Monday, September 26, 2011

Turning down the heat and staying warm.

Fall is upon us!
Or at least the leaves are turning my favourite colours and it's starting to cool down here in Tampere (& Helsinki), Finland. The wind has gotten slightly more aggressive than I remember it being, and wearing multiple layers is a must for keeping warm.



As an inhabitant of the world's second coldest country after Russia (according to some sources, and 5th according to others...tomato - tomato) and a Canadian citizen, I know a thing or two about keeping warm. Though I have to admit, I'm one of those people whose hands are always cold and rarely feel warm and toasty.

Now, I wanted to blog today about the upcoming cold weather, and how we can manage to keep our impact down. In some countries, keeping the heat off is just out of the question, and that's okay, but keeping the heat a few degrees lower is quite doable.

Regardless of where you live, take a bit of time to calculate how much a few degrees less will save you on your energy bill.

Which brings me to my next point: what kind of energy is being used to heat your home?
This has been a much-debated (if you can call it that) topic in our house since I still don't know. I know we have some sort of green energy agreement with our provider, wherein the amount we used is purchased from green sources (whatever that means, it sounds better than the mainstream) but I can't even remember if this is water, electricity or heating... so I need to get my homework on. (The language barrier makes doing my own research slightly more challenging but now that I've told all of you I'm going to do it, that'll give me the push I need.)

So apart from the supply and demand side of heat, what else can you do to keep warm?

1. Throw on a sweater.
Sounds very simple... and it is. We each have our own comfy sweaters, some that we only wear at home, that give us that warm and toasty feeling. Next time you find yourself shivering, grab your sweater instead of heading for the thermostat.

2. Make yourself a pot of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
I remember getting home on a cold winter nights (around -25C) and feeling the cold in my bones. No matter how many layers you throw on, no sweater can seem to warm you up on the inside. On those nights, a nice cup of hot tea, coffee or hot chocolate will do the trick.


Sweater - check
Tea - check


3. Cuddle.
This doesn't have to be a romantic thing, but it can be. Pinguins do it! But you can also spend more time under the covers in your bed, or reading in your favourite armchair/on your favourite couch with a warm blanket.



In addition, I stumbled across this really insirational blog post about how Japanese people deal with the cold during winter. I had no idea... the concept is really amazing. The post itself is a guest post on the No Impact Man blog, written by Colin Beavan's friend Sean Sakamoto. Click any where on this paragraph to read it.


If you have more suggestions, I'm excited to hear them so please feel free to leave a comment!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Politics (not only about Ontario)

I've taken a little vacation to see my parents in Switzerland, from where I write this post today. My vacation slightly overlapped with a mild flu so that's why I've been MIA this past week, though traveling and leaving one's usual surroundings has a way of bringing environmental matters to mind even more alarmingly than usually.

This morning, I started my day by checking the report card of upcoming parties in the upcoming provincial election. Basically, a feisty 8 year old has been campaigning the importance of the environment in Ontario, Canada by traveling around and meeting with key environmental people (as far as I understand). Although she evidently has the support a d marketing tactics of many adults behind-the-scenes, her message is genuine and the idea is quite original. It also goes to show that even those outside the voting age and required criteria can spread a message and make a difference,

October 6th, 2011 is the next provincial election day in Ontario and the goal is to make sure environmental issues are not forgotten. Although the campaign has not supported one party, they have asked parties to answer their 10 question survey on environmental issues. No actual grades were given for their answers but voters can make their own decisions based what values and opinions they hold.

I am a strong believer in change coming from above and below. While I do believe that we need to do our part and convince politicians that environmental issues are important for the short-term, long-term and bottom line, I also think the little things we do in our daily routines matter and send these messages as well. For this reason, I think participating in elections with an informed vote is very important. The system may not be perfect but boycotting it is not, in my opinion, any kind of solution. So take a little time to read up on parties' campaigning platforms and make a choice. The sooner you start reading-up, the faster you'll be informed.

So here's Penelope's campaign video.
And the report card/questionnaire for the 4 leading parties and their stances.

