greenliving

I spent the weekend getting rid of the bugs that were attacking our veggie patch. Now for those of you out there with active imaginations, I’ll bet you’re envious of me spending a hot summer’s day in my huge veggie garden. Hold that thought right there! It’s a 2ft by 2 ft plot of land that comprises exactly half my entire garden space. So, how many plants and bugs can there be? Well, considering we don’t use fertilizers or pesticides, a lot! I try not to grown animal-attracting fruit like strawberries and tomatoes, but I still find there are a lot of smaller insects who seem perpetually hungry and ready to feast on my plants.

Some simple, yet effective ideas:

Ants: Ants hate cucumbers (a fact probably discovered by a 5 year old trying to get rid of her cucumber sandwich). Try leaving a few slices around. Cayenne pepper, lemon juice and cinnamon work equally well.

Aphids (Plant lice): Open a bagful of native ladybugs into your garden and watch the aphids disappear.

Fleas: If you home does get infested by fleas, it’s most likely to have come through your pets. Bath and comb them regularly. Citrus works well to deter fleas. Use fresh lemon boiled in water or citrus oil to dab onto your pet. In your yard, plant fleabane to deter fleas from taking up home there.

Flies - Mint, bay leaves and cloves work well to keep flies away. Scatter a few around your picnic table.

Mosquitoes - Keep your garden clear of any freestanding stagnant water and empty water fountains and bird baths. Citronella candles work well to keep them at bay. Another effective repellent is garlic juice mixed with water and sprayed onto the body. Neem is also very effective and a number of health stores carry neem oil which can be rubbed onto your body.

Slugs and Snails: You can get rid of snails and slugs with beer (just do it when beer drinkers are not on the premises). Dig an indentation in the ground and place a jar lid with some beer in it. If beer is not your scene, then try coffee. Spread used coffee grounds around the area. Works well to keep them at bay.

Many pests really don’t like certain plants such as mint, marigolds, garlic and basil. Try planting a few of these interspersed with your regular foliage to ward off unwanted insects.

And final challenge de jour- to come up with 5 green ideas that are free of cost. Piece of cake, I say.

1. Walk or cycle, take public transportation or car pool - to work, school and play. Leave the car behind. You’ll save a whole lot of money, your body will thank you for it, you may make new friends, and the environment will definitely be better off for it.

2. Turn off your car ignition - If you are using the car, don’t let it idle! If you’re stopping for more than 5 seconds (and chances are you probably are), then turn it off!

3. Recycle - It really doesn’t cost much to recycle- just some time and effort. Even the boxes are provided for free, so make sure you use them.

4. Visit the library - You really don’t need to buy all those books and magazines. Give the library a go. You’ll be surprised at the amount you can find there.. and all for free. If you do have a lot of books and magazines that are not being read, then consider donating them to the library, second hand bookstore or closest charity. Your home too will benefit from the clean up.

5. And finally, say no to junk mail. That’s right. You can actually do it. Contact your nearest post office to see how it works. In Canada, visit the reddotcampaign.ca website to see how to stop junk mail from entering your home. If you do want to subscribe to various mailing lists, then check to see if they have online options as opposed to getting paper in the mail. You can also do the same for yellow pages, take-out menus and in some cases, even discount coupons, which can be selected and then printed.

So, the same person asked me if I can come up with 5 things under $5 to do, which would be considered green. No, we shall not comment on her cheapness, but instead get down to seeing if it’s possible. And of course it is.

1. Organic Milk: If buying organic fruits and vegetables is too expensive, consider buying organic milk, especially if you have children at home. It costs less than $5, but you know your child is getting something healthy in them.

2. Shopping bags: Invest in 2-3 recycled cloth bags and say bye bye to plastic shopping bags on your trips to the grocery, library, bookstore and just about anywhere.

3. Coffee mug: Pick up some cutlery/crockery for the office and a bottle for water in the car. Now you’ll never have to use disposables again.

4. Natural bath soap: They come in yummy flavors and scents and are delicious to use. Say goodbye to parabens and chemical filled products and bathe the natural way. Select bar soaps wrapped in paper packaging as opposed to liquid soaps in plastic bottles, unless the bottles can be refilled.

5. Burn beeswax candles: Unlike regular candles, which produce toxic fumes when burned, beeswax candles actually produce negative ions that attract pollutants. Pollutants in this case, range from dust, pollen, mold, smoke, food odor and pet dander as well as airborne germs. Result, clean air! The candles also burn more slowly than a regular candle, which means it last longer, making it a more economical choice.

The other day, I had a friend moan about how it’s all very well to write about being green, but to actually go ahead and commit is quite expensive! Of course, she was talking about shopping at ‘organic and health’ food stores, which indeed have a high price tag attached to them.

So, it got me thinking - what can someone, who is on a budget, really do to make a difference? And here are 5 things that you can do, under $10.

1. Buy toilet rolls made from recycled paper - Top of the list, but that’s because we use so much each day. A 12 pack roll for $7, should last a family of 4 for the month.

2. Buy local organic fruits or vegetables- Make a choice, depending on which ones you and your family will consume that week, and go for it. The price difference in certain fruit such as bananas and apples is not so much, and apart from being good for your system, it’s good for the local farming community as well.

3. Line dry your clothes - A dryer does not cost much, a simple one can be got for under $10, or alternatively, look for a second hand one. Don’t think of hanging out clothes to dry on outside lines, unless you have a completely private backyard - there’s nothing worse than walking up to someone’s home and spotting Papa Max’s XXXL undies hanging out to dry!

4. Change your skin care products - Invest in good organic ones, especially for the children. Most brands like Burt’s bee’s or Avalon products can be got for under $10. If nothing else, try switching your lip gloss or under arm deodorant to one that’s organic or made from natural materials like sea crystals and hemp.

5. Place recycle bins in all the rooms - Pick up inexpensive baskets for the rooms, to ensure you recycle all paper - magazines, children’s craft projects, letter, junk mail….If you have a basket in each room, you’ll be more likely to toss recyclable material into it.

So ‘friend’, if you’re reading this, go ahead and make a start. And if anyone out there has other ideas, please do send them in.

Since I devoted an entire Blog to coffee drinkers, I think it’s only fair to do the same about tea junkies. And yes, while that may seem an unusually harsh term to describe someone who drinks tea (I can see you having visions of peaceful Japanese tea gardens, with people sipping cups of tea in a Zen-like state.), believe me, if you drink tea, you pretty much become its slave.

Nowadays, there are so many varieties; it fairly boggles the mind as to which one to choose. We know of vanilla chai and ginger-peach tea. But who invented chocolate-masala chai? Or pomegranate -hibiscus infused flavors? Honestly, what happened to a good old cuppa of regular boiled tea?

Growing up, we like the millions of our fellow countrymen (or, women to be more accurate), made tea the typical way - boil your water on a gas stove, chuck in some loose tea-leaves. While it continued to boil, add milk and sugar, which in most instances was between 2-4 teaspoons per person; to taste. And there you have it - a perfect, milky, sweet cup of tea that hits the spot! If you were sick, or on special occasions, you’d add crush fresh ginger, cloves, cardamom and even pepper to it, imbuing it with its own special flavor. In fact, when my husband and I traveled to India in 2003 on a tour to Rajasthan, we made numerous stops for cups of tea, boiled over gas stoves and served at roadside stalls. The saucepan would be kept on the stove the entire day, being refilled as necessary and with someone in constant attendance. And the flavor- unbeatable!

Over the years, loose tea leaves have given way to fancy tea bags in various flavors, including the strange above mentioned ones. And the packaging has changed to printed boxes covered in cellophane paper. Of course tea bags are convenient. But if you want to be truly environmentally friendly, give tea -leaves a go. And you can forgo boiling it over the stove, by investing in one of the many tea-pots that come with filters. President’s Choice has some great ones available, including single, smart looking tea-mugs with individual filters. Pour in your tea leaves and boiling water, let it steep, and you’re good to go. If you want flavor, add dried lemon or orange peels, ginger, apple or peach slices…you can be quite creative with your choices- including chocolate masala tea!

Nagendra Singh Ranavat’s special Masala Chai recipe, the Rajasthani way

2 cups water

2 cups milk

3 teaspoons tea leaves

1 cardamom

4 whole peppercorns

Small piece of fresh ginger

Sugar to taste

Pour the milk and water into a pan on medium heat. Bring to a boil and lower it. Pound the ingredients and add to the mixture. Add 3 teaspoons tea leaves and 3 teaspoons sugar (or to taste). Continue to boil it for 5 minutes. Strain and serve.

