Do you have an old cell phone at home?

This July we’re having a cell phone drive!

 

Just place your mobile devices inside your bin and we’ll recycle it for you. But before, please ensure that:

1. The account for the device has been fully paid and service has been deactivated.
2. Any headsets and chargers for the device are included with your donation (These accessories also contain recyclable and salvageable materials).
3. The SIM card is removed if there is one.
4. All personal information is erased from your device, including text messages, contacts and personal files!

For more information on how to clear all data from your device click on the following link: www.recyclemycell.ca 

The Season of Growth

Spring is the season of new beginnings in weather, agriculture and self-awareness. Spring invites us to take care of ourselves and our surroundings.

Green Earth Organics is happy to announce that this spring we will focus on giving back to the community, starting with the Covenant House Vancouver. It’s an exciting opportunity to make a difference and help the homeless youth in Vancouver. For the next three weeks for every pack of Fair Trade Blueberries that you purchase we will donate $1.00.

Remember those unwanted pennies that you have at home? Place them inside your bin and we will take them to the Covenant House of Vancouver.

Covenant House Vancouver exists for those young people for whom there is often no one else - young people who either have willingly fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse or those who have been forced from their homes. We understand that life changes are challenging and do everything in our power to ensure that young people succeed at whatever plan they have chosen for themselves. As long as genuine effort is demonstrated, so is our commitment.

Concerns about GM Apples in BC

Okanagan Specialty Fruit has applied to plant genetically modified apples in the Okanagan. This is a concern for organic growers because bees will cross-pollinate between the GM apples and the organic ones. BC growers stand to lose export markets and more if their organic standards are compromised.

The Certified Organic Associations of BC (COABC), the BC Fruit Growers Association, the Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen, and the Washington Hort Council have all spoken out against the introduction of a genetically modified apple into the Similkameen.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will take the number of letters they receive into account as part of their decision about this, so the more letters they receive, the better. They are seriously considering letting this apple be propagated, which will contaminate all the Organic production within a year or two.

Please go to this link to speak out against the GM apple initiative in the Okanagan:

http://www.cban.ca/Resources/Topics/GE-Crops-and-Foods-Not-on-the-Market/Apple

More information is also available through COABC:

http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/docs/GMOapple%20info%20sheet.pdf

The CFIA's deadline is Tuesday, July 3rd, so please comment at the link above and spread the word!

One Small Change - from Our Newsletter

Now that January's almost over, those New Year's resolutions that we penned and proclaimed with such optimism can start to feel very, very far away. We've all heard the tips about making successful resolutions - plan ahead, set realistic goals, be accountable - but somehow that doesn't seem to make keeping your promises to yourself any less difficult. So how about it doing the whole thing differently?

The folks over at One Small Change are putting a new spin on old resolutions - and they've been doing it successfully for over a year. What about this? Rather than loading up the pressure to change your body, your life, and the whole darn world onto one arbitrary date, try making one small change every month. One Small Change is an environmental project; in their own words, its founders challenge participants every month to "choose a change that you want to bring into your life that is going to reduce your carbon footprint." The great thing is that no change is too small - because it all adds up.

The blog for the project helps keep participants motivated by offering a forum to share the changes you're making and by raffling prizes monthly, as well by providing a ton of great ideas that will change your life and your carbon footprint. Looking to start big? How about eliminating switching from paper products to cloth, making your own cleaning products, starting a garden, downgrading to one car (or, better yet, to a bicycle). Or maybe something a little smaller? Try reducing the amount of showers you take in a month, looking for options with less packaging in the store, unplugging appliances you're not using, cooking more at home (and doubling up on oven projects), turning off the lights in empty rooms, or finally getting that reusable water bottle and really using it.

At Green Earth Organics, we're always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and practice sustainable business. Our big change recently has been to be more conscious about what businesses we're supporting with our business - and with that in mind, we made the switch to begin banking with Vancity.

Switching banks is never simple; some of the complications involved can make it easy to keep putting off responsible banking. But we're so glad we bothered to make the change.

