The orator has spoken and it is clear Barack Obama wishes to protect and heal the environment. He understands that deliberate actions are required to not only stop but more importantly to roll back the warming of our home, Planet Earth.
How different to the stand taken by the previous regime that believed continued and unlimited growth and development, and wasteful energy consumption was to be encouraged regardless of how much it poisoned the air, water and soil of this earth. This is the same air, water and soil that sustains all life.
Today, we continue our waste free living journey and commit to strengthening our personal and collective resolve to build a world where one day everyone will see waste as unnecessary and indeed harmful to a sustainable future.
For now that American leadership is willing to seek solutions to envrionmental problems, there is hope of turning down the heat and eliminating toxins from the world.
Thank-you Barack.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
First Day of our Future Unfolds
Today is not about waste. Quite the opposite. It is about: Hopes. Dreams. A future filled with possibilities. So much rests on this young man. So many expect him to save America and the world. The sun is brilliantly shining and the air refreshingly crisp at -4C. A day of history like no other we have seen. Leadership naturally rising to the surface during troubled times.
According to some researchers, yesterday, January 19th, was declared the most depressing day of this year. If that is the case then today surely will be declared the most hopeful and happy day of this year.
Barack Obama has given overtures of environmental stewardship. Will the inaugural speech provide the spark to turn all of America into one giant environmental movement? We are hopefull as we watch the future unfold.
May it all begin with a new era of Peace. For it is Peace that will bring solutions to our environmental problems.
According to some researchers, yesterday, January 19th, was declared the most depressing day of this year. If that is the case then today surely will be declared the most hopeful and happy day of this year.
Barack Obama has given overtures of environmental stewardship. Will the inaugural speech provide the spark to turn all of America into one giant environmental movement? We are hopefull as we watch the future unfold.
May it all begin with a new era of Peace. For it is Peace that will bring solutions to our environmental problems.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Drinking in the "Unbottle It" tour
The "Unbottle It" tour, affectionately known as "Here Comes Maude" was welcomed in London on January 13th by a crowd stuffed into Aeolian Hall. Don't take this the wrong way the Aeolian is big and beautiful, it's just that the crowd was also big and beautiful. And they got what they came for....inspiration from a passionate water warrior. Maude Barlow, President of Council of Canadians and recently appointed to the UN as Senior Advisor on Water spoke to the packed house consisting of high school students to retirees.
Two issues were dealt with: water and plastic. Water needs to be protected and made a basic human right and not sold to the highest bidder. Without water nothing survives. Plastic needs to be discontinued since nothing can use it as a source of food and it stays in our environment forever contributing to the destruction of a healthy planet.
So what does this have to do with our journey to being waste free in 2009? Everything. Every journey one embarks on requires inspiration to keep going. That is what Maude provided, the inspiration to keep going. In addition, there was inspiration from the management and staff at the Aeolian. This was a waste free event. Hot drinks and condiments were fair trade and were served in reusable mugs. Clark Bryan, the owner, also announced to the audience that even though it meant a reduction in revenue that they had made a conscious decision to not sell bottled water. Thank you Clark and staff.
We do see a small wave of change occurring throughout our city and with each step we can actually see a healthier more vibrant city beginning to emerge. Taking bold steps is never easy but doing nothing is not an option.
Two issues were dealt with: water and plastic. Water needs to be protected and made a basic human right and not sold to the highest bidder. Without water nothing survives. Plastic needs to be discontinued since nothing can use it as a source of food and it stays in our environment forever contributing to the destruction of a healthy planet.
So what does this have to do with our journey to being waste free in 2009? Everything. Every journey one embarks on requires inspiration to keep going. That is what Maude provided, the inspiration to keep going. In addition, there was inspiration from the management and staff at the Aeolian. This was a waste free event. Hot drinks and condiments were fair trade and were served in reusable mugs. Clark Bryan, the owner, also announced to the audience that even though it meant a reduction in revenue that they had made a conscious decision to not sell bottled water. Thank you Clark and staff.
