Tractor Canada - Join the Convoy

Join the CONVOY to Stop the Melancthon Mega Quarry.

Professor John Varty is crossing Canada by tractor, sponsored by Massey Ferguson, to research the state of our country’s farms.

Live music and free farmer’s potluck dinner to celebrate.

Bring Tractors of all colours, ages & sizes; horses & ponies, too.

Starting from Primrose, north on Hwy 124, ending at the Wallace farm - #625007 15 Sideroad, near the proposed Mega
Quarry site

For details - info@ndact.com & www.facebook.com/no.mega.quarry

Albion Hills Community Farm (AHCF)

By Shelly Sargent

Barb Imrie & Karen Hutchinson are beaming these days, & with good reason. A project they’ve been heavily involved with for over two years – to start a Community Farm in Caledon - has come to fruition & will soon be offering the community educational programming that is centred on local food & sustainable farming practices. On May 7th, members of the farm’s advisory board, a group of volunteers, representatives from the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) & local dignitaries, gathered at the farm for an outdoor “work bee” & the Official Launch of the AHCF.

The TRCA has entered into a long term lease agreement with the Albion Hills Community Farm (AHCF) to farm approximately 76 acres of TRCA agricultural lands within the Albion Hills Conservation Area, just south of Palgrave. In partnership with TRCA, the AHCF will contribute towards a sustainable & accessible local food system by aligning food, farming, community, heritage, education & conservation.

The Albion Hills Community Farm & Learning Centre is a new model of what demonstration farms will be in the future. It includes food production, education (for youth, new & existing farmers & the public), community gardens, and the development of a food & farming hub & a Centre for Near-Urban Agriculture. The AHCF will marry the concepts of charitable learning with social enterprise to support program delivery.

Planting on site started with garlic in the fall of 2010, when field centre students planted garlic at AHCF. This initial planting is expected to produce between 10,000 & 12,000 cloves by the summer. This is something that excites Barb Imrie.

“This means there will be local garlic that’s near & local & nutritious,” she points out, going on to explain “At the moment, almost all of the garlic we eat in Ontario comes from China.”

Barb’s concern about this – shared by many - is two-fold: first, buying locally grown food stimulates he local economy & reduces the need for oil-guzzling transportation methods to get it here; second, China has been under the microscope numerous times for its questionable health & safety practices. Buying from a reputable local grower eliminates that concern & makes much more sense on both levels.
One of only two similar farming projects in Canada, the Albion Hills Community Farm will involve the community in educational programming around local food & sustainable farming practices. It has the potential to provide food for up to 48,000 meals for the two on-site education centres, based on season & availability. This food will help fulfill a TRCA local food policy which stipulates that by 2012 forty percent of the food TRCA serves will be grown or produced in Ontario. Produce will also be available to the community via gate sales, farmer’s markets & a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

In years past, students at the Albion Hills Conservation Area field centres offered an agriculture education option as part of their experience at the centres, but in November 2008 the AHCA’s original farm’s dairy operation discontinued & that option was no longer available. Thanks to the AHCF, this option is expected to be available again beginning in the fall of 2011. In addition, local children & youth involved in 4-H programs, summer camps & the AHCF HAYville program will also be offered the food & farming experience.

The Town of Caledon is the perfect spot for a project like AHCF. The Town is well recognized for innovative thinking & environmental excellence & has a strong agriculture base. In recent years, Caledon has become well known for its local food & farming work through the programs of the Caledon Countryside Alliance & Eat Local Caledon. Schools, local businesses, farmers, culinary destinations, local community groups & residents have all worked to develop a better system.

Further, Caledon Mayor Marolyn Morrison has been the driving force behind the Greater Toronto Countryside Mayor’s Alliance, an organization that’s been at the forefront of developing a voice & pushing for greater economic viability for the countryside. With support from the Town of Caledon, the community & the Toronto Region Conservation, Caledon is poised to be a perfect location for a Centre for Sustainable Near-Urban Agriculture & to develop a rural based Food & Farming Hub or a Community Food & Farming Centre. Both of these are new concepts & demonstrate the farm’s potential to help lead the repowering of the local food & farm system in Ontario.

If you’d like more information about the Albion Hills Community Farm, contact Barb Imrie at buckstownbeanscoffee@rogers.com.

