Day 89: Take That Extra Step...

...literally.

Sometimes it isn't easy to find that recycling bin and we just toss pop cans and newspapers in the trash. Today, my challenge is to take that extra step to find a recycling bin or take it home where I can recycle it!

Day 88: Batteries

My post yesterday about CFLs and their disposal got me thinking about other hazardous items that need to be disposed properly. Concerning batteries, rechargeable batteries are best by a long shot, but even they wear out after time and it is imperative that they are disposed of properly and not thrown out with your regular trash.

Call2Recycle is an organization in Canada and the US that collects and recycles batteries and old cell phones - and it's free! Last year they collected a record breaking 6.7 million pounds of rechargeable batteries in the US - an over 10% increase for 2009 levels! In Canada they increased a whopping 81% (due to expansion to BC and Ontario) and according to their website, Canadians have recycled 199 251 kg of batteries so far this year!

Other recycling centers will accept batteries as well, check your local listings for more information.

So, if you have a pile of old batteries or cell phones gathering dust, be sure to check out their website for more information on how to get involved with the program, and be sure to never throw batteries in the trash!

Day 87: On The Brighter Side...

So, my room light bulb burnt out yesterday and I have been sitting in the dark all evening today, pondering light bulbs.


However, soon the question might not even be mine to ponder. The federal government has adopted a national standard for lighting efficiency that will come into effect in 2012. Most  of the traditional, incandescent bulbs that are currently available won't meet the required performance level. The objective is to ensure that only more efficient bulbs such as compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), enhanced halogens, and others that are expected in the near future, are used in Canada.


There are pros and cons to using CFL's, the biggest pro being their long-life span and energy efficiency. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if just one regular incandescent lightbulb in every American home was replaced with a CFL bulb, it would prevent 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants- that is the equivalent of 7.5 million cars off the road! Itis also estimated that each CFL saves the consumer $30 in energy costs over the lifespan of the bulb. They generate up to 70% less heat than a traditional incandescent bulb and last about 10 times longer. 


However, CFL's cost more to buy initially, and their real major drawback is that they contain mercury and must be disposed of very carefully. Each bulb contains about 5 mg of mercury, so it is vital that CFLs are recycled and not tossed into landfills (Ikea recycles them! Some hardware stores take them back aswell). If one is broken, you should leave the room and open doors and windows to the outside to let it air out for about 15 minutes.

So, after some reading, I think I will replace my burnt out bulbs with CFLs as the benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks(provided the bulb is disposed of correctly at the end of its life!)


What do you think?



Sources:
http://theneverendinglist.ikea.ca/en/Compact-Fluorescent-Bulbs.html
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/prod/cfl-afc-eng.php

 http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/light_bulbs.htm

Day 86: Pamper Yourself?

I am not the girliest girl out there, but every so often I like to treat myself to a facial mask. But, I always feel bad because the kind I usually get is a single serving in a foil/ plastic pouch that goes directly in the trash after my 15 minutes of pampering.

So, today I decided I was going to try a DIY homemade facial. I googled a few  different recipes and ended up going for the following one:

2 tsp plain yogurt

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp lemon juice

3 Vitamin E capsules

Mix honey, yogurt and lemon juice together. Fold in the the contents of the vitamin E capsules. Apply evenly to face, leave for 15 mins and rinse off.

While I felt a bit odd wearing what seemed more like a snack gone awry on my face, I think the facial did help moisturize and replenish my skin, and I could feel a little better about it knowing that it produced no waste packaging!

Do you have any eco-friendly do it yourself skin-care items?

Day 85: Junk In The Trunk - The Road to Sustainability

Another driving tip!

Don't cart around a bunch of extra stuff, the extra weight hurts your mileage  -unless they are sandbags to help you get traction on icy roads!. Otherwise, try to get rid of as much extra weight as you can because the more weight you carry, the harder your engine has to work unnecessarily!

Day 84: Earth Hour!

Tomorrow, Saturday March 26th, is the day that Earth Hour will take place over the globe at 8:30 p.m. EST. Individuals, organizations and governments will power down for one hour.

