Cigarettes Online
“One tree is axed and bleached for every 300 cigarettes rolled in paper. That’s one tree every two weeks if you smoke a pack a day.” These are the sorts of shockingly clear statistics that Vasil provides throughout the book. Data that will make us each think of our actions and choices and hopefully provide us with motivation to make changes. “Start with three small things that feel manageable to you. Whether it’s driving one less day a week to work or whether it is switching that (disposable) water bottle to a reusable mug . . . or switching your toilet paper over to recycled, instead of using the boreal forest, which really shouldn’t be knocked down for our tissue products.” Vasil makes it sound so manageable, and doable, and she is right when she says, “It is not a change in quality either.” Obviously being environmentally conscious is not just about buying the “right” product. It is about speaking up, and asking for change. “We should be pressing for local and organic when possible. We’ve got to let the companies we buy from know, we’ve got to let the stores we buy from know. We’ve got to let the politicians know as well, that we want to see change.” I asked Vasil if she thinks politicians are genuinely motivated to talk and act “green.” “They’re definitely painting a big green stripe down their back because they’re trying to convince voters that they’re just eco-friendly enough that they should be voted in again.” But Vasil says this gives us the power to hold them accountable. She says we must hold their feet to the fire and keep watching them. Vasil cautions we have to “beware of the ‘greenwash’ on all levels, from corporations, and businesses and governments. “It’s becoming a bigger problem these days because everyone wants to cash in on the green trend.” But armed with accurate information such as Vasil provides, we can be aware of the realities and the consequences of our actions on the environment. Vasil hopes her book will “get the idea across that change is manageable, that we can do it in increments . . . we can do it with a sense of humour . . . that’s what I’m trying to do with the book . . . just encourage people. “I just want to affect people’s lives to be a little greener.” Kermit the Frog may have been wrong. It’s easy being green. Mary Jo Anderson is a freelance writer who lives in Halifax. 555 Belomorkanal Bond Camel Chesterfield Dallas Davidoff Dunhill Epique Esse Gauloises Karelia Kent L&M Lucky Strike Magna Marlboro Marlboro Mild Seven Monte Carlo More Pall Mall Parliament Peter I R1 Rothmans Russian Style Salem Sobranie Sovereign Viceroy Virginia Slims Vogue West Winston
