The Blue Dot Tour – Maybe The Worthiest Cause Of All.

This is the initiative started by the David Suzuki Foundation to help bring the country together around the issues of our right to clean air, clean water and a safe environment.

This tour has been moving across the country to packed houses and has garnered an incredible amount of support among concerned Canadians.

We would like to add our voice to that chorus of concern. Our Green Directory isn’t just an online shopping experience for people who are looking for eco-friendly alternatives. We like to think that through our blogs we are actively working to create awareness for the efforts of all those whose ingenuity and innovation are helping to make the earth a better place to live.

We applaud the efforts of Mr Suzuki and the Blue Dot initiative for its ambition, its scope, its audacity and its power to help bring about change.

Find out more at http://bluedot.ca

Stay Cool & Be Green–Innovations in Air Conditioning Technology

This is another in our series of guests posts…this one comes from Audrey Clark and will give you some insights into how to make air conditioning your home and or workplace more environmentally friendly. Please note, we have an open door policy for blogs. If you are interested in posting on our site, email me at jim.murray@ourgreendirectory.com and I will send you the submission criteria. 

Here’s Audrey’s post…hope you enjoy it.

High-efficiency is the name of the game in green living, especially when you’re talking air conditioning. Today’s cooling systems are worlds above those old, cantankerous window units of old. Using new, exciting and innovative technology, manufacturers are taking the art of home cooling to the next level.

Remote Programmable Thermostats

If you forgot to turn the air back before you left for the day or the weekend, never fear. A remote, programmable thermostat allows you to complete the task from the convenience of your mobile device. A device like this can save you up to 15 percent on your annual home utility bill, according to the U.S. Energy Department. You can also program your thermostat to automatically cut back on energy usage during certain hours of the day or night.

EverClean Flexible Duct

Higher-quality ductwork translates into better energy efficiency, and according to information provided by Home Depot, the EverClean brand of flexible duct ranks near the top of the list. EverClean duct features the following advantages over plain old ductwork:

• A layer of insulation between the core and the outer shield–making this ductwork more immune to the growth of mold and mildew
• Fiberglass composition–making for quieter and more fire-retardant operation
• The use of low VOC (volatile organic compound) materials
• Energy-Star certification

Homeowner Contribution

It’s not a new invention, but more emphasis is now falling upon the homeowner when it comes to operating in the green. Speaking with your HVAC installer about upkeep and maintenance of your home cooling system can help save money, and helps you to keep your ventilation system working efficiently, according to Refrigeration School, Inc.

• Planting shade trees and shrubs around your home and outdoor air conditioning unit helps keep temperatures at bay, making it easier to keep the air inside your home cooler.
• Keeping windows and blinds these drawn on the hottest days of the year.
• Keep ceiling fans circulating to help move cool air around your rooms.
• Keep lamps away from your thermostat. These can fool your cooling system into thinking your home is warmer than it actually is.
• Using cool roof materials or coatings, as well as white blinds or backing behind your curtains helps to reflect heat back outside your home. So do solar shades at the windows.
• Installed correctly in your attic space, radiant barriers help keep the heat from your roof from transferring into your attic.

Author Bio:

Audrey Clark is a skilled freelance blogger covering a range of topics from careers and finance to travel and leisure, along with everything in-between. When not writing, she’s always on the lookout for her next adventure. Connect with Audrey on Twitter and Google+.

Two words you will never hear on your weather forecast.

These words are ‘climate change’. And the reason why you won’t hear them is that in Canada , our country is governed by people who have, it would seem, completely sold their souls to to the interests of big energy.

Think of it this way. If you believe that carbon emissions from all the fossil fuel driven machinery  from cars to factory turbines, is playing a big part in the climate change we are experiencing, then it’s not rocket science to conclude that reducing those emissions through the use of non-polluting energy sources like solar and wind would be able to have a positive effect on climate change.

The problem here lies in the question of who controls those resources. Right now big oil and big energy and their powerful lobby groups have many governments, including, in my opinion, ours, in their pocket. So any legislation that promotes in any significant programs to help develop alternative energy businesses, has pretty much a snowball’s chance in hell of getting passed. 

