An inventive Denver Water billboard says it all. <via treehugger>

I’ve decided that once in awhile, I’ll post a roundup of links to some interesting – and often overlooked – articles from ecoblogosphere. To inaugurate the feature, here are some key articles that I’ve bookmarked, shared on Facebook, tweeted about, or dugg in the past few weeks:

Buying Local

November is “Shop Local First” Month here in Edmonton. Keep Edmonton Original have a great directory of locally-owned businesses on their website. Let’s not stop at the end of November!

Speaking of buying local, the release of Halifax chef Craig Flinn’s cookbook Fresh and Local and the opening of Edmonton’s Wildflower Grill sparked this newspaper article explaining what Canadian Cuisine is. (Full disclosure: I went to high school with Craig, and I try to eat at Chives whenever I get home to Nova Scotia.)

Plastic Safety

Is polypropylene (#5 plastic) not so food-safe after all? Well, it’s definitely going to be a pain for researchers in the biological and medical sciences, like my former colleagues. I can say from long experience that polypro labware is ubiquitous, and replacing it with glass is usually next to impossible for technical or budgetary reasons. Further research on human health effects of the compounds that leach from polypropylene is needed before we can reach conclusions, but, this story just might be the next bisphenol-A scandal.

Meanwhile, the scandal that began in China over the contamination of formula and other dairy products with melamine by unscrupulous manufacturers got me wondering about the safety of those indestructable melamine plates. Luckily, Janelle from Healthy Child Healthy World had the same thought. Be sure to also read the very informative comments by Jennifer from The Smart Mama, to help put it all into perspective.

The Green Economy and Green Building

President-Elect (!!!) Obama says we need to change more than lightbulbs <via ecogeek>. Some experts say his policies will be nothing but good news for green building. Meanwhile the green building community is wondering how a protracted recession will affect progress and affect Obama’s plans, Mr. Gore is writing profound editorials, and Van Jones and Thomas Friedman are promoting their books about how a green economy could get the US (and the world) out of this mess. Even Gwynne Dyer has joined the climate change book club. (I just gave the Dyer book to hubby for his birthday, looking forward to reviewing it for you!)

Locally, at least, green building is moving forward. Local realtors specializing in sustainable homes are excited by announcements about several ecovillages, like the one to be created by CarbonBusters, in planning stages around Edmonton. The Riverdale NetZero duplex project is completed and open to the public every Saturday for inspirational self-guided tours. There are no shortage of local projects who are boasting of low-VOC finishes, rapidly renewable materials, and energy-efficient appliances in their marketing materials.

However, Environmental Defence still think we have a long way to go: according to “A Green Building Report Card” on pages 40-41 of Green Living Online’s Fall 08 edition, released in early September, the Alberta Building Code gets an F. None of the provinces get better than a C, but still, only Nunavut got a lower percentage score than Alberta. The report card the article refers to has not actually been released to date; I can’t wait to read it once it is.

Green Living

Online tool Walk Score now allows Canadians to gauge how pedestrian-friendly their neighborhood is (although it’s reliant on Google Map’s listings of local amenities, and its algorithm doesn’t take into account things like narrow streets and the existance of sidewalks in some newer neighborhoods).

Even though Alberta is protected from the worst of the bad economic news, that pesky recession probably has you, like me, thinking about a little green belt-tightening.

Here’s an inspiring checklist of 100 ways you can save the environment. If your personality, like mine, has you second-guessing how best to do some of the little things on the list, you’ll be as pleased as I was that the New Scientist’s writers have taken the time to put those nagging questions to rest.

On a personal note…

This huge fire (across the street from my home, on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend!) reminded me just what Thanksgiving is really about… and what’s really important. Now I’m planning to ask myself, as I declutter and simplify: would I save it if the house was burning?

Urban Eco Chic, by Oliver Heath. This will be joining the books below on my reference / inspiration shelf shortly.

(this article was first published in January 2008 in vol.1, no, 1 of the ecoDomestica reDesign newsletter)

Here are a selection of the publications that inspire and inform my work. Enjoy!

Books:

- Alan Berman. “The Healthy Home Handbook: Eco-Friendly Design” (2001) …This practical, British guide to making eco-friendly choices for the construction and decoration of homes is wildly inspirational, with photos of sustainable interiors in a variety of styles from around the world.

- Kari Foster, Annette Stelmack, and Debbie Hindman. “Sustainable Residential Interiors” (2007) …The definitive reference book for North American interior designers on environmentally and socially responsible design principles and practices. Quote: “The finishes in a home can exemplify environmental responsibility, as well as reflect the inherent beauty of design.” (more…)

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau has quickly become a favorite bedtime book in our household.

I’ve started collecting children’s books – both literature and crafts books – with an environmental theme for our kids’ library. Here is a brief list of what I’ve found so far, with reviews.

Manfish: The Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Beme boasts incredible artwork and a gentle message packaged with M. Cousteau’s biography. I’ve wrapped it up with the equally gorgeous Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi for a beautiful and educational ocean-themed kids’ birthday gift.

Another lavishly-illustrated picturebook series to look for is Barbara Bash’s series on trees of different continents and the ecosystems they create. The watercolours are breathtaking. So far I have In The Heart Of The Village: The World of the Indian Banyan Tree, and Tree Of Life: The World of the African Baobab. I think I’ll give the kids the rest of the set as a Christmas gift. (more…)