greenliving

And I’m not referring to french fries or MacDonald meals. Upgrading to a larger size has become an increasingly popular trend in North America. Take our homes for instance. From the 1970’s till the current years, our home sizes have increased by an outstanding 50%, while the residents who live here have decreased by 17%. Don’t believe it? Speak to your neighbours or friends over 50 years of age, and they’ll tell you how they and their children grew old together in a 3 bedroom, one bathroom home and very comfortably at that.

And how about cars? Not only have we upgraded to two or even three cars per family, but most of us will own at least one SUV amongst them. Even our RV’s are no longer small ‘towed by the family car’ trailers, but huge road dominating vehicles which carry all the comfort of our homes in them; including big screen plasma TV’s. Did you know for example, that a 42″ plasma screen consumes 400 watts of energy. Or that an LCD TV is more efficient than a plasma screen? If  you didn’t, then you’re not alone. Most of us will not do the research it needs to find out what is the most energy efficient path to take. Yet, as we continue to supersize our lives, we contribute to more and more greenhouse gas emissions, waste and dumping increases and a greater burden for the Earth to carry.

Consider sub-sizing your lifestyle, in small increments if need be. Smaller choices are often wiser choices; lower mortgages, lesser strata fees, fewer parking and petrol costs and a healthier and cleaner world for all of us.

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.
–Doug Larson

If like me, you welcome spring with a good clean scrub, then you are probably getting ready to dig out your bucket, gloves and cleaning equipment. But before you do, take a moment to think of the chemicals you’ll be using- toxic to the environment, the body and the home itself. And how about your kids who crawl on the newly cleaned carpet or pets who drink from your freshly scrubbed toilet bowl? Are they breathing and ingesting these harmful products?

Most regular household products are non-biodegradable and may contain toxic chemicals including bleach and ammonia. Not only do we harm the environment by using these products, but we do no good to our own bodies either.

Transitioning to greener products is very easy as nowadays most supermarkets and stores carry natural based, biodegradable cleaners. You can also try the following:

-Make your own products at home. Visit www.busymadeeasy.com for some excellent home-made cleaning recipes.

-Buy natural non toxic products.

-Recycle your toxic products and product containers where appropriate.

-Read all labels before you make any purchases.

-Invest in a green cleaning company.

-Use flowers, beeswax candles and other natural aromas to freshen your home.

-Keep your windows open for at least a few minutes each day to air out your home.

-A good wash of all your linen and sofa/cushion covers will also add to a clean, fresh feel.

Simple yet effective remedies to welcome spring into your home!

There are so  many ways to stay warm this winter and spring, and finally, I’ve given myself the green light to go ahead with a sewing machine (I’ve had one for a long time, but just never got the chance to use it these last couple of years).

Some great ideas that I’ve nicked from family and friends include:

The outdoor blanket: Buy a cheap plastic table-cover from your neighbourhood dollar store. Ensure it’s sturdy enough to weather some wear and tear. Next, invest in a few inexpensive fleece blankets. You can buy a single large one, or if you feel creative, invest in a few smaller sized ones to create a patchwork effect. Sew them ontop of the plastic cover and you have a great blanket for use outdoors. It works well on grass, sand and even damp ground.

Kids duvets: Kids bedding can be quite expensive and so when we moved my kids from a single to larger beds, I had no idea what to do with their single ‘themed’ bedding. My husband had a brilliant idea. We cut an adult queen size duvet in half. Next he sewed the bed-sheet and cover sheet (princess themed for my daughter and a train theme for my son) into duvet covers. The spare section was turned into an extra pillowcase.  So now, each kid has their own themed pillow and duvet cover and it’s in a size that’s perfect for them.

The scarf blanket: If you’ve ever received woolen scarves as gifts and don’t know what to do with them; here’s an idea. Lay out 3-4 scarves, depending on their size, side by side. Sew them together for an instant, colourful, warm blanket.

How do you keep warm this winter?

