Increased apathy apparent in move back to disposables AS CAUGHT up as many of us are with the Constitution and the economy, it’s hard to get a reading on whether our level of environmental commitment is staying stable. In this week’s Inquiring Reporter feature in the News, one mar out of the five people ques- tioned said that he wouldn’t be willing to pay extra for an en- vironmentaily friendly product as it wasn’t worth it to hin, Only one man out of five, mind you, but perhaps indicative of an increased apathy on the green front. One cloth diaper company, Babykins, has shut its doors due to a lack of business and I was recently speaking with a sales rep from the Indisposables company who just left her position partly due to slow sales. Norma Deane, whose children were both in diapers for an overlapping eight-month period, diapered her kids in Indisposable cloth diapers and sold them as well. - “A fot of people are getting lazy and going back to disposables,’’ she commented. Deaue, who began diapering her first in - disposables before swit- ching to cloth, says she didn’t find the disposables any better than the She guesses that parents who try cloth but become disenchanted with them perhaps aren’t keeping a large enough supply of diapers and pants on hand, ‘and are run- ning back and forth from the laundry room more than is neces- Deane suggests that parents arm themselves with at least two dozen diapers and inserts, and around a dozen pairs of plastic or nylon pants to make the diapering chore as convenient as possible. And, if you have reached the level of environmental burnout where the thought of keeping 7,000 disposable diapers out of the waste stream doesn’t sway you toward the cloth alternative, con- sider the cost savings. Even including costs for laundering, a diaper pail, pants Peggy Trendel-Whittaker ECO INFO and other accessories as well as the cloth diapers themselves, a parent saves about $1,500 by go- ing non-disposable. That’s $1,500 that could buy your child a year of university tu- ition. Or a great home computer system. Or, hey, let’s get selfish for a minute, here — it could also buy Mom and Dad a pretty darn nice vacation while Grandma looks after the kids. If you're a parent who has chosen disposables, it’s worth looking at the question again. For any of us who may not be feeling as environmentally energetic as we once were, it may be time to recharge cur batteries. West Vancouver District is of- fering two environment-related courses at the Silk Purse at 1570 Argyle Ave. On Saturday, Qct. 10 at 11:30 a.m., dowser and feng shui specialist Henry Dorst will show you how to test for the geopathic and electromagnetic energies that criss-cross your home and may add to your stress level. Women’s contributions recognized | in HERstories “LIVING HISTORY: Your Foremother about HERstory’’ is the theme for the first annual Women’s History Month in Canada, this October. To celebrate, talk to your foremothers — your mother, aunt or grandmother — about their lives and their memories of Canada. There ‘s a part of Canadian his- * tory that has not been told. Write it down, tape it or make a video — before it is lost forever. Women’s achievements have often been overiooked in standard history books, because history has traditionally focussed on political, military and economic leaders and events. Women had an equally valuable role to play in shaping our com- munities, in countless ways — in the home, in the workplace, in schools, hospitals and religious in- » Stitutions, as volunteers, reformers . and community leaders. Women’s accomplishments to- day are a legacy of these past achievements. The Honorable Mary Collins, federal minister responsible for the status of women, declared Oc- tober Women’s History Month in Canada to recognize the contribu- tions of women, past and present, from all watks of life, who influ- enced the development of our na- tion. The idea of Women’s History Month was suggested to Minister . Collins by women’s organizations and by women representing the academic community. The month of October was chosen to coincide with the anni- versary of the ‘‘Persons Case,”” a lengthy legal and political effort by five women which led to Ca- nadian women being officially declared ‘“‘persons’? on Oct. 18, 1929. As Nellie McClung, one of the major players, in the ‘Persons Case,”’ said, ‘‘people. must know the past to understand the present and face the future.”” . Across the country, in October, events are being organized to ap- plaud the accomplishments of women in Canada. Discover the women who had an impact on your community and capture their stories. For further information about Women’s History Month contact the Communications Directorate, Status of Women Canada, Suite 700, 360 Albert St., Ottawa, On- tario KIA 1C3, phone (613) 995- 7835. Admission is $2, and all you need to bring is a sketch of the floor plan of your home. “The Planet’s on Your Plate’’ is being offered on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 11:30 a.m. Admission is again $2 and the speaker is Vic- toria Hogan, a nutritional consul- tant and member of Canada Earthsave. Earthsave was founded as the result of the work of John Rob- bins, heir to the Baskin-Robbins empire, and Dr. Michael Klaper, whose research has done much to convince many people to turn to vegetarianism. Hogan will discuss the connec- tion of meat and dairy products with heart attacks, strokes and cancer and present video excerpts of John Robbins’ Pulitzer-prize nominated book, Diet for a New America. The Silk Purse is just a few steps east of John Lawson Park on the West Vancouver water-: front. For more information, call 922-1110 or 925-3605. Well, some people sure aren’t lacking in environmental energy §% 0, — on Sunday, Ted Schredd and Erin Neilson are starting a 10,000 km_ bike trek to promote bicycle use over automobile dependence. The pair wiil be gone a year, during which time they will leave Vancouver, head down the West Coast, travel across to Florida and return up the Atlantic Coast to Ottawa. They hope the media coverage they receive will raise public awareness about the environmen- tal benefits of biking, and en- courage people to wheel their own bicycle out of the garage. If you’d like to be part of the official send-off or even ride with the pair for a few blocks, meet at the Olympic Athletic Club, 1731 Comox St., on Sunday, Oct. 4 at noon.’ : For more information on En- viroRide 10,000, call 644-1996. AT LAST! | YOUR FAVOURITE STORE IS ON THE NORTH SHORE JOHN & WENDY INVITE YOU TO OUR GRAND OPENING. SATURDAY & SUNDAY OCT. 3 & 4th Te FREE ot ATAN ' Bird Feeder-> PRINT . with any,: ‘purchase of “GALLINULE _ $10.06 or more” WILL BE DRAWN FOR (S84. 00 VALUE) _ SUNDAY AT5 PM. «nes a gounion : DETAILS ns " we IN STORE NOW. ninaies \ * No-Waste Birdseed « ° Feeders « Houses ¢ Hanging Hardware e ¢ Tapes & Books « Gifts « Garden Decor ¢ Birdbaths » ° ’ Nature T-Shirts & mecilil ° Lois of FREE Advice ° 1190 MARINE DR., NORTH VANCOUVER {Next to Chintzy’ 's and Burritt Bras.) _ Mon.-Fri. 9 9:30-6 Sat. 9:30-5