Chris Turner

MY MOST RECENT CONTENT

Wed, Feb 15 2012 at 11:53 AM

In North America alone, there is enough energy trapped beneath the Earth's surface to produce 10 times as much electricity as coal currently does. Geothermal power is clean, ubiquitous and reliable. And the technology to harness it is available.

On a sustainable street, there are no jaywalkers

Fri, Feb 10 2012 at 1:23 PM

At the start of the 20th century, streets belonged as much to pedestrians and children at play as to cars. By the end of it, stepping into the street in the wrong place was a crime. How did jaywalking become a crime? And how do we decriminalize it?

5 ways to make public transit awesome

Wed, Feb 08 2012 at 12:06 PM

From train tracks as urban gardens to bus stops as art installations, here are five exciting ways cities around the world are making transit awesome now.

Looking for awesome transit? Follow the money

Mon, Feb 06 2012 at 5:34 PM

As Congress votes to cut funding for public transit in favor of more traffic-snarled sprawl, they'd do well to look to Guadalajara for an example of what happens when you make transit awesome. (Hint: People love it!)

Want a smart grid? Maybe you can win one on 'The Price Is Right'

Thu, Feb 02 2012 at 1:20 PM

As California's new Advanced Clean Cars rules push electric vehicles one step closer to the mass market, could the smart grid be the sequel to 'California emissions'?

The simple charms of the mixed-use parking garage

Tue, Jan 31 2012 at 11:20 AM

From stylish new designs in Miami Beach to simple retrofits in Puerto Vallarta, parking garages, long the enemies of enlightened urban design, are being turned into mixed-use models of sustainable street life.

Infographic of the Year: xkcd's Money Chart

Wed, Jan 11 2012 at 1:41 PM

The cartoonist responsible for beloved webcomic xkcd is also an ace infographic designer. His Money Chart is the definitive portrait of a cash-strapped, cash-obsessed world.

The future's never looked brighter for the global solar biz

Fri, Jan 06 2012 at 12:11 PM

A couple of recent, high-profile news stories seem to indicate dark days ahead for solar energy. Dig beneath the headlines, though, and it turns out that 2011 was a banner year for PV and the gloom is a media invention.

Could 2012 be the first year of a brighter future?

Tue, Jan 03 2012 at 1:33 PM

From the Mayan calendar to the zombie apocalpyse, the new year begins with many portents of doom. But what if the gloom is mostly in our heads? What change might come if we embraced 2012 as a year of living optimistically?

What can Canada's forgotten Turbo train teach us about nostalgia and innovation?

Tue, Dec 20 2011 at 11:36 AM

North America's only real high-speed train first hit the rails in 1970. An unearthed video from its launch is a reminder of the can-do energy of that 'Mad Men' era — a transformative spirit of innovation we desperately need to recapture.

Commenting (8)

Actually, the folks in Europe

Fri, Mar 30 2012 at 12:54 PM

Actually, the folks in Europe go to the nearest square and sit out at cafes on warm evenings. Together. In public. There are no drive-by shootings there because no one has guns.

I'll throw in my two cents on

Tue, Nov 01 2011 at 1:37 PM

I'll throw in my two cents on this, Jenn. Very thoughtful response, and I recognize that half a century of car-centred urban planning (even at small-town scale) has turned walkable neighbourhoods into a certain kind of luxury. As with urban cycling, the safety of walkability comes in numbers, in what Jane Jacobs called "eyes on the street." I certainly can't speak authoritatively to your situation, but one thing I always stress in these conversations is that sustainability shouldn't be a chore, especially for kids. It should be joyous, reinvigourating, exciting. If it isn't, maybe your town isn't ready for it on that particular front. I gather the main reason your kids don't like it is because they're by themselves. Would there be a way to channel their energies into advocacy, maybe something like a one-day-a-month walk or ride to school day just to get some more kids engaged? Just a thought. Like I said, sustainability's not one-size-fits-all and it shouldn't be a constant battle. If it is, I'd argue the energy's better spent on something else.

Consider the source indeed.

Mon, Oct 10 2011 at 11:53 AM

Consider the source indeed. In classical logic, this is known as an ad hominem argument and is not generally thought to be a strong tactic. My credentials, for the record, are mostly as a journalist with 15 years' experience and nearly all of those on the climate/energy/tech beat. You think rocket scientists write their own press?

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Chris Turner is an author, journalist and public speaker covering climate change and sustainability issues. His most recent book, the bestseller The Geography of Hope: A Tour of the World We Need (Random House Canada, 2007), was named one of The Globe & Mail's Best Books of the year and shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for Nonfiction and the National Business Book Award. His narrated visual tour of The Geography of Hope has captivated audiences ranging from Environmental Defence summits to Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers galas. He was a featured speaker at the 2008 Alfred Deakin Innovation Lectures in Melbourne, Australia.

Turner is also the author of the international bestseller Planet Simpson: How A Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation (2004). He writes a monthly feature on sustainability for The Globe & Mail. His magazine writing mostly for the late, great Shift Magazine has earned him four Canadian National Magazine Awards and six honourable mentions, including the 2001 President's Medal for General Excellence (the highest honour in Canadian magazine writing). His writing and reporting on culture, technology and the environment have also appeared in Fast Company, Time Magazine, The Independent (UK), Maclean's, Canadian Geographic, The Walrus, Azure and Utne Reader. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife, the photographer Ashley Bristowe, and their daughter, Sloane.

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Chris Turner

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