Germany has 847 energy co-ops, and there are 713 in the Netherlands. Canada has 82. While central electricity generation and distribution has worked well in the past, community energy co-ops could play an important role in a more distributed system that is resilient under climate change

Martens are good climbers and often make their nest in a tree where 2-4 young are born in March or April www.naturecompanion.ca/animals/mart... #NatureCompanion

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2025: “Science writing is art. It is also information, arguments, and activism. It kindles sparks of wonder and rings bells of alarm. It names and documents the horrors, and paves the pathways toward hope.” www.harpercollins.com/products/the...

Join Alberta Wilderness Association for a short winter hike by moonlight on Feb. 1 www.albertawilderness.ca/product/adve...

Fun ways to celebrate Dark Sky Week, green hair salons, spa treatments for whales, and peatland restoration: EcoWest News, January 13, 2026

The EcoFriendly West Fund is pleased to support the Southern Interior Land Trust whose goal is to conserve and restore land for wildlife in the Okanagan region siltrust.ca/about-us/

In winter, Mountain Goats move to south/southwest-facing mountain slopes and windswept ridges where it will be easier to find food www.naturecompanion.ca/animals/moun... #NatureCompanion

Car headlights produce sudden bursts of bright light directed horizontally and reaching directly into areas that would otherwise remain dark. They’re one of the most widespread and least understood sources of artificial light at night.

In Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing, Lili Taylor shares her surprise and delight in observing birds, from bluebirds nesting in her backyard to migrating birds viewed from the top of the Empire State Building www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743576...

Taking a look at urban wildlife in Regina and Saskatoon, deer in Oak Bay, and coyotes in Edmonton

ICYMI News, nature, and climate action in Western Canada ecofriendlywest.ca/ecowest-news...

Fraser Valley Conservancy has turned a puddle into a wetland habitat in Williams Park, Langley fraservalleyconservancy.ca/what-a-place...

From chopsticks to tables, converting school buses from diesel to electric, a beaver hotline, and free power - EcoWest News, January 6, 2026

My latest for @science.org—a major European effort to understand the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining begins this year. It aims to answer major open questions as the ISA finalizes regulations.

Montrealer Fatih Amin born Bangladesh. Brings Quebec youth to climate crisis. "My village coped with floods, land erosion, fires and droughts every year..families lose everything; never really recover" @climatedesk.org @katharinehayhoe.com www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/20/o...

The Alberta government is proposing a major overhaul of the Bow Valley’s trail network with the new official routes grouped together in areas where they will have less impact on wildlife

Bighorn Sheep are social animals living in groups in alpine meadows and on mountain slopes. The males and females only mingle during the fall mating season www.naturecompanion.ca/animals/bigh... #NatureCompanion

Winter learnings : Learn more about the Nocturnal Owl Surveys Conducted Across #Canada www.birdscanada.org/bird-science... #Birds #Conservation #Volunter for #Science

Should I pour this (leftover sauce, sour milk, paintbrush cleaning water) down the sink? Probably not – and here’s why

The ChopValue franchise takes discarded chopsticks out of the trash and turns them into tables, coasters, cutting boards, and other items - 350,000 chopsticks a week from Vancouver International Airport, Simon Fraser University, and various restaurants

The Manchester Pigeon Rehab Facebook group’s 3,000 members work collaboratively, each contributing specific skills, to rehabilitate injured pigeons

The Amazon’s stingless bees, key rainforest pollinators, have been granted legal rights. This makes the bees visible and affirms their essential role in preserving ecosystems.

Australians are being offered 3 hours of free power to encourage them to schedule their activities to take advantage of the boost in solar power at midday

Western Larches are up to 150-200 ft tall and 4-7 ft in diameter. The first branches are often 50 feet up the tree. The bark can be up to 6 in thick www.naturecompanion.ca/trees/westlar/ #NatureCompanion

As cocoa production plunges, scientists are enhancing the flavour profile of carob, a climate-resilient plant grown in the Mediterranean

Electric trucks, vans, and bikes are a common sight in Europe. Here are two examples from Belgium’s bpost

Let’s show some respect for pigeons. They’re the unsung hero of every major city in the world

