Green Street is going Main Street

This morning, in between having a shower, getting dressed, feeding the dogs, cats, fish, child and making a coffee for myself I squeezed in a few moments to quickly survey the headlines of the morning paper. Even with this rudimentary glance at what is happening in the world I picked up on a trend that made me happier to greet the day.

Green Street is going Main Street!

Increasingly, I am finding discussions and information about environmental issues in the main stream. Just using the Toronto Star as an example [a relatively mainstream newspaper in Toronto], in Saturday's Wheels section there were several articles under the heading "Going Green". In today's paper, the two leading stories on the front page of the Business section dealt with environmental issues [one the potential impact of climate change on the economy; and a second article on a 'new' source of renewable energy]. The best part is that this trend must be pretty strong if someone who 'reads' the paper as I do can pick up on it!

I then started thinking about other indicators that Green Street is going Main Street. Here are a few that I came up with [the list could be longer, but my time in the shower was limited] :

• You can purchase at your local hardware store [Canadian Tire] all the components necessary to set up your own renewable energy system. Solar panels, wind turbines and all the bits to connect them are now just sitting on the shelf!
• A wide variety of solar powered garden lights are available almost everywhere for just a few bucks.
• Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs can now fit into almost any fixture and decor.
• Almost every mainstream grocery store has a viable organic produce section.

The amazing thing about all of these examples is that not too long ago all of this stuff was virtually impossible to find, let alone afford!

Decades ago, it was mentioned that for the environmental movement to have an impact it has to be able to move from the fringe into the mainstream. I think we are making real headway with this. Way to go!

Old Clunkers

In the Wheels section of yesterday's Toronto Star there were several articles about "Going Green". One in particular, "Clearing the air on Clean Air Act" [link to full article] caught my attention.

There are lots of interesting points and perspectives in this article, too many for me to give them justice in this entry, which is why I am not even going to try and rather just pick one point 'for discussion'. It was presented in this article that the major source of car generated pollutants is not from the number of cars, but the age of the cars, specifically those cars that are more then twenty years old [aka: the clunker].

There are...more than 1 million 1987 and older vehicles still in service in a total vehicle population of 18 million...removing just those 20-year-old and older vehicles would immediately accomplish [in terms of smog and CO2 reduction] what it will take 24 years to do by focusing only on new vehicles.

This then got me to thinking about ways that the owners of these clunkers could be encouraged to turn in their cars for new [or slightly newer] ones.

Unless the car is considered 'a collector's item', I suspect that the primary reason people are holding on to these gas guzzling, undependable and temperamental [especially on the coldest days in February] cars is because they cannot afford to buy a new one. If this assumption is correct, then the solution lies in the all mighty dollar.

What if, rather then encouraging/legislatively forcing car manufacturers to spend millions of dollars on developing cleaner technology, some of that money was diverted to enable the manufacturers to offer significant 'trade in' value for the pre 1987 car, thereby making it feasible for the owner of the old clunker to afford a new car.

Through my oversimplified rose coloured glasses I see allot of benefits that could come from this:

• these environmental demons are removed from the roads


• the car manufacturers get a bunch of new customers [does that not in someway help with job creation and the economy?]


• the car owner now has 'dependable' transportation, thereby making their world a little bit better

While my suggestion does seem terribly simple, and there are still lots of details that would have to be hashed out, there are some smaller scale examples of this approach working with recent Canadian campaigns encourging people to retire their old lawn mowers, air conditioners and 'beer fridges'.

If you are interested in more information about these exisiting programs please check out the Every Kilowatt Counts site.

Energy Conservation of a Different Sort

When looking at a site dealing with environmental issues it is fair to assume the phrase "energy conservation" refers to saving electricity, gas etc. But I would like to throw a twist into this and also include personal energy conservation.

I recently had dinner with a friend of mine who, for a variety of reasons was just not in a "happy place". She was looking at the world from a classic "glass is half empty" perspective. No matter what the conversation was about, she saw the negative side of the issue. Because I tend to be more of a "glass is half full" person I would counter with the positive spin.

While the dinner was enjoyable, it was rather draining.

This then got me to thinking about the power of our own personal source of energy and how simple it might be to make the world a little bit brighter.

For the next few days I made a concerted effort to smile and be positive, especially to 'strangers' such as the cashier at the grocery store and people I would pass by on the street. I also tried to slow myself down and make sure I took the time to simply say "hello" to people.

What I found was not only that the old cliche "smile and the world smiles back at you" still rings true, but also I had more energy. At the end of the day there was more spring in my step. In addition to conserving energy, I had been able to create energy!

Now whenever I turn off a light to conserve energy, I also remind myself to smile.

For those times that we all go through where the glass is not only half empty but the the glass itself is dirty, I recommend you check out the site Cuteoverload. Stay there until you find yourself laughing, then turn off a light and smile.

The Myth Behind Being Green

Every so often I get the feeling that some people think that being green or conserving energy means they have to give up something [like bathing] or work harder [like grow their own food].

To those who think that you have to radically change your lifestyle to be kind to the environment here are just a handful of things that you can do that will not impact your lifestyle, but will have a positive impact on the world and possibly even your pocket book.

In no particular order:

1) blinds on the windows. Use them!

In the summer if you pull the blinds before you go to work in the morning [especially those windows that get afternoon sun], then your house will not get as hot inside so your air conditioner will not have to work as hard or as long to keep it cool.

In the winter, open the blinds to allow the warmth of the sun in during the day and close them at night to help insulate against the cold of the evening.

2) Compact Fluorescent lightbulbs [CFL's]. Use them!

There are now CFL's available for almost any type of lighting and design requirement. The only major exception is that to my knowledge CFLs are still not all that great with dimmer switches.

