Growing your own vegetables makes sense in this age of rising food prices. Why not grow some in your own back yard? You don’t need much room, in fact Small Plot INtensive Farming is the way to go. http://spinfarming.com

Do you ever wonder what happens to that bar of soap you left in the hotel room? Why not buy it back and close the recycling loop! Buffalo Recycled Laundry Soap is made up of leftover hotel soaps, washing soda and borax. www.buffalorecycled.com.

I’m turning out my lights for one hour on Saturday, March 29th from 8 to 9 pm for Earth Hour 2008. Save some energy and money and while you’re at it, your local dam! Just about every big river has a dam on it these days and they keep talking about building more.

So, I’m turning out my lights and I’m going to check out all the stars I can see in the sky. If you want to know more, go to http://www11.earthhourus.org/

For people who only need a car four times a week or less for trips or errands, you can try the Co-operative Auto Network, or CAN for short. They started in 1997 and so far serve the metro-Vancouver area and Vancouver Island, even Tofino! They have some different options to check out depending on your needs including the Company Car. The websites to check are: www.cooperativeauto.net and www.thecompanycar.ca. Happy driving!

Spring is here and Summerland, BC is getting recycling.  This is quite the feat for this small town “where the spirit of summer never ends” on Okanagan Lake, just south of Kelowna.  Until May 1st, 2008, garbage pickup and recycling have been the responsibility of the residents; basically non-existent.  It is almost hard to believe that such a service didn’t exist before, especially when you think of all those picturesque vineyards and orchards.

Dairy cows do best when they’re out on the range - in some mild areas, they can spend up to 200 days a year outside. There are distinct benefits to pasture based production. The cows do their own harvesting and manure spreading which leaves the tractor in the shed and the fuel pump idle. Cows are generally more healthy and contented which leads to longer productive lives.

This is the philosophy of the Heritage Dairy Farm. This association was started in 2001 by a group of like minded farmers who believed that if the cows are content, it’ll show in their milk. This idea was backed up by studies that show milk from cows on pasture is higher in Conjugated Linoleic Acids (a good cancer fighter).

The certification means that the farm meets animal welfare, biodiversity, and environmental enhancement standards. It also means that the farm is herbicide and pesticide free and that the dairy herd is one of few in Canada that is largely grazed on grass.

Beaver Meadow Farms in Comox, BC is an example of a heritage dairy farm. Beaver Meadow Farms is comprised of 600 acres of which 200 are forest, providing habitat for eagles and other wildlife. One major project is revitalising the stream that runs through their farm, which, according to Edgar, “was virtually a dying river when we started to enhance it 15 years ago.” It now produces in excess of 300,000 salmon each year, due in large part to the fish hatchery the brothers operate on their property together with the community.

Because the forage is eaten by the animals instead of harvested, it means less equipment and less maintenance, as well as 20,000 fewer liters of diesel fuel per year. Natural systems farming has also resulted in new products for the Smiths. In the summer of 2001, the Smith brothers, with other partners, built a cheese factory and started marketing
specialty cheese throughout British Columbia under the label “Natural Pastures Cheese Company.”

Sometimes when I get a flyer in the mail from my local drug store, I think “hey, that shampoo is on sale, why not buy it?” Sure, I can save a few dollars and my hair smells nice thanks to the synthetic musk, but can my good environmental conscience handle such a challenge?

Consider this: Nitro and amino-nitro musks are so toxic to aquatic life that they severely inhibit their ability to reproduce. Even low levels of this stuff is harmful. What’s more, these synthetic musks which are added for that perfume smell to everything from hand soap to hair dye is bio-accumulative which means that the toxins get more concentrated as you go up the food chain.

According to the California State Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife, scientists even feel that using products that contain these synthetic musks are what is causing our commercial fishing industry to collapse. I guess that makes sense if you think about how many times you wash your hands and have a shower compared a farmer applying a pesticide a couple of times in a year.

I find it challenging to find products that list all their ingredients but just to be sure, I’m sticking to the ones that have no ‘perfume’ whatsoever and when the sales flyer comes around again, I’m going to check for some ‘natural’ products.

One of the major chemical pollution factors besides pesticides and herbicides are medication. In 2000, the problem was deemed so serious that the American Environmental Protection Agency decided to take a closer look at pharmaceuticals and active ingredients in personal care products known as PPCPs. What they found was that while agri chemicals have undergone tests for their environmental effects on aquatic and marine life, PPCPs have not. Exposure to PPCPs in the environment can be more lethal for fish and marine animals because they often affect their immune systems. Unfortunately, nobody has figured out a way to get this out of drinking water. What’s a person to do?

If you have any old lozenges, expired prescription drugs or vitamins, check out www.medicationsreturn.ca and there is a list of places such as Pharmasave that will take all your old stuff and destroy it safely.

Green cleaning shouldn’t cost any more than traditional methods.  According to Barbara Whitstone of CleanPower based in Wisconsin, green cleaning products have come a long way in just the last three years.  Look for seals of approval from organizations like Greenguard Environmental Institute or Green Seal Inc. that provide third party certification.

Another thing to consider is how you apply chemicals.  Instead of using a spray bottle that might atomize chemicals and get them airborne, work from a bucket or spray into a cloth.

Recently, I bought an excellent cleaner called Parsley Plus by Earth Friendly Products.  It works on everything.  I found it in a health food store of all places and I hope other places carry it.  If you don’t see it a store near you, try www.ecos.com.