Post by Prabhjit Banga

If only our tap water could talk to us. It might remind us how valuable and vital a resource it is. How many times a day do we mindlessly let the tap run? Brushing our teeth, shaving, washing our hands, rinsing the dishes, cleaning vegetables, getting a cold drink. So it might also remind us to turn it off when we’re not using it. Sometimes it’s so easy to take our water for granted but it is a finite resource and something we should value and conserve.

This week is Drinking Water Week- a week to recognize the importance of water source protection and conservation, as well as the value, importance and fragility of each state’s water resources. For those of us living in the “developed” world, water is seemingly so abundant and accessible that we’re inclined not to worry about this particular natural resource. But as Annie Leonard explains in her new video, “The Story of Bottled Water,” our water usage–and, in particular, our use of bottled water–affects people all over the world:

Our water is amongst the best in the world. Let’s celebrate it and protect it! We’re asking you to celebrate drinking water week by taking time to think about what a valuable and vital resource our tap water is and how you can conserve it.

Post by Cheryl Gudz

Earth Day aside, St. Patrick’s day is probably the greenest holiday in the calendar. But if you really want to go green on St.Paddy’s day, don’t drink the tinted brew, opt for a true green beer.

Mill Street organic beer

The truest green beer is an organic brew (made from organic barley and hops). Choose one of these fine Canadian brands if you can find them in your beer store or at the pub:

Mill Street Organic Lager brewed in Toronto, Ontario

NatureLand Organic, BC

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, brewed in Vankleek Hill, Ontario

Failing that, choose a locally-brewed beer. Microbreweries make great craft beers and you’ll be supporting your local economy while reducing the transport greenhouse gas emissions required to ship the heavy glass bottles around the country.

Actually an Organic Beer Affecionado?

Check out the North American Organic Brewers Festival in Portland, Oregon this June!  Good beer, music, and sustainable eco-activities for the whole family.

by guest blogger Leonard Machler

I’m often asked why we should bother saving water in a country like Canada, which is home to ¼ of the world’s fresh water.  One good reason – beyond the fact that many of us, particularly in the Prairies and the interior of British Columbia, live in drought-prone areas – is that it takes a lot of energy to treat drinking water, distribute it through the system and then treat it again as wastewater.

As much as 3% of total energy use in North America is spent on water and wastewater treatment, and more than half of all water use in Canada is residential…

The average Canadian uses 335 L of water every day.  Just flushing a low-flow toilet will use enough electricity to power a 60 watt light bulb for 6 minutes.  The amount of energy required to supply every Canadian household with water is enough to power over 370,000 homes – or every house in Saskatchewan!

Unfortunately, the energy costs of using water are not accounted for both in our everyday thinking as well as on environmental calculators, including our own EcoAction Calculator.  We’ve highlighted the importance of saving water on our calculator with such activities as Save Every Drop in the Sink, Damming your Toilet Tanks and Installing Faucet Aerators but, here at ecoblogist, we will start a new series that highlights the true environmental savings of reducing your water use.

NEXT: Dishing the dirt on dishwashers…

Leonard Machler is doing his Masters degree in Sustainability at Arizona State University.  Living in the arid Southwest reminds him of the importance of water and this has inspired him to write a blog series on water savings activities for Ecoblogist. When he’s not baking in the desert, he divides his time between Toronto and Peterborough, Ontario.

Pacific white-sided dolphins travel along Canada’s Pacific coast in groups of up to 3,000

Did you know it was World Ocean’s Day yesterday? I didn’t realize until this morning that it was! But there are people across the country who are working to draw attention to our coastal issues like sustainable fishing and species protection.

Not sure how you would recognize the day? The David Suzuki Foundation provides Canadians with a place to share their events online. Check it out

Following on the heels of the  Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ announcement to its members to take action against bottled water, the University of Winnipeg has become the first university campus in Canada to ban the selling of bottled water.

“While plastic bottles are not environmentally sustainable, they also undermine the quality of public water,” said Vinay Iyer, University of Winnipeg Students’ Association President (pictured in red). “We encourage our students to drink safe and free public drinking water as an alternative to expensive bottled water.”

Located in downtown Winnipeg, UWinnipeg is a progressive, liberal arts-minded university with a history of supporting ecological and social activism. [It also happens to be the ecoblogist's alma matter...]

During student elections held last month, The University of Winnipeg Students’ Association held a referendum on campus asking students if they would support the elimination of plastic water bottles. Almost three quarters, or 74.8 per cent, of those who voted said, “Yes”.

Each year, approximately 38,400 plastic water bottles were being sold in the cafeterias and vending machines on campus. Now, the Students’ Association will partner with the University to provide all first year students with free reusable bottles in their orientation package.