We do see a small wave of change occurring throughout our city and with each step we can actually see a healthier more vibrant city beginning to emerge. Taking bold steps is never easy but doing nothing is not an option.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Slashing the Plastic Trash
Following up on my previous post, it is gratifying to see that Loblaws in Canada has just announced their intent to charge 5c for each plastic bag. This practice will begin on April 22 - Earth Day. Certainly, this is a step in the right direction to slash the plastic trash. This was the first item of waste we chose to tackle in our own lives and after many months of deliberately trying, I think we have finally won the battle of eliminating them from our home. More on the scourge of plastic bags can be found at http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/battleofthebag/
Once you view this documentary you will voluntarily want to give up your consumption of plastic bags.
Other plastic offenders are even more disturbing than the ubiquitous bag and that is plastic water bottles. Why on earth do we need to carry a bottle of water with us everywhere? What in the advertising world convinced us that we had to have access to this pacifier every waking hour?
Whereas plastic bags are just used to transport your food and beverages for short trips from the store to your home, plastic bottles of water sit on shelves for days, weeks, even months containing precious water that is essential for all life. The potential for leachates from from the plastic migrating into the water and then into your body is greater than one might originally consider.
Just imagine, not long ago, bottles with Bisphenol A were used routinely by literally everyone who carried their own refillable bottle. And now low and behold these bottles are considered toxic. Companies have pulled them from the store shelves. This just demonstates that we do not know enough about what plastic does to life to trust that there will be no effect on our children, on ourselves, on other species or on the environment in general.
There is a perfectly healthy and safe alternative to prepackaged water in plastic bottles and that is water from your tap. The tap provides a safe, clean, healthy and cheap source of drinking water. It leaves no waste to be recycled or litter to be picked up. It will eliminate the oil used to manufacture, fill and distribute bottled water.
Your use of bottled water contributes to climate change in the unnecessary burning of fossil fuels. Your use of bottled water contributes to the inequality of the rich and poor by allowing big business to have control of the water in many countries, making it difficult for those in poverty to obtain good, clean, safe, drinking water.
Your use of bottled water contributes to the cost of waste management in our various municipalities which in turn increases your taxes to support that infrastructure.
It always amazes me that we will believe producers who spend millions of dollars on glitzy ads to get us to buy such things as bottled water but we ignore the more than 200 respected scientists worldwide who contributed to the International Panel on Climate Change study. They are telling us that climate change is greatly impacted by human activity especially the burning of fossil fuels. They are telling us we are running out of time. They are asking us to take immediate action to turn the heat of the planet down. Is anyone listening?
Slashing the plastic trash is not as easy as it seems but eliminating plastic bags and plastic water bottles goes a long way to changing habits.
Once you view this documentary you will voluntarily want to give up your consumption of plastic bags.
Other plastic offenders are even more disturbing than the ubiquitous bag and that is plastic water bottles. Why on earth do we need to carry a bottle of water with us everywhere? What in the advertising world convinced us that we had to have access to this pacifier every waking hour?
Whereas plastic bags are just used to transport your food and beverages for short trips from the store to your home, plastic bottles of water sit on shelves for days, weeks, even months containing precious water that is essential for all life. The potential for leachates from from the plastic migrating into the water and then into your body is greater than one might originally consider.
Just imagine, not long ago, bottles with Bisphenol A were used routinely by literally everyone who carried their own refillable bottle. And now low and behold these bottles are considered toxic. Companies have pulled them from the store shelves. This just demonstates that we do not know enough about what plastic does to life to trust that there will be no effect on our children, on ourselves, on other species or on the environment in general.
There is a perfectly healthy and safe alternative to prepackaged water in plastic bottles and that is water from your tap. The tap provides a safe, clean, healthy and cheap source of drinking water. It leaves no waste to be recycled or litter to be picked up. It will eliminate the oil used to manufacture, fill and distribute bottled water.
