Archive for May, 2008

Today we're featuring a guest post from Cassandra Sadek.

---

I've been reading Ecoholic by Adria Vasil, and have felt the call to make a concerted effort to lessen my footprint on the environment. So when I read the part about the ways that disposable razors and foaming shave gels negatively impact the environment, I decided that perhaps THIS was my opportunity! THIS would be step 1 in my new drive to make the world a better place!One of the eco-friendly solutions to hair removal is the ancient process of sugaring. It's much like waxing, but without the toxins and gunk. Plus, the cloth strips are easily washable with a little hot water, and therefore reusable. Bonus!After a bit of Googling I found the universal recipe for successful sugaring:
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
I bought some basic cotton fabric and cut it into strips. I bought a hefty bag of sugar and a lemon. I got a candy thermometer to ensure I got it to the precise 250 degree temp. And I set to work.

The directions were followed, but as I was waiting for my sugar-licious mixture to cool down to the point where I could slap it on my legs without needing a call to 911, it started to harden. In a panic I tried spreading the amber mixture on my leg, and not only did it not stick to my leg because of the cornstarch I'd powdered with because this website recommended it for "tautness making it more effective," but it was also still WAY TOO HOT.

As it continued to set to a rock candy stage, I ran down to the kitchen to try and get it out of the glass dish before it completely set.

One foot of wax paper, a spatula, a spoon, and a paring knife later, I had a lovely little blob of artwork on my counter, and a dark amber dish you could have preserved a Jurassic mosquito in.

Mr. Man came to my rescue, and amidst giggling fits, helped me reheat the solution so the glass dish could be saved.

Moral of the story: Leave the sugaring to the professionals, ladies. There are much less stressful (and less messy!) ways to save the earth.

Related content:
• Bikini waxing 101
• The homemade spa
• How to choose eco-friendly makeup
• Green beauty companies we love

I came across a great little book recently called Hey Mr. Green. Mr. Green is Bob Schildgen, who has a column in Sierra magazine (put out by the Sierra Club) where he answers reader questions about living green – everything from finding nontoxic deck sealer and recycling old computers to choosing the best type of logs to burn in your fireplace. This book is a collection of those questions and answers plus a selection of his top tips on living green. The questions go from the standard (why we should turn off lights) to the obscure, and you're sure to find the book both informative and entertaining.

For a sneak peek, we've picked out a couple of excerpts to get you started:
• 10 ways to save money on gas
• 8 steps to a healthy, eco-friendly lawn

We all know that the most eco-friendly shopping bag option is neither paper nor plastic: it's bringing your own reusable bag. But which of the bags available is the most eco-friendly?

One excellent – and fashionable – option is this jute "Freedom Bag" produced by Toronto shopping centre Hazelton Lanes. They commissioned their own design from fair-trade bag-maker freeset, with an illustration is by Toronto artist Ryan Johnson. The bags are made of biodegradable jute and have a couple of inside pockets and comfortable, wide handles. Even better, they're made by women in Sonagachi, India, for a fair wage, and proceeds from the bag are going toward a fund for former sex workers in North Calcutta.

A limited amount of Freedom Bags are available from Hazelton Lanes Guest Services (416.968.8680) for $14.95. Other styles, including custom orders, are available from freeset and from Canadian distributor My Fair World.

Congratulations to Joelle Withers of Edmonton, the winner of our big Green Challenge contest. Joelle has a beautiful GE Profile dishwasher coming her way!

The 2008 Canadian Living Green Challenge is now over – thanks to all of YOU who made it such a great success. I hope you've found the stories we posted inspiring and the advice helpful.

We're currently in the process of choosing the winner of the GE dishwasher – stay tuned for the winner's name and for more stories on how we can all live a little greener.

Today's winner is Debbie Starkey of Porters Lake, Nova Scotia.

---

I have been on a mission to help our planet for years, doing everything in my power to reduce, reuse and recycle. My family takes pride on our recycling and composting skills as well as reducing energy consumption in the home. Today I wanted to tell you about my favourite effort to go green. It's my pride and joy: my vegetable garden. (more...)

Today's winner is Nancy Stepney of Edmonton.

---

Defining what is difficult about being green can be just those couple of changes we aren't willing to make. At the beginning, remembering to recycle could be difficult and a bit of a pain. Once I got used to that, then composting was the new difficult. I find that every time I get used to a new green habit, I am only then ready for the next step. So when they say it only starts with one small step, it's true!I base how well I am doing on our local environmental store here in Edmonton: (more...)

Today's winner is Jen Timko.

---

I pride myself in learning how to be as green as possible at home and following through with what I learn. So I was honoured when I was asked to form a "Green Team" at my work. A corporate environment can be one of the most wasteful places, but also one of the easiest places to make BIG changes.Since the team has started I am so proud of the company's want for change to be green. (more...)

Today's winner is Heather Rosen of Toronto.

---

It's not easy being green, as the saying goes. Especially when some of the "green" activities we're forced to embrace make some of us feel, well, green – around the gills, that is.My mother was an uneasy convert to Toronto's now highly successful municipal composting program when it was implemented a couple of years ago. For six months prior to the start of the program, she railed against having to scoop out slightly rancid dairy products from their noxious plastic receptacles, then rinsing said containers and putting them in the blue box. Or removing soggy, brown vegetables from the crisper, separating the organic material from the plastic bags, and disposing of each in the proper container. She would shudder and gag each time she read about this impending crisis, as she called it.

It was a tough sell. And I had the unfortunate job of trying to change her mind. (more...)

After reading this post, don't forget to enter our contest – you could win a new dishwasher. Plus, do you have your own story to tell? Send it to greenchallenge@canadianliving.com (no more than 300 words, please), and you could win one of 30 daily prizes.

Today's winner is Sol Ott of Halifax.

---

My blood ran cold when I heard the news. My neighbourhood grocery store – the store I had been frequenting for years – was making a big change. They were no longer supplying plastic bags. Surely it can't be true, I thought. For as long as I could remember, the plastic grocery bag had been a part of my life – as a child we had a special drawer designated as the storage centre for the tangled mass of plastic that would serve as garbage bags, lunch bags, pooper-scooper content keepers, and the list goes on. How could life ever be the same without them? (more...)