I’ve worked on the EcoAction Teams program for over three years, and I’ve learned that taking positive environmental action in my life is not only simple but contagious. I’m not an environmental scientist or engineer, just a concerned urban dweller who decided she needed to mesh all her passions with environmental work. I also love words and social commentary, so blogging is a good fit. Born and raised in friendly Manitoba, I live in Toronto with my trusty bicycle.
Blogger: Prabhjit Banga
Since being captivated by the cartoon movie FernGully at the age of five, Prabhjit (Prabh) Banga has been an avid supporter of green causes. Prabh has over four years of experience working in the environmental sector on diverse topics, including conservation, waste management and environmental education. She recently received a Master of Resource and Environmental Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Born and raised in Toronto with roots in India, Prabh loves to travel and discover new places!
About ecoblogist
Like the tagline says, this blog is all about news, views and tips on living green. Read ‘em, share ‘em – we’re all in it together. Once you start doing a few things differently, it’s pretty hard to turn off that chip in your brain that says, “Should I be buying this? Should I be doing that?” Maybe it begins with remembering to bring your own bag when you go shopping, then suddenly you’re thinking about dual flush toilets, power bars, and energy efficient coffee makers before bedtime.
Ask Us
We won’t pretend to know it all, but we do know where to find the answers. Send us your green living questions and we’ll be happy to address them in an upcoming post.
We live in BC and have purchased land. We would like to build as environmental as possible. Do you have any suggestions about where we could research alternatives?
Anything would help as this is all new to us and we want to know what is going to be cost effective as well. As far as we can see, solar isn’t an option as we don’t get enough hours of sunlight being in between two mountains.
Thank you very much and keep up the good work!
Janet S
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Great news Janet!
Retrofitting a home is super, but building from the ground up is an amazing and rewarding opportunity. You can explore more options and alternatives that are not always open to the average homeowner. EcoAction Teams participants Donald and Sandra Massé built their own eco-friendly home and shared their story with us last year.
Building green, of course, requires some research into the best options for your region, specific location and budget. Choosing eco-options may cost you a little more up front, but you will recover your costs in a few years.
Here are a few options for you to investigate…
R-2000
R-2000 is made-in-Canada home building technology. The R-2000 Standard is a series of technical requirements for new home performance that go beyond building codes and involve three main areas of construction: energy performance, indoor air quality and environmental responsibility. The R-2000 Standard sets criteria for how a house must perform rather than specify exactly how it must be constructed. The builder is free to choose the best and most-cost effective approach for each home—construction techniques, building products, mechanical equipment, lighting and appliances.
Geothermal Systems
You mentioned solar isn’t an option but how about tapping into the energy a few feet under the ground? Consult The Earth Energy Society of Canada website when you do your research and definitely check out their directory of geothermal contractors in your province to get some local info.
Photo by Kristin Slota
Wind Power
Think a windmill is out of your league? It might be if you live in the city, but not if you’ve got ½ an acre of land, your zoning laws permit it, and your neighbours are cool with it. A small 1,000-watt turbine will set you back a few grand (and don’t forget to add parts and installation) but blowing wind is “the answer my friend” in Canada’s dark cooler months. Check out the Canadian Wind Energy Association to learn more.
Green Roofs
The benefits of turning a boring roof into a green paradise are many: green roofs help cool your home from the sun’s hot rays, they absorb carbon-dioxide emissions, and they can prevent sewer overflows. The best part? You can start growing plants and veggies and hang out in your lovely garden above ground. But greening your roof is actually a little more complicated that you may think. Consult a pro with green roof experience and find a list of contractors here.
Grey Water Capture Systems
Capturing and recycling grey water is another option for you to consider. Grey water can be collected from the kitchen sink, bathtub, and washing machine and directed to the toilet bowl or for outdoor irrigation. Find a local greywater expert to talk about options and prices. A simple kitchen sink solution was created by a BC-based inventor.
And don’t forget these must-dos when building new!
- Your best energy saving method is energy efficiency so cut back on your use before you pursue renewable energy!
- Keep energy from escaping the tried and trusted way – with insulation! Proper eco-friendly insulation these days is blown-in cellulose.