AHCF Timeline & Progress to date:

 May 2009: TRCA issued a Request for Proposals to lease Albion Hills parcels (including the former dairy farm) for land uses, compatible with their policy mandate of Sustainable Near Urban Agriculture;
 August 2009: Caledon residents & organization were awarded the right to lease farm’
 February 2010: Albion Hills Community Farm (AHCF) was formed & incorporated as a charitable non-profit. An Executive Board of Directors (4) with Board members from the Caledon Countryside Alliance, Palgrave Environment Committee, Peel 4-H & Everdale Environmental Learning Centre was created;
 2009/2010: A strategic vision & plan, a fundraising plan & organizational infrastructure were all developed;
 2010: AHCF began an active fundraising campaign
 November 1, 2010: Formal lease signed after AHCF negotiated with TRCA to lease the main farm & three additional parcels
 May 7, 2011: AHCF Official Launch & work bee.

Green T and Credit Valley Conservation Team Up Again!

Talk about exciting fall events...

You won’t want to miss the Sept 28th Green T environmental speakers’ night! For the 2nd year in a row, Green T & Credit Valley Conservation have teamed up to bring a special speakers evening. The venue is the beautiful SGI Caledon Centre just north of Alton. This is a beautiful location any time of year, but at its prime in autumn, and we are fortunate to be able to visit at this time!

Guest speakers on this special night will include climate change expert and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Don MacIver and artist and award-winning author Franke James. And Franke is bound to have some copies of her infamous book Bothered by my Green Conscience with her. A poster is attached. Reserve your seat early; the last time we were in this venue we filled 126 seats.

You’ll even get an opportunity to meet Stacey Fokas, and grab an autographed copy of her just-released book "freshalicious" (eat fresh, eat local, eat healthy).

Last but not least - we’ll have on hand a limited number of our brand new fab-design Green T shirts. This new shirt, adorned with a trendy “word-cloud”, is 100% certified organic cotton and Canadian-made and Caledon-purchased.

The best news is that it’s free with your purchase of a 2011 Green T membership, as long as supplies last.

To guarantee your free shirt with membership mail your $30 membership fee in now to 209 Foundry Street, Bolton, ON L7E2P7 – payable to “Green TEA”. Or you can pay conveniently online at http://www.greentcaledon.ca/join.html Pay your 2011 membership, in either fashion, and we’ll have a shirt waiting for you on Sept 28th.

DATE: TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 28th at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30)

VENUE:
SGI Canada Caledon Centre for Culture and Education
20490 Porterfield Rd (Cty Rd 136), Alton

Looking forward to seeing you for an awesome Green T night – don’t miss it!!

Overseeding with clover

by Shelly Sargent

It's been a while since we posted here on the blog, and we really do apologise. It's been a hectic early summer for all of us thus far and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon! When casting about for blog topics, I wanted to keep things seasonal, and realised that all I had to do was look outside my window to find a great topic!

Remember this spring - when we were over run by a sea of dandilions? If course, all of us greenies are thoroughly delighted that Ontario has banned pesticides and herbicides. But though this is good news for organic gardeners and great for the environment, it does means that the green manicured lawns of the past are much more difficult (and expensive) to maintain. This is particularly true for those of us who live on larger lots or rural properties with large areas of lawn.

Since xeriscaping (removing lawn and replacing it with drought tolerant plantings and mulch, etc.) didn't seem to be the perfect fit for our situation like it was for some of my friends, I decided to look at other solutions. Now I am a hap-hazard lawn doctor at best: I've never been consistent with fertilizer, and have always hated chemicals (even before it was cool to hate them) - refusing to use them. When we lived in the city, this always meant we'd have a few weeds, but neighbours who sprayed usually kept the weed population at bay. Once we moved to a larger rural property in Caledon, I realized I'd have to get serious about weed management.

A few years ago, I was talking to a neighbour about the encroachment of dandilions and other lawn weeds. This gentleman is one of those people who seems to know a bit about everything and he suggested that I over-seed the larger areas of my lawn with white dutch clover, noting that it is a low growing, mannerly plant that spreads well, and discourages many of the undesireables. It mows like grass, mingles politely with existing grass and looks and smells wonderful in the blooming season.

I liked the idea, particularly when I realized that the bees would also love the clover. Since I knew that bees are the primary source for pollination in any garden and that they need all the support mankind can give them to help bring them back, I figured this could be my small way to help out. So off I went to the local farm supply, told him what I was doing and why and came home with a bag of clover seed.

In retrospect, I likely should have read up on how to sow the seed and when, but I just hand-broadcast the seed onto our lower lawn in mid-June and sat back to see what would happen. Truthfully, in the first year, we had a few patches of clover - which looked a bit messy - and that's about it. It is now the third summer since we over-seeded, and I'm now truly starting to see why a clover lawn is a great thing.

