Your Daily Greens: Green Luxury, Minnow Wins Whale of a Victory, and Get the Binocs!

Photo: “Warbler” by Clinton W via flickr.

Daily happenings around the GreenSphere (People, Companies & Communities):

Get the Binocs: If you’re the type to look at the positive side of things then consider this when it comes to climate change: it may give you a chance to see species of birds that you’ve never before experienced in your home area. The trend is being reported from places in Europe to North America. Apparently, when climate change occurs suddenly and dramatically, creatures shift their range to find more suitable conditions, whether temperature-wise or due to precipitation variance, and exciting new forms of avian life may end up right in your own backyard!

Green Luxury: Lexus, luxury line for Toyota Motor Corp., has released its latest indulgent, yet, green, vehicle. The 2010 Lexus HS 250h was unveiled September 15, and Winnipeg was chosen as the location largely due to its green ties to sustainable energy. The comfort ride is the first hybrid-only model for the luxury market – an entry level, fuel-efficient indulgence. Lexus claims that 60 per cent of entry level luxury car shoppers have been looking for hybrid-powered vehicles, and this hybrid compact 5-passenger, 4-door sedan sporting a 2.4 litre, 4-cylinder engine with a battery-powered electric motor for 187 horsepower, delivering a combined fuel consumption rating of 5.7 litres per 100km, could be the answer they’re looking for, starting under $40,000.

Minnow Wins Whale of a Victory: Eco-Justice is celebrating a legal victory they see as paramount for preserving endangered species across Canada. Representing the David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence, Georgia Strait Alliance and the Wilderness Committee, the legal firm has won a precedent-setting case that will force the Government of Canada to overhaul recovery plans for threatened species. The Federal Court reprimanded the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans for failing to identify the niche habitat of the Nooksack dace, an endangered fish in B.C. The failure to do so constitutes an infraction of the Species At Risk Act which requires officials to determine critical habitat of endangered species. This landmark decision complements another recent victory regarding Prairie sage grouse habitat, and could affect creatures countrywide, from the smallest fish to the gigantic humpback whale.

Arctic Gains: According to the Arctic Regional Ocean Observing System’s website, melting of arctic sea ice has bottomed out and it is currently on the rebound. While this represents only one data point, it is consistent with both 2007 and 2008. Gains of almost 26,719 km2 have been reported from the Sept 13th low of 5,249,844 km2 which may turn out to be the minimum extent for 2009.

Tagged as: Arctic, Birds, Canada, Climate, David Suzuki, Hybrid, Law