Is Your Water Safe?
As June comes to a close, many are rejoicing over the fact that yet another school year is coming to a close, and family vacations will soon be here. For me, the last day of June signifies one of those coming of age milestones I used to hear so much about, but rarely paid any attention to. In that respect, the 30th of June is moving day for my fiancé and I, as we bid farewell to the world of renting, and take possession of our newly purchased, vintage home. It’s a very exciting time, and I honestly can’t wait to tackle the never ending list of projects around the house. At the top of the to-do list, is a problem identified by our home inspector, who discovered that we have a lead-based pipe connecting our house to the main water line. This is the sort of problem a Brita water filter can’t fix. Read more
Take the “Free Ride” Challenge
To celebrate Clean Air Day, and promote public transportation, the City of Kingston is offering free bus rides all day long on June the 4th. With the price of regular and diesel fuel skyrocketing throughout Canada, the convenience of owning a personal motor vehicle is becoming a severe financial burden for some. This has resulted in more and more people relying on public transportation, while others choose to take the bus for equally important environmental reasons. Whether your reasons are green, or to save your green, you can participate in Clean Air Day just by riding the bus tomorrow. Read more
What to do with your E-Waste?
I recently embarked on a massive Spring cleaning session at home and at the office, and I accumulated a large pile of stuff I no longer had use for. Being a big proponent of recycling, I ensured that all my scraps of paper made it into the grey box, while old clothing and useful household items were donated to the Good Will. After the dust bunnies settled, I was left with numerous boxes of old CDs, obsolete floppy disks and various electronic gadgets that were of use to no one. This type of material is commonly referred to as e-waste, and surprisingly, Kingston does not yet have a formal program to divert these toxic items from our landfill facilities. Read more
Parkway Trail
The City of Kingston is looking for your opinion on the newly proposed Parkway Trail which will connect the Bath Road end of Queen Mary Road to the south end of Parkway. The trail, totaling 857 metres in length and two metres wide, will be paved with asphalt, allowing easy use for cyclists, inline skaters and patients of Extendicare , which sits on the corner at one end of the path.
The proposed plans for the trail are available for comment online at Parkway Trail. A public open house, including a short presentation, will take place on Wednesday, May 21 at 7pm at Extendicare, 309 Queen Mary Road. Any comments on the new plan will be accepted until June 4 2008.
$32 Water Barrel Sale
As a recent and first time home owner, I was amazed by the list of items picked up during the initial home inspection. Given that our 100-year old home has an unfinished limestone basement, we were advised that it may never be dry, regardless of any improvements to the foundation, and adjacent drainage system. That being said, our home inspector highly recommended that we re-grade the lawn around our humble abode so that the slope would carry water away from the foundation. He also mentioned something that I had previously considered purchasing for environmental reasons, which was to collect rain water coming from downspouts with barrels. Read more
Kingston Recycles…?
With the beautiful weather finally upon us, I have found myself spending more time outdoors. It’s pretty common to see people outside at lunch, eating in the park or on a bench on Princess Street. I treated myself to some take out last week and ate it as I wandered. The problem occurred when I was done. Where are all the recycling bins? There was nowhere to dispose of my plastic container. I thought I must be wrong so I held onto it, sure I would run into a blue box soon but it never happened. In fact, just finding a garbage can was a bit of a challenge. This put me on a mission to find recycling downtown and the only place I found it was on Bagot Street, outside a parking garage. Read more
Attack of the Dandelions
Back in December 2007, City Council passed Bylaw No. 2008-28, which effectively banned the cosmetic application of chemical pesticides on public and private property after October 15th, 2008. That means that this Spring and Summer will be your last chance to eradicate dandelions and thistles with your favorite carcinogenic lawn spray. After the Bylaw officially comes into effect, pesticide addicts could face fines of as much as $100,000 just to keep their grass green. This is the major concern we hear voiced throughout the city, as many wonder how they’re supposed to keep the grass green, and the weeds at bay without Monsanto’s help? Read more
Earth Day Challenge
In case you haven’t heard, tomorrow is Earth Day, and Kingstonist is issuing a challenge to everyone in the Limestone City. Essentially, we want to courage you to adopt at least one of the top ten most most widely implemented measures to help the environment. Although we’re hoping that a vast majority of our readership has already adopted some of these standards, perhaps there are a few you hadn’t considered. In no particular order:
- Park It: Leave your car at home; car pool, bike, walk, take the bus.
- Shut Down: Turn off lights, screens, TV, etc. when not in use.
- Where’s the Meat: Try eating meat-free at least one day a week.
- Eat it: Choo-Choo-Choose food produced locally, organic and in season. Check out the Farmers Market behind City Hall.
- Let it Rot: Put a composter in your backyard, at least until we get Green Bins next Fall.
- Don’t be Idle: Turn off your engine if stopped for more than 10 seconds. A draft bylaw in Kingston.
- Ideal Temp: Adjust your thermostat to reduce energy use. Put on extra layers in the winter, and have a cool drink in the summer.
- Bright Ideas: Replace incandescent light bulbs with the money/energy saving compact florescent variety.
- Don’t Dump it: Recycling has more positive effect on the environment that you may think. Use your Blue and Gray boxes, and send used clothing/household items to the Good Will, Salvation Army etc.
- Tell Someone: Pass the word on about Earth Day, and tell them what you’re doing to take part.
Be sure to brag about you’re accomplishments on Earth Day by leaving a fun-filled comment. Remember, Comments = monthly prizes.
Kingston in Bloom
Communities in Bloom is a national initiative that promotes action by citizens, the government and local organizations and businesses to help beautify the city. Kingston has participated for the last three years and will be involved again for the 2008 competition. Read more
Ice Free is the Way to Be
Early last month I put a fork in Old Man Winter, proclaiming the imminent arrival of Spring: newborn woodland critters, and massive amounts of pollen. Four weeks and half a dozen snow storms later, my prediction is finally coming true. Sand covered sidewalks, and soggy patches of grass have been spotted all over the city, however one recent event officially put the final nail in Winter’s coffin. Up until April 1st, the Wolfe Island Ferry had to navigate its way through the maze of ice that covered Kingston’s inner harbour. Yesterday it was as though someone turned up the thermostat, as there was a significant reduction in ice coverage, which extended out into Lake Ontario. Read more
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