Feed: this MOTHER's going GREEN ... - AggScore: 74.5
Summary: this MOTHER's going GREEN
Living Green; Being Green; Loving Green... Doing my part to nurture Mother Earth.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Okay so we have heard it before, so many times and you would
figure that we undersstood it. Well most of us do:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Most of us are very good at the
recycle part. For me that is the easiest...
Recycling. But then on todays like today, I stop and think
and complain a little: "Why are my recycling cans so small
for everything I am trying to recycle; I am trying to be green
here and how can I when I can not fit all my recycling in the
little bin provided...etc." BUT I forget or more correctly
find it a challenge the reducing
part. I really need to stop and think about the reducing
and reusing portions of the cycle. I think for the week
that will be my goal: REDUCE!!!
Have you mastered the reduce aspect - share your success through
your comments.
Date Published: Apr 01, 2011 - 9:05 am
Importance of Biodiversity in Farmers Markets - GUEST POST by Thomas Morrison
Doug Band and the CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) as well as US Ecologist Gary Nabhan believe we must try new ways in order to promote crop diversity. Nabhan takes a different approach to biodiversity and believes that we must remember to try new things and immerse ourselves in the very concept of diversity. He has caught the attention of many over the years through his theories of sustainability through grocery shopping. In an interview recently Nabhan stated that, “in other environmental issues we tell people to stop something, reduce their impact, reduce their damage.” His article Coming Home to Eat was published in 2001, and afterwards the local food movement exploded with a movement towards farmers markets and everything green.
Along with Gary Nabhan there have been a rising number of organizations that are starting to see the importance of contributing to sustainability through conservation. Bill Clinton, Doug Band and the CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) have been working diligently on removing emission reduction projects throughout the country. They have partnered with companies such as Donlen, Environmental Defense Fund, and GreenDriver to reduce commercial fleet emissions 20% in five years. The Earth Day Network has also been playing a large part in bringing conservationist and green enthusiast together opening a forum to discussion new ways to support our planet. As climate control continues to worsen, collaboration amongst individuals and organizations is essential for a successful green campaign. As human beings, we’re always being told to reduce our carbon footprint, consume less unhealthy foods, and spend less time in the shower. Gary Nabhan strongly suggests that we take a step back and look at this from a completely different perspective.
A study done by the The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, shows that only about a quarter of crop diversity is left and about a dozen species now gives 90% of the animal protein eaten globally. In addition, just about 4 crop species supply half of plant-based calories in the human diet. Nabhan proposes that eating foods that are homegrown will have a greater impact on sustainability for our planet as a whole. Otherwise known as “eat what you conserve,” is a well-established theory in that by eating the fruits and vegetables that we are attempting to conserve/save, we’re promoting the granular dissemination of various plant species.
Agriculturist Marco Contiero also mentions “biodiversity is an essential characteristic of any sustainable agricultural system, especially in the context of climate change.” According to Conterio’s theory, this would suggest that as individuals we tend our own crops/plants, and should make sure to purchase localized farm products at supermarkets and groceries. In the end, this condenses export/import reliance, thus reducing our carbon footprint.
Both theories rely profoundly on an action-oriented approach at conservation and sustainability. With an abundance of green movements following Earth Day 2010, organizations and individuals have taken a stronger following to expert opinions like the ones demonstrated by both of these highly influential agriculturalists. As the fall season approaches, remember to visit your local farmers markets to purchase your fresh fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, as eco-conscious individuals, don’t hesitate to stop the next time you drive by a yard stand with fresh crops. It is clear that promoting biodiversity and localized farming is a crucial piece of the conservation puzzle.
Date Published: Feb 03, 2011 - 9:11 am
Please Consider the Envirnment Before Printing
Since moving to the beautiful province of Saskatchewan, I
have been lucky enough to get a job where I work from home.
Hows that for reducing my carbon footprint? I enjoy the job
very much and communicate mostly by e-mail to prospective and
existing 'clients'.
The thing I am slowly discovering about my new home is that it is not on the "green" cutting edge, and I am faced with daily 'green' obstacles in my community.
Today, I added the "please consider the environment before printing this e-mail" to my e-mail signature. I took the time to google this and saw many comments on its UN-usefulness...just google it and you too can see the comments. However, I believe that it is a very important reminder and another tool to create 'green' awareness. There are still some people who print everything they get on e-mail, this can just serve as a gentle reminder to them. To those who are offended by this reminder well - too bad - write whatever you want on your e-mail signature, that's the beauty of it - we are all free to express ourselves as we choose and I choose to express my "green" concerns.
