Sustainable Environment and Sustainable Business: Three Things You can Do

The last Nature Nimbus post put the spotlight on fourteen companies that are taking the lead in green business management and production. If you are a person in business and are interested in ways you can become a leader in sustainability and improve your own business, here is a brief look at some things you can consider:

Use Sustainable Materials
If your business generates a tangible, physical product that people can pick up and buy, there is lots of opportunity to help turn the tide in production and materials. Consider:

• sustainable production that minimizes pollution volume and/or intensity in areas such as manufacturing, transportation
• using recycles or reclaimed materials
• using materials that are extracted and/or processed in sustainable ways
• ingredients that are grown conscientiously

Certain products can be used to support a more environmentally-conscious lifestyle. However, not all businesses were founded with the most current standards of sustainability and not all businesses have a physical product that can be modified to use more sustainable materials very easily. Even in cases like this, there are still other places to start.

Minimize Waste
Potential energy, water, and food waste are present in every business. From the lighting system to toilets used, there are many ways both soft and concrete that a workplace can begin to reduce waste.

Seek Guidance
The weight of the world feels less heavy when we shoulder it together. It is easy to understand from any perspective how business and society hangs on environment. However, to take steps towards helping the environment within a business that entity itself also needs to be taken care of, and there are entities that can help with this.

Options include hiring an environmental consultant, seeking certifications, and joining groups like Partners In Project Green. At my college a presentation of some of the Partners' low impact development projects left quite the impression on me, and they are now a group I would be happy to reference as business-conscious guides for areas of water, waste, energy, and engagement, and to help other entities move through the process and learn the best places to start.

Think Long-Term
When we consider economy, society, and environment, having a healthy, livable environment is the top link in the chain that holds the others up. There is planning, budgeting, and engineering to consider, but each of these are ultimately investments that in the long run are sustainable for a business, and there is help available.

Taking the first step can feel overwhelming, but please do remember: not only are there groups like consultants and Partners in Project green rooting for you, but there are many of us around the world rooting for the people people behind businesses who are out there looking to move forward in sustainable ways.

This post was Republished 2019-12-07, and dated back to 2019-11-07

Green Living Show 2019 Highlights

Green product placement time! (If you have used up your budget for the month, maybe come back next month and read instead). Plus one charity.  This light post has been a long time coming, so thank you for your patience. It has been a busy summer and I'll have some more nature pics to show you in a future post from a surprise location.

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),  

https://www.samina.com/

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/

Highlights From the Blue Dot Tour

  This Friday I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Blue Dot Tour at at Massey Hall in Toronto. This is said to be David Suzuki's last national tour, and it highlights the importance of implementing The Right to a Healthy Environment in Canada.

    It was an inspiring and memorable evening with many passionate speakers and performers with tons more takeaway points, but I'd like to share just a few of the many highlights. (Despite being read out at the beginning, I didn't catch all the names so I apologize for omitted and mistaken ones).

The Blue Dot Tour event begins!

     An acoustic rendition of Danny Michel's "Feather, Fur & Fin" was a terrific way to open up the performances, describing how destruction and pollution of natural habitats effects other animals through music, a memorable way to reach peoples' hearts.

Here is the Official video for "Feather, Fur & Fin" by Danny Michel:

    Dr. Joekin (?), a scientist and explorer, spoke on behalf of the sea, the lifeblood of the Earth, and all creatures depending on it in "Voices from the Depths of the Sea". His speech itself included both reason and a soft but deep passion, attesting to the fact that the two go hand-in hand to drive great change, inspiration, and leadership.

    He listed three characteristics of leadership:

Deep empathy, Deep eloquence, Deep endurance

Chantal Kewviazul and Raine Maida giving a heartfelt performance (I could not get the violinist or cellist in the picture or their names, but they all sounded great together!)

     Devin Paige was also not visible from this spot, but the executive director of EcoJustice (a company that fights legal battles for environmental causes) highlighted the legal aspect of the right to a healthy environment. He also said that at EcoJustice they tend to separate people into 2 categories: people who will sue for the environment, and people who won't. 

     Stephen Lewis' eloquent and sarcastically "dispassionate" speech described how the environmental movement/action taken by organizations such as the David Suzuki Foundation are in harmony with international goals, and is for the benefit of people.

Upside to side-seating: Side-stage sneak peeks.

    Following was a chilling and touching spoken word poem "Shoulders" written for the Blue Dot Tour by Shane Koyczan, a speaker/performer who combined the best of both worlds and words. As an avid lover of poetry and creative writing, this was definitely a highlight and I could go on about the beautiful words that seemed to flow so naturally, but I don't want expectation to spoil/interrupt the current of thoughts for those who will be hearing it later. What I can say is that the standing ovation was well deserved. 

     Michiah Prull, Director of Communications and Public Engagement gave a genuine, empowering speech that included the phrases "ordinary people doing extraordinary things", and "don't be a spectator of your own life". the truth that while most of us consider ourselves ordinary, we can be involved in the extraordinary. He also invited the audience to physically stand to give a memorable illustration about the power of standing together for the right to a healthy environment.

The venue was at Massey Hall in Toronto. Years ago, Grey Owl also also gave his "Back to My Beaver People" presentation there.

     Upon return from intermission I missed the speaker's name, but a man spoke about role of Native Canadians as stewards of the land. He sang a traditional song which set a beautiful atmosphere, and shared an experience of when a friend -who is also a Native of Canada- was asked something to the effect of "what do you need more land for? When are you going to sell it?" The response: "We are preserving it."   

     The Barenaked Ladies gave a lively performance, including jokes about new streetcars that had been new for almost 30 years, and a slightly-modified version of "If I had a Million Dollars" where they take an electric limousine instead of walking, and install solar panels on the roof of a treehouse to power a paintball/pinball (?) machine. 

     Last and certainly not least was David Suzuki himself. Of the many inspiring pieces of wisdom he shared, these are a mere few (This list will probably be added to later). Elders hold a special place in communities, and as an elder, in his lifetime he has seen peoples' views of  rights change radically, and frankly right now Canada is way behind in changing its views of the environment for a sustainable future.

     In the past people have often lived learning to prioritize money and resources, at the same time having rights prejudice to only certain people. This is in contrast with the rich diversity that characterizes Canada which must be protected with the air, water, and land. He highlighted Native Canadian traditions, including the time he spent with Haida people, and the way that in traditional Native culture nature is sacred, such as the four elements water, earth, air and fire. Humans have huge effect in the ecosystem and like other living things depend on it for our health, and we must take a stand to have a healthy environment, and by default health humans, protected as a right.

Every single speaker and performer contributed something unique to this Blue Dot Tour event, and all deserved the standing ovation at the end.

"Things are only impossible until we decide that they're not anymore. Today is the day we decide" 

     In our programs we were given cards that say "today we decide" on the front. We could fill out the cards with our name and information to join the movement (and a small box to write down why) and drop them into a big blue mailbox.
     If you would like, you can visit the David Suzuki Blue Dot Tour website under "Take Action" to read more about the join the movement towards rights to a healthy environment. If we stand together to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, it will be far less burdensome.