Basic History

At the end of the last ice age around ten thousand years ago, Paleo-Indians arrived in Alberta. They migrated from Siberia with the help of a land bridge across the straits of Bering. With the passage of time, they mixed with other smaller tribes. They were generally involved in hunting activities in the region. Then gradually over a period of time, the Britishers arrived at the present day province of Alberta, around the area of Athabasca river on a part of Rupert's land. The king of England Charles II granted this area to Hudson's Bay Company(HBC) in 1670. The French arrived in Canada around the year 1731 and set up Fort La Jonquiere in 1752. The fur traders set up North West Company(NWC) to help them compete with HBC in 1779. The North West Company(NWC) occupied the northern areas of Alberta. Within the years 1778 and 1788, the forts of Athabasca and Chipewyan were constructed.

Environmental History

The provice of Alberta has adequate source of water, since a number of lakes and rivers are located here. Presence of a large amount of water bodies have helped in the flourishing of various water based economic activities in the region like fishing, swimming and various types of water sports. The climate of Alberta is generally continental in nature. There are also regions of semi-arid steppe. The state has a wide variety of flora and fauna. With the arrival of spring, a wide variety of flowers are grown in the area, like wild rose, golden bean and sunflower. A nutricious variety of grass is also grown in the area. Alberta consists of four climatic regions like parkland, boreal forest, prairie and alpine. The most popular wildlife in the area is bison, black and grizly bear, wolf, coyote, lynx, mountain lion and bobcat. It is also quite famous as the nesting ground of migratory birds like a wide variety of geeses, swans, ducks and other avian species. A wide variety of fishes like pike, whitefish, brown trout and speckled are also available in the local streams and rivers in the area.

Green Initiatives

The local government of Alberta is trying to setup an example for arresting the ill-effects of climate change. The focus is mainly on using renewable technologies in all sectors of activities involved in construction. Government sector buildings are using green energy through grid based electricity. It is assisted by environment-friendly lighting systems like led lamps, electronic circuits, switches and regulators for the optimum use of electricity. It helps in the conservation of energy in an ideal way. As far as the transportation is concerned, the local government is planning to gradually replace all conventional vehicles, particularly in the metropolitan area with hybrid, electric and ethanol based modern automotive systems. Greater use of public transport and construction of bicycle paths are also a part of this initiative. Recycling of a majority of items like batteries, paper bags and other items are also a part of the ongoing green initiative.

Is Whole Foods the New Franken-Market?

An issue near and dear to most of us in the Green movement, and everyone else who believes that you truly are what you eat, is the safety and quality of our food supply here in the United States.  We’ve already discussed the food processing giants at length; their manipulation of the American palate to boost their corporate bottom lines has..