Recycled computers, televisions still ending up in dumps - thestar.com

Recycled computers, televisions still ending up in dumps - thestar.com

Marketing Monday

Staff, managers drive retailer green policies
And why not? There’s one Environmentalist in every bunch who is willing to champion the cause. That means that owners don’t have to have the know-how or interest but can gain green policies through staff. Not to mention that recycling/reducing often results in a cost savings. And, marketed effectively, the bottom-line stands to gain. Consumers that find a store with environmental practices that complement their own are going to become devoted shoppers of that store.

It’s win-win all around.

I believe it should be taken one step further. Staff and managers are front-line and are exposed to consumers’ requests — information that an Owner can’t get from their sales spreadsheet. Staff and managers should have a say in green products sold, too.

Reuters via National Post

Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current or find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

EMC picks up my Volkswagen Story

EMC Stittsville/Richmond reports on Lucky Dog Poop Bin idea chosen by Volkswagen.

My idea selected by Volkswagen

My "Lucky Dog Poop Bin" idea has been selected as 1 of only 700 world-wide semi-finalists in Volkswagen's "The Fun Theory" competition. Vote for me!

Volkswagen's "The Fun Theory" project is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.

The Girl Effect

Oprah would like to suggest that we consider giving a tiny bit of money to the TheGirlEffect.org this holiday season.

To find out what it's all about, watch this beautifully-crafted 2-minute video with no audio except haunting piano. No visuals except haunting words. No alternative except to stand up and listen.

Coming from Oprah, one does stand up and listen — after all, she's one of those girls that affects a nation.



• Watch The Girl Effect Video on Oprah.com
• What The Girl Effect video on YouTube
• TheGirlEffect.org
• Global Giving to The Girl Effect
• Oprah's "For All Women" Registry

Grading on a Curve

Stittsville, Ontario has its charm. I'm still doing my research but I was impressed to see the Town's construction of this curved sidewalk to accommodate a huge maple tree. Perhaps someone thought it was beautiful. Or, perhaps there is a bylaw in place that's friendly to greenery. Whatever the case, this sidewalk gets high marks from me.

Trapped in Time

M. Campbell identified this substance as tree resin. It will harden over millions of years into amber. Notice the bug trapped in it at top-right. If resin keeps pouring over this bug, it could be perfectly preserved in time.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

The habit of ignoring Nature is deeply implanted in our times. This attitude reminds me of people who never look you in the eye; I find them disturbing and always have to look away."
— Marc Chagall

Honda Canada Interviews Little Ole Me

I'm pleased to report that Honda Canada found my art interesting and "green" enough to interview me for the Canadian launch of their hybrid Insight on Earth Day. They travelled across Canada to meet environmentalists of all breeds. I met them on their Fredericton-Charlottetown leg.

* Choleena DiTullio on the Insight Into Canada Blog.
* And, here's a detailed look at the "Adirondack Fish" artwork on my choleena.com website.
* Re-Blogged on the Mount Allison University Alumni Blog.
* Tweeted at Twitter.com/choleena
* Re-Tweeted on Twitter.com/HJarche

Pass this along to those you think might be interested. Thanks!

IEBGreen Challenge: Clothes Dryer Balls

Mark said..."My wife and I use our clothesline constantly in the summer too, but this winter we bought a pair of dryer balls to replace the dozens of sheets we'd normally go through. We ordered them through Nellie's All-Natural. They're inexpensive and last for years, and drying times are reduced as well. Perfect!"

Thanks so much for the suggestion, Mark. And, congratulations on saving the world from so many dryer sheets! At three loads per week x 52 weeks in the year x 50 years (don't worry, I'm not assigning an expiry date to you), that's a savings of 7,800 sheets from just one household!

Keep the suggestions rolling in. Everything you contribute helps others go Green.

To learn more about the Challenge, view my original It's Easy Being Green article. And, to see what things I'm adding to my list regularly, check out the "Green things done to date" in the right-hand column.

Visiting Artist at Cape Jourimain's Eco-Arts Festival

Last Fall I was fortunate to be selected as a Visiting Artist at the Eco-Arts Festival at Cape Jourimain Nature Centre. The Centre is located in a 675-hectare National Wildlife Area at the base of the Confederation Bridge in New Brunswick and celebrates the link between natural and human environments. So it’s no surprise that they hold an annual festival that marries art and nature.

Beached
On arrival, the Artists were encouraged to walk the trails and select a location for their “studio”. Like a fish caught in an eddy, I was continually drawn back to the beach. I envisioned numerous artworks all based on the use of the naturally-occurring wrack line of dried eelgrass. As the tide continually reshapes the shore, my intention was to continually reshape the eelgrass during the course of the festival. A rake would be my paintbrush, the seaweed would be my paint, and the beach would be my canvas.

My first artwork was this 18-foot long fish which I entitled Beached. As part of the natural process, animals get beached with the tide. This fish suffered the same fate but at the hands of the artist.

