Here is the simple truth: I am very passionate about the link between toilet paper and consumer power

I have often claimed that if I have convinced one person to change to environmentally-friendly toilet paper, it has been a successful day. I am VERY serious about this.

There is no need for us to be wiping our bottoms with virgin wood pulp. Many toilet tissue companies are cutting down our ancient old-growth forests and our precious Boreal forest to produce toilet tissue.

Here is some information about toilet tissue to guide you during your next shopping experience:

• using recycled tissue reduces the need for virgin pulp
• look for paper that has been lightened without using chlorine
• sodium hydrosulfite and hydrogen peroxide are safe whiteners
• make sure there are no added dyes or fragrances or perfumes

Some brands to look for are:

Main Street and April Soft hold the Environmental Choice logo which means they:

• responsible energy consumption
• responsibly restrict manufacturing effluents
• use certified sustainable wood sources

April Soft and Seventh Generation are on Greenpeace’s choice list due to:

• they are ancient and endangered forest friendly
• include high recycled and/or alternative fibre content
• produced without chlorine

Check out these links for some more information:

http://tissue.greenpeace.ca/productSearchResults.php?category=1

http://www.seventhgeneration.com/Recycled-Toilet-Paper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrg_6dny6Po (this is a very labour-intensive process – keep this in mind and conserve

Thanks so much for reading. Enjoy your new toilet tissue. Remember, our consumer choices make so much difference!!!!

There is a great event coming up that I want to let everyone know about!!!

On Sunday, July 26, the Langham Court Theatre is having its annual clothing and costume sale. Come by between 10am and 2pm to dig through top quality, carefully-worn clothing and costumes.

Thank you very much to aware Home ECO-nomics reader, Mary G. for bringing this to my attention!

Bring your friends and bring you family to find some new treasures and learn more about Langham Court Theatre, in its 81st year.

http://www.langhamcourttheatre.bc.ca/

Douglas McKenzie-Mohr, co-author of  Fostering Sustainable Behaviour: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing, is an environmental psychologist. He studies, consults about and writes about the behavioural patterns of individuals and communities in regards to sustainable behaviours, practices and habits.

I would like to highlight some of the important points he makes about community participation and individual habit-forming. For each of these points, take some time to examine what the point means to you and where that point fits in to your perception of yourself and your behaviours.

“People will naturally gravitate to actions that have high benefits and for which there are few barriers.”

“Perceived barriers and benefits vary dramatically among individuals.”

“Behaviour competes with behaviour; people make choices between behaviours; adopting one behaviour frequently means rejecting another.”

“Deciding which behaviours to promote in the end will depend upon not only the potential of an action to bring about the desired change, but also whether the resources exist to overcome identified barriers and enhance perceived benefits.”

In order to create and maintain sustainable change, we need to “examine the conditions which lead to individuals to engage in activities we wish to discourage, as well as those which would facilitate the action that we wish to encourage.

Good nutrition isn’t all bad: If you hate the thought of healthy eating, this article is for you- April 16, 2008 – By Andrea Holwegner

I have had this article in my files for some time. I haven’t had a chance to highlight it but it certainly hasn’t lost any of its relevance. In fact, it will never be an irrelevant article.

Andrea Holwegner is a dietitian and her article discusses why some people are “repelled by the field of nutrition.” She is challenging us readers to look at our attempts to eat healthier a little differently. Here are a few key points I would like to highlight for my clients and readers:

“If you have felt in the past that healthy eating is about deprivation, realize that you don’t have to be perfect.”

“You can still choose to get healthier without sacrificing social fun and the amazing taste of sugar, fat and salt…”

“A single strategy [for making a nutritional change] won’t work 100 per cent of the time, but if it works occasionally, it is still useful.”

“Repetition is needed to develop any new habit, so cut yourself some slack and remember that anything new feels awkward until you get into the habit.”

“Although you may think you are invincible, chances are eating poorly will catch up with you one way or another. One of the most profound ways nutrition will affect your day-to-day life is related to your energy and stamina.”

“If you can’t be motivated to choose a healthy lifestyle for yourself, do it for your kids.”

“For adults, an ideal plate should be composed of half vegetables and/or fruits, one-quarter grains/starches and one-quarter protein. If you are overweight, try shrinking down the size of your portions by 10-25 per cent, and you will find that your weight starts to change even though you have not changed your food choices.”

