Terrace Bay's got a Good Thing Going!

Okay, so it may not be the centre of the universe; in fact, not many people may know where Terrace Bay can be found on the map. But Saturday April 24 was a special day for this town and the surrounding communities on Lake Superior's North shore.

Battered as these small communities have been and still are as a result of the declining forrest industry, they just refuse to roll over and die. On the contrary, many are determined to view this economic crisis as an opportunity to move forward instead of backwards.

Hustle and bustle in the hockey arena

One way to move forwards is by refocussing on the future rather than the past. And of course the one big issue that will very much determine our future for a long time to come is the unfolding environmental crisis, forcing us to re-think much of what we've considered "normal" so far.

Terrace Bay's Green Trade Show, organized by Sean Irwin and his happy, hard working team is a great example of this notion. Somehow, this small town of about 1500 souls manages to get just about anyone who is anyone in the green sector to its hockey arena for this one day in April. It's a great opportunity to meet folks in this isolated stretch of the province, to network, inform, inspire and get inspired.

Nolalu Eco Centre's booth

With 72 exhibitor booths and close to a 1000 visitors it's safe to say this year's (only 2nd!) edition was a resounding success. And because admission was only $1.00 (or a non-perishable item for the local Food Bank), the show was accessible for anyone, making it a community-building event rather than commercial event.

Terrace Bay's got a good thing going; kudos to Sean and his crew for making it happen. We're already looking forward to be back next year!

A Toast To The Environment

Those who read my Greenwash Of The Red (Wine) Variety rant on this blog may remember I have a low tolerance for eco bulls**t. Too many companies are jumping on the green bandwagon, tauting the many "green" or "eco" qualities of their products. In most of the cases those qualities are dubious at best, and in too many other cases plain & simple fabrication.

So when I noticed this bottle of Fuzion last week, a red Malbec from Argentine, and saw the paper collar claiming "Sustainable By Nature", I gave it a pass at first. Yet another blantant example of greenwash, I thought.

But then I read a bit further and learned that the bottle was designed to be 17.5% lighter in weight (requiring less energy to manufacture and to transport), that this family-run winery invests in social welfare programs and 100% sustainable farming, and plow some of their profits back into their community, I thought: Hmm, even if this only half true, it's still a lot more than most wineries can boast.
That, plus the fact that it was a modest $7.50 (yes, I'm cheap) made me decide to take it home.

Checking out their website I wasn't able to find out much more than what the collar said (parts are stil under construction), so I'm still a bit suspicious as to the extent of their claims. Still, they don't claim to be "eco" just because they didn't kill all the wildlife in their surroundings as a certain other wine does, so the verdict for now is: deserving the benefit of the doubt.

(And in case you were wondering: great value for for its price.)

Nice Paint Job

It's been 3 seasons now since the Eco Centre got its creamy-yellow exterior pain coat, energetically and cheerfully applied by a gaggle of Ontario Rangers (see our "Yay And Hooray" post). Emerging from this winter, we were curious to see how this experiment had held up with 3 harsh seasons under its belt.

Because a bit of an experiment it was; the paint we used wasn't just any exterior paint: it was a milkpaint, arguably he most environmentally friendly paint in existence. Made entirely out of milk components, with berry and plant extracts added to provide a wide range of gorgeous colours. Non-toxic, non stinky, easy to work with. It comes as a powder, just add water.

Still looking good, after 3 rough seasons

Just 2 caveats: it can only be applied to porous surfaces (e.g. drywall, wood, concrete, etc), and it isn't specifically designed for oudoor use. So our decision to paint the entire Eco Centre's exterior with it was a bit of a calculated risk.

We had already applied milkpaint on our Red Pine ceilings, used as a stain to tone down the prominent knots and provide a protective coat at the same time. On the washroom ceilings we sealed the stain with 2 coats of linseed oil, because of the higher humidity there.

First impressions: the exterior paint has held up pretty good. There are some spots where rain or melt water had been streaming lots, showing in somewhat paler colours.
Also, a few small spots had begun to peel a bit here and there. But generally speaking, about 90% looked just fine.

We happen to like the paler areas, it gives the house an elegantly weathered look (some designers  call it a "distressed look", I believe). As for the limited amount of peeling, we figure this is the result of the paint having been applied a bit too dry last year. It had been a hot day, and the the freshly mixed paint was beginning to thicken as some of its water content was beginning to evaporate. Oh well, live and learn. On the upside, any touch-ups are quick and easy to apply, we'll do those once the weather gets nicer.

A warm thank-you to the friendly folks of Homestead House Paint Co. in Toronto for taking their time to be as helpful as they could be and for making us this lovely colour - and a great product in general.

Love 'Em Or Hate 'Em

Big banks. We love to hate 'em. Canadians agree on 3 topics we love & hate to discuss: the weather, hockey (that's ice hockey, for those who are not of the Canadian persuasion) and banks. The banks who nickle and dime us to death with their silly service charges. Who have us on a leash with their mortgages. Who make record profits in times of desperate economical hardship.

Still, it could be worse, and there are alternatives. We bank at a local credit union, owned and controlled by its customers. It's small, friendly, and most of its profits get plowed back into the community. I like that concept; it's called good citizenship.

