Actually no… most of them aren’t.  Cut flowers that you purchase in the majority of flower shops may be beautiful, but they come at a high price, both environmentally and socially.

Most of the flowers in these shops come from far away – so start with a
good dose of greenhouse gases from the transportation to get them here.
While growing, they are sprayed with a cocktail of pesticides –
sometimes as many as 100 times what they would spray on foods at the
same farm.  These pesticides have very negative impacts to the local
environment, not to mention the local people employed on the farm to
pick them and ship them here – people who don’t have options to demand
better.

So what should you look for?

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‘Tis the season when we look back on the year and make some commitments on going forward.  This year, why not include a little greening into your resolutions.  If you’re looking for suggestions, here are a few to get you started:

1) Ditch the plastic waterbottles.  If you are going to do just one thing to improve your ecological footprint, your best bang for your buck is to kick the bottled water habit.  Not only are you paying a ridiculous mark up on water, but you’re contributing billions of bottles to the planet, and all the associated greenhouse gases that come with them. Stainless steel waterbottles are reasonably priced and easy to find, and tap water is cheaper.  Save some money and the planet!

2) Go litterless at lunch.  Whether for you or the kids, its really no extra work to pack a few reusable containers instead of using plastic wrap or baggies.  One day, not a big day – 320 work days in a year – well that’s a lot of baggies in the landfill.  Consider a lunch kit – it makes packing kids lunches much easier.

3) Go green when you clean.  Our health tends to be the focus of most of our new year’s resolutions, so this is a good time to remember how closely the environment is tied to our health.  When we choosegreen cleaners for example, its not only better for the planet to choose a green cleaner, it’s also much healthier for you and your family.  Same goes for personal care products – the very same things that make a shampoo green make it easier on the body.

4) Drive lightly on the planet - We’ll explore how to save money on gas later - but you can get started simply by going lighter on the gas pedal.  Every 10 kilometres over the speed limit that you drive, costs you 10% more fuel to drive the same distance.  The two minutes that you save by speeding cost the planet and your pocketbook more than you think.

** Add your resolutions below – and check out the resolutions from my fellow Green Cricketers.

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You’ve been asking for ways to get the kids involved in your quest for green, and we’re happy to provide some suggestions. A great way to start - if they haven’t seen the Earth Rangers, check them out at www.earthrangers.org and invite your school to book their free show.

Earth Rangers is an environmental education organization based in the Greater Toronto Area. They go into schools and offer a live show with a strong environmental message in a fun way, along with some amazing wildlife that the students can see in action. There are separate shows for primary, junior and intermediate students that inspire them to take action to protect the planet.

Their kids’ website, www.earthrangers.com provides a follow up to the school show. I has a bunch of great eco-tips for kids, along with fun games to play (my daughter likes Funky Skunky best – and I have to say that I see where she’s coming from). The games also have a great message woven into them, like recycling, composting, or energy efficiency.

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Perhaps one of the most difficult issues that we’ve tackled as Green Cricket is the search for Green Cosmetics. Ideally, we’d love to recommend a line of cosmetics that reduces both the environmental impacts and the health risks of traditional cosmetics, yet function just as well.

Sadly, that is not as easy as we had hoped. The challenge is that there is not a great deal of consensus around what is acceptable or isn’t in these products. While we always want to err on the side of caution, some of the truly green ones that we’ve found really aren’t a great substitute for more conventional cosmetics.

Some highlights of the debate:

1) Parabens – A widely used preservative to inhibit microbial growth in personal care products, in particular cosmetics. It’s good, because it does a good job of keeping cosmetics safe, extends their shelf life, and it replaced formaldehyde. The challenge is that while both Health Canada, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States currently say that it’s safe, there is mounting concern over its long-term safety too. Most major cosmetic companies are looking for alternatives to phase it out. But there is no easy switch, so companies like Jamieson, Avon and Almay, are experimenting with new options.

