Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 03/10/2026In Belgium, the sometimes concern was that socialists and other rabble rousers would have an easier time entering the towns. Those same towns now very much regret not being on the main lines. 151
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 30/09/2026“Independent Planning Commission says climate change impacts from Hunter Valley project will be ‘outweighed’ by economic benefits” 001
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 21/09/2026At least some of them have real analysis backing it up. Here’s ADM Capital Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and HK Green Finance’s recent work on #NatureFinancehkgreenfinance.orgDeveloping Hong Kong as a Nature Financing Hub: A case for advancing nature and blue bonds - HK Green Finance AssociationThe report lays out five strategic pillars to make this happen, from expanding Hong Kong‘s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy to include... 000
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Here’s to Calgary drivers sending pictures of us to the provincial government! #silverlinings #handsoffourbikelanes 010
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Oh! Calgary’s Fifth Street bike lanes could use that. But I’ll settle for lights timed to eliminate drivers turning left into my path. I’d rather be slow than dead. 1121
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 15/08/2026If you love Alberta and you love democracy, read Jared’s entire thread, but especially this and the next two installments. #ABPoli 031
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 05/08/2026As wildfires rage around us, Trisha McOrmond's points are so important: let's not just focus on the recovery of our physical infrastructure and pretend everything will be alright. Community-oriented social recovery is just as important to get right.open.substack.comWhy Emergency Management Needs a Community Social Recovery Modeland Your Municipality Does too ... 000
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Here in Calgary, although folks are really friendly and generous, I don’t generally observe that desire to hang with colleagues. Not just the GenZ-ers. Also GenX seems to prefer to eat lunch behind their desk and head home as early as possible. 120
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 24/07/2026My office environments in various European countries and two in an Asian country all were filled with people that wanted to interact socially: have lunch together, go for beers after work, etc. And therefore yes, have coffee together. 110
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 24/07/2026I agree that a nice space with an appealing offering helps, but I am under the impression that there is a cultural aspect to office culture. 100
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 24/07/2026But all I can think of are our many neighbours that have to work or sleep outside in this heat and atrocious air quality, or inside but without adequate means to control air quality or temperature. Or the families scrambling to organize child care now that summer camp activities are canceled, again. 080
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 24/07/2026This week: #Calgary city council fights against a more compact, less car-centric city. #Alberta provincial govt works to dismantle the bike lanes it considers woke and harmful to society. And our federal government is hard at work to boost oil and gas sales as the only way to save the country. 2165
Reposted by Helga VanthournoutUrban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Simple message, really. Thanks for the bluntness, @nondriver.bsky.social. #UrbanTruth 12939370
Reposted by Helga VanthournoutJed O. Kaplan @jedokaplan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026There has been a lot of news lately about smoke from wildfires in Ontario and other parts of the Canadian boreal forest causing poor air quality in parts of the U.S. But smoke knows no borders, and here in southeastern British Columbia we are suffering from smoke originating in Washington state. 012
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 23/07/2026"Rents are coming down and landlords are offering incentives. [...], the RS Zone continues to quietly deliver more homes in mature, transit-accessible neighbourhoods every quarter." This stuff works! @jacobdawang.com crunched Edmonton's numbers so we don't have to. #Calgary, please pay attention! 011
Reposted by Helga Vanthournoutcm 🍁 @cmcalgary.bsky.social · 23/07/2026If you're eligible to vote in the upcoming Alberta referendum, you can request a special mail-in ballot with your answers, rather than needing to stand in line to vote. You are not required to provide a reason why, it just asks for your contact info. specialballot.elections.ab.ca #abpoli #Alberta 13122
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 20/07/2026Not a fan of more cameras. Big fan of internalizing the many externalities of online shopping. 000
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 13/07/2026Yeah seems like we can’t even get those here 🙄 000
Reposted by Helga VanthournoutDagomar Degroot @dagomardegroot.bsky.social · 13/07/2026My take on #America250. Both trends and anomalies in weather have shaped the history of the United States. And if we don't restore efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions, #ClimateChange could make for a grim 300th. sciencepolitics.org/2026/07/13/h... #ClimateChange #America250sciencepolitics.orgHow Climate Change and Weather Shaped 250 Years of U.S. History - Science PoliticsCold, rain, drought, and warming have both helped and harmed Americans' efforts at pivotal moments. 011
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 12/07/2026Do young people still express friendship and (potential) love through mix tapes, sorry I mean play lists? 010
Reposted by Helga VanthournoutKatharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 12/07/2026Scan your local news today. How many stories are about something climate change is making worse...without saying so? I counted 8 of those in my feed today, vs just 1 that named climate change directly. Why does this matter? Research shows that making this connection changes how people see it. 24666308
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 09/07/2026They don’t get the massive dumps that Calgary or Montreal get. But they also have, on a per capita basis, a lot less roads to clear than Calgary for example, which frees up money and bandwidth to keep the bike lanes open. 050
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Am I alone in hoping that the public, genuine tears among US players yesterday and Colombians today creates some shift in how men are generally expected to manage their emotions? #worldcup 010
