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May 30, 2010

Environment Week and Beyond…

Posted by greenlivingottawa under Ottawa, arts and culture, building, energy, health, reduce, transportation, volunteering
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Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who tries to ride her bike even though she doesn’t have much of a commute some days.

Environment Week 2010 is May 30-June 5. It’s scheduled to coincide with the UN’s World Environment Day on June 5. In Ottawa, Environment Week is quickly followed by Bike to Work Week, so it might be a good time to get a tune-up if your bike needs one.

Here are some of the events coming up in Ottawa:

May 30-June 5: Commuter Challenge

Commuter Challenge is a Canada-wide program to get people walking, running, rollerblading, cycling, taking public transit, carpooling or teleworking instead of using their cars. Individuals and workplaces can register online. The site will also track which cities and workplaces have the highest participation over the week (last year Ottawa was 4th in Canada).

June 2-6: Environment Week Film Festival
An impressive array of films – some twenty documentaries in all — will be shown at the Canadian Museum of Nature’s new theatre, in partnership with the Planet in Focus International Film & Video Festival. Schedule at http://nature.ca/en/plan-your-visit/what-see-do/whats/environment-week-film-festival-0. Call 613-566-4791 or visit the Museum reception desk for tickets.

June 2: Clean Air Day

You can find information and suggestions for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions at the Clean Air Day website. At Ottawa City Hall from 12 noon-1 pm, Councillor Clive Doucet and the Netherlands Embassy will present speakers, cycling groups and a “best dressed” bike commuter contest (see www.commuterchallenge.ca).

June 7-11: Bike to Work Week
Sign up or get information at EnviroCentre, or join the Celebration Station on the Ottawa River Pathway by the War Museum on June 8, a free cycling lunch and learn at City Hall on June 9 at noon, or the BBQ on Bank Street between Laurier and Slater on June 10 from 11:30-1:30.

Also coming up soon:

June 5-6: Doors Open Ottawa

Intended to promote heritage, architecture and design, Doors Open Ottawa is also a great way to learn more about how we live in our environment. The 119 buildings that will open their doors to the public include the C.D. Howe Building, the first federal building in downtown Ottawa with a “green roof”; the Fleet Street Pumping Station and Aqueduct, Ottawa’s first waterworks, the Lemieux Island Purification Plant, one of the city’s two water purification plants, and the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre for wastewater treatment; and the Rideau Valley Conservation Centre and Minto EcoHome. Not all buildings are open both days, so check the website for sites and hours.

June 11: Sustainability Summit
Choosing our Future is hosting a Sustainability Summit at City Hall for citizens and community leaders to discuss how we can become a more sustainable, resilient and livable community. More information online or call 613-580-2424, ext. 14686 or e-mail info@choosingourfuture.ca.

 

May 27, 2010

Handkerchief Season

Posted by greenlivingottawa under health, household, organic, personal care, reduce, reuse
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Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who has worked in international and community development, and is trying to figure out how to connect the local with the global in her everyday life.

I’m glad it’s spring.

I don’t know what it was these past few months, but my family went through two kinds of stomach flu, two bouts with low fevers and coughs, and a nasty cold. Nothing serious, thankfully, but low-grade annoying.

I’m grateful that we have (1) a ready supply of water (and an energy-efficient washing machine); (2) a green bin that allows for composting tissues; and (3) Hankettes.

Hankettes are these soft organic cotton cloth handkerchiefs that are great for wiping noses as well as cleaning washable marker off 4-year-olds’ stomachs (don’t ask), and numerous other uses. I picked up a pocket pack of them a few years ago at Arbour Environmental Shoppe in the Glebe. They still look and feel almost new.

I must admit to a deeper connection with those small off-white squares of cloth. After I’d first purchased some, I was visiting my dad in BC a year or two after my mom passed away. I found out that Hankettes is a small family-run business near where my parents lived in Sechelt on BC’s Sunshine Coast. My dad and I found their trailer on a wooded lot near a small house. The proprieter, Lesley, was friendly and we laughed about me coming all the way from Ottawa seeking Hankettes. I bought a few more, along with a colourful box to fold them into so they pull out like tissues. I also ended up with two organic cotton towels, and my dad, a long-time handkerchief user, bought a few of the larger Hankettes.

My dad passed away a couple of years later, and I haven’t been back to Sechelt or the trailer. But when my sisters and I cleared out my parents’ house, I found a couple of my dad’s Hankettes — somehow comforting, in more ways than one.

When I checked recently, Arbour was still carrying Hankettes, which can also be found online.

After all, allergy season is coming soon.

 

April 20, 2010

Earth Day in Ottawa, 2010

Posted by greenlivingottawa under Ottawa, arts and culture, books, climate change, energy, fair trade, food, health, household, media, organic, waste reduction
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Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who generally tries to do the right thing if she can figure out what that is.

April 22 is Earth Day. In fact, this year it’s Earth Day’s 40th birthday, and its 20th in Canada. And there’ll be a big party: over a billion people in 190 countries are expected to participate in some kind of Earth Day activities, according to the Earth Day Network, which calls Earth Day “the largest secular civic event in the world”.

Finding this out made me curious about the Day. It began in 1970 in the U.S. as a protest by 20 million Americans against environmental degradation. It’s had an interesting history. The April 22 Earth Day is distinct from the UN”s World Environment Day held June 5 and from other Earth Days that are celebrated at the equinox.

Why this Earth Day? For some people, Earth Day is about grassroots movements drawing attention to and doing something about environmental concerns. But can one day, or even a week, make a difference?

