Photo: Envac Group – Sweden
Daily happenings around the GreenSphere (People, Companies & Communities):
Kudos for Sweden: It comes as no surprise that a Scandinavian country stands out as an eco-example, but Vanessa from Green as a Thistle recently visited Sweden and was very impressed with, among other things, the country’s bicycle infrastructure. As ubiquitous as bicycles themselves, bicycle lanes are mostly separate from road traffic, providing greater safety for cyclists.
Besides the cycling pluses, the waste management is light years ahead of us here in Canada, with multi-sorting disposal units that send non-recyclables through pipes to facilities that incinerate them to provide heat for the community. Garbage disposal can require sorting trash into more than ten different recycling streams, but that’s not a problem because Sweden comes complete with a green-educated population. Care to move to Sweden, anyone?
I Did It My Way: According to James D. Schwartz from the urban country, cycling is the best option for living a sustainable urban lifestyle. Relatively inexpensive and practical even in our colder climes, as proven by our friends in Copenhagen, James strongly recommends that you outfit yourself with a bike designed specifically for urban commuting comfort and add to it some means of carrying your personal effects with you, either in the form of a basket or a bike trailer. With the right gig, you’ll find this form of emission-free transportation to be sustainable, healthy, and enjoyable. Long Live the Bike!
Heading South: Fall may mean many things to us, but for the birds it can only mean one thing: let’s get out of here! At least for the vast majority of species in Canada, fall migration is a must for finding a warmer home for winter with adequate food sources. Nature Canada has some great tips for helping these feathered travelers safely through our area. Don’t forget to participate in FLAP programs, because lights in tall office towers are deadly for migrating birds.
Green-Consumerism Creates Criminal Mind?: According to a study conducted by researchers at University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, people who purchase green products may be more likely to lie, cheat and steal.
Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong headed the study and claim that the purpose was not to finger-point, but was to demonstrate that those who buy things perceived as morally good tend to offset that with morally-deficient behavior. According to Mazar, the question now is: “How can we help people to actually behave in line with their moral values, and to not fall into this licensing mode that can happen?” Hmm, green rehabilitation? The study, named ‘Do Green Products Make Us Better People?’, is to be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science.
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In the context of today’s world, ‘consuming’ and ‘balance’ in the same sentence seems to be an oxymoron.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I have a friend who lives in Sweden. All geo-thermal energy. Very smart. I liked this article – awesome! Thanks!
Shawna Coronado
Go Sweden! Bikes are the best way to commute. They eliminate the need for a gym membership by killing two birds with one stone.
Buying a good bike for commuting is really important as is making sure you have lightweight, strong, water-proof bike bags. We spend tens of thousands of dollars on a car so why not few thousand on an excellent commuter bike instead. We need to spend more money on bike infrastructure and live/work communities rather than more super highways.
Sweden is definately a world leader when it comes to sustainability. A model for North American cities to follow for sure. It would be wonderful to have the dedicated bike lanes and garbage disposal systems they have here in Toronto.
Thankfully cycling is really becoming a popular lifestyle choice so changes are sure to come in the future.