Ecosuperior


Community partnerships promoting environmental stewardship in the Lake Superior Basin.
562 Red River Rd., Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 1H3
Tel 807‐624‐2140 Fax 807‐622‐0005
www.ecosuperior.org info@ecosuperior.orgDear
Cyclist,
Are you passionate about cycling and bike safety?
Do you love to help others learn to enjoy cycling?
Would you like to play a

Green Drinks - Tonight!!
March 16, 5-7-m, Madhouse
A monthly meeting of the environmentally-minded! Mix and mingle and enjoy some drinks/food with your fellow comrades!

Shoreline Stewardship
Tuesday March 22, 7pm, Waverley Library Auditorium
Learn how you can manage your shoreline to reduce pollution and create habitat through techniques described in this presentation.
      &

Another good reason to stay away from genetically modified seeds, and why science can and is a threat to nature. There are seeds that have been genetically modified so that they produce once, and any seeds from that plant will not produce again. This way the company can make sure that you have to return to them to purchase more seeds.
Good business sense? These crops can and are infecting other generational crops (seeds sprout into new plants), and are making the generational crops sterile. No company sh

We have had some people calling and asking for information to be faxed to them. I have spent hours making up informational sheets pertaining to their requests, and when I finally go to fax them, the fax won't go through, or it says it went through, and maybe they just don't require anything else at this time.
I worry though that perhaps they haven't received the fax for some reason, and I don't have a contact number to call them and find out.
I don't want them to feel that I don't think that they ar

Please review and take care. This was forwarded to me, and I hope that it may be useful in protecting someone by posting it here.

New Area Code - PLEASE READ  this and pass it on.  I  am forwarding this just to be on the safe side.  You can check the web sites below to verify.

809 Area Code 
We

   It is so cold today, and wouldn't you know it, I had an appointment and my car wouldn't start. My van would, but since the car is parked behind the van blocking it in, fat lot of good that did me. So we (my husband) ran to get the extension cords out to plug in the car, hoping that maybe it would only take half an hour. It took 3 hours before it would run. Needless to say, I canceled my appointment and rebooked.  
So a couple of good things came out of this incident, and no I don't al

We have joined Twitter where I have to keep my rants a little shorter. Follow us, and "Reduce your Use".

http://www.avaaz.org/en/amazon_under_threat/97.php

This is to oppose the damming of the Amazon which could cause flooding and displacement of indigenous people. There are other options available that will show as much or better results without the harm. We need to stop developing everything, and learn how to live with nature instead of trying to control it.
Again, to be involved in these petitions, you pick and choos

If you are thinking about starting a garden for the first time, or perhaps just expanding what you normally grow, don't forget that you don't have to spend a ton of money on seeds. I was soaking dried beans to make chili, and ended up with black beans and white kidney beans that are sprouted and ready to plant. I have saved and dried all of the seeds from my green, red, yellow peppers, and will start sprouting those shortly. I also have pomegranate seeds that I had dried and will attempt to sprout. I had sp

There is a global action group Avaaz.org that champion causes world wide. The latest e-mail that I received was for saving the bees. They are calling for action, and all they need is for you to sign a petition. They will ask for donations by e-mail too, but you are under no obligation to send anything. It is all about gaining signatures for petitions to whatever is currently needed to be done. You can make a free e-mail account at msn, or gmail if you feel more comfortable doing so.
Please consider visit

This is not an earth environmentally based post, but it will do a great deal for your home and financial environment. I had received an e-mail about this credit card scam a couple of weeks ago. It was forwarded to me by a family member who had received a copy from an RCMP officer. I have just seen it posted on MSN Canada now, so I am copying and pasting the details for everyone to utilize for their own protection. Please pass this on. Fore-warned is fore-armed.

Just a

Happy New Year everyone!
I am looking forward to an even greener year in Thunder Bay as local knowledge and access to resources for green living seem to be continually expanding! Please remember to send along any events or notices you'd like me to share with the community as part of this distribution.

Recycle your Fluorescent light tubes!
Ecosuperior, 562 Red River

Climate Idols Challenge Launched Today

December 20, 2010 – EarthWise Thunder Bay has launched a unique project today called Climate Idols, recruiting four local families to participate in a variety of quarterly challenges in the areas of Energy, Transportation, Food, and Lifestyle during 2011.

