Green Deal

November 1st, 2013

London Drugs wins Airdrie Eco Edge Award

Glenna Hope stopped on the red carpet to talk to Mark Armstrong. (PHOTO – Christina Waldner)

While it’s great to be recognized at the national level, it’s just as awesome to be recognized right in the community. Because that’s where London Drugs lives! On October 26th, we were extremely proud to be awarded the Eco Edge Business Award as “A business that promotes, supports and provides leadership in the environmental arena and that demonstrates a long-term commitment to sustainability.”

Assistant Manager Glenna Hope was on hand to receive the award at the James Bond themed Gala event.

The Green Deal team at our Airdrie store goes above and beyond the call, with recycling, waste reduction and other sustainability initiatives. You just have to watch their Green Deal staff video to see that they approach their sustainability commitments with dedication and a great fun attitude.

Congratulations, Genna and the whole LD Airdrie team. You are the real Green Deal!

October 21st, 2013

London Drugs Issues Waste Reduction Week Challenge: Calling all Canadians to join the waste reduction movement!

We are issuing a series of challenges during Waste Reduction Week in an effort to help Canadians work together toward ecological sustainability by conserving resources and curbing wasteful practices.

Challenge #1 (Monday, October 21): Take Recycling Beyond the Blue Box
Most people already make it part of their routine to sort their plastics, cardboard, glass and cans into their blue boxes. We challenge you to think beyond the blue box and recycle other waste including Styrofoam, candy wrappers, plastic packaging and mixed packaging. London Drugs’ Bring Back the Pack program accepts packaging that can’t be recycled through the blue bin program. Over 187,000 pounds of Styrofoam has already been diverted from landfills.

Challenge #2 (Tuesday, October 22): Reduce E-Waste
Staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest in electronics is important these days, but when you upgrade your cell phone or computer, what do you do with the old one? Throwing your electronics in the garbage can have damaging effects on the environment due to levels of lead, mercury, chromium and arsenic, which are toxic to humans and wildlife. With 140,000 tonnes of e-waste dumped into our landfills annually, there’s reason for concern. Cell phones can easily be recycled through the national Recycle My Cell program, or you can bring them into any London Drugs location. Programs like Free Geek will take any computers, monitors, or laptops and they distribute working computers volunteers and other non-profits, so you’ll have two reasons to feel good about recycling your old laptop!

Challenge #3 (Wednesday, October 23 rd): Divert and Reduce Beverage Container Waste
Beverage container waste is a problem that is not only affecting our landfills, but is clogging up our oceans with debris that is lethal to marine life. Floating along the North Pacific, a ‘Trash Vortex’ the size of Texas carries plastic waste in and among marine ecosystems, where animals may get caught in plastic rings and bottles, or ingest plastic pieces as they break down. You can prevent this harmful waste by switching to green options which avoid the use of excessive amounts of plastic or aluminum. Just one Brita Water Pitcher Filter can replace as many as 300 standard water bottles (and you can recycle the filters too)! If you’re looking for carbonated beverages, try switching to Soda Stream , which allows you to make everything from carbonated water to your favourite soft drinks…without the can or bottle waste.

Challenge #4 (Thursday, October 24th): Make greener purchase decisions
You want to make greener choices, but sometimes you just need some help making them! The next time you’re in London Drugs, see if you can spot ‘What’s the Green Deal?’ signs in the aisles. These will help you find products that have real environmental benefits, from recycled content, to certified organic production, and many other eco-attributes. You’ll find the signs on all kinds of items, like paper yard waste bags, which are made from raw materials that are biodegradable. Look for them and find out how you could be shopping a little greener.

Challenge #5 (Friday, October 24th):Be #WasteWise365
Being waste wise isn’t just something you do for one week; it’s something that should be part of your lifestyle, 365 days of the year! We want to know how you plan to help reduce waste year-round. After all, these simple little things can make a big impact over the course of a whole year.

Share with us on Twitter or Facebook using #WasteWise365 for your chance to win a $300 London Drugs gift card so you can start shopping a little greener and save some green too! Good luck to all of you; we look forward to seeing how you are starting a waste wise and sustainable lifestyle!

