Green Calgary's Blog

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 ...

It's World Water Day on March 22nd! The theme for this year's celebration is water and climate change, and how those two are linked. You can read more about this here. For Calgarians, though, our own water is much more top of mind! Here are some things to remember about water in Calgary: Our drinking water is some of the best! It's also completely screened for disease and is very clean. To help with the financial difficulties of Calgarians at this time, Mayor Naheed Nenshi announced plans to let Calgarians defer their water bills. Conserving water will help to reduce stress on the already stressed utilities in Calgary. Here are some of our favourite water conservation ideas: Collect the water you use for rinsing fruit or leftover water in drinking glasses and use it to water your plants. Time your showers and set a goal to lower your time! A great way to do this is to play music and try to reduce the number of songs you hear while showering! When do...

Green Calgary is going to the Calgary Home + Garden Show this weekend to talk to folks about rain barrels, but the show also acts as a reminder that gardening season is just around the corner, if not now. Many gardeners, some in Green Calgary included, garden throughout the winter with things like sprouts, microgreens, and container plants that winter well. However, now tends to be when people planting their gardens from seed start planning their gardens and even starting their seeds. One of the advantages to starting this early is that you can design your garden to take advantage of the whole growing season, with things that bloom early, others that bloom late, and plants that protect your garden from pests while attracting pollinators. The City of Calgary's YardSmart program has some handy tools to get you started . Another reason to get ready early is to make sure you have your water usage laid out. Plants have various water needs, plus watering in shade and in sun is di...

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...

Green Calgary is happy to announce that we will once again be participating in Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by Altalink! This great initiative supports youth by matching donations up to 50%, growing the impact you can make on donations to our children and youth programs! You can donate here! Green Calgary has some great youth programs on offer this year that could use your support! In addition to mainstays, like Waste in Our World, Water for Life, and Worms Love Leftovers, our Citizen Science programs are back and expanded! Teachers can book for their classes here . We also have some surprises upcoming for our youth programs that we're not quite ready to announce yet, but trust us, they will be great! Supporting youth climate and environment education in our City is the first step in creating well-informed citizens and stewards of our urban environment. We invite you to be part of the process. For a limited time, make your donation go further.  Click here to suppo...

At the end of 2019, Green Calgary was talking with some of our frequent partners and friends in the sustainability community, and we got to talking about our wishes for 2020: what our sustainability goals were individually, and what we hoped for in general. We wanted to take this moment to share some of our wishes for 2020, and some of those that we've gathered from the community. We hope that this might inspire you for the year and help showcase some other voices in the sustainability community! First, Green Calgary's sustainability wish for the year is for more Calgarians to engage with the sustainability community - there are many great organizations and events throughout the year in Calgary, and we hope that Calgarians show their passion for the environment, our city, and the planet. Next, we have some responses from a couple of members of the community. From Joe Vipond (@jvipondmd on Twitter): You can find more of what Joe is working on at The Cana...

When undertaking a renovation, there are a few things you can do to make your renovation more environmentally friendly! The best thing you can do is make conscious decisions – plan out the renovation and look for alternatives where they exist. Often, there are eco-friendly options out there, but we just don’t see them! Here are some more tips: Do research. Look into the products you’re getting and what kind of environmental programs the business has in place. You can check various certifications, too, such as Forest Stewardship Council for wood and Canada’s EcoLogo program for eco-friendly products. Paint. Painting is an easy way to brighten up a home and the biggest issue are the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in many paints. Look at labels and ask in the paint department for low-VOC paint, recycled latex paint, or natural paint. Repurpose & Reuse. Find new spots for old furniture, such as turning an old dresser into a new shelving unit. Check in thrift stores and onl...

Welcome to 2020 everyone! A new year and a new decade, and introducing some more sustainability into your life has never been easier! With 2020 starting off with some major climate-related disasters and lots of uncertainty, it can feel out of place to equate using a water bottle to fighting climate change, but we're here to remind you that tackling climate change and sustainability starts with each and every one of us making choices in our lives. Looking at climate and environment news, it's clear that the problems our planet is facing are global, so personal solutions can often feel small or insignificant, but they really do have an impact on the world we live in.  Every action we take helps shift behaviours - in us, in our social circle, and in the local economy. That means each step we take on our green journey makes a difference, even if that difference is very small, and when we add them all up, we make a huge difference. So, while it's important ...

