Phantom Power

I have written in the past about vampire power, which is synonymous with phantom power.  It basically means things that you think are turned off are actually using electricity.  Check out this interactive page at CBC that highlights some of the common offenders.

Book Review: Ecoholic

The book, Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products and Services in Canada, is a must have for all my Canadian readers who are interested in environmentally friendly products and ways one can lessen their impact on our precious environment. I purchased this book a few years ago and use it everyday for amazing tips, information and useful references that have added to my family's greener, healthier lifestyle.

Cheap Stuff

Everybody buys cheap stuff. Whether it is vacuums that last 9 months or picture frames. We have come to expect, even accept, cheap products that are disposable. I found via Make an article with a title that sums it up perfectly: The Crapification of Everything is Just Beginning.

Now that just about everything is crap, how can we keep the level of garbage down? Many people have lamented the disposable aspect of a consumer society but now we have gone past that point. We expect garbage when we buy something because we are unwilling or unable to pay more. If we ever begin to pay for the disposal costs and environmental impact of our stuff we will all be bankrupt or never buy anything. It is time to evaluate what we buy and why before we're overwhelmed with garbage.

Live Simply So that Others May Simply Live

I saw that on a bumper sticker today. From searching the web I think it is attributed to Ghandi. It rings very true in our modern society. Our economy seems to be built on waste and consumption. This is accomplished primarily through the exploitation of others and at the expense of the earth. I found another post at The Good Human which does a great job of summarizing it. I have discussed the concept before but the quote sums it up beautifully. Thanks to the person from North Carolina with the bumper sticker. You really made me think.

More Green Confusion

Do We Really Need a Few Billion Locavores? is an interesting article from the Freakonomics blog. In my opinion, it puts the buy local movement into a global economic perspective and discusses the economic concept of specialization.

It is a great point but I find it frustrating. What the hell are we supposed to do to make a difference? Their points make economic sense but I like buying local and doing things for myself. However, I think many people feel they have a responsibility to the world around them. It is getting more difficult to reconcile personal actions with global responsibility. I think this may be the undoing of the "green" movement when people get to confused or frustrated about doing the "right thing". Green fatigue might set in and it will definitely happen if oil drops below $100 a barrel and waste becomes affordable again.

Go Green without Spending Green

Many people figure that going green will mean spending a significant amount of money. I found an article that gives tips on how to go green without spending any money. The seven tips are:

1. Grow your own food
2. Clean with vinegar and baking soda
3. Compost
4. Save energy by switching off the lights
5. Reduce, reuse, recycle
6. Ride a bike instead of driving
7. Join the Green Gym

I think the last one is something in the U.K. You can read the full post at EcoStreet.

Preventing Breast Cancer

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month a campaign highlighting how women can prevent breast cancer has been launched. The campaign is called Pure Prevention. TreeHugger has a summary of the program as well.

In my opinion, there appears to be an increasing link between how we live and our health. This sounds obvious for things like obesity and heart conditions but the environmental and lifestyle link to cancer is gaining more prominence. The idea of a "green lifestyle" is about more than saving polar bears and sticking it to corporations. It's about living healthier today and not leaving a toxic legacy for future generations. We should be pursuing the best available ways to minimize our impact on the environment rather than finding excuses as to why things are not feasible. The solutions we have today may not solve all the problems but they are better than what we have been doing up to this point.

What are the kids eating?

I'm sure we've all heard about the pop machines in schools debate. A new study from Centre for Science in the Public Interest (PDF of the press release and CBC report) indicates that nutritional quality of food served in schools is lacking. I don't know what they serve but I never wanted to eat the stuff they served when I was in school. They made fast food look good.

I understand that since children spend most of their day at school they have to eat. However, don't parents provide lunches and snacks to take to school? If they give their children money don't they tell them to stay away from fast food and cigarettes? Doesn't phys-ed class exist anymore? Many studies and statistics point to a looming health crisis in children and dramatic increases in obesity but the message does not appear to be getting through.

If, as a community, people decide schools are providing food with education then they need to be involved in making the healthy choices and pay for it. Parents will need to either provide healthy food for their children to consume during the day or develop a nutritional menu that is developed in conjunction with classroom nutrition education.

I find the CSPI does great work and have been pleased with the attention their reports bring to issues. Unfortunately, we need them to make people aware that a pop machine in every hallway to wash down the fries and gravy from the cafeteria might be bad for children. There is not an information shortage in North America and people have no excuse for not knowing.