September 24th, 2013

London Drugs wins Canadian Stewardship Award

At the Conference on Canadian Stewardship, London Dugs took top honours in the ‘Business’ category for our ‘What’s the Green Deal’ program and our stores’ efforts to engage and promote stewardship programs.

The conference was attended by hundreds of delegates representing business, manufacturers, retailers, industry associations, municipalities, provincial and federal and territorial government representatives and stewardship programs from across North America and Europe.
Administrator of Retail Operations Maury McCausland accepted the award from Mark McKenney, Managing Director of the Conference on Canadian Stewardship, on behalf of the thousands of London Drugs employees and customers that have helped make ‘What’s the Green Deal’ a stewardship success story.

“As a regional retailer, we are proud to be recognized at the national level for our recycling programs,” McCausland said, “But the journey continues. So it’s back to work!”

The next Conference on Canadian Stewardship takes place in 2015. We plan to be there, too.

September 23rd, 2013

How’s this for recycling? One London Drugs store gets rid of its waste bin altogether!

Think you could run an entire retail store and throw out just 2 bags of garbage a week? That’s just what Brenda Marsh, Manager of the London Drugs store in St. Albert, Alberta, and their Receiver Linda have been able to accomplish. In September 2013, they received permission from London Drugs Head Office to remove their dumpster bin completely.

“We were down to one pick up every 3 weeks and did not need even that,” said Assistant Store Manager Patricia Smith, “We are now disposing of 1-2 garbage bags a week at most and have on site a community garbage bin that the mall can use for that.”

All London Drugs stores work hard to recycle their paper, plastics, wrap, styrofoam, pill bottles, packaging and all the materials that customers bring back. But it takes extra dedication to take recycling to this level.

Linda is seen here, waving goodbye (and good riddance) to the dumpster.

Congratulations to Brenda, Patricia, Linda and the whole team at store #48 in St. Albert.
You are the real Green Deal!

August 30th, 2013

Your Green Battery Guide – Rechargeables vs. Alkaline – The Great Battery Debate

To recharge or not to recharge? Is it cheaper? When does it make sense to use regular batteries? In this blog, we will explore some current thinking around the issue.
First, the options. The Energizer Recharge systems available at London Drugs offer several battery models, sizes and charger configurations, depending on the devices you want to run. From the basic mini charger for 2 AA or AAA batteries, to the 4-battery Smart Charger that shuts off automatically to save power, and lets you know if one of your batteries goes bad.
According to the Energizer.ca website, they offer 2 versions of rechargeables: The Recharge Universal, for devices that require frequent charging, and the Recharge Power Plus, designed for power hungry devices such as digital cameras.

Comparing single-use alkaline batteries to rechargeables

We compared the best battery deal energizer offers at London Drugs – 24 Alkaline batteries for just $17.99 – that’s about 75¢ each.
Regular price for 4 Recharge AA’s and the premium Smart Charger is $39.99. So in the worst case scenario, if you only bought those 4 batteries and used that one charger for them, the price per battery is about 10 bucks. (Realistically, the cost of the charger would be amortized over the lifespan of several battery sets)
Even with this biased comparison, the rechargeable batteries come even with the single-use batteries after being used just 13.3 times. To be practical, however, rechargeables (in my experience at least) lose some of their power over time, compared to alkalines. So a closer estimate might be 15 – 20 charges.
One blogger at TheSimpleDollar.com calculated his family’s battery consumption yearly and compared it to investing in rechargeable systems. They were paying $77.70 a year for quality AA’s. The equivalent number of rechargeables and charger cost them $148.74 to set up. So after 2 years, they were basically getting battery use for free. (An interesting sidebar – a year’s worth of electricity to recharge the batteries came to a whopping 24¢!)
Now, let’s look at the waste. One set of rechargeables and a charger vs. 15 – 20 alkaline batteries. Of course, both can be recycled (right here at London Drugs) but that’s still 15 – 20x the shipping, handling and recycling energy use right there.

Single-use batteries still have their uses

So, it makes total green sense to use rechargeable batteries, but there are times when single-use alkaline batteries may actually be more practical.
According to some online sources, it makes more sense to use traditional alkaline batteries for low-draw devices like your clocks, radios, smoke detectors, programmable thermostats, and remote controls because they lose power at a much slower rate than rechargeables. And because traditional alkaline batteries can hold a charge for years when not in use, they are a better choice for items that sit unused for long periods, like back-up batteries and emergency flashlights. Here are a few tips for getting every electron of power out of your single-use batteries.