Earth Hour started in 2007 by about 2 million people in Australia and has now reached over 1.3 billion people in 130 countries around the world. Last year Canada was one of the leading countries, with participants in more than  280 cities. This year there are more than 400 municipalities involved and more than 195 000 Canadians have pledged their participation.

66% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the global energy sector, so by pledging  to participate in Earth Hour you are recognizing the impacts that your energy consumption has on the environment. Some studies have shown that there needs to be an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050 in order to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Some Canadian Landmarks that are powering down for Earth Hour are: the CN Tower, Parliament Hill,  Edmonton City Hall, Canada Place and the Calgary Tower among others.  Some global landmarks include the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia, the Eiffel Tower in France,  the Gateway of India in  India, the Brandenburg Gate in Germany and the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil.

So, check out the Earth Hour website  to find out what time your area is participating and pledge your participation, and for an hour tomorrow power everything down and enjoy life the old fashioned way! I will be doing it - will you?

Day 83: The Road to Sustainability - Ride on a Full Tank

Here's another driving tip that I came across that I found interesting and surprising:

In the wintertime, keep your gas tank full! It is better for the environment and will save you money. When your tank isn't full, the moist air in the gas tank condenses against the inside walls of the tank. The water then collects in the tank and mixes with the fuel, affecting the quality of the fuel. This starts a variety of problems with cylinders misfiring,  fuel not being burnt efficiently and adding extra strain to the engine.

There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet about this topic, but it seems to be worth looking into. Is anybody particularly car-savvy and know more about this? 

My mom and I had this problem once with a vehicle, and it definitely affected the efficiency of the vehicle and I imagine put extra strain on the engine.

Day 82: Cockroaches

Recently we have spotted a few roaches lurking around our apartment -yuck! Cockroaches have been fabled to be the only creature capable of surviving a nuclear blast, which the above mythbusters video disproves. However, they are still pretty hardy creatures and a common problem in older urban homes.

Cockroaches can spread diseases, and, well, are pretty gross! They eat practically anything, including particle board which is often treated with formaldehyde, attesting to their hardy nature. It is best to deal with them right away if you sight them, which lead me to research some green tips for dealing with roaches.

Some of the more traditional methods for dealing with cockroaches include:

Indoxocarb - developed by Dupont, indoxocarb is toxic to mammals, birds, fish, and aquatic invertebrates. It has a half life ranging from 3 to 693 days.

Hydramethylnon - highly to very highly toxic to fish in laboratory studies and has a half-life of  10 to 11 days in an aquatic environment

Fipronil -  highly toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. Toxic to bees. Half-life of 20 to 200+ days.

Well, what are the green alternatives?

First off, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are some things you can do to avoid  roaches in the first place:

- Clean up thoroughly after food preparation and don't leave used dishes out overnight

- Wash your pet's food bowl as soon as possible after feeding

- Reduce shelter for cockroaches

- Plug up points of entry from outside using sealants or mesh

- Get rid of materials brought in from outside that may harbor cockroach eggs as soon as possible; particularly where those items have come from food sources; e.g. supermarkets

- Dry out damp areas inside your house such as under sinks - something as simple as baking soda can assist with this.

Have 'em? Well here are some things you can do:

 -Combine 1 part borax, 2 parts flour and 1/2 part icing sugar, then add water and mix into a dough. Place in areas where cockroaches frequent, but out of reach of pets and children.

- A small container of water with a teaspoon of oil can attract cockroaches. They'll climb in and be unable to get out and will drown (eventually)

- A variation on the above - take a small jar and spread oil around the inside of it, place bait in the jar such as a small piece of sweet fruit; set it upright in roach territory - again, they'll be able to get in, but not out.

- Sprinkle borax powder where roaches are active. It will collect on their bodies, be licked off and then kill them. Again, keep out of reach of pets and children.

- Fill shallow trays of icing sugar mixed with plaster of paris - they eat it and it sets in their stomachs

- Sticky flypaper type traps can be a good non-toxic alternative to any chemicals

Hopefully this is the last we will see of our uninvited guests!

Do you have any pest control suggestions?

