“There’s so much pollution in the air now that if it weren’t for our lungs there’d be no place to put it all.” — Robert Orben Vancouver consistently ranks as one of the world’s top 5 greenest cities, not to mention one of the most liveable. And who could argue with that?  The city has used the 2010 Winter Olympics as a spring board for developing clean and green living in Vancouver and can boast of having the smallest carbon footprint of any major city in North America. Vancouver has also announced a bold new ambition: to be the greenest city in the world by 2020 (Vancouver Mayor, Gregor Robertson). I often find myself in awe of how beautiful this city really is. So how can Vancouverites take part in this green community? This post will be the first of a four part blog series that will hopefully provide you with a few tips for living a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle, so you can make positive choices for yourselves, your community and your planet! The Impact from Everyday Cleaning Is Huge. One way to reduce our carbon footprint is see which cleaning products are suitable for our households and which products are environmentally hazardous. Every day, millions of people use toxic, petroleum-based cleaners around their homes. These items are not only harmful to our planet but also to you and your family. Therefore it’s vital to switch to cleaning products that use natural substances as their active ingredients rather than toxic chemicals if you are really serious about adopting a greener lifestyle. But where can you find these eco-friendly cleaners in Vancouver? Do your homework, be skeptical. You can find a wide variety of natural cleaners that can be used in the bathroom, kitchen and dishwasher, such as Aspen Clean and Seventh Generation around Vancouver. Examples of local stores that supply such products are Capers Whole Foods, Garden Health, Health Works, and The Vitamin House. These stores sell the highest quality, natural and organic products available by local farmers and suppliers. Since the products have travelled no more than 7 hours to their destination with some stores establishing even shorter distances, they are truly “local”, and therefore have left less of a carbon footprint than other products made overseas, for example. Big boxed stores like Walmart and Canadian Tire have also caught on to this mega trend by releasing a wide range of environmentally sustainable products, but the question remains, “Are Walmart/Canadian Tire products actually environmentally sustainable?” The answer to this question is complex and would require an extensive breakdown of both sides of the argument. We do know, however, that big box stores do not pride themselves on selling local products to a local community, and this is a fact. Most of their products are produced overseas or by large corporations that are located in the US. (i.e. Clorox supplies a green range of cleaning products to Walmart under the label “Green Works’). Therefore, my advice to you if you want to shop green, is to shop locally. It’s really the way to go. Like most eco-friendly products, you can expect to pay a premium; however, the benefits to your health and the impact on the environment will far outweigh the costs. So go on, if you haven’t already been using eco-friendly cleaners, find one or two today around your area and take the first step towards living a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle! Coming shortly: a wide variety of ways you can help to conserve water because well, we all know that Canadians consume a lot of water. We’ll take a look at some sweet products that are helpful to the planet and gentle on your wallet. Cheers!