The Campaign Trail Looks...Green?

Speaking of voting, CBC reports that Ontario political parties caught wind of something called pollution, and have boldly vowed to ditch the carbon-emitting campaign buses in favour of hybrid SUVs (stylish) and veggie oil fuel. Green Party leader Frank de Jong will go so far as to travel by public transit and bicycle. After all, caring about the environment is good for votes, right?

More Power, More Debt.

It was announced yesterday that Ontario's Bruce Nuclear Station will receive another $1 billion in upgrades to increase power output and extend its service life. As part of the investment, Bruce Power has been given the thumbs-up to replace the fuel channels in Unit 4, extending its service life (not its half-life, that's something completely different) out to the year 2036. This $1 billion project is on top of the $4.25 billion already being spent at Bruce Nuclear for replacement of its steam generators. Not your average summer renovation project.

Heralded as the "most complex engineering project in North America", it is expected this refurbishment will bring nothing but economic prosperity and general happiness to the area surrounding "The Bruce" as expansions in housing and services, not to mention all-important jobs, appear to be building momentum. This, along with the 750 megawatts of "emissions free energy" for the next 20 years almost makes the idea seem like a good use of money. $5.25 billion would probably also buy a lot of other things the Ontario population needs, but who can argue with that "emissions free energy" slogan?

Gee, if I somehow found a way to propel my JEEP using only lemon crinkle donuts as fuel, but expended 50 bazillion barrels of oil during the engineering phase, would I be driving a green car? Sounds like it. How bad could the emissions from a lemon crinkle donut be?

The David Suzuki Foundation has some thoughts on this topic. They suggest that maybe using less energy in the first place would be an interesting alternative to building more nuclear energy capacity. The foundation also wonders if the shorter term gains of nuclear power are worth the not-so-well-understood environmental costs in the far away future. I've worked inside many nuclear plants across North America in the past and, if it were up to me, I would never build one of these mammoth machines again. Not much good comes out of these things. That's only my humble opinion, of course. Since I'm only a lowly hydro-bill-paying-middle-class-nobody, who cares what I think?!

Educate yourself on the subject and think about it next time you vote.

http://news.therecord.com/article/229680

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/about_us/Dr_David_Suzuki/Article_Archives/weekly03170601.asp

Save the World from Your Cubicle

My last spell with jobhunting led me into a maze of countless online job sites, endless registration forms, unrelated job matches, and a huge frustration pill to swallow, never mind the fact that I couldn't find jobs of a green nature buried amongst the ruins. Thankfully - finally - there is a place Canadians can go to find green jobs, easily. Founded in April of 07, WorkCabin provides Canadian employment listings 100% dedicated to all fields concerning the environment. Easy to search, easy to post. Their goal is to raise the profile of green careers; we think they're doing a damn good job.

Trading Water and Environmental Conscience

Founder of Environmental Credit Corp., John Regan, believes that a water exchange could work for companies that need to deal with their own water polution problems. ECC is a carbon credit supplier on the Chicago Climate Exchange.

I wonder, however, if it would be wise to apply a rather new and untested model to another industry. While the long-term effects of such an 'externality' exchange are virtually unknown, my fear lies in the commoditization of a life-giving resource; selling off water to the highest bidder. Now let's say that water reached a price beyond the reach of the smallest companies. As many of us have seen, going green can be expensive. While this might be good for the environment in the short run, there is more to the story.

It is often (but not always) the case that the larger companies are more driven by the bottom line and less environmentally conscious than smaller mom and pop type operations. Due to lack of financial leverage, it may drive mom and pop out of business rather than force them to clean up thier act. The little guys are often the ones feeling the brunt of the pollution while the big guys have the means to move elsewhere, bring jobs to a town that would thus not want to raise complaint, or now buy water credits. So, if the little green guys are driven out of the market, the big polluting guys are left with free reign. But, one may ask, "wouldn't a free market system eliminate the need for a conscience and simply set a price by market forces?" Possibly...

In order to implement and manage such a system it requires some desire for it to be put into place. It must be done by someone with the best interests of clean water in mind so that regulations are appropriately applied and proper compliance procedures are followed.

Sources:

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2007/08/27/could-cap-and-trade-work-for-water/

Nature Deficit Disorder?

