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Yard Work and Air Pollution |
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| With the days getting longer, many homeowners’ thoughts turn to the work that waits in their yards. Many people associate air pollution with cars, airplanes, energy-producing facilities, and other large fuel consumers. The small engines used in lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, chain saws, and leaf blo... |
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Composting |
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Compost is produced when organic matter, such as kitchen and lawn waste, is broken down by microorganisms.
As much as 50% of the waste produced by North Americans consists of organic material which can be composted. Approximately one third of the garbage in landfills is made up of ... |
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Paper Conservation: End Junk Mail |
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Unopened mail creates a lot of waste. In fact, a recent Canadian Marketing Study quoted in the Flyer Distribution Standards Association newsletter suggests that:
• 67% of Canadians are not interested in the flyers and advertising that comes in the mail
• 25... |
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Water Conservation |
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| When temperatures get warmer, people have a tendency to increase their water consumption for activities such as watering lawns and gardens and washing the car. Making an effort to break any water-wasting habits now will pay off in the summer. And it’s easier to reduce your water consumption than y... |
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Green Eating Choices |
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| It is easy to derive pleasure from a delicious meal; however, it is also easy to forget about the environmental consequences of our food choices. Commercial agriculture, for example, contributes to air and water pollution, as well as habitat degradation. Furthermore, the use of pesticides and anti... |
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Recycling |
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It is alarming to see the amount of waste entering our landfills increasing at such a high rate. Recycling is an excellent way to reduce the amount of waste cluttering landfills.
Most people are aware that paper, glass bottles, plastic bottles, and cans are recyclable, but there are ... |
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Greening Your Winter Heating Part 2 |
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| 1. Hot water: Water heating is the third largest energy expense in an average home, typically accounting for about 13% of your utility bill. There are four ways to cut your water heating bills: use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water heater, insulate your water heater, or b... |
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Sleeping Green |
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| Get a better nights sleep knowing that your efforts are greening the world. Start with your sleep. Many adults sleep at least six hours per day. People however rarely stop to think about the environmental hazards lurking in the majority of bedrooms. This green tip examines ways to green your be... |
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Greening Your Winter Heating: Part I |
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Around the world we spend mega-billions every year on home heating. This year be sure to green your winter heating by following some of these helpful tips:
1. Seal the leaks: All you need is a tube of exterior silicone caulk or insulation strips, which you can take to your win... |
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Standby Power |
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Call it what you will: phantom load, idle current, vampire power, wall wart; they're all euphemisms for the way devices use and waste electricity when they aren't even on, and they're everywhere.
Researchers estimate that phantom loads (standby power) account for 2-8% of total househ... |
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How to avoid Buying Greenwashed Products |
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"Green-wash" (verb) - the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. Before you buy, be sure to ask yourself these questions:
1) What type of environmental claim is being made?
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Greening Coffee and Tea PT. 2 |
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6. Loosen Up
Tea bags and coffee filters can be useful but are mostly unnecessary. Great coffee can be made at home with a reusable filter or a stovetop espresso maker. A quality tea infuser can last a lifetime and replace an untold number of (questionably compostable) tea bags... |
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Greening Coffee and Tea |
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Before you drink coffee and tea, keep these tips in mind:
1. Think Local Brew
Seek out the coffee and tea that have traveled the least distance to reach you and also aim at supporting local, independent farms, cafés, and roasters.
2. Mug shots
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Greening Your Pets |
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1. Clean up after them
Cat owners should avoid clumping clay litter at all costs. Not only is clay strip-mined, but the clay sediment is also permeated with carcinogenic silica dust that can coat your cat’s lungs. In addition, the sodium bentonite that acts as the clumping agen... |
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Conserving Water |
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The availability of clean water is one of the central issues of our time, and we all need to do our part to use this resource wisely. Clean water is paramount to the eco-system of our planet. Here are some tips for saving water:
1) Turn off the water while brushing your teeth, wa... |
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Earth Friendly Back To School Shopping |
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Every year, parents spend millions of dollars nationwide on back-to-school supplies. This year, be sure to shop green. Remember that many thrift stores carry school supplies that will cost you a fraction of retail prices.
Avoid excess packaging. A large percentage of solid waste str... |
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Green Garment Care |
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What we choose to wear has implications beyond just our appearance. The fabrics that our garments are made from; their origins, and how we clean and care for them, all have impact on our planet. Love your Duds. Keep your family and your planet healthy.
• Approach new fabrics with ske... |
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Sustainable Clothes Shopping |
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| There are some important things to consider when shopping for your wardrobe. What we choose to wear has implications beyond just our appearance and our pocketbook. The fabrics that our garments are made from, their origins, and how we clean and care for them; all these things have impact on our pla... |
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Recycling Old Electronics |
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Want a responsible solution for getting rid of old, no longer used televisions, computers, monitors and printers?