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...

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...

Every year, I try to be well-prepared for the holidays. I know people who are very prepared - they have a schedule and everything goes smoothly. That never seems to be me, though. Between a packed social calendar, trying to make it to friends' Christmas parties, a work celebration, and family events, on top of a hectic schedule of shopping, baking, making travel plans, and more, I never seem to have time to put much into holiday decorations! To be really green, I should probably make my own and reuse them for years, but I've never really had the time for that, either! Here are some holiday decorations that you can make/put up that are easy AND pretty green, too! 1. Make a Gourd Display: I haven't tried this one yet, it was just an idea I had when I sat down to make this list, so maybe it needs some refinements, but why not get a mix of a bunch of different gourds and squashes and make a little display of them? Sort of like decorative gourds for harvest, but then you ...

It's November, which means that holiday parties are just around the corner. You may have even begun planning them already! But whatever phase of planning your in, we have some ideas for you on how to plan this holiday season with sustainability in mind! 1) Conceptualize. Party planning begins way back in the concept phase. Make yourself a list of things you need to have at the party, things you want to have, and things you don't want to have. Once you have this list in front of you, you can see where your priorities lie and start shifting things around. This lets you make a master "to do" list quite easily. It's right in this phase where you can start the groundwork of making your part sustainable. 2) Research. Now that you have your master "to do" list, you can look at how each step can be handled in the most sustainable way. If you have food on your list, you can start to ask: what kind of food, where do I get it, what do I do with the lefto...

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...

Ya-Hoo! Stampede is just around the corner and we want to remind you of some tips on how to enjoy the festivities in a sustainable way. The Stampede has come far in its efforts to try to make the event as green as possible and are continuingly trying to improve this . As they are doing their part, it’s important that we as attendees try to do our parts as well! Read up on our ideas from last year here . These include using environmentally safe and mineral-based sunscreens , which is important not only for human health but for ocean health as well. Also included in the blog is using reusable or compostable dinnerware for your at home stampede parties, as well as bringing your own water bottle to the grounds and filling it up at the refillable water stations. Another way the stampede aims to help reduce carbon emission is by introducing discounted transit prices during Stampede week. Taking transit is a great way to not only reduce air pollution but to also invest in the communit...

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...

Happy Earth Month everyone! We're all getting a bit of spring fever here at Green Calgary as we prepare for our busiest month of the year! Here are a few things we're up to throughout the month, as well as some Earth Month actions for you to take! For us it starts (and ends) with Rain Barrels! Our annual rain barrel sales are back and we start selling online right now! Our rain barrels are a great deal at $65 per kit, and our composters are on sale, too, at $45! You can preorder yours today or come to one of the four sales locations across Calgary in the coming months (more info on these below). Then, later this month we'll be celebrating Earth Week and Earth Day by participating in environmental awareness events across Calgary! You can even book us to come to your business or community association throughout Earth Month as our Lunch and Learn series is on special for $250 per session or 5 for $1000! You can find more info about those on our website . As Earth Mo...

Much of what we write about here is how to make your home and life more sustainable - reducing the waste you generate and that you throw out is a big part of that. But does that only apply to your life at home? People spend an average of 13 years and 2 months at work over their lifetime - that's a big chunk! It's definitely worth it to try to make your workplace a bit more sustainable. Here are six steps to a Greener Workplace! 1. Reduce Energy Usage. Change lightbulbs to LEDs, turn off and unplug equipment that isn't in use, and turn down the thermostat. 2. Save Water. Install low flow toilets, check for leaks and fix promptly, and plant drought resistant plants for landscaping. 3. Reduce Waste and Increase Recycling. Host zero waste meetings, only print when necessary, and replace disposable products in the staff kitchen. 4. Reduce Emissions and Carbon Footprint. Encourage telecommuting/working from home when possible, provide a bike rack for employees...