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Are you an Ecoholic?

Photo: Dustin Rabin
Adria Vasil is bringing us to the next level of eco-friendly with her new book
Interviewed by Lindsay Borthwick
Nov 6 2009 at 6:48 PM EST

Adria Vasil’s mother raised her to believe that you can change the world just by changing your little corner. It seems that this celebrated Canadian eco heroine can’t stop the domino effect she started with the Ecoholic revolution happening in Canada and beyond. Her new book Ecoholic Home is already influencing readers with informed, affordable and practical advice on how to green your home on any budget, going on to test the brands making the big green claims to help you make the right choice. While changing your ways at home is just the beginning, it’s a great place to start.

Was the experience of writing your new book, Ecoholic Home, any different from the last?

Yes, in so many ways. For one, green has become really mainstream, especially in the Home section. When I wrote the Home chapter of Ecoholic, it was really hard to find items for people, such as sustainable furniture or organic sheets. (They were all going to be $400 and beige.) And, if you wanted to make green home reno changes to your house, it impossible to find all the building materials and so on that I was talking about. The country was really starved. But now, The Brick sells furniture—dining sets made out of rubber trees that are no longer productive. And Bed, Bath & Beyond has tons of organic bedding, hand towels, that kind of thing. Green has permeated the mainstream.

Why do you think it struck such a chord?

I think they found it approachable—it’s kind of a friendly reference manual. And there really weren’t any other Canadian-focused books that gave specific lists—here’s where you can buy a Canadian product that is green. There was a real appetite for that. It was also right when people were getting enthusiastic about the environment again. In 2004, when I started writing the column [“Ecoholic,” for Toronto’s NOW magazine], there were 10 people out there paying attention! But by the time the first Ecoholic book hit, the scene had completely changed.

Did that make the writing easier or harder?

A little of both. It has become much easier to find green products, but there’s also more greenwash out there. We had greenwash a few years ago when we did the first book but now it’s astronomical. You really have to keep your wits about you. So I made sure to include in Ecoholic Home a guide to decoding greenwash and a guide to decoding all the green labels out there.

The other change is the recession. It has had an interesting effect on the environment. Green stories aren’t on page one [of most newspapers] as much as they were before the recession hit, but people inherently started going back to some of the green home strategies that our grandparents used in the Great Depression to save money. Without necessarily thinking about it, we’re starting to turn the lights out more, consuming less and ultimately realizing that this is exactly what they meant when they said going green could save you money.

Didn’t North Americans do the same thing during the oil crisis of the 1970s though, and then by the 1980s, they’d gone back to old habits? Are you hopeful that this change is going to be long-lasting?

Oh, I have no concerns at all about the environment coming back front and centre on the agenda. There may have been a temporary dislodging of the environment from the front page but climate change is going to continue to put it toward the front of our minds. And, in fact, the recession hasn’t changed the way Canadians feel about the environment—they’re still greening their homes, they’re still buying organic food… It’s just that people aren’t talking about it.

So why Ecoholic Home, a book centred on changes you can make around the house?

Statistics Canada says that Canadian households are responsible for 46 percent of the nations climate cooking emissions. So it’s an area where we have so much potential to change, even through the tiniest actions. You’re breathing in the air in your home every day and you want it to be as safe as possible. It’s intensely personal so it’s a great place to start.


I also think that the home is a tangible place for people to make changes. You can see pollution coming into our homes in the form of air fresheners and the furniture you buy, and people are freaked out that this is making it’s way into their actual private space.

Consumers are faced with a choice all the time: Support companies that are green through and through or the companies with a limited offering of green products plus many other conventional products. Do you get flack from readers when you suggest the latter option is okay?

I always try to explain why I’m including the mainstream brand, and to say that the top choice is to support the local, Canadian-made option that’s independent and Mom-and-Pop-owned. But if you’re not going to buy that or if that’s not available near you then at least these companies are making products that are more accessible to the average consumer who would not have considered a green product before. So I’m not against it.