Can this be real? Do I have it now? Is it contagious? Don't panic anyone. According to author Richard Louv, who talks about it in his book "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder", this is a childhood disease. Okay, so it isn't really a disease at all, but Nature Deficit Disorder is a catchy way of describing how kids these days don't seem to be getting out into nature as much as they could. It seems less kids are heading off into this "nature" thingy on a whim and tend to plan and schedule the event instead.

Some ideas circulating out there of what might be to blame for this phenomenon include the all-powerful TV, lack of walking to and from school, and an over abundance of structured indoor play. (When I was a kid we called "structured indoor play" gym class). Parenting, oddly enough, was also cited as a possible cause for this lack of outside time.

Although I do agree that being outside in a forest or meadow has a certain spiritual value, I'm not convinced this "Nature Deficit" thing isn't just the sentimental naval-gazing of another generation. When it comes to how kids are coping in today's world it has become so easy to blame everything except the reality of change. Does comparing the world today to the world of 1950 have any real meaning? How about 1950 to 1850?

The fields and ponds and forests where I played out my childhood are long gone, covered in a blanket of shabby middle-class housing. My grandmother bitterly described the same phenomenon when talking to me about a section of town I considered old. Change happens. The economy demands it. You do like your job, don't you?!

At some point we are all going to have to admit that nature as nature has become a commodity, and in some cases, simply a tourist attraction. Do you think Niagara Falls would have any moving water if not for the fact the it can generate more money (by day) as a tourist trap than it can by producing hydro-electricity? This is the kind of so-called nature today's children will groan about losing in twenty years when they have kids.

Nature Deficit Disorder? I'm not so sure. Next someone is going to suggest that kids need a wholesome diet and smaller class sizes: also things of the past. I might suggest that society's problems are a little bigger than whether or not kids are connecting with the outdoors on a regular basis.

Don't take my word for it, read the book:

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Last-Child-Woods-Saving-Our-Richard-Louv/9781565125223-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+

Other references:

http://www.thestar.com/article/245184

http://news.therecord.com/article/233703

http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/03/30/louv/

Ancient Mr. Clean

A friend of mine just tipped me off to an interesting experiment going on in the medical industry. He was recently at a conference where he learned that hospitals are experimenting with the use of copper as a substitute for stainless steel for things like door knobs, bath taps, toilet handles, and even pens. It seems that bacteria have a hard time living on copper clad surfaces while they can live for days on stainless steel.

Although the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans knew copper had healing properties, a hospital in the UK is now conducting an 18 month trial to see if they can reduce their infection rate for certain bugs. Each year in the UK 300,000 people pick up infections while in hospital. Not only does this cost enormous amounts of money, it is also seems preventable. If an ounce of prevention is worth something, I imagine this copper-in-every-hospital idea is worth a whole lot more to the copper industry who is backing experiment. A good idea is a good idea, no matter who thought of it.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1509513.ece

For a look at some other uses for copper go to:
http://www.riversidebrass.com/index.html

Green Weddings!!!

Green weddings are my personal favourite in new ways to go green. Considering how much money, time, effort, money you spend on the day, not to mention harm to the environment through travel, decorations, and things you only use once, it is great to hear of ways to save money and help the earth. Some tips are: buying a used dress/tux or buying one that you can wear again, using recycled paper for invitations, using local organic flowers, and taking an eco-honeymoon. Used dresses are available by the hundreds on craigslist and ebay. Brides are also selling unused or leftover party favours, vases, decorations, veils, ribbon, flower-girl baskets, etc, etc. at often very low prices. You can search garage sales and pick up funky vases (or jars or teapots) to use as centre pieces. Try giving away homemade or consumable party favours such as organic sugar cookies that you know are not going to be thrown out on the way home. And then, when you are done with the big day, pass your stuff along to other brides who might like to go (and save) a little green. More: http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/greenwedding.htm

Investing in Clean Energy (cheap and easy)

While it is not news to most of the investing world, many Clean Energy-based Exchnage-Traded Funds (ETF's) have come out this year in an overwhelming response to the desire to go green. ETF's are a cheap (low trading cost) and easy (highly liquid) way of getting exposure to this space. However, not all funds are created equal. Some companies invest in energies such as nuclear power or hydroelectricity, which are self-deemed as green because of its low at-the-switch emissions. Others invest in very large conglomerates whose main activities have nothing to do with clean energy but it is only one of their many operations. If that is not enough cause to be a wary investor, many of these strategies have proven to be high risk and have not been as profitable as anticipated. Buyer beware.

http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/27082007/244/etfs-clean-energy-fans.html

To China With Plastic

Okay, so it's not exactly a great title for the next James Bond flick, but it does describe what happens to some of our "unrecycleable" plastics after we chuck them into the bluebox.

