The Green Room

Jen from East Vancouver writes:

Hey Suzuki-ites, I’m writing to let you know about what we’re up to here. My roomates and I are living a consumer free/waste free year. Yup, a whole year without buying material goods and without creating garbage to take to the curb. We started on Canada Day. We’re trying to make a documentary, and are most definitely blogging our experiences. Feel free to contact me if you’re interested in more info. Thanks for reading!

Ryan Lee, a Grade 5 student at Olympic Heights Elementary school in Calgary, AB shares his inspiring essay on the state of the environment:

The Problems of Our Environment

One of the social issues concerning today’s youth is environmental problems, such as using too many unrecyclable objects, pollution, global warming, and destruction of natural habitats. Please read and react to help our environment.

To begin with, pollution is almost the root of global warming. Although global warming is normal, pollution actually speeds it up. Global warming is a process in which the Earth is heated up by the sun’s rays that are trapped inside the Earth’s atmosphere by greenhouse gasses such as, Co2 (Carbon Dioxide).

Another problem within our environment is the continuous use of unrecyclable objects. We should always recycle.  Recycling is a way of reusing products. Some of the many reusable products are paper, glass, some metals and plastics. We should use these products more often than products we cannot reuse. Another reason why this is a problem is because we can’t recycle. Sometimes we use products we can only use once too much.

Also the destruction of natural habits on the Earth is a big problem. This is because of our greed and carelessness. The beautiful features of our Earth will disappear if this does not stop. Some water on Earth is already so polluted that it looks really disgusting. These habitats belong to precious animals which are dying because their loss of home and territory.

If we do not stop polluting our Earth and save our planet, our only home will be spoiled. In this essay I have explained the use of unrecyclable products, the horrid effect of pollution, the meaning of evil global warming, and the destruction of our precious animal homes. I hope you have felt the need to save our Earth, our home because it is the only one we have.

Happy New Year! Hope your holidays were filled with joy! Thanks to the Green Room community for making this space an informative and interactive go-to about green living and achieving sustainability within a generation!

Following the holidays, I still have a bowl of delightful clementines to enjoy. But for how much longer will these foreign fruits brighten winter days and palettes? When I was a kid, and their sweet aroma arrived in November, it was a sure sign of Christmas coming (it still is). Usually grown in Morocco, Spain, and California, clementines have been available from mid-November through January for many years. Receiving one in a Christmas stocking has been a treat for generations – an orange in winter? How exotic!

For years, these juicy imports have come in by the thousands of cartons and as the denouement of the holidays approached, so would the last of the tastiest clementines. What would the holidays be without special treats? Then again, how would the holiday spread be if it was strictly native and local foods?

Traditions for treats aside (and detoxing from the holidays’ decadence in mind), the crisp start to January has inspired me to eat local during winter months, just like so many of us so easily do in summer. Apples, cabbage and potatoes don’t have to become dull. The green leaves of kale and Savoy cabbage brighten winter’s dreariness. And if we were busy at harvest, the art of canning and preserving can tastily take us through this hibernation. Thanks to some greenhouses, locally-grown salad fixings aren’t hard to come by.

Were your holiday meals local? Share your methods for buying and eating local during the stark winter months.

The new year presents opportunity to turn a new leaf. But first, let’s catch up on some notes from our readers that came in before the holidays. Perhaps they’ll trigger reflection on how you and yours celebrated them, and how we’ll keep a green conscience and the spirit of giving with us year-round! ~ Elizabeth

Dianne Quibell from East Gwillimbury, ON writes:

Some time ago I was watching a program showing how to make a fence using willow witches (branches). This fence was very environmentally friendly as it cleaned the air, produced oxygen and looked beautiful (once it had grown in).

Unfortunately I cannot recall exactly how to make it. I know they made a frame, but I can’t remember if the frame needed to be cemented into the ground or if it just sat on top. Would the willow roots grow deep and affect a foundation or septic tank? If you are aware of this type of fencing, I would appreciate it you could send along some information regarding this.

Lisa Atkins, head of SOUL (The Society for Organic Urban Land Care), replies:

The only willow fences I am familiar with are made from sticking willow branches in the ground. As the branches grow, you stick them in again. And as far as I know, yes, willow roots will look for water, especially underground running water, and they can be problematic.

Terry Deck from Deck’s Geo-Electrical in Lumsden, SK writes:

Four years ago we installed geothermal to heat our buildings and now we have installed a wind turbine to offset the electrical energy that we use. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAD0QJdT9M4

Since geothermal runs on electricity, we felt the next step would be producing green electricity. The most natural way to do this in Saskatchewan is by using the wind. So this past summer we installed a 5Kw wind turbine that will generate almost all of our power needs. We have invested a lot of money and time, but are reducing our carbon footprint to nearly zero!