This has nothing to do with what anybody believes about alternative energy sources. It has to do with who controls them and can charge us for them on a per use basis. After the initial installation of a renewable energy source, the energy costs nothing to harvest. And you can bet that there are a bunch of extremely greedy people out there that don’t want to see that happen on any sort of scale.

This article is talks primarily about climate change and the Canadian government’s complete willingness to turn a blind eye to it.  Hope it makes you as angry as it does us.

https://news.vice.com/article/the-canadian-government-has-forbidden-meteorologists-to-discuss-climate-change

How important is recycling?

This post comes to us from the lovely and talented Christine Maddox from www.4nannies.com.
We have a complete open door policy for guest blogs. If you have an idea for a blog, please email it to me, and if it fits our criteria, I will send you a complete submission guide. We post one blog per week, more or less.   jim.murray@ourgreendirectory.com

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There has been a huge focus on recycling in recent years as people across the world attempt to cut down on the negative impact they can have on the environment. As well as individuals doing their bit, businesses and entire nations are getting involved; coming together to make a difference. With this in mind, are we doing enough to hit recycling targets, or does more need to be done?

Why bother?

There are some people who don’t think there is any point in recycling anything and just throw everything away. However, if you are one of these people, take a moment to consider the impact this actually has. You may find that you want to start recycling some of your items. Landfill sites are filling up rapidly and space is running out for all the rubbish. Nobody wants to be living next to a giant rubbish site, but if the amount of waste keeps building, this is a very real possibility for the future.

A lot of the items that end up in landfill sites can easily be recycled, effectively taking up less room and making space for things that can simply rot into the ground. Plastic bags from supermarkets take years to break down but can easily be reused for your shopping several times over. Some shops have started giving incentives to people who reuse their old shopping bags, while others have started charging for plastic bags in a bid to crack down on the amount of waste these create.

Bigger scale

The amount of waste being created across the world can impact us in a bigger way as well. Many people are concerned about the effects of global warming and the greenhouse effect so governments in various different nations have implemented recycling targets. Wales was recently shown to be on track to meet its recycling target, having a long-term goal of zero waste by 2050. While that might seem like an unachievable goal, they are already hitting over 50 per cent of that target.

If all the countries in the world took a similar stance to recycling, the effects it has on the environment could be drastically reduced. From the point of view of a business, recycling might not be a top priority but it should be. There are various companies that are dedicated to waste disposal and recycling so it would be wise for businesses to recruit these services if necessary. If the nature of the business means that lots of waste is being created but it is not practical for them to recycle or reuse any of it, an external company could sort this out for them.

It’s easy to think that the little things don’t make much difference but if everyone started recycling on an individual scale, the overall results would be breath-taking. Even in a small office, doing as something as simple as putting the empty milk cartoons into the recycling bin can do its bit towards saving the environment and cutting down on the carbon footprint left on this earth. Of course as a business there are professional providers of business recycling including http://www.bettsenvirometal.com/.

Toronto Tree Portraits Calendar

Nothing says green like a tree, or so the saying goes. This morning I received this email from the Toronto Trees & Parks Foundation. I’d never really heard of them before, but evidently they do a lot of good things in the green spaces of the city. As part of their marketing they create and sell a calendar of tree portraits. Here’s the email they sent me:

The Toronto Tree Portraits 2014 Calendar showcases the unusually creative photographs by veteran artist Gerald Dillon, whose work features bird’s eye-views, close-ups, and bold vistas. This is the third time that esteemed author and advocate Lorraine Johnson has written the texts for the Toronto Tree Portraits Calendar. It also features a wonderful forward by photographer and writer, Vincenzo Pietropaolo.

This year’s calendar marks the 10th anniversary of this much-loved publication! Help celebrate the natural heritage of our city and support the work of the Foundation with every purchase!

Similar to previous years, the 2014 Toronto Tree Portraits Calendar is conveniently formatted as a self-standing desk calendar. It is square, measuring 7″ wide by 7″ tall. All proceeds from sale of the Calendar go directly towards preserving, enhancing and increasing Toronto’s urban forest. The Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization that works with the City of Toronto and community groups to enhance and preserve Toronto’s parks and urban forest.

