Conversations That Matter

The Right Stuff - Judy Desjarlais

The Right Stuff  

Guest - Judy Desjarlais 

 

“The Right Stuff” is a 1979 book by Tom Wolfe that celebrates the remarkable heroics for the flyboys that beat the odds and slipped the bonds of the Earth for the first time. The focus of the book is on the guts and determination it took to risk it all in the pursuit of a worthy cause.

 

Judy Desjarlais is made of that same stuff – fearlessness, drive, determination, the ability to see opportunity where others don’t, and the willingness to go for it knowing full well that she doesn’t have all the answers. Judy says, “Sometimes you just gotta put yourself out there, you gotta start and not stop.”

 

For the past 18 years, Judy and her business partner and husband Boomer have been beating the odds in British Columbia’s oil patch. They fought their way through the great recession of 2008. They survived the decimation of the energy sector. And now they are poised to benefit from a resurgent economy in northeastern BC. 

 

Judy says, “The key to success is a willingness to do what others won’t, for more hours every day than you can imagine. And at times, you have to say to your family: I love ya, but I just gotta do this.” She adds, then you need to add in a healthy dollop of faith because “faith is what got Boomer and me through some really tough times. It was needed as support for the nerves of steel we required to get through.”

 

Stuart McNish invited Judy Desjarlais of TOP NOTCH Oilfield Contractors to join him for a Conversation That Matters about a mindset that will not accept defeat.

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Is all Methane Created Equal?- Guest: Robert Howarth, PhD

Is all Methane Created Equal?

Guest: Robert Howarth, PhD

 

The debate over agricultural methane is raging – cow burps and cow manure are in the eye of the storm. Dr Robert Howarth of Cornell University says, “Teasing the global warming potential of agricultural methane out of the global warming equation as less potent doesn’t matter because methane is methane.” 

 

Haworth, however, acknowledges that “cow-produced methane is not the big culprit in global warming potential. It is by far and away the fossil fuel industry and in particular shale gas production that is of the greatest concern.” The reason Haworth says that shale gas-produced methane is a more potent greenhouse gas is because of the carbon isotope within it.  Haworth says, “If you look at CO2 from fossil fuels and from most methane, the C-12 isotope is present, whereas in shale gas, the larger C-13 isotope is also present and it has different GHG impacts.”

 

Haworth agrees with Dr. Myles Allen of Oxford University, who says, “The traditional way of accounting for methane emissions from cows overstates the impact of a steady herd by a factor of four. The errors distort cows' contributions – both good and bad – and, in doing so, give fossil fuel CO2 producers a free pass on their total GHG contribution." 

 

Stuart McNish invited Dr Robert Howarth of Cornell University to join him for a Conversation That Matters about digging deeper to understand the complex world of methane.

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One Billion Plastic Bottles - David Katz

One Billion Plastic Bottles

Guest: David Katz

 

Plastic, plastic, plastic – it is everywhere. It is woven into the fabric of the human experience in every country in the world. Plastic delivers water to your tap; it takes that same water away after it exits your sink. Plastic is wrapped around the wires in your home and it has reduced the likelihood of fire inside your home dramatically.

 

You can’t live without the stuff. In most cases, plastic is the better environmental choice. The life cycle assessment of plastic over glass for bottles tips in favour of plastic by a long shot. That is, until that flimsy plastic bottle that is filled with a beverage gets tossed aside with no regard to where it will end up. The same is true of plastic over paper straws.

 

Not to be high and mighty about it, but plastic bottles in most advanced countries do not end up in the ocean or rivers, streams and lakes. They end up in landfills, which is better than in a body of water. But even in a landfill, plastic poses problems.

 

The big problem is plastic that isn’t headed to a managed garbage dump. Rather, it simply gets tossed aside. David Katz identified this problem seven years ago and that motivated him to start the Plastic Bank.  He just reported, “Plastic Bank has now directed more than one billion plastic bottles from entering the world’s oceans. That’s 20 million kilograms of plastic.”

 

Katz says, “We worked with more than 17,000 individual collectors in Haiti, the Phillipine, Indonesia, Brazil and Egypt to collect plastic from vulnerable coastal communities.”

 

We invited David Katz of Plastic Bank to join us for a Conversation That Matters about working to ensure plastic can be recycled, can be a part of the circular economy and can continue to play a positive role in people’s lives.

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Farming is a Risky Business: Kristjan Hebert

Farming is a Risky Business

Guest: Kristjan Hebert

 

 

 

Farming is a risky business.

