An empty fish tray at Loblaw indicates that Chilean Sea Bass is at risk.

Loblaw has announced a new and inspiring goal to source all of its seafood from sustainable sources by 2013. This initiative, already underway at 18 stores, means the largest buyer and seller of seafood in Canada is abandoning the purchase of at-risk species and sourcing all of its seafood from sustainable sources.

Sustainable seafood refers to species that can maintain or increase their population in the future and can be harvested without damage to their ecosystems.

At the seafood counter, customers may notice that fish trays usually stocked with skate, shark, Chilean sea bass and orange roughy are empty, and signs suggesting delicious, eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives have taken their place.

To ensure the company meets its goal, Loblaw will be working closely with WWF-Canada, the Marine Stewardship council, marine scientists, conservation experts and fisheries.

Dr. Jeffery Hutchings, Professor of Biology and Canada Research Chair in Marine Conservation and Biodiversity at Dalhousie University, emphasizes the importance of a big company like Loblaw setting standards for its fish and seafood supply. "Many of the world's most important fish stocks have collapsed, experiencing declines of more than 90 per cent," says Dr. Hutchings.

And, according to the United Nations, 80 per cent of the world's fisheries are fully fished, overfished or depleted.

No Chilean sea bass for me, thank you very much!

Have you changed the way you buy fish? How so?

A cute tee for a great cause.

Everyone's mind has been on Haiti and its recent devastation. I just received word on a great way to support Haiti and help the country get back on its feet.

In order to raise funds for Haiti, JACOB has designed a special T-shirt (pictured above) that will be sold for $15 at all of its JACOB and JACOB Connexion stores across Canada as of February 5th. One hundred per cent of the $15 will go to Oxfam for the reconstruction of Haiti.

JACOB hopes to raise $150,000.

If a friend's birthday is approaching, one of these T-shirts would make a perfect gift.

In what ways have you and your family supported Haiti?

Is it because it's barely gone below zero in the past few days that I can't get gardening off my mind? Is the same thing happening to you? Well, it's sort of a blessing because, as a gardening novice, it's time to start thinking about planning out my garden plot. I'm very nervous as it's the biggest space I've ever worked ... what if I fail miserably?!?!

Good thing I got a copy of Grow Great Grub in the mail. It's a great book by Gayla Trail advising on how to garden successfully (and organically) in small spaces. Trail discusses growing an edible garden in any area where there is space - no matter how small. Though there is a heavy focus on container gardening, Trail's gardening tips and tricks are useful for everyone. Her book gives advice on planting specific edibles (a run down on sowing and planting, harvesting, predicted size, space and depth), plus, she includes tasty-looking recipes. She also recommends useful gardening tools, pickling necessities, freezing tips, composting tricks, container sizes, mulching info, soil info and sooooo much more. I can't wait to give this baby a thorough read!

Are you thinking about gardening?

Grow Great Grub has great advice for both the novice and seasoned gardener.

Congratulations to ... Read the rest of this entry »

Yeah that's right, this is my car. My dream car.

Though we drive infrequently, we're always trying to find more ways to conserve fuel. In doing some research, we've found some pretty useful tips. I thought that you would all benefit by leaning about maximizing your fuel economy. Boy, that sounds boring, but when we talk about it in terms of saving money, it becomes incredibly interesting!

• Watch that lead foot. Most cars work at peak performance when they're driven at the proper speed. Once you start driving over 90 kph, your car starts using more fuel. Also, it's important to drive at a consistent speed. Continuously accelerating and hitting the brakes uses up a lot more gas. My boyfriend always tells me that a good driver never needs to use her brakes, which reminds me to keep a safe distance from the cars in front of me.

• Don't idle. Nothing irks me more than seeing a car idling because I know the damage it's doing to the environment. But idling also wastes gas.

• Inflate your tires properly. Did you know that if your tires aren't properly inflated you could be wasting gas? Keeping them properly inflated can improve your mileage by over 3 per cent.

• Take a load off. Driving around with a trunk full of useless junk is equivalent to throwing money out the window, so clean out your trunk often. The only thing that should be in there is an emergency kit.

How do you maximize your fuel economy?

Also, don't forget to enter my current book giveaway.

Oh, the "to read" list. It grows and grows, making me feel like I never accomplish any reading. But whenever a book review piques my curiosity, I instinctively write it down on my little list. Does the same thing happen to you?

Below are my green must reads for 2010. They've been on the list for a while now, so I'm vowing to get them read this year.

Hopefully I'll stick to my reading list this year. I'd love some time to lie around the house, catching up on my reading.

• Food Not Lawns, by H.C. Flores

• From Seed to Table, by Janette Haase (this will be a perfect read, now that I have my community garden plot to think about!)

