I know what you’re thinking. You’re dreading the moment I unleash my judgement on the parent who irresponsibly allows pollution of their child’s bodies with artery-clogging sweets, over-packaged junk food, and artificially dyed and preserved confections.

Relax, that’s not how I roll. All you’ll hear from me are a few friendly pointers on how to have more fun and less guilt on October 31st. Here goes:

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The human species has this ego that they must know everything about everything. What good is this if it increasingly wrecks havoc on everything else. Ann and I have come to understand, the more we learn the more we realize what we don’t care to know. This makes us stand out a little as we prefer to look to nature for ideas, and accomplish tasks with some basic observations paired with on the spot solution creation (not problem solving). The solutions are not as complex as many may think they are. Whether it is gardening, house building or making appropriate climate friendly decisions, we think the less complex you make the task the more sense it makes in the bigger picture.

Gardening is a prime example of where the common sense and instinct from observing your surroundings provides plenty insight on how plants like to grow. We equate it to our compost system, where lots of different life forms keep everything in balance, and anything that gets too great in numbers always has a predator to knock it down. Nature does the complicated stuff and we can enjoy these simple tasty fruits from a garden that has lots of variety, insects, snakes, lizards, frogs, spiders and the list goes on. Our only rule is don’t worry, if it grows it will grow… if not then it won’t, just watch and observe and work with nature. Read the rest of this entry »

Believe it or not, you can drastically reduce your carbon emissions

this summer without having to afford a several hundred dollar appliance purchase.

These 8 carbon-cutting actions offer fun and easy choices you can make to fight climate change.

1. Grow something tastier than grass

According to calorie-count.com, one hour of gardening will take care of 280 calories - about one grande Starbucks whole milk latte. Plus, New Brunswick’s Fallsbrook Centre tells us that the average meal travels 2400 Km to reach our plates. That’s roughly the distance between Montreal and Winnipeg - every meal!

Not only does gardening save us fuel and cash while melting off the calories, it’s ridiculously rewarding and a great way to connect with nature - literally. Three nights ago, I proudly made a scrumptious casserole with my own home-grown home-canned tomatoes. It doesn’t get much better than that.

And with all the current hype and hoopla about gardening, resources and supports are easy to come by:
http://www.yougrowgirl.com/
http://www.organicgardeningresources.com/index.html

Got no yard? Container gardening is a great way to bring healthy snacks to your balcony.
No time to garden? Farmers markets are brimming with the next freshest produce you’ll find in town, meaning you’re still saving on transport-related carbon emissions. Read the rest of this entry »

At a time when the organic food market is booming in record proportions and interest in the local food movement higher than ever, it is puzzling to hear that the Edmonton S & R (Sharing and Responsibility) food basket program is in serious threat.

Sharing and Responsibility (S&R) is a volunteer-run food share and fundraising program for non-profit organization Branches of Life Society of Canada. The S&R food program started in Edmonton over 20 years ago as a self-help method of people working together to stretch their food dollars and strengthen their community. (www.foodbasket.ca )

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The Falls Brook Centre Food Miles Challenge is examining the environmental costs of getting out food from across the planet and how we can serve up a plate of local foods in style. Climate Change is forcing us all to examine our lifestyle and how it affects the planet. The Food Miles Challenge hopes to make its contribution to reduce emissions and air pollution caused by transportation of food over great distances through the support of farmer’s markets and by helping Carleton County Schools develop a local foods menu for their cafeterias.
The Food Miles Challenge team would like to announce the launch of the online Food Miles Calculator , an innovative tool for calculating the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the transportation of goods. Enter the weight of your product and the distances travelled by air, boat, rail, and truck to find out how much C02 was emitted as a result of shipping. The tool also gives you your results in equivalent kilometres traveled in the average Canadian car, in case that is a more meaningful way for you to think about greenhouse gas emissions.
The calculator is also available from the food miles webpage which also contains a resource list of local producers and farmers markets, seasonal recipe suggestions, and educational activities to teach students about the food they eat and where it comes from. (Blurb Taken From Activist Agenda Edmonton)

Solar Dehydrator Video

While the South enjoys the rebirth of Spring and the green it brings, the brave Canadian trundles out into the harsh elements to partake in the ancient tradition known as barbeque season. This season why not create your own green alternatives?

Use Mother Nature’s number one resource - the sun, to create fantastic meals and at the same time reconnect with the outdoors and neighbours (that you haven’t seen since the first snow fall) while savouring the taste of fire-roasted treats, dried fruit snacks or a solar roasted meal made in your very own solar oven! Read on for six exciting ways to green your cuisine this summer.

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