What has changed since last year?
That was the main question when we began planning this second
edition of Green Halifax, a guide to sustainable and environmental
living. The answer: lots.
We’re in a recession. The good work local businesses are doing to
exercise their ecological conscience is now so much harder. But the
need to reduce—the first and most important part of the “reduce,
reuse and recycle” axiom—should be easier when money is tight.
Right?
Another change is what we like to call The New Normal. By this we
mean the mainstreaming of environmental concerns. We’re no longer
including businesses or organizations solely by their example of energy
efficiency. Conserving energy, reducing emissions and saving
money—everyone should be doing it. See page 52 for our New Normal
shortlist.
An adjunct to the mainstreaming of the environmental movement is the
awareness of greenwashing—that is, appearing environmental to look
good or make sales. We’ve been as diligent as possible in assembling
this guide, but in the end, it’s up to you to ask questions: Was this
food grown nearby? Was this product manufactured fairly? How far has it
travelled?
The 2009 edition also includes businesses, events and organizations
that have cropped up in the year since the last one, or that we missed
the first time around: They’re easily spotted by the “New” button. If
you think we’ve missed others who are doing good green work, don’t
hesitate to get in touch with us. We will be updating Green Halifax’s
online component through the year.
We hope we can point you in the right direction, and help preserve
our planet for future generations.
Carsten Knox, carstenk@thecoast.ca
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2009.