Posts Tagged ‘Green Living’

I have a confession to make: Just back in the office from visiting the Green Living Show in Toronto, and I'm embarrassed to say I expected a lot of granola and bad upcycled sweaters. Thankfully, I was I wrong - so very wrong.

Toronto's Green Living Show is loads and loads of fun and there is honestly something there for everyone.

If you live near Toronto, here are 4 reasons to visit the show this weekend:

1. Green Beauty Bar.  Swing by and say hi to the professional makeup artists at the Green Beauty Bar. You can book a mini makeover, a makeup touch up or even a mini manicure, done with eco makeup and nail polishes. The friendly team is also on-hand to tell you all about their favourite beauty products.

Cheeky Monkey nail polish. Photo by Tasia Rivero.

2. Next up, be sure to visit to the food section of the show. Here I snacked on delicious, preservative-free pesto sauce, tapenades and locally-grown tofu. Be sure to stop by the Cookstown Greens table for a look (and maybe a taste!) of their gorgeous edible flowers, seen in the photo I snapped, below.

Related link: Edible flowers: Take time to eat the roses

Edible flowers. Photo by Tasia Rivero.

3. Wander to the clothes/accessories. Gone are the days of old bandannas and sandals, looking for a mountain to climb. This stuff was nice. Here I found the gorgeous bamboo/organic cotton-blend sunflower dress pictured below. Other favourites: adorable ballet flats from Africa, with soles made of recycled tires and killer iPad and laptop sleeves and computer bags -- each made of reused banners or tarps (sounds strange, but check out the wonderful examples, also below).

Bamboo/organic cotton-blend dress. Photo by Tasia Rivero.

Totem laptop bags. Photo by Tasia Rivero.

4. Save the best for last. Visit Eco stems, an earth-friendly flower shop situated right inside the main doors. The table is covered in gorgeous flowers - but for me, the main attraction was the selection of air plants. These plants are native to the rainforest and thrive in darker, humid rooms - think a windowless bathroom. The sky's the limit when it comes to displaying an air plant - I'm told you can leave one to sit on a countertop, put one in a bowl or jar, or even hot-glue a magnet to one for a unique addition to your fridge. To care for an air plant, a quick rinse under the tap twice a week is all that's required. My plant (pictured below) should bloom with pinky-purple flowers.

My new air plant. Photo by Tasia Rivero.

Other feature include a partially solar-powered Fisker luxury car, an array of eco-friendly products to buy in the Marketplace, daily live bird presentations, Sweat Equity yoga pavilion, and a look at Canada's oceans hosted by the WWF and Royal Ontario Museum.

Toronto's Green Living Show is on this weekend only, April 13 to 15, at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place. Tickets at $12, or get in for free by bringing along a piece of electronic waste (old phones, TVs, computers, printers and A/V equipment). For more info visit greenlivingshow.ca or follow #gls12 on Twitter.

Reminder: Earth Day is coming up this April 22. What will you do in the spirit of eco-friendliness? Let me know by leaving a comment, below.

Today is the start of Earth Day Canada’s campaigns!

Keeping the environment healthy doesn’t have to be hard, and the campaigns are filled with simple actions for you, your colleagues and kids to do just that.

A simple but important action that everyone can do is to drink more tap water and get water-wise. Reducing the waste created by paying for and drinking bottled water (with less safety regulations) can be achieved by refilling a reusable bottle.

It takes the equivalent of around 17 million barrels of oil to produce all the plastic for plastic water bottles each year. And did you know that municipal water is tested every day while bottled-water plants are only inspected on average once every three years?

Our tap water quality and safety ranks among the best in the world but there are still issues with our water consumption and access to clean drinking water even here in Canada. This is why it's important to get water-wise.

And don’t forget the kids. The kid-friendly Act for the Planet campaign offers all sorts of ideas and tips for kids and their classmates to help them remember to bring their own bottle.

Visit earthday.ca to learn and participate in fun and interesting ways for the month of April.

In the weeks leading up to Earth Day on April 22, we will be sharing a four-part series of blog posts, courtesy of our friends at Earth Day Canada. Each post will highlight simple things that we can do to better appreciate our beautiful and giving planet.

So without further ado, here's the first post: Eat and Plant

Earth Day is April 22, and there are all sorts of actions you can take that help ease the burden on mother nature while keeping you healthy and saving you some cash.

Need a little inspiration? No problem! Earth Day Canada is kicking off two action-based campaigns for the month of April; kid-friendly Act for the Planet and for adults, groups, businesses—Take It Up For Earth Day.

Both campaigns have ideas for you, your colleagues (and kids) to practise new healthy actions or habits for both people and the environment.

