Our family attended the Green Living Show in Toronto this May that just passed. It was a brisk, sunny day, and as we walked in we were greeted by many friendly people. Lots of stands from Quebec. We noticed it also seemed to be an overall very fit crowd. Lots of heathered grey sweaters and old cotton t-shirts.
It was a fun family trip to Toronto, and we met so many friendly people overseeing their stands. There were so many booths and stands, but here are a few green products and ideas that we were able to learn more about:
These ladies gave us such a warm welcome to welo! This company makes low-sugar, vegan probiotic snacks, which can help support gut health, while also boasting using organic ingredients. Fun option: char
Wholly takes veggie patties to a *whole* new level. Since the Green Living Show I have tried many more veggie patties, bot personally nothing has beat the spiced flavours found at this table. Website: https://www.whollyveggie.com/
Joggo sells fashionable bags with a focus on ethical manufacturing both for workers and the environment. They have also partnered with CARE Canada to help provide education for refugee children in 21 countries!
Green Window Works is a company in the GTA that helps addresses a major contributor to energy waste in Canada: insecure building envelope. The building envelope is essentially what separates inside from outside, and when things like windows allow temperature-controlled indoor air to leak being exchanged by the raw outdoor air, it wastes energy. If you are in the GTA and might be interested, feel free to submit a request on greenwindowworks.ca
Here's one for the insomniacs on the net. I didn't get to learn a lot about SAMINA sleep systems to be honest, but we did hear that they are made of banboo (which grows very quickly),
Garden of Life's Protein & greens protein shakes. #1 question for many when buying their supplemental shakes: how awful does it taste? That is a matter of opinion, but mine (though I never say this about protein shakes)... it actually tasted really good. Apparently, chocolate flavour was the fan favourite.
Occupied VR: Living With Jaguars. This was a fun stand. On the left, this immersive and interactive documentary explores tensions surrounding jaguar conservation in Brazil, digging deeper in understanding why it can be so hard. Unfortunately I didn't have the change to see the sharkwaters side, but I can tell you there was a long lineup there, too.
Green Schools Green Future. So many people in environment also care about humanitarian and more human-centric causes as well, and Green Schools Green Future marreis the two ideas in one great organization.
And for the tea fans, The Herbal Brewer. We also had the pleasure of meeting the herbal brewer herself, who shared these organic, naturally-sweetened iced teas. Recommendation: Anything rosey.
LUNAH. This brand now holds a special place in my heart. I mean, armpit. It has been so difficult to find a natural alternative to antiperspirants without any strong additives for perfumes or weird feel, without compromising effectiveness, but the founder of LUNAH has achieved it. Talking about body odour isn't always the most comfortable of subjects, but when it comes to what products we apply to our body's largest organ every day it is important to think about what we are using, and how it impacts our environment. To take a look at her natural, hand-made
These lovely ladies helped introduce the women in our group to some green alternatives to period products. From their padded underwear to their own take on the menstrual cup, these can be used for a long time and can go a long way in reducing waste every monthly cycle.
Greenovation makes sustainable (and aesthetic) disposable plates out of palm leaves. Our immediately family didn't have any need for these at the time, but surprise! Ended up seeing these compostacle creations at a cousin's wedding. Usually at learge events where there are disposable plates used I get this feeling of anxiety well up seeing the piles of strofoam or thick cardboard, soggied with food juices. No such stress this time. They definitely *leave* a much better feeling :)
Vegcheese. THE best vegan cheese I have ever tasted, and no idea how they did this but it's even nut-free. It actually tastes better than dairy cheese. I don't know what else to say about it. I guess also the family that runs it was also super nice and down-to-earth. All around great time.
Near the end of our day, we met Eric, the friendly rep from Bec selling organic maple syrup soda. The flavours were fresh, and were a nice organic, sweet end to our day. In the poto on the right you can see stores that carry them (also in reusable/recyclable glass bottles).
If you have been on Nature Nimbus for a while, you'll probably notice that there has been very little mentioned in the way of products. To be honest I am largely ignorant of green products, especially affordable ones. However, I did find the green living show useful in identifying a couple replacements for items I normally buy.
Moreover, it is worth remembering that the goal is not to just spend more money or acquire more stuff, but to learn about reasonable and practical measures we can take to lessen our impact on the environment in ways that are possible for us. I didn't end up buying products from all these companies because I didn't need all of them, but hopefully the show and this post will help people find some greener alternatives for things they are.
This page may be updated, so feel free to check back a few weeks from now. In the meantime, if you are interested in attending next year's Toronto green living show March 13-15, please visit their website https://www.greenlivingshow.ca/