As a special treat for Urban Bandit readers, Cliff Barre, co-author of the fabulous blog Peace, Love, & Travel with Cliff and Tiff, gives us his rundown of inspiring projects across the US to remind us that there’s lots of good green stuff going on out there! Please enjoy this guest post by Cliff. **** Many … Continue reading
Canadians love salt. A recent study revealed that some fast food items sold in Canada were substantially saltier than the same items sold in other countries (Weeks, 2012). And since making the comparison is essential to our identity as Canadians, yes, we’re saltier than Americans. But our love affair for salt doesn’t end with fast … Continue reading
Cycling provides me with an ultimate sense of freedom. It’s an absolute joy to hop on my bike and feel like I could go anywhere while connecting with my city in an active way. Unfortunately, cycling in my home city of Toronto can be risky and each time I head out, I wonder if I’ll keep safe. … Continue reading
***UPDATE: The invitation to the Mayor to give cycling a try has been signed by over 1,000 people at http://www.change.org/robfordrides. A letter to the Mayor’s office was sent via email on September 10, 2013, which you can read here.*** Toronto’s Mayor Ford hasn’t been the biggest supporter of cycling in the city. During his time … Continue reading
Please join me on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at the University of Toronto’s 7th Annual Peace, Conflict & Justice Conference. This year’s theme is The Urban Era: Comparing Challenges in the World’s Cities and I’ll be participating in a panel discussion on Urban Environmentalism: Cities and Green Initiatives in the Global North and South. Registration is FREE and all are … Continue reading
I was recently interviewed by Solid Waste & Recycling Magazine on the subject of burning plastics for energy. The interview was in response to a December 2012 Canadian study suggesting that landfilled plastics could be retrieved and used as fuel to power upwards of 600,000 cars and 500,000 households. However, the process of burning any … Continue reading
The faucet in my kitchen was starting to leak….a lot. Having never dealt with a leaky faucet I figured the whole fixture needed to be replaced. After standing in Canadian Tire (yes, that’s a real store in Canada that, contrary to the name, sells much more than tires) ogling fancy $200 models I decided to go … Continue reading
As a zero waste advocate, my first suggestion for the holiday season would be to curb unnecessary consumption as much as possible and try to shop or trade reused goods. As a human being living in North America, I know that this isn’t the easiest thing to do! So if you can’t avoid the mall this … Continue reading
In the wake of Black Friday, as consumers gave thanks for the mega deals, a tragedy in the developing world provided a stark reminder of the impacts of our consumption and drive for profit. On Saturday night, November 26, 2012, at least 112 workers were killed in a Bangladesh garment factory. Some broke windows, jumping from … Continue reading
Waste is one of those words that is so widely used we often forget to question what it really means. It may only be five letters long but it’s a big word. It can be used as a verb, noun or adjective to refer to a substance or object, thoughtlessness, a missed opportunity or inefficiency. … Continue reading
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