June 15, 2009

“After enlightenment, the laundry.” Zen Proverb

Posted by greenlivingottawa under climate change, clothing, energy, household, personal care
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By Eloise Collison. Eloise is a freelance writer, organic gardener, and fibre fanatic who lives and writes in Westboro.

Laundry

I’ve been thinking about laundry a lot lately. With five people in the house and a lot of rain this spring, laundry is becoming more of a sporting event than a chore.

To lessen the environmental impact of all this washing we are looking at solar hot water heating, and will be attending the next info session in our neighbourhood. If you missed the previous post it will be in Westboro (Ottawa): Tuesday June 23rd, 2009. 7pm-9pm at Dovercourt Recreation Centre, 411 Dovercourt Avenue, Ottawa, ON.

I am also hanging as much of my laundry outside as possible. It’s been raining a lot this spring but I sometimes hang it out anyway. I call it the second rinse. It will dry eventually, and still smell fresh.

In some communities there are by-laws prohibiting the hanging of laundry. However, in Ontario those by-laws have been repealed. (As far as I can judge from the legalese that I found here.) The environmental tips page at the City of Ottawa encourages the use of lines and laundry racks.

In BC an organization called Let’s Hang Out is working to promote outdoor clothes drying, as a way to combat global warming and save energy. According to the people at Let’s Hang Out, 6% of your household energy is consumed by the clothes dryer.

If you need a reason to abandon your dryer here are mine:

Top 10 reasons to hang your laundry on the line:

1 You can meditate about life as you pin up the clothes.

2 Folding the clothes as they come off the line prevents that “we decorate with mountains of socks” look in your living room.

3 Hanging laundry gets you outside on a sunny day.

4 Laundry flapping on the line is beautiful.

5 In the few minutes it takes, you can keep an eye on your garden, your children and what’s happening in your neighbourhood.

6 No static cling, and no need for fabric softener.

7 It’s a chemical free way to bleach out stains.

8 Bacteria in your clothing is killed when exposed to the sun.

9 Your laundry will smell fantastic when it’s dry.

10 Air drying your laundry saves money and Energy!!

 

June 3, 2009

Native Plant Sale- Fletcher Wildlife Garden – Saturday, June 6, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Posted by greenlivingottawa under 100-mile, Ottawa, flora and fauna
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By Eloise Collison. Eloise is a freelance writer, organic gardener, and fibre fanatic who lives and writes in Westboro.

Bunchberry, photo by Ian Collison

One of my favorite gardening events of the year is coming up this weekend.

The Fletcher Wildlife Garden is holding its annual Native Plant sale on June 6th. There you can buy native plants that have been grown in our area, and that are adapted to local soil and climate. Native plants require little or no watering once they are established, and are pest resistant. By putting plants such as Solomon’s seal and Bloodroot in your garden you are supporting species diversity.

The volunteers and growers at the garden sale will be happy to offer advice about growing and caring for the plants you buy.

Saturday, June 6, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm, at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden (across from the Experimental Farm, on Prince of Wales Drive, south of the Arboretum and traffic circle). For more information, call (613) 730-0714, email sgarland@teksavvy.com, or see www.ofnc.ca/fletcher.php

Other resources for native plant info.

If you are unable to attend the sale, one of the best local sources for beautiful and healthy Native Plants is Old Field Garden and Wildflower Nursery. Old Field promotes habitat restoration and informed experimentation as a way to increase species diversity in areas that have been irreversibly disturbed by development. His plants are largely propagated from seed, and never wild harvested. A tour of the garden is a good way to begin to learn about Native plants available to Ontario gardeners. For more information about tours and seminars contact the garden.

North American Native Plant Society plant sources, seed exchange for members, plant rescue strategies.

Ottawa Horticultural Society gardening articles, links and resources.

Wildflower Farm native seeds, plants, garden design info.

 

April 29, 2009

Re-use Tip: Giving Your Furniture A New Home

Posted by greenlivingottawa under Ottawa, household, recycled, reduce, waste reduction
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Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who has worked in international and community development, and is currently trying to figure out how to connect the local with the global in her everyday life.


furniture2

Sometimes I like to think that one or two individuals can start something that will make a positive difference. Recently, I had the good fortune to meet some people who have done exactly that. Two women in Ottawa, Nathalie Maione and Buffey Cassidy, with the help of some enthusiastic volunteers, have formed a non-profit organization called Helping With Furniture (www.helpingwithfurniture.org).

Helping With Furniture’s approach is straightforward: collect good quality used furniture and household items from people who no longer need them, and deliver them to people who can use them. Once a week, Helping With Furniture volunteers pick up “gently used” items and drop them off at the homes of refugee claimants. Items which might have ended up in the landfill or unused are instead helping families who would otherwise have very little to start their homes.

Since its first delivery in November 2005, Helping with Furniture has assisted well over 200 households, with families coming from some 40 countries, among them Afghanistan, Burundi, Congo, Colombia, Haiti, and Nigeria (to name a few). Helping With Furniture provides a welcome as well as some basics such as beds, tables, chairs, and kitchen supplies. Helping With Furniture’s founders estimate that they recycle an average 1000 cf of furniture a year.

