Green Cricket will be attending an exciting conference next week, look for us there.

Green Employers 2011 is an annual conference, organized around the popular competition, Canada’s Greenest Employers. The conference takes place Monday, May 30 at The MaRS Collaboration Centre in Toronto. The conference is designed for senior-level HR and environmental executives to learn how to create environmentally friendly workplaces and successfully integrate environmental values into their culture. The winners of the 2011 competition will be announced in a special editorial supplement in The Globe and Mail on April 22.

http://www.greenemployers.ca

On the eve of Green Cricket’s first EcoLogo certification, we thought it would be a good idea to introduce loyal followers to what the EcoLogo certification means for them.

EcoLogo is  North America’s largest, most respected environmental standard and product certification mark, EcoLogo has established stringent standards for certain types of products, ensuring that only 20% of products in any of those product categories could meet the standards (http://www.environmentalchoice.com/en/criteria/).  In this way, they highlight the best of the best.
  Manufacturers can choose to submit their products for third party 
testing achieving EcoLogo certification if all the requirements are met.  
EcoLogo is one of several product certifications that are available to
 green products.  But as a consumer it’s important to be conscious of
 greenwashing, and be able to discern between fact and fiction on a
product label.

So what should you look for?  In a happy, green world, all products would be organic, biodegradable, derived from natural sources, have minimal packaging and be processed locally, for a start.  The challenge is that in an emerging market place, finding all of these characteristics in a single product is very challenging.  Most often you’re making tradeoffs, finding products that provide you with the best combinations.  For example – we still struggle to develop some ingredients organically and many products still contain some synthetic preservatives, because many natural ones just don’t work as well…yet.

Another challenge is how this information is communicated to consumers.
  There aren’t clear, universal definitions for many of the descriptions you’ll see on consumer products, and many manufacturers have taken some
pretty liberal interpretations of what a green product looks like.  Look for proof on their website, and check the ingredients as well.  Some
things that you’ll want to avoid include parabens, sodium lauryl
sulfate, fragrance, and propylene glycol.  Odds are good that a product that calls itself natural and but has nearly 100 ingredients, many of which you
can’t pronounce, probably isn’t all that natural (but that isn’t the only screen, nature makes some pretty crazy things too!).
  To ensure that your green products truly are green takes a little work –
 ensuring that your source is reputable is one step, and third party
certifications such as EcoLogo, or GreenSeal can be another.  Just be sure that the certification mark is legitimate…that’s another greenwashing trick - the seal that looks like a certification, but is really only a decoration.

Green Cricket chose to seek EcoLogo certification for their Foaming Hand Wash soap, because they were confident in the ingredients and manufacturing process, and that the product would sell in sufficient quantities to justify the costs of certification.  I am pleased to say that they did indeed receive EcoLogo certification, and the product will now bear the EcoLogo mark in the next production run. Congratulations Green Cricket!

It’s not good for you, or the environment, to idle your car

Although it’s tempting on frosty mornings to start your car long before you’re ready to hop in it and go, letting it idle in the driveway pollutes your neighbourhood, wastes gas, and isn’t any better for your car than driving away thirty seconds after you start it in the first place.

But warming up the car is a Canadian habit. Based on research by the Department of Natural Resources, in the peak of winter many Canadian motorists idle their vehicles for about eight minutes a day. Nation-wide it amounts to more than 75 million minutes of idling a day, wastes over 2.2 million litres of fuel and produces over five million kilograms of greenhouse gases.

Idling is such a pollution problem in big cities that some, like New York, have passed no-idling laws. Although our communities are not densely populated idling is still a pollution problem and a public health issue since many of the places where people idle are public areas where there are more people around to breath in the fumes. As well, you inhale exhaust if you’re sitting in an idling vehicle.

An idling vehicle emits CO2 (the primary greenhouse gas) and a mix of other gasses that have been linked to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease, asthma and allergies. Children and the elderly are more at risk. The environmental Defense Fund calls idling the second-hand smoking of the outdoors.

