The election is just starting and the media is talking about planes, trains and automobiles.  Imagine that the media is bringing the environment into light for all to see.  It's about time.

The reason the media, governments, and politicians are listening is because the grass roots people have decided they want a future.  We need people to walk the walk and talk the talk.  It's about time the media talked about the environment in an actual important way. Keep up the good work everyone.  It's even more important that spin doctors, and media handlers and the politicians have already thought of environmental implications when creating their speaking notes. Things are changing. The power of the people is here and now, let's make sure the discussions continue.

Now what else will political parties do? Signs?  Pamphlets?  Travel?  and more.. Keep an eye on what you here and what you see. It's one thing to say that you are respecting the environment and it so important,  and then jump into your gas guzzling SUV and ride away into the sunset.  Sometimes actions speak louder than words. 

The most important thing is make your choice known on October 14, 2008.  People are wondering if they make a difference.  Your vote is a privilege and a responsibility.  Make it count.  Inform your selves, watch what’s happening during the campaign and most importantly exercise your democratic right to vote.  We make a difference when we make a choice.  It will be environmentally friendly to do so...  Elections Canada will  create enough ballots for all eligible voters to make their choice, we can't reuse them so lets use them when we get a chance.  It would be a shame to let all those ballots go to waste without being used. 

 We need to see how far politicians will go to win an election... Are they going to talk the talk or are they actually going to walk the walk?

We need to see how far politicians will go to win an election... Are they going to talk the talk or are they actually going to walk the walk?

How far will the politicians go?  Only as far as we let them.  Keep them on their toes. 

Found something that caught my attention featured on the menu at a newly open pub The Iron Duke located at Wellington Street in Kingston, Ontario. No not an interesting appetizer, main course or even desert, but a statement of what the pub is doing to help the environment.

Going For Green

Here are a few things we are doing to help keep our world healthy:

√          All of our take-out cutlery and containers are fully compostable

√          Our dishwashers are the most eco-friendly units on the market

√          We avoid using garbage bags wherever possible

√          Our used fryer oil is recycled into biodiesel fuel

√          We buy products from local stores and suppliers

√          We recycle

√          Our restroom lights operate by motion sensors

√          All of our dining room lights have dimmers

√          Our programmable thermostat is set to adjust the temperature

            each night after closing

√          Our menus are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper

√          We compost our food waste

√          We purchase our condiments in bulk and serve them to you in

            washable containers 

The Duke is always looking towards greater sustainability.We will continue to search for ways to minimize our environmental impact.

Well they got my order; also they featured local Ontario Crafted Beers such as Beau’s Growlers.There are many pubs, restaurants, bistro’s that are doing their part for the environment and for charities within the communities that you reside in or visit. Peter Corbyn of GreenNexxus mentioned the Wooden Monkey located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Please feel free to use the comments section to feature your local eatery that is making a difference in your community or any other suggestions for lowering environmental impact within our restaurants.

Bon Appetite

It's a big word - REVOLUTION!

Dramatic change, radical alteration, sea change, metamorphosis, transformation, 

innovation, reorganization, restructuring; informal shake-up, shakedown. 

Thought about it? Time for change, I'd say.  Time to shift paradigms in our society toward sustainable practices. Time to understand how our actions affect the world and each other. Time to get real about comprehending the full cost of our actions and becoming accountable for every step of what we need, use, want, desire.

Think about the computer you're using. What raw ingredients from mines were needed to make it? How much recycled content? Where did the ingredients get shipped from? Where was it put together? How far did it travel from the manufacturing facility? What resource input was needed to develop the programs you are using? Where does your electricity come from and what resources are used? Those are just a few of the questions we could be asking ourselves on things we buy and use every day. These are the questions that businesses and corporations could consider in their procurement policies. 

I believe that if people thought about these kinds of questions and could find easy answers, they would want to lessen their ecofootprint, their carbon footprint, to help the world, cool the climate, save the planet. If people are educated, I believe they will be willing to change, to adapt to sustainable practices, to morph into environmentally aware human beings. To join the green revolution!

Shift happens? 

I believe. 

How can we get our festivals to be more green?  We have to ask for it and do our part.

This year we had an awesome festival and great events.  We had adult events (19 years and older) that served beverages of many kinds.  This year we did not have to drink from a plastic glass we were permitted to use a can or plastic non-breakable container.  I didn't over indulge but I looked for places to put my can for recycling.  Every time I went to the bar area (there were 4 days of music) I brought my can back and asked them to recycle them.  They seemed to place them in a different container.  They got used to seeing me come up and most were quite good about it.

One thing outside and inside the huge tent is that their were tin cans everywhere, although it could be considered hazardous with that many people in attendance, I dont' know that anyone fell because of a discarded can. This litter was terrible but I took it entirely different.  I know that some of the cans was because of extreme laziness not wanting to walk to a garbage can but another portion of the population was so used to recycling beverage containers that they left them in a pile around the tent poles etc.  I thought that was a true testament to what is going to come of recycling and taking care of our planet in the future.  The population is coming around but we have to push on. If people had not been shy or partying I think more people would have simply asked for recycling sites.

