Canadian Environment Week in Fredericton (June 1-7, 2008)

A coworker sent me a link to the events planned around the city for Canadian Environment Week, June 1-7. The Eco-Fair at the Playhouse sounds really interesting; I've been meaning to hook up with the Conservation Council and Fredericton Backyard Composters to see what they're doing. Unfortunately, the Eco-Fair runs from 10 am to 4 pm on a weekday, which means that a lot of people who are working won't be able to attend.

If I find out there's more going on around the city, I'll update this over the next day or so.

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Wednesday, June 4 - Clean Air Day

Clean Air Day is held each year in Canada as a celebration of environmentally friendly activities that promote clean air and good health. JD Irving and Green Matters will be holding a tree seedling giveaway at City Hall from 12 noon to 2 pm.

Thursday, June 5 - World Environment Day

Green Matters is hosting an Eco-Fair at the Fredericton Playhouse from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. The fair is free to attend, and participants will be able to learn more about composting and energy-efficient living, as well as visit exhibitors, including NB Lung Association, the Conservation Council, Whisco, Bird Stairs, Save a Plant, IPS, Taylor Printing, Jacques Whitford, and the Fredericton Backyard Composters.

Friday, June 6 - Commuter Challenge

Radical Edge will be offering bike tune-ups at the South End of the walking bridge from 7 - 9 a.m. Free coffee will also be available, so remember to bring your travel mug.

Saturday, June 7 - Riverfest River Jubilee

The Jubilee is being held in Officer's Square from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Drop by the Green Matters booth to learn about Water Conservation and the City's Water Utility. Green Matters is also sponsoring Al Gore-trained Carl Duivenvoorden, as he presents An Inconvenient Truth in the St. John Room at the Crowne Plaza from 3:30 - 5 p.m.

For more information on Canadian Environment Week, visit the Environment Canada website.

Even more flood pics from May 1

I had to sneak in a pic of my beloved trusty bike. This was taken by Officer's Pond, formerly known as Officer's Square before the Saint John River spilled into it.




Just a few feet away, a couple of kids were indulging themselves in -- uh -- water sports with their own bikes.



Someone over at the Crowne Plaza must have had a chuckle leaving this up.

More flood pics from May 1

Here's a scene along the south side bike trail (which is well underwater -- that second line of trees is where the river's edge usually lies).



And another:



And another:

More flood shots from yesterday

Here's the Carleton and Brunswick intersection yesterday as seen from the Old Burial Ground.



While over by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, a couple of folks were checking out the Robbie Burns statue.

My city's bath

This is a view from this evening of the flooding at the Brunswick and Carleton intersection, as seen from the Old Burial Ground. Things got a little more complicated, it seems.



Here's that intersection at the foot of the train bridge today.



The fact that the road was blocked at that intersection didn't stop some attention-seekers from having some fun. I missed him coming in, but got him riding out.

More flood shots from yesterday

This is a shot of the intersection at Brunswick and Carleton, just in front of the Old Burial Ground. I'm fairly sure the water was coming out of a manhole, since there was some bubbling up at another intersection just a couple of blocks east. Again, this was taken yesterday evening, probably close to 8:30 pm.

This is at the intersection at the southern foot of the old train bridge yesterday evening. The water here was coming from the river's overflow. There were so many people gathered above and on all sides of it, snapping photos whenever the lights changed and cars splashed through. I suspect that this has since been blocked off by police. This was taken at around 7:45 pm.




Here's a view of the train bridge, itself in the dusk. That second line of trees in the background is where the river's edge usually is.



A couple of downtown employees found themselves having to deal with quickly rising water when retrieving their parked cars. This guy was amscraying out of a parking lot behind buildings on the north side of Queen St.

My Face Is on Fire, My City Is Underwater

All of these were taken between 6:30 and 8:30 pm on April 30. My little city is facing its worst flood in over 30 years.

This is the parking lot behind the Justice Building on the north side of Queen St.

The Saint John River is to the left. That's Ste Anne Blvd that's flooded, with water spilling into parking lots behind Queen St buildings (as seen from the pedway).

Officer's Square on Queen St was also flooded. Dunno what those guys in the faux knight gear were all about. You can see the backed up traffic in my bike's mirror.