"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world."*

What's New for 2008

Concerned about cleaning products for bathrooms? Read this informative report from National Geographic, which lists old fashioned Bon-Ami in the "best" category, and explains labels and ingredients.

Concerned about fast traffic near schools, or in your neighbourhood? Become a Neighbourhood Pace Car, promoted by Ecology Action Centre. Read how you can start this program in your community.

New product: Read about CCCFs (cold cathode compact fluorescent) lights, which can be used in dimmer lights and motion-sensor lights.

View a few photos of Antarctica, and see what we are in danger of losing.

Turn online purchases into donations to an environmental organization Visit ClickGreener.com and find your favourite retailer. Click on their logo and you'll be connected to their online store. Find the product you're interested in and make your purchase as usual. ClickGreener.com will then pass on 51 per cent of the referral fees they collect to the Canadian Wildlife Federation and other participating nonprofits.

New Book: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products by investigative journalist Mark Schapiro.

Film Review: Leonardo DiCaprio's 11th hour

Learn more about climate change at a very readable new website geared to sharing info about global warming from a Canadian perspective, by a young Vancouver man.

Climate Change and Your Home

The following was prepared by the Green Gatherings Home/Energy/Recycling Interest Group and was presented at our September meeting.

You can substantially lessen your environmental impact, especially your use of water, energy, and chemicals, by making changes in the kitchen, bath, and laundry rooms of your home.

According to Environment Canada, each person in our country uses 340 litres of water per day. That’s twice the amount that each European uses.

Here’s the breakdown:

  • Showers and baths use 35%.
  • Food prep and drinking use 10%.
  • Toilet flushing uses 30%.
  • Cleaning uses 5%.
  • Laundry uses 20%.

Tips to reduce household water use in the kitchen

1. Fix that dripping faucet. A leak at 1 drop per second wastes 10,000 litres of fresh water per year and costs you $100. This is one of the easiest repairs the homeowner can do.
2. Watch your dishwasher. Dishwashers use from 35 to 45 litres of water per cycle. Dishwashers can save water over hand washing after every meal because they tend to be operated only once a day. However, skip the pre-rinse cycle and scrape off food by hand. Be sure to wash only full loads as well.
3. Install a water-efficient faucet aerator. These inexpensive little gadgets reduce water flow. Those designed for kitchens allow more flow that those meant for bathroom sinks so filling a pot won’t take forever.
4. Keep cold water in the fridge. That way, you don’t need to run your water each time to get a cold drink.
5. Steam your food whenever possible. If you must boil your vegetables, use only enough water to cover the foods. Steaming conserves more nutrients anyway! Veggies can be steamed on top of potatoes, saving water and another dirty pot.
6. Clean fruits and veggies in a partially filled sink . Rinse them quickly.
7. Take foods out of the freezer early to allow them time to thaw. Thawing foods under running water is a waste.
8. Sink garbage disposal systems are water wasters! They may consume hundreds of litres of water each week. Consider composting.
9. Choose the right water-softening system. If you have a water softener, make sure it is the type that regenerates the softening agent only when necessary, not on a fixed-time or water-volume basis. A mid-sized system can use 350 litres every time it regenerates the softening agent. If this back flushing happens several times a month, it can add up to 10,000 litres of water wasted each year.

Tips to reduce water use in the bathroom

(NOTE: Since the bathroom accounts for 65% of the water used inside the home, this is a good place to conserve!)


1. Shaving: Save 10 to 20 litres of water when you shave by filling the basin instead of letting the water run.
2. Brushing your teeth: Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
3. Turn off taps tightly but gently, so they don’t drip.
4. Take quick showers instead of baths. If you bathe, fill the tub only ½ full.
5. Install a low-flow shower head.
6. If you bathe, add the hot water first, then adjust with the cold water.
7. Flush the toilet only when necessary. Check for leaks by dropping food colouring in the holding tank. If it turns up in the bowl, you have a silent leak that could waste 45 litres of water an hour!
8. Place a large jar of water in the toilet tank to reduce water use. Be sure it doesn’t block the proper functioning of the toilet, however.
9. Do not use the toilet as a wastepaper basket!
10. Install a low-flow toilet. They have become a lot more efficient in recent years.

