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OK, if you’re squeamish don’t read this.

A couple of weeks ago I saw my dermatologist, and I had a mole removed. I wasn’t expecting to have it done, I just mentioned that the mole was in the way of my bra strap. My doctor offered to remove the mole right there and then. As a lay on a bench in the surgical area, green paper surrounding the offending mole, I was a little unsure of what I’d got myself into.

That feeling didn’t subside as the surgical assistant (nurse?) peeled the plastic top off of a box containing a shiny new set of specialized surgical scissors. (Panic: They were going to cut off my mole with scissors!) I tried to breathe deep so the doctor wouldn’t know I was nervous.

The micro (mini?) surgery was over in less than a minute, the only thing piquing my adrenaline was the needle of local anesthetic. A couple of weeks later, the only mark left is a pink spot that is slowly fading away. But somewhere in that time where I was lying on that bench, I had a look at all the medical gear that seemed to be single use: needles, vials, swabs, scissors and other gear my adrenaline-mired, fight-or-flight mind couldn’t identify. Thinking of those single-use scissors, made of stainless steel or some other metal fit for making a precise instrument, it struck me that although our health is incredibly important, medical waste must be taking a huge toll on the earth, not just in the landfill but in the resources required to make all that gear.

This morning on CBC.ca I noticed that hospitals are trying to find ways to reuse some equipment, after careful sterilization and so forth, of course.

Certainly there are legitimate concerns about reusing medical equipment. I worked with Homemakers magazine writer Paul Benedetti on this story about Canada’s war superbugs, and the impact resistant bacteria can have on a person’s life.

What do you think, could hospitals find ways to be lighter on the earth?

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games are supposed to be the greenest games ever. Although there’s certainly nothing green about flying snow in to Cypress Mountain by helicopter, certainly the organizing committee has done many things to reduce the impact of the Olympic events.

I don’t think it’s possible to have a zero-impact event of this size, nor something to call “sustainable” but there are certainly better ways to do most everything. For a list of some of the terrific green strategies being used in Vancouver, click here.

But perhaps it’s the long-term impacts that matter the most. Many are going to benefit from the Vancouver Olympics after they’re over, certainly from a housing and infrastructure point of view. But I found out that a manufacturer has a post-games plan as well.

US-based flooring company, Mannington Commercial, is working with 3M, who has made building, vehicle and other graphic wraps for the Vancouver 2010 Games. They’ll reclaim and recycle about 200,000 square feet of wrap material.

According to the release, “Mannington will recycle the graphics into Premium Tile, a product popular in commercial healthcare, education and retail applications. The Premium Tile product already contains post-consumer waste streams including drywall and VCT reclaimed from renovation sites, and is certified as an Environmentally Preferable Product, meeting the rigorous requirements of NSF-332-2007 certification.”

Now that’s a good re-use of plastic. What do you think? Could the games be greener? Do you have tips for reducing an event’s impact on the earth?

I came across a beautiful example of recycling the other day. While I usually think of recycling as sending used-up stuff back for processing into new stuff, entrepreneur Laura Jennekens of Echoes in the Attic reminded me that we can actually be the recyclers ourselves. Bradford, Ont.-based Echoes in the Attic makes purses, diaper bags and pillows made from fabric that would otherwise go to landfill because it’s manufacturing waste or discarded designer samples. The bag I’ve shown here is the “Purse-nickety Hipster” ($60 to $75). Every one of these bags is unique because, of course, they’re made from salvaged fabric.

Laura explains the genesis of her business thus: “Echoes was born out of the most desperate act of recycling when, in ‘04, I cut off all my own hair before chemo took it while I was in treatment for breast cancer. I made braids that I sewed to a bandana and wore for the duration. That desperate act of recycling planted a seed that would blossom later when I met my now biz partner and sewing guru, Vicky Gerke, and we embarked on recycling of a different kind.”

Since then, Echoes has sold thousands of handbags made from recycled fabric, all sewn by “Mompreneurs” who work from home. If that’s not guilt-free fashion, I don’t know what is!

Have you found any recycled / upcycled find you’d like to share?

Driving home with my partner last night, we briefly got stuck behind a van that was running rich. Barely able to stand the smell of partially burned gas, we finally made it to another lane. Will gassers become a distant memory? I hope so. The sooner the better!

A few months ago I wrote about the Tesla S (shown above). This car will be available next year at a base price of US$49,900. It has a 480 kilometre range, making it a standout. Its super-fast cousin, the Tesla Roadster, is already available to Canadians for $125,000; it has about a 390-kilometre range. It hits 100 km/hr from a standstill in only 3.9 seconds. That’d be something to try!

I’m also getting really excited about the electric Smart car, the Smart fortwo electric drive. They should be hitting Canadian roads by the end of this year, although, at least to begin with, they’ll only be available to businesses and fleets in some sort of a long-term rental arrangement. I don’t have a price yet, but the electric Smart has a 135 kilometre range, making it a great car for commuting and other shorter-haul driving. I had a chance to try a Smart car earlier this year, and loved it.

