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:

1. use cloth napkins
2. clean up with cloths instead of paper towel
3. use electronic fax
4. don't print emails or documents
5. "print" to PDF
6. ok, if you must print, decrease page margins, font size and double side it
7. reusable grocery bags, baby
8. reuse file folders and envelopes
9. make your own greeting cards
10. ...or send e-cards and invites
11. reuse gift wrap (tie with string instead of tape)
12. read the news online
13. jot down a website instead of taking a brochure
14. keep life sane with erasable memo boards
15. post 'no flyers please' on your mailbox
16. ..and take your name off direct mail lists
17. receive and pay bills online
18. get your caffeine fix in a ceramic cup or travel mug
19. buy used books
20. no, no, no! disposable plates or utensils (unless they're biodegradable)
21. buy bulk from loose bins
22. simply refuse to buy items that are over-packaged
23. cancel subscriptions to magazines you don't read
24. 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.

More from their press release here>>

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.