Archive for the ‘David Suzuki's Nature Challenge’ Category
Monday, July 6th, 2009
Karen Pugh writes:
I whipped up a batch of your home-made liquid laundry soap awhile ago, and it doesn’t work very well!! It didn’t gel, it doesn’t suds up very much, and my husband isn’t very impressed with his un-white whites! Have you had any of these problems?
Queen of Green, Lindsay Coulter, responds:
The foundation recipe is:
- 50% soap (called soap flakes, soap granules or you can grate bar soap)
Boil a pot of water on the stove and add soap flakes (1 cup). Boil them until they’re diluted. Add this soap mixture to about a 7 L pail with ½ cup washing soda and ½ cup Borax. Add 20 drops of an essential oil. The mixture will partially gelatinize once cooled. This makes a huge batch so you may want to cut the whole thing in half.
Purpose of ingredients:
- Borax- kills germs and whitens
- Washing Soda- cuts grease and softens water
- Soap Flakes (granules or bar soap)- forces out dirt
Common problems:
- Adding soap dry to pail of water (you need to dilute it in the boiling water first).
- Not boiling it enough. You don’t want to see any granules.
- Your water hardness may have something to do with it. If you have hard water add more washing soda.
Whites not white enough?
- Make sure you wash like colors together.
- I add ½ cup of baking soda to my white loads and wash in warm
- Buy oxygen bleach or eco-bleach (which is really hydrogen peroxide)
As for suds, you won’t see much because this mixture is devoid of chemicals. Conventional stuff has chemicals that make the suds so you and I think it’s getting clean. Kind of like sodium lauryl sulfate in your shampoo and toothpaste. The new laundry soaps for HE machines have less suds actually because it’s not necessary.
Hope that helps!
Tags: bleach, borax, chemicals, HE machines, laundry, Lindsay, Queen of Green, soap, washing soda
Posted in Consumer Issues, Green cleaning, Lindsay | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Tangled on how to tie the knot and mind the planet? Traditions and expectations for the perfect wedding day can push consumerism over the top. But with some creative alternatives they don’t have to outshine a low carbon wedding.
From the dress and tux to rings and the gift registry, green weddings is a big topic in the latest David Suzuki Nature Challenge newsletter . Innovators like Vancouver-based photographer Brendon Purdy leaves no trace (except for the couple’s memorable pics) when he photographs weddings. Packing his gear onto his bicycle, Purdy’s travels to photograph the special event are completely carbon neutral.
Are loved ones doing the traveling instead to join the celebration? Queen of Green Lindsay Coulter offers up smart and sustainable low-emission wedding ideas in a recent article . Get inspired, get active and share your green wedding tips!
Tags: carbon neutral, green house gas emissions, green wedding, low carbon emission
Posted in Consumer Issues, David Suzuki's Nature Challenge, Green Living, Lindsay, climate change, energy, garbage, off the grid, transportation, vacation/holiday | No Comments »
Monday, May 25th, 2009
Because I love the purity of the snow
and how the white contrasts with the sky. |
Because the sun feels sooooo good
when it comes out! Soul-ar powered! |
I love winter for the wonderful
peace angels we can become! |
Who needs to mine for diamonds when mother nature
provides us with diamonds all winter long! |
We asked our Nature Challenge community to tell us how they celebrate winter. Here’s a portion of the note Dominique Larocque sent us along with her pictures:
My Nature Challenge In 1994, I made a conscious decision to embrace a new form of challenge! Getting people to fall in love with playing outside. As a two time National team athlete focused on winning medals, I had ‘profoundly lost’ the real meaning of what it was to simply play outside for the pure sake of what I call today my three environmental R’s: RECONNECT-REWILD-
REWIRE.
Tags: Canada, climate change, outdoors, snow, sports, winter
Posted in David Suzuki's Nature Challenge, Green Living, Human Health, Newsletter response, climate change, recycling, vacation/holiday | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Diana from Vancouver, BC writes:
Our household regularly recycles clothing through the bins and pickup services widely available around Vancouver. However, over the years I have accumulated quite a backlog of non-reusable cloth: ragged tea towels, worn-thin and torn sheets, stretched-out and stained t-shirts, old underwear, etc.
I can find articles online that discuss the usefulness of these things; that they can be recycled into new cloth or carpet underlay and other things. But I can’t find anybody who can tell me where to take them for this purpose. Do you know?
