Columnists

We’re heading into mid February, and while we’ve had a relatively mild winter here in Toronto, it still feels long! No doubt our grandmothers’ root cellars would be getting a tad depleted by this time of year, and our stores are no different today: local vegetables, even those that keep well, are less available, so if you’re committed to local eating, try to look away from that produce from California, not to mention Israel!

I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy Ontario foods while eating out recently. Last week I took my mom and my partner to The Local Company, a Toronto restaurant located on the Danforth. (Disclosure: I heard about the restaurant via a media release, but they didn’t know I was coming – I received no special treatment.) I’d practically given up scanning menus for local options, so it was lovely to see ingredients such as celeriac, parsnips, onions, butternut squash, beets as well as maple syrup, cheeses and locally raised meats such as veal, chicken and pork. Apparently Chef Steven Wilson creates condiments, garnishes and ice creams in house. The meal was a delish treat in many ways – it felt great to support local farmers in February!

Homemakers magazine’s food editor, Andrew Chase, is a big supporter of eating sustainably, so he also develops many recipes with seasonal ingredients. A few of my favourites for this time of year are Stuffed Turnips, Scalloped Celery Root and Coq au Vin.

Are you finding ways to work with local ingredients through the winter?
Have you found a restaurant that features local food? Tell me about it!

I find it hard to remember which fish are OK to eat and which ones I should skip, so I’ve avoided eating fish or any kind of seafood for several months now. The more I read about overfishing, polluted waterways and the effects of invasive species, the harder it is for me to believe that any fish can be harvested sustainably.

But I defer to experts such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Oceans Alive. Organizations such as these have lists of which fish are safe to eat, both from a sustainability point of view and from a health point of view (some fish contain high levels of mercury). And here’s some good news: a major Canadian grocer is deferring to the MSC too.

Loblaw, Canada’s largest grocer, with over 1,000 stores across Canada, is phasing out species at risk. According to their facebook page, “Loblaw is committed to sourcing all seafood including all canned, frozen, fresh, wild and aquaculture seafood from sustainable sources by the end of 2013. For us, sustainable seafood means that a species is fished using techniques that will ensure its health and availability for generations to come.”

To convey to shoppers that some fish species really are in trouble, Loblaw is taking an interesting tactic. They’re leaving the trays for threatened fish in place, but they’ll be empty, aside from cards stating, “at risk.” Stores will also carry educational literature, and of course Loblaw will promote its MSC-certified fish products.

Will this make a big impact? Undeniably – their media release says that Loblaw is the largest buyer and seller of fish in Canada. Let’s hope that the smaller fish in the retail sea also follow suit.

Have you changed your fish-buying habits, in stores or at restaurants?

This morning I attended a roundtable discussion on allergies (that’s “allergic rhinitis” specifically – the itchy, watery eye, runny nose, sneezy type). Among the many gems of information, Dr. Susan Waserman, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Allergy / Clinical Immunology at McMaster University in Hamilton, had an interesting note about climate change. She said that researchers have found that higher levels of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) in the atmosphere can lead to a boost in pollen production. That means those of us with seasonal allergies will respond more severely than ever. Terrific.

Dr. Waserman notes that, from an allergy standpoint, we have additional reasons to crank down our release of GHGs (primarily carbon dioxide, but methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons also play a part, as noted here). She says that “smollen” – a lovely combination of smog and pollen, plagues people in more urban environments, and can make breathing difficult for allergy sufferers, particularly those with asthma.

The good news, Dr. Waserman says, is we have effective antihistamines (Disclosure: the session was sponsored by Reactine), they’re effective, they don’t make us drowsy and they’re safe to take, even during pregnancy, and we don’t become tolerant to them – they continue to work well over time. Dr. Waserman also prescribes nasal steroids to some patients. A January 2010 survey presented in this morning’s session showed that nearly a third of Canadians will just tough out allergy symptoms, sometimes canceling events or missing work, rather than seeking treatment. If GHG emissions keep going up, no doubt some people will change their minds and look for help!

