The power of environmentally sustainable practices has become a part of the collective consciousness at MAPCL. Over the past couple of months, the Green Power Committee members have been meeting with our programs and are happy to report that all are using recycling boxes and bags. Way to go everyone!

Our Green Ambassadors distributed a comprehensive recycling package that included some of the following tools;

• Recycling bins and bags
• Posters and/or information on recycling procedures
• Information on where to get composting and recycling bins/containers and where to drop off recycling items in your region.
• The website address for the Green Power Committee
• "Green tips" 

Each program received a brochure from the City of Vancouver on composting, where to find free composting workshops and where to purchase composting bins.  MAPCL will be offering workshops at North Shore Options in Mid-July…information will be sent to all programs.

Watch for the upcoming ‘Green’ Event…We are planning a free clothing "shop" which will be available to all employees and supported individuals.  We will be requesting clothing donations of items you no longer want or wear.  More information will be available shortly!

What will the Green Power Committee do for you and for MAPCL?  The Green Power Committee will:

• Research and share sustainable practices to the organization, employees, persons served and stakeholders.
• Research and/or develop an instrument and process for assessing the environmental sustainability of all sites rented, owned or controlled by MAPCL.
• Contribute quarterly to the MAPCL newsletter.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of a "Green" page on the MAPCL website.
• Be available to provide information or assistance to programs or sites wishing to become greener in their practices.
• Assist the Continuous Quality Improvement Officer to identify and track outcome measurements regarding sustainable practices.
• Assist fund developer to prepare proposals to obtain funding for environmental initiatives.
• Assist in the development and ongoing review of an organizational policy on environmental sustainability.

The greener we are, the greener we will become.

Green Tips

By working in harmony with Mother Nature, we are benefiting from the production of healthy plants, utilizing our resources and minimizing what ends up in landfills. Here are a few "green tips" for the compost and garden.

• Toilet paper cardboard rolls can be placed around the base of plants when young ones are first put out in the garden to shelter them from the elements until they get established.
• All cardboard rolls can be torn up and put in the compost on top of vegetable waste as the brown layer.
• Tea made from compost can be used around the base of seedlings to help suppress diseases such as potato blight and mildew by controlling the pathogens that cause them.
• When compost tea is sprayed onto plant leaves, beneficial organisms occupy the leaf surface by outnumbering the disease pathogens so no infection can get in. 
• Compost tea can also be used as a soil drench around plants to prevent root rot.

Compost tea

Fill half a bucket with compost and top it up with water. Let sit for several days, and then strain it through an old pair of tights or an old pillowcase.

To use, dilute to three parts water, one part tea so that you end up with an amber liquid.

If you have any suggestions or feedback please feel free to contact us at. greenpowercommittee@mapcl.org