Warming your vehicle on cool mornings is only one of the reasons why Canadians idle their vehicles. Empty vehicles idle in public places while the driver runs an errand, people sit in idling cars in store parking lots, presumably while someone does the shopping, and people idle while they chat.

If you have a habit of idling, being mindful of its effect on your health and on the environment might make it easier to stop. Natural Resources Canada has some other suggestions too:

Your car doesn’t need to idle to warm the engine. In fact, the best way to warm your engine is to drive your car at a moderate speed. About 30 seconds is all that’s needed before you put it in gear and drive away. As well, driving your car gets the heater going more quickly so you won’t have to wait too long for the car’s interior to warm up.

Don’t leave your car running while you run an errand. It will only take a minute for your vehicle to warm up again once you return.

Instead of sitting in a parking lot with the car idling while someone is in getting groceries, turn off the car and go into the store. It saves on gas, reduces green house gas emissions and you won’t be breathing fumes that leak into the car.

As a general rule, if you’re stopped for more than 10 seconds, turn off your engine. It has a minimal impact on the starter switch, and idling for over10 seconds uses more fuel than it would take to re-start your engine.

[written by guest blogger Bridget Oland]

Here is a tasty piece from our guest blogger….Ed

“The case of the deadly microwave popcorn” and the “Popcorn Workers Lung Disease Prevention Act” sound to me like fodder for a Wallace and Gromit movie but they’re not. The U.S. House of Representatives actually passed the Act and there is ample information linking microwave popcorn to a variety of health issues.

It seems that there are a couple of things to worry about when it comes to microwave popcorn. The major concern is a chemical coating on the inside of the bag added to repel grease and keep the popcorn from sticking. The chemical is perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and is also used in non-stick pans and Gore-Tex clothing.

This chemical builds up in the body over time and, in animal tests anyway, has been linked to reproductive and developmental issues and problems with the immune system and the liver. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers it a probable carcinogen and asked companies to voluntarily phase it out by 2015.

The other concern about microwave popcorn is with the artificial butter flavouring. It often contains a chemical called diacetyl that when inhaled has been known to cause “popcorn lung”, a rare lung disease found in workers at microwave popcorn packaging plants. Some manufacturers have removed it from their products but now there is concern that the replacement chemical might cause respiratory issues too. Popcorn producers are not required to label Diacetyl and may list it simply as flavoring.

A couple of years ago I rediscovered the simple pleasure of stovetop popcorn. What had seemed daunting as a child is really as simple as sautéing onions. Sure you need to give the pot a few shakes as it cooks, but it isn’t as labour-intensive as it once seemed. Hot air poppers work great too.

Making popcorn from scratch means you can also avoid the excessive packaging used for the microwave version. Choose organic popping corn since corn is commonly genetically modified and heavily sprayed.

Here is our favourite popcorn recipe:

3 tbsp canola or olive oil

½ cup popcorn kernels

2 tbsp butter

1or 2 tbsp maple syrup

Add the oil and then the popcorn to a large stainless pot with a lid. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, shaking a few times while you wait for the first pop. When the corn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot occasionally to keep things moving. When the popping has almost stopped remove from heat and when all is quiet tip the popped corn into a big bowl. Add the butter to the hot pot and swirl until it melts. Add the maple syrup to the melted butter and let it sit until it bubbles slightly. Swirl to combine the two and pour it over the hot popcorn.

Visit my blog (www.bridgetsgreenliving.blogspot.com) for a few more tasty popcorn variations.

By Bridget Oland

Fall has always seemed like a good time to paint. I suspect it’s because we’re suddenly indoors more so can’t ignore scuffed walls, or are in need of a change before settling into winter.

Slapping on a coat of new paint is one of the simplest and least expensive ways to renovate, a quick and easy way to lift your spirits. But while fresh paint may look wonderful, as you may have guessed from the smell of it, a freshly painted room can be toxic. Paint off-gasses VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which are toxic chemicals that can cause everything from headaches and dizziness to respiratory tract irritation, memory loss and visual impairment. Many VOCs have been shown to cause cancer in animals and are suspected of being as dangerous to humans.

