Me: Hey Junction, what’s going on? What’s with all the commotion?

Junction: Well, let’s see. A beautiful organic grocery store has opened on Dundas Street West. It’s called the Sweet Potato. Not only does it have a fantastic selection of foods, it has a couch! Yeah, you heard me, a couch and some snacks at a cafe in case you need a little pick me up before diving into grocery shopping.

Me: I’m impressed. It’s not super cheap. But it’s everything else that a great little neighbourhood grocery store would be. Junction, you’re shaping up to be one hot neighbourhood!

Technorati Tags: fresh fruit, local business, organic, the junction

We’ve all heard the rumblings about how some plastics and food do not mix.

I finally stumbled across a great article that summarizes things quite clearly. You can access this article here in PDF format.
The site this information came from is http://www.bisphenolafree.org. Check it out if you’re curious.

I was shocked to learn that plastic food wrap is one of the plastics to avoid in terms of contact with food. Hmm… I guess I’ll go back to wax paper.
It seems that Health Canada is also concerned, as evidenced in this excerpt from the Globe and Mail:

Health Canada is calling bisphenol A a dangerous substance, making it the first regulatory body in the world to reach such a determination and taking the initial step toward measures to control exposures to it.

Although the government won’t announce specific bans or restrictions, the designation as dangerous could pave the way for the hormonally active chemical to be listed as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, which would allow Health Minister Tony Clement to issue specific measures to curb its use.

Technorati Tags: health, plastics, leaching, toxic

A great little organic cafe and market called “The Beet” has recently opened up on Dundas Street west of Keele Street. It’s a darling little place with simple design, the huge bright windows of an old bank building, and creative use of many recycled materials.

The Beet sells organic foods to take home or eat in at the adorable little cafe. These include a selection of fresh organic breads, produce, eggs, dairy, bulk and packaged goods for your pantry. They also sell fair trade organic coffees, teas, smoothies and baked goods.

Their mission is to provide delicious, nourishing food of the highest quality, while reducing ecological footprint. As an environmentally friendly and sustainable company, The Beet has found and used eco-friendly materials wherever possible throughout the creation of the space.

Technorati Tags: cozy, Dundas Street , fresh fruit, homemade, organic, the junction, Toronto

Spring is starting to appear and it’s time to think about what this year’s garden may hold. Will it be a yard covered by the ever-so-aggressive mint? or a weed by another name? or some luscious sweet peas? Plenty of decisions to be made.

If you are planning on planting some vegetables in the garden and would like to plant organic heirlooms I have a great source for you. Urban Harvest sells all kinds of fantastic seeds that you can plant in your window sill and later transfer over to the garden.

Urban Harvest provides you with options to plant many varieties of plants which have fallen out of favour with big agribusiness and are much more flavourful than those found in most grocery stores.

The sad truth is that vegetables, such as tomatoes for instance, are being bred for shipping date, pest resistance, weather tolerance and not for taste. That explains why some of the beautiful red tomatoes taste like water. Urban Harvest claims that North Americans now eat only a fraction of the diversity of fruit and vegetables that were eaten 100 years ago. That stinks.

Toronto-based Urban Harvest has an online store and ships across Canada.

PS - Another helpful references to gardening is You Grow Girl, a fun book for basic gardening tips and blog written by a charming Toronto native.

Technorati Tags: garden, heirlooms, local business, organic, plant, seeds, Toronto

Skating season is here again. Nathan Phillips Square and City Hall are all gussied up with lights to get you in the holiday spirit, and the City has a rink hotline for updates on all of its rinks. What a lovely way to spend an evening: get some fresh air, exercise, and finish off with a hot chocolate. I love the way your cheeks get rosy and people weave in and out of each other’s movement patterns. Time to dig up those rusted skates and get them sharpened!

Technorati Tags: Toronto, skating, exercise, holidays, winter, activities

I recently stumbled across some great skin care products that are made in Canada. Matter Company is especially appealing as they keep their products simple, by using few and mostly recognizable herbal ingredients. Less is more in this case, since many of the chemicals that we put on our skin end up in our bodies. (I am currently on a quest to reduce the number of chemicals I expose myself to in the world of ‘product’.) The shampoo for instance has ingredients of: alkyl glucoside, vegetable glycerin, tocopherol, deionized water, cleavers horsetail extract, juniper extract, rosemary extract, essential oils of bergamot, cedar wood, Canadian pine and , grapefruit … which all sounds pretty ok to me and they are biodegradable too.

Their philosophy is one of respect for the earth and using natural plant essences to encourage human health.
It’s nice to see these types of products coming out of Toronto rather than San Francisco or the usual suspects. This means less money spent on transport, more money supporting the local economy and less polluting done on my dime.

I’m really enjoying the products I bought. If you are interested they are available though phone order or from retailers such as Whole Foods.

