Friday, November 28, 2008

What is a Cradle to Cradle Certification?

Cradle to Cradle Certification provides a company with a means to tangibly, credibly measure achievement in environmentally-intelligent design and helps customers purchase and specify products that are pursuing a broader definition of quality.

This means using environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reutilization, such as recycling or composting; the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency; efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production; and instituting strategies for social responsibility.

If a candidate product achieves the necessary criteria, it is certified as a Silver, Gold or Platinum product or as a Technical/Biological Nutrient (available for homogeneous materials or less complex products), and can be branded as Cradle to Cradle.

From bedding to building exteriors, passing by cleaning products and surfboard wax, the Cradle to Cradle certified products list covers it all.

View the entire list of Cradle to Cradle certified items .

In search of an inspiring bedside table book «Cradle to Cradle:Remaking the Way we Make Things» is the one you're looking for.

In addition to its provocative content, Cradle to Cradle, is printed on a polymer film instead of paper. While current materials and systems are incomplete, this book's materials suggest ways 'technical nutrients' might be used in the future, cycling safely and prosperously in the 'technical metabolism' of plastics recycling.

Learn more about this book is not a tree.

The Sustainable Development Challenge: Creating new opportunities for business

By the World Business Council for Sustainable Development

The world we inhabit has changed radically in the last two decades. Over the last 20 years attention of the scientific community, governments, civil society and business is focused increasingly on the rapid growth of developing world economies and rising awareness of sustainability issues and their impacts. The world is faced with the seemingly conflicting imperatives of meeting the demands of rapid population growth – most of it in so-called developed countries – while at the same time reducing negative impacts on society and the environment. If we do not get this right, the results could be devastating.

The current global population of 6.5 billion is predicted to grow by half again by 2050 and to reach a staggering 9.2 billion, 85% of whom will be in so-called developing countries. Energy demand to meet the needs of this growing number of people and help them out of poverty is forecast to grow by as much as 50% between now and 2030 requiring investments and infrastructure development worth some US$ 20.2 trillion over the same period. Then there is demand for food and non-food crops which is also rising. At the same time, the world faces very real problems of resource depletion, water scarcity, ecosystem destruction and climate change.

If populations in rapidly emerging economies are to achieve levels of development and standards of living to which they aspire, and if we are to slow and reverse resource destruction and limit climate change impacts, then we will need, by some estimates, to cut our carbon emissions by as much as 50% by 2050. This assessment is now widely accepted.

Another change that has taken place is a new found awareness that far-sighted business is part of the solution and ready to collaborate with concerned stakeholders to tackle these challenges. Members of WBCSD were among some of the most influential pioneers of this change.

Read more on WBCSD's website.

Yum! Brands Annual World Hunger Relief Campaign

Yum! Brands Annual World Hunger Relief Campaign Builds More Awareness and Engagement Than Ever to Help Stop World Hunger; Five Million Volunteer Hours and $17.5 Million in Overall Donations and Still Counting

Effort Will Help United Nations World Food Programme and Other Hunger Relief Agencies Provide More Than 70 Million Meals, Saving More Than 1.8 Million Lives

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) annual World Hunger Relief campaign to help stop world hunger has created even more global awareness, deeper engagement and volunteerism and increased donations to benefit the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and other hunger relief agencies.

As the world’s largest volunteer movement and private sector effort to combat hunger for the second year, more than 1.4 million employees, franchisees and their families across nearly 36,000 KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants in more than 100 countries volunteered approximately five million volunteer hours to aid hunger relief efforts in communities worldwide. The month-long effort has raised more than $17.5 million in overall donations to date and counting for WFP and other hunger relief agencies.

Global hunger has reached epic proportions – reaching nearly 1 billion people – due to the convergence of higher commodity and global food prices; increased competition for products that produce energy; severe droughts and floods due to climate change and increasing demand from growing economies in Asia and South America.

“Global hunger is a huge problem and has become worse with nearly 925 million people starving and going to bed hungry every day,” said David Novak, Chairman and CEO, Yum! Brands, Inc. “That’s why we are so inspired and more determined than ever to be the leader in wiping out hunger.”

“I’m incredibly proud of the overwhelming outpouring of support, volunteerism and generosity from our employees, franchisees, their families and our customers around the globe to make this year’s World Hunger Relief campaign an even greater success than last year,” said Novak. “Through our efforts, we will provide more than 70 million meals and save the lives of more than 1.8 million people, moving them from hunger to hope.”

