I’m not a mom, but I’m one heck of an aunt. And as an aunt it’s my duty to shower all the little munchkins in my life with gifts…of the green variety.
The following green tips are for parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and anyone else who has little people in their lives.
The Three Rs.
Are you a parent? Do you feel overwhelmed by the number of toys in your home? How about the pressure to buy them? And what do you do with the dolls, plastic contraptions, gadgets and whatnots once they lose their appeal?
Reduce: Now I know this is a toughie but can you reduce the number of toys in your home? Rather than buy new, why not check out a toy and clothing swap? My brother and sister-in-law attend one in Fort Langley , BC and it saves them a bundle. It’s also a great opportunity to recycle the toys and clothes that their kids no longer play with or have outgrown. It’s also a great opportunity to teach kids green values. They are the ones who are inheriting the planet after all.
Reuse & Recycle: Find out about a toy and clothing swap in your community. Don’t have one? If you have the energy, start your own – even if just among friends. For those with less time on your hands (such as all of you), visit the Kids Swap, Freecycle and Buy & Sell websites for all things child-related.
Healthy Toys
The media of late has turned its attention to toxicity in our bodies. Where do these toxins come from? When it comes to your kids, are they a little too close to home? You may wonder what exactly makes up the toys and clothing that your children chew on, drool over and wear.
A great deal of attention has centered on polyvinyl chloride (PVC), found in most plastic, and phthalates, which are added to plastic to make them soft – think baby soothers. Industry claims they are perfectly safe. According to the Healthy Spaces website, studies have shown that phthalates can lead to liver, kidney and reproductive system damage. Many European countries have banned these chemicals from toys. Canada has taken their lead, putting a stop to the additives from vinyl teethers, teething rings and rattles.
Alternatives – check out your local eco-friendly store for toys sans harmful chemicals. The Grassroots store in Toronto does well by me. I go there for fun and practical baby gifts.
Other links:
Worldwide Child
Pristine Planet
Wee to Three
Healthy Spaces - The Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH) and Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF).
Eco-Friendly Toys - Now Magazine (Toronto)
Eco-Friendly Clothes
If you are going to go with green-wear, the first order of business is to wear recycled clothes – from an older sib or a clothing swap. For those of us whose duty it is to buy gifts for the kids in our lives, I recommend organic cotton or bamboo. It’s a great gift! Not only will you give your little friend cool eco-friendly wear, you will give them a pesticide free outfit.
Fig by Twice Shy – Vancouver-based.
Rawganique – BC-based
Kate Quinn Organics – Seattle-based.
Green Babies – New York-based
Joli Bebe Boutique – Arizona-based
Shirts of Bamboo – Florida-based
All-Organic Links – For more listings.
Healthy Food
When I was a youngster my parents tended a garden in our backyard. I remember helping my mother plot out the lettuce, potatoes and carrots. Every summer we enjoyed fresh vegetables and in the late summer and early fall my brother and I would pick delicious pruning plums that grew on two of our fruit trees.
I learned at an early age that food comes from the ground, not the grocery store.
If you have a back yard - even a front yard- why not plant an organic vegetable garden. It’s an invaluable lesson for kids – even if they’re at an age when they can’t be bothered to help.
Active Living
Obesity rates in North America have skyrocketed over the past 30 years. In the late 1970s, 3% of children and youth in Canada were obese. By 2004, that number jumped to 7%.
It’s not news that kids have been spending more and more time at the computer and in front of the TV, and less time outdoors. What are the implications to this behaviour, aside from what can be measured on a weigh scale? Does it affect how we connect with one another, how we regard our environment, our mood and brain chemistry?
Taking children out for nature hikes, boating outings, camping trips, picnics and daily trips to a park will help keep them active and appreciate the outdoors. It will also provide you with a great opportunity to bond with your kids.
For more reading on this:
Kids are living under house arrest by Dennis Cauchon from USA Today.
Saving Our Kids from Nature Deficit Disorder – by Linda Sechrist from Natural Awakings
Nature Quest – by Karen Olson from Life Time Fitness
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv.
