Archive for the 'Earth Hour' Category

Going Green is easy, it’s staying Green that’s grand

Published on March 4, 2009 by Corinna Carlson | 12 Comments

VOTE EARTH My about me page which is currently blank because I need to write a new one used to end with something like, ‘and recycling gives me a rush’.  And I’m happy to report that it still does.  It isn’t something I tend to write about often, but since participating in Earth Hour last year Adam and I have stepped up our commitment to the earth even more, the experience and being part of something as huge as Earth Hour in only its second year, at the time, made me joy teary.  We will be participating in Earth Hour again this year but I’ll elaborate more on that later, as in another post.

There is always more we can do there is still always something that I stand frowning at because it is not a particularly earth friendly way to do something or it isn’t an earth friendly product but I will have just finished doing any number of earth friendly things before hand. Perfect example, I got rid of our Swiffer Sweeper broom a couple months ago now and went back to the regular broom but I have yet to run out of Swiffer Dusters so while I’m back to taking that whole two minutes longer to sweep the floor I am still using a ridiculously stupid product sold to me because it promises to save me time and get into hard to reach places and it does but it isn’t washable or reusable. Once they are gone it’ll be back to dusting without the fancy wand. I have this funny feeling I’ll live.

I guess it goes without saying that we’ve also gone back to our old mop and bucket as well.

The biggest and hardest change that we have implemented has been the removal of at least 90% of the plastic bags that used to come into the apartment. This has taken dedication and work but we have both remained committed.

Late last summer we needed a new garbage can for our kitchen and we bought one with a removable liner and on a whim both decided to keep it plastic bag free.  I’m not sure if either of us thought we’d last long. The first time I took it down to the dumpster I struggled to hold the lid open and dump it and of course got garbage on myself and screeched like a baby but because Adam could see me putting in the effort and because he knows I have a gag reflex that is so weak I often find it extremely embarrassing under various circumstances he normally takes it down. After it is emptied it has to be washed and disinfected before it can be used again.  This is an area we are about to change as well once this batch of cleaner is out yet again bulk, we are moving on to natural ones but it still has to be good because I have major germ issues so please tell me WHAT should I use? What is good? We use Natures Miracle for everything Gus.  After the kitchen was such a success the plastic bags were removed from the other two garbage cans in the apartment the one in the bathroom and the one in the living room, we just have to be a little bit careful with what ends up in the living room as it is a wicker one.

Some of our more basic green ways include:

  • No saran wrap or lunch baggies
  • No Kleenex, Adam uses hankies (I’ve spoiled myself with a box of soothing ones at present because I have a seriously bad cold and the skin was starting to come off my nose)
  • Adam has a reusable lunch bag and all reusable containers including a thermos for coffee and a separate one for soup
  • Our coffee filter has been re-usable for well over two years now
  • No more air freshener sprays
  • I don’t colour my hair
  • I have The Diva Cup (I am finishing up with my BULK O.B. bullets then I will review it)
  • If we forget the reusable bags we carry it home
  • We only use rechargeable batteries
  • We do not have a car by choice
  • Adam is huge into thrift store shopping
  • Powerful Natural laundry detergent

We keep things unplugged as much as possible although I think we’d both like to do better in that area.  I know I have made improvements with not leaving the TV on in the back ground when I am at the computer, the computer acts as our stereo as well but I used to be really bad about not having the music player on so the TV would be blaring away while technically I was in cyber space.

Vancouver Earth Hour 2008

Published on March 25, 2008 by Corinna Carlson | 10 Comments

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Last July I wrote on some of the new measures that Adam and I are taking to make the world that we live in a better place and also trying to do our part for the environment.

Since then we’ve added things such as a reusable coffee filter [we both drink a lot of coffee and it is Adam's fault I never drank as much till I met him] we’ve almost cleared the apartment of *almost* all plastic bags, which is not even close to as easy as it sounds and we’ve added reusable bags. There are people in the West End that recognize and point and give us a smile when we forget our bags and can be seen booting it home with our arms filled. It has happened to us both more than once.

One of my very favourite places to give my money to has always been to the WWF – World Wildlife Fund – I used to adopt animals for people as gifts on a very regular basis, you can also adopt forests, oceans and the arctic now. They have even more animals to adopt than they did when I used to do it, I may get back on that. I want a ‘Hotter than I should be’ organic t-shirt.

This will be the first year of hopefully many, that Adam I will participate in Earth Hour. Between 8 and 9pm this Saturday night, March 29, we will be in the dark with hopefully a massive load of people in the city and around the world. As per their website:

On March 29, 2008, cities across Canada, and around the world will turn off their lights for Earth Hour, a WWF event to raise awareness about climate change and symbolize that, working together the people of the world can make a difference in the fight against climate change.

Earth Hour has grown from a single event in Sydney, Australia in 2007 to a global phenomenon that will occur across six continents and in as many as 20 cities in 2008.

Toronto was the flagship Canadian city to commemorate Earth Hour 2008 but dozens of others including Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal have already joined!

Our goal is to get thousands of businesses and individuals to participate in this historic event, so we can show the nation and the world that Canadians are leaders in addressing climate change, one of the most critical issues facing our world today.

I’ve been pretty excited about this since hearing about it. I have NO idea what we’ll do in the dark for an hour [I sense there will be some Earth Hour babies being made] but I am sure we will find something or maybe we will invite some people over for some good in the dark conversation.

If you’d like to participate you can either just DO IT or sign up on the WWF website.

If you’d like to do more, ‘The Good Life‘ is a new kick ass campaign/challenge you can also sign up for right on the WWF site and it will guide you through more and more ways to help save the planet basically handing you simple actions to not only help the Earth but to help you feel like you ARE making a difference and to make “Every Hour Earth Hour”.

I encourage you to click on the provided links and participate in this great cause. There is also a jam packed group on Facebook of participants you can also join in there.

If last year ONE CITY was able to accomplish what the quote provided below describes, I can’t wait to see what the rest of us can add:

Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.

About Earth Hour On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.

In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.