51 - Sunday, January 28, 1990 - North Shore News 4 5 MENT D 7 NG OS he KL Mayor stresses need for public awareness From page 47 “We have a long way to go re- garding reduction and re-use,” she said. The district is focusing increas- ingly tighter controls on the large chemical and industrial operations in the district in order 10 improve Retailers think green From page 48 “Green’’ line of products which includes items such as toilet paper made from recycled fibres and en- vironmentally sound dish detergent. Nor do they make a point of reusing their old grocery bags or choosing paper bags over the non-degradable plastic ones. “Most of them (about 80 per cent) want the plastic bags,’’ laments Wylie. ‘‘Convenience seems to be a priority rather than the environ- ment.’ His store is selling light cotton produce bags and heavy-duty can- vas shopping bags to encourage people to cut down on their use of plastic or paper bags, and Wylie says he hopes that ‘‘people will come around.”’ Other stores, such as Capers in West Vancouver, have become known for their environmental philosophies and therefore draw customers who are already com- mitted to ‘buying green.’” ‘(The response) has been very heart-warming and exciting,’’ said Brian’ Burke, Capers’ assistant manager and environmenta! coor- dinator. ‘‘Once people come in our door, we find they are incredibly cooperative.”’ He points to findings that in- dicate consumers are ready to make a change in shopping habits. Recycled toilet paper, for instance, is 400 times more popular than its regular toilet paper counterpart. Other fast-movers include Capers’ tange of environmentai cleaning products. And while he says big stores sometimes have problems selling their organic produce, 50 per cent of the produce sold at Capers is organic. “The problem is not that people don't want the organic stuff,"* in- sists Burke. He says that because organic produce can take longer to label and prepare for display, large stores have to show their commit- ment to organics by providing ex- tra staff hours and management support. Instead, ‘‘they're letting it rot and then saying, ‘See, nobody wants it.""" Stongs’ president and general manager Kill Rossum admits that, when they have tried to sell organic food, his stores have had problems selling it, but says it is because organic produce is often hard to get from suppliers and the appear- ance is not up to the standard that consumers are used to. He does, however, point to the other environmentally-friendly items stocked on Stongs’ shelves. Fibre egg cartons will be available soon, and Avaion milk in glass bottles is ‘selling like hotcakes."’ He plans to institute a program in which customers would be paid for reusing their old shopping bags, and says that he will be hosting representatives of the UBC department of landscape architec- ture in each North Shore store be- tween Feb. 9 and 19. Their booths will help show people what they can do to help save the environ- ment. Save-On-Foods’ methods of cut- ting down on food costs have also shown to be healthy for the en- vironment — because customers pay for any bags they use, the chain’s manager of environmental concerns, Dennis Kinsey, estimates that 40 or 50 per cent of their cus- tomers reuse their old bags. He says Save-On-Foods was the first store in B.C. to offer certified organic beef and bulk eggs, which customers can store in their reused ege cartons. Plans in the works in- clude selling small produce bags — the profits of which would go to an environmental group — and, although he hasn't been successful to date, Kinsey is hoping to find an #lternative to the polystyrene meat packing trays. their environmental standards. Baker said the district is also in- veMigating what steps can be taken to improve water quality in Deep Cove harbor. The harbor's Panorama Beach suffers chronical- ly high pollution levels from a variely of suspected urban and recreational sources. Elsewhere, the district has pass- ed a recent bylaw banning fish farming as an allowable use in Parks, Recreation and Open space-zoned areas of the municipality because of public concerns about the effect mariculture has on the environ- ment. And North Vancouver District, which was the first North Shore municipality to ban backyard bur- ning, is working towards eliminating outdoor burning from land clearing operations within the district through the use of a large scale chipping operation. Baker pointed out that the district is also reviewing land-use options in such environmentally sensitive areas as the Maplewood mudflats and the Seymour River- Lynn Creek Inter-River area. A partner in Responsible Care fo ce free apy Yate how of tT eee SC Cotte Goth dt fas te Per dt etre eh hoe, MacMillan Bloedel WE TREAT PORE SERY AS SN GRO EEE IN DE Sey DOW CHEMICAL CANADA INC. WEST COAST DISTRIBUTION CENTRE IF YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT OUR FORESTS, GET BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY.