Toronto 'The Green', an environmental report card, was released today by the Toronto Environmental Alliance.

At a (sparsely populated) press conference in City Hall, the group focused on highlighting what they called the most significant issue facing the city: smog. Even though they give the City a B+ for efforts to reduce smog in 2008, they point out that many of the cities plans in this regard are not being given high profile and therefore risk failure from inaction. And after all, the state of global warming has turned out to be "worse than the worst case scenario" (okay I couldn't leave out mention of that somewhat dubious claim - but most of what they had to say was pretty solid).

Organizers of the upcoming Envirofest events at U of T found themselves in a tense situation with campus police over the weekend.

Leonard Josephy and a few friends, armed with green paint and a video camera, set out to create some publicity for the series of environmental events happening on campus from March 12th-21st. They made several green hand prints on the sidewalk, walls, posters, and statues.

Going green might be fashionable in one sense, but ironically I doubt too many people are aware of their green laundry options. And you might even want to consider letting someone else do it for you.

There are no shortages of wash & fold services in Toronto, where you can just drop off your dirty clothes off and pick them up cleaned and folded. You can even call for hassle-free pick ups. Many would quickly dismiss the prospect as an unaffordable luxury, especially given the current economic climate. But what if there was a case to be made that it is better for the environment?

It has been claimed that 75% of the energy consumption from apparel derives from the laundering after purchase and not in its manufacture or distribution, and that clothing is responsible for approximately one quarter of an individual's C02 emissions. Not too mention the chemicals (artificial dyes, synthetic perfumes and petroleum-based chemicals) we use in regular detergents and dry cleaning that end up in the environment and our bodies. Laundry services are making the argument that they now use super efficient washers and dryers, and many are offering green options that do not use harmful chemicals. There are services that brand themselves as specialty green options such as Greenlife but if you ask general launders such as Drycleaners.ca or Parkers Dry Cleaners (which only does dry cleaning, not laundry) they also either have a special service or make green claims about their normal process.

Pressure on municipal recycling systems is ramping up as cost increases are set to conflict with waste diversion ambitions.

Sorted recyclables have become ingrained in urban culture to the point where it's hard to imagine a different way of doing things, let alone changes as revolutionary as blue-box programs once were. People take pride in reducing their garbage imprint, but are we willing to put our money behind our established values? The recycling industry has grown in sync with rising commodity prices over the last decade - that have now plunged dramatically. Economic pressures and new regulation on the horizon are likely to combine to make recycling an altogether more costly endeavor.

We're going to see waste company profits strained and City revenues reduced. Toronto has estimated its revenue from selling recyclables will drop by half, or $10 million, which will have to be paid for somehow. Yikes, sounds like we're in store for another increase in user fees.

This is at the same time that Waste Diversion Ontario has been charged by the provincial government to implement programs covering the collection of household hazardous wastes and electronics equipment this year. Currently municipalities are on the hook for only 50 per cent of the costs of recycling programs, including the two new ones, but some are calling for the private sector to pick up the full cost.

How does Toronto stack up in the sustainability department relative to other cities?

With the mayor currently visiting (and Tweeting from!) Switzerland this week, as chairman of the C40 cities fighting climate change, it feels like a good time to review a few things closer to home.

Right before the new year, "Toronto's green report card" was published, providing a solid review of the good and the bad from last year. It's a quick read of the good and the bad for city residents. But that just looks at our city..

I first discovered Lorette Luzajic while reading over a monthly newsletter from Gremolata, a local wine and food website. She had written an article on vegetarianism "I'm A Natural Born Killer" that caught my eye. Clicking through on her name revealed she's a self-proclaimed "resident spice girl" and pursues food writing in a refreshing way that challenges widely held dogmas.

Always seeking a fresh opinion on the Toronto food scene, I shot her a few questions to find out more of what she had to say. Our brief Q&A follows.