What is GMO?

Purple Tomato's are in our local grocery stores.  

My eco friends this week I have been researching about GMO. I had always been against it but I did not do my full research, just the thought of cloning our food makes me think it’s not a good idea. What is GMO? Genetically modified organisms – plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of Corn, soya, sugar beets and canola are the crops locally being GMO in Canada. The scary fact is that GMO ingredients have made their way into most of the processed foods in Canadian grocery shelves. Having said that I will re-thing my purchases at the grocery store. The safety of GMO foods is unproven that is why policies requiring mandatory labelling is being demanded by those who are aware. In Canada we do not have any law stating to have GMO labels so Canadians are not aware of the foods they choose contains GMO ingredients. Unlike Europe there is a law against GMO foods all together.
biotechnology. Also known as GE foods, foods created by merging DNA from different species. The brief history behind GMO is that the FDA in 1994 approved the first GMO crop with the Flavr Savr tomato since then it has been widely used in North America.
    
 "These concerns among farmers and informed groups of consumers does not translate to the average consumer. They are too far removed from the concerns of the farming community," says Andreas Boecker, an associate professor at the University of Guelph whose research includes studying consumer acceptance of GM foods.

My eco friends there is a movement happening against GMO I hope you can inform your friends and families on it and join to stop or at least we deserve to know. Food is our basic necessity of life we need food to keep us nourish not to make us sick or worst kill us.  

Online Labeling Petition

Please Sign the Petition

Bring Mandatory GMO Labeling To Canada

 

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Bring_Mandatory_GMO_Labeling_To_Canada/

 

Ideas on how to reuse everyday products

 

Every day use product eco-friendly alternative. Why recycle when you can reuse. This week I will give you my eco friends some great ideas on how you can reuse some every day products. Recycling is a great eco-friendly practice but it’s better to use less plastic because millions of plastic each year ends up in the landfilled. True fact: Canadians produce more garbage than anyone else, the conference board calling Canada an “environmental laggard”. I did some further research to back up this information and let you all be aware of how wasteful we are. According to Statistics Canada, we Canadians produce about 21 million tons of trash annually, about 690 kilograms per person. I hope you are as shock as I was because the number is very high. Canadians buy so many disposable products when it comes to reuse we are the worst. This brings me to giving you my eco-friends some tips on how you can reuse some everyday products. Many items found around the house can be used in different purposes.

 

 

I have learned a great trick from my grandparents on folding the grocery plastic bag into a triangle shape. I do not how to explain it so please take a look at the picture. Its time consuming but you can do it as you are watching TV. It’s an easy way of carrying it to the grocery and it does not take up any space. Also, glass jars are a great item to reuse for storing food. So ones the jam jar is empty just clean it and keep it to use for any purpose. Old clothes can be reused as rags or donated. Packaging such as foil can and egg cartons can be donated to schools where they can use in art and craft projects. Being eco-friendly is not just about recycling it’s about making an impact on our everyday life and making eco choices. The was just some ideas on how you can reuse some everyday products. I am sure you got the idea.

 

 

Recycle old clothes - Don’t let fashion go to waste.

This weekend shopping with my cousin I came across a great topic for this week’s blog. As we walked into H&M I saw a garment collecting box. I immediately took a picture and did some research. I am very happy to be blogging about one of my favourite store being environmentally responsible as an organization. “Don’t let fashion go to waste” “long live fashion!” claiming that 95% of the textiles and clothes that end up in the landfills can be reused again.  They are welcoming clothes of any brand, in any quality and any condition. You can take your unwanted cloths to any H & M location and get a voucher for each bag you hand in. The voucher can be redeemed on your next purchase.  As you may already know H&M is a worldwide known brand they are moving forward to the new trend of making the organization environmental responsible by being the ambassador of reducing the impact of waste that comes from the fashion industry.

