What I'm Doing —
Writing a Letter to my MLA About EPR
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) shifts the costs of managing recyclable materials from municipalities to producers. This starts with a mandate to producers through provincial legislation. Full EPR moves financial AND operational responsibility to producers. It is one step towards a circular economy—and economy that aims not to dispose of any materials. Did you know that you can contact your MLA to talk about EPR? I encourage everyone to do so as establishing EPR in Alberta would remove a tax on Albertans. Here is the letter I wrote if you would like to copy and past it in an email to your MLA (please edit as you see fit):
"This email is to inform you of my support for developing the baseline study for developing an EPR framework in Alberta.
I support EPR in Alberta & don’t want to pay twice for recycling. Thank you, please let me know if you need anything else from me."
What I Made —
This is a freebie I made exclusively for newsletter subscribers. If you would like to get access to all the goods enter your information below in the “Join Our Community” section.
What I'm Watching —
Mission Blue
Do you know who Sylvia Earl is? I didn't know a lot about her before watching Mission Blue and wow is she an inspiration. Mission Blue is a documentary that follows oceanographer Sylvia Earle's campaign to save the world's oceans from threats such as overfishing and toxic waste. I really loved this documentary and highly recommend it. It truly is amazing what one person can accomplish.
Who I Interviewed This Week —
Toward Zero Waste: A Study in Reducing & Managing Lab Waste
The University of Calgary is developing plans to become a zero waste community. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome for the University is how to thoughtfully design a zero waste system for research labs as this type of waste requires special handling. Master's student Gideon Choi is currently researching this & his goal is to design a best practice manual that minimizes & potentially eliminates lab waste at the University of Calgary research labs. This research could provide benefit to Universities around the world. Be sure to catch my next live research interview coming up this Wednesday March 10th on the economic feasibility of clean cooking technologies in Ethiopia.
What I'm Starting to Plan —
Organic Vegetable Gardening
I'm starting to think about what I'm going to plant in my community garden this year so. I'm starting to do some garden research as I know it's getting to that time to start our plants from seeds indoors. Last year I planted cucumbers, swiss chard, a sunflower and lots of tomatoes. What I learnt from last year was that it's a good idea to plant veggies which sprout up at different points in the summer because last summer I planted mostly tomatoes and most of them weren't red until September. I felt like I was waiting all summer long to eat the veggies from my garden. All the rain last summer may have had something to do with it as well. HERE are some other great resources I'm looking at in regards to gardening.
March's Hot Tip —
Sharing is caring. Share something you've learned about sustainability this past year with a friend, family member or co-worker. When we know better we can do better.
That's about it for me. If you have any feedback, a favourite part or suggestion to share about the above please let me know. Also, if you have any suggestions for future "What I'm Budding About" newsletters I'd love to hear them. Have a wonderful week and let's keep creating a green future together!
The future is bright,
~Kristin