Not only is a clover lawn easy to care for, since it doesn't grow as tall as grass (less mowing), but it is also a natural food for my lawn. Apparently clover used to be a fairly standard addition to most grass seed mixtures because it grew well where soil conditions wouldn't support grass alone. A little online research has also determined that clover (which is a legume, by the way) stores atmospheric nitrogen in little white "nodules" on its roots. When annual clover dies, that nitrogen is released as natural plant food - hey presto: it automatically nourishes your lawn! Nifty! I like anything that saves me a step!

The other day, my dad and I sat on lawn chairs in a sea of white clover, breathing in that sweet, clean smell of clover in bloom and watching the bees busily going about their work amongst the pretty little white flowers, and I realized that all things considered, I'm very happy with my clover/grass lawn. It is very much a work in progress, and I'm still learning how to care for and maintain it. But I really like the way things are heading!

Easy to care for, anti-chemical, supports bees and pollination, resilient and attractive (even with a bunch of kids and a dog running all over it)... to me, clover is the perfect lawn!

Life Lessons and Learning to Love Worms

Tuesday, June 1st, Green T Environmental Speaker's Night
If you have a couple of hours on June 1st, I hope you'll join Green T at our final Speaker's night before the summer break. It is going to be an exceptional evening - one you won't want to miss.

Our first speaker of the evening will be Cathy Nesbitt – worm advocate and
founder of Cathy’s Crawly Composters. Cathy believes that the solution to the garbage crisis is actually several solutions, and one of those solutions is vermicomposting. In her presentation, Cathy will help us discover how to convert organic matter into nature’s finest soil amendment as we find out how red wiggler worms benefit the environment.

Cathy’s engaging presentation will include a 15-minute session for members in the audience who’d like to make their own mini worm kit. Children are welcome to join us for this speaker's night, but please be aware that there is a modest $5.00 fee to participate in the childrens’ take-home mini worm kit portion of Cathy’s presentation. This presentation is sure to inspire all kids - from 4-94.

Up next is Damian MacSeáin – born in Wawa, and raised in Peel, Damian MacSeáin is the son of Irish immigrants. Together with his Aboriginal wife and children, Damian ventured north to his wife’s fly-in James Bay Cree community, a place where timeless traditions and modern development meet head on. What could this possibly have to do with our GTA lifestyle? Everything! “Life Lessons from the North: A Year in Peetabeck” uses pictures and stories to communicate
Damian’s “Top Ten Take-aways” from his amazing year-long adventure

So mark the date:
Tuesday June 1, 2010
from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
at the Albion Bolton Union Community Centre (ABUCC)
150 Queen Street South, Bolton (auditorium, second floor).

Admission is $5.00 per person
Seniors, students, and Green T members are admitted free.

As always, light refreshments will be served:
Fair trade coffee from Palgrave’s Buckstown Beans
organic teas from Caledon East’s Tea Boutique
Plus: tempting tidbits from Bolton’s Soup du Jour.

We encourage all attendee's to register in advance- so we have enough tempting tidbits, :) and as always - please BYOM (Bring Your Own Mug).

RSVP: Patti Foley (905) 951-0625 patti@greentcaledon.ca

Green T would like to thank the Caledon Public Library for their support in sponsoring this event.

Caledon's Spring Clean Up Day

by Shelly Sargent

The beginning of May is arguably one of the most beautiful times of year... it is warmed by sunshine and everywhere you look is another reminder of spring -tender buds, fresh growth, fragrant blooms, garbage...

GARBAGE? Yep - lots of it. Its caught in shrubs and fences, laying on the side of the road and blowing in the spring breezes. The sad reality is that during the wild and woolly winds of our Canadian fall and winter, a lot of trash gets sent flying out of unsecured blue boxes & trash cans or whipped out of frozen fingers in parking lots. Add to that the mountain of junk that gets tossed out of vehicle windows by those who can't wait that 20 minutes to get home and throw their burger wrapper in the garbage and you've got the makings of a nasty mess on the roadside come the spring thaw.

Of course we all shake our heads and mutter "tsk tsk" as we drive by, but a better way to respond is to help do something about it! And each year, hundreds of volunteers in Caledon do just that! Many residents do a roadside clean up individually, as a family or with their schools. Its quite common to see a lone individual armed with gloves and a garbage bag, combing the side of the road for refuse. Here' s a virtual high five to anyone who's ever done this!