Technorati Tags: Skin Care, Toronto, Canadian, simple, herbal

I heard all the hype and was excited about the new light bulb technology that was being promoted throughout the land.  These new compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less energy than regular light bulbs! Yahoo, an easy win!  Switching to CF bulbs, combined with some diligent turning off un-needed lights and appliances reduces the  demand for our dirty electricity.  Since much of our electricity is produced by coal burning power plants (that emit greenhouse gases contributing to global warming and cause asthma), anything that can help us conserve power is good news.  We are improving our environment through simple steps to reduce demand for electricity.

It was only after changing out nearly all of our light bulbs that I heard these bulbs contain mercury and the toxic metal will leak out if you break the bulb. Which means that these bulbs require special disposal.  Nowhere in these big advertisements did they mention that CF bulbs cannot go into the garbage. 

The City of Toronto has set up the following methods for disposal:

1. Community Environment Day (April - September)

2. Drop off the fluorescent tubes and compact bulbs at the Dump or call the Toxic Taxi  if you have 50 Liters of hazardous waste (maybe getting the neighbours in on it would help)

3. Ikea is taking back and recycling the bulbs they have sold customers. Go Ikea!  Rona seems to be the only other company that is working toward a corporate initiative to take back the bulbs. 

By the time these long lasting bulbs burn out I’m sure disposal will be made easier, especially as we get closer to 2012 when Ontario will no longer sell any other type of light bulb. 

David Suzuki reminds us that coal fired power plants are the largest sources of mercury in our environment today, so by reducing our dependence on them through use of these bulbs we are still ahead.

Now if only we could get offices to turn off the lights when no one is working …

As a follow up to my previous post on pesticides I’d like to point out some great places to slow down the pace and shop for delicious foods: Toronto’s Organic and Farmers’ Markets. In the summer they are held outdoors, while in the winter a few continue indoors. Check them out…

Organics Galore:

Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers’ Market
Thursdays 3-7pm. Dufferin Grove Park.
all year long

Riverdale Farm Farmers’ Market
Tuesday 3-7pm, in front of Riverdale Farm
May to October

Sunshine Garden Organic Market
CAMH Grounds at 1001 Queen St W. (w. of Ossington), 416-363-6441,
Monday and Thursday 10am-11:30am. Closed on holidays.
July to October

Local Farm Food with Organic Vendors Also:

High Park Organic Market
Inside the park, beside Grenadier Restaurant, 416-882-5140
Fridays 12-7pm, Sat-Sun 9am-6pm
May to October

Don Valley Brick Works Farmers’ Market Located off of the Bayview Extension (550 Bayview Ave)
Saturdays 8am-1pm,
June to end of October

St. Lawrence Farmers’ Market
92 Front St. E. (at Jarvis), 416-392-7219

Birchcliff Farmers’ Market
St. Nicholas Church Garden, 1512 Kingston Rd (near the Scarborough Bluffs).
Fridays 2-7pm
June to October

Technorati Tags: food, healthy, markets, organic, outdoors

I found this article from the David Suzuki Foundation written in October of 2006 very disturbing. It states that a new study has found Canadians may be ingesting more toxins than other nations. Here’s an excerpt:

Canada allows pesticide residues on foods at levels that are 10 to 400 times higher than allowed in European nations … The report The Food We Eat compares three areas of government activity related to pesticide use: registering pesticides for specific uses; setting maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides on food; and monitoring the food supply for pesticide residues.

The report provides conclusive evidence that Canadian regulations governing the use of pesticides and the potential impact of pesticides on food and health are among the weakest in the industrialized world. At least 60 active ingredients, used in 1,130 pesticide products available in Canada, have been banned in other western industrialized nations. Among these pesticides are some of the most heavily used agricultural and household pesticide products in Canada, such as atrazine and 2,4-D.

The health concerns associated with chronic exposure to pesticides include increased risk of cancer, organ damage, birth defects, and neurological impairments such as Parkinson’s disease. Two recent Canadian studies found numerous pesticides in the blood and urine of Canadians from across the country.

I hate reading articles like this; I find them utterly depressing. But instead of sitting home and sulking (or cursing our government for not looking out for us) I’ve decided to work on turning the tide.

Easier said than done, right? Where to start? If you’re anything like me, you probably find the situation rather overwhelming. Well, don’t freak out. I believe the key is to take a moderate approach: start small, and take incremental steps in the right direction. Here’s what I’m doing:

Step 1: I’ve resolved to stop complacently supporting companies that are feeding us unhealthy foods and putting poisonous chemicals into our soil and water. Where reasonable I intend to buy organic foods and products that are natural and do not pollute or off-gas. I’m hoping that if enough other people do the same, healthy products will proliferate and prices will drop. (Don’t you love economics?)

Step 2: I found a list of foods that were tested for pesticide content. (Scroll to the bottom of their page for the full list.) I’m finding this to be a helpful tool when deciding which foods to buy, and whether to purchase standard food items or hold out for organic. I hope this helps you too.

More steps to come as I figure them out!

Technorati Tags: pesticides, health, organic food, guvmint