Help the environment more

I’d like to start a non-profit organisation… I just don’t know how.

Any ideas?

MUST-SEE Environmental Documentaries and Movies

Any other movies to suggests?

EARTH DAY CANADA IN YOUR CITY:

Cape Breton Earth Day Society
CBRM
Dive Into Earth Week

Earth Day Canada
Toronto
Earth Day Canada Eco Fair

Earth Day Chatham
Chatham
Thames River Clean Up – Chatham

Earth Day Hamilton
Hamilton
Earth Day 5K Walk / Funrun

Earth Day Hamilton
Hamilton
Go Green Challenge

Earth Day Hamilton
Hamilton
Sunoco Earth Day Community Tree Planting Event

Earth Day Ottawa
Ottawa
Climate Change – Our Children’s Future

Earth Day Ottawa
Ottawa
Earth Day Contests Award Ceremony

Earth Day Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa Eco-Stewardship Fair

Earth Day School
Deux-Montagnes
ST-Jude Earth Day School/Yard clean up

That’s just the first page, check their website below for more cities:
http://www.earthday.ca/pub/events/search/shell_summary_public.php

HERE’S OTHER WEBSITES:

• http://www.earthday.com/do/Home
• http://www.earthsite.org/
• http://www.earthday.gov/
• Canadian Living : 30 days, 30 ways: Register for the Green Challenge
• CBC Going For Green
• CBC Going Green
• Environment Canada’s Green Lane
• EnviroZine
• Health Canada
• Transportation & The Environment
• Greenpeace Canada
• Greenpeace International
• Greenpeace UK
• David Suzuki Foundation: Climate Change
• Tree Canada Foundation
• Canada’s Clean Air Act
• Canada Green Building Council
• Fight Global Warming
• Carbon Fund
• The CarbonNeutral Company
• Carbon Neutral (Australia)
• WWF: Climate Change
• Climate Crisis Carbon Calculator
• The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Calculator (Canada)

KLEERKUT

Greenpeace URGES people like you and me to send emails, letters or fax, or all of the above to Kimberly-Clark CEO Thomas Falk (makers of Kleenex) and asking him to stop destroying ancient forests.

http://tissue.greenpeace.ca/download/guide_en.pdf
http://kleercut.net/en/

http://www.kimberly-clark.com/
http://www.kleenex.com/

I’ve sent 2 emails myself, one to Kimberly-Clark and one to Kleenex. I hope they’ll get the message, and start using 100% post-consumer recycled materials and 100% recycled materials and chlorine-free bleach.

WAXED PLASTIC

I wonder if there are cereal and cracker bags (and others), that aren’t waxed and recyclable. I checked on my city’s website for recycling do’s and don’t’s and it says not to put cereal and cracker bags in the recycle box. I’m sick and tired of throwing out the bags. I’ve sent emails to President’s Choice, Nabisco, Kraft Canada and Kellogg’s (so far – I am sending more emails to companies like General Mills, Nestlé, etc.), and asked them if their plastic bags are waxed and therefore not recyclable and if so, to make them recyclable and even with 100% post-consumer recycled materials and with 100% recycled materials.

METAL/PLASTIC WRAPS/PACKAGING

Individual wraps: Quaker Snack Bars and others, Potato chip bags, etc. More emails to send.

CARDBOARD/PLASTIC CONTAINERS

Concentrated juices: I’ve sent emails before (to Minute Maid, No Name, etc.) asking if they are recyclable and I was told yes but some people say they aren’t. Hmm… who’s right? I still put the in the recycling box though, with the metal ends removed with a can opener, leaving the metals rims on each ends, I can’t take those off.

All those environmental people out there I urge you to do the same and maybe we can convince some companies to change their packaging from not recyclable to recyclable and hopefully to 100% post-consumer recycled content and made from 100% recycled materials also.

Other things I do or will do and that everybody should do:

Buy:

• Biodegradable garbage bags: They are much better for the environment – they degrade much faster and don’t cause pollution! Ex: BioBag, Eco-Products, etc.
• Products made with 100% Post-Consumer recycled content: Printing paper, etc.
• Products made from 100% recycled materials: Printing paper, etc.
• Products from companies that have packaging that is 100% recycled materials and 100% Post-Consumer recycled content: Ex: President’s Choice has a great line of Green products – PC Green
• Buy refillable/reusable/washable items instead of stupid disposable items: Scotch tape (big black ones and small transparent ones), dry correction tape, pens (that also use environment-friendly inks), washable/reusable microfiber wash/dust cloth (instead of landfill-clogging Swiffers), washable/reusable dryer sheets (Natura Dryer Sheets from Home Hardware), etc.