I’ve been recently trying to teach my 3 year old about saving water. Like any child his age, he loves to play with water and leaves the tap running for minutes on end while washing his hands. My 4.5 year old girl has already grasped the concept of saving water, so I figure it’s time my son learnt about it as well. The lessons are going well and with a little assistant to help, I’m sure he’ll get the idea fairly soon. But it’s got me thinking- what else can we do in the ‘water department’?

Some common water saving techniques such as shorter showers and low flow shower heads are pretty common knowledge. I’ve added some more to the mix:

-Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket- it really helps to keep the heat in.

-Set your water heater to 49 degrees Celsius.

-Install a solar water heating system in your home if possible- an easy, efficient way to heat water.

-Wash dishes in cold water- It may not be the best for your hands (and I do rely on gloves and long handled sponges); but your dishes get sparkling clean with it.

-Wash your clothes in cold water- Not all clothes require your washer to be set on hot-water setting. Cold water washes clothes equally well and saves you a lot on your electricity bill as well.

-If you must use hot water, use a front- loading washing machine which saves water.

-Hang laundry to dry instead of using a dryer. Because we don’t have the outdoor space required for a long clothes line,  I do use a dryer for my bed linen. But for all else, I always use my trusty foldable drying line. And I’ve notice my children, who as infants both suffered from severe eczema, have benefited from it too. No more harsh chemicals in the wash and no more irritants from the drying /fabric softener. We have clean, chemical free clothes that allow the skin to breathe the way it should.

Let me know if you have any more ideas on how to save water and keep your bills to a minimum!

Well it’s that time of the year again to talk of (no points for guessing correctly!), New Year’s Resolutions!

We all make them, even if it’s for fun. But keeping them is a different matter. I just learnt that according to recent research done through various surveys and polls, only 45% of Americans make serious resolutions and only 15% end up keeping them! Shockingly small figures for such a large nation!

But end of the day, it’s all about quality, not quantity. And if you can add a few GREEN resolutions to your list, then what better way to start the New Year!

Some simple ones to toss into the mix (along with your more serious commitments) are the 3 R’s. We all know what they mean (or should), but how do we apply them with the least amount of difficulty?

REDUCE: Not such a hard concept really, but very difficult in a consumer based economy like ours! We’ve been taught to spend more and our entire lives are sometimes defined around not who we are, but what we buy! How then do we cut back on wastage and stick to the bare minimum? In our home, we ask ourselves- do we really really really need this? (thrice is our lucky number). If the answer is yes, yes and yes again (such as the kick-ass TV which my husband insisted we need, and now just sits there!),  then of course we buy it. But if the answer is no or a maybe, then defer the purchase till tomorrow. You’ll see that in most cases, ‘tomorrow’ doesn’t come!

Reduce also means cutting back on things you already have, but don’t need to use that often- the extra lamps in the living room which don’t need to be switched on each time you sit down or the extra heating for the guest room, which is hardly ever used. Cut back on all those excesses and you’ve already kept part of your resolution.

REUSE: This does not mean gather all the possible junk in your home and pile it in your garage. You do not need to save all those empty toilet paper rolls in the hope that one day you’ll find the perfect craft use for them! Nor do you need to keep all those bottle tops in a jar. This leads to clutter. And maybe the occasional bug or two! Reusing what you can ‘immediately’ is the key to being environmentally friendly and clutter free at the same time.

RECYCLE: This one is not hard folks! Recycle everything that can possibly be recycled! And what’s more, you’ve even been provided with the big blue tubs to do so. Nothing could be simpler than keep a few strategically placed baskets, bags or boxes in each room of the home, in which to chuck in your empty bottles, pens, shampoo containers or whatever else that needs to be recycled. End of the week, empty it into the big blue box and it’s that easy!

Doing all three, or even one of the above is a small, yet effective step in the right direction. So do add it on to your New Years resolution list, and do make it one (or three) of the resolutions you’ll keep!

Happy New Year!

With the party season well into it’s half way mark, there are a host of ideas to make each event a stylish, unique, yet eco friendly do! Your guests will be plesantly surprised, you will be less overworked for having done it and at the end of the evening, you’ll know you’ve made a difference, if even a small one. And if you have any converts, then that’s only a bonus.

