Credit: Montgomery Cty Division of Solid Waste Services via Flickr

Plastic has been around for over 100 years. It’s become such a staple of our man made environment that we don’t think twice about it. Every day items from our clothing, vehicles, homes, electronics and more  contain plastics. It’s an incredible product that has allowed us to produce a wide range of items. But what was once a revolutionary product promising a bright future has become a blight from an environmental perspective.

Forever plastic takes a look at the history of plastic from it humble origins the incredible range of products we see today. But the real story in the documentary is a close look at the recycling of plastics, and the challenges faced by the recycling industry. Most of us assume that everything we put in our blue boxes gets recycled and we feel better having taken one small step to being green. But as the documentary shows, recycling isn’t always that simple.

Forever Plastic interviews a commodities trader, his job is to find a market for the recycled plastics. If there is no market demand for a particular type of plastic it gets sorted out from the recycled items and often either accumulates in storage or is brought to a landfill. It was shocking to see how little of the recycled items were of no value to his firm as he had no buying market to take certain plastics. Only 1/3 of the plastics in a blue bin were re-usable in the sample shown.

For example the clear plastic egg cartons that are often assumed to be recyclable are in fact not being recycled at all. It turns out there is no market for that particular type of plastic. Which means these containers are simple shipped to a landfill in the end. Even if the manufacturer creates a product with recyclable plastic it may not be recyclable, it depends what recycling processing plants exist in your community and if there is a market for that particular plastic.

To add more confusion to the mix, it turns out what most people think is a recycling symbol on the bottom of plastic packaging does not actually indicate a product is recyclable at all. The triangular arrows present on most packages is called a mobius loop, this symbol is not owned by anyone and it’s application is not regulated in any way. In 1988 the society of the plastics industry decided to incorporate this logo in their resin identification system. The plastics industry added a number inside the arrows, but all this indicates is what resin the plastic is made out of. So when you see this logo on the bottom of a package it doesn’t necessarily guarantee recyclability, it’s actually quite meaningless except for the number inside which indicates the type of plastic it is.  But the plastics industry refuses to change the misunderstood symbol.

The government of Canada has made recommendations to the plastics industry. Namely that the manufacturers clearly label the front of the product with a recycling symbol that indicates a product is truly recyclable. But these are just voluntary guidelines, manufacturers are free to choose if they want to follow the guidelines.

As it turns out recycling isn’t as simple as one might think. It involves many companies, manufactures, markets and different regulations in each municipality. The manufacturers say they have done their due diligence, and point to the recyclers, the recyclers point to the market demand, and the market points back to the governing body.

Forever plastic was a great documentary, it really showed how much work there is to do in Canada before we have a truly green recycling program. So what can consumers do? Recycling is defenitely something that should be continued, but it’s important consumers get involved. Contact your city, town or municipality. Often they have a list of acceptable products on their website or can direct you to the information elsewhere. And most of all get involved let your civic officials know you want better and more thorough recycling in your area.

For more information on Forever Plastic click here

Credit: Aaron Escobar via Flickr

Earth Day is on Wednesday, April 22nd, to mark the occasion Investors Group on Waverley is hosting an Earth Day E-Waste Drop Off.  If you have any electronics equipment that you want to dispose of, instead of throwing them in the garbage, please bring them to their office between 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM.  Investors will have a drop off site set up in their front parking lot.  Items accepted are as follows;

• TVs
• Computer monitors
• Desktop computers
• Laptop computers
• VCRs / Stereos
• Phones / Cell Phones
• Scanners / Copiers / Fax Machines
• Microwave Ovens
• Rechargeable batteries

Location:   1345 Waverley Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba   (the corner of McGillivray Blvd. & Waverley Street)
For more details, please call (204) 489-4640.

The public is welcome to use this service, so tell your friends. Please note this is for individuals only, no bulk drop offs will be accepted.

Credit 96dpi via Flickr

Like most Canadians over the years I’ve been told of our abundant freshwater resources, and how we are one of the richest countries when it comes to fresh water resources. Numerous reports have been publishes that put our global fresh water share at varying amounts; 25%, 20% and so on. Either way many people would agree, we have an abundance of fresh water. Or do we?

