Sustainability In The Workplace - A Survey by Brighter Planet

Hey everyone,

A quick hello this morning to share a site for a survey on "Sustainability In The Workplace" by the Brighter Planet team.

Please take a few minutes to fill it out: You may win 200$ in the process.

Just follow this link and voice your opinions!

Have a great day everyone.

Day 44 and 45 – 100-mile diet : Finding allies

Following a wonderful comment left by Elle on my post a few weeks ago, I decided to go on a hunt for information on a little town called Vernon in British Columbia that has been doing something pretty amazing with the challenge!

On September 1st, 2009, this is what the Vernon Morning Star had to say :

People join the 100 Mile Diet Challenge

A challenge has been issued to the people of the North Okanagan – to eat mostly local food that has been produced or processed within a 100 mile radius of your home for 100 days.

This 100 Mile Diet Challenge has been issued by the Food Action Society of the North Okanagan (FASNO) in order to encourage people to see how local they can go.

People fearing that this 100 Mile Diet might mean an end to their morning cup of coffee can rest reassured. FASNO’s classification of local food includes food that is processed locally, such as coffee that has been roasted by companies based in the region.

“Buying locally produced food supports our farmers, but buying locally processed food is also good because it supports local businesses, and that benefits our community too,” said Mary Stockdale, one of the organizers of the challenge.

People are encouraged to join the diet at a level of local food consumption that is challenging but manageable.

“We have three levels at which the pledge can be taken: Gold, for people who will try to eat almost 100 per cent local food; Silver, for 75 per cent or more local food; and Bronze, for 50 per cent or more local food,” said Andrea Gunner, one of the organizers.

The diet will officially start on Monday, and will end 100 days later on Dec. 15.

“In the North Okanagan we are lucky to have a wonderful choice of food within our 100-mile radius, ranging from the Okanagan to the south, the West Kootenays to the west, Kamloops to the north and Merritt and Princeton to the west,” said Gunner.

The Interior Provincial Exhibition (IPE) in Armstrong is a strong supporter of this 100 Mile Diet Challenge. At the IPE grounds, the Centennial Theatre will be devoted to local food events Sept. 2 to 6, including local food tastings, films and presentations.

People are encouraged to visit the website: www.foodaction.ca to find out more or to sign the 100 Mile Diet pledge online. They can also visit the Centennial Theatre during IPE week to ask questions and sign the pledge on paper.

Stockdale said there are many reasons to eat local food.

“It is much better for our health, better for the local economy and better for the environment,” she said. “Plus, fresh, seasonal, local food tastes really good.”

How inspiring! And I must admit I absolutely LOVE the Gold-Silver-Bronze system. We also love the importance of supporting local businesses that may have imported ingredients in their products, but still are produced locally which means jobs and a healthy local economy.

For us it is simple : During the growing season, you buy fresh veggies and fruits, eggs and meat (for my husband) from local farms to support our farming community. During the winter months, those same farmers live off processed foods they produce - preserves, salsas, meat based products such as, pâtés and potpies, dessert items – so encouraging them year round, even though their pâtés have salt or their jams have sugar, seems like an important step as well.

So my husband and I, who had been struggling with the idea of balancing imported, far away foods again after such an adventure, have decided to try and stay at Silver level after the challenge.

Thank you Elle for bringing this to our attention and making our transition after the challenge less of a scary one!

Change the World Wednesday Challenge - How recycled is your stuff?

Hello to all.

It's wednesday again and time for another Small Footprints "Change the World Wednesday Challenge" for you :

For this week's challenge:

Each time you shop for a non-food item, look to see whether a recycled version is available. If feasible, buy the recycled version. If there isn't one, but it's a category such as paper where you know recycled versions exist, ask the store to start carrying a recycled version.

OR

If you already buy recycled items regularly (or cannot afford to do so at all) then write a blog post about products made from reclaimed materials.

Now I have to say we do the best we can. We already buy recycled paper towels, toilet paper and tissues (when we can cause not everywhere has them!) but besides that, I'm more about buying the recyclable things than the recycled thing.

So I'm up for the challenge!

Over the next week, I'll be making a list of al the stuff I buy that I find that is made from recycled materials and post them next tuedsday!

Hope you'll jump in... What is some of your favourite recycled stuff?

