We hear the words “sustainability”, “green” and “LEED” every day, but have you ever wondered what these words mean to the people who use them? The Great Sustainability Photo Challenge aimed to address what sustainability means to individuals through the use of imagery.

Staff members were encouraged to produce a creative photo montage to describe what sustainability means to them. The judging panel, comprised of members of o-vert’s steering committee, selected the following entries in first, second and third place:

FIRST PLACE: Tiina Vahtola – “Sustainability”

SECOND PLACE: Mike Watts - “Read Between the Lines”

THIRD PLACE: Robin Bailey – “Balance”

A bathroom is intended to be a space for cleansing, and relaxing; a room important to your overall health and well being. Why is it then that we use this room as a place to douse ourselves daily with over ten different chemical filled products (on average) and then proceed to swathe the rest of the space with other chemical-filled cleaning products? Beats us.

Take the rituals of the bathroom back to the basics. With a few changes, you can create a room that really is good for your health and in turn, kind to the environment.

Water go down the hole.  Most household water consumption comes from the bathroom; whether you’re showering, taking a bath, flushing the toilet or brushing your teeth. Install a low-flow shower head, a low-flow faucet aerator and a dual flush toilet (or dual flush retrofit on your existing toilet) to cut down on your water consumption. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving and watch for a dripping tap when you leave the room.

The Lucky Loo.  Toilet paper is the only disposable item that should be found in your bathroom!  Remember to recycle the rolls when they’re used up and buy toilet paper that is made from post-consumer recycled product. And no, we don’t believe in disposable, one time use, flushable toilet brushes.

Sparkling Surfaces.  Vinegar and baking soda are truly the best cleaners you could use. Not only are they non-toxic, they are cheap! Vinegar doesn’t leave streaks on your mirrors and baking soda will remove scum found on the sides of your tub. Don’t snub it, until you rub it! There are also a myriad of green cleaners out there today but be careful of green washing. Read the fine print and if it’s the scent you’re looking for, find something that uses essential oils instead of perfumes. 

Towels and Linens.  For cleaning, use re-usable rags, brushes and microfiber cloths for glass. Microfiber is also great for removing eye make-up, just dab some water on a cloth and wipe, no product necessary, we swear! There are ‘biodegradable’ wipes out there, but avoid them if possible (they’re costly, packaged and still a waste). For drying off, look for towels made from organic cotton or bamboo. Bamboo is naturally anti-microbial so it’s great for a humid environment. Lastly, skip the cotton balls and makeup remover pads for a face cloth. It’s great for removing make-up and also naturally and gently exfoliates. Who would have thought?

Volatile Vinyl.  If you need a new shower curtain steer clear of the PVC plastic. That new shower curtain smell is filled with chemicals that you breathe in every time you step into the room and even more when you’re in your steamy shower. Canada’s environmental defence hopes to ban PVC from all shower curtains for its health dangers including respiratory problems, kidney and liver damage and headaches. If you already have an old vinyl curtain, don’t worry, it has probably lost most of its toxins over time and isn’t a danger. 

Let your skin glow. While green skincare is a topic in itself, it is a significant part of the bathroom ritual.  Our skin absorbs whatever we put on it, so we are exposing our bodies to chemicals every time we lather up. No one really knows how certain chemicals affect us as time goes by, but if we can refrain from using so many, the safer we’ll be. More than 1,000 ingredients have been banned for use in cosmetics in the EU where only 10 of those are banned in the US. Keep it simple when cleansing and don’t get sucked in by advertising. Many cleansers and moisturizers have ingredients put into them just to make them sound like  the best product out there, when really, the special ingredient either doesn’t do anything or is simply not concentrated enough to give a result. And if you can’t say it, don’t use it!

 Sources:  Planet Green, Don’t go to the Cosmetics Counter without me, Granville Magazine

• Greening your Halloween Tricks
• Calculate your Water Footprint
• Low-impact Camping
• Green Your Paper
• The Frogfile Story

Click here

Which lights do you prefer? Vote!

