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Contemporary Family TrendsContemporary Family Trends

Families and the Environment:Understanding, Cultivating and

Celebrating their Links

Barbara VogtApril 2008

94 PROM.CENTREPOINTE DR. OTTAWA, ONTARIO,CANADA K2G6B1 TEL:(613) 228-8500 FAX/TLC : (613)228-8007 WWW.VIFAMILY.CA

PatronHer Excellency The Right Honourable

Michalle Jean, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.Governor General of Canada

Founded by the late

Right HonourableGeorges P. Vanierand the late HonourablePauline Vanier

Prsidente dHonneurSon Excellence la trs honorable

Michalle Jean, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.Gouverneure gnrale du Canada

Fond par feu le trs

HonorableGeorges P. Vanieret lHonorablePauline Vanier

President/PrsidentAllan D. MacKay

Chair, Executive CommitteePrsident, Comit Excutif

Jean T. Fournier


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The Vanier Institute of the Family was estab

lished in 1965 under the patronage of Their

Excellencies Governor General Georges P

Vanier and Madame Pauline Vanier. It is a nationa

voluntar y organization dedicated to promoting the

well-being of Canada's families through research

publications, public education and advocacy. TheInstitute regularly works with businesses, legislators

policy-makers and program specialists, researchers

educators, family service professionals, the media and

members of the general public.

Contemporary Family Trends is a series of paper

authored by Canadian experts on topics related to

families in Canada.

The opinions expressed in this report are those of the

author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the

Vanier Institute of the Family.

About the author

Barbara Vogt

After having finished a DHSS (Diploma of Higher Spe-cialist Studies) in Urban Planning and Environment at

the University of Nantes in France, Barbara Vogt thenworked in the domain of scientific leisure and naturediscovery (introduction to ecology for youth, trainingof animators). Living in Montreal, Quebec since 1995,she has committed herself to coordinating educationalprojects involving the environment with Environ-nement-Jeunesse as well as the development of eco-logical and responsible consumption choices withquiterre at the heart of the Rseau des projets dAgri-culture soutenue par la communaut (ASC) (Networkof agricultural projects supported by the community),and the projects, ``Moi Je Mange Bio`` (I eat organic)(raising public awareness) and Garderies Bio. She isinvolved with the Board of Directors of the Table filirebiologique du Qubec, the Conseil daccrditationagroalimentaire du Qubec (organic designation) andcurrently the Conseil dadministration du Rseauqubcois des femmes en environnement (RQFE). Shehas two children and her current challenge is to solid-ify her ecological beliefs and her preoccupations for amore durable future within the daily realities of familylife.

This report was translated from the original French text

Ce rapport est disponible en franais


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The Vanier Institute of the Family 3

Contents

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 5IS THE ENVIRONMENT A FAMILY CONCERN? ........................................................... 5

What Do We Mean by TheEnvironment?.................................................................... 5Ecology: From Science to Politics ......................................................................................... 5

The Health of the Earth and Societys Responsibility ................................................... 7Families and the Environment: A Family Perspective on Environmental Questions .... 8

FAMILIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT: A CASE OF MUTUAL IMPACT ......................... 9Families and their Relationship to the Environment ..................................................... 9Changes in the Lifestyle and Composition of the Canadian Population ..................... 10Environmental impacts on families ............................................................................. 11

The Impact of Urbanization on the Quality of Life of Families ............................................. 11Environmental Contaminants and Health ............................................................................ 12Categories of Environmental Contaminants and Sources of Exposure ............................... 12The Effects of Contaminants ............................................................................................... 14Risks of Contamination According to Gender and Occupation ............................................ 14Endocrine Disruptors and Reproduction .............................................................................. 15Childrens Vulnerability ....................................................................................................... 16Toxic Nation: Contaminated Canadian Families .................................................................. 17Populations in Northern Canada .......................................................................................... 17Low-income Families ........................................................................................................... 17Environmental Hypersensitivity Disorders: The New illnesses ............................................ 18Social and Economic Impacts of Environmental Deterioration ............................................ 18The Example of Overfishing ................................................................................................ 18Social and Economic Costs of Air Pollution ......................................................................... 19Medium and Long Term Risks of Climate Change .............................................................. 19

The impact of families on the environment................................................................. 19Our Ecological Footprint and Over-Consumption ................................................................ 20The Problem of Hidden Costs .............................................................................................. 20How Families Feed themselves ........................................................................................... 21Housing, Transportation, and Waste: A Wasteful and Polluting Trio? ................................. 22

THE FAMILY BASIS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY ............................... 25Awareness of the Impact of Family Choices .............................................................. 25Family Values and Environmental Responsibility ....................................................... 25Change: Constraints and Catalysts ............................................................................ 26Environmental Responsibility: The Role of Education and Information ...................... 28Concrete Actions: What Families Can Do Now .......................................................... 30

Responsible Consumerism .................................................................................................. 30Citizen Families ................................................................................................................... 31


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Families and Environment: Understanding, Cultivating and Celebrating their Links- Barbara Vogt4

Limits to Families role: What Society Must Do .................................................................... 31The Collective Responsibilities of Society toward Families ........................................ 32

Government Policies ............................................................................................................ 32Local Policies ....................................................................................................................... 32The Role of NGOs, Professional Associations, and Labour Unions .................................... 33The Role of Businesses ....................................................................................................... 34CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 35

ONLINE RESOURCES: ................................................................................................ 36Information on sustainable development and the environment: ................................. 36Government of Canada initiatives to encourage families to protect the environment: 36

Consumer Incentive Programs: ........................................................................................... 36Canadian NGOs: ................................................................................................................. 37Environmental Health NGOs: .............................................................................................. 37Professional Associations: ................................................................................................... 37Responsible Consumer Portals: .......................................................................................... 37


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Families and Environment:

Understanding, Cultivating and Celebrating their Links

by Barbara Vogt

INTRODUCTION

This article is a first step in exploring the relationship between families and the environment.

Although families are in constant interaction with the environment in the course of their daily

activities, exercise a real impact on the environment and suffer the consequences of

environmental problems, this relationship is rarely discussed. In Part One of this article, wepresent a very brief survey of environmental issues and a definition of sustainable

development; in Part Two, we describe the environmental problems that particularly affect

families, as well as the ways in which families impact on these problems. In Part Three, we

attempt to analyse the means whereby families can be agents for environmental responsibility,

and the ways in which collective entities such as governments, municipalities, industry, and

NGOs can encourage families to adopt behaviours that contribute to the implementation of

sustainable development.

IS THE ENVIRONMENT A FAMILY CONCERN?

What Do We Mean by TheEnvironment?

Ecology: From Science to Politics

The invention of the term ecology is attributed to the German biologist Ernst Haeckel. Its

roots are in the Ancient Greek word okos, which means house, dwelling, home; around

1866, Haeckel used this word to describe the study of living organisms in terms of their habitat

and their interactions with one another. As to the word environment, it appeared in the


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twentieth century, and at first had a meaning equivalent to the word milieu or habitat.1The

study of ecology progressively came to include research into human behaviour and its effects

on ecosystems. It was in the 1950s that the notion of ecology began to enter the political sphere

through scientific studies of environmental damage, opening the way for environmental

defence movements whose aim was to preserve natural habitats.2Rachel Carsons book Silent

Spring3 is often cited as the catalyst for awareness about the disastrous effects of post-war

agricultural industrialism. Western societies found themselves facing a problem that was both

scientific and moral:how far can human beings go, in an exploitation of natural resources which

is guided by the thirst for profit?