Not only do we know that our business isn't supporting initiatives that we disagree with, but we actually get to support a greener model of banking, and invest in our local community simply by choosing where we're keeping our money. We like Vancity because it's a financial co-operative with a proactive commitment to take action on climate change and a strong ethical policy. Vancity has lots of great programs that help the environment, foster healthy and respectful communities, and support local arts and businesses. For personal accounts, they offer rewards for the decision to make your home more energy efficient, among other financing options. If you use the Enviro Visa, you probably know that at least 5% of Visa profits are donated to local environmental projects.

What can you do this month to make one small (or big) change? Leave a comment and let us know!

A message from the BC Association for Charitable Gaming

Since 2001, the provincial government has aggressively expanded gambling in cities and towns across the province. In order to get needed municipal approval, applicants for new licenses glowingly cited the benefits to charities and non-profits from all the new money.

There's just one catch: None of it was true.

After using the charities' good name and good will to persuade reluctant municipalities to allow expanded gambling in our communities, the provincial government abandoned them completely. While gambling profits have skyrocketed since 1999 - more than doubling to over $1 billion - payments to charities and non-profits have fallen by $48.5 million to $112.5 million.

Today, charities and non-profits get even less than they did in 1995, and do not receive a nickel, not one red cent, from all the expanded gambling in BC.

This violates a comprehensive and binding revenue sharing formula signed by the province, the Union of BC Municipalities, and the BC Association for Charitable Gaming, which grants 33.3% of net proceeds to charities. The government has unilaterally cut charities to 10.42%.

Edgewater Casino, owned and operated by a major Las Vegas casino developer, is applying to the City of Vancouver for a license expansion, allowing it to build a massive, two hotel, Las Vegas-style mega-casino onto BC Place Stadium. They requested the retractable roof, so we gave it to them.

The BC Association for Charitable Gaming represents some 6800 charities and non-profits affected by gambling policy in BC, including the Canadian Red Cross, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the Vancouver International Writers Festival. We ask Vancouver City Council to stand up and protect our charities and non-profits, and delay hearing the Edgewater expansion application until the provincial government adheres to or renegotiates its agreement with the BCACG.

Vancouver and BC charities and non-profits need your help today:

1. Go to BC Association for Charitable Gaming's website and sign the Vancouver petition.

2. Call or write Vancouver City Council and tell them that you expect them to stand up and protect charities and non-profits.

3. Spread the word to anyone you know who volunteers, donates, or helps in our charitable and non-profit sector, or anyone who cares about Vancouver. Share the Open Letter to Rich Coleman on the BCACG's website.

4. For more information or to sign up for the news update list, please contact the BCAGC.

Vancouver Board of Education School Food Garden Policy Statement (June 2010)

The Vancouver Board of Education therefore encourages and supports the development of school food gardens

By Kevin Millsip, VSB Sustainability, Brent Mansfield of Think and Eat Green at School and Sarah Carten at Vancouver Coastal Health. 2010

The Vancouver Board of Education recognizes the important role school food gardens can play in students' learning. Garden-based learning can enhance academic achievement through integration of hands-on experiences into diverse subjects such as math, science, nutrition and environmental education. Garden-based learning also allows students to discover and experience fresh, healthy food and to make healthy food choices.

The use of school food gardens is consistent with the Board's commitment to sustainability and healthy food environments. School food gardens allow for the incorporation of fresh, local fruit and vegetables into the cafeteria and school meal program. A school food garden can also play a role in increasing the food security of the students, families and the community by providing space for the production of food through collaborative community and school gardens.

The Vancouver Board of Education therefore encourages and supports the development of school food gardens, recognizing the many benefits to developing and maintaining school food gardens including opportunities for learning, for increasing access to healthy food, for promoting enhanced social and emotional development and for contributing to the greening of school grounds and the building of green spaces for neighbourhoods in Vancouver.

District goals, relative to garden projects, are to help the school community carry out a successful and sustainable project that meets the above stated outcomes while adhering to district codes and standards. The VBE Food Gardens Process document outlines the process of planning, designing, implementing, maintaining and sustaining school and daycare food gardens (located on VBE property) to ensure their success over the long term.

See complete policy report here.

Reject Genetically Engineered Alfalfa

Protect Organic Food! Support Organic Farmers!

Stop GE Alfalfa! Take Action before March 3rd, 2010!

