Keepin' it clean
up at the cabin!
PROJECT EARTH-DAY
The roadside garbage problem in Bracebridge has reached shocking levels, and this is particularly noticeable in rural highway areas including sensitive wetlands and remaining “wilderness” corridors. As an experienced first-hand observer, I have collected thousands of discarded beer cans, water and juice bottles, coffee cups and/or lids, and a surprising variety of other cast-off items from ditches and surrounding streams near my cabin retreat, sometimes retrieving beer bottles and fast food wrappers as young trout dart by my finger tips in the cold water.
There have been CD’s and batteries, electronics, articles of clothing, food containers of every description, building and automotive products, make-up and sunscreen bottles, as well as an infinite supply of cigarette butts that are beyond retrieval. Curiosity has driven me to quantify and document the recurring brand names in the trash, which mostly reads as a “who’s who” of the fast food and beverage industries in Ontario. All of these items have been carelessly or willfully tossed out of a vehicle simply to relieve a thoughtless littering person of a trivial material burden. Instead, these burdens have now been passed en masse to the natural order in a location that was otherwise once pristine.
On occasion there have been larger items such as broken appliances. Once I even found an entire phone booth that had been discarded as “bush junk”.
From a conservation point of view, all this junk is simply an unnecessary stress added to our natural eco-systems. It is undeniably an eye-sore, sometimes toxic and usually not biodegradable. It flies in the face of the Bracebridge and Muskoka that I know, where much of the appeal results from a fine balance between natural beauty and recreational living. As a tourism-based economy, we can only strive to make it as convenient as possible for people to recycle or dispose of items in a responsible manner.
From safety or legal points of view, this littering behaviour obviously says a lot about certain drivers on our roads. Very alarming is the huge volume of alcoholic beverage empties of all types that can be found cast along our roadsides. Most commonly beer cans and bottles, these drink containers are the unwanted evidence left behind by a legion of roadway partiers. There are ice cube trays, articles of clothing, and pretty much any other “party favour” imaginable. Sadly, it is not uncommon to find a shattered snapping turtle or other road-kill in amongst the garbage. This is just another reminder for us all to drive with extra care, especially when traveling remote roadways by night.
It is not so difficult to agree that there are better alternatives than littering, and we can only do our best to encourage these environmentally friendly options to the general public through education and an attitude of caring. For the sake of the natural beauty that defines Bracebridge, we can only hope that this will be enough.
The Carbon Tip-Toe Philosophy:
People might wonder what motivates a middle-aged guy to start a green lawn care sales and service business. The easy answer? It starts with a love of nature and a desire to make a difference combined with a superior product line and a genuine enjoyment of working outdoors.
Whether you are a dyed-in-the-wool environmentalist or an avid sports car collector, there is great common sense in making the switch to carbon-neutral lawn care with a quality push reel mower. For the environmentally-conscious person, there is the simple joy of doing home and lawn care without hydro-carbon emissions -- joy grounded in the belief that, as individuals, we can each make a difference. For the staunch fan of internal combustion technology, there is still the benefit and satisfaction of not squandering our oil reserves on something as mundane and easy as mowing the lawn.
There is no arguing that our global economy is now tied into fossil fuels for its very survival. By making the shift to greener technologies wherever possible, we can optimize the use of our hydro-carbons where they are most needed -- in transportation, food production, etc. The long term benefits of this approach include prolonging the life of our oil reserves, decreasing the need for deep sea drilling and minimizing the environmental effects of greenhouse gases.
I have proven to myself, time and again, that fossil fuels are wasted on residential lawn care. Mowing is simply a better, more enjoyable activity when done the carbon tip-toe way. NaturCuts are easier to push than gas and electric mowers, better for your lawn and provide a safer, healthier form of exercise for you. The fact that they are also better for the environment makes owning one a complete "win-win" scenario.
Push reel mowers are "environmentally efficient" because they use a cutting action that is harmonious with the necessary force required to cut grass. High RPM power lawn mowers are environmentally inefficient because they use excessive force to accomplish the same task. After all, we're mowing grass here, not chopping wood or cutting lumber. By the same reasoning, it would be excessive force to use a chain saw to trim a small shrub. I have no doubt that reel mowers maintain greener, healthier lawns because of their gentler cutting action which allows for a fine, manicured look with a reduced risk of over-cutting and "browning".
I would like to share an analogy that helps me put global energy and climate change into perspective. I imagine what it would be like to be the Captain of the Titanic, having just been informed that the ship has struck an iceberg. But unlike Edward Smith, the real captain, I am immediately told by my best reliable sources that the ship is sinking and that desperate measures must now be taken. What will I do with this information and can I make a difference? Will the passengers even believe me when I tell them that the “unsinkable” Titanic is going down, that the situation is urgent and that we must act now?
It is hard to ignore the signs that we are fast approaching a similar "tipping point" with regards to climate change. It is bad science to cling to hopes that our heavy use of fossil fuels will not have an environmental impact -- if we continue to add massive amounts of carbon emissions to the atmosphere daily we must logically expect to see changes and unpredicted ripple effects. We have been told by reliable sources that this is happening. We have also been informed of the potential consequences. We must now react or face the consequences of inaction. We may not want to believe this, but it is the truth. Therefore it is my sincere belief that we should search high and low for any and all opportunities to turn the environmental tide in our favour. Carbon-neutral lawn care represents just such an opportunity!