Read more on Businesswire.com .

Visit Fromhungertohope.com .

10 reasons to start shopping locally (especially now!)

Economic recession adds more urgency to supporting your local independent retailers!

By WorkCabin.ca Staff

In downtowns and on main streets in cities and towns across Canada, the economic recession has many local independent retailers feeling nervous. Already operating with small profit margins and ever growing operating costs, local retailers now have another worry: will consumers spend even less in their stores during these tough times? Hopefully they'll spend more. How's that possible? Well, it may be as simple as consumers changing habits.

For years across North America, communities have pitched the merits of shopping locally. Some shoppers embrace it. Some don’t. Now, more than ever, though that message has urgent meaning if we are truly committed to building better communities where we live.

1. How we use our dollars has powerful value: Imagine the impact we could have on helping our local economies weather this difficult period by not taking our shopping dollars out of our communities? Consumers actually invest in their community by spending in their community. You may not see the rewards, like you do with an RRSP, but the payoff is quality of living where you live (please read on).

2. Preserve your community’s character: On the outskirts of our communities, big box stores are expanding their reach and making our communities look like Any City, Canada. But in our downtowns, a unique character is maintained that specifically identifiies with each particular city or town. Many of these Main Streets date back 100 years or more. If we lose this character, we see urban decay and loss of pride begin.

3. Support a sustainable community: By shopping locally, you help contribute to a ‘circling’ effect, whereby jobs, taxes, dollars and income remain locally and get spun off again into helping sustain other jobs, wealth, and a vibrant community.

4. You’ll save money and be different: Drive downtown, find a parking spot (many are now free!), or take public transit, and start walking and window shopping! Forget that myth that independent retailers are more costly. They’re not. And they’re truly one of a kind. You’ll find merchandise that’s not available at the big box stores, which means you’ll be using and wearing stuff that’s different from the big-box-obsessed consumers.

5. Support the people who support your community: When we need prizes for corporate events, contributions to charities, sponsorships for sports teams, donations for libraries and schools, who do we turn to? Local retailers. Why? Because they're our neighbours. You won't have fill out a generic form and send it to a head office who knows where). When we shop locally and generate income for local retailers, they in turn have even more incentive to support us.

6. You truly will be appreciated:Most independent retail owners rely on themselves and a small staff to run their business. It means whenever you shop in their store, you’ll see the same faces, get to know them, and form a bond. Got an emergency plumbing job that only requires a small two-inch piece of pipe? You might get it for free from a retailer who has come to know you well as a regular customer. Elsewhere? You’ll be charged $2.25.

7. Support the biggest retail employer in your community:Yes, mega stores do employ many people, but overall, it’s no secret that local businesses are the largest retail employers in Canada. Imagine if that sector disappeared overnight? Our local economies would be devastated – and that means you would definitely be impacted, either directly or indirectly.

8. Of course, it’s better for the environment: Your local retailers likely use less gas to transport goods, or better still, buys much of their goods close to home. They’re also prone to being energy conscious because a hydro bill is a big deal to their bottomline. Now, by shopping locally, you'll also use less gas and generate less harmful emissions. There's that beneficial 'circling' effect coming into play again.

9. Smaller is better: What would you rather have? Hundreds of downtown shops and services, or an entire town or city served by only a half-dozen mega stores? When we lose our local independent retailers, we lose a vital part of competition in the marketplace, and product variety. What you end up with is Generic Town, Canada, and very likely higher prices due to lack of competition.

10. Do you want more prosperity for your community?: It’s a frequent complaint heard all the time: We need more jobs in our community. We need more factories and industries. Here’s a tip: most corporations and companies scout out communities before they choose to locate a plant or head office. And guess which place is on their list? You got it. Your local retailing community. Corporations want to locate in towns and cities where the population demonstrates that they support their community, not shun it. A vibrant community is important to corporations too, and their employees who may be relocating.

WorkCabin.ca. is Canada’s green outpost for green jobs

Finding the Words

By Simplegreenaction.ca Staff

Sometimes our busy lifestyles keep us from doing the things we’ve been meaning to do, like reading a good book or writing a letter.

