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.

 

Health Canada proposed a ban last month on six different phthalates in children's soft toys. A fantastic move, since phthalates are known to cause reproductive harm. They are already banned in such things as soothers but not in something like the yellow rubber ducky, a staple for almost every bath including our own.

Once I removed the two rubber duckies from our tub and everything else that looked like it was possibly made from soft vinyl, I decided to just ban plastic bath toys altogether. 

It took me awhile to come up with some alternatives. I did find a phthalate free duck, made from natural rubber with non-toxic paint and decided on some biodegradable sea sponges for the squish factor. Along with organic cotton wash mits and empty shampoo bottles, we are making out just fine.

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.  

 

Lalabee Bathworks is a local company that handcrafts organic skincare for Mommy & Baby. All our products are made in Kelowna using only certified organic and natural ingredients, bought from local farms and suppliers as much as possible.

We started off in 2007 as Lalabee Baby, offering affordable organic alternatives to infant skincare. Our Bottom Balm (for diaper rash and eczema) is still our best selling product.  A few months later we added our organic Mommy Line, as there was a definite gap in the market for Canadian made organic skincare for Moms.

Lalabee Bathworks strives to be environmentally responsible by not using plastic containers for our products, recycling all our packaging and donating to Heifer International.  Plus we use as many organic ingredients as possible.  You can find our skincare in over fifty stores across Canada and locally at The Natural Baby Shop, Choices Market and Tidy Tushees.

 

Good Earth Coffeehouse and Bakery along with Bullfrog Power will team up to hand out free organic coffee to raise $25,000 for the David Suzuki Foundation on Earth Day. On April 21st, in Pandosy Village, earth-friendly gifts from Good Earth and Bullfrog Power will be given out for "random acts of green".

On April 22, - Earth Day - Good Earth will give out a free cup of organic coffee to every customer who donates to the David Suzuki Foundation. Customers should bring their own travel mugs to reduce waste.

All of Good Earth's locations are powered by 100% green electricity which reduces 500 tonnes of CO2 per year. They use organic ingredients, fair trade coffee and reduce waste.

The New Year's resolution of Okanagan newlyweds, Darrell and Lindsay Eason, transformed into a year long commitment to sustainable living. Follow their journey as they transform from a green couple to a sustainable couple over the next year. And, get ideas and tips that can inspire you as well. 

January 13, 2009

It has been quite a week of exploring our options and allowing ourselves to express our creativity through food. I actually baked a perfect loaf of bread in the bread maker, thanks to the addition of an egg and bread flour. The difference (I think) is higher gluten content, allowing the bread to rise instead of making a hard little puck that I had come to accept. Thanks to the inspiration of my friend Karalyn, I made two batches of wonderful organic spelt crackers with poppy seeds and organic seasoning. If I had realized how easy it was to make my own crackers, I would have started years ago. All you need is a cup of flour, 2 tbsp of butter, 4 tbsp of water, salt plus any seasonings and seeds you want to add. Just roll out the dough 1/8 inch thin and bake for 10 min on a greased pan at 400 degrees. Simpler than pie! I cut the second batch with a pizza cutter before putting it in the oven which made perfectly baked strips. I pair the crackers with Carmelis chevre and organic jalapeno and apple jelly or with home made humus. Yum!

Darrell has also been experimenting with cooking, not baking. He used some organic ground beef from Nature’s Fare and made a huge batch of bolognaise sauce to freeze. He asked the owner of Cook’s Quality Meats why it's hard to find organic beef, and he said many cattle farmers have to use antibiotics to treat infections in their herd, otherwise half of their herd would die when they were young. It takes one year for antibiotics to leave a cows system, and then it can become certified organic.

Outside of the kitchen we always look to the organic or eco-friendly option for products, but we are now starting to find ways to reduce the amount of stuff we purchase or continually purchase. I now have a toothbrush from Natural Rezources that has a disposable head, so the whole toothbrush doesn’t need to be thrown out. And our lotion, shampoo, dish soap and detergent containers are all refilled at Samson's Soap Shop.

