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My letter from Windex®
I prefer to clean with cheap and effective DIY options like vinegar and water for glass and mirrors. (Credit: Jill Watson via Flickr)
I officially broke up with Windex® because they don't list ingredients on their products. See for yourself when you take our home cleaners survey. But get this, they wrote back!
Lindsay,
We're sorry to hear you're breaking up with Windex®.
Like you, we think it's important for the people who use our home cleaning products to know what's in their favorite ones. So, before you say goodbye, we hope you'll take a few minutes to get the real facts about the ingredients in Windex® at whatsinsidescjohnson.ca
Please also know our commitment to list ingredients on Windex® labels is well underway, and you should see them on our products at your local stores this summer.
Because we value our relationship, we too want you to get the whole story and help you make the best choices for you and your family.
Continue reading »Happy Mother's Day
Celebrate Mother's Day and Mother Earth.
Send Mom an e-card from the David Suzuki Foundation.
Gulf oil spill devastating for jobs and economy
Eyeless shrimp, from a catch of 180 kilograms of eyeless shrimp, said to be caught September 22, 2011, in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. (Credit: Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera)
In my last article on the long-term effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, I closed by stating that in some ways it's a good thing that the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico occurred in such a populated place. The disastrous 1989 Exxon oil spill in Prince William Sound was easy to ignore because it happened in a place few of us will ever see. The Gulf of Mexico is pretty much the opposite; it's home to about 21 million people and many of the most important fisheries in the United States. Before the spill, the crustacean, mollusc, benthic (bottom-dwelling) and pelagic (mid-depth) fisheries in the Gulf were worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year and employed thousands of workers.
And now?
Continue reading »Demystifying "organic" farmed salmon: Is there such a thing?
Synthetic pesticides, non-organic feed, uncontrolled waste disposal: the "organic" salmon farming standard varies little from conventional open-net cage practices.(Credit: This Magazine)
What comes to mind when you think about certified organic food?
Perhaps you think of food that is better for us and the planet. Food that avoids synthetic pesticides. Livestock that are fed a 100 per cent certified organic diet.
It seems intuitive that the same organic principles that exist for land-grown organic produce, livestock and dairy should also apply to farmed fish.
This is apparently not going to be the case.
Continue reading »Speak out for the environment and democracy on June 4
Environmental and other organizations are joining with Canadians from all walks of life for Black Out Speak Out, launched on May 7 and culminating in a website blackout June 4.
(Credit: ecojustice.ca)
Canada would be a different place without our 80,000 registered charities dedicated to everything from health to economic policy to the environment. We'd be much poorer without the two-million employees and millions of volunteers who devote their time to causes that strengthen our nation.
Recent efforts by the federal government and its backers in media and industry front groups like Ethical Oil to demonize and silence legitimate organizations ignore the important role charities play in Canada. That's why environmental and other organizations are joining with Canadians from all walks of life for Black Out Speak Out (blackoutspeakout.ca or silenceonparle.ca en français), launched on May 7 with ads in the Globe and Mail, La Presse, and Ottawa's Hill Times and culminating in a website blackout June 4.
A David Suzuki Foundation moment in history: The Pacific Salmon Forest Project — Part 2
Foundation staff and the Nemiah community constructed straw bale houses as an alternative to federal reserve housing.
In the first part of this moment in history series, we looked back on the beginnings of one of the most momentous projects in the Foundation's history. Now in Part 2, the project work begins in earnest.
One of the Pacific Salmon Forest project's primary goals was to support community economic development projects on B.C.'s coast, offering local First Nations alternatives to jobs in industrial forestry and unsustainable fisheries. The project area encompassed seven First Nations territories and 13 communities.
Having a green baby
Do you know about all of the diapering options out there? (Credit: Allan Paquettevia Flickr)
A fellow once asked me, "Do staff at the David Suzuki Foundation have children?"
Yes. And, I'm about to join them!
I've plans to "green" this life-altering bundle of joy and curb its added impact on the planet, starting with diapers.
How to go diaper-free
New parents could change thousands of diapers by the time a child is two or three years old. Or, go diaper-free.
Ingrid Bauer coined "elimination communication" after traveling throughout India and Africa where diaper-less babies are the norm. EC uses a combination of signals, timing, intuition and body language. It's not toilet training in the traditional sense—like the "potty dance" and bribing your toddler with M&Ms. The process begins during early infancy (0 to 4 months).
Sound impossible? You know when your baby needs to eat and burp, right, what with the flushed cheeks, grunts and cries? We've all known a toddler who holed up in the corner while filling his or her pants, too.
The benefits are obvious—fewer diapers will save money, prevent a rash and stop clogging landfills. Online you'll find books, how-to videos, and even support groups. (I've personally seen the proof: my niece and nephew.)
Continue reading »
