TED

About 6 months ago, we welcomed TED(The Energy Detective) into our lives. Bob was so excited it was like getting that shiny red bike on Christmas morning. At first, I didn't think much about it. Bob has been known to get gadgets like this. I mean we have a Watts Up meter, so how bad can it be? And, the principal behind it all--saving energy, is something I was all over, so I thought--let him have his toy. At first, it started slow. He turned it on(and hooked it up and all that jazz) and went around turning off and unplugging everything he could in order to bring down the total. Okay...I can live with that. I mean unplug my coffee maker when I'm not using it. What do I care? I don't use the clock on it or anything, it just makes coffee for me. Then every time I used the vacuum cleaner or the microwave or--god forbid--the toaster he pointed out to me how much energy that item used. I sighed, I shrugged, and, I'll admit it, I cursed, but I thought to myself--don't worry, it will pass.

It didn't.

Now, when he comes home from work he looks at the running total for the day. If I've been home all day working, he'll gasp in shock "What did you do all day that required that much electricity?" and while he is saying that he will run around the house turning off lights, unplugging items, and constantly checking in on TED(mind you, the stereo...it doesn't go off...it is after all THE STEREO).

It is, of course, December now. We have two lovely children who waited patiently this year for their busy parents to find the time to put up their Christmas tree. The day after we put it up we had the lights on all day. Yes, you read right--all day. I would unplug them, but the kids would complain...and whining wears me down. When Bob came home he was livid! What on EARTH could I have been doing all day? I wasn't sure what he meant...and partially, I have come to kind of ignore his goings on about TED. Then he turned off the lights. He checked TED. Then he turned them on again. He checked TED. He gasped! 200 watts! We cannot turn on the Christmas tree he exclaims...what?! No Christmas tree lights? How to explain this to the kids...oh, I know....no lights when Dad is home ;) Now we only plug them in when we listen to Christmas music and feel like dancing!

Merry Christmas. Why not put a TED under your Christmas tree?

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

I am Canadian. I mean it. I REALLY am Canadian. My mother is the daughter of a man who left Scotland on a boat when he was a teenager searching for a better life in the new world. My father is an 8th generation French Canadian. We can trace his family all the way back to France. Wow...how Canadian is that? I remember when I was in University there was a lot of talk about Canadian identity. I mean--who are we? For the most part, we define ourselves in relation to others...primarily the Brits or the Americans. I mean we most definitely are NOT American. We're too apologetic. But what things are we that let us stand on our own. For me...I think of it in relation to snow. Most of us grew up digging forts into snow drifts...listening to the sound of our snow pants rub together as we ran to school...wearing toques, riding toboggans and knowing not to lick cold metallic surfaces. Our varied seasons defined us. And, recently, I have begun to wonder what it would mean to lose those seasons. On November 18th, my family loaded up into the car with the plan to drive until we found snow so that we could take the photo for our Christmas greetings(I'd say card, but I'm more of a digital girl). We had to drive all the way to Banff...and, then...there wasn't much. Just a skiff. And, it got me thinking--for goodness sake(really I used much harsher language, but I'll refrain here) it's the middle of November and there is hardly any snow in Banff!

Of course, the snow situation has changed quite drastically now. There is lots of snow, but it was a very long autumn. And, now people that you meet, curse it. What happened to our warm weather? Where did the lovely fall go? I get this weird feeling in my gut everytime somebody says something like that to me. As far as I'm concerned--Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!! The warm weather in the winter only gets me down. That is why I haven't written in awhile. Well, that and the fact that I am working more now. But, sometimes I get down. I get down about this whole global warming thing and I think that we have gone too far to come back. And, that worries me. Not for me, but for my kids. And, I choose not to share that with all of you who look to me for optimistic answers. Sometimes I just don't feel all that optimistic.

So, do me a favor...love the snow and the bite in the air that comes with it. It, too, is so very Canadian.

Bikers

Most people hear that word and think of some heavily moustached, potbellied men in black, but this week the 'bikers' descended on our street. Well, that is what Jack kept calling them. Most people would call them cyclists, but we prefer Jack's term as it seems to imply that they are a gang who is up to something. Only this gang is up to all good. They are biking to the tarsands. The Sierra Youth Coalition is behind this craziness and this gang of youth is quite inspiring. They are blogging, filming and writing about their journey to uncover what Albertans think of the tar sands and the global warming crisis we now face and helped create. They are a mixed bag of nuts...some highly focused university students who will take leadership roles on the inside, some artists who will fight their fight in their own unique way, and some dudes who just like to bike. We look forward to following them on their journey and wanted to let you all know how you could follow them as well. So, check 'em out:

www.tothetarsands.ca

Leave them a note of encouragement and any offers of help along the way...I'm sure they would appreciate it. It was neat having them stay with us...

Toy Recall

So, I've been thinking about this massive toy recall lately. I mean any household I know has something Dora, Barbie, or Polly Pocket if they have a little girl. And, with this magnet issue, I am wondering if My Little Pet Shop will be affected eventually as well. We did have one of the little Dora toys, but, due to the date it was purchased, it was not a problem. Here's the thing. This is all our own fault. For a couple of reasons. First--and most importantly--we buy things made in China. Yes, I am aware that it is incredibly difficult not to and it becomes increasingly more so every passing day, but no one buys these things because they don't have a choice. They buy them because they are cheap. Price trumps all other things. I'm guilty of it as well...I mean you try avoiding these brand names with your kids. The reality is they might be cheaper than toys made here or in europe, but they are not cheap. We are paying for the brand name and the company who created that brand name is making most of the money. Not the workers or facilities in China. But, more importantly, after we have the toys made in China, they get sent here, and--apparently--no one follows up. When we(and by we I mean the government and industry in particular) are fully aware of the lack of standards in China, why aren't they more diligent in checking up on them. In this crazy world of capitalism there are always going to be externalities(in economics, an externality is a cost or benefit resulting from an economic transaction that is borne or received by parties not directly involved in the transaction). The environment is one of them. Now, our kids are another. We need a system to hold someone accountable for these externalities. The truth is scary though. Because if we did, nothing coming from China would be cheap. They'd be paying the cost to the environment, to the local communities suffering from their lack of stringent air quality controls and the destruction of their drinking water, and to the families who have been affected by this recall. Sheesh...what would happen to WalMart?

Pughs Save The World

Okay, okay...so I exaggerate a little. The other day while talking to a neighbour I learned that a fellow was swimming the North Pole to raise awareness of how bad global warming really is. Like we needed that--I mean, here on the prairies in the sweltering heat of this summer, I think we can all agree that global warming is bad. Anyways, I tucked that little tidbit in my 'to wikipedia' pocket and guess what? The guy's name is Lewis Gordon Pugh. Yes, you heard right. He is a full fledged member of Pughville. And, the strangest thing is, Bob's great grandfather was Lewis Pugh. Hmmm...makes you think. Anyways, thought I'd mention it to you all and give you the link to his website so you can see that us Pugh's really are saving the world! One polar swim at a time ;)

www.lewispugh.com

PVC, PET and Facebook--Ugh!

So...I hate Facebook. There I said it. If my four year old said this to me I would reply that 'hate' is a strong word....so maybe not HATE hate, but I very strongly dislike it. Don't get me wrong. Good things have happened to me because of facebook. I have connected with some old friends whom I was happy to hear are still loving life, but...for the most part, my experience hasn't been that positive. It's a little bit like junior high all over again. Only this time, it's all out in the open. Look how many 'friends' I have. Aren't I popular? You have how many friends? Like, you know...whatever. And, then there are the little updates...so and so is having spaghetti for supper. So and so just bought an ipod(didn't it used to be called a walkman?). And just like that, these people with all these so called 'friends' can influence them with just one or two sentences to make good or bad choices. Like I said, junior high all over again.

Recently, I saw someone had posted a short blurb urging their 'friends' to stop recycling plastic. They included the link to one article on the subject and then a brief summation in case they didn't have time to do the research themselves. Here's the thing...recycling plastic is a complex issue that cannot be summed up briefly. Here's the other thing...I don't like other people doing 'research' and then forcing their decisions upon me no matter what the topic. And...last thing...she might just be plain wrong. Ok, so now here I go giving my brief explanation of recycling plastic. I know that I am contradicting myself a bit here by forcing my own understanding down your throats, but at least this explanation is not one or two sentences(am I really capable of summing up anything that briefly?) and this explanation comes with the caveat that you should do your own research on the subject. I might just be plain wrong. Hey...try wikipediaing it.

I have touched on this subject before when I urged you all to start using reusable shopping bags, but now I'll dive a little deeper into it. You see on the bottom of almost all of your plastic containers you will find a number 1 through 7. That provides information as to the type of plastic that it is so it can be properly recycled. You'll see a number on things like styrofoam, too, which is also a type of plastic, but due to it's size and inability to be compacted it is unable to be recycled. So, for simplicity sake, let's only concern ourselves with plastic bottles, of which there are two primary kinds, PET and PVC. Of all the plastic bottles that are recycled, it is my understanding, a mere 2% are PVC. This type of plastic is used thanks to it's ability to stand up to UV rays--primarily in the form of siding, pipes, and other construction type material. It is extremely long lasting and cannot really be recycled. That is not to say that it isn't done--it is, but the resulting product is far inferior to the virgin product so no one uses it. So, to sum up, what's the point? In fact, in places where cradle to grave manufacturing is coming into policy(wikipedia it if you don't know) PVC is being phased out because manufacturers realize that, in the end, it ends up in a landfill. My understanding is that, currently, there are people working on a solution to this problem...a new recycling technique, but, to date it is not being used.