Use environmental printing companies for your printing needs: Paper that has 100% Post-Consumer recycled content and made from 100% recycled materials, that use environment-friendly inks like soy ink, etc.

Ex: En Masse Media Printing Company in Vancouver

Doing the following ideas would make your recycle box almost empty, help the environment and you (taxes for hauling your recycling), encourage small, private and local businesses and make you healthier and happier and maybe even a little richer (at least, that’s what I think!)

BUYING PRODUCE: They don’t pollute, the traveling does (airplanes, trucks). We should all buy locally grown, organic produce (or grow our own if we can), and buy other things (anything) from local businesses. Example: A clothing store: Clothing made locally and sold locally only. No exporting and importing, no extra emission from airplanes and trucks. Man, why are we allowed to import stuff?

ZIP-LOC BAGS, BAGGIES: Why buy them? You can use so many other bags and containers. Like bread and bagel bags, milk bags (the ones inside), even cereal bags, to put your sandwiches in. You can also use the milk bags to freeze foods. Also, we’d be saving the environment more by making the bread ourselves or buying bread from a bakery (even grocery stores make breads – ask them about it!) instead of buying it already prepared breads/bagels in plastic bags. That way we’d reduce the amount of plastic bags and plastic ties being used. If you do buy bread in plastic bags (I know some people are too busy to make their own), make sure you collect the plastic ties and recycle them – a little is a lot in the long run, they add up). Going to the bakery, I’d put my breads in reused bags. One thing I’m not sure about the bakery though – do they use a lot of energy, resources and disposable things for make their bread? I’ll have to check.

ALTERNATIVE POWER AND FUELS: Alternative power should be more affordable. Why don’t they (whoever “they” are) put more money and energy into solar, wind power instead of spending their money and energy on something like fossil fuels or power plants? They’re spending money for energy that is bad for the environment and they’ll have to spend more money in the end to save the environment of what they put in it, in the first place. Wake up and smell our dying planet! When we run out of fuels, it’ll be too late to say: “Well now we can use solar or wind power”. We might not suffer much from this right now, but our children and their children will! For crying out loud!

CANS, PLASTIC AND GLASS CONTAINERS: There are so many foods we buy in cans and containers that we could get fresh. Make your own instead! Example: Corn. Buy organic locally grown, corn and make your own preserves! I remember one evening; we (me, my brother and my mom, some years ago) made corn preserves. It tastes amazing and we had so much fun making them. It’s can be great family time. There are so many other things you can make yourself from fresh ingredients: Jam, pasta, pizza sauces, apple and other fruits sauces, anything! I admit, right now I am buying lots of cans and containers, like corn, peas (chick, green), beans, ketchup (my aunt makes her own, I should ask her for her recipe), mustard, sauces, etc.). But I have decided to go ask my mom for her recipes and show me how to do preserves. Again, by making your own, or buying from local businesses, there are no additives, preservatives and added bad-for you stuff, there’s less emissions, less thrown away (you reuse your own glass containers when making your own sauces and preserves and even when you buy from local businesses – so by reusing, you reduce because you don’t have to buy more containers). You can recycle them when they get used up too many times. My dad’s girlfriend gets her maple syrup from a lady (not sure who). She brings back the glass container when she is done and they refill it, and she pays less too! That last comment just made me think of wine stores. You can refill your own bottles at wine stores (not sure if all the stores are like that). So you reuse bottles and reduce!

CLEANING PRODUCTS: Make your own natural cleaning products! Check out the book The Great American Detox Diet: 8 Weeks to Weight Loss and Well-Being by Alex Jamieson for some nice products. Also look on the Internet.

FACIAL AND BODY PRODUCTS: Make your own natural soaps, bodywashes, creams, bubble bath, etc. or buy locally made!

In conclusion, anything pre-made can be homemade or bought from local businesses where they let you bring your own containers. Imagine buying locally made, organic whole-grain pasta or even making your own!