Your use of bottled water contributes to climate change in the unnecessary burning of fossil fuels. Your use of bottled water contributes to the inequality of the rich and poor by allowing big business to have control of the water in many countries, making it difficult for those in poverty to obtain good, clean, safe, drinking water.
Your use of bottled water contributes to the cost of waste management in our various municipalities which in turn increases your taxes to support that infrastructure.
It always amazes me that we will believe producers who spend millions of dollars on glitzy ads to get us to buy such things as bottled water but we ignore the more than 200 respected scientists worldwide who contributed to the International Panel on Climate Change study. They are telling us that climate change is greatly impacted by human activity especially the burning of fossil fuels. They are telling us we are running out of time. They are asking us to take immediate action to turn the heat of the planet down. Is anyone listening?
Slashing the plastic trash is not as easy as it seems but eliminating plastic bags and plastic water bottles goes a long way to changing habits.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
A Sea of Waste
The Economist has just published a special report on the sea which can be read on their site at www.economist.com. The site also contains a special interview with the reporter who created the story. It's worth a listen.
To see another film about the effects of humans on the sea check out www.messageinthewaves.com. This is the film that inspired me to start my own waste free journey.
Out in the middle of the Pacific is a great mass of waste, mostly plastic, that has been collecting for 20 years or so. It is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It was discovered by Captain Charles Moore.
This waste washes into the sea from the land or is dumped from cargo and cruise ships. It is the debris of civilization that blocks the sunlight from the oceans, looks like food to some marine animals and forms a floating raft to carry lifeforms from one area to another on the currents. Often with devasting results.
This waste through the action of the oceanic waves ends up on the shores of once pristine beaches of the archipelago of Hawaii and other islands in the Pacific.
The film spurred us to action. One of our primary challenges is to attempt to eliminate plastic in all of its forms. It is not a product of nature. It is not a source of food for any creature. Other than as a product of convenience for humans it has no value. When recycled, no matter how many times, it will eventually end up in landfills. If and when it breaks down it will still be small particles of toxic plastic dust.
In our daily lives we are surrounded by plastic. We have managed so far to eliminate plastic bags, plastic water bottles, and for the most part plastic wrapped foods - this later can be a challenge if you shop at the grocery store rather than the local farmer's market. Once we began to look for plastic in our lives we saw it everywhere. For instance, it exists as the packaging for most items in our bathroom such as shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste. This will be a greater challenge than ridding our lives of wasteful plastic bags.
But we must try. Doing nothing is not an option.
To see another film about the effects of humans on the sea check out www.messageinthewaves.com. This is the film that inspired me to start my own waste free journey.
Out in the middle of the Pacific is a great mass of waste, mostly plastic, that has been collecting for 20 years or so. It is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It was discovered by Captain Charles Moore.
This waste washes into the sea from the land or is dumped from cargo and cruise ships. It is the debris of civilization that blocks the sunlight from the oceans, looks like food to some marine animals and forms a floating raft to carry lifeforms from one area to another on the currents. Often with devasting results.
This waste through the action of the oceanic waves ends up on the shores of once pristine beaches of the archipelago of Hawaii and other islands in the Pacific.
The film spurred us to action. One of our primary challenges is to attempt to eliminate plastic in all of its forms. It is not a product of nature. It is not a source of food for any creature. Other than as a product of convenience for humans it has no value. When recycled, no matter how many times, it will eventually end up in landfills. If and when it breaks down it will still be small particles of toxic plastic dust.
In our daily lives we are surrounded by plastic. We have managed so far to eliminate plastic bags, plastic water bottles, and for the most part plastic wrapped foods - this later can be a challenge if you shop at the grocery store rather than the local farmer's market. Once we began to look for plastic in our lives we saw it everywhere. For instance, it exists as the packaging for most items in our bathroom such as shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste. This will be a greater challenge than ridding our lives of wasteful plastic bags.
But we must try. Doing nothing is not an option.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Books - Keep or Give Away?