Rechargeable Battery Care and Maintenance

Many rechargeable battery problems are due to overcharging or improper storage. Overcharging is usually caused by poorly designed first generation battery chargers that continue to deliver current to batteries even after they are fully charged. “5- hour” and “8-hour” timer type chargers can damage NiCd or NiMH batteries if they are frequently used to charge batteries that are only partially discharged.
Another common cause of damage to NiCd and NiMH batteries is leaving them in a device like a flashlight left “ON” after the battery has run down. Appliances normally switch off when the battery is discharged. But some devices, like flashlights and many toys, will continue to drain the battery even after the it is run down. Eventually this could cause the polarity of the battery to reverse. Once this happens the battery will not take a charge. Rechargeable batteries should be removed from any such devices that will not be used for several weeks or longer.

Rechargeable batteries also are not without their challenges. Energizer claims they can be charged ‘100’s of times’, but that may be a bit optimistic, depending on how they are used. But as our calculations show, even if rechargeables are used only 20 times, you (and the environment) still come out ahead.

August 21st, 2013

London Drugs goes Green Thumb with the Hastings North Community Garden

An empty lot that was once home to a London Drugs store is now growing broccoli in aisle 3. On opening day, August 10th, spirits were high as neighbours planted, watered and enjoyed the sun. Check out our opening day video to see the green action for yourself.

This location, in the 2500 block of East Hastings Street in Vancouver, was slated to be built into a mixed-use retail residential development, but market conditions led to a delay in that project. Rather than let the lot sit empty, the real estate team at London Drugs partnered with Shifting Growth to sponsor a temporary urban garden on the site. (The Hastings Street London Drugs store #7 is still operating in a location right next door)

The Shifting Growth organization has a total of three community garden locations in Vancouver, with a fourth in the planning stages.

With 170 plots, three fruit trees and a community herb bed, this garden has created a lot of interest around the neighbourhood. This East Vancouver community has a history of people growing their own food, but not everyone has the space. The infrastructure is mobile, so when development starts, plots can be moved to another Shifting Growth site.

In the meantime, we’ll watch for the tomatoes to ripen.
For more information visit hastingsnorthgarden.com

July 26th, 2013

Green Stampede Breakfast a success – 79% waste diverted. Yeehaw!

A few blogs ago we told you about the Rocky Ridge Royal Oak Community Association (RRROCA) Stampede Breakfast and their efforts to make it a waste-free event (with the help of Green Calgary and London Drugs)

Well, the numbers are in and it looks like a great inaugural event, achieving a 79% diversion of waste from landfill.
RRROCA asked all community members, in advance, to bring their own reusable foodware. Wash stations were set up to clean sticky dishes with London Drugs’ brand of natural dish soap.

London Drugs also donated compostable products and organics and recycling bin collection was provided by PEL Recycling.
PEL was able to collect meat products and processed organic products (grilled pancakes), along with the certified compostable foodware that was provided to those who did not bring their own.

This impressive initial measurement can be credited to the partnership between London Drugs, RRROCA, Green Calgary, PEL Recycling and the dedicated volunteers. When guests deposited materials in the incorrect bins, volunteers would often retrieve the item and place it in the correct bin.

Green Calgary’s report also pointed out a list of recommendations for improvement. Here are just a few of the good ideas:

Develop signage that is specific to the event, with images of materials and clear indication of where they should go.
Encourage London Drugs to obtain testing for biodegradability and a third party certification (Environmental Choice, EcoLogo, EcoCert) for Naturals Dishwashing Liquid.
Train volunteers that leftover pancake batter can be composted. (the batter that was sent to landfill weighed about 20kgs – half of the waste weight. If this had been composted the diversion rate could have been 89%!)

Congratulations to everyone involved. Way to make your Stampede Breakfast the real Green Deal!

