Columnists

Talking to some people from the City of Toronto water department last weekend, I was impressed to hear them advocate for natural and certified cleaning products and personal care products. Because, of course, they head down the drain and into the waste system, go through some filtering and treatment, but many still head out into Lake Ontario.

According to this Environment Canada report on the preponderance of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in Alberta rivers, “In general, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and synthetic fragrances (musks) are detected most frequently and at the highest concentrations… Future efforts for AENV will include a focus on polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants) and perfluorinated compounds (surfactants) in major rivers, riverine sediments, and aquatic biota of the province.”

Studies can take time, but we all depend on our water supply. As I’ve heard many times lately, we all live downstream from someone.

What can we do? Well, the folks from Toronto’s water department suggest using benign cleaning agents such as baking soda and products that are EcoLogo certified. (I’ve tested many of these, and I haven’t come across a certified product that doesn’t perform well.) But it’s not just cleaning products that go down the drain: don’t forget about dish and dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, shampoo, body washes… and all the products you’re washing away, like fragrances and makeup.

Because what goes down comes around.

Have you made a green cleaner, or tried one, that really works for you?

The white stuff is coming down like crazy across Canada — Alberta is in a deep freeze and northern Ontario is buried under several feet of snow. It’s the time of year when you hear a unique sound in neighbourhoods everywhere: the scraping and smacking of shovels and the hum of snowblowers.

This isn’t a gripe against snow blowers. While I’m sure that, someday, we’ll have electric snowblowers rather than the gas-powered variety, I don’t begrudge anyone with a lane to clear the power of a snow-throwing machine.

While I leave the snow-blowing to the city crews, this weekend I was out annoying my neighbours with that scraping and smacking. Because the temperature hovered above freezing, I really wanted to get the ice off of my driveway and sidewalk while it was softened up, so I was out peeling and scraping it away inch by inch. If anyone was trying to nap, I’m sure my efforts were not appreciated. I was actually enjoying the cold, enjoying the physical work in the brisk air.

When I’d cleared off the slippy stuff as much as possible, I thought about what I should do to keep the road grippy for passersby. While it’s common to use salt, and while it seems like a harmless, natural substance, it is actually very harmful to plants and waterways. We know from damage to our cars just how corrosive salt is, and you may have noticed damage to trees along roadways, or irritation on pets’ paws as well. Cities with drainage into lakes and rivers can really stress the waterways with all the salt going onto roads and sidewalks, as shown in this explanation from Minnesota. While cities are looking for effective alternatives to salt, and putting themselves on a salt diet, homeowners can do a few things to help.

This winter I’m trying a couple of commercial “eco friendly” ice melting / traction products to use instead of salt. Ecos Ice Melt does a good job of breaking up slippery ice patches, and EcoTraction provides good grip underfoot, as an alternate to sand. Don’t forget that the sun is on your side: anything dark applied to ice, from sand to ashes, will heat up in the sun, will to melt holes in the ice around it.

How do you deal with ice and snow around your home?

The documentary, Waterlife, is a powerful argument for taking a stand on the health of the Great Lakes. The film is screening in various parts of the country. Via the documentary website, you can also request a screening of your own.