Eating Green Across Canada: Montreal

With so much cultural diversity, Montreal is a city that has everything. All the fast-food conveniences of a major city, combined with mom and pop restaurants that offer a one of a kind culinary experience, and menus stretching from every corner of the globe. Tucked in amongst the French bistros and ethnic delicacies that make Montreal the gastronomic capital of Canada are a fair share of cafés and dining spots which pride themselves on local, fair trade, and organic products. Most offer more than just delicious food and are integral part of a lifestyle trending toward the promotion of everything that the city has to offer including arts, culture, music and theatre.

Aux Vivres

4631 boulevard Saint-Laurent

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

(514) 842-3479

www.auxvivres.com

Located in the heart of downtown and best known for its chapati sandwiches, Aux Vivres is the most popular destination among vegans. Promoting health through vegan cuisine, Aux Vivres has an international menu but gives priority to local and seasonal produce in all of its dishes.

Le SainBol

 

5095 Fabre St.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

(514) 524-2292

www.montrealgazette.com/LeSainBol

Using only market fresh and in-season ingredients, Chef Houtin serves up a meal that's made to order. It's an unassuming little place tucked away along a side street in Montreal's trendy plateau region. Vegetarian that includes fish, it's a small menu with each mouthwatering dish tailored to perfection.

Café Zosha (Le Zigoto Café)

5731, ave du Parc 

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

(514) 867-9005

lezigotocafe.blogspot.ca

As renowned for the works of art that line the walls as it is for its fair trade and organic coffees, Café Zosha is as much a place to meditate as it is to enjoy a meal. The café offers an array of vegetarian and vegan dishes and is well-known for its Mediterranean style breakfasts made with organic eggs and served all day.

Cabaret-Boutique des BonsVoisins

247-A Lakeshore Road

Pointe Claire, Quebec, Canada

(514) 505-0578

www.desbonsvoisins.com

Cabaret Boutique des BonsVoisins is more of a community centre that offers dining. In addition to their meals they offer live music and other cultural events or workshops almost every night, as well as a grocery store selling local, organic, and fairly traded food stuffs. Located in the quaint old village of Pointe Claire, a thirty-minute bus ride outside the city, it's worth a trip in itself.

Fait Ici

519, Notre-Dame O

Montreal, Québec, H3J 1N6

(514) 439.3888

www.faitici.ca

Fait Ici stands by its name which means "made here". They promote supporting the local community and creating better relationships between producers and consumers. Besides their store which sells local and organic foods, Fait Ici offers a small sit down café with a menu offering a variety of sandwiches and salads made from the same ingredients that are on their shelves.

Eating Green Across Canada: Calgary

Calgary is quickly growing into one of Canada's powerhouses and is the largest city in Alberta (which has become the strongest province economically over the last ten years due in large part to the crude oil and gas industry). Say what you will about its tar sands, there are plenty of opportunities to achieve a balance by eating green and Calgary has some of the best.

Higher Ground

1126 Kensington Road Northwest

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

(403) 270-3780

www.highergroundcafe.ca

An operation spanning 30 years, Higher Ground is a longstanding institution in Calgary offering organic drinks, fair trade coffee, and a variety of meal options. In addition to being a great place to hang out, they have also been preaching green for some time and include a green mission on their website. 

  

The Coup + Meet Restaurant and Lounge

924 17th Avenue SW

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

(403) 541-1041

www.thecoup.ca

Certainly among the restaurants at the vanguard of the green movement, The Coup offers an eclectic menu serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as goodies in their lounge area. In an effort to ensure their clients can eat with a good conscience, The Coup utilizes the following green techniques: powering by wind,  composting raw material, recycling products, offering tax-free take-out to those who bring their own containers, and planting 36 trees each month to offset their waste. Wow - and I hear the food is pretty great too!

Rouge Restaurant

1240 8th Avenue S.E.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

(403) 531-2767

www.rougecalgary.com

Rouge represents the fine dining option of the Calgary organic scene. They have a philosophy where the ingredients come first, and that the best and most flavorful ingredients are found locally. As such, they work closely with local farmers and growers to get the best from the land and list on their menu the farms that they have close associations with.