Did you do product testing in the first book?

No. In the first book, I definitely made sure to include my opinions of products in the writing but it wasn’t formally laid out. In this book, I thought it was really important to do because people will come up to may and say, “I tried a few green cleaners and they were terrible, so I’m never going to buy a green cleaner again.” I thought it was really important to then say, here’s a review of 8 natural cleaners and these four sucked and these three were pretty good and these 2 were amazing. So at least you know where to spend your money. If you get one green thumb up then that means the product is equivalent to “spit in a rag.” So, it’s a no hold’s barred product testing chart, for sure.

What do you suggest renters do to make a difference?

I’m a renter myself and so I know that as a renter you can’t start putting in FSC-certified cupboards and that sort of thing. That’s why it was important to me to put the big home reno stuff at the back of the book. So the first three-quarters of it is really accessible to everyone. It goes through things like cleaners to how you wash your clothes to your sheet choices. The thing is that even under the heating section, while you can’t go out and buy a new furnace, you might be able to talk to your landlord about figuring out how to change your own furnace filter on a regular basis. You can change your showerhead for only $30 and you can put a toilet dam in the back of the toilet for only $5 to save on water. You can unplug all of your electronics when you’re not using them to save 10% on energy. And what you bring into your home is really the same whether you live in an apartment, a dorm or a 3,000 square foot house. I included a section on greening your first apartment, and one on greening your dorm. Instead of running out to get that Teflon pan for your new place, go to Zellers and get an Earthchef pan for $29. It’s made out of ceramic instead of Teflon, so you still get the non-stick factor for young chefs who don’t want to deal with cast iron. Shop for your furniture on Craigslist and buy in bulk. Stick to green cleaners. I also threw in some fun stuff like throwing green movie nights and banning long showers from your house.

These are all great ideas, but how much to these small lifestyle changes really matter? Are they enough?

I think it’s a starting point. Your home is ground zero, so I think once you make the changes in your home, then you can branch out to working on changing the world around you. You get inspired. You get on a roll. Now, not 100 percent of people will end up lobbying their politicians, but I did make sure to include a section in the book on building sustainable communities, on going beyond your own household. Really, municipalities and neighbourhoods are where the most exciting action is really happening—neighbours banding together and saying, “We should buy a bunch of solar panels together so that it’s more affordable. Or, let’s band together and petition our politicians in order to find out what’s in that weird warehouse next door to us—if there are any toxins in there that we should be worried about because of kids playing nearby.” So I’ve made a real point of saying that connecting to your community—and making changes within that community—is really the most important thing you can do.

You’re saying that we need to go beyond just being green consumers?

Right. We don’t want people to become lazy—to assume that if you buy recycled toilet paper that is definitely going to change our world. But those are important first steps to make because once consumers get educated about toxins and the environmental ramifications of all the products they purchase, it makes them more aware of the environmental ramifications outside of the home. You start perking up and wondering, okay, so there are VOCs. And how does that lead to smog? And what about smog? How can we make it safer for my kids to breathe? Like I say in the book: We can’t buy our way out of this mess. It can’t start and end with shopping. It can start there but it can’t end there.

For more green news, tips, innovations and debate, served with a strong Canadian point of view, visit greenlivingonline.com

