Post from: Blisstree

Earth Hour 2009: Year Long Lessons

Baby steps through the office, baby steps out the door, it works! It works! All I have to do… just take one little step at a time, and I can do anything! Baby step throughout the office, Baby step throughout the office.

My Baby Steps plan is to make a small change each time I learn about a new method/product. Or, more likely, when something runs out (like shampoo), I’ll replace it with an eco-friendly method.

My first step is actually quite a big one: The Diva Cup.

The Diva Cup is similar to the Keeper – though the Keeper is no longer available in Canada. The Diva Cup is an alternative to tampons and pads. Made of medical grade silicon, the cup avoids any risk of carcinogenic or other toxic effects because it doesn’t have any dioxin (found in bleached tampons). As their website states, The Diva Cup “holds market approval by the U.S. FDA and is the only menstrual cup that holds market approval by Health Canada.”

The reason for it’s appeal, at least for me, is threefold:

1. waste of tampons and pads
2. cost of tampons and pads
3. toxins from tampons and even pads

I had recently heard that a friend of mine uses the Diva Cup and that made me strongly consider it. Within days, I found myself at Grassroots on the Danforth talking with their buyer, Amanda Montgomery who showed me the difference between regular tampons and the alternatives. Among the alternatives was the Diva Cup.

Here’s the video of our conversation, including a shocking look at how tampons can fall apart:

Image Source: TreeHugger.com

Post from: Blisstree

Baby Steps: The Diva Cup

What do you think? Is this a genuine environmental effort on Discover’s part? Or a brilliant marketing idea to reach those eco-conscious consumers?

Photo credit: Quote Unquote

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Let Your Debt Biodegrade Away…

No Impact Man“>Check out all the details of No Impact Man’s experiment, book and movie.

As an urbanite, I’ve chosen Take-out Tubs as my first No Impact effort. There’s an indian restaurant near my house called Amaya Express. I order take-out from this place on a near weekly basis. It will be my challenge, in the new year, to have them put my order in a container I provide. I don’t think this will be very easy since I’ve already tried to have them keep my address, buzzer code and phone number on file for easier ordering of delivery – a feat they have rejected several times. But I will continue to request the take-out tubs and spread the trend until every fashionable couple in the Yonge & Lawrence area of Toronto is carting their Reusable Bags Go Ware all over the city!

As Seth Godin wrote, “Zero is the new black.” What can you do to be zero?

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My newest Facebook Friend: Colin Beavan

A few holiday seasons ago, my little cousin Emily showed up at our family gathering with three garbage bags full of her clothes. She said that one of her favourite moments as a young girl was when I would pass along my no longer valued items – from pants and shirts, to belts and bags. I had never known that she enjoyed this pseudo-bonding with her bigger cousin; but I had a chance to understand it myself when she arrived with her own discards.

Though they were intended for our two much younger cousins, each of the women in my family paraded around the house in Emily’s clothes, nabbing up anything that suited us.

This holiday season, consider how some of your junk could be someone else’s treasure.

This may work among relatives but wrapping up your old tennis racket might not be an appealing option for your office Secret Santa exchange. My mother keeps a drawer of trinket gifts that were given to her but don’t necessarily suit her needs. She then has a range of brand new items that can fit most occasions and might end up being a perfect fit with its new recipient.

For a larger-scale gift drawer, The Freecycle Network is a great organization that recycles unwanted items. From the freecycle site:

Membership is free, and everything posted must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages. To view the items being given away or sought in (your region), you must be a member of the local group. To view the local group posts, visit the local Yahoo Group where they are located by clicking on the link.

You need to sign up for a Yahoo! ID, which can be a hassle, but is worthwhile. Then you need to wait for approval by the group owner, which prevents impulse joins. But once you’re in, you have access to hundreds of great finds – and they’re all free! You can also unload your own things with the peace of mind that comes with knowing they’re not going to land in a dump somewhere.

Check out some of the gems from our Toronto group:

Post from: Blisstree

Hand-Me-Down Treasures Make Great Holiday Gifts

So I guess I come by my gift-giving tendencies honestly. I often try to mesh usefulness with the wow-factor when selecting gifts; however, it’s often not possible for a gift to be both terribly useful and ridiculously fun. Afterall, when was the last time your 16-year-old exclaimed “Thanks for the surge protecting power strip, Mom. I’m going to go plug it in right now, weeeee!”

So here’s a list of useful gifts whose wow-factor comes in the form of super energy saving, earth-friendly lifespan, or completely sustainable in its creation.

SMART STRIP POWER STRIP
from BITS limited, $41.95
That’s right, I’m leading with the power strip! But this model is one mother of a power strip. It boasts autoswitching technology that only uses the power you need – saving energy and your electricity bills.

KILL A WATT
from P3 INTERNATIONAL, $22.39 on Amazon
This handy device assesses the efficiency of your electronic devices. Not only will it help you calculate electrical expenses but it will help determine which appliances are in need to being replaced.

CRANK HANDLE “ELECTRONICS”
from Freeplay, prices vary
Freeplay makes a line of flashlights and radios that operate without any battery power. They work simply by cranking a handle. Wow-factor bonus points for the clear casing so you can see what’s going on inside!

USB RECHARGEABLE USBCell
from Moixa Energy, $20
This show-off item makes keeping batteries out of landfills sexy! The USBCell recharges by being plugged in to a USB port. “Wow, Mom! I’m going to go plug this in right now, weeee!”

