Thank You

I would just like to thank everyone that came out yesterday for my presentation on "Recycled Glass". I hope all of you enjoyed yourself, as much as I did. I would also like to thank the Calgary Public Library and Patrick and Mia for helping me out so much. I hope that everyone stuck around for the movie "FRESH", as Joye went to so much work to get it in. It was really great to see everyone there.

FRESH is a movie about growing sustainable food against overwhelming odds, but it also is important for all of us to adopt a new attitude, and understand our relationship to each other, and the world. FRESH is a great movie that empowers us, by showing that we are not passive by standers, and that we are the creators of our own world, and we can change what is happening, by being responsible consumers, and only buying produce that is grown using sustainable practices.

You can view the trailer here http://www.freshthemovie.com/, and you can also ask to schedule a viewing in your city.

Funky Cardboard Benches

These cardboard benches are made entirely from industrially discarded cardboard, and a small piece of EVA rubber for added comfort and color. It is low tech, recyclable and easy to disassemble, is assembled without any glue or tools, which makes it easy to ship flat.

It can hold up to 198 pounds, and measures 6X15X16 inches approximately when disassembled. It sells for $40 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is perfect for that first appartment, or for the students dorm rooms.

EVENTS - Downtown Library - Saturday Sept. 26, 2009

If anyone is downtown this Saturday, I will be doing a recycled glass presentation at the Library downtown. Admission is free, and you can purchase my book there. The time of this presenation is 2 PM, and there will be signs up once you enter the library...just ask for directions.

METHOD - One of the GREENEST in the business

Have you seen the METHOD products, that are available at Target? This company does more then just talk about being GREEN, they actually walk the walk. Absolutely every single ingredient in their formulas, even the packaging - has been assessed and scored by the environmental protection and encouragement agency, which is an independent institute led by Dr. Michael Braugart, who is the author of Cradle to Cradle.

Dr. Michael Braugart, and his team recognize METHOD as a Cradle to Cradle company. The US Environmental Protection Agency recognizes 50 of Methods products to be safe for people and the environment. All of Methods bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic whenever possible and are completely recyclable.

Method even goes the extra mile as they strive to make the company completely carbon-neutral, by purchasing wind and solar energy credits to offset their carbon footprint. Their business is housed in a LEED certified building and has a recycling and composting system set up throughout. Then there is the fact that they offer financial incentives to encourage employees to use public or self propelled transporation to work. Oh and lets not forget, that they ship their products in trucks that run on biodiesel. Yes, Method actually walks the walk!

Make Do and Mend

John Lewis department store in the UK, is publishing a booklet filled with old fashioned advice to help consumers ride out the recession. The booklet, which runs to more than 30 pages, taps into a desire by families to return to a more sustainable way of life, getting full use out of products rather than dumping them in the bin and buying new.

These tips range from how to use the inside of a banana skin as a substitute for shoe polish, to protecting the screen of your MP3 player or mobile phone by cutting out a piece of peel-off plastic overlay - or the excellent money-saving idea to freeze leftover wine in ice-cube trays which can be added to stews and casseroles without the need to open a full bottle.

Managing director Andy Street said: 'This guide is designed to help households to get the very best out of what they have. 'Our lives are far more complicated than they were in the 1940s and we've forgotten some of the basic principles that can save a lot of time and money.

Mr Street pointed out that the recession appears to have triggered a cultural change.

'We're witnessing a reawakening of interest in traditional skills, including creating and maintaining things,' he said. 'We believe there has been a sea change in our attitudes towards possessions.

For all those nay sayers claiming that clean energy would hobble the economy, a new report has found that switching to renewable forms of electriticy and phasing out coal would create 2.7 million new jobs.

According to Green Inc, the report called Working for the Climate, would actually grow our global electrical workforce to 11.3 million people, even while the coal industry continues to shed jobs. If governments phase out fossil fuels, and invested in alternatives by 2030.

The evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of developing renewables will expand the workforce in the process, just like retrofitting homes and buildings to be more energy efficient. This is something that high school students should be looking at when they graduate high school, and are trying to figure out what education they should take to further their careers.

Summit for Shaping Calgary's Low Carbon Future

On September 18, 2009, I had the opportunity to attend this fine Summit for shaping Calgary's Low Carbon Future. Let me just say that the event was very professional and informative, and I was extremely impressed. As many of you already know, I wrote an eco green book called Simply Going Green, which can be bought here www.simplygoinggreen.ca. I know a fair bit about going green, but this event helped clarify a lot of information for me, and I wish more people would have the opportunity to attend these events.

The best way for anyone to learn about these extremely important environmental initiatives, is to attend these summit meetings. I have to thank Dave Bronconnier, our Mayor here in Calgary, and Alderman Rick McIvers, for attending this summit and learning about what the citizens here in Calgary are concerned about. There were also many officials from Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Edmonton that felt it important enough to attend and learn more about what is going on. I wish more city officials would partake in these events, so that they are better informed before they start spending the taxpayers money.

I had an opportunity to meet some of the people at http://www.starfishenergy.com/ and I am so impressed with these people. They have the ability to make anyone understand what a "Smart Grid" is, and how it can save all of us money and even make money for you. Jubran, Stephen, and Dave, you guys are awesome, and I am so honored to have met you. Thank you.

Let me try to explain what a SMART GRID is, so that you may understand what is coming in the not to distant future. A Smart Grid, is a meter that is connected at your home, which allows you to sell your extra energy back to the grid, and get paid for doing so. That is the basic meaning, but there is so much more. For example, Jubran told me that there are plug ins, that will allow you to monitor your homes energy needs from your cell phone or computer at home or work and allow you to shut down appliances that are using energy at the peak (expensive) times of day, and that helps you save money.

In the not to distant future, many more homes will have solar panels, and that is where these smart grids come into effect. As time goes by, all of us will be using renewable energy, and weaning ourselves off of oil and gas. Smart Grids, will allow you to decide when is the best time to sell your extra energy from your solar panels to the grid, giving you another income, just like the people in Ontario do right now.

As things are right now here in Alberta, our utility companies use a bell curve to figure out the cost they will charge the consumer for their energy needs. Smart Grids, will change all that, and you will only be paying for what you use, giving you the power to control your own energy consumption. It is definately a move in the right direction.

If you want to stay informed of more summit meetings happening around Calgary, then go to www.calgary.ca/footprint and sign up for their newsletter.