But love 'em or hate 'em: unless there's some sort of sudden monetary revolution, those banks are here to stay. So better get used to them. And as their customers, it's up to us tell them what we expect from them. How we think they should behave as good corporate citizens.

Some banks seem to listen. The TD Bank, for example, has a little-known division called "TD Friends Of The Environment Foundation". It's not big and operates on a modest budget (God forbid we seriously invest in our environment!), but has its heart in the right place.

It awards modest grants to environmentally friendly initiatives all over the country. Any Canadian organization with a charitable status can apply, and it's not complicated to do. What I like about it is does its thing quietly in the background, not blowing its own horn (much). It seems to suggest it's just something any corporation should do. I like that concept.

We only found out about it because Jacomyn was asked to participate in the board of the Thunder Bay chapter. Of course she said yes. This is a wonderful opportunity to witness from up close and personal how a big bank lives up to its promise to be a good corporate citizen. Or, will it turn out to just be another example of Greenwashing...?

For now, just the fact they invited us is encouraging. We'll keep you posted!

Must Be Spring

This weekend we "sprung forward" to Daylight Saving Time, and we had the Seed Swap event in the Gillies Community Centre. All sure signs that spring will be soon upon us. That, and the fact it was a steamy 13C.

The Seed Swap is a wonderful local initiative, bringing people together to share, well, seeds for their gardens. Healthy, wholesome, pesticide- and genetic manipulation-free seeds. This local event has expanded beyond seeds, and now includes composters, local beekeepers, water awareness, planting & growing tips and much more - anything related to feeding a small community in an environmentally sustainable way without "big agro".

We went home with a good collection of new seeds, lots of new ideas & inspiration - and something unexpected: a brand-new cold frame, donated to us!

A cold frame, you may well ask, what the bleep is that? It's a glass-covered frame used to protect plants and seedlings from frost as well as for hardening off seedlings before they go into the ground. Very low-tech and very effective.

Our spiffy cold frame before going outside to help germinate veggies

This particular cold frame was designed and made by Jessie Pineault, a grade ll student at ESC de la Verendry in Thunder Bay. He did a great job on it, using left-over acryllic sheets used for window insulation.

So thanks to Jessie, we'll now be able to get a head start on our veggies, grown from organic seed-swap seeds!
Life can be good. Must be spring...

Cool Kitchen Tools

One more thing about last week's Duluth Sister Cities delegation we had the pleasure to host. Not only was it a pleasant experience, they also left us an interesting gift: a very cool cutting  board made out of recycled card board, made locally (i.e. Duluth) by Epicurian!

 It's well-designed, tough, knife-friendly, even dishwasher safe. And it's got these cool-looking silicone gripper edges so it won't slide all over your counter top.

And not only that: the company has some inspiring ideas about how to run a business in an environmentally responsible fashion, investing in wind power, using renewable and/or recycled resources, diverting nearly all excess heat and materials to a co-generation plant, and only using non- or low VOC-emitting manufacturing processes.

You gotta love it when a company sees the bigger picture and not just the bottom line - and makes a good product to boot! Check them out at http://www.epicureancs.com/

Sister Cities

Friday was a busy day for us - and for the Duluth/Thunder Bay Sister Cities delegation. It was Thunder Bay's turn to receive the Duluth Sister City folks who were touring a slew of "green" intitiatives in and around town for their very full 3-day stay.

We were pleasantly surprised and honoured to receive a phone call from Sarah Kerton, Thunder Bay's Community Environmental Action Plan Coordinator, to be included in this tour. Sarah was in charge of the program and responsible for making it all happen - not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.

The delegation's stop at the Eco Centre was scheduled at the end of a busy day that included visiting the harbour front development, Eco-Superior, the Water Filtration Plant - and the frozen solid Kakabeka Falls en route to the Eco Centre, of course.

We weren't sure what to expect, but what ever it was we expected, it wasn't this cheerful, almost giddy bunch of wonderful, warm and interested people. It was a treat to show them around, answer their many questions and see their enthusiasm grow by the minute.

Of course it helped there was some excellent food to be enjoyed (thanks to Jacomyn's excellent French carrot soup and some superb catering by the Metropolitan Moose). And the fact that they had brought their own wine & beer didn't hurt, either.
 
So here's to cross-border collaborations and inspirations, may we learn from each other on many more enjoyable visits!

Want More?

Well, the first trial series of Confederation College's Green Adult Education classes is behind us, and with a total of approx. 65 students attending we're very happy to report it was a success. Two of the 4 classes sold out, even.
We're also very happy to see the student evaluations ranging from positive to absolutely delighted with many asking for more; could we be on to something here?

"Please Sir, may I have some more?" (from the movie "Oliver Twist")

It looks like we'll be back for the spring session, and if that's even remotely successful as this winter series we may well become the "green fixture" on the Adult Education program.

This winter the classes were limited to "Living Off The Grid" and "Introduction To Solar Power". Our question to you: are there any other green topics you'd like to see us cover? Wind power? Energy Conservation? The Meaning Of Life? Other ideas, suggestions? Let us know, drop us an email, post a reply!

Looking forward to hearing (reading) from you - mabe see you this coming spring!