Blog Action Day 2009 - Understanding food miles and their impact on the environment

The main reason why my husband and I have been doing the 100-mile challenge was to not only have a better understanding of where our food comes from and to put a face on who feeds us, but it was also to diminish our impact on the environment by becoming more locally fed and reducing our carbon footprint on the world.


Food miles, by definition, are the distance our food travels from point of production to point of consumption. It is also important to not only understand the numbers behind the food we eat, but the environmental impact of it getting to our table.


In order to supply the increasing demands in exotic and off season foods, producers today have to import their foods from further and further away. Unfortunately, this increase in imported foods along with the centralization of distribution have made distances they travel a great concern due to their environmental impacts.


Although not all food miles are the same (taking under consideration the type of transportation used, the amount of food carried by one food carrier and the type of fossil fuel used in the transport), it is important to understand these impacts.

According to WWF Canada’s new Localicious event going on from October 2 to October 18, it is important to understand what local and sustainable foods are and what impact they have on lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.


“When food is transported over long distances - especially if by planes or trucks that burn fossil fuel energy - it contributes to global warming and pollution. Consider that the average food product travels 2,000 km before it reaches your home. Now multiply that by each food item you eat each day! That's a lot of fuel, which also means a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. Although local food isn't always available due to seasonality, it's all about doing your best. Every choice you make has an environmental impact and can help lower your carbon footprint.”

So what are we to do?

There are many ways to counteract the high levels of GHGs emitted through our food consumption without feeling like we have to give up everything we love.


Buy local sustainable food when possible. In the best of worlds, we would always have access to local, organic and sustainable foods. When these are not available, try and think of at least doing one of these criterias. When buying coffee, go for fair trade. Teas as well. When you have a choice between carrots from your local farmer’s market or pre-cut ones at the grocery store, opt for your local farmer. When buying flour, as they come from the Prairies, buy it organic. You’ll know you aren’t contributing to vast sprawls of pesticide sprayed fields. Every little bit counts.


Look for Eco-labels. Certifications and eco-labels give you good hints about how the food was produced and that way you know you have a lesser impact on the environment.


When buying staples like grains, flour, cereal, spices, sugar, try to buy in bulk. There are lots of places where you can buy ingredients in bulk. That way, you know that the same amount of GHGs was put into the atmosphere carrying the large drums than it would having the small prepackaged bag, but there are many people that will benefit from the drum so the food miles are split up between consumers.


Try to live with the seasons. Although fresh juicy tomatoes are very tempting in the middle of winter, try tasting seasonal veggies and fruits. In countries and regions where winter means no agriculture, try buying green house produce from closer destinations. Green house produce is usually pesticide free and grown year round.


Just remember: Every little bit counts. If all of us would try 20% of the time, the world would be a much cleaner and healthier place.

Visit Blog Action Day 2009 at www.blogactionday.org for other posts and topics!



Sources :

Foodshare Toronto
http://www.foodshare.net/resource/files/foodmilesreport.pdf

WWF - Localicious http://community.wwf.ca/localicious/LocalTruth.cfm

Franc Vert
http://www.francvert.org/pages/53dossierreductiondufoodmiles.asp

Change the World Wednesday Challenge - Walk with a purpose!

Back (a few days late) with another great CTWW challenge from my friend Small Footprints :

Put on your walking shoes because this week we're going to walk ... not just idle walking ... we're going to clean as we go. Yep, this week, please go for a walk ... at least once ... and pick up litter as you go. If you're feeling ambitious, go every day. Once you've got your bag of litter, recycle what can be recycled before tossing the rest in the trash bin.

Do you have an idea where to start?

I've decided make it a week-end plan. Here is what I'm commiting to doing :

• On saturday, we will be going to our community garden and taking down our plot for the coming winter. I will walk up and down the aisles and pick up any trash laying about. Unfortunately, our community garden being near a very busy walkway, a lot of people think it's nice to walk through... most of them thinks it's just as nice to drop trash and cigarette butts. Blerk!

• On sunday, we are going hiking in a provincial wildlife sanctuary for snow geese. I will bring a bag with me and pick up the trash people seem to find it's okay to leave on the trails!

What will you do to make your part of the world a little cleaner?

