My Green Switch Was Flicked On
I was watching Live Earth, I said, Self, what can you do for the environment? So I created this blog. I do a fair bit but I'm running out of ideas. I'm hoping people post comments or suggestions. Let's all do a couple of things to make the EARTH better.
Things I've done to help the environment:1 Replaced 21 light bulbs with CFL's.
2 Put a few lights on motion detectors.
3 Use a real coffee mug and silverware at my desk.
4 Only buy fair trade and/or organic coffee.
5 Only buy organic produce and meat.
6 On the 100 mile diet. (90% Compliant)
7. Use my own grocery bag.
8. Try to buy products with less packaging.
9. Switched to paperless banking/bill payment.
10 Don't use air conditioning.
11. Take public transit.
12. Unplug instant on stuff, except for VCR and alarm clock.
13. Buy only sustainable power from Bullfrog.
14. Switched to Ice Melter instead of salt.
15. Offset the rest of my emmisions with a carbon credit.
Green things I still need to do:1 Get rid of my extra beer fridge. (I don't know about this because I brew my own and it need's to be refrigerated.)
2. Quit smoking. (OK, so I'm working on this now)
3. Buy a hybrid. (So, I couldn't buy a hybrid this time cause I had to get a work truck but, I'll limit my driving and will buy a hybrid for personal use at a later date)
Please Note: I am not a writer. Most of these articles are shared from other sources. Please use the links provided to get the whole article from the source site. Please support these sites too! We all have a role to play.
Where I'm At Now
I've decided that organic may not be the way to go. What's the sense of shipping an organic product 3,000 miles if I can find a locally produced item? OK, so it may not be organic but I guess it's a balance between chemicals to grow or chemicals to ship. I've actually found local chicken, beef, pork, lamb and goat, all naturally raised, antibiotic free and free range where applicable. I've managed to find local potatoes, yams, carrots, onions and garlic all winter. I also have a local hydroponic lettuce grower and besides lettuce he grows cucumber, bell peppers and tomatoes.
I've switched to Bullfrog Power. Bullfrog uses only environmentally sustaining power sources like wind as well as low-impact hydro-electric.
I've also discovered Guerrilla Gardening. Take over an abandoned patch and make it grow. Stay tuned.
Well this year, I've decided to post more about what I'm doing. I'll still have cool products once in a while, especially if I've tried or switched to them.
How many barrels of oil does it take to make a ton of plastic bags?
In Canada these days, it's almost impossible to talk about renewable energy without talking about nuclear power. With the recent freezing of Ontario's Renewable Energy Payment (REP) system and a proposal from the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to procure 14,000 megawatts (MW) of nuclear power over the coming decades, many in the industry question whether politicians and regulators in the province are serious about developing renewable energy. More here,
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52946
Private investors have completed the US $10.75 million equity financing for Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning, the innovative renewable energy project for downtown Honolulu. The company anticipates a construction start date of January 5, 2009. More here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53000
To buy a hybrid or not to buy a hybrid?
Hi all,
It was a year ago today I launched I am Earth, hoping I could share my ideas for reducing my carbon footprint and learn from all your efforts.
I would like to thank all of you for signing up to make a difference.
I still need all your ideas and suggestions, so please keep them coming.
Don't forget to invite your friends. I Really Need A Lot Of Help!
I'm not sure how many of you have heard about Eden Mills, Ontario or The Village of Martin in England, both of these towns have pledged to go carbon neutral.
But how about a city like Toronto? In a city of 2 million people, it's hard to know where to start.
Well, zerofootprint has an idea. What if we split the city into villages?
Toronto already identifies itself as a city of neighbourhoods so we'll just look at each of them as if they were villages.
Therefore, I would like to announce that the first village is going to be Little Italy.
I would like to extend an invitation to all members that reside in the Trinity-Spadina (Ward 19) neighbourhood a chance to participate in this program.