We can hope that governments make change to reduce our GHG output (although recent commitments are disheartening), but there are things you and I can do to be part of the solution.
- Canadians’ most common GHG output comes from driving gasoline-engine vehicles (yes, what goes in the gas tank puffs out the tailpipe!), so the less we drive the better, and electric cars are coming onto the market hopefully by the end of this year.
- Many of us use oil or gas-fuelled furnaces and other appliances, but we can replace these with more efficient models, or switch to electric versions. My partner and I are researching electric, on-demand water-heating options so we can say goodbye to our gas-powered tank. (For home heating and cooling, heat pumps, such as geothermal systems or air-source heat pumps are a fabulous alternative.)
- Depending on where you live, you may be using electricity that’s generated from burning coal. Most Canadians enjoy electricity from hydro and nuclear sources, but to use green energy switch to a renewable energy provider). I’ve been buying green power for several years now, and I don’t find it costs much more.

Those are some of the big changes we can make. Beyond that, it’s all those annoying little everyday decisions about what we eat and what goods we need, since they take energy to create, transport and sell. I don’t know about you, but I struggle with the line between “need” and “want” on just about a daily basis!

If you’re like me and you’re bothered by allergies (that’d be about 25 per cent of Canadians), the connections between GHGs, pollution and allergies offer just one more great reason to live greener.

Baby animals are the cutest things on earth. There are lots of sites dedicated to them (I was hooked on this one for a while). At infancy, everything is just so darn small and snuggly… but, as harmless and unwise in the world as they are, when we’re talking wild animals, I think we have to let them be just that.

Wildlife rehabilitator Lil Anderson has to walk that line as part of her job. [Correction: Anderson's work for the OMNR does not include wildlife rehabilitation. See her comment below.] Author of the newly released book “Pond Memories” (I’m a sucker for a pun), Anderson relates stories of taking on rescued animals, such as a baby moose, a beaver, a fawn and others. Anderson works for Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources. In her stories, it seems the most of the animals that come to her are delivered by hunters who’ve either startled off a mother, causing it to abandon its young, or the hunter has killed the mother, but felt too guilty to also kill its offspring.

The book does offer interesting insight into young animal behaviour, and shows how Anderson struggles to cut emotional ties and transition her charges back to the landscape.

As I read the book, it struck me as odd that we have resources in place to look after a few babies, rather than robust protection for wild habitats (parks you can log don’t “cut it” for me) since we’ve swallowed up, or at least built roads into so many wild places already. Perhaps the more we let wild things be wild, and stay out of it, the better. But habitats have shrunk, so perhaps they’re becoming more like vast zoos we must actively manage.

What’s your view? Should we be closely involved in managing habitats? Should we just put a fence around them and stay out? Am I overreacting?

As an editor, I often think about the definition and appropriate usage of words. I think the word “gift” is due for an update. It should be more than “a thing given willingly without payment” as Oxford defines it. The word “thoughtful” should be in there somewhere.

This photo shows a present my mother received for Christmas. It’s a mug with “cocoa” written on it, a tin cylinder containing a small plastic packet (a single serving of cocoa) and a cardboard box containing another small plastic packet with a few measly marshmallows. I guess you could say someone gave her the gift of a cup of cocoa, or you could say someone gave her a whole lot of excessive packaging, packaging she would have to deal with, packaging that, aside from the box, is not recyclable and will have to take up landfill space for, likely, centuries. Now, my mom is sweet and gracious, so I’m sure she didn’t complain to the giver. But would she call this gift thoughtful? I don’t think so.

For those who feel compelled to give a gift, but who aren’t really sure what the recipient would like, how about plant-friendly options like baked goods, local wine, or a gift certificate for an area restaurant. But it might be time for gift cards to shine, too.

Gift cards may seem impersonal to some, but when the landfill goes hungry because the recipient can actually get something they want, well, that does seem thoughtful.

Have you ever had trouble making a thoughtful gift choice? Have you received something that you just didn’t know what to do with?

It’s the final countdown to knock off home renovations that qualify for the Home Renovation Tax Credit. Sunday’s the last day, folks, so get out there and purchase that insulation, caulking, tankless hot-water heater and other great stuff that will make your home more energy efficient. You don’t have to actually install these things before Sunday, but if you’re paying someone else to do the labour, fees for any work done after Sunday don’t count.

