Did you know that today, Vancouver has the smallest per capita carbon footprint of any city in North America? On an international level, Vancouver stacks up well against other global cities for its green goals and organizations like Corporate Knights and Economist Intelligence Unit have been recognizing Vancouver’s efforts to become green, more livable and more sustainable. Nevertheless, Vancouver has devised a plan to become the greenest city in the world by 2020. In order to do this, City of Vancouver staff areDid you know that today, Vancouver has the smallest per capita carbon footprint of any city in North America? On an international level, Vancouver stacks up well against other global cities for its green goals and organizations like Corporate Knights and Economist Intelligence Unit have been recognizing Vancouver’s efforts to become green, more livable and more sustainable. Nevertheless, Vancouver has devised a plan to become the greenest city in the world by 2020. In order to do this, City of Vancouver staff are
working with city council, residents, businesses, other organizations and all levels of government to implement the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan. The city will look to 10 goal areas, each with a specific 2020 target that altogether focus on areas of carbon, waste and ecosystems. In light of this environmental action plan, we recently sat down with the David Suzuki Foundation’s Queen of Green, an environment and sustainable living expert, to ask some questions about Vancouver’s current environmental status, what green things are already happening around the city and some issues the city faces.
Remember back to the days of the 3 R's, when bottle recycling was the hip way to ‘save the environment.’ Well, we’ve come a long way since then says the Queen of Green who helps explain why things like composting is beneficial, why she recommends growing your own food and explains what things like ‘dumping’ and ‘upcyling’ mean for today’s environment.
The 3 R’s: REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE
What Do They Mean Today? Recycling helps the earth by not producing more waste onto our planet. We are throwing away far too much garbage and our landfills are filling up.
Reducing the amount of municipal solid waste we produce is by far the most effective way to reduce the flow of garbage into landfills. To be really effective, we have to incorporate the 3 R’s into our daily routine. This means reducing and reusing materials and packaging wherever possible, and materials and packaging that cannot be reused should be recycled at home, work and school.
There is a growing problem of dumping in local neighbourhoods with no regard to the environment. Why is this happening? Why should people stop doing this?
Leaving abandoned garbage in alley ways and on streets has become a serious issue in many municipal neighbourhoods throughout the Lower Mainland. Dumping, as the term as been coined, is not only a potential health and environment risk, but it is illegal and comes with a fine upwards of $2,000. Instead of dumping your large furniture and appliances there are alternatives to disposing them. You can: donate the item to charity; bring the item to the landfill; recycle the item. If you witness dumping in your neighbourhood or at your place of business you can report it; call 3-1-1 or email stop.dumping@vancouver.ca.
On the issue of dumping, the Queen of Green says, “I’m guessing people are collecting too much stuff and then get overwhelmed when it comes time to dispose of things, such as an old mattress or TV. I’ve created a place where people can find out how to dispose and recycle all types of household products from batteries, paint, car seats, eye glasses, mattresses and more.” A simpler life consisting of less stuff will simultaneously assist the environment.
The Queen of Green says “composting is cheap, easy and turns almost half your garbage into plant food.” She suggests these six super reasons to start composting:
• Your garbage is about 40 per cent organic waste – composting keeps all that garbage out of the landfill.
• Organic wastes that end up in landfills decompose without oxygen and produce methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
• Less waste in the garbage means fewer collection trucks on the road.
• Plants love it – compost is a nutrient-rich fertilizer that helps soil retain moisture.
• More compost use means less chemical fertilizers, which run off into the water table.
• Composters are cheap. Many municipalities sell bins for a small fee. You can also buy them at hardware stores and plant nurseries. Or you can make your own.
A composting tip from the Queen of Green: Invasive plants are good at wreaking havoc. English Ivy, for example, will kill a native tree within the span of 15 years. You can help stop the spread of invasive plants because many spread from our very own residential gardens. Do not dump yard waste into parks and natural areas. Do not compost invasive species either. This might include house plants or an old flower arrangement. When it comes time to spread your compost, their seeds will take hold. Controlling invasive species in your own backyard will go a long way to reducing threats to our global biodiversity.