July 20th, 2013

Congratulations – YOU recycled over 5kg of electronics! (And other fascinating facts from the 2013 Design for Environment Electronics Recycling Report)

It’s true. Canadians are world leaders in e-waste recycling. At over 5kg per capita, we are ahead of the United States and many EU countries.
And did you know that modern recycling techniques (also known as urban mining) can help reduce emissions? For example, it is estimated that from 50,000 mobile phones, it is possible to recycle around one kilogram of gold, 400 grams of palladium, 10 kilograms of silver, and 420 kilograms of copper. In contrast, extracting one kilogram of gold from a mine below ground requires the removal of 200 tons of rock and generates nearly 10,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

This are just a few of the stats from a comprehensive new report put out by Electronics Product Stewardship Canada (EPSC)*. The report also illustrates what happens to electronics after they are sent for recycling, what materials are contained in these products, and how materials are recovered and reused.

The report also outlines what some companies are doing to ‘close the loop’ on their manufacturing processes. HP Planet Partners return and recycling program, for example, takes back all brands of used electronic equipment and HP ink and Laser Jet cartridges. In 2012, 18.8 million pounds of recycled plastic was used in new HP ink and Laser Jet cartridges. Recycled plastic used in HP ink cartridges has up to a 33% lower carbon footprint, consumes more than 60% less fossil fuel, and uses up to 89% less water.

It’s a quick 15-page read for anyone interested in where their electronics go, with some clear concise charts and a full set of references at the end for real recycling geeks.

So get to know what’s happening with electronics recycling in Canada. You’ll want to take back more than 5kg worth. And you KNOW where you can bring back electronics with ease – London Drugs, of course!

*Electronics Product Stewardship Canada (EPSC) is a not-for-profit, industry-led organization working to represent the interests of electronics manufacturers for innovation in enhanced end-of-life solutions for electronic products in Canada. Its membership is comprised of over 30 leading Canadian electronics manufacturers and trade associations.

June 21st, 2013

It’s time for green beach days and guilt-free picnics.

Sustainable living doesn’t mean you have to give up on the summer fun. If you’re throwing a beach party and don’t want to worry about washing dishes, World Centric has a line of almost-guilt-free disposable dinnerware. The plates and bowls are made from wheat straw fiber instead of trees. Their cups are made from paper and 100% bio-based lining instead of petroleum-based plastic. World Centric cutlery is made from TPLA, consisting of 70% non-GMO corn and 30% talc. All of their products conform to the ASTM D-6400 standard of biodegradability, meaning they break down in commercial composters in 3-6 months. (Should be no problem for municipal systems like those used by Vancouver’s Green Bin program) If you’re a real green picnic geek, you can learn more on the World Centric website.

If throwing away your plate still seems evil, try the reusable plates and bowls from Preserve. Made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic, (including take-out containers) these green beauties are BPA-free and dishwasher safe. Preserve will even take them back and recycle therm AGAIN when you are done.

As you are basking in your righteous green-ness, don’t forget to keep the warming sun at bay with sunscreen alternatives by Green Beaver and Badger. Green Beaver Sunscreen is certified organic, biodegradable and gluten-free. The Badger formula is non-nano, biodegradable and water resistant.

Barbecue and beach season await, so get out there and enjoy the world. And leave a smaller footprint at the same time.

June 13th, 2013

Lights, Camera, Recycle!

This year, for Earth Day, we decided to offer a contest for London Drugs staff to produce the most creative video about ‘What’s the Green Deal’ initiatives at their stores. Using an iPad (and more than a little ingenuity) our aspiring Directors put together some amazing cinematic epics, showing how they reduce waste, recycle and help customers shop a little greener.

The winning teams received cash for their store action committees, and bragging rights on the red – er, green carpet.

Below are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers – and here’s a link to all of our great entries.
Our staff are the real green deal, and now they have the critical acclaim to back it up!

London Drugs wins Airdrie Eco Edge Award

London Drugs Issues Waste Reduction Week Challenge: Calling all Canadians to join the waste reduction movement!

London Drugs wins Canadian Stewardship Award

How’s this for recycling? One London Drugs store gets rid of its waste bin altogether!

Your Green Battery Guide – Rechargeables vs. Alkaline – The Great Battery Debate

London Drugs goes Green Thumb with the Hastings North Community Garden

Green Stampede Breakfast a success – 79% waste diverted. Yeehaw!

Congratulations – YOU recycled over 5kg of electronics! (And other fascinating facts from the 2013 Design for Environment Electronics Recycling Report)

It’s time for green beach days and guilt-free picnics.

Lights, Camera, Recycle!

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