footprint: 2007

a chunk of ice the size of Ontario

It's the end of a year, and it's list time.

Topping Environment Canada's list of top weather stories of 2007 is our melting Arctic sea ice - in September, scientists were stunned by satellite images revealing that the ice had shrunk to about 4 million square kilometres - a 23% reduction from 5.3 million square kilometres in 2005.

In other words, a chunk of ice the size of Ontario vanished within one year.

So what does it mean? Well, it remains to be seen how the dramatic transformation of the Arctic surface from a highly reflective white ice to dark heat-absorbing sea water will affect planetary climate.

"When you go from a surface that reflects 90 per cent of the radiation that comes in to a surface that absorbs 95 per cent of the sun's rays ... I think it has incredible implications for all people," warned senior climatologist David Phillips.

Second place on the weather list went to the threat of a devastating flood in British Columbia, followed by pre-winter storms across Canada, a hot and sticky summer on the Prairies, a dry summer in southern Ontario and the effects of Hurricane Noel in eastern Canada.

Full story at canada.com

while you're washing those holiday dishes

Maybe it's time to start thinking about water. Like, what if it runs out? If you're concerned about water quality - and quantity - you should visit Water for Life, a Canuck initiative developed for the UN's Water for Life decade (2005-2015).

Their goal is to create a common vision that will inspire movement in the direction Canada must go to protect its water resources successfully over the long term. The site has background and tips on ways to take action; plus, there are some nifty posters to download and share. thinkwater.ca

give the gift of a goat

Still shopping? Skip the mall and give a truly meaningful gift. The 'Oxfam Unwrapped' program is a unique collection of gifts you can give while helping people in developing countries become more self-sufficient. Give a survival kit or bicycle, or even a chicken, goat or donkey.

The recipient receives a card detailing the gift you bought in their name while the actual item goes to those who need it most (you don't actually have to wrap up the goat).

Visit oxfam.ca to learn how Oxfam Canada is making a difference.

say no to the wish book

This holiday season, Environmental Defence is sharing ways to protect the environment with their Top 5 Tips for a Green Holiday Season:

1. Tell Sears you don't want their 1083-page Wish Book Christmas Catalogue. Canada's largest catalogue is made from clearcut forests and threatened woodland caribou habitat in Ontario. It also uses as much energy to produce as the equivalent of 3,300 homes annually. Why not go online instead or take the bus to your local Sears store?

2. Replace your Christmas lights. Use low-energy LED lights and help reduce the annual holiday power surge! Check to see if your local utility is sponsoring an exchange program.

3. Skip the plastic. Using re-usable shopping bags can reduce the approximately 65,000 tonnes of plastic that is thrown away during the holidays in Canada. You will save on fossil fuel consumption too!

4. For your tree. The best thing you can do is use a locally-grown potted tree that can be replanted in the spring. If you buy a cut tree, then make sure that it is from a local tree-farm. While cutting the tree adds to your carbon footprint, the tree that will be replanted to replace it is your carbon offset.

5. Eat local. Reducing the distance your holiday food has to travel not only lowers your carbon footprint, it support local economies.

Support Environmental Defence by giving the Gift of Green to family and friends on your list who are concerned about the planet.

get real this christmas

Literally - the David Suzuki Foundation says you should buy a real Christmas tree over an artificial one.

Justin Smallbridge, who researched the issue for the foundation, said it's better for the environment since - for the most part - they are grown and sold locally, produce oxygen, are fully recyclable, and, once cut, are replaced with at least two more seedlings.

According to Statistics Canada, real Christmas tree sales were worth $73.9 million in 2005. About 2.4 million trees were exported to places as far away as Ireland and Thailand. Up to six million trees are grown in Canada each year.

But not everyone wants to get real. According again to StatsCan, $36.6 million was spent importing artificial trees from China in 2005.

Full article from the Vancouver Province >>

things heat up in regina

While our government makes climate change promises over rounds of tuak in Bali (we are agreeing, in principal, to agree to negotiate a future UN agreement on climate change!), folks in Regina were reminding them to actually do something.

Despite -20C temperatures, people gathered in downtown Regina on Saturday to protest global warming and demand the governments take action on climate change.

One speaker was 12-year-old Holden Greggains. He called for everyone to do their part to conserve energy and said even small changes can make a big difference in the long run.

A national day of action was called for by two of Canada's most recognized environmental activists, David Suzuki and Maude Barlow. As a result 37 cities across Canada held similar rallies and more than 80 countries around the world participated in "Kyoto Now" protests, correlating with the United Nation's 13th Climate Change Conference in Indonesia.