Here are two of my favourites

Place settings: Why invest in store bought  place cards when you can make your own stylized ones? Visit your garden or the closest lake/beach to your home, and gather shining, smooth stones. Ensure they are large enough to write your guests’ name on them. Wash them and for a more artistic endeavor, stamp their names on it with alphabetic stamps and an ink pad. Tuck a sprig of holly under the stone and  you’re ready to set the table! If you socialize a lot, you may want to consider saving the stones in a large glass jar- looks pretty and creates some great memories too. You can also return them to the garden so they’re back where they belong.

 Flavoured fruit water: This is one I do on a daily basis, and definitely for parties. Take a pretty glass bottle or pitcher and fill  it with water. Chill it (with heated homes and lots of visitors, chilled water will be spot on to quench thirsty partying guests) and then drop in slices of lemon, sprigs of mint, slivers of cucumbers, apples, peaches or any fruit or veggies. Looks great and tastes even better.

My 4.5 year old daughter ’s really excited about Christmas, and this is one time in the year, that we create a lot of snail mail (posted mail) for friends and family around the world. And of course, a very special letter goes out to Santa to say a big thank you in advance for the gifts we know he’s going to bring!

This year, we eagerly waited for a Santa letter; something I learnt that Canada Post does for it’s clients. It’s brilliant- the children receive a real letter from Santa, complete with ‘personalized’ comments and a penned in signature! My kids were thrilled and when I read it; I couldn’t help smiling. Here’s part of what Santa wrote:

“You know, when I’m traveling in my sleigh on Christmas Eve, I’m always amazed by how beautiful our planet is and how much I  wish to protect it. Mrs Claus always packs my cookies in my favourite reusable lunch bag for my long trip around the world. She knows how much I love her cookies!”

We’ve lived in a lot of countries/continents around the world- Asia, Europe and the Middle East-before finally settling on Vancouver. And it’s a choice that time and time again I’m so happy we’ve made. Santa too has gone green here; and that’s a true miracle!

Merry Christmas!

With Christmas around the corner (and it seems like we just finished celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving here in Canada); it’s already time to start planning for the festivities.

In our home, we have a Christmas rule- donate $20 from ‘gift spending’ money to a charity of choice. Since it’s all about teaching our kids to make a difference, they know the money comes from their gifts, but they also know all about charity and are quite willing to give it a go (they are 4.5 and 3 respectively). So, each year we decide on an item worth this amount, and then go together to donate it. Or, if it’s a really busy time, then we write out a cheque (but I prefer the ’shopping for a gift to give to someone’ routine as it instills the value of giving far more clearly to kids this age). It comes from the overall budget, which means our gift budget is reduced by $20. But when you think some other little tyke is made happy from it, it really doesn’t matter.

We also try to recycle as much as possible. I do recycle gifts that I don’t think appropriate for their ages, but in addition, we use the paper they came wrapped in to make thank you cards to those who sent the gifts (or brought them home). We also bake cookies to take as thank you gifts and they also double as great last minute party snacks. Bake a whole load in advance, and if they last long enough to see Christmas, then distribute them! You’ll have a lot of happy friends and neighbours.

There are many great ways to celebrate the season, and as we get closer, I’ll put up a whole list of them. But in the meantime, feel free to hop in with your suggestions.

Cheers!!

PS_ Happy Thanksgiving to our neighbours!!

While I love plants, I am not necessarily the best at keeping them. I try, don’t get me wrong. I most certainly try. But for some reason, while most of my plants grow, and some even thrive, none of them really reach for the sky!

So, when my house plants began to look a bit wilted, and after enduring my husbands usual sarcastic remarks about them, I decided I really need to do something. And as it stands, it turned out to be a really simple something- reducing our home thermostat. That’s it! Most of our home plants are positioned near our heating ducts- not an oversight, but a necessity due to the fact that our heating ducts are placed near our windows. Reducing the thermostat also meant that my ‘autumn/winter’ headaches have disappeared. We aren’t cold- our home is still warm. And we’ve made it cozy and ‘winter comfortable’ by adding more throws and cushions.

