Current Events

Goodbye plastic bags

May 28, 2008 04:30 AM

The LCBO, which had to be dragged "kicking and screaming out of the Dark Ages" (Premier Dalton McGuinty's words) when it came to recycling bottles and cans, should be commended now for leading the move to rid the province of plastic shopping bags.

When their current supply of thick plastic bags runs out, liquor stores in Ontario will become the first provincial retailers to ban them. That will keep 90 million bags a year out of landfill sites. That will make only a small dent in the 3.5 billion plastic shopping bags used in Ontario each year, but it's still a start.

The LCBO's move follows a voluntary provincial program announced last year to cut the consumption of litter-inducing plastic bags by 50 per cent over five years. It includes incentives to switch to reusable bags such as reward points as well as an education campaign.

At the time, the government said if it didn't get the results it wanted, it would consider compulsory measures like mandatory charges for plastic bags or even an outright ban.

"I don't think there are any magic bullets to this," said Derek Nighbor, senior vice-president of national affairs for the Retail Council of Canada, which is working with the province but opposes an outright ban. "It's the duty of retailers to encourage consumers to make environmentally friendly decisions. It's a push and pull."

Other jurisdictions – Nova Scotia and Quebec – have taken similar measures with liquor store bags. And last year, tiny Leaf Rapids, Man., (population 539) banned plastic shopping bags outright, thus becoming the first jurisdiction in North America to do so.

San Francisco and Oakland later banned plastic shopping bags in supermarkets and pharmacies, and all supermarkets in California are required to take back and recycle plastic bags.

Internationally, China has announced a national ban on shops giving out free plastic bags beginning in June and an outright ban on ultra-thin plastic bags. And Ireland requires retailers to charge 22 cents a plastic bag – a move that has reduced the use of the bags by 90 per cent. The money raised is put into recycling programs.

There is good reason to phase out plastic bags: They take an average of 400 years to decompose.

Ottawa pushes for more local food, fewer imports at city markets

Last Updated: Friday, February 29, 2008 | 4:44 PM ET

CBC News

The City of Ottawa is drafting a bylaw that would ensure local fruits, vegetables and meats are featured prominently at the city's farmers' markets, says the head of the city's rural affairs committee.

"Ultimately, I would love to see every market in this city selling only locally produced produce," said Rob Jellett Thursday. "I think to me that is absolutely the best way to go."

Jellett said under the proposed bylaw, vendors at the Byward and Parkdale markets who sell imported food would be allowed to stay but would be in a separate area designated for non-local food.

Doug Moore, the city manager in charge of Lansdowne Park, where the Ottawa Farmers' Market takes place each Sunday during the summer, said the goal of the new bylaw would be to encourage local food production.

The new rules for farmers' markets are expected to be introduced at council this fall.

Jellett mentioned plans for the new bylaw at a meeting where the committee voted to keep the Ottawa Farmers' Market going for at least another two years.

Councillors also voted to allow the market, which sells only local products, to open on Thursdays as well as Sundays.

"I think you've done a tremendous job in creating something that is truly becoming special in the city," Jellett told Andy Terauds, president of the market and one of the food vendors.

The Story of Stuff
You have to check out this website that was referred to me today by the City of Guelph, it is a great resource for explaining to people at all levels as to the cycle of goods. I have added the URL to my links area.

Retailers eye labels outlining a product's carbon footprint

January 19, 2008
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. has announced it is considering labels for its private brand products to identify their carbon footprints -- meaning how much carbon dioxide was emitted to produce each product.

Its a great start, however retailers should go a step further and study how they can also reduce their carbon footprint. Here are a list of initiatives that retail industry should start to consider:

1. A complete energy audit of the entire business from buildings to policies. This will tell a retail chain where and how much energy is consumed through operations.
   
2. A carbon reduction strategy that should consider these options
   

• moving towards less packaging
• migration from plastic bags to alternatives
• sourcing materials from