Eco-friendly Habit of the Week: Turn Off, Unplug, Go Out!

Now I realize this generation is infamous for its technical knowhow, its ability to multitask using several electronic devices at once and for its inability to entertain itself in a manner that is carbon neutral. Let's change that! When should you do these recommendations? As much as possible is the ideal answer, however I recommend doing these things after you've just finished dinner, work or school. Best way to make this a habit however, is to start by doing it once a week for an evening or so.

The Conditions:
- TURN OFF and/or UNPLUG all unnecessary electronic devices must be turned off, you can keep your alarm clock, fridge and stove but your stereo or mp3 player is definitely not necessary, also remember to turn off all unnecessary lights
- GO OUT in your backyard, on your front porch, to the park...anywhere! Just don't lounge at home surrounded by the temptation of turning something on and vegging out
- Don't spend (a lot of) money, less than $10 if you really need to but be frugal!
- Don't drive anywhere
- Do ride your bike, skateboard, etc. Anything that doesn't involve electricity is a welcome activity

What You Can Do:

1) Go to the library
Expand your mind without spending a cent!

2) Go to the park
Take a walk in the park and breathe in some fresh air. Bring some sports equipment and play a quick scrimmage with your friends or some strangers if you are the extroverted type.

3) Take a walk around your neighbourhood
My parents like to do this to see what our neighbours have done to their gardens and just to spend time together, it gives them ideas for their own garden which brings me to my next point...

4) Grow Your Own Garden
Use your time at the local library to find out what veggies and herbs grow best in your backyard or even look up what plants would do well on a windowsill inside your apartment. Tending to a garden can be very relaxing and also provides you some fresh fruit, veggies and/or herbs for yourself and to share with family, friends...even neighbours! If you'd rather plant like flowers, make sure to grow many butterfly friendly species. Our famous Canadian monarch butterflies are losing many of their habitats to human development.

5) Go to a live show!
Support your local musicians or acting companies by attending their free/inexpensive shows advertised in your local paper. Also if there are free events in the area (several communities have fairs, festivals and carnivals) attend them and say hello to your neighbours! It never hurts to go to something that's free!

6) Go to the museum/art gallery/zoo/science center...
Attendance numbers are dwindling and in an appeal to the younger generation, several of these fine institutions are offering either free or inexpensive nights for all, these are usually weeknights. Remember not to spend money when it comes to the gift shop!

7) Go for a ride
Bike, skate or board in a scenic part of the city, make sure to obey your signals and traffic laws though!

8) Go to the beach/the Islands!
Walk on the boardwalk, skip rocks, take pictures or just relax.

Leave a comment if you can think of anything else!

Waste Heat Recovery, Something Different but not New

Great read for the day from CNET, they're always great for new technology news. Just to convince you to read it, I'll quote something VERY promising:

One customer is taking wasted energy from a steel smelter to make 220 megawatts of electricity. That's on the order of a single large solar-power plant. Through waste heat recovery, the U.S. could generate the equivalent of 400 coal-fired power plants, Munson said.

A Note on Green Labels

The article below is definitely a promising turn of events. Although several environmentalists blame multinational corporations for the majority of the destruction of our environment they have the resources and the power to fuel the innovation in new environmentally beneficial technologies such as this one.

That being said, there is always an issue of "greenwashing" taking place when companies begin to promote their environmentally-friendly policies and products. Although green is good, sometimes when a company attaches a "green" label to a product, the truth is the product/company may be masking what they are actually doing during the production process of all their products.

Before I go further I do not believe Google is necessarily greenwashing their image to the public (I am sure there are those who disagree). I think they are making a tentative investment in a new technology (that is the nature of business, you weigh the risk and invest according). Although it would be very encouraging to see Google invest $100 million into the project, they are nonetheless a business.

However there is still something to be said about those green labels you see on many of the new products on our store shelves. To be honest, buying a 'green' product is not going to save the planet. Conserving energy, buying less, reducing our consumption of nonrenewable resources and doing our homework before we buy a product are the best ways to make a positive impact on the environment. It is only common sense to not believe everything you read! Caveat emptor fellow environmentalists!