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Win this great bag!

A beautiful prize landed in my lap today! It’s Reisenthel’s new “loopshopper L”, a large, gorgeous, durable red shopping bag with an insulated, reflective lining, perfect for transporting hot or cold foods. It has padded handles so you can comfortably carry it on your shoulder, and exterior zip pockets for stashing small items. If you bought it, it would cost $50, but you can win it right here!

It’s a beautiful bag, and while I’d love to keep it all for myself, I’d prefer to send it to an Eco Logic reader here on Homemakers.com.

To win, simply post a comment below. The lucky winner will be chosen by drawing your names from a hat when the CONTEST CLOSES at noon on September 3. Employees of Homemakers magazine and Transcontinental Media and their family members are not eligible to win.

See more great reuseable shopping bags in the upcoming November issue of Homemakers magazine.

Last Thursday I attended a Harvest Festival in my neighbourhood. Members of the community have pooled their time and energy toward planting and nurturing fruit trees in Ben Nobleman park in Toronto, and they hosted a festival with music, a talent show and orchard tours to share their success with the neighbourhood. With the help of the city’s Parks and Forestry department, a grant from a garden tool company and some determination, the group has managed to bring fruit trees, including apricot, plum and pear trees, as well as serviceberry, through hot summers and a cold winter, such that they look healthy and established.

Why bother to grow fruit in parks, when fruit can be bought from local grocers? According to Susan Poizner, one of the group’s organizers, the goals of the project are to teach kids that fruit doesn’t have to come wrapped in plastic, to meet neighbours and to get together to be social. It seemed to be working: Kids were loving the fresh fruit (albeit not from those trees, but from other Ontario sources).

Here are a few fruit-growing tips Susan shared as part of her tour of the park:
- Pear trees are among the hardiest fruit trees
- You need to plant multiple trees of the same type, or there should be more of the same kind of tree in the area, in order to ensure cross pollination. (Trees need to be pollinated with pollen from other trees.)
- When trees are just getting established, remove their fruit in its early growth stages in order to encourage the tree itself to grow
- Avoid dwarf fruit trees: they are more fragile
- Attract bees and other pollinators to your fruit trees with a pollinator garden, comprised of native wildflowers and hardy herbs.
- Mount birdhouses around your fruit trees to encourage birds to nest. Birds can help control pests that may affect your fruit trees.
- Mulch heavily around the base of your trees, leaving the base of the trunk exposed to the air. Mulching helps prevent evaporation and protects the roots in winter.
- Accept that home-grown fruit may have some imperfections. “It may not be perfect, but it teaches us what real food looks like,” say Susan.

The plans for the park didn’t come together without some controversy. Read about it here.

What do you think, can mini-orchards work in community parks?

i-MiEV from Mitsubishi Motors

Another new player in the electric car market, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, is on tour across Canada.
In partership with Bullfrog power, the 2010 Clean Across Canada tour involves the i-MiEV hopping across Canada, stopping at Bullfrog Power customers’ homes so it can be recharged with renewable energy – and so people can have a look at it and try it out. Shown here is Jason Sauernheimer and his family with the i-MiEV. Sauernheimer is a Toronto firefighter, Bullfrog customer and supporter of solar thermal water heating.

Here’s what I know about the i-MiEV (which is simply what’s available online here):
- It’s range is 120 km
- It’s top speed is 130 km/h
- It seats four, with room for luggage
- It’s rear-wheel drive
- Its lithium-ion batteries supply 16 kWh
- You can charge it at home overnight, or fast-charge it at a charging station in half an hour
- You’ll never need to buy gas again!

I love that new models of electric cars are hitting our highways. I just hope they’ll be available to buy sometime soon as well, and for a reasonable price! For my guess on the first EV to market, click here to read my earlier post.

In a word, yes, I am a very good at killing things. I am eerily good at swatting, smacking, squishing and generally flattening all kinds of bugs. I have excellent peripheral vision, and I can be entirely absorbed in something – making dinner, reading, brushing my hair – and before I’ve had a conscious thought about the movement in the corner of my eye, I’ve reached out and killed something. While perhaps squeamish to look at an insect across the room, I flatten them with my bare hands without hesitation.

