Healthy Ceramics!

I was at The Bays Home Outfitters, this past December, and I found an Earth Chef frying pan for a mere $23 CND plus tax.

I had stopped using Teflon for years because of all the bad news I heard about it causing illness and disease.

I also purchased the pans as gifts and they love them as much as I do!

The pans require little to no oil or butter because they are super non-stick!

The pan is so big and wide I can make Pad Thai noodles with Tofu, chicken and shrimp.  I can also make Chicken with Linguine and veggies.  I made fried chicken too with only a tiny bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  See you can use it in your oven so I started it on the stove top and transferred it to the oven to cook completely.  www.alldayrecipes.com has tons more great recipes for free!

I am so very happy that I purchased my Earth Chef and I will probably get the entire line.  They are also available at The Bay and I bet Zellers has them too.  I haven’t seen them at Wal-Mart yet, but they do have the Starfrit Ceramic which I don’t like as much because it sticks.

You can also buy them online. Please see the widget below.

Ebike Conversion

If you wish to recycle your bicycle you are in luck! You can now purchase an E-Bike conversion kit for way less than the cost of an e-bike scooter.

Electronic bikes give you the range to travel further when your own energy is depleted. I know for myself, I am very limited because I get tired quickly. I use my exercise bike daily; however, there aren’t hills or rough terrain involved.

I am looking into converting my own mountain bike to electric because when I need a little help then I will be able to discover more of our beautiful bike paths right here in Toronto.

A great tip is to google your area along with “bike trails” and you will probably find a lot of neat places that were specially designed for you!

Due to the recent garbage strike in Toronto, I have been learning new ways to reduce waste because it seems it may be a while before a city workers will pick up any.

Recycling takes care of the glass, paper products, cardboard, aluminum and plastic. It takes 4000 years just to break down glass alone! It only takes a few minutes to sort instead of having those items build up in your local landfill!

You can even benefit from recycling, some scrap yards will pay for your aluminum cans, scrap metal, etc. It’s a great way to clear up clutter too. Instead of throwing everything away, you can also consider selling your unwanted items on Ebay or have an old fashioned yard sale!

Repurposing your old and unwanted items in to make many new crafty things. By using the useful items from our everyday trash the possibilities are endless and the internet is a great source of ideas. Cardboard tubes left over from toilet paper and paper towel make useful storage containers for our extra extension cords and prevents a tangled mess in the Christmas lights. A Clean plastic bottle can be easily converted into a bird feeder. Baby jars can end up as snow globes the kids can make and give as gifts and old cards can be used to make new hand made cards.

Composting is basically the decomposition (rotting) of organic matter to reduce waste and create a very nutrient soil. A composter used in this process can be made or purchased.

Canadian Tire Trees

I was finally happy to see a commercial the other day lol Okay, let me back up a bit… Canadian Tire is promoting a new Blue Planet product line so with each one purchased they will plant a tree. I read the fine print and they will actually contribute $2.00 for every unit sold to a maximum of $100,000.00. I think it’s a great idea because not only are they selling clean/green products, but they are strengthening the Earth’s lungs! It’s also great for those that don’t want to mix their own cleaners by using simple ingredients, like: lemon juice, tea tree oil, water, baking soda, salt, etc.
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According to the Cleantech Group, everyone’s favorite big box store IKEA is planning to invest $100 million dollars into green technology starts-ups over the next few years and begin selling an affordable line of consumer friendly Solar Panels from most of their locations.

For the last 10 months, the IKEA GreenTech fund with it’s 50 Million Euro on hand, is targeting 10 promising Greeen companies for investment. Starting first in Europe where IKEA generates nearly 85% of world wide sales, then North America which accounts for the remainder.

IKEA plans to commercialize new and affordable green technology products and integrate them amongst it’s vast network of large format stores through the world. At last count numbering at 283 in more than 30 countries. This green initiative involves affordable Solar Panel kits, Home energy monitoring, compact fluorescent and LED lighting, as well as more sustainable manufacturing process and earth friendly materials procurement.