Read the full article at the Leader-Post or visit climatechaos.ca

ontario liberals told to curb use of road salt

It saves lives on slick winter roads, but kills plants, trees and aquatic animals. Road salt (sodium chloride) is a primary ice-fighting tool for most Canadian municipalities - despite a growing realization the chemical compound has nasty eco-consequences.

Last week, Environmental commissioner Gord Miller told the governing Liberals to curb the use of road salt by forcing municipalities to take advantage of modern technology.

He noted that widespread use of road salt used to be justified because people argued saving lives was more important than saving the environment. Now, modern technology means the municipalities don’t need to make that choice, Miller said, noting that the Ministry of Transportation uses on-board computers to monitor road temperatures and distribute salt more efficiently on 20 per cent of Ontario roads.

Miller also complained that development is trumping environmental concerns in the Golden Horseshoe region, where the population is exploding and “car-centric” culture continues to thrive.

Dan McDermott, with the Sierra Club of Canada, said the Liberals should follow Miller’s recommendation to halt the construction of new highways in southern Ontario. Adding and expanding highways will just mean more urban sprawl and more asphalt to salt, he said. “Fewer roads would mean less road salt,” McDermott said. “More transit would mean less road salt.”

You can’t argue with that. Read the story at the Toronto Star>>

a new sense of community

Did you know there are 24 ecovillages in Canada? I found this out at Global Ecovillage Network.

The term “ecovillage” may bring to mind images of drum-dancing, society-ditching hippies, but it's actually a positive term describing communities of people (both urban and rural), who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life.

Basically, people living and working together cooperatively to build a more sustainable future. To achieve this, they integrate various aspects of ecological design, permaculture, ecological building, green production, alternative energy and community building practices such as co-housing.

While the majority of Canadian ecovillages can be found in British Columbia, we also have a smattering across Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Quebec. Interested in visiting? Find out more about "ecovillage tourism" here.

ecoholics anonymous

When you're addicted to the planet as much as Adria Vasil is, you write a book about it. A weekly columnist for Toronto's NOW Magazine, Vasil has covered environmental issues for nearly five years. Her cheeky book is chock full of tips, plus green products and services that are - best of all - Canadian.
ecoholic.ca

Friends of the Earth Sues Government

Just days before Environment Minister John Baird leaves for the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Canada is facing a legal challenge for missing a key deadline under global warming legislation. The government was served on Wednesday with a second Application for Judicial Review for violating the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act, the Canadian law that requires reductions in greenhouse gas emissions according to the Kyoto Protocol commitment.

The application was filed on behalf of Friends of the Earth Canada by Paliare Roland Barristers and Ecojustice (you might remember them as Sierra Legal) and alleges that the federal Minister of the Environment and federal cabinet ministers are ignoring the rule of law by failing to comply with yet another requirement of the KPIA.

The federal government was legally required to publish draft regulations by October 20, 2007 that would enable Canada to meet the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. By failing to do so, it is thus out of compliance with the KPIA.

"Missing this deadline demonstrates that Canada continues to be missing in action on global warming," says Ecojustice lawyer Hugh Wilkins. "We cannot sit idly by while the government drags its feet and flouts our laws. The government must be held accountable to the will of the Canadian people and the will of Parliament."

Read more at ecojustice.ca, or - for a much different opinion - read Eco-Cultists to sue Canadian government

where do hamburgers come from?

I was browsing for Christmas gifts and I ironically came across a wonderous little book called Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by John C. Ryan and Alan Thein Durning.

The very simple message ties in well with our recent Buy Nothing Day: most of the everyday 'stuff' in our lives has a very environmentally un-friendly past. The book takes a look at what an average North American uses in a single day and tracks the inputs required for their coffee, T-shirt, computer, hamburger, etc. Treehugger.com reports that

"The findings are startling: did you know that it takes 700 gallons of water just so you can have your Quarter-Pounder?"

I certainly did not. My irony comes in where I was actually shopping for presents, which really are just more 'stuff'. Would this book make a good purchase (in place of other stuff) and where would it rank in terms of a scary, earth-destroying past?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/08/stuff_the_secre.php

C'mon now...there are better ways to save paper

Sometimes I feel like I deserve a parade for my blue box...I eye the towering mound of paper with satisfaction and think "gee, what a planet-lover I am!" But really, wouldn't it be better if I just had less paper to deal with in the first place?