On day two, I breathed life back into that fish and adapted it for a second artwork: a fish that is sneaking up and about to swallow me! I was looking for a way to redefine the wrack line. The natural line of the eelgrass became the waterline of the Northumberland straight. With me swimming along the waterline, half above water and half below, the fish comes up behind me for a chomp.

To photograph the artwork, I needed to get to high ground. The Centre built an Observation Tower for just such viewing.

Peye in the Sky Idea
The Observation Tower’s vantage point gave me a pie (or eye) in the sky idea.

Could these artworks be visible from the satellites used by Google Earth or Google Maps? Their big eye in the sky is a technology whose omnipresence is being exploited for marketing purposes the world over. So, I attempted to write CapeJourimain.ca large enough to be captured by Google Earth. This URL not only names the land but identifies it as Canadian (.ca) and lets people know where to go to find out more information about it. I put a bird, an eel and a snail around the web address to indicate that it's an area rich with wildlife spanning earth, air and water habitats.

The last time the area was photographed by Google seems to have been in 2006 so I was hoping that Cape Jourimain was due for another shoot! I made sure that the web address was above the high tide mark so that it would remain on the beach for a while. I tracked Google Earth for the 3 weeks that the URL survived the elements but it never showed up. If Google did photograph it, it hasn’t appeared on their web site yet.

The web address ended up being about 96 feet long and 12 feet tall. To give you an idea of size, I've included a photo with people in it.


Everyone’s an Art Critic
One of the most interesting things that happened was when a group of shore birds flocked to my upturned seaweed — it must be a source of food for them. By bizarre coincidence, they seemed to prefer the “drawing” of the bird to pick at. I’ve worried about critics tearing apart my art but never birds!

The Challenges of an Outdoor Studio
Producing the works had its challenges. Creating something so large (for example, the largest letters in CapeJourimain.ca were 8 feet by 12 feet) introduced the problem of perspective. Viewing it from high above and from different angles stretched and warped it. I had to run back and forth to the platform of the beach's stairs between forming each letter to see what tweaking it needed. The letter that was furthest away ended up being extremely warped from the beach but looked perfect from the tower.

Photographing the work was interesting, too. I photographed it from the tower but to get a closer view of it, I ended up borrowing a huge ladder from the facility. Not only was it difficult to find sure footing in loose sand but the wind took the ladder out several times in the attempt! After several tries and with the help of fellow artists and the festival coordinator, I got the shot that I was hoping for.

And then there was the shear physical aspect of it. For example, using a rake all day is nothing like using a paint brush all day. I quickly learned that gloves, rubber boots and a strong garden rake were essential and that flipping seaweed to air-dry overnight meant much lighter work the next day. My arms got a workout that weekend!

A Thoroughly Enjoyable Experience
The Cape Jourimain staff were super. Their leadership and assistance was wonderful and the food was amazing; much of it organic, all of it local.

Working all morning and all afternoon in our own "environment", then breaking for coffee or lunch to bring the artists and staff together allowed us to talk about the day's accomplishments and the impact that working outside had on our approach to art-making. This wall-less studio takes down many barriers; the fear of people seeing my work mid-production was a big one for me.

During the festival, visitors were really engaged. We talked about the act of creating art since most visitors were finding the artists part way through the creation of an artwork rather than with finished works. It was more like a studio tour than a gallery tour... the world's largest and most freeing studio! A few asked me if my communication on the beach was a sort of S.O.S. By the end of the weekend, I'd perfected an answer "Yes, a form of communication but the exact opposite of an S.O.S. in that I DON'T want to be found!"

• My CJNC Eco-Arts Visiting Artist profile page

"Greening" Your Yard: IEBGreen Challenge

Reel Lawn Mowers are cheap, light and work well: use no power and no gas. The one I like is Lee Valley's 20" Reel Lawn Mower. (I've tried few a kinds and have been disappointed so I don't recommend trying to substitute.) Lee Valley's is really light and cuts really well. Only $155.

Leave the lawn clippings to make a healthier lawn — which means no Grass Catcher needed! Save yourself the effort of raking/bagging and the cost of a Grass Catcher. At the same time, enrich your lawn's soil. The clippings will also help your lawn retain moisture and keep it looking lush in dry spells.

70% of Plants ID'd to Fight Cancer Found Only in Rainforests

"That's more than 2,000 tropical forest plants, and yet still less than one percent of tropical rainforest species have been analyzed for their medicinal value. Time is running out, as 5-10 percent of tropical rainforest species will be lost per decade unless more is done." Read more at The Nature Conservancy...

Altered Oceans

A Los Angeles Times 5-part video series on the crisis in the seas.
A lethal neurotoxin plagues the sea. The cause? Pollution, sewage and farm run-off. The result? Marine mammals dying in large numbers and coastal communities (and their dogs) plagued with respiratory ailments and severe illness. Disturbing but worth knowing about. I'll likely reduce my seafood intake, buy fewer things that have been imported, and never take a cruise ship vacation. This incredible set of videos takes a few seconds to download but is worth the wait.

New approach may power future of solar

"High energy prices are fueling a sleek new kind of solar technology that could someday set skyscrapers and high-rise apartment windows quietly buzzing with renewable power." Read more...