Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Greener houses!

Sustainable Real Estate in 2009


Green homes, really?


What about sustainable development?

A word from…

*Watch Line Beauchamp’s exclusive interview

*To watch his interview

About the Tradeshow

For more information on scheduling, speakers or exhibitors visit www.cestamontreal.com

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Forests count in our fight against climate change

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola

In 1992, I attended an event that filled me with hope. Canada and the rest of the world had just signed a climate change treaty at the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. I remember being optimistic that the world could come together to fight the greatest threat to our planet and our own survival. We had done it before in overcoming other threats, like defeating Nazism in Europe and beating back horrific diseases like polio that once maimed and killed tens of thousands of people each year.

When Canada signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) treaty, we had not yet begun to experience the full consequences of climate change. There were no news reports of starving polar bears in the Arctic, the mountain pine beetle had not yet turned B.C.’s forests crimson, and we weren’t facing a rapid increase in infectious diseases, like Lyme disease, that are exacerbated by warming temperatures.

The effects of climate change are now affecting people and places all over the planet, from the most remote tropical rainforest to the urban parks where many of our kids play. And scientists tell us that some changes, like melting sea ice in the Arctic, are happening much faster than any computer model had predicted.

Though the 1992 UNFCCC treaty set no mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions and contained no enforcement provisions (these would come later in the Kyoto Protocol and, we hope, in a forthcoming climate treaty that will replace it), it did set an ambitious science-based goal: to stabilize greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent the effects of dangerous climate change.

Scientists say we can only achieve this goal if we radically reduce all major sources of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. While much of the debate and action has focused on curbing emissions from burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas, the destruction of our forests, wetlands, grasslands, and peatlands is responsible for about one quarter of all other emissions into the atmosphere. That’s higher than emissions from cars, trucks, boats, and planes together.

In Canada and throughout the world, forests are being rapidly cleared for agriculture and oil and gas development and are being destructively mined and logged. When forest soils are disturbed and trees are burned or cut down for wood and paper products, much of the carbon stored in their biomass is released back into the atmosphere as heat-trapping carbon dioxide, although some carbon can remain stored in longer-lived forest products, like wood used to make furniture or homes.

Thus the destruction of forests and other ecosystems is not only a driver of extinction of species, such as boreal caribou, but is a driver of global warming as well.

We need to adopt a carbon stewardship approach to how we use our forests and the goods and services we take from them.

For some scientists, carbon stewardship means setting aside at least half of all remaining intact forests as protected areas, particularly carbon-rich forests like old-growth temperate rainforests in B.C. and the boreal in Canada’s north, where wildlife like caribou feed, breed, and roam. Protecting intact forests also promotes ecological resiliency so that species and ecosystems can cope with and adapt to the effects of climate change.

That doesn't mean that the logging companies should be allowed to trash the other 50 per cent. Forests that we do manage for wood and paper production should be logged according to the highest standards of ecosystem-based management, without clear-cutting, and with adequate protection for wildlife habitat like caribou, as well as sensitive areas like wetlands.

In December, the world’s nations will meet at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen to negotiate a new strong and fair climate change agreement that will continue and strengthen the Kyoto Protocol. Scientists tell us that to avoid dangerous climate change governments must agree to deep reductions in greenhouse gases, including carbon emissions from the destruction of our forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems. We can achieve this by agreeing to protect our intact forests, taking full responsibility for emissions from logging and other land-use activities, and helping developing nations reduce deforestation.

Let’s use our forests in a truly sustainable way that is better for nature, better for the climate, and ultimately better for our own health and well-being.

Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

Green Tip from the Sierra Club:Sustainable Halloween

Today's Green Tip from the Sierra Club !

With all the ghouls and goblins that come out for Halloween, the scariest thing by far is still the looming threat of an unsustainable world. This week’s tips are about how to slay your eco-demons on All Hallows’ Eve.

Tip #1: Get Used

Instead of buying one of those cheaply made, plastic-packaged costumes at the Halloween store, hit Goodwill or another vintage shop equally rife with clever items and ideas. Renting retro garb is also green. Or swap costumes with someone whose getup you admired last year.

Tell us: What’s your Halloween costume this year?

