Andrea's Everything Eco Exploration

I attend events for a living. I talk to people, and try to educate them. I tell them about recycling, and what our containers turn into when they're recycled. It's a laid back and fun job, but often it is disheartening. Most people aren't interested in learning, only lured in by our giveaways. It's so hard to truly get through to them, to change their behavior. Recycling is at the forefront of our awareness these days. It is the most famous R; reduce and reuse haven't quite caught on. To me recycling should be the last resort when dealing with our waste. But as we live in a world diminated by convenience and single use products, reducing and reusing aren't really options. Recycling is the easiest and most widely applicable, and that is why it is gaining the most popularity. Almost every municipality has its own recycling facility, and they can vary substancially.  In Edmonton for example they have an Integrated Processing and Transfer facility that receives the...

I really hope Australia can integrate a cash deposit system for their beverage containers, because here in Alberta is perfect proof of how a deposit system works. We are nearly at an 85% return rate, saving thousands of tons of material from ending up in the landfill. Australia's government needs to step up and make legislation mandating the single use beverage companies like Coke and Nestle manage the end of life of their products better. They did it here, that's why I'm employed with the ABCRC!

It's been a while, but now that my last full semester is over I have a bit more time! I've started my new summer work term as part of my applied degree in environmental science. I'm working as a Love to Recycle Ambassador with the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation. Our team members go out to various events as well as schools to educate the public and children about the importance of recycling beverage containers, and offering them resources to improve recycling infrastructure. I'm very excited to be back in the recycling and education field, because I truly believe it to be an integral part in improving the culture around sustainable actions. Even on my second  day I've learnt so many things! Here's a few of them: Juiceboxes can be made into toilet paper! water bottles can be turned into clothing! Aluminum cans are turned back into cans, over and over again! Among other information is this handy new website, lovetorecycle , where there are ...

Hello there Now that the weather is warming up and the snow is melting, my mind is meandering to the day dreams of building my first big garden. I've just moved into a home with a huge backyard with no garage, and I cannot wait to tear out all the grass and build up a great permaculture design. I visited seedy saturday here in Calgary and got some kale, tomato and Scottish bonnet pepper seedlings, and can't wait until I can plant them outside, and make a greenhouse from reclaimed construction materials. As well, I'm volunteering with my school\s community garden, and it's going to be sweet! I've been doing some research on the most sustainable ways to garden, and I'm going to share some of the great resources and tips I've come across Here's a  fertilizer tea recipe  to boost plant performance, chemical free! and if  space is limited for anyone, here's  ten best crops to grow in containers  to maximize space use and efficiency!

Bottled water is the stupidest product from an environmental stand point. The energy and natural resources that are required to extract the oil, refine it, ship it, process it, manufacture it into bottles, fill them with tap water, package them (using more plastic,cardboard and wooden pallets) and send them to distribution centers, is ridiculous when you can get better quality water from your tap in a reusable cup. Bottled water is expensive (four times as expensive as gasoline per liter), the low quality plastic leaches endocrine disrupting chemicals into the water a while and  when we're done drinking the water after an hour we just throw out the bottle, the cherry on top of a waste sundae. A word of caution: if you ever meet me in real life and you have  a disposable water bottle with you, I will judge you, harshly. Have a good day! :)

So my family has a property in the Nicola Valley in British Columbia, and it's basically off the grid. we only have a large propane tank that powers the lights the stove and the fridge. We have running water using a gravity system and we heat water on the stove. We have a pot belly stove to warm the cabin up, and that's  all. I really love it up there because it's an escape from the constant consumption of city life. We actually have two plots of property, but only one is developed. My dream is to build an eco-home on the property, with wind turbines and solar panels, because up  there it is either sunny or windy. It could be sourced from nearby resources, perhaps naturally felled trees from the forest  on the other side of the dirt road. I just found this great article on how to make your own wind turbine! I thinking the next summer or two I'll get all the skilled men in my life to help put it together, and start making a little dream home! It could have a greenhous...

I found this incredible video on upworthy.com which really explains the process and the problems with fracking. I suggest you take a look if you've ever wondered what fracking really is. The video tells us that the hydraulic fluid used is full of chemicals that energy companies don't need to disclose on the basis of trade secrets. And this fluid is sent gushing into newly fractured rock, does it's job then get's sucked out. Fine, if only they did something responsible with that liquid after, since it contains so much water and so much hazardous materials.  But they stick it back in the ground! Sending it down into bedrock that is becoming increasingly compromised by the fine fissures from fracking. We don't know what will happen to these materials, if they will mingle with ground water, if they will travel to areas where residential wells have been constructed. Over time contamination will find its way through every little crack. This does not bode well.