Change the World Wednesday Challenge - Say NO to Styro!

So here we go for another challenge! Thank you to my readers (TC and Daisy Soap Girl) that stopped by and shared their eco-friendly ways!

So this week's CTWW challenge is as follows :

For one week, say "NO" to polystyrene foam (commonly known as Styrofoam). This means ... don't buy it (no Styrofoam coolers, cups or toys), don't use it and don't buy anything that comes in it. At restaurants, should you have leftover food to take home, ask the server to put it in something other than Styrofoam. At fast-food establishments, refuse to buy any products which come in it. Just Say No!

Or ...

If your life is already Styrofoam free, then write a post about why Styrofoam is so bad for the environment.

Although we are living pretty much Styrofoam free a lot of the time, the one time it's really hard is when you are eating out. Just last night, we took home leftovers and Tada! we have a nifty little Styrofoam plate in our fridge. Leaving on vacation in just 2 days, this week's challenge will definitely be a challenge, but we are ready.

So why is Styrofoam so bad for the environment and for us?

• Well first, of course is the obvious : It does not biodegrade. It will stay in landfills for hundreds of years.
• What about the ones with recycling symbols? Well, most of them carry the number 6 symbol which is very rarely recyclable by municipal facilities. So people put them in the recycling bins thinking they are doing a great thing. But they will end up in the incinerators and release ridiculous amounts of toxins into the atmosphere.
• Polystyrene leaches which means that food and drink in contact with it will absorb toxins that we then eat and drink.
• Styrofoam is very light which means that as it breaks down into small pieces; it gets blown away into water systems and the ocean. It costs millions in clean-up for cities and kills fish and marine wildlife who see it floating and eat it, thinking it is food.

Here are a few facts I found on canada.com :

" According to the French ministry of ecology, more than 14 million tonnes of polystyrene are produced every year around the world. Given its light weight --Styrofoam is 95 per cent air -- the volume it represents is huge.

Americans throw away an estimated 25 billion Styrofoam cups every year, or about 82 cups per person.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says of the three million tons of polystyrene produced in the U.S., 2.3 million tons end up in landfills, with much of the remainder finding its way into waterways. "

Will you take the challenge? So sounds off here! How do you say no to Styro?

Change the World Wednesday Challenge - Let your computer sleep!

Back with another great CTWW challenge is our friend Small Footprints :

"This week, put your computer to sleep or set it to hibernate when it's not in use.

Or ...

Typically, if you're already doing the first part of the challenge, I ask you to write about it on your blog. This week, however, we're going to do something different. If you are already in the habit of putting your computer to sleep or turning it off when you're not using it, look around your home and identify one other "sneaky" area that uses electricity. Come back here and, in the comments section, tell us what it is and how you'll either eliminate it or reduce it."

So share your thoughts and ideas with us!

Where do I save energy in the house?

• I have all my aquariums on timers so that they turn off automatically when we are not home to do so.
• As I take my shower, I gradually reduce the hot water so that the temperature gently decreases and I use less energy heating my water tank.
• When we have smaller stuff to cook and bake, we use the more efficient toaster oven instead of the conventionnal oven.
• Before the computer even goes into sleep mode, we turn off the monitor because the monitor takes up even more electricity than the computer does.

Where do you save energy?

Change the world wednesdays - Go meatless for a day!

Hello all.

As previously started, I'm sharing my blog friend Small Footprints "Change the World Wednesday Challenge" with you :

• If you eat animal products, then for one full day eat only meatless meals ... go vegetarian. Dairy products & eggs are permissible ... but no other animal products.

• Or, if you are vegetarian full time ... then, for one full day, eat only vegan meals. No animal products whatsoever.

• And finally, if you are vegan, full time, write an article about why meatless meals are good for the planet and perhaps include your favorite recipe.

So everybody shime in : Share recipes, share meal plans... share your thoughts and ideas!

Being ovo-lacto vegetarian, I'll be choosing a day with my husband and we will be back to write about our lovely vegan day! Hope you will all join in!

Change the world Wednesdays… Become a locavore for a day!

So, in the spirit of continuing our blog sharing for Reduce Footprints “Change de World Wednesday” challenges, I’m reposting this week's challenge :

“For one full day this week, eat only local foods. No tropical fruits from across the world ... no veggies that traveled hundreds of miles to get to your table ... only locally grown foods (this includes meats, dairy products, etc., if you eat them).