The concept of environmental protection originated from a range of problems and crises that

led to broader questions about the future of an economic growth based on the exploitation of

natural resources and on a market economy, as well as to questions concerning socioeconomicdisparities (for example those between North and South, between developed and

under-developed countries). In 1987, a Commission headed by then Norwegian Prime

Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland signed the first United Nations report on the State of the

Planet, entitled Our Common Future;4 around the same time, the concept of sustainable

development was born; it became the topic of a heated debate at the 1992 Rio Summit. Although

sustainable development is sometimes misrepresented and its basic tenets often criticized, it

nevertheless provides a global vision of what human beings must now take into account in their

daily lives: the oft-quoted definition of sustainable development as development that meets

the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their

own needs.5

Introductory words in the Brundtland report Our Common Future summarize the relationship

between environmental equilibrium, economic prosperity, and social justice:

We all depend on one biosphere for sustaining our lives. Yet each community, each country, strivesfor survival and prosperity with little regard for its impact on others. Some consume the Earth's

1Environmentalism nowadays refers to a range of political ecology movements.2Jean-Marc Drouin, Lcologie et son histoire(Flammarion, 1993), 20-22.3Rachel Carson, Silent Spring(Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962; Mariner Books, 2002).4United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), Our Common Future(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987).5http://www.worldinbalance.net/agreements/1987-brundtland.html


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resources at a rate that would leave little for future generations. Others, many more in number,consume far too little and live with the prospect of hunger, squalor, disease, and early death. 6

The Health of the Earth and Societys Responsibility

Lessons learned in recent decades demonstrate that local environmental problems become

global problems because of interlocking relationships among natural systemsair, water, and

matter (food chains, carbon and nitrogen cycles, etc.), among climate systems, and because of

global exchanges. Although by no means comprehensive, the following are broad fields within

which human activity has been known to cause problems. They are often interrelated, and

common to most developed countries such as Canada:

transportation, air pollution, and climate changes water pollution and water use (irrigation, dams) urbanization (including urban sprawl) waste management loss and deterioration of arable land loss of fish populations and destruction of marine ecosystems deforestation degradation of biodiversity (deterioration or loss of natural habitats; endangered

species)

implementation of biotechnologies (particularly GMOs in food production)We will examine some of these issues in Parts Two and Three of this article.

However technologically advanced human societies have become, they still depend on the

Earth for survival. Isolated reference is often made to natural resources as if they were a

known, controllable, and endless fund on which humans were entitled to draw. In truth, the

limits of natural resources have already been exceeded, and associated problems have reached

unprecedented proportions due to rapid global demographic and economic growth. The United

Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment conducted a global studyof the state of ecosystems

and of their response to the pressures of human activities. Its report, Living Beyond Our Means,

6WCED, A Threatened Future, Our Common Future(UN Documents Cooperation Circles,http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-01.htm).


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alerts us to the clear danger we face: Human activity is putting such strain on the natural functions

of Earth that the ability of the planets ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for

granted.7

Families and the Environment: A Family Perspective on Environmental Questions

Those who speak out, decide, or act on the front lines of environmental issues are most often

interest groups, industry, governments and supranational organisations, researchers, activist

groups, and citizens coalitions. Among this multiplicity of actors, the family is rarely in the

forefront, and thus appears to have very little voice or power. The familys consumer habits in

relation to the environment, however, are constantly referred to in media messages and by

movements that emphasize the familys role in education.

The economic weight of families has a definite environmental impact. Often unknowingly,

families both play an active role in environmental issues and suffer the consequences of

environmental problems. Families are a place where we develop our character, values, actions,

and choices. Canadians Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees, as well as other scholars and

authors, have demonstrated that the first step on the way to reducing our ecological footprint is

to recognize that the environmental crisis is less a technical and environmental issu per sethan a

social and behavioural problem that cannot be resolved by solutions lying outside that realm. 8

Given that social and behavioural changes are needed to implement sustainable development,

the family obviously has a central role to play.

7United Nations, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Board, Living Beyond Our Means: Natural Assets andHuman Well-being, 5. http://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.429.aspx.pdf8Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees, Our Ecological Footprint (Gabriola Island, BC: New SocietyPublishers, 1995), 16.


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FAMILIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT: A CASE OF MUTUAL IMPACT

Families and their Relationship to the Environment

The Vanier Institute of the Family defines the family as:

.... any combination of two or more persons who are bound together over time by ties of

mutual consent, birth and/or adoption or placement and who, together, assume responsibilities

for variant combinations of some of the following:

Physical maintenance and care of group members Addition of new members through procreation or adoption Socialization of children Social control of members Production, consumption, distribution of goods and services, and Affective nurturance love

Relationship to the environment has two broad aspects:

A material relationship, viathe production and consumption of goods and services A cultural relationship, via the socialization of children and social control.

Meeting families material needs is the basic feature of this relationship: the provision of food,

clothing, housing, transportation, recreation, and a variety of goods and services. A range of

interlocking actions, going back and forth between families and the environment, are thus

created through the nature and origin of all the goods and materials that are consumed by

families: where and how goods and materials are produced, their transportation, and whether

they are sustainable, disposable, or recyclable.

The cultural relationship between families and the environment is played out in the ways in

which family members adopt values, associations, and behaviours that impact on the

environment. Values such as respect for other human beings might extend or not to other

species; likewise, respect for the property of others may or may not carry over to respect for

natural systems and habitats. Other factors are an awareness of the consequences of ones

individual actions on the larger community; the ability to consider the common good before


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ones own individual interests; an openness to compromise; and the acceptance of collective

limitations. The ways in which families represent the world to themselves have a definite

impact on individual members, especially children (for example, parents who perceive the

natural world primarily as an unknown and dangerous place rather than a place for discovery

and marvel are likely to transmit such misgivings to their children). Finally, families daily

activities either support or contradict these values.

Changes in the Lifestyle and Composition of the Canadian Population

The relationship of contemporary Canadian families to the environment is likely influenced by

several factors related to lifestyle and population changes.

In Canada, traditional aboriginal and predominantly rural European lifestyles that hadprevailed over several decades made way, in the course of the twentieth century, to primarily

urban lifestyles. The direct and daily relationship to the environment based on primary

necessity has become increasingly tenuous; occasionally revived through seasonal or

recreational activities (hunting, fishing, gardening, fruit harvesting, canoeing, wildlife

observation, etc.), it is unevenly spread among families according to their lifestyle. Supplying

material needs such as water, food, and other necessities has become the monopoly of a long

chain of production and distribution intermediaries. The gap between consumers and suppliers

has widened, leading to a loss of awareness of supply sources, and of peoples responsibility forthem.

