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I know it’s getting to be garden crunch time, but I’m still uncertain about what to add to my little plots this year. Oh, I’ve had plenty of help, particularly from working with writer Deanna Dority on her Homemakers magazine piece “Grow a Greener Garden” (April issue, on newsstands now).

I think my biggest struggle is remembering what’s going to come up, and rearranging plants so they’re grouped into more appropriate locations, as well as controlling things that have grown a little too abundant. Once I’ve gathered my courage (and my garden tools) and plunged into the soil, I’ll know which areas need filling in. And I plan to do that with drought-tolerant native plants. The thing is, I don’t want too much structure. I think gardens should look beautifully, joyfully wild.

Last year, my first year with my garden, I added black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), a paper birch tree (Betula papyrifera) and what I hope is a native astilbe. This year I’m on the lookout for some showy flowers to plant in shaded areas. We’ll see what I can find at native plant sales, but I’d love to find some red-eyed Susans, wild columbine and wild bergamont.

For a little inspiration, have a look at this Homemakers.com slideshow offering images of 10 beautiful native plants. (Of course, they may not all be native to your area. For a complete list of plants by region, click here.)

How’s your garden coming along?

We’re in a sea of innovation. As energy costs go up and cities struggle to reduce costs, many cities are passing bylaws requiring energy-saving improvements. For example, the City of Toronto now requires that new industrial, commercial and institutional buildings have a green roof. (Click here for more information.) Green roofs absorb heat, insulate, collect rain water and, of course, make rooftops look nicer.

With all the eco innovation going into structures these days, I wasn’t so much surprised as delighted to discover this “breathing building”, a Geox shoe store no less. Opened about a month ago in the historic centre of Milan, the Geox store communicates the key selling point of the brand’s footwear — breathability. The store’s three floors are clad in 734 individually controllable stainless-steel plates in gold, bronze and copper hues that open to allow more ventilation while still providing shade, or shut up tight to preserve heat. Geox says that the new design offers them a 75% reduction in C02 emissions, and given it a top energy rating, presumably versus an earlier structure. For more pictures of the Geox breathing building, click here.

For ideas on making your home healthier and more efficient, read my Homemakers article here.

Earth Hour is all about showing the world — and our political leaders — that we’re ready to take on climate change. When we all shut off the lights, not only do we have that absence-of-light show for the world to see, there’s also the drop in energy usage the utilities see. With that latter item in mind, here’s a few things I’ll try to avoid doing during Earth Hour (this Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 PM).

- Doing laundry. Even though I have a very efficient laundry machine, I’ll just deal with the fact that my whites won’t get whiter during Earth Hour. Who cares, it’ll be dark anyway!
- Opening the fridge a lot, or using its icemaker. A newer-model fridge will use about 42 Kilowatt hours of power per month, according to this handy calculator. Fridges are one of the top energy consumers in most homes, simply because they’re on all the time. Plus every time you open the door, all the cool air falls out onto the floor, and the fridge has to work hard to maintain the cool temperature you’ve set.
- Taking a shower. Sure, there’s nothing like a shower in the dark to get those creative wheels turning. But if you have an electric hot-water heater, even an on-demand model, you’ll be using a lot of power to bring your municipal water supply up from about two degrees (Toronto’s average) to whatever steamy temp you prefer.
- Cranking the heat. Instead of making the furnace work harder, reach for a cozy blanket to keep you warm during Earth Hour. Or a friend. This hour is about climate change, so heating counts, even if you’re on gas or you use a fireplace.
- Having fun. Kidding! So avoiding all the things above may not be practical for the full hour. But hopefully we can keep our energy use low for sixty whole minutes, and show that we can reduce.

For ideas on how to have fun during Earth Hour (some silly, I admit) see yesterday’s post.

We’re four days away from Earth Hour — it’s this Saturday, March 27 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Do you know what you’re going to do yet? OK, we’re all going to turn out the lights. Then what? Activities for adoring love birds aside, what fun things can you do in the dark? Here are a few ideas.

- Have a local wine and cheese party by LED lantern or flashlight. You could even charge outdoor solar lanterns or light strings outside during the day, then bring them in to light up the party in the evening.

- Play a little game I’ll call “Watts Up?” If you have a power monitor, you could move around the house with a flashlight, guessing the power usage (”draw”) of various things you have plugged in. Test them with a power monitor to see how much the electronics, appliances and so forth actually draw. I’d recommend “Price is Right” rules: the closest without going over wins! Bonus points for unplugging everything as you go!

- Take some memorable photos. Get sparklers for your friends together and get them to write “2010″ or “Earth” or whatever turns your crank for the camera.

- Take your friends star gazing – and supply the hot chocolate. Here’s a Homemakers recipe for White Hot Chocolate.

Of course, I’m not planning to do any of these things — after enjoying a nice meal with my family, we’ll head to City Hall to watch the lights going off. (Although they might appreciate some of that hot chocolate!) What are you planning to do for Earth Hour?

When I’m sorting through stuff at home, there are things I know I want to keep, and there are things I’m ready to let go of and donate. But then there are those things I’m not quite ready to part with, the things that still seem to have a lot of value even though I don’t need them.

