ecoLIVING London

We were at a trade show over the weekend and thought it might be fun to fill our booth with the communities suggestions for greening our city. We got 73 responses, here's how they stack up:

1. WASTE DIVERSION

Curbside compost pick-up / GREEN BINS. Another option that was discussed quite heavily was the development of community compost stations, where a neighborhood could join together to compost in one location - so that it doesn't get trucked away for processing. This would allow the community to manage and utilize the rich soil that is produced for their own gardens. 

Improved RECYCLING program that would include items such as #6 and #7 plastics and the extension of services to include the downtown core and apartment buildings. Our former GreenDrinks hosts at the Alex P. Keaton pub used to rally their kitchen staff to all take home a portion of their recyclables/compostables - as they couldn't stand to throw it in the garbage. Horray for APK!!!  

A GARBAGE PICK-UP program that enforces waste reduction. While this topic seemed to always be sparked by the two above, it was no less heated. London currently has a 4 bag allowance for weekly garbage pick-up, whereas residents in Niagara are only allowed 1 bag, one visitor told us. If you want to exceed your one bag allowance in Niagara - you pay an additional fee. In the West Lorne/Rodney areas, residents must present their garbage in clear bags - so that the collector can visually confirm that there are no recyclables being sent to landfill. If something is caught, the garbage is not taken away. They are also required to seperate all of their recyclables and if this is not done properly it is left behind as well. 

Place BLUE BINS in PUBLIC PARKS (especially near tennis courts) rather than relying on a sticker on the side of the bin that says 'Take Home What You Bring In'. People don't pay attention to the stickers, so you see plastic water bottles and aluminum flip tops filling them up. 

2. TRANSPORTATION & WALKABILITY

Better PUBLIC TRANSIT so that more people will use it. Additional routes, flex bus plans so cycles are not always city centre, rapid transit/light rail, more reliable service schedules and improved online presence (suggested by a former Ottawa resident). 

Let's become a more BIKE FRIENDLY city by connecting existing bike paths, adding additional bike lanes, and starting a bike sharing/rental program within the downtown core.

Improve WALKABILITY suggestions included a car-free dowtown core and the preservation/cultivation of walkable green spaces. 

3. CONSERVATION EFFORTS

Introduce NATIVE EDIBLE PLANTINGS throughout PUBLIC GREEN SPACES.  

PRESERVE public green space and LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS

Stop LITTERING! 

Protect the THAMES RIVER

A free or subsidized city-wide SPAY & NEUTER PROGRAM 

4. DEVELOPMENTS the community would like to see more of...

Green Roofs, Backyard Chickens, NO Fluoride in our WATER, water bottle fill stations/fountains, more second hand stores/free cycling, more community gardens, more vegan/vegetarian selections in local restaurants... 

Thank you to Mallory Bouchard, Erin Johannson, Jessica Roder, and Amanda Richman... our fantabulous ecoLIVING greeters/volunteers:).

Tiffany Roschkow is the Founder and Executive Director of ecoLIVING London. She can be reached via email at tiffany [at] ecolivinglondon [dot] org">tiffany [at] ecolivinglondon [dot] org.