It recently came out in the wash that a large amount of the plastics collected by municipal recycling programs are wrapped up and sold to Chinese interests rather than being processed right here in North America. To add fuel to the controversy, it also happens that these plastics are sold to China at a loss, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the bulk of the collection and sorting costs. With all the other issues about Chinese products and standards in the news these days it would be natural to jump onto a high horse and proclaim once and for all that China is an irresponsible industrial nation. But don't get that horse out of the barn yet. The deeper you look into this story the more blurry it gets in terms of fault.

Many municiplities simply choose to landfill their mixed plastics - those that have no market for resale in North America - rather than bother to sort them at all. It turns out few markets exists where these plastics can be sold. With homegrown mixed-plastic recycling efforts having so far failed, the choices seem to be landfill it cheaply or sell it to Asia at a loss. Greenpeace condemns the export choice and advocates instead for a domestic recycling program. Politicians and businessmen say it just isn't profitable to recycle mixed plastics in today's marketplace.

It looks to me like an opportunity. Surely someone out there - and I mean North America - has the smarts or courage or plain old good morals (backed by money, of course) to champion a market for our bastard plastics. Or maybe the packagers need to be involved at the front end to ensure less of this stuff hits the curb in the first place. There are solutions in them-there hills of garbage....

It's not all bad news. The vast majority of stuff we attempt to recycle does find a profitable home. But is that enough? No, we can always do better. And wouldn't it feel good to not blame China for our problems....

Read the article for a more in-depth look at this issue:

http://news.therecord.com/article/233153

Bling You Can Feel Good About

Diamonds have come under renewed scrutiny, due in part to the recent film Blood Diamond. Now lovers have an alternative, thanks to San Francisco-based Brilliant Earth. All of their diamonds come from Canadian mines that follow environmentally sustainable practices and are committed to delivering high quality gems. Brilliant Earth also gives 5% of its profits to African communities harmed by the diamond industry. brilliantearth.com

Very Happy People with their Very Fast Car

207.3 MPH at Bonneville. In a fuel cell powered Ford Hydrogen Fusion 999.

The 999 is the world's first (and fastest?) prodution-based hydrogen fuel cell car. Pretty impressive, but the R&D guys aren't as happy as they look... next up is the "Buckey Bullet 2" -- and they are looking at getting that puppy up to 350 mph.

So when will this technology be hitting the streets? Ford isn't setting any timelines, saying only that the car is "another step toward commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

autobloggreen

Bags Banned, gas guzzlers next in line...

Kudos to Leaf Rapids, Manitoba (Town of Leaf Rapids). This small town (pop 1500) is the first (and hopefully not the last) municipality in North America to officially ban single-use plastic shopping bags. Last April, Mayor Ed Charrier intoduced the By-Law, which carries a fine of up to $1000.00 dollars to renegade retailers who try to use them.

The move has given the town a lot of play in the media. It's in the current issue of Canadian Geographic, and has been covered by newspapes across the country. Even caught the eye of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association who have threatened to take legal action against the town.

But wait, Ed's not done, not yet. He is now setting his sites on cars and trucks. From the Victoria Times Colonist....

"Why would you start your vehicle for a two-second ride uptown?" asked Charrier, who plans to buy his own cart next spring. "Jump in a golf cart."

While he doesn't plan to ban gas-powered automobiles, he will promote energy-saving golf carts...

Keep it up, Ed.