In the News
Kyoto will cost plenty, Baird warns – The Toronto Star
I’m all for being cautionary and realistic and all that, but this is a bit much.
Why are Niagara's bees dying? – The Toronto Star
It’s not just the Niagara region… 24 states and parts of Canada are losing their bees.
Future is dim for light bulb – The Toronto Star
Ontario plans to phase out the incandescent bulb.
Other News…
Green Bloggers
Ecoshock Radio
Grist Magazine
Tree Hugger
Zerofootprint Blog
StopGlobalWarming.org
BBC – The Greenroom
New York Times – Environment
Showing posts with label Reuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reuse. Show all posts
Friday, April 20, 2007
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, REVIEW!
Congratulations to all of you for doing your best to reduce, reuse and recycle. Over the past few months we’ve been focusing on reducing waste as much as we can. This of course includes garbage, energy and over consumption. For this week, let’s review what we did and see if there’s any area that needs a bit of work.
In the week to follow, I will look at lifestyle choices in the areas such as food, transportation, investing, and other consumer choices that will help us reduce our GHG emissions even more and build towards a more sustainable future.
TO Do This Week
Review
For details on the following, scan my blog archives!
Reduce
• We are remembering to turn off our lights, computers, monitors, standby lights and any other piece of equipment that blinks - at home and work.
• We’re making our homes free of incandescent light bulbs and installing energy-saving florescent lights!
• We’re printing on both sides of our printing paper and stopping ourselves from printing when we don’t really need to.
• Our car idling days are over. We know that idling hurts our engines, pollutes the air, pumps more GHG emissions in the atmosphere and is a ridiculous waste of money.
• We’re starting to reduce the number of days that we drive our cars and remembering to inflate our tires and tune up our engines on a regular basis. We’re also doing our very best to keep to the speed limit.
• Our showers and faucets are starting to sport low-flow shower heads and faucets. We’re also trying to conserve water as much as we can and ease up on the hot water showers.
• We’re doing our very best to stop junk mail from reaching your mail box, even though some people seem blind to the No Junk Mail Please signs that we’ve posted. I’ve been meaning to call Canada Post to complain. I’ll do that this week.
• We’re not buying gifts that we suspect our friends won’t use. Instead, we’re giving them great experiences through restaurant certificates and tickets to sport and arts events.
• We’ve bought canvas bags to reduce plastic bags. We’re trying to avoid packaging as best we can.
• We’re also trying to reduce the amount of food we throw out, buying what we know we’ll eat.
• We’re insulating our home heater and ensuring our appliances are run as efficiently as possible. Now that summer is upon us, we’re going to hang dry our clothes as much as possible.
Reuse
•Paper printed on only one side does not go into the recycle bin but back into our printers for reuse.
• Used envelops and the like are used for notes and shopping lists.
• Broken ceramics are used in flower pots to help with drainage.
• Water that’s wasted when waiting for hot water is captured and used to water the lawn or plants.
• Plastic bags are used for garbage, plastic tubs for storage. Old clothes are used as rags.
• Resist throwing things out if we can squeeze another life out of them!
Recycle
• We’re choosing recycled print, toilet and tissue paper and paper towels (you can even buy recycled plastic bags for your garbage).
• We’re recycling paper and plastics, and, where available, organic garbage or composting.
• The clothes we’re tired of wearing are sent to charitable originations and thrift shops.
• We’re selling our unwanted goods through yard sales, freecycle.org, the Buy & Sell or other such services.
Coming to a Theatre Near You!
Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth hits the cinemas in June. Click here for a list of cinema’s and opening dates in North America. If you can, attend opening weekend. The higher the numbers on opening the longer the film will be in theatres.
Green Party of Canada
If you are thinking of joining the Green Party – now’s the time. The convention is taking place August 24 - 27 and the party needs new members to nominate candidates (you don’t have to attend the convention to vote). Elizabeth May and David Chernushenko are in the running and they need nominations by May 31. This is a very exciting time for the party. Even if you don’t want to join, I encourage you to check out the party and what it stands for.
Join the March!!
Over 360,000 to date have signed up to stop global warming. Join us!
