The New Pollution

I am completely ecstatic that Degree's Diner at my alma mater has switched to "completely biodegradable take-out containers, coffee cups, lids, utensils and straws".

It’s one of the first university restaurants in Canada to make the switch and the move earned the U of M headlines and news coverage across the country.

Now when you order food to go from the University of Manitoba Students’ Union run restaurant you can toss your package material into recycling bins on campus where it will be composted by the Campus Compost Program.

It gets better though... the company distributing the biodegradable materials is based in Winnipeg.

I would especially love to see areas with a cluster of restaurants under one roof, such as The Forks, latch onto something like this.

A dingo ate my (incandescent) light bulb

Tommy Edison must be spinning in his grave.

Australia has announced it will ban incandescent light bulbs in three years in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, becoming the first country to do away with this technology, which has been in use for more than a century.

A lot of interesting comments were left in the "Your View" section at the CBC website. Personally, I don't necessarily support a full ban in Canada. As I said in the comment I left, I support the carrot-and-stick approach - tax the purchase of incandescent bulbs so they are still available for purchase by those who genuinely prefer them or have health issues, provide instant, heavy rebates for compact fluorescent and LED lights, and implement a take-back program to ensure a cradle-to-cradle cycle for the bulbs. At least, I think that's what I wrote, the comment hasn't shown up on the site yet.

Menstrual cups

There is an alternative to pads and tampons, an alternative known as the menstrual cup. (There are of course, other alternatives, including sea sponges, and home-made reusable pads, but today I'm talking cups).

Switching over to a menstrual cup will greatly reduce or eliminate your need to purchase disposable products, saving you money and reducing the large amount of waste created by the products and their packaging.

Menstruation can sometimes be a hassle (or always a hassle, that is consistently ruining your social life, if you believe the commercials). Using a cup gives you more control over your flow. It also gets you more familiar with your body, something that would benefit most women.

I bought the DivaCup two years ago for $35, at the Women's Centre at my university, and I haven't looked back since.

Barenaked & sleeping

I saw the Barenaked Ladies last night in concert, thanks to some comp tickets from my lovely middle sister. I heavily admire the eco-village they had going on, not to mention you can buy their CDs, as well as recordings of their shows 20 minutes after they end, on USB sticks.

On a side note, I was delighted to learn that my habit of napping is good for me. Hooray!

Don't buy bottled water

Bottled water has been popping up in the news lately - the Winnipeg Free Press here, CBC there (thanks to David Suzuki). Check out Wiki too, if you want.

Here is the science behind why you should stick to your tap whenever possible:

Health Canada reports that bacteria levels in bottled water increase quickly to maximum levels after six weeks of unrefrigerated shelf life. Since disinfection destroys harmful organisms, this natural regrowth is not considered a health hazard.

"Bacteria are everywhere. Tap water is safe because it's chlorinated from the source, to you," [UBC civil engineering professor Pierre] Berube says. "Bottled water isn't. It's a snapshot of water in a particular time, so if there's something in it, it will continue to grow. When you see sales on bottled water, check the expiry date. I would not buy anything within one year of its expiry date." [WFP]

First off, most bottled water comes from a municipal tap at the start. It wasn't any purer than your tap water before it was bottled. For example, according to the WFP article, Alaska Glacier Water comes from taps in Juneau.

Secondly, the fact that it has an expiry date should tip you off - water isn't infinitely preserved just because it was sealed in a plastic bottle. As the article says, it's possible for bacteria to grow in bottled water, if it was there when the "snapshot" was taken, i.e. when the water was bottled. But I wouldn't be worried about the bacteria so much as the bottle itself.

Certain plastics break down over time, especially under exposure to light and heat. This is why, for example, you might have found heard it's a bad idea to to microwave food with plastic wrap touching it, in case plastic leaches into the food.

Thirdly, the obvious environmental implications of buying bottled water vs drinking from the tap, including but not limited to packaging versus no packaging (even with recycling is taken into account, given that reducing trumps it by a long shot), and fuel consumption and greenhouse gases over neither.

"I think in Canada it's absolutely disgusting that people are so uncertain about their water that we buy it, paying more for bottled water than we do for gasoline." [David Suzuki, CBC]