by Lara Gladych –
Seaside Magazine wants to live up to our slogan of being “the voice of the Saanich Peninsula,” so, in every issue, we’ll be asking people to answer a question. We’re looking for responses from all ages and across the diverse neighbourhoods that form our community.
International Earth Day is April 22, and here at Seaside, we’re celebrating with our Green (and Nautical) issue. We wanted to tap into how people in our community are doing their part to better the environment, so for this month’s issue I was asking: “What are your green practises?”
This year’s Earth Day focus is on ending plastic pollution. I am far from perfect with my own habits, but in the past year I’ve endeavoured to “up my game” specifically around my consumption of plastics. I’ve tried to make my children mindful of how straws, though fun and convenient, are not essential. I’ve been mindful of purchasing larger sizes of products, rather than going through multiples of smaller sizes. I’ve invested in glassware for storing food, and have started saving glass packaging (such as jam jars and milk bottles) and reusing these for storage, as water bottles, for flower arrangements, etc.
Outside of plastic matters, over the years I’ve cut back substantially on chemical cleaning products, and now buy almost all natural supplies, while relying heavily on vinegar and plain old water, micro-fibre cloths and elbow grease. I don’t bag the majority of produce, I always reuse or return the plastic bags I do use, and I’ve become much better at declining bags of any kind for my purchases – even outside the grocery store.
There are so many ways in which I could be better, but I’m trying, and I consciously make the effort to make my kids aware of the footprint they’re leaving on a daily basis.
I visited some busy spots in Brentwood to see what others had to say about their green practises. Most everyone I spoke with said that they recycle, but for many, it was hard to think of other ways in which they are green-minded. Once I prompted them to think about all the little things they do, people started to realize that there are several ways in which they are making a difference.
“My wife and I recycle, we compost, and we have a small, low-emission vehicle. We do our best to buy local and sustainable,” said Matthew, 40.
Melissa, who is 22, composts and relies on her bicycle.
“Full three-way recycling,” said Gillian, 45, who always holds onto recyclables if she’s out and not able to properly dispose of them otherwise. Similarly, Judith, 80, recycles and composts her kitchen scraps. “I grow my own vegetables in the summertime, I buy my eggs locally, and I try to support the local growers,” she adds.
John, 58, a local café owner, has a lot to say about the work his business does to lower their impact on the environment. “Every week I load up all of our recycling and I take it to the landfill in my van. We divert all of our food waste, and all of our coffee grounds go to a local farm to be used in their soil amendment. We give 25-cent refunds on hot drinks if customers bring in their own cups. We’re trying to encourage people not to use paper cups.”
Jordon, 22, said that she always walks to the store when she goes grocery shopping. “To grow more fruit,” is the goal for Diana, 32, and her daughter, Cassidy, 11, likes to compost. Dan, 34, told me that walking more than driving is a priority, and that he and his wife “are big on composting right now.”
“Turning lights out when I’m not in the room, and I don’t like to to leave the water running when I’m brushing my teeth.” That’s how Ali, 19, makes a difference.
“We painted our house green,” kids Sandra, 76, about her green practises. Of course, she always recycles, too.
“We’ve got bees, we grow our own veggies, and we hunt and we fish,” said Jessica, who is 30. Bill, 81, hopes his veggie gardens are a success, and his wife, Bunny, 82, added that they don’t use much in the way of packaged foods. “I cook everything myself, and we don’t eat out,” she said, noting that the amount of waste, and even recyclables, that they yield is very low.
A man I’ll call Jim, about 40, told me that he always cuts up his six-pack can rings. It took me a second to figure out what he was referring to, but I then realized that this act is a significant way to avoid those horrific cases of birds and water-creatures choking and becoming entangled in these nasty plastic culprits.
Take a minute to think about what you’re doing every day to make a difference. These small acts of “green” really add up.
