Living Green – Eco Living By Design

In the Living Green section we explore how to live a sustainable life. Under Eco Shelter we look at the design on construction of Green Buildings and how to create and maintain a Healthy Homes. Under Green Thumbs we explore not only Organic Gardening but also creating truly sustainable living environments in Permaculture. Under Food For Thought we examine the issues surrounding what we eat. We look at how we grow our food under Sustainable Agriculture, the abundance of edible wild foods in Wild Crafting, How to preserve our food for later consumption in Putting It Up. The health advantages of a fresh Whole Food Diet and the environmental advantages of a local diet. We also look at all the systems that contribute to creating and maintaining total and Natural Health. We examine Eco Energy and Eco Transport solutions and under Urban Solutions we explore the greening of our towns and cities.

In Waste Not we help you reduce, reuse, repair, recycle and rethink our way to a sustainable future. In Green Gear we let you know about new and innovative green products that can make our life healthier and more sustainable. This section can also help you expand your eco awareness through Eco Education and Eco Tourism . And after we talk about all the great things we can do, we show you How To Do It! That is what living green is all about.

Ecological food systems

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Written by Trent Rhode Friday, 03 July 2009 10:00

Our food system is not sustainable. Not in some ambiguous, unhealthy for the environment sort of way. We’re talking sustainable as in “able to be sustained.” And we’re talking in the near future. Although many designers, ecologists and farmers are beginning to finally look at solutions, only time will tell if these solutions will come fast enough.

Before we look at these solutions, what exactly is meant by unsustainable? Well, the evidence is in the market. Food prices went up 7.4 per cent from 2008 to 2009, according to Stats. Canada, and there is no sign of this trend slowing down.

The Ultimate Wood-fired Cook Stove

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Written by Garnet McPherson Friday, 27 March 2009 17:47

Working as a writer and photographer specializing in the environment and outdoor experiences, I have resided in hundreds of cabins and wilderness residences all over northern Canada. All of them used wood as a fuel for both heat and cooking. Today many people are looking for the ultimate wood-fired stove as a heating and cooking appliance for their home or cottage.

With climate change and the potential of more extreme weather, many are also looking for a solution in case of power interruptions or other general disruptions to our infrastructure or fuel supplies. When it comes to alternate or backup fuel source I still like the answer of our ancestors: WOOD.

Teaching Sustainability as Habit

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Written by Elizabeth Bekolay Monday, 16 February 2009 12:56

"One of our goals as a school board is to introduce science into the elementary school classrooms in a hands-on way," says trustee Bill Darnell of the Vancouver school district. "As a gardener myself, I like the idea of a school garden."

At this moment, the majority of children in North America are in school. Each student is forming habits learned through example. These students are learning how to consume. Their parents begin the school year with the ‘back to school’ shopping ritual, each with a large list from the child’s school; 10 glue sticks (in 10 hard plastic shells), 10 Hillroy notebooks (lacking post-consumer recycled content), plastic markers, crayons, scissors, lunch kit (many vinyl or hard plastic), backpack, pens, pencils...and the list goes on.

Becoming An Environmentally Conscious Consumer

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Written by Laura Gray Monday, 02 February 2009 00:00

To coin the phrase of the legendary Madonna: “We are living in a material world”. More specifically, we are living in a material country! What is astonishing is that according to a study done by Environmental Canada, “Canadians are often cited as being among the leading per capita producers of solid waste in the world1”.
Yet, we need not be material people. The problem with materialism is that it has used and will continue to use up our natural limited resources and pollute the environment (i.e. air, land and water). And what happens to all of the material things that we buy after we are done with them? They end up in landfills.

The Basic Requirements for a Naturalized Landscape

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Written by Landscape-America Tuesday, 11 November 2008 09:46

Naturalized Landscape Basics - A Natural Landscape, though a new concept to many of us, is actually based on a few simple principals.

Plants should be native to the area. Using local plants also has the benefit of attracting local wildlife. Local plants are not only easier to grow in your environment, which includes soil types and weather conditions, but they also provide food that local wildlife has learned to live with.