The Nissan Leaf is coming to Canada in 2012, although I’d heard that it’s coming to Vancouver earlier. It has a 160-kilometre range. The Nissan site says that the car will be affordable, but doesn’t offer a price.

If I lived in Quebec (or the southern US), I would be able to buy the ZENN car. It looks like they’re about US$20,000. A city car, the ZENN has a maximum speed of 40 km/hr. Apparently it takes about four hours to charge the ZENN to 80% capacity from “empty.”

The bottom line: it’s going to be a little while before I can buy an electric car (unless I win the lottery, of course). We’ll see who brings an affordable all-electric car to the Canadian market first!

To compare the fuel consumption of any model of vehicle currently on the road, click here.

The Ontario Energy Board is trying to encourage me to use power outside of peak hours. The power grid isn’t very nimble — it has to generate enough power to cover our maximum potential needs at all times. Think of it like a tap that has to be turned on with a strong enough flow for everyone’s needs, even if it goes unused part of the time. So if some of us can move our usage to late in the day, they’ll need less flow overall. Does that make sense? Here’s an explanation from someone else.

On both summer and winter weekdays, power will be least expensive from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., but in the summer power is most expensive from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., when our air conditioners are on overdrive. In winter, power is most expensive from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., when we’re at home, awake, with the thermostat dialed to “cozy.” Weekends and statutory holidays are at lowest power rates ’round the clock. Here’s a graphic:

Time of use pricing applies whether you’re with a regular energy supplier or a renewable energy supplier such as Bullfrog Power.

So, how can we help reduce our total need for power (the flow rate) and save ourselves some money in the process? Here are a few ideas:
- Take advantage of appliances with timers. Set dishwashers, clothes washers, dryers and more to turn on late in the evening.
- Use a programmable thermostat to allow your home to become fairly cool during winter workdays and fairly hot on summer workdays.
- Shower the night before work. Waiting until after 9 p.m. could save you $0.59 per day in water heating for every half hour in the shower.
- Make meals ahead and split up portions for later. Running the oven for an hour before 9 p.m. costs about double the cost of making meals later.
- Give yourself weeknights off, and save vacuuming, washing clothes and other power-consuming chores for the weekend.

How else might you move your power consumption to later in the day, or to weekends?

I find it really hard to find clothing that’s made in Canada. We have lots of terrific clothing designers in Canada, and I know it’s a tall order to ask for materials to be grown, processed, dyed, woven and sewn here, especially considering the competition – like electronics, I think clothing is has actually become less expensive over the past decade.

Considering all that, I was practically surprised when I recently came across Bamjamz made-in-Canada bamboo pajamas. Smooth, silky, breathable… and renewable, what’s not to like about bamboo? OK, it’s not grown in Canada, but the company does source organically grown, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified bamboo.

Bamjamz’ lovely jammies (sold at Holt Renfrew, so far) are made with 64 per cent organic, FSC-certified bamboo, 28 per cent organic cotton (the rest is Spandex). The gorgeous print is done with water-based inks, so they’re durable and breathable as well. The company co-founders both live in Toronto; the fabrics are knitted in Montreal and manufactured and printed in Vancouver. Bamjamz makes leggings ($64) and long pants ($98), tanks ($74), short-sleeve shirts ($80) and tunics ($84) in interchangeable colours. The loose-fitting outfits are as much loungewear as they are for between the sheets.

Have you found any made-in-Canada clothing other readers should know about?

As I wandered around the Kingston, Ont., waterfront last weekend, I felt very peaceful looking across Lake Ontario. It seemed to me that the icy expanse held the best of old and new: an early 1800s Martello Tower in the foreground, wind turbines on Wolfe Island in the background. From my point of view, this is a community with a plan for the future.

A lot of people have raised concerns about disruptions created by wind turbines. Looking around online at some of the problems people are experiencing, particularly homeowners, I certainly sympathize with their situations.

I think it makes all kinds of sense to generate as much power as we can through wind and solar. They are clean sources of electricity, and we’ve barely begun to tap the sun’s capacity. But we do have to put them in the right location, and that’s not right next to someone’s home. When turbines need maintenance, they start making noise (particularly older models, I’m told). I’d heard about noise issues before, but I hadn’t thought about how turbines interact with the sun. If you have spinning blades between you and the sun, guess what? You’ll get a strobe effect of light-dark-light-dark, as shown here.

The new Ontario Green Energy Act calls for a 550 metre setback between wind turbines and homes. When I first heard about the setback, I thought that perhaps traditional energy was influencing our ability to make good use of renewable energy. But now I see that, to make good neighbours, turbines should be situated properly. Nobody wants an annoying neighbour.

How do you see renewable energy fitting in with your landscape?

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.