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Renewable energy sources will not run out and they don’t cause the same kinds of environmental prob- lems as non-renewable sources. But that doesn’t mean we should adopt renewable energy without any fore- thought. Biofuels can create prob- lems if fuel production comes at the expense of food production. These fuels can never be a long- term solution because they will run out. They also create emissions that pollute our air, water and soil and contribute to global warming or longâ€"term radioactive-waste prob- lems. Non-renewable energy sources such as fossil and nuclear fuels are not sustainable and have also taught us that technological advances often come at great cost. lETTERS POLICY The Sun-Tribqu welcomes your lom'rs. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number. name and address. The Sun-Thhune moms the right '0 publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space. Letters to the Editor. The SuwTHDune 8290 Main St. StoufMM GM LM K37 nergy underpins every- thing we do. Human societies have become increasingly complex, requiring ever larger- scale sources of continuous ener- gy. Now, energy fuels not only our activities but our economies as well. If we don’t choose our energy sources wisely, we can do more harm than good. Despite the Ministry. of Education’s directiOn to all school boards in the prov- ince to develop closer links with parents, this group of trustees has treated Ans York parents with utter contempt. They have made contentious decisions without any consultation with parents, teachers or stu- The quality of the work of the board administration was another shock. There doesn’t appear to be any underlying policy framework in their decisions. In one fell swoop, without any discussion with the teachers involved, they eliminated the 22- year-old Arts York program, a high-demand program Of excellence that is renowned for the quality of its students, apparently in the name of equity. At the same time, they opened an elite sports school that couldn’t even garner enough elite people to fill it. The most powerful committee of the board, policy and planning, has been changed from a board committee, which is open to public scrutiny and input, into a staff committee, in the old back-room boys’ style. It appears administrative staff deci- sions are merely being rubber-stamped by the trustees. My participation with the Arts York par- ents in the struggle to save the program has been an eye-opener regarding theincredible mismanagement of our $850â€"million annual investment in education in York Region. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Don’t acclaim school trustees d??? 3"“ “.1 @219 frames lmason.yvmg.com And wind poWer, if not properly Answer to renewable energy, jobs is blowin’ in the wind Stoufl’vzfle Sun-Tribune I Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008 PIN ION Immcnva MEDIA Marketing 8: Advertising Manager . Dawna Andrews dandmwsfifvrmg‘ mm [mason @yrmg. mm Emmnuu, Editor lim Mason Back when we worked with film, we always took a lighting person with us. I dreaded working with one lighting guy, because whenever he was faced with a demanding challenge, he’d respond, “It can't be done”. We'd have to cajole him until we accomplished the task, but it drained the crew’s morale and wore us down. Another lighting person would respond, “Well, this is a tough one, During three decades of produc- ing the TV program The Nature of Things, we've often encountered difficulties while filming in exotic locations. We just need good planning to ensure our energy production is balanced with ecological concerns. And we need to believe in our abil- ity to develop solutions. Alternative energy sources are absolutely necessary. Global warm- ing will kill birds and bats, as well as other species, in much greater numbers than wind power. planned and sited, can harm birds and bats (although Danish studies of 10,000 bird kills revealed that almost all died in collisions with buildings, cars, and wires; only 10 were killed by windmills). We must commit to ensuring trustees earn their place on the board through pub- lic scrutiny of their ideas and credentials during elections. Let's not let any of them get in by acclamation in the next election. These trustees have repeatedly hidden behind the administration, shunting par- ents off to discuss matters with the adminis- trators so they can pretend to be consulting. Clearly none of them has the courage of their convictions because not one of them has ever attended any of the many public meetings, where they could explain and justify their decisions. They hide behind disingenuous news releases that misinform the public. This is cynical, cowardly and undemocratic. But this is our own fault. We have allowe‘ they; people to gain office by acclamation The message throughout our dealings with them has been muddled and befud- dled. When parents contact their local trustees, each one has a different story. Why the confusion? arts council be implemented to include parents, teachers and past and present stu- dents. The trustees are “considering” this proposal but have delayed consideration until after the administrators have made all of the contentious program changes. dents and in time frames intended to fore~ stall dissent. The parents asked that an Classified Manager Bonnie Rondeau brondeaufi’yrmg. mm ADVERTISING Retail Manager Dianne Mahonm SfiHiT'ribune 6290 Main St. Stouflville, 0N. MA 167 www.yod(region.com PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot IENN IE BANGAY s TOUFFVILLE Yet the response (usually led by the fossil-fuel industry) has been “It’s junk science" or “It’s too expenâ€" sive; it'll destroy the economy," or “It’s impossible to meet the reduc- For more than 20 years, leading scientists have warned us the dan- gers of runaway global warming are so great we cannot continue along the same path. The mental attitude that under- lies the way we approach any Chal- lenge is a huge part of how well we deal with it and it applies at national and global levels as well. but let’s giVe it a try". I can't remem- ber ever giving up because it really was impossible. Pnonucnon Team Leader Sherry Dav .‘dqvfi'fvrmg, 06m David Suzuki with Faisal Moola MM (avian! 'V h;:t§lrd Emma IN CHIEF Debora Kelly Already, renewable-energy technologies are creating employ- ment and giving economies a boost around the world. Countries like Denmark and Germany started shifting to renewable energy sourc- Throwing everything at win- ning led to all kinds of unexpected bonuses; the American economy blazed out of the Depression, while the race to the moon resulted in the Internet, 24-hour-aâ€"day news chan- nels, GPS and cellphones. Making a commitment to resolve a serious crisis generates opportunities and creates jobs. These events galvanized a nation into action. There was no outrage over the scale of effort needed or the eco- nomic burden. There was a sense of solidarity of purpose, to win the war or to beat the Russians to the moon. tion targets." These kinds of reactions demor- alize or paralyze society. Compare those comments on the challenge of climate change, with the American response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor or the Soviet Union's launch of Sputâ€" nik 1. DISTRIBUTION 905~640-26IZ ADVERTISING 905â€"640-2612 mi; l-800~743- 905-640-877 EDITORIAL 905â€"640-261 2 x: 905-640-8778 Busmass MANAGER DInacmmADven'rIsmc “’3: 28910” P“IN_'|‘1N¢-‘ Robert Lazurko DISTRIBUTION ’ N w MANM’E" Nicole Fletcher Bab Dean 3353 A York Region Media Group community newspaper The Sun-Tribune, published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd. a whollyâ€"owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroland is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includes The Liberal. sewing Richmond Hill and Thomhlll. Vaughan Citizen. The Era-Banner (Newmarket/Aurorai. Markham Economist Sun. Georgina Advocate, York Region Business Times, North of the City, yorkregioncom and York Region Printing. (Sim-Fibune As we saw with our lighting technicians, our attitude toward what confronts us will have a htth impact on how we achieve results. The problem with making major inroads on the climate challenge is not a lack of solutions; it is a lack of will. Even the US. Energy Departâ€" ment has concluded that wind power could become the source of one fifth of that nation’s power by 2030 and other studies have shown that wind, solar and biofuel energy could create five million US jobs by 2030. Wind power has becmm country's fastest-growing job ator over the past three decadt Today, Denmark obtains 20 per cent of its energy from wind power and is aiming at 50 per cent by 2020. Germany obtains 14 per cent of its energy from wind, is the major exporter of wind technology and has created more than 82,000 jobs in the wind sector and more than 200,000 total renewableâ€"energy jobs. es after the OPEC oil embargo in the 19705. the cre-