Wednesday I was thrilled to be able to give over 100 used books to a charity book sale. These weren't all my books. About 75 of them were left over from our Christmas bazaar and I was storing them in our garage. Then I read a letter in the paper asking for books for a book sale to support a choir. That did it. I knew I could get rid of a lot of clutter in my garage and help someone else at the same time. Keeps them out of the recycling bin and the waste bin for several more years.
I am an avid reader and have purchased many books in the past, which I sadly admit still sit, like many loyal soldiers, on book shelves in various rooms. In light of going waste free, several questions about this practice need to be addressed. Should I be giving those books away? Martialling them out the door to a new adventure. Should I stop buying them in the first place? Putting starving authors out of work. Should I wait until the book is at the library? And then get on a waiting list behind 100 other avid readers. The ideal might be to purchase them online, download them on my computer and read them waste free. Can't wait for that day to come.
In the meantime, there is the question about recycling the existing books that may be damaged. They are not always easy to recycle. When I was a kid we used to burn any damaged books in the kitchen cookstove - once they had served the purpose of being fuel for the mind they were then used as fuel to heat the home. This only occurred if they had been badly water or kid damaged. Some of those books from my childhood survived kids and water and are still on my bookshelf. They won't be recycled for many more years.
The simple act of giving the bags of books away to the choir booksale has given me the stimulus reguired to ruthlessly sort through another bookshelf. More great stories will be boxed up and sent on their way to another appreciative reading enthusiast. Can't begin to live waste free without eliminating the waste that already exists - this may be more difficult than eliminating wasteful purchases.
I am an avid reader and have purchased many books in the past, which I sadly admit still sit, like many loyal soldiers, on book shelves in various rooms. In light of going waste free, several questions about this practice need to be addressed. Should I be giving those books away? Martialling them out the door to a new adventure. Should I stop buying them in the first place? Putting starving authors out of work. Should I wait until the book is at the library? And then get on a waiting list behind 100 other avid readers. The ideal might be to purchase them online, download them on my computer and read them waste free. Can't wait for that day to come.
In the meantime, there is the question about recycling the existing books that may be damaged. They are not always easy to recycle. When I was a kid we used to burn any damaged books in the kitchen cookstove - once they had served the purpose of being fuel for the mind they were then used as fuel to heat the home. This only occurred if they had been badly water or kid damaged. Some of those books from my childhood survived kids and water and are still on my bookshelf. They won't be recycled for many more years.
The simple act of giving the bags of books away to the choir booksale has given me the stimulus reguired to ruthlessly sort through another bookshelf. More great stories will be boxed up and sent on their way to another appreciative reading enthusiast. Can't begin to live waste free without eliminating the waste that already exists - this may be more difficult than eliminating wasteful purchases.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Is Chocolate a Waste?
Today is only the second time inside a non-grocery store in 2009. Wow! They had all of the Christmas chocolate on sale. I crave chocolate. My motto has always been "chocolate is good for you, it is one of the food groups". How could chocolate ever be a waste? Well it isn't about the chocolate it is about the packaging. I checked everything out and the best I could find was a small snowman wrapped in recyclable foil. So that is what I purchased. I had to leave the 75 % off Truffles double wrapped in cello and cardboard and then wrapped again inside the box, in foil. I had to leave the 50% off 5 lb box of Assorted Chocolates that I would have enjoyed sharing with everyone at the next meeting. I was almost tempted to resort to the 1 Kilogram container of Jelly Beans at 75% off - I might have even shared those too. They were in a large, decorative, reusable, plastic container. Several good reasons to resist that one. For starters, it wasn't chocolate, I don't need any more containers and the container was plastic! I had no idea I could be this resistant to sweets particularly chocolate at such a good price.....
Choices aren't just about me, they have to be about the future of the environment. Just because I want something and I can afford it, doesn't mean that purchasing it is the right thing to do.
The day isn't over but I think it has been close to a perfect 7 for being waste free.
Choices aren't just about me, they have to be about the future of the environment. Just because I want something and I can afford it, doesn't mean that purchasing it is the right thing to do.
