BYOB

Bring Your Own Bags
Most of us have been reconditioned into carrying our own bags to the market or grocery. If you are like me, you don't think about it when doing other shopping. I returned home this week after buying gifts with 4 huge plastic bags and realized that I was going to create more waste by wrapping or paper bagging these presents. I think there is a choice. The local $1 Store regularly has gift bags on for a loonie but the big 3 grocers here are also offering reusable fabric bags for 99 cents. How crafty and creative can you get decorating a reusable bag with enviro friendly accesories?

Blog Action Day

On October 15th - Blog Action Day, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone's mind.

In its inaugural year, Blog Action Day will be co-ordinating bloggers to tackle the issue of the environment.

What Each Blogger Will Do

Bloggers can participate on Blog Action Day in one of two ways:

Publish a post on their blog which relates to an issue of their own choice pertaining to the environment.

For example: A blog about money might write about how to save around the home by using environmentally friendly ideas. Similarly a blog about politics might examine what weight environmental policy holds in the political arena.

Posts do not need to have any specific agenda, they simply need to relate to the larger issue in whatever way suits the blogger and readership. Our aim is not to promote one particular viewpoint, only to push the issue to the table for discussion.

Commit to donating their day’s advertising earnings to an environmental charity of their choice. There is a list of "official" Blog Action Day charities on the site, however bloggers are also free to choose an alternate environmental charity to donate to if they wish.


So what can you do - well we have talked about replacing incandescants with cfl's, recycling, saving water, driving less, walking more, carrying reusable grocery bags, and putting on a sweater. On Blog Action Day, I encourage you to take a more meaningful action (something that might be a bit diffucult). Today or tommorrow or one day this week - only eat food that was grown within 100 kms from your home. Give it a try

One Person Can Make a Difference

Monday, May 7th, 2007
Yesterday, I joined hundreds of other Calgarians in the Annual River Clean Up. Our group, from Friends Church, cleaned bothe sides of the Elbow from Misson Bridge to the 32nd Ave pedway. About 25 bags of garbage was collected in 3 hours. Last year, about 70 groups collected thousands of bags and improved the quality of the river banks and watershed.

The first pathway & river clean-up was instigated by 12 year-old Sandra Crawford. While walking along the Elbow River bank in early spring 1967, she saw an entire mattress lying in the river. She tried to haul the mattress out on her own, but failed. She wrote a letter to the Calgary Herald decrying the mess. Since then thousands of Calgarians have shown their sense of community spirit and pride by volunteering each year in this great cause.

The 41st Annual Pathway & River Clean-up will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2008. Please visit this page in early spring to register your group.

Do Less and Save More

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007
Lighter Footstep reminds us that we can sometimes do less work and do more to save the planet.

Lawn waste accounts for 5-percent of all the bulk set to landfills — reason alone for getting into home composting. Cutting the lawn? Most experts say there’s no reason to rake. You can also use grass clippings to naturally inhibit weed growth without the use of chemicals.

You don’t even need to rake up the clippings and mix them with browns. Just do a good job cutting(maybe mulching) and leave the clippings as composting material on your own lawn.

Lighter Footstep have tons of easy tips that can lessen your workload and improve your environment.