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/
In the News
Green Bloggers
If you go to the Canada site, my blog is there!
Grist Magazine
StopGlobalWarming.org
Headlines
World-Wire
Truth Out
In the week to follow, I will look at lifestyle choices in the areas such as food, transportation, investing, and other consumer choices that will help us reduce our GHG emissions even more and build towards a more sustainable future.
TO Do This Week
Review
For details on the following, scan my blog archives!
Reduce
• We are remembering to turn off our lights, computers, monitors, standby lights and any other piece of equipment that blinks - at home and work.
• We’re making our homes free of incandescent light bulbs and installing energy-saving florescent lights!
• We’re printing on both sides of our printing paper and stopping ourselves from printing when we don’t really need to.
• Our car idling days are over. We know that idling hurts our engines, pollutes the air, pumps more GHG emissions in the atmosphere and is a ridiculous waste of money.
• We’re starting to reduce the number of days that we drive our cars and remembering to inflate our tires and tune up our engines on a regular basis. We’re also doing our very best to keep to the speed limit.
• Our showers and faucets are starting to sport low-flow shower heads and faucets. We’re also trying to conserve water as much as we can and ease up on the hot water showers.
• We’re doing our very best to stop junk mail from reaching your mail box, even though some people seem blind to the No Junk Mail Please signs that we’ve posted. I’ve been meaning to call Canada Post to complain. I’ll do that this week.
• We’re not buying gifts that we suspect our friends won’t use. Instead, we’re giving them great experiences through restaurant certificates and tickets to sport and arts events.
• We’ve bought canvas bags to reduce plastic bags. We’re trying to avoid packaging as best we can.
• We’re also trying to reduce the amount of food we throw out, buying what we know we’ll eat.
• We’re insulating our home heater and ensuring our appliances are run as efficiently as possible. Now that summer is upon us, we’re going to hang dry our clothes as much as possible.
Reuse
•Paper printed on only one side does not go into the recycle bin but back into our printers for reuse.
• Used envelops and the like are used for notes and shopping lists.
• Broken ceramics are used in flower pots to help with drainage.
• Water that’s wasted when waiting for hot water is captured and used to water the lawn or plants.
• Plastic bags are used for garbage, plastic tubs for storage. Old clothes are used as rags.
• Resist throwing things out if we can squeeze another life out of them!
Recycle
• We’re choosing recycled print, toilet and tissue paper and paper towels (you can even buy recycled plastic bags for your garbage).
• We’re recycling paper and plastics, and, where available, organic garbage or composting.
• The clothes we’re tired of wearing are sent to charitable originations and thrift shops.
• We’re selling our unwanted goods through yard sales, freecycle.org, the Buy & Sell or other such services.
Coming to a Theatre Near You!
Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth hits the cinemas in June. Click here for a list of cinema’s and opening dates in North America. If you can, attend opening weekend. The higher the numbers on opening the longer the film will be in theatres.
Green Party of Canada
If you are thinking of joining the Green Party – now’s the time. The convention is taking place August 24 - 27 and the party needs new members to nominate candidates (you don’t have to attend the convention to vote). Elizabeth May and David Chernushenko are in the running and they need nominations by May 31. This is a very exciting time for the party. Even if you don’t want to join, I encourage you to check out the party and what it stands for.
Join the March!!
Over 360,000 to date have signed up to stop global warming. Join us!
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/
In the News
Green Bloggers
If you go to the Canada site, my blog is there!
Grist Magazine
StopGlobalWarming.org
Headlines
World-Wire
Truth Out
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
On Greening a Home
Vanessa Pfaff and Chris Miller come by their green thumbs honestly. Although, Chris would argue that his gardening green thumb is a little black.
I met them at their home in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood to discuss what they’ve done to “green” their place. Wearing flour dusted aprons, they treated me to a lovely brunch. Even Juliette, their 3 ½ year old daughter, was apron clad. She also sported fabulous Barbie high heel shoes (for you feminists, I was assured she also likes to drill). Since my time interviewing them, Juliette would undergo two wardrobe changes and serenade my voice recorder with her rendition of Baa Baa Black Sheep.