For me, finding a good home for a few treasured items that have been collecting dust in my basement – a rocking chair, a mattress that my children have outgrown, a handmade blanket, an extra lamp – was easy. I filled in Helping With Furniture’s on-line donation form that outlines what types of things they’re looking for. I received a prompt and friendly reply. On a recent Wednesday evening, Helping With Furniture’s volunteers arrived with a bright yellow moving van and loaded everything for transfer to temporary storage and on to new owners.

I was struck by the strong sense of purpose that motivates Nathalie Maione and Buffey Cassidy, by their commitment to addressing poverty and the environment. A growing demand has prompted them to expand the service provided by Helping With Furniture, which amazingly they run in addition to their jobs and families. For more information or to donate items, check out www.helpingwithfurniture.org.

Other organizations in Ottawa which accept donations of used household items are listed on the City of Ottawa’s Take It Back site (www.ottawa.ca/takeitback/).

 

April 27, 2009

Spring Cleaning: Recycling Options in Ottawa

Posted by greenlivingottawa under household, recycled, waste reduction
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Written by guest blogger Eloise Collison. Eloise is a freelance writer, organic gardener, and fibre fanatic who lives and writes in Westboro.

photo by Ian Collison

With the return of warmer weather I have been seeing more of my neighbours as we start to come out of hibernation. We’re outside, nose down in the garden or clinging to a ladder washing windows. It is our urban spring ritual; raking the lawn, tuning up the bike and cleaning out the garage. But if you’re like me, you’ll find the junk in your basement has multiplied over the winter. Here are a few options for places to recycle and reroute your garbage.

Batteries

The Ottawa Public Library has started collecting household batteries at six library branches: Carp, Cumberland, Greenboro, Main, Manotick and Rosemount. This is a pilot project sponsored by the City of Ottawa.
They are accepting alkaline batteries (D, C, AA, AAA and 9-volt), lithium batteries (with their ends taped), zinc air button cell batteries, and silver oxide button cell batteries. They won’t be accepting rechargeable batteries or car batteries.

E-Waste

On Saturday, April 25th from 9 am until noon Waste Management Ottawa is accepting electronic trash at the WM Facility on Carp Road. They will be taking: keyboards, computers, laptops, printers, phones, light electronics including toys and Game Boys, alarm clocks, PDAs, VCRs, DVD players, and heavy electronics including photocopiers. No TVs or microwaves please.

Please note, WM is requesting $10 (cash) per vehicle to offset the costs associated in processing the materials. For every $10 collected, $1 will be donated to the local food banks.

[Editor's note: Sorry for not posting this on time for the e-waste pick-up.  Heartwood House has a regular electronics drop-off: see my previous post.]

Take It Back

If you miss the e-cycle event you may be able to divert some of your garbage through the City of Ottawa’s Take it Back program. The site lists businesses that will take specific unwanted items. Call ahead to confirm that your items will be accepted. I found a place for my unwanted plastic garden pots, and those Styrofoam chips I was sent in the mail. A few years ago I managed to recycle my old dented aluminum shed at Cohen’s.

Hazardous Waste

The city has scheduled several hazardous waste recycling depots for the year. The next one will be on Saturday, May 2 in the Natural Resources Canada Parking Lot, between 405 Rochester Street and 550 Booth Street, just south of the Queensway. The disposal sites are open to City of Ottawa residents with household hazardous waste.

Hazardous waste includes such things as lightbulbs, thermometers, and oven cleaners. Anything corrosive, flammable or poisonous is considered hazardous, and shouldn’t be put into your regular garbage or poured down the drain.

I try to team up with another family, or an elderly neighbour and offer to take their waste in to the depot too. I often end up with a few extra jars and bottles that I know would have been slipped into the garbage.


 

April 22, 2009

Spring Cleaning Your Neighbourhood

Posted by greenlivingottawa under Ottawa, flora and fauna, waste reduction
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Written by guest blogger Eloise Collison. Eloise is a freelance writer, organic gardener, and fibre fanatic who lives and writes in Westboro.

Photo by Ian Collison

Cleaning the Capital: Apr 15 – May 15 — Clean Up Day: Sat Apr 25.

The annual Spring Cleaning the Capital Campaign is already underway. Thousands of volunteers from community groups, families, schools and clubs have registered their clean-up projects. They will be clearing the parks and ditches of the debris uncovered as the snow melted. If you haven’t registered you can still participate by cleaning up where you live or work, or in your favorite park.

Take care as you clean up. Dress appropriately, wear gloves, and look out for needles and condoms. Be extra careful if you are cleaning by the river, as the water levels are high at this time of the year.

Photo by Ben Collison
Ottawa River Spring Clean-Up Sun Apr 26, 2009, Ottawa, ON

The Ottawa Riverkeeper volunteers will be spring cleaning Westboro Beach with the help of Mountain Equipment Co-op. Meet at Westboro beach, at 9:00 am on April 26th, to clean-up the Ottawa River shoreline around Westboro Beach/Kitchissippi Beach.

The City of Ottawa is providing gloves, plastic bags, and trash disposal as this event is part of the spring clean-up of the Capital. This area can be muddy, please dress accordingly.

 

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