A Mother's Day Eco-Adventure
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My sister and I were spending Mother's Day with mom in Nova Scotia, and we decided to venture to the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, about a 30-minute drive from Amherst.
The winds were blowing at what felt like gale force, and it was a little chilly (evident from the photo), but what an amazing site to be seen.
The Joggins Fossil Cliffs are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and are the environment's encyclopedia into the Coal Age. The Fossil Cliffs website says:
These magnificently exposed layers of rock reveal the world’s most complete fossil record of life in the “Coal Age” when lush forests covered Joggins and much of the world's tropics, 300 million years ago. The swamp forests produced massive quantities of organic matter that, over millions of years, created the coal deposits for which this period of history is named. Embedded in 15 kilometres of accessible coastal cliffs, rare fossils reveal details of life in the “Coal Age”.
I was amazed to find out that this rocky beach had once been a lush swamp, with tree, plant and mammal life. We all know what coal can do to the environment in this day and age, but I had no idea the affects it had hundreds of millions of years ago.
Because of the wind that day, were weren't able to get very close to the actually cliffs (for fear of falling rocks), but we saw some neat fossils on the beach, with prints, and tracks in them. I was also able to take a picture of some coal, that still remains on the beach today. You can see it in this photo, just to the left of my shadow. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs are actually the finest example, in the world, of the Pennsylvanian Coal Age in the Earth's History.
After we walked along the beach, we went into the Joggins Fossil Centre. It was built on reclaimed land from the old Joggins No. 7 Coal mine. It is a beautiful, LEED Certified building, with many alternative energy sources (solar, wind turbine), grey-water recycling, parking for alternative energy vehicles, composting, recycling, and a building built with local resources, some of which have even been recycled. I took pictures of as many of the building's neat components as possible. It was a beautiful structure, with a very interesting architectural design. 
The picture to the left is of the wind turbine, which is situated right behind the alternative vehicle parking. When the turbine is rotating, it can generate enough energy to almost completely power the Centre each day. Below is a sign in the bathroom, about the grey water system in place, collecting water off the green roof, for use in the toilets. Lastly, the bottom photo, you can see the solar panels on the roof.
What a great day we had, exploring the cliffs, learning about the Centre, and spending time together. We are lucky to have such a great mom, who is always willing to teach us new things, and encourages us to be good stewards of the environment as well!
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