It seems our building landlord, Bentall, has undertaken a pilot program to use 20 times less energy in the elevators. How might you ask? Very simple, by changing elevator #8 (back right-hand elevator) from standard incandescent filament light bulbs (6 bulbs at 60W each) to LED light bulbs (6 bulbs at 3W each). This change has made a huge impact in the building’s energy usage. The added benefit of the change is the LED light bulbs project no heat into the space whereas incandescent bulbs make the small space in the elevator hot especially at 5pm in a full elevator. The other major benefit is a major decrease in hazardous waste as the LED bulbs last close to 15 years until a new bulb is required. The incandescent bulbs are most likely changed monthly by the maintenance crew. The light quality is slightly different as the pictures show; the LED lights give off a slightly cooler light temperature, but have a very crisp quality to it. Look up the next time you are in the elevator!

Let’s let Bentall know we support their initiative. Just imagine if Bentall were to change all the light bulbs in all the elevators and even in all public spaces! What a major impact this would make on the energy footprint of our building!

If you live in an apartment building, bring up LED lighting in your next strata meeting. It will save energy and save money. This minor change will make a huge difference!

Omicron is excited to announce that its sustainability-focused blog, o-vert.com, was recognized at the recent New Media BC PopVox Awards ceremony.

These awards honour the best of BC’s Digital Media Industry. Omicron’s web design firm, Switch Interactive, received an award for the design of the o-vert blog, winning in the “Best Do-Gooder (Social Change Initiative)” category.

For more information about the awards program, please visit http://www.popvoxawards.com

I ran across an interesting City initiative to alleviate the automobile’s stronghold on transportation, reduce traffic and pollution and raise healthiness and happiness! The name comes from the combination of ‘Velo’ which means bike and ‘Libre’ which means freedom - BIKE FREEDOM. The idea behind the program is the City will provide shared bicycles at a low cost to the public. The program costs a small amount to start and trips under 30 minutes are free. The program now includes 20,000 bikes at 1,500 stations which means that you are never more than 300 yards from a Velibe bike station. The cost of the program includes the maintenance on the bikes and the stations. The City progressively approached JC Decaux, which is the largest advertiser in the world, and they agreed to do all the maintenance on the bikes and the stations if they were allowed to advertise at each of the stations. This is worth approximately $60 million to JC Decaux to advertise at these new outposts. As part of their maintenance program, they have used ‘clean fuel’ trucks to move bikes from overpopulated station to bring them to maintenance (they have a computer tracking the usage from each station). The maintenance is actually done on a barge that floats on the Seine River so they are mobile and don’t require rent.

It is a wonderful initiative that is the first program in the world of its kind. The program has doubled bike usage in the City - up to 2% of all commuter trips. It has spurred programs in London, Sao Paolo, Venice and Montreal here in Canada. The only downfalls thus far have been some theft and purposeful hard use and vandalism due to a lack of perceived ownership.

The program has created a new social network in Paris and inevitably in any City in which it is implemented. We should urge the City of Vancouver to become one of these leading progressive Cities that implement a program such as this. Let Gregor Robertson know we want this - it’s a small cost to fundamentally change habits!

Paris is also starting a similar program called Autolibe which will be a car sharing network of a similar nature that will be non-petroleum powered cars for short trip use. I have seen a battery powered fold-up car from MIT that is a prototype - really cool!

The TV program I saw this on was called E2 (squared) - the Economies of being Environmentally Conscious - it’s a weekly PBS program on channel 5 (the Knowledge Network) that is narrated by the hunky Brad Pitt :). Watch it, you will learn something and maybe get motivated!

http://www.pbs.org/e2/teachers/teacher_308.html

How are YOU going to vote in the provincial elections coming up on Tuesday, May 12th? 

The Market Insights Forum series had a pre-election special in which representatives from each of the major parties had an opportunity to speak about GREEN BUILDING!  Not one of those boring debates on issues that don’t always affect our way of life, but one at the center of what we do. 

The session was moderated by the wonderful Helen Goodland (no I’m not kissing up to the boss!) from Lighthouse and background presentations were given by Juvarya Warsi from Lighthouse, Dave Ramslie from the Sustainability Development Program at the City of Vancouver and Keith Sashaw from the VRCA.  The information and metrics they presented were extremely interesting to set the scene, especially the forward role the City of Vancouver is taking in their ‘Getting to Zero’ program by 2030.  The program attacks the issue as they look at first conserve by reducing demand by 50%, secondly increase efficiency via performance codes starting in 2016 and updating every 5 years, and lastly by infusing renewable energy sources through an energy policy plan.  Dave is an enormously entertaining and engaging speaker, if you ever have the chance to see him speak - do it. For a copy of Dave’s presentation, click here: strategic_approach_to_carbon_basic

The politicians then spoke - the NDP, Green Party, and Liberals were there- the Conservatives came down sick (hopefully they don’t forget about the issue!).

