E PADGITEOR’S
B I try to save water by filling the sink just
enough to do the dishes, taking showers
instead of baths and turning the water off
when brushing my teeth. And I hang our
clothes after washing instead of using the
dryer. Shanna Nodding, Assistant Designer
B We switched to rechargeable batteries for all
household electronics. It’s actually cheaper in
the long run, and there’s no need to worry
about battery disposal. Adam Berkowitz, V.P.,
Product Development & Merchandising
B I just buy way less stuff: clothes, tchotchkes....
Along with regular recycling, we snip the tops
off plastic milk bags and wash them — they’re
stronger than sandwich bags and great for
storing food. Hilary Smyth, Deputy Editor
Every little bit...
I’m proud to say we were one of the first magazines to
go out on a bit of a limb (no pun intended) and publish a “green” issue last May.
I’m also proud to say that you, our readers, ate it up. Only a year later it feels like
the whole world has gone green! I thought it would be fun to ask people in our
office what they’ve incorporated into their day-to-day lives to help out with the
green movement, and I got some great answers.
B My partner and I sold our car and joined
Autoshare (a car-sharing collective). As an
urbanite, I really don’t need a car, so it hasn’t
inconvenienced me — it’s helped me save
money and made me feel great. Patrice Hall,
Creative Services & Communications Coordinator
B I take empty pop cans and water bottles and
leftover food and flowers home from photo
shoots to recycle and compost at home. So
many shoots are in lofts where you can’t
compost or in studios that don’t have
recycling programs like my house does.
Meg Crossley, Senior Editor
B I plan to enroll in Toronto Hydro’s Peaksaver
program this spring. They install a switch on
your central air conditioner; during periods of
peak energy use a signal is sent to cycle down
your system and reduce the energy it uses.
Apparently we won’t notice the change in
temperature and we’ll be conserving energy
without any effort or cost! Virginia Gaviller,
Production Coordinator
B I use canvas bags for grocery shopping. I used
to be embarrassed whipping out my own bags
but now I do it proudly. I’ve freed up an entire
drawer in my kitchen as well. Afiya Francisco,
Special Projects Coordinator
B Last spring, I traded in my six-cylinder gas-guzzling (and ugly!) station wagon for a four-stroke scooter. I also recently gave up eating
meat, in part because of how many more
resources it costs the environment to produce
a pound of meat vs. a pound of vegetables.
Colleen Nicholson, Assistant Art Director
B I’m sad to say I no longer have my beer fridge.
Sean Sargeant Greenwood, On-line Business
Development Director
B After being seduced once by the packaging on
some organic frozen green beans, I was
horrified to read “packaged in China” in small
print. How wise a choice was it if it was
packaged in plastic and shipped across the
world before ending up in my soup pot? After
all, don’t green beans grow in Canada? These
days I find myself enticed by local, seasonal
food that’s not packaged at all. Dana Levitt,
Creative Services & Communications Coordinator
B We use a reel mower and always leave the
grass clippings on the lawn. A couple of years
ago we had our downspouts disconnected to
divert rainwater onto the grass and flower
beds and away from the sewer. And
sometimes I give dirty looks to mega-SUV
drivers. Kate Quetton, Managing Editor
B We put compact fluorescent bulbs in all our
light fixtures (the “warm” ones so it doesn’t
feel like we live in an office) and turned the
temperature on the water heater down a few
degrees. We gave all our used plastic grocery
bags to our neighbour who volunteers at a
food bank and started using cloth bags and
plastic bins. And we gave away an old fridge,
stove and dishwasher on www.craigslist.org
instead of sending them to the dump.
Cameron MacNeil, Design Editor
B I’ve stopped arguing with my husband about
turning the heat down (I’m always freezing, so
I often have to sleep with a hot water bottle
but my conscience is clear). We use a water
and vinegar solution to clean household
surfaces, which helps the environment and
means my toddler won’t ingest toxic
substances when she licks things around the
house. Sally Armstrong, Senior Design Editor
B I save the corks from empty wine bottles and
recycle them through the Ontario Girl Guides
Bag-A-Cork program ( www.bag-a-cork.org).
You can take bags of used corks to
participating restaurants, hotels and liquor
stores for diversion to recycling facilities.
Since the program was launched in 2005, the
Girl Guides have diverted at least five tons of
corks! Danny Sinopoli, Senior Features Editor