You can also try different applications like the voting compass which asks you 30 questions based on key issues in order to determine which party's views you most identify with. I think it's a good starting point and a nice way to see what many of the main issues are. Try it here.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Easy switch: Ecoballs and Washing Nuts.


The above is a picture of some balls which are commonly used around our apartment. What kind of balls? you ask. They're actually called ecoballs :)

They're basically a more eco-friendly way of doing laundry without having to go through tons of plastic bottles for liquid or powder detergents. The way they work is that they're filled with these little pellets which will last you about 150 washes (though you can buy a 1000 version as well)... you basically just throw them in your washing machine, 2 at a time. After the 150th wash (we have a small piece of paper which we use to keep track) you can unscrew the balls open and fill the balls with replacement pellets and use them again.

They come in a pack of 2 in a cardboard box. There are a few replacement pellets in there in a small plastic bag, and they themselves are made of plastic but in my opinion, it's less plastic than you'd end up buying with a bottle of detergent. I'm not promoting this company, though I have enjoyed using this product, but I just wanted to point out some options in terms of washing detergents. These are made by Ecozone, as fast as I can tell, a Finnish company. I actually got mine from Stockmann (after an insane search all over Helsinki and Tampere.)

I have also heard talk and seen some "washing nuts" in eco-friendly stores. They have them in Finland at Ruohonjuuri or Punnitsee ja säästä-type stores. Here is some more information about these: on Wikipedia or on Treehugger.
I haven't tried these because I only heard of them after buying the Ecozone ones but I figure they should work. If you check out the Wikipedia link above, it seems people have been using them for hundreds of years.

Now here's the thing, while trying to find other companies with similar products which may be delivered in other areas throughout the world, I came across so many articles written about direct-marketing and other laundry-ball-related scams. Reading any of these can make you feel like an idiot for considering the idea but hear me out. I heard about this from a trusted friend who liked them and thought I might be interested. I bought them for about 20€ (not the $75 ones they're bashing all over the internet). After which I proceeded to recommended them to a friend (or actually buy them as gifts for people) and have had no complaints. If you're unsure about which ones work and which don't, I would recommend trying the laundry nuts, since they're all natural and aren't exactly associated with a brand and its efficiency, but rather, just basic nature and chemistry.

If you have more to add on the topic, including your own experiences with eco-friendly products, leave us a comment below!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Lazy Sundays: more sustainable take-out

Some days I'm bouncing around, up early to go to the market or willing to bike across town to get the food I want without any impact, whereas other days are lazy days. Yesterday was one of those day. We went to a wedding all day Saturday and came home around 4am. Though I wasn't full of energy, I do have a rather regular internal clock, so when I woke up at 9am and couldn't fall back asleep, I kind of figured it would be a slow day.

When deciding what to whip up for dinner (in the mid-afternoon), I opted for my favourite Chinese restaurant: Shanghai. Although this place has little to do with environmental benefits, I made efforts to reduce the waste resulting from my visit.

Today's tip: When getting take-out (or eating-in and taking home leftovers), bring your own containers and bags.

You may have a few objections, so allow me to explain:
- The walk to the restaurant is a welcome stroll on the lazy day. Fresh air never did anyone any harm, nor did a leisurely stroll (unless your doctor has put you on bed rest and forbidden all types of movement) so take advantage of this.
- Some days you don't want to sit at the restaurant so you can bring your own containers and take the food home with you. This can be especially handy if you're dining-in as well, because the portions at some places (like this one) will last you 3 days anyway.

I'm still working on perfecting this... sometimes my containers are too small and I end up with a box of styrofoam (out of two), which breaks my heart so that motivates me to bring the right sizes in the future or specify exactly what I want. Yesterday, I brought a plastic bag I had at home only to end up with my plastic bag and another one (apparently they thought mine was too small) holding the other container. Next time, I'll make sure to come prepared and not to be shy about specifying why I'm going out of my way to bring my containers over there.

In any case, what about you guys? Where does your motivation lie? Is it in using natural products, eating organic, reducing emissions or packaging waste? How have you (or are you/will you) made changes to your regular habits (big or small) to incorporate your values?

Friday, September 9, 2011

Shopping habits: one way to avoid packaging.

