TREA’s Green Directory
Air Quality | Waste | Food | Water | Energy | Transportation | Ecowise Consuming | Empowerment | Biodiversity
WHAT IS THE GREEN DIRECTORY (TGD)?
The Green Directory provides information on environmentally friendly products and services available in the London area. Several tips are included as well as agencies or businesses to contact for additional information. We encourage your suggestions for any additions or revisions as it is a living document always being updated.
We invite you to select any of the above hyper-links to view our Green Directory!
TGD & THE THAMES REGION ECOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (TREA)
The purpose of this resource is to encourage you to become more informed and to help you identify “green” products and services that suit your needs.
TREA has hosted The Green Directory for a number of years, first as a booklet, then online, then adding more about how our infrastructure works along with listings so as to offer education on important issues within the community and provincial and federal influences.
Many products and services claim to be “green”, “earth-friendly” or “environmentally appropriate.” A single, generally agreed upon definition of these terms does not currently exist. For the purpose of this directory, “green” products are those that are least destructive to the environment, from creation to disposal. “Green” services are provided in a way that minimizes negative impact on the environment, and/or that helps others to do the same.
Try to consider the following when contemplating any purchase:
- What raw materials are used?
- Are they non-renewable?
- Are they from endangered areas?
- How much and what type of energy was used during manufacturing?
- Was the manufacturing process environmentally degrading?
- How far is the product transported and what type of transportation is used to get the product to the retailer?
- How is the product packaged?
- Once used, how is the product disposed of? Is it biodegradable, and if yes, how long does it take to biodegrade? What by-products are left?
- Is the product reusable or recyclable? If yes, do the facilities exist for collection, reuse and recycling?
- Do you need this product/service? Is a better, more earth-friendly alternative available at a reasonable cost or can you rent the item for a one-time use, borrow from a tool library or do without?