Green Calgary's Blog

Our 2019 holiday gift guide is here! Every year when we get to the holiday season, we start looking at what to get as gifts for family, friends, co-workers, and more. We also look at how we can reduce the waste that comes from gift-giving: packaging foremost of all. Here are 10 ideas for gifts that don't come with much packaging! 1. Home made personal cleaners! You can get a DIY personal care kit from our online store HERE ! 2. Buy lightly wrapped bath goods, like soaps from local companies! 3. Buy something from a thrift store - there are lots of great gifts to find! 4. Make a donation in someone's name! You can donate to Green Calgary HERE ! 5. Buy something at a craft sale! 6. Buy experiences, like a walking tour or lessons! 7. Make your own decorations! Check out our green decoration blog HERE ! 8. Buy products with very little packaging, such as clothing or books. 9. Cook a meal for someone or take them out! 10. Make a piece of clothing by knitting,...

We've discussed conscious consumerism on our blog before, such as with our 2017 article Top 10 Ways to be an Ethical Shopper , but when it comes down to it, the crux of being a conscious consumer is just thinking about your purchases before you make them. Here are the five steps to consider before you make the buy: Step 1: Do You Need It? Before anything else, you need to determine if your purchase is even necessary. Of course, we all need new things once in a while, and we don't want to totally give up on gift giving (to others and to ourselves), but sometimes our purchases are really not necessary and we all need to learn to recognize that. Step 2: Is There an Alternative? Okay, so you need something, whether that's a gift, some new clothes, or whatever else. Now, it's worth considering whether there are any alternatives to that thing that doesn't mean buying something. Can you reuse or fix something you already have? Can you borrow it from someone inste...

As one festival ends, another one is upon us.  Calgary Folk Fest  is just around the corner and will occur July 23-25. This festival has happened for 40 years in Prince’s Island Park and is a hot spot for showcasing funky food, cool market finds, and seventy artists from over sixteen countries! Another reason to showcase this festival is because of the extent Calgary Folk Fest goes through to try to make the festival as sustainable as possible. At this event, disposable water bottles are not available for sale and because of this, every attendee should bring their own reusable bottles to refill. Food  purchased at the event is also provided on completely compostable dishware along with compostable cutlery. At the event, an event greening crew is in place to manage all the waste disposal to make sure that everything is properly sorted and other volunteers are constantly monitoring and cleaning up any litter that ends up on the ground includi...

Summer in Calgary has officially kicked off! This means that market season is now upon us. There are tons of markets scheduled for the rest of summer and even multiple ones happening this upcoming weekend. As mentioned in one of our previous blog posts , shopping local is a great and easy way to be green. At the markets, you will find a variety of goodies ranging from vintage clothes, to farm fresh produce, and maybe even some beeswax wraps to reduce your plastic wrap consumption. Shopping local has plenty of benefits including helping the economy. Did you know that spending $100 locally ensures that $68 stays in the community? This article explains this notion in more depth and also talks about the importance of supporting your neighbors and becoming an active member of your community. These local businesses also tend to have a smaller carbon footprint than their big brand counterparts, which is another reason to spend your money locally. There are also advantages to buying loca...