Getting Drunk the Green Way

Now here's a topic for the masses! Lately we've been trying to drink more "green" by trying to stick to a 100 mile liquid diet! :) We're lucky in BC to have some great and affordable wines and beers from our region. We also have Washington, Oregon and California relatively nearby as backup! You don't have to live here to find affordable local options though. They're all over the place! Here's a little help on drinking more eco friendly....

Wine:
When looking for eco friendly wines you can go one of two ways. Organic or local. Obviously be have a plethora of wineries here in BC so I consider myself lucky. Much of the rest of Canada does not have the luxury except maybe for the Niagara Region in Ontario and a few other little spots. Another way that people are going these days is bottling wine themselves. I don't know a ton about it because I've never done it but I know you can usually choose from a few different varietals and this seems like a very economic way to buy wine. I would still ask where their supply comes from and shop around if you live in a city with several options.

Organic and fair trade wines are starting to pop up all over the place as well. They are really growing in popularity. Unfortunately I haven't tried any but if you have then I'd love to hear about some good ones. For the most part I've just been buying locally with maybe 1 out of every 10 bottles coming from outside of BC. Thanks to our amazing BC government our liquor prices are the highest in the country. (Booooo!!!!) It is getting increasingly harder and harder to find a good bottle under $15. :(

Here are a few of my favourite BC wines that are found at BC Liquor stores (If you go to the Okanagan do not come home empty handed! There are many other great wines out there that BC Liquor does not carry!):

See Ya Later Rance - Riesling $16.99

Tinhorn Creek Merlot - $17.99
Prospect Winery Pinot Blanc - $12.99


Beer:
We have some great microbreweries/craft brewers in Vancouver and throughout the Sea to Sky. It's been awhile since I have drank a beer that doesn't originate from the lower mainland. You don't have to live here to get local beer. There are small to medium sized breweries all across Canada. Many of them sell offsales at the brewery or even have them in provincial liquor stores. Here's a few from around here...

Whistler Brewery: http://whistlerbeer.com/index.php/brewery  If you scroll down there is a list of offsale brews available (closest liquor store for you Cheakamus residents!) and I believe the lager is available in Whistler liquor stores.

Howe Sound Brewing: http://www.howesound.com/brewery/beers.aspx  We have been drinking a lot of this lately.   The big bottles are great for Friday night dinner or bringing along to a friend's house in my opinion. The perfect amount of beer in a very nice, stylish and completely reusable bottle. They take them for returns at Howe Sound or the bottle depot. They are available for offsales and at the liquor stores but more selection is available at the brewery itself.

Granville Island Brewing: http://www.gib.ca/local-flavours.php  I drink this a bit less but I do enjoy the Winter Ale very much. It is a pretty popular beer and is available in most of the liquor stores around. Granville Island is also a much more popular beer on tap in the Sea to Sky.

There are definitely more beers in our region. Just go to a liquor store near you and pick up a few beers. It will always say on the package where it was produced and it's always nice to support local companies. If you've tried some other local beer and/or wines that you really like let me know!

Programming your way to lower heating bills

So we're at the tail end of the winter but if you have a cooling system in your house the info in this post can also be directly applied to that as well. Do you have a programmable thermostat? I've been taking notice around and it seems like a lot of people still aren't on that train. We got on it last year and this winter we saw dramatic savings in our heat bill.  (sources say you can save 20% annually!) They range in cost (about $30-$75) but I think I got mine at Rona at a crazy sale for like $15. It pays for itself within one month in the winter I swear!

Look at the features before buying based on how you live. For example some you can make a separate program for every day (mine), some have one for weekdays/weekends and other may only have 1 setting. This would only be ideal if there is someone home at your house most of the time (and your dog doesn't count)

Basically you can program it for up to 4 times a day. Mine is set to 19C just before we wake up, 16C during the day, 20C just before we get home, 17C just before we go to bed. I would suggest not varying your temperatures by more than about 5C degrees but there is no point in paying to heat your house while you aren't there or sleeping! Lowering your overall temperature by a degree or 2 can  also have big effects over a 30 day period. In my opinion if you are wearing just a t-shirt in your house in the winter you're being an energy pig!

Another fun fact is that room temperature can play a crucial role in how well you sleep. I normally don't have any trouble sleeping but insomniacs tend to have a higher core body temperature than normal before bed. So maybe take that into consideration.