Caledon has a few annual community clean up days, and on Saturday, May 1st, Green T will be assisting with one of them. The annual Community Clean-Up Day is sponsored by Tim Hortons, the Town of Caledon and the Caledon Chamber of Commerce. Green T members are encouraged to join in with organizers & volunteers from the community as we all head out to do our bit!

Registration is at 9:30 a.m. at the Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness – the first 200 will receive free T-shirt and gloves. Then we’ll go out in teams to do our collecting, returning to the Wellness Centre at noon for a free volunteer appreciation BBQ.

I have heard that students can claim this volunteer towards their community service hours, so bring the kids too!

I've sent out an email to councillors and Caledon community groups/residents associations in other areas of Caledon to see if there will be other clean up days taking place. As I get any new information, I'll share it with a new blog entry!

See you on the roadside! :)

Note:
Jim Hope of the Valleywood Residents Association sent us the info that Valleywood will be having its Cleanup Day on May 29 this year to clear the park and flower beds around the park, the library and the fire hall. This is an annual event and the garden club and Valleywood residents all pitch in to help as well as cleaning their own yards of waste and trash. He tells us the details should be on their website sometime in the coming week, so if you want more info, visit http://www.valleywood.ca/

Greening Your Laundry Can Save You Green (and your health)

Spotted a great article on how to green your laundry at:
www.care2.com/greenliving/clean-clothes-happier-planet.html

Water, water.....but not everywhere?

Wondering about just how scarce the supply of fresh water might actually be?
Check this out: http://geezeronline.blogspot.com/2010/04/raise-glass-to-future.html

For the joy of it...

by Shelly Sargent

It would be so easy to get hung up on the serious side of recycling and being environmentally responsible, and no question - it is a serious issue. But there are thousands of ways to embrace environmental responsibility while being lighthearted and creative, and every once in a while its good to remind ourselves of that.

Here is a link to a blog that does just that: http://www.annwood.net/blog/
Forwarded to me by a friend, this blog does not feature a local Caledon story, but it is a wonderful example of what I'm talking about. Ann Wood is an artist living in Brooklyn, NY. She creates using vintage items as her inspiration and her material. In her own words:

"I make things, paint, and draw for my life and livelihood. I work with mostly found, and salvaged materials, many of them vintage or antique garments. There is a kind of affection and tenderness in the re-use and re-purposing of things that were once personal and perhaps treasured possessions."

Just wanted to share some of this talented artist's creations with you! If anyone knows of local artisans doing similar joyful projects using recycled and repurposed items, please let me know (Shelly - rsargent@sympatico.ca)! We'd love to feature their work here!

The "Cost" of a Drink of Water

by Shelly Sargent

After a while, most of us become comfortable with the "basics" of living a responsible green life. We get good at recycling and composting, simplify our lives, buy products that won't harm the environment. We avoid over-packaged goods, recharge our batteries, walk as much as possible, wash in cold, dry on the line and switch to eco-friendly light bulbs.

It may take some time, but sooner or later, we end up having done most of the simple things that are available to us and start looking around for new "eco-mountains" to climb.

And I suppose that is why - lately - I find myself pouring over "green" websites. I've been looking for new (and easy) green initiatives to put into practice. As I find them, I'll try to remember to share here - it is nice to find out about simple actions which will reduce our energy footprints. It's even better to find out WHY these thing are better for the environment.

In my recent "virtual" travels, I found some every interesting pieces of information that made me re-think the way I go about getting a cold glass of water. We all know bottled water is bad news (using as much as 2000 times the energy to produce as tapwater does, according to ScienceMag.com). So we all agree that we should drink plain old tap water. But did you know there are a multitude of ways to get yourself a simple glass of water, some of which are way better for the environment than others?

The question is - should you run the tap until the water is cold before you fill your glass, or fill your glass with "room temperature" tap water then dropin a couple of ice cubes from the freezer? Or should we simply keep a container of cold water in the fridge, ready for drinking whenever we need it.

Of course we know that that all three methods have an "eco-cost" (pretty much everything does). Tap water must be treated, pumped and stored - all things that use energy. And making the water nice and cold means we have to find a way to cool it. Refrigeration uses power, freezers use even more. So running the tap to make water cold is the best way, right? WRONG!

But I was a bit surprised to find out that - of all the options above - running the tap is apparently the worst waste of energy and the pitcher of water in the fridge wins out over the other options.