 

H&M are not the only major brand ambassador of the recycle clothing conscious. The GAP was the first to start out with this trend in 2010. Their marketing campaign “Recycle Your Blues” is very successful collecting more the 360,000 pairs of jeans in just 2010 combining 1,000 participating stores. Any participant received 30% off on any new premium jean.  while the insulation generated by the campaign was donated to nearly 700 homes in underserved communities and to special housing projects such as the post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding effort. My eco-friends this is another way of helping our environment and humanity; not a difficult way shop at these stores.

I will be adding a list of the top 20 socially responsible corporation.

Solar Charger

My eco-friends this week is all about solar powered technology. Don’t you hate when your cellphone runs out of battery and you are nowhere by an outlet plug? Well I can say “story of my life” I have found a solution. I bought a phone solar charger. I got the Bamboo solar charger retail price at $35.00 from the Pacific Mall also known as the Asian Mall. You can find many interesting things there they always have the latest in technology.  So far the Bamboo is living up to the hype. The best thing is that it’s not just solar; you can plug it to your computer and charge. Then you have your charger on the go. Living in Canada we don’t get a strong sun light as we have a long winter but summer is right around the corner. I hope to use the solar aspect all summer. Simply the look of the Bamboo is eco-friendly the exterior is made out of bamboo that is where the name comes from an additional goodwill toward humanity.   It’s good for all smart phones and tablets boosting the battery up to 40%, any device with a B.Y.O USB cable. Before you buy any solar charger make sure you do your research not all live up to the hype. This product is ideal for the outdoor lovers so my eco friends enjoy it and stay eco.   

Act for the planet – Earth day & Earth Hour

Why participate on earth friendly events? Because it is your home, it’s your families, your children, your future children, your dog, your cat, your fish… etcetera we all live on planet earth. Until we are able to live on another planet let’s try to love and appreciate our home.  

 Hope you all took part on earth hour that just recently passed this March 23, 2013. Earth Hour is a worldwide event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature. To create awareness about the need to take action on climate changes by encouraging households and business to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour.  Since 2008, 35 countries around the world participating as official flagship and over 400 cities are supporting this great cause.

Next earth hour: March 29, 2014 8:30PM

Now what is earth day? Earth day is also a worldwide movement to demonstrate support for the environment protection. Held on April 22 of each year known as International Mother Earth Day. Earth day is celebrated by more than 192 counties and each year there is more eco-activist participating. If each of us could take on just one new, sustainable practice whether changing the light bulbs, turning down (or up) the thermostat, or parking the car and walking just think of the impact. And if we did this every day? Well, what a giant leap toward reducing our collective carbon footprint!

My eco friends please participate on making a difference on earth day April 22, 2013.

http://www.earthhour.org/
http://www.earthday.org/

Get a little more green living

This week we are taking the eco-friendly living to the next level. Furniture ideas that aims to bring your home and lifestyle to a complete ecological responsible. The "organic" designation doesn’t exist in the furniture category in the same way it's used in labeling food and clothing.The first step is to start out  with what’s out there in eco-friendly furniture, décor and furnishings, from organic fabrics and fills to certified ecologically harvested wood, bamboo, nontoxic finishes, fair trade, local, artisan-crafted or reclaimed finds.

Vintage and antique furniture are two of the most eco-friendly choices you can choose for furnishing a home. There’s no hard and fast distinction for when furniture becomes vintage; to some people anything that’s old is vintage. Vintage is very in now-a-days the old is the new new!! I believe the items need to be at least 20 years old to be considered vintage. Refinishing or restoring antiques is also a great choice, but usually best left to the experts. Another great idea is buying from local source; it works as well with furniture as it does with organic food. For great quality and affordable price I would suggest kijiji.com.  Call it salvage-chic or dumpster-chic. Creatively reusing or reimagining everyday objects into completely different things is a great way to come up with furniture and accessories that are truly one-of-a-kind items.