 

According to Kristjan Hebert, reducing that risk comes down to numbers. “You used to be able to blame financial losses on the weather,” he says, “You can’t do that anymore.”

 

He uses an 8,000-acre (32 square kilometre) farm as an example. To him, that’s one seeder, two combines, one sprayer and three full-time workers plus the owner.

 

“The cost to operate that farm runs about $400 an acre, he says. It means the farmer needs to have access about $3.2 million in cash and working capital to operate the farm from January through to harvest. The farmer also needed another $350 an acre in capital investment.

 

Knowing the farm’s costs exactly allows farmers and their lenders to make informed decisions and run sophisticated enterprises.

 

“Central to risk management,” he says, “Is the adoption of technology in farming.”

 

Hebert said technology today allows much more sophisticated data collection, allowing farmers to produce budget projections while allowing for unpredictable weather. Through the use of proper risk management programs, “you can get your variants to be a lot smaller” on the downside.

 

We invited Kristjan Hebert for a Conversation That Matters episode about the business of farming in Canada.

 

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Do you put your money where your mouth is? - Sean Carter

Ep 342 - Do you put your money where your mouth is?

Guest: Sean Carter

“Social entrepreneurship is the road less travelled, but is one of the paths that can lead to the building of hybrid businesses with triple bottom line,” said Oscar Auliq-Ice, the founder of Icetratt. The company focuses on investments in socially responsible companies that include the arts.

 

Auliq-Ice also said, “There is no better way to make money than doing what you love and are passionate about” – which is a great idea and a wonderful concept, right up until the moment you realize you don’t have the money nor the network. John MacLachlan Gray knew this when he wrote and produced “Billy Bishop Goes to War.” Fortunately for Gray, angel investor Haig Farris came along with money and a network of people who took an East Vancouver production to stages internationally. Farris says the success of the play “was a career highlight.”

 

Not all artists are so fortunate. Sean Carter knows this and he is a passionate supporter of passionate artists. And he wants you to be as well. He just published a book titled “Creative Impact - Impact Investing” – a book that speaks about a growing number of foundations that support the arts. Carter says, “Artists raising money is extremely difficult because when they sit down across the table from millionaire venture capitalists, there is a deficit of legitimacy” making it next to impossible to raise money and stay in control of artist ownership.

 

We invited Sean Carter to join us for a Conversation That Matters about putting your money in investments that support artists.

 

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Is British Columbia leading the way in Digital Health? - Sylvain Mreno

Ep 341 - Is British Columbia leading the way in digital health?

Guest: Sylvain Moreno

 

When the COVID-19 pandemic forever changed our lives, it also forever changed the way we receive primary healthcare. In an instant, healthcare went digital. Thankfully, foundational tools were in place that allowed us to connect with our doctors and clinics and we were afforded the opportunity to receive basic care. 

 

Telehealth has been in place for seniors in remote and rural communities that were enrolled in the community paramedic program. That same healthcare interface was not available to most British Columbians; they were required to visit their doctor even if they had mobility challenges.

 

Now we’re all eligible to receive ongoing monitored health care from home. The delivery of those services, however, demands a complex and multi-disciplinary approach that relies heavily on technology. It can be done, but doing so will require a rollout of many new mobile applications that we apparently want. In a recent poll, more than 55% of us said yes, we like digital health and we want more of it. In other words, no going back please.

 

That’s great. However, developing, testing and implementing healthcare technology is challenging. Healthcare professionals are not technology developers and vice versa. Thankfully, we’re on the cutting edge here in BC. The Digital Health Circle is drawing on a centre of excellence in technology development in BC, coupled with healthcare rollout experts.

 

We invited Dr Sylvain Moreno of Digital Health Circle to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the delivery of healthcare going forward, the expertise he and his team bring to technology innovators, and why BC is positioned to be a world leader in online healthcare.

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What is the Magnitude of Western Alienation? - Preston Manning

Ep 340 - What is the Magnitude of the Alienation Plan?

Guest: Preston Manning

 

Western Alienation is one thing – separation is another. Preston Manning says, “Separation does not enhance Alberta’s clout. In fact, it diminishes it.” As a standalone landlocked entity, Alberta will have less bargaining power than it has now, according to Manning. He says it’s time to think big.

 

Alberta was carved out of the massive region known as the Northwest Territories to limit its influence politically and economically in 1905. And Manning asks, “What is the magnitude of your objective? Do you want to be a small little country that would be under tremendous pressure to join the United States within 20 to 30 years? Or do you want to re-invigorate the role and magnitude of the great northwest?”