Lindsay writes:
A backlog of cloth, and rags you say? Well, let’s see… my wardrobe goes through a certain chain of events from brand new to dog-walking attire to pajamas, and then off to Goodwill or Salvation Army in most cases. I don’t have one answer for you where cloth is concerned but let me see if I can get you started on your homework:
1. Contact the Recycling Council of BC . Not sure if they handle cloth, etc. but they may know who does. They have a phone-in hotline or you can email them.
2. If the items are still wearable consider donating them to a local Men’s or Women’s shelter. Wish Drop-In Center Society is limited to women items only. Their most urgent request is for toiletries - if you have some used and unused items (things like lotions, make up toothpaste, soaps etc.) that you would like to get rid of, don’t throw them out - they would use them gladly. They will also take new or used lingerie (underwear, bras).
3. Paper was once made from cloth, before it was made from pulp (trees). Perhaps find out, via Google searching, if anyone in Vancouver does paper making? Or try it yourself. We showed folks how to make paper from their scrap paper at home, but you can likely find a recipe or YouTube video of how to do it from cloth.
4. Next would be to think about who could use spare clothes in your area. Maybe you could wash, bundle and bag them and call up your local automotive shop? Or the car wash near by or the local community hall, etc. Just think who might go through a lot of them and see if they can be useful to someone else. I’m also thinking of artists or studios who make big messes, maybe call the Emily Carr Institute on Granville Island?
Tags: cloth and rags, men's shelter, paper making, recyling clothing, reuse, women's shelter
Posted in Consumer Issues, Green Living, Lindsay, garbage, recycling, sustainability | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Bev from Brampton, ON writes:
I have often wondered when I’m shopping what containers are the best choice for me to make for recyclables: plastic, glass, or aluminum?
Lindsay replies:
Things to consider about packaging of your consumer goods:
1. Avoid excess packaging whenever possible or buy the equivalent product or brand that uses minimal packaging.
2. Check in with your local recycling depot to see what they accept. Although many items are recyclable, your municipal facility may not accept them, hence they end up in the landfill.
3. Plastic: aim for those numbered #2, 4, 5 because you can reuse these safely. Generally they are the safest forms of plastic. Again, check with your local depot to see if they recycle #1, 3, 6 and 7, as it will vary.
4. Glass: I like it because I can reuse it. It’s accepted at most recycling depots.
5. Aluminium: it’s usually recyclable in your blue box and can be broken down and used again and again.
6. Buy bulk to reduce packaging all together and reuse the plastic bags you buy your goods in. For example, I keep the twist tie and bag together, tucked beside my flour jar. When I need to refill, I grab the bag and head to the store. You don’t even need to search for a pen or that secret code because you’ve already labeled it!
Tags: aluminum, blue box, buy bulk, consumer issues, glass, packaging, plastic, recyclables, recycle, reduce, reuse
Posted in Consumer Issues, Food, Green Living, Human Health, Lindsay, Newsletter response, climate change, garbage, gardening, recycling | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Mary Cassells writes:
What really bugs me is all the plastic. Not just credit cards and ID cards, but plastic bags. Often, the sales clerk will not let me leave the store with my purchase without the purchase being in a plastic bag. This is especially the case in big department stores like Sears and the Bay. They assume I am about to shoplift. Perhaps a compromise would be paper bags. I don’t know. I just seem to accumulate the plastic bags.
Lindsay, Queen of Green, replies:
Well depending on where you live, cloth bags do seem to becoming the norm. Some municipalities have even banned plastic bags all together! You’d like the movie Addicted to Plastic.
I have had the argument with such sales clerks as well. One time after I ended my battle with the cashier, I took the plastic bag, only to walk over to customer service counter and hand it back, explaining why I didn’t need or want it. That was about five years ago now!
Next time, tell them you’re saving them money. I mean most stores give you a credit for NOT taking a bag or they’ll charge you for it. Also ask for them to use their store tape. They often have this handy for large items that can’t fit in a bag anyway. I know the last time I was at The Bay, I used my own bag, no problem.
Just keep at it. If we all refuse the bags and lobby our towns and cities to ban them, the merchants will figure it out!
Tags: cloth bags, consumer issues, plastic bags
Posted in Consumer Issues, Green Living, Lindsay, garbage, recycling | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Sarah Kmiech writes:
I was reading your newsletter regarding what’s hot and what’s not in 2009. It was said that "Free Exercise" was hot and "Gym & Studio Memberships" were not. Being a person who goes to, and enjoys the gym (and also a person who cares for the environment), I was wondering what it was about gyms that make them not an environmental choice?
Gail from The Green Room replies:
Having a gym membership isn’t "not environmental," per se.
