Archive for the 'Environment' Category

Jump Start Your Spring Cleaning - Freecycle!

A friend told me about a great way to re-use household items that you no longer need, and I am finding it a great way to de-clutter our home before our big move in April. Communities all over the place have Free-Cycle groups. Here’s how they work:

First, you find stuff in your house that you no longer need.  I have found new homes for many things from knick-knacks and clothing and craft supplies to furniture. There’s always someone in need somewhere in your community.

Next, you go on your local Free-Cycle Network, and offer items that you may need to get rid of, or post items that you might be looking for.

Then people e-mail you and tell you if they are interested in your items, and you mutually agree on what time they will come to pick them up!  I usually just go on a first come first served basis.

Easy as Pie!

I love the feeling of de-cluttering while helping out the community as well. Churches, local organizations as well as individual households may all benefit from this system, plus it saves a whole bunch of stuff from ending up in landfill sites and saves money too. I have seen many other Moms posting wanted items and items they no longer need. Fantastic!

The local Free-Cycle Network is great. Check out Free-Cycle in your neck of the woods!

Weather Worries…

Although most of us have been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather of late, we all know deep down that this sort of unusual weather is a trend that we are seeing more and more of, and frankly, should be very concerned about.

I remember back in the nineties, there was a huge trend of “eco-friendly” everything. Role models such as David Suzuki told us that our planet was in big trouble, and many of us actually listened. As a rather rebellious teen-ager, I took it upon myself to do as many earth-friendly things as I could back then. I joined “Peaceful and Ecological Minds” our high school environmentalists group where I got informed and began taking action by educating others. I became a vegetarian, a lifestyle change that I maintained for many years. I became very aware of animal testing for consumer products, and boycotted as many of these products as I possibly could. I made homemade household cleaners, my own soap, and made sure all laundry in our home was hung to dry. I even researched what I could about water usage reduction, and I took short showers, never ever let faucets run unnecessarily, and installed a water-saver in our toilet! Wow - so much change for a young person.

I am embarassed to say however, that I have dropped almost all of these changes from my home as an adult. I don’t think it is anything more than the simple fact that I “forgot” to maintain them. Perhaps we all need a refersher course in the small changes we can make to make big differences globally?

When I logged onto Yahoo this morning, I noticed the “Yahoo Answers” forum, and decided to check it out (seeing as I had the time because my children and husband were all still asleep)

I wanted to share some of the advice given to the question “What do you think it will take to reverse the effects of global climate change?”

If you have a few minutes, click here for some good advice on this topic. I didn’t realise that some of the things we already do in this household could have such an important affect on our earth. I feel inspired to do more again. I know we can do it, and it isn’t really all that hard. It really comes down to reversing some of the bad habits we have slipped back into, and re-learning how to do things in an earth-friendly way.

Fellow blogger Katherine Seibert also has many useful tips and articles about Environmentally friendly alternatives and Globally sensitive issues on her blog at Edeva. Check it out! She recently informed me of a company called Norwex, who produce earth friendly alternative products. Let’s all try as hard as we can for some positive change! We owe it to ourselves and to our children to be respnsible Stewards of our planet.

“Thankful”

Pumpkins with Shadows
I am thankful for so many things, but the following are among some of the most important to me. I will try to remember how blessed my life is this weekend, as we celebrate this wonderful time of the year.
Warm and caring friends and family who have surrounded me throughout my life, especially in recent tough times.
The wonderful selection of food we have, and plenty of it to nurture us at all times.
Our beautiful son, who I feel so blessed to have had, and our daughter-to-be who I cannot wait to meet, and their father Stuart, my best friend, who is such a kind and loving husband and dedicated father.
The beauty of nature, and the ability to enjoy it so close to home.
Moments shared with family, and the memories these create.

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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I Forgot Earth Day

Earth

Earth Day passed this year without me even noticing (gulp) In years past, I celebrated this day by planting trees, collecting garbage in my neighbourhood, working at environmental demonstration “booths”or at the very least, gardening, but this year, I really, honestly, completely *forgot* all about it, until now.

Perhaps this says something about our society in general. I checked out the Coming Events section of the newspaper the other day (before I forgot about Earth Day!) and there was only one event listed within our community to celebrate our beautiful planet…sad, but true. Then again, I can’t really say too much seeing I lost track of it…

I think so many of us (myself included) take this earth for granted. We pollute our environment in so many ways, yet there are simple and effective things we can all do to help the earth to begin to heal. Maybe, we should all try to make every day Earth Day?

Ten Tips To Help Our Planet:

Use your car less often by choosing to bike, walk or carpool to work

Reduce, re-use, re-cycle and compost everything you can!

Use energy efficient light bulbs

Plant a vegetable garden or buy local produce

Eat less meat

Plant trees, shrubs and a garden

Don’t litter, but provide a good example and try to pick up litter when you see it in your neighbourhood

Use cold water when possible to wash your clothes

Wear a sweater and turn down the heat in the winter, and use the A/C sparingly in the summer months

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth, scrubbing veggies, doing dishes…etc.

(Many of these tips will also save you money!)