MiWay transfers make an eco-couture statement

The artistic talents of secondary school students and their commitment to the environment impressed everyone at the Trashfusion Design Awards.

Designer, Cynthia, from Loyola Secondary School and Innex (model) from Applewood Heights Secondary School used MiWay transfers to create a unique one-of-a kind outfit for the Trashfusion Design Awards!

Trashfusion (www.trashfusion.ca) is a design challenge to create outfits from 100 per cent re-purposed, reused and recycled materials.  Students from secondary schools across the Region of Peel created exciting and innovative designs that were showcased at the Trashfusion Design Awards fashion show on April 18, 2012 at Mississauga Secondary School.

As part of the Trashfusion event, there was a Green Expo that provided an opportunity to exchange great green ideas. MiWay (Mississauga Transit) was at the Green Expo promoting traveling the environmentally friendly way, by transit.  The City of Mississauga’s Environment office was also there promoting the new Living Green Master Plan and the Living Green blog.

For more information about upcoming MiWay events, check out the their events calendar at www.miway.ca/events.

Mississauga made beautiful, Earth Day celebrations successful

Mississauga says thank you to everyone that turned out last week to either clean up litter in their neighbourhood or to plant trees as part of Mississauga Earth Days events.

Over 6,000 residents, students and employees participated in the 20-minute makeover on April 20 including St. Albert of Jerusalem Elementary School, which had over 800 students participate in their own community clean-up.

In addition to clean ups, the City held Earth Day tree plantings on April 21 at King’s Park and Erindale Park, where over 200 volunteers planted 500 native trees!

Mississauga’s Don’t be a LitterBug program reminds us that Earth Day is every day. To check out how you can help fight litter year-round please visit: http://mississauga.ca/litterbug.

Define, Develop, Design. Join the Hurontario-Main LRT Conversation!

At a project launch event planned for April 25 and 26 2012, Mississauga and Brampton’s Hurontario-Main LRT (Light Rail Transit) Project team will update the public on progress, timelines, next steps and provide information on LRT systems in cities around the world.

This is an opportunity to learn more about the preliminary design and meet the team who will be developing concepts and alternatives for the Mississauga/Brampton based project. Public consultation will be a major focus as the design process moves forward – allowing you to review concepts and provide feedback at key decision points.

About the Hurontario-Main LRT Project

In 2008, the Cities of Mississauga and Brampton initiated the ‘Hurontario-Main Street Study’ Master Plan exploring transit options to connect the lakeshore in Port Credit to downtown Brampton.  An essential part of the process was going out into the community to understand what people needed and wanted for the corridor.  Light Rail Transit was selected at the conclusion of the study for its ability to provide reliable, frequent and convenient connections to inter-regional transit.

Hurontario Street in Mississauga and Main Street in Brampton are key transportation routes in our region. A proposal to develop a LRT system will have a significant impact on economic development, and greatly improve quality of life in both cities.

In December 2011, the Preliminary Design and Transit Project Assessment Process Phase was launched to look at the design alternatives for LRT.   This phase of the project ensures the system can be built the right way, at the right price and refines plans based on design, integration and affordability.

“This spring, we will be asking for input from the public to ensure the end result is an achievable, sustainable system,” said Matthew Williams, Project Manager for the City of Mississauga. “Our goal thoughtfully integrates the LRT in communities in a way that fosters vibrancy, accessibility and connectivity.”

Keep up to speed on the Hurontario-Main Street Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) project by attending an open house this week April 25 and 26. Get more information about location and times by visiting: http://lrt-mississauga.brampton.ca/

Celebrate Earth Days in April and help to make Mississauga beautiful!

Earth Day is just around the corner.  Get ready to roll up you sleeves and pitch in for 20 minutes on Friday, April 20 at 2:00 p.m. to pick up litter around your workplace, school or home and do your part to make Mississauga clean and green.

Getting involved is so easy.  Just follow these four simple steps:

Step 1: Get your friends, family, co-workers or neighbours together

Step 2: Choose a location for your clean-up

Step 3: Register online by Monday, April 16 at mississauga.ca/earthdays

Step 4: Pick up your complimentary garbage bags and gloves at your local community centre

But it doesn’t stop there! The following additional events are planned as part of Mississauga’s Earth Days campaign:

• Litter Awareness Blitz – Transit Security Officers will be conducting a litter awareness blitz at the following Transit Terminals on Friday, April 13: City Centre, South Common Centre, Meadowvale Town Centre and Westwood Mall.
• Earth Day tree planting – Come out and join one of our tree planting events at Erindale Park or Kings Park on Saturday, April 21.  To register visit mississauga.ca/earthdays before Monday, April 16.

Earth Day is every day

When you’re ready to take your civic pride up another notch, Don’t be a LitterBug is Mississauga’s year-round litter awareness campaign.  By adopting a street or park, you can make every day Earth Day!  For more information about our LitterBug programs, visit mississauga.ca/litterbug.

The 20-Minute Mississauga Makeover is made possible with corporate support from GLAD® and The Mississauga News.

REMINDER: Earth Hour is Saturday, March 31 at 8:30 p.m.

Make your plans and get set to join millions around the world who are participating in Earth Hour on Saturday night.

The City of Mississauga will be doing its part by turning-off non-essential lighting in our facilities across the city. Please help us to make this the most successful year yet.

There’s less than one day left to enter to win an Earth Hour prize basket courtesy of Enersource.   To enter, visit one of Mississauga’s community centres or libraries before noon tomorrow (Friday, March 30), complete a ballot and place it in the box.  Winners will be will contacted to collect their prize.