This year, take up one of the actions or think about your own action and share it with Earth Day Canada!

Celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2012

One of the actions Earth Day Canada suggests is to eat and prepare plant-based foods at home. Why? Livestock production is responsible for 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions even more than the transport sector. But not only that, a meat-based diet requires seven times more land than a plant-based diet and it takes about 1500 litres of water to produce one kilogram of wheat, but it takes 10 times more to produce one kilogram of beef.

So eating plant-based meals more often is an easy way to make a big difference. Plus cooking at home and bringing your own meals to work will help you cut back on take-out packaging.

Kids (as well as classrooms) can help out, too. There’s a step-by-step guide to creating a living wall (a plant installation) which are great for the environment and us because plants:

• Clean the air
• Make people feel more relaxed
• Can produce food.

And if you’ve got your own ideas about what you’d like to take up for Earth Day, write it down and share your action with your friends and family. Making your commitment public can make it a lot easier to keep.

Beginning March 12, visit earthday.ca, register your commitment(s), get tips and tools to be successful and join in this spring to make change a habit!

Renowned philanthropist and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson was in Toronto yesterday to to call for the protection of polar bears in Canada.

The majestic polar bear is at risk of extinction. Photo from Dreamstime

I bet you didn't think that was an issue, hmm? Polar bears going extinct?

It turns out that Ontario hosts the southernmost population of polar bears in the world, with at least a 1,000 calling the province home. And not a lot of Canadians are aware of this fact.

Branson, along with his foundation Virgin Unite, has partnered with the Canadian chapter of WildAid, a wildlife conservation organization, to promote legislation that will protect polar bears. He was also joined by Dr. William Rapley, the Toronto Zoo's executive director of conservation and wildlife; actress and WildAid board member Bo Derek; Rob Sinclair, executive director of WildAid Canada; and Peter Knights, executive director of WildAid.

Bo Derek and Sir Richard Branson at a press conference in Toronto, calling for the protection of polar bears. Photo by Simone Castello

Why should we be paying attention?

For starters, loss of ice in the Arctic means the polar bears are losing their natural habitat. This, in turn, is forcing a large population of bears to migrate ashore earlier on in the year.

All of this results in:

- a decrease in body mass;

- a decrease in litter sizes, and

- a decrease in the total number of polar bears on our planet.

Research also indicates that if we don't act quickly, polar bears will be extinct within the next 20 to 30 years.

"As an American, I've always had the impression that Canada cares deeply about its wildlife," actress and activist Bo Derek said at the press conference yesterday.

This is a fact that's not lost on younger Canadians. In fact, a group of young Earth Rangers were on hand to hear Sir Richard speak. And they came armed with questions of their own.

A young Earth Ranger quizzes the panel on what Canadians should be doing to protect the polar bears. Photo by Simone Castello

What can we do to help the polar bears?

Awareness is key. As a starting point, we must educate ourselves on factors that are adding to the extinction of polar bears. You can visit WildAid Canada's website and check out their literature on this topic. Furthermore, you can also sign their Polar Bear Pledge, petitioning the Canadian government to do more to protect this iconic national symbol.

How aware are you of the dangers to our ecosystems, and do you support any nature/wildlife organizations in Canada?

Hi, my name is Jen Melo (like "mellow" and not "mee-low"). What am I doing in The Life Blog?

I'm the new girl here so I could use some new friends. You can help me to feel welcome by simply posting a comment below.

But first, let's get to know one another better, shall we? To start, I'm revealing some things about me, in relation to The Life Blog's categories. Here we go!

1. Green living: My favourite green cleaning product of the moment is Method's multi-surface natural all-purpose cleaner in pink grapefruit. Bet'cha can't say that product name five times fast. It makes my countertops shine and my kitchen smell pretty.
2. Life: ...Is what you make it? Oh, and I tend to think it's better with great company, delicious food and soul-stirring, hip-shaking or foot-tapping music.
3. Money: I've been known to spend mine on cute shoes.
4. Pets: I had a grey tabby named Misha for about 20 years before illness took him from me. Isn't he adorable? I miss him dearly.

My dear Misha

These days, my parents' pooch Lola sets my animal-loving heart aflutter. Behold, the lovely Lola.

Lola, a shih-tzu/poodle (shih-poo) with the sweetest disposition ever

5. Relationships: Treating others the way you want to be treated is a rule I live by...most of the time.
6. Sleep: Some people can't sleep when they're stressed but I'm not one of them. I can't stay awake when I'm stressed. It's like my body goes into auto-shutdown mode and needs to replenish.
7. Travel: Nothing soothes my soul like a white-sand beach. Aaah! Soothing, isn't it?

