As part of the 2010 Earthday, check out fun factoids from the following businesses and organizations.
_____________________________________________________________
Northerm’s new Quad (4000) Series windows with low-e & argon has an r-value of 12.50, a 2x4 wall has an r-value of 13.
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know Canadian Tire sells green cleaning and gardening supplies, by purchasing these green products Canadians can help keep thousands of pounds of contaminants out of our water!
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know that by car pooling, riding your bike or walking you can not only reduce your footprint and build relationships with co-workers and community members but also reduce stress and increase your overall health, try it you'll love it!
_____________________________________________________________
Birds are an indicator of climate change. Since 1995, 43 new species of birds have been added to the Yukon Bird List. That is a lot of new birds. The number is up, partly because more birders have been in the field to discover them. In addition however, more species of birds are able to survive in the Yukon now because of climate change.
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know that carbon offset purchasing provides a way for you to help reduce your carbon footprint today while creating economic incentive for the development of clean energy projects in the future?
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know that by printing al-Khemedia Studios Photography postcards on recycled silk, 1.09 lbs of solid waste and 0.07 lbs of water waste are not produced, 2.14 lbs less CO2 are emitted, 9.81 gallons of water are conserved and 16 kilowatts of energy are saved. It may not sound like much but consider the size of a postcard.
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know that Aroma Borealis recycles over 95% of waste? We reduce, reuse, recycle and compost!
By creating all natural, earth-safe body care products in small batches Aroma Borealis is trying to lower our impact on the earth and our carbon footprint.
Using local hand made, all natural Aroma Borealis products keeps harmful chemical ingredients, synthetic preservatives, fragrances and colors out of our bodies and out of the local environment! Most mainstream body care products contain toxic ingredients these pollute the planet and the people who live on it, all of us!!!
Using bulk organic herbs reduced the use of chemical pesticides used in many farming practices. We wild harvest botanicals from the Yukon and buy bulk herbs from organic farmers and suppliers only in Canada. Bulk herbs and teas also reduce packaging and use of large machinery that is needed to produce tea bags.
When considering packaging, we try to be minimalistic; Over-packaging has a huge impact on the environment.
When considering packaging we have to weigh out the options. We try to use glass containers as much as possible but we still rely on some plastic containers (but they are reusable and recyclable) for shipping purposes. Because our products don’t have weird chemical preservative they freeze and break in the winter when shipping to web buyers. This is ongoing for us.
_____________________________________________________________
Bottling and canning is a safe method of preserving food, but did you know that an average glass bottle or jar weighs as much as its contents and a tin can about half of its contents. Repack in re-usable containers before your trip (and recycle the original packaging). This will reduce the weight you carry in and out!
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know the Hemp Plant is an environmental super-fibre. It can be grown without pesticides or fertilizers. It can also grow in cooler climates such as Canada’s, and needs only about 10% of the water that cotton requires.
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know that you could cut your carbon footprint by nearly half by eating local...plant a garden, visit Yukon Gardens for info and products to get you cutting your footprint!
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know that WTAY is a strong advocate for the protection of our environment? Did you know that WTAY operators rely on pristine wilderness settings to successfully run their businesses? We are environmental stewards of this land, as our livelihood depends on it!
_____________________________________________________________
Northern Garments Inc: Did you know that by wearing wild fur you are supporting fur harvesters who have a vested interest in the conservation and protection of wildlife habitat?
_____________________________________________________________
Did you Know: Pharmaceuticals are considered a hazardous waste in the environment. All unused and expired medicine should be returned to the pharmacy for safe disposal.
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know that the Yukon is one of two most rapidly warming regions in the world.
_____________________________________________________________
Did You Know: In 2009, more than 3000 visitors to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve chose to walk, snowshoe or ski instead of taking the bus. This prevented over 2 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
_____________________________________________________________
Did you know that if the Yukon switched to Yukon Beer exclusively it could prevent at least 780 tons of green house gases from entering the atmosphere?
Did you know that Beer in bottles not from the Yukon generates well over 300 tons of greenhouse gases.
Did you know that 165 tons of greenhouse gases are created by the movement of canned beer from Vancouver to the Yukon.
Did you know that converting to local craft beer on tap would help keep more than 200 tons of greenhouse gases out of the air ( 221 tons)
Did you know that by using secondary power, Yukon Brewing Company diverts 83 tons of greenhouse gases from affecting our atmosphere each year and avoids the burning of 25040 liters of oil.
