Space is at a premium in Hong Kong and architect Gary Chang has made the most of his 330 square feet.  Originally this space housed his entire family plus a tenant.  Gary has turned the space into something truly spectacular.  Could this be where we're headed?

planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/worlds-greenest-homes-hong-kong-space-saver.html

I'm not a golfer, but I know lots of people who love the sport.  For them this will be good news....... Albus Golf, a Spanish based company is making it possible for golf lovers to play golf and feed the fish at the same time!

The Ecobioball is a 100% biodegradable, non-toxic golf ball that you can use when you are golfing near the water.  Hitting golf balls into any body of water is illegal.  This is because regular golf balls are manufactured using highly polluting plastic materials and if ingested these materials can cause death in fish and other marine animals. Another thing to consider is that regular golf balls do not biodegrade, therefore they end up accumulating on the sea bed.

Not anymore thanks to this biodegradable eco-friendly golf ball!

According to the Albus Golf website, the Ecobioball is a single-use ball with a unique and exclusive design for practicing golf close to marine environments (sea, ocean, rivers, lakes and ponds). Ecobioball is the first and only golf ball in the world which, after being used and subsequently biodegrading releases fish food. Thanks to its innovative formulation, it starts to biodegrade immediately on being submerged in water. In less than 24 hours, its external coating starts to open, and in 36 to 48 hours the internal core, comprised of 100% fish food, is released into the water, where it can be eaten by fish.

How cool is that!?

I don't know what it was like in your house this Christmas, but in my house there was a lot of game play. By game play I mean Wii and Xbox - My thumb is still numb from hours of family fun playing Super Mario Brothers!

Since our home is now entrenched in gaming systems, I thought I would take a look and see how we, as a family, could play our games and have the least impact on the environment. I learned a few things and was surprised to see how easy it was to "Play Green" by making these small changes:

• Use rechargeable batteries
• Turn off the console when you're not using it
• If your gaming system has a Power Save mode - use it
• Download games instead of renting or buying them
• Get a Wii - if you can't decide which system to buy, keep in mind that Wii only uses 16 watts of energy when in active use vs 119 for PlayStation and 150 for Xbox
• When you're done with a game, don't forget to recycle it

As the mother of two teen aged daughters I was thrilled to find games that we could play as a family and now we play them knowing we have done our best to reduce the impact we are making on the environment. 

Happy Gaming!

Michelle

On November 22, 2209 Topia GreenStop teamed up with the Ottawa 67’s for their annual Go Green Game! It provided a fantastic opportunity for networking, information sharing and partnership building.  Small change is easy change and this event gave everyone the chance to see small change in action.

Invitations were sent to 100,000 homes in the area, inviting them to join GreenStop before the game for a BBQ and recycling drop-off.  The game was a sell-out with close to 10,000 fans in attendance. The game was broadcast on Rogers TV and Team 1200 reaching another estimated 23,000 residents of Ottawa and the surrounding area.

Our corporate sponsors benefited from extensive newspaper coverage.  Ads were placed by the Ottawa 67’s in the Ottawa Citizen, the Ottawa Sun and several regional newspapers.  These ads reached an additional estimated 700,000 Ottawa area homes.

During the game, Topia GreenStop was joined by Ottawa Hydro and Earth Innovation in the concourse area where display booths were set up.  This gave representatives from each organization the chance to interact with those attending the game and share information about current initiatives.

GreenStop Inc is excited to partner with the Ottawa 67’s for the 2010 Go Green Game and Expo.  The Game and Expo will take place in the fall of 2010 and promises to be a fun-filled day! The event will focus on easy ways to implement small changes that can make a big difference in your life and the environment!