I think so. So, here are 24 ways to try:

use cloth napkins
clean up with cloths instead of paper towel
use electronic fax
don't print emails or documents
"print" to PDF
ok, if you must print, decrease page margins, font size and double side it
reusable grocery bags, baby
reuse file folders and envelopes
make your own greeting cards
...or send e-cards and invites
reuse gift wrap (tie with string instead of tape)
read the news online
jot down a website instead of taking a brochure
keep life sane with erasable memo boards
post 'no flyers please' on your mailbox
..and take your name off direct mail lists
receive and pay bills online
get your caffeine fix in a ceramic cup or travel mug
buy used books
no, no, no! disposable plates or utensils (unless they're biodegradable)
buy bulk from loose bins
simply refuse to buy items that are over-packaged
cancel subscriptions to magazines you don't read
use less toilet paper...really

Do you have more ideas on reducing paper use? Comment away!

Participate by Not Participating

If you haven't heard of Buy Nothing Day yet, here's your chance to join the movement. Founded by Vancouver artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by Canada's Adbusters magazine, this international phenomenon is simply an informal day of protest against consumerism.

Tomorrow - November 23rd - marks the 15th annual Buy Nothing Day. The first was organized in Vancouver in September of 1992 "as a day for society to examine the issue of over-consumption." In 1997, it was moved to the Friday after American Thanksgiving, which is one of the top 10 busiest shopping days in the United States (affectionately known as "Black Friday" ).

Despite controversies, Adbusters managed to advertise Buy Nothing Day on CNN, but many other major television networks declined to air their ads. Soon after, campaigns started appearing in United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway.

While critics charge that Buy Nothing Day simply causes people to buy the next day, Adbusters' stance is that it "isn't just about changing your habits for one day" but "about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment to consuming less and producing less waste."

So, tomorrow, participate by NOT participating. Happy non-buying!

Adbusters >>

Spend less time with Chuck E. Cheese

There's heated competition in my neighborhood when it comes to birthday parties. Each outspends the last, and all the kids - not just the birthday boy or girl - leave with a armful of plastic toys they don't need. So when I came across ECHOage yesterday, I thought seriously about spamming my address book with it.

Created by two mothers frustrated by the waste that traditional birthday parties generate, ECHOage celebrates giving in a different way. Guests are invited to the party online, and - instead of buying a gift - they are asked to make a payment of $20. Half of the pooled money buys One Gift for the birthday child; the other half supports One Cause, such as Evergreen or Second Harvest. What's more, the parent of the birthday child gets an official tax receipt. Now that's worth buying a few soy wax candles for!

Where Children Celebrate Giving>>

drink wine, plant a tree

plantatree wine was conceived when Steven Campbell, owner of Lifford Wine Agency, and Jed Goldberg, Earth Day Canada President, were returning from Eigensinn Farm after a discussion on global warming.

Certain that when given a choice, consumers will choose sustainable goods, Campbell decided he needed to do something…and plantatree wine was born.

For each bottle purchased, Lifford, in partnership with Tree Canada, will plant one tree. The goal in year one is to plant 100,000 trees - which will absorb approximately 35,380 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere over their life time.

A good friend of mine friend works at Lifford and turned me on to this concept, so I’m even more inclined to pick up plantatree’s Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot - available at select LCBO stores and across Canada in 2008.

For more on plantatree’s sustainable practices, click here>

How-To People Raise Benchmark

Canadian hardware and home renovation giant RONA unveiled a series of "eco-responsibility" initiatives at its 2008 Spring Tradeshow in Montreal on Friday.

According to RONA President and CEO Robert Dutton, “[RONA aims] to become THE eco-responsible standard for the construction and home renovation industry in Canada.”

The tradeshow included a home with a green roof, built on location. Inside, 400 eco-responsible products were offered to RONA storeowners. Most of these products are already available in stores; the rest will become available by spring 2008.

RONA also announced the spring 2008 launch of an all-new line in its private brand, called RONA Eco. Every product released under the new brand will be subjected to a rigorous assessment process.

RONA's eco-responsibility strategy will involve its suppliers by evaluating and upgrading the life cycle profiles of their products, including reduction of wasteful packaging and use of raw materials.

The Grey Cup Might Be Green

The CFL unveiled the league's 'Green Drive' today, an initiative aimed at minimizing the Grey Cup's impact on the environment. The plan will focus on three major areas; the use of renewable clean energy, waste management and carbon offsetting.