The globalisation of trade has also shaped families consumer habits, leading to the erosion of

cultural significance: meeting the familys material needs is nowadays reduced to seeking the

best possible price for necessary goods. A good metaphor is that of the patchwork quilt,

traditionally fashioned by women using leftover or recycled bits of fabric, which they

transformed into veritable works of art. What could possibly be the meaning of importing such

an article from an Asian sweatshop? This is not a question of Romantic nostalgia for times goneby, but rather of identifying a cultural shift with multiple repercussions on the meaning of life

for individuals and families, on the recognition of competence and know-how, on the economic

status of entire populations, and on human rights and the environment.


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Another dimension that must be taken into account is the diversity of the Canadian population.

Canadas multi-national aboriginal and multi-cultural immigration-based fabric is a source of

great cultural richness. In this context, the basic notion of a relationship with the environment

takes on multiple perspectives and experiences, values and representations. This diversity

provides the possibility of building an environmentally wise vision which accounts for many

perspectives, but it can also make the implementation of policies and behavioural changes more

difficult. These questions require a more detailed examination; we can only flag them here as

being significant.

Environmental impacts on families

In this section we will describe certain environmental problems that impact directly on

Canadian families, beginning with the crucial issue of contaminants and human health, andending with the broader issue of risks created by climate change.

The Impact of Urbanization on the Quality of Life of Families

Quality of life, quality of the environment, and health are intimately linked. In the physical

environment of urban or rural spaces, the quality of buildings (their appearance, insulation,

building materials), urban planning (safe areas, areas designed for children, proximity of

services), and services such as public transit have a major impact on families, particularly ontheir scheduling and on the possibility for each member to live their life according to age-

appropriate needs.

Urban sprawl and suburbs as they have developed over the last twenty years have contributed

to widening the distance between home and work and increasing the distance from community

services such as schools, healthcare, and shops. For a great many families, the result is a higher

daily dependence on the automobile, entailing costs in terms of time, money, and pollution, 9

and also cutting down on physical exercise, which is an increasing source of concern.

9See J.-F. Lefebvre, Y. Gurard , and J.-P. Drapeau, Lautre cologie: cologie, transport et urbanisme, uneperspective macrocologique(GRAME-Ed. Multimonde, 1995), 187 ff.


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Environmental Contaminants and Health

Often without realizing it, families become, in the simple exercise of their essential daily

activities, links in the chain and sometimes victims of current environmental problems

related to food, air, water, cleaning products, cosmetics, building materials, furniture, etc.

Categories of Environmental Contaminants and Sources of Exposure

Environmental contaminants can be chemical (i.e., pesticides), biological (moulds, infectious

agents), or physical (ionizing radiations). We will be dealing here with contaminants which

occur as a consequence of human activity. The main sources of contamination are industrial and

motor vehicle emissions, industrial accidents, the use and disposal of dangerous substances,

waste disposal, and the use of consumer products such as pesticides.10

Exposure to contaminants occurs through contact with skin, inhalation, or swallowing.

Contaminants are transmitted through air, water, earth or dust, food, breast milk, consumer

products, and they also make their way to the unborn foetus.11

10Consumer products are defined primarily as residential equipment (computers, furniture, etc.),clothing, cleaning products, and cosmetics.11Canadian Partnership for Childrens Health and Environment (CPCHE), Child Health and theEnvironment-A Primer (2007), 9-10.


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There are several thousand toxic chemical substances currently in use, presented by category in

Figure 1.

Figure 1: Environmental Contaminants and their sources, by broad categories (Adapted fromChild Health and the Environment-A Primer, a publication of the Canadian Partnershipfor Childrens Health and Environment, 2007).

Contaminant Source

Metals: lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury Paints, old plumbing (lead)

Pesticides include several categories (i.e.organochloric and organophosporouscompounds)

Traces in fruit and vegetables, used in theprocessing of wood, agriculture, and horticultureproducts, in anti-parasite preparations

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) : includeDDT, Heptachloride, PCB (polychlorine biphenols),

dioxins and furans, nonylphenols (detergentsurfactants)

Found in pesticides, solvants, synthetic oils, plasticpaints, incinerator smoke, fatty foods, water

Phtalates Articles containing vinyl (i.e. shower curtains), softplastic, food wrap (may migrate to certain foods),cosmetics

Air pollutants : SO2 (sulfur dioxide), NO2(nitrogen dioxide); CO (carbon monoxide) O3(ozone)

Motor vehicle and industrial smoke emissions

Other airborne contaminants : VOCs (volatileorganic compounds), PAHs (polyaromatichydrocarbons)

VOCs: glues, paints, air purifiers, new furnitureand carpets, naphthalene, cleaning products,solvents

PAHs: petroleum, tar, derivatives of petroleumcombustion.

Alkylphenols Detergents and personal care products

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flameretardants

Computer monitors and television frames, fabricsand materials (furniture, upholstery) treated with

flame-retardants

Perfluorated compounds Non-stick surfaces (i.e. pots and pans), stain-resistant surfaces (i.e. fabrics treated withScotchGuard

benzene Motor vehicle emissions


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The Effects of Contaminants

It is estimated that each year, close to 6000 Canadians are victims of acute intoxication due to

pesticides.12 By analysing data that links air pollution and mortality in eight major Canadian

cities, Health Canada concluded that in these cities, approximately 5900 deaths per year arecaused by air pollution.13 A very large number of studies have demonstrated that certain

substances have proven negative effects on humans, or have suspected links to ill-effects

through exposure to low-level amounts of chemical contaminants. The effects of toxic

substances vary according to the time of exposure (meaning the developmental stage at which

individuals are exposed during their lifetime), length of exposure, quantities, and the

interaction between several substances (an area where knowledge is still sketchy). Sources of

environmental exposure combined with other factors such as hereditary predisposition and

lifestyle habits can increase the risk of health problems. The effect of chemical contaminants on

health are wide and varied, causing cancers, affecting the respiratory system, brain and nervous

system, human reproduction and early development, adrenal system and immune system.

Risks of Contamination According to Gender and Occupation

The place, role, and occupation of individuals within the family unit have a direct impact on

their exposure to contaminants. Unfortunately, few studies have focused specifically on

gendered health problems related to environmental causes. Some research, however, points tothe greater vulnerability of women to respiratory problems, due in part to air pollution. 14

Place and type of work also play a role in adult exposure to contaminants. Professional

exposure to toxic substances in industry and agriculture, for instance, considerably increase the

risk of cancer. Such exposure can also impact on genetic health and on the health of unborn

children. Another example is organic solvents used by parents in the context of their work

(laboratory products, dry cleaning and household cleaning products, thinners, etc.) that can

12David Boyd, David Suzuki Foundation report, Northern Exposure: Acute pesticide poisonings inCanada, 2007.13Health Canada, Clean Air Online http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/Health_Concerns-WSC8A1FE65-1_En.htm14Pierre Lajoie, Quebec Public Health Authority, quoted in Lenvironnement et la sant respiratoire desfemmes, Lise Parent and Caroline Voyer, Sans prjudice pour la sant des femmes, in Rseau qubcoisdaction pour la sant des femmes, 35 (Spring 2005): 9.


