Green Calgary's Blog

  Thanksgiving is right around the corner - As we express our gratitude to our loved ones, our mother nature will thank you for making thanksgiving greener! Here are some tips on how to make your thanksgiving more sustainable:   🍅   Going vegan? Yes please! Did you know that an average turkey dinner emits about  10.9 kg of CO2 ? That equals to driving 27 miles with an average passenger car! Why not switch it up this Thanksgiving and try making savoury pumpkin pie instead? Going vegan is one of the most effective climate action you can take. Check out some vegan recipe ideas  here .  🛒 Shop locally Not quite ready to give up turkey yet? Don’t worry, there are other sustainable action you can take to make your thanksgiving dinner greener! By shopping at farmer’s market, you are directly supporting local businesses and farmers. While food transportation only accounts for 10% of overall food production emission, every little bit counts!  ♻ Compost/ repu...

It's another Earth Week and while it's not a great time for many to celebrate, there are still some things that we are doing to mark the occasion. We wanted to share some of what Green Calgary's been working on for this Earth Week. Rain Barrel Sales - Green Calgary's annual rain barrel sale fundraiser has moved online and we're still selling rain barrels and delivering them to your door. We're pleased that for Earth Month we've dropped the cost of the barrel by $10, plus for the whole season, we're paying half the shipping! You can order yours HERE . Online Activities for Kids - Green Calgary's educators have adapted our programs into online activities to help parents and teachers deliver environmental education at home! Each week has a different theme and different activities to try - check the activity guides to find which part of the curriculum they fit into. You can find those HERE . For this Earth Week, we're also premiering our ...

Family Day is just around the corner and while we encourage everyone to get outdoors and enjoy Calgary's urban environment, it might be worth it to take a moment to reflect on the beauty of the nature in and around Calgary, and how your family is part of that ecosystem. Alberta is an incredibly beautiful place - our tourism industry reflects that - but while Albertans can enjoy and appreciate our natural spaces, those spaces also need our respect and stewardship. Not only do those green spaces provide Albertans with places to play and enjoy, they are also good for us! Research has shown that living close to green spaces and spending time outside betters our health.Those wild spaces are at risk from climate change, which itself comes with significant health risks . What does this have to do with families? Well, it's our families that live with the consequences of climate change. Children will have to live with our increasingly fragile world, while the elderly are at h...

We've talked about various holidays and how to make them green before, but we've never looked at Valentine's Day before. Many of the same gift ideas apply to Valentine's Day, such as giving experiences, choosing sustainable gifts, and spending time with the ones you care about. But here are some Valentine's Day specific thoughts for you: Sweet. Get some sustainable and ethical chocolates for your partner, friends, or even yourself! You can find these at Community Natural Foods , Calgary Co-Op , or any of the chocolatiers in Calgary! Spicy. If it's a romantic gift you're looking for, why not a lovely potted plant? It lasts longer than cut flowers and is beautiful for much longer! Savory. If you're looking for some sustainable eating-out options in Calgary, there are some great options. Shokunin Izakaya is dedicated to environmental sustainability, as is Una Pizza . There are plenty of restaurants that are trying to being more sustainable. S...

A new year is right around the corner, and now is usually the time we start to think about what we might want to change in our lives: what we resolve to do better. Being a little more sustainable doesn't have to be difficult, it just takes a little planning, so here are 20 suggestions for New Years' Resolutions that will make you more sustainable! 1. Ride a bike to work more often 2. Upgrade all your light bulbs to LEDs 3. Get energy saving power bars for your electronics 4. Upgrade to a programmable thermostat 5. Make a meal plan every week to lower your food waste 6. Switch one of your meals to meatless each week 7. Drive less: walk, carpool, take a bike or scooter 8. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth every time 9. Shower for a minute less each time 10. Switch to shampoo bars instead of liquid shampoo 11. Or, get your liquid soaps and shampoos from a refillery in Calgary 12. Take your own bags every time to go shopping 13. Shop for gifts at thrift s...

We all struggle to be more sustainable in our everyday lives, whether there's something that we always forget to recycle, some product that always seems to make it into our shopping cart that we don't need, or some electronics we can't seem to remember to turn off. Whatever the case may be, Green Calgary's holiday wish is for everyone to take that next step that they've been putting off to be more sustainable. We hope that this year has been kind to you and that next year will be even better. From everyone at Green Calgary, Happy Holidays! Please note that Green Calgary's offices will be closed from Wednesday, December 25th to January 1st, inclusive. The EcoStore is now closed for the season and will reopen January 7th, 2020. Thank you!

We hope our 2019 Gift Guide gave you some ideas for great green gifts to give to everyone! When we have a gift to wrap, however, what are our options to make it as green as possible, and where does the wrap go when we're done with it? I've listed some wrapping options first, then where to put your wrapping waste at the end. Without further ado! No wrap: You heard it right! No wrapping is the best way to give nature a break. If you're gifting an experience or a donation, this is a no brainer, but even for other gifts, you might be okay with leaving it uncovered! Reusable gift bags: Reusable gift bags, especially out of durable materials like cloth, are second to none when it comes to green gift giving. The bag itself is like another gift and once you get a good supply of these out to your friends and family, you can trade them back and forth for years! They're also easy to make for anyone with a sewing machine. Wrap it in another gift: Folding up a blanket or...