Building Solar Awareness

The University of Waterloo recently unveiled their latest solar car project, Midnight Sun IX. Engineered for distance endurance racing this newest car builds on nineteen years of experience for the Midnight Sun team. Past iterations of the car have placed well in international races and it is hoped - in fact it is a goal - that the new and improved Midnight Sun IX, powered entirely by the sun, can outright win a race this year. The team's project manager, Cameron Bruce, sees solar cars becoming a supplement to regular cars in the future and acknowledges that Midnight Sun and cars like it help build a public awareness of the technology. I spoke to members of the racing team recently at a sponsorship event and was impressed with the level of expertise and excitement they showed for the project. Hopefully these guys and gals are the next generation of automotive designers.
The next big race happens this fall in Australia. Good luck Midnight Sun IX!!
http://www.midnightsun.uwaterloo.ca/www/about/
http://news.therecord.com/article/227560

Pay the poor so we can do our dirty work

Yvo de Boer, head of UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) has made a controversial statement that rich nations should be absolved of the need to cut emissions if they pay poor countries to do it for them, claiming that it would be difficult for rich nations to cut any more because we have been doing so for such a long time. Angered enviro groups say nations must work together at the problem.

Ever heard of leading by example?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6957328.stm

Nuts. How Appropriate.

The concept of "Appropriate Technology" has intrigued me since I first read about it a few years ago. Since then I have wanted to selflessly invent, build, or adapt something of use that I could contribute this cute little planet of ours. Aside from a few shelves in my daughter's room - hardly a technological breakthrough - nothing has happened for me yet. Thankfully others have been more successful. For instance, a group called the "Full Belly Project" have invented and successfully deployed a nifty machine designed for shelling sun-dried peanuts. These low-tech, low-cost, locally made wonders allow small villages in Africa, The Philippines and elsewhere a chance to get more peanuts processed than otherwise could be achieved using the traditional method of hand shelling. Check out the Full Belly website for the complete and very interesting story. Truly inspirational. There are even step-by-step instructions for building your own concrete, hand powered peanut sheller....and who doesn't need one of these?!http://www.fullbellyproject.org/index.asp

For a definition of "Appropriate Technology" see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriate_technology

Pave Paradise, Put Up a Solar Panel

Who doesn't just love the idea of a giant solar panel on the roof to power the family junk-box, recharge the cell phones, or power up the old espresso maker? Trouble is these panels can be a little cost prohibitive for the average Joe. Well, worry not sun worshippers, "The Ben-Gurion National Solar Energy Research Center" (catchy name) has come up with a fantastic solution for bringing even more solar energy to the power-hungry masses. It seems they can now build gigantic mirrors on vast areas of "unused land" that concentrates the sun's energy to dramatically magnify the amount of power produced from a given cell size. Cool. Projects like this are already on-the-grid in the U.S.A. and it seems this technology will be the basis for the world's largest solar generating plant yet. Really cool. Can't we all think of a patch of "unused land" nearby just crying out for a solar farm? Sorry, not available in Canada. For the time being anyway.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/reportsfromabroad/parry/20070815.html

Re: Tap Water Drinkers Anonymous

I drink Toronto's tap water every day (only in a pinch will I buy a bottle). While I find the taste to be fine, some feel the need to filter. But in terms of safety, Toronto's water is 2nd to none.

CBC News analyzes Canadian tap water: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/water/tapwater.html

David Suzuki insists on tap water in a glass when he gives speeches. He believes buying bottled water is wrong: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2007/02/01/suzuki-water.html?ref=rss

If there is a problem with municipal system, citizens must demand safe, clean, reliable, free, drinkable water. Buying bottles or filtering should not be the solution.

Pssst, Wanna Buy Some Water?

Here's a peculiar twist on the water cycle. Apparently scientists are able to determine drug use in towns and cities simply by testing for trace amounts of various legal and illegal drugs in the wastewater of any given community. It seems that drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamines, not to mention prescription drugs, are fairly regular guests in our un-treated water. Researchers predict tests like this will be a more accurate indicator of large-scale drug use than the good old fashioned questionaire. This is great from a social point of view, but what happens to this stuff after the water treatment plant? After the research? Is this why my tap water tastes funny? Water just ain't what it used to be.
On the brighter side, I'm sure the big beverage companies are working overtime to harness this new phenomenon and create the next generation of best-selling "bottled water".