If my e-mail signature can help reduce the printing of the e-mails that I send out - then to me that is success. Every little green act adds up eventually and the awareness can continue.
One of the comments that got me all riled up was: "when you do print one of these e-mails with the 'consider the environment' signatures, the signature always requires a second page, a then wasted page" What I would like to say to that is: Then delete the darn signature before printing!!
The thing I am slowly discovering about my new home is that it is not on the "green" cutting edge, and I am faced with daily 'green' obstacles in my community.
Today, I added the "please consider the environment before printing this e-mail" to my e-mail signature. I took the time to google this and saw many comments on its UN-usefulness...just google it and you too can see the comments. However, I believe that it is a very important reminder and another tool to create 'green' awareness. There are still some people who print everything they get on e-mail, this can just serve as a gentle reminder to them. To those who are offended by this reminder well - too bad - write whatever you want on your e-mail signature, that's the beauty of it - we are all free to express ourselves as we choose and I choose to express my "green" concerns.
If my e-mail signature can help reduce the printing of the e-mails that I send out - then to me that is success. Every little green act adds up eventually and the awareness can continue.
One of the comments that got me all riled up was: "when you do print one of these e-mails with the 'consider the environment' signatures, the signature always requires a second page, a then wasted page" What I would like to say to that is: Then delete the darn signature before printing!!
Date Published: Mar 04, 2010 - 11:33 am
Welcome to the Praries
BIG MOVE......Sold our house in September of 2009 and have
moved provinces. From British Columbia to Saskatchewan. We
are now livingin a small town located 10 minutes from a
city.
Many green challenges are on the horizon for me here.... I will attempt to post more regularly as I embark on 'greening' the Prairies.... Stay tuned.
Thank you
Many green challenges are on the horizon for me here.... I will attempt to post more regularly as I embark on 'greening' the Prairies.... Stay tuned.
Thank you
Date Published: Feb 19, 2010 - 12:08 pm
Selling our house
Although I have not kept up to date on my blog of going green - I have maintained the green lifestlyle and continue to grow in greenness.
We are in the process of selling our wonderful house, and once sold and we have moved I look forward to continuing this blog as I do miss posting to it.
In the meantime please visit my new blog: Squamish House For Sale and if you know anyone who wants to buy this house let them know about it and please let our agent know. Thanks to all my followers for your continued support.
Date Published: May 19, 2009 - 1:58 pm
Mother's going GREEN - Organic Make Up
I have been using my make up for a while now and rather than rush out and buy all natural and green products I figured I would only replace finished items with the new and improved greener versions.
I do not and have never spent large sums of money on make up -
drug store brands have pretty much sufficed for me. I do not
wear that much and never bought into the claims the more
expensive companies make about me looking and staying younger.
The other day my blush accidentally fell on the 
floor smashing it
and leaving me with none. A perfect opportunity to head to the
drugstore to see what I could replace it with. My drugstore
carried a brand called "Organic
Wear" by Physicians Formula and I picked up a new blush and
I figured I would try out a lip colour too.
floor smashing it
and leaving me with none. A perfect opportunity to head to the
drugstore to see what I could replace it with. My drugstore
carried a brand called "Organic
Wear" by Physicians Formula and I picked up a new blush and
I figured I would try out a lip colour too.
It states that it is 100% of the total ingredients are of a
natural origin - but in researching it a bit further I
discovered that some of the ingredients are not so natural and
according to this site (Cosmetic Data Base) one of the ingredients
rates a 4 out of 10 (10 being not natural at all). Considering
when I enter my old brand of make up the results came up a 7 or
greater I think this is a great difference and price is not bad
too.
What I really enjoyed too about this new product is the
packaging. The lip colour is a corn based bio-plastic - which
is good. Most impressive was the compact for the blush. It is
made out of cardboard pretty much. The packaging states 93%
less plastic than conventional compacts. I like it and I am
looking forward to weather it holds up as well as the plastic
counter part does.
So while it is not totally rank at 0 out of 10 it is:
-- 100% Free of Harsh Chemicals
-- 100% Free of Parabens
-- 100% Free of Genetically Modified Organisms
-- 100% Free of Synthetic Colours and Fragrances
-- 100% Cruelty Free
For now I will give this brand a try, it suits my wallet and is
'greener' than most.
Date Published: Sep 21, 2008 - 9:30 pm
Mother's going GREEN - Taking some time off to smell the flowers
My
apologies to all my regular blog readers and followers. I have not
posted for some time. This does not mean that I have given up on
"Green" - more like I have been more caught up in it than ever.
