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This past April I spent a week in the woods at MacPhail Woods taking a university course, Environmental Studies 209 – Ecological Forestry, learning about forest ecology, sustainable forestry practices, forest restoration and the Acadien Forests.
It was an amazing experiential learning course and everything we learned has stayed with me and I think it will stay with me and will be built on by my own experiences as I work in our family woodlots and observe nature throughout the seasons. We learned about plant identification techniques, assessing forest health, ecological diversity, pruning and harvesting techniques and so much more. We also got to take a piece of the woods at MacPhail’s and design a restoration plan and then actually implement it. Read the rest of this entry »
Insulation isn’t just for walls, attics and beer coolers. It can actually look mighty fine on your next pot of tea or coffee. The tea cozy is by no means a new invention, but rather one that deserves renewed praise and rediscovery. This set was a birthday gift to me from my dear Mother a couple of years back, and is in fact made from a reclaimed sweater!
If you have your own sewing machine and some wooly inspiration, give this project a try!
Good news for apartment-dwelling gardener wannabes: You can build your own window gardens and grow veggies in your bachelor pad! Hydroponic gardening has always been around for those comfortable tinkering with the components. But with Window Farms’ handy DIY instructions, you can assemble this simple system called the ‘air lift’ in an hour with less than $30!
School’s out, and summer vacation is upon us. If you’re like me, you’re trying to think of good ways to keep your kids entertained. How about these summer eco-activities?
1. Enrol your kids in summer camps and classes for budding naturalists, like those offered at Edmonton’s Devonian Botanic Garden or John Janzen Nature Centre. My daughter was at camp at the DBG in the rain this week and LOVED it.
2. Plant a fruit tree or vegetable garden together: you’ll be growing memories and your own food. Yes, many garden centres and some farmers’ markets still have transplants available if you didn’t get it together to start from seed. This year, we’ve planted corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a pumpkin plant in the sunny back corner of our yard. Read the rest of this entry »
Think insulation is just for walls and attics? Behold the trusty old tea cozy! Only this one’s not old. Ok, so it sort of is.
Crafted by my brilliantly thoughtful Mother out of a charming pre-loved winter sweater, this coordinating coffee and tea cozy set keeps my warm bevies warmer longer.
Following the random explosion of our insulated glass Krupps carafe last fall, I selected this high-end stainless steel insulated coffee press for my wish list. But, in our family, $100 for a designer coffee pot verges on frivolous.
Possessed by the thriftiness and creativity of the Jones clan, my Mom whipped up these gorgeous cozies. Read the rest of this entry »
Next Tour: This Sunday May 3rd from 10am to 12:30 pm . Please contact us to reserve your spot. ann@eco-sense.ca or 250-478-2680
The Update… a little late
Every month leads to a dilemma, we usually burst into the month with vigor, spewing thoughts, experiences and new found knowledge, feverishly writing our updates early so as the month draws to a close the update will just need a little tinkering. Then the dilemma, we enter the second, third and fourth weeks of the month…and at month end we open up the saved file…. This month has turned into three months without an update.
So what are the topics for this month? Local food…Ann’s rant on Sustainability in the Highlands …Public tours…Workshops…swine flu…and finally…Eco-Sense T-Shirts! Read the rest of this entry »
Our friends over at EarthEasy reposted an info-packed piece on embracing local food this season, originally from YES! Magazine’s Spring issue. Tips like ‘convert your lawn into a veggie haven’, ‘plant a row’ for the food bank, and ‘party with your preserves’ will launch you into local food mode.
It’s a great summary for me following an inspiring Alberta Permaculture Convergence event in Olds. Not only will eating locally keep weath circulating locally and prevent transportation-related carbon emissions from importation, but it’ll also ensure fresher food from closer by, and slow the removal of nutrients from faraway ecosystems.
A couple years back, I discovered a make-your-own-seedling-pot gadget that quite simply turns strips of newspaper into pots for starting seedlings.
No flimsy plastic pots that are hard to recycle + zero need for peat moss = cheaper eco-friendly gardening.
Life was good, until we cancelled the delivery of our newspaper. So once again, I’m looking to do more with less. Lucky for me, I found the soil blocker, a DIY version of the potting block. Read the rest of this entry »
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:
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 »
This past April I spent a week in the woods at MacPhail Woods taking a university course, Environmental Studies 209 – Ecological Forestry, learning about forest ecology, sustainable forestry practices, forest restoration and the Acadien Forests.
Good news for apartment-dwelling gardener wannabes: You can build your own window gardens and grow veggies in your bachelor pad! Hydroponic gardening has always been around for those comfortable tinkering with the components. But with 
2. Plant a fruit tree or vegetable garden together: you’ll be growing memories and your own food. Yes, many garden centres and some farmers’ markets still have transplants available if you didn’t get it together to start from seed. This year, we’ve planted corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a pumpkin plant in the sunny back corner of our yard. 