Through an environmental audit conducted by Zerofootprint, the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the championship game's energy use, paper, and team air travel were determined. These emissions are to be balanced out with a reforestation effort that will offset nearly 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The CFL will use Bullfrog Power to provide clean energy for this year's event, and recycling firm Turtle Island will handle waste management throughout Grey Cup week as well as during the the big game (November 25 in Toronto). Maybe the Super Bowl will look to Canada for inspiration?

View the release here>>

Cruisin' to the Grocery Store

Transport Canada has finally authorized Toronto-based ZENN Motor Company to produce a 100% electric vehicle for the Canadian market. The ZENN (zero emissions, no noise) electric car has received the National Safety Mark, indicating the vehicle meets Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. It is currently sold in the USA, Mexico and Europe.

Roughly the same size as the Mini-Cooper, the car is designed for city core or neighbourhood-type driving. Transport Canada says it will be up to the individual provinces and territories to legislate where the vehicle can be driven; currently, British Columbia is the only province to do so.

Full CBC News Story >>

Tides a Turning in the Bay of Fundy

Marine Current Turbines, known for its tidal power project in the UK's Bristol Channel, has signed an agreement with Halifax-based Maritime Tidal Energy Co. to harness the huge tidal currents of the Bay of Fundy utilizing turbines.

The companies will submit a joint proposal to the Nova Scotia Department of Energy to deploy MCT's SeaGen technology; the Department plans to have tidal turbines operating in the Bay by 2009.

Nova Scotia Business Journal >>

Galapagone?

"The Galapagos are under siege from the sheer numbers of humans wishing to overfish or to love the islands to death through eco-tourism," writes Captain Paul Watson, Founder and President of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Co-Founder of Greenpeace, in a graphic letter titled Galapagos in Deep Trouble.

The archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator, 965 kilometres west of Ecuador, are being threatened by cars, overfishing, tourism, resource exploitation, even dogs and cats. I was lucky enough to visit as an 'eco-tourist' in 2005, and the profound experience left a deep impression. Now Ecuador is considering limiting tourism, and rightly so; I just hope they plan to punish the poachers and smugglers as well.

Read Watson's letter here>>

Suzuki Gives Bee an 'A'

David Suzuki gives a thumbs up to the new Seinfeld film Bee Movie in today's Toronto Star. In real life, honey bee populations are declining quickly, forced out of their homes and hives. The animated film chronicles the problems brought about by the absence of bees, and touches on the importance of pollinators to the world's food supply.

Read Suzuki's review here>>

Majority of Canadians Willing to Pay for Greener Homes

Considering a eco-friendly home improvement? A new survey by Royal LePage indicates this should yield a solid return on investment come selling time as almost three quarters of Canadians say they will look for a green-improved property in their next home purchase, and 63 per cent will be willing to pay more for it.

According to the recent Royal LePage Eco Home Survey, of the majority of Canadians who are willing to pay more for an eco home, 62 per cent are willing to pay between $5,000 and $20,000 for green features, while eight per cent of respondents are willing to spend $20,000 or more.

The poll was conducted on-line with a national representative sample of 1,266 Canadians aged 18 year and older. Read the full report here >>

great for camping too!

Tetra Pak wine containers are being touted as the trendy and eco-friendly alternative to bottles. They are 50 per cent lighter than glass, unbreakable, and can be resealed to extend shelf life. The wine is more economical to transport and - debatably – the packaging uses less energy to recycle than bottles.

According to the makers of French Rabbit, the new packaging has kept the equivalent of 377 thousand cars off the road per year, and saved 6 million pounds of solid waste and 6 million pounds of greenhouse emission.

A drastic evolution in wine, or a clever pitch to the young and trendy? Find out at eye weekly, where Bev Spritzer reports on drinking wine through a straw.

eco-printing in Vancouver

Want to learn more about eco-friendly print solutions? Don't miss this eco-printing info forum that will help you to be more informed about the latest environmental technologies.

Monday, November 19, 2007 | 9 AM - 3:40 PM
SFU Harbour Center, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver BC

Register at Runningreen>>

from freecycling to curbside organics...

...Kat Tancock shares eight amazing things Canadians have done for the planet, plus suggestions for what we can do better.

Canadian Living>>

"If you run a city properly, it is an environmentally friendly proposition"

Toronto Mayor David Miller discussed the city's plans to combat climate change at the Shirley Shipman public lecture series at Ryerson University on Sunday. Sharing the podium with Stephen Hazell, executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada, Miller talked about "Change is in the Air," a report released in March about the city's plan to reduce carbon emissions by 2010. "If you run a city properly, it is an environmentally friendly proposition," Miller said. "While the typical Canadian produces a carbon footprint of 14 tonnes a year, for the average Torontonian, it's nine tonnes per year, thanks in large part to city initiatives." During his tenure as mayor, the number of trucks ferrying the city's waste to Michigan has fallen to 90 a day from 150, he added.