My baby is almost 6 months old now and requiring much more of
my time and attention. My son is also enjoying his days at
kindergarten which leaves my 21/2 year old without a 'friend'
so to speak and I am required to fill in the gaps.
Our walks to and from school are also taking up about an hour
and a bit a day - although it is just a 10 minute walk each way
- with a toddler that 10 minute walk takes much much longer. If
you have ever forgotten how to stop and take time to smell the
flowers - take a walk with a 2 year old.
I also want to get myself onto the schools Parent Advisory
Council and see if I can get some green initiatives started at the school -
and I will need some time for that. While the school already
has a no idling policy it is still handing out plastic bags to
children for their library books. (A no no in my books!!).
Life has suddenly gotten busier or should I say 'fuller'. I
will post from time to time but no regular schedule has been
determined at this point. I will take each day as it comes....
I do feel though that there is enough here in my blog to get
everyone started on a greener path and the basics have pretty
much been covered.
Stay tuned....Thanks
Date Published: Sep 19, 2008 - 4:20 pm
Mother's going GREEN Day 110 - Colds, Colds, Colds... and Flu
Well it
would seem that it is not cold or even flu season yet. But this
morning I woke up with a cold. In the old days I would grab the
Contact C and what ever cold medicine I could get my hands on to
help alleviate the symptoms. IN the past I have found that while
they alleviate the symptoms - they also make the cold or flu seem
to last longer.
This time I figured I was not going to do that and try and cope
with the cold naturally - which means rest and drinking fluids.
Thankfully my husband was home today and I got to do just that.
REST. I slept most of the day and drank hot lemon and honey water
- which does wonders. Not too mention the good old Chicken Noodle
Soup. I must say I feel 80% better and I feel the cold is almost
over.
It would also be great and natural to prevent the cold from ever
happening to begin with and that requires a nutritious diet,
sufficient sleep and exercise. Being a mom it is not always
possible to get the rest I need. I try eat healthy and do some
exercise. But I will admit leading up to the cold I did feel very
tired - I was not getting enough sleep. While am not about to
trade in my infant for sleep - I will just deal with the cold
naturally and get on with it.
No more over the counter or prescription drugs for my colds or my
families colds. (Excluding my husband of course - I am sure he
will still fill his body with the anti cold drugs - but hopefully
I have shown him the alternative way to deal with them.)
I will though take tomorrow off from blogging - just to give me
some extra rest. Until Tuesday - I will rest well.
Date Published: Sep 14, 2008 - 4:58 pm
Mother's going GREEN Day 109 - Bear Aware
Yesterday (Friday) when
I went to pick up my son from kindergarten at lunch time there was
a bear (a black bear they are most common here) at the far end
of the field near the playground. Yes, we live in bear country. I
my heart raced about a mile a minute when I heard this and I rushed
to get my daughter off the swings she was playing on.
This whole episode got me to thinking about those bears. I have
lived before in an area full of bears (Banff National Park) and
in the year I lived there I personally only came across 2of them.
Each time I was not too afraid and never gave them a second
thought. That being said I was not a mother then.
How motherhood changes us. This recent close encounter made me
realize too what a mother bear feels when she sees a human near
her cubs - more likely to be defensive in order to protect them.
We have a lot in common. Mothers and Mother Bears. Wanting to
protect our young.
I respect bears and I realise too that we as humans have
encroached on their land and we need to be mindful of them more
so than they of us. I no longer go for walks in the woods at the
back of our house. It is getting cooler and they are out
gathering food and now it is there time to explore the woods. I
had the summer to do this and they can have the fall. I want to
avoid the bears encounter with humans and the only way that I
know how to do this is to allow them their space. The more
encounters they have with humans the more likely that one day
they will be destroyed.
I have researched to on what to do should I encounter a bear in
my daily outings. My first instinct would be to run. This is
probably the worst thing to do as the bear will run after you.
-- Stand still, perhaps with your hands over your head to appear
bigger
-- Talk to the bear in a monotone voice
-- Watch the bear but DO NOT make eye contact, never turn your
back on a bear.
-- The bear make a "pretend" charge or get on its hind legs and
make loud grunting noises. It is important to stand your ground -
he is just testing the situation.
-- If the bear seems uninterested in you slowly back away - still
facing the bear, still talking. If he moves closer stop and hold
your ground.
-- Once the bear has decided that you are not a threat to the
bear and walks away - it is then safe to do so. Always keep the
bear in view and DO NOT RUN.
