Earthwatch

Compiled by Rob Ferraz

Great North American Wilderness Clean-up

On Saturday May 12th, wherever you are, the Ecosystem Managers of Wolf Den at Algonquin Park invite you to pick up garbage in support of the Great North American Wilderness Clean-up. By pitching in on May 12th you will not only be helping to beautify the earth but you will be making noise to promote the idea of stewardship. This can make folks think twice about tossing that wrapper on the ground and value the idea of picking up somebody else’s wrapper. So please, whether you are in Algonquin Park or the Wilderness of downtown Toronto, go outside and pick up a grocery bag or two of garbage (better yet – separate recycling) and email the number of bags you filled to Nancy at wildernesscleanup@rogers.com

You can also join an existing group or form your own. Check out www.wildernesscleanup.com for more info.

Members of the Wolf Pack will be cleaning in Algonquin Park. Some will hike, some will paddle. They’ll hit interior campsites accessible from Hwy 60 (and some not-for-public roads and short cuts) such as Joe Lake, Maple Leaf Lake, and Provoking Lake. Day hike parking lots and, if time allows, Ragged Falls and the Oxtongue River Picnic area, will also be targeted. Additionally they will be raking firepits and scattering ash.

Algonquin Park is providing Free Day passes. Algonquin Outfitters is sponsoring and providing free canoes to the members staying at the Wolf Den. The great artist Olaf will be on hand helping out with the cleaning and taking pictures of the event. M+Ms is sponsoring a free BBQ on Saturday to volunteers. The Wolf Den is offering half price accommodation to all participants for the nights of Friday, May 11th and Saturday, May 12th. A free guided hike will also take place on Sunday morning featuring local ecology and the impacts of logging. Space is limited as they only have dorm beds and a few private rooms for four left. Please email wden@wolfdenbunk house.com if you are interested. If you are in the Park that weekend and need a place to drop off garbage, feel free to leave it at the Wolf Den. Call 1-866-271-9336 or 1-705-635-9336 for more information.

Healing the Garden workshop

Does your garden call out for healing? At this time of year, some women find their gardens to be full of obligations and frustrations, not knowing where to start or what to do. If you want a deeper, more rewarding relationship with your garden, this is the workshop for you. We will learn practical gardening – composting, double digging, weeding, mulching - while contemplating what lessons the garden shares and providing insight into our own lives. How is your garden a metaphor for the challenges and joys in your life? How can your garden become one of nurturing and peace (and less work)? How do we tune into the ancient practice of nurturing the earth, which in turn, will nurture our inner selves?

On the weekend of May 25-27, Thirteen Moons Retreat welcomes Jennifer Anderson, a landscape designer, gardener, yogini and mother from the Ottawa area who has experience teaching and creating sacred outdoor spaces locally and abroad. Intuitive, healing and nurturing, she will guide you closer to the balance that the sun, earth, seasons and weather can bring to your own life. An Honours graduate of the Algonquin College Horticulture program, she has extensive knowledge in earth based spirituality, landscape design, and organics. Let her gentle spirit guide you closer to your natural centre. Call Louise at 705-652-9329 or louise@thirteenmoons.ca to register or see www.thirteenmoons.ca for more info.
 

Natural Pesticide Keeps Mosquitoes out of your Yard and Garden

A new garlic pesticide and mosquito repellent is now available in Canada. Health Canada has exempted Mosquito Barrier, 99.3 per cent garlic, from registration because it was deemed safe for humans and the environment. Any claim of repelling or killing of pests must be registered by Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). After five years in the submission process which included efficacy, chemistry, toxicology, environmental concerns, etc. they finally exempted garlic based on its safety for humans and the environment. (In India, garlic is mixed with petroleum jelly and applied to the skin to keep pests away.)

Mosquito Barrier is made from a very strong non-GMO garlic, but not the type one would buy in a grocery store which is more of a ‘sweet’ garlic. Once crushed, garlic emits 33 organic sulfur compounds that mosquitoes find unbearable.

Once Mosquito Barrier is diluted with 99 parts water it can be sprayed on all vegetation in a yard. Within about an hour the odour will dissipate and mosquitoes will continue to be repelled for up to four weeks. This helps to keep your yard and grounds free of mosquitoes, thus reducing the risk of them hanging around waiting to land on people in the area. Mosquito Barrier repels up to 95 per cent of mosquitoes.

Some mosquito traps require the endless burning of propane. Mosquito Barrier costs about the same as filling a couple of those propane tanks.

Earlier versions of this pesticide combined garlic with cayenne pepper, and it was first registered as a bird repellent in the United States. But many farmers and gardeners realized it was effective for pest control as well.

Upper Canada Organic Products of Toronto, ON carries the product and will be selling it online at www.mosquitobarrier.ca or call 416-233-3205. They expect more retailers to carry it as the news of its availability spreads. A quart is $34.95 and a 3.79 liter jug is $98.95 CDN.