I recommend to all those who like big box stores to try shopping for one or two items a small natural food store, artisan shop or soap shop. It actually becomes an enjoyable experience, instead of rushing around hundreds of people, standing in line, getting claustrophobic and anxious just to get everything you need in one store. The small shops help calm us down, create an enjoyable experience and make for a fun day of going to the bakers for bread, the butchers for meat, the health food store for vitamins and the Farmer's Market for veggies. The people working at these places are connected to their products, making them passionate about what they do. Do you think the cashier at Walmart gives a crap about local vs. imported products? Maybe, but her personal values definitely are not reflected in her job.

The moral of the story (or rant, if you like) is that we all need to find out what makes our conscience feel good. What is your philosophy to living happier and healthier? Do you want to make a difference in this world? Because if this is not what you are striving for, then why are you doing what you are doing?

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.

 

Cherry Hill Coffee, based out of Kelowna is turning a deeper shade of green.

Cherry Hill is offering certified fair-trade (allows the growers to compete globally by offering better trading conditions), organic coffee (which is grown without using pesticides and chemicals). They have 3 delicious organic blends available for the holidays - Jack Frost, Gingerbread and Christmas Blend.

Cherry Hill also introduced a take-out coffee cup made from sustainable materials. The Ecotainer is made from a bio-plastic that is created from corn. These cups are 100% compostable and can decompose into water, organic matter and carbon dioxide.

Finally, they have partnered with a local compost and recycling company to establish a waste management program that takes care of the pickup of your compost. Every week, coffee grounds, ecotainer cups and other organic material can be picked up and converted into nutritious topsoil for local farms.

Source: Article by Natalia Hahn titled "Heard of Green Tea? How about Green Coffee?"

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:

• Organic Cotton - growers don't use pesticides and fertilizers and many stores carry organic clothing. Even name brands like Levi's offers organic options like it's 'eco' jeans.
• Organic Wool - producers don't expose their sheep to hormones or pesticides and only use sustainable grazing practices
• Bamboo - grows really quickly and requires little to no pesticides. Some are certified chemical-free.
• Soy - manufactured from a mixture of left-overs from tofu production and organic compunds so new crops are grown
• Recycled Plastic - plastic bottles are turned into polyester which is then used in clothing
• Hemp - eco-friendly crop that requires little to no pesticides and hemp clothing very durable

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.

• Other Alternatives - buy less of the new stuff and try out the used and vintage clothing shops. Swapping clothes with friends and relatives is another option and can be lots of fun.

Source: Article by Edward M. Eveld titled "Commit to 'greener' clothing"

The 3rd annual Organic Okanagan Festival takes place this Sunday September 21st at the Summerhill Pyramid Winery located at 4870 Chute Lake Road from 11 AM to 4 PM.

It's being called the Okanagan's Finest Green Living Expo and is organized by the Okanagan Green Society. There will be over 40 exhibitors talking about natural health and healing, sustainable energy, alternative education, recycling and composting. Samples of locally grown organic food will be given out as well.

Entertainment includes films such as The Story Of Stuff and Table Land and music by The Raging Grannies, The Treelight Room and Daybeats.

There will be kids activities, blind taste tests of organic versus non-organic foods (put on by Nature's Fare, a new sponsor). Nature's Fare will be handing out a goody bag filled with coupons, a green guide and organic food items.

Attendees will be given Taterware plates made from potato starch to sample some of the foods and after the event the plates will be composted. Solar power will be used to provide Vendors at the event with power.

Admission is $5 plus a Kelowna Food Bank donation. Funds raised at the event will support the Okanagan Green Society's projects including Local Food for Local Schools and the Kelowna Food Bank.

Source: Article by Lori-Anne Charlton in the Event Magazine titled "Keen on Green"