Here are some organizing tips I have collected over time. These are easy to implement and are fool-proof even in a busy home.

Take 10-15 minutes each day to tidy up the living spaces in your home. It is amazing how much easier tidying is when it is done a little bit at a time. this also prevents embarrassment when someone pops by unannounced.

Use a big wall calendar to keep track of all the family or office commitments. You can even use different colours of dry-erase pen for each family member or staff member.

Make sure that everything in your home or office has a place it belongs. Even if it is not always there, it needs to have a proper home.

Donate any clothing in your closet that you don’t like, don’t fit into, or don’t feel comfortable in. This will free up so much room and help others find affordable, fashionable, gently-used clothing

Have a table or dresser or whatever near the outside door with the most traffic. Use this to place wallets, mobile phones, keys, things you must remember to take with you when you next go out, etc. when coming in and out of the home or office.

I want to share some tips I came across recently for keeping paper clutter at bay.

Papers to keep:

Home Filing Cabinet

ATM receipts and bank deposit slips – only until you have recorded them or reconciled them

Bank statements and credit card statements – one year minimum – seven years if you need them for taxes

Loan documents – until paid off

Pay stubs – keep until the next pay period (two weeks/month/whatever) then shred it and recycle it

Disaster-proof box at home or safe-deposit box at bank

Health care documents – keep as long as they are current but no longer

Will/Living will/Power of attorney – only if current

Insurance documents – keep all current insurance policies and all supporting documents but nothing out-of-date

Investment documents – keep as long as they are current and then for seven years for tax purposes

Birth/Death/Marriage Certificates and Social Insurance Card – keep these forever

Vehicle/Land titles – until it is sold

Receipts and Warranties – keep receipts stapled to the warranties only as long as you own the items (pass the warranty on if the item is sold when the warranty is still current)

Source: www.jamienovak.com

This week I launched the much anticipated book Home ECO-nomics: Healthy Living that Saves Money and the Environment at the Organic Islands Festival and Sustainability Expo.

I will be speaking on a panel tomorrow about Creating Sustainable Change. I encourage you to come down to the main stage at 1:00PM to hear me and others discuss community engagement and motivation.

Check out the Home ECO-nomics table at the Festival and buy the first book in the Home ECO-nomics series for a special festival price.

I look forward to seeing you there!

www.organicislands.ca

Salvage Area

At the date of this post, reusable clothing and household items were being accepted at the Hartland Recycling Depot for non-profit charities. Check their website for up-to-date information about what items are being accepted.

The CRD funds depots in various electoral areas to help residents recycle locally. Check out the website for the following depots: Galiano Island, Mayne Island, Pender Island, Salt Spring Island, Saturna Island, Port Renfrew.
Electronics Recycling

Through the Electronics Stewardship Association of British Columbia, Encorp Pacific (Canada), a federally incorporated not-for-profit corporation has taken on the task of collecting and recycling any end-of-life electronics covered by provincial legislation. I was actually shocked by how many electronic items were not accepted through this program. I hope that this recycling program will be embraced by the public so that the program will be extended in its capabilities. In the meantime, read the posting about Pacific Mobile Depots for more information about neighbourhood recycling.

Here is a table of items that are accepted and not accepted by the program:

Accepted

• central Processing Units and desktop servers
• label/card printers and photo printers
• computer with built-in monitors and all types of monitors
• keyboards and mice
• all TVs (including combos)
• closed-circuit monitors
• laptops and tablet computers
• combination TV/PC displays
• desktop laser, inkjet and dot matrix printers
• all-in-one printers and fax machines

NOT Accepted

• computer monitors with broken screens
• photocopiers
• electronics that are heavily damaged
• automotive displays
• stereos, walkmen, discmen, and digital music players
• VCR, DVD, Laser Disk and BETA Players
• rack-mounted or floor-standing servers
• refrigerators with built-in TVs
• thin clients
• batteries of any kind
• external routers or modems
• disks, tapes, CDs and cartridges
• medical equipment
• loose printer cartridges
• video game systems
• electronics manuals
• speakers
• cell phones, pagers and beepers
• cameras
• cash registers
• multimedia projectors
• typewriters
• personal organizers and Blackberrys
• home appliances
• commercial and industrial printer
• calculators
• receipt printers
• cable boxes and satellite receivers

Visit the locations below to recycle your electronics:

