Arctic Circle is a daily cartoon strip by Alex Hallet about three penguins, Oscar, Ed and Gordo, who have emigrated from Antarctica to the Arctic. The comic has an underlying environmental theme and regularly sees the humour in trying to live a more eco-friendly life in a 21st century world.
Posted on 8/31/2010 5:33:00 PM by Arctic Circle
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Categories: environmentally friendly
Tags: arctic circle
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Posted on 9/2/2009 6:03:00 AM by Eason
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Categories: environmentally friendly | green | sustainability
Tags: sife okanagan, greenstep
Summer is officially here and it is great to see so many families out enjoying the sunshine. It always brings up the yearly reminder for sun protection, especially for children. Even one blistering sunscreen can increase a child’s risk of developing skin cancer and most sun damage occurs before age eighteen.
The Slip-Slop-Slap campaign has been underway for awhile now and since it is almost impossible to put sunscreen on a squirming toddler, I find the easiest way to ‘Slip’ on sunscreen is buy using a sun suit. My latest find was a local company that makes cute sun suits for kids.
My two year old picked out a blue Luv Bug creation and has been wearing it the last few weeks. I have to say, she loved it so much it doubled as pajamas for a few days. The added bonus is that the fabric is environmentally friendly (no harsh chemicals) and biodegradable. Some of the other characteristics are that its anti-bacterial, non-toxic and breathable.
The Natural Baby Shop in town also has a wide variety of No Zone sun suits for kids. This is our third summer using sun suits and so far I am happy to say we haven’t had a sunburn. Of course, the idea is to keep our children safe from the sun and doing what works best for us individually. Now my quest for a hat she’ll keep on her head!
Sara Johnson is a representative of Lalabee Bathworks - a local company that handcrafts skincare products for Mommy & Baby. All their product lines are made in Kelowna using certified organic and natural ingredients.
Posted on 6/24/2009 7:29:00 AM by Sara Johnson
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Categories: biodegradable | environmentally friendly
Tags: natural baby shop, luv bug, lalabee bathworks
Having a healthy and lush lawn is important to some home owners but with the recent pesticide ban some products may not be available any longer. There are alternatives.
Corn gluten can be applied in early spring and it will prevent weed and crab grass seeds from germinating. If you keep a thick, healthy lawn throughout the season, weeds will not be able to establish. You can use a fertilizer high in nitrogen that should be applied early spring, late spring, early summer and early fall.
If you have thin patches of grass, this is where weeds will try to establish themselves, you can dress your lawn with weed free topsoil then apply grass seed. Also, you can always weed by hand.
Scotts EcoSense line of products are made from ingredients such as canola oil, acetic acid (vinegar), insect phermones, feather meal etc. which are not hamrful to the environment. They have a natural lawn fertilizer and weed and insect control sprays.
Visit ScottsEcoSense.ca for help on managing your pest problems, maintaining a healthy lawn and having good garden care practices.
Posted on 5/28/2009 6:26:00 AM by Maizal
Categories: environmentally friendly | lawn care | pesticides | natural lawn fertilizer
Tags: scotts ecosense
With the New Year approaching rapidly, people may be thinking about resolution ideas, some of which may be to do something positive for the planet. The majority of us know the basics of carpooling, recycling and using CFL bulbs. Here are a few more from our good friend Chris Whitney of Royal LePage. Single Serving Kettle Try the new single serve kettle models that boil water for a single cup. If you need to heat water for yourself for a cup of coffee, tea, or soup, these models save energy. It uses the same technology that makes hot water in a drip cofeemaker. Solar Powered Roof Ventilator Install solar-powered fans in the attic which remove the hot air that builds up in the attic. This will keep the home cooler in the summer months and reduce your air-conditioning bill and save energy at the same time. Biodegradable Party Plates and Cutlery If you are throwing a party, consider biodegradable cutlery that is compostable. Since they are made from organic materials such as corn and not plastic, they can also be used in the microwave. When you are done with them, simply throw them in the compost bin. If you can't have a compost, it may be a good time to start using compost pick up services; Cherry Hill Coffee has a partnership with a local company that does weekly compost pickup.