The project is a partnership between EarthWise Thunder Bay and Duluth Sister C

 Christmas time is coming and that means presents abound. On Christmas morning we used to clean up a garbage bag's worth of wrapping paper, which is exactly that. It can't be recycled because of the large amount of ink it contains to make it look Christmasy (Is that a word?). I tried to save gift boxes and bags to be reused, and we did, but we still had too much. Now we use cloth for our family. We still have wrapping paper from years past that we use for other people's presents, but when that is gone,

You can visit Ecosuperior, or Earthwise Thunder Bay to find out what is going on locally with environmental initiatives.

Water conservation has become my new passion. In about 2 minutes I am going to go outside and finish putting away my rainbarrels.  I have to say that it makes me craze to have to dump out a full rain barrel, so I am going to bring some of the water inside and use it to flush the toilet downstairs.
Once I had this thought, well I started to think what else I could do with grey water inside the house for the winter. I am growing plants inside that will need water, and of course the toilets need to be

I have always been very health conscious. My mother was diagnosed with M.S. when I was a young teenager, and she was hit with a very bad attack that took her sight, speech, most of her hearing, and pretty much the entire use of her body. After 6 weeks in the hospital, she was allowed to come home. After having suffered a loss of most of her muscle mass, what followed were months and months of occupational and physiotherapy. She had to learn how to walk and talk again, and happily I can say that she went fro

If you have carved and set up spooky pumpkins to display for trick or treaters this year you now have to dispose of those pumpkins.
My kids want to keep theirs for a few more days, and that is fine with me, but after that comes the disposal. There are depots set up around town where you can drop off your pumpkins and they will be composted instead of throwing them in the trash. Ecosuperior will know where these are.
Don't forget to harvest as much pumpkin as you can for cooking and baking before tos

Please take 2 seconds to fill out this form. Form appears on your right hand side of the page. The more people we have, the more effect we have.


www.Hstoffhydro.com

There is too much over development going on. One of the things that I love best about Thunder Bay is that it isn't Toronto.
I'll explain. My husband and I took our children to Toronto for a week at the beginning of the summer. This just happened to co-inside with the heat wave. It was not that hot when we left Thunder Bay, (we flew), but by the time we arrived in Toronto, it was about 40 degrees celcius. I don't even know if that was with humidex or not. During that week it went to 45 degrees and even h

The City of Thunder Bay is proud to be organizing the ‘Planning for Emerald Ash Borer in Northwestern Ontario’ Public Information Session on behalf of Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and EarthWise.  

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a major economic and environmental threat that has killed more than 20 million ash trees in Ontario. EAB’s rapid spread has brought it as close to Northwestern Ontario (NWO) as Sault S

Thanks Catherine for sending this to me.

Everyone please sign this petition and add your name.

Will we stop mass extinction?

I've just signed an urgent global petition supporting a new treaty to prevent mass extinction. The petition will be delivered Friday at UN talks in Japan -- check out the email below and sign on here:    

http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_end_of_whales/98.php?CLICKTF

---

Do you notice that when you burn your candles there is always some wax left in the container? Sometimes the wick is gone and more than a 1/3rd of the candle is still there.
My son and I took all of our old candles, which were in thick glass jars, put them in water on the stove on medium and left them to melt.
We had already run to Michael's to pick up some wicks, and when the wax was melted, we simply put the wick in and poured the wax back into the jar. 4 old ones made 1 new one.
One jar slippe

I haven't written much in the last few months. Well I have, just not here. I am very busy right now trying to get the house ready for winter. Nothing upsets me more than those high heat and hydro bills during the winter months. I am always looking for new ideas. I have bills that are about 65% what they originally were when we first moved in 10 years ago.
I turned my heat on for the first time last night. I have Raynauds, which for any of you out there who doesn't know what that is, when it gets cold, th

I have been spending many hours in my gardens, and everyday I run out to check on my plant's progress. There is nothing worse than finding half of my plant has gone to feed some bug! 
My wonderful husband did some research and found that putting a 3 inch (approximately) strip of cardboard around the base of the plant in a complete circle and pushed into the dirt about an inch prevents the bugs from climbing the plant. It really is working, but I have to check to make sure that no leaves are trailin

An excellent new initiative from our local farmers and growers. If you can't grow your own, or share a plot with someone else like my neighbour does with her sister, your local farmers have gone online to give you better access to their foods.
Here is a copy of the informative e-mail I received.
Supporting a true, sustainable local food system: real food from real farmers.