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affect the quality of sperm cells and the unborn foetus, the latter by increasing the probability of

spontaneous abortion and congenital malformations.15

Dust particles and the air inside buildings also transmit contaminants. Researchers in Europe

and the United States have found that contaminants from seven of the categories presentedabove were transmitted through interior dust particles,16 affecting all of the population but

particularly children and women. Air quality in schools and daycare centres sometimes

presents problems. A mother who stays mainly at home is at a greater risk of exposure to toxic

substances transmitted through interior air and cleaning products; the risk varies with the type

of building and what it contains, such as upholstered furniture, flame-retardant curtains,

floating floors, pressed wood products, carpet glues, newly-applied varnishes and paints

containing volatile compounds, etc. Sources of interior air contaminants can also be found in a

variety of workplaces. In addition, because of more frequent contact, women are at greater risk

of exposure to contaminants through cosmetics, personal care products, and cleaning products.

Endocrine Disruptors and Reproduction

The phenomenon of substances that act as endocrine disruptors17 is complex and extremely

disturbing because these substances are numerous and come from a variety of sources: PCBs,

dioxins and furans, organochloric pesticides (from the DDT complex), fungicides, pthalates,

bisphenol-A (often used in the manufacture of polymers, dental sealants, colouring agents, fire-retardant agents, and rigid plastic food and water containers), polybrominated diphenyl ethers

(PBDEs) used in flame retardants and other products. The range of effects on a number of

human bodily systems is exceedingly vast, and as yet insufficiently documented. These effects

are commonly linked to such problems as spontaneous abortions and neo-natal mortality, male

congenital malformations, lower sperm counts and quality of sperm cells, testicular cancer,

15CPCHE, Child Health and the Environment-A Primer, 32.16CPCHE, Child Health and the Environment-A Primer, 75. It should be noted that on January 30, 2007,Health Canada launched the Canadian House Dust Study, whose purpose is to measure backgroundlevels of chemicals in house dust in Canadian homes. It is a four-year, four-phased national study whichaims to collect dust samples from up to 1040 randomly selected detached homes spread across 13 cities inCanada.17Endocrine disruptor: chemical substance that enters the body and mimics the action of hormones, thusdisrupting the function of the hormones naturally secreted by the body.


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early puberty, shorter lactation periods for breastfeeding mothers, and cancers of the breast,

prostate, endometrium, and thyroid gland.18

Childrens Vulnerability

From the earliest stages of development in the womb to the end of their growing years, it is

children who are the most vulnerable to environmental pollution. Several factors account for

this greater vulnerability to toxic substances:

Kilogram for kilogram of body weight, a child will eat more food, drink more water, andbreathe more air than will an adult, thereby absorbing greater quantities ofcontaminants;

Children inhale air closer to the ground and floor than do adults; some contaminants arepresent in higher concentrations in the air and dust closer to ground level;

Babies and small children are often more exploratory than adults, and this explorationoften entails putting their hands and objects in their mouths.

Children have different and more vulnerable developing physiological functions(immune system, intestinal absorption, skin texture);

Intra-uterine or early childhood exposure can result in health effects that will sometimesremain latent until adulthood.

Exposure to lead, mercury, and PCBs during pregnancy is known to affect the developing brain.

It is also suspected that exposure to low levels of several neurotoxicants contribute to learning

disabilities, autism, and hyperactivity with attention deficit. Exposure to certain insecticides(agro-industrial or domestic) has been associated with leukaemia and other cancers.19Exposure

to pesticides can also occur through food, since traces of pesticides are found on numerous fruit

and vegetables.20Many children suffer from respiratory problems related to air pollution, and

the incidence of infantile asthma is on the rise.21

18CPCHE, Child Health and the Environment-A Primer, 56-63.19Hundreds of Vietnamese children are still being born with serious malformations due to massivespraying of Agent Orange (a particularly persistent form of dioxin) by the American military between1961 and 1974. See Heather Mallick, As If (The Globe and Mail: June 7, 2003).20Marie-Jose Boudreau, Fruits et lgumes sous la loupe: test pesticides (Magazine Protgez-Vous, May2000).21CPCHE, Child Health and the Environment-A Primer, Chapter 3.


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Toxic Nation: Contaminated Canadian Families

Environmental Defence, an organisation based in Toronto, conducted four studies between 2005

and 2007 to test contamination in adults and children in different regions across Canada. In the

organisations report, entitled Toxic Nation, results obtained from the study of five families fromBritish Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and New-Brunswick demonstrated that harmful chemicals

were found in the urine or blood of every child and parent tested:22

46 out of 68 chemical compounds tested for were detected, including 5 heavy metals,5 PBDEs, 5 PFOs, 9 organochlorine pesticides, 4 organophosphate insecticidemetabolites, and 5 PAHs;

On average, 32 chemical compounds were detected in each parent volunteer and23 chemical compounds were detected in each child volunteer;

In volunteers overall, 38 carcinogens, 23 endocrine disruptors, 12 respiratory toxicants,38 reproductive/developmental toxicants, and 19 neurotoxicants were detected.

It should be noted that Health Canada and Statistics Canada began collecting biomonitoring

data from a thousand individuals for the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) in the

winter of 2007.

Populations in Northern Canada

Analysis of fish, marine mammals, and game, the traditional diet of Inuit communities in

Northern Canada, has demonstrated high levels of contamination from long lifespan substances

such as PCBs, organochlorine pesticides and certain metals. Inuit mothers have higher levels of

breast milk contamination than women in other regions.23

Low-income Families

In every study of environmental health, low-income, minority, and aboriginal families are

singled out for being at higher risk. These are the families more likely to reside in older

buildings contaminated by lead, asbestos, pesticides, or situated near highways or factories

22Environmental Defence, Polluted Children,Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadian Families (2006).http://www.toxicnation.ca/toxicnation-studies/pollution-in-family/Group-Results23Rseau qubcois des femmes en environnement, 2005, leaflet: Les Polluants organiques persistants (POP)et la sant des femmes : un hritage peu enviable. (www.rqfe.org).


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which are more heavily polluted areas. Poor nutrition also increases vulnerability to

contaminants.24

Environmental Hypersensitivity Disorders: The New illnesses

It is estimated that approximately four million people in Canada suffer from environmental

hypersensitivity, also called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, which renders them sensitive to

commonly-found substances of everyday life at levels well below what would be considered to

be acceptable to normal people. Sensitivity reactions can be triggered by scented products,

cleaning products, laundry detergents, paints, petrochemicals, cigarette smoke, pesticides, pets,

plants, fuels, electromagnetic radiation, moulds and foods.Productive people may suddenly or

gradually become unable to tolerate offices, homes, schools, hospitals and public places.25

Such a multiplicity of environmental contaminants, largely unknown to the public and difficult

to avoid, undoubtedly have an impact on the life of families, on their fertility, on the physical

and mental health of children and adults, which in turn leads to an increased demand for

health-care, additional stress, and a greater economic burden.

Social and Economic Impacts of Environmental Deterioration

In addition to health-related impacts, environmental deterioration has marked economic and

social effects on families.

