Kanata Stories
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At our seminars, we have been collecting stories about what real people in Kanata are doing to help the environment. Here's a sample of what they are saying:
One Kanata family is driving less and walking more. They are avoiding buying "one-use items." They compost in their townhouse backyard. And they are adding another R to the three R's: reduce, reuse, recycle, and REPAIR.
One Beaverbrook resident recently bought a bike trailer, even though her children are grown, so that she could bring home groceries and leave her car at home.
A resident of Nepean says "I will not be using my outdoor tap all summer. Any water for my garden and lawn will come from the sky, a rain barrel, or a grey water bucket."
A university student walks to a communal worm composting site at the University of Ottawa with her green scraps. She is a vegetarian so she produces lots of vegetable waste. Her food choice also reduces the "ecological footprint" of her diet. She also avoids using her dryer and hangs her laundry instead.
A family in Morgans Grant says
"We are trying to eat more local food. We refuse to eat lettuce from California. We're composting year round. We are eliminating chlorine and phosphate products."
A resident of Beaverbrook writes
" I open my large home to friends and family to share my warm space with them. Old-world "family" support and sharing of resources. We compost. We share and recycle our clothes. We pull dandelions. We unplug household items that have digital displays that light up even when the item is "off." We grocery shop for our neighbours. We stopped Christmas gifts, and give each other time and love instead."
A resident of Kanata
"We turned our flat garage roof into a garden. We also got rid of all our grass and put in a perennial garden and patio area."
Another family put up a clothesline in their basement and has not used the dryer all winter. In the summer, they dry outside.
A family in Bridlewood shares:
"We planted shrubs instead of a lawn. We use less plastic bags and plan our shopping trips to use less gas. We air dry our clothes and dishes. We cook our own food so there is less packaging. We even use cloth napkins and hankies."
A gardener in West Carleton is
"including veggies in ornamental flower gardens and converting some flower gardens to well-designed vegetable gardens"
A person in Old Katimavik chops up all her vegetable scraps and feeds them to her worms in her worm composter. She then gives the compost to her neighbour who grows heirloom tomatoes in his yard, which he then shares with neighbours.