Best of luck my eco-friends on living a greener lifestyle.

http://www.houzz.com/photos/toronto/bamboo-furniture

http://www.organiclifestyle.com/toronto/toronto-based-modern-contemporary-eco-friendly-furniture-designers/

The grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef debate

As I was grocery shopping this weekend I came across some corn fed beef. As you may know this is a very skeptical topic because it goes hand-in-hand with Generically Modify Foods (GMO). I thought to myself Cattle are not design to eat corn!? How would this be healthy to eat? And would this be considered to be GMO?

Well from my research I have found that some people are for it and some against it.

 

Cattle are fed corn for a multitude of reasons. Cattle love eating corn, and prefer eating corn over grass. Corn provides cattle with a means to obtain more energy from their diet which they use to help them grow. Cattle eating strictly grass often cannot obtain enough energy to meet their needs, growth and thus live their lives malnourished. Secondly, cattle are fed corn because feeding corn produces high quality, tender, juicy, and flavorful beef. Grass fed beef often has gamey "off flavours" and substantially less marbling which make the steaks you buy extremely tough when cooked, and can be comparable to eating a piece of leather.  Cattle fed corn have significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than any form of grass fed program.  Sounds great but just wait the real truth is that cattle were designed to eat grass. The diet is primarily starch based (corn) is about as unnatural as you can get, and is intensely unhealthy for the animal as well as consumers of food products from those animals. Corn has been introduced to the feed to fatten them up faster; hormones and protein supplements. Also, the corn that they are feeding these cattle’s is genetically modified.  I’m sure cattle farmers would argue that without antibiotics and pesticides their cows would get sick in such close quarters and they can’t make a profit by scaling back or allowing cattle to feed in an open pasture.

This  is when we need to vote with our dollars and buy meat that is better for us.

If the demand is there, the industry will adapt and change the supply.

You get to vote for the food you want three times a day.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/29/grass.grain.beef.cookinglight/index.html

Best Organic, Eco-Friendly Mascaras

Today’s post is dedicated to all the ladies who love using mascaras to show off their beautiful eyes.  As you may already know most beauty products in the market has tons of chemicals and throughout time it harms your skin, eyes and your overall health. After much research I have narrow it down to three. I have personally tested these three products to be able to give all of you the inside. 

Mascara by Josie Maran and Volume Mascara by Lavera

These two products I felt were the same. Both had great coverage, length and color. It goes on smoothly it does not clump. The down side is it’s not 100% organic but it claims to be natural; even containing iron oxides. The up side of it’s made with organic jojoba, wild rose oils, beeswax and is free of paraben and heavy metals. Now this makes me wonder if I even want to wear make-up, hope all natural comes to trend soon! Despite not being 100% organic great news for the vegans it is vegan-approved.  

Lash Masque by Lamas 

I have used this product before but it is not a mascara, this has a natural formula that helps you grew your lashes thick and longer. I would say that it works like a mousse, has no color but great natural look for the day.

Organic Mascara by Nvey

I saved the best for last! This is the most organic mascara in the market right now. It contains nettle, hosetail herb and vitamin B5. I am sad to say that this product works best only for thicker lashes because it takes several applications to go on and it does not enhance the longer appearance of your lashes, but over all this are the best choice.  

Sources: 

 http://ecosalon.com (Fashion)

  Katherine Butler

The Best Appliances for Your Home

Everyone is looking to “go green” these days, and a big part of this has to do with the fact that doing so will typically save a lot of money. The environment and the economy both being in relatively bad condition these days, people are focusing on saving money and protecting the planet. Many appliances that are used are very energy inefficient. Newer technologies, however, have allowed us to develop a lot of appliances that can power our homes without using an unnecessary amount of natural resources. If you’re looking to give your kitchen an environmentally-friendly upgrade, there are a lot of ways that you can go about doing so.