A lot of people believe that it takes a lot of money to protect nature – buying organic, owning a hybrid vehicle, etc. With the economy teetering, we want people to stay mindful of the environment and do the best they can to make green choices.
The point is that there are lot of things people can do to lighten their footprints that are free and/or inexpensive. And, that if a person chooses certain options – like repairing clothes instead of buying new ones, or running outside instead of joining a gym – that frees up funds to choose things he or she might care passionately about that seem beyond reach (like buying organic, etc). It’s about finding balance in life.
And, of course, people who spend time outdoors and feel a connection to nature care about protecting it, so we encourage people to get their exercise outdoors, where possible.
We did not mean that belonging to a gym isn’t "green." In fact, until you (and one other person) mentioned it, it never occurred to me that someone might read it that way! Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I’ve belonged to a yoga studio for years and cherish that community. And I know Dr. Suzuki works out in gyms all the time, wherever he is in the world.
Tags: environmentally friendly, exercise, gym memberships, nature, outdoor activity, yoga
Posted in Consumer Issues, David Suzuki, Green Living, Human Health, Newsletter response | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Lorne Schieve from Vancouver, BC writes:
Recently, residents in my townhouse complex were instructed to refrain from putting kitchen scraps into their composting units. This is over the fear of some kind of rat infestation stemming from some occasional rat sightings.
As a result of this, we have been told to only include yard trimmings in our composting units. This is contrary to the spirit of the reduce-reuse-recycle concept and it sends out the wrong message.
I am in need of some literature to take back and share with fellow residents to inform them of the correct methods of composting, its benefits, etc. and to encourage them to get started.
If you have any reference material or study results that may assist my "Pro-composting" argument I would sincerely appreciate it.
Lindsay responds:
For starters, this Nature Challenge article can help. It leads with 7 top reasons why everyone needs to compost, including a do’s and don’ts list .
When only one individual composts they can reduce their garbage output to the landfill by 40%, and lets face it, Metro Vancouver is running out of landfill space. Not to mention the tenants who are gardeners stand to benefit from the compost results of "black gold," which would be huge in terms of cutting down your strata fees to buy dirt and fertilizer for your yards. It would be silly not to compost when you can save money on those other inputs by making your very own.
The issue here is composting properly to avoid vermin. The city-issued bins are great. They’re rat and raccoon proof if set-up properly. You should check their website , ask them for some brochures about composting or print them off and then maybe hold a "how-to" session for residents. It’s very easy.
You could also address some of the preventative measures: not putting cooked or greasy foods in there, or adding cat or dog hair (or dryer lint with pet hair) which is said to deter vermin like raccoons and rats. Best of luck and thanks for taking this on!
Tags: composting, gardening, landfill, Lindsay, Nature Challenge, raccoons, rats, Vancouver, vermin
Posted in Consumer Issues, Food, Green Living, Lindsay, garbage, gardening | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Larry from Pickering, ON writes:
Thanks for the April newsletter . In connection to helping kids connect to nature, for over 50 years Ontario has held a competition for Grades 4 to 6 each year called Tree Bee. It’s about the identification of native tree species and conservation questions. The children who participate can identify dozens of native trees and gain a great appreciation for nature and the tree neighbours they see every day.
As a Tree Bee coach, I have had past students become foresters and arborists, but most just keep their appreciation of nature and trees. The Ontario Forestry Association hosts Tree Bee each year and more information can be seen on their website . If Dr. Suzuki and or members of the David Suzuki Foundation like this program, this fits very well into his interests of educating young people about nature.
Tags: conservation, education, elementary school students, native tree species, newsletter
Posted in David Suzuki, Newsletter response, climate change, conservation, forests and wild Lands, species | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
West Coast Environmental Law has come out with three terrific documents to help farm workers, tenants and anyone else who wants to learn about the dangers of pesticides.
Pesticides and your health (in English, Spanish and Punjabi) outlines the hazards of exposure, symptoms of toxicity, and suggestions for reducing exposure.
Pesticides on the farm (in English, Spanish and Punjabi) provides legal and non-legal options for farm workers , and offers tips on protection for anyone who might be exposed to agricultural pesticides.
Pesticides in your home? (English only) offers suggestions for tenants whose landlords might be applying pesticides.
Tags: agriculture, English, exposure, legal rights, pesticides, Punjabi, Spanish, symptoms, tenants
Posted in Consumer Issues, David Suzuki's Nature Challenge, Digs My Garden, Green Living, Human Health, agriculture | No Comments »
