welcome

Happy holidays from the staff of One Day!  We hope that this issue finds you healthy, happy and ready to celebrate.  This month, we’re offering a few simple suggestions to keep your festivities eco-friendly. 

One Day is a City of Vancouver initiative that encourages residents to take small actions in their daily lives to use less energy at home and on the move, to help protect the climate, and to make Vancouver the cleanest, greenest, healthiest city in the world. 

This month, a month typically filled with festive fever, we're asking you to commit to at least one holiday act of “green”.  Read on to learn more.

Whether you visit your favourite “green” website, or open a newspaper, you’re sure to find tonnes of ideas on how to make your holidays a bit more climate-friendly.  Here’s our shortlist:

Holiday travels: If you are travelling out of town for the holidays, we ask that you take a few minutes before you go to turn your thermostat down and unplug appliances like any chargers, computers and entertainment systems.  Why?  Anything that can be activated by a remote control draws power, even when it’s not being used.  And for those hitting the open road or flying the friendly skies?  Whether you are driving or flying, you may also wish to consider offsetting your travel.  

Shopping: Aside from the obvious (buy less stuff, avoid excess packaging, and select local, eco-friendly products), we’d like you to consider walking, biking or taking transit when you shop.  You will not only avoid the overfull parking lots, create less GHG emissions, but will also be less likely to go overboard in the gift buying department.  Don’t forget your reusable bags.  One last thing, Vancouverites may wish to check out the “shop the stops” free holiday shopping trolley.

Saving a tree: Turkeys aren’t the only thing gobbled up during the holidays.  Forests worth of trees are cut down each year only to stand decorated in your living room for a few weeks,or they are manufactured into products such as gift wrap, cards or your 20 page VISA bill!  This season, we ask you to give back to the world’s tree population by considering a live tree that can be replanted.  Here’s the best part, since trees take carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) out of the atmosphere, you’ll actually be offsetting some of your household’s GHG emissions.  But if you do have a cut tree and live in Vancouver, there are a few options for recycling your holiday tree! 

...that Canada Post honours their “Customer’s Choice” when delivering unaddressed advertisement mail.  Find out how to make your choice known and stop junk mail from landing in your mailbox (see #16 and #17). 

Also part of Canada Post’s green consumer program is epost, a free electronic bill service with secure online storage for up to seven years.  The best part about epost is the GHG emissions that you’ll save since these paperless bills won’t require any transportation.

If you haven’t already sent out your “seasons greetings”, consider e-cards.  They take no fuel to transport, they use no paper, and just like Santa’s sleigh, they get delivered in the blink of an eye. 

As we ring in 2009, we’d love to hear your eco-friendly new year’s resolutions.  Send us yours.  (Feel free to include a photo!)  We’ll be posting some of our favourites on our website and using them for future enews issues.

 

...your favourite “grinch”.  They don’t love much, but we hope they’ll tolerate One Day.

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Design E2
December 18, 10:30pm
Check out Design E2, a  new Knowledge Network series narrated by Brad Pitt that investigates how architecture and environmentalism work together to build a greener future.  In this episode, they take a look at the innovative projects that were developed from waste components created by Boston’s $15 billion Big Dam project. 

Winter Farmers Markets
November to April

Consider a low emission holiday feast. At farmers markets, you can expect to find potatoes, parsnips, kale, garlic, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, beets,  and winter squash among other fixings, all grown locally.  Even local turkey, ham eggs and dairy products are in season. 

LiveSmart BC Workshops
Winter 2009
At this workshop, learn how to access government rebates for your home energy improvement projects.   Register online for a free workshop at one of these community centres:
Mount Pleasant-42101.105MP
Dunbar-45551.101DN
Riley Park-45501.101RP
Trout Lake-45539.101TL and .102TL
Britannia-45406.101BR
Renfrew-55347.103RF and .104RF
Hastings Park-45407.100HS  

Check out the One Day events calendar for more sustainability related events happening in and around Vancouver.