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/

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?