Day 81: Going To the Car Wash, yeah!

Sorry folks, I have another big midterm tomorrow, so here is a quick and dirty one ;P

Going to a car wash is a lot more water efficient than washing your car at home! If you do wash your car at home, be aware of the soaps and waxes that you may be flushing down storm drain. (Commercial car-washes must treat their water first).

Day 80: What's a Cook To Do?

This post is in response to Lisa's questions on my Day 77 post, asking about what stove top (gas, electric, etc...) is most environmentally friendly.

Well, I did a bit of digging and here is what I found out:

Electro-magnetic stoves/cookers are the most environmentally friendly. These induction stoves use electricity to generate a rapidly changing electromagnetic field. This in turn interacts with nearby ferrous items (think iron and steel) and heats them up -it won't work with aluminum (you can use a fridge magnet to test if it will work). The benefits of an electromagnetic range are that less energy is required since the stove top does not heat up and less heat is wasted. Furthermore, because the stove isn't actually heated up any spill-over won't burn on and the pot reacts instantly to changes in power (like a gas range). However, there are also some downfalls to electromagnetic stoves (google it to find out more about it).

For more conventional ranges, like gas or electric, gas seems to be the winner, although it is highly dependent on where your electricity comes from (renewable energy vs. oil/coal). Gas burners are more efficient, as they provide instant heat, unlike electric burners which need to warm up, and cooks have greater control over the temperature. However, it is natural gas that is being burnt, so there is still that to take into consideration.

So, it seems that there is no clear-cut answer and what type of range you should use depends on cooking techniques and where your energy comes from! However, there are some clear advantaged to electromagnetic and gas ranges.


Sources:

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/gas-vs-electric-cooking.htm
http://www.suite101.com/content/magnetic-induction-stove-tops-a116287
http://www.homemakersonline.co.za/features/150/environmentally-friendly-kitchen

Day 79: Eating Out?

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I went out for sushi and ended up getting a giant platter of veggie-sushi - delicious!

However, we weren't able to finish the whole plate and had it packaged up to bring home. Our left-over rolls were put in a Styrofoam container and I have been feeling guilty ever since! In the future, I am going to tuck a Tupperware container in my bag in case of left-over emergencies so I don't continue to contribute to the growing pile of Styrofoam that will sit for centuries in landfills! I think that will make the sushi that much tastier!

Day 78: Apple and the Environment?

So, this is going to be unlike my usual posts where I write about some sort of lifestyle change that we can make to benefit the environment and reduce our carbon foot-print. Today, I am going to write about Apple's new environmental initiative and ask for your opinion.

Apple now has an "environment" tab on their website that highlights the environmental benefits of their products, which I suppose is a step in the right direction. As much as I preach living simply, there is a time when we do have to buy new things.

Here is a link to the environment tab for the macbook pro where they highlight their minimized packaging (reduce by 41%), minimized waste materials, efficiency, free recycling of your computer (if you live in the US, that is), their Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (or EPEAT) Gold standard, reducing of harmful chemicals like Arsenic and PVC and their Energy Star qualification.

If you click on a particular model, they even outline the greenhouse gas emissions for your product. This covers a complete life cycle analysis of the product including production, transport, use and eventual disposal by recycling. They have a chart listing the computers various settings and its energy consumption in every mode.

My favorite is the free recycling of old computers, and I hope that they expand this to other countries as well. I always think about how different the world would be if manufacturers were forced to dispose of their products in a sustainable way after clients were finished with them. I bet a whole lot more emphasis would be put on modularity, using recyclable materials and sustainable practices.

Apples also no longer provides printed user-manuals for ipods etc., instead this information is available online -which reduces paper usage and weight to increase shipping efficiency.

So, I am not trying to advertise Apple, but I feel like they are taking a step in the right direction and I hope other electronic manufacturers will begin taking the environment into consideration.

What do you think? Does this disclosure of information make you more prone to purchasing from this manufacturer? are you impartial? Or do you think this is green-wash?

Day 77: No Peakies!