2) Nanoparticles – Microscopic particles being added to all kinds of personal care products – usually because of their UV blocking capabilities. The problem is that they haven’t been tested for safety either on people or the environment, and early reviews aren’t optimistic. Again, we’re hoping to avoid it.

3) Propylene Glycol – Used to moisturize both the skin, and to prevent cosmetics from drying out themselves. Again, Health Canada and the FDA have given it the green light, but the debate outside these forums rages on about short-term skin irritation, and long-term safety. A deciding factor for me – if it’s a major component of automotive antifreeze, I probably want to minimize in the products that I put on my face.

So where can we get good information? Well that’s another part of the challenge. (more…)

THE CAMP BUZZ IS ON- HOW TO DEAL WITH BUGS THIS SUMMER

Presumably, you’re sending your kids to camp because you want to give them the opportunity to reconnect with nature.  It makes sense then,to pack them away with stuff that protects the nature they’re going to visit.

So where do you start?  Well the first thing that comes to many peoples’minds when they think of camp is the bugs.  So let’s start by addressing them.  There are a few simple tips to minimize bites of all kinds, before we get to creams and potions.

1) Choose light-coloured clothing –  Not only are these much cooler in the sun, but mosquitoes are attracted to dark colours, and much less likely to bite you in lightly coloured clothing.

2) Go for coverage – A light, long-sleeved shirt is not much hotter than a t-shirt, and can drastically reduce the number of bites that kids get.  Light, long pants can offer the same kind of protection, and there’s even the kind that convert to shorts if you’re out of the woods and get too hot.  Socks are important too.  Don’t choose the low kind that leave your ankles bare.  Bites on the joints can be some of the itchiest and most annoying for the kids, so we want to avoid them as much as possible. And finally, a hat is a great way to keep the bugs from burrowing in the kids’ hair and feasting.

3)  Don’t wear anything “stinky” – Send the kids with unscented shampoos, creams and sunscreens, and try to wash their clothes in unscented detergents before they leave.  All of these things attract bugs in droves.

If you still want some kind of a bug repellent, I’d suggest using something without harmful chemicals in it.  This protects both your childrens’ health, and the plants and animals that they’re going to visit.  DEET, while quite effective as a repellent, is a toxic chemical, and should be used sparingly if at all.   The challenge is that there are so many “natural” solutions out there that really don’t work, so are hardly worth the expense and effort.  Repellents containing either eucalyptus and citronella, or both seem to be the most promising.

How about the sun? Again the first strategy is to avoid it first.  Hats and long sleeved clothing are a great start. They even have clothing that contains a high spf, so that you can avoid putting on sunscreen underneath them.  .

Smart camps will schedule activities that keep the kids out of the sun during the 11am -1pm time frame when the suns rays are most harmful.

Just like bug sprays, sunscreens have come under a great deal of scrutiny in the past few years for their chemical content, and the jury is still out on many of the specific ingredients.  We’ll stick to a few guidelines here:

1) You’ll want to avoid parabens, as you would in other skincare

products.

2) Choose something “natural’, without a huge list of chemicals in it.

3) Avoid “nanotechnology”.  We’ll address this later in a separate blog, but essentially it means that the particles are so small that they can be absorbed right into your bloodstream – not a good thing.  Avoid products that say things like “micronized”. (more…)

Well, the devil is always in the details, but it’s sure a good start. Ontario’s proposed new Green Energy Act is hoping to make a few key changes in the way that we manage energy in the province:

• It sets strict conservation targets. Conservation is always the most cost-effective to start, so this is a good angle.
• It introduces real cost pricing of energy. Right now we’re subsidizing consumption – which is NOT an effective way to foster conservation.
• It weans us off of coal once and for all by 2014. Coal is neither clean nor renewable, so this is an absolutely necessary step.
• Incentives for clean and green technology development, not status quo. We’ve been subsidizing the wrong technologies in past, so this makes amends.
• Streamlined approvals for renewable projects so that we don’t create additional costs for already expensive development projects.
• It creates mandatory requirements and priority spots for renewable energy on Ontario’s Electricity Grid. This means guaranteed consumers for energy projects and that will lower the risk for new development.
• New technology for energy storage. One of the challenges of renewable energy is that it’s not always windy or sunny when you need energy. Better storage means that we don’t need to fire up the coal plant as backup.