Not only will CFL's cut your electricity bills significantly, but in the summer they do not provide additional heat [frankly, sometimes in the winter I miss this additional heat source].

3) Programmable Thermostats. Use them!

Programmable thermostats have got to be the perfect blend of being lazy, saving money and being green!

Think about when you really need the furnace on. Spend five minutes and program your thermostat for when you want the house to be toasty warm and when it really does not matter.

For example, if you are snuggled under your quilt already, do you really need the furnace to be chugging away? Similarly, not only do the dogs have fur coats, but all they do is sleep all day when you are at work [trust me I know], so why are you keeping the house warm for them?!

As an added bonus, once the thermostat is set, you do not have to worry about it. The furnace will go on and off, the house will get nice and warm just at the right times, all without you lifting a finger.

I admit it, none of these things will save the world, but they might just help a little bit [see my earlier blog on "a drop in the ocean". I was tempted to put a link to it here if for no other reason than to be annoying] .

Raise a Glass to the Environment

These are the sorts of stories that give me hope on cold drizzly days...

I recently noticed on the Evergreen.ca site [which by the way is a wonderful organization focused on bringing nature to the city] that they have established a partnership with Botter Family wines to promote the first organically grown wine available in tetra pak packaging.

Located in Italy about 30 kms northeast of Venice, Botter's is a family-owned and run winery. Weeding is done manually and only natural fertilizers are used. Furthermore, there is minimal processing and no chemical additives are used in the wine making process.

From June 2006 to June 2009, Evergreen is receiving a portion of sales for Botter's white and two red wines being sold in tetra paks through the LCBO stores.

Through this partnership, Evergreen is expecting to receive approximately $200,000!

Here is a link for more information:Evergreen.ca

A similar tip of the wine glass should also go to the LCBO itself for their Natural Heritage Fund initiative.

According to the Evergreen posting, the LCBO has raised almost $2 million to assist with programs such as: restoring Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario; the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Program; habitat for frogs in Toronto; bald eagle recovery in the Upper St. Lawrence River; Carolinian Forest in southwestern Ontario and trout spawning on the Grand River.

To help bring home all your wine, the LCBO is also currently offering a canvas enviro-bag, that will comfortably carry four bottles of your choice. The bag is being sold for $4.95 [bottles sold separately...] with $0.50 from each sale going to the Natural Heritage Fund. For more information

Now if only I can find an Ontario winery that sells organically produced wine in tetra paks!

Local or Organic?

Here's a question - what is better for the environment, to buy local produce or to buy organically grown produce?

Assuming that locally grown organic apples are not available at my local grocery store, [let's face it, going to the farmers market for the weekly grocery shopping is just not likely to happen] should I purchase the Ontario grown non-organic apples, or the organically grown apples from the US?

In my opinion, when taking the environmental cost of transportation and the benefit of supporting local agriculture, I think it is better to purchase local over organic.

Am I wrong?

A Drop in the Ocean

I admit it, there are times when I just shake my head and wonder if my environmentally motivated actions are making any impact at all.

Does it really make any difference that I bring home the empty pop can to put in my own recycling bin rather then just toss it in a convenient all purpose garbage can? In the grand scheme of things, is my dedication to native gardening and refusal to use pesticides or herbicides change the world in anyway? In reality, probably not.

However, I once stumbled upon a quotation from Mother Theresa that still resonates with me.

"We sometimes feel that what we do is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop"

Imagine if everybody decided that their impact was "just a drop" and therefore not worth the hassle. Recycling bins would be tossed to the side, trees would be slaughtered to make way for bulging landfill sites, our air would be thick with the plumes of smoke coming from coal power plants running at full capacity to fuel the excessive energy use.

Yup, my actions are just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less were it not for that drop.

Calling for Links

One of the motivating factors in creating this blog was to start an online collection for all those environmentally related [or just plain cool] internet resources that are bouncing around in my head.

It is for this reason that one of the things at the top of my list to do is to build up the links section of this blog site.

With this goal in mind, please share with me any internet sites or resouces that YOU find valuable and I will endeavour to add them.

It is All About Choices

I have recently come to the realization that 'living green' or being 'environmentally friendly' is really just a matter of taking a look at the larger picture when making choices.

For example, the other day I was at the grocery store. There were two lots of cucumbers, the field grown ones for $0.99 from the US, or the seedless ones from Ontario at $1.99. Sorry guys, I did not even venture to the organic foods section to take inventory there.

After giving it a few seconds of thought I reached for the Ontario grown cucumbers. My son who was with me at the time, and is being encouraged to price compare when shopping, shot me a quizzical look.

I latched on to fleeting minutes of interest to provide him with some environmental education, namely, to consider the ENTIRE cost of a product when making a decision. While the field cucumbers were listed at a lower price, the greeny in me also took into account the impact on the environment and made the CHOICE to buy local.

It does not take rocket science, or even a calculator to take these options into consideration when making decisions, more so, I think it just takes an awareness and a willingness to consider the bigger picture.

From my way of thinking, looking at the big picture is key to common sense green.

Welcome!

Welcome - this is a blog full of good news and great discoveries.

I started it primarily because I am noticing an increasing trend of people who want to be more environmentally friendly, reduce their eco-footprint, whatever, but seem to get lost when it comes to figuring out ways of doing it.

It is with sheer glee and excitement that I can tell you it is possible to be green, but still live a 'normal' average consumer life! In fact, with a little bit of out of the box thinking living green not only means reducing your environmental impact, but also saving a little bit of money along the way.

The goal of this blog is to be a resource for the average person to find environmentally friendly solutions to everyday problems.