Together we can make this Mississauga’s most successful Earth Hour.  Get ready to Count Yourself In!

Get set for Earth Hour on Saturday, March 31 at 8:30 p.m.

For the fifth year in a row, the City of Mississauga is encouraging residents to, “Count Yourself In” and participate in Earth Hour later this month.  Earth Hour is, of course, the campaign started by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) in 2007. Over the years, millions of people around the world have turned off their lights for one hour to promote awareness and action against climate change.

Join Team Earth Hour. Make 2012 a success

As an environmentally responsible community, we’re committed to participation in Earth Hour 2012 as an expression of our commitment to Living Green. Together with our partners Bullfrog Power, Enersource Corporation and Partners in Project Green, we hope to make 2012 the most successful year yet!

Drop in for a March Break program and a chance to win 

From March 12 – 16, kids can join an Earth Hour March Break drop-in program at one of Mississauga’s community centres. On top of that, everyone is encouraged to drop by a community centre or library to sign a pledge board in support of Earth Hour and to pick-up a colouring page. Starting on March 19 through March 31, you can also enter to win an Earth Hour prize basket courtesy of Enersource.  For more information and details about how you can participate in Earth Hour this year, please visit: mississauga.ca/earthhour

Calling all principals and teachers! Kids learn about renewable energy through Green Website Challenge

For the third year, the City of Mississauga is working with Bullfrog Power on a great program called the Green Website Challenge.  The competition teaches Mississauga kids about electricity generation from renewable sources of energy and energy conservation.

“This competition is a terrific opportunity to get your students involved in an issue that is important to our future – the science and benefits of green energy and electricity generation,” writes Mayor McCallion in a letter to principals and teachers explaining the program.

Through the competition, students will learn about clean, renewable energy and then are challenged to create a website to educate the community about those energy sources. The designers of the winning website will earn a class trip to the Ontario Science Centre and get to meet the Mayor.

Confirm participation by February 24, 2012

Participation is open to any grade five class in the City of Mississauga.  To enter, the class teacher simply needs to send an email to mississauga.webcontest@bullfrogpower.com to confirm participation by Friday, February 24. The winning website will be announced during Earth Week 2012 and the winning class will receive a personal visit from Mayor McCallion.

For more information, including a chance to view the winning site from last year’s Challenge, please visit: http://www.bullfrogpower.com/greenwebsitechallenge/

Three handy hints for controlling snow and ice on your property

Chances are winter isn’t done with us quite yet. So the next time you break out the shovels, salt and de-icer, think about these helpful tips to lesson the environmental damage caused by keeping winter snow and ice at bay.

The salt and de-icing chemicals we use to keep sidewalks and roads clear of snow and ice can cause major environmental problems down the road.  Rock salt and other de-icers are harmful to the environment in large concentrations. When melted snow containing high amounts of these chemicals is absorbed into the ground, for example on your lawn or in your flower beds, it can affect soil quality.  It can also have a ripple effect on wildlife and aquatic life when runoff enters local watercourses.

Here’s how you can help reduce the environmental impact:

1. Shovel first – Get down to the pavement before applying chemicals and let the sun help when possible.
2. Less is more – Apply a small amount of rock salt or de-icer and let it work before applying more. Excessive quantities of chemical de-icer can actually be less effective than the required amount. Read the directions on the package carefully.
3. Shovel more frequently – Shovelling smaller quantities is less strenuous.  Also, chemical agents work best when they are not diluted by snow and ice.

When clearing snow and ice, pile it where it won’t drain across a driveway or walkway.  Finally, when spring does arrive, consider redirecting downspouts from eaves troughs so water doesn’t drain on driveways and walkways. Diverting melt water away from walkways and driveways is one of the best ways to prevent wintertime accidents.

Some new products on the market today can be less damaging to your property and to the environment. The next time you’re at the store, have a look at the alternatives.

Mississauga Council makes it official, approves the Living Green Master Plan!

Mississauga’s environment team got the green light from City Council on January 18, clearing the way to begin implementation of Mississauga’s first environmental master plan.

“Residents and businesses should see this as a clear sign that environmental sustainability is right up there with quality of life and economic prosperity as a priority,” said Brenda Osborne, manager of environment.  “I am delighted that Council has adopted the Living Green Master Plan.”

According to Osborne, implementation of the LGMP kicks-off this spring with the launch of a marketing campaign aimed at mobilizing the community.  She pointed to the Mississauga Living Green blog as a good way to stay on top of the City’s many environmental initiatives and key events throughout the year.

Mississauga leads the way with citywide “greener” street lighting

Mississauga’s streets will soon be lit with more energy efficient LED lights – bringing us one big step closer to being a “greener” community.  Mississauga’s Council recently approved citywide conversion of street lights from high pressure sodium to light emitting diode (LED) lighting.

Moving to LED street lights will result in reductions of approximately 50 per cent in maintenance costs and 55 per cent in future energy consumption for street lighting. It’s a move that aligns with the Living Green Master Plan and Mississauga’s Strategic Plan. As an added bonus, the new LEDs are also certified by the International Dark-Sky Association as dark-sky friendly, which means they greatly reduce light pollution in the sky.

The one-time investment in LED street lights will initially cost $33.6 (net) million, but will result in future cost savings for Mississauga taxpayers. The project will be debt financed with energy savings more than offsetting debt servicing costs. The estimated payback period is about six years after its completion.

Mississauga has about 49,000 high pressure sodium street lights to replace. Work begins in the summer of 2012 and will take about two years to complete.