While Vanessa and Chris consider themselves environmentally conscious, they learned to conserve out of necessity while growing up. Chris’ parents divorced when he was young and Vanessa grew up in South Africa’s ‘coloured’ community during Apartheid. “We ate organic and we recycled without calling it that. We lived homeopathically and community-minded,” said Vanessa, who is Director of Programs at Easter Seals Canada.
Moving to Scarborough from Cape Town when she was 11, Vanessa recalls that her mother wasted nothing, reusing tissue boxes to write notes and milk plastic bags to freeze food.
Chris grew up with his mother, artist Katherine Oliver who resisted the mass consumerism (and waste) ethic that was blossoming in the 1950s and 60s. “She was a person who functioned on need and so was my father. They weren’t particularly enviro-conscious. They weren’t adamantly fighting against anything. They were doing what they thought was natural and the smart thing to do and I think that sort of fell through to me.”
A year ago, Chris, who is a sound editor and designer in the film/TV industry, went to work transforming their 100 + year old home from two apartments into one. In so doing, he saw an opportunity to make their house more energy efficient.
On Insulation
Their biggest challenge making their home energy efficient was dealing with an old porous house. Chris moved the kitchen from the second level to the main floor back space. Because his house is connected to another, he ended up gutting one exposed wall in order to properly insulate it. He used R12 Roxul, environmentally friendly mineral rock fiber, and created a vapour barrier. He is of two minds of making the home air tight.
“It’s good to trap air, it’s good to seal that it keeps the moisture out. It’s all good. It’s much more energy efficient, but in newer houses where this is done, some of the newer materials are filled with all kinds of chemicals and your house has to breath naturally it may be air tight and energy efficient but it’s more of a toxic environment I think.
“The one thing we did we did in terms of insulation that helped tremendously is re-insulate the attic area. We insulated the rafters – the floor of the attic or the ceiling of the second floor to keep a sort of, well cold area.
We shared a service with our next door neighbours. They were having it done and we jumped a board. It’s all blown in insulation which is great for an open space. It’s less aggressive and awful than your fiberglass pink insulation or your fiber… It’s like shredded puffy material. Shredded cotton. I think it has an R-value in the high teens or low 20s. R-value is its insulating value. And what’s that done in the winter is help contain the warm air and of course hot air rises. And in the summer it helps keep it cool too.”
Next step for Chris is to install roof vents for hot summer air to escape, and to replace single paned windows with double paned thermal. In the meantime, Chris sealed his single paned windows with removable caulking, although he suspects it’s toxic.
Chris is even considering painting the flat part of their roof white to reflect the suns rays to help keep the house cool in the summer.
On Paint
For paint, they turned to the clay-based product from Farrow Ball, a UK-based company.
On Reusing
Chris and Vanessa tried to reduce as much they could the waste from the renovation.
“I mean there’s a lot of stuff that we try to reclaim and reuse,” said Vanessa. “It matches our aesthetic anyway. We kinda like dusty old stuff.”
They reused the floorboards and a door, and found gems such as a light shade from an old schoolhouse and walnut banister from Artefacts, based in St. Jacobs, Ontario, that sells scavenged materials from renovated homes.
On Appliances
Appliance choices were important as well. Thought went into price, aesthetics and size, but also the number of kilowatt-hours used. A great example is the refrigerator. Older models gobble over 1000 kilowatt-hours/year. Chris and Vanessa chose a 19 ½ cubit foot Whirlpool that uses between 350 and 450 kilowatt hours/year.
They spent a little bit more on front end loaders because it uses less water. The dryer was another matter. “I don’t think they made great strides because they seem to use the same amount of energy as they always have – they’re all hovering around 900 kilowatt hours a year,” said Chris.
They also consider appliance use. Energy hogs such as the dishwasher and air conditioner are used sparingly, lights are off when not needed, and the thermostat is programmed between 20 and 17 degrees Celsius, depending on time of day. Most lights are low voltage and controlled by dimmers.
Has it paid off? Their hydro consumption alone plummeted from 2300 kilowatt hours during February/March 2005 to 800 during the same months in 2006.