How-to Halloween

By Simplegreenaction.ca

It will be hard to top that awesome Halloween poem (nice one Prabh), but if you’re looking for more Halloween-themed tips for you and the kids, use this checklist without fear…

1. Pumpkins

First things first, what symbolizes Halloween more than a carved pumpkin? Get more than an attractive doorway accessory when you make use of all the pumpkin parts.
[ ] Bake the seeds for a healthy snack, and use the rest of the ‘kin for a yummy soup or bread loaf.

2. Candies, chocolates and chips

I could suggest that you give out healthy snacks or practical items like pencils or toothbrushes, but c’mon now. You probably really want to distribute (and consume) a bunch of treats. And why shouldn’t you when there are more alternatives in the market than ever before!

[ ] Look for organic chips, chocolates and other earth friendly items at your grocery store, health store or pharmacy.

Read more on www.simplegreenaction.ca

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Newsletter: Saving CSR/Sustainability Reports from Extinction !

Click here for the original Newsletter E-mail

The Engaged Reporting Program 2.0 As stakeholder expectations rapidly evolve in the 21st century, the Engaged Reporting Program 2.0 proposes a dynamic way to make CSR and Sustainability reporting relevant and up to date for the millions of individuals that have become arbiters of corporate reputation. The Program comes at a crossroads where... Learn more about this program offered by PARTA sustainable solutions inc and ethiquetteTM

Truly Green Gardening Gardening can be a very enjoyable and therapeutic pass-time but sometimes, the products we choose to maintain lawns and keep pests out of gardens can be tough on the environment. To give plants or vegetables a boost and keep unwanted insects away, without using strong chemicals, consider these green tips... Read ethiquette.ca's article.

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Truly Green Gardening

By ethiquette.ca Staff

Gardening can be a very enjoyable and therapeutic pass-time but sometimes, the products we choose to maintain lawns and keep pests out of gardens can be tough on the environment. Whether you’re growing vegetables or tending to your houseplants, here are a few ways to make gardening even greener.

To give plants or vegetables a boost and keep unwanted insects away, without using strong chemicals, consider using natural fertilizers and pest control products.

Natural Fertilizers

Several Quebec companies now offer environmentally friendly fertilizers that are nutrient-rich, derived from natural sources and approved for use on organic farms.

You can also create your own fertilizers while reducing your waste output by using an indoor or outdoor composter.

Natural Pest Control

A relatively harmless but effective way to control ants and earwigs, especially inside the home, is to use products that contain diatomaceous earth (tiny crystals of fossilized organisms). These powders can be applied to areas that the insects frequent and will continue to work as long as the powder is present. These pesticides are sold under several brand names in major hardware stores.

For other pests, consider using tried and tested natural methods such as borax powder, dish soap and even Tabasco sauce!

Saving Precious Water

Why waste good drinking water on your plants and your lawn when you can give them some nice unchlorinated rainwater? By placing deep containers at the bottom of your eave pipes, you can harvest dozens of liters of water for your plants after just a couple of rainy days.

For more information, visit http://ethiquette.ca/gardening.

About www.ethiquette.ca : The Responsible Consumer Network ethiquette.ca is an information service which brings responsible product and service choices to Canadian consumers through this website and its monthly electronic newsletter. ethiquette.ca is run as a social enterprise whose mission is to create social value for consumers and marketing value for eligible businesses. We seek to serve the needs of the conscientious consumer looking for options that reduce harm to the environment and help improve social conditions. By the same token, we work to support the innovative businesses that have decided to take the high (and difficult) road towards incorporating a culture of sustainability/responsibility in the marketplace.

Saving CSR/Sustainability Reports from Extinction : The Engaged Reporting Program 2.0

Saving CSR/Sustainability Reports from Extinction:
The Engaged Reporting Program 2.0

As stakeholder expectations rapidly evolve in the 21st century, the Engaged Reporting Program (ERP) 2.0 proposes a dynamic way to make CSR and Sustainability reporting relevant and up to date for the millions of individuals, both online and offline, that have become arbiters of corporate reputation. The Program comes at a crossroads where, given a historic drop in public confidence and a growing desire for transparency, reporting either reinvents itself or faces extinction.