The rest of the plastic bottles we recycle, 98%, are in one form or the other of PET. They are easily recyclable. With that, like I have said before, my main issue is that much of it gets sent to China as we do not have the facilities to handle it here in North America thus increasing the carbon output of plastic. How do we get those facilities? I'd like to say 'pressure the government' and 'sign petitions', but I am afraid that we truly live in a supply and demand society. As long as we here in North America keep electing right wing governments, we are going to have to rely on this old model. So...how do we increase demand? Recycle. Soon, some swift entrepeneur will see this empty need and fill it. Are recycling programs flawed? Absolutely. Does PVC have to be sorted out from PET? Yes. Here lies the main issue as PVC has a much higher melt temperature and cannot be mixed with PET or the batch will be ruined. Is the answer to stop recycling altogether or should we just demand higher recycling standards? Sorting is easily done here in Okotoks with one person manning the recycling facilities at all times. Another way to solve this issue might be to simply avoid purchasing items that are packaged in PVC containers. Almost always there will be an alternative. Again...so goes the supply and demand model, right? So, next time you are purchasing a plastic container, check the bottom. If the number you see is #3 maybe make the choice to purchase a competitors product. Or, if you choose to recycle it, make sure to put it in the proper bin. Sounds simple enough to me. Stop recycling plastic all together...well, that is not all that simple now, is it?

Ugh...facebook.

A New Look

Hey there everyone! I've been blog neglectful lately and thought that I would launch a whole new look for this blog to make up for my shameful neglect! New song, new header...and really soon a new post--I promise! The photos in the header are from our trip to Spain and Portugal. They are recycling and compost bins in Barcelona and Granada. I know, I know...I'm a freak taking photos of recycling bins. Whatever! The song is from my new musical love--Brett Dennen. I discovered him a while ago from one of my photo blogging friends and I saw him play this weekend at the Calgary Folk Festival. I think he may have to replace Corb as my future boyfriend. Corb may be the better looking of the two, but Brett is so funky and his lyrics are so sweet...hmmm...it's a tough choice.



So check back later in the week. I promise a rebuttal to a facebook rumor that we should all stop recycling plastic! Until then--celebrate life!

Millarville Market and a Summertime Challenge

That's the name of my favorite farmer's market. Yes, I have a favorite...and, to be honest, I would have to say that I also enjoy the one in St. Albert as well, but there it has to do mostly with bumping into old friends and feeling at home. You know what I mean? Anyways, I have been neglecting my blog lately and thought that I would let you all know that Millarville Market is my favorite. We will go there on Saturday to get all of our vegetables, fruit and meat for the week. It is a great way to eat locally--and sometimes, organically(especially meat)--and have a fun time while doing it. Eating locally is good for you and good for the environment as I have mentioned before, but just think about what it does for the local economy as well.

For me, summertime is all about going to the market and throwing your favorites on the BBQ. Strange considering I haven't been back on the meat bandwagon for all that long--and I still don't really eat a lot of meat. But lots of things taste great on the BBQ. And, so...since it has been a while since I threw out a challenge, I'm going to throw one out there. It's a big one if you live in Southern Alberta...drumroll please...EAT LESS MEAT. So, try to make one meatless meal a week. Eggplant Parmesana is good(although little bit messy to put on the BBQ). My neighbour put squash on their BBQ yesterday...or how about Tofu. Gasp. Tofu on the BBQ! I think that this might be against the law in some parts of Alberta...we do it all the time. Try marinating it first in a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. It's great on sandwiches! If you take it to work, you get a fabulous mixture of responses when you announce what you have in your lunch. Just ask Bob.

So...head out to your local market and feel better about the way you are feeding your family and your community. Support your local farmers. What would we do without them?

Water, water everywhere

My computer doesn't like me. Do you know what I mean? Some days it just rebels. Today is such a day. I wonder if I got a cute little imac things would be better. alas {sigh}

Bolivia. I learned a lot about Bolivia when I watched "The Corporation". For me, the first thing I do now when I hear about something and it is obviously biased(as is the case with this movie although not so much as with some others) is I run to Wikipedia. I LOVE Wikipedia. I use it as a verb now-in the same way I use 'google'...I'm hoping it will catch on, so spread the love! I am urging you all to wikipedia 'bechtel corporation' if you do not already know about the Cochabamba situation of the late 90's early 2000's. You see, I had heard a bit about some countries and the fact that their water was being privatised and that this was bad for them. That's all I knew. What I didn't know is that these companies(in the case of Bolivia--Bechtel) come in and they stake claim to all running water in the country. Now, for Bolivia, they had approached the World Bank and asked them for a loan to upgrade their countries failing water system. The only way the Bank would help them was for them to privatize said system. Thus, Bechtel bid and won the rights to the water in Cochabamba--the third largest city in Bolivia. Now...I'm thinking...how bad can this be because we all pay someone for water, right? Well, in a country where people make on average $70/month, try paying $20/month for your water bill. The rates were increased a week after the privatization occurred. And, to be fair to the company, they needed the funds to pay for much needed upgrades to their system. And, before Bechtel, many citizens got no water at all due to the corruption of the state. But, under Bechtel law, it was illegal to collect rain water. It was also illegal to collect water from a natural running source and carry it to your house. So, people everywhere had difficult decisions to make--pay for medical care or pay for water. Pay for your kids to go to school or pay for water. Pay for food or pay for water.

The beautiful thing is people have power. In the famed Cochabamba protests of 2000, the citizens took back their water supply and Bechtel was overthrown. Protest is a powerful thing. Did I once say that I wasn't going to get political on this site? Well, I lied. Those who know me well are just shocked at my resistance thus far.

So, how is this about green living? First off, who cares? This is my blog and I am going to write about whatever I want...I am the all omnipotent goddess of the blog afterall. But if you must. There are very few things that we, as humans, truly need and water is one of them. Breathable air is another. In fact, those are the two things that we would be totally screwed without. I think it is important to understand exactly what is happening to both. Sometimes, if you watch a movie like 'The Corporation' instead of 'Grey's Anatomy' you might just enlighten yourself. BUUUUUTTTTT it is so hard not to watch 'Grey's'...I love George. I mean are him and Izzy ever going to work things out or what? And, Dr. McDreamy or McSteamy whichever one is your favorite flavour...how can we do without? Here's the thing--it's summer so they're all reruns anyways. Skip the rerun and borrow our copy of this movie...or read a book or rent something else...I know that I am sounding pushy, but--again, don't you know me at all?

Deep Thinking

So, a few things have me deep thinking these days...first, I watched "The Corporation" . We have a copy for anyone who wants to see it. It has me really thinking about water(and so many other things)...what more could you want from a movie, but Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Maude Barlow, Micheal Moore, and a "Pat" look alike(her name was not Pat, but if you are cool and hip like me you should know who I am talking about--she provided some much needed comic relief...at least at our house). Soon, I'll have my thoughts together enough to talk about it.

Second, I got this link sent to me from one of my cronies. Just kidding, Christine. It is super cool and helps you visualize consumption in a totally new way...check it out:

http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php

Thanks for sending it Chris!

Rain Barrels, Toilets and a Potty Training 2 Year Old

Okay, so this post is just me rambling on a rainy day, but I was thinking, with all this crazy rain we're having here, how much I love my rain barrel. Yesterday, in preparation for the coming storm, I emptied it. Now, currently, we don't have a lot of plants, so one rain barrel has proven more than sufficient as most of our previous neighbours will tell you how reluctant we are to water our lawn. But, it makes you so aware of how much water you are actually using. I think you become more careful with it as you know there is not an infinite amount in there. I wish people could see all the water we use that way. It is all connected in a global sense. Water is an especially good example of how those close to the source affect those further away.

When we were building this house, one thing we knew for sure that we wanted to include was dual flush toilets. So, we made an appointment with the plumbing people. First thing we did when we got there was told them why we were there...well, we were met with looks of absolute astonishment! You don't want one of those they told us. No one wants those. I said--hey, 'those' have been mandatory in Australia for close to 15 years. Reluctantly, they sold us the $300 upgraded toilet--a Mansfield pressure assist model. Pull handle up for close to 6 litres and down for more like 4 litres. Most people jump the first time they use it. It is actually quite amusing for us. Kind of a cruel party trick as the more people have to drink, the stronger their reaction tends to be. But, it is absolutely the best toilet we have ever had...we love it! And, believe me when I say, there was a time in my life if you had told me I would be writing about my love for a toilet I would have laughed until I peed. Now, we kick ourselves for not putting them upstairs, but, at the time, I had spent a crazy amount on upgrades--and, we decided we would let it mellow if it was yellow in the non public spaces. And, we do...in fact, actually getting our kids to flush the toilet has become a problem.