Green Birth Control

I will start with a disclaimer: this is not medical advice nor do I know the effectiveness of the following.

In recent years, we have heard of pharmaceuticals, fertilizer, anti-bacterial agents and birth control hormones entering our drinking water systems. We can eliminate fertilizer use on our lawns, stop using anti-bacterial soap and return unused drugs to the pharmacy but we can't stop women who use birth control from urinating.

I suppose something could be done about waste treatment before it re-enters the environment. The hormones wreak havoc on fish populations and could be in the drinking water. What if a birth control alternative existed? Charting, formally known as Fertility Awareness Method, can be used as a birth control method. Basically, cycles are monitored and sexual activity is limited to certain times. Once adopted it becomes a habit and simple. Sounds like the ease of use associated with pills. May not be for everyone but it does have a positive environmental benefit.

Organic Food

Organic food has become a centerpiece in any green living plan. However, with different definitions of what is is organic, varying claims on the benefits and the higher price many consumers are not sure what to do. Treehugger has a very informative post on organic food. It covers all that I could think of and should help anyone figure out the nuances of the organic grocery aisle.

Save Paper Already

It makes me crazy with the "electronic age" generating more paper than ever. Seems like people are afraid of losing everything with a computer crash so they print loads of stuff. Thanks Windows. Maybe switching to Linux would be an environmentally friendly choice. I'll look into it.

Paper generated at offices through meetings, seminars, presentations and work in general is astounding. "Don't Make It, Don't Take It" is a good motto that I found at a blog post with the same title. Has some tips on how to reduce the paper you create or use. As most tips with an environmental benefit it requires a change in behavior and preferences. A lot of people have problems with digital "paper products" because they find it harder to read or they don't want to lose it. It is probably a generational thing as well. Since the largest segment of the population is between 45 and 65 they are less likely to go digital with everything due to less lifetime exposure to computers. Today's teenagers will probably not read a newspaper so the future of paper reduction looks good.

Spend your Green Greenly

Green consumer financing is starting to really gain traction, in my opinion. Green mortgages can include offsets or lines of credit for efficiency and environmentally friendly upgrades. Wells Fargo announced a plan to offer rebates and incentives for Visa customers.

I feel that the link between the economy and the environment must be maximized to benefit both sides rather than treating it as a trade-off. By providing financial incentives we can change patterns and behaviors. This is inevitable in our consumer/capital driven economy. For the environment to benefit, or suffer less harm, from economic activity, financial benefits must be promoted as part of any environmental strategy that hopes to create a long-term impact.

100 Mile Diet

The 100-mile diet, or any variation, is not about weight loss. It is about eating local and minimizing the impact on the environment with your food choices. A three week story was recently in the Globe and Mail about how one family managed. It is an interesting take on how you can adjust. They did make an exception for coffee, and I agree with that one.

If the articles are locked use this Google news search. Usually they work from there. To see the extensive coverage on this topic if you search in Google News you will find a lot of articles. Maybe one for your area to help you along.

Week1, Week2, and Week 3

Happy eating.

Who targets kids?

Corporations have usually denied targeting children with their advertising campaigns. In the past, accusations have been leveled against food companies, fast food chains and others for targeting children. Even more scrutiny has been placed on these businesses with the rising concern over obesity rates, diabetes and other food related health issues. Finally, some changes have been made.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest threatened to sue Kellogg's over commercials pitching their food to children. Surprisingly, Kellogg's has agreed to change their practices (sarcasm added for emphasis). I guess TV commercials selling lousy food to kids is not the right thing to do after all. Wait, I thought TV didn't influence people's behavior (add more sarcasm here).

While this is an excellent development I'm still disappointed that it takes the threat of a lawsuit and negative media attention on corporate practices to change things. I am equally disappointed in the lack of personal responsibility that requires lawsuits to compensate someone for being irresponsible but that's a different issue.

Food choices and consumption are a personal responsibility. With nutritional labeling guidelines and the internet individuals should be able to make the right decisions for their health. Making these decisions will then change what is offered in stores. Parents need to be responsible for their children and make the healthy choices for them so they can establish healthy eating habits to carry with them in life. If you think Fruit Loops are the right thing for you that's your choice. Just don't sue me if you get diabetes...

100 ways...

