While many cruise ship passengers expect to catch glimpses of whales and dolphins swimming in the sea, most passengers do not expect to see an impaled whale stuck to the bow of their ship.  But earlier this week, passengers, tourists and onlookers saw just that.

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A tourist from Calgary found a lone seal pup while in British Columbia.  She thought the pup needed rescuing, so she put it in her car wrapped in a blanket then called the police.  Most likely, the pup was not abandoned.  Canada.com explains:

According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, mother seals will often leave their pups shortly after birth. They will often return to their pups within 24 hours provided conditions are right, one of those being that humans aren’t nearby.

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In its self proclaimed quest to become “the world’s greenest city” Vancouver is considering adopting legislation that would require any new multi-family dwellings (condos) to have electric vehicle charging stations. Should this pass, Vancouver would be the first city in Canada to have such a policy. Vancouver already requires one and two dwelling homes to have plug-in infrastructure.

In a city press release issued yesterday, Mayor Gregor Robertson commented, “Electric vehicles are being increasingly adopted around the world, and we need to be leaders in supporting them.”

Robertson also noted, “Making our city friendly for electric vehicle infrastrucure is a major step towards becoming the world’s greenest city.”

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Last year, 300 folks across North America turned in their car keys for a month as part of the 2008 Zipcar Low-Car Diet. And, in addition to cutting congestion, they also walked 85% more, biked 136% more and decreased their miles driven by 71%. Pretty impressive, eh? Starting July 15, a new crop of participants from all Zipcar cities worldwide* will begin the 2009 Low-Car Diet: one full month of living without a primary car.

Zipcar will be selecting 30 participants in each Zipcar metro to take part in the 2009 Low-Car Diet. Zipcar and its partners are committed to providing all participants with the necessary tools for creating transportation nirvana, including:

• Bike rentals
• Transit passes
• Complimentary meals at participating restaurants
• Discounts at local retailers
• And, of course, a 1-year Zipcar membership with some driving credit to get started

There will be a number of applicants for only 30 spaces, and Zipcar would like to make sure they’re the best. If you think you’d like to try an unconventional diet just fill out this short survey.

*Zipcar cities include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, London, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, DC.

Photo Courtesy tvol via Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Disclaimer: Gas2.0 parent company Virgance is participating in the Low-Car Diet.

Imagine being able to drive from Vancouver, B.C., to Baja, California, without using gasoline. That’s what West-coast Governers are contemplating with a new plan to build a network of alternative-fuel stations along the I-5 corridor.

The Governers of Washington, Oregon, and California met briefly last month to discuss the idea of an alternative fueling infrastructure that would offer up a mix of biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, or compressed natural gas, along with the opportunity to recharge or swap out batteries for electric cars.

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Canadian wildlife conservation group the Lifeforce Foundation wrote letter to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to ask that Daisy the porpoise be released from the four-foot-deep wading pool that she has been held inside for the last six months.

The harbor porpoise was rescued in August after she washed up on a beach. Experts gave her only a 10 percent chance of survival, but she beat the odds and was given a clean bill of health three months ago. Now Lifeforce’s Peter Hamilton wants her freed.

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But this week, Vancouver turns the spotlight on sustainability with its first ever eco-focused fashion night, Friday, November 7th, 2008.

Vancouver Fashion Week, a hotbed of haute couture and leading west coast designers, is one of the premier purveyors of popular pageantry, unveiling some of the world’s most sought after styles and trends.  This year, VFW is showing its support for the environment with a dedicated evening for designers to promote their leading edge sustainable artistry and eco-conscious craftmanship.  From eco luxury, showcasing the art of organic handmade silk, to the unique beauty of recycled fabrics like cashmere and wool, an impressive range of techniques and designs will be featured.

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The Cascadia Region Green Building Council will host a tour of green buildings on September 25th, 26th, and 28th in the Victoria, Vancouver, and Okanagan regions of British Columbia. British Columbia is the Canadian province with the most LEED-certified buildings per capita, and Cascadia’s Green Skyline tour will include over 25 green buildings. Both residential and commercial tours will be included. They will emphasize what constitutes green design and offer ways to incorporate it into a project, as well as detailing the costs and benefits of building green.

The tours are designed to be walkable, bikeable, and accessible by public transit. Several organized bike tours will also be offered. See the CRGBC website to register.

Photo: The University of Victoria Medical Sciences Building; provided by the University of Victoria

To read about green tours which will come to you, see:

• Sustainable Living Road Show: Be the Change Tour on EcoLocalizer
• See Sustainable Oregon… On a Bike on Sustainablog
• Green Road Tours Bring the Fun to You on Green Options

Poot & Boogie Eco-Friendly Dolls

Poot & Boogie eco-friendly dolls are individually handcrafted from cotton and wool. The dolls are stuffed with corn-derived fiberfill, and each one is unique. These dolls are made in Aldergrove, BC, and they remind me of Raggedy Ann and the dolls children played with before plastic dominated the toy world.

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He also readily admits, with a signature askew smile and hearty laugh, that “being an academic is possibly the worst possible preparation for the business world,” and endorses a strong marketing presence in any renewable energy start up because the engineers “can’t seem to understand why somebody wouldn’t want this marvelous invention!”

It’s 7:52pm Wednesday night at the venture capital-esque forum put on by the VEF on CEO War Stories.

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Los Angeles has a dearth of publicly owned fruit trees, but who owns the fruit they produce? The three activists behind Fallen Fruit dare to ask, “Is this my banana?” By their estimate, 22 different crops can be harvested from public land trees in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles alone. Among these are citrus fruits, quava, walnuts and even prickly pear cactus pads, which can be turned into the Mexican delicacy, nopalitos. Their mission is to encourage city planners and officials to plant only fruit trees as part of municipal landscaping. Public funds and worker hours go into maintaining municipal land, so why not have these plants also produce edible harvest? Fallen Fruit also organizes fruit harvesting events, usually at night and usually in plastic lab coats for effect.

A less political example is the Fruit Tree Project of Vancouver - a community initiative that connects residents who have fruit trees on their property with soup kitchens and other community organizations that help eradicate hunger. The group also hosts canning workshops in an effort to encourage local eating during the winter months. The movement has an additional benefit: it is sponsored by Nelson Bear Aware, an organization that tries to eliminate human-bear conflict. It turns out, the spoiled fruit from urban fruit trees has been attracting bears for decades, exposing them to the possibility of being shot or run over.

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There’s more on Betty in the companion article I wrote that features several links to her personal website and blog, and to other articles about her. This is one tough lady, who’s as gentle and caring as you might imagine a great-grandmother to be. But she won’t back down from a fight; she picks them. Listen to the interview, then check out the companion article.