DO NOT FEED BEARS
DO NOT APPROACH BEARS
GIVE BEARS THEIR SPACE
Armed with this information I feel a little more comfortable out
and about in 'Bear Country'. I am more BEAR AWARE.
Date Published: Sep 13, 2008 - 1:51 pm
Mother's going GREEN Day 107 - Mixed Greens - Not the Salad
Thought
I would take the opportunity today to do some updates:
Cleaning with my 'green' cleaning products is proving to be
most successful. I find that it stays cleaner than before (now
that could be because I am cleaning better since I do not mind it
now - no fumes and no headaches) But I am finding that soap scum
comes off the shower door easier with Borax and then a rinse of
vinegar. The toilet stays clean now for up to 2 weeks using borax
to clean it - with the other stuff it was a weekly job. So I will
say I am very happy with that.
Our vegetable garden is doing fantastically
well - so well that we are struggling to eat it all. I am hinting
that next year we get a table at our local farmers market and
sell the produce we do not /can not consume. This green thing can
bring in some money. I must say want I enjoy the most is planning
a dinner and then heading up to the garden to pick the fresh peas
and pull out some fresh carrots which we eat immediately. Talk
about "fresh" - no fresher than that. We have only one pumpkin
growing which is a little disappointing - but I guess we only
need one for our Halloween Jack-o-Lantern - hopefully it
continues to grow well.
My gas tank a month is growing great. In fact I
am hardly aware of gas prices now since I am rarely at the gas
station now. But when I do go I must say I get a big surprise as
it has usually gone up significantly since my last visit.
My 3 minute shower is still going well -
although the weather is get cooler and I am often tempted to
leave it on while I soap up. I have yet to give in and it is not
soooo bad.
Still struggling with the husband in regards to those awful plastic bags - but soon I hope he will
get the idea. I still find one or two making their way into our
home.
But all in all going green is going great.
Date Published: Sep 11, 2008 - 6:29 pm
Mother's going GREEN Day 106 - Halloween Treats
Okay, so
we still have over a month to go until Halloween, but I have
noticed the stores are starting to promote Halloween so I figured
so can I.
In South Africa where I grew up we did not celebrate Halloween
and it was not until I came to Canada in my late teen years that
I had the opportunity to dress up and attend Halloween parties.
The first time my son went 'trick or treating' was my first time
too - what fun. Needless to say I enjoy Halloween. Love the
costumes...the kids....and the candy especially the chocolate.
(or should I say DID love the chocolate).
In a previous post I wrote about Fair Trade chocolate and how I was only going
to buy and support fair trade chocolate, now let me tell you
Halloween is not going to change this for me. And no, I will not
be handing out Organic apples to the trick or treaters knocking
at my door.
I am going Fair Trade Halloween Chocolates... and so should you.
Visit Sweet Earth Chocolates to order yours today or
perhaps your local store will carry smaller fair trade chocolates
that you can purchase. Since I will order mine on line - I will
order them soon to avoid disappointment.
In case you are wondering - I will be letting my children eat
some of the candy that they gather from their trick or treating -
it would be just plain cruel to take candy from a child. I will
though attach somehow a message to the chocolate that I give out
making note that it is fair trade and list the benefits of fair
trade chocolate so that in Halloweens to come hopefully more and
more parents will hand out the "good stuff".
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Date Published: Sep 10, 2008 - 9:07 pm
Mother's going GREEN Day 105 - What is in your milk?
I was prompted to write about this when I visited
the grocery store by myself and picked up some organic milk. Since
starting to live a greener lifestyle we have yet to switch over to
organic milk. My husband has not been prepared to pay the $6+ for a
2 litre jug when you can buy a 4 litre jug for just over
$4.
Let me explain our families
milk consumption and perhaps you will appreciate where my
husband is coming from. We go through 4 litres of milk in
two days sometimes two days and a bit. I have always loved
milk and will have a very large glass of it a day. My son
will have 1 sometimes 2 small glasses a day and then my 2
year old daughter well she LOVES her milk and drinks a lot
of it almost a litre a day. Perhaps this is too much for
her and we should cut it down some but for now this is how
it is. Then there is the milk on the cereal and milk in
coffee and you can easily see how this all adds up. On
average we spend $65.00 on milk a month. If we went
strictly organic this would be $190.00 a month.