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/08/22/tech-drugs.html

Tap Water Drinkers Anonymous

I never drink tap water. I've been steam-distilling my own drinking water at home for more than a decade. I aquired a taste for the stuff after sailing the Great Lakes from head to toe, noticing (or perhaps tasting) along the way what poor stewards we've been of one of the world's premier fresh water supplies. Recently, when my little water distiller broke down, I was temporarily forced into drinking the fluid the city provides me at my kitchen sink. Tap water. Putting the hideous flavour aside (no pleasant notes of vanilla or oaky finish here), my wife commented that whatever the water lacked in flavour we could at least rely on it being safe. There was, after all, that thing in small-town-Ontario a few years back that forever reformed municipal water quality. Right? Well the very next day an article appeared in our local paper, "UNTREATED WATER REACHED TAPS". The day after that I was at the store buying a large bottle of purified water. Caveat Emptor folks. Even at the kitchen sink. http://news.therecord.com/article/228041

ecoAUTO Program Backfires

autoblog.com reports that Canada's ecoAUTO Rebate Program has inadvertantly resulted in an increase of pickup truck sales. With an excise tax slapped on SUVs and sports cars back in March, consumers have turned to heavy-duty pickups, which are exempt from the program.

Hope Sun is in the Forecast!

Toronto's four-day Buskerfest will feature performances from clowning to mime, acrobats to trapeze...and new this year a Solar Stage, the first of its kind in North America, reports Metroland. The solar modules will produce enough electricity to run the stage with seamless power output for the entire duration of the event. Offical Buskerfest site

'Stop Flying!' not likely according to economic theory

"Aviation is a luxury we can live without" stated one of hundreds of climate-change activists who camped out at London Heathrow airport last week. Their mission was to create awareness about the booming air travel industry and the multiplication of GHG's as a result. While there are instances where a conference call could be sufficient in place of travelling to the location, I believe that we will not see much in the area of cutting back. Economically speaking, if you increase a standard of living (be it wages or a superior form of travel), and then at a later point in time, economic forces begin to put downward pressure on standard of living, consumers are highly resistent. No one wants their raise taken away. And since we are talking about air travel which has few substitutes, and there is little economic pressure to make a change, it is not likely that many people wil be changing their habits. As stated in a previous submission: if you want to find a good green solution, find something that is cost competitive and does not require people to CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR. Moralizing with a person who has saved all their vacation and money to visit family in India just isn't going to cut it. Air Travel Latest Target In Climate Fight

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/17/travel/main3178477.shtml

Europe's carbon policy a failure

EU target of 10% renewable sourced fuel by 2020 deemed a mistake. Stated that habitat protection and reforestation was a better option. Not surprising since it takes 1.0 units of energy to make 1.1 units of ethanol energy. Environmental plans need to cover many areas and combine startegies to tackle a very large problem, not find a resource as a replacement for crude. Read on... EU Biofuel Policy a "Mistake" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6949861.stm

New Urbanist is the New Hippie

City-dwelling Canadians eager to take back their communities are adopting the American new urbanist movement, with neighborhoods designed to contain a diverse range of housing and jobs, and to be walkable with safe, open spaces. New urbanists believe their strategies are the best way to reduce traffic congestion, increase the supply of affordable housing, and rein in urban sprawl. The Charter of the New Urbanism also covers issues such as historic preservation, safe streets, green building, and the renovation of brownfield land. Canadian Geographic

Green Ideas at the Ex

While the Canadian National Exhibition is arguably one of the most un-green events held annually in Toronto, visitors to the Sustainable Condo on display at the Direct Energy Centre will at least leave with ideas on incorporating environmentally friendly features into their own homes, from changing to low-flow faucets and buying Energy Star appliances to installing a green roof and radiant heating. Toronto Star

Feel Better about Drinking

North Shore Outlook reports on organic wine making - trends and farming techniques - and lets us know what to watch out for on labels. Most important take away? Organic grapes do not necessarily an organic wine make.

Just in Time for Back to School

Teens care about the environment? Sure they do...and this campaign aims to show them how they can help by, what else? shopping. A partnership of the World Wildlife Fund and the Center for a New American Dream, the goal is to help teens learn how they can make a difference by buying differently. Check out ibuydifferent.org.

University Tests Solar Mouse

Treehugger updates us on the solar powered computer mouse, currently being tested in the Netherlands. The Sole Mio could potentially save hundreds of millions of batteries... provided your desk is near a window.

Energy Grows on Trees!

I would be very interested to see this Solar Energy Trees! Many trees = a Solar Energy Grove! Envision Solar has come up with a solution to the lack of real estate for solar panels, particularly is high usage areas such as downtown buildings, shopping centres, big box stores, and sports facilites, to name a few. They have come up with trees of solar panels to help decrease the energy load in an aesthetically (ahem) pleasing way that does not take up a lot of land.

