St. John’s Sustainable Living Guide This sustainable living guide is the product of a class project for Geography 6250 at Memorial University, a graduate course on the conservation and sustainability of natural resources. It was designed by the class for the public of St. John’s. We would like to acknowledge Ratana Chuenpagdee (course professor) and Kelly Vodden (Geography Professor) for their guidance, comments and support. We would also like to thank the MMSB, and particularly Catherine Parsons (Marketing and Public Education Officer) for information about recycling programs in St. John’s. We would especially like to acknowledge Toby Rowe (Memorial University Sustainability Coordinator) for the interest in this work and for inviting us to display the guide on the MUN Sustainability Office Website. For more information about sustainability initiatives at Memorial University please visit www.mun.ca/sustain. Contributors: Amy Tucker Christina Goldhar Alyssa Matthew Courtney Drover Nicole Renaud Melinda Agapito Hena Alam John Norman Copyright © International Coastal Network, 2009 Recommended Citation: Tucker, A., Goldhar, C., Matthew, A., Drover, C., Renaud, N., Agapito, M., Alam, H., & Norman, J. 2009. St. John’s Sustainable Living Guide. Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, 40 p. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the above contributors. Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Sustainable Landscaping……………………………………………………………………………………………..2-4 Sustainable Home Living……………………………………………………………………………………………..5-8 Sustainable Food Choices…………………………………………………………………………………………….9-12 Responsible Buying and Consumerism…………………………………………………………………………13-16 Waste Reduction……………………………………………………………………………………….………………..17-19 Sustainable Transportation…………………………………………………………………………...………….…20-21 Outdoor Recreation……………………………………………………………………………………………………..22-25 Activism……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...26-30 Sustainable Living Map……………………………………………………………………………………………..…31 Sustainable Living Directory………………………………………………………………………………………..32-37 References………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…38-40 Introduction Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of the future generation1. Sustainable living is a specific lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources. This includes an attempt to reduce our carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet2. Sustainable living is making conscious choices in everyday life and being aware that you are making a choice when you leave the tap running while brushing your teeth, or while shopping for groceries. In St. John’s, a general lack of information as well as the perceived inaccessibility of services for consumers with an interest in sustainable living, points to a need to offer functional information on sustainable businesses, services and organizations existing around the city. St. John’s has a lot of potential, though it unfortunately falls behind other major cities in its urban green initiatives. As such, it is important that a guide to sustainable living be available to help inspire change toward a more sustainable city. The objective of this guide is to produce a directory for sustainable living in St. John’s, directed towards all city residents. The guide will provide a database of many existing resources to facilitate sustainable living in St. John’s. The guide will address 8 general categories of sustainability: • Sustainable landscaping • Sustainable home living • Sustainable food choices • Responsible buying and consumerism • Waste reduction • Sustainable transportation • Outdoor recreation • Activism In addition, a map of St, John’s is provided, highlighting the locations of businesses and services mentioned throughout this guide. Following the map is a table listing the businesses and their contact information. The list is not comprehensive, however it does provide a reference for many sustainable living options. It is our goal to increase awareness of local sustainable initiatives by improving the accessibility of these resources and empower individuals to make more environmentally conscious decisions. St. John’s Sustainable Living Guide Page 1 Sustainable Landscaping Introduction: What is Sustainable Landscaping? Sustainable landscaping creates an attractive and beneficial vegetation environment that is in balance with the local climate. If hardy and possibly native species were selected for your garden a reduction or elimination in the use of harmful fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides would result. This type of landscaping should require little to no extra water than that which naturally occurs through precipitation3. The clearing of native woodlands and other natural habitats for urban area growth has been a long standing trend in North America and St. John's is no different. Most often the removal of native species is replaced with manicured lawns and gardens dominated by exotic non-native species which can place a heavy toll on environmental and human health. This type of a landscape requires extensive use of mechanical equipment and heavy consumption of our limited natural resources (water and fossil fuels). These unnatural environments require frequent applications of fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides. As a result of chemical use, our surface and ground waters can be polluted. Traditional landscaping also increases the risk of urban and suburban flooding, produces extra noise and air pollution within our neighbourhoods and results in a large production of solid yard waste which ends up in our landfill sites4. Some extra facts about traditional landscaping methods: • Gasoline-powered landscaping equipment such as mowers, trimmers, leaf blowers and chain saws account for over 5% of urban air pollution in North America. • Residential applications of pesticide and herbicide chemicals are typically at a rate 20 times that of farmers per acre. • Yard wastes such as grass clippings and leaves comprise 20% of municipal solid waste collected during spring and summer months. • A lawn has less than 10% of the water absorption capacity of a natural forested area thus resulting in increases in suburban flooding. St. John’s Sustainable Living Guide Page 2 The Main Principles of Sustainable Landscaping • Protecting existing natural areas. If your property has native tree or shrub species they should be utilized as an anchor for other plantings. They are likely well developed, which are costly to purchase and maintain. • Plant species which are hardy or native for the area. When in local garden centers around St. John's ask what growing zone your selected plants cannot only survive in but thrive in. St. John's and much of Newfoundland’s east coast is in growing zone 4b-5a which means that species found at garden centers with growing zone numbers outside of 1a- 5a should not be planted to any great extent. For example, a Magnolia with a growing zone of 7a would likely not survive the winter or would require major care and maintenance. • Build and maintain healthy, rich soil on your property through on-site composting which not only benefits the garden but also the local landfill sites through the redirection of waste. • Reduce or eliminate the use of turf or practice natural lawn care. Gardeners in the St. John's region can use woodland, meadow or other natural plantings instead of grass, which requires vast amounts of water during dry periods and often uses chemicals for pest and weed management. The elimination of lawns also eliminates the costly ownership and use of mowers. If a homeowner prefers grass try then to use only small amounts and use holistic or organic treatments for management. • Eliminate the use of harmful pesticides/herbicides and replace with holistic pest and weed management. Local garden centers such as Travers Gardens in Torbay can provide excellent suggestions for natural pest solutions. • For much of the growing season St. John's sees significant precipitation so gardens should take advantage of this by installing rain barrels to collect water for garden use, thus reducing the amount of water removed from local reservoirs. Rain barrels are available in many local hardware, building and gardening centers. • Use outdoor plantings to reduce heating and cooling needs inside the home. Deciduous trees planted along the south sides of buildings can reduce air conditioning costs in the summer through shading the sunniest rooms, and cut heating costs in the winter when leaves fall off these tree allowing sun to warm these rooms. Coniferous trees can be planted to block prevailing winter winds from hitting the NE sides of homes. • Work toward creating wildlife habitat. Sustainable landscaping can create a safe and natural habitat for small mammals and birds as well as work to create wildlife corridors for larger species on the edges of urban developments. St. John’s Sustainable Living Guide Page 3 There are benefits for humans when sustainable landscaping is used: • Safer environments for our families with the elimination of toxic chemicals • Quieter neighbourhoods through the removal of gas powered equipment. • Water conservation that benefits the homeowner and the entire St. John's region. • Reduced flooding and costs for storm water management. • Greater opportunities to enjoy nature at home. • Reduced time, energy, and money put into traditional landscape