The HRTC is a tax credit against your income of 15 per cent of what I’ll call permanent upgrades to your home and surrounding property, as well as the labour fees paid to do the work. You can only claim expenses after your first $1000 spent, and that’s only for receipts dated January 27, 2009 to January 31, 2010. The maximum refund is $1,350. For all the details, see the government website.

So far I think my partner and I are up to about a $500 tax credit, thanks to masonry work, adding insulation to our attic, a lot of plumbing and electrical supplies and many other bits and pieces. 15 per cent isn’t an incredible amount of money, but we’re doing the work, so we might as well get the tax benefit. Hopefully the real payback will come from the ecoEnergy Retrofit program and, of course, in reduced utility costs (and a smaller carbon footprint).

If you’ve collected your receipts but need a tool organize your expenses and calculate what you’ll get back, download the Homemakers HRTC tool here.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen some better product packaging out there. Some soap companies are offering pump bottle refills in plastic bags (which take less energy to create and recycle than the bottles). Some food companies are using foil and paper instead of plastic and plastic. Some household product companies are foregoing any sort of packaging, opting for a hang-tag rather than a bag or box.

But it’s still easy to find hard clamshell packaging. You know, the kind where you’re likely to injure yourself just trying to get it open. The picture above shows how, after working at this thick, rounded plastic showerhead package with scissors, nearly removing my thumb in the process, I’d given up. My partner had a bright idea: use our reciprocating saw. It worked!

Have you had any run-ins with packaging?

I love an opportunity to gather with a bunch of strangers over something in common. You know that feeling, when everyone’s just feeling great about the fact that there are so many others — people from many walks of life — who feel the same way?

I really felt that on the weekend when I joined in the Toronto rally of Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament. After a few speeches, the group walked through major streets of the city, courteously and joyously. Similar events were held in cities across Canada.

Whatever your politics, I think it’s wonderful when people stand up as citizens and shake off the mantle of being consumers. And there were thousands of people, all wanting to see democracy back in action today, the day that MPs should have been back in the House of Commons.

Of course, among the many groups represented (anti-torture groups, political parties and artists showing off their skill with papier mache), I was thrilled to see many banners about environmental concerns, including, “You can’t prorogue climate change!”

What do you think, is it worth taking to the streets over political issues?

Our computers, cameras, MP3 players and other electronic gadgets have become a little greener in the past couple of years. For example:
- Many computer and TV companies are switching from fluorescent to LED lighting in screens and monitors. We don’t yet know if LEDs will actually last longer, but they use a bit less power and they don’t contain mercury.
- Manufacturers have reduced phantom loads by cutting the power devices suck back when not in use.
- They’ve also reduced or eliminated use of many toxic materials from electronics, and some try to avoid sourcing materials from conflict zones (coltan, particularly).

But, to call themselves green, there are still a couple of big hurdles for electronics companies to cross. I got thinking about these when reading this article on the Guardian website. First, they have to try to standardize all the connectors and adapters so that we don’t need a new cord for every device. I’m talking to you, cell phone chargers! Computers, USB is a great start, but please, don’t make me buy another adapter for external monitors and projectors!

Second, electronics companies have to make gadget gear fixable. By us everyday folk. I’m pointing at you, laptops, phones and other gadgets with the built-in batteries that can only be replaced at a repair centre. And you’re not getting off completely, computers that can’t be upgraded with bigger drives or more RAM.

The more we have access to fix and upgrade our gadgets, the better and longer they’ll serve us. Couple that with robust electronics recycling (it’s happening in many areas) and we’ll make a big step toward sustainability.

Do you think electronics companies can do better?

Happy Thursday, readers!
I have a contest for you to help alleviate those January blahs. (The days are getting longer now! Really!)

I have two family packs of Otterbottles to give away in today’s contest. You could win five stainless-steel water bottles that come with both screw lids and sports caps. They are adorned with cute designs suitable for men or women.

To enter, just post a comment below about how you try to avoid excess garbage. You know, the stuff that you can’t recycle, compost, donate. The stuff that just goes to the landfill.

I’ll e-mail the first two writers to be published below regarding sending you your prize.