On Waste
Chris was hyper aware of the waste generated by his renovation. As it stands, the province of Ontario does not have a waste recycling program for drywall and other renovation-related waste. “Going down to the transfer station on Commissioners once a week or a couple times a month, you know you become intimately aware of what your little contribution is to a massive contribution to one station in one part of the city, knowing that this going on all over the place.”
On a lighter note, Vanessa told me that Juliette was playing an imaginary game at day care. In the game, Juliette was going for a walk with a cat and during the walk the cat got sick. Juliette had to determine which waste bin to put the cat’s mess. She chose the Green Bin for organic waste.
“So she’s recycling even in her imaginary games,” said her proud mom.
On Food
Vanessa, Chris and Juliette have the good fortune to live right next door to their good friend Lulu Cohen-Farnell, owner and founder of Real Food for Real Kids. Lulu’s company caters wholesome and organic food to children and is recipient of two Toronto Green Awards. Lulu has been both their culinary companion and inspiration. The two families spend dinners together at least three times a week.
We try to eat organic as much as we can, at least not processed,” said Vanessa, who started eating this way after Juliette was born. “It obviously costs a little bit more money so we do as it as much as we can. We still eat meat. So if we can’t eat organic meat we’ll at least go to the butcher. Or buy Halal. We try to do it with home cosmetics and toiletries such as the toothpastes and shampoos.”
On Guilt
At one point during my visit, Vanessa interjected with: “I’m feeling ludicrous having this conversation. It just feels like a reminder of how much we have. It’s obscene. It’s ridiculous. I do like getting stuff but I think we need to consume less and be more community-minded, start sharing more. Reduce the output.”
“We’re typical in the sense. We try. We do a number of things but we don’t do everything,” said Chris.
“We try to leave a gentle footprint and I think a huge part of it is education. So we’ve learned and so that’s how it’s impacted us. We want to do the best with Juliette and Maxy [Lulu’s son] and every other kid we can,” said Vanessa.
“The most important thing is being conscious and being aware of what kind of mark your leaving,” said Chris.
I met them at their home in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood to discuss what they’ve done to “green” their place. Wearing flour dusted aprons, they treated me to a lovely brunch. Even Juliette, their 3 ½ year old daughter, was apron clad. She also sported fabulous Barbie high heel shoes (for you feminists, I was assured she also likes to drill). Since my time interviewing them, Juliette would undergo two wardrobe changes and serenade my voice recorder with her rendition of Baa Baa Black Sheep.
While Vanessa and Chris consider themselves environmentally conscious, they learned to conserve out of necessity while growing up. Chris’ parents divorced when he was young and Vanessa grew up in South Africa’s ‘coloured’ community during Apartheid. “We ate organic and we recycled without calling it that. We lived homeopathically and community-minded,” said Vanessa, who is Director of Programs at Easter Seals Canada.
Moving to Scarborough from Cape Town when she was 11, Vanessa recalls that her mother wasted nothing, reusing tissue boxes to write notes and milk plastic bags to freeze food.
Chris grew up with his mother, artist Katherine Oliver who resisted the mass consumerism (and waste) ethic that was blossoming in the 1950s and 60s. “She was a person who functioned on need and so was my father. They weren’t particularly enviro-conscious. They weren’t adamantly fighting against anything. They were doing what they thought was natural and the smart thing to do and I think that sort of fell through to me.”
A year ago, Chris, who is a sound editor and designer in the film/TV industry, went to work transforming their 100 + year old home from two apartments into one. In so doing, he saw an opportunity to make their house more energy efficient.
On Insulation
Their biggest challenge making their home energy efficient was dealing with an old porous house. Chris moved the kitchen from the second level to the main floor back space. Because his house is connected to another, he ended up gutting one exposed wall in order to properly insulate it. He used R12 Roxul, environmentally friendly mineral rock fiber, and created a vapour barrier. He is of two minds of making the home air tight.
“It’s good to trap air, it’s good to seal that it keeps the moisture out. It’s all good. It’s much more energy efficient, but in newer houses where this is done, some of the newer materials are filled with all kinds of chemicals and your house has to breath naturally it may be air tight and energy efficient but it’s more of a toxic environment I think.
