Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Energy expert questions proposed Manitoba carbon capture facility | CBC News

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 9h

A carbon capture plant proposed for MB has yet to settle on a technology or a source of electricity. Experts believe there are more effective ways to reduce GHG emissions

A Geneva-based climate policy expert is questioning an NDP government-endorsed carbon capture facility proposed for southwestern Manitoba.

www.cbc.ca

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 12h

Grasslands cover less than 1% of British Columbia’s land area. They can be found in 7 different regions, each with distinctive characteristics

Grasslands of British Columbia

Grasslands cover less than 1% of British Columbia’s land area. They are found in 7 different regions, each with distinctive characteristics.

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 1d

Find out how birds use constellations during migration at the October 16 Astronomy Night at Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba www.oakhammockmarsh.ca/events/astro...

EcoWest News, October 14, 2025

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 2d

EcoWest News highlights: 1) Animal origami and fungi superpowers; 2) Updating flood and forest management practices; and 3) Halving aviation’s warming impact

EcoWest News highlights: 1) Animal origami and fungi superpowers; 2) Updating flood and forest management practices; and 3) Halving aviation’s warming impact

University of B.C. launches mushroom-powered toilet, turning waste into fertilizer | CBC News

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 3d

Imagine an outhouse that doesn’t stink. UBC researchers are testing a mushroom-powered waterless toilet that absorbs 90% of the odour-producing compounds.

Dubbed the MycoToilet, researchers say the system separates liquids and solids, using a mycelium-lined chamber to absorb 90 per cent of odour-causing compounds.

www.cbc.ca

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 3d

Insects that neatly tuck away their wings, a chick’s developing gut, and the lightning-fast accordion-like neck of a protist are all examples of animal origami.

Animal origami: The physics of nature’s folds

Insects that tuck away wings; a protist with an accordion-like neck — studying these clever creases may inspire foldable structures for drones

knowablemagazine.org

Why rewilders shouldn’t forget about fungi

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 3d

The EcoFriendly West Fund is pleased to support Yellowstone to Yukon’s work in protecting habitat along the spine of the Rocky Mountains y2y.net

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, connecting and protecting habitat so wildlife and people can thrive

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 4d

“Rewilding for fungi means creating the conditions in which they can thrive; rewilding with fungi means recognizing that ecosystems cannot thrive without them."
www.rewildingmag.com/why-rewilder...

These mostly hidden life forms have a big role to play in rewilding – and need its support, too.

www.rewildingmag.com

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 4d

Plains Spadefoot Toads spend much of their time buried in the sand and are nocturnal, coming out at night to hunt for beetles, crickets, and grasshoppers www.naturecompanion.ca/herps/plains... #NatureCompanion

Photo and description of Plains Spadefoot Toad from Nature Companion website and app

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 6d

The overall prize-winner in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year is Liron Gertsman, a nature photographer and conservation photojournalist based in BC www.birdpoty.com/2025-winners

book cover for Bird Photographer of the Year, foreword by Nigel Marven

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 8d

Explore the natural history of Alberta’s bats – who they are, why they matter, and what’s being done to protect them – in an online webinar hosted by Nature Alberta at 7 pm, Oct. 30 naturealberta.ca/uncovering-t...

Nature Network Speaker Series – Nature Alberta – October 30, 2025, 7 pm – Uncovering the Natural History of Alberta’s Bats – Cory Olson, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada – full details at naturealberta.ca/events

New orca calf brings hope to endangered J pod near Vancouver Island

Reposted by EcoFriendly West

CPAWS-BC @cpawsbc.bsky.social · 10d

J64’s arrival marks the fifth calf born into J pod in just over a year, following the births of J62 in late 2024 and J63 earlier in 2025. With the Southern Resident population hovering around 74 whales, every successful birth is a crucial step toward recovery, researchers say.
🔗: @cheknews.ca
🌎

Researchers are celebrating the birth of a new orca calf in the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population — a rare bright spot for the struggling J pod.

cheknews.ca

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 9d

EcoWest News highlights: 1) Selling off SK public land; 2) Slashing emissions with plant-based dog food; 3) Net-zero & fish-friendly housing; and 4) A repurposed wildlife crossing

EcoWest News, October 7, 2025

EcoWest News highlights: 1) Selling off SK public land; 2) Slashing emissions with plant-based dog food; 3) Net-zero & fish-friendly housing; and 4) A repurposed wildlife crossing

Onion Lake Cree Nation aims to be solar power 'pioneer' | CBC News

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 10d

Onion Lake Cree Nation wants every home in their community to be powered by solar energy. Homes were chosen based on need, starting with elders and social assistance recipients.