Vue Cafe

 

816 11th Avenue SW

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

(403) 263-4346

www.vuecafe.com

Mainly a place to stop for lunch, Vue specializes in panini sandwiches, big salads, and artisanal cheeses all made from organic ingredients. Vue, besides being a full-service lunch café, is also an art gallery and is available for private functions.

Farm Restaurant

 

1006 17th Avenue Southwest

Calgary, Alberta

403-245-2276

www.farm-restaurant.com

In partnership with other local farms, where produce is grown organically and animals are treated ethically, Farm is a place to not only eat but to learn about how what you eat is raised and grown; they are quite literally a farm where everything served comes from right nearby. They offer a la carte options as well as Harvest (table d'hote) menus designed for groups.

Eating Green Across Canada: Vancouver

With more restaurants in British Columbia offering menus made with locally grown and organic ingredients than just about anywhere in Canada, it's not surprising that Canada's most eco-friendly province is littered with eco-friendly dining options. In BC it seems that eating healthy and organic is so ingrained in the culture most restaurants need not even specify that they do. Here are a few that go that extra mile in the "greenest city" of Vancouver.

  

Aphrodite's Cafe and Pie Shop

3598 West 4th Avenue

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 733-8308

www.organiccafe.ca

Known for, but not exclusively serving, pies, Aphrodite's has been specializing in being green for over ten years. They aim to ensure that their menu has the smallest ecological footprint possible. A varied bill of fare serving such staples as vegetarian chili, salmon burgers, and turkey potpies, Aphrodite's dessert menu is as rich and delicious as their mains serving over a dozen different flavors of pie including wheat and gluten-free options.

Pair Bistro

 

3763 West 10th Ave.

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 224-7211

www.pairbistro.ca

Hard to know what comes first here - a love of food, or a love of planet Earth. The two are so systematically intertwined that it almost seems that eating green and eating well were as nature intended, and Pair Bistro has tapped into that knowledge. Part oyster house, wine bar, restaurant, and place to chill and unwind, Pair offers seafood, BC oysters, and game all served to its clients while in partnership with farmers, ranchers, and fishermen who have a trusted understanding and connection with the soil, their livestock, and the sea.

Mainly Organics Pizza

 

861 Denman Street

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 688-3380

www.mainlyorganicspizza.com

Located in the heart of downtown and specializing in pizza with whole wheat, organic white, or gluten-free crust (thick or thin) and served with organic ingredients. They also serve organic pastas. 

Organic Lives

 

1829 Quebec Street

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(778) 588-7777

or

451 Granville Street (Chopra Yoga Center)

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 424-9422

www.organiclives.org

With multiple locations, Organic Lives is best know for its juice bar smoothies. With a strong emphasis on the link between eating green and nutrition, they also have an online store as well as offering workshops on how to cook green and become more earth conscious when it comes to one's diet.

  

Corduroy

 

1943 Cornwall Avenue

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 733-0162

www.corduroyrestaurant.com

Serving mostly pizzas and pastas this Kitsilano watering hole also serves up special events of every kind and is a fun and relaxing place to kill time. Their menu serves up food that is made from fresh, local, and organic products and ingredients.

Eco-Friendly Packaging

Polystyrene, commonly referred to as "Styrofoam", takes decades to hundreds of years to dissolve and is one of the world's most considerable environmental problems. Polystyrene is a thermoplastic material made from petroleum-derived styrene and is non-biodegradable. It is difficult to estimate how much polystyrene there is in the world, however, the Earth Resource Foundation reports that Styrofoam manufacturers were the fifth largest producer of toxic waste in 1986. Unfortunately Styrofoam is still widely used across the world, from cups and plates to packaging and more, as it is typically less expensive than other products and weighs significantly less which aids in reduced shipping costs. Thankfully there are several companies around the world working on finding eco-friendly, cost-effective substitutions to replace this harmful product.