 

Manning maintains that the future belongs to the West: “We’re on the right end of the country as Asia-Pacific influence continues to grow.” With a smile, he says, “That’s my optimism showing!”

 

We invited Preston Manning to join us for a Conversation That Matters about Alberta, the current state of discontent and a potential path forward. 

 

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Is the Great Barrier Reef Really Dying? _ Gareth Phillips

In a Conversation with Patrick Moore, he stated the Great Barrier Reef is not dying. Marine biologist and reef expert Gareth Phillips says that is true. “The reef is not dying. It is the healthiest reef in the world but that’s not to say it isn’t being affected by changes in climate.”

 

Phillips runs Reef Teach located in Cairns, Australia, which is about 50 kilometres by boat from the closest point of contact to the reef. And he says, “The reef is beyond great – it’s gigantic. It’s made up of trillions, gazillions of jellyfish-style animals the size of a pinhead, known as coral polyps. These polyps are the nucleus of the ecosystem that is home to 70 unique bioregions that are a living, breathing organism which changes to meet environmental conditions.”

 

It’s important to know the reef is a living organism and like all living beings, it is affected by changes in its environment. Phillips says, “Just like you and me, when the temperature changes we change, we shed and we embrace elements in our bodies that are going to ensure our comfort and survivability. It’s the same with the reef.”

 

One way the reef stays healthy is through bleaching, which Phillips says “is a natural part of the life cycle of a reef. Mass bleaching, however, isn’t. And when that happens, it is a sign of stress and a telltale sign of human impact such [as] was seen in 2016 and ’17. The good news is we are not seeing the mortality rates that were originally predicted.”

 

We invited marine biologist Gareth Phillips to join us for a fascinating Conversation That Matters about the Great Barrier Reef and what we can all do to ensure it remains as healthy as possible.

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Agriculture - Problem or Solution? - Dr Jeff Seale

Ep 338 - Agriculture - Problem or Solution?

Guest: Dr Jeff Seale

 

Agriculture and climate are inextricably connected, according to Jeff Seale, the Director of Climate Policy and Strategy at Bayer Crop Science. Agriculture is the number two contributor to atmospheric greenhouse gases.

 

The good news, according to him, is that agriculture can be a part of the solution. Seale says, “Essentially, it boils down to the things we can do on the farm to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. The soil, he says, has the potential to be the second largest carbon sink on the planet behind the ocean.

 

Seale goes on to ask out loud, "How do we leverage that?" Central to the answer is an understanding of the relationship between growing organisms and carbon in the photosynthetic process. All plants, grasses, trees, fruits, and vegetables utilize carbon as the cornerstone of their structure. The enzyme RuBisCo separates carbon from oxygen and keeps the carbon as the building block of the plant and returns the oxygen to the atmosphere. 

 

Seale says, “The question is, how can we more effectively drive more of that carbon below the ground? As well as, once it's there, how do we keep it there?” He claims one of the exciting aspects of his work is determining how to work with microbial species that exist in the soil below the ground. 

 

We invited agricultural climate specialist Dr. Jeff Seale to join us for a Conversation That Matters, Food For Thought episode, about working with plants to help reduce carbon in the atmosphere.

 

 

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Did Four Pillars Fail? - Julian Somers

Ep 337 - Did Four Pillars Fail?

Guest: Julian Somers

 

Twenty one years ago, the city, the province and the feds signed the Vancouver Agreement, which is better known as the Four Pillars strategy. It was designed as a shared “vision of creating a healthy, safe and sustainable” Downtown Eastside. A long list of objectives were designed to improve health and access to emergency and crisis interventions, better access to hospital care; reduce preventable deaths; reduce overall costs to the economy related to substance misuse; reduce crime; make the Downtown Eastside safe; and promote economic links between it and the city as a whole. The list of missed objectives is long.

 

According to Dr. Julian Somers, a Simon Fraser University addictions, mental health and homelessness expert, “If we want to bring about real change, you can’t do it the way we are. To affect real change, we have to come to understand the causes of addiction and the conditions that promote positive change. Under the current leadership, we have been backed into a corner where the civic duty of every British Columbian now includes knowing how to administer narcan.”

 

We invited Dr. Julian Somers to join us for a Conversation That Matters about how we can develop a path to recovery from homelessness and addiction – a path, he maintains, is attainable for everyone but not by the current methods. 

 

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