Sustainable wellbeing and green living

There are some organizations that are particularly close to my heart because they creatively tackle issues of Sustainable Wellbeing on multiple fronts. BUILD Inc. is one of these examples. They work towards long-term poverty reduction through skill development and employment while also working on green housing initiatives. It is beautiful and brilliant!

BUILD Inc. is a social enterprise non-profit contractor and training program that is based in Manitoba. BUILD, which is an acronym for Building Urban Industries for Local Development, aims to improve the sustainability of Manitoba public housing units through water and insulation retrofits.

Some of the services provided by BUILD include:

• Water saving retrofits
• Drain water heat recovery (which consists of using the heat from your shower water to heat your hot water tank)
• General plumbing work
• Maintenance (including simple repairs such as patching up holes and repainting, as well as deep refreshes of units)
• Cabinetry
• Insulation
• ...

I admit it. I like fashion, well I did before COVID lockdowns meant that I wear the same darn outfit for an entire week - OK, season, because there is nowhere to go!

Sure, clothing is an essential part of our everyday lives, but it is also a way of expressing ourselves and our values. The clothing you wear impacts the way you are perceived by others, and it can be creative and fun. But, how do we reconcile fashion or even just the necessary clothes that we wear when it comes to the impacts of the fashion industry?

The issues with fast fashion

Purchasing clothing items that align with your sustainability goals can be difficult due to the fact that the fast fashion industry is responsible for a large percentage of today’s clothing production.

Fast fashion clothing items are often made with cheap, synthetic materials, and poor construction. These types of clothing have a very limited lifespan, as they tend to get worn out and fall apart with use. Once sent to the landfill, these...

When we think about the long-lasting impact of climate change, our concerns are often centred around future generations. This is because environmental issues such as climate change and ecological degradation have created uncertain futures for children around the globe.

While children are the least responsible for climate change, they will experience the greatest burden of its impact and will be saddled with the responsibility of finding a climate change solution. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals acknowledge that children are “critical agents of change and will find in the new goals a platform to channel their infinite capacities for activism into the creation of a better world.”

Kids for Saving Earth

Clinton Hill was a child who took environmental activism into his own hands. In the 1980s, Clinton started a club for kids which was dedicated to peaceful Earth-saving actions. This club was first started in his school, Sunny Hollow Elementary, located in New...

Most of us want to make a positive impact in the world, but we are not always sure how to do so, and our lives tend to already be pretty full and busy. But there are some organizations that we can rely on. They are already on the ground, and doing the important work; all we need to do is support them in whatever way we can.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical aid and healthcare is a topic that has been at the forefront of everyone’s mind. It is clear just how important access to proper healthcare is. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to access medical aid. This is a truth that Médecins Sans Frontières is trying to change.

Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF, also referred to in English as Doctors Without Borders, is an international humanitarian non-governmental organization that provides medical care and saves lives for those living in conflict zones, natural disasters, and epidemics.

This Nobel Prize-winning emergency humanitarian medical...

Fairtrade is a certification that you have likely already encountered. But you may not have considered why the designation is important and how it makes a difference. Although you may be aware that buying Fairtrade items is a good thing to do, as it has positive impacts on people as well as the environment, do you know why Fairtrade is important?

How does Fairtrade work?

Fairtrade is a certification, given by the non-profit association Fairtrade International, that ensures better prices, decent working conditions, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers that grow the produce and make the products that we all depend on. When you buy an item that is Fairtrade, it means that the ingredients or the product itself was produced by small-scale farmer organizations or plantations that meet Fairtrade social, economic, and environmental standards.

Fairtrade standards are the requirements that the producers and businesses that buy their goods have to follow. These standards are...

The continent of Africa has a reputation for its exciting wildlife. Animals such as rhinos, giraffes, zebras, elephants, and big cats, arguably the most majestic of them all, call this continent home. There are three species of big cats in Africa: the African Lion (Panthera leo), African Leopard (Panthera pardus), and the African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).

Unfortunately, the existence of these feline species is being challenged by a variety of threats – most of which are caused by humans. The African Lion, Leopard, and Cheetah all have an IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) status of “vulnerable,” meaning that their populations are rapidly declining, leading to expectations of entering “endangered” status.

Threats to big cat populations

The population declines of the African big cat species can be largely attributed to the fact that their habitats are being threatened. Growing human populations in Africa mean that there are more...

What if there were a way to pamper ourselves with a haircut or other salon services without feeling guilty about the impacts on the environment? Well, now we can - and the salon owners and professionals also benefit from going green!

It is no secret that salons, whether they cater to hair, nails, or other personal care services, have a significant impact on the environment. With the wide variety of products, chemicals, packaging, and disposables that are used in the salon industry, it is easy to see how they contribute to environmental issues such as water use, pollution and waste production.

If you take a moment to think about it, it becomes obvious that there are significant environmental issues that are accompanied by these types of businesses. That being said, sometimes you may feel that it is necessary to visit a salon in order to receive a professional service. After all, the DIY haircut is not for everyone!

Luckily, there is a way that you as a customer can feel less guilty...

Whether we like it or not, consumerism is a part of our lives that can’t entirely be avoided. Of course, there are things you can do to reduce the amount of stuff you purchase (reduce, reuse, recycle for example), there will be times where you have to buy things new. So, we want to be responsible consumers, but how do we know that what we are buying is truly green?

Whether you are purchasing a personal care product, groceries, or paper for your printer, there is a way to ensure that the items you choose are produced in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Such items can be identified by their green product certifications! Green certification logos are displayed on product labels, allowing consumers to recognize which products adhere to their values.

Greenwashing

It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you are trying to decipher all the different labels, certifications, and claims that catch your eye when shopping. As eco-friendly products increase in popularity, so...

Image courtesy of Danone.com

Business owners often seem to face the dilemma of choosing between making a profit and making a positive social and environmental impact. What if there was a way that you could make money while doing good? It is possible to achieve your financial goals while adhering to your values! Corporations are being recognized for doing just that and becoming B Corp Certified!

What are B corporations?

B Corporations, also referred to as B Corps, are corporations that are dedicated to improving their social and environmental performance. B Lab, the non-profit behind B Corps, defines certified B corporations as

“businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.”

In order to become a B Corp, companies must...

Ubuntu is a term that originates from a Nguni Bantu language spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa. In its most simple form, ubuntu can be translated to the English word “humanity.” This translation, however, doesn’t do the term justice, as it can also be translated to the more complex expressions “I am because we are” and “humanity towards others.”

Ubuntu is more than a simple word or phrase. It also has philosophical associations, as Ubuntuism was accepted in Southern Africa in the 1980s and 1990s as a kind of humanist philosophy. In this context, Ubuntu means “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.”

As you may be able to gather from the definitions and translations provided above, Ubuntu is about togetherness and sharing the burden of our actions and their impacts. Despite how it may feel at times, we are not alone in this world. Our existence is shared and our actions, whether they are positive or...