Holiday Council Watch December 16, 2008

Green Tips for the Holidays, Community Right to Know Bylaw Victory: Toronto City Council Votes Yes!, Year End Update and How to Make a Special Holiday Gift to TEA!

Green Tips for the Holidays

The Holidays are a great time for friends and family and should be a good time for the environment as well!  Check out our 10 Tips to Green Your Holiday and view our more detailed guide to find out what you can do to make this a more environmentally friendly season.


Community Right to Know Bylaw Victory: Toronto City Council Votes Yes!

On December 3rd, Toronto City Council voted for a precedent setting
toxics disclosure policy.  With an overwhelming vote of 33-3, Toronto
became the first city that would require businesses - from dry cleaners
to funeral homes and auto-body repair shops - to reveal their
discharges of 25 priority chemicals.

Toronto residents should be proud, with your ongoing support we have
paved the way for other cities across Canada to initiate and adopt
similar bylaws – we all have a right to know!

Year End Update and Make a Special Holiday Gift to TEA!

Looking for an interesting gift for a friend or perhaps a gift that helps the environment and creates no waste? Make a donation to TEA in a friend or family member’s name.

As a Council Watch subscriber you know it’s been an amazing last 12 months. Thanks to your donations and activism, TEA was able to get Toronto City Council to adopt the country’s first-ever Community Right to Know Bylaw. And you helped us convince Toronto City Council to develop an aggressive local food procurement policy; once again, the best in the country!

Meanwhile, we produced the country’s first-ever ethnic food guides that provide information about where Torontonians can buy fresh, locally grown food used in Chinese and South Asian cuisine.

All of these and many more successes couldn’t have happened without the support of friends like you.

But the economic storm clouds are about to hit TEA. Next year foundation grants, which account for about one-third of our revenue, will be significantly reduced because many foundations have lost money on their investments. Which means every extra dollar we get from members like you will help us ride out the effects of this economic storm.

That’s why we're asking you to make a special holiday donation to TEA. With your support, we can continue working on making sure Toronto remains a healthy place for you, your family and the natural environment we depend on entirely.

Any amount helps. But of course, the greater the amount, the more we can do on your behalf.

Thanks again for your help and Happy Holidays!