One of the first things I noticed when we moved to Vancouver, were the number of people who walk/drive around town with disposable cups of coffee. Gradually, I began to see the long queues outsides restaurants like Tim Horton’s, where cars would pull up and drivers order their daily fix. The time of day, or night, doesn’t seem to affect the lines and I’ve yet to see an empty window! I pity the staff who work it. They must be exhausted at the end of their shift!

I have nothing against coffee drinkers. I myself survive on endless cups of tea, but that’s just me. I do not drink tea outside, because I do believe that making a good cuppa takes a certain skill and patience, which are obviously not Barista* requirements. But I do have to wonder what makes anyone pull out of their home and drive straight through to the nearest restaurant for their coffee? Is coffee making an art? Do you need special equipment? Can all these drinkers not have the time each morning for their necessary cuppa? Do their offices not serve coffee? I would love to know the answer, so coffee drinkers out there, please enlighten me!

It’s strange that while we’ve embraced the recycled cloth bag culture, we still don’t flinch while ordering a beverage in a disposable cup. And with 85% of Americans drinking at least one cup of coffee a day, its big numbers we’re talking about. So, let’s do the math here – 1 cup per day x 5 working days a week x 4 weeks per month = 20. Wow, that’s a lot of disposables. Now, let’s add on the little plastic caps to keep the coffee from spilling and of course the paper trays, as the cups are too hot to be held by hand. And don’t forget the paper napkins….. you get the picture.

If you are a regular coffee drinker, please think of investing in a reusable cup. Might make you feel like a school kids and keep you away from the counter. But if you must spend your money daily on a takeout coffee, then check out this site – www.wearehappytoserveyou.com make a ceramic cup which they promise ‘looks like a typical paper cup for coffee, but is actually made of ceramic’. Reusable, ironically disguised as disposable, and yours for only $12.

*Barista: The Italian term for bartender, also used, for the person who operates the espresso brewing equipment (or makes other coffee drinks) at a café or coffee house.

When it comes to recycling, try thinking outside the recycle box. Nowadays, there is so much more that can be recycled, not just paper, plastics, glass and aluminum.

Here are some of the things you may or may not not have thought about:

1. Eyeglasses - Drop off your old prescription eyeglasses at an eye wear store, where it can be given to someone who needs it. Find a store that accepts them at Give the gift of sight

2. Cell phones - Give back your outdated cell phone to the store.

3. Sneakers - Check to see if your store accepts its old sneakers back, or go online and visit Nike reuse a shoe. They recycle the rubber in old shoes to create newer items, including playground flooring.

4. Also check out, a network in which people offer up gentle used items of all kinds.

5. You can put up gently used items for sale on sites like Craig’s list and surreyreuses.com

6. Give to charity - you will always find someone who is willing and grateful to accept something you don’t need.

Parties should be about entertainment and having fun, not about the food. And more so when it comes to children. Yet recently, my daughter has been invited to a number of parties by her preschool friends, and they’ve all been at an indoor play center. Usually, this follows a set routine- 10 minutes of play followed by, “where the food mummy?”

Party food mainly consists of items such as hot dogs, burgers and chicken nuggets, all served with a dollop of ketchup and loads of French fries. So, what are the alternatives that busy parents can look at when it comes to party food?

While kids love junk food and sweets, they are most happy playing. Providing entertainment need not be an elaborate and expensive affair. Depending on the age, games like passing the parcel and freeze dance are still favorites as are treasure hunts and square dancing. Face painting, blowing balloons and doing craft will also elicit a number of giggles. And so when it comes to food time, the kids will be having too much fun to miss those hot dogs and burgers. Instead, try serving sandwiches cut into fun shapes with large cookie cutters. Low fat tortilla chips and veggies with an assortment of dips will also go down well. Chicken nuggets, mini drumsticks and corn on the cob make good hot options. And an exciting favorite are fruit kabobs, which if not too messy, the kids can thread on themselves. For drinks, serve an assortment of fruit juices and sparkling water. If you want something a little different, try smoothies or water with fruit dropped in them – looks fun and tastes great too.

Remember to try and cut down on disposable plates and cups, by purchasing inexpensive melamine plates, which can be reused for later parties. If you are doing a theme party, you can always put up decals, balloons and streamers in keeping with the theme and purchase reusable plates and cups of its base color. Instead of shopping for plastic goody bags, get the kids to decorate paper bags, which you can later fill with stickers, stamps, hair clips, raisin boxes etc., depending on the age of the children.

All great ideas, and good for you too!