The Government of Ontario has launched the Green Ontario Fund to help people save money and fight climate change. The Green Ontario Fund is a new not-for-profit organization that is funded through Ontario’s cap and trade program, with $377 million invested from the carbon market. The goal of the new organization is to create incentive programs for citizens to save on energy (and money), effectively fighting climate change through changes in lifestyle.
Fall is in the air. That means it’s time for our annual celebration of Ottawa’s vibrant environmental movement. This year, we’re also celebrating Ecology Ottawa’s 10th anniversary. We need your help to make this year’s EcoFest the largest and most successful event in Ecology Ottawa’s history!
Taking place on Thursday, October 12 at the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park, EcoFest will bring together residents, organizations, businesses and community groups who work tirelessly towards making Ottawa the green capital of Canada. We want to demonstrate the scale, strength and diversity of the environmental movement in Ottawa with a fun filled evening full of inspiring speeches, good food, wonderful company, and a host of fun activities. We are expecting 1,200 guests in attendance, over 80 booths from community partners, businesses, and food/drink vendors, and a series of dynamic and engaging speakers.
Packaging creates a lot of waste: plastic bags, containers, cling wrap, and separators all accumulate in the waste. But the opening of NU Grocery, Ottawa's first zero-waste store, opens up various doors and possibilities for grocery stores to step towards reducing the amount of waste their products produce for consumers.
Located on 1130 Wellington St. W in Ottawa, the store is founded upon the concept that the buyers bring their own reusable containers. The cost of items are through weight, with the original weight of the container deducted off the final weight.
Tesla: electric-powered cars. But Tesla isn't just cars anymore: it's roofs too!
Tesla's new solar roof tiles have been officially installed on various homes. These tempered glass tiles are part of Tesla's renewable energy home solution, allowing citizens with solar roof tiles installed to save on their electricity bills and global carbon emissions produced by typical electricity generation plants. The tiles are to be undergo mass production, joining the mass market by the end of 2017. Already, local and international demands have come in, demonstrating their popularity and predicted overall success.
Public transportation: key in lessening individual carbon footprints. But what if there was a way to reduce carbon emission even less?
Like many other cities, Ottawa public transit will soon have a large train circuit, called the Light Rail Transit (LRT). Various other cities have these transit systems to be modelled after, including Toronto.
The provincial government has released a statement claiming that they are looking into less environmentally harmful fuel methods for Toronto's GO trains. This comes from GO Transit's desire to switch to being a transit system run on completely on clean energy. Though the plans are to mainly run on electricity, a study to determine whether hydrogen-powered trains will be more effective than electricity will be undertaken. The technology of hydrogen fuelshells have reached advanced testing in Europe, with high hopes for it.
It is evident people are becoming aware of how horrible plastic is for the environment, given the drastic shift away from using plastic bags in favour for reusable ones. Plastic dishes and cutlery have yet to be banned or frowned upon...until now.
France has announced that they will be passing a law in 2020, banning plastic dishes and cutlery, unless they are made from biodegradable materials. This is to follow up their newly administered country-wide ban on plastic bans, which took effect this July.
August may be soon ending, but that doesn't mean there still isn't time to plant a tree! Ecology Ottawa is continuing to hand out THOUSANDS of free trees this summer. Here are all the events we'll be at this week:
Saturday, August 19th
MEC with Envirocentre: 12pm-2pm, 366 Richmond Rd
Inspiration Village: 1pm-4pm, Byward Market
Sunday, August 20th
Sign the Commuter Cycling Pledge.
Cycling to work offers many advantages to cars and public transit - a morning workout, a pass on traffic, and zero carbon emissions. The last point is especially important given that 40% of Ottawa's carbon emissions are from transportation. And yet, only 2.2% of commuters bike to work.
Whether you are an avid commuter cyclist or have only begun to consider the possibility, we challenge you to push the envelop! Sign our Commuter Cycling Pledge and commit to a personal cycling goal that makes sense for you.
Chocolate: a highly sought-after, delectable good. Some even jokingly call it a "sin," for its appeal had led astray many into the realm of gluttony. But we think there's a bigger sin at play than just indulging in endless bars of chocolate. And that's the number of forests that are destroyed and cleared in order to harvest cocoa crops.
The cocoa industry has recently been identified as a source of rainforest destruction. Forests have been completely cut down and cleared in order to plant a complete monoculture cocoa trees, all to be harvested and sold for profit. It's a problem that is contributing to the overall destruction of natural forests and habitats, all for the sake of profit.
People are slowly becoming more and more aware of the harmful impacts water bottles pose to the environment. But water is essential to the human's diet, so what are alternative methods to getting the hydration we need with minimal harm to the environment?
The answer is yes. "Edible Water Bubbles" may sound like things of the future, but in reality, they are now becoming things of the present. A UK base lab has developed a fully ingestible water container, called the Ooho. This spherical container is gelatinous, created completely from plants and seaweed.
Ecology Ottawa isn't holding back with our Free Tree Giveaways! We still have thousands of trees to hand out, and with the summer wrapping up soon, you'll want to get yours quick! We have a busy weekend planned, so there are numerous chances for you to snag a tree!
Here are the events we'll be at this week:
Friday, August 11th:
Festival of India: 6pm-9pm (Marian Dewar Plaza/City Hall)