The NDP was represented by Shane Simpson and the centerpiece to their platform is the ‘Green Bond’ initiative that will infuse $10 billion (yes, billion with a ‘b’) over the next 10 years to invest in green issues including transit, infrastructure, retrofits, and a ‘green tech fund’. For more go to: http://www.bcndp.ca/

The Green Party was represented by Damian Kettlewell and he mentioned the Green’s commitment to green jobs, clean tech jobs, and energy conservation jobs, but the centerpiece of their platform is the BC-STV (single transferable vote) which would completely change the voting system to reportedly give a more fair representation. For more go to:  http://www.greenparty.bc.ca/

The Liberals were represented by Joan McIntyre and the centerpiece of their platform is the carbon tax including regional cap & trade and continuing the greening measures of the BCBC including extension of the ‘Wood First’ program. For more go to: http://www.bcliberals.com/

The highlight of the morning was when our very own Andy Kohler gave the last question to the politicians demanding more leadership by the government to set into law high standards to our green goals and allow the designers and builders to reach those standards with innovative techniques, otherwise it’s just talk and no action. It got a huge rise out of the crowd and surprised the politicians - GO ANDY!

Please make sure to get out and VOTE on Tuesday and celebrate our democracy!
There will be more Market Insights Forums coming up, check back for details.

It can be daunting as a consumer to go shopping in search of healthy and sustainable clothing when there are so many different options made from so many different materials. Environmental, social and health impacts are all factors in the textile industry and it is important to understand what you are buying.

The first step is to make sure you actually need something. The best practice is to not consume at all if you don’t have to!

If you are on the look out for a new outfit, you want to look for clothing made with textiles that were created from materials that are rapidly renewable, use a minimum amount of resources to grow, have little or no need for chemicals in their manufacturing and take into consideration animal cruelty and fair-trade.

Toxic Textiles. There are many man-made materials out there that should be avoided when looking for sustainable, healthy clothing choices. Some of the common materials are Rayon, Acrylic, Acetate and Nylon. These materials are either made of toxic materials or are manufactured with toxic chemicals in order to achieve the final product. If materials are labelled as “anti-static”, “stain-resistant” or “wrinkle-free” they are most likely treated with chemicals like formaldehyde unless they are naturally occurring (in natural materials!). 

Friendly Fabrics. There are many alternatives to the common artificial fabrics out there today. Although the manufacturing process of some of these materials needs improvement, they are a step in the right direction. Remember to look for organic as often as you can.

Hemp. Grows quickly and densely (keeping away weeds). Doesn’t require irrigation (only natural rainfall!) and is pest resistant (no fertilizers!). It requires minimal processing due to its long fibres, is long lasting and mildew resistant (naturally!). Hemp was originally used for rope on fishing vessels.

Bamboo. Is a highly renewable resource (some species can grow up to one metre a day!). Bamboo fibres are biodegradable, naturally antibacterial and breathable. During farming bamboo eliminates toxins from soil and prevents erosion. However, there are growing concerns regarding the farming practices of bamboo. Over 60% of the bamboo harvested in India comes from ‘protected forests’. It also requires an intensive manufacturing process to extract the plant into fibres.   

Soy Silk. Fibres are extruded from the by-products of tofu production. 

Wool. Is naturally hypoallergenic, moisture absorbent, flame resistant, static resistant and insulating (both to keep heat in and to keep it out!). There is high concern for animal welfare in sheep farming but organic wool is becoming more and more common. 

Organic Cotton. The farming of organic cotton is pesticide free and fair-trade. It can be grown in green or brown naturally (thanks to biologist Sally Fox!) The colour not only won’t fade, it will brighten after washing.  

Linen (Flax). This fibre is stronger than cotton, lint-free, durable and stain resistant. It is highly absorbent and can hold up to 20% moisture without feeling damp. It is cool to the touch and breathable. Some manufacturing methods of linen use extensive amounts of chemicals to loosen the fibres from the stalks.

Leather vs. Pleather. 

Leather is a durable and long lasting material. It can be dyed naturally and treated with natural oils to increase its longevity. Animal cruelty is a high concern when it comes to leather as well as the chemical processes to create some of the final products. 