Here is a brief overview of the forces at work:

1. Trust in corporate pronouncements is at an all-time low:
Only 10% still trust information on environment and sustainability provided by businesses.
Study: What Assures Consumers on Climate Change?,(Commissioned by Consumers International: June 2007)

2. Corporate reputation now lives online:
In 2010, Gen Yers will outnumber Baby Boomers. 96% of Gen Y is signed up to a social media website.
The Social Media Revolution

3. The public has come to demand transparency and interactivity:
Trendwatching's September 2009 Briefing is devoted to a portrait of the online evaluation frenzy and the public's transparency craving.
Trenwatching.com Sept. 09 Briefing: Transparency Triumph

PARTA sustainable solutions inc. and ethiquette's Engaged Reporting Program 2.0 delivers on all three counts.

In the Program's first phase, a company's social and environmental track record is evaluated and put into perspective by the experienced analysts at ethiquette^TM. A typical CSR/Sustainability report is a cataloguing of social and or environmental touchdowns scored by the company with no honest appraisal of the relative importance of each given the company's total operations or context regarding whether such actions are exceptional or merely compliant with industry norms. A third party review, by credible analysts, provides stakeholders an essential tool for making head or tail of such a report. More than that, it helps ensure that stakeholders will not dismiss a corporation's accomplishments as just so much more 'greenwashing'.

To make the report come alive for its readers, and to give them opportunities to interact with it, the Engaged Reporting Program 2.0 delivers the report in a participatory online format. Much more dynamic than a static pdf or web pages, this web version gives readers and company reps space to engage in a moderated dialogue, includes multimedia elements and can be delivered in thematic sections over the course of a year.

For the same price as a standard printed/PDF report, the ERP 2.0 creates this online environment and also packages the report in a traditional limited print run for those who prefer hard copies. The end result is a format that many will find more engaging and the conservation of a fair number of trees in the process!

In the end, a CSR/Sustainability Report cannot be deemed a success if it fails to capture the attention of a large number of stakeholders. With the Engaged Reporting Program 2.0, the broadcast of a report to interested audiences is assured. Parta Inc. and ethiquette have both spent years building global communities of citizens and professionals who care deeply about sustainable development issues. When a report is reviewed and prepared for interaction, the entire package will be launched simultaneously across several key web platforms. The combined networks of AlternativeChannel.tv, eco-mobility.tv, greenpod.fr, ethiquette.ca and ethipedia.net, make up a base audience of over 200 000 green stakeholders who will read accounts of sustainable business practices with interest. When word of mouth through social media kicks in, the final number will be much higher!

Those involved in their company's reporting initiatives for the coming year, must make sure that their reports are not obsolete the moment they are published. For Sustainability and Responsibility Officers, answering the public's call for greater transparency and approachability is no longer a 'nice to do' but a 'must do'. The upside of this new era is that higher-impact Engaged Reporting is no more expensive than printing an excessive number of copies the old fashioned way!

>>Click here for an overview of the ERP 2.0

For a full presentation of the Engaged Reporting Program 2.0, contact Tom Liacas, Co-Director of ethiquette^TM. 514 771 5120, tom@ethiquette.ca

Friday, October 09, 2009

Newsletter: Countdown to Copenhagen !

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Countdown to Copenhagen The threat of climate change is real and imminent. With the Climate Summit in Copenhagen around the corner, David Suzuki urges Canada to act now. Learn why he suggests we use our fossil-fuel resources such as oil more wisely. Read Suzuki's article

Earthkeeper Hero Nate Bastien: the “Impact Designer” Hero Nate Bastien is an industrial designer who realizes his environmental responsibility. Nate uses his design and social entrepreneurial skills to improve the lives of the less fortunate. Read how he makes the world a bit greener.

Prince Charles and Sting together for the Rainforest Prince’s Rainforests Project (PRP) launched its new Rainforest SOS campaign in an effort to send the world’s biggest SOS before the international climate change meetings in Copenhagen.The two personalities recorded their own SOS to the world. Watch those videos now!

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Thursday, October 08, 2009

Countdown to Copenhagen

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola

It’s amazing what world leaders can do when they come together for a common cause, as they did in Montreal in 1987 to ban CFCs to protect the ozone layer. In December, our leaders will have a tremendous opportunity in Copenhagen to take the world into a new era of innovation and prosperity.

But, as was the case in Montreal, this opportunity is born out of crisis. The threat of climate change is real and imminent. Scientists from around the world have confirmed this through continuous study and observation – despite what the increasingly desperate and nonsensical arguments from deniers would have you believe.