The U.S. will approve Monsanto's genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa unless we stop them. Organic food and farming in the U.S. and Canada is under immediate threat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released its draft Environmental Impact Statement on GE alfalfa and is accepting comments until end of day March 3rd, 2010.
They say:

- Contamination of organic food from GE alfalfa will happen but it doesn't really matter.

- Consumers don't care if organic food is contaminated with GE alfalfa.

- GE alfalfa will result in fewer small farmers and fewer organic farmers but that's okay.

Tell the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) you DO care about organic food and organic farmers!

Organic farming bans the use of genetically engineered organisms. Stop Monsanto from destroying organic farming in the U.S. and Canada! Submit a letter at regulations.gov.

We also invite all organizations, producer associations, companies, and community groups to endorse the "No to GE Alfalfa" campaign by signing on the statement opposing GE alfalfa in Canada. Go here to sign on.

For more information and a sample letter to send, go to the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network's alfalfa page.

From Our Newsletter: Greening the Olympics?

It's nearly impossible to truly "green" a massive event like the Olympics, although we get points for trying. Hundreds of thousands of people will produce thousands of metric tons of garbage. Plastic trinkets of every type and size will be sold. The wealthy will burn jet fuel on private planes. And the majority of those land, air and sea military craft sure aren't hybrids.

About those planes...

One Olympic controversy arose concerning the proposed carbon offset program. Vancouver has offset the carbon produced in preparing for the Games (110,000 tons). However, over half of the total carbon count attributed to the Olympics will come from the people flying from all over the world to Vancouver. VANOC is relying on visitors and competing countries to voluntarily invest in an offset fund. If enough people don't volunteer, we won't reach our goal: 300,000 tons. Stay tuned for final results after the Games.

Here are a couple of the projects helping our Green City shine:

A Streetcar named Sustainability Star

The City of Vancouver and Bombardier Transportation has introduced The Olympic Line – Vancouver's Modern Streetcar. This "pimp my streetcar ride green" project is a prototype. But over 6,000 people who rode it on opening day (January 21), and nearly 9,000 people per day taking it since are making it popular enough so hopefully it will be a "keeper". Connecting Granville Island to the Canada Line Olympic Village Station (Cambie Street and West 2nd Avenue) until March 21, 2010, the Olympic line is FREE. Hours: 6:30 AM to 12:30 A> daily. Visit Getting Around for more ways to travel in sustainable style during the Olympics.

True Green at False Creek?

Despite scandals and budget woes, Vancouver's Olympic Village in False Creek is ready and seeking LEED gold certification (second highest level of certification) for its buildings and the highest platinum rating for its community center.

As seen on the news, buildings feature solar panels and self-sustaining "green roofs" that use a rainwater collection system. Radiant in-floor heating systems also save energy while reducing the circulating pollutants inherent to forced-air systems. Visit Olympics Going Green for more information on False Creek Olympic Village.

From Our Newsletter : Is Harper “Going Rogue?”

OTTAWA – The Government of Canada is facing a landmark legal challenge in the country’s top court for failing to take action on global warming -- specifically for refusing to respect a federal law that requires reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act (KPIA).

It is the first climate change lawsuit in Canadian history, filed by eminent Canadian lawyer Chris Paliare and Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal) on behalf of Friends of the Earth Canada. “The case targets the fundamental question of whether the government is above the law,” said Ecojustice lawyer Hugh Wilkins. This case is crucial, as it will set precedent for whether the government can simply choose to ignore future laws, on climate change or other vital matters.
For more information on this case, visit www.ecojustice.ca and www.foecanada.org

From Our Newsletter : Logging the Northwestern Rain Forests…

…has many consequences. Including the loss of plant species like the bulbous agarikon mushroom (as seen in photo above). Scientists are studying the endangered agarikon for its medicinal properties. The University of Illinois-Chicago found the fungus to be extraordinarily active against XDR-TB tuberculosis, which is resistant to all known drug treatments. Other studies have found that agarikon has properties to combat flu viruses including, when combined with other mushrooms, bird flu, and possibly smallpox.

The bad news? Logging has razed the Pacific Northwest's old growth; less than 20 percent of our original forests still stand. And these mushrooms breed in the Pacific Northwest’s giant Douglas fir trees.