Posted on 11/17/2008 7:28:00 AM by Maizal
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Categories: biodegradable | cfls | energy-efficient | environmentally friendly | green reno | organic | solar power
Tags: chris whitney, royal lepage, eco-kettle, cherry hill coffee
Posted on 11/11/2008 10:27:00 PM by Maizal
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Categories: biodegradable | carbon footprint | composting | environmentally friendly
Tags: norcal, skooperbox, doggie dooley, petsmart
According to Environment Canada, transportation is the single largest contributor of carbon dioxide emissions - accounting for 30% of the total. One of the reasons for this fueling involves "food miles" which is the distance food travels from the field to your home.
What can the average person do to reduce these emissions? Here are a few suggestions from Jill Rhynard, a co-ordinator of health promotion at the Interior Health of the Okanagan health delivery area:
Posted on 10/28/2008 7:18:00 AM by Maizal
Categories: CO2 emissions | environmentally friendly | locally grown
Tags: environment canada, interior health
In Part 2 of Greener Clothing, we look at alternative fabrics; some of which requires balancing price with environmental friendliness. The greenest solution though is buying used clothing as it avoids filling up the landfill and requires no new raw materials.
Part 2:
Going organic can cost the producers a lot more money and they pass on the costs to the consumers by having more expensive price tags.
Also, a few Bamboo producers in China, with the growing demand for bamboo, have started using more chemicals.
Source: Article by Edward M. Eveld titled "Commit to 'greener' clothing"
Posted on 10/24/2008 6:55:00 AM by Maizal
Categories: eco-friendly clothing | environmentally friendly | organic | recycled
Tags:
Making the switch to eco-friendly clothing may not be easy, considering the lower prices of apparel that may be harmful for the environment. In Part 1 (of a 2 part series), we outline the environmental problems of producing clothing materials that we take for granted. (In Part 2, we will discuss alternative solutions).
Part 1: The manufacturing process of conventional fabrics doesn't take into account the harmful effects on the environment.
Posted on 10/22/2008 7:27:00 AM by Maizal
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Categories: eco-friendly | eco-friendly clothing | energy costs | environmentally friendly
Canadian Tire is promoting a greener tomorrow by showcasing products that can make a difference in the environment today. You can save upto 40% on select environmentally friendly products for energy conservation, healthy home and garden, waste reduction and water conservation.
To learn more about Canadian Tire's green commitment, visit their green options page.
Posted on 10/11/2008 7:42:00 AM by Maizal
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Categories: cfls | conservation | energy costs | environmentally friendly | lawn care | low-flow | phosphate-free | renewable energy | water conservation
Tags: canadian tire
Wal-Mart has 3 long term global sustainability goals:
Posted on 8/28/2008 7:28:00 AM by Maizal
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Categories: energy costs | energy-efficient | environmentally friendly | green | net-zero energy | recycled | sustainability | renewable energy | zero waste
Tags: walmart
Posted on 8/25/2008 7:44:00 AM by Maizal
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Categories: energy costs | energy-efficient | environmentally friendly | green | green roof | home value | solar panels | solar power | water conservation
Tags: royal lepage
The Interior Health Authority (IHA) received $78,000 from FortisBC recently for their energy efficient lighting upgrades.
They exchanged over 16,000 light fixtures across South and Central Okanagan. The facilities that were upgraded were the Penticton Regional Hospital, Kelowna General Hospital, Cottonwoods Extended Care and Three Links Manor. The lighting upgrades cost $714,000 but will save IHA $100,000 each year. The IHA is commited to reducing energy use and environmental emissions.
The City of Castlegar also received $13,600 in rebates for their upgrades in the Castlegar City Hall project. The energy efficient upgrades will reduce power consumption by 230,000 kWhs each year, enough to power 23 houses. The City Hall also has geothermal heating and cooling, a heat recovery system, energy efficient glazing on the windows and an energy efficient elevator.
Summer Cooling Tips from FortisBC:
Posted on 8/10/2008 11:25:00 AM by Maizal
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Categories: cfls | eco-friendly | energy costs | energy-efficient | environmentally friendly
Tags: fortisbc, interior health
What is the Cool Shops program? It's a program put together by FortisBC, Terasen Gas, and the City of Kelowna, in partnership with the Clean Air Foundation that helps small businesses conserve energy, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by identifying and implementing in-store energy management measures.