This is no longer a political issue. It’s an issue of utmost importance to all of us, no matter where on the political spectrum we feel most comfortable. And we’re finally seeing some agreement about confronting this challenge among world leaders from the left, centre, and right. It’s especially a conservative issue. After all, as Denmark’s Minister of Climate and Energy, Connie Hedegaard, points out, a core conservative belief is “that what you inherit you should pass on to the next generation.” And that doesn’t mean passing on our mess!

Conservatives also believe that we should live within our means, save some of what we have for tomorrow, and act with care and caution. Conservatives with deep religious conviction know also that we are stewards of the Earth – and good stewardship means protecting the Earth, its resources, and its life.

The December climate summit in Copenhagen is a crossroads. We can continue to delay while the Earth’s natural systems reach tipping points beyond which we may not be able to find our way back, or we can move forward in our efforts to slow global warming, reduce pollution, and create new opportunities for healthier lives and stronger economies.

Many world leaders are already committed to negotiating an agreement in Copenhagen that is ambitious, fair, and binding, and many have started implementing solutions in their own countries. Unfortunately, Canada is falling behind. Our national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been called ineffective, and our performance at a number of recent climate meetings has been labelled “obstructionist”.

Our inaction comes from fear. Because Canada is a major oil producer, politicians and some businesspeople are afraid that reducing our reliance on fossil fuels will harm the economy. But that’s short-sighted. If we continue to rely on dwindling non-renewable energy supplies, we’ll be left in the dust as the rest of the world moves forward to a green economy, with innovation, jobs, and money from new technologies such as renewable energy infrastructure.

If we were to use our fossil-fuel resources such as oil more wisely, we could make them last longer and derive more national economic benefits from them while we make the transition to a clean-energy economy. The side benefits would include less pollution and environmental damage, a more stable economy, and healthier citizens.

If we continue down the same road, however, we risk catastrophic consequences to our economy and to our very lives. Scientists agree that if average temperatures on Earth rise just another degree, global warming could reach a point of no return, with melting icecaps, rising sea levels, increasing waves of climate refugees, extinction of plants and animals, and floods, droughts, and other severe weather events.

As a northern nation, Canada is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The impact is magnified near the Earth’s poles, largely because of the loss of ice and snow coverage. Canada also has the longest marine coastline in the world, so sea-level rise would have a dramatic effect with enormous economic consequences. Many Canadians are already feeling the sting of climate change, especially in the North and in other communities that depend on forestry, fisheries, and agriculture.

Change is never easy, and taking bold steps can come with costs in the short term. But refusing to change means we are condemning ourselves and our children and grandchildren to an uncertain and dangerous future. We can all take individual action to reduce our emissions, but ultimately, we must let our leaders know that we expect them to seize the opportunity in Copenhagen to create a secure and healthy future for our small blue planet and all the people who share it.

Take David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

Photo credits: Image © Avaaz from Greenpeace.org.

Timberland Earthkeeper Hero Nate Bastien: the “Impact Designer”

Timberland Earthkeeper Hero Nate Bastien is an industrial designer who realizes his environmental responsibility. Nate uses his design and social entrepreneurial skills to improve the lives of the less fortunate and make the world a bit greener.

Known as an “Impact Designer”, Nate is creating break-through, environmentally friendly design solutions. At RISD Nate designed a range of products from a folding bicycle for urban commuters to an "assemble on site" oxygen concentrator for rural hospitals in the developing world. While studying, the more he learned about the role of industrial design the more he questioned it. On a RISD field trip, he visited the second highest point of elevation in Rhode Island—the Johnson Landfill. It was then when he made his decision to use industrial design to create sustainable and environmentally friendly and socially conscious products.

Nate is creating a ‘Street Pack’ for the homeless and is in the final stages of prototyping the backpack—it doubles as waterproof shelter and storage—and is made entirely from scrap materials. He founded Local 401, a socially and environmentally responsible project, to make industrial design more ethical. As part of Local 401, Nate is hoping to offer the backpack in a “buy one, give one” distribution platform and provide them to non-profits to generate enough support to tackle new problems.

As an Earthkeeper Hero,Nate is sharing his story of the ups and downs running Local 401 on Changents.com. Nate lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island.

Photo legend:
Top:Nate's design: a streetpack that doubles as a pillow and as a waterproof shelter and storage.
Bottom:Nate experiencing homeless way of live.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Welcome Autumn!

