Do Me A Solid: Happy Earth Day

We are lean, mean green living machines – Happy Earth Day
everyone! But much like Valentine’s Day, International Women’s Day or Mother’s Day, shouldn’t every day be
Earth Day? After all, we only have one planet so we need
to show it a lot more love, a lot more often to preserve it for our future generations. We
were drilled with Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
when we were kids in middle school and now that we’re “adults”, our lot in life
largely depends on the responsibility to be an informed and active citizen in society.

Now, we don’t know about you but when we think of Earth Day, we promptly think about this handsome fella:

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David Suzuki is
considered a pioneer in green living and people often look to his expertise as
the model by which we should all aspire. The David Suzuki Foundation is a encyclopaedia for environmental issues and while there are hundreds of tips for going
greener, we compiled a few baby steps that are well-suited for just about anyone. 

TIP: Recycle your old
electronics. We live in a society where we need to have the best/newest/most high-tech product and that material want produces a lot of unnecessary garbage. Think
Recycle is a free environmental service that rewards members with money and
environmental incentives in exchange for your unwanted gadgets. There are plenty
more organizations that accept old, gently used electronics, including Shift
Recycling,  ReBoot and our very own City of Toronto. Pick one. That old phone isn’t coming back in style any time (ever). 

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TIP: Reduce
unnecessary waste by becoming a DIY Beauty Queen. Since most ingredients in
our cupboards and fridge are good enough to put in our body, don’t you think
they’re good enough to put on it? For a super-soothing facial
mask, mix two tablespoons of honey with one teaspoon each of nutmeg and cinnamon until it’s a thick paste. Apply to face. Nutmeg and honey are natural
anti-inflammatories that reduce swelling and redness, and cinnamon is a drying
agent that can combat breakouts. Voilà! No extra containers and more beauty. 

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TIP: Boycott plastic. Bottled water doesn’t actually prove to be any cleaner or better for you than Toronto’s finest AND it clogs up our already-polluted landfills. First off, there is “stuff” in the plastic that may be more harmful for your body than anything found in Toronto tap water. Bisphanol A (BPA), a compound that mimics estrogen and has been a controversial chemical for quite some time, most recently for its presence in various plastics, including water bottles. Secondly, it takes up to three litres of water to produce one litre of bottled. Thirdly, tons of greenhouse gases are generated both transporting the bottles and keeping them cold. Honestly, there’s a pile of other reasons to take a hard look at the choice to drink bottled water. We are unbelievably fortunate to live in a city (and a province and a country) with safe drinking water. So, invest in a BPA-free, stainless steel reusable water bottle to keep on your desk or throw in your purse to encourage the consumption of those pesky 8 glasses a day while saving the planet, your body and your wallet. Win-win-win-win. 


To win even more, consider replacing all of your plastic bowls and servingware (once they’re no longer usable, that is!) with something more sustainable and biodegradable – like bamboo-based products. They now come in modern designs and really nice colours, and are pretty affordable. We like the PC Home line – easy to get anywhere and won’t ruin our budget.

 PC Home bamboo products available in select Loblaw banner stores including Real Canadian Superstores www.realcanadiansuperstore.ca

TIP: When available, choose
eco-friendly cleaning products. Brands like Seventh Generation (also endorsed by our earthy master
above) have biodegradable formulas, hypo-allergenic, non-toxic, and don’t
contain dyes or synthetic fragrances. Look for products that are packaged in
recyclable containers, and made from 100 per cent recycled fibres. 

 Seventh Generation’s Natural 4X Laundry Detergent

And of course, a little peer pressure always helps. Here are
some familiar faces who (apart from just being annoyingly beautiful) devote their time and efforts to keeping our planet pretty while encouraging others to do the same.

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Canadian actress and environmental activist Rachel McAdams lives in a house powered by Bullfrog Renewal energy and bikes everywhere she can.

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(Hot) Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio  has received praise from various environmental groups for his activism, and chooses to fly on commercial flights rather than chartered jets. #StarsLikeUs

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British designer, Stella McCartney mixes her earthly love with high fashion. In addition to her studio and website being powered by wind energy, McCartney offers her online shoppers the option to have their purchases shipped carbon neutral. Brilliant. 

There you have it: a brainy scientist, scary stats, easy alternatives that are good for you, the planet AND your wallet, and famous people, all resulting in some pretty compelling motivators to become more eco-conscious. No excuses now – start making some changes. 

Rave: Born To Be Wild 3D

Paul Livingston-Aguirre checked out Born To Be Wild 3D last week, courtesy of Warner Bros. Little did we know, he has a soft spot for baby animals, so this review contains a bit of a bias. But really, who doesn’t love baby animals? Read on to see just how cute they are in this Morgan Freeman-narrated film. Born To Be Wild 3D is now playing in theatres.

 

I have a confession to make. Two, actually. Before watching this film, I had never seen a 3D movie (no, not even Harry Potter). I also cried every five minutes during Disney’s Oceans. Nature is a wondrous thing. It’s magical and vast; it’s powerful and hidden. We know so much about it, but only from a distance. I, for one, have never been in a rainforest. But, luckily, I have had the chance to ride on an elephant. Go figure, right?

Simply put: Born To Be Wild 3D is journey to the edges of the natural world, following two anthropologists as they work to rehabilitate and nurture orphaned animals. First, in Borneo, we meet primatologist Dr. Biruté Galdikas, who has been living with and studying orangutans her entire life. She opened up a centre to care for young orangutans that have lost their families to rainforest-demolishing corporations. 

In Kenya, we get an endearing glimpse into Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s efforts to save baby elephants that have lost their mothers to poachers, and are unable to be cared for by the males (since they lack milk). 

The end goal for each woman is also just as simple: Return the animals safely back to the wild where they belong, when they’re ready. 

The film is shot in IMAX 3D, something I’m not entirely too sure about, but damn, does it look awesome. Not awesome in the way I imagine Harry Potter would look, but awesome in that you want to reach out and grab an elephant’s trunk. It’s a visual masterpiece, with scenery that makes Toronto look even more dreary and grey. Morgan Freeman is also the flick’s narrator, making the whole thing read like a big fairy tale. Maybe one day it will be, since I keep wondering how long this part of the world will stay untouched.  

Even though the documentary clocks in at 40 minutes (yup, it’s short and sweet), there is no shortage of story. I compare Born to the Vogue documentary, The September Issue; it has just as much heart and intrigue about people we know very little about. 

And naturally (no pun intended), the elephants and orangutans are just like Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington (you’ll see), and they come out as the true stars of this film. There’s also some tragedy to be seen, and your heart will melt a little with each tree-climbing feat accomplished. And yes, I did cry during this, too.

 All images courtesy of Warner Bros.