almost everyone has a cell phone these days and loves to upgrade them regularly. but what happens to the old phones and how do we dispose of them properly? When we think about our ecological footprint, and desire to become more eco-conscious individuals, we typically contemplate making changes to our cleaning products, beauty routines, and diet. What we often neglect to consider is the astounding impact our electronic waste has on the environment.  Our consumption of electronics is excessive - just think about the many iterations of cell phones we have purchased in order to stay up to da ..read more

Circular economies could be one of the main solutions to climate change. What makes this economic structure different from the others? By Hung Phan What is a circular economy, you may ask? Put simply, it’s an alternative method of carrying out economic activities, but with one major difference: there is no waste created. This concept was introduced in the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act. In our current economy, we extract natural resources and turn them into products. We then consume the item, and throw it away. This is called a linear economy, as this process creates a large amount of waste. In contras ..read more

Cigarette butts are everywhere, but did you know that these innocuous little pieces of litter can cause a lot of harm to our environment? Let’s start with the good news: smoking rates have been dropping rapidly over the last decade. The bad news? Cigarette butts are still the most commonly littered item. In fact, many smokers and non-smokers do not view cigarette butts as litter! Cigarette Butts are Made of Plastic They do not fully degrade, leach harmful chemicals into the environment, and contribute to our global microplastic problem. Leach Toxic Chemicals into the Environment Arsenic and le ..read more

Have you ever seen those little numbers on plastics? You know, the ones inside the little recycling symbol? Well, read on to learn what these numbers mean and how to recycle like the best of them! By Hung Phan Have you ever wondered what the numbers on plastic bottles or the take-out containers mean or what they are used for? It seems insignificant, but the numbers play an important role in the plastic we use every day. If you pay closer attention, you’ll realize that there are 7 numbers, each representing a different type of plastic with unique properties. Unfortunately, some of these plastic ..read more

Join AGF this year as we clean up our neighborhoods, communities, cities, and province! Updated March 10, 2022 Earth Month is fast approaching, and with all the negative climate news we’ve been bombarded with, it’s easy to just curl up into a ball of eco-anxiety. I have some good news for you. Eco-anxiety is often subdued by getting involved with your community! At A Greener Future, we have several long-running and brand-new volunteer opportunities for anyone interested. The Butt Blitz  The Butt Blitz is one of the core AGF events. It takes place in April each year. The goal is to raise a ..read more

Many of us think we can “get rid of” our electronics by throwing them in the trash. Unfortunately, this causes incredible destruction and harm to our environment. We are one of the luckiest generations to be alive in an era where we have access to pretty much everything we could ever imagine. In general, the quality of life has never been better. A lot of this is due to having such great access to technology, and it’s prevalence in every aspect of our lives; bringing comfort and convenience to us. For example, I don’t have to start and monitor a fire to keep my house warm; I simply adjust my t ..read more

Many of us think we can “get rid of” our electronics by throwing them in the trash. Unfortunately, this causes incredible destruction and harm to our environment. We are one of the luckiest generations to be alive in an era where we have access to pretty much everything we could ever imagine. In general, the quality of life has never been better. A lot of this is due to having such great access to technology, and it’s prevalence in every aspect of our lives; bringing comfort and convenience to us. For example, I don’t have to start and monitor a fire to keep my house warm; I simply adjust my t ..read more

Fast fashion has created an excess fabric crisis, where most of it ends up in landfill. Is textile recycling a solution to our fast fashion problem? Textile recycling is becoming more prominent than ever before with many large companies, such as Patagonia and H&M, encouraging their customers to recycle their clothing.  We can encourage companies to produce better quality clothing from more sustainable resources by “voting with our dollar.”  Everyday we consumers are finding our voice and becoming more conscious of our voice and the power we have by speaking up. What is Textile Re ..read more

if food waste was a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world. why is that the case and what can we do about it? By Hung Van Phan When you throw an overripe banana or a piece of meat stored for too long into the trash, it may seem like a small, meaningless act, but it contributes to a much larger problem - food ending up in landfills. You may think that it’s only a small amount of food and that you’re not wasting it on purpose, so what’s all the fuss about? However, every time there is food dumped into the trash bin, it becomes part of the trash and will end up in a landfill ..read more

we hear the term “fast fashion” often, but what does it actually mean and what are the environmental implications? In the fight for climate action, we can find relief that it’s not all doom and gloom.  Many actions are being taken daily and we can even see changes being implemented in the political sphere.  With typical consumer habits changing on a daily basis, among the rising popularity of e-commerce, fast fashion has continued to grow at exponential rates.  Though we know of many evils behind the fast fashion industry and how it impacts our mental health, our resources, and ..read more