Also I realize that many people are renters. I don't know of many landlords that would be opposed to installing a programmable thermostat. If you pay your own utilities, foot the cost yourself, it's worth it with our winters. I now regret not doing that at the last house I rented. If you don't pay utilities but your landlord is constantly complaining about how high your heating bills are then make the suggestion. You can easily change it yourself with minimal tools. If you need help, Home Depot peeps are really knowledgable or you can send me an email and I can help you out (I do electrical work for a living for those who don't know).

Drowning in Paper?

Want me to tell you about something pretty awesome? OK! Have you switched to paperless billing? If you haven't then you should. It's awesome! All you need to do is log into your online banking or create accounts for your utilities (just keep using the same unique username and password and it will all be easy to remember) and find where it says to go to paperless billing. (usually not very hard to find) You can normally access up to about 18 months worth of bills or statements at any one time to view or print off if you need to.


Also, on all of my online bills I can download them as a pdf file and save them on my computer so I've created folders that are handy for tax time. Awesome. You get an email when a new bill is due. Awesome. Now I hardly ever have a huge stack of papers on the corner of my desk waiting to be filed away and I don't have to worry about throwing out any documents that a garbage snooper might pick up.


These are the online statements I now get...
1. TD chequing
2. TD savings                                             
3 & 4. CIBC credit cards  
5. Royal bank savings
6. Telus Internet
7. Bell Mobility
8. BC Hydro
9. Terasen Gas


Think of ALLL that paper I'm saving every single month! AND all the paper I don't friggin have to deal with anymore! Like I said.. it's AWESOME! You should do it too!


If you've switched I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments section or if you have a bit of trouble with computers and need some guidance on how to get there let me know. I can help!

Do you think going Green costs too much?

I often hear people say that going green is too expensive. Last time you went to buy laundry detergent the "eco" detergent was twice the price! Who can afford solar power for their home??!! We can't afford a hybrid car! Going green isn't about having the newest eco gimmick it is about living simply. Its about cutting back on what we don't need. Making more responsible choices and realizing that just because a company says we "need" something doesn't mean we actually do!

Take an honest look around your home. Open a few cupboards, closets and drawers. Take a look in your garage or the "spare room" that's off limits. How much of the "stuff" can you live without? Can you live without the happy meal toys, the swiffer dusters or disposable batteries? How about the shirt with the tags still on it, the deep fryer you took out once or the tennis rackets you thought you'd use?

When you start to see how little you need, it starts to become empowering. Here is "Becoming minimalist"s take on the domino effect of simply living that I would have to definitely agree with:

• Cleaning out your closets –> leads to utilizing a smaller storage more effectively
• Using a smaller storage more effectively –> leads to making fewer purchases
• Making fewer purchases –> leads to saving more of your money
• Saving more of your money –> leads to getting out of debt
• Getting out of debt –> leads to less financial stress
• Less financial stress –> leads to greater personal freedom
• Greater personal freedom –> leads to more time to pursue your dreams
• Time to pursue your dreams –> leads to increased happiness and personal fulfillment.

I listened to a really great speaker named Adam Hart (poweroffood.com) a few weeks ago and he said something very interesting that stayed with me. "Your ego likes to keep you comfortable" People generally do not like change. The purpose of my blog isn't to burn holes in wallets, preach deprivation or turn you into a modern day hippie. It's just to re-evaluate your choices and their impact on the earth, others around you and yourself.

We've been making only simple changes so far and I've already seen a positive impact on our lives. I can only hope that a few more people decide to make changes as well. And as the old saying goes.... 

Less IS more.

Meatless Mondays

So there is a new trend developing called Meatless Mondays and I think it's great.  Hope that intro didn't scare you off fellow meat lovers because read on for some very tasty recipes... before that, here's some harsh truths about meat. Its bad.  Not only is it bad for the environment... it ain't so great for us either.

It's pretty easy to find out why meat is bad for the environment these days. There is a slew of documentaries out there now on the subject ranging from animal cruelty to the amount of greenhouse gasses animal agriculture contributes to (18% by the way). These are a few of the reasons we've decided to cut back.

"But I need my protein!"  Trust me... you'll get enough protein even if you don't eat meat. Meat is hard to digest and not only that it can cause obesity, diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. Don't even get me started on the amount of antibiotics and hormones they pump into animals these days.. you're eating those too!

Ok enough convincing. I'm not vegetarian, neither is Jeff but we are working towards making more responsible choices and eating more sustainably so why not start with Meatless Monday?? It has a nice ring to it! So next time you're eating out maybe think twice about ordering the meat lasagna over the veggie (in my experience the veggie is often better) or skip the meat lovers pizza one Friday. It only takes small changes to make a big difference! My old roommate only ate meat on Weekends, making it more of a treat in his life instead of a staple.

