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Guest blog by Imani Hamilton. So excited to welcome her to the Paws For Reaction extended family! This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. |
Guest blog: Sustainable dog products for the New Year and beyond
Entering the New Year, climate action and environmental protection are more important than ever, as we collectively seek to reduce our carbon emissions by 65% and protect our precious ecosystems in time to prevent irreversible climate change. And yes, our furry companions have an environmental footprint that's worth reducing. The good news is, there are a few choices we can make in our suite of doggo basics that do make an environmental difference.
Give
your food a hug: Food Huggers help reduce waste and keep food
fresh
I’m always looking for ways to reduce my waste. One thing I
absolutely hate is plastic wrap and plastic baggies. Cling wrap is not
recyclable and doesn’t keep food fresh. Since I go through a lot of produce it
was important that I find an eco-friendly alternative to cling wrap and bags
that was not one-time use, and would keep my fruit and vegetables their freshest.
My
Meatless Month: Even the smallest changes make a difference
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Photo of Byward Market in Ottawa, Ontario by Jamie McCaffrey |
Beginning
New Year’s Day, 2017, I have been eating a vegetarian diet, as a way to lower
my carbon footprint and make a positive impact on the environment. I’ve been
calling it my ‘Meatless Month.’ For more than a year now I have two vegetarian
days a week, sometimes three. This is the first time I have gone vegetarian.
How to shop eco-friendly, waste reducing and sustainable
product
Ottawa
takes a big step forward with terra20
Like a rising tide, Canadian citizens are becoming more concerned
with conserving and protecting the environment. Floods of people around the
world are marching in climate protests, acting as local water protectors and
demanding change from world leaders. Our carbon footprint is too big and our protected
lands are too small. But one trail blazing local company is leading the way to
a more sustainable future.
Happy International Polar Bear Day!
Take the #ThermostatChallenge
It is
perfect polar bear weather here in snowy Ontario! February 27 is International Polar Bear Day
and this is such an important day because it’s about so much more than these
beautiful bears. Climate Change is destroying these animals’ habitats and
glaciers are melting at a faster pace than ever recorded in history. These polar bears need our help.
Polar Bears International is asking everyone to take a
stand for International Polar Bear Day by taking the Thermostat Challenge to save energy
for polar bears. How do you take the Thermostat Challenge? I’ll let Polar Bears
International tell you how below:
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“Turn
down the heat a degree or two and enjoy hygge, or winter
coziness, for polar bears- put on your fuzzy slippers and a comfy sweater,
light candles, sip a hot drink, or bundle up for a walk in the snow.
- In summer, set your air-conditioning thermostat higher.
- Install a programmable thermostat for year-round savings- and take additional energy-saving steps like insulating your home and weather-stripping windows and doors.
- Show how you're taking part by posting photos on social media with #PolarBearDay, #ThermostatChallenge, and #Hygge. You can also share our special pre-made images!
- Make it a community-wide challenge! See our Thermostat Challenge Toolkit for tips and ideas.
- Also check out our Heating and Cooling Infographic, which shows how individual actions scale up to make a BIG difference."
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Photo by tableatny via Foter.com CC |
Polar
Bears International also urges people to sign a petition for “A Fair Price for Carbon” explaining
that “we need to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to solve the problem
of climate change- a problem that extends beyond polar bears and the Arctic to
affect all wildlife and people, too.” According to their experts, the surest way
to achieve this is to set a fair price for carbon pollution.
The petition states that “by including the
true cost of carbon in the price we pay for fossil fuels, we can speed up the
transition to a renewable energy future. Not only will this reduce the
greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, it will improve human
health, reduce pollution, and strengthen the economy at the same time.”
Fossil
fuels appear to be cheaper than they actually are and if the cost of fossil
fuels was truthfully reflected we would have no choice but to make a global
change to renewable energy. The renewable technology already exists but our
ability to use it on a global scale won’t happen if fossil fuels are so easily
attainable. I am signing the petition- will you? This International
Polar Bear Day reminds us how much we all rely on each other to survive on this
planet- and that we need to make a change for the future.
Green
Christmas: Eco friendly wrapping paper for holiday gifts
Here in Ontario, Canada we have yet to see a real snow
fall which is very unusual for this area. It is so clear that climate change is
impacting our planet in a big way. I am always looking for a way to be more
eco-friendly and try to make green choices in my home. The holiday season
creates a lot of waste so I decided since Ontario is having a green Christmas I
may as well have a green Christmas in my home!
This Christmas I decided not to buy any Christmas wrapping
paper at all. Instead, I used old magazines and comic books that I don’t read
anymore and wrapped gifts with the pages. I taped them together like a mosaic around
all of my holiday gifts. Any gifts that went in bags went in re-used gift bags
I have saved from previous years.