So, water usage at our house is far, far below the average. I know(only because we are crazy aware of things like this and the town of Okotoks has had issues taking our water readings over the last year) that we use on average 8 cubic metres of water in this house per month. Like I said, we don't water our lawn...in fact, we are getting rid of it soon. We also have low flow faucets and a front loading washing machine. Why am I telling you all this? Well, it's rainy here, so I am thinking lots about water today...that, and, my daughter is potty training so I am thinking lots about pee. She has actually taken to using pee as a weapon. Whenever she is angry with us, she whips off her pants and her underwear and pees on the spot. The other night in protest to us cruel parents making her go to bed, she quietly got out of bed, took off her clothes and had a gigantic pee on the floor before promptly laying down and falling asleep in it. Good thing I checked on her shortly thereafter. Thank God she hasn't figured out that poop has much more power behind it...peace out.

Compost Bins and Rain Barrels

It is time to put your rain barrels out as it will no longer be freezing(at least we're pretty sure of that)...rain water is great for your plants(and your hair I've heard) and a nice alternative to using your tap water. If you don't have a rain barrel, there are lots of pretty ones available at the garden centers, but if you don't care about the way that it looks the City of Calgary sells big blue ones for $60 at the Eco-Store. Actually, the eco-store is a neat place and you should check it out for sure. Compost bins there are subsidized year round for less than $25. If you are not from Calgary, check with your local government(their website will usually have the answer). Many provide these things at a reduced cost. Heck, in Okotoks, every new house gets a free fancy dancy rain barrel. It looks so pretty sitting next to my house :)

Here's the link to the eco-store for their hours of operation and address:

http://cleancalgary.org/index.php/store

Check it out! And, hey, for those people who were having problems with their compost bins being too wet this spring(I've actually had a few emails regarding this)...a neighbour of mine recommended torn up newspaper when you run out of leaves. I'm trying it in mine. Email me if you want to know how it went!

Summertime

...and the living is easy! Well, just when you think summer is here, it goes and snows. Welcome to the May long weekend in Alberta! Of course, we chose this weekend to build our deck, so we will be choosing next weekend to do the very same thing. The reason I am blogging about our deck(insert inappropriate comment here) is because it shows the evolution in our ecological thinking and our attempts to use our consumer power to affect change. Sounds monumental, doesn't it?

Well, we decided to go with a composite decking instead of treated lumber. Environmentally speaking, less waste will go into the construction of our deck mostly because it will outlast a traditional wood deck--not to mention the harsh chemicals involved in pressure treated decks and the process of continually staining them. So, we looked around, wrote down all the names of all the composites that were readily available to us and looked to see which one used recycled materials. Now, when I asked the young punk sales guy at Home Depot if Brite composite was made from recycled material, he looked at me like I was from another planet. Of course, I am, but we don't want to be telling total strangers that fact. So, my only option of really knowing was checking out the websites. I had wrongly assumed that all these composites would be made of recycled material--in fact, Eon, proudly claims it is the only one made of 100% virgin plastic. Now, while you would still be cutting down on material, it would be more ecologically minded of us to keep looking. Our neighbour pointed us towards Trex decking. In my research, they were the only ones that claimed to use primarily recycled material--that being recycled plastic grocery bags(they had to be good for something), recycled pallet wrap and waste wood. At least, the only ones that I could easily purchase at one of the large hardware stores. We got ours at Totem at McLeod Trail. Since we are still installing it, it's hard to rave, but I am already loving the idea of never having to paint or stain it again. It was considerably more expensive than traditional decking--around 3x's as much, but lasts much longer so it is more of an upfront cost as the cost of maintaining a traditional deck doesn't really factor in to our comparison. You can now find a link to their website here on my blog.

Anyone up for margaritas and chips when it's all done? We can't wait. In fact, we have had a landscape designer who specializes in Xeriscaping plan our front and back yards. We expect it to look great and need very little maintenance once it is completed. It's just that whole getting it completed thing. Xeriscaping is a type of low water, low fertilizer landscaping using local plants and shrubs. No, we are not just putting down rocks...in fact, you can find lots of beautiful examples of xeriscaping in Okotoks(you should see our neighbour's yard--Jen and Joanne--it's well on its way to being completely gorgeous). Check back to hear more about it as we get it in...and possibly some photos!

Seriously Concerned

So, I was interviewed a while ago by this girl-we totally clicked-and the article is out. Click on the title of this entry and it will take you to it. The two quotes that she actually used were 'we are super tight on this street' and 'we moved here because we are seriously concerned about climate change'...so do I sound like a 12 year old or what? Anyways, just thought you all might like to check it out. Looks like a neat little magazine.

Things I learned On Our Trip#2

So, the other day on Wild Rose Forum(yes I know I'm a huge CBC radio nerd) the topic was spring cleaning and a new Calgary resident called in. She had just moved here from the UK and did not know how to care for her stainless steel appliances. After answering her query, the host asked her if her new appliances were much larger than her old ones. The caller responded by laughing and then said "everything is bigger in Calgary". It struck a chord with me. We have always tried to live a 'smaller' life. Of course, I realize that 'smaller' is a relative term and for many who live 'larger' than we do, they too might think that they are living small. While in Spain, I got a glimpse of just how 'large' it is we North Americans really do live.

In every city we visited, we passed by real estate offices. They are much the same everywhere and had new listings posted on their windows. All the listings were apartments. 95% were under 1000 square feet--heck, many were under 800 square feet. We saw only one listing that came near to our own house. An apartment almost 1600 square feet in size--no yard, no parking(it did say the possibility for parking), no basement(ours adds an additional 600 square feet of living space). It was in Sevilla and it was listed at close to 700,000 euros. At 1.5 dollars to the euro, that is a significant difference for sure.

So, this 'smaller' living also brought about other differences that we noticed. You should have seen the kitchen stores--so cool and sleek with their tiny little kitchens all efficiently laid out to pack as much as possible in a little tiny space. And, the lack of parking--well, that means that the streets are packed, at all times of the day, with people actually walking to their destinations. Kids are actually playing in the parks and in the streets. It was not uncommon to see little boys kicking soccer balls in tight little alleyways using the buildings as teammates. And, the cars people drive were way, way smaller. Smart cars(there were several different models) were very common--so easy to park(where does one add a parkade in a city of buildings that are hundreds of years old with streets designed for horse and carriage). I often saw families of 5 get out of VW golfs...which has us thinking that we should rid ourselves of our own minivan and be a two golf family. We saw very few SUV's and the ones we did see were diesel driven. The government there keeps the price of diesel lower than the astronomical price of gas in order to encourage conservation. Wow...

And the variety in the shopping was so different. People don't drive to big box stores or shopping malls(where would they put them in a city that is hundreds of years old?)--they walk down the street and go to the little independent shirt store where all they sell is men's shirts. If you need a tie--no fret, right next door is a tie store and next to that is a shoe store. I don't know where they get their pants. But, you see what I mean don't you? We all live in these huges houses and fill them with stuff we don't need--and I'm not so sure that we're any happier. I can only imagine how much smaller their ecological footprint is from ours. Sad really...

Things I learned on our trip #1

So, I don't want these posts to be all about how Europe does everything right and we unsophisticated North American's are stuck in the dark ages. The truth is, they could learn a thing or two from us--like how to stop smoking! And, how about banning it in public places. Especially restaurants--yuck! How are we supposed to enjoy our dinner with all the smoke? But, we here at Pughville did learn a thing or two from them while we were over there on vacation.

Today, I want to talk about Portugal. Did you know that Portugal is on its way to being one of the world's largest wind power producers? There are turbines everyhwhere...all different kinds, too. It's quite hilly there and they line the hills. I know that in some less 'sophisticated' places(just kidding, Portugal is very old world europe) people are concerned about the way these things look. Well, I think that they look super cool--especially compared to any of the number of large coal fired power plants we came across on our travels. I never took any pictures of those. Gee, I should have. They just announced a plan to produce 500 turbines to power 750,000 homes and provide 1600 jobs. Wow. Impressive. Who would have thought that there might be benefits to ones economy by going green?

But I did give thought to the idea that perhaps in centuries to come, these things will be seen as interesting tourist destinations. Why did this occur to me? Well, driving along the road in Portugal(we do not recommend driving for people with heart conditions, epilepsy, or pregnant women) we came across another type of windmill. It was run by Sr. Arnoldo of the wind mill and he was kind enough to give us a tour. These are actually quite picturesque, don't you think? Why are we so closeminded as to think that turbines can't also be this beautiful? I just don't get it. Will my grandchildren drive down to Pincher Creek and ooohhh and ahhh at the beauty of the turbines against the mountains? My husband does. Maybe he'll be Sr. Robert of the turbine!

I'm Baaaaack!

Bet you all missed me, eh? Well, our trip was fabulous. We saw a lot, ate a lot, drank a lot(but don't tell), and learned a lot. I plan on talking about it over the next week, but for now I just wanted to post a quick one. My neighbour and (dare I say) friend, the fabulous Nicole, sent me my first ever Earth Day card! I thought it was kind of neat actually. It was, of course, an e-card and I thought that I would post the link in case any of you might be interested in celebrating this ever increasing in importance day....she got it at www.care2.com check it out! Come back soon to hear all about green efforts in Spain and Portugal...