Before the holidays arrive, with all their distractions and demands, make time this month to learn something new and get your own thoughts out there. Here are five simple things you can do:

1. Comment on an environmental blog

Blogs should be a conversation, and bloggers love a good comment (*cough cough*). If you read something you like or have something to add to the point of view, let it be known!

2. Read a book

Did you know that David Suzuki has published 43 books in his lifetime? Canada’s most recognizable environmental activist clearly has something to say. Of course, if you want something edgier, you can visit an independent bookstore and check out titles that intersect race, gender, and class with environmental issues.

3. Sign up to an environmental organization’s newsletter

Electronic newsletters are convenient because they arrive in your inbox and can be read at your leisure. More than just the news, eco-themed newsletters will also let you now about events and job or volunteer opportunities in your area.

Read the entire article on Simplegreenaction.ca.

Leadership will be crucial in the coming years

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola

It’s an understatement to say that we are living in interesting times. The world seems to be undergoing a profound shift. On one hand, the looming environmental and economic crises are scaring many of us; on the other, events such as the election of the first African-American president in the U.S. are giving people hope.

We shouldn’t let unrealistic expectations set us up for disappointment, but at least Barack Obama seems to have recognized that new ideas are needed to resolve the problems facing the world, and to seize the opportunities the crises present.

In a speech to the Governors’ Climate Change Summit in Los Angeles on November 18, the president-elect referred to climate change as the most serious threat facing America and the world, and said, “My presidency will mark a new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process”.

Although Obama’s proposed targets don’t go far enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they are at least acknowledgement of the seriousness of the problem and represent a reversal of the Bush administration’s attitude. His promise to implement a cap and trade system is a good step. Economists and scientists agree that putting a price on carbon emissions, through cap and trade and carbon taxes, is essential to combating catastrophic global warming.

It’s a shame that the top two contenders for leadership of the Liberal party in Canada have stepped away from the idea of a carbon tax, blaming it for the party’s dismal showing in the October federal election. Our governing party hasn’t demonstrated great leadership either. Along with the U.S., Canada has been a laggard among industrialized nations on climate policy and action, and now it looks like we could soon be the worst of the dinosaurs.

But Obama won’t be sworn in until January 20, and a lot is happening now. CEOs of the big three U.S. automakers – Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors – recently flew to Washington in private jets to ask for a US$25 billion bail-out from taxpayers. They’ve been told to come up with better plans, but those plans will be considered in early December, before Obama takes the reins. Keep in mind that current U.S. President George Bush overruled California’s attempt to require stricter emissions standards for automobiles.

Should we have sympathy for free-market capitalists like GM vice-chair Bob Lutz, who claimed climate change is a “crock of” … and that hybrid cars such as those made by Toyota “make no economic sense”, while his company continued to produce gas-guzzlers? Meanwhile, Japanese automakers are doing okay with more fuel-efficient vehicles such as hybrids.

If the U.S. automakers were to show greater commitment to innovation in fuel efficiency and alternative-fuel technology, they might deserve some help – although you have to wonder why it should take a crisis to wake them up. This is an example of how misguided some of our current economic thinking has been.

Economics is considered a science, but the economic theories we’ve been relying on have some serious flaws – including the belief that limitless growth is possible in a limited biosphere. As with any science, we can revise our theories based on proofs of failure and success. Fortunately, many people are proving that taking care of the environment is also the best way to take care of the economy and that we can’t have an economic system that ignores the value of the necessary services provided by nature.

Japanese automakers have shown that keeping up with science and changing conditions puts you in a better position to adapt and survive. Blindly continuing with business as usual as the world changes means you’ll likely be left behind.

On a larger scale, ignoring the seriousness of climate change and continuing to rely on fossil or nuclear fuels for energy can only lead to environmental and economic disaster. President-elect Obama knows that measures such as putting a price on carbon emissions and investing in renewable energy are essential for his nation’s energy security, economic progress, and environmental stability. Other countries, such as Germany and Denmark, saw this many years ago.

The U.S. and the world have a lot of catching up to do to forestall the catastrophic consequences of our outmoded economic thinking. Let’s hope the new U.S. president is up to the challenge and that he helps set an example for all world leaders to follow.

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

Friday, November 21, 2008

The North Face Reaches for Gold at New Green Store

BOISE, Idaho -- Outdoor outfitter The North Face is opening a new eco-friendly store in a historic, nearly 100-year-old building in Boise's Central Business District.

