EARTH CHARTER & THE ENVIRONMENT

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Steven Rockefeller said, "We cannot care for
people in a world with collapsing ecosystems.
And we cannot care for Earth in a world with
widespread poverty, injustice, and violent conflict."

Please note that this web page is under continual development as new issues and questions arise on how to apply the Earth charter in our daily lives. If you have further submissions or questions, please email us at earthcharter @ sgicanada.org (no spaces).

Earth Charter & the Environment

Environmental issues are perhaps the most direct issue that faces individuals in developed countries. It is also perhaps a good first step to help people think about ways to truly live a sustainable way of life.

The ultimate goal of "sustainable living" is simply to be as efficient as possible in our consumption of resources. This means to waste as little as possible as we carry out our daily lives.

In all practical terms, we need transportation, water, food, electricity to live in our modern society. But how we transport ourselves, how we use our water, how much food we consume--and waste--and how much electricity we use can have a huge impact on our society, and in more broader terms, on the world.

How does our consumption affect people around the world?

In our increasingly globalized world, we are becoming more connected to other people through trade. Most of our food is imported from other countries, particularly our fruits and vegetables. Fruits like bananas, papayas, mangoes and others generally come from developing countries. Farmers in those countries sell their products to exporters, who in turn sell them to importers from countries such as Canada. But our massive consumption of these native fruits may be causing their extinction.

Farmers in developing countries--in need of money to survive, must produce more fruit if the price is very low. We may only pay 49-79 cents per lb. for bananas, but it's likely the farmer received only a fraction of that. If the price drops even further, the farmer will need to produce even more fruit to receive the same amount of money. this can force them to sell fruit that may otherwise be used to plant more fruit trees, or used as their own food.

Therefore, our consumption patterns here can influence production patterns elsewhere.

The same is true for oil and gas consumption, and even electricity.

We have collected some internet links below to help build awareness and promote change in consumption habits to improve the efficiency of our resource usage.

ELECTRICITY (links open in new window)

B.C. Hydro "Power Smart" Tips	This web site provided by B.C. Hydro provides examples of how to conserve energy usage at home, providing statistics on how much energy (and money) can be saved by being more efficient in your power usage. Everything from heating, water conservation, to lighting and appliances are discussed with tips for conservation for each.
B.C. Hydro h.e.l.p. sheets	This web site provided by B.C. Hydro contains a lot of downloadable information, "Home Energy Learning Program" sheets on specific ways to improve energy efficienty in the home.
B.C. Hydro Conservation Lesson Plans	This web site provided by B.C. Hydro contains educational materials for teaching students about energy efficiency. Lesson plans are provided for specific grade levels, from Grades 1 to 12. It includes many games for primary age students, and projects for junior and high school students.

ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS (links open in new window)

Natural Resources Canada Alternative Lighting Products Web Site	This federal government web site contains information on the benefits of using more energy efficient lighting products. It includes information about related environmental issues, available programs, educational resources for kids, publications, regulations and available incentive programs.
Energy-Star Program Web Site	This federal government web site provides information on the Energy Star program that identifies appliances and products that are the most energy-efficient products on the market. There is a list of qualified products, information for retailers, a FAQ on the Energy Star and EnerGuide programs as well as information on incentive and rebate programs available.
Environmental Choice Program	This website contains an extensive list of products and services that are third-party verified to be environmentally responsible. The list includes everything from environmentally responsible investments to office supplies, appliances, cleaning supplies, and many other product categories. It also includes the criteria used to evaluate the products and services.
Second Hand Savvy - Second Hand store directory and magazine	This Vancouver-focused web site contains a directory of second-hand stores for a variety of products from antique stores to recycling depots. The web site encourages the re-use of items that people may decide to throw away to a landfill. The site includes an e-zine on second-hand shopping, and is encouraged on the GVRD web site.

WATER CONSERVATION (links open in new window)

Greater Vancouver Regional District Water Conservation Web Site

This GVRD web site contains information and tips on how to conserve water, both for residential homes and for businesses--both of whom use large amounts of water on a daily basis.

RECYCLING INFORMATION (links open in new window)

Greater Vancouver Region "Just the Facts" on Recycling	At the bottom of this web page are downloadable brochures on the "life cycle" of recycled products. It includes information on plastic recycling, glass, aluminum, cardboard, newspapers, and composting.
Recycling Council of B.C. Hotline	The Recycling Council of B.C. has a toll-free, comprehensive service that provides information on waste reduction, recycling, disposal and pollution prevention throughout the province. If you can't call, they have an email address available also. It's an invaluable resource for those interested in finding out information about recycling anything in B.C.
Encorp Pacific (Canada) - not-for-profit stewardship corporation	Encorp Pacific (Canada) is a federally-incorporated not-for-profit corporation that serves to promote product stewardship of recycleable containers. The web site includes resources about which bottles and containers can be returned and their deposit amounts (for B.C.) as well as recycling information and statistics.
Product Care	Product Care is an industry sponsored not-for-profit stewardship association that manages product stewardship programs for landfill-banned products such as paints, flammable liquids, pesticides, and petroleum products (gasoline, engine oil). While the association currently only has programs in B.C. and Nova Scotia, it's a good resource for information on the subject.