Rocking Solar Power

Ok, so this is a short post. We're busy preparing for our trip to Spain and we leave on Saturday so there will be no posts until the middle of April. BUT--I just heard on CBC radio of a cool project involving two totally cool(and many others) rockers--Ron Sexsmith and Gordon Downie. They are a part of a compilation album where the proceeds will go to solar projects where entire communities pool their buying power and purchase solar panels reducing their costs. Thought I would send out the link because I love the community angle to this...check it out!

http://www.ourpower.ca/

Carbon Offsets--Everybody's Doing It

Carbon neutral was recently named word(or in this case I guess phrase) of the year by one of the dictionary companies. Celebrities abound who consistently label themselves by this trendy new catchphrase. A recent article on CNN.com was titled "Carbon Neutral the New Black". So, why are people doing it and is it a good idea? These questions are difficult ones. Even some hardcore environmental groups don't like the idea. But hardcore preachers like Al Gore and David Suziki do it, so--should you?

I've been looking into it a bit to decide if we should do it. After all, you can reduce your consumption in many ways, but no one can escape the use of carbon entirely. Eventually a situation is going to occur that is going to require you to drive, to fly, or to participate in an event where much flying and driving occurred. So, unless you plan to live in a cave and sustain yourself with bannick and dried berries, you might want to investigate other ways to lower your footprint. I know that many people already consider our footprint to be relatively small. You know, I must confess that until a short time ago, I used to use the phrase "but we do more than most" to try and convince Bob to do or usually buy something that he didn't feel was quite in line with our beliefs. I had a conversation though with a friend of mine and she had a good way of putting it. In things like this, you have to set the bar for yourself and find a place where you feel your own sense of balance. There is no sense in comparing yourselves to others because there will always be someone who is doing more than you(unless your Mother Theresa). I'm telling you all this because this year we are doing a lot of environmental sinning--the worst kind. I'm afraid there are multiple opportunities that require us to *gulp* fly. In fact, Bob flew on Monday--to Houston for work. On Friday, we both fly to Saskatoon(out of necessity for a funeral) and then on the 31st, we leave on a two week holiday to Spain. Yikes! A lot of carbon for two carbon minded individuals. Especially since in the almost 10 years we've known each other we have only flown on four occassions that I can think of(although I think there was at least one more where Bob flew alone). We even drove for our honeymoon.

Ok, so the first two are necessities and they aren't very far, but the second one is also seen by us as a necessity. A much needed break from our kids, but also an opportunity to experience another culture which is important in our own global understanding. At least, that is how we justify it. Another way is we are buying carbon offsets.

Someone I met recently described offset websites as akin to sendmetenbucks.com...a brother scam of the Nigerian bank dudes. Well, I did stumble across a consumer report on the Suzuki foundation website. It falls short of listing all current sites as new ones are popping up daily(thus the whole scam thing), but it did have a short list and I stuck to those in making my decision. In fact, I chose www.nativeenergy.com even though Bob would have preferred a Canadian site. It is said by most that this is a global problem so global offsetting should be viewed as acceptable. Al Gore uses these guys to offset his electricity bills(at least until his solar panels are done being put up). I liked it because they gave an option to list connecting flights instead of only direct. And you could choose from three different ways to offset. The Pembina Institute also offers offsets, but currently their system is being updated and was unavailable--otherwise I would have seriously considered Alberta wind power. That said, I do consider this much like buying 'Green Max' through enmax. It is a way of paying what I see as the environmental cost of my activities. Call it guilt money(and many people do), but at least when you are doing it you are actually calculating your effect. In fact, I found many carbon footprint calculators on the net. Mostly to do with travel(driving and flying), but I did find one that really got me thinking about other ways to reduce--such as my virgin paper usage. You can find that calculator here:

http://www.conservation.org/ecofootprint/#top

I encourage you all to do it. It doesn't take long and it will really make you think about where your personal bar is set and whether you might be ready to move it up a notch! I guess that if it's the limbo, it would be down a notch...either way it's my next challenge...so do it!

Composting

I just wanted to make a quick note about composting. I recently discovered the world's greatest little green bag. It is green in so many ways. For those of you who get green at the thought of washing out your compost bucket, this is a wonderful way of avoiding that task. Available in a roll of 100 for $19.95 at Lee Valley, these little bags are 100% compostable and can just be thrown straight in your bin. Love them!

Also, I noticed that clean calgary is having a couple of workshops on composting for those of you who are interested. Check out there website in my links section. I've also found some interesting tidbits on the blog "My Own Karma" about composting for those who are interested. Spring is coming!!! Compost will soon be needed! Peace out.

One Sexy Soccer Mom and Her Sexy Solar Panels

Yesterday, I got to go to the Petroleum Club for lunch with my husband. Believe me--this is not a place we have ever been. Well, Bob has been there once on a lunch and learn, but I have not even been there for a wedding. Anyways, I got to feel like a grown up and have a lunch that did not consist of grilled cheese sandwiches and Annie's mac and cheese. That said--the lunch was neither vegetarian(and the option was slow and uninteresting) nor was any part of it organic. I know this not because I asked(I had already made my peace with the fact that this was to be my meat for the next couple of weeks), but because the woman sitting next to me asked. A note to organizers of events like this...it might be a good idea to serve organic, local fare. Ok...enough said.

So, Tim Flannery was the speaker. He is the author of a book called "The Weather Makers" which I have not read, but Bob has. I guess it is a very authoritative book on the science behind global warming. And, from the bits and pieces that Bob has read to me, it is pretty doom and gloom because, well, to put it bluntly, the science behind global warming is not very uplifting. So, as a lunch date, it was not very romantic, but it was exciting as we did get to introduce ourselves and have Tim sign our book. We are, of course, now on a first name basis with him and I am sure that he will be calling us for our opinions on important matters(for those who don't know me, I have been known to be a tad bit sarcastic). Anyhoo...I found the lunch interesting to say the least. In part because of what he had to say, but also because of the crowd that he was speaking to. You can imagine that the Petroleum Club is not usually the place for hard core environmentalists to gather. It was, in fact, a lunch put on by the Richard Ivey School of Business Alumni--so there were economists there from Price Waterhouse, TD Bank and RBC. Of course, the oil and gas sector was also well represented. At our table of 6, 3 were in oil and gas, 1 in university, 1 employee of Clean Calgary, and 1 soccer mom. There were some eyes rolling when it was announced that Alberta would be the first province to place caps on emissions...rolling for two very different reasons I'm sure--environmentalists see intensity based caps as one giant joke and industry sees caps of any sort as an altogether different sort of joke. For Bob and I, the announcement was interesting based on the fact that Harper and Stelmach had announced over $150 million towards sequestering carbon just the day before--which we see as a giant joke because oil and gas companies need no more government incentives they need serious caps to provide the incentive to spend their billions of dollars on clean alternatives...did I say earlier that I wasn't going to get political on this site--well, I apologize. So...with all of that out of the way, what was talked about by this man named Australian of the year?

Well, where to start? He started by explaining how small the atmosphere really is. He called it similar to an ocean but 500x's smaller. That is why we have yet to have a catastrophic ocean failure, but are having a catastrophic atmospheric one--not because we don't pollute our oceans, but because they are that much larger than the atmosphere. He also talked about how we solved the problems of acid rain and the hole in the ozone layer. He recounted the Montreal Protocol from 1987 which banned the manufacture of CFC's in developed nations. And how DuPont(the major manufacturer of said substances) kicked and screamed that it would be so incredibly damaging to their bottom line. And, he said that they had a good reason to kick and scream. That back in 1987, the science was not all that great, but, in the end, they relented because they were a family run business that did not want to be seen as responsible for such monumental damage to our planet. Guess what happened next? Forced to come up with an alternative, DuPont created cheaper and more ozone friendly alternatives...they actually made money! Wow...do you mean to say that money might actually be made by coming up with alternative(can you sense my sarcasm)? Interesting...

He also talked about how most people see the year 2100(the year widely agreed upon as when all the affects will be seen by) as so far away. Most people don't think it will actually affect them in their lifetime. He disagreed. He cited the current drought in Australia as evidence that climate change is already proving to be catastrophic. What really struck me about this argument was that he said that the drought was the result of a 10% decrease in annual rainfall--10% does not seem like a large difference, but for parts of his native country it has been nearly devastating. What he then did interested me a lot...being that I am concerned primarily about the social implications brought about by global warming. He talked about a recent trip to Kenya. He said that they are experiencing a similar drought, but that they are not part of the 1/5th of us able to cope with such a devastating change in climate. And, so, long ago their cattle died, their income disappeared and people are now starving to death. I think it is extremely important to note that while we may be very flexible in dealing with situations like these, developing countries will not be and, in the future, that could lead to extreme social instability around the world...leading to extreme issues of security for nations of wealth.

So, the other major thing he talked about before addressing our local issues(the tar sands) was the rate at which the arctic ice cap is melting. In 2005, when he finished writing his book, things in the arctic had been pretty stable for awhile and one would have estimated that the ice would be gone by about 2100. He said that the summer of that year was the first time we saw a huge difference in data and that it went unmentioned in his book because climate is an ever changing species that fluctuates and this could have been an isolated episode. What he went on to tell us was shocking. Melt that summer was huge...giant chunks of ice disappeared at a rate never seen before. The following winter was just as devastating as ice formations slowed as well. What was even more alarming is that it has continued at an increased rate. Now, most experts would place the disappearing of the arctic ice shelf at around 2040--a full 60 years earlier!!! And, that if you are totally unscientific about it, you could just draw a line on the graph straight through the last few years and place it somewhere between 2010 and 2020. Many species depend on that ice--including polar bears, walruses, seals...and the people of our north.