The water-bottle ban builds on other important green initiatives including the campus-wide composting program introduced last August. Now, with its recycling program, UWinnipeg is diverting over 70% of materials that would otherwise be lost to landfills as waste.

I was startled by this headline, when I read it in the Toronto Star yesterday.

Startled, but supportive. Until I realized the actual headline was a little misleading. The article ended up inciting a small firestorm on the comment boards as readers began to hypothesize what a world without bottled water might look like…

photo by Kristin Slota

Yes, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities spoke out against bottled water this past weekend encouraging Canadian cities and towns Saturday to phase out the sale and purchase of bottled water…on municipal property.

Kudos FCM, for promoting the drinking of tap water over bottled water and leading by example on your turf.

Hi Cheryl

I really appreciate what you do.

I’m trying to make a better world, one child at a time as an environmental educator at The Toronto Heschel School. And you are correct; we start with remembering to bring our own bags, we end up saving lots of bucks by power barring our appliances and winning over spouses and children, changing behaviours big time.

I am writing to ask you for information you might have for connecting a downspout from a house and setting up a system of water collection to use your rainwater for flushing toilets and washing machines. My  husband is asking since he saw something on Daily Planet last night…

Dear Ellen

Good for you for wanting more information about wise water use, and thanks for reaching me through ecoblogist.

I think that Riversides (a Toronto organization with ties to the City) may be a good resource for you to consult re: rainwater harvesting. Riversides recommends Stark Environmental, an American company that does work in Ontario, for purchasing and installing collection systems.

But have you heard about grey water systems? Capturing and recycling grey water is another option for you to consider. Grey water is collected from the bath, sink, and washing machine and is then directed to the toilet bowl or for outdoor irrigation. A CBC news article highlighted the products and services of Montreal-based Brac systems, who seem to have a good reputation for capturing grey water in homes.

One pretty easy rainwater collection activity you can do, without much hassle or expense, is to connect a downspout to a rain barrel so you can gather water to use on plants and the garden.

Lastly, you may be interested in this ‘healthy house’ model from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation or inspiration (and information). 

Let me know how things go as you weigh your options. Best of luck!

photo by Kristin Slota

If half of the extra CO2 we emit is absorbed by the atmosphere, where does the other half go?

Our oceans.

Dubbed “the other CO2 problem” ocean acidification damages ecosystems and creates inhospitable environments for underwater life. And it’s not pretty…

An international panel of 150 marine scientists declared their grave concern at an oceans and CO2 symposium held last October. They say coral reefs may not survive in forty years and acidification may damage commercial fish stocks, which would threaten food security for millions of people.

The responsibility falls to us, the creators of all the excessive C02 emissions that our planet cannot support, to take action. We need to modify our wasteful behaviors on a massive scale so we don’t continue to cause irreparable damage to our environment – above and below sea level.

Take Action
Do you part for the oceans and choose sustainable seafood. Print out and carry Canada’s Seafood Guide with you and learn how to pick ‘em from the start.

Write the PM and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
The David Suzuki Foundation just made it easy for you to send a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the new Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Gail Shea. Fill out the form and tell them you want your federal government to invest in the protection and management of Canada’s Pacific North Coast.

Explore an Ocean
Are you familiar with Google Earth? I only discovered it today when my colleague and I were talking oceans. Google recently released Google Earth 5.0, a free downloadable software program that allows you to see real geographic images of the world, down to the street level, and now allows you to explore oceans.

Discover an ocean today, and add ocean acidification to your list of environmental concerns and reasons for conservation action.

So up until a few weeks ago, I was filtering every cup of water I drank. Then my water filtration system broke and I decided to turn to the tap.

It took me awhile to get used to the idea of drinking tap water. I just couldn’t imagine that the same water that appears in my toilet was good enough for me to drink.

But David Suzuki had the right idea last year when he said, “I think that we’ve got to drink the water that comes out of our taps, and if we don’t trust it, we ought to be raising hell about that.”

And many Canadian municipalities are trumpeting the merits of their own water supply. The City of Toronto says that tap water is just as good and may even be safer than bottled water, since there are actually more regulations on tap water than bottled water.

But whether you filter your water or drink it straight from the tap, what you’re not doing is buying bottled water, and that’s a very good thing.

The lifecycle of plastic water bottles leaves a very large ecological footprint. Consider the energy required to produce the bottles and their packaging, not to mention the waste created from the millions of bottles sent to landfills. Even the bottles that get recycled do so at a high energy cost. Then, the fuel required to transport all that water by truck is enormous and so are the harmful CO2 emissions. Most bottled water travels hundreds of kilometers to get to your local store.

If that weren’t enough, bottled water is between 240 and 10, 000 times more expensive than tap water.

For a solution that is not hard to swallow, get yourself a glass or stainless steel water bottle (like the ones pictured here) and fill it up!