Upon closer examination it becomes clear that only a fraction of the fresh water we currently have is renewable. Again there are varying stats but I’ve read numbers such as only 7%, 9% etc of our national fresh water supply is renewable. That means most of our fresh water is tied into non renewable resources such as glaciers, icebergs and other resources that are in retreat. Withe the onset of global warming it only speeds up the diminishing nature of these non renewable resources.

Many climate and water experts now believe that water scarcity in many countries will reach a global crisis in the latter part of this century, wich raises the possbility of conflict in certain parts of the world.

The myth of abundant, never ending fresh water seems so tied to our public psyche here in Canada that most of us take it for granted. Perhaps that’s why Canadians are amongst the top consumers of fresh water per capita in the world. In fact Canadians use more than twice the water people in Europe use.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, with simple steps we can reduce our consumption. GoBlue.org is a site created by Unilever canada, it discusses the issues above in detail and gives tips on how you can reduce your water consumption in your home.

Visit GoBlue.org
More stats on Canadian water use in Canada

SOIL: Sasha Kramer (right)

Haiti is the poorest contry in the western hemisphere, it is estimated 80% of it’s population is living in poverty. An already bad situation has been made worse by the desertification of this small carribean country. In 1925, Haiti was lush, with 60% of its original forest covering the lands and mountainous regions. Since then, the population has cut down all but an estimated 2% of its original forest cover, and in the process has destroyed fertile farmland soils.

In a country where many struggle to feed themselves having fertile soil to grow food and crops is essential. A friend has written in about Sasha Kramer and Sarah Brownell two women who run a non-profit grop called SOIL in haiti. Their goal is to raise funds and teach haitiens how to build composting toilets. Composting toilest turn human waste into valuable fertilizer without the use of water or chemicals. And when built properly they omit few odors and can be quite safe.

By providing a natural source of fertilizer this allows SOIL to empower communities and help rebuild their ability to feed themselves and flourish. SOIL is a small non profit and they’re looking for help to continue their work.

Here is a quote from Sasha about their need for funding:

We know that times have been tough everywhere and certainly our organization has felt the pinch with donations dropping in response to the economic crisis.  We currently have enough money to continue to function through the month of April but with our rent coming due in early May and no vehicle we are still struggling to stay afloat. Our network has been so generous in the past and we are so grateful to all of you who have supported us over the past few years…you have made this work a reality and it is such an honor to be part of such a compassionate group of people.

More on composting toilets; in the west we aren’t as familiar with this concept but it has been proven safe and effective, there are experiments with composting toilets in some countries including Europe, Canada and the US. One example is the three-story C.K. Choi Building at the University of British Columbia (Canada), which contains 5 compost chambers with 12 toilets for 300 full-time employees.

Read more about SOIL in Haiti
Visit the SOIL homepage, they are in need of any donations you can spare
More about composting toilets

Free Flow Turbine

When someone says hydro power, most of us think large concrete structures holding back million of gallons of water to generate electricity. But what if there was another way to use a river’s natural currents to produce electricity? Possible without placing large concrete structures within a biosphere and disrupting the natural currents or water mass? Among solar panels, and wind turbines is another technology that has potential to generate power for cities adjacent to moving bodies of water: Free Flow Underwater Turbines.

Very simply, it works like a wind turbine along the bed of a river, but the blades are moved by a water current instead of by the wind. The turbine blades rotate slowly allowing fish to pass through safely with minimal environmental impact. One of the disadvantages of wind turbines are days when there is no wind or it’s not sufficient to generate power, not so with free flow turbines, since the current runs all day every day there is no period where the turbine is inactive.

Last year Ontario invested 2.2 million into the Cornwall Ontario River Energy project, it’s goal to develop 15MW of power as a demonstration of the feasibility and commercial viability of free flow underwater turbines.

More info on these unique turbines
Information about the C.O.R.E project in Ontario

SF Landfill Entrance

The city of San Francisco is one of the greenest cities in the US. (More on this coming in future posts.) So it’s not surprising to find that its landfill doesn’t fit the standard stereotype.  They are very careful to sort all incoming waste so that everything which can be recycled is, in addition, they also have strict policies on handling items such as electronics and chemicals.