Through their efforts, they've helped 8,000 retailers become more energy efficient and 5,073 megawatt hours and 1,532 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions have been saved.
Case Study Olympia Greek Taverna recently switched to a high efficiency pre-rinse spray valve which will reduce their hot water consumption by 2/3s. That’s a saving of between $400—$800 a year.
Also, the owner's found out that through the Cool Shops program that they have the potential to save approximately $1,400 per year if they upgrade their incandescent and fluorescent lights to more efficient lighting.
If you own a business or work for a business you can set up a free no obligation energy audit. What your business is provided with:
If you are interested, please contact: Fawna More Cool Shops Program Coordinator coolshops@fortisbc.com 250-469-8107
Posted on 8/6/2008 7:50:00 PM by Maizal
Tags: fortisbc, terasen, city of kelowna, clean air foundation, brite-lite
Posted on 7/31/2008 7:28:00 AM by Maizal
Categories: eco-friendly | environmentally friendly | fuel economy | low emmision | ecodriving
Tags: ford
"A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane."
The following are some of the environmental benefits of a green roof:
Other things to keep in mind when thinking about creating a green roof:
Posted on 7/21/2008 6:52:00 AM by Maizal
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Categories: environmentally friendly | green | green roof | global warming | bio-filtered
Pickup-Pal represents "an eco-friendly transportation revolution that connects drivers, passengers and packages with the places they need to go." How it works.
Passengers tell the system where they want to go and Drivers tell the system where they are going. The system matches the Passengers with Drivers who are going the same way. For instance, Passengers can specify that they are going to Water Street Kelowna BC from Rutland Road every Tuesday night; based on Drivers who are also going the same way, matches are found and displayed to the Passengers. Drivers are informed of potential pickups and they can make an offer to the passenger on how much they want to charge for a ride and the Passenger's feedback rating from other drivers. The Passenger reviews the offers and based on price and Driver rating, chooses the Driver with whom they want to ride. When an offer is accepted, the Driver and Passenger both get a "ticket to ride" with all the necessary information. At the end of the ride, the Passenger pays the Driver the amount agreed upon. Both the Passenger and the Driver are requested to provide feedback on their PickupPal experience and their profiles are updated accordingly. Pickup-Pal has an Eco-Ridesharing program (ERP) that allows communities to move people smarter, cleaner and better. They have partnerships with John Mayer, Subaru Triathlon Series, Oberlin College, Home Depot etc. EscapePollution.com is proud to partner with Pickup-Pal to reduce carbon emissions through ridesharing while providing people with a method to combat traffic congestion and high gas prices ($1.45/litre!) within the City of Kelowna. Please feel free to join the revolution. The more people there is on the system, the better the chances of escaping pollution.
Posted on 7/15/2008 7:28:00 AM by Maizal
Categories: carbon footprint | clean air | eco-friendly | environmentally friendly | ridesharing
Tags: home depot, pickup pal, kelowna
Ford Motor Company's long-term goals are to focus on developing fuel cells and hydrogen technology.
Ford's HySeries Drive is a battery powered hydrogen fuel cell hybrid electric car that has plug-in capabilities. "The HySeries Drive technology is able to operate using a fuel cell, small gasoline or diesel engine connected to an electric generator to make electricity."
Aside from Ford's concept car, the Ford Airstream Concept, Ford has also unveiled the Ford Edge with Hyseries Drive, which is equiped with a hydrogen storage tank, 336 volt lithium-ion battery pack fuel cell and 2 electric motors. The Ford Edge with Hyseries Drive is the "world’s first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric plug-in that combines an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator with lithium-ion batteries to deliver more than 41 mpg with zero emissions."
As stated, the new Edge delivers a highway/city rating of 5.7L/100 km (or 41 mpg) with no emissions. For distances less than 80 km (or 50 miles) fuel consumption can be reduced to 3.0L/100 km (or 80 mpg). It can travel at speeds upto 136 km/h (or 85 mph).
The first 40 km is run on stored electricity, then the hydrogen fuel cell allows it to run for another 320 km with no emissions. The HySeries vehicles can be plugged into a normal 110-volt outlet to recharge the battery. The technology is in Ford Motor's Company's long term plans of 2020 and beyond.