Dishwasher – According to the Canadian Government, the dishwasher is the 5th heavy consumer of energy amongst household appliances. Your dishwasher uses a lot of water, especially if it’s an older model. Like many important home appliances, the dishwasher has come a long way in recent years, and is currently outfitted with a lot of advanced technology that helps it to be more energy efficient. Newer models have things like sensors that help make sure more water isn’t used than is necessary for the specific load of dishes.
Refrigerator – The refrigerator is typically the second-most energy inefficient appliance in most homes, after the heating and air conditioning system. Upgrading your fridge is a great idea. There are a ton of newer models that are a lot more energy efficient. It’s also smart to avoid buying a fridge that’s larger than what you need.
Convection Oven – Getting a convection oven installed in your kitchen is the best as they come with a variety of great benefits. For one thing, a convection oven will actually speed up the cooking process. Additionally, a convection oven uses about 30% to 50% less energy in the process.

Remember when making these large ticket items you must get the best that fits within your lifestyle and cost. The best eco-friendly and long term cost efficient are the Energy Star sticker appliances. So remember to look for the blue and white Energy Star sticker.  

Eco Friendly Green Living – Why live Eco-Friendly?

What if we all lived an eco-friendly green lifestyle?

Our ancestors did, so don’t think it is not possible.  Today most of our activities is harmful to our planet. We are quickly using up natural resources as trees, fossil fuels, clean water while we poison the ground with chemical fertilizers, garbage, herbicides, and factory waste. Things could be so different if we all unite and change our ways of living to live in a clean world not just for us but for our future children.

We don’t need to go live in a tent and pick berries. It won’t be easy but it must be done and creating awareness so others wake up to the serious issue that surrounds us. Eco green living is already gaining popularity and fashionable in some circles. From my research I have found most European countries has been incorporating this lifestyle and even had influential celebrities help out to get credibility. I believe that in North America we will start catching up and slowly make the transition to green living.

Please join me and so many others who are committed to living differently and making a change!

What we can do:

 

•   Recycle
•   Re-use
•   Consider green alternatives
•   Buy locally whenever possible
•   Support real farming by eating organic foods
•   Reduce waste
•   Be careful with waste disposal
•   Reduce usage of fossil fuels
•   Buy products produced from sustainable sources
•   Support ethical treatment of all animals
•   Reduce use of toxic chemicals
•   Explore and support alternative energy possibilities

Don’t forget to create awareness of this new trend and safe our planet!!

Mall kiosks give you cash for old electronics

Kiosk Manufactures are also thinking green by creating a new eco-friendly venture called EcoATM. This new kiosk is soon to be seen in most major North American malls.  This will allow users to recycle old cell phone and get paid in the process. The way it works is that user puts he’s/her old or unwanted cellular phone in the machine to scan. The machine has over 4,000 devises on its database that can be recognised from the scan and also it does a test to see the condition of the devise to determine the worth. The accuracy rate is claimed to be 98%.

 The pay may not be extensive but you don’t need to post sale ads on kijiji.ca or craigslist.com to get rid of your unwanted handheld electronics. This makes your life easier, less time consuming and at the same time you are saving the world. Innovations as these kiosks have the potential to help keep toxic substances out of landfills and natural environments.

The company says it resells about 40% of the phones and melts down the others.
It doesn’t stop at cellular phones also MP3 players and cameras.

 

I have provided a video bellow to see how it works.

 

 

 

Great ice melter alternative EcoTraction

EcoTraction is a great eco-friendly product on the market ice melter and road salt alternative.  EcoTraction is a green-colored all-natural volcanic mineral that is completely safe to touch or accidentally ingest by children, pets, and wildlife. EcoTraction also contains no salt, chlorides, chemicals, or dyes.

Since we are having such a harsh winter this year, I decided to use this produce because of its eco-friendly claim.  So far it has been working great.  I have only thrown it on my drive way and walk way ones; so far it works exactly as it claims. It doesn’t melt! 

EcoTraction can be found in the following retail stores

-       The Home Depot

-       Home hardware
-       Shoppers Drug Mart
-       Canadian Tire
-       Metro
-       True Value
-       Whole Foods Market