Don’t get me wrong, my home is not infested with bugs. But every older home has a few insects trying to make a living, and while the odd spider or fly isn’t going to interfere with my health, I figure that when bugs cross my threshold, they’ve crossed the line. My partner is much nicer to insects – when he discovers an errant moth or spider, he traps it and puts it outside where it belongs. Perhaps I should learn from him.

Being an environmentalist and all, should I feel guilty about my killer instinct? Should I accept that the biosphere doesn’t end at my bricks and mortar? Maybe, but so far I can’t just live and let live, smile as a mosquito circles my bedroom, humming its high-pitch warning. Besides, the kinds of insects I’m likely to find at home aren’t exactly threatened species, although my Dad, a biologist, assures me that every insect has an important role in the food chain, so each one is important. Yes, even mosquitoes.

In my defense, there are a few types of insects that we should not welcome into our homes, because they carry disease or cause damage to our stuff or our home’s structure.
- Carpenter ants burrow and nest in household wood; their expanding colony could take out important support structures. Sealing up cracks and gaps in your home’s exterior from the outside and replacing any rotting wood can help keep carpenter ants out, and some bait products can help you eliminate the ants.
- Mice can do a lot of damage to insulation, can compromise wiring and can threaten human health if they carry hantavirus, a type of lung disease. Again, seal up your home’s exterior and bait and trap the mice. Remove any possible food source.
- Cockroaches are difficult to eradicate, but they’re disease carriers so it’s important to take action. Call in the pros for this problem!
- Bedbugs are a growing threat in Canada. They don’t seem to carry diseases, but victims say they make you crazy! Again, aside from washing bedding in hot water, vacuuming your mattress and eliminating clutter, the best you can do is call in the pros as soon as you notice a problem.

Have you been affected by any invaders? What do you think, is my eco conscience clear if I kill the odd household spider?

What resource is endless? Well, none. But as long as we’re around, and the animals we like to eat are around, there will be endless, er, waste product. Number one and two. You get the idea.

Using tail-end waste is, of course, popular for fertilizing crops, and some have used it as a fuel source in the past. But cropping up across Canada are small-scale energy installations that harvest methane from animal waste and make it available as a potent energy source, reducing farmers’ energy costs and capable of supplying the local energy grid with electricity. Biodigesters can convert huge quantities of waste (including manure, but also restaurant and food processing waste) into biogas and liquid fertilizer.

Using biodigesters conserves grid energy, reduces odours and insect pests and reduces pressure on the environment (primarily through reducing methane emissions, one of the most harmful greenhouse gasses in terms of climate change). They also help protect water sources because pathogens have been largely digested, although depending on how the resulting manure is handled, agricultural runoff, with its excess nutrient, can still be an issue.

So how much power can a biogas plant generate? Some larger installations offer enough to power and heat the farm, then sell enough power into the grid to provide for over a hundred homes. According to this fact sheet, a small-scale (100 head) cattle farm could produce 1,227 kWh of electricity and 5.5 GJ of heating power per year and save the farmer over $10,000 per year.

A daydream of mine: I would love to see highway rest stops powered by on-site biodigesters. Think of it: all thousands of people a day are stopping for a bathroom break, and a cup of coffee and a muffin (preparing for the next bathroom break)!

For a rare opportunity to get a tour of how a biodigester works, check out Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ontario. Tours are on now through September 16.

What do you think, can we accept being powered by what we prefer to leave behind?

I’m putting the final touches on Homemakers’ October issue today (it’s full of terrific stories, you’re going to love it!) so guest columnist Catherine Labelle has kindly offered this post:

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I am by no means a vegetarian. I love eating meat. But after a recent dinner party, I started re-examining the way I eat it. It was not a fancy affair, rather, a simple backyard barbecue. My hostess, a budding gourmet, served up baby potatoes sprinkled with rosemary alongside a steak that was grilled to perfection, but it filled more than half my plate. I tried not to stare, but couldn’t stop thinking, What a waste, I will never be able to eat all of that! By the end of the meal I had eaten well in excess of what I intended.