Pleather is artificial leather usually made of PVC (aka vinyl) which is known to be one of the most hazardous materials known to effect human health. It is a vegan alternative to genuine leather (meaning no animal by-products!). Some alternatives to PVC type “pleather” are cork leather (durable and stain, scratch and water resistant), and ocean leather (made of kelp).

• Let’s Talk Trash
• Light House Sustainable Building Centre
• The Story of Stuff

March is monitors off month in our Vancouver office as Bentall launches the Great Monitor Shutdown Challenge. Through this campaign the Forever Green Tenant Team is encouraging all Bentall tenants to turn off their computer monitors every evening and when leaving the office for periods of time.

The Great Monitor Shutdown Challenge is a simple initiative that can save a great deal of energy. For every LCD monitor that isn’t turned off, approximately 22kWh per month (or $29 per year) is wasted. For every CRT monitor that isn’t turned off, approximately 67kWh per month (or $90 per year) is wasted.

Part of this campaign is a series of head to head challenges between like-sized Bentall tenants. Omicron has boldly stepped up to accept this challenge and has been paired with Cisco Systems. On a random night in the month the Chief Custodian will be counting the number of monitors left on in each tenant space. The tenant with the fewest amount of monitors on will be declared champion!

So, how can you help?

• Turn off your monitor every night before you leave (just the monitor, not the computer!)
• Turn off your monitor if you are stepping into a meeting or leaving the office for a period of time
• If you have a laptop and you leave it in the office at night, please take no action as the screen will automatically switch into off mode after a period of inactivity

While victory will surely be sweet, the real prize is the amount of power that we will be saving if we adopt this practice at all times. In our ongoing efforts to reduce our energy consumption and thereby our footprint, Omicron is excited and ready to take on this challenge for the month of March and beyond!

We hope that you’ll help by doing your small part!

• Turn-It-Off Campaign

• Deep Green Thought: August 29, 2008
• Deep Green Thought: September 5, 2008
• Deep Green Thought: September 12, 2008
• Deep Green Thought: November 7, 2008

With many of Omicron’s projects currently targetting LEED® certification over the past few months, several aspects of our Sustainability program have been formalized in order to facilitate this goal. Omicron’s green goals for 2009, as they relate to our professional practice, have been defined as:

• Create a proven and predictable process that allows us to complete projects efficiently with the highest possible level of LEED® certification.
• Demonstrate professional competency throughout LEED® project delivery, supported by training relevant to team member’s roles and responsibilities.
• Enhance effective communication of sustainability goals between the design and construction disciplines.
• Promote industry transformation, through alignment with sustainability-focused consultants, companies and clients.

To make certain these goals are achieved, several strategies have been outlined. Firstly, the roles and responsibilities within project teams - as it relates to working on LEED® projects - has been clarified. Education is key to this strategy, and in February, the following people will be attending a LEED®-NC technical review workshop, with the understanding that they will achieve LEED® Accredited Professional (AP) certification within the next 4 - 6 months: Joseph Bros, Karla Castellanos, Peter Joyce, Cameron Kemp, Jordan Levine, Alex Morrison, Deb Parliament, Lance Peters, Garry Phillip, Korey Roberts, Ajay Shah, Jim Spiers and Dan van der Werff. We also have several others, including members of our field staff, attending a LEED® for Construction session at Buildex in February. This aggressive education strategy is aligned with sector goals and performance targets. Anyone else keen to achieve the LEED® AP is also encouraged to do so.

Integrating sustainability goals into Contract Documents and the Construction Sector is also a focus this year. Training will be provided to our field staff regarding the very big role they play in delivering a LEED® building. Our specifications are also being fine-tuned to ensure the timely delivery of submittals by our trades, with LEED®-critical information submitted, reviewed and approved in the same manner as shop drawings.

The Omicron LEED® User’s Group (OLUG) is another initiative recently founded. OLUG consists of a group of individuals from each sector who are currently working on LEED® projects. The group meets twice per month to discuss specific aspects of their projects as they relate to the LEED® rating system. We have a full schedule this year, with each member presenting a session on their expertise when it comes to sustainable building. OLUG, along with o×vert members, will also be visiting LEED® certified buildings in Vancouver, to experience first-hand how green strategies can be successfully implemented.