“The one thing we did we did in terms of insulation that helped tremendously is re-insulate the attic area. We insulated the rafters – the floor of the attic or the ceiling of the second floor to keep a sort of, well cold area.
We shared a service with our next door neighbours. They were having it done and we jumped a board. It’s all blown in insulation which is great for an open space. It’s less aggressive and awful than your fiberglass pink insulation or your fiber… It’s like shredded puffy material. Shredded cotton. I think it has an R-value in the high teens or low 20s. R-value is its insulating value. And what’s that done in the winter is help contain the warm air and of course hot air rises. And in the summer it helps keep it cool too.”
Next step for Chris is to install roof vents for hot summer air to escape, and to replace single paned windows with double paned thermal. In the meantime, Chris sealed his single paned windows with removable caulking, although he suspects it’s toxic.
Chris is even considering painting the flat part of their roof white to reflect the suns rays to help keep the house cool in the summer.
On Paint
For paint, they turned to the clay-based product from Farrow Ball, a UK-based company.
On Reusing
Chris and Vanessa tried to reduce as much they could the waste from the renovation.
“I mean there’s a lot of stuff that we try to reclaim and reuse,” said Vanessa. “It matches our aesthetic anyway. We kinda like dusty old stuff.”
They reused the floorboards and a door, and found gems such as a light shade from an old schoolhouse and walnut banister from Artefacts, based in St. Jacobs, Ontario, that sells scavenged materials from renovated homes.
On Appliances
Appliance choices were important as well. Thought went into price, aesthetics and size, but also the number of kilowatt-hours used. A great example is the refrigerator. Older models gobble over 1000 kilowatt-hours/year. Chris and Vanessa chose a 19 ½ cubit foot Whirlpool that uses between 350 and 450 kilowatt hours/year.
They spent a little bit more on front end loaders because it uses less water. The dryer was another matter. “I don’t think they made great strides because they seem to use the same amount of energy as they always have – they’re all hovering around 900 kilowatt hours a year,” said Chris.
They also consider appliance use. Energy hogs such as the dishwasher and air conditioner are used sparingly, lights are off when not needed, and the thermostat is programmed between 20 and 17 degrees Celsius, depending on time of day. Most lights are low voltage and controlled by dimmers.
Has it paid off? Their hydro consumption alone plummeted from 2300 kilowatt hours during February/March 2005 to 800 during the same months in 2006.
On Waste
Chris was hyper aware of the waste generated by his renovation. As it stands, the province of Ontario does not have a waste recycling program for drywall and other renovation-related waste. “Going down to the transfer station on Commissioners once a week or a couple times a month, you know you become intimately aware of what your little contribution is to a massive contribution to one station in one part of the city, knowing that this going on all over the place.”
On a lighter note, Vanessa told me that Juliette was playing an imaginary game at day care. In the game, Juliette was going for a walk with a cat and during the walk the cat got sick. Juliette had to determine which waste bin to put the cat’s mess. She chose the Green Bin for organic waste.
“So she’s recycling even in her imaginary games,” said her proud mom.
On Food
Vanessa, Chris and Juliette have the good fortune to live right next door to their good friend Lulu Cohen-Farnell, owner and founder of Real Food for Real Kids. Lulu’s company caters wholesome and organic food to children and is recipient of two Toronto Green Awards. Lulu has been both their culinary companion and inspiration. The two families spend dinners together at least three times a week.
We try to eat organic as much as we can, at least not processed,” said Vanessa, who started eating this way after Juliette was born. “It obviously costs a little bit more money so we do as it as much as we can. We still eat meat. So if we can’t eat organic meat we’ll at least go to the butcher. Or buy Halal. We try to do it with home cosmetics and toiletries such as the toothpastes and shampoos.”
On Guilt
At one point during my visit, Vanessa interjected with: “I’m feeling ludicrous having this conversation. It just feels like a reminder of how much we have. It’s obscene. It’s ridiculous. I do like getting stuff but I think we need to consume less and be more community-minded, start sharing more. Reduce the output.”