This is another one of my bad habits - when I am baking, I often open the door to peer inside and see how my treats are doing. However, every time I open the door, at least 20% of the heat escapes! So the poor oven must heat itself back up, therefore making it take longer till my goodies are done! Another oven/baking related tip is to, as some Grandma's say, "bake an orphan". You should bake your pastries siblings, or in other words if you are heating up the oven to bake something, bake a lot of somethings!

So, in the future I will try to control my curiosity and I will try to plan my baking that I can do multiple things at once! Do you have any other tips about saving energy in the kitchen?

Day 76: Sponges

Sponges can get pretty yucky fairly quickly. Some studies have shown that a sponge can harbor more bacteria than a toilet bowl! Most of us swap out our kitchen sponges fairly quickly as modern synthetic sponges are fairly cheap -but at what environmental cost? Sure, we only throw out a dozen or two sponges a year, but times that by millions of households? That is a lot of waste!

Another problem with synthetic sponges is that they are often impregnated with chemicals such as Triclosan, an antibacterial and antifungal agent, which as also registered as a pesticide. Besides being linked to health problems, Triclosan is also believed to destroy fragile aquatic ecosystems by killing algae. Furthermore, sewage and waste-water treatment plants cannot remove Triclosan, so the compound remains stable for relatively long periods of time -it is actually one of the most common man-made chemicals in American streams!

Recent generations of Western cultures have being increasing concerned about hygiene, a rightfully so in our modern age of science and technology. However, we may be jumping the gun as was are often killing-off "good bacteria" in the process. This good bacteria helps boost our immune system - a study I read in National Geographic stated that children who grew up in the city were more likely to develop allergies than children who grew up in the country/on farms. The articled stated that this is due to country-kids being exposed to more bacteria while growing up, thus strengthening their bodies natural protection.

Well, back to today's topic. What are some things we can do about our sponge problem?

First of all, we can maintain our current sponges:

a) keep it as dry as possible between uses

b)sterilize occasionally by dropping it in boiling water for a few minutes

c) clean it with some lemon juice!

d)According to the US Department of Agriculture, you can microwave a damp sponge to kill bacteria, or plunk it in your dishwasher's drying cycle

Once your existing sponge is toast, there are a couple of eco-friendly sponge alternatives:

a) cellulose sponges are sourced from plant or recycled materials - as always, read labels carefully to find out more about what the product is made from and what chemicals it may contain

b) Try to grow your own loofah sponges! For those of you who don't know, loofah is a plant and it's fruit is a spongy material (it is vegan and environmentally friendly!)

c) Use an old-school natural-fiber dishcloth (make sure to dry it between uses and wash regularly).

Do you have any other suggestions?

Day 75: Orange You Glad...

... that there is a use for your orange peels?

So a few things inspired me to look into what you can do with left-over orange peels. Not only my recent citrus related posts, but my housemate bought a crate of oranges and has been figuring out creative things to do with them.

Here are a few neat green, alternative uses for orange peels:

1) orange peel oil is flammable and dried peel makes a great fire-starter (perhaps somebody should tell Supernatural's Winchester brothers? maybe it will help them out of a bind sometime!)

2) Apparently cats don't like the smell of orange peels (our house-cat, Milo, seems to be an exception) so you can bury peels in places you don't want cats digging around or in potted house-plants to keep cats out

3)Some people claim rubbing orange peels on your skin helps deter mosquitoes (I have to try this one out in the summer!)

4) Dry them and use them as a bathing powder/salt

5)Orange peels, like lemons, deter ants

6) Like lemons, it can be used a eco-friendly citrus smelling household cleaner!

7) Put dried peels in a cloth bag to keep drawers and cupboard smelling fresh!

I'm sure there are many more uses (my house mate is trying to make orange-peel boxes -a cool art project!) and she has also made candied orange peel as a delicious treat!
So, I think along with the lemon-tips, these are some interesting ways to cut down on hazardous products and divert more organic waste from the landfill (remember you can compost them too -but be careful about putting too much citrus in your vermicomposter if you have one!)

Day 74: More Lemon Love

My bathroom needs to be cleaned (again *sigh*) but I feel bad about using harsh store-bought chemicals. In fact, many household cleaners are classified as hazardous. Luckily, yesterday when researching uses for lemons I came across a few neat ways to use lemon juice instead of bathroom cleaning products.