The actual LEED® documentation aspect of project delivery has also been streamlined, and several documents, such as project phase checklists with LEED® credit specific milestones, a LEED® submittal timeline, list of green consultants, as well as updated and revised LEED® tools and calculators, have been added to the LEED® folder on the S drive.

The materials library is going green too. Look for the o×vert “leaf” stickers which identify products that will help our project achieve LEED® certification. We will also soon unveil an extension of our materials library, the Green Product Database, which will be an online and searchable version of the materials library.

In the next few months, we hope to build capacity in the LEED® for Existing Buildings: Operation and Maintenance rating system (EB:OM), and also to better track hours and resources spent on LEED® projects.

by Michelle Lee

As you can see from the article above, we will be very busy in 2009 building our in-house capacity and expertise in LEED®. I’m very pleased to be able to announce that Michelle Lee has agreed to accept the role of LEED® Manager for Omicron. In addition to continuing her architectural internship, Michelle will be working closely with me and the o×vert team to roll out this ambitious agenda. We anticipate that Michelle will spend (on average) about one quarter of her time on LEED®/sustainability related tasks and the balance of her time on project work. By now, most people in the office will have seen our “LEED® process” presentation and will understand that all project team members will play a part in our LEED® certifications. Michelle will be a resource to all of our LEED® projects providing advice and guidance on how to achieve green project success.

Please join me in acknowledging Michelle’s new role with a jolly green “ho, ho, ho!”

By Kevin Hanvey

• Do you bamboo? Get your LEED on
• Omicron’s LEED Gold Office
• Light House Sustainable Building Centre

Cotton has always been perceived as clean, fresh and organic. We wear it on our bodies, sleep in it on our beds and drape it in on our windows. But if cotton is natural, why are we seeing an increase in organic cotton? It’s an important question to ask, and here are some answers…

Why conventionally grown Cotton is BAD (and not so natural):

Conventionally grown cotton uses 25% of the world’s pesticides and 10% of the world’s insecticides. Almost 50% of the chemicals used to grow cotton are considered “possible”, “likely”, or “known” human carcinogens by the US environmental protection agency. (Did you know pesticides were originally developed from World War 2 nerve gases?)

Cotton farming affects the environment surrounding the farm: the soil, water, plant and animal life. Not only are the birds and the bees affected, but the farm workers and their communities are also at a significant health risk.

Why Organic Cotton is GOOD (and oh so wonderful):

Organic cotton farming is grown without pesticides. How do the farmers do it? These farms rotate their crops every few years by growing something other than cotton. This way, they create a diverse environment that is sustainable, enhances the soil quality and lowers irrigation levels. A natural environment provides habitat for natural predators who keep pests away.

By growing organically, farmers get a 50% increase in their income - due to a 40% reduction in costs - and the 20% premium they receive for producing organic cotton allows them to feed, clothe, educate and provide healthcare for their children. (Katherine Hamnett).

And no, not all organic cotton is dull, speckled and “hippy-looking”. When shopping for organic cotton or other eco-friendly fabrics, look at the labels and tags. If a company is being sustainable and socially responsible they usually advertise it.

For more reading:

http://www.katharinehamnett.com/Campaigns/Clean-Up-Or-Die/Introduction

• e² Design Series

Have you ever wondered how much you could reduce your waste by composting? Currently 30% of the waste going into landfills is organic waste that can be composted. Worm composting can work in apartments as well as households. After four months you will have your finished product, which can be used as fertilizer or can be made into potting soil by adding soil and vermiculite.

Acceptable items include fruit and vegetable scraps, plant trimmings, coffee grounds, tea leaves, and eggshells. Brown material, which can be added in moderation as bedding, includes leaves, newsprint, cardboard, dead plants, brown paper bags, grass clippings, and straw. Unacceptable materials include grease, cooked food including rice and pasta, meat and dairy, or grains.

Check out the attached brochure to learn more. If you live in the City of Vancouver, call the phone number on the brochure to sign up for a one-hour worm composting workshop that will also provide you with the compost container, bedding, and worms - all for $25! The session starts in March and fills up quickly, so reserve your spot now. Thanks to the City of Vancouver for subsidizing this program.

