It is just over two weeks now since the ban on plastic shopping bags came into effect.

The changeover seems to have gone rather well, I have noticed a huge drop in the number of plastic bags waffling around in the wind [actually can’t remember seeing any] but spring will be the real telling point.

The consumers seemed to have adapted rather well too, most people REMEMBER their reusable bags, those that don’t, well it is not far to rush home and pick up the ones you forgot, or you can buy more at the store. It will get a bit expensive after awhile and the cloth bags do not have the reusability around the house of the plastic ones.
Barring that you can purchase the cheaper brown paper bags, two sizes are available, I think Northern is going to donate some of the sales on the paper bags to the community government.

Now to tackle the pop cans, beer cans, chip bags, candy wrappers, pampers tins etc that can litter the roads.
Back in my youth the grocery stores, actually all stores, sold everything in bulk [or loose] and you took your own bags or they supplied paper bags. Talk about back to the future.
I don’t expect a total reversal but much can be done to minimize all the packaging, much of it is out of local control, some could be dealt with with local input.

I like this idea of a greenhouse project over in Nunavik. As it points out in the article there are other greenhouse projects in the north, non in Northern Labrador on a commercial scale sad to say.

Quite some years ago I mailed the town council with some links and suggestions on not for profit greenhouses. I think the one that I like best at the time was a greenhouse that used secondary heat from the exhausts from oil burning furnaces and engines. The exhaust was routed into a heating system in the greenhouse prolonging the growing season. An ideal location then would have been in the vicinity of the old Hydro plant and the council garage.

With the new Hydro plant now up on the hill above the old site who knows. I am sure with a little thought and a little more effort something could be worked out, just need s the will.

The not for profit commercial venture would work best IMO, if land could be acquired close to a large heat source then all the better. Why even utilizing the wind and sun could be a part of the project.

If the forecast reads true we are in for quite a bit of snow and warmer temperatures the next few days, so much for the harbor ice forming then.