"The wind is rising, and the air will be wild with leaves. We have had our summer evenings, now for Autumn eves!"

Summer has come to an end and the colorful season of Fall has officially arrived. Fall is filled with fun celebrations and activities. Apple trees are ready to be picked, pumpkins are ripe for carving and trick-or-treating is right around the corner! Here are some fun fall green activities that you and your family can take part in:

Autumn Gardening

Autumn is a great time to rejuvenate a garden for the new season and for next spring. Collect the seed heads from plants in your gardens, and save the seeds for planting or swapping in spring...

Read entire list of fall green activities on http://www.simplegreenaction.ca

Timberland Earthkeeper Hero Andrea Bakacs: Photo-Activist

Earthkeeper Hero Andrea Bakacs: Photographing environmental issues for a sustainable future

Timberland Earthkeeper Hero and Photo-Activist Andrea Bakacs is a New York City resident using her camera to change the behaviour of millions of her neighbours including those closes to her—photographers and magazines. “Why use the image just to shout doom and gloom on the front of the newspaper when you can use it to spread awareness, inspire communities, and empower the world to make a difference for the better?”

Andrea is harnessing the power of photography to deliver eco-messages. At just 29, Andrea is pointing her camera at amazing pockets of nature worth saving and a host of green projects sprouting from nooks and crannies across New York City. Ever seen Manhattan’s eco-friendly composting nuns? How about a farm complete with goats and chickens and cherry trees smack in the middle of the east village—on a rooftop? What about the green movement’s equivalent of graffiti artists—guerrilla gardeners? Andrea is taking the public along for a ride on her visual story of green NYC.

As an environmental photo-activist Andrea not only snaps shots of inspiring scenes, but she also advocates for improving technology and best practices in her field. She campaigned for better paper use at Martha Stewart Living and Seventeen magazines. Andrea also worked on campaigns encouraging local photographers to “green” their shoots and started photography recycling programs.

When she’s not talking with colleagues about how to better their carbon footprint on her blog Photography for a Greener Planet, she is out snapping shots of amazing NYC greenery or promoting her work as a Timberland Earthkeeper Hero on www.Changents.com www.Changents.com. Through her photographs, Bakacs is inspiring and empowering people all over the world to become part of the environmental movement.

View Andrea’s work and follow her as she explore the Big Apple, visit http://changents.com/andreabakacs.

Conservation of world’s forests key to planet’s survival !

By Joanie Bergeron Poudrier

This week is all about our forests. Yesterday Prince Charles’ Prince’s Rainforests Project (PRP) launched its new Rainforest SOS campaign in an effort to send the world’s biggest SOS on behalf of the rainforests before the international climate change meetings held by the UN in Copenhagen this December.

Joined by personalities such as Sting, Prince of Wales recorded an SOS message on video to invite citizens to take action to stop tropical rainforest destruction.

Watch Sting's SOS to the world 30 years later





Watch Prince Charles' video





Today, with only two months to go before a new climate deal is negotiated in Copenhagen, it is turn to The Forests Dialogue (TFD) to call on industrialized nations to ensure robust financial commitments for conservation and sustainable management of forests and on tropical countries to make sure that these new financial streams are fairly shared with forest dependent communities. TFD is a group of individuals from diverse interests and regions that are committed to the conservation and sustainable forest management.

"This is one of the main recommendations published by The Forests Dialogue (TFD) in “Investing in REDD-plus” which is launched today and which reflects unique consensus amongst forest stakeholders across business, environmental and scientific sectors and from indigenous peoples and forest-based communities, who met in a stream of intensive dialogues this year."

“Consensus amongst disparate stakeholders in the forest sector is rare,” says Stewart Maginnis, Head of the Forest Programme of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). “Today’s recommendations provide a timely roadmap for the financing of forest-related CO2 emission strategies and show that REDD-plus can combat climate change in a cost-effective way while generating crucial, additional benefits for indigenous peoples, local communities and biodiversity.”

Safeguards must guarantee equitable participation and distribution mechanisms for indigenous peoples and local communities as well as biodiversity conservation.

More than 100 stakeholders have been involved in this collaborative initiative facilitated by TFD to build an effective international mechanism for tackling the climate, community and biodiversity issues associated with deforestation.

For more information visit www.theforestdialogue.org

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Newsletter: It is time to Rethink how we act, travel and consume!