OR, if you're already eating only local foods full time ... and may I say congratulations to that ... post one of your favorite "local food" recipes on your blog.”

What does this mean?

It means take a few days, look around, and think of seasonal foods you love and find them at your local farmer’s markets and local grocery stores that feature local foods. This may take you out of your comfort zone, but what is a challenge without a bit of challenge?

What does this do?

For a day, for every food you buy and eat that didn’t have to travel thousands of miles to get to your plate, you get to reduce your carbon footprint by tons of CO2 that is released into our air and atmosphere. Plus, you encourage local farmers and business!

Here are things that you can usually easily find during the growing season (from a North American point of view – I would love my readers to share their own list) :

• Eggs, meats, fish and dairy (if you eat them) : Smaller farm, locally raised meats and dairy cows are treated better, are often grass fed and have less residual pesticides, hormones and antibiotics in them. Now, I’m not saying all farms that are local are organic! But you can more easily control the amount of these toxins you allow into your body by simply being able to ask the farmer that will usually be standing there when you buy their products. You could also find a local pond or lake if you like to fish.
• Produce : Unless you are a reader on the other side of the world from me right now, with July coming up, you are in the midst of the best local fruits and vegetable you could ever dream of!
• Sweeteners : If you are like me, a bit too northbound for sugar cane plantations, sugar is not 100 miles. Honey is always available from local vendors. If you are lucky like me and live in maple country, local maple syrup and sugar is another great sweetener.
• Grains : Many regions on North America and Europe are very important grain producers and for every big industrial mill, there is a small, artisanal mill that prides itself in making good quality flours from local grains.
• Potatoes : Well… this one was pretty easy, but you get my point. LOL!

Think of this as an adventure. Take the pledge, get out there, walk around, talk to a few people and create something new. Then share your ideas and recipes with us!

Are you in for the challenge?

Change the world Wednesdays… are you ready for a week long challenge?

Hello again!

Just wanted to share with you a post by one of my favourite bloggers, Small Footprints at Reduced Footprints.

Last week, she started a challenge series with her readers of taking 10 minute showers for a whole week. This week, it’s about absolutely refusing plastic bags everywhere.

I would like to send the same challenge to all my followers and readers! Write a comment and take the pledge! Take it to your readers by sharing this challenge. And like in her blog, all of you who are already plastic-free and have a blog, write, within the next week, a detailed article on why plastic bags are so horrible to the environment. Send me your links when you write your articles and I will post them here!

Together, we can reach so many people and prove that every little action counts!

Are you in for the challenge?

The 100 mile diet… or our own variation : Part 3 – Continuing with our preparations

Good evening to everyone!

Thought I would stop by and give you all an update on our preparations for our challenge starting on July 1st.

Of our list of staples, it seemed to me that the hardest thing to find in my area would be grains. So I decided to contact local mills and find out if any of them milled purely local flours. Unfortunately, although they do take quite a bit from local sources, they also import grains from the Canadian prairies and from the Midwestern USA. *Sighs*

As I was widening my perimeter (never exceeding 167 kilometers – 100 miles – of course), I was lucky enough to find a mill right on the edge of our area (155 kilometers) that mills buckwheat that is all from local sources!

Le Moulin seigneurial de la Carrière prides itself in producing local grown and milled organic buckwheat flours that are not only produced in our challenge circle, but have even more local (downtown Quebec City) sell points. So we will not have to drive to get it! I am planning on doing research on recipes for buckwheat breads and muffins. This will be very exciting!

I’ve also found local growers of fall wheat (which could be great for the end of the challenge), spelt and rye. They are organic and within 30 minutes drive. They will de-shell the grains for us no problem, now to find the mills to make it into flour…

And we did!
Les Moissoneries du Pays is an organic flour and grain producer. Now, although many of their grains are local, they could not promise that all grains were. To supply the demands, they do also import grains from Ontario and the Prairies. But they did say that if we brought them organic grains, they could transform them for us. They also grow organic garlic flower and garlic that you can self pick starting in July. So we decided to make it an adventure at the beginning of the challenge : Get some grains, take a drive, and pick some garlic while they mill our flours! The ideas I’m getting for homemade breads, cereals, breakfasts bars… My head is spinning!