The Example of Overfishing

Since the 1990s, overfishing has been a global issue with sometimes catastrophic repercussions

on local communities. Canada has not been spared. According to a Millennium Assessment

Survey report, the early 1990s collapse of the Newfoundland cod fishery due to overfishing

resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and cost at least $2 billion in income support and

retraining.26

The impact of climate changes on oceans aggravates the problem; coastal regions

24CPCHE, Child Health and the Environment-A Primer, 30.25Allergy and Environmental Health Association of Quebec (AEHA-Quebec), http://www.aeha-quebec.ca/es_definition.htm(accessed January 2008).26Synthesis Report of the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment Board, 2005(http://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.356.aspx.pdf).


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in the Atlantic provinces and British Columbia are the hardest hit and must expend

considerable effort to launch a new economic dynamic to lower unemployment and stem their

populations exodus.

Social and Economic Costs of Air Pollution

As is the case for other types of pollution, total social costs of air pollution in Canada continued

to rise, with increased damage to the environment and related health problems such as

respiratory problems (asthma, emphysema), heart problems, allergies, and problems of the

nervous system. The Ontario Medical Association estimates that air pollution is responsible for

a billion dollars per year in hospital costs, visits to emergency wards, and time taken off work

for health reasons.27

Medium and Long Term Risks of Climate Change

Scientists participating in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predict

that Canada, which is already experiencing climate changes due to Arctic warming, will be

increasingly affected, in the next few decades, by droughts, flooding, problem climate

conditions such as smog, and by sea level rise. 28 Though the impacts of such conditions are

difficult to assess, we know that families, like communities and enterprises, will have to bear

the economic burden of loss of productivity, destruction of material property, and health careand insurance costs generated by climate change.

The impact of families on the environment

Having examined some of the health and economic impacts of the environment on families, let

us now turn to the parallel notion of the familys impact on the environment, in the course of

activities that are typically related to family life. In what ways does the lifestyle of Canadian

families influence the environment, for better or worse? To what degree are families really

27The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian LungAssociation launched an appeal to government in a press release entitled The Big Three Fuel the AirPollution and Health Debate, March 6, 2008 (http://www.lung.ca/media-medias/news-nouvelles_e.php?id=104).28Environment Canada, The Green Lane, Web page : Climate Change An Overview(http://www.ec.gc.ca/climate/overview-e.html).


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aware of the impact they have, and to what degree can they be held responsible for such

impact?

Our Ecological Footprint and Over-Consumption

How do we Measure the Effects of Human Activities on the Environment?

Dissatisfied with the economic calculations used to assess environmental costs, University of

British Columbia researchers Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees devised an alternate

measurement standard called the Ecological Footprint. Taking into account a great number of

factors, the ecological footprint of an individual, family, or nation can be defined as the area of

productive land and water ecosystems required to produce the resources that the population

consumes and assimilate the wastes that the population produces, wherever on Earth the land

and water is located.29

According to Wackernagel and Rees, a Canadians ecological footprint is 7.7 global hectares

(gha) per person; 30 an Americans, 10.3 gha per person; a person living in India, 0.8 gha per

person; the global average is evaluated at 2.8 gha per person. Wackernagel and Rees analyses

and other studies demonstrate that current levels of human activity exceed the earths capacity

to absorb them; in other words, the interest balance of Natures capacity to sustain human

activity is in the red, and humans have already begun to spend the capital.31Several specialists

have concluded that if every person on earth enjoyed the same quality of life as North

Americans, it would require five Earths to satisfy the total material demand.32Beyond a moral

judgement, the over-consumption of affluent societies is a blunt and simple observation.

The Problem of Hidden Costs

It should be remembered that our societies over-consumption is facilitated by arbitrary market

prices that do not reflect environmental and health costs and thus remain unjustly low. Some

29Wackernagel and Rees, Our Ecological Footprint, op.cit.30These calculations underestimate current ecological footprints since they were made in the 1990s andconsumption has increased since then.31See United Nations, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Board, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment,Pre-printed draft: Living beyond our means, Natural assets and human well-being. 2001, accessible viahttp://celp.ucis.dal.ca/Educators/


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economists estimate that Americans should be paying between $5.60 and $15.40 for a gallon of

gas to account for all the separate cost factors associated with the use of automobiles, which

include tax-funded programs that directly subsidize oil companies, as well as environmental,

health and social costs.33

Let us now examine some hard facts about the environmental impacts of lifestyles related to

essential family needs: food, housing, and transportation.

How Families Feed themselves

Todays Canadian families acquire their food supplies mainly through a system of mass

distribution (supermarkets) controlled by a few large corporations (Canadian or not) who

import a share of their products from around the world. The immediate and visible advantages

to this system have been greater choice and variety of available products in all seasons, and

relatively low grocery prices overall; these factors are extremely important to families. 34

Although they do not appear on supermarket labels, the negative effects of supermarket supply

on the environment and society as a whole are massive. 35 Industrialization of agriculture and

dependence on chemical means to manage crops entail a whole range of negative repercussions:

as previously discussed, the ingestion of pesticides affects health in several ways, and chemical

fertilizers contribute heavily to the degradation of arable land and bodies of water.

Another problem is the huge increase in long distance transportation of goods and

merchandise, principally via road and air; currently, the average distance travelled by food

products, from crops to table, is 2500 km!36 This is a nuisance for communities living along

transport roads and, what is worse, causes a significant increase in air pollution and greenhouse

gas emissions (GGEs). A third negative effect is individuals and societys loss of control over a

32For more details, see Ecological Footprint (http://www.footprintnetwork.org/).33See International Center for Technology Assessment, "Real Price Of Gasoline" Report Reveals Actual Cost ofGas to Consumers Is as High as $15.14 per Gallon, (1998)http://www.icta.org/press/release.cfm?news_id=12.34See Peter Menzels touching photos from his book Hungry Planetathttp://www.menzelphoto.com/gallery35Andrew Kimbell, ed., The Fatal Harvest Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture (Island Press, 2002),6-23.


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part of the food supply, which the multinationals and industry giants now dominate to a

great extent. The enormous volume of the purchases they make for the hundreds of food brands

they sell gives them a huge competitive advantage; this in turn gives them powerful influence

over the menus of consumers, as well as over the fate of farmers and food producers. This state

of affairs leads to absurd environmental situations: for example, producers, no longer able to

sell their products in their local supermarkets, must ship them far away to wholesalers, while

similar products imported from another province, or even another country, are readily available

in the producers local supermarket.

Finally, the industrialization of agriculture has a direct effect on biodiversity and human rights

through the development of industrial crops in areas where they are detrimental to natural

ecosystems and indigenous populations. Let us take the example of two frequently-used

ingredients in food production: palm oil and glucose/fructose syrup. Indonesia is one of the

largest producers of palm oil in the world. Local or international companies have bought lands

there, cut down or burned tropical forests and villages, replaced them by monoculture

plantations of palm oil trees, and hired, for low wages, local inhabitants who have now lost

their access to the forest, their traditional activities, their self-sufficient lifestyle, and their own

indigenous culture.37In North America, the production of corn and its many derived products,

including inexpensive glucose/fructose syrup, requires thousands of hectares of highly

polluting and depleting monoculture, huge quantities of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and

sometimes irrigation. Are families aware of these situations, when they go grocery shopping?

