On May 14th, 2009, the Ontario Green Energy Act basically passed and will soon be law. There seems to be a lot of people in the GTA who don't know a lot about this legislation, but who would like to know more about the meaning and possible effects.

We spoke with Mike Layton, Program Manager, Environmental Defence about the new legislation and some of the effects it might have in the Greater Toronto Area. Environmental defense is a 25 year old organization whose goal is to "protect the environment and human health across Canada". This respected organization publishes reports on environmental issues and helps educate Canadians on what we can do to reduce Canada's climate change footprint.

These environmental events are all happening in Toronto and the GTA (Ajax, Brampton, Brooklin, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Pickering, Whitby) in the next week.

For more information, follow the links, or find more detail and event descriptions on the full calendar. We always recommend you contact the organization to ensure that an event is still scheduled before attending.

See the full Toronto Environment Event Calendar for more info or to have your event listed.

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola
Vol. 11, No. 18

Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama completed his first 100 days on the job. During this brief period, his administration has acted to reverse many of the failed and destructive policy decisions of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

These environmental events are all happening in Toronto and the GTA (Ajax, Brampton, Brooklin, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Pickering, Whitby) in the next week.

For more information, follow the links, or find more detail and event descriptions on the full calendar. We always recommend you contact the organization to ensure that an event is still scheduled before attending.

See the full Toronto Environment Event Calendar for more info or to have your event listed.

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola
Vol. 11, No. 17

I recently read an article about a woman in Spokane, Washington, who doesn’t like phosphate-free dishwashing detergents. Phosphate-containing detergents are banned in Spokane County because of their negative impact on the environment, so the woman drives 45 minutes to Idaho where phosphate detergents are still sold. The article also notes that the woman has a five-year-old daughter. I’m astounded.

People often argue that protecting the environment will require too many sacrifices. Is this what they mean? That they would risk their children’s futures because they can’t be bothered to rinse their dishes before putting them into the dishwasher?

Since the Canadian Government is offering Grants to make your home more efficient, now is a great time to have an energy audit done of your home to find out what you can do to save energy.

At the Green Living Show last week we bumped into the folks from GreenSaver, a non-profit organization which offers energy audits and retrofits for homeowners in the GTA. Having an energy audit of your home before and after your renovations can help you qualify for a Natural Resources Canada grant (more information on the NRC website).

Vladan Veljovic, President & CEO of GreenSaver, was kind enough to answer some questions for us about their program, the environmental benefits, and about the money that consumers can save on utility bills after an energy audit.

These environmental events are all happening in Toronto and the GTA (Ajax, Brampton, Brooklin, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Pickering, Whitby) in the next week.

For more information, follow the links, or find more detail and event descriptions on the full calendar. We always recommend you contact the organization to ensure that an event is still scheduled before attending.

See the full Toronto Environment Event Calendar for more info or to have your event listed.

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola
Vol. 11, No. 16

You may have a caribou in your pocket. This important Canadian icon has appeared on our 25-cent coin since 1936. It would be a tragedy if this were the only place you could spot this magnificent animal, though.

Effective April 22, 2009, Ontario has banned the use of more than 250 pesticides, and over 80 pesticide ingredients for cosmetic use. The ban, which is now law across the province of Ontario, bans the sale of pesticides "for cosmetic purposes on lawns, gardens, parks and school yards, and includes many herbicides, fungicides and insecticides".

Find out more about how this ban might affect you as a homeowner, and how you take care of your lawn this summer without pesticides.

These environmental events are all happening in Toronto and the GTA (Ajax, Brampton, Brooklin, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Pickering, Whitby) in the next week.

For more information, follow the links, or find more detail and event descriptions on the full calendar. We always recommend you contact the organization to ensure that an event is still scheduled before attending.

See the full Toronto Environment Event Calendar for more info or to have your event listed.