Goals of the plan include:

-Increasing the number of trees 20 per cent.
-Ensuring 10 per cent of food at city agencies and cafeterias is grown locally.
-Building 120 kilometres of new light rapid transit so that every Torontonian lives within a 10-minute walk from public transit.
-Increasing green roofs 20 per cent, which would lower city temperatures by two degrees on the hottest days of the year.
-Replacing aging buses with hybrid models.

Download the report as a PDF here.

Urge Canada to ban Bisphenol A

Environmental Defence is urging our government to ban Bisphenol A, a toxic chemical that has been shown to cause numerous adverse health effects. BPA is found in clear, hard thick plastic, such as in water bottles and baby bottles, and in the linings of some food cans. Take a moment to sign their online petition asking the federal government to ban Bisphenol A in food and beverage containers.

They have also released the results of a study showing the levels of toxic chemicals in Canadians, young and old. View the alarming results at Toxic Nation.

20,603 Blogs Participated!

October 15th saw a flood of blogging on the environment, setting the web on fire (eco-style). Most innovative posts included Build your own mean, green computing machine (DownloadSquad), BadBuster Helps You Identify the Greenest Companies (Read/Write Web), Optimized code could help reduce global warming (Polygeek) and Items you Never Thought to Recycle (Dumb Little Man)

Find more through Google Blog Search

Bloggers of the World Unite!

This is pretty cool - Today is Blog Action Day (if we had had a heads up we would have posted this a little sooner). The idea is to have bloggers from all over the world post about the environment - concerns, innovations, influencers, in a worldwide effort to raise awareness. So how do you get in on the action? Post something environmentally oriented on your blog... Thats it. Get to it. Influence change.

read on: http://blogactionday.org/

FoodPrint

An article in the globe and mail yesterday looks at the impact of a meat-eaters diet on the environment and introduces a new study claiming that a plant-based diet plus a little meat might actually be more efficient than plants alone. This study by Cornell University examines land requirements as a factor in our "foodprint". It suggests that although a vegetarian diet in New York uses the least land per person (0.44 acres compared with 2.11 for meat eaters) it's not as efficient in terms of land use as a plant-based diet that also includes a bit of meat and dairy. The rationale is that garzing land is widely available while crops occupy high-quality fertile land. But is land use the only measure?

The predecessor to this study is one from the Union of Concerned Scientists' who recommend that being a vegetarian is one of the top things you can do for the planet. It provides us with these astonising numbers:

30% of the Earth's land surface is used for global livestock grazing and feed production

18% of global warming is attributed to livestock (more than all forms of transportation combined). The main culprits are methane - the natural result of bovine digestion - and the nitrogen emitted by manure. Deforestation of grazing land also adds to the effect.

6.2 to 1 is the ratio of feed to meat produced: In 1993, U.S. farm animals were fed 192.7 million tonnes of feed concentrates (the bulk being corn) in order to produce 31.2 million tonnes of meat.

50% is the additional percentage of New York's population that could be supported agriculturally by the state if everyone followed a low-fat vegetarian diet.

There are other measures than simply land use that affect one's "foodprint".

The article also states,

In order to more efficiently use land that supports a moderate-fat, vegetarian diet, the study suggests limiting annual meat and egg intake to about two cooked ounces a day - a significant drop from the typical North American high-meat, high-dairy diet. (Canadians and Americans consume almost 220 pounds of meat per capita each year, or more than nine ounces a day.)

Another thing to consider before changing your eating habits is nutrition. The article is missing the fact that two cooked ounces of protein (about the size of two thumbs) is really all we need in one day. And vegetables, beans, and lentils all contain protein so you may be getting enough without eating any meat.

I wholeheartedly agree that the move to a plant-based diet is one of the best things you can do for the environment. The article suggests that you are doing a pretty good job if you eat meat occasionally and in smaller quantities as well as buy local and organic. D'accord.