So throw out the jumper cable gift idea, and get your hands on these green gifts that not only bring that special someone joy and happiness, but also let’s them know how you feel about sustainable actions.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Practically Perfect Energy Savers

Better late than never! I had the opportunity, a few weekends ago, to attend an unconference in Toronto called Sustainability Camp. SusCamp was a full day of seminars, networking and a deliciously sustainable lunch!

Here is a tidbit of what I learned in a session with Mark Federman, as well as some sites to add to your RSS reader of choice, and some interesting people to follow on Twitter.

Accountability

Federman talked about vision. When asking a CEO to talk about vision, that CEO could go on forever. Vision, however, is the only one of our sensory perceptions that operates at a distance and requires separation. Vision is always the future, ie, we never have to accomplish it. What kind of accountability exists with vision?

Instead, Federman suggests that touching is a more appropriate sensory metaphor. He often asks CEOs what their “tactility statement” is, rather than their vision statement. He urges them to get talking about the effects they create TODAY – primary, secondary and unexpected. This effective theory, who/how you’re touching, gives way to greater accountability.

This is of course not even a sliver of what Federman presented us with, but a little gem worth sharing nonetheless. If you’d like to explore his Valence Theory in more depth, start here.

Here are a few more fun bits from the day:

Vert Catering served up delicious organic sandwiches and provided 100% compostable cups!

Caught a glimpse of Espresso and United Way’s GenNext project which looks pretty damn cool!

Mark Federman’s blog – he’s posted about a few of the sessions.

Interesting Twitter folk to follow: @ryantaylor, @ ethicalcoffee, @tamera and @jasoneano

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SusCamp ’08 – Vision

So while we begin our wish lists and start seeking out the best presents for loved ones, let’s consider a few simple changes, BEFORE we drop the cash, that could benefit our earth this season.

1. Say no to plastic bags while shopping
I know you’ve got a pile of reusable grocery bags sitting in your kitchen (and if you don’t, WHY NOT!?). Why are they reserved for groceries? Head to your favourite shop with canvas bags in tow and you can happily say “no plastic bag please!” Consider it your gift to mother nature.

2. Don’t use wrapping paper or tape
Don’t buy wrapping paper! If you don’t already have bags of various sizes from last year, head to your local fabric store and buy some cheap materials in any pattern or colour that tickles your fancy. Make a day of it and invite some friends (with their sewing machines!) to share hot chocolate and cheer and send them home with eco-friendly wrapping solutions for all their gifts. Not only do you save time “wrapping,” but you spread the trend by giving a cloth bag to the recipient of your gift.

3. Consider your emissions when getting to and from the shops
Head to the shops as a family and effectively plan your time so that you don’t require frequent visits to the stores. Don’t idle in parking lots waiting for others – instead, plan ahead to avoid adding to the already congested streets and parking lots. Make lists of gifts you need to buy, including grocery lists for entertaining. Keep your gift list with you at all times so that you can grab up any gift you may see while out and about.

Now what about the gifts themselves? What is safe to consider? What can I buy my especially eco-minded friend? Stay tuned to Daily Tomorrow for a line-up of eco-friendly gift ideas and alternatives.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Decrease Your Waste

So I approached the panel discussion eager to hear from environmental experts, on detoxing your life. The panel discussion followed the screening of a film called Toxic Bust, which I posted about previously, and aimed to equip us with the knowledge to detox without breaking the bank.

Here are the TOP 5 steps you can take to begin making toxins history:

1. Avoid all plastics
   Anything made of polycarbonate can introduce toxins into your system when the plastic seeps into your food/beverage, especially when warming these plastics. A very simple step to take: Exchange your plastic water bottle and use regular dishware when using the microwave.
2. Do a thorough check of your personal care products for phthalates
   Phthalates are not listed on the labels of your personal care products. Instead, look for “scented,” or “parfume.” Any fragrance has phthalates. Even if your product claims to be 99% natural, if that last 1% is parfume, you’re at risk! Stick to pure essential oils for your scents.
3. Get rid of teflon non-stick items in your kitchen
   Teflon non-stick has very strong links with cancer. Consider investing in a cast-iron pan instead.
4. Avoid anti-bacterial anything
   Alcohol-based anti-bacterial is safe to use, but avoid tryclosan.
5. Say no to mercury
   Choose smaller fish over bigger fish to avoid higher levels of mercury. In terms of tin cans, all are lined with bisphenol-A, and pressure needs to be exerted on our government to regulate this. Rinsing my help but chances are good that anything in a can has had enough time for bisphenol-A to seep into its contents.

View this list as a way to make small changes every week and you’ll find the effect is cumulative.

Do you know of any ways to reduce toxin exposure while still enjoying your regular lifestyle? Let us know!

Post from: Blisstree

Toxins Linked to Breast Cancer

You may wonder why this breast cancer film is relevant to Daily Tomorrow, well here’s your answer, straight from the makers of Toxic Bust. “The film raises questions about the long term health costs associated with early childhood chemical exposure revealing the relationship between degradation of our bodies and of our environment, and highlights the disproportionate toxic burden carried by low-income communities and workers.”

It was really hard for me to not look at this from a cancer perspective and to instead focus more heavily on the environmental issues. However, it did remind me how intricately linked all of these issues are.

There was a panel discussion following the film, moderated by Rick Smith (Executive Director, Environmental Defence) and included Gill Deacon (Author, Green for Life), and Amanda Montgomery (Owner, Simply, Buyer for Grassroots). You can look forward to a future post where I will share details of the film as well as lessons on detoxifying your life.

For now, here is the movie trailer:

Post from: Blisstree

Toxic Bust