Reposted by Helga VanthournoutJoel Chan @kjoules.org · 29/06/2026Undergrad, the HKU student publication, announced that it would cease publication, ending its 74-year run • The HKUSU, which was forced to sever ties with the university in 2021, said it failed to recruit enough members to form an editorial board www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...scmp.comHKU student publication Undergrad shuts down after 74 years amid recruitment woesEditorial committee says failure to recruit new members forces closure, ending one of Hong Kong’s longest-running campus publications. 076
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 28/06/2026Where’s #Alberta ‘s Dunkirk (challenges and all—read the entire thread and reactions)? No doubt @shastingssimon.bsky.social and @blakeshaffer.bsky.social over at the Electricity Centre have thoughts? 112
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 28/06/2026Great to see when so many privately-owned tools get barely used beyond the weekend of their purchase. The #CircularEconomy hard at work! 010
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Is it too early to put in a request for rail cars oriented towards children? #AB #transit #Banff #2031/2/3/? 120
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 06/06/2026I was going to have a quick peek and then save it for future use in my classes but just watched the whole thing anyway. So inspiring for the #CircularEconomy in #WesternCanada! 193
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 06/06/2026Since we created this graphic for our 2015 Growth Within report, I’ve continued to use it in my classes and talks. Esp. our land use stats at the bottom bring home the point of system-wide waste that we’ve baked into our infrastructure and now find exceedingly hard to back out of. #CircularEconomy 083
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Are you a parent that cares? You can still sign up if you want to learn how to turn your concerns into a roadmap for a sustainable school community. Tonight (Tue) at 4pm ET/ 5pm MT, join @forourkidscanada.bsky.social for actionable insights on Navigating School Leadership for Climate Impact.forourkids.caClimate at School: Who to Talk To & What to Say 001
Reposted by Helga VanthournoutAlberta Environmental Network @albertaen.bsky.social · 30/04/2026Oil and gas companies are raking in record profit, but they are not paying up for the mess they made. The Alberta government is planning to let them walk away and leave us with the bill. We can still stop it. Join us on May 12 to find out how ➡️ albertatalks.ca/stopmas-calg... 01816
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 28/04/2026Would be nice to see them (outside of the viewing party) 010
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 20/04/2026@drsimevans.carbonbrief.org summarized the IEA global energy review 2026 for our convenience and erudition. 010
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 20/04/2026Here some facts to support the festivities 000
Reposted by Helga VanthournoutGregGinYYC @gregginyyc.bsky.social · 10/04/2026"Last night, City Council: -Made it harder to build homes -Added red tape -Removed a way for donut communities to grow the tax base -Encouraged sprawl -Told new arrivals to bring a car. Or 2. 3 maybe? -REPEALED a bylaw but REPLACED it with nothing, reneging on campaign promises. ONWARD!" #yyccc 13013
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 10/04/2026Talking about a hammer looking for a nail. Why do we always seek to substitute capital for labor (yes yes I know). Also: another example of “Smart Cities” adding capacity for surveillance under the cover of environmental outcomes (reminds me of the ID-based smart garbage cans in China). 000
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 10/04/2026By bringing young and old— along with their projects and creativity—into a shared environment, rather than have each person work individually at home, makerspaces not only provide better quality tools at a lower cost but also lead to better, richer results. (2/2) 000
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 10/04/2026#Makerspaces fulfil an important role in the #circulareconomy. They provide shared space, tools and equipment, and expertise. #mutualisation #EconomieCirculaire #Calgary @radiocanada.bsky.social (1/2)youtube.comConnaissez-vous les « Makerspace »?YouTube video by Radio-Canada Info 120
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 09/04/2026But thank goodness the parking was saved 🙄. 120
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 05/04/2026That’s the argument my youngest son made at the rezoning repeal hearing in #Calgary this week: rezoning —> more density —> better public transit & bike lanes —> more autonomy for teens and less planning + schlepping for parents. People here think nothing of spending hours every week driving kids 🤷🏻♀️. 180
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 04/04/20261. Try to clawback the 120ish mn we already received 2. Not give the 120+ mn that is supposed to be coming 3. Not give any more bonuses (23mn last year) 4. Not give access to transit capital funding: 100s of mns over next few years; details partly up in the air as feds revamp their programs 000
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 04/04/2026#Calgary's city council needs to make the right decision. A lot of #HAF money is at risk here. 861 million in total at risk, more if you include not yet announced, but anticipated long term transit funding, say housing advocates.cmhc-schl.gc.caUpdate on the Housing Accelerator Fund Agreements for Charlottetown, Markham and MiramichiDecisions were made for three cities following the annual review of the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). 200
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 04/04/2026But I love that some private initiative tries to remedy it (picture 4). Informal does it, in HK! 020
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 04/04/2026It’s a shame the old refugee housing there has no interpretative signage as far as I can remember. Such an important part of Hong Kong’s and humanity’s history. 020
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 01/04/2026I’m aware of quality’s potential to create barriers to affordability. So: better baseline quality (regulated) + upskilling to increase market-based supply of quality + better enforcement + better mechanisms to appeal shoddy work anywhere along the off-market/upscale range. And renter protections! 031
Helga Vanthournout @wealthofflows.bsky.social · 01/04/2026It’s what annoys me about the #Calgary rezoning bylaw repeal hearing: so many legitimate concerns that we could have our council and administration working on instead of wasting their time with this repeal effort. I’m a fan of quality as it’ll draw more families permanently into denser housing. 341