Remember mom yelling "Shut the fridge door before you let all the cold out!" ? She was right. Refrigerators waste energy every time the fridge door is opened and cold "escapes" to be replaced with warmer room air. The longer the door is open, the more energy it takes to get the fridge cold again. They say that each time the fridge door is opened for a few seconds, up to 1.4 watts of electricity is used. Freezers use just about double that amount (about 2.8 watts of electricity) when the door is opened. Running the tap to get to cold water wastes water AND wastes the energy used to treat, pump, and deliver it. It is estimated that for each gallon of water running out of your kitchen tap, you "spend" about 1.5 watts of power. It doesn't take long to run a couple of gallons of water to "get to the cool stuff".

So on that level alone, keeping a pitcher of water in the fridge is the most energy efficient option of the three. But there is also a "bonus" reason: a fridge full of cold foods and drinks maintains its internal temperature easier than an empty fridge. So that large container of cold water helps do the job!

So there you have it... the eco-friendly way to have a drink... and a few of the reasons why!

Sources: Blueegg.com & ScienceMag.com

Alphabet of Ideas for Going Greener by Patti Foley

Alternatives - consider an alternative to your traditional grass lawn
Buy less and focus on reusable and refillable products
Cloth bags
Detox your house, one project at a time
Eat local and support local farms and businesses
Fair Trade coffee, tea and chocolate
Garden without herbicides and pesticides
Hybrid vehicles - consider one for your next vehicle purchase
Impact - offset the negative impact of long-distance travel by purchasing carbon offsets
Join and support environmental groups that are working to help folks green their lives
Keep pressure on manufacturers to create greener products, designs and packaging
Legs - walking and cycling saves energy and uses up calories, talk about a win/win situation
Make a vow to put out less weekly garbage – reduce, reuse, recycle and compost
Newspapers - consider cancelling subscriptions and reading them online instead
Opt for environmentally friendly cleaning products or make your own
Print only when it's necessary; use the draft setting & print 2-sided if possible
Quit thinking it's too late
Replace conventional bulbs with compact fluorescents
Switch to renewable energy sources for your home if you can – solar is a great example
Travellers coffee mug - so you can "just say no" to the take-out ones with the plastic lids
Use old stuff in new ways to extend its useful life and keep it out of the landfill
Volunteer your time with an environmental group or project
Water - stainless steel bottles are a great option for bringing it with you
Xtremely proud - how your children & grandchildren will feel when they look back at your efforts
YOU are the difference you want to see in the world; use your power of choice
Zinio.com - a pretty cool idea, check it out

Inquiring minds want to know....January 2010

Wondering which electronics manufacturers have greener policies and methods? This month GreenPeace released their updated Guide to Greener Electronics which ranks the top 18 manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs, and game consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change.

Wondering if your cereal box liner is really made from wax paper?
Read The Truth about my Cereal Box Liner

Wondering what cartoon I think (sadly) says it all about the climate change debate?
Have a look at: The Climate Change Debate in a Nutshell

Wondering where to go on your next vacation?
MNN has released a their photo list 10 Places to see before they Vanish

What are you wondering?

Patti Foley
patti@greentcaledon.ca

Recycling Realities In Peel

At our November 26th speaker's series, the evening started off with a presentation by Carly Ducharme from Waste Management with the Region of Peel. Carly took some time and showed the audience exactly what can (and cannot) be recycled in Peel Region.

In addition to being and helpful informative, Carly's presentation was also a real eye opener for many present and brought home some of the not so happy realities of the recycling industry. For example, Peel's curbside recycling program currently collects a variety of commonly recycled materials, but area residents sometimes wonder why additional materials are not eligible.

There are a few main reasons why materials are not collected at the curb for recycling.

1. Volume or size - In order for it to be cost effective to collect a material for recycling, the item needs to be of a large enough size and of sufficient volume that the recycling facility is able to efficiently and economically sort, store, and market the material. That means smallish items like single serving yogurt or applesauce cups are not recyclable, nor are drinking straws. Similarly, the lids of aerosol cans, pop or water bottles should be thrown away, not placed in your recycle bin - they are too small.

2. Contamination - if an item has been used for food and cannot be washed clean, or if it is a "composite" material (ie: made with two or more items that cannot be easily separated) it cannot be recycled. Wax coated paper cups are a good example of this.

3. It is unfortunate that some common items that could be recycled are not made with consistent ingredients, and therefore are excluded from the recycling process. This means that items like the clear "clamshell-style" containers often used for strawberries or salad greens are not recyclable in Peel.