Housing, Transportation, and Waste: A Wasteful and Polluting Trio?

When we examine the impact of housing on the environment, we first notice issues involving

construction and renovation: the increased consumption of raw building materials is directly

linked to over-exploited forests which are hugely problematic both in Canada and in other

countries such as Brazil. We must take into account the use of polluting and toxic components

found in certain varnishes, glues, floating floors, and pressed wood products, as well as the

waste generated by renovation and construction. Waste from residential construction sites

36See WorldWatch Institute, Worldwatch Paper #163: Home Grown: The Case For Local Food In A GlobalMarket, (abstract available at http://www.worldwatch.org/node/827).37Socit Radio-Canada Report, Les Annes-Lumires, January 20, 2008.


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represents approximately 12% of all annual waste, even though a significant portion of this

material is re-usable. Space consumption related to urban sprawl and the construction of new

developments consisting of single-family dwellings is also a serious issue. The energy

consumption of dwellings accounts for 20% of total energy consumption in Canada, including

widespread and preventable energy waste due to faulty building insulation, low-efficiency

appliances and poor consumer habits.38Dwellings can also be a source of outright pollution, in

the case of oil and wood heating. Families who legitimately seek to buy or to improve a home at

a reasonable cost are often unaware of all these environmental costs.

Urban planning over the last thirty years has clearly fostered the use of motor vehicles. In 2006,

83% of Canadian families owned or rented at least one vehicle,39at a great cost to consumers

and to society. Cars and light trucks are responsible for 50% of GGEs (2001data), which

continue to climb in Canada. In the context of rising social and healthcare costs, it is important

to remember that, while numerous studies demonstrate that public transit is much more

energy-efficient than the family car, families say that the lack of public transit infrastructures

and services in the suburbs is the main reason why they must own one or more cars.40

More waste is a consequence of economic growth: retail sales and waste production go hand in

hand. In 2004, Canadian homes generated 13.4 million tonnes of waste, or 418 kg per person;

almost three quarters of this waste went directly to landfills while the remainder was recycled.

Theoretically, 85% of domestic waste can be recycled, re-used, or composted. The proportion of

recycled waste in relation to total waste production is still only 27%. Municipalities and families

seem, however, to have made some progress: overall, Canadians access to recycling programs

for glass, paper, plastic, and metal has increased between 1994 and 2006. Over the same period,

Canadian families participation in these programs has also increased: currently, 97% of

Canadians participate in a recycling program when they have access to it.41

As we have seen, families do contribute, especially as consumers, to dire environmental

problems. But it should also be remembered that families are largely dependent on situations

38Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC),The Healthy Housing Renovation Planner, 1999.39Statistics Canada, Envirostats,I/1 (Summer 2007).40See Lefebvre, Gurard, and Drapeau, Lautre cologie: cologie, transport et urbanisme, une perspectivemacrocologique(GRAME-Ed. Multimonde, 1995), chapters 12 and 13.


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that result from the policies and decisions of local, provincial, and national governments, and of

industry and the global market. In this context, what are the choices and responsibilities that

families can truly exercise?

41Statistics Canada, Envirostats,I/1 (Summer 2007); Recyc-Qubec, Bilan 2006.


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THE FAMILY BASIS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Awareness of the Impact of Family Choices

Do families, in fact, have ample leeway with respect to environmental issues, considering they

have to fulfil their basic needs in the face of increased consumer pressure? What are the issues

that can raise the awareness of family members concerning the impact they have on the

environment, and of the necessity of making different choices? In this section, we will examine

some of the values and models that lie behind the lifestyle of families.

Family Values and Environmental Responsibility

How can environmental awareness arise in families, and how does this awareness translate into

action? Are the moral values that lead to quality relationships in human society, similar in

nature to the values that encourage sensitivity to the environment and a more sustainable

society? Sensitivity to the environment has points in common with empathy, and contains

elements of moral judgement compatible with a sense of responsibility.

Empathy, the capacity to understand the feelings of others, is a human quality manifested in the

early stages of childhood. Children develop more empathy when their parents make them

aware of the consequences to others of their bad conduct. 42 Aptitude for empathy leads the

individual to respect certain moral principles, according to psychologist Martin Hoffman.43

The moral values and the behaviour of children are largely modelled on their parents values

and behaviour. Thus one of the crucial roles of the family is to help children acquire socially

appropriate behaviours that call for the internalization of notions of good and bad, and of

responsibility for ones actions. The sense of responsibility toward the environment transmitted

within families appears to be simply a widening of the sense of empathy and responsibility, in

order to include a larger spectrum (ones community, living creatures, Nature, Earth).

42Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ(Bantam Publishers, 1996).43Quoted in Goleman, Emotional Intelligence.


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In the fields of Environmental Law and Ethics, environmental responsibility (also called

ecoresponsibility) is a principle whereby everyone has a responsibility to prevent and repair

damage done to the environment.

Within the meaning of sustainable development, it is useful to remember the notion ofinheritance: current generations have the moral duty to protect natural resources in the interest

of future generations. We do not posses the Earth, we borrow it from our children, says the

well-known Amerindian proverb. If there is a place in society where the notion of heritage, of

inheritance, can acquire meaning and resonance, it is the family. Developing a sense of

environmental responsibility which goes against the consumerist culture and the tyranny of the

short term is one of the familys most crucial tasks. But families cannot by themselves assume

the responsibility for our environmental heritage; all of society must contribute.

Change: Constraints and Catalysts

It often takes an accumulation of varied conditions before an individual acquires sufficient

awareness of a problem and the capacity to adopt appropriate consequent behaviour. In this

section we will attempt to list the factors than can lead to the familys awareness of

environmental issues, and of issues that can slow down or halt the process.

Factors outside the family unit that can trigger environmental awareness are:

an environment-related health problem affecting a neighbour or friend; media broadcasts about environmental issues; family members attachment to natural sites of value and meaning to them; an environmental problem having a direct impact on the familys quality of life or

immediate surroundings (i.e., pollution or site destruction);

belonging to a group or community (school, church, or association) which activelyvalues environmental causes;

experiencing a life-altering event (a human or natural catastrophe, or an extendedperiod of deprivation);

experiencing a simpler lifestyle or one that is closer to Nature.Factors inside the family unit that can trigger environmental awareness are:

a family members environment-related health problem (i.e., a childs allergy topesticides, a family member with cancer potentially caused by environmental damage);


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worry about ones health or ones childrens health; empathy, compassion; strong moral values and a critical outlook; a sense of responsibility for the outside world.

What elements are likely to lead to the decision to adopt better ecological habits? Here are a

few:

Culture and communication within the family, such as:o The capacity to look for solutions to problems, both individually and as a family;o Styles of relationships and decision-making within the family unit, and the capacity

to deal peacefully with different points of view to achieve a constructive outcome;o The capacity to relate the familys and family members happiness to the common

good;

o The satisfaction that comes from acting in a manner consistent with ones values. Outside elements, such as:

o Recommendations from friends or relatives;o Material resources (businesses and services) that facilitate better ecological habits;o Reinforcement of the consequences of changing habits, i.e., to understand that

adopting a healthier lifestyle by regular exercise (such as walking), eating more fruitand vegetables and fewer processed foods is also better for the environment;

o Personal experiences that entail a sense of empowerment in the face of problems;o Belonging to a group that advocates ecoresponsible actions.

