Both the Green Roof Bylaw and the updated TGS are key elements of the City's Climate Change Action Plan, which aims to reduce Toronto's greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

Now that the holiday season has come and gone (unless, of course, you follow the Julian calendar), the 100,000 or so households that had decorated trees are going to want (and need!) to get them out of the house before their needles shed completely and end up everywhere.

But there is a proper way to do this... unlike in the photo above!

Between blue bins, green bins, grey bins, and special pickups and drop-off depots, there have been many times when I've been less than completely certain about how to dispose of something. Until now.

The program consists of green bins dedicated to dog waste in a few popular Toronto parks. The aim is to keep dog waste from landfills since about a quarter of park garbage is pooch poop.

"The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." John Howard, US Olympic Cyclist

Last winter I decided to record my commute to work via the most sustainable method of transportation that exists: my own two feet. Now that Bike Month is well under way, I wanted to share my second favourite method of sustainable commuting: the bicycle.

The idea is that residents sign up for one or all of four programs, most notably Spring Turn On and Keep Cool. The former encourages people to use CFLs and both this weekend and next lucky customers at Home Depot and Canadian Tire will receive one free (the rest of us will get discounts). Keep Cool earns you a $25 Home Depot gift card in exchange for an old but working room a/c unit.

The challenge also considers those who sign up for peaksaver and the refrigerator roundup, and Hydro users who participate in all four programs will help their ward earn the green energy retrofit Toronto Hydro is dangling as a prize. Individuals who sign up, though, are eligible to win one of five MacBooks.

Which makes we wonder, will people sign up because they should be conserving energy, or because they want a MacBook?

Despite competition from the various Jane's Walks and the annual Paddle the Don, turnout was surprisingly high as local clubs aimed to convince attendees that it was worth coming out to their upcoming events and become a member. Over 30 walking groups were on hand, many of which had a strong green bent. Some of my favourites included:

For these types of products to be greener than the competition, they have to use cleaner ingredients (considering production and disposal) which are more often than not less harsh on the body. It's hard not to be skeptical of product line's like President's Choice "Green" label which often don't even list ingredients, but would have you take their word for it. So I thought I might learn a thing or two from a closer look at this small-scale local producer.

I stopped in on her at her at her studio space / store near Ossington & Dupont. Though she's been in business nearly five years, the space is new as she's finally at the point where she can work full time and out of her home. There were glass jars of oils infused with real, fresh herbs all over the place, and I quickly recognized some of the bulk oil containers as being quality brands such as Quebec's Soleil D'or olive oil. I'm told most of the products contain only Canadian ingredients.

But while business and civic leaders gathered to congratulate each other and share conservation strategies, I was more interested in Begley's message of hope and to pick the low-hanging fruit first, a theme we didn't stray too far away from in our 15 minute chat.

I found last year's event to be insightful and a fun use of my Saturday and am looking forward to attending again this year. Naturally, event organizers are hoping to see another good turnout so they're offering some free tickets to blogTO readers (see below).

Even at full price of $12 it's worth attending, and that can be reduced to $10.50 if you buy online or with your mobile (after all, paperless is green).

Earth Day 2009 is quickly approaching - it falls on this coming Wednesday. And while there are event listings for across Canada such as on EarthDay.ca, the following three Toronto events are my favorite. And they're all at different times and locations spanning the city, so if you're so inclined you could check them all out.

It's all part of an initiative called GREENtuity that takes place between April 16th and 26th. Participating retailers include familiar names like Kakayo Chocolate, Grassroots and Rowe Farms. The idea is that when shopping at one of these stores they'll ask if you want to add a $1 tip to your purchase. There's no obligation, and quite frankly, I'd be a bit surprised if there's a huge response rate. I hope GREENtuity (or, I guess, humanity) proves me wrong.

This week Toronto Greenhouse aimed to bring together environment-focused entrepreneurs and investors. It was the first in a line of downtown events that will take place on the last Tuesday evening of every month. Kicking things off at the Steamwhistle Brewery, the place was packed (apparently sold out) as presenters pitched their ideas to a room full of potential investors (or lots of people with suits anyhow). The crowd was totally abuzz, with half the room content to focus on networking as opposed to what was going on up on the stage.

They aren't exactly lining the airwaves but here are some great Toronto enrivo-related podcasts I've become aware of over the last few years.

1. The Green Majority

The Green Majority airs every Friday at 10am on UofT's CIUT for a full hour. It best fits the description of an "environmental podcast" as it covers Canadian and international environmental headlines, as well as a feature story (usually an interview with a Canadian subject expert). The show is produced and hosted by Jordan Poppenk, a UofT PhD Pyschology student, along with help from other qualified volunteers. Although the scope has broadened considerably, it was initially started to bring local environmental coverage to the Toronto area.

"As the nation's first and only all-environmental newshour, we strive to inform listeners about the environmental events that affect them, with emphasis on municipal, provincial and national issues, and to connect listeners to their environmental communities."

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