I also more recently noted that
milk may contain antibiotics and growth hormones specifically
Bovine somatotropin - rBST (rBST is a
synthetic version of the cow's own growth hormone) Growth
hormones are injected into cows to increase their milk supply
thereby increasing the milk produced by farmers to meet the
demand for milk. This made me feel a little uncomfortable
considering the amount of milk our family consumes. And what
scared me even more is that for all my pregnancies I craved
milk so our household demand for milk increased to 4 litres a
day. Could I have exposed all my children to these hormones
and antibiotics in the milk? - this had me quite
concerned.
Thankfully, after some research
I found out that Canada has banned rBST and antibiotics in
milk. But this is not the case in many US states and other
countries. In Canada cows are not given any synthetic
hormones and if a cow is ill and does require antibiotics it
is separated from the milked cows.
From this video I learned that rBST causes up
to 16 adverse health affects in cows which in turn then
require the use of antibiotics and all eventually land up in
the milk being consumed by humans. This video may be of
interest to all my US blog readers. Check it out.
I did learn from this web posting that for us Canadians the
only difference between organic milk and the 'regular' milk
is what the cows have been eating in order to produce the
milk. Are they eating organic grains and grass? If yes the
milk they produce is organic and if not then the milk is not
organic. Organic milk also means that the cows have had some
freedom to graze, rather than being a "factory" cow.
What is a Mom to do? If I lived in the US the answer would be
simple. Organic Milk and/or rBST free milk. In Canada I am
not sure - The cost is a lot for our family.
My goal though would be to reduce our demand on milk and use
it in moderation. Perhaps then we could afford the Organic
milk, if we had less demand for milk as a whole. Which I
guess is were these kind of problems stem from - over demand
for a product weather it be fruits, vegetables, milk,
chocolate, meats etc... the list goes on.
So whats in your milk?
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Date Published: Sep 09, 2008 - 3:10 pm
Mother's going GREEN Day 104 - Garbage and Recycling
I am really excited about an article I read in our local
newspaper. The district has decided to only pick up our garbage
every 2nd week. Why am I excited, well, people will have to
create less garbage. On garbage pick up day, every week, I see
garbage cans filled to the brim and now if we have pick up every
2 weeks this will have to be halved which forces people to
consider what they are throwing away as garbage.
At the same time they will be implementing curb side recycling
(currently we have to drop off our recycling at various depots in
town). Now every other week they will pick up our recycling they
will give a large tote to put our recyclables in - I know our
recycling bin will be close to over flowing and I hope other's
recycling totes will be too.
I am so thrilled about this new decision although I have read
about many complaints too. Many seem to be concerned that their
is just too much garbage and pick up every 2 weeks is not
sufficient enough. To them I say: Just recycle more - If I can
reduce my garbage to a can a month then you can do it too.
Click here to read the full article as it appeared
in our local paper
Date Published: Sep 08, 2008 - 3:26 pm
Mother's going GREEN Day 103 - Tree Planting
Tree
planting or in this case tree rescue. My husbands place of work
was getting rid of some of their potted trees. Apparently they
were going to be replaced with different more attractive trees.
These trees were headed for the garbage.
Now trees are very important to the environment just in case
you did not know here are some interesting fun facts:
-- Trees keep our air supply fresh by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.
-- In one year, an acre of trees can absorb as much carbon as
is produced by a car driven up to 8700 miles. 
-- they provide shade and shelter, reducing yearly heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars.
-- A tree does not reach its most productive stage of carbon
storage for about 10 years.
-- Trees cut down noise pollution by acting as sound barriers.
-- Tree roots stabilize the soil and prevent erosion.
-- The death of one 70-year old tree would return over three
tons of carbon to the atmosphere.
any for many more facts on trees visit this site.
Because of this, my husband took the opportunity to rescue a
couple of these trees and we have planted them in our garden.
In my opinion we should not be replacing trees but just growing
more and more.
Date Published: Sep 07, 2008 - 3:50 pm
Mother's going GREEN Day 102 - Beavers and Cubs
In
Canada, Scouts has brought outdoor adventure to young children for
over 100 years. As their brochure says: "Entering our second
century... the philosophy is more relevant and valuable than ever
before to Canadian families." and considering the environmental
state of our world I could not agree with them more.
Today, I enrolled my son into Beavers (the level just before cub scouts). He is
very excited about going and participating in the nature walks,
camping and all around outdoor fun.
The Environment section of their mission statement is as follows:
youth learn to become caretakers of the environment.
I am so excited for him - it will further instill the values that
we are implementing at home and it is my hope that he can gain a
greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world
surrounding him and how fragile it can be.
Go get 'em my little tree hugger to be...
Date Published: Sep 06, 2008 - 7:45 pm
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