Hi Everyone -

We'd like to introduce Thunder Bay's first on-l

There is a non-profit company in the U.S. that is collecting hair, animal and human, and other materials to use to make booms to absorb oil. If you or anyone you know can help with this, please visit HERE for more information and how to help.
The charity is called a Matter Of Trust. If the link is not working, please submit a search into google for this company.
Barber and hairstyling salons would be the most beneficial to get involved, but every single strand will make a difference.
Please get involved now.

I have just planted 2 pear trees, and an apple tree in my backyard. More local food!  Before I placed the trees into the holes, I cleaned out my fridge, and freezer, and took all available food scraps and threw it into the bottom of the hole and planted the tree on top of it. As it decomposes, it will create air pockets in the soil, helping to aerate and refine it. It will attract worms, and the worms will create tunnels providing more aeration, and also leaving behind more fertilizer down where the tr

Do you know how much water your washing machine uses, or how much water goes down the drain of your sink? I didn't before, but I do now and it is a real eye opener for me.
During the last dry spell, (yes, before the endless rain), my brand new water barrels had run dry. I didn't want to turn on the tap, so I drained my washing machine into a large tub, and carried the water outside to dump into my rainbarrels. A couple of forgetful moments left me with a wet basement floor, and I learned that my washing

I was reading some information sponsored by the City of Thunder Bay Environment Division. There is a great deal in it about water conservation in the home. I have a few copies if you would like to read it, just call 252-1856 to pick it up, or call the Environment Division. Please either pass the copy on and ask that person to do the same, or return it rather than recycling it. Until a new version is distributed, this one can be reused.
One tip to check for leaky toilets is to place food colouring in the

My great new water barrels are almost dry, and with all of these wonderful sunny days, I am left with few options as to where I get my water for the garden. Since I bought the barrels so that I wouldn't have to turn on the tap, I was reluctant to fall back on that option. Instead, I started looking into reusing water. There is quite a bit of information out there about the reuse of "gray" water. Using the water from your shower, sinks, and washer to water gardens or flush toilets. The systems that you can h

Looking through a flyer that came in the mail this week, I found an ad stating that you can receive a $5.00 coupon if you bring back 25 plant pots or more to your local Superstore, Loblaws, etc.  They recycle the plastic and make it into new pots.
I think that is wonderful and rewarding, but if the pots are in good condition, why not just clean out, and replant instead of melting the plastic to form new plastic pellets, reforming the pots, and then planting in them. Reusing should always come befo

I never seem to have enough space when I am planting my gardens especially since I keep getting more and more seeds.
This year, I started some of my plants early by taking the seeds out of the store bought cantaloupe, tomatoes and peppers.  I wasn't sure were they going to sprout so I took a handful to start, thinking I would be lucky if I ended up with ten plants. Every windowsill in my house is full of plants now. It seems at though every single seed sprouted and I have been running around buying

I have spent the last 4 days putting up fences, making and planting gardens, shoveling and more shoveling, painting, and staining,and then of course there is the regular job of running a business, marketing, paperwork, and the home with the husband and children, cleaning, laundry and meals... I missed Arbour Day at the Current River Rec Centre. I hope that some of you were able to make it.
The newest addition to my home is a pair of rain barrels. A quarter of one full barrel will water my gardens. With 2

Spent AA, AAA, C, D, 9 volt, and button batteries can be taken to Home Depot for disposal. Where you walk in the doors for returns, there is a disposal box to your immediate left inside the second set of doors.
You can also bring your cfl's, and drop them off right beside the batteries.

