Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 10014239)

Tar sands, anyone? Also Toronto ships its rubbish to Michigan for burial, that's not outstandingly eco-friendly. So, a bit of a mixed result, can't really compare with NZ.

Originally Posted by Pine Cone (Post 10014015)

Can you easily get hold of environmentally friendly laundry detergents, shampoo & showergel, household cleaning products etc? If so, are things much more expensive that your regular Persil type of stuff, or just a little more expensive?

Are there areas in Canada, like in USA, where people are prohibited from drying their laundry outside IN THEIR OWN BACK GARDENS? I was horrified when a friend over there told me that most community associations in her area banned that, and you had to tumble dry everything all year round. I know NZ is quite unique in that people will stick their laundry out wherever it is sunniest, even if it is in their front garden in full view of everyone, but I have come to enjoy the financial savings of owning a washing line since living here. We hang out washing when we can, as does our neighbour. Not many other people seem to, though.

I'm assuming nothings changed since I last visited a number of years ago, and there are still many oversized large engined vehicles on the roads? I think only overpopulated countries with expensive petrol such as Europe, Japan etc have really embraced the nippy small engined cars culture. Smaller cars are becoming much more popular.

And what about rubbish recycling. Are there generally separate collections for paper/cardboard, glass and plastics? If not, are there recycling places to take those items to? Beer bottles, cans and plastic bottle have deposits and go back to the store. We we live there is no longer a need to separate the recycling. We have a large blue wheelie bin and everything that can be recycled goes in there (collected every two weeks). Food waste goes in a brown bin (weekly collection) and yard waste goes in paper sacks (weekly). They even take away tree stumps. Regular garbage is collected every two weeks. Our bin these days is rarely full and most of what is in there is cat shit. Many stores have places where you can drop off things like paint, dead batteries, used electronics etc. Large items such as fridges are just left at the bottom of the driveway for the scavengers. They always get picked up quickly. The difficult stuff to get rid of is construction waste, such as drywall and insulation. That needs to be broken up and hidden in sacks.

Lastly, what about solar hot water, Solar PV panels, wind turbines etc? Are these commonly used at all in new built homes or semi-rural areas?

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 10014352)

On the macro level Canada is about as eco-unfriendly as you can get - Tar sands, withdrawing from Kyoto, being part of the North American "ain't no substitoot for cubes" (cubic inches, capacity) when it comes to vehicles. Although to be fair, part of the problem with cars is that the Canadian market is so small in comparison with the US that few vehicles are developed exclusively for here, we generally just get whatever the US builds and sells. It is a petro and resource economy with all that that entails.

On the micro level, yes you can buy eco-friendly products, yes you can recycle and yes you can hang your washing out - in some areas. As with all things, it's a big country and things vary from place to place.

Originally Posted by bigals (Post 10014466)

I do think the hot air spewed on a daily basis here by the gov is causing most of the global warming

Originally Posted by Former Lancastrian (Post 10014507)

The Govt are on BE well I never. They are not spying on us are they?
Global warming controversy

The global warming controversy refers to a variety of disputes, significantly more pronounced in the popular media than in the scientific literature,[140][141] regarding the nature, causes, and consequences of global warming. The disputed issues include the causes of increased global average air temperature, especially since the mid-20th century, whether this warming trend is unprecedented or within normal climatic variations, whether humankind has contributed significantly to it, and whether the increase is wholly or partially an artifact of poor measurements. Additional disputes concern estimates of climate sensitivity, predictions of additional warming, and what the consequences of global warming will be.

In the scientific literature, there is a strong consensus that global surface temperatures have increased in recent decades and that the trend is caused mainly by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases. No scientific body of national or international standing disagrees with this view,[142][143] though a few organisations hold non-committal positions.