- Re-use building materials (did you know you can buy hardwood floors on craigslist?) or shop at your local Habitat for Humanity Restore for all kinds of building supplies like widows, doors, paint, lumber and lighting fixtures.
In addition to being the ecoblogist, I’m also a HUGE basketball fan. So you can imagine my delight when the NBA took steps to making professional basketball in North America (and its fan base) a little more aware of their impact on the environment.
This year’s NBA Green Week (April 1-9) is wrapping up , but players and management accomplished a few worthwhile community projects and definitely rose awareness about being more green-minded. Here are the Top 10 things teams did to “Go Green”
Maybe now more players will follow Phoenix Suns’ guard Steve Nash and make a commitment to taking eco-action every day. Canada’s own, Nash speaks out regularly on energy conservation, renewable energy options (solar power), and doesn’t drive if he can help it. How many professional athletes can claim that?
Picking up where we left off on the subject of fossil fuels (and fossil fools!) is this neat five-minute video featuring Tom Rand. Rand, a self-described “engineer, philosopher, and venture capitalist” is certainly no fossil fool when it comes to clean, sustainable fuel solutions…
Climate change is no laughing matter, but we can’t take things too seriously all the time. To bring some awareness to the issue, Fossil Fools Day aims to get the messaging of climate change out in a subversive but humourous way.
The day got its start in 2004 by a climate change action group called Rising Tide North America. The events they organized opposed non-renewable energy sources (energy from gasoline, oil, coal and natural gas), promoted education about renewable energy (solar, wind), encouraged support for climate justice, strong legislation and corporate responsibility.
The day itself is about organizing pranks/ events to get the attention of “fools” who believe that burning fossil fuels* is the only long term solution to meet our energy needs. Events are now held over the world on April 1. Last year in Johannesburg, Africa, a local environmental organization called Earthlife Africa awarded The South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation a Fossil Fool of the Year Award for producing 72 million tonnes of CO2 per year and for trying to build a new coal-to-liquid power plant. Pranks similar to this one and others such as banner drops, office occupations, street theatre and are organized to get the word across.
Want to get involved? Look for Fossil Fools Day events going on in your city. Get out and employ your senses of humor to bring attention to fossil foolery!
* Fossil fuels are created from burning large amounts of gasoline, oil, coal and natural gas. These sources of energy are used to power our cars and provide electricity. However, burning these fossil fuels also produces harmful greenhouse gas emissions. These gases gather in the atmosphere and create a barrier that prevents the earth’s excess heat from escaping. As this barrier gets bigger, the earth’s temperature increases, which in turn results in climate change.
Household appliances account for about 20% of the average homeowner’s electricity bill. Over the last two decades, Canadian appliance manufacturers have greatly improved the efficiency of these appliances. For example, today’s refrigerators use less than half the electricity of those built in 1984 or earlier.
The Ontario Power Authority’s Great Refrigerator Roundup program began in 2006 and has led to the collection and decommissioning of over 500 fridges and more than 200 freezers.
Recycling is a key element of the program. Refrigerators collected through the program will be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner, resulting in significantly reduced contribution to local landfill.
So want to get rid of your old fridge?And put money in your pocket?
That old, inefficient second fridge of yours is wasting up to $120 – $150 per year in electricity. If you have an electricity-guzzling fridge that’s fifteen years old or more, you can get rid of it the easy way. Just visit http://everykilowattcounts.ca/residential/fridge/ for more information.
You won’t have to lift a finger, and you’ll be doing the right thing for the environment!
I’m a student of economy for international cooperation. I’m working on my thesis about corporate greenwashing and I would like to ask you a couple of things:
1- which are the 10 best greenwashers of 2009?
2- where can I get more info about greenwashing?
Thanks for your question Sara. In short, “greenwashing” is the dubious practice of marketing your product, service, or company as environmental when it is not.
Earth Day Canada brought needed attention to the issue of greenwashing in a press release last April. Here are Earth Day Canada’s Red Flags of Greenwashing:
No proof claims – A food producer claims their products are organic, but provides no third party accreditation as proof.
Vague claims – A lighter manufacturer produces an ‘eco-lighter’ and positions the product as being ‘environmentally friendly’, but provides no further explanation or product information.