Energy saving ideas for the laundry room

1. When buying appliances, look for the ENERGYSTAR logo. These are the most energy-efficient appliances on the market.
2. Heating water: A family of four can spend $600 a year to heat water. Set the thermostat back to 50 degrees Celsius. This cuts heating costs 12 to 14%.
3. Insulate your hot water tank and pipes. Wrap your tank in a blanket and your hot and cold water pipes in foam insulation for the first 3 metres.
4. Turn the water heater off if not home for more than a day.
5. Drain your hot water tank a little every 6 months. This cleans out sediment for better efficiency.
6. Wash in cold water and save on your power bill!
7. Purchase a front-load washer. Front-load washers use 40% less water and 50% less energy. They also spin out more water, reducing drying time.
8. Remove clothes from dryer before they are bone dry!
9. Use a clothesline as often as possible.

Energy-saving ideas for the kitchen

1. The refrigerator needn't be too cold. Set your fridge temperature to 3-5 degrees Celsius and your freezer to –17 to -15 degrees Celsius. Your fridge accounts for up to 15% of your household energy usage.
2. Check that the fridge door is well sealed.
3. Keep your fridge efficient! Vacuum the coils in the back of the fridge and the air intake area below.
4. Use the oven efficiently. For efficiency when using the oven, try to bake more than one dish at a time.
5. Bake in ceramic or glass and reduce the oven temperature by 25%!
6. Keep the oven door closed. Peeking causes about 20% of the heat to escape.
7. Do not use a small pot on a large burner. Try to keep pot size and burner diameter similar.
8. Keep a lid on it! Only cook without the lid when it is integral to the recipe.
9. Keep metal burners clean so they reflect heat better.
10. Use a toaster oven for baking and roasting smaller meals. Smaller appliances mean bigger energy savings.

To Reduce Your Use of Toxic Products

Chemical cleaners and laundry detergents are polluting our waterways and our home environments. Most ingredients of household cleaners are not listed on the label. Anything labeled “ danger”, “poison”, or “ corrosive” is likely to be the most toxic and should be avoided. Products labeled “warning” could make you really sick but will not kill you. Labels stating “caution” are slightly toxic. It’s best to use natural products or purchase ready-made cleaners that are less harmful from companies such as Nature Clean, Citra-Solv, Down East, and Seventh Generation. These products can be found in the health-food sections of local supermarket chains, at health-food stores, and online. They range from around $5 for smaller sizes to $15 for large refill bottles. Anti-bacterial products should also be avoided as they are harmful when their ingredients enter the waterways. Also, avoid chlorine bleach, which can react with chemicals in the environment to create dioxin, a hormone-disrupter that builds up in our tissues.

Home-made cleaning recipes for a cleaner planet:

  • Kitchen degreaser: 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in spray bottle or 1 drop of essential oil (from health food store) plus a sprinkle of salt.
  • Glass cleaner: ¼ cup vinegar, ½ cup natural dish detergent, and 2 cups water. Wipe with newpaper for streak-free shine.
  • Toilet bowl cleaner: ¼ cup Borax and ¼ cup vinegar. Let sit a few hours, then scrub.
  • Soap scum, mold and mildew remover: Try making a paste with baking powder or Borax and water. Also try, straight vinegar, heated and left for 5 minutes before cleaning.
  • Furniture polish: 1 cup of olive oil and a squirt of lemon juice.
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Next Green Gathering

Our October 28, 2007, meeting will be held at 7 pm at Brookfield Fire & Emergency Services (the fire hall), 110 Highway 289 East, Brookfield. Topic and guest speaker to be announced.

Our November 25, 2007, meeting will be held at 7 pm at the Middle Stewiacke Recreation Centre. Carpooling will be available from Brookfield, and we encourage those attending from other communities to carpool also. Please contact us if you want to carpool or are interested in helping out in any other way. The Middle Stewiacke Recreation Centre is located in the former Middle Stewiacke elementary school and is next to the fire station.
  • Topic: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
  • Guest Speaker: Deborah Searl, Environment and Education Office, Municipality of the County of Colchester

Please click here to see notes from our last (June) meeting. See below for a report on our Canada Day activities.