 What can we do about this?  We need to get involved.  In December 2008 I am going to volunteer for the festival and work towards helping to green the festival, starting with recycling bins.  I challenge each reader to get involved with their own local festivals and work with them to help take steps to protect the environment - one step at a time.

Google 'carbon calculator' sometime - you will get about 233,000 hits. Carbon calculators help estimate your carbon footprint.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly wonder whether these types of carbon calculators are the best means to help you actually reduce your footprint.

I think my household carbon footprint is about 17 Tonnes per year based on my utility bills and how far we drive (and the size of our vehicle). This took me about 5 minutes to calculate by converting my annual Kw x Kg of CO2 per Kw and knowing that gasoline emits 2.36 Kg/litre. Realistically, does it matter if we are at 15.5 tonnes or 18.5 tonnes when what we really need to do is reduce it anyway?

I know that someone driving a Hummer 20,000 km per year has a much higher carbon footprint than a Yaris driven the same distance...do I know what the exact amount of each is - no? Do I know the Yaris is better - yes.

What's my point? The reality is - reducing your carbon footprint (or basically your energy consumption) means taking action - changing light bulbs, insulating attics, driving less or not at all, buying locally produced food, using power bars to turn off the TV/DVD/Stereo 20 hours a day, etc, etc, etc. And when all of that is done, doing more...it is an iterative and ongoing process for everyone - individuals, companies, you name it.

The GreenNexxus Green Energy Pledge helps you identify ways to lower your carbon footprint and save money - it focuses on action. Collectively GreenNexxus members have pledged to save about 475,000 Kg (just over 1,000,000 lbs) of Greenhouse Gas emissions to date. One million is a big number - it will not tell you exactly what your carbon footprint is, but it will certainly help reduce your carbon footprint by making the big number grow! Sign up, add your pledge and be part of the team that makes this number grow, grow, grow!

This year, here in cottage country, tourism is down because the gas prices are up. Because the gas costs more, people are less willing to spend so much money to travel long distances, and so often they end up staying at home. I’m actually surprised at how few people consider taking a vacation in their own region instead of staying at home.

For instance, my daughter and two of her friends decided this year instead of going to ‘camp’, they wanted me to take them camping (yes,I am lucky to be considered one of the ‘girls’, and when they are 12/13 year olds, that is quite a privelege.) We talked about it, and decided to go to Sauble Falls Provincial Park [http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/saub.html], which is about a 25 minute drive from our homes. This is eco-tourism at its best: enjoying being in nature without traveling a long way and burning lots of GHGs. We were even lucky enough to be in a tent through 2 major electrical storms (and lightning is tied to climate change, by the way: see http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/329791_climate01.html) along with 3 days of swimming and hiking. I must admit that the girls did want to go into Sauble Beach sometimes, but we went to a local restaurant (Macbeth’s) that has fair trade organic coffee and homemade vegetarian meals, which minimized our carbon footprint for the trip a little. Being in the outdoors and getting lots of exercise was good for us too. Now, if they were old enough to bike there, our eco-trip would have been even greener, but we did have to be practical too.

If everyone could think about minimizing their carbon footprint in their vacations, and in turn support their local economies more, it would be a win-win-win situation for us, the environment and our local communities.

I read in a blog about green marketing and I also read a news paper article about green products and their regulation in the very same day.

From these articles and issues  I found that I am not alone in wondering how we really can find out if the companies are just talking the talk or are they really walking the walk.  What scares me is that people in general show environmental issues and the environment as being really important, however these are the same people who won't necessarily do the research to make sure it is going to help.  Just saying something is green and picking up the product, no doubt will start making things better, however, if we want to have an impact we have to make sure that the regulators keep on top of the products and make sure the companies us e at least a template to qualify as a step in the right direction.

I am a marketer at heart and I know that products can use the label "new" for products that have been available for two years.  What qualifies a product for a proper greeen designation.  I thnk that green should be product based as well as product based.  I company should have a ecologically friendly product, produced in an environmentally friend production line.  Re-using water, recycling programs in-house and all the other great steps should assist with giving the product a 1 - 10 rating.

What is our responsibility... We need to let the MP's or Government members that proper and tighter regulations have to be in place in the consumer product market and that companies have to prove that they are truly green products without getting the designation.

What else can we do?  We can contact out City Councillor all over the country and let the know that their municipality should implement a green procurement policy and that they need to make more ecologically friend choice.  The municipalities and governments in general need to lead the way but the political will has to be there first.   The political will comes from the people.  Speak up, speak often, it will come but we have to make sure greeen products are really green and that we use them.

 What do you think?