Source: Article by Jim Robinson titled "Ford looks at new technologies as it drives to greener future"
Posted on 7/13/2008 10:14:00 AM by Maizal
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Categories: environmentally friendly | fuel economy | hybrid | low emmision | pollution
Ford is working on its Eco-Boost technology which can provide 20-30% better fuel economy compared to current engines. It doesn't cost as much as hybrids and diesel engines but it enhances economy, reduces emissions and doesn't sacrifice performance. The first car to incorporate this EcoBoost technology will be the 2009 Lincoln MKS which will then be followed by the Ford Flex. By 2013, Ford plans to have over 500,000 vehicles with the EcoBoost engines. EcoBoost gets better fuel economy by turbo-charging it's engines and by using direct fuel injection. With direct fuel injection, precise amounts of fuels are injected into the combustion chamber rather than going upstream in to the induction port that happens in conventional engines. Since direct injection results in a cooler, denser charge, there is more power yet less fuel is consumed.
Turbocharging uses waste energy from the exhaust to spin the turbine wheel. The combined systems result in smaller engines with more power. For instance, a 3.5 litre V6 will have the same power as a conventional V8 with 340 horsepower. When EcoBoost is applied to a 4.6 litre V8, it delivers more torque but reduces CO2 emissions by 15% while improving fuel economy by 2 mpg. When EcoBoost is applied to a 2.3 litre four-cylinder engine, it will get 20% better fuel economy and the same levels of power as a V6.
Source: Article by Jim Robinson titled "Ford looks at new technologies as it drives to greener futur"
Posted on 7/13/2008 9:59:00 AM by Maizal
Categories: environmentally friendly | fuel economy | low emmision | pollution
I decided to retire my Toro Personal Pace self-propelled gas mower after learning about the emissions that gas mowers produce.
Here's an interesting fact: "Testing found that operating a typical gasoline mower with a four-cycle engine produced as much [Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons] (PAH) as driving a modern car about 150 km or about 95 miles. This means that unless you drive more than 95 mph, your mower actually produces more pollution per hour than your car!" Not to mention, the concentrated dose of several types of pollutants experienced by the mower operator.
Needless to say I was on the lookout for a zero emissions mower that was battery powered; I didn't want to deal with long cords. I narrowed it down to either a Neuton Battery Powered Mower or a Black & Decker Cordless Mulching Mower. The Black & Decker cordless mower had the added benefit of being an energy star product. The other difference was the cutting path; the Neuton product was only 14 inches while the Black & Decker product cut 19 inches.
Home Depot was having a summer sale and they had recently marked down their Black & Decker cordless mower from $449. They also price matched Walmart and I got the mower for only $386 ! Home Depot also carried the HomeLite 22" cordless mower which was listed at a much lower price of $349 (compared to $449).
Over the weekend I assembled the Black & Decker mower and it was as easy as taking the mower out of the box and unfolding the handle. The mower weighs about 80 lbs which is about 20 lbs less than my other gas mower. It is small and compact and comes with a full 2 year warranty. It's also got a sleek, aerodynamic look.
I read through the instruction manual and noted that it takes approximately 9 hours to fully charge the battery. Black & Decker went as far as to include tips on mulching and maintaining the lawn. By keeping the grass 2.5 to 3 inches and mulching it every time, mowing the lawn becomes a breeze. Yesterday, I took the mower out on the lawn. My biggest concern was the life of the battery. My back yard is about 1/3 of an acre and that's the maximum size that the mower recommends. I adjusted the height to about 3 inches using their one touch height adjustment system and mowed the lawn in less than an hour!
There are other benefits over the gas powered mower as well. For one, my ear drums didn't take a beating; it was so much quieter. It's also easy to start without the need to do multiple pulls. The cordless mowers are less powerful than the gas mowers but if you maintain your yard it shouldn't be a problem.
I'd recommend the Black & Decker Cordless Mulching Mower if you are thinking of reducing your emissions and going green.
I think I'll retire my edge trimmer next !
Posted on 7/8/2008 7:21:00 AM by Green Experiences
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Categories: environmentally friendly | low emmision | pollution
Tags: home depot, walmart, neuton, black & decker, homelite, toro