_____________________________________________________________
Baked Café 26 – 1114 First Avenue, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 1A3
Did you know….the first large scale use of biodegradable containers occurred at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994. Baked Café was one of the first Whitehorse businesses to fully adopt biodegradable containers into its business, a mere 15 years later…..
_____________________________________________________________
Did You Know?..
- The sun is delivering about 60 watts (joules per sec) per square meter of energy to the earths’ surface. Over a year, it’s an energy equivalent to a barrel of oil for each square meter of the earths’ surface.
- Humans metabolize about a 100 watts of energy - about the same as a light bulb.
- 25% of the Amazonian Rainforest has been clear cut and is now in food production for humans.
- El Nino phenomenon is the cessation of upwelling areas in the ocean along the coast of Ecuador and Peru.
- 36,000 dams more than 15 meters high are currently on the planet
- 98% of all major rivers in the US are impounded in some way.
- 1/3 of aquatic species are endangered globally.
- The Arial Sea was once the world's 4th largest lake and has virtually disappeared from inflows being diverted. Its fishery has collapsed. The receding sea has left huge plains covered with salt and toxic chemicals – the results of weapons testing, industrial projects, pesticides and fertilizer runoff.
- Over 25 percent of Bhutan's land area has been set aside for wilderness and wildlife preserves (Ontario has 9%, Yukon 13.4%).
- The Porcupine Caribou Herd population is on a steady decline:
- Year Population
1989 - 178,000
1992 - 160,000
1994 - 152,000
1998 - 129,000
2001 - 123,000
No recent census, but now estimated to be somewhere between 90,000 - 100,000
Did You Know?
14% of Canadian household GHG emissions come from food and non-alcoholic beverages (Stats Can, 2003)- a variety of locally produced Yukon food is available in the grocery store, Fireweed Market and from producers.
WATER
TOILETS:
- FACT: Toilets use about 30% of the total water used in a household. An old toilet can use up to 13 litres of water in one flush. New dual flush toilets use 4-6 litres for a full flush and 2-4 litres for a short flush.
- TIP: If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down.
SHOWERS:
- FACT: Showers account for about 12% of the total water used in a household. Using less hot water also provides a big opportunity to save money on energy costs.
- TIP: Install a low flow showerhead to use less water used during your shower. Collect water in a bucket when the shower is heating up to use for plants, cleaning or the toilet. Use a shower timer to keep your showers quick. Insulate your pipes and hot water tank. Lower your hot water tank temperature to 60 degrees Celcius.
ENERGY
CLOTHES DRYER:
- FACT: The Clothes Dryer is one of the most energy intensive appliances in the home.
- TIP: Save money and energy by drying your clothes outside on a clothes line or indoors on a drying rack.
ELECTRONICS:
- FACT: Many household electronics use a lot of energy even when they are turned off or in standby/sleep mode.
- TIP: Turn off electronics (computers, video games, TVs, stereos, etc) when not in use. Use a powerbar for them and switch it off to eliminate phantom power draw.
DRIVING:
- FACT: How you drive, not just how much you drive, affects how much fuel you use and how much pollution and greenhouse gases you emit.
- TIP: Walk, bus, bike or kicksled instead! Don't idle! Give yourself time to reduce fuelish driving (fast braking and hard accelerating).
WASTE
PAPER:
- FACT: Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 1,440 litres of oil, 2.3 cubic metres of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 26,500 litres of water.
- TIP: SORT and RECYCLE all kinds of paper! Boxboard, newsprint, flyers, office paper, coloured paper, cardboard, phone books and magazines! Check with your local recycling centre.
REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE
The three Rs represent the Heirarchy of Waste in order of importance.
- Reduce means to consume less: buy less and use less.
- Reuse is to give a product a second life before discarding.
- Recycle is to divert valuable commodities from the landfill thus saving precious resources from being consumed to create new products.
TIPS:
- ASK YOURSELF: Before you buy: Do I need it? If you don't, don't buy it. Unnecessary products will clutter your life and could end up in the landfill.
- ASK YOURSELF: Can I reuse it? Can I or someone else use this thing again before it's discarded or recycled? Practice reuse at home and use opportunities like free stores, free shelves and garage sales to offer and obtain second hand goods.
- ASK YOURSELF: Is this product at the end of its life? If so, how best to recycle it? Make sure to rinse food containers before bringing them to the depot – food waste contaminates processing.
RETHINK means to approach waste production and reduction in a new way. Don't buy into our throw away consumer culture, and instead consider our impact on the world around us.