• Tar Sands, by Andrew Nikiforuk (I saw environmental journalist Andrew Nikiforuk speak about the tar sands in November, and now I can't wait to read his book.)

• The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan

What green books are on your reading list for 2010?

Don't forget to enter my current giveaway!

Before the holidays I blogged about Adria Vasil's new book, Ecoholic Home. She has some great tips to share. I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you. The following is about safe microwaving (get rid of your plastic, folks!):

So we’ve finally woken up to the fact that microwaving plastic baby bottles is plain tantrum-worthy. Not only does estrogen-mimicking bisphenol A (BPA) leach from polycarbonate plastic during regular use, but studies have found that one zap in the microwave can cause as much leaching as 60 to 100 rounds in the dishwasher. Kind of erodes your confidence in the whole “microwave-safe” label, doesn’t it? Especially when you find out that no one regulates the term. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, in the fall of 2008, lab-tested 10 plastic food containers for microwave leaching, they found even plastics Nos. 1, 2 and 5 had BPA leaching. These included frozen food trays, microwaveable soup containers and plastic baby food packaging. What? Isn’t BPA only in No. 7 polycarbonate plastic? Guess not.

Stay safe and follow these tips:
• Never microwave food or drinks in any plastic. Period.
• Never microwave or heat plastic wrap.
• Don’t put plastics in the dishwasher. Heat (including hot water from dishwashers) boosts leaching from purportedly dishwasher-safe polycarbonate, so who’s to say your dishwasher-safe plastic won’t leach when someone decides to test that too.

Excerpted from Ecoholic Home Copyright © 2009 by Adria Vasil. Excerpted by permission of Vintage Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved.

Now I have some great news. I have FOUR copies of Ecoholic Home to giveaway. Just leave a message here telling me why you need Adria Vasil's help in greenifying your life. Remember, you must be a subscriber to my blog to be able to win. I will randomly select four winners on Monday, January 18.

Happy New Year to you all. I hope you enjoyed a peaceful and festive holiday. I had a busy few days around Christmas, but enjoyed sitting on my couch for the rest of the holiday. It was glorious. Now it's time for me to get my life back on track. I've vowed to stay away from the treats for a while (I've eaten my fair share of cookies) and up the amount of exercise. My dog should be happy to get back to running, but me: not so much.

Is exercise on your New Year's resolution list? If so, you have to check out Canadian Living's Boot Camp. It's a free six-week program focused on you and designed to help you lose weight, get fit and feel your best in the new year. Though Boot Camp kicked off yesterday, it's not too late to join. You can sign up here! You'll get a daily newsletter, access to motivating and fun at-home workout videos and a daily menu featuring Canadian Living recipes.  And, you don't have to go through it alone. CanadianLiving.com's senior editor is blogging about her Boot Camp trials and tribulations here. Boot Camp makes getting fit fun and easy!

What New Year's resolutions have you made? What tips can you share about sticking to your New Year's resolutions?

Admit it: you've left your holiday shopping to the very last minute. Now you're bogged down with holiday baking, decorating, attending festive parties and last-minute shopping. Well I've got a great gift idea for you. The I Am Not A Paper Cup is a reusable, thermal coffee or tea mug. It's made of durable porcelain and has a silicone lid. My coworker Colleen Tully recently tested one out, and here's her rave review:

"I avoided these I'm Not A Paper Cup mugs because I thought they would be too heavy and cumbersome. Was I ever wrong! Not only is its coffee cup-like weight both comforting and easily held on-the-go, the mug doesn’t get knocked over like other lightweight portables, keeping my car and desk free of spills and stains (which is a total bonus on Monday mornings). I also switch up my drinks throughout the day, and the porcelain material doesn’t transfer the taste of morning cappuccino into my afternoon rooibos, and vice versa. I Am Not A Paper Cup would make a great gift for the moderately clumsy, alwasy busy, avid coffee-tea-coffee drinker on your list."

She forgot to mention how cool they look (see image below). You can order one of these mugs here, at www.reusablebags.com. I highly doubt you'll get it in time for Christmas, but peruse the independent coffee shops in your area - I've spotted them in three of my fave local spots. Or, just order one for yourself. After the stress of the holidays is over, you'll deserve a nice little something for yourself.

You know what? Just place an order for yourself! You deserve something nice.

Ecoholic Home is a great gift for anyone wanting to make a change.

Have you all heard that Adria Vasil, author of the oh-so-helpful green bible Ecoholic, has just come out with a new book called Ecoholic Home? It's a great book that's super easy to navigate, with sections specializing in cooking, cleaning, gardening, heating and cooling and renovating. Vasil offers an array of ways to green your home whether you're a renter, owner or live in a dorm. She also includes many helpful money-saving tips.

You can find this book at your local bookstore, retailing for about $25.

Have you checked out Vasil's new book? What do you think of it?

Check back in the new year, I may have a few copies to give away