I need anyone interested in joining this program to become a fan of my new Facebook page, Carbon Neutral Trinity-Spadina (Little Italy)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carbon-Neutral-Trinity-Spadina-Little-Italy/33627388440News and details will follow in advance of the fall launch and I’ll be able to reach you all there.
Thanks all for you efforts.
Barry.
My house is officially Bullfrog Powered. No more oil, gas, nuclear or destructive hydro-electric for me.
Now it's all wind and non-destructive hydro.
http://www.bullfrogpower.com/index.cfm
This week, starting on July 1st, I stopped driving to work. This is actually going to save me $150 - $200 CDN a month.
Just a short Bio-diesel ride to the electric subway. I don't think they're Bullfrog Powered though. Maybe I can lobby them. HA!
This saving is actually going to allow me to cover the cost of Bullfrog and the carbon offset. Kewl eh!
The next big thing on my agenda is to purchase carbon credits to offset the rest of my
emmisions.
I'm waiting to October though, so I can re-calculate my carbon footprint after these changes.
http://www.zerofootprint.net/
All this combined with the 100-Mile diet ,
http://www.100milediet.org/ should help me be a better caretaker of the earth.
And that's really what it's all about, right?
I've been replacing all my household cleaning stuff with environmental friendly stuff too.
I've been buying products from "seventh GENERATION".
http://www.seventhgeneration.com/ Their slogan is from the Iroquois. It reads,
'In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.'
I've already decided to use this on my email signature. But isn't this a pretty good code to live by?
The UK government has set out a national renewable energy blueprint designed to slash carbon emissions and reduce dependency on oil and gas. UK Business Secretary John Hutton outlined the proposals that are likely to include up to a third of electricity coming from renewable sources as well as significant increases in the use of renewable forms of heat and transport fuels last week. More here,
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52914
I've Started The 100 Mile Diet
Here is a sample market run. Not all of this is available during the winter
All Produce was Local & Organic, Lettuce - Romaine, Red Leaf & Green Leaf
Celery, Peppers - Green, Orange, Red & PURPLE, Radish, Green Onion, Cucumber
(That's my weekly salad stuff)
Spinach, Swiss Chard, Peas, Corn, White and Sweet Potatoes
Onions, Apples, Pears
Lots more available but I didn't buy.
Dairy, All Local & Organic (Naturally Raised or Free Range)Milk (In Glass Bottles), Cheese, Butter, Eggs, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese,
Sour Cream & others available but I didn't buy.
Bread and Rolls, Organic but not all grains local. I've been baking my own too, using local if possible.
And for the Meat Eaters, All Local & Naturally Raised
Chicken - Whole, Boneless & Skinless Cuts (Other Cuts Available)
Lamb Chops (Other Cuts Available)Pork Chops (Other Cuts Available)
Beef - Steak, Ground (Other Cuts Available)
There were other products such as Goat, Emu and others that I didn't buy.
Now, I know not everything is available to all but if you can replace half of your grocery list with local products you would be doing what you can as well as telling retailers you want local products.
I know I'll have a challenge in February. There won't be as much local produce available.
I've committed to starting a greenhouse garden in my basement and growing my salad.I'll let you know how that works out.
Barry
Update: June 2,2008
February produce was a challenge but I found lettuce, bell peppers, cucumber and tomatoes, all grown locally the hydroponic way. At least I had a small salad every day.
I don't have a basement greenhouse yet but I do have a backyard garden.
More later.
Update, August 18th 2008
Well the vegetable garden was a bust. I put in a 10' X 12' garden but I don't get enough sun in my yard. We have tomatoes and peppers in containers and they are doing much better. Looks like I need a new plan.
Update, September 12,2009
So gardening at my house is out. Too shady.
I switched to Bullfrog Power a year ago. My hydro comes from wind and non destructive hydro-electric.
I gave up driving to work a year ago as well.
With a friend of mine, we started Earth Hour By The Dozen.
It's Earth Hour but we have it on the 4th Saturday of every month.
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