Education not just progression - they are not the same

Today corporate Canada and the town of Newmarket celebrate. Aside from the grip and grin photo op for local media (we can't expect the big boys to care about these 'smaller' stories) there really is something to celebrate.

Newmarket Mayor Tom Taylor and his council teamed up with Honeywell to develop a 10-year, $1.6-million retrofit project that would reduce the town's greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 563 tonnes per year. That's the equivalent of removing 83 mid-size cars from the road, according to Environment Canada.

Even better is that this retrofit program is not just about updating old methods and older city buildings. The program also includes an educational component to ensure that energy conservation will have a lasting effect. While some may balk at the price tag, it really is a coup that a town would choose not only invest in updating their buildings, but also in the education of their personnel. The fact is, while we can continue to pump money into fixing our toys, only a change in direction will provide the fundamental shift necessary for a lasting, positive change.

And that's not the only bright spot. According to an online news source from India, all secondary students in the Ludhiana school district will now be required to learn environmental studies. OK, ok, so it's only ONE district in a rather large and populous country, but for anyone that has ever been or seen this great democratic nation, they know that India's dense population has an immense environmental impact. Yet, the greatest dilemma in this equation is teaching the population that there are rather significant effects from their decades-old push for true economic independence.

Hence, it truly is heartening to know that in pockets all around the world, people, institutions and corporations are acknowledging the importance of education, not just progression.