eco-friendly plates….

This is great…. let’s shop shop shop to sustainability…  This cartoon is made by Mike Adams and you can see the original comic by clicking on the comic.   He has also made some good comments about this cartoon!

Canada’s Green Page

Yellow Page, White page, now Canada has officially lauched the Green Page, just like the Yellow Page but lists only environmentally responsible and “green” companies.  Well, I guess this is a good intention but who’s there to say that the companies listed are supposed to be under the Green Page?  I like the idea, but like carbon credits, more thought should be with put in.. and we shall be more careful about what we choose!  

“Green” entertainment book

Do you know the entertainment book?  It’s a coupon book that encourages people to buy things or try out restaurants with discount.  Now people have come out with a “green” entertainment book called the Green Zebra guide!  Examples of discount coupons include $10 off $50 or more purchase at Choice, 30% off some clothing store, and so on.  Unfortunately it feels like another gimmick to make money in the “green” field…  

I think we are better off reusing and conserving as supposed to buying new and buying cheap(er)….

Greener Gadgets Show in New York

If you happen to be in New York this weekend, you can check ou tthe “Greener Gadgets” show on February 27 where

innovators, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and eco-designers will return to New York City to discuss the future of sustainability for the consumer electronics industry

Make sure you check out the Green Gadgets Design Competition, hmm…..  what should I buy my  next item towards sustainability, how about a Lightimus?  What is your fav and “must haves” in 2009?

Can we shop our way to Sustainability?

Can we shop our way to sustainability?

by Alexis Morgan, senior manager at WWF

Our world advances because we have needs. Not just basic needs! We have lots of other needs and we always demand for more, bigger, better, and, often times, newer. Yes we are part of the buying culture! It is so embedded in us that if we stop buying, the world is in trouble! In fact, due the current financial crisis, people start saving and reduce buying, but it is actually making things worse! Apparently, we’re supposed to spend more to fix this problem! Yes, it’s that unbelievable.

Will the same model work on climate change issues? Can we shop our way to sustainability? Whether you agree with it or not, we are already doing it!

• We buy carbon credits so we can be ‘carbon neutral’ when traveling with fossil fuel powered transportations – how about reduce unnecessary travel?
• We buy wide screen LCD TVs to replace those old and clunky ones - how about watch less TV?
• We buy energy efficient furnace and air conditioners – how about adjusting the temperature setting?
• We buy timers and sensors to turn off lights – how about learning and practicing turning off lights using our fingers when we leave the room?

The list goes on…. I agree that if we must buy, we ought to choose a green option, but if we think that buying green will ultimately bail us out of climate change, then we have work to do. Fuel cell cars (which will not happen for a long, long time) and electric cars are not the solution to traveling 50km to and from work; solar panels and wind turbines are not the solution to having three TVs and two XBOXes for a family of two; and carbon sequestration is not the solution to increasing CO2 production!

For me, my answer is No, we can not shop our way to sustainability!