A new matchmaking site for our stuff launches today. Unlike sites where you simply sell goods, like eBay, or give stuff away, like Freecycle groups, SwapSity.ca is a bartering site that matches people in the same area. Here’s how it works, according to founder Marta Nowinska: “SwapSity makes the barter process a breeze. Users simply create one list of their swappable goods and services and another for the things they want in return, while SwapSity instantly generates local matches to jumpstart swapping. It is also possible to enhance listings with YouTube videos, photos and web links. Members can communicate freely and decide whether they want to accept a swap offer, negotiate or decline it. They can also equalize uneven barter exchanges with cash. Most importantly, membership and transactions are free.”

Very interesting! To get things started, I’ve just offered a one-year subscription to Homemakers magazine and a Homemakers tote bag, which I’ll buy for someone in exchange for plant pots. Come to think of it, I have a bunch of stuff in storage that I could probably trade for the makings of an entire garden…

Have you found a good way to trade, sell or give away the things you no longer need?

Earth Hour is one of the most fun events of the year, in my books anyway. Everyone’s itching to get out of the house in spring, and what’s more fun than to walk through the streets of your town when everyone’s out to see the spectacle. While a light bulb that makes light out of dark can seem like a miracle thing, somehow, to me, seeing a whole bunch of lights go out at once, in the spirit of environmentalism, is the big miracle.

Earth Hour is next Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 PM. My parents are coming to town, and I’m looking forward to walking the city with them as everyone comes together to create a big non-light show across the Toronto. It’s great to see all kinds of light sources flicked off — in office towers, apartments, shop signs and window displays, in public spaces, schools, little houses and more. An LED flashlight (powered by rechargeable batteries) is the evening’s must-have accessory!

After the event, I’ll be eager to see how much we reduced our power consumption. The dramatic numbers of previous years show that we’re willing to conserve, all we need is a little incentive… or a special event. Here’s my post about last year’s results.

What are you planning to do for Earth Hour?

Canadian figure skating champion Josée Chouinard has a mission to for kids: green your school! Canada’s Greenest School Contest, an initiative of IC Bus, is a fabulous opportunity for the winning student’s (or classroom’s) school to win a hybrid school bus (value: $200,000; fuel efficiency improvement over a conventional bus: 65 per cent), a LEED building audit to evaluate the school, $3,000 for the student who entered the contest (or to be shared among the class) and $500 in classroom supplies for the winning student’s teacher.

Why is Chouinard involved? “When I grew up, we were not really concerned about the environment and being careful of the earth and making sure that we were giving a future for the next generation,” says Chouinard. That’s changed, however: “Nowadays, the awareness is there. We’re making sure that things aren’t going to waste and we’re preserving the environment. Especially now that I have children, I think the best way to educate them is through school – [my children] started school in September.”

I asked Chouinard if she felt that the Vancouver 2010 Olympics brought across a sense of eco awareness that would help kids embrace the Canada’s Greenest Schools Contest. “When you have such a big event like the Olympics promoting environmentalism, I think the best way to then reach out and train and educate the new generation is through schools,” she said. “Every aspect of the Olympics was about being green.”

Why does this contest matter to the big picture? According to IC Bus, one school bus has the capacity to take 36 passenger cars off the road, and thanks to the kids who are riding busses (instead of being dropped off by car) 1.3 billion litres of gas are saved in Canada every year. I’m sure those number will be even more impressive as more schools use hybrid busses!

So how can students win the contest? Kids all the way from Kindergarten to Grade 12 can enter a photo collection, a piece of music, a video, an essay, or photos of a diorama, collage or piece of artwork. Whatever form the message takes, it has to say how the student or class would like to make their school a more green, eco-friendly place. Entries are due April 5, so click here to find out how to enter!

Following my last post about creating a bedroom that’s made with sustainable materials that won’t aggravate your allergies, to top it all off let’s talk about mattresses and bedding.

According to this article, it isn’t easy to recycle conventional mattresses. That’s because they have several types of materials fused together – commonly polyurethane foam, wood framing, metal coils and synthetic fabric. Some companies have made a business of mattress recycling, such as this one in the Montreal area. For a mattress to be considered greener (unlike polyurethane, which is made from petroleum), it should be made from a natural material, not be treated with chemicals and it should be durable.

I’ll be honest and say that I’m not sure about the sustainability of foam mattresses made from natural sources, such as soy foam and latex (rubber). Soybeans and rubber trees are renewable resources, so it appears that the source is better than a conventional mattress. As long as the mattress hasn’t been treated with flame retardants, it’s less likely to off-gas irritants as polyurethane does. And memory foam mattresses made with solid foam are much more efficient to ship: some can be rolled up into a surprisingly small package, making the carbon-per-unit from shipping significantly lower than a conventional mattress.