Source: To go green, eat your greens - and meat, too

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071012.wxlfootprint12/BNStory/lifeMain/home

Also check out: http://www.goveg.com/ and http://www.vegcooking.com/

Almightly Green Packaging for Canada

Instead of a fat plastic box, Universal Canada is releasing Evan Almighty on DVD in a slim cardboard sleeve tomorrow, produced with the use of soy ink, waterless printing and paper products from green-managed forests. If public response is positive, Universal plans to continue production of the space-saving sleeves, which just happen to leave room for more movies on collectors' shelves. Winnipeg Sun>>

Though the movie bombed, during production director Tom Shadyac committed himself to a zero enviromental impact, buying hundreds of bicycles for cast and crew to use and donating the wood, doors and windows from sets to Habitat for Humanity. Read More>>

Software Tip

Great tip from the Daily Green on saving resources, not to mention time, by downloading software online instead of buying it - packaged - in store. According to ElectronicsRecycling.org, more than a billion unwanted computer disks are tossed out each year...

Obesity Costly Problem For Airlines

It might come as a surprise that the World Health Organization now says obesity afflicts more people in the world than malnourishment. But it’s no surprise to airlines, which are well aware they are carrying larger and larger passengers. This may not seem like fodder for this blog, but a new estimate suggests global carriers are spending an additional $673 million in fuel costs to lift the extra pounds - and burning more carbon for it. Read more>>

Toronto and Sustainable City Transit

As part of Toronto city council's works committee next week, efforts are being made to make the city more pedestrian, cyclist and public transportation-friendly. This pleases me personally as on my daily bike-commute to work today I rode past what looked like the remnants of a major car crash from the road onto the very same bike path that I was riding on. If I had been riding half an hour earlier, I would have been toast. While the article states that decreasing use of cars in favour of more sustainable forms of city transportation will require initiatives, they are ones that I will whole-heartedly support.

Possible solutions brought to the table are a pedestrian-only street, pedestrian crossing at intersections that allow for all directions of travel (including diagonally) to prevent risk from turning cars, increasing rush-hour parking times to keep traffic moving, and a city spanning bike lane from Etobicoke to Scarborough.

I must say, however, that Toronto has been doing a fairly good job thus far of encouraging walking, biking, ans public transit use. I am a frequent visitor to Chicago and, as beautiful as the city is, would be wary to ride in those narrow downtown streets.

Lawn Care not Green

An article in today's Globe and Mail states, while many towns and cities in Canada have outright banned pesticides for your lawn, the green grass may not be as green as you had thought. Gas-guzzling lawn mowers can emit the same amount of smog in one year as a car travelling 3,300 km. While in Canada only 15% of homes use pesticides, the quest for that perfect lawn still persists.

What the article does not mention is that lawns are one of the most inefficient plants to cultivate on your property. They take up a lot of water, most of which in Canada would be otherwise potable water. Lawns do not soak up nearly as much carbon dioxide as, say, a tree or an herbacious garden. They also allow for runoff and land degradation as the root structure is not very deep.

If you must have a lawn, watering early morning or evening is better than mid-day when the sun cannot dry up the water as quickly. Let grass clipping lie (In Toronto, it is now a by-law) as they help shelter out drying sunlight, protect roots, and eventually compost to help nourish the soil naturally. Let grass grow to at least 4 inches before cutting. The longer blades will create more shade and shelter roots. Mix in small gardens and trees throughout your lawn for shade and plant variation.

Article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070926.wlawns0926/BNStory/National/

Events with a Smaller Shoe Size

Traditional events - weddings, corporate functions, birthday parties - place a sizable strain on the environment, a fact conveniently overlooked by most planners. That's why we give two thumbs up to compananies like Vancouver-based Greenprint Events, who work with clients to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into every step -from setting up recycling and composting systems, to finding alternatives to disposables, sourcing local caterers and examining transportation options.

"big impression. small footprint." That's what we like to hear.

Brick Works Farmers’ Market, Toronto

Saturday’s until October 27th. 8:00am to 1:00pm. Planet and family friendly. Ontario produce, socially & environmentally conscious goods, artists, entertainers, storytelling and educational activities. Part of the inspriring Evergreen project to transform Toronto’s historic Don Valley Brick Works factory from an underused, deteriorating collection of buildings into a thriving environmentally-based community centre that engages visitors in diverse experiences connected to nature. See you there!

Saving Energy One Search at a Time

In January 2007, a blog post titled 'Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year' proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine ("a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen." Roberson et al, 2002). Enter Blackle.

Created by Heap Media, Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search. Whether or not the energy savings are significant, they believe there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. Plus, seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser should remind us all of the need to take small steps in our everyday lives to save energy.

Solar for SickKids

On Thursday, The Hospital for Sick Children will unveil Canada's first hospital-based solar thermal energy site design. The installation of solar energy panels on the hospital's Atrium roof will supplement SickKids' hot water system, increasing savings for the hospital and reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Who's In Control of Our Water Supply?

