I received a visit from Garry Klammer, a franchise owner of Turf Logic in Kelowna the other day for a free consultation on my lawn. He is a walking knowledgebase of lawn care tips and advice.

I had met him earlier at the Mayors Environmental Expo and he provided us with tips on mowing the lawn properly and watering in a responsible manner.

He told me my soil was in good condition and so was my yard. He advised that I should think about getting slit-seeding done in patches where grass was missing along with aeration and provided me with a quote.

He also told me to get a moisture measuring device from Rona that would help me determine the moisture levels of the lawn so that I can water only when necessary.

TH!NK offers North America sustainable mobility

In partnership with clean-tech investors, RockPort Capital Partners and Kleiner Perkins, Caulfield and Byers, a Norwegian electric vehicle company, TH!NK Global, established TH!NK North America. Together, they plan to bring electric vehicles into a society where gas prices are ridicilously high and environmental concerns are becoming a factor.

TH!NK Global mass-produces highway-capable electric vehicles which has no emissions. TH!NK city is the model that will be pushed into North America and these battery powered cars will be available in 2009.

The cars themselves are made by 95% recyclable materials; the body is made from recyclable plastic and the car has met all US federal motor vehicle safety requirements. It has a top-speed of 100 km/h and can travel 180 km on a single charge. The plan is to sell them for less than $20,000 US.

Source: TH!NK Press Release, Article by Bob Keefe

SPCA Certified ensures Cage-Free Eggs, Specialty Meats

SPCA Certified products ensure that the farm animals have a high quality of life and the farm owners are commited to the welfare of the animals.

Here are some of the SPCA Certified specifications:

• egg-laying hens are not confined in cages
• pregnant pigs are free from gestation stalls
• dairy cows have access to the outdoors and are not tail-docked
• environments for the animals provide natural behaviours and healthy interactions
• no antibiotics or growth hormones are used

Vale Farms takes pride in a healthy environment, healthy animals and healthy people

Vale Farms Grassroots' mission is "to promote strong and healthy families by prodividing local communities with a choice of nutritiuos farm products while cultivating a sustainable balance". The key to their success is their high-quality pastures.

They have farming practices in place that preserve the natural environment, have health benefits for humans and meet animal welfare standards.

Environmental benefits:

• grasslands and riparian areas are conserved
• air quality is improved by grasslands - carbon from carbon dioxide is stored in the soil
• grass needs less machinery and fossil fuels to maintain
• pesticides and herbisides are avoided

Health benefits:

• livestock feed on grass and mineral supplements
• animals are processed in a provincially inspected certified organic facility 
• low in fat and have fewer calories
• high in beta carotene and CLA (antioxidant and anti-cancer properties)
• high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E
• no growth hormones
• free from animal by-products
• antibiotics, grain and GMO feeds
• pesticides & herbicies, synthetic fertilizers

Animal welfare:

• animals have the freedom to behave naturally
• they graze on organic pastures
• there's low-stress livestock handling (LSLH)

The family operated Farm is located between Vernon and Lumby and it was established by Michael and Charlotte Ruechel.

Sysco volunteers to keep the garbage heap small

During a May 14th Food show at Prospera Place, Sysco took the initiative on a green approach for waste removal. The Regional Waste Reduction Office along with volunteers and Lindsay Keller of Tigress Ventures sorted the garbage destined for the landfill into 3 piles: compost, recycling and landfill.

Here are some of the results of the sorting:

• 800 lbs of compostable food waste and biodegradable plates and cutlery were collected by Russ's Recycle and Compost Removal Services
• 500 litres of recyclables were diverted
• alot more cardboard was kept out of the garbage than at previous shows

As you can see, if the volunteers didn't take the initiative, the garbage heap would be alot larger today. We should do our part in helping the environment by simply sorting the thrash before dumping in the garbage bin.

Source: Kelowna Capital News Article titled "Sysco food festival joins recycling spirit"

The concentrator photovoltaic cell can create five-folds the power of a typical system

IBM Corp's new technology uses lenses to concentrate the power of the sun to increase the amount of energy produced by solar cells. The idea is the same as when kids try to burn leaves using a magnifying glass.

One of the challenges facing IBM was to avoid the photovoltaic cells from becoming a burnt leaf; the heat produced is so high that it can burn stainless steel. Special liquid metal is used as the surface which can reduce temperatures from 3,000 degrees to 185 degrees.

With more power generated, it would take less equipment and less money to build solar electric systems.

Also, while determining ways of cooling down chips, IBM recently unveiled high-end computers that are cooled using water.

Source: Article by Bob Keefe

North American pets are polluted with toxins

In a study done by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), it was discovered that levels of toxic chemicals was higher in pets than in their owners. Twenty dogs and 37 cats whose blood and urine were tested, revealed that they are exposed to a complex mixture of chemicals which are often at higher levels than those found in people. They examined plastics and food packaging chemicals, heavy metals, fire retardants, and stain-proofing chemicals along with chemicals pollutants in the home and outdoors, in air, water, food, soil, and consumer products for people and pets.

"Average levels of many chemicals were substantially higher in pets than is typical for people, with 2.4 times higher levels of stain- and grease-proof coatings (perfluorochemicals) in dogs, 23 times more fire retardants (PBDEs) in cats, and more than 5 times the amounts of mercury, compared to average levels in people found in national studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and EWG"

Listed below are some of the causes:

• Teflon chemicals - include food contaminated with PFCs from food bag coatings, as well as house dust, and stain-proofed furniture, beds, and carpets. 
• Toxins - in plastic toys and medicines, tick and flea repellants, collars
• Fire retardants - in bedding, foam furniture,  house dust, and food - especially seafood

EWG Study - High Levels of Toxic Industrial Chemicals Contaminate Cats And Dogs

Source: Article by Christine Stapleton