Click here for the original Newsletter E-mail

It’s time to rethink our approach to garbage David Suzuki is adamant about the idea that we should add a 4th R to the three Rs eco-rule: Rethink! Mister Suzuki says we recycle just over 20 per cent of our garbage; learn why there is room for improvement. Read Suzuki's article

Changents.com presents Earthkeeper Hero Cate Trotter Cate Trotter a 27-year-old environmental sustainability trend spotter and "greentrepreneur” is sharing stories about her journey through London while she discovers emerging trends from its green scene including sustainable breakthroughs, eco-architectural feats, ethical fashion… Read article and watch Cate's video

Water for Schools campaign Charity:Water is launching Water for Schools, a student-led campaign to raise awareness and funds for water projects at schools in developing nations. A campaign seeking the passion and talent of young students to... Read entire article

Seal the Deal now!! Six powerful voices. Four stunning continents. One compelling message. Seal the Deal campaign just launched its new video, featuring six personalities: Philippe Cousteau, Don Cheadle, Wangari Maathai... Watch video and read article

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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

It’s time to rethink our approach to garbage

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola

In Mexico City, politicians recently banned the ubiquitous plastic bags that citizens use for everything from groceries to soft drinks. But that will only go part way to reducing the 12,000 tonnes of garbage the city produces every day. Only six per cent of Mexico City’s garbage gets recycled now, but the government has an ambitious plan to recycle, compost, or burn for energy 85 per cent of it by 2013.

Mexico City’s waste-management situation illustrates the importance of the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. And we should add another R: rethink!. People in Canada are getting better at this, but we can do more. We recycle just over 20 per cent of our garbage. And, according to Stats Canada, each of us produced an average of 837 kilograms of non-hazardous solid waste in 2006. That’s a lot of garbage going to the landfill, and it’s a lot of resources and energy being wasted. Some European countries, such as Austria and Switzerland, are now recycling more than half their wastes, so there’s a lot of room for improvement.

After all, whatever we throw away represents a waste of resources and money – not to mention time.

Beyond the waste problem itself, landfills produce about one quarter of Canada’s methane emissions – and methane is a greenhouse gas more powerful than carbon dioxide. Some cities are now capturing that methane to burn for energy rather than allowing it to escape into the atmosphere.

Reducing the amount of trash we create in the first place is the best place to start tackling our waste-management problems. Not only does it mean we send less waste to the landfill, it also means we use fewer resources and less energy – as it takes energy to produce and transport packaging and disposable items.

Every day, more people, stores, and cities are finding ways to cut down on use of disposable plastic bags, but we still create a lot of unnecessary packaging and products. Planned obsolescence – the absurd practice of producing goods that won’t last so that the consumer cycle can continue – is still very much with us. We can all avoid buying products that are over-packaged or that are “disposable” – and encourage producers to be more responsible. When we consumers take the time to let stores, businesses, and governments know that we want less packaging and that we want goods that last, we will make a difference. Our changing attitude about plastic bags is a perfect example.

Reusing offers opportunities to get creative. People have always re-tailored clothes to give them new life. Think of the other ways you can use products that no longer function in their intended role. But reusing is an area where some difficulties arise, especially on a larger scale. Reusing waste by converting it to energy is a growing trend. The most common method is burning the garbage and using the heat to produce energy. Although the technology is improving, it still has its problems; burning waste creates emissions, for one. Other methods are also being explored, including breaking down the waste with microorganisms to produce methane and carbon dioxide for biogas.

Recycling is one of the first things that come to mind when we think of waste reduction. Most of us urban Canadians dutifully take our paper, plastic, and bottles and cans to the blue box recycling bins. Again, if we use fewer products that must be thrown away, we’ll have less stuff to recycle and send to landfills. But we should all be aware that our efforts to recycle are not in vain. If we work to ensure that our communities, schools, and workplaces have good recycling and composting programs and that producers and retailers take responsibility for their products, and if we all improve our own efforts to recycle, we will reduce our need for landfills.

Individual action is important, but legislated solutions are also effective. In Switzerland, people buy stickers that they have to attach to garbage before it is picked up. The more garbage you put out, the more you have to pay. Switzerland now has the highest rate of recycling in the world!

We can all do our part as citizens, but as can be seen in Mexico City and Switzerland, a push by governments can go a long way to creating the kind of large-scale change needed to get our waste-management problem under control.

Take David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.