I'm a broken record, you'll all learn that soon enough. One of the things I just love to repeat is how the average person seems to have no clue where water comes from, how important it is, and that it can never be taken for granted as being clean, even from your tap.

Here's why. The people we pay (through taxes) seem to be incapable of giving us trustworthy service when it comes to supporting the infrastructure needed to ensure clean water. Although there are likely dozens of instances of contaminated water supplies all over the region, province, country (you choose the geography), I'm sure few get detected. I'd bet fewer still get reported.

One instance of a water mishap that DID get reported was the failure of a sewage pumping station on the banks of the Grand River. Don't worry everyone, the guys who run it say they "don't believe there are any contamination issues". I don't believe in a lot of things. Does that mean I'm always right? Hmmm. I'll have to give this theory a try. But I digress. Even though a resident living near the sewage spill went to the hospital with a burning sensation in his eyes and on his face after simply washing his cat (who fell into the spill), the people in charge of our water supply are sure there will be no contamination of nearby drinking water wells, never mind the river itself. Now I know that water which causes burning sensations in my eyes is still safe to drink. What a relief.

I could go on all day but I think you get my point. Don't trust these morons with our water and your health.

http://news.therecord.com/article/242298

http://www.polarbearwater.com/

Can't Buy Your Health

It seems living in an economically developed country doesn't give you all the advantages in life as we might expect. Turns out living in affluent places like Canada or the US makes kids with allergies more likely to have asthma - four times more likely than kids in not-so-rich areas of the world. No one is sure, but things like exposure to pollutants and housing conditions might play a role in this lopsided finding. Figure? Gee, I wonder if diet, exercise, or rampant pesticide use were considered. Or maybe this asthma thingy is being caused by a lack of religious education in our school system (future blog/rant subject).

Studies with results like this always make me chuckle a little on the inside. When these studies get reported it is almost as if we are supposed to be surprised that living in a rich country has disadvantages peppered into all the good stuff like late-night drive thrus and no late fee movie rentals. Who doesn't know of a kid with some kind of severe allergy, real or perceived? The question is what are we going to do about it? Wait for a medical cure in pill form or get off our fannies and solve the problem at its source?!

Maybe its time we try out a government who will take environmental issues seriously for a change.

Green Party of Ontario: http://www.gpo.ca/

See how pollution affects your lungs: http://www.cleanair.utah.gov/SWF/lung_control.swf

See the CBC article on the subject: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/09/14/asthma-affluent.html

Walk Like a Queen

Adam Thornton has become a tourist in his own city. He has just embarked on a self-imposed project to "rediscover his home turf" on foot. His plan is to board the city bus at the main terminal, ride it to its last stop, then get off and walk home on a more scenic route taking pictures and notes along the way. He has accomplished two such journeys thus far and plans to eventually do every bus route his city has to offer.

I think this is a fabulous idea!! To paraphrase Adam, by doing this you can see parts of your city you otherwise wouldn't consider even existed. And the exercise! Just think of the mileage on your pedometer. I think this could be the next big eco-tourism trend.

Adam is also a drag queen available for hire as party personality "Muffy St. Bernard". I love this crazy world.

Now get on that bus and walk!

Check out Muffy's blog for the latest walk-home chronicle:

http://dangermuffy.blogspot.com/search/label/Ambitious%20BusWalk%20Tour

Also see the story that inspired my entry:
http://news.therecord.com/article/242373

Hot, Hot, Hot.

Environment Canada says the summer of 2007 was hotter than average. Prepare yourself, they also figure this sort of thing is becoming normal. Temperatures across the country were 0.9 degrees Celsius higher than average this summer, with Nunavut recording the highest numbers. While this wasn't a record breaking year for heat, the temperature increase seems consistent with this whole global warming thing, if you believe in these kinds of ideas. Rush out and buy central air conditioning. That should solve the problem.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/09/14/warm-weather.html

Smog Free Freight

Challenger Motor Freight rolled some new smog-free trucks into its fleet this week. The new trucks are fitted with something called a particulate trap that removes the stuff from engine exhaust known to cause smog. The engines are also built to run on a very low sulphur diesel. Obviously these trucks cost more to put on the road (and some say cost more to operate) but are a step in the right direction in terms of vehicle evolution in my opinion. So the cost of freight, and hence retail prices, will go up incrementally. But isn't this just another example of paying a fair price for the overall value of products? I think so.

http://news.therecord.com/article/241235

Everything Has a Price

The Canadian government announced they will be paying out $20,000 to each alleged victim of Agent Orange spraying that took place at a New Brunswick military base way back in the 60's. Only those persons who worked at the base or lived within five kilometers of it in the years 1966 and 1967 - and only those with Agent Orange related symptoms - will be getting compensation. The chemical was used as a defoliant during the Vietnam war and was officially tested at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick during those two years. Others say Agent Orange was used for decades to clear brush around the military base. Either way, Agent Orange is thought or known to be responsible for many human ailments including Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma, respiratory cancers, prostate cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Nice stuff. And pesticide bans are bad because?