So far, soy foam and latex are looking pretty good, but I’d keep a couple of things in mind. First, a lot of mattress companies use a small amount of soy, mixed in with polyurethane. Second, I’m not sure that they are biodegradable in the way the manufacturers claim. I’ve yet to find a solid study showing how soy foam biodegrades, but if a mattress can live in your bedroom, beneath warm, moist bodies for six or eight hours a night, how is it that they wouldn’t biodegrade as you sleep? My guess is they would take a very long time to biodegrade in landfill, and it’s not clear what they become as they break down. If you like the sounds of a

Want an alternative to natural-sourced foam? Perhaps a mattresses made from a mix or organic cotton and wool, used in combination with metal coils, is right for you. Here’s one one from Grassroots. Ikea also makes its Sultan Heidel mattress with a large portion of natural latex and untreated cotton.

Above the mattress, I’d say go for fabrics made with organically grown fibre, most commonly cotton, although hemp and linen are also good choices (particularly for duvet covers). While conventional fabrics aren’t typically hazardous to us, the pesticides used to grow the crops are often harmful to the agricultural workers, the groundwater and any area watersheds, and they can persist in the soil for a long time.

To keep your mattress clean, look for an organic cotton mattresses cover. Assess the options for durability, because you should wash the cover often in extremely hot water to kill dust mites, then hang it on the clothesline in the sun.

Organic cotton sheets and duvet covers in fine threadcounts are now fairly easy to find; if you prefer a raw look try these or these.

What to adorn that bed with? Well, from an allergy point of view, contrary to what we sometimes show in beautiful magazine spreads, the fewer pillows the better. Pillows and shams just collect dust, and that means doing a lot of washing!

It’s begun. As the rain drizzled down in Toronto yesterday, I could feel my eyelids swelling up just a bit, and by midday I was definitely stuffed up. Spring – and allergy season – has begun. Over the years I’ve learned that, particularly during allergy season, having a clean bedroom — free of dust and chemical irritants — means I’ll start the day feeling much more like myself.

In my experience, there are a few important bedroom elements to control in order to control your allergies:
- The flooring, wall covering and other materials you’ve used to finish the room
- The furniture, drapes and other furnishings
- Your mattress and pillows
- Your mattress cover, sheets and pillow cases

As usual, when I look for better choices for the Earth, I also find better choices for my own health. I’ll share what I’ve learned about finishes and flooring today, and move on to mattress, pillows and bedding tomorrow. Maybe you’ll have some of your own tips to add.

Design elements of a cozy, eco-friendly, allergen-free bedroom should generally made with natural materials, they should be easy to dust and wash and they should be durable. Here are a few areas that make a difference:
- Ventilation. Bedrooms can get stuffy at night. If you wake up to humidity on your windows in the cooler months, you have excess moisture (it must be all that heavy breathing). You might need a heat recovery ventilator. This heat exchanger works with your central heating system to maintain fresh air and keep humidity in check while reducing heating costs.
- Windows. Thwart window-frame mold from moisture buildup by installing vinyl or fibreglass windows, and insulate and caulk thoroughly around the frames. Check the Energy Star ratings before you buy to ensure you’ve chosen a highly energy- efficient window.
- Flooring. Several kinds of flooring may emit irritating, sometimes harmful gasses. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are common in carpets, engineered wood products such as plywood and particleboard, finishes like paint and stain, fabrics that have been treated with fire retardants, and other materials. Avoid potential irritants and do the Earth a favour by choosing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified solid wood flooring, or Low-E engineered flooring made with sustainable materials such as wood, bamboo or cork. While wool rugs are a good environmental choice, any sort of carpet can trap allergens.
- Drapes. I have a street light outside my window, so if I didn’t have blackout fabric behind my drapes, according to this Homemakers.com article, I wouldn’t sleep as soundly. Whatever window coverings you choose, make sure they’re easy to wash. I’ve found plastic venetian blinds really difficult to clean, and I doubt they’re recyclable.
- Furniture. Avoid furniture that can absorb moisture and harbour dust, forgoing stuffed chairs for those made with wood, steel and washable fabrics. Skip particleboard furniture (most furniture is now made with particle board with a face of wood veneer) unless you know it’s low emission (Low E). Low E composite wood furniture is getting easier to find, with retailers such as Ikea on board. Don’t forget about antique shops for wood and brass beds frames!
- Paint and wall coverings. Although there are many beautiful wallpaper designs out there, keep in mind that some wallpaper isn’t paper at all, it’s vinyl! Vinyl off-gasses VOCs. Flocked paper is back in style, but it’s hard to dust! If you have allergies, choose smooth, low-E glue, washable paper or simply apply a low-VOC paint. For a better night’s sleep, choose a matte finish — it will help absorb light.

Keep in mind that if you already have some VOC-emitting materials in your home, most off-gas fairly quickly, particularly if you have a source of ventilation (open the windows). Furniture you already have is better for the environment than new stuff.

For more ideas on getting ahead of your allergies, check out the April issue of Homemakers magazine for the story “Survive the Sneeze Season” by Lesley Young.

See you tomorrow for green mattress and bedding tips!

So, we’re not really sure how to reduce carbon in a systematic way. There are lots of theories; several countries have proposed a cap and trade system. What’s that? This video offers an explanation.

The Story of Cap & Trade