Latest news with #environmentalAwareness
CTV News
23-06-2025
- Science
- CTV News
More than an eyesore: Why it pays to act early when it comes to weeds
Volunteers spent part of their weekend learning about invasive species of plants and how to manage them. Volunteers spent part of their weekend learning about invasive species of plants and how to manage them. Invasive plants are costing Alberta billions of dollars each year, and experts are hoping awareness can help get more people hands-on in the fight against weeds. According to the Alberta Invasive Species Council, plants make up the largest group of invasive species in the province by both abundance and diversity. 'It's interesting, because even though we have the most of them, they are probably the least kind talked about,' said Megan Evans, executive director of the non-profit society. Invasive plants have competitive advantages that, combined with a lack of natural predators, help them push out native species and change local landscapes – costing the Alberta economy about $2 billion each year. 'They change the way the ecosystem functions, they degrade natural habitats, and in agricultural lands, they reduce crop yields,' Evans said. 'There's also some invasive plants, like the invasive annual grasses …that can alter fire regimes,' she added. 'Where those invasive annual grasses have established and really become problematic, they see that wildfires come through more frequently.' There are 75 regulated invasive plant species in Alberta that landowners are legally required to remove or control. Spotted knapweed A large field of spotted knapweed can be seen in a photo posted to the Alberta Invasive Species Council website. (Photo: Alberta Invasive Species Council) Among some of the most prolific offenders, Evans said, are the Russian Olive (an ornamental tree currently overrunning river valleys in southeastern Alberta), spotted knapweed (a reproductive juggernaut that produces a toxin killing surrounding plants) and the pretty purple creeping bellflower (a herbicide-resistant ornamental with far-reaching roots undeterred even by concrete). Until 2010, the ubiquitous self-cloning dandelion was also on that list. Evans said its removal may lead some people to think it isn't a problematic plant, but that's far from the truth. 'It's quite to the contrary,' she said. 'They're kind of so far gone that we've lost the battle with dandelions, so they are incredibly invasive.' Dandelions Dandelions and long grass in Edmonton. (Darcy Seaton/CTV News Edmonton) In 2015, the City of Edmonton stopped using herbicide on dandelions on public property. The city said because the plants are no longer prohibited, mowing is a better management option. 'The city embraces our natural environment, and dandelions are a part of our ecosystem and are an early food source for wildlife and pollinators in the spring,' Fiona Spitzig, an invasive weed specialist, said. Evans disagrees. 'Not all pollinators can forage on dandelions. That's an important distinction,' she said. 'Lots of different plant species produce flowers that bloom all season long. For our pollinators, (when) the dandelions get in there, they could potentially out compete those native species.' What to do about weeds Because battling invasive plants doesn't always work (such as in the case of the determined dandelion), Evans said prevention and early detection are key. Evans said anything unexpectedly popping up in the garden should be identified and dug up immediately to prevent an infestation. The Alberta Invasive Species Council has a guide that can help. Other preventative measures include cleaning footwear before and after travelling, and staying vigilant when shopping, as invasive plants occasionally end up on greenhouse shelves or in wildflower mixes. 'Plant swaps are another place where we relatively commonly see some of these invasive plant species,' Evans added. 'If somebody shows up to a plant swap and they tell you they have so much of this plant and it just does so well … that might be a red flag.' Creeping bellflower The invasive hard-to-kill creeping bellflower can be seen in a picture posted to the Alberta Invasive Species Council website. (Photo: Nicole Kimmel) Evans recommends planting native species, which are lower maintenance and easier to control in the long run, not to mention being a great benefit to local pollinators such as Alberta's whopping 371 native bee species. 'You start planting these native plants and you see these native bees come, and you all of a sudden have this ecosystem in your yard,' she said. 'It's so exciting.' 'And,' she added, 'you don't have to worry about them becoming invasive and taking over and having another creeping bellflower disaster like we all have on our hands.' But what do you do when the weeds aren't coming from your own yard? While complaining about dandelions won't get you far, all other 75 prohibited weeds can be reported to the City of Edmonton by calling 311. Those calls, the city said, are investigated by staff who can then enforce bylaws and the Alberta Weed Control Act. If property owners don't comply, city crews clean up the weeds and tack the cost onto the owner's property tax bill. Last year, the city said it received 3,586 calls about weeds on private property and carried out 900 weed remediation jobs on private land. The City of Edmonton also has a program inviting residents out each weekend to pull weeds and learn to spot the plants causing problems in the city. 'Our volunteer weed pull events give people a hands-on chance to come and learn about invasive plants, actively manage them, and it's also a great opportunity to steward the landscape (and) the parks that we all share in Edmonton,' said city weed specialist Fiona Spitzag. Japanese knotweed The invasive concrete-busting Japanese knotweed can be seen in a photo posted to the Alberta Invasive Species Council website. On Saturday, volunteers learned about the fast-growing, infrastructure-busting Japanese Knotweed, which Spitzag said is near the top of the list of invasive species. 'It's a plant that is present in Edmonton in relatively small numbers, but it grows really quickly,' she said. 'Its roots can grow through tiny cracks in concrete, and as a result, it can damage infrastructure, the foundations of homes, things like that.' The City of Edmonton will hold weed pull events at different locations every Saturday until the fall, with each session focused on different problem plants. You can find more information or register for a weed pull on the City of Edmonton website.