The 8,665 square-foot store occupies a section of the three-story, wood and brick building known as "The Mode." The store opens November 21 and will be the first for which the 40-year-old retailer will seek LEED certification for a commercial interior.

The firm, which made its start in climbing and mountaineering gear, is reaching for a LEED Gold rating.

The Idaho State Historical Society lists the Mode building as being constructed in 1909 in what was then a thriving business district. The building housed a department store for the better part of eight decades until changing tastes and times did it in.

The North Face has enlisted mountaineer Pete Athans to help kick off its green store opening with a program the evening before that includes slides from his seven successful summits of Mount Everest and other climbing accomplishments.

The North Face is based in San Leandro, California, and has 24 retail sites with the opening of the Boise store. Source: Greenerbuildings.com .

Betting on a Green New Deal

The International Herald Tribune, November 18, 2008 Tuesday - With Europe and the United States staring recession in the face, a growing chorus is calling for heavy public investment in clean, green energy to revive economic growth while fighting climate change.

Under the slogan of a ''Green New Deal,'' leaders from the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, to Al Gore, the former U.S. vice president, and Germany's foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, argue that industrialized countries can achieve two goals through a single effort and create millions of ''green collar'' jobs.

The idea of using tax breaks and extra public spending to promote energy efficiency, mitigate carbon emissions and develop renewable power sources, inspired by a U.S. public works program put in place during the Great Depression, sounds like common sense.

But it may not happen fast enough or on a sufficient scale to stimulate the economy, stop global warming or bring down for any length of time oil prices that reached $147 a barrel this year.

''This is the big opportunity to get off the oil hook, but governments have to be bold, do it on a large scale and stick to it,'' said Tom Burke, co-founder of E3G, an environmental consultancy, and associate professor at Imperial College London.

He advocates sustained public investment in wind farms, photovoltaic and solar energy, developing so-called clean coal technology, connecting European electricity grids and combining heating and power from natural gas to make offices and homes more fuel efficient.

Yet governments that have collectively found about $5 trillion to rescue banks and galvanize economies hesitate to focus fiscal stimulus measures on clean energy because of the long lead time for many projects.

Indeed, there are signs that the financial crisis is causing cutbacks in public and private-sector investment in wind farms and solar and wave power, and economic angst may make the European Union scale back ambitious legislation to fight climate change.

The U.S. president-elect, Barack Obama, said in a campaign debate that the credit crunch could slow his plans for a $150 billion clean energy program, shaped to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil and create five million ''green collar'' jobs

Read the full article .

The tree even tree huggers hate

By WorkCabin.ca Staff

Give a tree hugger an axe and he/she won't think twice about killing this tree. Yes, this isn't your average story about trees. This is about nasty trees. Perhaps Canada's nastiest invader trees. They're called European and glossy buckthorn, two growing menaces that occur from Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan -- and more provinces and territories in the future if its spread can't be halted and the trees themselves eradicated.

November and December are key times across Canada in the fight against buckthorn. Its leaves can remain green into December making it easier to spot.Eradicting it from Canada is likely impossible, but halting its spread or reducing populations will make it more manageable.Still, for conservation officials and woodlot owners, European and glossy buckthorn is a tree that Canada would be better off without.

Native to Europe and western Asia, the trees were brought to North America in the late 1800s for use in windbreaks. Today, buckthorns are considered to be a serious threat to natural areas throughout eastern North America. In dense thickets, there is a noticeable absence of any other vegetation. Sunlight is unable to penetrate the canopy thereby making it virtually impossible for native trees and plants to even germinate. The trees’ fast growth rate – up to a metre per year – means even the smallest saplings will quickly overtake nearby larger native trees and stunt their future growth.

Want to go for a walk in a forest infested with buckthorn? Better wear body armour and head protection. Thorns will jab and stab you. If it’s extra dense, forget about even getting through it. If you take a moment and stand in an infested forest, it can be overwhelming. Removal can take years. Young trees less than a metre tall are everywhere, surrounded by larger adult trees. Native trees have all but vanished. Hidden in the soil are yet more buckthorn seeds – they can remain viable for five years – waiting to germinate. Other seeds are spread much farther by birds and other wildlife.

