On hot summer days many of us find ourselves reaching for an ice cold pop or beer, often in an aluminum can.  But even though aluminum is one of the most readily recyclable materials, around twenty percent of cans sold in BC are still not returned for refund or recycling. We can improve those stats. Here's a brief outline of how aluminum cans are made and recycled:  The process starts by mining bauxite and extracting the aluminum. The pure aluminum is then melted down and pressed into sheets from which the cans are made. When the cans are returned for recycling, they are baled, melted, and returned to the shelf as cans again in as little as six weeks. The recycling process is cost effective and uses 95 percent less energy than making cans from new material. Recycling cans is one big WIN for everybody. Recycling aluminum cans just makes sense, but did...

Camping season is now in full swing. Here on the west coast, we love our camping almost as much as we love NOT freezing throughout the winter. Camping is often a way for us to reconnect with nature and disconnect from the constant busyness of our daily lives. Unfortunately, camping can quickly become a way to do further harm to the environment instead. There are a definitely some great ways to mitigate this impact, a few of which we’ll look at below. Reduce your waste: The first step to living green is to reduce what you produce in the first place. For camping, this can mean steering away from too many pre-packaged food items. Instead, pre-make food at home and bring in reusable containers. Bringing reusable dishes and utensils is an easy way to reduce waste of disposable items. Compile a “camping kit” of dishes that you bring with you each time....