Mike Layton
@mikelayton.bsky.social
Working for positive change. Former city councillors The Star called Toronto”s “environmentalist-in-chief”. Inaugural YorkU Chief Sustainability Officer. Opinions are my own. Uke, gardening, cycling, decarbonization, parenting.
Happy Earth Day! There are many critical issues we’re facing, and lots to distract us from climate change - let’s not forget the importance of planet earth and let’s not continue to neglect it. From small to large acts - we need all of them. We decarbonized our home www.thestar.com/news/gta/gas...
Gas stoves, water heaters and furnaces will all be tossed in the city’s drive to get carbon emissions to net zero by 2040. But who pays?
Toronto has a massively ambitious plan to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2040. One city councillor has already done just that.
www.thestar.com
April 22, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Happy Earth Day! There are many critical issues we’re facing, and lots to distract us from climate change - let’s not forget the importance of planet earth and let’s not continue to neglect it. From small to large acts - we need all of them. We decarbonized our home www.thestar.com/news/gta/gas...
New Bryan Adams single Make Up Your Mind came into my playlist. I assumed it was about out the Trump Tariffs. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZIa...
Bryan Adams - Make Up Your Mind
YouTube video by Bryan Adams
www.youtube.com
March 8, 2025 at 11:41 PM
New Bryan Adams single Make Up Your Mind came into my playlist. I assumed it was about out the Trump Tariffs. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZIa...
This year I will be participating in the
@SecondHarvestCA
Truck Pull Challenge. Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue organization that works to keep food where it belongs - on people's plates and out of landfills. Please donate if you're able. support.secondharvest.ca/site/Donatio...
@SecondHarvestCA
Truck Pull Challenge. Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue organization that works to keep food where it belongs - on people's plates and out of landfills. Please donate if you're able. support.secondharvest.ca/site/Donatio...
Second Harvest Truck Pull Challenge Donation Form - Second Harvest
support.secondharvest.ca
February 27, 2025 at 6:27 PM
This year I will be participating in the
@SecondHarvestCA
Truck Pull Challenge. Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue organization that works to keep food where it belongs - on people's plates and out of landfills. Please donate if you're able. support.secondharvest.ca/site/Donatio...
@SecondHarvestCA
Truck Pull Challenge. Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue organization that works to keep food where it belongs - on people's plates and out of landfills. Please donate if you're able. support.secondharvest.ca/site/Donatio...
Reposted by Mike Layton
You can ignore climate change. The political system can ignore climate change. But the insurance industry cannot ignore climate change.
Opinion | That Giant Sucking Sound? It’s Climate Change Devouring Your Home’s Value.
A new analysis predicts an extraordinary reversal in housing fortunes for Americans.
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2025 at 7:02 PM
You can ignore climate change. The political system can ignore climate change. But the insurance industry cannot ignore climate change.
Reposted by Mike Layton
Reposted by Mike Layton
The insanity of being a fire ecologist in the epicenter of a major fire event, bags packed and ready to evacuate, watching active fire from my window, while taking media requests and explaining to the public, for the 100,000th time how climate change is largely responsible for this
January 8, 2025 at 7:52 PM
The insanity of being a fire ecologist in the epicenter of a major fire event, bags packed and ready to evacuate, watching active fire from my window, while taking media requests and explaining to the public, for the 100,000th time how climate change is largely responsible for this
Feel honoured to be working on food rescue full time with Second Harvest. Climate-economic-social benefits.
At Project Drawdown, we know that we have the solutions we need to stop climate change — and more are coming every day!
How do we know? We did the math.
Here are some of my favorite solutions, like reducing food waste:
drawdown.org/solutions/re...
How do we know? We did the math.
Here are some of my favorite solutions, like reducing food waste:
drawdown.org/solutions/re...
Reduced Food Waste
Roughly one-third of the world’s food is never eaten. By reducing loss and waste, we can reduce the need for land and resources used to produce food as well as the greenhouse gases released in the pro...
drawdown.org
December 14, 2024 at 8:59 PM
Feel honoured to be working on food rescue full time with Second Harvest. Climate-economic-social benefits.
Before making the Bloor lanes permanent, we studied the point of sale data in the pilot area, outside and in a similar area on the danforth - data was clear - spending went up, travel times for cars only modestly impacted while safety improved for ALL road users.
December 14, 2024 at 8:57 PM
Before making the Bloor lanes permanent, we studied the point of sale data in the pilot area, outside and in a similar area on the danforth - data was clear - spending went up, travel times for cars only modestly impacted while safety improved for ALL road users.
Excited to announce that I have joined the Second Harvest team in their mission to keep food where it belongs: on plates and out of landfills. If you still have room in your budget during the holiday season, please consider supporting our work: secondharvest.ca/donate
December 6, 2024 at 4:44 PM
Excited to announce that I have joined the Second Harvest team in their mission to keep food where it belongs: on plates and out of landfills. If you still have room in your budget during the holiday season, please consider supporting our work: secondharvest.ca/donate
If you haven't played around with @inaturalist.bsky.social, give it a try. Identify plants and animals in your neighbourhood, on hikes, etc. You can make a game out of it with friends and colleagues by initatiing a bioblitz. We did it at @yorkuniversity.bsky.social www.yorku.ca/yfile/2024/1...