“We’re typical in the sense. We try. We do a number of things but we don’t do everything,” said Chris.
“We try to leave a gentle footprint and I think a huge part of it is education. So we’ve learned and so that’s how it’s impacted us. We want to do the best with Juliette and Maxy [Lulu’s son] and every other kid we can,” said Vanessa.
“The most important thing is being conscious and being aware of what kind of mark your leaving,” said Chris.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Reduce Reuse Plastic and Zero Emission Transportation
I hope that your water and fuel conservation is coming along nicely. Brad Fraser wrote to me with this tid bit on washing your clothes in cold water:
“Unless something is badly stained, most whites can be washed in cold as well. Also, a good alternative to hang drying is putting the dryer on low or tumble only settings.”
Thanks Dave!
Wonderful People Doing Fabulous Things
This article from the Toronto Star on Naser Faruqui caught my eye. Naser works in the world’s most parched countries to help them with their water needs. It’s an interesting article on urban poverty and the environment, and working with communities to find solutions that are appropriate for them.
Keeping the Lights On: Lessons from California
The ole nuclear brouhaha continues in Ontario. The Sierra Club has invited conservation experts from California to come on up and talk to the Ontario Minister of Energy, Donna Cansfield, about better energy solutions than nuclear. They will also speak publicly on Tuesday, March 21 from 6:30 to 9:30 at City Hall, Council Chambers. Click here for more information: http://ontario.sierraclub.ca/events/index.php?id=1076. I’m definitely going!
Thanks to Erin McMurtry for organizing a meeting with Energy Minister Donna Cansfield next Wednesday to discuss concerns about the Ontario Power Authority Report. I and a few others will join her. I’ll post my impression on the meeting on my blog.
Reduce/Reuse
In the 1980s, when society became aware of pressing environmental problems, the words ‘reduce/reuse/recycle’ were in vogue. At the time, recycling seemed to have more emphasis, at least to me. I didn’t realize that reduce/reuse/recycle are in order of priority. Reduce as much as you can, first and foremost. A difficult thing to do in our highly consumptive society. Think of all the things you bought on a whim that just sit there collecting dust.
Once you use something, can you reuse it? - Write your shopping list on the back of a used envelop or tissue box. Print on the other side of printed paper. Give away old clothing to Goodwill or Value Village, or turn them into rags. Etcetera. As I keep saying, most things created have a GHG price tag on them due to the fact that these days power is generated predominantly by fossil fuels. If a product is made of plastic, even more so. Plastic is a petroleum product.
Ah, plastic. It’s everywhere. In our computers, health devices, cars, packaging, clothing, bags, toys, containers. The list goes on and on and on. Plastic has certainly been a blessing, you could say a mainstay of our modern comfortable lifestyle. However, plastic is made from a non-renewable product that also contributes to global warming.
The Canadian Plastic Industry Association makes its case saying that plastic actually helps the environment. Have a boo if you have time. The renewable energy industry is reliant on plastic, after all – oh the irony. Plastic also helps reduce weight in cars, helping to reduce fuel consumption, and so on.
I’ll talk about plastic recycling a little later. Where I live, the city recycles margarine and yogurt tubs (#5), but it does not recycle plastic bags. I suggest we reduce our use of them….
TO Do This Week
Reducing that Mound of Plastic in your Life
Some of you like to use plastic grocery bags as garbage bags – a fine example of reusing. But at times do you feel completely overwhelmed by the accumulating plastic growing in your bottom drawer, or wherever else you put these bags? Why not reduce this plastic by investing in cloth bags? Or, take the accumulating plastic bags with you to the store. It may take awhile to remember them, as it did Jane and me, but you’ll get the hang of it.
This weekend when you shop – I encourage you to either buy cloth bags or reuse the plastic ones, if you don’t already.
Zero Emission Transportation
It’s called…walking. Strange but true. Not only does it get you from A to B without producing GHG emissions, it strengthens your heart and burns calories.