Also, make sure not to compost dairy products, oils, meat, fish and bones as these will set off natural imbalances in healthy compositing soil.
GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD?
The Queen of Green says “It’s about as local as you can get and it’s a great way to spend time outside in nature, even build community.”
Currently, the average meal travels 1200 km from the farm to plate. Food that is grown closer to home will therefore have fewer transportation emissions associated with it, and will also be fresher and support local farmers. And as the distance food travels decreases, so does the need for processing and refrigeration to reduce spoilage. It also lets you grow your food without chemicals. You can grow some great vegetables in even the smallest of spaces such as a balcony or patio space. Try growing herbs, tomatoes, lettuce and other veggies.
Taking part in a community garden brings people together and offers social, ecological, nutritional and economic ben- efits. Such gardens let you grow your own food locally and they are one of the best ways for your neighbourhood and family to be greener and live healthier.
WHAT IS UPCYCLING?
The theory behind upcycling is closely related to recycling only that instead of sending items back for reuse and transformation into a new product, energy is saved by extending the life of the existing product. Recycling is the practice of taking an item and targeting it for reuse by returning it back to the cycle of daily contribution to society rather than discarding it. The difference between recycling and upcycling is simply that recycling extends the life of a product prolonging its inevitable journey into the trash. For example, a bottle that is recycled can not be turned back into a plastic item for risk of composition seepage into the plastic and being ingested. Instead, plastic items become carpets, toys or winter clothing, things that will eventually become trash.
While recycled items are given a prolonged life, they still continue down the path to the earth’s landfills, but upcycling on the other hand is the belief in driving items back ‘up’ the supply chain to be reused, negating the need for more virgin stock and reducing overall waste and expended energy.
The Queen of Green explains further, “You take something that you might have otherwise thrown out and find a way to make it new again. Choose fashionable, upcycled items that have managed to avoid the waste stream altogether. Many eco- friendly designers are getting uber creative, producing earrings from old skateboards and purses from ties of Father’s Days past.”
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS AROUND THE LOWER MAINLAND
Wondering what you can do to help reduce your carbon footprint and help better our environment? Here are some things happening around Vancouver. Christmas Tree Recycling Program: Did you know that you can recycle your Christmas tree? After removing all of the decorations, there are many things you can do with your tree.
• You can take it to a Chipping Event and there are many that happen around the City of Vancouver.
• You can add your tree to your Residential Green Bin Collection: this happens until January 31. You can set out your tree before 7 am on your Green Bin collection day. Trees should be set out a metre away from the green bin on its side. Do not place your tree inside the green bin, bag it or bundle it. Let it be free and it will be collected.
• You can also take your tree to a Drop- Off Depot. There is no charge for this and it can be done until January 31 at the Vancouver South Transfer Station, 377 Kent Avenue North, or Vancouver Landfill, 5400 72nd Street, Delta. There are two locations for tree chipping in Surrey, Newtown Athletic Park, 128 Street & 74 Ave, and the Adams Road PAC Tree Chipping Bottle Drive.
The City of Surrey offers recycling programs, including ReThink Waste that focuses on organic waste, and has schedules in place to pick up organics and recyclables, in addition to garbage services, from single-family households and multi-family complexes. The City of Surrey strives to reach its goal of 70 per cent waste diversion by 2015, and the city urges residents to make waste reduction and diversion a priority in their households. For more information, visit www.surrey.ca.
If you don’t reside in Vancouver or Surrey, it’s best to check with your local municipalities to learn about recycling or green programs in your area to reduce your carbon footprint on the planet.
KEEP VANCOUVER SPECTACULAR
Each year, thousands of Vancouver volunteers meet together for a city-wide cleanup campaign called ‘Keep Vancou- ver Spectacular.’ This event brings together individuals, business and neighbourhood and assigns them cleanup projects. Other community volunteer cleanups are support- ed year round. Vancouver's vision to become the green- est city is possible, but this tremendous goal will take time and effort to reach. Mostly though, it will require continued education of our local communities and extending that information to foreigners moving to the city.