4. Small pieces of paper such as those from a paper shredder cannot be recycled either, due to the difficulty of bundling them. However, they can be used in layers in the compost bin.

Carly suggested that everyone take the time to visit the Peel Region website (http://www.peelregion.ca/pw/waste/garb-recy/2009-brochure/pdfs/recycling-guide.pdf) and read the recycling guide in detail; an excellent idea as many in the audience were very surprised to realize what could and could not be recycled.

At the end of the day, we left the presentation feeling that curbside recycling is a great way to reduce landfill and while much more advanced than when it first started it still has a long way to go.

We're Soaking In It...

On Wednesday, October 28th, an audience of over 125 Green T members and other local residents joined Green T and Credit Valley Conservation at the beautiful SGI Caledon Centre as we co-presented "Slow Death by Rubber Duck", a talk by prominent Canadian environmentalist and author Rick Smith.

The evening opened with a short presentation by Aviva Patel, Terrestrial Specialist at Credit Valley Conservation who spoke about Natural Heritage Systems and their vital role in providing us with services that sustain life.

Then Rick Smith took the floor. Smith, who is also the Executive Director of Environmental Defence Canada, spoke to an attentive audience for over 40 minutes on the subject of environmental toxins in our environment, then stayed behind for an additional quarter hour or so, answering questions and signing books.

It's no secret that our planet is struggling under a load of toxic pollution from vehicles, smokestacks and garbage. We hear about it every day, we see it ourselves when we drive in the city. But there is another type of pollution taking place on planet earth... it's chemical, it's everywhere, and - the thrust of Smith's talk - we're literally soaking in it.

Smith's talk centred around the book he co-authored with Bruce Lourie called "Slow Death By Rubber Duck". In the book, the pair use humour, plain language and tests they devised and implemented on themselves to illustrate the extent to which we are being quietly poisoned every day of our lives by everyday items like plastic, cosmetics and lawn care items.

In particular, they isolated what they called the 7 Deadly Syn-thetics:

1. Phalates - the things that help aromatic items carry scent more efficiently;
   
2. PFC - Non-stick coatings like Teflon that off-gas at high heats;
   
3. PBDE - a fire retardant which bioaccumulates in blood, breast milk, and fat tissues;
   
4. Mercury - found in large quantity in large, long lived fish like tuna;
   
5. Triclosan - a synthetic, broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent that can cause everything from skin irritation, allergy susceptibility and dioxin contamination to the destruction of fragile aquatic ecosystems;
   
6. Pesticides - now banned in Ontario, these chemicals kept our grass green for decades, but at what cost?
   
7. Biphenol A - a pollutant once commonly found in many products (such as baby bottles) that can mess with human hormone balance, and is particularly nasty when heated up.

Powerful & compelling stuff... and some of it was truly frightening. An evening that could have been distressing and depressing, to be sure. But Smith's primary message is ultimately an upbeat one - small changes can make big differences. His secondary message is clear and urgent... these chemicals will be with us for a long time, sitting in our blood and the blood of our children. Lets clean up our act now - and help ensure a healthier life for future generations.

Smith's book is a compelling read and a must have on any home bookshelf. It is available at fine bookstores everywhere (and of course we like Forster's Bookgarden in Bolton and BookLore in Orangeville). If you prefer to order online visit SlowDeathByRubberDuck.com , Amazon.ca , Chapters.Indigo.ca or http://www.randomhouse.ca

Our Town - Sustainable by Design

On September 17th, a crowd of almost 80 people gathered at the Caledon Community Centre in Caledon East to hear an open forum Green T Speaker’s Series entitled “Your Town: Sustainable by Design”. It was an exceptional evening - at once entertaining and educational, and we've received much positive feedback about it already!

After opening comments by Green T’s founder Patti Foley, Caledon’s Mayor Marolyn Morrison spoke briefly to the crowd about the Towns’ commitment to Green initiatives before introducing the evening’s moderator - Caledon writer and Alternatives Journal editor Nicola Ross. Nicola then led the Crandall’s and the audience in a question-based discussion that was insightful, entertaining and at times, very touching. The discussion covered a variety of topics, investigating what makes a community work and grow, what makes Caledon special and what are some ways we can assure our town’s sustainability.