The First Nation, which straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, is installing rooftop solar panels on 123 homes in the community of about 7,000 people.

www.cbc.ca

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 10d

The Canadian Space Agency is funding 20 Canadian companies to use satellite data to address issues such as declining species populations, habitat degradation, deteriorating water quality and forest disturbance.

smartEarth: Using satellite data to preserve Canada's natural heritage - Canada.ca

Twenty Canadian companies, eight of which collaborate with Indigenous organizations, will develop projects to address issues such as declining species populations, habitat degradation, deteriorating w...

www.canada.ca

New ocean research alliance to boost national collaboration

Reposted by EcoFriendly West

UBC Science @science.ubc.ca · 10d

UBC is one of 5 member universities of the Pacific Marine Science Alliance Society which announced a 3-year agreement with the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network to strengthen ocean research collaboration in Canada.

science.ubc.ca/news/2025-10...

A three-year agreement between UBC-affiliated research networks is designed to strengthen collaboration across Canada’s three coasts.

science.ubc.ca

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 11d

Global pet food emissions rival those of a small country. Switching dogs to plant-based foods could slash emissions tenfold—without sacrificing nutrition.

Researchers compare the footprint of meat vs. plant-based dog foods. The differences were staggering.

Global pet food emissions rival those of a small country. A new UK study reveals that switching dogs to plant-based foods could slash emissions tenfold—without sacrificing nutrition.

www.anthropocenemagazine.org

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 11d

Rhizanthella gardneri is the world’s rarest and most mysterious orchid. It grows, flowers, germinates, and sets seed totally underground. It’s believed to be pollinated by termites.

'It lives underground and is fabulous': The race to save the world's rarest orchid

The world's most mysterious and elusive orchid lives underground in Australia. Scientists are trying to rescue this botanic marvel from going completely extinct.

www.bbc.com

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 11d

Canadian Toads hibernate underground below the frost line in burrows they've dug using the bony lumps on their rear legs www.naturecompanion.ca/herps/cantoad/ #NatureCompanion

photo and description of the Canadian Toad from the Nature Companion website and app

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 13d

Shade, Sam Bloch: “Shade’s fall from favor has paralleled and fueled the destruction of the global climate. If we reintegrate shade into our daily lives in small and big ways, the impacts could be thorough and profound” sambloch.com #BooksonFriday

book cover for Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource by Sam Bloch

Community Leaders & Books: September 2025

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 14d

Community Leaders & Books: September 2025: Groups and events from across Western Canada plus a varied set of books to stimulate your imagination

Community Leaders & Books: September 2025: Groups and events from across Western Canada plus a varied set of books to stimulate your imagination

EcoWest News, September 30, 2025

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 15d

Broken toaster? Wobbly chair? Jacket with a stubborn zipper? Bring it to a Repair Café near you! Skilled volunteers will be on hand to help you fix, mend, and tinker www.saskwastereduction.ca/events/swrc/...

Sask Repair Cafes Fix it. Mend it. Love it again. Lloydminster October 4. Regina October 4. Weyburn October 25. Yorkton October 25. Prince Albert monthly on first Saturday. Saskatoon every Saturday.

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EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 16d

EcoWest News highlights: 1) BC’s forests: balancing recreation, conservation, and public safety; 2) Edmonton apartment building retrofit achieves a 32% energy reduction; and 3) Clothes - buy less, wear longer

EcoWest News highlights: 1) BC’s forests: balancing recreation, conservation, and public safety; 2) Edmonton apartment building retrofit achieves a 32% energy reduction; and 3) Clothes - buy less, wea...

Landscape Architects Release New Primer on How to Design for Biodiversity

EcoFriendly West @ecofriendlywest.bsky.social · 17d

Trying to protect urban natural areas? A free Biodiversity Primer for Landscape Architects “introduces the real, concrete steps we can take on every project to protect, conserve, enhance, or restore healthy, enduring habitats for more species.” dirt.asla.org/2025/09/29/l...

Free 25-page overview introduces how to address the biodiversity crisis ASLA and the ASLA Fund have released a free resource on how to design for biodiversity – Biodiversity Primer for Landscape Ar…

dirt.asla.org