An all natural personal insect repellent is being added to their inventory soon. For more information, email Upper Canada Organic Products at info@ucorganicproducts.com

Organic Gardening Workshop

On May 26 join Everdale Farm manager Gavin Dandy to learn all you need to know to start your own organic vegetable garden, from soil prep. to seed starting, transplants, compost, mulching and more! Fee is $55. Contact 519-855-4859 x 101 or www.everdale.org 

6th Annual Windfall Ecology Festival

‘A Celebration of Sustainable Living’ takes place on Saturday June 9 & Sunday June 10 at Fairy Lake Park in Newmarket, Ontario. The Windfall Ecology Festival is described by Organic Earth Magazine as one of Canada’s top 12 green events. The 2007 festival promises to live up to that billing by combining over 100 exhibits of natural products and services with prominent guest speakers, live world music concert stage, renewable energy workshops, First Nation story telling, tantalizing organic foods, children’s activity and learning zones, as well as a special evening presentation of the infamous Trash Fashion Show & Concert. Exhibits include the University of Toronto’s new solar powered racing car, the latest from Transport Canada’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Program, as well as solar, wind power, and energy efficiency demonstrations.

The festival is a celebration of sustainable living, and they go all-out to throw a great party. In addition to unique learning opportunities, organic ice creams, and children’s activities, they promise to engage you with two solid days of live music and dance. This year, they are proud to present their World Music Concert Stage, featuring music and dance from the rich multicultural traditions within our community. If you like eclectic, this is the place to be. Shows run throughout the day and include a stunning Asian dance ensemble, the Sultans of String, and much more.

Featured is the Sunday afternoon presentation of the Trash Fashion Show and Concert. Wild and outrageous, The Trash Fashion Show is a full blown runway presentation of fashion and design featuring garments made from recycled materials. Included in the show is the Trash Fashion Design Competition, showcasing the latest in Trash Fashion from design students at Seneca College, George Brown College and Ryerson University. This fun filled evening takes a satirical look at 21st Century consumerism while celebrating creative expression in the use of recycled materials.

Festival Hours • Saturday June 9, 10:am - 5:pm • Sunday, June 10, 10am - 5pm. It is fun, informative and free! For more information visit www.windfallcentre.ca or call 866-280-4431.
 

Is Your Furniture Making You Sick?

These days more and more people are realizing that everyday toxins are responsible for many of the allergies, illnesses, cancers and diseases that we have today – and many are trying to reduce contact with those toxins. Their first course of action is typically to stop using harsh chemical cleansers, paints, etc. – but what they don't realize is that chemicals used in the processing and manufacture of their furniture may be a big culprit when it comes to illnesses from chemicals.

The experts at SaferBuilding.com have recently conducted a study focusing on the toxicity of offgassing furniture. To download the results of the study for a small fee (US$4.00 per topic) go to www.SaferBuilding.com. This site is aiming to help set a higher health standard for building/remodeling methods and materials nationwide. SaferBuilding.com has been launched to provide professionals and consumers with unbiased information and education for the healthiest, non-toxic and most environmentally sound building & remodeling projects possible. Although the site is US-based, there’s lots of information that will be of interest to Canadian consumers.

SaferBuilding provides extensive, thorough, safe construction/remodeling research from all angles -- from a household maintenance perspective, from an aesthetic perspective, from a toxicity/health perspective, and from a financial perspective. The site offers dozens of educational materials including things like Contractor How-To Sheets regarding painting, plumbing, flooring, carpet demolition, carpentry, furniture, termite & pest management and more. "Many of our competitors discuss materials," says SaferBuilding Founder Michelle Miller, "but we are the only ones to discuss healthy methods, have a certification program, have environmental disclosures, all to make the properties safer overall."

The idea for the healthy SaferBuilding Program was sparked by a life changing circumstance. "A few years back I was an innocent by-stander in an mosquito abatement spraying which I was told was for West Nile Virus," says Miller. "Despite being in top physical shape, I nearly lost my life from pesticides that were used according to the label. I had believed that if a product were dangerous or toxic, then it wouldn't be on the market." That set Miller and her SaferBuilding group on a path toward researching building and maintenance materials and started experimenting and testing them. Many consumers, unbeknownst to them, use toxic ingredients for their home maintenance.  They think that they are improving their home, when in fact, they are inadvertently making it more toxic. Consumers need this information so that they can maintain & improve their home without inadvertently contaminating their air.

Many home seekers also get excited about buying a house which hadn't been subjected to pesticides for several years, was painted with NO VOC paints, had no carpet, etc. Those houses and apartments could sell or rent at a premium. So the SaferBuilding team designed their certification program to help determine which dwellings would indeed qualify as safer. When it comes to selling a property, Miller says using SaferBuilding methods and materials may increase the property value, attract a wider selection of prospective tenants, as well as offer the potential for greater liability protection. Properties that qualify for the SaferBuilding Certification have seen increased property values of 7% to 10%.

The SaferBuilding Certification of Good Standing:

After making a commitment to maintaining the property with safer methods and materials, getting a SaferBuilding Certification of Good Standing means that the property will be maintained according to a known third party standard. The current certification programs in the industry today are expensive and not for residential houses. The SaferBuilding certification program is online, very cost effective, and geared for residential properties.

For more information go to: www.SaferBuilding.com