Bioblitz event helps advance York University's sustainability goals - YFile
Last month, the Office of Sustainability invited the community to explore the diverse species of plants, animals, and other organisms on the Keele and Glendon campuses, and record their findings using...
www.yorku.ca
November 27, 2024 at 7:54 PM
If you haven't played around with @inaturalist.bsky.social, give it a try. Identify plants and animals in your neighbourhood, on hikes, etc. You can make a game out of it with friends and colleagues by initatiing a bioblitz. We did it at @yorkuniversity.bsky.social www.yorku.ca/yfile/2024/1...
While a sad assessment of where we stand globally in our fight to save people and the planet, this video is useful for engaging communities to get more involved. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w2d...
Al Gore and Gavin McCormick unveil unprecedented Climate TRACE emissions data at COP29
YouTube video by Climate TRACE
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2024 at 4:28 PM
While a sad assessment of where we stand globally in our fight to save people and the planet, this video is useful for engaging communities to get more involved. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w2d...
An admission of the significant financial and safety costs. The city regularly looks at alternative routes and puts lanes on side streets. Shaw (instead of Ossington), Palmerston (Bathurst), Brunswick (Spadina). Yonge, University and Bloor don't have equivalent options.
This is blatant life endangerment thru dangerous public policy I wouldn’t have thought possible until recently. In Ontario the Doug Ford Govt plans to BAN LAWSUITS against the Province WHEN people on bikes are hurt or killed after they rip out safe bike-lanes. “Stay off streets for your own safety.”
November 22, 2024 at 2:39 PM
An admission of the significant financial and safety costs. The city regularly looks at alternative routes and puts lanes on side streets. Shaw (instead of Ossington), Palmerston (Bathurst), Brunswick (Spadina). Yonge, University and Bloor don't have equivalent options.
Thanks to Maude Barlow for this important reflection. We teach "sharing" to our kids. While sharing is a critical concept in our relationship with the US, it hinges on parties respecting the relationship and resources being shared. Water is life and must be respected. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
When Trump comes calling for our water, Canada must be ready
Contrary to Trump's belief, Canada is not merely a faucet.
www.thestar.com
November 18, 2024 at 3:51 PM
Thanks to Maude Barlow for this important reflection. We teach "sharing" to our kids. While sharing is a critical concept in our relationship with the US, it hinges on parties respecting the relationship and resources being shared. Water is life and must be respected. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
There is still time to correct this mistake. At a huge cost to Ontario taxpayers, Ford wants to make streets more dangerous for all users, make traffic worse in the short term for marginal long term improvements for a small proportion of road users.
In summary, Ford's bike lane removals will, according to a new City Hall report:
- Cost $75 million in direct costs and sunk costs.
- Make traffic much, much worse for at least nine months during construction to remove lanes
- Have minimal long-term impact on car travel times.
- Cost $75 million in direct costs and sunk costs.
- Make traffic much, much worse for at least nine months during construction to remove lanes
- Have minimal long-term impact on car travel times.
November 15, 2024 at 12:25 PM
There is still time to correct this mistake. At a huge cost to Ontario taxpayers, Ford wants to make streets more dangerous for all users, make traffic worse in the short term for marginal long term improvements for a small proportion of road users.
Reposted by Mike Layton
Never forget, a 13-year study found that protected bike-lanes led to a drastic decline in fatalities for all road users.
ALL ROAD USERS.
And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all. For sharrows, it’s safer to NOT have them.
@StreetsblogUSA.bsky.social usa.streetsblog.org/2019/05/29/p...
ALL ROAD USERS.
And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all. For sharrows, it’s safer to NOT have them.
@StreetsblogUSA.bsky.social usa.streetsblog.org/2019/05/29/p...
Separated Bike Lanes Means Safer Streets, Study Says — Streetsblog USA
Cities that build protected lanes for cyclists end up with safer roads for people on bikes and people in cars and on foot, a new study of 12 large metropolises revealed Wednesday.
usa.streetsblog.org
November 14, 2024 at 7:57 AM
Never forget, a 13-year study found that protected bike-lanes led to a drastic decline in fatalities for all road users.
ALL ROAD USERS.
And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all. For sharrows, it’s safer to NOT have them.
@StreetsblogUSA.bsky.social usa.streetsblog.org/2019/05/29/p...
ALL ROAD USERS.
And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all. For sharrows, it’s safer to NOT have them.
@StreetsblogUSA.bsky.social usa.streetsblog.org/2019/05/29/p...
Despite perilous times, I need to believe that hope is possible. Love is possible. And that despite our current circumstances - there are blue skies ahead. Hope this platform doesn’t eventually suck! @bsky.app
November 12, 2024 at 2:15 AM
Despite perilous times, I need to believe that hope is possible. Love is possible. And that despite our current circumstances - there are blue skies ahead. Hope this platform doesn’t eventually suck! @bsky.app