The 2014 Toronto Tree Portraits is available on-line for: $23.75 including HST and shipping.

This could make a great little holiday gift. If you want to check them out, you can do that at https://torontoparksandtrees.org/

30 of the World’s Most Impressive Social Housing Projects

This link comes from OGD friend Scarlett Jackson. It’s posted on a rather interesting blog called Best MSW Programs which is a guide finding the best Masters of Social Work programs. Social work in an of itself is related to sustainable practices, in that, for example, a number of new social housing projects are being built to high LEEDS standards. As the intro to this post states:

“As populations grow and cities become more crowded than ever, public housing has become an increasingly important issue for governments around the world. However, social housing is no longer limited to characterless blocks of concrete. These days, the aim is often to provide low-cost housing to individuals and families who need it – while still affording them the dignity of well-designed and distinctive homes.
These modern public housing projects frequently incorporate eco-conscious designs and elements, as efficient energy usage tends to be a priority. Here we look at 30 of the world’s social housing developments that break the mold, undoing negative stereotypes and serving as remarkable works of architecture in their own right.”

This is a fascinating look at how the world of public housing design and construction is helping to relieve the energy consumption burden of those whose taxes support these developments, while also making public housing more attractive and liveable for residents.

Check it out. It makes for some fascinating reading: http://www.bestmswprograms.com/impressive-social-housing-projects/.

Image source: http://www.koz.fr/indexhibit/index.php/project/lastrolarbre/

Energy Efficiency Put to the Test: Keeping Green in the Winter

This is a guest post by Ken Myers. Thanks Ken.

Air conditioning in the summer can easily drive the electric bill to high levels. However, winter can easily surpass the energy used to keep yourself warm. Unlike the summer, the cold of winter can be relentless and has fewer ways you can adapt. If you want a method to determine how efficient your energy use is, the winter months are where you could set the bar.

Gas and Electricity Used in Conjunction
In order to produce cold air during the summer, homes and offices will utilize pure electricity to drive appliances. While some homes may rely on a completely electrical heating system for the winter, many more rely on burning gas for heat and then electricity to divert the warm air to various locations around the establishment. In this instance, gas and electricity are used as an energy source to provide that warmth.

Preventing Heat from Escaping
During the winter, the heat can escape the home or office through various means. This could include everything from windows to even the walls themselves. Insulation doesn’t just keep the cold air out, but it’s supposed to help keep the warm air in. What are some items to look at in your home or office?

• Windows: Having double-paned windows is a good way to keep more of the heat in and cold out. If you’re unable to install such, covering the windows with cardboard or other covering can help keep heat in. When the Sun is shining, open these coverings to allow the sunlight to heat up your home or office.
• Doors: Not having a proper seal around your door frames can easily cause problems for efficiency. Cold air can enter while warm air exits. Make sure you have a tight seal on your doors using self-adhesive weather stripping and properly fitted door jams and thresholds.
• Inadequate Insulation: Not having proper insulation can also be detrimental. If you are unable to check how well your insulation covers your walls and ceiling, there are radiant thermal barrier paint additives you can coat them with to add an additional layer of insulation.

Filters
Keeping the filters clean on your heating system is another way to increase your efficiency that many people overlook. When dust collects onto the filters, it restricts the flow of air that furnaces use to heat the area of a room or office space. Without this airflow, the heating system will continue to waste resources in an attempt to increase the temperature of the room according to the thermostat. A clean filter will allow the air to pass through allowing the system to work as intended and heat the facility or house quicker.

Winter can be extremely harsh on both you and your pocketbook. By going around your home or office, you can easily tell where weak areas are for heating efficiency from feeling the temperature. For rooms that are not used that often, keep the door closed in order to reduce the need for heat. If these rooms are near your thermostat, they could cause your heater to kick on even if no one is using them.

Author Bio:

Ken holds a master’s in business leadership from Upper Iowa University and multiple bachelor degrees from Grand View College.  As president of  morningsidenannies.com, Ken’s focus is helping Houston-based parents find the right childcare provider for their family. When he isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his three children and his wife.

Guest Bloggers Welcome

If you have an idea for a green blog post, email me at jim.murray@ourgreendirectory.com and I will send you the submission critieria.