The fruit of American Hazelnuts has a ruffled wrapping. The fruit of Beaked Hazelnuts is long, tubular, and beak-like (hence its name) www.naturecompanion.ca/trees/hazel/ #NatureCompanion

Recycled cooking oil is keeping down the dust on dirt roads www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Why Rats Laugh & Jellyfish Sleep and Other Enchanting Stories of Evolution by David Stipp is “a paean to the art of asking interesting questions and formulating reasonable answers” davidstipp.com

@realityclimatique.bsky.social‬ @desmog.com @davidsuzukifdn.bsky.social @350canada.bsky.social @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social‬ @citizenslobbyca.bsky.social @climatenews.bsky.social @climateinstitute.bsky.social @myzerocarbon.org‬

One School One Farm Shelterbelt Project is inviting Saskatchewan schools to sign up to grow and plant yellow coneflowers this spring www.facebook.com/ShelterbeltP...

EcoWest News highlights: 1) Living with water; 2) protecting SK peatlands; 3) Household savings from heat pumps; and 4) New all-season resorts in AB

A section of the bike parking garage at Rotterdam Central train station

Garry Oaks are the only species of oak native to British Columbia. They grow in a narrow strip along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island and on the Gulf Islands www.naturecompanion.ca/trees/garry/ #NatureCompanion

Conservation Confidential: A Biologist Investigates the Clash Between Progress and Nature by Alberta biologist Lorne Fitch explores the clash between environmental stewardship and human ambition rmbooks.com/products/con...

Community Leaders & Books, November 2025: from hiking and grassland birds to plant spirals, the Earth’s deep past, and Manitoba lakes

Catastrophic flooding in BC and WA is putting thousands at risk. We’ve always had heavy rain and floods; but as the world warms, they’re becoming more frequent and severe. And it was a UVic research team that ID'd the human fingerprint in increasing extreme precip. www.nature.com/articles/nat...

One of the most highly cited academic articles on the safety of glyphosate has been retracted, eight years after court documents revealed it was ghostwritten by Monsanto retractionwatch.com/2025/12/04/g...

Fort Whyte Alive is a reclaimed urban green space offering nature exploration and outdoor recreation. Their award-winning visitor centre meets commercial PassiveHouse standards, a first for Manitoba www.fortwhyte.org

EcoWest News highlights: 1) A National Peatland Strategy; 2) A second dark sky preserve in Manitoba; 3) Bees in North Vancouver; and 4) Precipitation in Saskatchewan

The EcoFriendly West Fund is pleased to support Wildsight’s work in defending wildlife, wild places, and clean water in BC’s Columbia and Rocky Mountains wildsight.ca

The City of Winnipeg is considering eliminating bird-friendly window requirements for select mall sites and corridors. Every low- to mid-rise structure accounts for about five bird deaths annually; tall buildings may cause 10 bird deaths annually

Bur Oaks can live a long time. They don’t start producing seeds until they’re 35 and are most productive between 75 and 150 years www.naturecompanion.ca/trees/buroak/ #NatureCompanion

Canada's most lucrative fishery — and a global black market — rely on American eel. But Canada was among the countries who voted against global trade restrictions on the eel last week, and won't list it under the Species At Risk Act, @moiradonovan.bsky.social reports. thenarwhal.ca/american-eel...

The Call of the Honeyguide by Rob Dunn “is a call to action for a more mutualistic, less lonely future. It is a call to remember to listen to, touch, smell, and engage with the other species around us” www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/rob-d...

Dark sky-friendly tips for holiday light decorations: useful, targeted, low level, controlled by timers or sensors, and warm coloured

The Alberta Coalition for Watershed Security is working to restore and protect Alberta’s watersheds through coordinated advocacy, capacity-building, and long-term systems change www.albertawatershedsecurity.ca

EcoWest News highlights: 1) Embedding wildlife corridors in community plans; 2) A national energy grid; 3) Hospitality industry cuts waste; and 4) Burrowing Owl Alliance

Herring Gulls are loud and competitive scavengers. They drop clams and other shellfish on exposed rocks or parking lots in order to break the shells and get at the soft interior www.naturecompanion.ca/birds/herrgu... #NatureCompanion