pretty little eco things

What I'm liking at Terra 20 right now:

Ecojot Baby Books (made in Canada - 100% recycled paper)
Nkuku enameled kitchen ware (fair-trade & env. friendly principles)
GLO organic cotton throws (made in India - Australian company)
Klippan throw pillows & blankets (made with 100% eco-wool)
El Naturalista shoes (T20 carries three kinds - not boots shown above)
Global Amici glassware (100% recycled glass - U.S. company)

Ottawa Green Bloggers

Green is everywhere these days!  I remember stumbling upon Green Living Ottawa's website in 2007 and finding it so inspiring that someone was sharing their efforts to be more eco-conscious.  The information that Alette Willis provided was valuable, as there were not many local options and sources available at that time in Ottawa and if you wanted to make Green Purchases you had to go hunting for anything and everything.

Things have evolved since then: now in 2013 Ottawa has the very first GREEN DEPARTMENT store and sourcing and choosing environmentally-friendly products is easier than ever.  There are still strides to be made.  It seems that eco and organic are easy if you want to replace plastic or purchase children's items or consider organic fair-trade food or decide on a chemical-free beauty routine.  You can even get organic bedding and towels at almost EVERY big box store now! But some purchases are still hard and will only become easier as more and more people make GREEN choices when they shop.

Since I'm not posting as regularly here are some other blogs that you can visit to get the most up to date info on Green in Ottawa:

Terra 20 Crew

Urban Hippie (of Ottawa Magazine)

Melissa Shabinsky (Ottawa-At-Home writer, eco-preneur)

Green Living Ottawa 

Eco Mama 


Happy green living and sourcing!!

Local Eco Shopping

Terra 20 is planning on opening up more boutique locations right here in Ottawa.

Where do you think the best locations would be?  Vote now on Facebook!

Personally a downtown location (which is currently getting the most votes) worries me as it would duplicate stores already established in central Ottawa including the EnviroBoutique, Arbour, Herb and Spice, Market Organics, Adorit, the Dalhousie stores and the Oresta boutiques.

Terra 20 has a large cosmetics section, children's section and food section which would only replicate what other stores are offering downtown. 

Since Arbour was looking to refresh itself last summer - maybe that is the best option - give the GLEBE a new updated Terra 20 Boutique.  It's a great location that is easily accessible by transit and bike, it's close to Eco Cite the first Enviro Friendly condos that were built in Ottawa, the new development at Lansdowne would add to the customer base once it's complete and Glebe has been environmentally conscious for decades!

I do hope that Terra 20 truly considers what other local businesses are offering before it moves into a neighborhood and prices other businesses out.  The store certainly seems to understand that supporting a local economy is key, we just need to see what their next move is!

From Eco Mama (for the house)

In 2010 and 2011 Eco Mama made quite a few eco changes to her household.  I found many great suggestions as she came up with a new eco habit to adopt each week.

I especially liked her ideas/green tips for around the house including:

• Bathroom fan timers
• Furnace fan (turn to auto)
• Turn air conditioner off at breaker
• Shop at butcher to replace styrofoam & plastic wrapped meat
• Portable containers for small snacks
• Pledge to purchase rain forest certified flowers or local
• Make your own scrubies

  Check out more of her suggestions at her blog: Canadian Green Family

Ottawa Eco-fabric Available (in limited quantities)

Since it was going to take years for IKEA to be able to offer a true organic line and it would be hard to purchase organic fabrics online, I've been desperately searching for a local source where I could purchase curtains and/or upholstery material.

From my research, the best place to go for eco-friendly fabrics (such as organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, corn, and flax) in Ottawa was said to be Rockland Textiles at 2487 Kaladar Avenue.  An article from the mid-2000's quoted the manager: 

"Natural fibres are becoming more prevalent among manufacturers," explains Rockland Textiles manager, Susan Wilkinson. "We have a huge gallery of books and we can order all kinds of material. These are beautiful fabrics with a wide choice of colours and textures. And the price point is not always higher."

Sadly when I arrived and asked about this "huge gallery of books with all sorts of selections" I was told that they have a limited selection presently - that they down-scaled after it was shown that the demand wasn't as large as they had thought. They did point me to a handful of books but sadly the selection had nothing to offer me. Avante Garde and Topaz were two of the lines that they still offered and if your taste learns towards the more traditional and classic, then you may find what you want.  You can see that the books are marked with green leaves to indicate that they offer a greener choice including Eco Cotton and fabrics "woven with respect for the environment and free of harmful substances".  The bottom picture are the colours fabrics and patterns that caught my eye but unfortunately none of them were an eco choice.

carbon-netural bar (York Street)

 
Have you heard about Ottawa's first "carbon neutral" nightclub?

It's called the Green Room at 130 York Street.

It replaced the Industry Room and its name is a play on the green room that performers/entertainers lounge in before or after their gigs on camera or on stage.

The website boasts lush booths, clean flow, and a spacious dance floor and explains that they erase their carbon footprint, by pledging to purchase and plant trees.

infra-red heating

I've been keeping myself warm (and my cat!) with a portable infra-red heater this winter when I'm home that was  bought at the City of Ottawa's Enviro Centre.  My partner likes the house cooler than I do (which is good!) so my office is where I hole up for many months, only coming out to snuggle under a blanket with him to watch movies on the couch!  :  )

Seriously though, we were talking about the possibility of adding one or two of these to our house as we renovate (see pictures below).  I especially like the idea of one in our bathroom.  Of course that renovation isn't scheduled for another ten years but it's great to know that there is this option!

Infrared Heating Company: Redwell Heating.  Prices start  at around $1000 (except for the round ones which are a lower price).  I love that they can be disguised as chalkboards, mirrors, etc.  I first read about these at BEC Green.