Although to a certain extent values and convictions predominate over objective facts such asavailable time or budget, it remains that ones access to choices of behaviour and ones level of

education also have a definite impact on ecoresponsible choices. For example, given the same

budget, certain families will choose to purchase organic food while others will continue to

perceive organic food as too expensive. Similarly, out of two families experiencing similar time

pressures, one separates and recycles its waste while the other avoids recycling because of lack

of time. What then is stopping families from adopting ecologically sound habits?

Constraints within the family:o Degree of emphasis given to consumerism (trends, publicity, shopping as a family

activity);o Choice and priorities given to media (television, internet, commercials);o Difficulty or fear of being different from other family members, neighbours, friends,

relatives and colleagues;


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o Differing perceptions and values among members of the family (i.e., one of theparents is convinced that certain ecologically-friendly behaviours are necessary, butthis opinion is not shared by other members, creating family tensions);

o Negative perceptions related to making changes and adopting different products;o Enduring habits;o Time constraints;o Budget priorities;o Lack of knowledge;o Feeling powerless because of the scope of the problems.

Constraints outside the family:o Lack of choice in ones daily surroundings (little or no choice of ecologically-sound

products and services within the familys physical area of activity);o Cost;o Misleading labelling;o

Lack of information about consumption and environmental health.Discussing future purchases, weighing the pros and cons while considering the advantages and

disadvantages of a product for people and the environment are the stuff of Democracy 101

and Consumer Awareness courses for all members of the family. It is part of the parents

responsibility to educate themselves and their children about the power of consumer societies. 44

The lists above demonstrate how many elements are at work, and that the task of families is far

from being an easy one.

Environmental Responsibility: The Role of Education and Information

Dealing with environmental problems may loom as just one more burden added to a familys

essential tasks and usual constraints. Families are faced with a huge new challenge:

understanding environmental problems, and deciding what to do about them. Information is

available, but it is scattered around a wide variety of sources: magazines, radio and television

broadcasts, labelling, books, and the publications and websites of non-governmental

organizations, governments, and even businesses and research centres. Is this information

accessible to everyone and understandable by all?

44 See K. Daly, The Changing Culture of Parenting, in Contemporary Family Trends (Vanier Instituteof the Family, 2004), http://www.vifamily.ca/library/cft/parenting.html


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Internet publications and books are often highly detailed and are not necessarily the most

accessible sources because of material and time constraints. Although laws on labelling, devised

primarily to regulate food products, cosmetics, and potentially dangerous substances are of

considerable assistance, communication challenges still persist. For example, simply reading the

list of food additives or cosmetic ingredients that appears on many labels is a challenge itself,

virtually requiring a handbook!

In addition, in order to make appropriate choices, people would need to have access to honest

explanations in plain language about the origins, the human and environmental conditions of

manufacture, the contents and the potential risks to human health and to the environment of

the products they purchase. Such information does not appear on product labels and is known

only to specialists; but it would allow consumers a real possibility of exercising their moral and

financial judgement. Let us imagine for a moment the following text, printed on the packaging

of a childs toy: This toy has been produced by underpaid workers in a factory in (name of a

country with weaker labour and social laws than Canada), whose relocation has meant the loss

of (x) number of jobs in Canada, and air pollution in the region of relocation. It is made of

plastic containing phtalates, a potentially hazardous substance; it is designed to break easily, in

order to shorten its lifespan, and will rapidly become a non-recyclable waste object at societys

increased expense; it has been transported over (x) thousand kilometres, causing the emission of

(x) tonnes of greenhouse gas, dust, noxious smoke, etc. Such detailed and straightforward

information would necessarily have an impact on consumer choices.45 Households must

gradually become more informed about the products they purchase. Availability and accessibility

of information and consumer education are the cornerstones of a new consumer culture

involving families in protecting the environment and their own health. It is a major social issue

for which much progress yet remains to be made.

45Several concrete examples of this nature are given in John de Graff, David Wann, and Thomas H.Naylor,Affluenza (Berret-Koheler Pulishers Inc., 2001).


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Concrete Actions: What Families Can Do Now

Responsible Consumerism

Revising ones consumer habits is no longer pioneers work: several how-to guides have beenpublished to help families consider the choices available to them. Changing consumer habits

also sends out a strong public message. Consumaction, for Quebec environmentalist and

social activist Laure Waridel, designates responsibnle consumerism, the expression of a

societys choices through day-to-day purchases. Canadian families are key consumers and

economic players, and businesses do in fact adjust to their clients demands when these

demands are clearly expressed. For example, between 1998 and 2003, the sale value of fair-trade

coffee multiplied by 29 in Canada, which translates as almost 20 million Canadian dollars in

2003 alone.46This was due in great part to consumer awareness-raising campaigns conducted byNGOs like OXFAM, quiterre, and others.

A few simple guidelines to help families consume responsibly:

Cut down on spending (resist shopping fever! 47) Reduce waste: avoid useless packaging and disposable products; re-use (building

materials, furniture, clothes, miscellaneous articles); recycle; compost;

As much as possible, buy local, organically grown products (which display a recognizedcertification

48

) and which are non- or lightly-processed, non- or lightly-packaged, andoriginate from fair trade.49

Save by increasing the energy efficiency of your home (i.e., better insulation, moreenergy-efficient light bulbs and appliances);

Revise your modes of transportation: walk or bicycle when possible, use public transit,car pools, or car sharing (such as the VrtuCar in Ottawa or AutoShare in Toronto), 50and choose fuel-efficient cars;

Limit your exposure to toxic substances by avoiding certain plastic products andcontainers [particularly those bearing plastic identification codes 1 (PET), 3 (PCB), 6

46Laure Waridel,Acheter, cest voter: le cas du caf(cosocit-quiterre, 2005).47Laure Waridel, Moderniser lconomie, in the newspaper Voir (Montreal, January 2008).48Refer to organisations such as Canadian Organic Growers (http://www.cog.ca/buyorganic.htm) orEquiterre (http://www.equiterre.qc.ca/agriculture/paniersBios/index.php).49Laure Waridel, Lenvers de lassiette, et quelques ides pour la remettre lendroit, Ed. cosocit, 2003.50See the Vrtucar website at http://www.vrtucar.com/, and the AutoShare website athttp://www.autoshare.com/.


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(Styrofoam or polystyrene PS), and certain codes 7 (polycarbonates)], by choosingnatural alternatives for cleaning and personal care products, by purchasing ecologicallysound materials and equipment for the home, and by eliminating pesticides.

The list of actions that families can undertake might seem to surpass their capacity to alter their

habits. Yet many families have succeeded in changing their consumer behaviours, one at a time,as they acquired new information. These changes, however, are not possible without the

availability of opportunities in the familys surroundings, that is to say if markets and local

communities themselves fail to evolve.

