Archive for January, 2011
January 29, 2011 · Filed under eco-friendly, environment, green, sustainable · Tagged packaging, plastic, plastic wrap, Subway
By Erica
So the other day I bought a new brand of bread (Oroweat?), and opened up the bread bag to discover another layer of plastic wrap. While I am sure this is due to some theory about maintaining freshness, since all other breads get away with one layer of plastic I am sure Oroweat can too. This goes for any product (often the case with candy), where you buy a plastic bag of something, only to open it up and find a lot more layers of plastic. A very good example of this culprit is Subway. You buy your sandwich, they wrap it in that white layer, and then another layer with the logo on it, throw it in a plastic big with like twenty napkins. BAD.
As we do not want to contribute anymore to the plastic garbage island in the middle of the Pacific, be plastic wrap conscious when purchasing products. Suggestion for Subway: if people are eating in, put it on a non-disposable plate.
January 28, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged donate, Futureshop, landfill, non-profit, old computers, old electronics, recycle, recycle electronics, recycled, reuse center
by Liz
As I am slowly trying to pack up my stuff (I’m moving to England) I found a bunch of old electronics that I haven’t used for years. I found the old family computer that still probably has Windows 95 on it and the Lemmings game. So ya its old and big and just wasting space in my closet. I also found 2 old cell phones and an MP3 player that looks like a beeper from the late 90’s. So what do I do with all this crap?
There are a couple of things you can do with your electronics.
1) If it is still in good working condition why not donate it? Most likely there are families in your community that cannot afford a computer, cell phone or a printer. There are also non-profit organizations that could use computers. If this option works for you then you should find a reuse center that will take your old computers and wipe the personal information and refurbish it. They will then find a family or non-profit that is in need. Here is a website that will help you find these centers in whichever country, province, state or city you are in : http://www.reuseitnetwork.org/index.htm
2) If your electronics are broken and unusable then whatever you do don’t throw them out! They will end up in landfills when many of the various parts can be recycled. So recycle it! Whole doing some research I realized how easy recycling electronics are! Most people buy a lot of their electronics at Futureshop, so why not recycle them there? Every Futureshop will take old electronics and recycle them. (http://www.futureshop.ca/en-ca/futuregeneration/recycle.aspx) You are allowed to recycle only 2 products a day, but just come back the next day and recycle 2 more! There are more places to recycle your electronics, just Google it with your city and many options will pop up!
So help a family or non-profit out or recycle! It is better for the environment and you may just help a child do better at school.
January 23, 2011 · Filed under eco-friendly · Tagged eco-friendly, Environment, environmentally friendly, freezer, green, gross, jeans, laundry, smelly, strange, washing
by Liz
Remember that friend I mentioned who never really washed her jeans? Well turns out she was not wrong to do so! Turns out wearing jeans for up to 15 months without washing them is fine and they won’t pose a health risk whatsoever! The only problem is the jeans might start to smell but apparently all you have to do is put them in the freezer for a bit and it takes away all of the odours. So never washing your jeans is environmentally friendly and not as gross as you originally thought.
Read more about it here:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/no-harmful-bacteria-found-alberta-students-jeans-not-20110119-134012-256.html
January 21, 2011 · Filed under eco-friendly, green, sustainable · Tagged climate change, David Suzuki, global warming, sustainable at home
By Erica
To all those folks who continuously claim that global warming is a falsehood, listen to David Suzuki (my hero), when he gives this beauty global warming metaphor:
If you knew there was a 70% chance of a sandwich being poison..would you still eat it?
Most likely, you would not. Unless you have a death wish. And the same goes for climate change, it may not be 100% proven, but do you really want to take that chance? Large panels of scientists have proved over and over again that current changes in weather patterns are not just run of the mill changes, but quite out of the ordinary, and as well they have shown that at the rate we are releasing toxins into the atmosphere, paired with the rate we are chopping down trees, there is NO WAY our world will continue to hold up. Occasionally a rogue scientist will claim this is all falsehood, but keep in mind that the oil industry, forestry, and other non-sustainable industries put lots of money towards “research” to prove otherwise. Money is a great motivator to come up with new “findings”. So people, whether or not you believe in climate change, there is no harm in being more sustainable, because really, do you want to risk biting that poisonous sandwich of global warming?? NO. So here are ten things David Suzuki suggests we can all do in our own homes to help!