Look on the Internet or in books for the info you need if you want to start making your own organic foods and natural products.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO MAKE IT YOURSELF, THINK OF BUYING FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES AND SUPPORT THEM!

One other thing I try to do is raise environment awareness and show people how soooooooooooo easy it is to help preserve our beautiful environment. I have been working on my website for a while and hope it can help people understand the gravity of the situation. It is still under construction. Please visit:
http://www.geocities.com/greenvision_visionverte/index.html

Also, I send emails to companies to suggest them to either make their products recyclable or if they are recyclable, make them reusable. After being used a few times (by their customers – like how beer bottles are brought back), then they can be recycled. It’d be cheaper for them, it would also reduce the energy used from making new products and lower emissions.

Hey, if anyone thinks of anything else I could do to help the environment, please feel free to let me know! :)

I do my best to help the environment and I would like to share the things I do to help preserve the environment with you:

HEAT:

In the winter, I keep the temperature at 15 degrees in the apartment, most of the time. I if I get cold, I just put on a warm sweater, pants, socks and slippers, instead of turning up the heat. I turn up the heat a little bit during the day (like 10/15 minutes), I don’t want the apartment get too humid and don’t want the pipes to burst.

Laundry (drying your clothes in the winter): I do all my loads in one day or 2 and then put everything to dry in the apartment (on hangers on bathtub pole, doors knobs, over doors, towels bars, etc.). After all is dry (within a few days), I put all the loads (the clothes that can go in the dryer) in the dryer (which is about 4 to 5 loads, depending) for only 15 minutes on Low / Medium Heat or on Air Dry. In the summer, I hang my clothes on the clothesline. I only use half a dryer sheet every time I dry. Lasts longer, buy less, throw away/recycle less.

ELECTRICITY:

I turn of the TV when not watching it, computer when not using it, VCR (if not home for a long period of time), alarm clock (I unplug it every day when I get up, and only turn it back on when I go to bed), computer screen if I am downloading something or am working at the computer and doing other tasks at the same time (like laundry, dishes, etc.) or simply turn off the computer altogether and come back to it after all my tasks are done.

I use fluorescent lights everywhere. They are a good practical gift to give someone, especially if they own a home, their electricity bill will be lower.

There is no air conditioning here and wouldn’t want one, it’s bad for the environment. Instead, I open windows during the cool part of the day and turn on the ceiling fan to help circulate the cool air. If it’s too hot, I keep windows closed as well as blinds, to keep sun out. Air conditioning is bad for the environment.

If I am cooking or baking small things, (few pieces of chicken, beef, garlic bread, etc.), I use a toaster oven. Since a toaster oven is so much smaller than a conventional oven as uses so much less time and energy to heat up.

All my future appliances will be ENERGY STAR labelled. They help save the environment and save consumers money by using less energy through advanced design or construction.

WATER:

I check for any leaks in my faucets on a daily basis.

I have a low-flow shower in my apartment and faucet aerators *and in the future, I’ll get *faucet sensors, it’s cleaner, you don’t have to touch a dirty faucet after washing your hands and it saves water as well, because the water ins’t running while you wash your hands – example of a sensor: The Faucet Genie at Canadian Tire

When washing my clothes, I only do full loads and only use cold water. I do about 4 to 5 loads (depending) every week and 1/2 or 2. What I also do is change my bed sheets every week (it’s better for your health, I don’t want the bed bugs biting me) but I wash them every 2 weeks all together (thin sheets).

If my landlord ever decides to change his washing machine, I’ll suggest him to get a front-loading machine with ENERGY STAR. It uses less water.

I don’t have a dishwasher but if I did I would do full loads and turn off the dishwasher during the dry cycle and let the dishes air dry, or dry them myself with a dishcloth.

Before taking my shower, I wet my face over the bathroom sink (where I can control the flow of the water better), I wash/scrub it then when I take my shower and all’s left is rinse my face. It saves time (manipulating the facial soap/scrub bottle, putting it down then washing my face). After a while it adds up. Also, when wash my myself, I turn off the water and turn it back on to rinse myself. Also, I take short showers, like 5 to 7 minutes, depending. One minute less actually saves A LOT of water and it adds up after a while. So try shortening your shower time gradually and see the savings climb :)

I am trying to look into buying environment-friendly products such as Melaleuca. A girl I know says she has detergent from that company, she told me she has had her tub of detergent for almost a year. She said that you don’t need a lot of detergent and that it smells great. Melaleuca also has a lot of other products, just visit their website.

