tim hortons...recycles?

It's true. We think. After months of finger pointing in Ontario(you'd think they were the only coffee shop on the planet handing out cups destined for landfill) Tim Hortons - purveyors of chicory-laced coffee and Canadian pride - is advertising that they're accepting coffee cups and lids at certain locations for recycling.

Well, they say so here on their site:

Q: Is the Tim Hortons cup recyclable?

A: Yes. Tim Hortons paper cup is recyclable where facilities exist. We currently have recycling & composting programs in a number of participating stores across Canada that capture our paper cup and other paper fibre materials. This number grows each day we work with cities and local waste management facilities to expand similar programs to our stores whenever possible.

Something seems amiss here though. Two months ago recycling facilities were claiming they couldn't do anything with the wax-lined cups. Now, apparently, it's all easy peasy. We're keeping our eye on this one...

win a copy of this book!

We waxed poetic yesterday about Vanessa Farquharson and her new book, Sleeping Naked is Green.

Now we're giving away a copy to one lucky reader!

To enter, simply leave a comment below. Use a real email address so we contact you if you win. Anyone is eligible, and entries will be accepted until June 30, 2009 at 12:00 EST. Good luck!

sleeping naked is green

Our fave green girl this week is National Post journalist Vanessa Farquharson, author of the new book Sleeping Naked is Green: How an Eco-Cynic Unplugged Her Fridge, Sold Her Car, and Found Love in 366 Days.

For one year, Farquharson took the challenge of making one green change to her lifestyle every single day to figure out what's doable -- and what's too hardcore.

The idea was that everything she did, she kept doing (so if she switched brands, it was a permanent switch; if she turned down her thermostat, she kept it down).

All the while, she reflects on what it truly means to be green, written with self-deprecating and humorous insight.

She's funny, she's smart, and she has some great ideas (love those butter balls). Check out her latest blog post, where she explores some asinine attempts at green branding.

tell big business it's lights out

If there's one thing that really gets our goat, it's lights left on at night, mocking us from the windows of high rise office towers. You can almost hear them sneering, Sure, go ahead and replace your household bulbs! We'll just suck up all the electricity you're saving. And the stars? Who cares about seeing stars!

Look around any urban center and you'll see other light jokes too - flood lights illuminating museums (most of the light goes into the sky), neon signs standing guard above closed retail stores (visual pollution, if nothing else), and billboards, flashing their clever ads inside nearly homes (remember Kramer being tortured by a Kenny Rogers Roasters sign?).

Enough is enough. Turn off the lights, save the power (not to mention the birds), and let the rest of us see the sky.

Image of Earth at night in 2000

Composite satellite image of the Earth at night in 2007

what are you doing june 8th?

Did you know that more plants and animals live in water than on land? Did you know that there are three different forms of water on our planet? Did you know that Canada is home to almost 25% of the world’s wetlands?*

World Oceans Day is less than a month away, and this year it's official - the United Nations finally recognized World Ocean Day as an international observance, and there are celebrations happening at aquariums, schools and zoos all over the world.

Get involved in your community with a list of events from thegreenpages.ca.

*From the Canadian Wildlife Federation's Rivers to Oceans Week site.

you eat the chips, the earth eats the bag

SunChips is taking steps to reduce the amount of non–renewable materials they use for packaging. Right now, 33% of their 10 1/2 oz. bags are made with renewable, plant based materials.

Even better, they've announced that in 2010 they plan to introduce the first fully compostable chip bag of its kind. The bags will be designed to fully decompose in 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin or pile.

Watch the bag decompose on their kewl time-lapse video. And hey, they use solar power to make the chips. Now about those free samples...?

holter says, use your friggin head!

Holter Graham, co-host of WA$TED on Discovery's Planet Green, posts about our throw-away habits - and how to change them. Simple, he says, use your friggin' head before throwing things out!

His tale of woe begins with a seemingly broken cordless phone, covers the Gaia theory, and ends with a happy moral.

Read Holter's Journal: Being green just means thinking a little harder, a little longer.

scottish festival cancelled

The organizers of the Outsider Festival have blamed the recession for forcing the cancellation of June's event.

The festival was first held in 2007 and organizers had promoted it as an environmentally-friendly event with an emphasis on outdoor pursuits.

The message on the site says "The Outsider programme was ambitious and ground breaking, combining live music and DJs with activities - including mountain biking and running - with debate and discussion, film, comedy and food in a uniquely beautiful and environmentally important setting; Rothiemurchus in the Cairngorm National Park.

"Clearly a recession is not the time to realise this bold new concept but we still believe the Outsider was right for its time and perfect for its place and are hugely disappointed that it is not going ahead."

charles. prince of wales. friend of frogs.

His Royal Highness, William and Harry, and a smattering of celebs connect with frogs on a message of rainforest conservation. Great piece.

buh bye ugly rain barrels

Rain barrels are really the best thing since sliced bread, but I always wondered, do so many of them have to be so...hideous? So when I saw this concept design from Moss Sund, I couldn't help but smile. Isn't it gorgeous?

CISTA is set to hit stores in 2010.

The vertical barrel fits onto to your home's eaves and can hold 100 gallons of water. It's design creates pressure, allowing a hose to be connected. And the best part is that the cover can be camouflaged with vines or other greenery.

Check out their site for more >

water bottles' evil twins

With all the hype about reusable, non-plastic water bottles, you'd think everyone would be up in arms about juice, sport drink, and other beverages in disposable bottles.

Oddly, it's pretty quiet out there. Is it because you can't get Gatorade from a tap?