With IKEA’s vast resources and market proliferation, an aggressive effort on green products and technologies will transform the furniture business. Case in point, Walmart’s pioneering efforts to green it’s products and processes shifted big box stores and consumers preferences to less environmentally harmful and wasteful products.

IKEA’s first greening initiative in support of sustainability is happening now. By fall of 2009 all IKEA locations worldwide will no longer provide customers with plastic bags at checkout time. Instead consumers will be urged to bring reusable canvas shopping bags. This drastic measure alone will prevent an estimated 10 to 15 million plastic bags in the United States alone from polluting landfills and waterways with harsh chemicals.

Greening is not entirely new to IKEA. At the start of this decade the modern DIY furniture behemoth promised to eliminate toxic formaldehyde and PVC in it’s main product lines and to only use Forest Stewardship Council certified wood. They made good on that promise years ahead of schedule. In Sweden, IKEA locations use renewable energy when ever possible and stock organics foods in it’s cafeterias.

At IKEA, green technology and sustainability is becoming a philosophy amongst it’s employees and customers. The questions remains though, will the IKEA Solar Panels require an Allen wrench?

2011 Tesla S - All Electric Sedan

Finally! Tesla Motors has the latest electric car technology and are opening up spots for pre-order on their new Model S e-car!!! Bravo!!!! Also, kudos to Mr Letterman for telling it like it is, as well!!! Anyways, you just have to read the actual article from IBT for yourself and watch the clip below. Cheers!

GM shouldn’t have crushed its EV1: Tesla Motors CEO (VIDEO)

30 April 2009 @ 03:31 pm EST - IBT (International Business Times - Energy May 1, 2009)

NEW YORK - Elon Musk, the Chief Executive of electric automaker Tesla Motors said Tuesday that General Motors should have continued introducing new electric cars after its EV1 models were produced in the 1990s, adding that he hopes that his company’s cars will help spur an electric car revolution.

While appearing on ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ yesterday, both Musk and the host criticized GM for ending its production of EV1 electric cars even when the cars’ customers were loyal.

“With the benefit of hindsight, I think that (GM) should have built an EV2 rather than crushing them,” Musk said Wednesday Night at the “Late Show with David Letterman. ”

Musk said he invested his own financial resources, time and energy into helping create Tesla because he is trying to spur the electric car revolution.

“I really thought that the existing car companies would do this,” he added.

Letterman said he felt “frustrated” that people look at electric vehicles as a breakthrough technology when have existed for around 100 years. He noted that innovation is coming through new batteries which allow a greater range and competitiveness with fuel-powered cars.

Tesla’s sedan appeared on the show as well. The Model S, won’t be mass produced until “a couple” of years later, Musk said. The car is the second product for the electric vehicle maker, after the Roadster sports car which has a range of 244 miles per charge. The company has sold about 1,300 Roadster cars with a price tag of $100,000 each, Musk told Letterman.

“Since the very beginning, the goal of Tesla was to make mass market electric cars. Anyone who does buy the Tesla Roadster at a $100,000 is helping pay for the development of the lower cost cars to follow,” Musk said, mentioning the Model S, which already sells for half the price of the Roadster.

To watch a segment of the program click below:

Spinach - A Superfood

Have you ever heard that expression, “you are what you eat”, of course you have. Good food equals good energy!  Well the same applies to what you use in your every day life. Cleaners, creams, food, laundry detergent, etc. Even the food you feed your pet also contains cancer causing chemicals. Yes, that’s right! CANCER CAUSING! I am really disappointed in the majority of our main stream companies because they provide us with cheaply made goods containing the cheapest of the cheap products that barely meet the minimum standards and regulations. Our pets don’t even have those regs so they end up consuming euthanized animals, road kill and a lot of filler. READ THE LABEL!!! Organic and natural are claims that a lot of companies make; however, they are often not legit. Trans fats, corn syrup, MSG, BHTs, are some things you don’t want in your food.  Organic is the key, but always check the label because some companies can use organic and natural as long as they meet weak regulations.  For example, 0% trans is not always really the case because companies with products with less than .05% trans may list 0.  Now will that little amount not harm us if we consume those products for over 30 years.  I’m thinking that it will, so, organic is the way to go!