Of course, in the round of questions that followed his talk, the issue of the tar sands of Alberta came up. He got a little bit nervous and even mentioned that it is a difficult thing to talk about in a place with such an enormous natural asset. He went on to talk about his concerns over Australia coal--Australia being one of the world's largest exporters of coal. Change is inevitable. We can all hope to keep things going our way, but in reality, sometimes change is thrust upon us. With a large natural asset and billions of dollars of infrastructure in place already and scheduled to come into place to support technologies that will soon be obsolete, he said that his worry would be that in the future we will be forced to abandon these assets. Smart investors and smart businesses would move fast to be the first to come up with alternatives to avoid that possibility instead of spending more and more money on trying to sustain it.

One question was about how to make things like solar panels and hybrid vehicles more sexy so that soccer moms would want them as soccer moms make most of the major money decisions in households. It was said that solar panels are not that sexy. What?! Has Bob fooled me? I think they are totally sexy(especially now that all the trim is up). I said to those around me that I am a sexy soccer mom with sexy solar panels(well, ok, I didn't call myself sexy, but I totally am). In closing a quote was read from his book about how you can personally change your carbon footprint by 70%.

"The best evidence indicates that we need to reduce our CO2 emissions by 70 per cent by 2050. If you own a four-wheel-drive and replace it with a hybrid fuel car, you can achieve a cut of that magnitude in a day rather than the half a century. If your electricity provider offers a green option, for the cost of a daily cup of coffee you will be able to make equally major cuts to your household emissions. And, if you vote for a politician who has a deep commitment to reducing CO2 emissions, you might change the world."

I know that my little recap was not as eloquent as the actual talk itself, but I wanted to take the time to provide those of you who actually read my blog with some food for thought. Maybe these ideas are new to you...maybe not, but dialogue is important. And, like I said to the woman who made the soccer mom quote--soccer moms are deeply concerned. They are concerned because they have good reason to be concerned. They are raising our future leaders.

World On Fire...

So, I warned you all about the whole YouTube thing. Here is another cool video which I learned about from the coolest book ever. The book was loaned to us by our neighbours, the ever lovely Jen and Joanne. It's called "World Changing: A User's Guide For the 21st Century". It is like an encyclopedia of cool ideas about how to make the world a better place. Today I also found out(while researching an upcoming article about hybrid cars--thanks, Leeann for the idea) that they have a totally cool website. Find it at www.worldchanging.com

One of the cool things that I found in that book was under "Philanthropy". It talked about Sarah MacLachlan and her video "World On Fire" and how incredible it is to see how the way in which we spend our money can make a huge difference. Of course, I found it on YouTube...check it out.

Just a quick entry tonight. Looking forward to seeing Tim Flannery speak at the Petroleum club of all places tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have lots to write after that! Enjoy...

So, I'm hooked on YouTube...check this one out! I thought I would post a little fun to brighten up everyone's day. Now that I've figured out how to do this, expect more in the future.

*************warning: to those who are uneasy hearing about feminine hygiene products, the following article is not for you :)*******************************************************

Growing up, I remember reading "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret"-a pivotal book(at least it used to be) for adolescent girls. I remember her concerns over training bras and belted sanitary napkins. By the time I was 12 and reading this book, "belted pads" were not even sold. I had to ask my mother what they were. Imagine my horror when she explained. Well, this past week, I was privy to a series of emails regarding an ecologically, economically sensitve alternative to the nasty and archaic choices I naively thought were all that was available.

Being of an ecological mindset, I looked into alternatives briefly, maybe 10 years ago. Tampons and pads are, afterall, made from unbleached cotton and filled with nasty chemicals. Don't even get me started about the excess packaging. I would venture to say that they are almost equal to toys in the excess packaging department. The only alternative I was made aware of in my earlier search was of the 'wash and wear' fabric variety. And, for a child of the 80's, this seemed completely unacceptable. I mean, my kid's diapers are one thing, but this was entirely another thing altogether. I promptly chose the brand with the least packaging and became a loyal customer. That is--until this series of emails hit my desk.

This was about the 'Diva Cup'--a silicone cup that you insert and wear for up to 12 hours. Here is a quote from my friend (the doctor)Kim's email singing of the cup's praises:

I have used the menstrual cup for 8 years now. I love it, I think it is the best thing since sliced bread, and I would never, ever, ever go back. I haven't used pads or tampons since, and I actually think of them as sort of archaic to be quite honest. It is revolutionary, and I'm really quite shocked that I haven't told those of you I know about it long before this. I guess our conversations just never made it there. It is so comfortable, you do not even know it is there once you've learned to do it properly. It does not leak, again, if you are using it properly. You can go all day without changing it, just empty it in the morning and again in the evening and it goes through the night. It's great for long flights, car rides, meetings, etc. It does not chafe like tampons do, and it does not have any odor like pads. I've used it for all kinds of activities - swimming, hiking, etc. with no problem. From my humble medical perspective, it is also useful for women who have heavy periods, because they can actually quantify how much blood they lose each month to help their doctors understand if they really have true menorrhagia or not. Not to mention that it likely reduces the risk of toxic shock syndrome. There are still tampons on the market that are every bit as bad at harboring bacteria as the ones that were pulled off the market in the 80's. The more absorbent they are, and the longer you leave a tampon in, the higher the chance of this occurring. Of course the lack of impact on the environment is a huge bonus. If you ask someone who works in waste/water treatment if tampons should be flushed, the answer is a resounding NO, even though the brands advertise them as 'flushable'. Irresponsible marketing, imagine that. There is actually a guy in New York that has made huge art exhibits out of all the 'flushable' applicators that wash up on the beach after making it into the Hudson River. The tampons and the applicators are both equally bad for wildlife. Furthermore, the cotton used to make tampons is actually bleached with harsh chemicals. It is one of the most un-environmentally friendly crops there is, unless you buy organic. Not to mention if there is any residual chemical left over, it is not good at all for your vaginal mucosa. The original cup I used was called The Keeper and it was brown, made from rubber trees that were tapped, not cut down. The newer ones are clear silicone, but I cannot speak to that process environmentally.

So, I checked out there website www.divacup.com and ran to London Drugs to buy one. I went there on purpose to make sure that these things are easily available to people who don't always go to Community Foods or Planet Organic. Well, there they were with all the other products. I bought one for $40 and went home to try it...fate--this email arrived on the first day of my period. Well, I totally LOVE it...love it! I cannot say enough about how comfortable it is and how clean I think it is. The only thing I am kicking myself over is not having found this product sooner. It is fabulous. I urge all of you women out there to run out and get one. Now I'm all for banning the bulb and the tampon!!

So, my coffee maker died. I don't think it suffered(at least, not nearly as much as I did upon discovering it in that vile state). It was, after all, I think my own fault. You see, the last time I cleaned it, I got water where water is not meant to go. I'd like to say that I took its death well, but, unfortunately, I did not. I shrieked, I cried, I blamed other people and, finally, I thought of the movie "The Secret". I put it out there--to the coffee gods--a wish that it would return to its original glory and provide me with the sweet nectar I so desired(OK...so I needed it). I walked away and left it up to the universe to provide me with what I wanted. And, it did. That damn movie worked! At first, I smelled the sweet aroma and then I heard the percolation. Alas, it was short lived. Miracles cannot overcome pure science(I can hear Bob chuckling now). The next day it was dead again.

This is the third in a string of appliance deaths in our household as of late. First, was our microwave. Then came our frying pan(it was a slow death, but it was time to admit that it was gone). And, now, the unimaginable--the coffee maker. For most people, there probably isn't a moments hesitation. Just run out to Wal-Mart or Canadian Tire or The Bay and replace those things. But, for us, it gave us pause to think about our ecological footprint. What do you do with these things? Send them off to the landfill? Not a place we like to send things. So, in our thinking, came some lessons for those of you who would so quickly replace them.

First, the microwave...how to survive without one? That was the first question we asked ourselves. You know, it wasn't that long ago people actually didn't even have these things. Now, they seem so essential. We tried for a couple of weeks. That's how long it took Bob, the mechanical whiz kid, to take a look at it. He took it down off it's shelf, removed the back of it(that's where we noted that it was purchased in 1991--not bad, we've had some good years with it), and quickly realized that a fuse had been blown. Off to Radio Shack(oops, I mean The Source) and in a flash, our old microwave was back up on its shelf--good as new. Well, not new, but as good as a 16 year old microwave can be. We saved ourselves some cash(we'll spend it in Spain) and saved the landfill that giant piece of junk for awhile.

Next, the frying pan. Well, I hate to admit it, but it's Teflon. And, the whole Teflon being banned thing was starting to get to me...and the Teflon had mostly disappeared. I realized--it had to go to the landfill. But, I did some research to avoid sending another frying pan there this quickly(that pan is 5 or 6 years old). I am not a fan of cast iron. I know that many of you probably are, but I don't like my pancakes to taste like last night's fish or curry and the thought of having multiple pans doesn't thrill me...you know, one for savory, one for sweet...A neighbour of ours recently bought a ceramic pan at Costco and was raving about its nonstickability. So, I started a search. Costco, working the way it does, was all sold out, but a couple of weeks ago, Williams-Sonoma got their first run of these new fangled pans in and I was one of the first to buy one. It was $70, but it is heavy duty construction--restaurant grade and I think it should last a long time. It is so nonstick that even I am shocked. It has a removable silicon handle so I can put it in the oven for my almost famous frittatas(well, famous to Bob). The lesson here was I tried to find a solution that would outlast the previous one. Cross your fingers and hope that I've got it.

