Orangeville, ON

Christmas Shopping season is fast approaching, the malls seem to be more crowded than normal, even on weekdays (and our neighbours to the south will be kicking off the season with Black Friday).

Here are some tips to help you stay safe and to prevent you becoming a victim of crime this Christmas season:

• If you use cash, obtain your cash from recognized financial institutions and avoid stand alone bank machines (which can be targets of various skimming devices). Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
  
• Know how to recognize legal tender (Canadian and American bills have various counterfeiting prevention features).
• Keep your wallets and purses safely secured at all times.
• When using credit and debit cards, always protect you PIN and shield entry (from prying eyes and/or surveillance devices).
• Do not carry large amounts of gifts. Secure them in your vehicles trunk and place in your home as soon as possible. Keep them out of plain sight.
• Park your vehicle in a well lit area. Always lock your doors.
• Above all, be aware and trust your instincts. Report suspicious people, activity or behaviour to mall security, store owners or workers or the police.

In most cases, crime is preventable, be safe and have a Happy and Safe Christmas Shopping season.

Here are some tips on how you can choose to be a much more ECO-FRIENDLY Shopper while at the Grocery Store:

• Go Local and Organic - Buying local not only reduces the carbon footprint of your purchase (by reducing the travel and processing impact on our planet), but also helps people in our local communities. Look first for products with a "Canada Organic" logo, then "USDA" organic, indicating that the product contains at least 95% organic ingredients (or vice versa if you live in the U.S).
• Try Meatless Fridays and/or Mondays - it can take up to 17 lbs of vegetable protein to produce 1 lb of meat protein. Eating more vegetarian dishes would reduce the strain on our environment.
• Plan Ahead - before you shop, consider what you have. This will reduce both excessive shopping and could help to reduce waste. Studies have indicated that up to 25% of the fresh food we buy goes to waste before we can use it. If a food has been on the shelf or in the refrigerator for a while, use it soon.
• Be "FAIR" - Look for the "Fair Trade Certified" logo when buying items such as bananas, coffee, tea, sugar, chocolate or similar products grown abroad.
• Choose your fish carefully - Stay away from Chilean Sea Bass and other over-fished varieties, instead choosing sustainable fish.
• Bulk Foods - Bulk foods not only are free from packaging waste, they can often save you money. When buying nuts, grains, cereals, treats, etc, consider the bulk section or your bulk food store.
• Leave the bag - When buying loose produce, do not use the tear off plastic bags, and either put them into your cart or use re-usable cloth or mesh bags.

Check out this link for more tips on being: ECO-FRIENDLY in the kitchen

Here are some tips that might help you reduce the energy you consume (and save you some money) in the kitchen:

• Go Paperless - Some newer washable viscose cloths (including those made with sustainable Bamboo) can soak up many times more liquid than paper towels. Use cloth napkins at the dinner table rather than paper.
  
• Take the Temperature - of your refrigerator... 35-38 degrees F (2-3 degrees C) is the optimal temperature range to reduce spoilage and wasted energy. Your freezer section should be 0 degrees F (-18 degrees C). Use a thermometer to ensure your fridge and freezer sections are at optimal temperature.
  
• Let your Leftovers Cool Down - before you refrigerating or freezing. Thirty minutes at room temperature will help in reducing the load on your fridge/freezer (be careful not to let some perishable food stand at room temperature for more than two hours to reduce the risk of contamination)
• Be Dishwasher Wise - Run your dishwasher with full loads, using the light cycle and use non-toxic, biodegradable soaps. Try letting your dishes air dry rather than heat-dry.
  
• Nuke it - Microwaves can use up to 80% less heat than an oven. They are a "greener" way of warming leftovers and steaming vegetables. Try placing your dish on the outer edge of a rotating platter to warm your food even faster.

A self-guided driving tour of local farms. Enjoy the Ontario's fall foliage and see farm work first-hand. Educational activities will add to the family fun. Experience the rural Ontario that is just beyond your backyard!
9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. Saturday October 1st, 2011

Passports with a Map will be available on October 1st, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

@
1) Headwaters Tourism Information Centre, Highway 10 and Buena Vista Drive in Orangeville, or

2) Bluwood Canada, 309 Main St W., Shelburne

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada is poised to become the first major automaker to build electric vehicles in Canada.

Toyota has confirmed that they will start assembling electric versions of the RAV4 SUV in Woodstock within months. Partnered with Tesla Motors, a California based pioneer in electric automotive design and production currently builds high-end electric roadsters.

The addition of the electric RAV4 should secure the positions of Toyota's 6500 workers in Cambridge and Woodstock.

As regular reader know, I am passionate about Saving Our Planet, and believe that we, collectively can make a difference simply by making more informed and better choices and achievable changes in our daily behaviour. I want to congratulate Toyota on this initiative as the RAV4 will join the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf as electric vehicles. Toyota is already one of the world's largest producers of hybrid cars and this is simply the next step in reducing and/or eliminating our dependance on fossil fuels.

Toyota, recovering from the parts shortage caused by the damages to Japanese plants from the Tsunami that hit earlier this year, will restart its second shift at the Woodstock plant next month.

Increasing production at Tier One automotive manufacturers has a very positive effect on the manufacturing sector as it creates extra revenues and jobs for automotive suppliers in the province.

The increase in jobs trickles down through the economy and helps spur the Real Estate Recovery in communities where these workers live.

When it comes time for me to replace my diesel powered car, I will seriously investigate the hybrid and electric options and select a car that is both practical and less harmful to the environment.

Looking for a home in Orangeville, South Simcoe or Caledon? Call me, Chris Smith @ 1.866.936.3500 and find out how I can help you make your Real Estate dreams come true.