Last but not least : We are lucky enough to have within our 100 miles the only 100% Quebec grown and produced organic sunflower oil! La Ferme Champy is a unique Quebec enterprise that produces cold pressed, organic, non-transgenic, oil and they have a counter right here at the downtown farmer’s market. We will be checking them all out in the next few weeks.

So if I go down my list of staples so far this is what we have secured for ourselves :

• All the fresh local veggies and fruits we want
• Dairy (milk, butter and cheese)
• Local organic small farm raised meats (for my husband)
• Oil
• Flours
• Maple syrup
• Honey
• Vinegars
• Herbs
• Eggs
• Local wines and ciders (okay… not a staple, but still fun!)

I think we are doing pretty well! And with one month still to go, we will keep searching for those little treasures!

Hope you all have a great evening.

Please share with us your thoughts and suggestion to help us in our challenge!

The 100 mile diet… or our own variation : Part 2

Good morning to all of you.

So as I mentioned a few days back, my husband and I have decided to go for a summer attempt at the 100 mile diet challenge. Well the challenge date has been set : July 1st! On that date, we will start a 2 months 100 mile challenge in the hopes of living a simpler life this summer, finding ways to lower our carbon footprint and getting to know the place we live in and the local growers and businesses that make it work!

Why July 1st? Well first, we will be moving into our new home that day so what better time to start on a new challenge. Second, we will already be playing the “empty out the fridge and cupboards” game to try and not have too much to move so we will need to restock anyway. And third, everything will be in full swing here for the Quebec growing season so all the farmer’s markets and food stands will be out and ready for us.

Why 2 months? Because as I have mentioned before, I’m really worried about the fact that I don’t eat meat and my husband eats very little. Quebec is not exactly the grain and legumes growing capital of the world. What does this mean? So far, our only protein sources would be eggs and dairy. We can’t exactly start eating a pound of cheese a day so we may have to get awfully creative.

First step : MAKING A LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE!

We decided to start making a list in the next few weeks of staples, foods we would want to KNOW where to get before the diet starts. What prompted this is that we were walking around the farmer’s market (although it’s more a flower market right now) and came upon a stand for a local winery that was having a tasting of all their other wine and fruit derived products.


Vignoble Le Petit Pré is only 20 minutes east of downtown and not only has award winning wines, but a selection of preserves, non-pasteurized multi-flower honey and a line of traditionally crafted vinegars. See, vinegars like balsamic, red wine and white wine are things I use almost everyday in my kitchen and I never even thought of “where” I would get them once the challenge started! We also bought a jar of their honey and were floored. Such an amazing product and only a few miles away since their stand will be open, only a few minutes walk from our place, for the whole summer.

So it is a start!

As I am discovering hidden places in my area for little 100-mile-treasures, I will share them with you. Hoping to inspire you to go out and discover the little local delicacies your corner of the world has to offer!

Do you have favourite local spots?

Rethinking recycling – When you move, donate goods and share resources!

Good morning to you all.

As I have mentioned before, my husband and I are on the verge of moving to a new apartment. When looking for our new place, we came to the understanding that we would have to sacrifice space for location in order to be happier and greener :

• Moving to a better built and more recent building meant less energy wasted through unsealed windows and outdated heating.
• Closer to work and our community garden meant less of the car being driven.
• Walking distance from the farmer’s market and our favourite local stores for food and fun meant the same.

But in this process, we lost 160 sq.ft and no longer have a basement storage unit. (Not that I’m complaining because we have now an underground parking spot so no need for de-snowing and idling the car in winter.)

So, we decided this would be the perfect time to really reassess what we were actually going to move and what we were getting rid of. Hard and long process, but a satisfying one to say the least! So I thought, since we are probably not the only ones doing massive spring cleanings or getting ready to move, I would share some ideas on items you may not have thought of donating but that are great to share and give away.

Toys and clothes :

That is an easy one! Everyone knows that they have local clothes banks and toy drives. No surprise there, but still, a reminder is always good. Toys can also be donated to daycares, children’s hospitals and shelters.