Rum Point Beach, Grand Cayman island

8. Work: Creativity and crossing things off my to-do list gives me a natural high. Pretty nerdy, huh?

That's me and a bit of my life. Now it's your turn. Care to share some simple facts about you?

How about that nice welcome message I'm hoping to read?

We're so used to looking to the experts for advice on how to better ourselves, but what about turning to kids?

I attended an event today at the beautiful Toronto Botanical Gardens where the Sunlight Green Clean Kids were introduced. Ten Canadian kids between the ages of six and 13 chatted about their environmental commitments, projects and dreams. Most of these kids have started eco initiatives in their schools or neighbourhoods, or have just been so darned committed as to change the views of their entire families. The event was very inspiring. These kids may be small, but they are certainly mighty.

The Sunlight Green Clean Kids will have the opportunity to review Green Grant applications and help other environmentally conscious Canadian kids to put their green ideas into action, handing over between $250 and $1,500 to help fund their initiatives. They also each receive a $2,000 honorarium.

Let me tell you, after seeing these kids speak today, I know Mother Nature is very lucky to have them on her side. I'm confident knowing that the next generation is very capable, and will do great things for the environment.

What important environmental lesson has a child in your life taught you?

What are your acts of green?

I've seen many ads with the handsome George Stroumboulopoulos, always talking about this One Million Acts of Green. I've been dying to know how I can get in on the George action ... errrr ... I mean, GREEN action.

Here's what's worth knowing about this great campaing:

It was launched last year with the intention of mobilizing Canadians to perform at least one act of green, as each act can make a difference. Whether you walk to work once a week, change your regular lightbulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs or vow to only buy local fruits and vegetables - or decide to undertake all those acts – your actions will make a huge difference.

Once you undertake your One Million Acts of Green mission, you simply visit green.cbc.ca to register your act. A green calculator on the website will calculate the impact your act has on the environment. And, all your "acts" will be saved on the site, so you can keep track of the difference you've made.

For instance, if your green act is to do your laundry in cold water, you'll see that of the 154,000 participants that have made this change, and as a result, have saved a total of 1.8 million kg of green house gasses. All that from just doing your laundry in cold water. I hope you're tempted to make the change!

As of this morning, we've surpassed our goal of one million acts of green by over 67,000 – and the numbers continue to grow.

What are your acts of green? Why did you decide to make a green resolution? Share your answers with me and Green Living Blog readers and you could win a copy of the GAIAM DVD Simple Steps to a Greener Home. This DVD will help you turn your home into an eco-friendly haven. Environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo will help you go green - in style!

Need some great tips and ideas on how to go green? Check out our guide to greener living!

Recently, a reader e-mailed me and asked: When buying pop, is it more environmentally friendly to buy it in plastic bottles or aluminum cans?

In doing some research on the Internet, I found some (more...)

First off, the second winner of A Good Catch never claimed his prize, so that copy is up for grabs. All you have to do is sign up to receive my Green Living blog to your e-mail inbox and you are eligible to win Jill Lambert's A Good Catch. Click on the word e-mail under the icon at the top left side of this page (it looks like this ). Good luck!

I must officially be in the festive spirit, as I just can't get Christmas off my mind. Maybe it's because I went to see Stuart McLean's Christmas show on the weekend, or maybe it's because I haven't even thought about going Christmas shopping yet (probably the latter). Regardless, in my quest to green-ify my Christmas I thought I'd share some of my findings with you.

- Use LED, energy-efficient lights to decorate for the holidays. LED lights use 80 per cent less energy than old school tree lights - they also last longer.

- Make your own tree decorations. This year I'm going to dry out some clementines and stick cloves in them. Not only will they feel traditional, they'll smell amazing. You can also make pretty decorations with cinnamon sticks. Tie them in bundles and attach a wire (under the tie) and make a loop - hang from tree! If you are more of a crafter, there are plenty of ideas for other homemade tree decorations here.

- Get creative and make your own Christmas cards. Use recycled paper, old wallpaper or wrapping paper scraps, cardboard from cereal or cracker boxes, bows and ribbons and your imagination. Everyone is impressed with homemade cards. You'll also save a bundle of money!

- With the recession and attempts to greenify, I'm opting to give some homemade gifts this season. It's easy to make bark, squares, cookies and flavourful nuts in the comfort of my own home. I'll then package them in pretty boxes or jars.

I'd also love some more ideas, so if anyone has some great ones to share, please do so here!

Congratulations to this week's winner of Jill Lambert's A Good Catch. This week's prize goes to (more...)