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One more for the planet

Small but vital baby steps on saving the Earth from ourselves

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

If you missed World Water Day (March 20) and Earth Hour (March 29), you still have a chance to redeem yourself before family, friends, neighbours and your quizzical dog staring you down.

Earth Day is just around the corner (April 22) on a planet near you.

Gaylord Nelson, a member of the U.S. senate, had his first talks about starting Earth Day with John F. and Bobby Kennedy way back in 1962. Ironically, Nixon went on to become the “greenest” president in the history of the U.S., bringing in the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Nelson’s idea was to harness the anti-Vietnam War student movement into concern about environmental degradation, a topic totally absent from the political and social landscape. Nelson got his Earth Day, but it wasn’t until 1970. Cripes, people were wearing those funky “negative heel” earth shoes to Earth Day events back then. So here we are, nearly 40 years later, decked out in Lululemon, still trying to save the Earth, essentially from ourselves.

The silver bullet would be to all hold hands and jump off a bridge. But given the likelihood of that, the most viable option is to clean up our collective act.

A quintessential starting point, besides getting out to vote, surrounds your choices at your grocery store: food, T.P., dish detergent. Yep, it all starts here, with us, the great unwashed, hungry masses, ready to be led, step by baby step, to organic arugala and eco-friendly soap.

Compiled from people-friendly input from our local grocery store managers, here are some concepts to keep in mind as you dig out your vegan earth shoes and head out to buy stuff for an Earth Day dinner party by candlelight.

The good news is that Whistlerites are doing a lot better than a year ago in terms of Earth-friendly consumption. Organic produce sales at Nesters Market now account for 25-30 per cent of all produce sales, and they hope to push that to 50 per cent this year by bringing in more/better organics.

Over at The Grocery Store, the number of Earth-friendly toiletries, health and beauty items, and cleaning products almost outnumbers the conventional ones. “It’s a store belief — a motto. For everyone from the owners, to the managers, all the way down to the cashiers, too, it’s something we’re proud of,” says Andre Rose, front-end manager at the Grocery Store.

To keep up the momentum, here are more ways to be the change we wish to see:

1. Dump the Febreze. And the Bounce. I don’t get it. Have you ever read the contents label for this stuff that coats your lungs, your clothes and your home with a glaze of petrochemicals? Then there’s the “instant” air freshener with a power fan that sprays “passion” drops of synthetic oils into your presumably frigid (as in passionless) fetid home. How about cracking a window for 20 minutes (turn the heat down) or putting a pot of water and cinnamon on the stove to freshen things? As for your stale-smelling sweater, air it out on the deck and get over it.

2. Go organic for meat and chicken like you went wild for salmon. We just said no to farmed salmon, so what’s the deal with the beef? The more we buy organic beef, pork or chicken, the cheaper and more available it will be, and the healthier everything will be. As for produce, if you don’t buy organic, at least save yourself from yourself and wash it with Nature Clean Fruit and Veggie Wash.

3. Grab an E-cloth. Everybody loves their stainless steel appliances. Now you can clean them plus your dishes, your floors and other hard surfaces with the “clever fibres” of E-cloth. Just add water and clean away — you don’t need a drop of soap! You boil them to clean them and, unlike those disposable numbers, you can use them over and over. Stop by Nesters on Earth Day and you might get one for free along with the eco-friendly cleaning products and reusable bags they’re giving away. Now that’s clever.

4. Watch the packaging. It may not look as sexy (like Nature Clean products) or be as tidy (loose potatoes knocking about in your bag), but think about the container your products come in — or don’t — and how they influence what you buy. “Packaging is huge for me,” says Bruce Stewart, Nesters’ general manager. “They just keep shoving petroleum down our throats. Sun-Rype juices have gone to a plastic bottle and gotten away from their Tetra Pak — another full petroleum product for a container.” So like good art, choose content over superficial flash and fluff.

5. Use your reusable bag — again. The good news is reusable bag use is up, way up at Whistler, from a year ago. Aaron Wong at IGA Marketplace figures that 40 per cent of local customers use cloth bags, roughly the same proportion as at Nesters — way more than a year ago. Just don’t forget to carry one with you and use it, even on vacation. Otherwise, it’s just another thing you bought. For Aaron at IGA, it’s important: “It’s the biggest thing we can make a difference with right away.”

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Thirty thousand Canadians signed up for Earth Hour this year, more than the number of people who did likewise in Australia, where the idea started in 2007.

The concept is short and sweet: get people to turn off all their lights and other power vampires for an hour to make them think about the planet and the climate change we humans are creating. This year cities and towns around the world joined in, including Whistler.

And the winner in B.C. is… North Vancouver, with a power savings of 7.0 per cent, followed by Port Coquitlam at 6.7 per cent and, ta dah, Whistler, tied for third with Coquitlam at 5.6 per cent. Despite the greening of our provincial government, Victoria only managed to save 2.6 per cent of the power it normally uses (something to do with all the naturally occurring hot air).

By comparison, Canberra led the way in Australia, saying no to 11.4 per cent of the electrical current it normally uses. And to think they suffered John Howard, one of the biggest climate change deniers, as prime minister only a few short months ago.

Next year’s Earth Hour will be held, once again, on March 28, the last Saturday of the month. It comes highly recommended, that is if you like to sit quietly bathed in candlelight, with no e-distractions.

Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning freelance writer who believes in the power of one.