The toxicity of these fumes can depend on a few things. Dark coloured paint emits more VOCs, some people are more sensitive to these chemicals, and the ventilation in the area where you’re painting will impact toxicity.

Before you get paranoid about repainting the kitchen there are a number of low or zero-VOC paints available locally that can have you breathing easier in your home. Last fall we repainted two-thirds of our home’s interior. After doing a little research we chose Home Depot’s Natural line (CIL brand) of water-based latex zero VOC paint for our trim and walls. It’s the base that has no VOCs. Tinting the base will add VOCs so sticking with pale colours is your safest bet. This line of paint is EcoLogo certified.

Another option is Benjamin Moore’s Natura line of zero-VOC paints. These are more expensive (almost twice the price of the Home Depot paint) but according to Benjamin Moore the base and the tints are both zero VOC. If you’re looking for deeper tints this might be your best option. Although these paints are zero VOC, they can still pollute waterways when washed down the drain. To minimize the impact to the environment when cleaning up after a painting project consider the following:

· Wipe the brushes with newspaper before washing in water.

· If you’re mid-job (or just taking a break) wrap your paint-laden brush in plastic.

· If you’re taking a break for more than a day, wrap your wet brush in plastic and place it in the freezer.

If you have used paint to get rid of, look for your nearest household hazardous waste depot. Changes are the depot near you offers a recycling program that sees old paint recycled into new and even the paint cans recycled. This recycled paint (www.boomerangpaint.com) comes in 16 colours and is available at a variety of retailers. Old paint cannot go in the garbage.

Have you ever read the warning label on a tube of toothpaste? Are you alarmed that toothpaste even has a warning label? I’ll guess that few people have bothered to read the safe use instructions on the package, including not swallowing the toothpaste and, on some popular brands, “Recommended for adults and children over 12 years.”

Why should we all be concerned about this? Because most people haven’t a clue what’s in toothpaste and digging up a list of ingredients takes more than a little effort.

You might be surprised to discover that conventional toothpaste contains the artificial sweetener Saccharin. Health Canada banned the use of Saccharin in food 30 years ago due to animal studies that linked consumption to an increased risk of bladder cancer. (They are currently rethinking that ban, due to heavy lobbying from the diet-food industry, but many scientists continue to recommend against lifting the ban.)

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This year Earth Day marks a couple of milestone birthdays: 40 years since the original US Earth Day in 1970 and 20 years since the first International Earth Day in 1990. Organized as a series of teach-ins by a small group of educators and environmentalists, the 1970 Earth Day was envisioned as a grass-roots response to the environmental crisis of the day, inspired by the impact of and lack of government action in response to an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara CA. Planners aspired to attract crowds as large and passionate as those protesting the war then being waged in Viet Nam to make themselves heard on the issue of the environment. From their actions, 20 million demonstrators observed the first Earth Day and urged leaders and citizens to make the changes necessary to preserve the health of the planet. Since that time Earth Day has grown to become an international event, marked in 141 different countries in 1990 to where it is today, about to be celebrated by a billion people in over 190 countries and coinciding with the World People’s Conference on Climate Change.

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Easter, like many other holidays, has become more and more commercial over the years. Gone are the days where time was spent with family enjoying each others company over a big meal. There are, however, many ways to enjoy an eco-friendly Easter. With a little bit of research and some creativity, there are many options to choose from!

Colouring eggs

An age old tradition that kids love! Before you go out and buy a traditional decorating kit, try and use natural dyes. You’d be surprised by your colour options and impressed with the end results. To create the dye, boil the ingredient in water for about 15 minutes. Remember, the longer you boil it, the darker the dye will appear. As for the eggs, boil them in water with a spoonful of vinegar and then let them cool.

Your ingredients could be any of the following:

• Grape juice (for violet or purple)
• Red cabbage or canned blueberries (for blue)
• Spinach (for green)
• Carrot tops, yellow onion skins or paprika (for orange)
• Coffee (for brown)
• Red beets or cranberries (for pink)
• Red onion skins or Pomegranate juice (for red)
• Orange or lemon peels, ground tumeric or cumin (for yellow)

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