We are connected

Amidst the asphalt streets and towering skyscrapers, it's easy for us to lose sight of the natural world.

We flick on a light switch without thinking about where the energy comes from.

We flush the toilet without knowing where the wastewater goes.

Our garbage is whisked off to some place called "away."

But we are deeply connected to Ottawa's water, land, and air.

It affects us, and we affect it, every single day, through the water, energy, and other resources that flow through our homes.

"The Ecology of Ottawa" booklet and website seek to make these connections clear, by identifying Ottawa's key natural features and showing where our resources come from, where the waste products go, and what we can do to reduce our impact on the local ecosystems that we depend on for clean air and water.

Welcome to your habitat
Learn what makes Ottawa the place that it is, from a natural perpective -- its rivers and how they flow, its air and how it blows, its land and the plants that grow.

You weren't always here...
A brief history of this land we call Ottawa, from the 16th century to today.

How we are connected:

Water
Find out where our water comes from, how it's treated, how much Ottawa households use, what happens to it after we flush it down the drain, and how we can make wise use of every last drop.

Heat
Find out where the gas, oil, or electricity we use to heat our buildings comes from, what the impacts are on Ottawa's air quality and greenhouse gas levels, and how we can conserve heating energy. 

Electricity
Find out how Ottawa's electricity is produced, how we use it, what it means for our environment, and how we can cut back on electricity consumption and the use of coal-fired power plants.     

Fuel
Find out where the fuel we use for transportation comes from, how we use it, how it effects the air we breathe, and how we can travel smart to reduce pollution in our air.  

Stuff
Find out the origin and the impacts of all that stuff we buy (clothing, electronics, furniture, etc.) and how we can curb our consumption, buy wisely, and keep it out of the dump. 

Food
Find out where our food comes from, what the impacts are, and how we can make smart food choices that won't damage our earth, air, and water. 

What we can do together...

About
About this project and Ecology Ottawa.

Sponsors