Green Fair @ NWCC

[SuzyQBC]

Yesterday I got together with a friend and checked out the Green Fair at the Terrace campus of Northwest Community College. I was disappointed to see they didn't have any large signage up on the campus pointing to the building the fair was in, announcing that it was happening at all. Well, I did see one sign on the east end of the Dudley Little bridges, but nothing other than flyers on campus. We first checked out Kiva, thinking maybe it was happening in there - turned out to be some other conference. So we walked over to the cafeteria building and found it there.
It was a small turnout - booths by WWF Prince Rupert, Save on Foods promoting organic foods, Silvertip Promotions with a table showing green products (wine bags, aspen cutlery, solar powered items), NWCC, Northern Savings promoting their loans for green/smart homes, Do Your Part recycling services, Services BC, Terrace Community Garden, GM promoting their fuel efficient vehicles, a table with hemp & other products, Your Decor, a company promoting green cleaning products for industrial businesses, and a geothermal company from Kitimat. Did I miss anyone?

The fair runs Friday October 3 and Saturday October 4, 10 am to 4 pm. There are presentations in the afternoon and Saturday there is a live band playing in Kiva.

My friend had some fun checking out the different booths, gathering info - she's on an environmental/natural resources career path, with plans to attend Malaspina College next year. I was hoping for a bit more "stuff" although I couldn't quite put my finger on what "stuff" I was looking for. Down the road I'd like to build a greener home so I'm interested in solar/wind/geothermal products. Where were the companies that build green homes? Or companies that install solar panels, solar rooms, wind turbines.

What do you do to reduce your footprint?
I'm already a customer of Do Your Part recycling - the additions I'd like to see there are recycling for styrofoam and computer supplies like CDs, old floppies, etc. I take much more to recycling than I put in the garbage.
I compost my kitchen scraps & I try growing a veggie garden every year (semi-green thumb)
I've cut down on my use of plastic grocery bags. I've replaced most of my lights with more energy efficient bulbs. My furnace is on an electronic timer that lowers the temp at night and when I'm at work.
I'm trying to be more aware of the products I buy - is it all recyclable? Recently I realized after I'd bought a plastic tube of skin cleaner that there are no recycle codes on it, so I can't throw it in a recycle bin.
I avoid buying bottled water as much as possible. Why pay for something that I can get out of my tap and already have to pay for? (By the way a Clear H20 filtered jug is a great item to have - works like a Brita without any charcoal taste + has an indicator that says when the filter needs replacing)
Driving - I try to keep my driving to a minimum. And I check my tires about every two weeks to make sure the pressure is right all 4 tires.
I retired my old gas mower and bought a reel mower. It's quieter, no gas fumes, and takes the same amount of time to mow my lawn as a gas mower. Plus I don't have to worry about not having enough gas to finish the yard.
I rarely need to hop on a plane and fly somewhere.

Other items I'd like to add to my list would be using rain barrels. Using more mulches in my garden beds. Replacing more lawn with garden beds. Buying a more fuel efficient car. Having solar panels/wind turbine to offset my energy usage. If I didn't live on the bench on Thornhill I might be more inclined to ride my bike to work, but I haven't made that attitude change so far. And our winters are usually wet enough that I wouldn't want to ride my bike in the slush.

So, what's your opinion? Start a blog, or post a comment in one of the green/environmental groups listed on this site.