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.

Friday, January 30, 2009

One small victory. We CAN make a difference.

One of the things I’ve been supporting recently is the movement to ban shark fin soup.
I know a lot of you are probably saying, who cares about sharks?
Sharks actually play a large part in keeping a healthy marine environment.
The problem with shark fining is, the fins are cut off of a live shark and then the animal is just dumped overboard to drown.

We had a small campaign to stop Loblaw’s from selling Shark Fin Soup and once they realized there was a problem with shark fishing practices, they actually pulled the product from the shelves and vowed to stop selling it. Here’s the article from the Toronto Sun/Canoe, http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/01/29/8185661-cp.html

I urge you all to see the movie Sharkwater. It changed my life, maybe it can change your’s too. http://www.sharkwater.com/

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Water

I used to have stacks of bottled water at home for a variety of uses.
I realize that there is still a use for bottled water, when travelling and in your emergency kit, but I’ve eliminated bottles in daily use.

I volunteer at a festival each year and they’ve been trying to reduce their impact on the earth as well. One of the things they tried was to supply water in bulk and have people bring their own container. Well most people were quite receptive to the idea but there were rules and regulations from the municipal governments. Even though the water was potable, we couldn’t claim it was. The water source would have to be tested and the filling of containers would require procedures to prevent contamination. In the end, we had to supply bottled water.

At home, I’ve been using a Britta. I have been for years but bought a second one to keep up with demand. Water connoisseurs would argue that using a Britta is not the way to go either. They claim the taste needs the minerals that the Britta filters out. The recommended procedure is to let a pitcher stand uncovered for a day or so to let the chlorine evaporate, then refrigerate the pitcher. The pitcher also helps to regulate the fridge temperature.

Now, it’s not only the waste that the bottles produce but there are health concerns regarding the chemical bisphenol A used to make the bottles.

If you’re on Facebook, check out this page, http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=663525688&ref=profile#/pages/Tap-Water/9838628636?sid=0170bba68bae0437f696f5438c051183&ref=s

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

No thanks, I’ve got my own bag


I’ve got into the habit of taking my own bag everywhere. I always have a bag or 2 in my backpack so I’m almost never caught without. There are a lot of different bags out there but there’s a certain type that my cats don’t like. I’ve bought 2 of these from the grocery store and for some reason my cats have to pee on them. It only happens to these particular ones so I’ll stick to the plain fabric type.
Hope some of you can get used to saying, No thanks, I’ve got my own bag.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Get Local


This year, I’m going to work a bit harder to eat more meals made with local ingredients.
The majority of my home meals already conform to the criteria I’ve established for myself.
There are a few exceptions (condiments) that are not local. In these cases, the product has to be organic.
The problem I have is with my daily lunch. I often take a lunch, but choices are limited when you eliminate processed and imported foods. I only have a few choices.
There’s also days I don’t take a lunch. Most of the available lunch spots are food court restaurants or street vendors and the majority of those buy from a central wholesaler. The street vendor does have local potatoes fairly often but not the oil.
It looks like I’ll have to eliminate the food court and get used to my brown bag lunch.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Clean Green

I’ve been changing to environmental friendly cleaning products as I run out of the old chemical stuff.
I’m not advocating any specific product but my products of choice are from Seventh Generation, http://www.seventhgeneration.com/ . They have a full selection of kitchen, bathroom and laundry products. I plan on actually taking it a step further this year by making a few of my own cleaners.
The Eco-Me Home Kit, http://www.eco-me.com/ , has 2 spray bottles, a paste jar and a recipe book so you can use common household items to make your own cleaners. I was given one of these kits recently along with an extensive book for making even more products.
I hope some of you check out a few environmental friendly cleaning products for yourself.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Salt or Ice Melter?

Well, I switched to ice melter instead of salt this year.
It's a lot more expensive but I guess it's better for the environment.
When you use salt, it runs off into rivers and lakes causing salt contamination.
It can also affect farmers' fields, well systems and your ordinary lawn and garden.
Another problem using salt is the deterioration of concrete and asphalt used in your foundation and driveway. If you can afford to switch I hope you do.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Monaco's Prince Albert on Antarctic global warming mission

PUNTA ARENAS, Chile - Monaco's Prince Albert II was leaving behind the sunny shores of the Riviera for some of the planet's coldest reaches on Monday in a voyage to the South Pole to raise awareness about global warming. Read more, http://green.sympatico.msn.ca/canadianpressarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=823441

Monday, January 5, 2009

Do you take a lunch?


The best way to green bag a lunch is to NOT brown bag it.
Read here, http://events.ca.msn.com/green/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=599518&imageindex=1

Happy New Year to you all.

Well, this year is going to be a challenge. I have to come up with a way to reduce my footprint even more.Besides the obvious, reducing, reusing and recycling, there's a new one, rethinking.Rethink your purchace before you buy it. Ask yourself, do I really need it? Is there something I already have I can use instead?And if you really need to make the purchase, look for something made locally with a minimun amount of packaging and from a company that is environmentally and socially responsible.
How about you? Have you given any thought to what you can do this year?

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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