Citizen Families

The roles and responsibilities of families are not limited to education and consumption: families

can make their concerns known to governments and businesses, and demand that

improvements be made to consumer products or to sustainable development in their

communities. It is the right of families to demand that toxic substances be removed from the

market and that food labelling laws or energy-efficient products be improved.

Limits to Families role: What Society Must Do

In the preceding paragraphs, we have emphasized the familys responsibilities with respect to

environmental issues. But it can also be argued that families are able to play only a modest role

in effecting change, considering all the things that lie beyond their power: the constant

development of new chemical substances and products, loopholes in the standards and rulings

for research on the toxic effects of commercially-available products, the all-mightiness of global

economic systems as it has developed over the past decades, and a consumer culture driven by

astute marketing scientists seemingly able to develop ever more ways of manipulating the

public. Families cannot carry the full burden of correcting decades of total market economy

development. They need the support of progressive public policies, not only to obtain more

information, but also to obtain incentives to access alternative products and services. In this

context, many other actors share the responsibility for environmental protection and sustainable

development.


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Elaborating and defining a plan for urban development that is sustainable and inclusiveby facilitating the participation, consultation, and awareness of local residents.52

Implementing comprehensive and efficient selective waste collection programs thatinclude recycling, garden waste, hazardous materials waste, municipal and domesticcomposting, and pick-up of used articles for re-use rather than waste (thereby also

creating jobs). Offering a well-developed public transit network that is accessible to everyone. In densely populated urban areas, implementing traffic-calming measures and

pedestrian areas, greening projects that include green roofs which improve air qualityand provide natural air conditioning in summer.

Implementing urban zoning and urban renewal projects that counteract sprawl and helpcurtail the use of motor vehicles, and revitalizing people-oriented neighbourhoods thatprovide numerous local services.

Enforcing bylaws forbidding the use of pesticides. Encouraging local and regional commercial networks.

In Canada, the city of Toronto was at the forefront of the movement initiated in 1984 called

Healthy Cities Villes en sant spearheaded by the World Health Organization, which now

numbers ten thousand projects across the planet. Inspiring examples of the work of this

organization can be found among the member-cities of the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition

and the Quebec-based Rseau qubcois de Villes et Villages en sant. In Europe the Italian-based

movements Citta Slow (Slow Cities) and the Irish and UK-based Transition Towns53 are now

spreading all across the world.

The Role of NGOs, Professional Associations, and Labour Unions

Consumer associations that advocate responsible consumption, environmental protection,

fairness and health, and certain labour unions and family associations are playing a key role in

informing the public, in the research and development of solutions to environmental problems,

and in the development of environmental policies. They are often good rallying points for

families. In addition, some Canadian professional associations, such as the Canadian Association

52A recommendation made inAgenda 21of the United Nations Report on the Environment andSustainable Development, Rio de Janeiro, June 3-14, 1992.53See Healthy Cities International: http://www.healthycities.org; Rseau de VVS:http://www.rqvvs.qc.ca(French only), CCSO: http://ccso.ca; Slow cities:http://www.matogmer.no/slow_cities__citta_slow.htm, Transition towns:http://www.transitiontowns.org/


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of Physicians for the Environment, endorse progressive measures to protect the environment in the

interest of protecting public health, study and critique government policies, or publish studies

that link human health and environmental health.

The Role of Businesses

Some businesses and professional groups are making significant contributions to sustainable

development by devising ecologically sound techniques and materials that promote recycling

and energy efficiency. Others contribute to the implementation of environmental certification,

such as the FSC standard for wood products certification, LEED for building certification, and

others for organic agricultural standards. Large and medium businesses monitor their

sustainable development programs through follow-up and results evaluation protocols.


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CONCLUSION

In view of the issues discussed in this article, there seems to be little doubt that families have a

key role to play in raising awareness about environmental problems, and in promotingsustainable development. We have also discussed the sometimes troubled relationship between

families and the environment; it would be the purpose of another study to explore in greater

detail the multiple and complex relationships of diverse families to the environment from the

perspectives of income level, cultural origin, family structure and other aspects. Conversely,

families appear to be relatively ill-equipped to effect all the necessary changes, as they depend

enormously on the quality of information at their disposal and on the practical tools available,

on government help, public programs, and the collaboration of industry, businesses and NGOs.

In light of the volume of scientific evidence now available, it is urgent that governments take on

a much larger part of the responsibility for protecting families and future generations, by

promoting a healthier environment and implementing sustainable practices, and by strongly

encouraging all the economic stakeholders to take an active part in attaining these goals.


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ONLINE RESOURCES:

Information on sustainable development and the environment:

The Canadian Environmental Literacy Project provides scientific and pedagogicalinformation on the environment in general, on all supports (scientific reports, books,DVDs, etc.). http://www.celp.ca/Students/stu_mainpage.php.

Environment Canada, EnviroZine (environmental e-magazine) information pages:http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/english/home_e.cfm.

Government of Canada initiatives to encourage families to protect the

environment:

Canadas Office of Consumer Affairs (part of Industry Canada) has a SustainableConsumption page:http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/oca-bc.nsf/en/h_ca02302e.html.

EcoLogo-certified Canadian products: www.environmentalchoice.ca. The Canadian Consumer Information Gateway (click on the Environmenttab).

http://consumerinformation.ca/.

Consumer Incentive Programs:

The Government of Canada ecoEnergy Initiatives are designed to help you save moneywhile saving energy. It's all about using less and living better. (quote from website)

The programs are aimed at encouraging consumers to adopt energy-saving measuresand practices for their residential and motor vehicle related needs in order to ensurebetter quality of life: http://ecoaction.gc.ca/ecoenergy-ecoenergie/consumers-consommateurs-eng.cfm.

See also: The Office of Energy Efficiency; ecoTransport; ecoAUTO rebate program, onthe Environment Canada Incentives and Rebates Directory for provinces andmunicipalities (for consumers): http://www.ec.gc.ca/incitatifs-incentives/index_eng.asp

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) web page on Energy Savings:http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/co_002.cfm.


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Canadian NGOs:

Information, research, actions, practical guides.

Friends of the Earth Canada (http://www.foecanada.org/)

The Council of Canadians (http://www.canadians.org/) Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org/) Environmental Defence (http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/) quiterre (http://www.equiterre.qc.ca) David Suzuki Foundation (http://www.davidsuzuki.org) Greenpeace (http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/) Labour Environmental Alliance Society (http://www.leas.ca/) Sierra Club Canada (http://www.sierraclub.ca).

Environmental Health NGOs:

Canadian Partnership for Childrens Health and Environment:http://www.healthyenvironmentforkids.ca/

Womens Health Matters (click on Environmental Health):http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/centres/environmental/index.html

Healthy Spaces (The Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH), in partnership with theCanadian Child Care Federation (CCCF):http://www.cfc-efc.ca/healthy-spaces

Professional Associations:

The Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA):http://www.cela.ca/index.shtml

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE):http://www.cape.ca/index.shtml

The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA): http://www.cpha.ca/en/about.aspxResponsible Consumer Portals:

www.ethiquette.ca Planet Friendly: Sustainable Living Guide: http://www.planetfriendly.net/living.html