Also check out this neat photo story see how to set up your worm compost.

worm compost brochure

• Adventures In Apartment Composting
• No-Waste Lunch Event
• Good Bag, Bad Bag?
• Welcome to Garbage Month at Omicron!
• Office Fine Dining

Did you know that there is a way to change all computer settings on a network so that monitor, hard drive, and System Standby settings will reduce power usages when desktops/laptops are not in use during the night? Make these changes, and watch your carbon footprint, and your electricity bill, drop. Thanks to Paymon Mahdavi, our Systems Administrator, for sourcing this information and making these changes at our own office.Managing Power with Group Policy
by Mike Stephens, Microsoft Technet

The key to managing power on Windows XP is “Group Policy preferences” which is included in Windows Server 2008 Active Directory. Next, you need preference client side extensions that allow Windows XP to process Group Policy preference data. Client side extensions are available from Microsoft for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP.

Preferences provide two items you can use to configure power on Windows XP. The first of these items is the Power Option item. Figure 1 shows you the properties on a Power Option preference item. This is one of the great features with preferences—the configuration screen closely resembles the screen you actually use on the operating system.

Figure 1- Power Option preference item

The Power Option preference item gives you the ability to configure hibernation, prompting for password when the computer resumes. Also, you can configure the Power button action when you close the lid of the computer (laptop), press the power button, or press the sleep button.

One of the cool things about preferences is you have control over which settings you want to configure and ones that you do not. Figure 1 shows each setting in the preference item underlined with a single green line. This means the setting in the item is enabled and the setting applies as configured. Using Figure 1 as an example, the Always show icon on the taskbar is enabled but, the checkbox is not selected. During Group Policy processing, this preference item configures Always show icon on the taskbar, Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby, and Enable Hibernateas off. This result is because the setting in the item was enabled (green underline) and the checkbox is cleared (off). This is a very powerful feature because it allows you full control over the setting you want to configure and the setting that you do not.

Preference items are not policy settings, which means they are not enforced—just applied. Users with the proper privileges may have the ability to change the preference setting to another selection. However, preference item settings return on the next Group Policy refresh, unless configured otherwise.

The other power preference item is Power Scheme. The Power Schemepreference item allows you to create, modify, and delete power schemes. This allows you to configure a Windows XP computer to use one of the pre-existing power schemes or modify the settings included in one of the pre-existing power schemes or, just you create your own—it is your choice. Each power scheme has settings for two options: Plugged in or Running on batteries. From there, you define the time out settings for turning off monitors, hard disks, system standby and system hibernate. The Power Scheme preference item has the same enable/disable feature as the Power Option preference item and behaves in the same fashion.

The one difference with the Power Schemes preference item is the Action field. The action field determines the action Group Policy processing applies to the specific preference item. Configuring a Power Scheme preference item to Create; does just that—it creates a new power scheme. However, if, on the computer applying the preference item, a power scheme with the same name exists, the preference item does nothing. Delete and Update do just what they describe—delete and update. However, Update does provide additional functionality other than updating an existing power scheme with new settings. If you configure your Power Scheme preference item to update a power scheme that does not exist on the applying computer, then a new power scheme is created with that name. Lastly, configuring the preference item with Replace has similar results to using Update. When using Update, the Power Scheme preference item only updates the enabled settings within the preference item on the existing named power scheme—leaving all other settings as they are. Replace, however; actually deletes the named power scheme from the computer and then creates a new power scheme based on the settings configured in the Power Scheme preference item.

Other things to remember with power management preference items:

• You can configure power management preference items in both computer and user configurations. Understand, user configuration apply after computer configuration. This results in the user settings replacing the current power settings, which could have been from another preference item.
• Local Administrators are Administrators. This means they can change their power configuration. Standard users cannot.
• When Group Policy applies power management preference items; those items become the current power management scheme—even after the user logs off.
• Power management preferences item support background refresh—your settings can change.

• Unplugged: The Office Energy Audit

• Deep Green Thought: October 10, 2008
• Deep Green Thought: December 5, 2008

Did you know that toxins are everywhere, from the cleaners we spray on our kitchen counters to shampoos and even in some pillows? These toxins make their way into our bodies through inhilation, contact, and ingestion with air, water, food, soil, and products.

Many of the chemicals that we originally thought to be helpful, like DEET as an insect repellant, have now been found to be toxic to our nervous, reproductive, and respiratory systems.

A lot of our modern “conveniences” expose us to toxins, the effects of which are not highly publicized by the companies who promote these items. By reducing your exposure to toxins, you reduce your toxic load. You can make many of these changes today.