Comments

Green Coat Hangers. Did you know approx 300 billion wire coat hangers end up in landfill every year? 'the smart hanger' www.thesmarthanger.com is made from 100% recycled paper and is in turn 100% recyclable in the blue bin. Reuse as long as you like and then don't feel guilty when you throw it away. What better way to live? - Hooked on the environment.
Submitted by Leigh Meadows (guest) on Fri, 12/04/2009 - 12:47.
Re. comment below: As the roads become less congested the incentive to carpool will decline, thus foiling your brilliant plan (though it's still much better/mor convenient than calling a taxi or trying to take a bus). The only real solution is the congestion that we have achieved (there must always be an equilibrium). Unfortunately we have achieved it at great expense. The only hope is to stop building new or wider roads and then graduallu remove and narrow the ones we have. But yeah. Why post this here?
Submitted by Scott (guest) on Fri, 11/13/2009 - 09:49.
heh, drive'r buddy. Why post that here though?? whatev
Submitted by Cara (guest) on Thu, 11/12/2009 - 18:39.
My husband and I have a proposition that will take half the cars off the road, cut down on gas consumption and cut down on pollution. We would like to present our proposal to you. The GPS Solution ghostchild007@yahoo.com It is a fact that there are far too many vehicles on the road today. The result is traffic jams, accidents, and worst of all, pollution and wasted gas. Another little known fact is if three or more people are in an average car, it can be the most energy efficient mode of transportation per person/mile traveled. The customer, both driver and passenger communicates wirelessly with a computer through a form of G.P.S enabled device with mapping capability. Voice and cell phone capability may be employed but is not essential. There are GPS systems available from many companies for cars and people. Many cell phones and cars already have GPS and communication capabilities. Now, lets take this idea and add it to the idea of “Car Pooling.” Some individuals already take advantage of this form of transportation to save on gas, to share expenses or to save on the stress of having to drive for hours every day just to get to work and back. Car pooling is very inefficient though as you must find the person to pick up. You pick them up and drop them off etc. You often need to go far out of your way. Car Pooling currently works best when you are traveling longer distances.. Here is how the system would work. The passenger inputs a destination and the fact that he is ready to leave in a GPS enabled devise plus his security code to verify he is who he says he is. His system is connected to the central computer. A driver with a car enabled GPS devise who is signed in to the system and who is going to the node in the passengers path is directed by his G.P.S. system which is tied to a central computer. A node is a transfer point or hub and it is an intermediary way point on a persons journey. The G.P.S. tells the driver how and where to turn to the passengers house. He then proceeds to the node, possibly picking up others as he goes. At the nearest node, all passengers get out and are directed by their GPS to a car going toward their final destination. Since lots of cars or other modes of transportation are headed to Toronto, for instance, but few or none to Huntsville, the devise will send that person to Toronto if that is the best current option to eventually get him to his destination in Huntsville.. He passes through nodes until he reaches his destination. Small towns may have a few nodes, mostly on major roads out of town. Cities like Toronto would have hundreds. Nodes would be located by major roads, bus, train, subways and transport interlinks. In major cities most on road parking would be replaced by nodes greatly reducing available parking and greatly increasing the incentive to leave your car at home but picking up and dropping off people very convenient.. Remaining parking would be available to people who participate. As the central computer knows who it sent with whom, it can charge passengers and credit drivers. Security can be assured by the fact that it knows who is traveling with whom. How Does Everyone Pay For This Passengers pay through credit cards, debit cards, or a Pay Pal type of system which is integral to the system. They are charged by the computer for mileage. Now the driver needs to be paid for his time and his gas. His GPS is also registered with the main computer which can actually read the passengers accumulated mileage on his car. So the driver is paid for his mileage for each person who travels with him. More passengers means more revenue. If he is doing personal traveling, he simply doesn’t sign in to the main system. He cannot fool the System. If he is alone in his car, there will only be one GPs signal. A stolen GPS can’t be signed in unless the thief has its pin number. Can Buses and Trains get in on this As bus and train stations are nodes they can easily participate and be paid by the system, no ticket or cash required. Taxi companies can do short hops, mostly doing local pickups and deliveries of passengers. Because they can pick up and deliver several rather than just one or two passengers, it would be profitable. No carrying cash or worrying about being paid. The driver could operate without a cab company or just do it when he is not busy or dispatched