For more on this story from Alternet, visit: www.alternet.org

From Our Newsletter : Here’s to a Healthy 2010

If you find yourself making the same resolutions year after year, you’re not alone. The majority of New Year’s resolutions fail because they’re too broad (such as “be a better person”) or because they’re simply “wishes” and not goals we’re truly committed to.

“Resolutions” are easier to keep when you define a specific goal, and make sure it’s achievable, even if in incremental steps. The old adage is true: “Success begets success.” Each time you accomplish a goal you’re building confidence and making it easier to achieve future milestones.

As Green Earth Organics members, of course you’re already eating healthy. But here are a few ideas & reminders for a healthy 2010:

• Get more sleep. Studies show that not getting enough sleep disrupts both immune system and cognitive function. Generally adults need 7-8 hours of sleep. Children’s needs vary, with younger children needing at least 11 hours and tweens/teens ages 11-18 needing 8-10 hours.

• Take time to be thankful. Gratitude promotes a sense of wellbeing and confidence, and helps combat stress. Some people enjoy keeping a written list, listing one thing they are grateful for each day.

• Optimize your vitamin D levels. It’s impossible to avoid vitamin D deficiency living above the 35th parallel (as we do) because the angle of the sun to the earth means we get virtually no vitamin D rays between November and March. Ask your doctor to test your levels.

• Eat breakfast. Many people skip breakfast, but this meal really is essential to fuel your body and your brain for the day. And no, that latte on the way to work doesn’t count even if it does have as many calories as breakfast!

• Exercise regularly. This one can never be repeated enough: regular physical activity boosts brain function, improves mood, combats chronic disease and…it’s fun! A bonus: Walking or biking to your destination also helps lower your carbon footprint.

Rock Out with the “Flu Fighters”

While we’re talking about a healthy New Year, cold and flu season is in full swing. Here are some of the “Flu Fighters,” potent pathogen protectors found in fresh, whole foods:

Vitamin D: More and more is being discovered about vitamin D. Many scientists now believe there is a flu “season” because the body’s immune system is weakest when increased indoor activity (and lack of sun) depletes our body’s supply of vitamin D, a powerful foe of viruses. Supplementing with vitamin D is important, but be sure to discuss this with your doctor. Too much vitamin D from supplements can be toxic. Foods rich in vitamin D include fortified breakfast cereals, fortified butter and good ol’ organic eggs. You’ll find delicious options for both right here at Green Earth Organics.

Vitamin C: A very potent antioxidant; intravenous vitamin C was recently used by a physician in New Zealand to cure a man critically ill with swine flu. Look for a natural supplement source. Sugar interferes with the ability of your cells to absorb vitamin C. Vitamin C is water soluble, meaning excess is excreted and it is not stored in the body. Eating plenty of foods rich in vitamin C is a good idea during any season, but is especially important during cold and flu season. Foods rich in vitamin C include broccoli (surprise!), citrus fruits, mangos and papayas tomatoes, kiwi, red and yellow peppers, and potatoes. Canned fruits are rich in vitamin C too—look for delicious new canned organic papaya and other fruits from Native Forest when you place your GEO order!

Garlic: The “Superman” of illness fighting foods. Its many benefits include anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial and pro heart health. The compound believed to be responsible for garlic’s pungent aroma, and its health benefits is allicin. Keep plenty of garlic on hand; it complements nearly everything.

Oregano Oil/Oregano: Carvacrol is the most active antimicrobial agent in oregano oil. The higher the carvacrol concentration, the more effective it is. Look for high quality supplements, and add fresh oregano to your favorite recipes.

Bubble, bubble…this remedy’s no trouble.

This home remedy isn’t a food, but it costs pennies and your editor swears by it. Within 12 to 14 hours after feeling “under the weather” (preferably immediately) try placing a few drops of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into each ear. You’ll hear and feel some bubbling, maybe slight stinging. Wait until these subside (usually 5 to 10 minutes), then drain onto a tissue and repeat with the other ear. Try this before going to sleep if you feel like you’re “coming down with something.”

Don’t hesitate to email us at Green Earth Organics and let us know if this simple home remedy helps you.