The day isn't over but I think it has been close to a perfect 7 for being waste free.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Pondering Waste while Sipping Organic Tea
Last evening we saw the film FLOW - For Love of Water. This is a very descriptive documentary about the harm being done to entire villages and ecosystems because of the thirst big business has for control of water in order to satisfy shareholder need for profits. Water is a basic human right and therefore not a commondity to be owned by big business. Not one living thing can survive without water. It has become the new oil and some have labelled it Blue Gold because they now see the mega profits that are being made from exploiting this natural resource. If the film comes to a theatre near you it is worth the effort to go see it.
I was doing well with being waste free all day until I got to that movie theatre. I had taken my reusable travel mug, it was a cold night, and I ordered an organic tea. It wasn't until I had ripped open the outer wrap from the tea bag that I realized it was neither compostable nor recylable packaging. At first I thought "oh well what can I do, this is the way tea is sold at the theatre." But that simple act of carrying on with that cup of tea bothered me all evening. I know I will be more diligent next time and not forget to ask about all aspects of the product I am about to purchase before I order and open it. As the customer, it is up to me to say NO to anything that will end up in the waste bin. This was just a small item in the big scheme of things, but it is a small item multiplied by millions of tea drinkers all over the country every day and that adds up eventually to tons of waste. Putting thought into the importance of one small tea bag wrapper can lead to potentially significant learnings and a huge environmental impact overall. I wonder if they composted the spent tea bag. If not then that too was part of the waste on day five.
I was doing well with being waste free all day until I got to that movie theatre. I had taken my reusable travel mug, it was a cold night, and I ordered an organic tea. It wasn't until I had ripped open the outer wrap from the tea bag that I realized it was neither compostable nor recylable packaging. At first I thought "oh well what can I do, this is the way tea is sold at the theatre." But that simple act of carrying on with that cup of tea bothered me all evening. I know I will be more diligent next time and not forget to ask about all aspects of the product I am about to purchase before I order and open it. As the customer, it is up to me to say NO to anything that will end up in the waste bin. This was just a small item in the big scheme of things, but it is a small item multiplied by millions of tea drinkers all over the country every day and that adds up eventually to tons of waste. Putting thought into the importance of one small tea bag wrapper can lead to potentially significant learnings and a huge environmental impact overall. I wonder if they composted the spent tea bag. If not then that too was part of the waste on day five.
Monday, January 5, 2009
New Year's Resolve
2009 has begun with a resolve to live waste free. After announcing this to the world I now need to make it happen. Here we are at day 5 and the meaning of that resolution is hitting me with full force. The first five days have been relatively successful with only the purchase of food and a 3 kilometre car trip thus far. But as I look at my calendar for the remainder of the week my resolve seems about to hit some significant challenges. There are meetings to attend, birthdays to acknowledge, and lunch to have with friends. Could this mean I am already beginning to falter? No. It just means I have to look for ways to take in everything and at the same time do it in a waste free manner. Living waste free will happen one day at a time and when one day I falter then tomorrow the process will begin over again. No matter what happens I am determined that in 2009 there will be significantly less waste generated by my activities here on earth than were generated in the same 365 days of 2008.
Why waste free living? Isn't it quite obvious? The compulsive, consumptive society we have become is no longer sustainable if our children and grandchildren are to have any chance at living with clean water, clean air and clean soil. We cannot wait for governments to take action to protect the environment. We as individuals are responsible for the creation of our surroundings and must take ownership of our lifestyle and pollution causing activities. Won't you join me on this quest? If you decide to please let me know what actions you are taking to live lightly on the planet in 2009.
Why waste free living? Isn't it quite obvious? The compulsive, consumptive society we have become is no longer sustainable if our children and grandchildren are to have any chance at living with clean water, clean air and clean soil. We cannot wait for governments to take action to protect the environment. We as individuals are responsible for the creation of our surroundings and must take ownership of our lifestyle and pollution causing activities. Won't you join me on this quest? If you decide to please let me know what actions you are taking to live lightly on the planet in 2009.
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