Read more about Solar Groves: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2007/20070098.html

The company that makes them: Envision Solar http://www.envisionsolar.com/

Take the Load Off the Grid

Off-peak rates are a great way to decrase the energy load on the grid as is being implemented in Washington. Another way would be to stick a solar panel on your roof (and it would save you about $25 per month in energy costs). I have found that the most successful way to encourage people to 'go green' is one that does not require a behavior change. While off-peak rates are a very good start, who wants to wait until 3am to run their dishwasher? With a solar panel, you install it and forget about it. Read more about the off-peak energy program... What Would You Pay to Stay Cool? http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/14/smart-electric-grid-biz-wash-cz_ae_0815beltway.html

Australia's new emissions trading scheme

Australian Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull has introduced Australia's new emissions trading scheme into parliament under the guidance of PM John Howard. The program will force companies to report emmissions and energy consumption by July 2008 and the thresholds will be prgressively tightened over 3 years. While carbon credits and emissions trading have been hotly debated, I will refrain from comment on that. I will, however, take note that Howard conveniently jumped on the green bandwagon around the same time as a certain Texan. Read more about the emissions program... http://ararat.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?story_id=1037582&src=topstories

Better Water Usage!

We have all heard about the negative effects of plastic water bottles. I know one family where the mother has banned them from the house. Brita Products Co. and Nalgene Outdoor Products are launching a campaign called FilterForGood to help people drink more tap water. And while Canadians head up the global domestic water usage per capita at a whopping 335L per day (by comparison, France uses 150L), it is a welcomed initiative.

more @ greenbiz.com

An Electric Car, Um... maybe

Miles Automotive showed off their all electric Javlon XS500 (well, parts of it) at the National Auto Dealer's Association in Las Vegas last February. The car looks pretty good and the interview, with such succinct answers as:

All right. I think we're shooting for-I know we're shooting for 80 miles an hour and I think the car will hopefully-maybe hopefully go 200 miles on a charge, but we-you know, if air conditioning on, typical driving conditions, uh, uh, uh, headlights on, all kind of sucks a little bit of battery so-

is an entertaining read. Anyone wanna start up a pool on this car ever hitting the open road?

autobloggreen.com.

Now this can't be good

Turns out we are loosing a bit of water from the Great Lakes. How much? Well, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 9.5 billion litres a day (no, that is not a typo).

Looks like stuff we have done (dredging, mining, etc.) have has an adverse effect on the lakes. John Jackson, program director for Great Lakes United calls the loss of water "senseless" and says that the problem will negatively affect the quality of the water in the lakes, boating, fishing, and commerce.

No clear solution yet - but the problem is getting worse... and needs to be addressed...

CTV.ca.

Bottled Water... again...

I am sure that we aren't doing much better here in Canada -- but the numbers regarding bottled water consumptions in the US are truly staggering.

Not only is "Bottled water sold in the United States is not necessarily cleaner or safer than most tap water, according to a four-year scientific study," it is also taking a tremendous toll on the environment - it's estimated that the production of the bottles is costing 1.5 million barrels of oil a year in the US alone.

Read on...

Crappy

Biodegradable doggy bags - a must have for the park.

And not just doggy bags - Plastics Solutions Canada Inc., a Canadian outfit out of BC offers a complete line of "Ecosafe" Biodegradable Plastic products - trash bags and kitchen waste liners....

Definitely worth taking a look

Renewable Energy Credits Rising in Price

Clean energy investments were hot topic a few months ago as many so-called green financial products hit the market. Included in those products were tradable renewable energy credits that allow purchasers to buy the positive environmental attributes of a solar panel or wind turbine. While investors are celebrating a rise in prices, one must remember 2 things: 1. These are relatively new vehicles and have risks associated with them as such. 2. They have created a new commodity. Commodities in general are notoriously volatile in price. Proceed with caution.

more...

Green Energy Hot, Price Rising

http://www.mlive.com/business/ambizdaily/bizjournals/index.ssf?/base/abd-3/1186987235193320.xml

BioFuels and World Hunger

2 sides to a very interesting argument from 2 "credible" sources.

Biofuels will help fight hunger

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/06/opinion/edsimoes.php

How Biofuels could starve the poor

http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=9097

Biodegradable Shampoo OK?

