gone paperless yet?

An easy way to reduce paper use is to use electronic bills. Top 5 reasons to go paperless from Bell Canada:

1. It cuts clutter - you'll have less mail to sort through
2. It saves trees - printed copies use tons of paper
3. It's safer - studies show that electronic mail is safer than traditional paper mail in terms of identify fraud
4. It's easy to manage - you can access bills from as far back as 12 months
5. It's easy to sign up - a few steps is all it takes

speaking of greenwashing

paper mills can be green?

A new report shows Canada's printing, newspaper, book and magazine sectors made major environmental headway in 2007 despite difficult economic conditions for Canada's paper mills overall.

More than 520 Canadian book publishers, magazines, newspapers and printers now have Ancient Forest Friendly or eco-paper purchasing policies in place, up from 172 at the beginning of 2007. While many paper producers faced record losses and mill closures in 2007, green paper mills fared well.

Polling unveiled in the report shows these environmental initiatives - including printing publications on recycled paper - are greatly supported by Canadian consumers. 95% of Canadians say an environmental policy and progress toward meeting its targets are important benchmarks of a publishing company's environmental integrity.

However, the report also found 78% of Canadians believe companies are marketing themselves to be greener than they really are in practice, noting recent examples like US magazines that have run 'green' issues on 100% virgin paper, including Vanity Fair.

Building a green brand? Don't underestimate the ramifications of greenwashing.

Download the trend report "Finding Integrity in the Eco-Paper Market"

what are you doing march 29?

How about turning off the lights for an hour?

It began in Sydney with the question, "How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?"

On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. This massive collective effort reduced Sydney's energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, which is the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for one hour.

With icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, at 8pm on March 29, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major cities will unite and switch off for Earth Hour.

Join at earthhour.org >>

it's not just the sign that's green

The Toronto-Dominion Bank announced today it will be carbon neutral by 2010.

"Reducing our own greenhouse gas emissions is a key element of our ongoing commitment to take climate change and the environment seriously," said Ed Clark, President and CEO.

"Our approach will start with energy savings programs to reduce our emissions. We will also use green power, and make investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions outside TD to offset any emissions we cannot eliminate."

TD's adoption of eco-friendly policies is part of a growing trend within the banking industry. Rival Bank of Nova Scotia revealed on Monday it has set up a climate change fund, "the first of its kind in Canada."

And last year, Royal Bank of Canada announced the creation of the $50-million Blue Water Project, a ten-year program to support water conservation "and other water-related issues."

TheTD Greenwash Action Team in the pic above, however, feel differently.

don't count your (organic) eggs before they've hatched

By now, you've probably seen one news report or another highlighting the plight of Halifax resident Lousie Hanavan, an urban farmer who kept three chickens in her backyard. She raised the chickens for their eggs - a healthy and local alternative to mass-produced chicken factory ovals.

"If we're talking about reducing carbon emissions, then producing our own food in a way that is unobtrusive to our neighbours is not a bad idea," she told reporters last week.

According to the sources, she made sure her neighbours would be okay with her backyard coop, and she’s very careful about controlling the food supply laid down in the yard. But last week, one of her neighbours called the bylaw enforcement officers in on her, claiming the chickens and their feed are bringing rats into the neighbourhood.

"I've got nothing against the chickens at all, but I got lots against the rats," said Reg Harper. "You have to put feed out, so you're going to have rats."

Supporters of Hanavan say, yes, the rats are a problem - but that they have always been a problem in Halifax. Hanavan is hoping the municipality will review the issue. Once again, the powers that be talk about reducing eco-harm, then turn around and block individuals' efforts to do so.

CBC News >>