Now yes, if you need to get across the city or go to another town, you can’t be expected to walk there. But if you have to drop off a DVD or pick up some milk from around the corner, well then…. About 50% of car trips are made within 3km of home. Before driving, ask yourself, could I walk or bike to my destination? You will save on gas, reduce your GHG emissions and pollution, and get some exercise.
If you drive, this week try walking to a destination if it’s in reasonable walking distance.
Sources
Earth Easy
“Unless something is badly stained, most whites can be washed in cold as well. Also, a good alternative to hang drying is putting the dryer on low or tumble only settings.”
Thanks Dave!
Wonderful People Doing Fabulous Things
This article from the Toronto Star on Naser Faruqui caught my eye. Naser works in the world’s most parched countries to help them with their water needs. It’s an interesting article on urban poverty and the environment, and working with communities to find solutions that are appropriate for them.
Keeping the Lights On: Lessons from California
The ole nuclear brouhaha continues in Ontario. The Sierra Club has invited conservation experts from California to come on up and talk to the Ontario Minister of Energy, Donna Cansfield, about better energy solutions than nuclear. They will also speak publicly on Tuesday, March 21 from 6:30 to 9:30 at City Hall, Council Chambers. Click here for more information: http://ontario.sierraclub.ca/events/index.php?id=1076. I’m definitely going!
Thanks to Erin McMurtry for organizing a meeting with Energy Minister Donna Cansfield next Wednesday to discuss concerns about the Ontario Power Authority Report. I and a few others will join her. I’ll post my impression on the meeting on my blog.
Reduce/Reuse
In the 1980s, when society became aware of pressing environmental problems, the words ‘reduce/reuse/recycle’ were in vogue. At the time, recycling seemed to have more emphasis, at least to me. I didn’t realize that reduce/reuse/recycle are in order of priority. Reduce as much as you can, first and foremost. A difficult thing to do in our highly consumptive society. Think of all the things you bought on a whim that just sit there collecting dust.
Once you use something, can you reuse it? - Write your shopping list on the back of a used envelop or tissue box. Print on the other side of printed paper. Give away old clothing to Goodwill or Value Village, or turn them into rags. Etcetera. As I keep saying, most things created have a GHG price tag on them due to the fact that these days power is generated predominantly by fossil fuels. If a product is made of plastic, even more so. Plastic is a petroleum product.
Ah, plastic. It’s everywhere. In our computers, health devices, cars, packaging, clothing, bags, toys, containers. The list goes on and on and on. Plastic has certainly been a blessing, you could say a mainstay of our modern comfortable lifestyle. However, plastic is made from a non-renewable product that also contributes to global warming.
The Canadian Plastic Industry Association makes its case saying that plastic actually helps the environment. Have a boo if you have time. The renewable energy industry is reliant on plastic, after all – oh the irony. Plastic also helps reduce weight in cars, helping to reduce fuel consumption, and so on.
I’ll talk about plastic recycling a little later. Where I live, the city recycles margarine and yogurt tubs (#5), but it does not recycle plastic bags. I suggest we reduce our use of them….
TO Do This Week
Reducing that Mound of Plastic in your Life
Some of you like to use plastic grocery bags as garbage bags – a fine example of reusing. But at times do you feel completely overwhelmed by the accumulating plastic growing in your bottom drawer, or wherever else you put these bags? Why not reduce this plastic by investing in cloth bags? Or, take the accumulating plastic bags with you to the store. It may take awhile to remember them, as it did Jane and me, but you’ll get the hang of it.
This weekend when you shop – I encourage you to either buy cloth bags or reuse the plastic ones, if you don’t already.
Zero Emission Transportation
It’s called…walking. Strange but true. Not only does it get you from A to B without producing GHG emissions, it strengthens your heart and burns calories.
Now yes, if you need to get across the city or go to another town, you can’t be expected to walk there. But if you have to drop off a DVD or pick up some milk from around the corner, well then…. About 50% of car trips are made within 3km of home. Before driving, ask yourself, could I walk or bike to my destination? You will save on gas, reduce your GHG emissions and pollution, and get some exercise.
If you drive, this week try walking to a destination if it’s in reasonable walking distance.
Sources
Earth Easy
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