Zawya
16-06-2025
- General
- Zawya
Information recycling and the rise of misinformation
In the early 21st century, terms like 'waste recycling' gained prominence as environmental awareness grew. But in today's digital era, another kind of waste, intangible yet hazardous, demands attention: informational waste. Unlike physical trash, this involves data and ideas endlessly consumed, shared and reshaped without scrutiny. The world now faces an 'information overload' that mirrors material surplus in its capacity to disrupt balance and clarity. 'Information recycling' is a term I propose to describe the repetitive reproduction and sharing of data, until its original meaning erodes. Like recycling physical waste, this process keeps content in circulation, but not always in a healthy or productive way. Often, content is passed along without verification, detached from context or meaning, contributing to semantic chaos. We must ask: are we truly enlightened by this informational abundance, or merely adrift in a sea of trivia and misinformation? In the past, acquiring reliable knowledge required effort. Today, data reaches us before we even seek it. With the rise of the internet and social media, all information, whether valuable or not, can be widely shared and consumed as fact. This unprecedented access has led to cognitive fragmentation. We are not lacking in information, but overwhelmed by it — much of it low-quality, repeated thoughtlessly and rarely examined. This digital saturation fosters a form of cognitive pollution and produces shallow intellects bloated with unchecked snippets rather than deep understanding. More dangerous still is the way repetition lends legitimacy. When content is circulated frequently, it begins to sound credible, even when it's false. Thus, truth becomes a casualty of popularity. Misleading or decontextualised content, recycled for entertainment or bias-confirmation, spreads widely on social media, turning users into unwitting distributors of misinformation. This environment blurs the line between what is accurate and what simply 'feels' true. Another alarming consequence of this phenomenon is the erosion of expertise. In today's influencer-driven culture, the authority of knowledge no longer rests with credentials or research but with likes, views and viral appeal. Experts fade into the background as online personalities dominate discourse, regardless of depth or accuracy. Complex topics are reduced to bite-sized soundbites, stripping issues of nuance. Opinion is mistaken for analysis, memes for facts and the public becomes increasingly suspicious of scholars and professionals, viewing them as elitist rather than informed. This epistemic shift has profound social consequences. Algorithms offer users content that aligns with their preferences, creating 'knowledge bubbles' that reinforce pre-existing beliefs. Shared truths disintegrate and societies fracture epistemically even while living side by side. In politics, recycled misinformation becomes a tool for manipulation, shaping public opinion and deepening division. Rumors are weaponised and individual biases are amplified rather than questioned. To combat this, we need a healthier knowledge ecosystem built on critical filtering and intellectual discipline. Just as cities combat pollution through waste sorting, our minds require careful curation of information. Schools must teach how to differentiate facts from opinions and foster critical thinking and slow, reflective reading. We need an epistemic pedagogy that instils not just knowledge but discernment. Reclaiming a culture of inquiry starts with individuals. Each person must become an active filter questioning sources, seeking context and resisting the temptation of superficial consumption. Academic and media institutions must also redraw boundaries, clarifying that not all content is knowledge and not all voices carry equal weight. Without such measures, we risk becoming echo chambers for misinformation, reinforcing rather than challenging our cognitive habits. 'Information recycling' is not a passing trend but a mirror reflecting our fraught relationship with knowledge in the digital age. We've moved from scarcity to saturation but lost depth and clarity. To restore intellectual balance, we must treat knowledge not as a commodity but as a responsibility. Only through awareness, reflection and rigorous engagement can we hope to distinguish truth from illusion and recover the integrity of our shared understanding.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After 70 years, Charles Paddock Zoo has a new name. What to know
After 70 years, the Charles Paddock Zoo has unveiled a new name, logo and brand identity. To mark the zoo's birthday, the Charles Paddock Zoo has been renamed to the Central Coast Zoo, according to a Friday news release. The rebranding effort included discussion by the City Council, city staff, the Friends of the Charles Paddock Zoo, TJA Advertising Agency, local tourism agencies and community members, the release said. After deliberation the 'Central Coast Zoo' was the fan-favorite. The zoo's updated logo keeps the iconic oak tree, but has a new font and color palette. A children's activity book is included in the brand refresh, for the zoo to enhance its education efforts at camps, local schools and other academic pursuits, according to the release. To honor its origins, the zoo's entrance will be named Charles Paddock Plaza, with a bronze statue of founder Charles Paddock and his beloved opposum, Cosmo Topper, the first animal he cared for, the release said. The Central Coast Zoo recently earned accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for another five years, an honor held by only 10% of zoos worldwide, the release said. The zoo is also launching 'Zoo 2.0,' a marketing initiative to promote environmental awareness, sustainable practices and enhance the zoo's visibility in Atascadero. The Central Coast Zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, and is located at 9100 Morro Road in Atascadero.
