Katie, The Answer Lady is Back

In my part of the world, daffodils, scilla, grape hyacinths, and forsythia are blooming, with a magnolia stellata just moments away from bursting its buds into beautiful starry white flowers. All this despite the prevailing bitter cold northeast winds.

The juncos left last week for colder breeding areas and the goldfinch males have donned their bright yellow and black attire.

Spring is here. I hope those of you in the northern climes are finding the time to get out with the sun to enjoy all the renewed life about. There is so much to notice; the sights, sounds, smells and feel of a new season.

Katie is back with answers to your questions. This will be her last Posting from Guelph before she leaves for her summer research job in Alaska. But, fear not. She will have her computer and access to the Internet, and will continue to post answers to our questions.

So here’s Katie, The Answer Lady.

Q1. I'm looking at pulling up my sod on my lawn and putting down some other form of eco-friendly ground cover. There is some talk now of eco-lawns ( Eco-Turf, No Mow Lawn and Enviro-turf, for example), but I find most landscapers I've spoken to are skeptical. How much of a saving to the environment and to me are these eco-lawns? Thanks, Joseph

A1. Most of the eco-friendly ground covers (including EcoTurf and Enviroturf) are made up of several grass varieties called fescues. Fescues are typically found in cool temperate climate zones including Canada, which generally make them a good choice for Canadian lawns. Another big advantage of eco-lawns is that they’re quite drought tolerant and therefore, require less watering than regular grass. Most ecolawns are also developed to look nice without frequent mowing, so you can cut down on greenhouse gas emissions by using your mower less frequently.

Whether you decide to go with an entirely new ground cover or to stick with your current lawn, there are ways to incorporate more ecologically sound practices into your gardening. Go Local!! Local plants and wildflowers are already adapted to local climate and soil conditions, so they won’t need as much fertilizer or watering as exotic species. Water sparingly; most plants only require about one inch of water a week (including rain water!)

Q.2 Friends of ours in England, who live near the coast, have put solar panels on their roof and claim they have recouped the cost of the installation of the panels within two years. Their energy bills are substantially down and they always have hot water. Is it worth it for our family, living in Ontario, to consider installing solar panels on our south- facing roof? Are there any governmental incentives for this sort of move towards self-sustainable energy in Canada? Sincerely, Nancy

A2. Residential solar energy systems can generally be divided into two categories: solar thermal systems (for heating water) and photovoltaic systems (for offsetting electricity input from the grid).

In Ontario, average installation costs for solar thermal systems are about $6000, and small photovoltaic systems are double that. Depending on the size of the system that you install and the type of energy you’re switching from, it’s estimated that payoff periods can take from 6-25 years. You can expect significantly lower energy bills each year following installation, however residential photovoltaic systems typically reduce the amount of energy you’ll need from the grid by about 30%, so you’ll save an equal percentage on your annual energy bill, as well.

The good news is that Canada in general, and Ontario specifically, has great potential for harnessing the sun’s energy. Check out: http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/archives/5thedition/environment/climate/mcr4076.

The other good news is that both the Canadian Federal and Ontario Provincial Governments are offering incentives for solar energy and thermal residential retrofit projects. For retrofits recommended by a Home Energy Audit, homeowners can receive up to $5,000 in grants from the Province, which match federal grants. For a review of home energy retrofit ideas and information on grant and tax incentives in Ontario,

check out :

http://www.homeenergyontario.ca/purple/index.asp?lang=en&sec=purple

and

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/pdf/homes-grant-e.pdf.

Q3. I noticed in the Blog posting of Saturday, March 14th, that the websites given for post-recycled products were all from the USA. Do you know of Canadian stores or websites that carry post-recycled products for home and garden? Janice

A3. Here are some neat Canadian companies producing really innovative and fun products out of recycled and eco-friendly materials:

http://www.crplastics.com/

http://www.perma-deck.com/english/fs_replast.html

http://www.ecoinhabit.com/

http://www.thehealthiesthome.com/

Thank you, Katie. It’s delightful to have you working with us and great to know you’ll continue with the Whole Earth Care Blog through the summer. I hope you will also write to us, while you are away, to tell us something about your work and your impressions of Alaska. We’d love to have photos for the Rogues’ Gallery, too… Safe trip, happy times and much success with your research. We'll be looking forward to your next posting.

Maureen1 wrote:
"Thought you might be interested in this website, it has a good video, entitled The Story of
Stuff by Annie Leonard, which is very fitting for Whole Earth Care."

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

This is a very good watch, well worth taking 20 minutes of your time. 20 minutes seems like a lot of time, but considering what you'll learn from this video - it's time well spent.

The big event this month is Earth Day. Events and activities will be happening all around the world and in your community. Wednesday, April 22nd is the official Earth Day with most events happening next weekend, Saturday, April 25th and Sunday, April 26th. It’s a great opportunity for families and communities to work together to care for our Earth. Hope you have something planned.

For more information, go to:

http://www.earthday.net/

http://www.earthday.ca/pub/index.php

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/kids_home.cfm

I plan to turn my front lawn into an ecolawn. If it’s successful, I’ll do the same with the backyard come autumn. I will keep our Virtual Community up on my progress with photos and comments.

If anyone else is planning an eco-project this summer, please consider including us in your adventure through Whole Earth Care. Likewise, if you are taking a trip, consider sharing it with us, your friendly and interested Virtual Community, with short comments and photos. For both eco-projects and trips, send those photos and words to: moczero@sympatico.ca for posting.

Short articles for the Guest Writer Postings

Short stories and memories for The Narratives

Questions for Katie, The Answer Lady

Photos for the Rogues' Gallery

And, I'm looking for a Naturalist who can answer questions I have about Earth's sentient beings (besides humans) and the questions that I get - like: "When birds are carrying unlaid eggs, in early spring for instance, do they look pregnant?

Does anyone know anyone who might like to be our resident Naturalist? It would not require a lot of time or technical expertise.

There will be no Whole Earth Care Posting for April 25th and 26th, as I will be very busy with family visits and family birthdays next weekend.

Kathy has a lovely memory to share with us for The Narratives on May 2nd and 3rd.

Earth Family First

maureen

(Photos by Google Images)