eco trendy at hot docs

Topping the list of North America's largest documentary festival - the 2009 Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto - is "The Cove," spotlighting the annual slaughter of more than 2,500 dolphins in Japan.

171 films from 39 countries will be screened at the 16th annual festival, 9 of which are environmentally-charged. "Waterlife" profiles the beauty and toxicity of the Great Lakes, while "End of The Line" delivers a disturbing wakeup call about humanity's overconsumption of fish.

"H2Oil" is an eye-popping exploration into the impact of the Alberta's Athabasca oil sands.

More from Constance Droganes, entertainment writer at CTV.ca>

pets count too

Fido and Fluffy may not care about stepping lighter on the earth, but you do, so are 6 simple ways to 'green' your pet:

1) biodegradable poop bags - we like Scoopies the best

2) natural cat litter - try World's Best Cat litter, made from whole-kernel corn

3) already destined for the bin 'toys' - tinfoil balls, old rope and tennis balls, milk cap rings, torn socks, wine corks

4) natural foods, made from real ingredients, not fillers - pets say Innova is yummy

5) spay or neuter - pet overpopulation is a serious environmental and economic problem, not to mention sad as hell when pups and kittens end up paying the price

6) grow organic catnip or cat grass - easy, and she'll love you more than ever!

For more tips, check out Eco Dog by Corbett Marshall
and Jim Deskevich!

all natural green eco recycled stuff

Greenwashing is the new price chopping. Underhanded, unethical practices meant to increase sales. Walmart has been there, done that when they cut prices so low in the 90s that smaller businesses simply could not keep up. They closed, and Walmart raised its prices.

Now, every company and their brother is determined to get on the green bandwagon. Things they didn't care about 5 years ago (recycling), things people were laughed out of boardrooms for even mentioning (less packaging), these are now things entire departments are dedicated to promoting.

Green product packaging - and I mean the color green, not the make-up of the packaging itself - is a proven way to convince us that whatever is inside is good for the planet. Slap an "all-natural" or "eco-friendly" tag on that and you'll have us salivating for more.

To illustrate:

The Amazing Dryer Ball of infomercial fame

becomes Nellie's Dryer Balls. Same product, same plastic, still made in China.



The fact is, there are no regulatory bodies to approve these claims (such as the ones that monitor and enforce nutritional labels on packaging). Anyone can claim their product is somehow "green," and the worst part is, it takes away from businesses that are actually offering honest eco-friendly products and packaging.

So be careful out there.

Thanks to Andrew Kinnear and his post Green, Leafy, Eco, Enviro, logo design for the great compilation of logos.

fly and buy carbon passes, suzuki tells ed

Ed Begley Jr. that is, star of Living with Ed. Catherine Porter reports back from the Green Toronto Awards last night, kick-off to the Green Living Show here in Toronto:

Green living isn't just a hobby for Begley. It's an informed passion. Just ask him about water quality, and he will spout off words like trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent used as a degreaser found today in groundwater. He agrees that the science on climate change is daunting, and the planet's prognosis is bleak without an all-out commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions (by something like 90 per cent in Canada).

He doesn't expect everyone to get solar panels. Start small, he says. With an energy audit. Maybe some more insulation in your home, so you don't leak carbon-fuelled energy. It will save you money, he says. And get you hooked – so soon, you'll be like him, buying an electric car and brewing up your own all-natural household cleaners.

But what about all that flying? Airplane travel is for carbon junkies. Each round-trip flight Begley takes spews out carbon equivalent to the emissions he saves with two months' worth of solar power generated on his roof. And he takes dozens of flights a year now.

"I didn't fly throughout the 1990s," he said. "But then my friend David Suzuki said, `I think you should start flying and buy Terrapasses (carbon offsets). It's more important that you get the message out there.'"

Read article >

beyond the shopping bag

Finally! reusable options for things we toss every day.

Sandwich Bags
snackTAXIs are a great alternative to plastic bags and wraps, especially when just one reusable bag has the potential to eliminate an average of 1000 plastic bags over its lifetime! snackTAXIs are lined with coated nylon, and can be machine washed and dried, or simply wiped clean with a damp sponge.

Chopsticks
bambu's snapstix are made from organic bamboo and they're chopsticks and a chopstick rest all in one snap. Both the snapstix and the rest pop back into the cheerfully designed sleeve for easy storage.

Tampons
Jade & Pearl's 'Sea Pearls' are sea sponge tampons containing no dioxin or synthetic fibers. Sustainably harvested and reusable for three to six months or more, Sea Pearls are economical, easy to use, and earth friendly. We were surprised to learn they've been selling them since 1974!

Cloth Produce Bags
There's nothing funny about a cloth grocery bag filled with plastic bags of produce :> Happily, Blue Skies Yoga carries cloth produce bags made of a unbleached, lightweight cotton that barely weighs on the produce scale.

Plantable Paper
Botanical Paperworks creates beautiful stationary and cards made from 100% post-consumer waste collected from local businesses. The paper is embedded with wildflower seeds, that bloom when planted. Eco and easy!

9 things people do...

...to feel less-guilty on Earth Day:

1. take public transit (and ask the driver how much it costs)

2. use a travel coffee mug (and ask if there's a discount)

3. plant a tree (with the help of local kids who know what to do)

4. buy organic produce (and balk at the cost and vibrant colors)

5. pick up litter (as long as it's not too dirty)

6. put batteries aside for disposal (instead of in the garbage)

7. wear green (st. paddy's day was last month?)

8. whip out the credit card and donate to an eco-charity online

9. drive the fam to an earth-day event (if the irony is lost...)