And, finally, the coffee maker. Well, it is still sitting in its place of honor awaiting Bob's attempt at fixing it before I run out and upgrade her. Don't say this too loud, but I have my eye on a beautiful, stainless steel one by Kitchenaid. Poor old girl. Part of me really hopes it's her time, but part of me doesn't want to send her to the landfill...so torn. I'm not sure which side I'm cheering for more. I'll keep you all updated.

This is Len. We love Len. Len is our recycling guy. We used to do all of our own recycling(there is no curbside pickup provided by the local government here), but...to be honest...it got a little out of hand. Being hard core recyclers, as we are, we couldn't keep up and found the piles of recycling more than we could handle...especially when we heard the incredibly low price for pickup. So, we called Len. He picks up our large bins every week for about $45 every three months. So totally worth it! But, the side effect of doing this is now every week, I get to witness the huge amount of recycling we have. It got me thinking...what happens to all of this recycling.

In his job, Bob(my husband) was working on a project where there were large amounts of plastic left over. This plastic was ending up in the landfills because there was no easy way to recycle it. So, Bob, on a trip to the Okotoks recycling facility, asked the guy there what they did with all of their plastics. Okotoks is great for recycling plastics. We are allowed to bring in plastics #1-7. This caused a large increase in the amount we recycled and it also caused Bob to stop and think--where does Okotoks send their plastics and will they take what he has at work? Well, they ship it to China. That's right folks...all of the things we buy from China that are made from plastic and wrapped in plastic then shipped here in large containers eventually end up being put back into the same containers and shipped back!!! This shocked me to no end. Why don't we have the facilities here? In fact, recently, I met a guy from China who was here researching how he could get into doing such a service for us Canadians...what are we thinking? Obviously, there is an untapped market here and someone with way more money than me should be jumping on this bandwagon. It also got me thinking about how I could curb my plastics consumption. Thus the whole reusable bag thing from a previous post. Well, now I am going to talk a bit about my recent attempts at precycling.

Precycling is basically recycling before you buy. So...first things first, you ask yourself do you really need what you are about to buy or can you borrow it or rent it. If the answer is you must purchase it, you should then seek out the highest quality of said item so that you will not need to replace it prematurely and you should choose the item with the least amount of packaging or packaged using recycled materials. Like I always say...consumers have a lot of power and if we choose items with less packaging or refuse those that are over packaged then we are sending a strong message to the manufacturers. Toy manufacturers are the absolute worst for this. All the parents out there know what I am talking about. That is why I love the toy library. We can get 'new'(as in new to my child)toys without having to deal with all the garbage that comes in the form of packaging and eventually the discarding of the actual toy. So, now I am challenging you all to think about precycling. Stop and take a look at your recycling the way you once stopped and looked at your garbage...and make the decision to cut back. Figure out how you can lessen your recycling(without, of course, increasing your garbage). Too much carbon is being used to ship our 'recycling' to facilities to deal with it. I'm not going to worry about Len...he has more recycling than he knows what to do with :)

Have you heard the one about how Tim Horton's decides where they are going to put their next franchise? They drive along the highway and, when they no longer see a Tim Horton's cup in the ditch, they know they've found the right place.

Comedy or tragedy? It's a fine line...mostly, because it's so true! Even Timmy's knows it and they have started to put up no littering signs. Their cups are everywhere! We here in Canada have an addiction. The drive thru coffee. You know you're guilty...we're all guilty. I remember when Starbucks only had one in town. What a novelty. Now they are everywhere...and I, for one, couldn't be happier. I love getting a cup a joe on the go...but the paper cups are driving me over the edge. So...a new challenge!!!

Stop getting paper cups at the drive thru. I know that most of you have received a nice travel mug for some sort of gift or another...it's time to use it. I know that it is easier said than done...so keep a clean one in your car. We started trying to do this a while ago. It definitely takes transition time. At first, I just wanted to cut back on my daily Starbucks so we got an espresso machine. And, now, I always use a mug. In fact, I started making my own coffee at home 90% of the time. The other day when we did go through a Timmy's, I noticed that they poured my coffee into a paper cup before pouring it into my travel mug...so I think that you will have to skip the drive thru to save the mug...just to let you know. Same goes for water bottles people...reuse ones you have purchased or go out and buy yourself a pretty pink one the next time you skip the Starbucks drive thru(I noticed them there today).

Just to update you on my previous challenges. I am doing awesome with resusable bags. My mom being fabulous at spotting a bargain called me to say that I was insane to purchase expensive bags when you could just run down to the dollar store and get them for...get this $1!!! So, I did just that and the dollar store in Okotoks had a big bin of them. I'm set. Went grocery shopping today and no bags followed us home! And, Safeway gave me a $0.24 credit on my bill for bringing my own bags. My mom also likes those bins from Superstore although I have heard that in Calgary, some Superstores don't like you using them...I've not tried though so I can't verify this. I still plan on buying some reusable produce bags and a funky carryall that holds my coffee travel mug among other things.

My Cleaning products have been fully 'greened'. Love the Melaleuca dishwasher detergent. Pretty happy with most of their products, but I did find that the 'Nature Clean' brand of glass cleaner worked better, as did, the Nature Clean Tub and Tile Cream Cleanser over the Melaleuca brand(less scrubbing). I plan on definitely continuing on with Melaleuca for my laundry needs and dishwasher detergent. I think when I run out of other stuff, I might try the Method brand(available at Shopper's and Safeway).

It warms my heart to hear stories from people of changing lightbulbs and composting. Today, I got an email from one of Bob's engineering school pals whom I have never met. He told me all about how lovely it is to be riding his bike to work now. He started doing this aproximately three times a week three weeks ago because of the carbon output from his larger vehicle. Of course, he lives in California where you can do such a thing with little effort in February(Bob has been known to do this in Calgary, but not often and certainly, not lately). Our friend has seen condors, ducks, heron, and fish jumping...not to mention he has the opportunity to see the sun rise and set during his ride. All things being connected, he loves the way it is making him feel emotionally, physically, and ecologically ;) Man, I just smile when I get emails like that.

Our Supper Table: Organic vs. Local
******just a warning...I am no expert and the material below is just documenting my own search for answers in a sea of confusion on this topic. I am always open to hearing your opinions as well******

Food is never an easy topic of conversation in our household. There is a lot of 'that can't touch that', 'I don't like that', and 'not on your life' kind of talk coming from our kids mouths a lot of the time. And, then there's the adults. I haven't talked very often about how my ecological concerns grew, but it started out over food...well, meat to be exact. Many people who have written to me have had lightbulb moments where everything seems to click all at once, but for me it was more of a gradual process. I really started thinking about it back when I was 20 or so and I read an article about the amount of water it takes to produce one hamburger. It was an absurd amount...measured by a number of showers. Red meat, never a favorite of mine, was the first to go. Then chicken, then fish...with fish working its way back into my diet thanks to my sushi fetish of the late 90's. And, let's face it, in Alberta not eating meat is way more foreign to most people than our strange recycling obsession...it was up there with the whole driving a small car thing. It's like Albertans see themselves as SUV driving, meat loving, cowboys. Well, I never really fit into that stereotype very well.

Then I met Bob. His dad had a long career with Ducks Unlimited in Northern Alberta which was a catalyst for Bob's concerns, but also meant that his dad was a hunter. Duck's Unlimited is a conservation organization largely funded by hunters concerned about conserving their ability to hunt. I'm not saying this is a bad thing(I'm not an animal loving kind of vegetarian or I'd have to go vegan and that ain't happening anytime soon) as I see it, we are on the same side. But, the first time I went for dinner with them and I ordered the chicken quesidilla with no chicken...they did a second take. No chicken! What the?? Well, as time has gone on, Bob's much deeper understanding and concern for the environment was passed on to me. We composted...we got CFL bulbs 7 or 8 years ago...we recycled...we drove a diesel golf(and it took us everywhere)...we were definitely on the fringe of Albertan society. But, lately something has changed. That 'fringe' has become more mainstream. And, for me, if there ever was a lightbulb moment it came while reading "An Inconvenient Truth" shortly after moving here to the commune(as we like to refer to it). Everything came together and I felt the need to share our knowledge and encourage change in others. So, now I'm blogging...and blogging about food is a big one for me as I have been questioned about it for years. And, lately, Bob and I have been trying to come up with a 'family' plan where we do what is right for the environment and what is right for our family...basically meaning not two or three different meals at once.

This fresh take on food started with yet another documentary "Big Sugar: Sweet, White and Deadly" which aired on the CBC last July back when we had free basic cable for a couple of months. It got us thinking again about eating in a more socially conscious way. Like I've always said, consumers have a lot of power by how they choose to spend their money and we spend a lot of money on food. If you start to do the reading, this is a particularly complex issue. Just look at all the labels: fair trade, organic, hormone free...the list goes on and changes regularly. We have often purchased organic by default. For starters, most of these companies are ecologically minded thanks to the pressures on them by the consumers who purchase their products. So, packaging is easily recyclable and often made from recycled materials. And, organic farming, by default is more ecologically sound. That said there has been a huge change in the organic movement. Mainstream supermarkets have started making their own brands and now things seem to be really complicated. That, coupled with the fact that, oftentimes my organic lettuce has travelled all the way from Central or South America had me questioning the actual carbon output as carbon reduction is always our goal.