Yes, this is no ordinary tree. It can grow to 25 feet. Simply cutting it won't kill it. It only rebounds with twice the vigour. Even proper control efforts -- frilling the tree's base with an axe and then applying herbicide to the gash -- will sometimes fail; the tree will somehow sprout new leaves months later. It can take repeated actions to finally kill it.

Plan attack
1. Properly identify buckthorn first
2. Manually pull small trees and burn, if possible
3. For medium to large trees during the growing season, frill the entire base of the tree, and apply a strong solution of Roundup directly to the gash (monitor tree throughout seasons to ensure it dies)
4. Medium trees can also be cut in late summer or fall and a then apply a strong solution of Roundup to the stump


For full information on buckthorn control, consult with local conservation groups in your area

WorkCabin.ca is Canada’s green outpost for conservation work

PHOTO: European buckthorn (WorkCabin)

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Eco-friendly suggestions for Christmas shopping

The Holiday Season is supposed to bring out the best in us. And so it is natural, in this time of frantic buying, that we stop to reflect on ways to make our choices friendlier to the earth and those we share it with.

We know that consuming less is part of the solution, now here's the rest of the solution: Choosing to give great gifts that stand out for their social and environmental value. Here are some of the best gifts ideas chosen by ethiquette.ca, that will help you make better choices in your holiday shopping.

In the category Stocking Stuffers under 50 $, here is a great alternative to the common Christmas card, a Plantable Garden Greetings™ from Botanical Paperworks.

The base fiber of this card is cotton and it is made with wildflower seeds. After use, you can plant these cards in a pot of soil, and the embedded seeds will grow into colorful North American wildflowers. Finally a card that we will be able to enjoy even after reading it!

In the Category Feelgood and Look Good Fashions, we fell in love with MycoAnna's Eco Chic Accessories.


Every piece of MycoAnna’s collection is made out of recycled materials. Like this beautiful Foulard Pandore available online at Boutiquemycoanna.com .

In the category Eating Drinking and Being Merry we can find Plantatree™'s Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots.

They are quality California wines with a twist. For each bottle purchased, the supplier will plant one tree and thus offset the calculated carbon footprint generated from vineyard to table.

To see the full list of gifts with prices and where to buy addresses visit Ethiquette.ca .

The behemoth that wouldn’t stop growing

By David Suzuki and Faisal Moola

Have you noticed that we describe the market and economy as if they were living entities? The market is showing signs of stress. The economy is healthy. The economy is on life support.

Sometimes, we act as if the economy is larger than life. In the past, people trembled in fear of dragons, demons, gods, and monsters, sacrificing anything – virgins, money, newborn babies – to appease them. We know now that those fears were superstitious imaginings, but we have replaced them with a new behemoth: the economy.

Even stranger, economists believe this behemoth can grow forever. Indeed, the measure of how well a government or corporation is doing is its record of economic growth. But our home – the biosphere, or zone of air, water, and land where all life exists – is finite and fixed. It can’t grow. And nothing within such a world can grow indefinitely. In focusing on constant growth, we fail to ask the important questions. What is an economy for? Am I happier with all this stuff? How much is enough?

A timely new book by York University environmental economist Peter Victor, Managing Without Growth: Slower by Design, Not Disaster, addresses the absurdity of an economic system based on endless growth. Dr. Victor also shows that the concept of growth as an indispensable feature of economics is a recent phenomenon. The economy is not a force of nature, some kind of immutable, infallible entity. We created it, and when cracks appear, it makes no sense to simply shovel on more money to keep it going. Because it’s a human invention, an economy is something we should be able to fix – but if we can’t, we should toss it out and replace it with something better.

This current economic crisis provides an opportunity to re-examine our priorities. For decades, scientists and environmentalists have been alarmed at global environmental degradation. Today, the oceans are depleted of fish while “dead zones”, immense islands of plastic, and acidification from dissolving carbon dioxide are having untold effects. We have altered the chemistry of the atmosphere with our emissions, causing the planet to heat up, and have cleared land of forests, along with hundreds of thousands of species. Using air, water, and soil as dumps for our industrial wastes, we have poisoned ourselves.

For the first time in four billion years of life on Earth, one species has become so powerful and plentiful that it is altering the physical, chemical, and biological features of the planet on a geological scale. And so we have to ask, “What is the collective impact of everyone in the world?” We’ve never had to do that before, and it’s difficult. Even when we do contemplate our global effects, we have no mechanism to respond as one species to the crises.