Westshore Return-It Centre
858 Esquimalt Road
Ph: 250-381-1482
Mon-Sat 9:00am-5:00pm, closed Sunday
Accepts beverage containers, milk containers and electronics

Sidney Bottle Depot
#5-10025 Galaran Road
Ph: 250-655-4878
Mon-Sat 9am-5pm , closed Sundays
Accepts beverage containers, milk containers and electronics

Hartland Recycling Depot
# 1 Hartland Avenue
Ph: 250-360-3030
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 7am-2pm
Accepts electronics

Salvation Army – Victoria
525 Johnson Street
Ph: 250-384-3755
Mon – Sat 9:00 am – 5:30 pm
Accepts electronics

Asset Investment Recovery – Victoria
4234 Glanford Avenue
Ph: 250-952-5097
Mon-Fri 8:30am-3:30pm, closed Saturdays and Sundays

Salvation Army – Victoria
#111 – 3934 Quadra Street
Ph: 250-727-7823
Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, Sat, Sun 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Accepts electronics

Salvation Army – View Royal
307 Island Highway
Ph: 250-708-0520
Accepts electronics

Salvation Army – Sooke
#3 – 6686 Sooke Road
Ph: 250-642-3612
Accepts electronics

Recycling

A great source for recycling is the CRD’s Recycling Directory. Here you can find local businesses and depots that will accept the materials you are trying to shed.

The Hartland Recycling Depot is a great one-stop-drop for all your recyclables. Below is a list of all the goods that Hartland takes during hours of operation. Check it out and discover items you can divert from your garbage can.

Appliances (white goods) – $20 additional fee for each appliance that contains or contained refrigerants

Blue Box and Blue Bag Items are accepted at Hartland Recycling Depot but it is always cheaper to stay on top of your recycling and make sure to get these out to the curb for free pick-up every two weeks. Preparing the containers for pick-up does not have to be a hassle; wash the items with your dishes and, after they have dried in the dish drainer, crush the containers and cans and chuck them into the blue box. Crushing the containers minimizes the space they take up in the truck, meaning the trucks do fewer trips between homes and the recycling depot. This saves CO2 and tax dollars!

Newspapers and inserts

• Mixed paper products, including stationery, computer paper, file folders, envelopes (remove plastic film), newsletters, flyers, magazines, catalogues, cereal boxes, detergent boxes, paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls (this is so simple yet few people recycle them!), greeting cards, paper egg cartons (avoid the polystyrene ones at all cost)
• NO drink or milk cartons
• Preparation: include clean paper products only; place materials loosely in your blue bag; shred papers containing personal identity information; place shredded or torn paper in a closed or stapled paper bag, cereal box or other non-corrugated box inside your blue bag

Containers etc.

• Rigid plastic packaging from consumer goods (e.g. electronics, tools), food (e.g. salads, baked goods), empty CD/DVD/VHS protective cases
• Rigid plastic containers, including milk jugs, yogurt and margarine containers, shampoo/liquid soap bottles, cleaning product containers, pill/vitamin bottles, clean plant pots
• Plastic and metal lids
• Glass bottles and jars
• Aluminum and tin cans
• Foil and foil plates (no food residue)
• NO plastic bags or Styrofoam
• Preparation: clean containers and plastic packaging only; Place materials loosely in blue box; take lids off containers and place them in the box; flatten metal and plastic containers whenever possible; maximum Blue Box container size: 10 litres

Cardboard

• Corrugated cardboard
• Pizza boxes
• NO food residue or inserts
• Preparation: remove food residue, liners and inserts from pizza boxes; flatten and bundle pizza boxes and cardboard; tie bundles with string or twine (no tape or wire); maximum bundle size: 90 cm x 45 cm x 20 cm (36”x 18”x 8”).

Non-Blue Box Materials

• Batteries (household, rechargeable and automotive)
• Books (hard and soft cover)
• Cell Phones
• Cooking Oil
• Electronics (Stewardship Program)
• Mercury-containing Products (thermometers, thermostats, etc.)
• Metal Containers (tins, aluminum foil, empty aerosol cans)
• Metals-ferrous (wrought iron, casting, steel)
• Metals-non ferrous (lead, copper brass, aluminum)
• Plastics (clean bags and film) – Pilot Program in effect at date of publication
• Plastics (large rigid items) – patio furniture, toys – Pilot Program in effect at date of publication
• Motor Oil (filter and empty oil containers) – max: 10L oil/5 filters
• Paint (for recycling or paint exchange) – max: 10 cans
• Propane Tanks – max: 2 per visit
• Tires and Rims – max: 5 per visit
• Toilets (porcelain) – Fixture Rebate Program

Pacific Mobile Depots

www.pacificmobiledepots.com

Check this out from the Pacific Mobile Depots website:

Pacific Mobile Depots Ltd began in May 2000, with the goal in mind to provide the most complete plastic-related recycling service, currently unmatched by any other recycling service in the province of British Columbia.