If it stopped there you might think it wasn’t that impressive, however they have incorporated interpretive centers for visitors, green spaces and even artists in residence into their landfill. Have a look at Treehuggers’ photo gallery for details. It will make you think twice about what a landfill should be, and what role a landfill can play in helping to slow the environmental impact caused by our throw away society.

Visit the gallery on Treehugger.com

Credit: Shrff14 via Flickr

With the amount of money we spend on bottled water we could bring fresh water to all the people in the world who need it. The American people, including most western nations, have been conned into thinking that bottled water is healthier than tap water. In fact the regulations for tap water in the US are much stiffer than for bottled water in most situations. The same is true of most western countries and as regulations pass in other parts of the world the same holds true there as well.

Bottled water costs about a thousand times as much as tap water. We complain about the higher prices of gasoline but we’ll pay even more for water that’s often inferior to what we can get from the tap.

And this doesn’t take into account the environmental impact from bottled water. Oil is used to produce the plastic bottles and even more oil and energy is consumed transporting and distributing a product that we can get from our taps for next to nothing per liter.

Bottled water is one of the easiest items to remove from your carbon footprint. Get a reusable canteen such as a sigg or kleen kanteen and open the tap. If you don’t like the taste of your water get a Brita pitcher and filter your water. While Brita filters have their own environmental issues, such as distribution and adding to landfills, they aren’t as significant as those presented by bottled water.

For more on bottled water and related issues follow the links below:
Treehugger: A world of reasons to ditch bottled water
Earth Policy Institute: Pouring Resources Down the Drain

Credit: D'arcy Norman via Flickr

Until a few years ago the Alberta Oil Sands were too expensive to develop. The oil industry had know about them for years but getting the oil it held out of the ground was costly. Eighty dollars a barrel changed that reality. Today these  boreal forests are being cut down so that the sand can be boiled and the oil extracted. It’s a process that uses an incredible amount of resources and leaves a pollution footprint that is difficult if not impossible to clean up.

This 15 part series (each part approx. 6 minutes) put on VBS.tv takes a hard look at the oil sands and it’s effect on the community that exists around it. What is an energy jewel in the eyes of Canada’s current political leaders, turns out to be a black eye for the environment and for all of us.

Warning: this video series uses some coarse language.

Watch the series here

Credit: Edkholer via flickr

Have any appliances that use “stand by mode”? You can often find these on televisions, stereos, computers and other electronice devices. When not in use these devices are designed to go into “stand by” mode, this way when you want to use them they can be instantly turned back on. Problem is they are still drawing power even when not in use.

According to the Green Party of Canada:

Standby power accounts for 10 per cent of US residential electricity consumption, or more than US$6 billion annually.  In 2004, “vampire power” consumed almost 130 million MWh – equal to the output of 36 power plants

The simplest method of dealing with these nasty devices is to keep them plugged into a power bar with a switch, when you want to use them just turn the switch on. For more information on vampire and what you can do about it follow the links below:

Article on vampire power at worldchanging.com
The Green Party of Canada on vampire power

Lester Brown

Lester Brown knows a thing or two about the challenges we face globally. To paraphrase the introduction to the presentation by Doug Fine, about Lester Brown Doug states “His (Lester Brown’s)  report and now book “Who will feed China?” Did what no threatened Olympic boycott could, it scared the countries leaders into changing policy.” The Washington Post called him “one of the world’s most influential thinkers”.

In this presentation Lester goes over some the of the most pressing challenges we face globally over the coming decades, what he outlines is alarming and enlightening. It would be easy to simply want to give up if you stopped listening after the first third of his presentation, but that would be a mistake. In his measured and carefully prepared manner Lester outlines what we can do to avoid some of these problems. It leaves you with a feeling that something can be done. But his most important point is saved for the end, Lester urges us all to get involved:

“Saving civilization is not a spectator sport we all need to get involved”

Listen to Lester’s presentation
The earth Policy Institute