If you've gone to the grocery store in an attempt to find foods with minimal, sustainable or recyclable packaging, you are not alone. Although everything needs to be packaged to some extent, or at least shipped somehow, waste can be cut down on by bringing your own reuasable 'packaging' to the store.

Eliminate plastic and other forms of packaging waste by shopping at stores where you can choose your product, choose whatever quantity you like and pay by its weight.

These stores usually offer you plastic or paper bags to bring your stuff home in but they actually have a good thing going. You can bring your own bags (I've been reusing some small plastic/paper bags I already have) for now until I get some cloth ones. Some people have or make their own bags for these purposes... some examples of which you can find if you search "food storage" on sites like www.etsy.com... which I did for you right here. Although I'm a bit clueless with the sewing machine, you could also try to make your own bags!

If you're really in a bind, try bringing your own containers and asking them to weigh them (or weigh them at home if you can) before you fill them. To be honest, I've had some weird looks regarding this (perfectly acceptable) request after which the cashier insisted I should use a bag (and then transfer my purchases into the container). Needless to say, I'd rather shop at the place which gives me a discount for bringing my own bags (like Runsaudensarvi on Kauppakatu 4 in Tampere) but now I know to bring bags instead of containers to that specific store.

So keep an eye out for these stores. I know about Bulk Barn in Canada and Punnitsee ja Säästä (weigh and save) in Finland but those are just the chain... there are some great independently owned ones out there too (and those are usually owned by people who are more interested in their customers values!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Veggie recipe: Club sandwiches


I've procrastinated enough! Now's the time to unleash the first of many vegetarian recipes... I've only been waiting for the day when I made something that looked beautiful enough to take pictures of (because what's a recipe without a picture?) or the day I didn't forget to take a picture of something delicious before I ate it.

So you're already probably wondering how club sandwiches can be veggie... they definitely can! But really the name is because it's a spin-off of a club sandwich recipe we started making ages ago (with chicken and bacon) that slowly morphed into the veggie deliciousness you'll witness today.

So here's what you'll need to make this for 2 people:
- ciabatta or focaccia bread (from your local bakery, grocery store or made from scratch, see the bottom for more info about this)
- 1 big/medium tomatoes
- 1/2 cucumber (sliced)
- 1/2 red onion (white is great too, I just prefer red)
- 1 avocado (I buy mine a few days beforehand to give it time to ripen)
- some feta cheese
- your favourite mustard
- your favourite ketchup
Feel free to play around with some of your favourites, change the textures, or pick up whatever you have in the fridge. You'll be surprised how something so simple can taste so good.

How to whip it up:
1. Prepare your bread (make it from scratch if you want, put it in the oven if it needs to be cooked post-purchase or just slice it if it's fresh)

2. Cut your tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, avocado and onions into thin slices.

Not a Heinz commercial.

3. Put the ketchup and mustard on the bread (or not, it's up to you!)
4. Carefully place the ingredients in the sandwich, being attentive to texture (crunchy vs. soggy) and taste. Also, these usually get pretty big so realize that you'll have to consolidate the 2 slices before you eat it.

5. Consolidate aka. put the two slices together and don't let go of them until you've finished eating...

6. And I guess by now you're already enjoying the best sandwich you've ever had!

Some details...
The first few times we made this, we bought ciabatta from the grocery store (wrapped in a rather thick plastic). It was ready-made but needed to be warmed up in the oven. A few weeks ago we got a similar bread to ciabatta fresh from the bakery in our grocery store (this was a little better and came in a paper/plastic bag). Most recently though, my friend Lauren came over and we made focaccia from scratch (thank you!). I had never made bread before but today was my second time making this recipe with home-made foccacia and it's by far the best. When you're feeling adventurous, try it out with your own bread. We used the following recipe.
The only adjustment made was the addition of fresh basil instead of Parmesan.

In addition to being delicious, I've managed to cut down the plastic waste of this recipe to almost 0. The only thing that still contains plastic from the above ingredients is the feta cheese and the ketchup (which was already in our fridge). Otherwise, it feels pretty good to make such a great meal with such a small trade-off.

Finally, don't expect to get something this good at most restaurants; I am constantly disappointed when I order similar things. Either the bread or the ingredients are not as fresh, or as well-selected.