I read an article today that highlighted an ad put out by a large paper company trying to target young people "telling them to put it on paper" and to start printing everything. What a foolish idea, but they may be able to increase their sales by buying their own paper to print the ads on. Stupid! Check it out HERE.

Instead of buying a card, give a HERO cookie to your mom. Bake it yourself, especially if your mom has any issues with food, so you know what it contains.
In my family, we started this a few years ago just with us for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Birthdays, and Christmas. Any occasion where you hand out cards, we replace it with an edible treat. We have now started it with friend's and family. They will enjoy eating it, and a tree doesn't have to die every time we have a holiday.

Another easy way to eliminate more waste is to purchase those silicone baking cups, silicone mats, and silicone baking pans.  You won't need to buy paper muffin cups again. You can use the silicone mat to cover items in the oven instead of tinfoil.  You will save on greasing and flouring the pans too which means less work, healthier with less fat, and nothing sticks inside the silicone bakeware. Waste reduction in disposable tinfoil, paper muffin cups, wax paper, etc...

If you are doing renovations to your home, the materials you take out can be delivered to Habitat For Humanity's Restore. They do have to be in good condition so that they can be reused by another home. They don't have to stylish and pretty. This allows that waste to be reused, and it supports a charitable organization that builds homes for needy families. The waste outlets that make me happiest.

You can dispose of these used batteries at the Household  Hazardous Waste Depot section located at the Thunder Bay landfill. You can also drop them off at MGM Electric for a fee. You may want to call ahead to both to see which is the better option for you.

According to the Thunder Bay Green Guide you can drop off your used button batteries at the jewelry departments of Zellers, Walmart, and Sears.

If you have an old cell phone that you are hoping to get rid of, why not donate it to Pro Kids (program pays for fees for children to enter sports when the parents can't afford them). Contact Laura  626-3212.
If this program ends, please place a comment under this post.

If you have clothes hangers that you can't use, call the Salvation Army, the Mod Shop or any second hand clothing store to see if they are in need of any.

My son came home from school with a note in his agenda saying that the kids in their class had to bring a litterless lunch. We use containers for our children's lunches. I never buy baggies, so it was no big deal for us.
That made me start thinking about how it is up to each individual teacher or school if they want to include the environment in what they teach our children.
From Kindergarten until College, schools have a huge influence in our children's lives. A stronger curriculum that includes&nb

We would like to congratulate the city of Thunder Bay for having recycling options available to our local businesses. It isn't enough yet though. We need to ensure that all of our businesses are utilizing these services, and that the employees are separating their waste correctly. A great waste is the amount of garbage bags that are changed even though they are in perfect condition, and could simply be emptied into a larger bag. Sometimes th

I only have one composter in my yard. It is kept at the very back as far from the house as possible. Not really a big deal in the summer, but near impossible to get to in the winter. So all winter I put my compost into large 5 gallon pails. With lids that seal shut.

On February 25th and 26th, the first annual sustainability conference was held at Confederation College, and Lakehead University.  With great speakers, and a forum for people to gather together and brainstorm the future. I can't wait to see what ideas come out of it! We were very pleased to be invited, and look forward to next year's event.

 Our shopping boxes are a solution to several different environmental concerns for a large range of people.  When my son was 4, he could pull the shopping box when we went shopping. From 4 to 84, this box allows you to walk, bus, or drive without straining to carry heavy items. Your not sharing germs from public carts, and you're enjoying faster maneuverability through crowded stores. Best of all there are no plastic

We have really cold winters, and then really hot summers. This means hard working furnaces, and central air conditioners.
In our home we have a high efficiency furnace, but we don't have central air. The first few years in this house could be quite uncomfortable in the summer heat. We tried an air conditioner for a month, but it only cooled one room in the house. We have spent a great deal of time in the lower levels of the house too.
Now we have the solution that keeps us comfortable. You have to ha

My gutters and drainage system are being replaced this week, and I thought it was the perfect time to pick up a couple of rain barrels. 
I have already started some of the plants for my garden, and started getting my funnel bottles ready. I use about 80 pop bottles, remove the cap, cut the bottle completely in half about 2/3 from the bottom. I poke a couple of holes in the bottom and I use those for my starter plants. The remaining part of the bottle with the neck is placed up