Saturday, April 30, 2011

Stoked on the Sask

Today I biked to school - took about 40 minutes and I almost died... in terms of - sketchy drivers...BUT it was doable, for sure...and then on the way back I found an even better route! Woot.

I ALSO stumbled upon an awesome organic co-op next door to the place I acquired my bike lights (Bike Universe on Broadway) ...I met some awesome people and one guy has offered to take my compost! How cool! He couldn't talk long as he was off to dinner reservations but I got his email...and I shall now save my compost, I just need to find a pail to store it in...sooo awesome.

I also got some sweet bike tips from a super cool guy at the bike shop... maybe he just wanted me to buy his products so he was being super awesome...or maybe he's just super awesome - either way, I DID buy some lights (and he confirmed that he would, in fact, be recycling the packaging they came in) and got some tips so maybe it's a win win.

That whole area is awesome though...unsure of the actual neighborhood but, as my friend compared it to, and I concur - the Kitsilano of Saskatoon.

Quickly eating some dinner before I head back over (via bike) to broadway for some MPAcc fun (Master of professional accounting). Given the quicker route I found, it should only take me about 30-35minutes by bike!  :) Hopefully I'm less sweaty upon arrival...mmm bike sweat.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Summer in the Prairies - finding all my places again

It's quite the task - moving to a new place and having to re-discover where you can find quinoi and/or cranberries in bulk, and organic produce/bread without a plastic bag. Or, to figure out which places are ok with you bringing your own finding a container to bring in the first place (I only brought my abeego wrap and a reusable coffee mug with me). It's super overwhelming, and tempting to just want to grab the plastic/overpackaged goods... but I'm trying to stick to it...because at the end of the day, I really just don't want all that plastic and unnecessary excess. I'm here for four months (pursing the first half of my master in accounting) and I am going to have to make a bigger effort to continue on my "no waste" stream, but I'm up for the challenge.

I arrived in last night around 5:30pm...I've been in this city for approx 20hrs and 50 minutes and it seems like a really great city. However, and of course, I have some my enviro-thoughts - I can't help but pick apart what I experience, for its enviro aspects so, here it is:

The good:
-I acquired a bike today - thanks to the roomy for asking around her school for those with bikes to lend for the summer - seemed to be a lot of people who were willing to lend a bike - that's great! Nothing like a good community 
-grocery store - within walking/bike distance
-the roommate recycles
-small-town feel
-at the uni  there are bins for recycling
-met some awesome people thus far (this isn't enviro but should be said, just the same!)

The je-ne-sais-pas:
-the land is very spread out - the city appears to be quite difficult to get around in unless you have a car (very Calgary-esque) - doable for sure, on a bike, but the roads have shoulders that disappear at random, and semi's that drive by bringing loads of dust and debris with them... so...long story short - I'm a little scared to start biking everywhere... plus I realize I forget my LED bike light, in I will have to find one here. It is going to be ESPECIALLY useful, if not required, on these roads.
-as mentioned above, roommates recycle! YES! However, Saskatoon apparently does not recycle glass or plastic (seriously? it's 2011) BUT the roomy saves all that stuff and hauls it back to Edmonton whenever she goes back-that's dedication - high five roomy! 
-no compost. Though, not for a lack of interest. After asking my go-to question of "do you recycle" when trying to decide which place to pick in Sask - we talked about setting up one in the backyard when I came. I hope that can still happen, but for now there is bureaucratic dealings first...the condo community etc may be offended by such valuable food scraps-to-soil, we'll have to work on that one. Needless to say - I feel really guilty for the compost I've already created that has not made it to a proper compost area. Should I just go dig a hole in the backyard and bury my scraps there? Is that legal?
-at $72.41/month for a bus pas, the bus system gets two thumbs down. There is a so-called DART bus (Direct Access Rapid Transit) but it appears to only run on the hour or .5 hr and I have yet to actually see a bus.... will have more knowledge on that one later...

Yup - there's lots more green this city could take on (or that's left for me to discover), that's for sure. It's surprising to see that a city with such strong focus on agriculture not be as green ...or maybe the two don't coincide... that being said - you witness a a city surrounded with beautiful mountains/ocean inhabit those who show no regard for the who knows.

All in all - I'm excited for prairie sky sunsets, school life, and getting back to basics. In addition, I hope to acquire a lot more knowledge in the field (pun intended ;) ) of agriculture... I want to learn more about farming (specifically organic) and I'm going to look up some CSA's (community supported agriculture) and the like, that I can hopefully go visit and learn more!

Recap: compost: 0 garbage:1 - I need to change that asap.

Stay tuned.

Monday, April 25, 2011

to-go-ers in a to-stay world.

I can't help but notice that every time I walk by Starbucks (well, all coffee shops, but Starbucks seems to be pop up more frequently) - people are consuming their morning/mid-morning/afternoon/lunch/any time of day coffee/ a to-go cup. Why?

If it were up to me, to-go cups would be non-existent. I realize Companies have jumped on the bandwagon of disposables because it's a) cheaper and b) less work for them (i.e. after-the-fact-cleaning). And, perhaps you forget your re-usable mug at home and you're just dying for a coffee - OK...not ideal, but I don't even think that is the majority of people. Why use a to-go cup, when all you're going to do is staying, anyway.

Next time you walk by a coffee shop - take a gander at all those sitting - do they have mugs or to-go cups? I'll be you 99% of the time it's to-go cups...

There should be no reason for needing a to-go cup, when you plan on sitting in your selected coffee venue, to consume your beverage (of food for that matter). I realize this is, in large, due to the Barista's removing "to stay- or to-go" from their phrased vocabulary. Whatever the case may be - can we please re-instate that five worded question into the minds of those selling us our food/beverage? Or can we please remember to specify - "to stay please"?  Followed by a big smile/wink in an attempt to acknowledge your dedication to waste-free living?

Most people when I tell them this ask me if they even still have to-stay cups... good news for everyone is...they do!

Starbucks not only has to-go cups for their coffees and such, but they also have them for iced drinks. Tall glass...glasses! Perfect for your Tall Iced, No Whip, Non Fat Caramel Latte, or your  Venti Tazo Shaken Iced Black Tea Lemonade. BAM.  Just remember to specifically ask for it to stay...because they haven't got back into the habit of asking "to stay, or to go!" You can take pride in knowing you're bringing back a fad, AND saving the environment too.... win win.

So, if anything, remember this simple question- "Hey! May I have that to Stay? :)"

Call the Producer!

There continues to be items that I'm perplexed about when it comes to recycling - namely items that I acquire when others are unsure what to do with them (since I can't, in good conscious, tell them to just throw it out) e.g.: microwave popcorn (I actually buy bulk kernels now, and have an air popper), Pringles containers, and Folders coffee "tin" laced with paper containers. 

Something I've learned from other like-minded individuals is to just CALL! Most products, if not all, have their 1-800 numbers listed somewhere on the label - you can ask them how their items can be recycled. Also, I'd recommend calling even if you know it can't be recycled. Why? Because it lets them know that we ARE consciously thinking about the packaging that our products come in, and that we're basing their decisions, accordingly. If their sales drop - it won't be long before they start making significant changes. All times I've called - they have been deeply concerned that I, a consumer, will stop buying their product unless they alter their packaging. We actually have a lot more power than we think.

I also like to call companies out on their green washing - they need to know they're not fooling anyone (well, most of us).