Ecovative Design

Ecovative Design, a New York-based company, has created a biodegradable alternative to conventional polystyrene (or Styrofoam) using inedible by-products of agricultural crops like seed husks.  The material is grown using these by-products and mycelium which is a fungal network of threadlike cells, like the "roots" of mushrooms. In 5 – 7 days, in the dark with no watering and no petrochemical inputs, the mycelium digests the agricultural by-products binding them into a structural material. The mycelium acts like a natural, self-assembling glue. The material can then be grown into any shape needed. Every cubic inch of material contains a matrix of 8 miles of tiny mycelial fibers, and at the end of the process the materials are heat treated to stop the growth and ensure there will never be any spores or allergen concerns. From beginning to end, the mushroom material fits into nature’s recycling system. Composting, mulching, or throwing away are all environmentally sound options of disposal because the product is made of natural materials that belong in a healthy ecosystem.

Naturpack

Naturpack, an Ontario-based company, has created a loose fill packing product that is very similar to the polystyrene pellets (or "peanuts" or "beans") found in many shipments. Corn is the primary product used in creating their product, which boasts anti-vibration and shock absorbing qualities. Naturpak is reusable and recycled, is manufactured without chemicals, and is environmentally friendly when disposed. To make the loose fill, first the corn must be crushed and the germ removed by sifting.  The corn  is then ground to a powder so the pulverized corn can then be put directly into the plant.  The corn is heated in a pressure chamber and released in a way that produces and creates uniform pieces of loose fill.  The process is based on unmodified starch in a pure mechanical production process without additives.  The process can be altered by the addition of specific additives to achieve desired results. 

EnviroPAK

EnviroPak, a Missouri-based company, has utilized recycled products to create their eco-friendly packaging. Molded pulp is made from 100% recycled newspaper and is 100% recyclable and 100% biodegradable. It has been used to package delicate items such as eggs and light bulbs for years, however, recently has become more prominent in the shipping industry. Molded pulp can be shaped to fit any product and is highly shock resistant. The stock preparation process is closely related to that of a small paper mill. For full details on how the molded pulp is made please visit http://www.enviropak.com/Molded_Process.html

References: Renewable Energy News, Canadian Geographic, Ecovative Design, LiveStrong, King County, EnviroPAK, Naturpack

Unique Ways to Harness Kinetic Energy

Many of us know the traditional ways of generating renewable energy through wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, biomass, and even ocean - but what about the non-traditional methods that are available? In a creative world there are countless ways to generate and harness energy, even through human movement!

Dancing

Eco-friendly nightclubs are slowly becoming a trend all over the world.  For example, Temple Nightclub in San Francisco generates energy through the floor which compresses by 10 millimetres when stepped on and produces roughly 35 watts per module.

Exercise

An increasing number of fitness centers are incorporating equipment that store energy produced through exercise. Exercise is a great way to create kinetic energy and is very convenient since it is such a common daily activity that many people engage in. The Green Microgym in Portland Oregon “generates as much as 40 percent of its own electricity from solar panels and exercise machines like stationary bikes”.

  

Sports

With golf being one of the most popular sports on Earth, it's not surprising that inventors are looking for ways to "go green" on the green. Mac Funamizu has designed a device that allows you to practice your golf swing and also charge your smart phone by harnessing the kinetic energy of the swing!

Walking

Walking is perhaps one of the simplest and easiest ways to generate energy and the nPower Peg helps to capture and use this energy.  The device has two sliders which move side to side as you walk which causes the spring to generate kinetic energy which can be used to power your electronic devices.

Source: The 9 Billion, TreeHugger, Portland, TreeHugger, Eco Friend, Kinetic Energys, Peg, Kinetic Energys, Generator

What is a "carbon footprint", and what does it mean to be "carbon neutral" or "carbon negative"?

A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of carbon emissions produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating, transportation, etc.

Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to an organization or individual that has reduced the net climate impact of their operations or activities to zero, usually after purchasing offsets in a quantity equal to their total emissions after reduction efforts.