by the cab company. Emergency vehicles can be dispatched through the GPS central computer if someone uses emergency features that could be built into the personal GPS. The fact that they have an exact direct map to where the emergency is will speed things up. Again, less vehicles on the road will make the path clearer and quicker. The General Motors “Onstar” system has emergency services. With similar GPS enabled service an old person takes a fall, pushes the emergency button on his or her device and medical information is available to the paramedics who are on their way and can now be prepared. The individual would not even need to be in a vehicle. Designated Drivers Young people with a GPS including girls who might not like the behavior of the person they are out with would find this service essential. If an individual has been drinking, or a young person finds he has had too much and doesn’t want to take the chance on driving home he can go through the GPS and node system to get home safely. This will take a great deal of burden and worry off parents. It will add to the feeling of safety for young and old alike. Who Can Use This System? Let us also consider seniors who have no vehicle, have one but are afraid to drive at night, are nervous in traffic, or who for health reasons are no longer able to drive. They must depend on family members, taxis, buses, and friends to travel, get groceries, attend doctors appointments and of course have some recreation. Children must get to school and back. The school bus people do their best to accommodate however, what if a child is taking special classes and has to be taken by a parent on their way to work and back? What about hockey, dancing lessons, music lessons, etc? Parents become a taxi service whether they want to or not. What about the people who cannot afford a car, are not in the immediate area of the bus route, or want to travel to another city to visit family and friends? How many small towns have no transit other than taxis. What about those who are handicapped ? Getting from point A to point B can be a challenge not to mention having some simple recreation and socialization. Men, Women, Children, the elderly, the handicapped, emergency services, customer services, bar tenders who may be worried about a customer (and it is their job to see that the person doesn’t drive while intoxicated.) Doctors, nurses, teachers, students and the list goes on. Information/Privacy All information will be kept strictly confidential in the main computer including the personal information about the individual, their residence, their financial situation, their health concerns and their preferences in drivers. Each will have a specific code number recognized by the computer as it categorized each rider and driver. Using security codes or thumb prints will prevent someone using another GPS which will stop the theft of the units. The individual can update his/her profile at any time. Such things as changes of life style, living accommodation, area of employment, disability etc. can be easily changed and updated through the internet.. It would be advantageous for both drivers and passengers to obtain a police clearance as more people would be happy to travel with them though it does not have to be mandatary. What Can The Government Do? The government can provide seed funding and they will need to set up nodes and node parking for the project. They can also provide carrot and stick incentives to both riders and drivers to use this system. The government can also encourage publicly owned transportation to participate. It also needs to decide who controls the central computer. It may need to be a public utility. If one company owns it, it could become a monopoly . Many companies should benefit by providing products and services from this proposal. Public policy decisions must be made. The television stations are relinquishing their TV frequencies. Some of these frequencies may be required to run the system as they can penetrate through buildings and structures. The car industry will be of great help by putting a compatible “Onstar” type system in new cars and trucks. New style cars may become popular to attract riders. The older vehicles can be equipped with a GPS system for a reasonable cost. Cost of the units will fall dramatically with large volume. This system will work for virtually everyone who wishes to participate. Gas usage will drop, traffic accidents will drop, pollution will drop all because of this universal private/ public transit system that will get anyone from point “A” to point “B” efficiently, comfortably and with very little inconvenience to the drivers. As the roads become less congested a participating driver will arrive at his destination faster than if he did not because he is not sitting in a traffic jam and because he is given access to HOV lanes, preferred parking, etc. This type of system will have to come into existence as energy resources and the worlds ability to deal with current conditions are finite. For further information contact Robert and Belinda Joseph 21 Trillium Way Paris Ontario N3L3P9 519-442-1466 or e mail us at allpeopleinmotion@ymail.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED COPYRIGHT BY ROBERT AND BELINDA JOSEPH 2008
Submitted by Lynne Joseph D.S.W. S.S.W. R.L.F. Education Consultant (guest) on Thu, 11/12/2009 - 17:36.

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