Now it's your turn, how did the recipe turn out? What did you change? And did you take any pictures?

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Quick tip: A piece of garbage a day.

Does this ever happen to you? Someone tells you something that you think is a great idea and then completely forget about until a few days/weeks/months (why not years?) later and then suddenly, after all that time has passed, everything falls into place and you remember it for good and it makes most sense to you? Maybe not, but this happened to me yesterday.

I had just arrived in Tampere from Helsinki and was walking home from the train station. My thoughts wandered aimlessly as I walked by piles of garbage in a ditch that runs along the railroad tracks.
"I could clean this all up, but come next week, this place would look the same."
I had some circular thoughts for awhile, until my thoughts came around to the masses:
what if everyone picked up one piece of garbage a day?

So instead of raising awareness one event at a time (like our very successful garbage pick-up event which has made me super aware of the issue), we'd be working towards a cleaner city bit-by-bit everyday. Then no one would feel like they were the only ones worried about it, and you could relax knowing that you'd made a small difference (and would continue to do so.)

I thought for a bit about where this idea had come from, and I give the credit entirely to my friend's son Moo, who had this idea a few years ago and was so passionate about it, that he emailed it to George W. Bush (who was still president at the time). So it's my hope that Moo's idea can get passed around to more people in Tampere and in every other city around the world!



A list to convince you further:
- you can choose what to pick up (especially if it's near a garbage already),
- if people are looking at you while you do this it's because they're just curious and happily surprised,
- if people see you doing this, they are more likely to do it too,
- people who litter will encounter an increasing number of people who will say something to them when they do,
- there will be one less piece of garbage being blow around by the wind,
- you'll feel really great on a day when you'll be looking for that one piece and you won't see any.

Check out: http://www.roskapaivassa.net/littermovement.htm (as recommended by Anne)

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Changing perspectives: Food.


What do you think of when you hear the word vegetarian? How about vegan?

Depending on your relationship to food, or animals, people will have a wide variety of answers to that question. The question can also be posed this way:

What do you think of when you hear the word carnivore?

I can't answer those questions for everyone, but I can tell you what I think:
- There are less-than-ideal conditions in some slaughter houses,
- Cruelty to animals is a reality (either through living conditions or slaughtering practices),
- You can't know about cruelty/slaughtering practices from looking at the meat, so it's difficult to know what you're supporting through your purchases,
- Animals which are used to produce dairy, even if not slaughtered for their meat, can also lead horrible lives,
- and finally, raising animals for meat-production for the growing global population is not sustainable and produces huge amounts of greenhouse gases.

There are other reasons but from those listed above, it's not hard to see why people are opting to be vegetarian or vegan these days.



Yet I found myself wrestling with this choice... (this is going to sound really lame) but I love bacon and salami. I could sacrifice steak no problem, I'd pretty much given up chicken in 2005 (though that was more of a phobia) and I never actually purchased meat to cook at home because I didn't really know how to cook it (though I did buy it frozen or processed somehow). But the fact of that matter was, I was still in no way vegetarian. And then I saw this video...

Graham Hill: Why I'm a weekday vegetarian | Video on TED.com

The idea is very simple: meat used to be part of a diet consisting of many other things, but over the course of the past few decades, it's become the main event. As the earth's population continues to grow, this rising trend is not sustainable. So instead of giving up meat forever, a choice which is not desirable for some, nor imaginable for others, people can decide to consume less meat. In this case, it means eating a vegetarian diet from Monday to Friday, and consuming meat only on weekends.



I've been doing this for over a year now and I can say, it's working out really well. I first started off exactly as Graham described in the video, eating vegetarian food from Monday to Friday and having some meat on the weekends. Then some weekends, I wouldn't have meat at all (because I learned I could easily live without it), while some weekdays I opted for some meat... it has since become a flexible guideline rather than a rule. I am still too ashamed to call myself a vegetarian because I know I am not one, but something should be said for people making conscious choices towards more sustainable living as well.

So give it some thought. Whether it's trying out weekday veg., having one vegetarian meal a day or a week to start out, there are an endless number of possibilities which you can tailor for yourself. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas!