Green Blog

I want to ride my bicycle…

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Signs of Spring

For the last few days, we’ve been treated to some mighty fine weather in Grey/Bruce! I’m told it got all the way up to 15c yesterday afternoon. Our woodpile is dwindling, and the ice is slowly being overtaken by water on our little scummy pond. Dogs, cats and humans alike have an extra spring in our step, and we’re all breathing in the emerging scents of grass and earth. Around our neck of the woods, one of the greatest signs of spring is my first bike ride of the year.

A Fixer Upper

After a long cold winter, temperatures like this inspire me to throw off the shackles of gasoline and hop on my bike. You guessed it, that’s my old clunker up there. A few years ago, it was given to me by my friend, Ellen at Indira Devi Studio of Yoga. Neither of us thought it would be fit to ride when she pulled it out of the storage room, but since I love fix-up projects, I thought I’d give it a try. I brought the bike to a small shop in Durham (I believe they’ve moved to Owen Sound now), Bikeface Cycling. I had figured that the bike would need a total overhaul, and that only the frame would be salvageable (the most desirable part of course!). When I arrived to pick her up, the owner told me that all he’d had to do was oil the chain, and pump up the tires!

Where to Tune Up

After reading this blog entry, I hope you’ll all haul your bikes out of the garage and take ‘em for a spin! However, you might be needing a tune-up, or perhaps you’ve outgrown your old bike and need a replacement. Here are a few suggestions on where to go in Grey/Bruce:

Bikeface Cycling Owen Sound 519-376-9777

Jolley’s Alternative Wheels Owen Sound 519-371-1812

Wheel Fast the Bicycle Shoppe Scone 519-363-3175

Martin’s Bicycle Shop Southampton 519-797-3645

Please leave a comment and let us know where YOUR favorite bike shop is!

In With the Old

It’s now been about 2 years, and I’ve put a lot of miles on this old bike. It has affirmed what I already knew; we shouldn’t throw away the items of the past in exchange for modern gadgets. Many people might have seen this old bike and sent it to the dumpster without a thought. So here’s your lesson of the day Grey/Bruce: Think twice before you toss that “old piece of junk”, it could definitely turn out to be someone else’s treasure.

Posted in Air Quality, Green Living, Health & Wellness, Transportation | 2 Comments »

Driving in a Winter Wonderland

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

One more reason to shop locally

We live in a beautiful, but treacherous area of Ontario. The roads can be a real challenge during the winter, what with the low tempuratures and high winds. Living in such close proximity to the Great Lakes makes our area extremely prone to Snow Squalls, causing dangerous whiteout conditions.

Well, the snow has started to fly folks, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little nervous about it. Last winter, returning home from London in the dead of night, Justin and I had our first major car accident together. We hit a small patch of snow on the road which sent our van spinning 180 degrees, then flipped over 1 and a half times. When the van settled, I was hanging from my seatbelt, sideways in the driver’s seat. Miraculously, neither of us were hurt, and none of the music gear in the van was damaged. The van itself was a writeoff.

This experience has given me a great new respect for the slippery conditions, and I’d like to share with you what I learned that night. Hopefully you can avoid such accidents!

1. Weigh the importance of your trip - Do you really need to go out? If you can stay home, it’s usually safer to do so. We were offered a place to sleep that night in London, but decided to go out anyways.
2. Winterize your vehicle - And no, all season tires are NOT enough! Making sure your oil is clean, and your car is in good working order will not only save fuel, it could keep a disaster from happening. Our van didn’t have winter tires that night, that little detail alone could have kept us out of the ditch! Also remember, when you’re at your mechanic’s, ask for Green Parts.
3. Stay Informed - There are several ways in which you can check the weather before heading out. Always remember; it could look nice and clear where you are, while snow squalls rage 10 km away. The Weather Network has up to date road conditions, weather forcasts, and warnings. Your local radio stations will keep you up to date on road closures and conditions every hour while you’re driving. If you don’t have access to the Internet, you can call the Ministry of Transportation’s Info line 24 hours a day: 1.800.268.4686.
4. Warm up your car, but don’t go overboard - It takes 30 seconds to warm up your engine. The best way to warm up the rest of your car is by driving it! Leaving your car Idle for long periods of time is not only bad for the air, it’s hard on your engine. According to EnviroZine, investing in a block heater saves a lot of fuel, and can improve your fuel efficiency by up to 10 %.
5. Be Prepared to get stranded - You could find yourself in the middle of a blizzard, or worse, upside down in a ditch. If this happens, you’ll be very thankful for your bag of toiletries, and change of clothes! Here are some more items that you should have on hand in case you get stuck: Eco-Friendly salt (Look for Pet Friendly, and Plant Friendly salt at your local hardware store), Sand, Jumper Cables, or a portable battery, Hatchet or small shovel, Flashlight, First Aid Kit and a Blanket.

