Live Green Toronto ChemTRAC Toxics Reduction Grants

September 28th, 2010

Application Deadline: October 18, 2010

Toronto’s ChemTRAC program is designed to protect public health and help local businesses go green by tracking and reducing 25 toxic chemicals found at levels of concern in our environment. The program aims to support businesses to reduce or find alternatives to these chemicals, and to encourage toxics reduction in the community.

The ChemTRAC Toxics Reduction Grants are intended to raise awareness, understanding and implementation of toxics reduction opportunities in our businesses and communities. We invite business associations, community organizations and labour groups to submit proposals for training, education, pilot programs, community partnerships and other ways to promote reduction of toxic chemicals, particularly those 25 substances listed under Toronto’s Environmental Reporting and Disclosure Bylaw (Municipal Code Chapter 423).

Examples of projects that might be appropriate for funding include the development of training materials for a particular industrial sector or occupation, piloting an alternative substance or process, and community-business partnerships that promote toxics reduction

For more detail, visit http://www.toronto.ca/livegreen/greenneighbourhood_rebates_chemtrac.htm

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New green idea – Self-Organizing Traffic Lights

September 21st, 2010

A new patent may revolutionize traffic control, saving fuel, reducing travel times and emissions, and doing it all without limiting drivers’ mobility. This truly “green” idea will have drivers waiting less and help us preserve our environment.

  • Currently, traffic jams and road congestion do a lot more than annoy millions of people every day. In the United States alone, delays linked to backed-up traffic cost nearly $100 billion each year, and waste more than 10 billion litres of fuel, not to mention countless human hours. And then there’s all the extra CO2 and other pollutants spewed into the atmosphere. As developing nations become more industrialized, these problems will only grow worse.
  • The new idea of Self-Organizing Traffic Lights use the Efficiency of self-organization – By working together and monitoring the lengths of queues along a long stretch of road, the self-organized lights prevent long jams from forming. It could reduce delay time by 10%-30%.

    • See more detail, please visit Science Daily at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100915094416.htm

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    Lawn and Garden care tips – NATURAL PEST CONTROL

    September 21st, 2010

    Please do it environmentally with you lawn and garden cares, here are some of tips on how to deal with natural Pest Control.

  • Use Corn gluten first thing in the spring and the late fall to reduce weed seed
    germination
  • Use Acetic acid to control weeds
  • Use Nematodes according to directions to control grubs.
  • Use Insecticidal soap to get rid of Chinch bugs, grubs, Crane flies and other troublesome insects.
  • Add organic content to discourage ant hills and crane flies.
  • Water in the morning to reduce moist areas during the night which may attract slugs and earwigs.

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    Lawn and garden care tips – DEALING WITH SHADE

    September 21st, 2010

    How to deal with shade is another one of important things you need to consider. Here are some of the tip for your reference.

    Consider a ground cover or mulch as an alternative to grass or water hungry annuals in shaded areas or areas that are difficult to mow.

    Avoid Norway Maples (Acer Plataniodes: Crimson King, Harlequin, Princeton Gold, etc)
    as they cast heavy shade and have extensive, water hungry root systems.

    Hire a certified arborist to prune back thick shady trees (Boulevard trees must get
    approval from the City of Toronto at 416-392-TREES)

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    Lawn and garden care tips – Water wise landscape changes

    September 5th, 2010

    Below are tips to help you care for your lawn and garden. These tips include suggestions on
    general maintenance, watering, pest control, tree/shrub choices and more. We hope that they
    help you create and sustain a beautiful and eco-friendly environment for your home.

    Water wise landscape changes

    Grouping plants with similar needs together, including water needs
     Plant ground covers as an alternative to grass.
     Remove grass from problem area and replace with water efficient landscaping.
     Interested in adding native plants? Native plants are better suited to local climate
    conditions and are bless prone to disease.
     Consider disconnecting your downspout and benefit from a new free source of rain
    water. Visit http://www.toronto.ca/water/protecting_quality/downspout_diy.htm for
    details on how to disconnect your downspout.
     Direct rain water from your downspout to lawn or garden area
     Install a rain barrel and collect free water for your plants
     Remove turf from slope and add water-efficient rock garden.

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    Recycling mobile phones and accessories

    September 2nd, 2010


    Recycling mobile phones and accessories is easy and eco-friendly. Bring your family’s unused mobile phones with you to the Washington D.C. Green Festival for recycling through T-Mobile’s Mobilize initiative, which is devoted to making a positive impact on the environment.

    In exchange for recycling a mobile phone at the festival, you’ll get free festival admission and can enter for a chance to win tickets to Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival on July 26. The first 250 people recycling a phone will also receive a free organic festival T-shirt.