Driving much of this destructive activity is the economy itself. Years ago, during a heated debate about clear-cutting, a forest-company CEO yelled at me, “Listen, Suzuki: Are tree huggers like you willing to pay to protect those trees? Because if you’re not, they don’t have any value until someone cuts them down!” I was dumbstruck with the realization that in our economic system, he was correct.

You see, as long as that forest is intact, the plants photosynthesize and remove carbon dioxide from the air while putting oxygen back – not a bad service for animals like us that depend on clean air. But economists dismiss this as an “externality”. What they mean is that photosynthesis is not relevant to the economic system they’ve created!

Those tree roots cling to the soil, so when it rains the soil doesn’t erode into the river and clog the salmon-spawning gravels, another externality to economists. The trees pump hundreds of thousands of litres of water out of the soil, transpiring it into the air and modulating weather and climate – an externality. The forest provides habitat to countless species of bacteria, fungi, insects, mammals, amphibians, and birds – externality. So all the things an intact ecosystem does to keep the planet vibrant and healthy for animals like us are simply ignored in our economy. No wonder futurist Hazel Henderson describes conventional economics as “a form of brain damage”.

Nature’s services keep the planet habitable for animals like us and must become an integral component of a new economic structure. We must get off this suicidal focus on endless, mindless growth.

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

How to green your Thanksgiving Day

With all the planning, cooking, and cleaning, the last thing you want to think about is greening your Thanksgiving, right?

But this is the perfect time to reflect and reassess your holiday preparations with a nod to sustainability.

1-Send a hand-lettered invitation to your guests, written on recycled paper of course.

2-Buy an organic turkey to make a change, it will only be better for your health!

3-Buy your vegetables at your local farmers’ market, it is time to celebrate and support locally grown products.

4- You invited the entire family? Your house needs to be squeaky clean, why not use non toxic cleaners such as vinegar, and baking soda.

Read more green tips for Thanksgiving on Planetgreen.com.

GustOrganic, first certified oganic bar in the world!!

Good news for every pro-eco-bar-lovers!

GustOrganic, an all-organic restaurant in New York is now also home to the world’s first all-organic bar.

Using entirely organic spirits—beers, cocktails, wine, and liquor, GustOrganic is the first bar to be certified organic by the USDA.

The bar is stocked with certified organic rum, vodka, whiskey, tequila, organic wine, Peak Organic beers, and plenty of fresh fruit for the creation of all-organic cocktails. This means, according to GustOrganic, “All the drinks are free of chemicals, artificial substances, hormones and pesticides.”

Visit Gustorganics'website .

Cadbury Cuts Water Use 10 Percent

By Greenbiz.com Staff

Though its water conservation strategy is still in the early stages of development, Cadbury cut its water use 10 percent last year compared to 2006.

Cadbury predicts it will reduce emissions 10 percent by 2010, and plans to slash absolute emissions in half by 2020, with at least 30 percent coming from in-house actions.

One of the more challenging environmental goals involves packaging, which must keep products fresh and safe. The company has tested several packaging materials in an effort to cut total consumption, including a new range of Easter Eggs wrapped only in foil without a cardboard box. Cadbury wants to reduce product packaging 10 percent per tonne of product, and by 25 percent for seasonal products.

Read more on Greenbiz.com .

Commit to Not Commute

By Sophia Chan-Combrink

As someone with two kids under 3 years old, I look forward to the afternoons when the kids take their naps and I “visit” with Oprah. Being a regular viewer of the show, I have noticed that she is interviewing people, face-to-face, via Skype. If you don’t know what Skype is, then you should say hello to the 21st century and embrace this fantastic opportunity to lighten your carbon footprint.

Skype is just one example of the software now available out there that allows people to make phone calls over the internet and see each other face to face. By using the internet, Oprah has been able to reduce airplane travel for her guests and avert hundreds if not thousands of kilograms of greenhouse gas emitted into the air.

Now take that thinking to our workplaces. Imagine how much greenhouse gas we can avert if we didn’t have to drive or fly to meetings, present at conferences or even go to work! According to consulting firm InnoVisions Canada, about 1.5 million Canadians telework from home at least once a week.

Read more.