You’ve probably also heard a lot about the green jobs that the new Act will create. This part is a little harder to judge, given that we really haven’t seen a plan that details how the proposed 50,000 jobs will be created. Canada is not exactly a hub of green manufacturing – so we’re not likely to be building many large-scale turbine or solar panel plants to compete with Europe. Sustainability includes being able to meet our own needs locally, though, so we’ll need to get started.

Clearly Ontario doesn’t have a long track record of environmental success, but on paper, this is a very strong leadership move. In the words of the Premier, Dalton McGuinty, “Because of our Green Energy Act, our province would be greener, stronger, and in a better position to compete and win against the rest of the world. We’re going to seize this opportunity to build a better Ontario — better for jobs, better for our children, better for our planet.”

Here’s hoping that’s the case…

Check out the details of the act  http://www.greenenergyact.ca/

[written by Katie Altoft]

Editor’s Note:    At Green Cricket we are keen to raise awareness to environmental issues. We want to help our customers make intelligent choices with products they can purchase, that make best use of the earth’s precious resources. Our “Green Quality Criteria” designation is an easy way to access product specific information about how items are made and sourced, as well as their distance to market.

Wondering what to do with the family to mark Earth Day?  There are many different options to choose from. We’ve started to form our own Earth Day Family traditions, just like any other holiday.  I hope this year will be the start of yours too.

To lead up to the Day, there are many new Earth Day books available for kids this year.  Dora Celebrates Earth Day! will be a hit at our house, but if that’s not quite your speed, there are many more to choose from. Here’s one list to check out:  LINK

Moving outside, the end of April should be great for hiking or biking, or heading to the park.  Gardening season is in full swing by the end of April.  Whether its planting a tree, or planting a garden (organic, of course!), it’s a great way to spend some time outdoors – and you can start now inside with seedlings.

If you’re looking for somewhere to go, check out this link for events all across Ontario: Earth Day

I’ve been to Downsview Park in Toronto for the last several years, and it’s a great event for all ages, with entertainment, and “green goods” to mark the day.

[written by Katie Altoft]

In a word – YES. You’ve probably heard at least some of the fuss about Bisphenol A or BPA, particularly with respect to baby bottles. While BPA is particularly hazardous to babies (born or unborn), the most recent studies show it’s a health issue for all of us.

Green Cricket steel bottles

Here’s how:

- BPA is a chemical that acts like estrogen in the body and interferes with normal hormonal function.

- BPA during pregnancy can negatively impact the developing breast and prostate and have adverse effects on brain development and behavior in children.

- BPA may also contribute to such impacts as breast cancer, infertility and early puberty in girls.

- BPA is being linked to significantly increased risks of diabetes and heart disease.

Most importantly, though, we’re just beginning to understand how dangerous it may be. A healthy dose of precaution is definitely in order. So where is BPA found, and how do we avoid it?

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I’m sure you’ve noticed. Becoming a mom seems to make you the world’s biggest magnet for advice. From what to feed the kids, to how to get them to sleep, to where they should go to school - it seems like everyone has a lot of ideas, and usually conflicting ones, on what you should do and how you should do it.

You may also have noticed that remarkably little of this advice has anything to do with your impact on the planet. Much of it is routed in traditions that formed long before we calculated our carbon footprints and fretted about the recycled content of our baby wipes. If you had asked my Mom about what it meant to be a Green Mom, she would have assumed that you got too close to a dirty diaper and weren’t feeling so well.

The funny thing is that the green answers also seem to be routed in tradition. Looking back to simpler times, we’re choosing things with fewer, more natural ingredients, from around the corner not across the globe. Right now, manufacturers are struggling with how to provide the conveniences that we’ve become accustomed to, without the nasty impacts that they’re having on the planet.

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