenges and the impact on teachers and education that I will post later.

BTW the report on the Inspiring Education public dialogue initiative of Minister Dave Hancock is scheduled for release June 2. 

Cambridge Strategies is a co-sponsor of two public dialogues entitled "Learning Our Way to the Next Alberta" featuring Gwynne Dyer, David Peat and Scott Murray May 31 in Calgary and June 1 in Edmonton.  We are half sold with two weeks still to go.  There is obviously lots of interest in this topic. You can get tickets at http://www.learningourway.ca/