I understand it can sometimes feel hard to make even small changes. Especially when you're used to cooking certain meals and you may not have the time or money to try new ones. For at least the next 5 Mondays I will post a delicious Meatless recipe that we are making that you are bound to enjoy. I promise you!

We've been trying to whenever possible to buy locally now. Pemberton beef is very readily available(and affordable) at Nesters these days. It's been there constantly for a few months. They have even had Squamish Valley pork for a few weeks! Does anyone know if there is any local chicken or eggs in our area or if they normally any farmers at the market in the summer with them? This is the one thing I haven't seen around.

You can view the recipe if you look at the upper left hand side of the blog under "Pages" or by clicking here http://stayingskiable.blogspot.com/p/yam-quesadillas.html  Hope a few people get to make it!

Save the Butter!

Butter can be expensive these days and since I've been on a budget I've been looking for ways to cut back. I'm kind of against margarine (for a variety of reasons ranging from its bad effect on cholesterol to the amount of processing it takes to create it). The butter/margarine debate goes awhile back but if you've googled the bad effects of margarine and are still with me on the butter train then read on... 

Soft Butter Spread

1 cup butter (room temperature or 2 sticks) - often on the package theres a little measuring stick so you can cut off exactly 1 cup

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup water 

1. Using an electric mixer, blend butter on HI until fluffy.

2. Continue mixing, and slowly add oil. Continue mixing and slowly add water. Mixture will be very light and fluffy!
3. Chill until set. 

It's like the whipped butter you would get in a pancake house. The only thing you shouldn't use it for is baking. I put my butter in a container like so... and keep it in the fridge (and its always soft)

This is why I love this recipe:

1. Adds more good fats (Olive Oil) and reduces calories (water) per Tbsp

2. More spreadable so you use less

3. Its delicious! 

Since it's the weekend I thought I'd also include a recipe to put this on. Before we went to see Jeff's parents in the fall I had never had homemade pancakes in my life. Only boxed ones. Well I have been converted! These are so quick and easy to make, you know exactly what is going in them, you don't have to store an extra box in your cupboards or throw away an extra box at the end. You could even pre mix the dry ingredients in bulk before hand and keep them in a sealed jar. 

Mama Lislois Pancakes (hopefully this isn't a secret recipe I'm giving away :)

1 egg

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup buttermilk (I never get buttermilk so I just use regular milk and then "sour" it by adding a couple drops of vinegar or lemon juice) 

So ya you mix it all up... and if you've ever made pancakes before you know the rest. I'd also recommend adding a Tbsp or two of ground Flax Seed (for fiber) you won't be able to taste the difference but adds a few nutrients to these fluffy dreams. Enjoy!

Painting Today

I've been taking on quite a few new little projects at home since I've had some extra time on my hands. It's crazy what you can do with some paint, time and elbow grease.  Paint fumes are a nasty thing. Latex took over oil decades ago (stay away from it and alkyd paints aka more chemicals) and now paint fumes are on their way out as well...


Ok so the nasty thing in most paints (the stinky fumes) are called VOCs (Volatile Organic Compound). They not only have an effect on the environment, they also have an effect on human health and are emitted from painted surfaces years after the paint has been applied! We've been breathing them in most of our lives, but now more than ever we're spending more time in our homes and less time outdoors (statistically as a country). I actually found this quote on Environment Canada's website:


"Respiratory, allergic, or immune effects in infants or children are associated with man-made VOCs and other indoor or outdoor air pollutants"


K so here is what I found out in the past week when I was going to do some painting around the house...


I find that the people at my local Home Depot, Rona and Benjamin Moore have indispensable amounts of information. In the past researching online what type of paint to use on what and where has just left me frustrated and confused. I don't use the internet for painting much anymore since I've realized how much these people know about paint. They also know about VOC's and there is 1 important fact you need to know:


Paint and Colourant (the tint) are TWO SEPARATE THINGS


If you put VOC colourant in zero VOC paint then you pretty much nullify your effort. Frustrating. Another rule of thumb is the darker the colour the more VOC's... Rona carries a line of zero VOC paints but their colourant still contains VOCs. I was only getting an off white and painting a small space so I made the executive decision to go with it. Here are a few companies to use:


Farrow & Ball: A UK based company, they only have one store in Canada and it's in Toronto so if you live in the GTA then go to these guys. They carry a high-quality clay-based line, free of VOCs, biocides, fungicides and ammonia.
Eco-House: A New Brunswick company that tapped into the German concept of using liquid quartz minerals as a base for its paint.
Benjamin Moore: Carries a line of low and zero VOC paint AND colourant.
Colour your Home & General Paint: Both carry lines of zero VOC paint.