I don’t have a car so I walk everywhere or take the bus, but even if I did have a car (Hybrid), I’d use it only when I’d absolutely need to, like grocery shopping in the winter, or going to see my parents that live in the country or go on trips.

I buy big packages, whenever I can, such as shampoo & conditioner, detergent, fabric softener, etc. I keep small bottles and fill them up.

I shop with cotton/canvass bags, but take and keep the plastic bags (I never throw them away unless they have big holes in them and they are un-reusable, then I put them in the recycle box) I get from stores I shop to for when I go back there (I like to shop at a few places at the time, even if I have cotton bags I like to put what I bought in the store’s plastic bags (re-used) so I know what came from where and that there is no confusion when going into other stores. Some plastic bags I keep as garbage bags (I don’t see the point in buying garbage bags at the store when the grocery bags are free or almost – they costs like 3 cents or more), also, bags (with handles) that are too small for the garbage cans, I give to the library. I put them in the bag holder and people use them to put their library items in. Bread, milk bags, I give to people I know who own animals, they can use them as poop bags. Instead of putting the small tranparent bags from the grocery store, used to carry fruits & vegetables, in the recycle box, I re-used them the next time I go grocery shopping, for my fruits and vegetables.

I try to use reusable plastic containers instead of Baggies, Ziploc or Ziploc-type bags. I keep margarine, yogurt, and sour cream containers, etc. for freezing foods, or pasta and salads for lunches, etc.). Also glass containers (small and big) to keep push-pins/tacks, clips, and other easy-to-lose stuff.

I think the disposable facial cloths (Olay, St-Ives, etc.) are so stupid (unless they’re flushable – some flushable cloths/wipes are good I think). In any case, I never bought any and I am not planning on ever buying any. Why buy more disposable stuff for your face though, when facial soap and your hands are just as good?

I re-use all paper that I find, that has space to write on, to take notes (computer paper, junk mail, etc.)

If e-statements are available (credit card, cell phone companies, or any others), I chose that option. At the moment, I use e-statements on 2 credit cards and one cell phone.

I use coffee mugs instead of disposable cardboard, paper or Styrofoam cups (at work, etc.) for teas or coffees. And to stir the tea/coffee I use a spoon instead of the little plastic stick. If I eat out (Subway, etc.), I keep and wash the plastic utensils they give you and use them for my lunches, if I loose them it’s not big of a deal, it’s not like losing one of my spoon at home.

I put an odour-absorbing charcoal or sponge. It helps cleaning the air and it might be good for people who have asthma. I usually buy those at .99 cents each. I buy 4: 3 window sills and 1 in the stairwell and I change them every month. It can also be used in cars, especially if people smoke.

For every eligible inkjet cartridge brought in for recycling, Grand & Toy will donate 2$ to the United Way. I brought the 2 I had in a few months ago and will be doing the same with every inkjet cartridge I have. Find out if there are stores near you that have a program like that.

I don’t by bottled water; it’s stupid, a waste of money and plastic. I have one plastic bottle at home that I bring with me everywhere, and use all the time – I wash it often when I do the dishes. For the moment I have a Brita Filter, but in the future I would like to invest in a water cooler where I would only have to change the big plastic container (bring back to the store for refund).

Buy locally grown food and grow my own vegetables & fruits.

FOR THE FUTURE:

Build a solar/wind powered greenhouse.

Start an environmental program in my community.

Build a “green” house (to live in), solar/wind power, non-flushable toilets that do not use water, and so much more. I saw a couple on TV using that kind of toilet a few years ago.

Buy a pushmower. It’s safer for the environment and you get better exercise.

Do more things to help the environment such as buying less disposable items and use more reusable items. It saves the environment and money. Buy a composter to be able to compost at home instead of throwing away food scraps. If I were to ever buy a car (I usually walk or take the bus to travel), I would buy an electric/solar car that does not harm the environment. I would do the same for my house (in the future, right now I live in an apartment), I would use solar and wind power, but it can be expensive. My favorite thing do to is collecting pop tabs for wheelchairs. It’s so easy, it can be fun and helps other people.