The Green Room

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!

Heidi from Ottawa, ON writes:

I was reading your newsletter and am interested in the Boreal Forest Friendly Coffee, however the company featured in the newsletter is an American company. Is there a Canadian company to deal with? I think that for this type of initiative most Canadians would prefer to deal with a Canadian company. Here in Ottawa, we have a company called Bridgehead Coffee. How do they stack up in the eco-friendly coffee department?

Gail from the Green Room replies:

We provided a link to the Boreal Forest Friendly Coffee to support the Boreal Songbird Initiative. There are, as you say, Canadian coffee companies providing bird-friendly product. I looked up Bridgehead Coffee and, according to their website , their products are "Fairly-traded, organic and shade-grown" - so they score the triple crown! Good choice.

Diana Cassa from Beeton, ON writes:

I’m trying to find information on reusing plastics numbered 2, 4 and 5 and hope you can help direct me. I freeze foods in them like homemade spaghetti sauce in yogurt containers.

Is it OK to freeze these plastics or should this be avoided? Is it OK to place them in the dishwasher? I’ve seen reports that say you should not freeze water bottles, although there are just as many that say this isn’t true. I don’t freeze water bottles — in fact, I don’t buy them at all — but I am wondering if the plastics I do freeze pose problems.

Lindsay writes:

You are not the first to ask about which plastics to use, reuse and recycle. We have tackled such an issue in our summer "Finding Solutions " edition of David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge newsletter . The nuts and bolts of it can be described as "2, 4, 5 keep yourself alive"! Those numbers are the safest to reuse, so check your containers.

From what I’ve researched, freezing is generally okay (I’d still stick with 2, 4, and 5 plastic types) but do not microwave plastics and do not put them in the dishwasher. For some plastic types, like #1, more chemicals are released when they are washed and reused. The good thing is that #1 is highly recyclable.

Madeline Hayles from Koorda, Western Australia writes:

Thank you for the fantastic updates in your newsletters. My husband and I live 230km north-east of the city of Perth in Western Australia and try to live with nature and without all the nasties. We have a permaculture garden and orchard out in the middle of nowhere. Your newsletters are a welcome diversion to our daily routine.

I recently went hiking (in winter) in South Western Australia’s forest, through all the giant Tinglewood trees, which is a perfect environment for mosquitoes. The local person that was our guide advised us to take multi-vitamin B tablets two days prior to going on our bush walk and to continue taking them during the walk. As mosquitoes love me, I certainly took the advice and was fortunate to be left alone by the little blood suckers. According to our guide, people with high levels of vitamin B in their system naturally repel the mosquitoes.

I did not get bitten in the week that I was in the forest and those who did not take vitamin B [said] they did get bitten. Thought this may be useful to others that have the attraction for these biting insects!

Even as August draws to a close, mosquitoes still abound at dusk, especially in the woods, near dense bushes and when it’s humid. Following a recent article in David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge Newsletter about DEET and keeping "skeeters" away, a reader sent us a no-fuss, natural repellant that works for her family.

Gently prick the skin with a fork and then rub lemon all over your body. Mosquitoes hate the citrus taste and smell.

Jennie Thorner from Vancouver, BC writes:

I would like to compile a list of companies known for testing on animals. I want to make sure I’m making wise consumer choices and would like a reliable source to tell me which companies test on animals. A list or more information would be much appreciated!

Lindsay replies:

Testing on animals is not a topic that we have become involved in to date. The good news is that I plan to profile "labeling" in general in a future David Suzuki Nature Challenge newsletter . It will translate what certain labels mean, like fair trade, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), EnergyStar, etc. It will also show you how to make your own products by using simple ingredients not tested on animals!

Personally, I was recently doing a search for such a list and found one in a book called "The Rough Guide to Shopping with a Conscience." Animal testing still happens today and there is no regulation around the labeling of "cruelty-free," "no animal testing," "not tested on animals," etc. The bottom line is to look for the White Rabbit logo .

Below is the long list I copied from the book, but I’d suggest you get the source as it has more detail and an explanation of how they derived the list. Also, because the David Suzuki Foundation is a non-profit organization we cannot recommend brands that we are for or against. You see, we just don’t test them or watchdog the companies. It’s really up to you to decide.

If this sort of thing interests you, I’d suggest you pick up "Not Just A Pretty Face ." I just finished it on the weekend and it’s a very empowering read! So, who tests on animals as listed in the book "The Rough Guide to Shopping with a Conscience."

* Chesebrough-Ponds: makes Ponds, Vaseline
* Church & Dwight: makes Aim, Arm & Hammer, Close-Up, Nair
* Clairol: makes Aussie, Daily Defense, Herbal Essences, Infusium 23
* Clorox: ArmourAll, Glad, Liquid Plumber, Pine-Sol, Soft Scrub, SOS, Tilex
* Colgate Palmolive: Ajax, Fab, Mennen, Palmolive, Soft Soap, Speed Stick
* COTY: Adidas, Calvin Klein, Glow, The Healing Garden, Jovan, Kenneth Cole, Marc Jacob, Rimmel, Stetson
* Dial: Purex
* Helene Curtis Industries: Finesse, Salon Selectives, Thermasilk
* Johnson & Johnson: Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Neutrogena
* Kimberley-Clark Corp: Cottonelle, Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, Pull-Ups, Scott Paper
* L’Oreal USA: Biotherm, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Lancome, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren, Redken, Soft Sheen, Vichy
* Malaleauca
* Olay
* Pantene
* Pfizer: Ben Gay, Listerine, Lubriderm, Plax, Visine
* Playtex: Baby Magic, Banana Boat, Ogilvie
* Proctor & Gamble: Cover Girl, Crest, Iams, Max Factor, Tide
* Reckitt Benckiser: Easy Off, Lysol, Mop & Glo, Old English, Resolve, Spray N’ Wash, Veet, Woolite, Coppertone, Dr. Scholl’s
* S.C. Johnson: Drano, Edge, Fantastik, Glade, OFF!, Oust, Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Skintimate, Windex, Ziploc
* 3M: Post-it, Scotch
* Unilever: Axe, Dove, Lever, Suave

Comments on the April 2008 Newsletter: Greener Cleaner

“Castile soap is not seafarer’s soap. Seafarer’s soap is made predominantly from coconut oil, which will lather in salt water. Castile is made from predominantly olive oil…. people should be using pure soap, not detergent, and should choose all-vegetable soap. A soap labelled "castile", if not 100% olive oil, may contain saponified animal fats… avoid… "sodium tallowate" or "sodium lardate", as these ingredients (are) derived from animals (and) may be found in any soap, even those labelled "castile". Most commercial bar soaps are made from tallow or lard, and it’s important to read the labels. To be honest, I prefer hand-made soap with these ingredients to many all-vegetable formulations, but this is personal preference. We could have a whole other discussion on the sustainability of palm plantations versus the use of beef or pork by-products!”

– Cathy M (Soap maker), Burnaby BC –

We stand corrected and have made the changes to the archived version of that newsletter. Thanks Cathy! Ed .

“I have personally never used fabric softeners (hate the unnatural "scents") but decided to invest in (those)… soft, spiky blue plastic balls…that you toss into the dryer with your laundry… They work by tumbling around in the dryer to lift and separate the laundry, allowing hot air to flow more efficiently… I have noticed that the clothes dried considerably faster on the setting I normally use… (and) the biggest benefit is the energy savings… you would save more money if you typically use fabric softener and dryer sheets, not to mention eliminating their chemicals from your laundry… the balls clunk a bit as they toss around so you might not want to turn the dryer on just before you go to bed.”

– Odie Geiger, Vancouver, BC –