Some of these brands are more expensive paint (and better quality) than your local hardware store but we're talking a $15-$20 difference per gallon and a gallon goes a long way. If you are painting a new house or doing major reno's is an extra $50-$100 going to be the determining factor in the air you breathe for years to come?




** To leave a comment on google blogs you must either already be a member of google (ie gmail) or sign up as a member which is fast and you can use your existing email address .

Composting 101

We've jumped on the composting bandwagon.  We are now in our second week of composting and it has been very easy and going great. If you live in Whistler or Squamish it's really easy to do and here's why!

In the Sea to Sky we aren't allowed to have backyard composting because of bear issues. I may tackle backyard composting at a later date but for now it would be really great to just convert a few more locals into taking part in the organics program we currently have. This is what you need to get started...

1. A separate container or garbage can.

Yup thats it! You don't even need a bag for it. (Although if you do decide you want to use a bag make sure you get bags that are Compostable NOT Biodegradable.) There's a difference and Carney's does not accept the latter. You can then take your bin to Function or Nesters where there is an Organics bin. If you are in Squamish the Carney's yard is located on Queensway basically halfway between Walmart and Tim Hortons.

This is what you can return for composting in our area:

• Fruits, vegetables, plant stalks, peelings
• All food scraps, bones, meat, fish, dairy, nuts, bakery discards, nuts, pasta, cereal, sauces
• Flowers and houseplants
• Coffee ground with filter and tea bags          
• Certified compostable bags and containers
• Wood stir sticks
• Soiled paper napkins
• Small household volumes of clean sawdust, woodchips, and shavings (no cedar)

Here's a photo of what we started to do for composting although you will notice that the smaller bin is for composting and we are finding out that it is filling up faster than our bigger garbage can. Jeff made this handy slider drawer with some extra wood that was around. You can also buy that sort of thing at Home Depot or Canadian Tire.

Ok now get composting! I swear it's really easy, will make you feel good for doing something and I stress again... it's really easy!

If you don't live in the Sea to Sky then I would suggest either contacted your local landfill to see if they have a composting program (this is what Jeff originally did and I have to give him all the credit for starting us on this program) or Carney's has a guide to home composting that you can even have inside if you have a good area for it: http://www.carneyswaste.com/how_to_go_green/worm_composting.html

And lastly to the sweet, caring individual who decided to throw carpet, clothes and other trash items in the Squamish compost bin today. You're a douche. That is all.

Sloooooww Dooowwwnn

Well I'm sure everyone has noticed that gas prices took a dramatic hike as of late. I know I have. I was on empty the other day and $50 didn't even fill my little 45L Mazda 3... sad. Since moving to Squamish I have become a commuter. First driving to BCIT everyday, then work in Whistler and now to go skiing. Before becoming a commuter I was a standard 10km over driver. Now I'm a 20k over. Time is precious and I don't want to waste it in my car! Great philosophy. But as I have been quickly finding out... expensive philosophy.

My car has a little "info" button on the dash which allows me to switch between various stats of information on my mileage and gas consumption. Two that I sometimes use are current km/100L which updates live how much gas you are currently consuming and also how many "km" are left in my tank of gas. This is just an estimate based on your average driving habits and consumption.. so sometimes not so accurate.

The other day to Whistler it was a pow day and I didn't have time to stop for gas on my way out with just under a quarter tank left. Normally with my regular driving habits that won't get me there and back but I decided to experiment. On the way there I mostly kept a constant speed of 90 (instead of 100) except speeding up a bit when going downhill and then dropping my speed on major hills. On the way back (basically dropping 2000ft) it's crazy how much of the drive you can keep a constant speed over 80 in Neutral! (aka Mexican Overdrive). I made it home with gas to spare!

Here's a few tips on getting maximum gas mileage:

Tire Pressure: Check your tire pressure regularly. Improperly inflated tires (and that also means if one or all are reading at different pressures that can negatively impact your consumption)

Clean off your car manually: No one likes getting in a cold car... I get it. But cars (except maybe an old diesel) only need to warm up for 30-45 seconds. Any longer than that and you're really just melting the ice of your windshield instead of taking 15 seconds to scrape it. (aka being a princess)

Slow Down! Driving over 70km per hour forces your car to overcome tremendous wind resistance so keep that in mind when you're putting the pedal to the metal.