Yes, I know that there are other benefits to eating organic...not the least of which being certain health benefits. I recently read in "Mother Earth News" that organic ketchup has up to 50% more lycopene in it than its non organic counterpart. And, every good parent knows, there is no escaping ketchup. Another benefit being that organic growers are also concerned with worker's rights and often times offer health benefits, etc to workers in areas of the world where this is unheard of. In the documentary "Big Sugar", they really point to organic sugar producers as starting to turn things around as far as worker's conditions. And, the use of pesticides, herbicides, etc have their own carbon producing effects to add to the equation. All of this does not make an answer easily forthcoming.

I am concerned though at the distance that my food has travelled to be a part of our dinner. Living in Calgary means that we do not have the fortune of readily available locally grown produce for a good part of the year. That said, we have always been big supporters of local farmer's markets(particularly loving the one in Millarville) in the summer time and enjoy the wide variety of locally grown produce available then. So, if I switch to solely serving local food, how will I make it through the winter? Does this mean I am going to have to go back to the ways of our elders--canning in the heat of the summer so we have fruit and vegetables in the dead of the winter? Although, I see no harm in learning this technique...truth is, I can't imagine not eating cantaloupes again or pineapple. If my future only holds saskatoon berries and crabapples in it, I think I'll either move down south or keep wishing that this global warming thing brings a wider variety to my area.

In my reading, another issue has really come to the forefront of my concern. That of the amount of emissions involved in the production of processed food. It's huge--travel being a big one, but also the creation of the packaging, the actual processing, as well as, the normal emissions that result from harvesting. Like I said, a straightforward answer seems to be eluding me.

What we have decided is to eat locally when you can, eat fresh, less packaged food(slow food), and choose organic by default. This is where we, as a family, are headed. And, as far as the whole meat thing goes...well, Bob has decided to give up more meat on his end, providing, we have meat once a week as a family. Our goal here being to reduce our meat consumption as a family. Fish becoming a more and more complex environmental issue and not so much a locally available food here in the middle of the prairies, we will opt away from that. We are going with locally produced, organic chicken, pork and beef...hormone free, antibiotic free, grain fed. Readily available here in southern Alberta. Once a week...hmm...Bob is having a difficult time with the switch, but he admits to ordering falafels a lot now. In the end, he brings leftovers for lunch more often which saves emissions and money ;)

Ok, so I received my 'eco-conversion' kit from Melaleuca(which by the way means tea-tree oil which most of their products contain). I was impressed with the little packaging used. Instead of Styrofoam(the devil's bedfellow), they used inflated plastic bags which are easily recycled here. That said, there were a number of repeats on the promotional material and they could have been more aware on that end. I will have to recycle them...So, I think I went overboard. I received so many cleaners I am not sure when I will get through them all. That said...it will be a while before I test any other brands. I've had several people suggest the natural line from Shopper's Drug Mart called 'Method'. Apparently, there are lots of yummy scents in that line. A neighbour also suggested Seventh Generation's fabric softener in a yummy scent(lavender I think). I've also had the suggestion of Claudia's choice for everything laundry related. I've added the link for that one as many people have suggested the dryer balls and I plan on giving those a try as well.

So, as far as Melaleuca...I did laundry yesterday(and continue on today). The laundry detergent comes in a 2.8L jug with an insertable pump. The pump measures out enough for one load. It is apparently quite concentrated as this jug is supposed to do 96 loads. It cost $21.99(when not in the conversion kit) which makes it a 22.9 cents/load. It has a nice, mild, fresh scent for those like me, but it also comes unscented. And, it cleaned well. I'm happy with it. I never had any extremely soiled items, but on regular everyday clothes it did the trick. I added the Mela Brite which is the equivalent of Javex II to my whites and the fabric softener(Mela Soft) to everything. No static clean and bright whites. To be sure, I was never a fan of bleach(I was just joking about the bleach before) as usually I ended up ruining something rather than cleaning it so I am not sure if I would purchase the Mela Brite again. I'm not sure if I would actually use it. And, like I said, I plan on trying the dryer balls so the fabric softener might be moot. I'm opening up about all my nasties when I say that I am a fan of stain removers...find me a mom who isn't. They are a must at my house. I am thrilled with the 'PreSpot' as I find it works as well as any of the others(I admit to trying them all). Some of the more long standing stains proved difficult, but newer stains became nonexistant.

Here comes the part where everyone says to themselves...it figures. So, we don't have reception on our television...we just use it for videos, but no I'm not one of those crazy non materialistic type treehuggers(okay, well I am a bit, but I believe in balance...more on that later). Anyways, I had no idea that 'wrinkle relaxers' existed. That said, I am not a big fan of products created in the hopes of creating a need...but, I have to admit to liking this one for all of our t-shirts that don't always come out of the dryer wrinkle free. Will I buy it again...hmmm...the jury is still out on that one.

I'm hoping to get through my usual cleaning today and try out all the other products. Just to reiterate Melaleuca is only available through a consultant, but there seems to be lots around who have purchased the membership just to get the cheaper price on the products. I've not looked into membership, but have been told that it is not expensive. So, the switch has been made. Now, apparently, I have to properly dispose of the hazardous waste that sits in my cupboard that I used to clean with. Anyone?

Lastly, just wanted to note that Al Gore was nominated for a Nobel Prize today. Yay!! He is speaking in Calgary the day after Earth Day. For Bob and I to go would be over $300(with babysitting), so I think we'll have to hear all about it from our neighbour, Lyle. I have been talking with Bob alot about the awareness that has been generated by the movie(and perhaps other major events). It feels like it is the tipping point in swaying public opinion and now more than ever people are actually interested in how they can help. For a couple who have been interested for years, it is nice to see this sway in public opinion. Go Al Go!! You've got my vote all the way! I've got to run and take out my compost and organize my recycling...

Ok, ok...so I have been busy this week so there has been little time for me to sit down and 'blog' about my green living attempts. Excuses, excuses, but in reality when you are a full time mom you can always use the 'busy' excuse and no one will ever question you. I have a new challenge. A simple one this time. Don't worry, I didn't forget about my last challenge...on the contrary, I just ordered the 'eco-conversion kit' from Melaleuca and it should arrive next week giving me lots to talk about then. But, until then, I thought I would put out another challenge. Something that I already do. Well, ok, I am supposed to be already doing, but to be totally honest I actually suck at doing it, so it is one of those 'resolutions' that I am constantly trying to achieve. I thought that by putting it out there as a challenge it would motivate me to get better at it. Drum roll please...use reusable bags when shopping. I thought that I would quote from Al Gore's book "An Inconvenient Truth" to give some background on the whole plastic bag thing:

"Americans go through 100 billion grocery bags every year. One estimate suggests that Americans use more than 12 million barrels of oil each year just to produce plastic grocery bags that end up in landfills after only one use and then take centuries to decompose. Paper bags are a problem too: To ensure that they are strong enough to hold a full load, most are produced from virgin paper, which requires cutting down trees that absorb carbon dioxide. It is estimated that about 15 million trees are cut down annually to produce the 10 million paper bags we go through each year in the United States."

So, enough statistic babble...you probably get the point. Not a bad idea to use reusable bags. So, for myself, I have been keeping them in my front closet with the intention of taking them with me whenever I go get groceries(or shop period). Well, in the commotion of trying to get myself and two kids out the door without a temper tantrum, those bags are almost always forgotten. For Christmas, at one of those crazy gift exchange things, Bob got the book "It's Easy Being Green" by Crissy Trask. In it she suggests...and here comes the big compact fluorescent in my head coming to full brightness...keeping a set in your car. Brilliant! So, now I'm going to go out and buy like 8 of them(I only currently have 3) for both vehicles. I am also committing to not using them as 'garbage bags'. I'm cutting back on my plastic consumption. I know that they can be recycled, but recycling is not always the answer.

And, in the spirit of this conversation on plastic bags, I am going on the hunt for a beautiful shoulder bag that I can carry with me now that I no longer need a diaper bag. Al Gore suggests the website www.reusablebags.com and I've checked it out and I think I actually might place an order with them. Of particular interest to me were the reusable produce bags. And, I like the heavy duty grocery bags that are kind of square as they will carry my groceries better. There were also these really cool shoulder bags made from recycled rice bags which I thought might pass as cool enough for me. We'll see. I'm off to the grocery store...well, as soon as my coffee kicks in!

