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