Bedding, towels, wash cloths :

You can donate all kinds of linens to homeless shelters and women’s shelters around your city. Towels and blankets can also be donated to local animal shelters to be used as beds in the cages.

Dishes, utensils and cookware :

Soup kitchens and shelters always have a need for extra dishes and things to cook with. Or, you could simply ask a friend if they need them! I’ve made so many starter kits for friends, I lose count. It’s always a great way to share.

Pet supplies :

Animal shelters need everything from litter boxes to food dishes, food, leashes, bedding, toys, carriers… if you use to have a pet (or like us, have pets that have outgrown their first litter boxes and carriers), then take them to your local shelter. You can also donate old hamster, bird, rabbit cages or aquariums to local grade schools to use in classrooms.

Books and magazines :

Local public libraries, high schools, grade schools, clinics, hospitals (long care units can use the books) and even local detention centers and prisons, will gladly accept donation of reading materials.

Shampoos, conditioners, soaps and other toiletries :

We all have in our home leftover bottles of shampoo, body washes, soaps, etc. that we have gotten on a whim and not used fully. Places like women’s shelters, were women and their families come in with very little in their possession, need things like that to help out.

So as you are going through your old things, please think of how they can be reused.

I hope you have a great day!


What do you share and donate in your community?

Play and donate FREE RICE!

Just a quick stop to tell all of you about a fun site I found :

At FREE RICE, you can answer questions about all sorts of subjects (like english, math, art, chemistry, geography and languages) and for each correct answer, the United Nations World Food Program will donate 10 grains of rice to help fight hunger. You can play as much as you want and help the UN donate food.

I know you may think 10 grains isn’t much, but I played for 5 minutes and donated 260! 5 minutes a couple of days a week could make quite a difference in the end!

Hope you’ll check it out and play for a few.

Have a great day!

The 100 mile diet… or our own variation : Part 1

Yesterday, while driving to our favourite local nurseries for flowers and bonsai materials, we decided to get off the highway and take the scenic country roads back home. Since it was raining madly (only two crazy gardening and bonsai nuts would have gone shopping for open field grown hostas and hemerocallis in such a weather), we were driving extra slowly and got the time to look around a bit more than we usually would have. I was very surprised to find a local farmer that specialized in all kinds of potatoes!

Coming from Canada, potatoes for me are a Prince Edward Island thing. When I’m at the grocery store, it is my first thought : “Are they from P.E.I.? Then they must be good!” But now, I must admit, I will probably check his stands out when the growing season is here because he is local and because he is about 20 kilometres (15 miles) from my house.

After noticing him, I started looking more closely : Within those 15 miles until we got home, I found a local cheese maker (that uses milk from local milk farms), a few apple orchards, blueberry and strawberry fields, two organic farms and one apple cidery. That was when we decided to check out the 100 miles challenge website!

100 miles = 167 kilometres

The first thing I did was to figure out what my 100 miles was. Living mainly in metric, for me, 100 was not much. But after the conversion and seeing it on the map, the idea of living locally started to get more and more appealing.


Am I ready to take the challenge yet? Not quite.

What is holding me back?

• First thing is that I’m an ovo-lacto vegetarian. A lot of the recipes and ideas for living locally come from eating local meats which is fine. At least most local small farms are not chopping down thousands of acres of forests to raise their cattle. So even though I eat eggs and dairy, it is not my main source of protein and through my research, I’m yet to find a local producer of such legumes as chickpeas, soya beans, lentils, beans in general, which are a staple of my diet. Now, I do try and buy Canadian grown legumes and grains that come from our prairies, but that is DEFINITELY more than 100 miles.
• Second thing is that the growing season in Quebec is very very short. We live in a hardiness zone of 3 to 4, which means that we get 3, maybe 4 (if we are lucky) growing months a year. So you can imagine how scary it is to me that I may have to go so long without a variety of foods that I consider necessary to stay healthy.

So what to do?

For now, we are ready to take one pledge : From the moment the local farmers open their stands at local markets and along local country roads (which is usually late-June to late October), we will eat all local produce, milk and cheeses and drink local wines and ciders.

It will be hard to give up some of our favourite foods such as citrus fruit, bananas and tropical fruits. Also, what is Mexican food without guacamole? But I think it will be an exercise in creativity and we hope to be able to tough it out.