Find an organization in your area that accepts computers, computer monitors, printers, fax machines, and televisions for recycling. These programs are being designed in many citie... |
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Socially Responsible Investing |
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Your savings and investments can help create a better world. Put your dollars to work to build healthy communities, promote economic equity, and foster a clean environment.
SRI Strategies
1) Social Screening: Invest in profitable companies with respectab... |
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Make Your Mailbox Junk Free |
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| Junk mail is more than simply annoying. It also uses valuable resources. Each year 100 million trees are ground up to produce junk mail. Approximately 44% of all junk mail is thrown in the trash, unopened and unread. Not surprisingly, about 40% of the solid mass that makes up our landfills is pape... |
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Grasscycling |
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Grasscycling is the process of recycling grass clippings by leaving them on your lawn. It saves times, reduces waste and leads to a deeper, healthier root system that increases your lawn’s resistance to disease, drought and insects.
Why should you grasscycle?
1) ... |
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Green Cleaning Recipes |
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If you don't already, you may want to give Green Cleaning a try. There are many recipes for environmentally safe cleaning, here are a few easy ones to try out:
Green Cleaning Recipes:
Window and Glass Cleaner:
While there is nothing u... |
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Sustainable Seafood |
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Did you know an estimated 90% of all large, predatory fish are already gone from the world's oceans.
That is why it’s so important that we conserve what remains in the oceans, and harvest and consume seafood in a sustainable manner.
To help consumers and restaurants ma... |
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Sustainable Home Renovations |
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| Are you looking for new home furniture or are you considering renovating your home? Have you ever thought about purchasing sustainable products? If you’re like most people, however, you probably lack the resources or the expertise to make well-informed choices about what products to purchase. If tha... |
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Bus Tours Fueled By Biodiesel and Veggie Oil |
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Check out these two Vancouver, B.C. Canada based tour companies that use biodiesel and vegetable oil to fuel their buses.
The Tofino Bus is a hassle-free way to travel to and from Tofino. They pick-up passengers in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, and Port Alberni and drop the... |
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Recycled Laundry Detergent |
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| Ever wonder what happens to the bars of hotel soap that you only use a few times? In Victoria B.C. Canada, and the Lower Mainland around Vancouver B.C., they are being collected, dried, powered, and turned in to laundry detergent (Buffalo Laundry Soap) by mixing it with borax and washing soda (two ... |
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Leaking Electricity |
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| When electronic devices are left plugged in, electricity can continue to be drawn from the power supply. Anything with an adapter, clock, timer, memory, or remote control continues to use electricity even when the device is turned off. For example, a TV leaks about 6 watts all the time. Referred to ... |
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Idling Computers |
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Why you should turn off your monitor when it’s not in use:
When in use, an entire desktop (computer and monitor) uses about 150 watts of power. The monitor itself consumes approximately 60-75 watts when it is in use and 50 watts during screensaver mode. That means a monitor can consume as muc... |
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Hybrid Rentals |
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| The next time you’re thinking about renting a car for personal or business use, consider renting a hybrid vehicle. Discount Car and Truck Rentals now has the Toyota Prius in many of their fleets. However, they are only available on a first-come, first-serve basis so you might want to arrive earlier ... |
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Pesticide Free Lawn |
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To achieve a pesticide free lawn what follows is a 12 Step Program to Getting Your Lawn Off Drugs...
1. TOLERATE SOME WEEDS And allow beneficial plants to exist such as clover in your lawn for its nitrogen-fixing magic.
2. HAND DIGGING WEEDS is the best method of weed ... |
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Offsetting Your Emissions |
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There are many great reasons for purchasing greenhouse gas (GHG) offsets. You may be already taking actions to reduce your own GHG emissions but would like to do more to decrease global GHG levels.
You may not be able to avoid certain tasks and activities that generate GHGs. Example... |
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Revealing the Truth About Personal Care Products |
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Revealing the Truth about Personal Care Products. Did you know Manufacturers of personal care products are not mandated to conduct thorough safety tests.
We all use personal care products. It’s part of our daily rituals. Shampoo, toothpaste, sunscreen, soap, deodorant…the list can go... |
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Water-Wise Gardening |
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| With the weather becoming warmer, gardening will become a very common activity for the next months. Of course, efficient water use is essential to having a truly green garden. Below are some great simple water conservation tips obtained from Go for Green - The Active Living and Environment Program w... |
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Reducing Detergent Use |
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Household cleaning products such as laundry and dishwasher detergents contain surfactants. These chemical compounds are handled differently by soft and hard water types.
Cleaning products are normally formulated for use in medium and hard water.
If your home has soft water, ... |
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