Green Gatherings Display on Canada Day

To keep up our summer momentum, Green Gatherings were part of Canada Day celebrations in the community of Brookfield, at the Brookfield Train Station Museum. During the festivities, The Green Song had a "world premiere". It brought many smiles and chuckles from the crowd, and drew them in to the Museum to view our display of poster-boards, to learn about global warming and what they can do to help. Various handouts were available, including the Canadian Living Go Green Guide, a list of "things to do" from various organizations, and some material from Clean Nova Scotia, including the Drive Wiser program.

We asked people to tell us their "pet peeve" about the environment. Here is some of what they told us:
  • People who do not compost at all
  • People are not responding fast enough (e.g., to save the polar bear)
  • People who litter
  • Trucks idling needlessly
  • Same as those mentioned!
  • Lights left on in large buildings at night
  • Styrofoam packaging
  • Too much packaging
  • Litter on the street
  • Paper coffee cups on the road
  • Snowbirds -- a waste of energy
  • Junk mail
  • Polluting the ocean
  • Disposable mops
  • Lack of regulations to enforce manufacturers to use environmental friendly packaging

People also shared with us what they are doing now -- and the good news is that they are doing quite a lot already; however, there's still more that can be done, especially in the area of well maintained, non-idling, fuel-efficient vehicles. On a CBC program recently, David Suzuki said that for people in rural areas, the best thing you can do is purchase a fuel-efficient vehicle, from a dealer as close as possible to your home.

Did you know that cuts of up to 70% are required to keep atmospheric CO2 at double pre-industrial levels? On a personal basis, you can achieve this by doing the things recommended by Tim Flannery in his book, The Weather Makers:

  • Understand how you use electricity, and ask about a green power option. If your supplier doesn’t have a green power option, dump them and go to a competitor.
  • In the developed world, about 1/3 of CO2 emissions result from domestic power, and 1/3 of that is for hot water. Install solar panels and let the sun do the heating.
  • Choose energy-efficient appliances air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration. Turn off appliances when not being used.
  • Generate your own electricity through solar panels.
  • If you cannot buy a hybrid, buy the smallest, most fuel-efficient car possible.
  • Ask your employer to have an energy audit done.

As Mr. Flannery says, "I have done my best to fashion a manual on the use of Earth’s thermostat. Now it’s over to you."

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The Green Song

(Tune: If You’re happy and you Know It)

If you want to stop polluting, take a walk
If you want to stop polluting, take a walk
Walk a mile for Terry Fox,
You can do it in your socks,
If you want to stop polluting, take a walk.

If you want to grow a garden, save your scraps,
If you want to grow a garden, save your scraps,
Take them to the compost bin,
Lift the lid and drop them in,
If you want to grow a garden, save your scraps.

If you want to save on fuel, ride a bike,
If you want to save on fuel, ride a bike,
Doesn’t matter who you are,
Get a bike and park your car,
If you want to save on fuel, ride a bike.

If you want to save on plastics, take a sack,
If you want to save on plastics, take a sack,
Make a cotton bag or more,
Take them with you to the store,
If you want to save on plastics, take a sack.

You can be a friend of nature, save the earth,
You can be a friend of nature, save the earth,
Take a walk and save your scraps,
Ride a bike and take a sack,
You can be a friend of nature, save the earth.
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Notes from our June Meeting

Community Room, Fire Hall
Brookfield, Nova Scotia
June 24, 2007

“If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed."
--Chinese Proverb

Gathering agenda:

Attendees: 18 people from Middle Stewiacke, Halifax, Shortt’s Lake, Brookfield, and Birch Hill.
Displays/handouts: The Climate Change display (four poster boards) was available for viewing, with the following new materials:

  • Brochures on Colchester County agriculture and the Ecology Action Centre.
  • Copies of “10 things to do” taken from nine organizations’ websites, including those of the World Wildlife Fund, Sierra Club, and Ecology Action Centre.
  • Copies of the Canadian Living GoGreen Guide (permission to copy has been obtained.
  • Handouts from Clean Nova Scotia.
  • Contest: "Guess the Date of the Sobey’s Bag"
  • "Pet Peeve" and "Share What you Do" poster board.

Introduction

Brief background to our first meeting and how we got started and a reminder that our new website, http://www.greengatherings.org/, holds notes from Green Gatherings, nifty lists of things you can do, and starting in July, a “What’s New” section.