Toilet Cleaner: mix 1/2 borax and one cup of lemon juice for a powerful toilet cleaner that leaves a lemony fresh scent

Lime Scale: use half a lemon to clean the lime scale off sinks or faucets (rinse well afterwards)

Chrome/Copper/Brass: use lemon juice and baking soda to help brighten these metals. Rub a paste onto the surface, then rinse off and buff.

Dishwashing: a teaspoon added to your dishwashing water boosts your soap's grease-cutting power! Straight lemon juice works as a degreaser.

Glass and Mirrors:  skip the windex - add 4 tbs of lemon juice to 2 liters of water for an effective window cleaner

So, I think I will be phasing out my traditional cleaning products and try some more eco-friendly alternatives!

Day 73: When Life Gives you Lemons...

...make eco-friendly household cleaning products?

I have yet to try these out, but apparently lemons are a great biodegradable alternative to a lot of the hazardous products that we use to clean out homes!

Other than decorating fancy drinks, lemons can be used as a deodorizer, household cleaner and even a  beauty product!

Here a few uses for our favorite sour yellow friend:

Ant Deterrent: pouring lemon juice on areas that ants tend to frequent will help repel them!

All-Purpose Cleaner and Deodorizer: mix equal parts water and lemon juice in a spray bottle and you have chemical free, green air freshener (much better for you than things like fabreeze) and also an effective all-purpose cleaner! (Add a bit of vinegar to boost the cleaning power!)

Microwave Cleaner: I really have to try this one out! Put a few slices of lemons in a bowl of water and microwave for about 30 seconds, then wipe out the microwave. Stains will (apparently) be easier to remove and odors will be neutralized.

Drains: Lemon juice and baking soda together make a good drain cleaner that isn't harsh on the environment like other drain cleaners!

Well, I have a bunch more uses up my sleeve, so I think I will post the rest tomorrow - and I will try some of these out soon!

Have any of you tried any of these lemon uses? Was it successful?

Day 72: Drive Smarter, Not Longer! The Road to Sustainability

So, I have been sitting, thinking and reading for over half an hour trying to think of a good post- unfortunately to no avail, so we have another driving tip!

This one is fairly logical, and as always, if you can avoid driving that is the best alternative. However, if you must drive try to avoid unnecessary trips by planning ahead and combining trips. Avoid driving when you don't have to, and carpool when you can!

This will help to reduce your carbon cost, the load on your wallet and the wear and tear on your vehicle!

Day 71: Plant a Tree

Why? Well, everybody needs a home... check out this video

Other than providing homes for squirrels, the average mature tree can absorb about 25 kg of CO2 a year (that is a ton of CO2 in a 40 year lifespan!)and releases enough oxygen to sustain two human beings every year. Trees can also help with soil erosion, as a sound barrier from noisy roads, for passively cooling your home and are great to climb! Trees also help reduce ozone levels in urban areas; in New York City, a 10% increase in urban canopy translated to a reduction of peak ozone levels by about 4 parts per billion.

We may not all be able to plant trees in our backyards (largely due to many of us not having backyards) but there are many local, national and international initiatives that you can get involved with -the United Nations even has a tree planting initiative, which illustrates that this is of global importance! An important thing to remember is to get children involved. I remember growing a tree from a seed when I was little and planting it, which was a big step for me in learning what trees do for the environment and why we are so dependent on them for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the homes we live in, the paper we write on and so much more!

So, if you have a place in your yard for a tree, do a bit of research into what type of tree is best for your area -perhaps one that you can eventually hang a tire swing off of for your children's children. For those of us sans backyard, there are many ways to get involved with community tree planting initiatives or even sponsoring an acre of rainforest!

A final thought is this Greek Proverb:

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in

Day 70: How long....?

