With most products now claiming some sort of green claim to fame it’s important to distinguish real benefits from the marketing ploys. To this point, this great little info-graphic below explains the various types of greenwashing and provides some interesting statistics. Green claims are big business as this graphic suggests that 9 out of 10 shoppers … Continue reading
Just a quick update to announce that my next upcoming speaking engagement will be at the Wide World of Waste in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. The conference is being held October 3-5 and is hosted by the Recycling Council of Alberta. I’ll be presenting my research on what zero waste means as a theoretical concept compared … Continue reading
I may be a dedicated zero waste advocate, but just like everyone else I have guilty pleasures and moments of weakness. Currently I’m suffering from a serious case of iGuilt. Although I have a perfectly good mobile phone, I wasn’t strong enough to resist the offer of a brand new free iphone from a service … Continue reading
So I’ve clearly got a love/hate thing going on with Ikea. You’ll remember that I commended the Swedish giant for offering one of the original ‘classy’ food court experiences with real cutlery, glasses and dishes instead of disposables. Then I changed face and accused Ikea of facilitating unnecessary consumption with its shoddy furniture that values style over quality and durability. After … Continue reading
Lunch today was delicious – chicken pesto sandwich with pasta salad and a big fat pickle. But there was lots of other stuff that came with my lunch today that wasn’t delicious – or even edible. Since I took my lunch ‘to go’ it came with a paper bag, wax paper for the sandwich, two … Continue reading
As I rolled out of bed this morning, I opened my window to find quite a surprise – there had been an explosion of fashion on my front lawn! While I talked about some of the environmental pitfalls of the fashion industry in an earlier post, there’s no denying that a new outfit can make … Continue reading
As I speed my way down death alley (aka University Ave.) on my bicycle each day I think about how wonderful it would be to not fear for my life each time I leave the house on two wheels. I am green with envy (ha!) hearing about Denmark’s bike superhighway and efforts to encourage cycling when bikers in my … Continue reading
As a ‘waste expert’ my friends often ask me to solve their various personal waste dilemmas. This morning’s question from one of my roomates was “What am I supposed to do with all these mismatched socks?” My response, “Umm, wear them and not care that they are mismatched?” After all, socks are a clothing item … Continue reading
In November 2011, I presented my zero waste research at a Philosophy and Waste conference at the University of Southern Illinois. Although much philosophical thinking is beyond my comprehension, considering waste within this discipline reveals some interesting points. Using the ever so trusty Wikipedia, philosophy is defined as, “the study of general and fundamental problems, such as … Continue reading
I started my zero waste journey over a year ago. In my final year of my Master in Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto, Canada I was faced with the ultimate student dilemma. What should I spend the next year of my life researching? I always loved urban environments. I was an environmentalist that … Continue reading
urban bandit 