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=f9f6be7a-0c3f-4b9d-9e22-320601fca1e0&k=5290

For a background/justification on Agent Orange from its maker:

http://www.dow.com/commitments/debates/agentorange/background.htm

Green Furniture

While searching for a new couch online (I do a lot of shopping online), I stumbled across a link to eco-friendly furnishings on the "Home Furniture" website. The link explains the many different and obscure ways their furniture is built in an environmental way - like using reclaimed lumber or screws instead of glue. Worth a look if you want to know where your furniture comes from. Reasonable prices too. I also try to buy furniture made in Canada whenever possible, but that's another story.

Hit the Home Furniture site and follow the "Going Green" links.

http://www.homefurniture.ca/bev_bell.html
http://www.homefurniture.ca/projects/expert_tip9-2007.html

Also see Treehugger for a very comprehensive guide to buying green furniture.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/how_to_green_your_furniture.php

Baker Babe Approved

Shamless plug here for fab cookies from Toronto-based New Moon Kitchen. Totally natural, certified kosher and vegan. Made with organic spelt flour and totally free from dairy, eggs, nuts and preservatives. Each cookie is even hand pressed...delicious! newmoonkitchen.com

Flying Makes Me Feel Bad

Mark Anderson takes sides on the latest “cause célèbre of the eco-set” today in the Ottawa Citizen. Although a “thriving mini-industry has sprung up offering carbon 'offsets,' a way to assuage guilt over corporate travel, without actually limiting flights” some (i.e. Suzuki Foundation) are concerned that purchasing carbon offsets won’t encourage companies to actually reduce air travel. As for Anderson? “I'm not willing to give up my upcoming Alberta fishing trip in the interest of environmentalism.” Fascinating. photo from www.nataliedee.com

Toronto Film Industry* Vows to Print Double-Sided

Since you can't escape the Film Festival anyway, here's more news: yesterday, Toronto's film production industry announced the Green-Screen initiative, aimed at reducing waste and energy use during shooting. Spearheaded by studio operators, unions and guilds, ideas include serving food in biodegradable containers and transporting stars in hybrid cars.

“The Incredible Hulk,” currently shooting at Toronto Film Studios, has production crews communicating electronically where possible, printing double-sided, and using a pine wood in place of rainforest woods for set building. We think this is great news – even if the initiative is voluntary – since film production is really only a step lower on the carbon-footprint ladder than F1 racing (sorry Matt ;)

(*so why the picture of Brad Pitt? well, he's in Toronto, he makes films, and you probably read this because of him)

Give Micro Hydro a Chance.

Micro what? Microhydro. The production of electrical power up to 100 kilowatts using a generator and moving water. Think Niagara Falls just really small. Believe it or not, this is an actual industry in more remote places where a home or business or school can be powered using a local stream or waterfall with minimal investment. So why do I bring it up? I think this sort of thing has a place in our not-so-remote society. I read a news article today (see links below) that outlined an ownership dispute over several old mill dams right here in Ontario. The funny thing is that the dispute is over who doesn't own the dams - nobody actually wants ownership of these alleged liabilities. This absolutely blows my mind. The very rivers and waterfalls - the prime real estate of another time - that literally powered a young industrial Canada are now considered useless and costly. ????

Why doesn't someone start producing power with these dams again? Cities could use the power to light park or street lamps and maybe even the odd small office or two. In some cases the power could even be sold back into "the grid". The equipment needed for a microhydro site is reasonably inexpensive and easy to install. Considering any town or city in Ontario (or Canada) that has been around for a hundred years or so probably has a mill dam, it is clear that many, many, many watts of power could be locally produced instead of being pulled from the Hydro One sources. I can even see communities getting together and going "co-op" with this sort of thing. Now get out there and build a microhydro plant!! Who needs more nuclear with ideas like this?!

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/240331

http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=11050

http://www.microhydropower.net/

http://www.microhydropower.com/