- Reduce home energy use by 10%. (Turn those lights and computers off!)
- Choose energy-efficient home and appliances. (We can’t all afford an efficient dishwasher and microwave..in fact I can’t even afford a regular microwave.. but get those energy efficient light bulbs at least!)
- Don’t use pesticides. (Watch the movie ‘Bugs’ and you will see how cute they are)
- Eat meat free meals at least once a week. (Kraft dinner anyone?)
- Buy locally grown and produced food. (Go to a Farmers Market… you won’t be able to say no to all the cute old farmers..well that is my problem anyways)
- Choose a fuel efficient vehicle. (two feet and a heart beat)
- Walk, bike, carpool or take public transit one day a week (I am never bored by eavesdropping on teenagers’ conversations on the bus)
- Choose a home close to work or school (I would live in the university library if I could)
- Support alternative transportation (ride donkeys!)
- Learn more and share information with others (tell people about our blog! Haha)
January 19, 2011 · Filed under eco-friendly · Tagged cell phones, eco-friendly, Environment, green apps, green products, mobile phones, nokia, recycled materials
When I think of Nokia phones I think of the old big boxy ones that I used to play snake on in the early 2000′s. Remember these ones?
Well turns out Nokia is the leader in eco friendly phones and their phones are a lot more up to date these days! Turns out in the past 10 years the company has cut its environmental impact by 65%. It also uses things like recycled material and biopaints to make their phones and offer eco-friendly services like apps on how to be more environmentally friendly.
So if you want to know more about it here is the link:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/299339/nokia-leads-among-ecofriendly-mobile-devices
January 15, 2011 · Filed under eco-friendly, green, sustainable · Tagged eco-friendly, plastic, travel mugs, vacation, waste
By Erica
I was recently visiting the parents of my boyfriend who were about to head down to Dominican Republic for an all-inclusive vacation. They had purchased quite possibly the biggest travel mugs I have ever seen (referred to as Bubba’s??), in what I originally thought was just for keeping their pina colada’s cold while lounging in the sun. Upon asking, though, I was informed that another use was to cut down on waste, because if you are drinking a lot at the resort, the resort gives you every drink in a plastic cup, which then gets tossed in the garbage. So by using the bubba, not only are drinks cold, but plastic cups are not used, and plastic is the giant villain of the environment (have you heard of the extremely massive plastic garbage island floating out in the Pacific? And how you likely ingest plastic when ever you eat sea food?). Anyways, it is a small measure, but if majority of people on vacations brought reusable beverage containers, think of all the evil plastic that we won’t be eating in our sushi. So, tip of the day, if you are lucky enough to be on vacation, bring an insulated mug. Or in fact, on that note, use them in your every day life when you are having coffee. We have all heard it a million times, but if we all do use travel mugs as much as possible, it will really help (just look at how many Tim Horton’s cups litter the ground).
January 13, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged Aflockalypse, Apocalypse, Arkansas, birds, climate change, David Suzuki, endangered species, endangered species law, Environment, extinction, fish, global warming, theories, wildlife
By Liz
Over the past two weeks there has been a lot of talk about dead birds falling from the sky in Arkansas and then dead fish coming to the surface just down the road from the birds. A buzz is going around that this is the beginning of the Apocalypse and to that I show you this cartoon I found.
Others are saying that it has something to do with the environment. Is it climate change? I found a great article on Twitter from David Suzuki explaining why the birds and fish died and then talks about what humans are doing to animal and plant species and putting them close to extinction. It is a very interesting article. Pay attention to the last paragraph especially!
