Today while in Chelsea, Quebec on a top secret mission, I’m scheduled to visit the nice folks at Le Nordik Nature Spa and sit down and chat about their promise to act responsibly towards the environment through ‘eco-friendly actions’.

Here are some of their eco commitments:

• Recuperation of all recyclable material for reuse
• Recycling of paper, plastic and other materials
• Recycling of waste water to be reused in flushing systems
• Energy and electricity management with timers and software systems
• Recuperation of rain water to be used for watering the plants
• Printing on recycled paper for certain documents
• Use of renewable energy

And soon they’ve promised that they will be composting of plant and natural based waste and using geothermy throughout each of their buildings.

I’m hoping to talk to them about what motivated them to make this commitment to the environment and sustainable development as well as, of course, checking out what their facilities look like! I’ve never been there and I’m glad that’s about to change. And maybe we’ll become great friends! I could really use some good friends with a spa, heh. I’m looking forward to meeting you and chatting about your top notch eco-friendly spa, Le Nordik!

I’ll be trying out mobile blogging on location again so stay tuned for pictures and tidbits from my sit down with Le Nordik!

Yummy sustainability

We know by now that Brad Pitt is crazy about sustainable living and being green friendly, with his deep involvement in rebuilding New Orleans’ lower 9th Ward with his Make It Right foundation and his work on the green hotel project in Dubai.

Well now the hunky actor is involved in a green project in Aviles, Spain that’s looking to boost environmental sustainability. Brad Pitt apparently went to visit the site recently and is excited to support the project.

“Brad is interested in supporting the project, both in cultural and architectural aspects” said the mayor of Avilés, Pilar Varela. “He is interested in building with innovation, novelty, and especially sustainability.”

[via]

Well, folks, I’m on vacation!

Yesterday was spent traveling (for many, many hours) from here to here — to visit my grandparents and other members of my dad’s side of the family in Haileybury, Ontario. Let me tell you, the scenery here is breathtaking.

Today I’m going hiking at Devil’s Rock Trail (see photo). Devil’s Rock is a granite escarpment dated to be 2,200 million years old! It’s face is 600 feet, rising 300 feet above Lake Temiskaming.

Apparently this beautiful cliff has some terrible scars from the early 20th century when minning tunnels were blasted into the sides of the cliff during the silver rush era. Since then the rock has been preserved as a historical landmark and is a popular site for tourists, rock climbers, and… Hardy Boys enthusiasts!

Though it’s not an especially eco point of interest, I’d definitely say it’s a point of interest: Leslie McFarlane, who was a Canadian journalist and ghostwriter for many of the Hardy Boys books under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon — was born and raised in this small town. The Devil’s Rock is featured in many of the Hardy Boys books. Maybe that’s what it takes to keep this beautiful landmark standing.

I’ll report back later with some on-the-spot pictures of the Devil’s Rock and its plant and wildlife from up close and personal!

If you don’t know what’s in your knickers…

Eco-Boudoir has launched a sustainable fashion film, written and directed by Verity White from the BBC, called Pants Exposed: Know What’s In Your Knickers.

The mission is to change the way we produce and consume textiles for good. For more information please visit: www.morethanprettyknickers.com.

I love Eco-Boudoir’s slogan: “Eco-Boudoir – Making sustainability sexy.”

Few “traditional” dishes can be dated as precisely as this classic from Naples.  Legend says that on June 11, 1889 Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito created a new pizza topping in honour of the visit of Queen Margherita di Savoia. Esposito used tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil to to recreate the red, white & green of the Italian flag. (And, if for some reason you didn’t like fresh basil, you could leave it out and create the Canadian version!)

Makes two 12″ pizzas.

Ingredients:

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, drop the tomatoes into pot,a nd boil them for 15 or 20 seconds.