Since then, we’ve grown to 13 mobile recycling depots in Greater Victoria and the Lower Mainland, as well as having a commercial and residential pick-up division.
We cover the 3 major spectrums, consisting of rigid, soft and foam plastics, as well as an extensive line-up of electronics.

Pacific Mobile Depots helps us with our recycling goals by bringing the depots to our neighbourhoods. Their helpful staff and straight-forward system make recycling easy and convenient.

Here is some information about what Pacific Mobile Depots accepts:

Hard/Rigid Plastics

• pop/sport/water bottles
• pill and vitamin bottles
• mouthwash bottles
• brooms and rakes (no metal)
• ketchup bottles
• cleaning brushes and toothbrushes
• salad dressing bottles
• ice scrapers
• peanut butter/pickle/jam jars
• oil funnels
• milk/water/juice bottles
• bins and crates
• dish/laundry detergent bottles
• pallets (plastic)
• yogurt and margarine tubs
• compact disc jackets
• motor oil bottles
• plates/cutlery and utensils
• small and large bucket
• compact disc
• light switch plates
• flower pots
• desk trays and rulers
• recycling bins
• license plate frames
• cassette cases
• acrylic
• medical tubing
• ABS
• wire and cable insulation
• squeezable bottles (i.e. mustard)
• pipes and fittings
• garbage cans and lids
• window frames (plastic)
• compost bins (clean)
• paneling
• garden hoses
• floor mats
• traffic cones

Hints: Please remove all metal parts and pumps from plastics. Whenever possible reuse plastics and reduce packaging; squash big bottles and stack tubs.

Soft Plastics

• Clean soft plastics such as trash and retail bags, cereal box inserts, film and sheeting, bread bags, frozen food bags, cellophane wrapping, shrink wrap, stretch wrap. Also included in this category is polyethylene foam, which is twistable.
• NOTE: Foil-lined bags go in a separate category.

Polystyrene Foam Packing Blocks and Packing Peanuts

• Clean polystyrene packing blocks coded, used to pack around breakable or electronic equipment. All polystyrene foam packing peanuts.

Styrofoam Insulation

• Developed more than 50 years ago by Dow Industries, this product comes in a light blue, pink, or green color, and is the most widely used insulation in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.

Milk and Soy Drink Boxes and Cartons

• Non-refundable gable top and aseptic containers.
• Examples include Island Farms, Dairyland, So Nice, and Vitasoy.
• Note: These containers MUST be rinsed with soap and water.

Foil-lined Bags

• Bags that are inner-lined with foil, for example, Starbucks, Nabob, Maxwell House, and Kicking Horse. You may also include foil-lined chip bags and candy wrappers.
• Note: These bags MUST be rinsed.

Polystyrene Foam Cups and Containers

• Meat trays, egg cartons, cups, take-out food clam-shell containers, etc.
• Note: All these containers MUST be washed thoroughly.

Electronics

• See pick-up fees or depot fees for list of electronics accepted.

Depot Locations

Victoria College of Arts
1625 Bank St. (Victoria)

Olive Street Common
Midpoint on Olive St. (Victoria)

Fernwood Community Centre
1240 Gladstone Ave (Victoria)

Canadian Red Cross
909 Fairfield Rd (Victoria)

Belmont Secondary School
3067 Jacklin Rd (Langford)

Presentation House Theatre
333 Chesterfield Ave (North Vancouver)

Archie Browning Sports Centre
1151 Esquimalt Rd (Esquimalt)

Oak Bay Green Committee
Carnarvon Park (Oak Bay)

St. Matthias Church
600 Richmond Ave (Victoria)

Central Saanich Municipal Hall
1903 Mount Newton X Rd (Central Saanich)

Reynolds Secondary School
Lower Parking Lot McKenzie/Borden (Saanich)