I also have a service truck that I use for my business that I have converted to run on vegetable oil. I collect the oil from local restaurants and filter it at home. The next plan is to convert a mini van to operate on electricity. We would plan to use the van for most of our small commutes around home. For long trips, we can then use my truck that will run on the vegetable oil.

Our planet gives us a lot and we feel we should give back so others will have it to enjoy for years to come. I have spent over 12 years working on green energy ideas and plan to spend many more. I invite anyone who may be interested in what I have done to offer their ideas and ask me questions. I am more than willing to offer advice if someone is interested. I truly have a passion for this and plan to continue my work to help our planet.

My son put my car out of its misery years ago and we decided not to replace it. We walk, cycle and bus as much as we can. Instead of spending the money we would have poured into that car on fuel, repairs and insurance, we have been investing the calculated equivalent each month. Boy, has it grown!

Tell us how your green actions are saving you money, improving your health (eg less car rides = more physical activity) and generally making your life better. We might use your story in the next issue of David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge newsletter.

/Gail

Mary Ellen from Kamloops, BC writes:

I have been enjoying Lindsay’s green recipes for cleaning. Last week I made some more laundry soap but used liquid castile soap instead of grating a soap bar. I used 1/2 cup of castile and it has "worked out." I’ve tried to find a recipe to make sure I am using enough soap, but have had no luck on the web. Can you recommend the appropriate amount of castile soap for your laundry soap recipe?

Lindsay responds:

The laundry soap rule that I’ve come across again and again is this ratio 50:25:25 for soap flakes: washing soda: Borax.

Of course this is something worth experimenting with, as it depends on your water hardness (soft water = less washing soda) and washing machine. Castile soap is amazing and can be used for many things, including the laundry soap recipe we provided. Instead though, I use soap flakes because they are significantly cheaper. Don’t be afraid to make your own signature recipe!

Marta from Toronto writes:

I am the creator of a newly launched and one-of-a-kind Canadian bartering community for individuals and groups. Our community encourages a greener lifestyle as well as curbing consumerism through bartering.

SwapSity users can swap a combination of items and skills with the option to balance uneven swap transactions with cash. For example, you can offer books that you have read and in exchange receive help with computer repair. Any uneven swaps can be equalized with cash. SwapSity is also a useful parent resource for exchanging kids’ outgrown gear, toys, games and clothes with other parents and de-cluttering your living space.

Like-minded individuals can also create customized swap groups. One of our most recent groups is a residential recycling project within a downtown apartment complex in Toronto. The group was created to encourage reusing discarded items as well as skill-swapping between neighbours living in the building. The goal of the group is to reduce the impact on the environment as well as build a sense of community among the residents.

SwapSity is free and it offers a full spectrum of user tools to help our swappers communicate with other members and negotiate mutually agreeable swaps. Once you agree to an exchange, you can just meet in person or ship locally. There is a lot of room for creative and green swaps. I invite you all to check it out!

One of the David Suzuki Digs My Garden photo contest winners , Barbara Kimball from Oshawa, ON, writes:

You may be interested to know that I did a project with grade 8 students in 2007 on the flora and fauna of our Second Marsh. This was an ArtsSmarts, art-infused education project, which involved an educational tour and photography of the Marsh, and design of an environmental dinner service. The project traveled to the National Conference of ArtsSmarts in PEI. Last year’s "Clay Musical Instruments" can be seen on YouTube under Station Gallery Mud People. This year’s project will get started after Christmas and will involve planning a garden from seeds to cooking with herbs. We will do some photography and the students will create a fountain piece in clay depicting their ideal quiet place – all taking place in a very needy school.

Cheryl from Regina, SK writes:

My children deliver paper in our neighbourhood – or should I say they did deliver. They are quitting because of the incredible amount of waste produced by paper routes – especially flyers. Is there a way to make our voice heard on this issue? Who do we contact? We do not get the paper for this very reason and have posted a "no flyers" sign on our mailbox.

Lindsay responds:

Funny you should write in about paper consumption. We just released our monthly newsletter about how being a conscious paper consumer can help Boreal Birds! You can start by 1) sign up for David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge and 2) sign the Boreal songbird petition.

You’ve instilled an excellent lesson here by having your kids re-evaluate their well-intentioned job. Simple things anyone can do is sign up for the Red Dot Campaign . This will allow you to take your name off unaddressed mail lists, like flyers. Within the newsletter link above, click on "Some things you can do right now." It’s one of the first things I did when we bought our home – get yourself off all the wasteful junk mail lists!

You’ve highlighted your frustration with newsprint. However, newsprint often makes its way to the recycling depot; it’s from recycled sources and not bleached – but flyers? Not so much. You could write to the companies that send you colorful flyers and ask that they print on 100% post-consumer waste paper with vegetable dyed inks.

See our e-newsletter above to learn about types of paper. Better yet, your family can do a total overhaul of your home’s paper use (if you haven’t already) by taking a look at the toilet paper, paper towel, tissue, and packaging that you buy. Oh yes, and change to paperless, tree-free billing too!