GP 2000 Rechargeable

I swear by Ni-MH batteries, most commonly used in Digital Cameras; however, I use them even in my remotes. Not only do you save a lot of money, but of course it reduces toxic waste in our landfills.  I haven`t purchased regular alkaline batteries in so long and I don`t miss them one bit.

There have been chargers made to bring even those back to life, but why bother when we have this latest clean technology.

I picked up my charger off of Ebay for a steal! It was a RadioShack charger and charges in only 1 hour. It`s dual rechargeable and Ni-MH unit. I`m very pleased with it. I made the mistake of purchasing an Energizer set later on because it was more compact, but it was not a good investment and I would stay away from Energizer Ni-MH because they hold a charge for very long.

I really love my GP2000 AA Ni-MH!!! I picked them up at my local surplus store on Queen Street in Toronto for around $5 or 6 bucks each, about 3 years ago. They were a great investment because they are still going strong til this day. I`m sure they are still available, but if you can`t find them then check Ebay because they pretty much always have what you are looking for.

I absolutely love vintage items, from books to art… even old comic books. And instead of throwing away my own unwanted items, I donate them.  The cycle of reducing waste now can span to include donating and shopping at the charity and thrift shops. You can also buy or sell pre-loved items online through Ebay auctions.

I love to thrift, because you never know what you might find. Some are lucky and discover treasures such as a blythe doll that were made by Kenner in 1972. If you find one you can end up selling them for thousands, depending on the condition.  You can find them for sale at Bigeyedbuys.com

You can also reuse things to make new things. Take old sweaters, using a basic mitten pattern, you can make yourself some pretty funky gloves. You can even find vintage materials and craft supplies at your local second hand shop.

You can also find some solid wood furniture, unlike the flimsy, low quality stuff that they sell in the stores today.

Decorating is a dream if you are trying to go for a more retro-urban style. If you are looking for unique pieces, then you will probably find it at your local Value Village. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for games, electronics, computers, video games, CDs, DVDs…

Bamboo is very eco-friendly, as well as, cheap and abundant. Lightweight-but-durable wood stems are commonly used in everyday home projects, like in remodeling and decorating.

It’s popularity stems from its “green” nature. Plus, it is an extremely fast-growing and sturdy grass that replaces itself in a few years.

It is used in so many products, for example, flooring, laptops, sinks, furniture, fabrics, wallpaper, doors, garden benches and kitchen counter tops.

Common items that have been used for years include: Bamboo bowls, picture frames and other decorating, but the bamboo “green” movement has boosted it to many other levels in the modern household.

The most conventional use for bamboo is flooring.

“We chose it because of the durability of the wood and its unique look,” says Steve Seamen, project manager at 111 City Lofts, a 66-unit project in downtown Des Moines.

The lofts, which range in size from 1,000 to 1,700 square feet, all have bamboo flooring and it’s been a hit, Seamen says.

“We have not heard one complaint about the bamboo,” Seamen says. “It wears like iron.”

Bamboo and cork floors are the most environmentally friendly products on the market, says Chris Lindberg, hardwood flooring operations manager at the Flooring Gallery in Urbandale.

“People are putting it throughout their whole house,” Lindberg says. Installing bamboo also requires about 30 percent less glue than most other wood floors, which is good for the environment, he says.

Natural and carbonized bamboo floors are the most popular finishes, he says. Natural bamboo is light in color. The carbonized bamboo is steamed at high temperatures and the sugar in the stalk caramelizes, turning it dark brown. Some homeowners also are choosing to stain the bamboo to get a desired tone or color, he says.

The price of bamboo generally is $2 to $3 a square foot more than other hardwood flooring, Lindberg says.

Kitchen cabinets in bamboo also are catching homeowners’ interest, although traditional oak, maple and cherry woods continue to dominate cabinetry.

“Bamboo seems to appeal to a certain kind of buyer,” says Fred Hulten, a co-owner at AIM Kitchen & Bath in Beaverdale.

A technology products company based in Taiwan, Asus, makes a bamboo laptop which is powered by an Intel processor, because it promotes green living. It “uses less energy than traditional metal alloys that are refined from petrol,” the company says.