I find a huge part of "living green" is awareness and staying motivated -especially to find something new to try everyday. One thing that helps for me is to be more aware of my actions is knowledge, particularly knowing how long something will effect the environment after I do it

Here is a list of a few things and the approximate time it will take them to decompose in a landfill:


Banana peel: 3-4 weeks
Paper box: 1-2 months
Cotton sock: 5-6 months
Wood: 10-20 years
Leather belt: 40-50 years
Aluminum can: 200-500 years
Disposable diaper: 500-600 years
Styrofoam cup: 1 million years or more
Plastic bottle: 1 million years or more
Glass bottle: 1 million years or more

The objective of this post is for me and you to be more aware of what we buy, if we throw it out and how we dispose of it!  How long will your waste outlive you?

Day 69: Why I Love i-Tunes...

Buying your music online not only saves you money, but saves on packaging and shipping costs. Also... who really listens to CDs these days anyways?

The New York Times Online published a blog post in 2009 reporting on a study done into the environmental impact of traditional and digital music purchases. According to the study, which was financed by Microsoft and Intel, buying music online can reduce the carbon impact of your music by up to 80% (40% if you end up burning the downloaded music to CD, up to 80% otherwise).

However, this isn't super clear. Things like the energy needed for large file downloads, or if the customer walks to the record store cause considerable variance in the carbon cost of a CD. Furthermore, we also need to consider e-waste generated from digital music players.

So, it seems that the best thing we can do is to download our music and store it digitally, not on a burned CD, and buy high-quality music players that will last, treat them well and try to repair them when they break.

What do you think?

Day 68: Cling No More!

About 33% of what we throw away is packaging. Today's post is related to my post from Day 10 of this challenge and a common theme from various posts.

When you are storing food, don't use ziploc, cling-wrap or aluminum foil to pack away your leftovers. Use reusable containers or any container that you already have (I re-use yogurt pots and empty jars).

Not only will this save you money in the long run, but it will help you reduce your waste, and, thus, your carbon footprint! Remember, all that plastic wrap that you throw away today will still be in the landfill when you are old and grey (and long after as well)!

Day 67: Make a Clean Sweep!

This one is an easy one for me, but may not be applicable to every household.

I'm not keen on loud noises and our apartment is all hardwood flooring, so it makes sense to sweep instead of using a vacuum. Area rugs can be shaken out outside.

It's a simple way to save a bit of power and clean your house all the same!

(sorry... I will think of a better post for tomorrow!)

Day 66: If the Lid Fits...

...use it! My clever boyfriend visited again this weekend and pointed out another wasteful habit of mine - sometimes I cook without using lids on my pots!

If you want a scientific explanation, complete with derivatives and Newton's law of cooling, check out this website, which shows you how you can calculate the efficiency of boiling water.

For the rest of us, we can safely assume that an uncovered pot takes longer to boil, thus requires more energy, since the contents of the pot is losing thermal energy to the surrounding air. An easy way to increase cooking efficiency is to simply use tight fitting lids and to fit the pot to the appropriate sized burner!

This is an easy tip to save you cooking time, money and energy all while helping you to reduce your carbon footprint! But- make sure that you keep a careful eye on the pot, as it will boil over more quickly!

Day 65: The Road to Sustainability: Don't Drive Aggressively

Did you know that the jerk who just did a burn-out, sped to the next red light only to slam on the breaks is not only being a nuisance, but also wasting a bunch of fuel, and not to mention wearing out his vehicle faster?

Studies have shown that quick acceleration, speeding, hard breaking and other aggressive driving habits combined can increase your fuel consumption by 25%

Driving smoothly is not only safer and better for the collective mental health of the driving population, but can reduce your carbon footprint!

So, plan ahead to make sure you don't need to speed to get where you need to go, and be a courteous and calm driver!  Not only will it save your money and stress, but it will help reduce your emissions.

(300 more days to go!)

Day 64: What Wriggles In the Night?

I do a lot of cooking from scratch, so inevitably I have a lot of food scraps like peels, egg shells and stems. When I lived at home in Alberta, we always composted these scraps or fed them to pigs or chickens. However, in the city having pigs, chickens or even an outdoor compost heap isn't an option.