After the barbecue, I started wondering about how much meat should I be eating, Canada’s Food Guide says my steak should have been closer to the size of a deck of cards. Thinking back over the years, I realized that not only had my portions of chicken and beef become bigger, but I was eating meat with every evening meal.

That’s when I came across the Meatless Monday website. The campaign to promote a meat-free dinner each week was set up as a non-profit with the backing of some pretty heavy hitters such as Johns Hopkins Bloomberg and Columbia University Mailman schools of public health. The organization’s goal is to reduce meat consumption by 15 per cent. The reason? To promote personal health and to reduce strain on the environment.

As I flipped through many Meatless Monday pages, I was hooked. I had heard all of the environmental arguments before – that the meat industry contributes nearly one-fifth of man-made greenhouse gas emissions; that an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water are used to create one pound of beef; and that 40 calories of fossil fuel energy goes into every calorie of industrialized beef. The site convinced me that I, too, could go meatless for a day.

A few months later, the experience has been good. I may spend a little extra time planning to make sure I still get my protein, and I may not give up my steak anytime soon, but I find myself enjoying cooking again. I now spend time experimenting with different recipes and trying new legumes. My taste buds are certainly delighted.

If you are interested in trying out some meatless recipes, try these decicious options from Homemakers magazine:
- Spanish Style Baked Beans
- Fragrant Quinoa Pilaf with Mushrooms and Almonds
- Lentil Curry

Back to school time is that one brief period in the year where office supplies are in vogue. Well, for everyone except stationery-philes like me. I’m a sucker for everything cute, clever and made of paper all year ’round. But, as vices go, I guess a penchant for office supplies isn’t such a bad thing — as long as I keep it green.

A few years ago I went from loving everything in the stationery store (the pinnacle: a store called Loft in Tokyo) to seeking out office supplies with recycled content, recyclability, reusability and other eco-points. So let me be your virtual shopping assistant for all your green back-to-school supplies.

Paper office supplies:
- Look for (Forest Stewardship Council) FSC-certified notebooks, printer paper, loose-leaf and writing pads with 30 per cent or more recycled content. Vegetable-based inks are also a must-have.
- Post-it Notes are also available in 100 per cent recycled stock.
- Ecojot makes gorgeously green workbooks (shown above); check them out at Grass Roots.
-Looking for an attractive hardcover notebook? I love the smooth pages of this Blueline “Da Vinci” notebook from FrogFile.

Binders:
Skip vinyl (yes, that weird smell is not good for you, and its manufacture wasn’t good for the earth, either).
- Look for recyclable binders (such as this one from Avery), or cardboard binders (try the Sustainable Group Rebinder, $3 from Frogfile) or other recycled or paper binders.

Pens and pencils:
A good pen is refillable, so you can use the body for a long time. Check for the availability and price of refills in the store before you buy the pen itself. A few good pens:
- Papermate biodegradeable pens. Not all components will break down in compost, but most will. $3.20 per two-pack at Staples.
- Papermate Flexgrip Ultra Recycled Ballpoint Pen. $17 for a box of 12 pens at Staples.
- Smencils colour pencils, made with recycled newspaper, at Pistachio.
- Mechanical pencils are refillable too; I can’t find definitive research showing if they’re any better for the environment than a wood pencil, but, as long as you use the pencil body for a long time, it seems likely.
- Fountain pens are obviously something for older kids, but they’re refillable, the cartridges are recyclable, and they offer a very smooth writing experience. They’re funky-looking too; check out these models from Lamy.

