Ontario’s smog kills 9,500 a year
June 7, 2008
Air pollution causes 9,500 premature deaths a year in Ontario. New research from the Ontario Medical Association says that smog causes a worsening in respiratory and cardiac illnesses and contributes to earlier mortality as a result.
David Suzuki digs natural gardens
June 6, 2008
Want to show off your pesticide-free garden? The David Suzuki Foundation is kicking off its 2nd annual David Suzuki Digs My Garden contest – and this year, it features a garden gnome bearing a striking resemblance to a certain 72-year-old environmentalist. Ontarians are getting used to gardening the natural way, thanks to the announcement of a ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides earlier this year, so sign up to receive great green gardening tips and share the fruits (and vegetables) of your labour.
The green goods
June 5, 2008
Cool green stuff we stumbled across this week:
What better way to subversively draw attention to guerrilla gardening tactics than on a bicycle built for (seeded) spew? The Bloom bike device puts a whole new spin on “exhaust plumes” by attaching a reservoir-like-tube that emits bubbles and seeds as you peddle along pathways and paved surfaces. The Bloom is a clever way to encourage bike transport along with greening strategies that literally clean up the streets with vegetable based soap and seeds.
Bike lane battle
June 5, 2008
A battle over installing a new bike lane on Annette Street in the city’s west end illustrates why Toronto’s ambitious cycling plan has proceeded at such a painfully slow pace. The plan to take out a lane of traffic and add dedicated bike lanes pitted cyclists against merchants yesterday.
Got a great green idea for Toronto? Let City Hall help!
June 3, 2008
The City of Toronto is accepting applications from neighbourhood and community groups for funds to help with projects that reduce emissions, clean our air and protect our climate. A total of $9.5 million will be available over the next five years as part of the city’s Live Green Toronto program, a five-year, $20-million initiative to support community-based actions that green Toronto.
Green word watch
May 30, 2008
bad fuel day (noun)
The mood or feeling one experiences after having just filled his or her vehicle with $1.25+ per litre of gasoline. Usually consists of a sense of great economic despair, impending doom, anger, frustration, depression and/or a combination of all the above.
BYOB takes on new meaning at the LCBO
May 28, 2008
Picking up a bottle of wine on your way home? You’ll soon be carting it without the help of a plastic bag. The LCBO is phasing out plastic shopping bags as part of its ongoing efforts to go green. The switch to more environmentally friendly alternatives is expected to eliminate approximately 80 million plastic bags a year from landfills.
Social program for energy conservation announced
May 27, 2008
The Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC) and Toronto Hydro announced the launch of a social housing in-suite light bulb replacement program today - part of a larger sustainability program for housing providers and residents.
Canadian mag pioneers the “wheat sheet”
May 26, 2008
Canadian Geographic’s annual environment issue, which hit newsstands last week, is the first glossy magazine in North America to be published on paper made from the pulp of wheat straw. The mag’s publishers hope to send a message to others in the industry that adding agricultural waste to pulp mix can provide a new source of revenue for wheat farmers while easing some of the demand of pulp from Canada’s boreal forests.
Plant a tree!
May 22, 2008
Ontarians are being challenged to plant trees in their yards, neighbourhoods and communities to help green the environment and fight the effects of climate change. The Plant A Tree Challenge is part of the McGuinty government’s plan to plant 50 million trees by 2020 - the most ambitious project of its kind in North America and the single largest commitment to the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign.