Other pratical things you can do at home to save energy include:

Control water flow: Install a low flower showerhead in the bathroom and in the kitchen, and cut water use by up to 60%

Fix all drips: Leaky taps waste hundreds of liters of water per annum. Fix it and save water and money.

Seal all leaks: Keep the cooler air in by caulking cracks, gaps and leaks around walls, windows and doors.

Go seasonal: In summer, open the blinds and let in the sunshine. Too much sunshine? Curtains, blinds and planting trees or shrubs will help cool in down. In winter, add throws, rugs and cushions to make your home warmer and more comfortable.

Clean up and tune up: Make sure that all furnaces and filters are regularly cleaned and serviced. A well tuned furnace or boiler will last longer, work more efficiently and  hence, will save you money and energy.

How does one make what has traditionally been an orange and black festival, a green one? And I’m not referring to hanging out green pumpkin tea towels such as the one my mother recently sent me!

In our family, festivities have always been about including a little bit of charity in them. Isn’t it strange for example, that at thanksgiving, a time to give thanks, most people are busy preparing meals and filling their homes with store bought ‘necessities’, as opposed to thinking of what they can ‘give’ back - be it to family, friends or strangers. Isn’t that what the essence of thanksgiving is all about? Being grateful for what you have instead of wondering what you can get?

For Halloween, this year, as with all years, my two children get to select the number of sweets they realistic can have. My 4.5 year old has chosen ‘6′ and  my son, ‘3′. The rest they give away to charity. We have yet to select a charity of choice- our donations are spread between Big Brothers and BC Children’s foundation - any suggestions?

Other ways to go green this year, can include some or all of the following:

Decorations: If you don’t have mini helpers who are eager to make, draw and create their own little decorations, and if you don’t feel you have an artistic-enough soul (or time) to imagine up your own, then go ahead and buy some from your neighbourhood store. Try and get some that you know will last for the next few years or that can be recycled. Invest in a few good pieces and your home will look spooky, yet chic!

Sweets: Recycle them by donating them. If you can, make you own and that’s sure to be appreciated. Or if that’s too much trouble and you are going to buy them, then ensure you purchase healthy candy-popcorn bags, strips of fruit leather or fruit candy etc are all excellent choices.. There’s enough cheap sweets going around. If possible, consider buying sweets with the minimum amount of wrapping involved -little boxes of smarties for example are a good choice as opposed to individually wrapped candy.

An even better option would be to buy non-candy treats such as pencils, sharpeners, erasers etc. Just make sure they are not plastic, contain lead or are small enough to present a choking hazard.

Candy bags: You don’t need to buy a new bag each year. Invest in a bucket that can be reused. Or be creative - strong sturdy paper bags can be decorated and will hold plenty of loot. You can create bags from old pillowcases, t-shirts or discarded containers. Just make sure they are washed before you begin your decorations. Kids will have as great a time creating them as using them!

Pumpkins: Nowadays, a lot of farms offer special treats- hay rides on tractors, train rides through spooky tunnels and a chance to visit their petting zoos- visit some of them when it’s time to pick up your pumpkin. Not only will you be supporting local farmers, but the kids will have a spooktacular time doing it. And when your pumpkin begins to spoil, don’t forget to toss it onto your compost heap.

Costumes: This one is usually a big expense, and the kids outgrow their own costumes fairly quickly. It’s easy to create costumes especially as there are a lot of online resources available.  Think of recycling your old clothes and inventing something new. Or how about visiting thrift stores to see what hidden treasures you can find there? Making masks and accessories are all part of the fun.

Party invites: Send them by email rather than posting them. This way, you’ll get a quicker response too.

Party food: And when it’s finally party time, consider serving wholesome healthy food and snacks. The choices are limitless and with it being pumpkin and squash season, it’s easy to get creative - pumpkin soups, pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin pies, home-made cupcakes etc.

Happy Halloween!

Some excellent resources to check out include:

www.greenhalloween.org

www.costumeideazone.com

www.familyfun.com

www.recipesource.com