One of my favourite parts of summer when I was a kid was to never take a bath and instead bathe in the lake. Always using biodegradable shampoo, we never saw any harm. Recently, however, there have been debates on whether this is acceptable. The idea that even biodegradable soaps contain phosphates which fertilize and accelerate aging of lakes, has been downplayed. What Algonquin Eco Watch does bring up is that there are many other chemicals contained in shampoo that ultimately dilute the pure water compound of 2 hydrogen atoms to 1 oxygen atom. The scent of much soap can attract mosquitoes and black flies. Some scents and perfumes also contain pheromones, aromatic compounds which act as sexual attractants, and may throw off the normal behavior patterns of local wildlife. Algonquin recommends to scrub with a loofa and water or to bathe with a bucket far away from the shoreline.

Read on…
http://www.algonquin-eco-watch.com/bathing.htm

Clean the World

In the realm of green cleaning products, I have recently discovered an Australian product line of cloths, mops, and wash-mitts called ENJO that require NO SOAP whatsoever. These things have special fibers that are amazing. I actually cleaned a greasy pot with no soap. They are a bit on the pricey side, but might be worth it to save from using harsh cleaners.

Check out:
http://www.enjo.com.au/

All Wound Up

Another great idea - and sadly I can't find it this side of the pond (yet).

The Eco Media Player is a wind up - you'll never get stuck with dead batteries again.

2 gig internal drive, accepts SD cards. One minute of winding gives you 40 minutes of music.

Why can't we get this stuff over here?

ecodigital.co.uk

A Heap of Trouble

Just another staggering number to start the weekend off right.

Salon reports that south of the border, Americans chuck in the neighbourhood of 100 billion plastic bags -- the equivalent of dumping nearly 12 million barrels of oil.

Salon

A Greener Apple

You've probably seen it, but we love it so much we'll mention it again. Greenpeace's Apple site is just so cool. And what's more - Steve Jobs finally announced a change in environmental policy at Apple.

Give Dirty the Boot

For years, green cleaning products cost a small fortune and often smelled as though you had just scrubbed your tub with lawn clippings. A round of applause for method - their "people-friendly cleaning agents" smell great, look cool, and won't clean out your wallet. Order online at methodhome.com or pick up some clean at your local Shoppers Drug Mart.

The Irony of Produce

There I stood, next in the checkout line at my local sidewalk market. The woman ahead of me reprimanded the cashier for trying to put her purchases in plastic grocery bags, when she had a reusable cotton shopping sac hidden away somewhere. The irony? She had put each and every piece of her produce in non-reusable plastic produce bags. Had I known then, I would have turned her on to the idea of reusable produce bags, which I happened across on Green Living Ottawa. "Eco-bags" are machine washable, and you can even get them in organic cotton.

The End of Vending?

Coca-Cola wants a green ribbon for focusing their eco-efforts on vending machines. According to their website, "vending machines and coolers are by far the largest estimated contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within our systemwide operations. They produce three times the estimated emissions of our manufacturing facilities and more than five times the emissions from our fleet. As a result, our sustainable refrigeration program is the cornerstone of our energy and climate protection efforts."

Seems the real solution here is pretty obvious.

Smart Car Could Mean Free Parking

Ontario is proposing the launch of "eco-license plates" that would allow carbon-conscious drivers access to free parking and high-capacity commuter lanes.

More from The Toronto Star

B.C. Activist Fights Logging with Leo

Tzeporah Berman will walk the red carpet at the premiere for Leo DiCaprio's upcoming documentary on climate change, The 11th Hour. Berman plans to attend the premiere in a hybrid limousine, donning an eco-friendly outfit.

Jack's Back

Who isn't an eco-warrior these days?

In this years season of 24, the worlds toughest insomniac fights for mother earth on and off screen.

Introducing a "host of environmentally-friendly production measures, as the industry gropes for ways to make carbon neutral television."

"Global warming is a crime for which we are all guilty, from our cars, our homes and our workplaces," said Kiefer Sutherland, who plays Jack Bauer.

Read On...

ECO WARRIOR

Seems like everyone, even the US Armed Forces, are showing an interest in going green.
Take a look at the all new Diesel-Electric Aggressor, the lastest addition to the world's largest lethal carpool.

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