    All makes and models of devices will be accepted. You can also recycle mobile phones at any Washington D.C. area T-Mobile retail store. The energy savings from recycling 1 million cell phones could power 185 U.S. households for an entire year.1 Your donated handset or PDA will help conserve our precious natural resources. Visit the T-Mobile booth at the festival, or visit mobilizewitht-mobile.com to learn more about Mobilize, and how we can partner to recycle over a million mobile phones this year.

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    lawn and garden care tips – Best Practices

    September 2nd, 2010

    Below are tips to help you care for your lawn and garden. These tips include suggestions on general maintenance, watering, pest control, tree/shrub choices and more. We hope that they help you create and sustain a beautiful and eco-friendly environment for your home.

    Best Practices


    Aerate in the early spring or late fall to reduce compaction and allow water and
    nutrients to get to the soil. This will also reduce any thatch.
     Reduce application of nitrogen and chemicals to reduce thatch. Thatch occurs when
    there is too much nitrogen and insufficient natural processes in the lawn to for
    decomposition. Aeration will help to reduce thatch.
     Top dress with materials such as compost or topsoil to increase organic content in the
    soil which will add valuable nutrients and increase the water holding capacity of the
    lawn.
     Over seed in the fall or spring (4-6 weeks before/after corn gluten application) to
    thicken lawn. Over seed with a mixture of fescues and perennial rye grasses to add
    biodiversity.

     Add organic fertilizer to lawn in the spring and the fall.
     Mow lawn at a height of 2 ½ – 3 inches. Lawn mower blades can be easily adjusted,
    depending on the mower type. Longer grass means longer roots that are healthier and
    better adapted to drought.
     Sharpen mower blade after 8-10 hours of use. Ensure new mowers have sharpened
    blades.
     Leave grass clippings on the lawn, they add nitrogen and moisture to the lawn. Clippings
    are 90% moisture and can add 20% of your lawns nitrogen needs. The City of Toronto
    does not collect grass clippings with regular or yard waste pick up.
     Water twice a week (sandy soils)
     Add organic soil around base of perennials, trees and shrubs each year as a natural
    fertilizer.
     Hand pull weeds and fill hole with grass seed /sand mixture to prevent weed re-growth.
     Add 2- 4 inches mulch to exposed soil to reduce soil water evaporation and reduce
    weeding. Remember to keep plants stems clear from mulch.
     Use soaker hoses, under mulch, in gardens to maximize watering efficiency and direct
    water to the roots.

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    Why Is It Better to Use LED Candles?

    August 30th, 2010


    Candles have been used for centuries to shed light, but it has taken hundreds of years for a better candle to come along. Some of the issues that people have with the tried and true candle are wax dripping on them, it being easily blown out, not lasting very long, being dangerous around children and needing a lighter or match to light. This lack of convenience and the danger of the flamed candle has led to a new invention. The LED candle has taken away all of these issued and offered a way to have a handheld light that will be available when and if you need it. What are some of the benefits that the smart/LED candles have over the wick and flame candles?


    LED candles are Safety, Convenience, Variety and Realistic.

    See more detail, please visit at

    http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Why+Is+It+Better+to+Use+LED+Candles?-a01074134120

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    exchange your old, gas-powered lawn and garden equipment for cash

    August 30th, 2010

    Cut It Out Toronto

    Together with you, the City of Toronto is committed to reducing Toronto’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. You can help by retiring your old, polluting, gas-powered leaf and snow blower, lawnmower, trimmer and chainsaw.

    New this year! Join us at Canadian Tire …
    September 18 and 19, bring your old, gas-powered lawn and garden equipment to one of the four Canadian Tire stores listed below between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and be rewarded with a $25 Bonus Card redeemable at any of the 21 Canadian Tire stores in Toronto.*

    All items will be collected for responsible dismantling and recycling by the following members of the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association:

    Standard Auto Wreckers
    Monster Auto Wreckers
    Jones Auto Wreckers
    Toronto Hydro and Toronto Water will also be on-site to provide tips, tools and resources to help you reduce your electricity and water use. Sign up for Peaksaver, learn about the City’s residential washer and toilet programs, plus more!

    Leslie & Lakeshore
    1015 Lakeshore Blvd. East

    The Queensway
    1608 The Queensway

    Willowdale
    1019 Sheppard Ave. East

    Warden & Eglinton
    1901 Eglinton Ave. East

    *maximum five Bonus Cards distributed per household

    For more information, visit http://www.toronto.ca/environment_days/cutitout.htm

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    Did you know that an older, two-stroke mower can be more polluting than a car?

    August 30th, 2010

    Did you know that an older, two-stroke mower can be more polluting than a car?

    According to Environment Canada, running a 10-year-old gas-powered lawnmower for one hour is equal to driving a new car between 320 and 480 kilometres. That’s like driving from Toronto to Ottawa! Consider upgrading to a newer model or replacing your mower with another environmentally-preferred product such as a push mower.

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