May 2008 E-Bulletin
 
Carbon Tax Act - First in North America
 British Columbia is the first in North America to have a carbon tax - a levy on fossil fuels to encourage people to cut their consumption.  Effective July 1, 2008, the carbon tax will start at a $10-per-tonne levy on carbon, which works out to 2.41 cents per litre of gasoline.  It will rise by $5 per year over the next four years.  The tax is to be revenue-neutral, which means it will be returned to British Columbians through tax breaks. 

Personal Carbon Trading Considered in U.K.
The UK Government’s pre-feasibility study into personal carbon trading has revealed some important challenges to its potential as an effective measure for reducing individuals’ emissions.  Whilst Defra remains interested in the concept of personal carbon trading, the findings of this initial study mean that we will not be pursuing this option further at this stage.

Labelling Plan to Clearly Identify Canadian Foods
The Government of Canada unveiled the Canadian Food Labelling Initiative in May.  The new initiative improves the definition of "Product of Canada" and "Made in Canada" on food labels and advertising, to ensure that Canadians can clearly identify the Canadian content in food products.  

Canadian Green Grocer Report Card
With private-label organic lines and fair trade coffee just about standard in the major Canadian grocery stores, it is clear that grocers have crossed a green threshold.  Corporate Knights Magazine has unveiled a Green Grocer Report Card (PDF) - the report card shows there is room for improvement across the board, since environmentally-friendly household goods, local produce, and sustainable meat and fish were difficult to find at the stores visited.

Sustainable Consumption and Consumer Role in Corporate Social Responsibility
Industry Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs has created a Sustainable Consumption webpage that assists consumers in making sustainable choices in the marketplace.  Consumers also have an important role in encouraging businesses to adopt and advance corporate social responsibility.  

Action Guidebook for Fair Trade
In February 2008, Equiterre, a non-profit organization that works to empower citizens to make environmentally and socially responsible choices, launched the Action Guidebook for Fair Trade to help consumers understand how they can make a difference in the fair trade movement.   

Canada's First Fair Trade Town
Since TransFair officially recognized Wolfville as Canada's first Fair Trade Town there has been a growing awareness among residents about the impact of consumer decisions.    Wolfville's journey towards becoming a Fair Trade Town received profile in a recent green issue of Via Rail's Destinations Magazine.  

The 'Greendex' Survey on Sustainable Consumption
According to the National Geographic Society's Greendex Survey on Sustainable Consumption, Canada places near the bottom when it comes to choosing green.  India and Brazil tied for the highest score: 60 out of 100.  Canada scored 48.5.  Take the survey and see how you score on the Greendex Calculator. 

Promoting Sustainable Consumption
This 2008 report highlights government initiatives to promote sustainable consumption from OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) member countries.  The report reveals that the 'complexity and array of government tools and initiatives directed at sustainable consumption underline the need for more integrated programmes as well as institutionalisation of sustainable consumption in sustainable development strategies'.  This study is part of the OECD contribution to the UN Marrakech Process on Sustainable Consumption and Production. 

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My Sustainable Canada's First Six Months
When My Sustainable Canada was formed in late 2007, we knew our journey to raise awareness and action on sustainable consumption would be filled with challenges and excitement.  But we also found some trends that pleasantly surprised us!  

First, an increasing number of organizations outside of the environmental community are realizing their connection to the issue of sustainable consumption and are promoting the sustainable use of natural resources.  Second, a growing number of government departments have started to include sustainable consumption within the scope of their initiatives. 

In our first six months, My Sustainable Canada has:

-launched its website
-undertaken project based work for several organizations
-started to formulate partnerships and initiatives that support a Canadian sustainable consumption action plan

Starting in our next E-Bulletin, we will be looking to hear what our readers have been up to.  If your organization has taken action for sustainable consumption, please share it with us.  We would be happy to say a few words in our E-Bulletin.
 
Does Being Ethical Pay?
Do consumers reward companies that spend huge amounts of money to be socially responsible?  Researchers at the University of Western Ontario Ivey School of Business designed a series of experiments to find out.  Using different groups of consumers with coffee and T-shirts as the test products, the researchers found that consumers are willing to pay a small premium for ethically produced goods.  But they'll punish an unethically made product even more harshly, by buying it only at a steep discount. 
 
Canada's Commissioner Reviews Selected International Environmental Commitments
Canada's Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development undertook a review of federal departments to see how selected international environmental commitments were being met.  The review found that "Canada still has no overall action plan to report on its priority World Summit on Sustainable Development commitments". 

The World Summit on Sustainable Development has led to Canada becoming a signatory to the Marrakech Process.  The Marrakech Process is a global multi-stakeholder process to promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and to work towards a 'Global Framework for Action on SCP'.  The United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs are leading agencies of this global process, with an active participation of national governments, development agencies, private sector, civil society and other stakeholders. 
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