By Arti Panday
The Devi Mandir in Pickering is reducing its carbon footprint as the days go on; the most recent addition to their green code is a 10 kilowatt solar panel. Dozens of devotees and members of Durham Region came out on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 to witness the mandir flip the switch to a greener environment.
Originally inspired by David Suzuki's Environmental Conference put on by Greening Sacred Spaces in 2005, the Pickering temple vowed to change the way business was conducted. Starting with some structural repairs to ensure energy savings, the Devi Mandir began their journey to a greener space.
"We fully engaged our congregation and conducted a green survey of their homes using a check sheet supplied by Durham Sustainability," said Devi Mandir Secretary, Cecil Ramnauth.
With the purchase of a high efficiency commercial dishwasher and stainless steel dishes, the temple reduced waste by 75%, resulting in the once-a-month emptying of the dumpster that was previously emptied once per week. The mandir also switched to environmentally friendly light bulbs which were economically friendly as well.
The most recent green initiative was in collaboration with Green Sacred Spaces (a program that encourages faith communities to create a more sustainable and energy efficient place of worship) and the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).
Pramilla Ramdhani of the OTF said, "For the past 30 years the Ontario Trillium Foundation has been providing grants to various programs that go towards improving the quality of life for all Ontarians."
Made possible by a $422,300 grant from the OTF, the 10 kilowatt solar panel was placed on the grid as of 8:45 a.m. on October 11, 2011. The solar panel is estimated to last for at least 20 years.
The Devi Mandir welcomed Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan along with councillors from surrounding municipalities who all expressed their appreciation for the organization's dedication to a greener environment.
Youth at the temple are also highly involved in the greening mission; their milk bag initiative uses empty milk bags to make sleeping mats for underprivileged kids.
Following the program, guests were invited to learn more about eco-friendly programs from the over half a dozen booths set up by organizations ranging from the City of Pickering to Durham Sustain Ability.
Georgetown — Guyanese voters are set to go to the polls next month to elect a new government.
The Guyana government has announced a November 28th date for general elections. Parliament was dissolved last month to make way for elections giving all parties six weeks to campaign for seats in the 65-member parliament.
A seven-party coalition - A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) - led by retired army commander David Granger is one of the forces seeking to unseat President Bharrat Jagdeo's People's Progressive Party/Civic, which has been in power since 1992. Another, the Alliance For Change (AFC) is led by former PPP executive member Khemraj Ramjattan with a former PNC top brass, Raphael Trotman as the Prime Ministerial candidate.
Jagdeo's term in office is maxed out under the Guyana constitution which allows the president to hold office for two terms only. His party has named Donald Ramotar as it's Presidential candidate with the present Prime Minister Samuel Hinds as the running mate of Mr Ramotar.
Guyana's population is made up of two major races - Indians and Africans - and becomes highly polarized at election time. Past elections have been known to have violent outcomes and the media in Guyana is rife with highly racially intoned coverage.
By William Doyle-Marshall
Literature lovers in the Town of Markham will this year have the thrill of experiencing readings by participants of the 32nd annual International Festival of Authors produced by the Harbourfront Center. Markham is the only location in York Region chosen by festival organizers as one of two GTA locations to host the International Festival of Authors (IFOA) touring event.
Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Dany Laferrière, Bharati Mukherjee, and Francisco Goldman four award-winning and world-renowned authors will hold personal readings of their works in an interactive setting, Friday October 21.
The Markham reading is being held in partnership with the Markham Arts Council (MAC) and is regarded as a unique and very special evening for the Town. It will be held in the Transportation Building at Markham Museum.
Bestselling author Gowda, born and raised in Toronto to parents who migrated from Mumbai, brings to the IFOA "Secret Daughter", which explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families – one Indian, one American – and the child who connects them.
She holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has lived in New York, North Carolina and Texas, and currently makes her home in California.
Mukherjee's festival offering is "Miss New India", which is about a young woman who, originally set for an arranged marriage, leaves for the big city where she is able to confront her past and reinvent herself.
She is the first naturalized U.S. citizen to have won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Best Fiction and has been a Professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley since 1989. Mukherjee is the author of seven novels, two collections of short stories, co-author, with Clark Blaise, of two books of non-fiction, and numerous essays on immigration and American culture.
"We're honoured to have been chosen as one of the host communities for the prestigious International Festival of Authors (IFOA) Ontario touring programme" said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. "This speaks to Markham's cultural vibrancy and our reputation for embracing and celebrating local and national literary talent. We are grateful for the leadership and efforts of the Markham Arts Council for making the Markham IFOA event possible," Scarpitti said.
The Markham literary stop, part of the IFOA five year old touring programme, has grown remarkably. It now includes 16 Ontario stops such as Barrie, Brantford, Burlington, Hamilton, Midland, Orillia, Owen Sound, Parry Sound, Picton, Port Hope, Thunder Bay, Uxbridge, Windsor and Woodstock.
The festival runs from October 19 through October 30 featuring authors in readings, panels and interviews before live audiences on the City of Toronto's edge on the waterfront. Authors from India, the Caribbean, Canada and Sri Lanka join their peers from around the world performing in what has become an important marketing stop for their latest publications.
Three Caribbean authors participating in the 32nd edition of the IFOA are Jamaica's Olive Senior; Guyana's Tessa McWatt and Trinidadian Rabindranath Maharaj.
Senior will read from her publication "Dancing Lessons", which tells the story of Gertrude Samphire who, after moving into a group home, begins to chronicle her life in a notebook. McWatt's latest novel, "Vital Signs", takes readers deep inside a marriage at the edge of an emotional abyss. Maharaj, whose novel "The Amazing Absorbing Boy" won the 2010 Trillium Book Award, will host the October 26 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction prize Finalists. They are: Clark Blaise, Michael Christie, Patrick deWitt, and Dan Vyleta. Esi Edugyan is unable to attend but her work will be read.
One of Canada's most beloved writers, Michael Ondaatje returns to the festival this year with his electrifying new novel, The "Cat's Table", about the unforgettable sea voyage of an 11-year-old boy and an eccentric group of individuals, as they make their way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean.
Ondaatje is the author of five previous novels – including "The English Patient" and "Anil's Ghost" – a memoir, a non-fiction book on film, and several books of poetry. His numerous accolades include the Man Booker Prize, Governor General's Literary Award, Scotiabank Giller Prize, and Prix Medicis. Longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.