I like the David Suzuki Foundation’s approach. This year it’s launched an Earth Week Book Swap, as I found out while visiting my local Bridgehead coffee shop with friends recently instead of finishing this post (thanks, you two!). The David Suzuki Foundation recognises that communities in which people are engaged are capable of doing something about local and global problems. So it’s encouraging people to swap books at local community spaces and coffee shops where people meet up, to connect and share ideas. As Foundation blogger Kim Peterson writes, community action comes from individuals who know each other and share concerns, important to remember when we’re trying to tackle big issues like climate change or overconsumption.

One more Earth Day is not likely to change the world, but it’s a reminder to reflect on what we can do to live sustainably, and a chance to participate in activities that also build environmentally-aware communities, whether those communities are local, global or both.

In Ottawa, many schools, organisations, businesses and government representatives are hosting Earth Day-related activities this week. Earth Day Ottawa, Earth Day Canada and Ecology Ottawa all have event listings. Here are a few highlights:

Wednesday, April 21:

  • A screening of Toxic Trespass, a film about children’s health and the environment, 7:30-9:30 pm at Glebe St. James United Church, 650 Lyon St.

Thursday, April 22:

  • Envirocentre’s Sustainable Transportation Fair, 11 am-2 pm at Place Bell, 160 Elgin St. Information about sustainable transportation options like car sharing, cycling and air travel.
  • Writers’ Festival events:
    • The big idea: How Canadians are changing the way we eat at 12 noon at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St. Sarah Elton, food columnist for CBC Radio’s Here & Now, talks about the local food movement;
    • Global perspectives: Oil and the end of globalization, 6:30 pm at the Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St. Jeff Rubin, economist, energy expert and author of Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller speaks on local revitalisation;
    • Global Perspectives: The Necessary Revolution, 8 pm at the Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St. Joe Laur, Rabbi, teacher, Senior Manager of Greenopolis.com, and co-author (with Peter M. Senge) of The Necessary Revolution speaks on new stories and new strategies for addressing social and environmental problems.

For details see http://www.writersfestival.org/events.html.

Saturday, April 24:

  • Ottawa Eco-Stewardship Fair, 10 am-5 pm at the RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Dr. Exhibits by businesses, governments and non-profit organisations, with local artists, a 100 mile lunch, bike festival and more.

For ideas about how to live sustainably throughout the rest of the year, see Earth Day Canada at http://www.ecoactionteams.ca/pub/index.php and the David Suzuki Foundation.  Please let us know of other Earth Day events and links you’d like to share.

 

April 6, 2010

Know More, Do More

Posted by greenlivingottawa under Ottawa, food, health, household, personal care
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Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who generally tries to do the right thing if she can figure out what that is.

Ever notice how living more sustainably goes hand in hand with healthy living? What’s good for us human beings tends to be good for the planet, whether it’s biking rather than driving, getting out for a hike instead of playing video games, or growing more of our own food and buying less processed food.

We know this, but a recent study suggests we aren’t always making healthy choices. That’s why several health partners in Ontario’s Champlain Health Region, which includes Ottawa, have launched the Know More Do More campaign.

The campaign is focused on children and parents although has tips that everyone might be able to use. (According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadians of all ages are at increased risk for heart disease, half are at an unhealthy weight, and less than half of us are getting enough physical activity.)

Know more – some findings:

  • Children should be getting 90 minutes of physical activity every day. But 87% of children in the region are not getting this, even though 90% of parents consider their child to be active or very active;
  • 10% of youth in Canada are getting less than 2 hours of screen time per day;
  • Only 1 in 8 Ontario children eats the recommended 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

Do more – suggestions include:

  • Make a list of physical activities you enjoy and pick one to do this week;
  • Pick out a new recipe this week to try as a family;
  • Organize a scavenger hunt with some other families;
  • Participate in a TV Turnoff Challenge for Screens Free Week April 19-25 and September 19-25;
  • Borrow a pedometer from the Ottawa Public Library (for individuals) or Ottawa Public Health (for business and community groups) and have fun counting steps.

The Know More Do More website has lots more tips and links. You can sign up there to participate (or just do it on your own). For inspiration and moral support, check out Ottawa resident Andrea Tomkins’ blog, a peek inside the fishbowl. Tomkins, along with Tracy Gorman in Petawawa, have signed up as “champion” families for the initiative.

I could say more, but the rest of my family is calling me to go fly a kite – guess I can’t say no to that now!

 

October 7, 2009

Ottawa’s Vital Signs

Posted by greenlivingottawa under flora and fauna, health, household, 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.

Ottawa River by Denise Deby

The Community Foundation of Ottawa has released Ottawa’s Vital Signs 2009, a report on the results of its “annual checkup” of Ottawa.  The report presents indicators of Ottawa’s quality of life, along 11 different dimensions, including the environment.

According to the report, Ottawa has done well in some ways, less so in others.  For example:

  • Most Ottawa households recycle glass, paper, plastic and cans (rating: “very good”).
  • At least 24 species in the Ottawa River valley are at risk of becoming endangered, due to threats to their habitat (rating: “poor”).
  • Combined storm water and untreated sewage overflowed into the Ottawa River on average 100 times per year between 2005 and 2008 (rating: “very poor”).

Community members who participated in coming up with the rankings considered the environment one of the 4 top priorities for Ottawa, along with health and wellness, the gap between rich and poor people, and housing.  The report’s “vital signs” and “checkup” metaphors also draw attention to the links between the natural environment, human health, equality, belonging and other indicators of well-being.

The Community Foundation of Ottawa will be holding “community conversations” free of charge for the public to discuss the priorities and what to do about them.  The first of these will be on Tuesday, October 20 from 2-4 p.m. at the Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch.

 

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