A

ON ONE hand, our inordinate amount of June precipita-
tion is responsible for washed-out picnics, cold grads and
brides shivering in their summer evening wear, and less

ok on the bright si

On the other hand, we're vot
getting too many sunburns, our
drinking water reservoirs are stay-
ing supplied, and maybe Greater
Vancouver's population growth
will stay somewhat in control if
enough would-be residents get
turned off by our weather.

If you're the type to look on
the bright side, you'll sce the rain
as a boon to the forests. And if
you really get into the spirit,
you'll enjoy the chance to help the
forests further by buying someone
a Grow Your Own Totem Pole
kit.

Come again? Well, growing
your own totem pole refers to
growing your own cedar trees.

Victoria entrepreneur Sandra
Douglas Tubb has created an at-
tractive kit complete with cedar
seeds and a colorful rendition of
the story of the totem pole.

It’s available at local gift stores,
and a percentage of the proceeds
will be set aside to purchase
wilderness land in B.C.

If you’re looking for a rainy
day project to replace your scuttl-
ed beach party, think about piant-
ing a tree for the future.

eoe

Pitney Bowes of Canada has
done a great deal of work on the
‘green office’ front.

They’ve published a guide to
waste reduction in the workplace,

WITH ALL the information that
has become available recently
about our environment and how
to protect and preserve it, there
are still many things yet to learn.

These are some ideas on what
we can do to help both our
human and animal neighbors:
© The interdependence between
trees and human and animal life
couldn’t be more fundamental.
We require oxygen and produce
carbon dioxide; trees and other
plants require carbon dioxide and
produce oxygen,

Any significant loss in forested
land directly affects the Earth’s
atmosphere for other forms of
life. .
® Don't just stick a tree in the
ground and ignore it. Like other
growing plants, trees need a little
care for the first two years — in-
cluding water, vertical support,
and mulch.
© Birds are often desperate for
water in winter, when the ground

Sale ends July 21

Lonsdale _ sank of
Montreal

1sth

ae

Environmental

Summer Sal

_, free iz-bome consultation A
Capilano Draperies, Inc.
_ over 17 years on the North Shore

114A West 15th St. N.Van. 988-5621}

than idea! camping experiences.

Peggy

rol

ECO INFO

have done numerous surveys of
environmental practices in Cana-
dian offices -- the latest of which
showed that 72% of Canadian
companies have waste reduction
programs, up from 53% in 1991
— aad now they are offering
donations to non-profit organiza-
tions working to promote the
three Rs in the workplace.

The Pitney Bowes Green Office
Fund will allocate funds ranging
from $200 to $2,060 to com-
munity-based, non-profit
organizations or associations for
projects that educate cffice
workers and encourage practices

gardening tips

is partially frozen, Add a heated
birdbath to your back yard now
and you may help some birds to
survive when the colder weather
comes back,

@ You can attract specific
animals to your garden with cer-
tain plants. Hummingbirds, for
example, like red morning glories.
@ Set your mower blades high.
Don't be a victim of golf course
syndrome, suffered by people who
believe that a healthy lawn looks
like a manicured golf course.

In reality, the opposite is true.

For most types of grass, the pro-
per length is two to three inches
high. This encourages longer,
healthier roots, and provides nat-
ural shade for the ground around
each plant, enabling it to retain
moisture in the soil,
@ Keep mower blades sharp, Dull
blades tear grass {instead of clean-
Sy cutting it), weakening the
plants, and making them more
susceptible to weeds and disease.

e!

Draperies &
Sheers

2 5% OFF

Bedspreads &
Cushions

20% OFF

Blinds offered at or
below competitors
prices

mm)

Trendell Whittaker

e

that will improve office waste
management. A total of $25,000 is
available for funding,

All interested groups should till
out an application form, available
by calling Pitney Bowes toll-free
at 1-860-465-3777,

All applications will be reviewed
by Pitney Bowes’ environmental
company, and recipients will be
notified of acceptance by mail.
The closing date for applications
is Aug. 31.

Any office or organization wan-
ting information on workplace
waste reduction can call the same
number to be sent Pitney Bowes’
guidebook, poster and video free
of charge.

eee

And speaking of getting things
sent to you free of charge, the
provincial environment ministry
has produced an Eco-Detective
Kit designed to educate families
about household hazardous waste
(HHW).

There is still no sign that resi-
dents will soon be given safe, en-
vironmental disposal options for
HHUHW such as paint, pesticides
and so on, and while this is a
frustration, it is true that reduc-
ion at source is equally or more
important for us to learn.

The kit includes information
that helps kids (with adult help)
seek out household hazardous
products, identify them with
stickers, store them safely, find
alternatives to them, avoid them
in the supermarket, and more.

To receive a kit, call the B.C.
Recycling Hotline at 732-9253.

STOREWIDE

BY)

EP PALLISER.

main street

FURNITURE & LEATHER Italii@

ai

ty

Friday, June 25, 1993 - North Shore News -

3' Tall Silk Plants

NOW ONLY : 1 6? 0g 23.99
4 Tall Silk Plants

NOW ONLY 549.4 59.99
6’ Fiscus Tree

99
NOW ONLY °62 reg, 99.99 fF
SALE ENDS JULY 17/93 fs! he f

[STORE CLOSED JULY 2-6] :
MINI JUNGLE FLORIST Jeet: : }
1449 Lonsdale Ave. North Van. :
987-3888

Lyn Valley Centre, North Vancouver
(beside Food Fair)

ITALIAN STYLING LEATHER SOFA
100% Top Grain Leather, solid wood frame, lifetime
warranty on frame construction. Matching Love Seat
and Chair available. Choice of leather colours.

hatte Te Vee os

RICHMOND VANCOUVER
$431 Minoru Sivd, 1073 Mainiand Street
Richmond, 8.C. Vancouver, B.C.

ZA4D70AS
(oll Aiderbndge Way)

ail