The Crandall’s (three sisters from a family of five) have lived in Caledon all their lives and, through each of their own area’s of expertise, are uniquely qualified to discuss the various ways to assure the Town’s sustainability. Debbe – a member of the STORM Coalition (Save The Oak Ridges Moraine) since 1990 and its Executive Director since 1999 - is an environmental activist. She spoke at some length about the concept of thinking globally but acting locally. Sarah, a nurse by profession, is a philanthropist and likes to put her resources to good use in support of Canadian Whale Institute, as well as countless worthy local projects. Sheilagh, a gardener and person of the Earth (co-owner of MsPlants) rounded out the panel and brought her own brand of wit and warmth to the conversation.

One question that Nicola posed to the audience early in the evening (“What makes Caledon special to you?”) had me thinking about my experiences since moving here 6 years ago. The assembled crowd spoke of many reasons for loving Caledon – the trails, the diversity, the unique physical traits of the area... but for me, it is something else that makes the area so special…

My husband and I moved here to raise our two children in a clean, green, rural environment - free of the tangle and crush of big city life. Within days of our arrival, we went shopping for groceries for the first time, and it was then that we realized we had moved from a house to a community. The other shoppers chatted to us as we moved among the aisles. The cashiers at the grocery store spoke to us like neighbours, smiling at our kids and offering to have someone help carry the heavy items to the car! But I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when I realized each and every shopper was taking their cart back to the designated cart area – without prompting. To me – that is what is so special about Caledon. To think that - in a community that is a unique hybrid of founding families, escapee’s from the city, farmers, artists, professionals and blue collar workers – we had stumbled upon a little enclave of old-fashioned community values we’d both been raised with – but had thought lost forever.

I sat at the back of the room and listened as Nicola led the sisters through the evening’s discussion. I was struck by the shared history in the room. In addition to the panel on stage, a quick survey of the audience showed a current Mayor, a former Mayor, a councillor, at least one farmer, several community leaders, a few green neophytes, some very talented local writers, performers and artists, a few business professionals, some activists and more.

Each sister in her own way (and indeed, Nicola Ross herself), had a connection with this diverse group of people, and has enriched the lives of dozens of others. Their contributions – and the contributions of many of the people who made up the audience – are what serves to make Caledon a better place to live, work and play. The combined knowledge and passion of the panel and the audience -as well as their enthusiasm and commitment when it comes to teaching the next generation to respect the land and honour the people – will be what makes Caledon a sustainable community in years to come.

COMING UP:

In the next few weeks, Green T will be VERY, VERY busy! Here's a snapshot of what the first few weeks of fall looks like for us:

• Saturday and Sunday, September 26 & 27 - visit our booth at the Bolton Fall Fair - we'll be there for the whole weekend - top of Bolton's south hill!
  
• Saturday, October 3rd - be sure to visit the Green T booth at Caledon Day. Taking place at the Caledon Town Hall grounds, Old Church Road in Caledon East!
  
• Thursday, October 8th - We'll be on site from 3-8pm for the last Caledon Farmer's Market of the 2009 Season, with activities, facepainting and information.

Later on in October, we have a very special version of the Speaking Green Speaker's Series planned... keep watching the blog and the website for details!

New Board Members, busy fall season

Hello, Green T members and eco-enthusiasts! I’m Shelly Sargent and – along with Amanda Squire - I am one of two newly appointed Green T Board Members. And when I say newly appointed, I am not exaggerating... as I began writing this blog entry, it was less than 3 hours after Amanda & I had been confirmed as Board Members. I suspect that I can safely speak for Amanda as well, when I say we are thrilled to be part of Green T, and can’t wait to get cracking!

One of the area’s I’ve volunteered to help out with is writing blog updates, and since I came home tonight full of enthusiasm, I thought I might as well get an early start.

I believe that I am like many of the people who live in the area, in that I have great “eco” intentions, and a building desire to learn more about being a responsible inhabitant and steward of our planet. Having said that, I think it’s also safe to say my good intentions lag behind my knowledge by a good bit – I am still exploring and finding ways to incorporate what I learn into my family’s lifestyle.

Organizations such as Green T are vitally important in the ongoing eco-education of a community… committed to raising awareness of environmental issues and initiatives, these groups assist the average person in putting this new knowledge to good use in simple and effective ways. That is one of the reasons that I have loved the idea of Green T from day one.

Green T is looking forward to a busy fall season and we hope you'll join us as we kick things off on September 17th when we host another Speaker’s Series at the Caledon Community Complex in Caledon East. Join us for Your Town: Sustainable by Design with guest panel, the Crandall sisters (Debbe, Sarah and Sheilagh), moderator Nicola Ross from Alternatives Journal, and Caledon Mayor Marolyn Morrison on hand to introduce the evenings's speakers.