2. Cool the tomatoes in a bowl of cold water. Then slice off the tops, slip off the skins (they should come off by sim- ply squeezing the tomatoes), and squeeze out the seeds. Coarsely chop the tomatoes. (By the way, don’t just toss out the tomato boiling & cool- ing water. It’s perfectly good for cooking such things as pasta. Or, at the very least, add it to hot water in your sink to wash dishes.)

3. Place the tomatoes in a colander, sprinkle with sea salt, and let them drain for at least 20 minutes. You want to drain most of the liquid away so the pizza won’t be soggy. An occasional gentle stirring with a wooden spoon will help them drain.

4. After draining, transfer the chopped tomatoes to a medi- um bowl and stir in the olive oil and fresh basil leaves. (Add more basil leaves to suit your taste.) Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cut the mozzarella into thin slices. Spread half the mixture evenly over the first pizza dough, place half the mozzarella slices on top, and bake on a pizza stone at the highest oven setting for 12 to 15 minutes.

Oooh, it rhymes!

How about taking an environmental initiative and giving your health and the environment a clean start by greening your exercise routine?

You may not think that a few simple actions can help you lose weight and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time, but if you follow these tips you’ll be well on your way to a green exercise routine:
Read the rest of this entry

Next time that you are in Toronto and need a quick ride, you might be able to call upon one of the city’s new EcoCabs. Started on May 1st, Go Mobile Media introduced 28 EcoCabs throughout the city to provide eco-friendly transit to weary travelers and in-city commuters. And, in addition to being an emissions-free form of transport, Toronto’s EcoCabs are provided free of charge! My partner and I tried to catch one while we were there but only ever saw one -- there clearly needs to be more!

Just drove in from Toronto and boy, are my… arms… tired?

Phew! What a trip! Though I had some business to take care of, I managed to find some time to take in some of the more beautiful sights in Toronto. Been to Toronto? Alright then, I know what you’re going to say — “beautiful sights in Toronto?! Bleh!” but trust me, there are some! Coming from Ottawa, Ontario, I knew that Ottawa had a slew of green and eco-friendly events, places, and initiatives (PranaShanti, Topia Greenstop, University of Ottawa) but Toronto?

Toronto is surprisingly green and eco-friendly! On top of Toronto’s plastic bag charge and bottle ban, they’ve got a slew of eco-friendly shops and events for you to visit! Need more convincing? Here’s a list of some awesome sites that fit the bill:

• Eco-friendly creations | Fashion | Life | Toronto Sun
• Eco Friendly Painting‎
• Mrs Green’s Eco-Friendly Cleaning Services Inc
• BestVibes.ca – The eco-friendly sex shop. The future of Sex toys.
• Toronto Green Map – Fivelimes
• toronto.com – Eco-friendly Shopping in Toronto

I’m in Toronto this week, folks! But don’t worry, I’ll still be bringing you my adventures in going green! In fact, on Wednesday afternoon I’m booked to go visit Olivia Chow’s Green House! Stay tuned!

Member of Parliament for Trinity-Spadina Olivia Chow takes us on a personal tour of her downtown Toronto home that uses solar power and efficient technologies and construction to offer pratical green solutions to our environmental challenges and global climate change.

More info on the New Democratic Party’s 5-point Green Agenda for Canada: www.ndp.ca

Okay, here it is. I’ve found it. The most delicious junk food ever. Remember my review of the original flavoured Snapea Crisps? Well, I’ve just discovered the Caesar flavoured ones and I think I may never eat chips again (okay, that’s probably a lie, but these are really good).

I visited Topia Greenstop again today and picked up these Caesar flavoured crisps on my way out because I loved the original ones so much. It’s hard to believe that these ones are even better than the original ones.

No artificial colour, no artificial flavour, all awesome.

Van Jones from the White House Council of Environmental Quality visits a local work site that gives us a glimpse of the clean energy economy that’s on the way. Green roofing is just one of the countless green job opportunities that will emerge from President Obama’s comprehensive energy policy.