See this article by the Environmental Defence on the Top 10 Ways to Detoxify.

• Toxics Toolkit

The o-vert team kicked off another green year in style today with a festive welcome to staff as they arrived at Omicron’s head office. Mock mimosas, delicious organic banana bread slices and wonderful vegan brownies were enjoyed as the 2009 firm-wide green resolutions were unveiled. Staff in Omicron’s Calgary branch office and on our construction sites also received treats to celebrate the launch of a new green year!

This year, o-vert has asked each discipline within the firm to commit to a measurable green resolution (or two or three!) of their choosing. Representatives from the o-vert committee will be monitoring each group’s progress and helping them along when they fall back into old habits!

Click here for a summary of our 2009 green resolutions:  

The o-vert committee is also encouraging staff members to commit to personal green resolutions this year.  Individuals can post their resolution(s) in the comments below this blog entry, with a chance to win a $100 Spud gift certificate in our Green Resolution lucky draw taking place on Friday February 13, 2009.

Stay tuned for a calendar of o-vert initiatives for the coming year!

I have a confession…I love Scrubbing Bubbles’ Bathroom Cleaner and have been using it for years. It’s been top of the list when it comes to my weekly cleaning routine. After all, I watched the commercials with all of those little bubbles moving around all over those bathrooms, cleaning and scrubbing, leaving everything so nice and shiny. How much easier could cleaning the bathroom get?

However, lately my love affair with Scrubbing Bubbles has gone a little sour. The pounding headache and the rash that recently appeared on my hands along with the fact that the surface has began to peel off my tub must have something to do with the toxicity of my favourite cleaner. I can’t imagine a product that lists dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride as a main ingredient can be all that great for the environment either.

So, I decided to give Seventh Generation Multi Purpose Green Leaf and Mandarin Cleaner a chance to see how it would match up to my old standby.

First off, the leaf scent comes through strongly with the multi purpose cleaner, so the product has an almost biting scent. There is also a bit of a medicinal tone to the smell that I was not fond of. Scent is subjective though so don’t let that hold you back.

After the initial attempt I was generally happy with the results. The tile and tub surfaces became clean with minimal scrubbing. I was a little disappointed with the extra effort it took to remove the build up that seems to lurk around my collection of bath products and the lack of shine on the faucet.

I shared these results with my mom who is “the Queen of Clean”. She suggested scrubbing a little salt in the build-up areas and buffing the faucet with some vinegar and water. Using these environmentally friendly tricks along with the Seventh Generation Multi Purpose Cleaner worked great.

All in all, I am not crazy about the scent and it takes a little extra elbow grease to get the results I wanted, but I am definitely switching over.

Light House is located in the heart of Granville Island. Climb the stairs and you’ll enter the information and education centre. Here you will find books, displays, products, people and ideas that can help you make your home, place of work and community more manageable - more sustainable. Ask the staff as many questions as you like, or simply help yourself to a cup of tea and a book, sit down and take a moment to sustain yourself.

Light House delivers an array of resources for anyone interested in green building, from homeowners to architects to contractors. Their office serves as a visitors centre; it is a place to share knowledge and make connections. Inside you’ll find a large library of green products, exhibitions, and friendly staff to answer your questions. They host various speakers every Saturday, produce quarterly Market Insight Reports, offer a Green Building 101 non-technical workship for people wishing to green their home, provide healthy and eco-friendly home advisory services, as well as a Truly Green Home buying guide for those in the market for a new house. They are always working on new research, training, and initiatives.

Whatever your interest in green building, Light House is sure to be able to point you in the right direction and inspire you. Be sure to check out their website or pop in the next time you’re on Granville Island.

• Our Favourite Green Building Centres
• Omicron’s Green Practice Goals for 2009
• Omicron’s LEED Gold Office
• Do you bamboo? Get your LEED on
• Farmers Markets

For many of us, the beginning of a new year marks the beginning of a new set of resolutions. We look back at the actions of our past and forward into what we want or need from the future. It’s the perfect time for us to reflect on the environment, how we’ve changed our habits over the last year and what we can do this year, to have less of an impact.

