Green Calgary's Blog

Green Calgary brings summer camps to your own backyard this summer! Green Calgary has developed a new summer program to help bridge the gap between a summer camp and online learning in the new Backyard Science Summer Program! The program has activities, guides, videos, and live sessions to give you a fun-filled week of having your very own summer camp. With hours of content each day and hands-on support from our experienced educators, your child will learn about the science of nature, while having fun outdoors! Green Calgary offers four camps in July and August. Each camp is geared towards a certain grade, though the content for each camp is different, so your child could attend multiple camps. The first camp is the Adventurer Camp for Grades 5-6 and is focused on Bees and Bugs. It runs from July 6 to 10. Find out more and register here... The second camp is the Explorer Camp for Grades 3-4 and is focused on Plants and Nature. It runs from July 20 to 24. Find out more an...

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 ...

With many Albertans staying at home due to COVID-19 either in self-isolation, or while feeling sick, what can you do at home to pass the time while still being green? If you don't want your home electricity and heating bills to go way up, try these green activities! Curl up in blankets. If you keep your thermostat down lower during the day, you'll find it pretty cold at home. But save your heating bill by curling up with some blankets! Make a hot beverage. Still with that cooler home idea, you can make tea, coffee, or any hot beverage to keep yourself warm, but also keep yourself hydrated. Play board games. Board games are a great way to pass time without using up much energy and these days you can get board games about almost any topic and for any age/number of players! Read a book. Books are still a great way to spend your day and they take very little energy, plus they work well with curling up in blankets and making a hot beverage! Start a project. If you're stu...

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...

The staff at Green Calgary were discussing their weekend plans and, while the weather has certainly been playing yo-yo with outdoor plans this month, we all were excited to get out and enjoy the city. There was a lot going on last weekend because of Family Day, as we pointed out on our social media, but there are still some great things you can do in YYC this weekend! Get Outside. Winter is slipping away from us, so it's a good time to try enjoying winter scenery. Some of us were planning on enjoying a little of that outdoor time, walking to our local parks, or carpooling with friends out to the mountains. YYC Hot Chocolate Fest.  A few of us have been trying out the hot chocolate fest this year. This annual event supports charities while showcasing the hot chocolate talent of some of Calgary's best cafes and restaurants! You can check their website or download their app to find participating hot chocolatiers and rate the different beverages that you try! Make it more...

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...

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,...

Green Calgary has a new Executive Director we'd love for you to meet! Nirmala Naidoo is an award winning, veteran journalist who’s worked for Canadian, British, and American television networks. In 2016, she was considering a news position in Beijing, China, when something caused her passion for the environment to soar. She was told that if she moved to Beijing, her children would have to wear masks everyday due to pollution. She immediately thought, “How can I knowingly put my children into that situation?” Then she equally thought, “How can I knowingly live on this side of the planet, and NOT do anything to protect the environment?” After leaving journalism, Nirmala went on to be a senior manager at the Alberta Climate Change Office before becoming Executive Director at Green Calgary. As Nirmala writes: My parents taught me that education is power and education is freedom. For decades, Green Calgary has done exactly that: empowering people through knowledge, to help us und...

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...

It's Calgary in the middle of the Fall - that means snow, temperatures that whip up and down like a yo-yo, and the looming threat of Winter that will come soon but who-knows-when. Calgarians have it tough when it comes to cleaning and winterizing our homes - it's easy to do things too early or too late. For me, the outside of the house is already winterized - meaning that the garden has been harvested (the last of the tomatoes went into this tomato ginger soup some of you might recognize from our Meatless Monday posts) and all the pots and equipment has been washed and stacked. But what can I do inside to clean and prep for winter? Here are five ideas that you might not have gotten to yet! 1 Reorganize Storage: This is a great time to reorganize storage space. You can switch out summer clothing for winter clothing, and while you're at it declutter these spaces. Charities and thrift stores will be looking for donations around this time to prepare for the holidays, ...

Once again, it's Waste Reduction Week in Canada! From October 21-27, and each day has a theme: Oct 21: Circular Economy Circular Economy is all about planning for the entire life of the products people make and use. Rather than planning for the end of the life of a product to be the landfill, circular economy looks to reuse, re-make, or recycle every product.  Find out more here . Oct 22: Textiles Textiles, particularly clothing, make up a lot of waste that can be reduced and reused. Think about repairing clothing, buying high quality, and keeping a smaller wardrobe. You can learn about fast fashion waste here . Oct 23: Champions & Innovators You, too, can be a champion of waste reduction! Inspire your friends and family by setting green goals for yourself and showing them how it's done! Oct 24: Plastics & Packaging Plastics and packaging clog up our oceans and landfills, & creating greenhouse gases as they degrade. Find out more about how to deal with plastic ...