Irrelevant claims – A new aerosol product claims to be CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) free, a chemical banned over 30 years ago as it depletes the ozone.
Confusing claims – A paper towel producer modifies their product to become more ‘eco-friendly’, but only change how the product is presented, not the manufacturing process or the materials used to develop the product.
The cloaking effect – A coffee house brands their disposable and recyclable coffee cup as the ‘eco-cup’, masking an environmentally unfriendly product with a green name.
Good luck putting your thesis together, Sara. Let us know how it goes :]
Also called the festival of lights, Diwali is one of the most popular festivals in the South East Asian culture. The occasion celebrates the victory of good over evil. Lamps and candles are lit to chase away the darkness of ignorance and welcome the bright light of enlightenment. This is a time of reflection, thanks and renewal. This Diwali take the time to reflect on the things you can do to make your Diwali celebration an eco-friendly one.
Diwali Cleaning In preparation for Diwali every year my family and I clean our home from top to bottom. The cleaning is done to harmonize the space around us to derive positive energy. Any unwanted clothes and household items are donated to our local shelter. Cleaning up, not only means cleaning your home, but also cleaning our environment, so pick up some litter from the ground!
Avoid the Fireworks As a kid lighting firecrackers was the highlight of Diwali. The brighter the sparkles were and the louder the noise they made, the more excited I got. But I soon came to realize that the temporary joy of watching firecrackers was replaced with a stinky toxic smell. Toxic substances used in the firecrackers aren’t very good for us or the environment. Celebrate by lighting candles and diyas (small clay pots filled with oil in which a wick is lit) and avoid the fireworks.
A Candle-Light Diwali Being the Festival of Lights, this is a good time to remind ourselves of all the energy and resources it takes to light up our homes and businesses. On Diwail, many people leave all the lights on in their home. Please avoid this. I prefer the look of diyas and candles, instead of electric illumination, not only do they look nicer, but it also cuts down energy consumption. If you’re putting up outdoor lights, use LED lights; they come in bright colors and use 80% less energy than traditional lights.
Also, keep in mind that the deeper meaning of Diwali is not about lighting up our homes, it’s about dispelling darkness in our lives and ushering in positive feelings and energy.
Buy Less Since Diwali is also a celebration of abundance and wealth, many people believe that it is a good time to buy. Often, people go out and buy new items even when they don’t need them. Cut down your shopping list and avoid purchasing unnecessary things this Diwali. Instead of buying gifts, make them! Bake some goodies, paint a picture or take one of your mom’s old sarees and drape it over a canvas to make a great piece of art (see picture below).
This Diwali take the time to reflect on the things that you can do to live responsibly and reduce your impact on the environment. A little thought and care can make a huge difference.
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.
Holy moly you won’t believe the Archetype Sustainable House. Only the greenest and most innovative in heating & cooling, windows, appliances, lighting, insulation, flooring, wood, concrete, plumbing, water collection, landscaping and..paving?
I just learned that there is such a thing as permeable pavement, which allows for more water absorption into the ground.
So does this house actually exist? You bet it does. Other cool features include bamboo flooring, solar power, and radiant floor heating.
There are two sustainable housing models residingat The Living City Campus at Kortright, a sustainability education centre located just north of Toronto in the City of Vaughan. If you live in the vicinity, check it out and let me know what you think!
Skylights provide wonderful natural sunlight all year round. However, if they are not installed with heating & cooling efficiency in mind, they can lose a lot of heat in the winter, and bring in too much heat in the summer.
On the Fostering Sustainable Behavior Listserv, Dave asked if it’s true that skylights aren’t very green because they can be poor for insulation purposes. He said he read about a product that claims to be a greener alternative to regular skylights.
I was curious about this alternative, and checked it out myself. Solatube (a “Tubular Daylighting Device” and Energy Star certified product) is an impressive piece of technology. It harnesses sunlight to deliver consistent lighting throughout the day, and can even light up a basement. The system works by “capturing sunlight on the rooftop and redirecting it down a reflective tube into interior spaces. The tubing will fit between rafters and will install easily with no structural modification.”
posted by Cheryl Gudz 
Dear ecoblogist,
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!
