All’s well that end-to-ends well
Who sets out to hike 900 km of physically demanding and sometimes treacherous terrain, with the risk of encountering unexpected storms, poison ivy, rattlesnakes, bugs, maybe even bears? The answer: Hikers who do the Bruce Trail “end-to-end,” and there are...
‘Passive House’ design offers new ways to create affordable housing
At one time, building as many homes or units as possible, as cheaply as possible, seemed to be the way to create affordable housing. Yet as with most things, you get what you pay for. History has shown that it’s better to look at costs over a building’s life cycle...
Finding the human side of academic research
Readers appreciate when the writer does the heavy lifting to explain the complex and figure out “what’s in it for me?” That’s a big part of what I do. In 2016 and 2017, I had the honour of interviewing brainy researchers at Western University’s Faculty of Science. My...
Road ecology steps in when animal instincts and urban sprawl collide
(Published in Niagara Escarpment Views, Winter 2017) Nature’s programming is strong. After the first rainfall following spring thaw, Jefferson’s Salamanders emerge from underground dens, determined to migrate to the ponds where they were born to lay their eggs. In...
Community garden movement growing like a weed
(Published in Niagara Escarpment Views, Spring 2014) A peek over the fence at some of the community gardens taking root along the Niagara Escarpment. Lush green leaves marked the spinach patch beside Chris Hadfield Public School in Milton last year. At least, the...
A ‘suit’able image
(Published in The Mississauga Business Times) When Gail Friedlander launched Images That Suit* in 1984, career success meant wearing dark suits with enormous shoulder pads. Originally a recruiter and career counsellor, Friedlander had seen the effect image had on job...Restoring the past: Every picture tells a story
(Written for HP Canada employee newsletter) A treasured photo can be a memento of a significant occasion, a record of a birth or marriage, the last connection to a late loved one. For families left homeless after the devastating hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005,...Tell-tale toads take to reclaimed land
(Article written for Suncor Energy employee publication) Like the canary in the coal mine signaling air quality, frogs and toads move in when an ecosystem is healthy. “To most people, toads may not be the ‘sexiest’ wildlife species out there,” says Leo Paquin,...