I will keep you updated on the exact date we will start and plan on doing more research into incorporating more local finds as we get ready for it.


What are some of your local favourites?

Join EWG's Bottled Water Label Scavenger Hunt!

Good morning!

Just a quick post this morning to share with all of you a fun email I got from the Environmental Working Group about a contest they are having until June 15th.

-----------------------------------------------------

Ever look at a bottle of water and wonder, "Where does the water come from? Is it purified? Did the FDA make sure it's safe and clean?"

Join EWG's Bottled Water Label Scavenger Hunt and get your questions answered.

Here's how to get involved (and win EWG prizes!):

1) The next time you buy a bottle of water (even we EWG'ers sometimes forget our reusable bottle) choose a non-sparkling, unflavored water bottled in glass or clear plastic.

2) Carefully remove the entire label from the bottle. We need all the information from the label, so if necessary, cut the plastic around the label to get it all off.

3) Write down:

• the name and location of the store where you purchased the water
  
• the date you purchased the water
  
• your name, email and mailing address
  

4) Mail your labels and other information to:

Environmental Working Group
Attn: Nneka Leiba
1436 U St. NW, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20009

Whoever sends the most labels (duplicates not counting) by June 15 will win a stainless steel water bottle with the EWG logo and a jumbo-sized, reusable grocery tote printed with EWG's pollution solutions tips. Plus, everyone who participates will get a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides magnet!

Thank you in advance for helping us with our research to make sure bottled water companies are honest with you about the water you buy.

Sincerely,

EWG Bottled Water Research Team

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Good luck!!!

World Hunger : Not just an international issue

Hello,

In my efforts to contribute to the Unite for Hunger and Hope event, I did a bit of research on the topic to get numbers, facts and figures. I was hit by a great rush of sites and sources that sent my head spinning. Dying children in Africa, droughts that are making growing grains harder and harder, innumerable numbers of causes, organizations, campaigns…And of all the shocking information I found, these hit home :

According to Food Banks Canada, over 70,000 Canadians need food banks in Canada to eat every month. Out of those, 50.3% are families with children, because children under the age of 18 years old count for 37% of that number.

Food Banks Canada defines “working poor” as families where work does not pay enough to live and eat. 1.9 million families in Canada fit that definition. That number having increased from 6% in 1989 to 14,5% in 2008.

For all my readers that are not Canadian, keep in mind that the population of Canada is just a bit over 33,6 million.

I found the defintion of FOOD SECURITY on Meal Exchange :

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”

The five components of food security are as follows :

1. Availability: Sufficient food for all people at all times;
2. Accessibility: Physical and economic access to food for all at all times;
3. Adequacy: Access to food that is nutritious and safe, and produced in environmentally sustainable ways.
4. Acceptability: Access to culturally acceptable food, which is produced and obtained in ways that do not compromise people's dignity, self-respect or human rights.
5. Agency: The policies and processes that enable the achievement of food security.

Unfortunately, even in Canada, one of the richest countries in the world, food insecurity exists because of unequal distribution of food, waste, unsustainable food producing, trade restrictions and policies on exports and imports and poverty.

The causes of poverty in Canada, according to Food Banks Canada, are surprising and many :

• Shortage of full-time jobs with stable, livable wages
• Income security system that fails to protect those in need
• Lack of affordable social housing
• Lack of affordable and accessible child care

I know some of you may think that this doesn’t fit the bill. But I think there are a lot of poor and hungry people everywhere. As important as it is to think and give globally, local action is also important. So in an effort to help today, I will invite ALL OF YOU to not only get better acquainted with the reality of hunger worldwide, but to also find your closes food bank and donate a bag of groceries!

HUNGER IS EVERYWHERE!

Thank you for reading.

What will you do to help fight hunger in your city/country?

My last sign in : HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE!

Since one of our Earth Day activities is to have a electronics-free day, I will sign off until thursday.

I wish all of you a wonderful day. I look forward to reading about all the ways you celebrated!

Lets really make EVERY DAY EARTH DAY! And lets start with tomorrow as our new beginning.

Yanic

EARTH DAY - April 22, 2009

So 7 days and it will be Earth Day.

