I have just received my Eco Broker Designation for Real Estate and as I contemplate what that means and how to go about making use of it I must start with myself and my everyday habits. Some I am good with and some have been a dismal failure. For example I generally have composted, right now in Bear season I have been flushing the compost down the sewer system where I think it does some good at the end of the day but I am contemplating sending it down the River so that little creatures and fish might make use of it thus enhancing the eco system. Something tells me I might get in some kind of trouble for that.
We started a Recycling program back in the early eighties with some friends that was quite high functioning but then we found out that it was all ultimately going to the same dump. That created a bit of 'attitude' that took a while to get over but except for cleaning out the tin cans I have gotten back on track. As one of my young clients said to me, at least we will in future see clean bits of garbage in orderly stacks and that certainly does no harm. I am now of the opinion that we need to set up small stations in each neighborhood. For example a place where we can go and bring all of our glass. It only takes an oven that will heat up to over 1600 degrees to melt glass and if we made up some kind of mold say for glass paving stones or some other simple form maybe for glass blocks for room dividers they could be utilized, perhaps even sold. It would create a job. Our eighties group collected a small mountain of glass that ultimately became fill for one of the member's properties because we could not find someone to make use of it.
At this present time the Cowichan Valley garbage is sent to Cache Creek, many many miles away. So not only is our garbage not being recycled but it is, in the trucking, creating a larger carbon foot print.This has to stop, they are talking about co-generation here in Lake Cowichan something that sounds very interesting, especially if they can also set up some green houses beside them to grow food for the local population.
Please join in my journey to try and make myself and my family better 'green' citizens. Any pointers or interesting things you are doing in your neighborhood would be great to hear about, please e-mail me at sandystinson@remax.net All the Best
Sandy .