Choose a green resolution and write it down. You can even post it somewhere; like on your fridge or workstation, to remind yourself of your goals. Start with a simple resolution and once you succeed move on to a more challenging one!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Look back at the green tips from last year and see if there is something that fell through the cracks; maybe you just couldn’t break that one habit (coffee cups, perhaps?) and you’d like to try again. With a new year you’ll likely feel inspired to do more.

Bring a re-usable bag everywhere, not just the grocery store and refrain from accepting a reusable bag from every store that offers them (the purpose is to re-use the ones you have so that there is less waste).

Repeat after me: “I will turn off the lights when I leave a room and encourage others to do the same.”

Buy a programmable thermostat to monitor your heating while you’re not at home and when you’re sleeping.

Install a low-flow showerhead in your bathroom. This simple change can reduce your water consumption per shower by half without affecting the ‘feel’ of your shower.

Increase your hot water heater’s efficiency by turning down the thermostat to 60˚C.

Sign up for the red dot campaign to rid yourself of the junk mail that just makes you want to buy more stuff!

Green your mind. Take a seminar on green building practices, watch a documentary on sustainability, or read a book on a topic that interests you (the LEED reference guide is a great choice). The more you know, the more you can do to help!

Take it outside! The best way to keep your green resolution this year is to spend more time outdoors.  Not only will your body thank you for the fresh air, but it will give to a chance to reflect on why you are making these changes in your life in the first place.

At this time of year, we tend to make new year’s resolutions that involve getting back into the gym, eating healthy, saving money, and quitting bad habits. But what about making a green resolution?

An easy way to support sustainability is by shopping locally. This reduces your carbon footprint, helps you strenghten and connect with your community, and also helps keep your neighbours in business during these tough economic times. For more information about the impact of shopping locally, click here.

This year, grab your coffee from an independent shop instead of Starbucks and your lunch from a cafe instead of Subway. Now’s the time to get your pants hemmed at the little shop on the corner, and get your boots repaired by the local cobbler. You’ll be surprised how much better you get to know your city and how much richer your life becomes when you step outside of your routine. It might take you a while to find your new favourite spots, but half the fun is trying all of the new places along the way.

Look for local magazines award editions and dining guides, which feature local hot spots. Vancouver Magazine has an online restaurant tool that categorizes by neighbourhood, cuisine, feature, and price. The Georgia Straight publishes a good Best of Vancouver list on everything from massage therapists to personal trainers. Vitamin Daily is a Canadian lifestyle blog that sends out a daily style tip. You can subscribe to the newsfeed for Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal (French and English), or Toronto or just check out the website. The tips often feature local shops and restaurants, and offer exclusive deals and steals.

By resolving to shop locally, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint and always be in the know!

• Greener Groceries
• Farmers Markets
• e² Design Series
• Living A Sustainable Lifestyle
• The Fabric of Our Lives

Success, of course, breeds imitators and the last 5 years has seen many BC municipalities’ adopt their own “sustainability guidelines” many of which are thinly disguised versions of the LEED® rating system.  This is LEED® “by stealth”.  Municipalities wish to encourage building owners, developers, consultants and builders to adopt more sustainable construction practices but because LEED® is constitutionally a “voluntary” standard, they stop short of mandating the adoption of LEED®.  This is, at least in part, because there is a cost to the owner/developer to register for LEED® and then to have an independent third party verify the level of performance through a certification process which costs several thousand dollars.

More insidious than the municipal approach of “LEED® by stealth” is the design and development industries’ adoption of “LEED® by association”.  As LEED® has increasingly become the currency of building sustainability, designers and developers (both wittingly and unwittingly) are seeking to gain market advantage by associating themselves with LEED®.  Expressions such as – “targeting LEED® certification” or “alignment with LEED®” are popping up on websites and “for sale/for lease” signs everywhere.  Both developers and designers are equally complicit in this abuse of the LEED® trademark.  LEED® is an “independent, third party system” whose viability and validity is directly attributable to its independence from either the designers or the developers of projects.  In decrying this misuse of LEED®, I often employ what I find to be a useful analogy about “organic produce”.  If – like me – it matters to you what food you put on the table for your children and you occasionally (or primarily) purchase organic food products, how would you feel about purchasing products from companies that were “targeting organic certification” or aligning their food production with “organic” practices?  Exactly.

LEED is far from perfect but it is evolving and it is the current standard of sustainable building measurement.  Beware of the pretenders “LEED by stealth” and “LEED by association”.