A big part of spreading environmental responsibility to the "masses" is finding easy ways for people to participate by doing little things everyday that are part of their routine. Just by altering a few things we can all make a difference. I've said it before on this blog, and it has been said elsewhere, if everyone contributes then the aggregate difference is huge. For example, everyone changes one light bulb to LED or CFL and the total power saved is significant. I found a list that has 100 ways to make your contribution.

100 Ways to Save the Environment

Some of my favorites are:

30. Learn about alternatives to household cleaning items that do not use hazardous chemicals

47. Take actions that use non hazardous components (e.g., to ward off pests, plant marigolds in a garden instead of using pesticide).

58. Ask your employer to consider flexible work schedules or telecommuting.

There are 97 others that are easy to implement if they fit your current life. Some are for wood stoves so if you don't have one obviously you can't do anything about those. However, many others will help save the environment and could save you money as well. With environmental issues at the forefront governments and businesses are offering many incentives for changes such as the ones listed. Always check for utility company rebates, tax breaks, trade in programs and incentives to help finance your transition or upgrades. Good luck.

Lights Out

Australia has announced that they will phase out incandescent light bulbs(Wiki) by changing the energy efficiency regulations for lighting. This will save energy and cut GHG emissions. The change is expected to take effect in 2009 or 2010.

This is another example of how government regulation is required, fortunately or unfortunately, to change habits. Will it spawn a black market in old light bulbs? It also demonstrates how small changes can have a big impact once implemented across the population.

If you don't like what's going on tell somebody

I recently read an editorial in my community newspaper about how some local politicians do not act in accordance with the wishes of the community. I'm sure we've all felt that way at one time or another.

There is no excuse to not have your voice heard. Every elected official has an email or a toll free number to call. I see people everyday yakking on their cell phone, thumbing through messages on their BlackBerry every chance they get about who knows what. Loads of people are complaining they don't have time do anything let alone be involved in their community. Well, take 5 minutes while you're walking around the grocery store or idling your car needlessly in front of it and call your local politician or send them an email and let them know what you think. With the technology we have today we are at the closest point in human history to participative democracy. That requires some of you to participate. It won't take to much of your time and maybe things can change for the better.

Valentine's Day Massacre

No not that one. The one you may have been a part of today. The slaughter of trees.

Just kidding. I'm not that crazy but I need catchy titles since I've been on a little hiatus with revamping the page and all. There really is a massacre of trees though. According to some Hallmark research 180 million cards are exchanged annually not including the ones the kids give in the classrooms. That is a lot of paper and processing to make these cards. I'm not opposed to holiday celebrations or anything like that. My point is to show how large the collective impact of buying one card. For the people who think their own little changes won't make a difference look at it from the other side. Imagine the effect of 180 million homes with solar panels...

What "Green" Means To Me

Lately I have been using the tag “green consumption” on some of my posts. I started wondering what that actually meant. It would probably mean different things to different people. I believe it is a practical approach to life with environmental concerns considered in every possible way. The reality is many of us live in suburbs, shop at grocery stores, have numerous appliances and enjoy most of the comforts attributed to a North American or “western” lifestyle. I think the difference is that those of us who are concerned realize that this lifestyle cannot be sustained. Many of us were comfortable living the way we were so it is difficult to change overnight. I’m of the opinion that if everyone takes small steps with an end goal of lifestyle change that we can make a huge difference. We’ve all seen the stats on how much electricity would be saved if every household used one CF light bulb or turned down the thermostat by 2 degrees. Small changes by a lot of people can go a long way.

So, my interpretation of “green consumption” or “green living” is living your life and doing what you do but considering the consequences. Not that crazy is it? Don’t leave the lights on. Buy things with less packaging. The three Rs. Composting. Cut down your driving. Solar panels. Electric cars. Organic food. Calculating your ecological footprint. Think about the future impact of what you are doing today. Consider every purchasing decision from an ecological perspective.

I think the “environmental movement” has been left out of the mainstream because of the acceptance of mass consumption combined with the thought that any changes would be so radical we would all die. Promoting practical alternatives and explaining them using the current economic framework will encourage change throughout society. Demonstrating that everyone can do it and that it is easy will generate the widespread impact that is needed to make a difference to the environment.

The Tesla

The electric car could give us some hope in reducing the damage of personal transportation. Also check out the Wiki on Nikola Tesla, from who the car gets its name.