Guest speaker

Mr. Mike Gale, Program Officer, Clean Nova Scotia, reviewed this organization’s programs. Established in 1988, Clean Nova Scotia is a nonprofit, nongovernment environmental organization that emphasizes the importance of individual action to create environmental change. They work with Nova Scotians to help them understand the importance of environmental responsibility and to provide them with the means to make positive decisions about the environment.

Clean NS has activities, programs, and services in these areas: climate change/energy, solid waste, water, health and environment, and activities for children. Some examples of programs and information available:

  • Green Yards Sustainable Landscaping. This program of free on-site assessments is currently available only in HRM; however free advice is available outside HRM through the GreenLine at (902) 420-6593.
  • Drive Wiser Vehicle Fuel Efficiency is a province-wide program providing driving and maintenance tips for reducing fuel consumption and GHG emissions. Visit http://www.drivewiser.ca/. This program also travels across the province for major events or by request to help educate Nova Scotians about running cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Drive Wiser will be taking part in the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition, Bible Hill, on August 23rd.
  • Eco Energy Retrofit Program (with grant $ available!) is a rebate program in which an advisor makes home visits and tests/assesses for energy efficiency. The visit takes 2-3 hours and is followed by a report with recommendations. Renovations are made and the assessor returns, assesses changes, and writes report to government, whereupon an incentive (rebate) is mailed to the homeowner based on changes for energy efficiency. (Insulation and air sealing are two steps that often generate the biggest improvements.) In future, this program is expanding to cover small businesses. A company called Sustainable Housing Education conducts assessments in Colchester county. The toll-free number 1-877-722-2842.
  • The Climate Change Centre provides education and outreach on what people can do regarding energy savings. The current focuses of the CCC is faith groups, First Nations, youth, educators, and students. Water and space heating account for 84% of an average Nova Scotian Household’s energy use.
  • The Environmental Home Assessment Program is designed to assess water usage and safety regarding wells, septic systems, and oil tanks. This program is FREE. Two people signed up for this program during the evening.

Clean Nova Scotia may be reached at 126 Portland Street, Dartmouth; by phone, 1-800-665-LESS; by email: cns@clean.ns.ca; on the World Wide Web at http://www.clean.ns.ca/. They have a free quarterly online newsletter.

Interest Group Updates:

The Food & Gardening Interest Group gave a very informative talk on “eating local”, with references to our own Colchester County Agriculture brochure, Community Supported Agriculture, and the Ecology Action Centre’s new cookbook Eating by the Seasons (available for $10 + postage from EAC). The full text of this talk is available below.

The Communications/Awareness Interest Group shared the results of a chat with this group regarding Green Gatherings formats/venues/scheduling approaches. To generate interest, there is a “Guess the Date of the Sobey’s Bag” contest (draw date July 21), and folks are invited to share what they are doing today and to tell us their Pet Peeves about the environment. More great ideas for promotion are just awaiting eager folks to implement them! If you have an interest in helping on a small activity, please let her know. A handout with details is available below.

The Home/Recycling/Energy interest group will share its findings during our September Green Gathering.

An interest group on transportation/vehicles has not yet been formed. If anyone has an interest there, please let us know: greengatherings@gmail.com

Announcements/Upcoming Events

A decision was made to not hold Gatherings during the summer; however, our displays will be available for viewing on:

  • July 1 at the Train Station in Brookfield from 12 noon until 3 pm.
  • July 21 at the Fire Hall, Brookfield, from 1-5 pm during the Touch a Truck event and also from 6-8 pm during the Cabaret at the Sportsplex. If anyone would like to help out for an hour or so at either of these events, please let us know.

Mark the next Green Gathering on your calendar: Sunday, September 30, 2007, at the Middle Stewiacke Recreation Association, from 7-9 pm. The idea is to alternate between the Brookfield Fire Hall and the Middle Stewiacke Recreation Association to give more folks a chance to use less gas to attend. Please bring along a few friends, neighbours, and/or complete strangers--and remember to car pool!

Tell your friends about our new website at http://www.greengatherings.org/ .


Consider visiting the Sustainable Living Consumer Expo, September 7-9, Exhibition Park, Halifax. http://www.greenlogic.ca/ or 902-832-1176.

A Final Word to everyone

If you have any ideas, comments or would like to “take action” by helping out, please contact us.