Carbon negative, therefore, is further offsetting the amount of carbon emissions to a level that is greater than the amount of carbon emissions the operation produces itself. A carbon negative operation is not only taking responsibility for its own carbon emissions but is also reducing the total carbon emissions produced by the rest of the world.

TD Bank for example, who has attained carbon neutral status over a year ago, has opened what its says is the first bank branch in the U.S. that generates as much energy as it uses. By installing solar panels on the roof that will be connected to the utility gird, the branch expects to produce more clean energy than it will use.

  

Steps to becoming Carbon Negative

It is becoming increasingly popular for companies to claim that specific parts or their entire operation is carbon neutral. There are a number of ways for companies to become carbon neutral and most require the use of carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are the “currency” for offsetting. They are quantified in metric tonnes of CO2 reduction, i.e. one carbon offset equals one tonne of emissions reduction made through selected and verified carbon projects. Carbon offsets can be purchased on a voluntary basis or to meet regulatory requirements. By purchasing carbon offsets, a company is able to make the significant leap from being “energy efficient” or “environmentally conscious”, to being carbon neutral or even carbon negative. There are a number of carbon offset venders established around the world that offer carbon offsets for companies interested in the voluntary carbon offset market. Carbon offset venders generally recommend a similar method for achieving carbon neutrality.

Less Emissions Inc. (the top ranked carbon offset vender for Canadian companies according to the 2009 survey by the David Suzuki foundation) suggests these three steps:

1. Conserve

Reduce your environmental impact through direct efforts to reduce energy consumption (eg limiting night lighting) and increase energy efficiency (eg lighting retrofits); reduce transportation- related emissions (eg. Implementing anti-idling policies for fleet vehicles, and choosing videoconferencing to connect remote employees rather than traveling by air)

2. Switch to green

For those products and services that must be consumed, select environmentally lower-impact alternatives where available. These could include green power for electricity requirements, green cleaning products, and FSC-certified paper.

3. Offset

When best efforts have been made in the preceding areas, offset only those unavoidable emissions that remain, for example, those associated with necessary air travel or ground transportation.

Sources: carbonfootprint.com, David Suzuki Foundation, GreenBiz.com, TD Bank, Celsias, Less Emissions Inc.

Why You Should Invest in Energy Saving Products

The market is filled with energy saving products that make it easier for you to save power and use renewable energy sources.  There is a wide range of products which can help you save money on your electricity bill, here are a few worth checking out!

1. Solar Chargers

Foldable Solar Charger

The solar charger is a device that makes use of the sun’s energy to charge the electrical devices that are present in your house. You can charge many electrical devices like digital cameras, PDAs and iPods. You just need to leave the batteries in the charger in the morning and by afternoon the gadget will be completely charged. The energy saving bulb is the second product that will help you save energy. Try not to use incandescent bulbs because it is known that around 90% of the electricity is required just to heat the tungsten metal filament – and is wasted.

2. Energy Saving Plugs

Eco Universal

It is a great energy saving device which lets you save lot of energy.  You just need to plug the devices that you are using in this plug and it does the rest. For example if you plug your PC into the master socket energy will be saved. The plug automatically shuts down if your PC is switched off or on standby position – which helps you save electricity. 

3. Electricity Monitors

PowerCost Monitor

By making use of the electricity monitor you can get to see the amount of electricity you are using, how much the electricity is costing and how much carbon dioxide emissions you are releasing to the environment. By using of the electricity monitor you can get information on how much you need to save in order to lower your power bill.

4. Solar Panels

By using solar panels you can harness the power of the sun to generate electricity for your home, and use a renewable energy source that does not harm the environment. Solar panels cost between $2,000 to $5,000, depending on the size and technology used, however this is an investment that you will return in 3-8 years.

Blue Planet Solar Panel

Energy saving products help you become aware of the energy you are using (or wasting), and help you lower your electricity bill by preserving energy. Moreover, by using renewable energy sources like the sun you help preserving the environment and making earth a greener place. Start making use of energy saving products and make a difference.

Check out more home energy tips at energyhomemade.net!

Written by Dan Vanter & edited by Kim Gillett