The best tip of all that I can give you is to SHOP LOCALLY! Consult the Green-Book business directory for eco-friendly goods right in your neighborhood. Don’t forget to leave your own winter driving tips in the comments!

Posted in Air Quality, Green Living, Transportation | No Comments »

More Eco-Office Tips: What you DON’T see!

Thursday, September 18th, 2008

As I said at the end of my last post: What you don’t see in my office is just as important as what you do see when the environment is concerned. I’ve broken this section up into two sections.

What don't you see here?

Absent Items:

There are certain things you’ll never see in my office for three reasons: Either they’re wasteful, they’re bad for the environment, or I don’t need them!

1. Trash Bin: I recycle everything I can. When it comes to my office, I’ve found that I don’t need a trash bin at all because everything I use is recyclable. I’ve managed to reduce the waste in my office to the point where I empty my 8 litre recycling bin just once a month.
2. Paper Invoices: All of the invoices that Viddyworks sends out are digital! I’ve got a nice little program called iBiz installed on my computer that allows me to send pdf invoices directly to my clients inbox. Not only do I save the paper and ink needed to print the invoices, but there are no envelopes, stamps or delivery to the post office. The other nice advantage is that my clients receive their invoices instantly. This applies to proofs for my design clients as well.
3. Unnecessary Office Items: I’ve found that I don’t need to use staples, push pins, paperclips, or any other little fasteners to keep my office organized. Nobody said that every change has to be a huge change! While the use of these tiny objects seems very small and insignificant, just remember that there’s a huge industry of manufacturing, packaging and shipping behind them.
4. Chemical Products: I’m talking mainly about the dreaded White-Out here folks. Have you ever gotten close enough to smell that stuff? It’ll make your head spin.
5. Every “Green” gadget out there: Just because a company advertises an eco-friendly product, doesn’t mean that I’ll rush right out and get it. “Green Washing” is an unfortunate by-product of the rising awareness of environmentalism. There are companies out there who are trying to cash in on the environmental movement by convincing consumers to toss their old items in favor of the new ones. My advice to you is this: If you want an eco-friendly office like mine, don’t throw your old Ikea desk in the dumpster and rush out to the hardware store. Be patient, use your old desk until it’s completely worn out. The best thing we can do is use what we have before rushing out to replace it.

Invisible Eco Office:

There are changes I’ve made in my lifestyle that are invisible to the naked eye!

1. Thermostat Regulation: This one is simple: Low heat in the winter, and no A/C in the summer. Lucky for me, my office stayed nice and cool this summer due to a collosal vine growing on the side of the house. It filters the sunshine, and releases nice oxygen right outside my window. If you don’t have a natural filter for your window, go and see your local home decor shops for blind or curtain options. This winter, I’m prepared for the cold with sweaters, slippers, fair trade organic teas, and three warm kitties to keep me going while the thermostat is turned down to 15 degrees.
2. Clean Green: My office is in my home. Therefore, the kitchen and bathroom facilities are an extension of my office while I’m working. I have a no-bleach policy throughout the house! In fact, there are no name brand chemical cleaners to be found anywhere in the house. (Gee, this is a blog post in itself!) I make my own cleaners that can be used in every room in the house (including the launrdy room!) There are three main ingredients to all of them: vinegar, baking soda, and water. Stay tuned for recipes!
3. The 3 Second Commute: That’s about how long it takes me to get from the bedroom to the office. This one is kind of a no-brainer! No commute means waaaay less driving!
4. Shutting Down: I’m talking about more than just your computer. Modern electronics just baffle me with their vagrant disregard for energy consumption. Think about this: when I turn off my television, a little red light comes on whose sole purpose is to let me know that it’s consuming energy, even in it’s sleep. How did we come to this? At the end of the day, I flip the power bar under my desk off. This means that the computer, printer, lamp, and back-up hard drive won’t be sucking power while I’m not using them.
5. Clean Webhosting: GreenBook, Viddyworks, and all of my client’s websites are hosted by a company in Toronto called Hostpapa. Their whole operation is carbon offset, including their servers and office.

There you have it! 5 things you won’t see in my office, and 5 invisible green practices. Not all of these are suitable for every office, but we can certainly all do our best!

Posted in Eco-Office, Green Living, Transportation | 5 Comments »