Today was my daughter's second birthday. Birthdays mean alot to you when you are a kid(ok, not when you are two, but still) and, then as you get older, they are celebrated with less ferver. I have to say that I like my kids' birthdays. For me, it is a day to reflect back on how far we've come from that day that will remain etched in my consciousness for eternity. Two years...wow. How come I still haven't reached my prepregnancy weight? Will I ever reach it? That is a topic for another day.
We had a party for her. A small celebration with only family present(some cousins, aunties and uncles). She is shy. Although, she is beginning to break out of that shell and we reached about the limits of what she can take. This year, it has me thinking about a couple of things. First, the garbage that is produced from a day like that...even with recycling as much as you can--and composting. There is, inevitably, garbage to deal with. Second, the amount of stuff one small child receives in the form of gifts--even from a small crowd. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to sound unappreciative. Believe me, I like to get gifts for the kids I care for and to see their faces light up with excitement as they open them. But, birthdays have gotten out of hand. My kids need no more toys, no more stuff...they have more stuff than they could ever rattle off in a day. They have so much stuff there is stuff they forget they have--and they are little still! I had a nice conversation with my cousin and cousin in law about donating money to charities and giving small gifts in the form of books or puzzles, etc to the birthday child. And, I think this is an awesome idea. I'm all for it. In fact, I did it earlier this week for a friends little girl. On her birthday inviation, it read "no gifts please your friendship is present enough". So, I donated the money I would have spent on her gift to the United Nations World Food Foundation. It bought food for a family in an underprivaleged nation for three months and provided encouragement to send their daughter to school instead of to work. I like this idea. So, sorry to say that many of you will be getting e-cards from charities telling of the small donation I have made in your name for your birthday. Do not be offended. It is meant to spread the joy that my friends bring to my life.
On another note, I am volunteering for a "Green Film Festival in Celebration of Earth Day" here in Okotoks. One of my 'tasks' is to organize the kids event. That, and the fact that a couple of people have asked me if their children should see "An Inconvenient Truth"(the answer is probably no...most adults I know have a difficult enough time digesting the material within), have got me thinking about how we can get children involved in the climate crisis. Another volunteer suggested "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss which I read today and think it is the best book(there is also a film) on the environment for kids that I have come across. Someone else suggested "Miss Rumphius" which is one of my favorite books of all time so I am all over suggesting that one. And, Bob thinks that talking to kids about the issues of urban sprawl brought up in "Over The Hedge" is another cool way of addressing the issue. I am looking for your suggestions here, so I'll share what I think we here at Pughville already do. I have found that I talk to Jack about "precycling"...a concept I haven't really talked about here on my blog, but talk to Jack about whenever we go grocery shopping and he wants cheese strings or individual yogurts. We don't get them-except for a special treat-because there is too much stuff to throw out(in the recycle bin or the garbage bin). We have also taken Jack to the local landfill(on more than one occassion) and talked about how large it is and how recycling/composting helps to reduce the space needed for that(I always relate it to playgrounds...as in if we need space for this how will we find the space for more playgrounds?). Jack has toured a hydro dam in BC, taken every free kids coloring book on electricity, recycling, etc that we have come across, and come into the Okotoks recycling facility with us. We talk about our solar panels and what they are for and why they are special. We also point out other panels here in Okotoks and have taken him to see the windmills in Pincher Creek. And, if anyone wants to come to our house and show the panels to their kids--I am open to it. Just let me know. We can read "The Lorax", go outside to see the panels, and then they can watch "Over the Hedge" while we have a coffee and chat about "Greys Anatomy"(I love that show). Mostly, I think it is important to take them outside and show them how amazing it is to be outside and enjoy our environment. What do you think?

So, I am working on my second challenge. This one will be slightly different than the first because it is a challenge for myself, as well as, anyone else who is interested...so it may take me a while to finish it. You know--I have to do all the proper research or Bob will not be happy. It's finally time for us to 'green' our cleaning supplies. To some this might seem like an easy step. Just switch to the baking soda and vinegar recipes you can find on the web. Well, anyone who knows me knows that there is no way I am taking the time to make my own cleaning supplies. Most of the time I think it is a miracle that I can even find the time to clean at all so I don't want to add to the problem. And, I have always thought that if one is going to encourage others to embrace a new way of doing things then that way better be as palatable as possible. Me measuring out baking soda into my toilet is not my idea of a good time. Talking over my options with my neighbours who have already made the switch--an apple martini in one hand and some nice cheese on a pretty cracker in the other is more my style. You think I'm joking, but I'm not.

For me, this change has been somewhat elusive on my green journey. I honestly think it has something to do with being a child of 70's advertising. You know that whole "Mr. Clean will clean your house" song plays over and over again in my head while I clean my bathroom. I think that it is the advertising that they do through scent that has most influenced me. I mean you walk into a house cleaned with Pine-Sol and you know it. The scent is undeniable. And, I like that scent(or the scent of any cleanser, really). It says to me--this house is clean. After you spend a couple of hours cleaning, it's nice to have some sort of evidence that you did it. Well, I'm giving that up. Most natural cleansers I have found in the past have no hint of a scent(except maybe vinegar). I know they are bad. Don't get me wrong. Just google up some lists of nasties that can be found in cleaning agents and your heart will sink. Bleach! Bleach! I need bleach to clean my kids whites. Have you ever seen what chocolate milk can do to a white dress shirt? I'm putting this all aside people. Giving it up. If you need to see a list of nasties...I've posted one on my website.

So, first things first, I'm tackling the bathroom. When I think of 'natural cleaning supplies', I think of ineffective and expensive. So, I asked my neighbours(whose house always seems freakishly clean) and they suggested that I try 'Nature Clean' available here in Calgary at Planet Organic and Community Foods. One thing that I found interesting in my reading was the idea that labels should give a timeline for how quickly they biodegrade. So, on their website they note that the majority of their products are 99% biodegradable within 28 days using the European standard of testing(which I automatically assume to be better than the American, but I really have no idea). I found them to be quite affordable at under $4.50 for a large spray bottle(23 fl.oz) and under $7 for the tub and tile scrub. The company states on their website that their packaging is made from recycled milk and water jugs; and their display materials made out of recycled cardboard. So, they seem green, but do they clean?

Well, they do. And, I am actually totally impressed as they clean really well. The glass cleaner did not leave streaks(I've heard that this is a problem with alot of natural cleaners and anyone who has tried vinegar and water mixtures knows that it's true of that as well), but it did smell like vinegar. And, that is one thing they are totally missing--scent. Ah...I am leaving it behind and trying to change my own crazy perception of what clean is. So, after cleaning my first bathroom, I quickly lit a lovely scented candle, put it up high where little fingers couldn't reach it, and moved on to the next. I'm a convert. I'm also interested to hear what products other people use as I'm willing to try others.

Next, I will look at clean laundry supplies by Melaleuca. I've already been impressed by their stain remover(absolutely necessary with small children), but I don't like that I have to order and wait for it as, truthfully, I'm not that organized and usually have to buy stuff on the fly. I'll wait...

So, being married to an engineer has its perks and drawbacks. Perk--whenever we have an important purchase to make, research is done, spreadsheets are drawn up and months later a decision is made. Perk--we live in an area of the world where there is a particularly high demand for engineers so he is able to secure a job that affords us a high quality of life where I can stay at home with our kids(and our computer!). Drawback--he can actually understand scientific ramblings to which most of us have little interest of even attempting to decipher. It is this ability that often leaves me feeling iritated when attending a 'thriller' type movie with him. I can't tell you how many times when I am on the edge of my seat Bob leans over and whispers things like, "That is totally impossible" or "There is no fire in space". I am completely unable to get him to put this knowledge aside and simply enjoy a movie. Perhaps, if he could, I would suggest less 'chick flicks'. Perhaps, too, he would have less sleepless nights as it is this ability that has him up late at night worrying.
I can't tell you how many mornings when we wake up I ask Bob how he has slept and he replies, "Awful". When pressed, he will admit that he is worried...worried about the state of the planet and our children's place in it. To be sure, in the past, I have easily brushed these concerns aside. Too busy attending to the needs of my family to worry myself with these boring scientific facts that keep him up at night. Also, I had convinced myself that the need for deep concern had yet to arrive--the negative effects of global warming were many years away. We could deal with them then. And, then, I made the mistake of asking him to educate me. Now, I too, have had sleepless nights worrying about what we have already done to our one and only home, but I also have a more positive outlook and firmly believe that it is not too late. We have the technical know how to fix this thing now all we need is the political will...but, how does one achieve that? In a world that is so fast paced, so busy with day to day living, it is hard to find time to worry about the little things not to mention something as gigantic as this? Well, I have been thinking a lot about it and I have decided that it is going to have to be us consumers who make the changes. If we wait for politicians to do it, we will definitely have reached the point of no return before anything is actually accomplished. I also have come to the understanding that so much of what is wrong with our society...no our culture...is linked together. Just like they say on all the talk shows when talking about your weight or other concern, we are going to have to change our thinking while we change our lives in order to achieve our goals.
I really don't want to get all political on this site as politics...like I said earlier...really play no part in all of this. Or, really, it is way to big a part for me to even begin with, so for now, I won't. What I do want to do is put out there small things we CAN do(above recycling--because I already assume that we all do this and if you don't...I can help so give me a shout). So, the first thing I am going to put out there is an easy one. Change your lightbulbs. Go on...you can do it...run out to Home Depot or Costco or the corner hardware store and buy yourselves some Phillips Marathon bulbs(Compact Fluorescents) and replace the yucky old fashioned, low tech ones that you currently have. Even Oprah has encouraged us all to do it. You know, I read somewhere that if they changed all the lightbulbs in public buildings in California there would be no need for rolling black outs. We like the Phillips ones as they cast the best color...like I said one of the perks of living with an engineer is before he makes a purchase he does all the research...well, some of the bulbs out there are shit. The color sucks. These ones are our favorites. And, now you can even buy specialty type bulbs for your potlights, your chandeliers, etc...buy them...quick! And, then check back because I will have another challenge soon!