Zenn has announced that it will now focus on marketing its highway-capable drive system to the big car manufacturers. It will not be developing and manufacturing a highway capable electric vehicle as previously announced. See ZENN MOTOR COMPANY UPDATES BUSINESS STRATEGY for the full press release.

Although this is a great loss for Canada, I do understand their shift. The large oil industry dependent car manufacturers have been losing money and have received billions from the Canadian government. Zenn has also been losing money and has received nothing, zip, zero, from their government as bailout money.

After receiving billions, the large car manufacturers then received another recent windfall from the Ontario government in the form of consumer rebates. Zenn, an Ontario-based company, nothing. If you buy Zenn, don’t expect a rebate.

Zenn knows where the money is…lining the pockets of the big three.

I have heard the arguments.

1. Zenn only goes 40km/hour. Truth be told: it is capable of going a lot faster but had it’s speed capped by the government.

2. Zenn is too expensive. First off, price one for yourself - and do a price comparison with another efficient car - before you speak up. Then imagine how much they would cost with a few billion from government and consumer rebates.

3.Zenn was too slow to get government approval. It was the goverment that was too slow on approval. They only bent after the CBC did a story and public outcry followed.

4. Nobody wants to drive an electric car. Tell that to the thousands of people on Telsa’s waiting list who have already put down a deposit.

It seems that Canadian small business and innovation is being held back by its own government.  We need the Canadian government to take a long-term view economically and environmentally.

For more information, Wikipedia has an entry on Zenn.

I have to admit, I love paying for school lunches as I don’t have to dream up what to pack for lunch that day. What I don’t always like are the choices. But over the years, I have noticed the choices getting better and better. This year, an established all Canadian company is partnering with schools to provide healthy alternatives to school lunches.

Arthur’s Fresh has created a 250ml bottle of fresh fruit smoothie - including the all important pulp - for elementary schools. This 250ml bottle is the size recommended by the Dieticians of Canada and contains 2 full servings of fruit. For secondary schools, Arthur’s Fresh Juice offers up a 325ml bottle, containing 2.5 servings of fruit. The ingredients of the fresh fruit smoothies includes fruit, fruit and fruit: no preservatives, sugar or water.

At the secondary school level, the smoothies are offered through cafeterias. Since most elementary schools don’t have cafeterias, Arthur’s Fresh is working with parents, administation and school boards to offer the fruit smoothies to complement existing milk programs. If you live in Ontario, Arthur’s Fresh has a direct-to-school program in which they work with the school to find options for delivery and cooler options to keep the smoothies cool.

With only one in eight of our kids consuming the recommended five servings or fruits and vegetables each day, it is high time that we find a way to get those all important fibre and nutrients into their systems. Arthur’s Fresh fruit smoothies delivers the nutritional benefits of the whole fruit, unlike juice options, that have removed the fibre and often much of the naturally occuring vitamins in processing.

One of my main concerns with school lunches comes with the indivually packed containers that get tossed in the trash. Arthur’s Fresh has worked hard to ensure that their containers are fully recyclable.  Not only that, in 2008/2009, they dropped their greenhouse gas footprint by eight percent. Further, they are a Canadian company!

Interested? You can email them at school@arthursjuice.com or call them at 416-233-6888. You can also join them on Facebook under Arthur’s Fresh School Smoothies.

As a mom, kids clothing is high on my list at this time of year. We don’t do a great big shop, but with the changing weather it is time to make sure the kids have what they need. The clothes that my kids wear need to pass the mom test.

They need to be durable. I also want good value for my money. I know that my kids will outgrow them (sooner rather than later) and I want the clothing to last well past my kids. I have received many fabulous hand me downs and I like to contribute to the tradition. It is a environmentally sound practice to receive and give hand me downs. So I buy clothing that can pass the test over and over again, rather than go a season and get tossed out.

I do my best to make sure my kids aren’t wearing clothing that has been made at the expense of other children. A recent U.S. Labour report (PDF) lists Argentina, China, India, Jordan, Malaysia, and Thailand and countries where children are forced to make clothing. Child labour is a big issue that can’t be dealt with in its entirety without writing a book, but suffice it to say that as parents I believe that all kids are our kids. It takes a global village.

Chemical laced clothing hurts not just our kids, but the entire planet. It is really difficult to choose healthy clothing but I do so as much as possible. Just as a pair of too tight pants can do harm so can toxins resting against the skin of a child. Harm that may not show up for years to come.

Last but not least, clothing must be functional. This includes the ability to move in them, washability as well as their willingness to put them on in the morning. If a kid can’t bend, run, climb and tumbling then the clothing won’t serve them well. Further, if getting my child into an outfit takes convincing on my part of whining on their part, it isn’t functional. Well, I’m not functional and in the morning that spells trouble.

Here are a few Canadian companies offering clothing that passes the mom test.

Pinafore from ecomum.com

Popo's ponchos

Tum Tum Tree Designs

If you know of any other great Canadian kids clothing shops, let us know.

Earlier this week, my daughter found an old metal lunchbox at a thrift shop we were checking out. It was the perfect back to school lunch kit in her eyes. Now I just have to figure out what to put in it, which I have to admit is one of my least favourite morning chores.

If you are looking for an updated lunch kit for back to school, there are some great options on the market right now. Here are a few ideas.

Reusable Snack Pouch

This is a great alternative to all those little plastic bags I see blowing around the school grounds. Pop in a sandwich, some crackers or even some apple slices and fold it up. The velcro keeps it in place. One bag is all you need, which is better than 200 small plastic bags all blowing in the wind or flowing down the river.

Neoprene Reusable Lunch Tote

No chemicals necessary in this cute lunch bag made out of wetsuit material. I really like the fact that it is machine washable, since I love to just toss things in the wash rather than clean it myself. Looks good and feels great to carry since it was made in Taiwan by fair trade workers.

EarthLust Stainless Bottles

I just send water with my kids each day. I don’t believe they need juice in their diet, much like they don’t need pop. Water only makes clean up easier and if you are looking for some non-toxic, BPA free water bottles with sweet designs, these are them.

Laptop Lunch Bundles

I do love bento boxes and these lunch boxes are mini bento boxes for kids. My youngest daughter still hates it when one food item touches another so she would fully appreciate this kit.  Better still it is lead-free, insulated and comes with a non-toxic ice pack to help keep things cool.

September is a good time to get into new lunch habits. My daughter’s school had a litterless lunch Wednesday last year, asking parents to not use any disposable containers on Wednesdays. My daughter didn’t bother telling me. When I asked why she said, every day was litterless lunch day for her. I am definitely not one of those ” together parents” but I guess everyone does at least one thing right. Now if I could only find a way to get the kids to like leftovers.