Regular Tuneups: Make sure you get your oil and FILTER changed when you're supposed to... a bogged down filter can up your fuel consumption. 

Unload your Car: Do you really need to drive around with your roof box full of your 3 different pairs of skis and snowboard you never really ride plus your bike on the back in the winter just incase? Probably not. Weight ads up quickly so why not just unload your car of unnecessary belongings. Sure it may not make much of a difference on a 5 minute trip. But lugging a bunch of stuff around all the time could definitely make a difference. And that includes that giant mushroom top of snow you didn't brush off this morning.

Anyway I would say these are the main ones although theres others such as don't accelerate too quickly (the people that drive on my street should really read my blog), keep a more constant speed, if you have a standard shift into a high gear as soon as possible, avoid reversing when you can and don't overfill your gas tank (can spill over on hills). 

Hopefully this cuts down your bill a bit and of course helps the environment at the same time (oh and for arguments sake obviously; walking, biking, public transportation and vehicles that consume less to begin with are always the better choice!)

What the heck is SLS?

So I have a lot of ideas for blog posts but I won't divulge them all at once... it was hard to decide where to start but I thought SLS was a good starting point since it's something that has had the biggest impact on my personal hygiene as of late....

Would you use a product that was a known skin irritant? Could create hormone imbalances? Irritate your eyes? Cause hair loss? How about something that was a non carcenogenic? Well I would assume most people would answer no to the above questions but if you don't know what SLS (and I didn't either until about 2 months ago) is then you are DEFINITELY using every single day!

What is it? It's stands for Sodium Lauryl (or Laureth) Sulfate. It's found in anything that foams so.... soap, shampoo, hair dye, bubble bath, toothpaste, mouthwash... and the list continues. Go take a look around your bathroom and cupboards on the ingredients list... It's normally the second ingredient and you'll be surprised!

I won't go into more detail about the ins and outs of SLS. Now that  you know what it is, information on it is very readily available online.  I just stumbled across it myself when I was looking into why the skin around my mouth, neck and back would become irritated (from toothpaste, shampoos and bodywashes most likely). So I've been striving to go SLS free..... here's where I've gotten so far...

Toothpaste: No more crest! Or any major name brands for that matter. They all have SLS. At first I went to a local health food store and got a tube called The Green Beaver the lady at the counter recommended it. I didn't really consider the flavour was Green Apple... kind of different. It took a big getting used to and one thing that I liked was it didn't leave a super minty taste in my mouth for morning brushings before breakfast. This could also be really good for kids. I finished it all but realized I liked the minty freshness before going out so the next tube I got was J/A/S/O/N pure natural & organic.  I just got it at Save On.. they actually have a pretty good selection of SLS/Fluoride free toothpastes (also known skin irritant). Next I think we are going to try and make our own toothpaste (moving towards zero waste) since toothpaste tubes aren't recyclable. I'll let you know how that goes...

Shampoo: Shampoo was a bit harder since I like using Salon brands and have used Redken for years... not anymore. My hairdresser said more companies are starting to go SLS free but the main one right now is Pureology. If you don't like shelling out that kind of dough on shampoo then I also found a a brand that Shoppers Drug Mart carries called Live Clean. I've been using the volumizing shampoo for a few weeks now and I like it!

Bodywash: Any health food store should carry a variety of SLS free bodywashes. I just picked one up from the store near Nesters in Squamish. However, once I'm finished that bottle I think I am going to switch to primarily using Rocky Mountain Soap products (http://www.rockymountainsoap.com/) they have a store in Whistler (but you can also order online) and have little to no packaging on their soaps. Plus everything is SLS free so it will be easy shopping and less label reading.

Anyway if you happen to try any other SLS free products (not just limited to toothpaste, shampoo or bodywash) then I'd love to hear what you think!

That is all!

Hello? Anybody out there???

So today I had the grand idea to start a blog. Everybody's doin' it. K not everybody but with all this extra unemployed time on my hands lately and a severe budget cut coupled with lots of extra time for reading and web surfing... I've learned a few new things. Jeff and I have been working towards eating healthier and more sustainably and working towards a less waste lifestyle. I won't go into the blah blah blahs about Global Warming but well we believe in it and we also love skiing so we'd like to do our part in helping the snow fall. This will outline our exploits, ups, downs and adventures along the way. Hopefully some people read this... if not... well.. I can always count on my mom. Love you mom!