Last year at Queen's I was privileged to be the Residence Advisor on the "Green Floor" where we had our very own vermicompster - courtesy of an absolutely amazing group of people who worked hard to have the trial project run in residences. It was a great success, and you can see the results from the one year pilot project here where we diverted about 44 kg of waste from landfills and could have done way more had we had a bigger composter.

Vermicomposters are great -they can be kept indoors and are almost completely odorless. The one we had in rez was housed in a beautiful wooden box that looked a bit like a chest of drawers. Vermicomposting, for those of you who don't know, is the process of having worms (usually red-wrigglers) process our organic waste and turn in in great fertilizer for our plants! You can't put as much stuff in it as you would an ordinary compost heap, but we don't all have room for a compost heap. If properly maintained, there will be no oder or fruit flies, and in the end you will have some great soil for your plants!

Many cities have composting programs as well, but I think that if you can have a worm box or a compost-heap out back that is even better because Green-Bin collection programs needs fossil fuels to transport the waste and in the end you don't get to use the soil for your garden and plants!

My housemate right now has a wormbox for our apartment, and it is a great way to cut down on our waste. Remember, organic waste trapped in a plastic garbage bag cannot decompose properly and will release a lot of methane gas!

There are a lot of resources out on the web to help you with creating your own composting solution, whether it be vermicomposting, a compost heap or participating in a Green-Bin collection program. As for me, I think I will go feed the worms and not the landfill.

Day 63: Be Cool, Stay Hot! The Road to Sustainability

So, here is another driving tip. Those of you who have ever gone on a road-trip with me probably already know this one- use your air conditioner sparingly!

The air conditioner puts an extra load on the engine and can actually increase your vehicle's fuel consumption by up to 20 percent! Instead, use your vehicle's flow-through ventilation at faster highway speeds (since open windows create drag and thus reducing aerodynamics of the car) or open a window for slower driving.

It's a good way to keep cool without contributing to global warming!

Day 62: Save a Tree!

So, as much as I have '"hated on'' recycling in the past and have been preaching reducing waste as our primary goal (remember, reduce comes first, then reuse, and then recycle! They are in an order for a reason!) recycling is an important part of our waste management. On Day 25 of the challenge I said I would use both sides of the paper - well, I am coming to the point that a lot of my paper is very well used on both sides - next step is to recycle it!

Some fun facts about paper recycling:

-40% of waste in the US is paper - but only 25-30% of that gets recycled!

-Americans throw away the equivalent of 30 millions trees each year in newsprint alone.

So once your paper has been well loved, ensure that it goes to a better place! Also, buy recycled paper!
These are things that I already do, and I find they give me peace of mind and save me some coin!

Day 61: The Road to Sustainability - "Performance, that's the name of the game..."

So, the lesson to be learned from the above video is to pump up your tires to maximize performance! There was even an article on this topic in the Vancouver's free newspaper, Metro, today! 

Barack Obama also has a little something to say about the topic:

According to Natural Resources Canada (thanks for the link Ed!) properly inflated tires not only make your ride safer, but also saves you money on gas and thus reducing your emissions. The proper level for your tires can be found in the owner's manual or near the driver's door (contact your dealer or local shop if you're lost!) 

Once again, burning fossil fuels and driving is will never be sustainable, but due to our vast country sometimes it is unavoidable. So, try to limit your driving time and when you do drive be sure that you inflate your tires to the proper pressure, don't idle and drive the speed limit!

Day 60: The Road to Sustainability -"Derive" More Efficiently!

Two months down, 10 to go!

So I got a bit carried away with my physics assignment  ...hence the Engineering/Math Humor title... and it is 11:50pm and I still have not posted for today! So - another driving tip!

Drive the speed limit! We all have places to go, but apparently speeds more that 95 to 100 km/h (thats about 60 mph) cost about an additional 7 cents per litre (or about 24 cents per gallon)! What this means is that for every liter of fuel you burn, you burn an additional 7 cents worth from another litre... so say gas is $1.20/liter, what you would normally cover with that amount costs you $1.27 if you are speeding!  This adds up pretty quickly in regards to both the impact on the environment and your wallet! Also, it will narrow your chances of getting a speeding ticket -even more savings!