Book bags
Heavy books, gym clothes, lunches and other school supplies aren’t easy to carry, no matter how young and energetic you are! Look for a pack with heavy duty fabric such as ripstop nylon, a reinforcement panel or feet on the bottom, and adjustable straps, not just at the shoulders but at the waist. Cinching the pack’s waist belt puts the bag’s weight on your kid’s hips, taking the pressure off her shoulders and lower back.

What are your favourite, green office and back-to-school supplies?

I’m a bit of a stationery addict. I love paper products, particularly those that are novel, feature clever designs or messages, and, of course, those that employ recycled paper. I recently found out about a “home-grown” business in Manitoba that sells stationery products — cards, notebooks, wedding announcements and more — printed on 100 per cent post-consumer recycled paper that’s infused with wildflower seeds. I can’t think of a prettier way to upgrade your back-to-school or office supplies! I wanted to know more about this plantable paper, so I interviewed Heidi Reimer-Epp, founder of Botanical PaperWorks. Here is my interview (and don’t miss the chance to win, below).

1. How do you choose the wildflower seeds found in your stationery?

The wildflowers we use in our plantable seed paper are natural species you can find throughout the countryside in North America. Our blend features a mixture of annuals and perennials that we choose not only for their beautiful blossoms, but also because of their ability to germinate successfully and easily. It’s important for us to offer a high-quality product to our customer that fulfills our brand promise: “paper that grows into flowers.”

2. How do you source your seeds?
We use a local supplier to source our seeds. For our herb seed products, we try to offer organic seed whenever possible. When choosing flower-seed varieties, we consider several factors, including what the flower looks like when it blooms, if it can grow successfully in a variety of different climates as well as the size of the seed—we want to ensure that the seeded paper can easily be run through a printer or written on using a pen.

3. What is essential to creating a product that will allow the flowers to grow? How do you create stationery products that are healthful to put in one’s garden (e.g., inks, dyes, glues).
We perform rigorous testing during our product development process to ensure that our seed paper sprouts the embedded flowers or herbs successfully and consistently. When printing stationery and invitations for our clients, we’re careful not to expose the seeds to too much heat or pressure, since this can affect germination. We’ve also designed many of our products so that the printing is done on a recycled cardstock with a plantable piece of seed paper affixed, meaning that the plantable portion of the product contains no ink at all.

4. How do you determine the selection of wildflowers in your products? Are you looking for showy flowers, likelihood to attract birds, bees, insects, drought tolerance?
Our plantable seed products are grown across Canada, throughout North America and around the world. It’s important that we offer a wildflower blend that can flourish in a number of different climates and weather conditions. We also try and choose flowers that create a habitat for one of the world’s most important pollinators, bees. There are so many plants and crops that depend entirely upon the cross-pollination ability of bees to survive; we want to ensure that these crucial creatures have a home in which they can thrive.

5. What occasions make the most sense for wildflower stationery? What are the most popular ways people are using it?
Stationery and invites made from plantable seed paper are great for so many occasions! The message of growth and lasting memories that flowers send is heartfelt. And when you send a greeting card made from plantable paper, you’re also sending a gift of flowers. It’s like giving two gifts in one!

We find that our wedding invitations, favors, and other stationery items such as place cards and plantable confetti are popular during wedding season. Baby announcements and shower invitations that grow into flowers are also a big hit. We’ve expanded our line to include greeting cards and favors that grow herb seed such as dill, parsley, and chive, which has proven popular among gardeners, cooks and food lovers alike. And with businesses looking for ways to show their commitment to sustainability and reducing environmental impact, we’ve seen an increase in corporate promotional products and items such as business cards and meeting invitations.

6. What would you say are the key benefits of manufacturing in Winnipeg?
We’re proud to be a home-grown Winnipeg company that has established itself as the world-leader in our industry in Canada and international markets. Having our manufacturing operations right here at home means we can contribute to the local economy and bring awareness to Winnipeg at the world stage. It’s also nice to work close to family and friends.

