TREA Working Groups
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Composting/Vermicomposting Group Composting kitchen, yard and garden waste can reduce the weight of garbage by 30% or more. Compost is a soil conditioner and a source of fertilizing nutrients. It conditions and improves the overall structure of soils by adding organic matter and fertilizing nutrients that are released slowly over time. This has the obvious benefit of assisting plant growth and can reduce, if not eliminate, the need for chemical fertilizers in home gardens. Vermicomposting is a method of composting food waste using worms. It can be done indoors year-round, or outdoors in the summer and indoors in the winter. If you live in an apratment, or you're tired of making the trips to the backyard in the snow, this is a method to consider. The Compost Group holds composting and vermicomposting workshops. The group develops and provides educational materials and informational displays. They offer a "Master Composter" self-study program as well as answering techinical questions and offering advice. For more information leave a message on TREA's "Rot Line" (519) 672-5991 or send an email to trea@wwdc.com. How to Compost At Home Vermicomposting Waste Reduction Many of us view big business and industry as the main perpetrators in the chemical contamination of our planet. It is often difficult for us to see ourselves as playing an integral role in this widespread poisoning. Unfortunately, in our daily use of vehicles, household cleaners, solvents and pesticides we are doing our part to ensure the destruction of our world. Of course, once this simple truth is recognized there are means at our disposal to help rectify the situation at least in our own backyards. Waste reduction is one of the main keys in helping stem the tide of pollution. In tackling waste reduction we must implement the three "R"'s -- reduce, reuse, and recycle. But did you know there’s a fourth R we can add to that list? Let’s not forget "Refuse" when attempting to reduce our production of waste. Refuse is easy! Simply refuse to buy overly packaged goods and complain to the manufacturer. Refuse, where possible, to purchase shipped goods. That means buying locally produced items to save the energy and material used in the shipping of those items. Refuse to use disposable products. Refuse to buy what you don’t need. This is particularly important for food as 20% of it typically ends up in the garbage. Refuse to accept flyers and junk mail reducing the strain on our forests. If you need further information on waste reduction give us a call here at TREA at 672 5991, or contact us by email at trea@wwdc.com. As well, check out TREA’s Green Directory for many practical and easy to implement tips on saving our environment. TREATOP (Transportation Options Planning Committee) Group TREA‘s Transportation Options Planning Committee or TREA TOP is an ongoing effort to educate and inform Londoners on transportation issues by promoting alternatives to the single passenger vehicle. When one considers that the smoggiest regions in Canada are located in southern Ontario and that vehicle emissions play an integral role in the production of greenhouse gasses, reducing our reliance on the car becomes all the more vital. TREA TOP members are actively involved in London’s Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC). BAC holds monthly meetings at City Hall to discuss cycling facilities, public safety and education. For more information on the next BAC meeting call City Hall at (519) 661-4530. TREA is the host of London’s annual Bicycle Festival. This festival is a week-long celebration of the cycling that promotes bicycle safety and awareness with speakers, good friends, free breakfasts and interactive participation with cycle specialists and citizens. In addition, TREA TOP is engaged in the promotion of walking, public transit, carpooling and alternative energies. If you need further information on TREA TOP give us a call here at TREA at (519) 672 5991, or contact us by email at trea@wwdc.com. As well, you can contact City Hall for bicycle path and walking path maps or meeting times at www.city.london.on.ca. TREA Talk "TREA Talk" is the associations bi-annually newspaper. It contains articles and information relevant to TREA members or anyone interested in the health of both the local and global environment. Articles are submitted by members, guest speakers, members of the community or reprinted with permission from other media. As well as the articles, you will also find advertisments from our sponsors. Please support these sponsors and their "Green" retailing initiatives. The print version of TREA Talk is distributed free of charge to TREA members and is also made available to local schools and libraries. Look for TREA Talk and TREA's informational displays at Grosvenor Lodge or at local community events. Selected articles can also be found at TREATalk ONLINE! Anti-Pesticide Group Did you know that currently in North America there are hundreds of thousands of chemicals being produced? Of that number, over 20,000 alone are pesticides. Each year the farming industry alone releases thousands of liters of these chemicals into the environment through the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. At TREA’s anti-pesticide group, we look into the problems in our daily lives created by using chemical pesticides. We try and provide alternative solutions to our pest problems by providing Londoners with natural, chemical free pest controls. By working with other like-minded groups we try and persuade businesses, industries and governments at all levels to adopt more environmentally friendly control methods. If you are interested in chemical free pest control the anti-pesticide group has accumulated a library of resources and pamphlets for your use. We can help you access this information by calling TREA at (519) 672 5991, or contacting us by email at trea@wwdc.com. As well, for even more information contact the World Wildlife Fund at www.wwfcanada.org the Sierra Club at www.sierraclub.ca find out about pesticides and other chemicals in your food at www.foodnews.org or visit check out TREA’s Green Directory for helpful hints. C.A.L. (Clean Air London) In Ontario, poor air is blamed on 1800 premature deaths every single year. In fact, 61% of Londoners believe that poor air quality in negatively affecting their lives - a concern that appears to be justified. From our own vehicle emissions, suitable climate, and our proximity to the emissions from coal-fired electrical generating stations in both Canada and the United States, London is situated in Canada’s smoggiest region. Clean Air London (CAL) is a TREA working group that is committed to develop and distribute information on air quality problems and the solutions to those problems. As well, CAL was instrumental in the recent passing of a London by-law banning the idling of a vehicle for more than 5 minutes in a 60 minute period and CAL continues to lobby business and government on the adverse health effects air pollution creates. If you wish to view the literature accumulated by Clean Air London, voice a concern or seek a solution to an air problem then give us a call here at TREA at (519) 672 5991, or contact us by email at trea@wwdc.com. If you would like to view the Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s Air Quality Index go to www.airqualityontario.com/reports/summary.cfm. Healthy Living Group Healthy Living, it’s what we all want and search for but in today’s high tech world it isn’t that easy to come by. For instance, much debate has recently centred on genetically modified (gm) foods. These are foods that have been genetically modified by the manipulation of a plant’s DNA to reproduce a specific desired trait, such as an ability to survive a shortage of water. But are these GM foods good for us or bad for us? Some people claim that GM plants will alter the delicate balance produced in nature by disorienting pollinating insects and creating new diseases. Others claim that GM plants will be able to grow in harsh climates solving world hunger concerns, and that GM plants will result in less environmental contamination as fewer pesticides are required to care for them. At TREA we are currently investigating the issue in hopes of educating both the public and ourselves. If you are trying to avoid GM foods then we suggest you purchase your produce grown by organic farmers. Organic farmers use natural fertilization and pest controls in the production of their crops and grow plants that are more vigorous and resistant to pests. If this issue concerns you we would welcome a call to the TREA office at (519) 672-5991 or contact us by email at trea@wwdc.com where we would be happy to answer your questions. We have a growing library of information on the subject and would like to share it with you, and hopefully garner your opinion in the process. Fundraising/Publicity/Membership Working closely with the Board, the Fundraising / Publicity / Membership Group's task is to ensure that TREA remains viable and vital. Its function is to grow and enhance awareness of the association's activities to the membership and the general public. If you would like to become a member or contribute to the organization, you can find out more by calling the TREA office at (519) 672-5991 or contact us by email at trea@wwdc.com. For an overview of the organizations structure and history, follow the About TREA link. For more detail information on how to contact us, click on Membership & Donations. |