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2011/01/aflockalypse-now-mass-animal-die-offs-and-the-ongoing-extinction-crisis/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed:+DavidSuzukiFoundation-ScienceMatters+(David+Suzuki+Foundation+-+Science+Matters)&utm_content=Twitter
January 7, 2011 · Filed under green, sustainable · Tagged clean, drying, eco-friendly, Environment, environmental tips, green, laundry, less energy consumption, Sustainable, washing
by Liz
Let’s talk laundry. It is unfortunately something we have to do. One person I know saves the environment a tiny bit by washing her jeans maybe twice a year. I, unlike her, like to wash my clothes after I wear them once or twice depending on how messy I am that day. If the clothes don’t look dirty and smell fine, why wash them? Anyhoo, I have some tips on how you can wash your clothes and stay green! First thing is first, wash in cold water. BC Hydro says, water heating accounts for 90% of energy consumption in washing machines. So just turn that dial to cold and put your clothes in that washing machine. Another benefit of doing this is that your colours stay brighter and there is less shrinkage! Also don’t wash your clothes if the machine isn’t full. That is just common sense (well I hope!).
Next laundry topic: soap. You don’t need a lot of soap. Many labels say that you need more soap than you do. All of the soap is concentrated and come on, how dirty are your clothes? Besides if you have a newer washer they are designed to suds up your clothes better than older ones.
Now your clothes need to be dry. When I lived in Australia the dryers sucked and there was sun for 300 days of the year, so I hung up all my clothes to dry. Clothes outside and underwear inside, because who wants their undies on display? I do not. My problem now with outdoor clothe drying is the fact that I live in Canada. It is cold for at least 5 months of the year and rainy for 6, so that gives me one month of hanging to dry weather. Take advantage of it when you can, but when you can’t, you can use the dryer. When you are using the dryer make sure the lint trap is lint free so that your clothes can dry faster and use less energy. Another big thing to do is to fold your clothes as soon as the dryer is done. This ensures wrinkle free clothes and not having to use an annoying iron. Ironing is one of the energy escaping culprits of the planet and it is a pain in the ass to do it. So if you can avoid ironing, I suggest doing so. Or maybe it is just me that has a huge aversion to irons.
These are some easy things that you can do without changing your life too much, which is what we are all about.
January 3, 2011 · Filed under eco-friendly, sustainable · Tagged Diva Cup, eco-friendly, environmental tips, Feminine Hygiene, green, Periods
By Erica
Ahhh that special time of the month that everyone hates (well my boyfriend, I personally think, looks forward to it so he can blame all my irrational behaviour on PMS and not accept the reality that he does, in fact, merely have a crazy girlfriend). Back in Jane Austen’s day, when a young lady had her “monthly courses”, she was given an awkward belt and some linen, which her maid would get to wash. While I would much prefer to not wear a giant diaper made out of my bed sheets, those fashionable ladies of the past did have one thing over us, man did their periods produce WAY less garbage. Tampons and pads are like Subway sandwiches, they have far too many layers of wrapping. And of course, you throw out the used product in the end. The amount of waste produced by tampons and pads is exponential (my math professor would yell at me for that one, the waste is not accumulating at an exact rate of squaring itself every second or whatever, but you get the picture). Solution: THE DIVA CUP. For those of you unaware, the Diva Cup is a great little alternative to the tampon, where you insert the cup into your lady parts, and when it is full you dump and rinse, reuse. If you have not heard of this before, your reaction is probably a big EW. I attribute this reaction to a fear of the unknown. Is it really worse than a pad or a tampon? I think we can all agree that there is nothing pleasant about a period, and had the Diva Cup already existed, and someone introduced a diaper to catch your blood, that you then sit on all day, called a “pad”, I am sure that you would answer with an even bigger EWWW. Bottom line: no feminine hygiene product is ‘un-gross’ for lack of a better word, so you might as well not only help the environment, but also save massive amounts of money on not having to re-stock your supply every month, and purchase the Diva Cup.
January 3, 2011 · Filed under eco-friendly, sustainable · Tagged eco-friendly, Environment, green, plastic bags
By Liz
So a lot of companies are ditching the plastic bag. Or they are making you pay 5 cents for one. Every time I go grocery shopping I try to remember to bring the reusable bags (I’m getting better at it!). Turns out us Canadians are making a difference! Keep up the good work and keep using reusable bags!
http://www.660news.com/news/local/article/164172–parting-with-plastic-coming-easy-to-some-canadians