We’ve had a very successful start to saving our home, Planet Earth. Please consider becoming ambassadors, spreading the word about how important it is for folks to become informed (see the film, read books, attend Green Gatherings) and Take Action!

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Our Food, Our Environment, Our Community

The following was presented by the Food & Gardening Interest Group at the June 24, 2007, Green Gatherings meeting in Brookfield.

Since 1961, the tonnage of food shipped between nations has grown by 400%. In the United States, food typically travels 1,500-2,500 miles before it arrives at someone’s table. This is 25% farther than the same food would have traveled in 1980.

This international movement of food is changing social, environmental, cultural, and economic conditions around the globe. It has a direct effect on the freshness, quality, and variety of the food we eat. It is also having an impact on global climate.

Is buying local all that counts? Most organizations support buying foods that are not just local but also produced by small farms in a sustainable way.

What is local? Some people say that a good definition of “local” is anything grown within 50 miles, others say 100 miles. Another definition is "within a day's leisurely drive of our homes.”

Why buy locally grown, sustainably grown foods from small farms?

Improve the quality and variety of the food you eat
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms taste good, are nutritious, and keep well.
  • When foods go directly from farm to table, they are less likely to be treated with products to keep them looking fresh and prevent spoiling.
  • Eating simple, unprocessed foods, especially fruits and vegetables, is healthier.
  • Eating local foods in season encourages us to vary our diet from season to season, helps us to appreciate foods when they become available, reminds us of our connection to nature.
  • Varieties of fruits and vegetables that can be grown by small farmers may taste better than the varieties that can be shipped long distances to supermarkets. Farmers who grow unusual varieties of foods are helping to protect the genetic diversity of our food supply.
  • Small farmers generally eat the foods they grow and give them to their families, so they have a personal reason to be concerned about the healthfulness of the food they produce.

Help the environment and protect workers

  • Small farmers typically try to be good stewards of their land.
  • Foods grown in North America are produced according to North American health and safety standards, with protections for workers that may not exist in other countries.
  • When farmers sell direct to the public, they generally use minimal packaging.
  • Small meat producers often pasture or “free range” their animals and allow them to eat a more natural diet. This is good for the animals and for the environment.

Help prevent global climate change

  • A study in Iowa found that increasing local foods consumed by just 10% could save hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel per year and reduce and carbon emissions by millions of pounds.
  • A British study found that farms avoiding both chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers use 50% less energy than non-organic farms to produce the same amount of food.
  • When farmers invest in improved soil, they help to prevent climate change because rich, organic soils store more carbon than depleted soils do.

Build community

  • Get to know local farmers, local landscapes, local land-use issues.
  • Get to know neighbors at farmers’ market and through community-shared agriculture.
  • By eating local foods in season, create and preserve unique local traditions.

Support rural economies

  • The number of small Canadian farms declined more than 10% in 5 years from 2001-2006.
  • Farmers who sell through conventional means get an estimated 4-18 cents out of every dollar. When farmers sell direct , they keep an estimated 80-90 cents out of every dollar spent.
  • A British study found that money spent at a local food business was worth almost twice as much to the local community as the same money spent at a supermarket chain.

What can consumers do?
In February 2007, the Women’s Institutes of Nova Scotia issued a report on the importance of consuming local foods. The WI Buy Local Challenge asked participants to do the following:

  • Eat at least two meals per week that use mainly local ingredients.
  • Learn to enjoy at least one local ingredient that you’ve never tried before.
  • Talk to at least one food retailer and one food producer about local food choices.
  • Choose local food products whenever possible.

Some additional suggestions:

  • Consider joining a Community Shared Agriculture program.
  • Visit local farms and buy directly from them.
  • Visit farmers’ markets and buy from local farmers. Locally, we have farmers markets on Saturday mornings in Truro and Upper Stewiacke.
  • Consider growing your own fruits and vegetables, using sustainable methods.
  • Practice cooking and eating seasonal recipes.
  • If you don’t want to “eat local” in the winter, try to do so during the growing season.
  • Learn about issues in food production and ask questions about how your food is being produced.
  • Encourage restaurant owners to buy local foods.
  • Visit SeaChoice to learn how to choose sustainable seafood.

Resources

More organizations worth knowing about

Sources:

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