Now I know what you all are thinking : "Everyday should be Earth Day!" and I truly do agree. But to make it more official and to make an extra effort, my husband and I sat down tonight and decided on actions we would take as a couple to make the day's impact more. I thought I would share them with you.

• Now although my husband and I already are a one car household (my husband taking the car because of his crazy / pre-bus schedule) and I carpool to work everyday, we have decided that April 22nd would be a good day to cut-the-car-taking all together! My husband has decided to make Earth Day his first "Ride-my-bike-into-work" day and I have decided to walk. Now I admire my husband because for him it is a 40 kilometers (24 miles) round trip when it is only a few miles back and from work for me, but I think it will be a nice gesture and help us get back into our summer swing where we walk and bike everyday.
• We have also decided that it will be an electronics-free day : That is right! No computers, tvs, radios at all. We have decided to truly embrace the simple quiet of our home and take the time to catch up on the things that we never find time to do. My husband has been teaching me to play chess and with an evening's practice, I just MAY finally beat him! *Now keep in mind that we will still be using computers at work, we can't exactly go into work and say NO! But I figure for all the electronics that will not be working at the house for 24 hours, we will still make an impact!*
  
• We have also decided all foods eaten that day will be organic and uncooked. Raw simple foods are good for the body, mind and soul. Plus, not running ovens, microwaves, grills, etc., will lower your carbon footprint.

If I could make a suggestion : For all of you that are not vegetarians, try going without meat for Earth Day! Did you know that, according to Défi Climat 2009, eliminating 4 meals containing meats a week will reduce your carbon footprint by over 400 kg (almost 900 lbs) of CO2 a year! For a family of 4, that is almost 2 US tons a year!!!

I hope you are all going to take the time and think of things you can do to help with lowering your own carbon footprint for the day and that you will join us in trying to make a difference!

Although everyday should be Earth Day, April 22, 2009 is a great place to start!

Happy greening...


What actions will you take on Earth Day?

Turning out the lights to fight Climate Change : Earth Hour 2009

EARTH HOUR - SATURDAY 28, 2009 - 8 H 30 P.M.

"Earth Hour is a symbolic event. Turning off our lights for an hour won’t stop climate change but it does demonstrate that our individual action is important and adds up to make a big difference. More importantly, it sends a very powerful message to government and world leaders that people want policies and regulations put in place that can achieve meaningful emission reduction to help fight climate change." - www.wwf.ca

Hi everyone!

So, this is something I'm proud to be a part of this year and I invite everyone to join in! Last year, 30 countries participated and over 150 coties across the globe signed up. In Canada alone, 10 million people turned off their lights in a planetary stand, sending a message to everyone that Climate Change and Global warming is something we all play a part in and have to work to overturn.

IT'S JUST ONE HOUR!

At 8 h 30 p.m., turn off the light and light some candles. What are we doing? My friends and I are coming together at my house and having a chess tournament by candle light... I have a feeling it may last longer than an hour for us! LOL!
What will you do?

SIGN UP!

In Canada, you stand a chance to win a Trip for 2 to Chruchill Manitoba to go visit the Polar Bears. Did you know that only 25,000 polar bears are left on earth? Multiple countries are banning together to try and finally put them on the endangered list. Here is a wrap up of the effects of global warming on the polar bear population according to Nature Canada :

"Global warming is melting the polar ice caps, robbing polar bears of the ice floes they need to hunt prey. As the annual sea ice melts, polar bears are forced ashore to spend their summers fasting. If the Arctic ice cap continues to melt sooner and form later, polar bears will become too thin to reproduce and they will become extinct by the end of this century.

The polar bear's home – the Arctic – is experiencing the effects of global warming more than any other place. Temperatures in the Arctic are rising at almost twice the rate of that of the rest of the world, and this is threatening to place the entire Arctic ecosystem in jeopardy.

Arctic sea ice is shrinking by what appears to be a greater rate every year – sea ice that not only provides hunting ground for polar bears, but shelter and transportation for seals, walrus, arctic foxes, and the Inuit people. The underside provides a surface for algae that support cod, char, beluga, and narwhal. The white sea ice also has a cooling effect on climate by reflecting light away from Earth's surface. As it melts, the global warming advances even more quickly. "

SO PLEASE TAKE A STAND WITH US!
Share with me your thoughts and ideas and please join us on satruday night!