Following that, Green T will be front and centre with booths at the Bolton Fall Fair (Sept 26-27), Caledon Day (Oct.3) and at the Bolton Farmer’s Market (Oct. 8). If you are interested in finding out more about any of these events or any of the other Green T events taking place this fall and winter, stay tuned to our website at www.greentcaledon.ca or, better yet, make sure you're on our Green Thoughts monthly newsletter list.

Eco-yoga?

Popular yoga master Neal Arbic volunteered his morning on Saturday August 8th to lead a yoga class as a fundraiser for Green T Environmental Awareness. Surrounded by lovely old trees the ladies spread their mats in the lush green grass at Dicks Dam Park in Bolton and stretched away their stress. A big Green T thank-you goes out to Neal for his thoughtfulness and generosity.

Getting it

An impromptu long weekend pit-stop for pizza had me thinking about greenwashing in a big way. The store proudly announced on their take-out box that it was mostly made from re-cycled paper and bragged about how many trees they were saving by making this choice. Sadly, the same store offered zero options for recycling the pop cans or plastic water bottles that they sold along with their "greenly-boxed" pizzas. Any drink containers would have to go straight into their single garbage bin - or, as in our case, be toted home for appropriate disposal. Irritating, to say the least - and raises the question - do busnesses really "get it"?

Proactive Environmental Responsibility

The June 17th Green TEA Speakers Night (recently dubbed "Speaking Green") was a bit longer than our usual format but it was also an eye-opener and well worth the extra 45 minutes according to guests I spoke with at the end.

Lee Norton shared his presentation "The Climate Disruption", an update on stats covered in Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth - and the truth is.....we need to act and maybe faster than we thought. Lee left me feeling even more committed to making a difference.

Jennifer Wright spoke from the heart about why she started GreenShift, her green consulting firm. And left many of us inspired to talk to our employers about "shifting" in the green direction. Jennifer gave us hope. You can have a look at their consulting services and products at http://www.greenshift.ca/

And Ryan Fabi, Director of Environment Health and Safety at Bolton's Husky Injection Molding, gave us........even more hope. Now you have to admit that in these times plastic is not everyone's favourite word........but, as consumers, we've given it huge support in our marketplace, or, of course, it wouldn't exist. Yet, as a supplier of injection molding systems to the plastics industry, Husky has recognized it's environmental impact and implemented an array of programs, supplier requirements, and best practices to ensure that they are doing all they can to be environmentally responsible and negate, wherever possible, their own carbon footprint.

"Proactive Environmental Responsibility" ........Husky has made it their core value.....GreenShift is helping companies and residents live up to it......Lee Norton showed us what will happen if we don't..........

Skin Deep

At our April environmental speakers' night, as well as at our first "Kitchen Cosmetics" workshop, we spent time discussing the chemicals that are so pervasive in cosmetics and skin care products. The cosmetics database on the website Skin Deep, a project of the Environmental Working Group, came up a few times. One of Green TEA's Board members Rosemarie DuPont wrote us about her thoughts on the these fab websites and submitted them to us below........

About two years ago I was googling for a bit of research for an article I was writing and I hit upon this website http://www.ewg.org/ . The Environmental Working Group is a well organized and informative collective that seem to have a fair amount of clout in the United States. This Group has developed a Skin Deep Database http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ that informs the public on the toxicity levels in make-up, hair products, eye care, baby care, etc. It was an eye opening experience for me and I am now very careful and at the very least aware of what I potentially purchase.

In the Health/Toxics section of this website there is a subtitle called Our Food. It is here that you will find the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides. After reading all of the information about the pesticide levels and the number of pesticides that are sprayed on North American fruits and vegetables, I have switched to buying organic when I shop.

………..and if that isn’t enough information for you, here is another website that is very well written, with a whole lot of pertinent info on current products that are in the news: http://www.enviroblog.com/ There was a recent article on BPA’s that shocked me called “Thank you for buying our toxic plastic”.

I suppose there is a fine line on how much “stuff” a person can cram into their brain on what not to eat, what not to buy…….but I have come back to these sites time and again for solid insight into today’s marketplace, and am grateful that there are a lot of people out there that take the time and energy to keep the rest of us informed.

Note: Green T Environmental Awareness has launched a new program called Saving Face. The goal of the program is to help women make knowledgeable decisions about their skin care and cosmetic purchases and to teach basic skills in creating their own products with natural ingredients through our Kitchen Cosmetics workshop series. To register for an upcoming workshop contact Patti Foley at 905-951-0625 or email patti@greentcaledon.ca