7. Aside from the terrific environmental benefits of your products themselves, is there anything else your company is doing of benefit to the environment?
We package our stationery items, invitations and confetti in biodegradable bags and use recycled paper for the inside pages of our plantable journals. At the office, we work toward producing minimal impact by running a paperless office, using biodegradable cleaning supplies and donating our discontinued paper products to arts and crafts hobby studios and camps. Many of our employees use public transportation or cycle to work. It’s more than a way to do business; being environmentally conscious is a life choice.

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To win a set of plantable thank-you cards from Botanical Paperworks, just post a comment below. The winner will be chosen via random draw, so don’t be shy even if someone has already posted a comment! (Homemakers and Transcontinental Media employees and their families are not eligible. Sorry!) Contest closes August 17 at midnight.

For more chances to win Botanical Paperworks products, check out the September issue of Homemakers magazine, on newsstands now.

This week I’m feverishly working on the October issue of Homemakers magazine (look forward to a great issue coming out in mid September!). Writer Catherine Labelle is guest blogging for me today.
Take it away Catherine!

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I was catching up on my summer reading when I thought my eyes were deceiving me. Secret ingredients in today’s day and age? No, nothing to do with the Colonel’s secret recipe. The article was about undisclosed chemicals in well-recognized fragrance products. Something smells… and it’s definitely not roses.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Group, a non-profit organization, commissioned a study that took a close look at 17 well-recognized fragrances available in North America. What they found was disturbing; it’s all is laid out in their Not So Sexy report released this past May. Of the fragrances tested, 38 chemicals – an average of 14 chemicals per product – were not listed on the labels. This is possible, at least on the Canadian side of the border, because of a loophole in cosmetic regulations that was introduced in 2004. Apparently under these regulations companies can choose to lump intentional fragrance ingredients under the generic term “parfum.”

So, what do these chemicals do to our health? According to the report, many of the “secret” chemicals are lacking publically accessible safety studies. Among the 38 chemicals discovered, some have potential to trigger allergic reactions, like asthma, sneezing, headaches and skin rashes and disrupt hormones. In terms of the latter, these chemicals that may not only mimic estrogen, but may build up in fat tissues and end up in breast milk.

Granted, Not So Sexy is only one report. But it raises many questions – do we not have the right to know the fine details of what we’re exposing our bodies to? Are we using our bodies as petri-dishes when perfume chemicals mix and mingle with shampoos, makeup and creams? When we take a shower, what impact do the chemicals we wash away have after they disappear down the drain?

If you are wondering how your favourite perfume ranks, take a peek at the Skin Deep site. It rates the safety of personal care products. The site is operated by the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization, with a mission to use the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

Do you have concerns about personal care products?

Responding to a protest yesterday of about 150 people at the Kingston Penitentiary trying to halt the removal of cattle from the prison’s farm program, Vic Toews, federal minister of public safety said, “My responsibility as public safety minister is to ensure that individuals who are in our facilities receive training that is appropriate, and skills that are appropriate, to the environment that they will be returning to.” Prisoners in the Kingston program were producing food — eggs, grains, milk, meat — for themselves and other area prisons; excesses were donated to local food banks.

So, apparently there is no work to be had, no money to be made in agriculture. Just because we all eat, and just because our health benefits improves when we eat fresh food, and our environment benefits when we consume our food from smaller farms closer to where the food is distributed, well apparently reaping these benefits isn’t what serving time in prison is supposed to be about.

It’s sad to hear that prisoners who were learning to farm will lose those skills, who were benefiting from the healthy food they cultivated will have to eat food of lesser quality. I’d feel like someone’s giving up on me.

And farmers? As members of the National Farmers’ Union expressed, they feel that the federal government is saying that there’s no future in agriculture, no value in local food production. According to a recent release, Jeff Peters, a Save Our Prison Farms campaign member from the Frontenac Cattlemen’s Association said, “This government has insulted all farm communities in Canada by declaring farming an irrelevant training for offenders. Do they not believe that contact with nature and rural values such as self-sufficiency are the basis for rehabilitation and a safer society?”

Maybe someone will shed some light on why closing this and five other similar programs across Canada makes sense. Do you have any insight?