There's nothing quite like a quiet paddle on a calm Canadian lake.

It's summer and, as the radio reminded me on Saturday, it's the perfect time to enjoy some of Canada's beautiful parks. There was lots of coverage of Canada's Parks Day (which took place just this past Saturday), but I was sad to learn that the number of visitors to our great many parks has been steadily dwindling over the past few years.

Have you been enjoying our parks? Though I'm embarking on 100 km (gulp!) hike for Oxfam along the Ganaraska trail this weekend, I won't be doing much park exploring this summer because we've just given up our car.

For all you folk who are able to get out of the city this summer check out the below articles for some great summer getaway ideas:
7 great Canadian canoe trips
Great Canadian Parks guide

Because I'm feeling rather generous on this Monday morning (and because it's been a while, I though I'd offer you lovely readers the chance to win a President's Choice Premium Water Filtration System. All you have to do is subscribe to my blog and leave a message here telling me which Canadian park is your favourite and why. It can be any park. I'll randomly select a winner on Friday, July 30.

Yeah, that's right, I grew those myself. (Not pictured: More lettuce, more kale, more cucumbers.)

Can you believe all those vegetables? I still can't and I harvested all of those myself last night. We're now up to our noses in cucumber, lettuce and kale, but you're not going to hear me complain. It's safe to say I'm getting my five to 10 a day right now.

I'm still a little nervous about my peppers. Though a lot are growing, I'm not sure how long I leave them on the plant before they turn their proper colour (I really need to see what a chocolate pepper looks like!), any ideas?

And you should see my tomato plants - they've exploded. I think they're all up to my chest now and totally overtaking everything else. I can't even find my basil. I now realize why you're supposed to pinch off the suckers. This weekend's major project will be cutting back tomato branches. It's tough love, but someone's gotta do it!

What part of your garden are you most proud of?

Check out See to Supper for in-season gardening and cooking tips from Canadian Gardening and Canadian Living.

This lady just found out about the eco fee

Residents of Ontario were shocked today to learn about a the new eco fee, an amount of money added to the purchase of certain products to supplement a recycling program for hazardous waste.

Many manufacturers were given the option to foot the bill for this recycling program, called Orange Drop, but have instead decided to offload the coast on its customers. Stewardship Ontario is overseeing this eco fee program.

The most bizarre thing about this program is how quiet the government and Stewardship Ontario has been about it. Unlike our preparedness for the new HST, the eco fee has come as a shock to most - and plenty of folk are not happy about it.

However, the fee is being implemented on many products that are hard to recycle, such as aerosol cans, fertilizers, paints, oil filters and corrosives, so maybe a fee should be charged to assist a program that ensures proper recycling of hazardous materials.

Have you heard of the eco fee? How do you feel about it.

It's time to change how we look at water

Did you know Canadians use the most amount of water per capita? That's a scary truth. Sure, most of us (hopefully) have shunned bottled water and turn the tap off when we brush our teeth, because when we see water, we think about water. But when you're shopping for a cotton shirt, do you think of beautiful lakes and oceans? How about when you eat a hamburger and wash it down with a pint of beer? I didn't think about it hard enough until I came across waterfootprint.org, an incredibly eye-opening site that will have you thinking differently about water.

Some shocking numbers from waterfootprint.org:

• 2,700 litres is the global average amount of water it takes to create 1 cotton shirt

• 2400 litres to make a hamburger

• 75 litres for one pint of beer

Hopefully one day soon regulations will be put in place requiring manufacturers and producers to publicize their water foot print, making it possible for consumers to choose products from companies with a low water foot print.

Do you find this surprising? What have you don't to lower your water foot print?

Excuse me miss, but do you know what's in that blush?

When you're beautifying for a night out on the town are you thinking about what's in the makeup you're putting on your face? How about when you're slathering sunscreen on your - or your child's - swimsuit-clad body? I sure didn't, but now I have a way of checking how my cosmetics fare when it comes to personal safety, community commitment and the environment.

A friend of mine recently turned my attention to a great site called Cosmetic Database, put together by the Environmental Working Group, where you can search your cosmetics to see how the company rates when it comes to environmental issues, and if your cosmetics contain naughty ingredients like parabens, petrolatum, phthalates and talc.

Simply visit the site, type in the product in question and hit search.

Some notable brands that prove safe for your skin and the environment:
• Dr. Hauschka
• Druide
• Kiss My Face
• Green Beaver Company

Also, check out these useful tips for choosing eco-friendly makeup or these tested eco-friendly shampoo products.

I guess harvesting a few dozen radishes and a couple handfuls of a variety of lettuce has got my head spinning and now I'm constantly dreaming of the delicious bounty my garden will produce. All this humidity and rain has made everything go coo coo, and everyone at my community garden has images crispy cucumbers and tasty tomatoes dancing in their heads.

Of course, one of my greatest joys is cooking with the produce I've grown so lovingly from seed. And if the past is any indication, my kitchen counters will be overflowing with tomatoes, basil, eggplants, peppers and cucumbers within the next few months (fingers are crossed!). I was recently sent two cookbooks that I feel I must mention to you. Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann's Earth to Table and Janel Fletcher's Eating Local are two incredibly inspiring books that will leave you with no shortage of ideas about what to do with your yummy veggies. I've already made the New Potato Salad with Green Beans and Shallots from Earth to Table, and it was a hit. And, of course, Canadian Living's new special issue Grow It, Eat It is a great source of recipes based on seasonal produce you've grown yourself.

You'll be full of inspiration with these great cookbooks!

Join Hands Across the Sand this Saturday at noon!

At 12 noon this Saturday, folks around the world will be joining hands at local beaches and parks to send a powerful message: No to offshore drilling, yes to clean energy. These Hands Across the Sand events will help raise awareness to the damages offshore drilling has to our oceans, marine wildlife, fishing industries and coastal economies.

The Hands Across the Sand's mission is to change energy policy from dependence on fossil fuels to clean energy.

Organized events will take place all over the globe, including many spots across Canada. You can find an organized event in your area here.

Check out the Hands Across the Sand website for more info here.

Are you participating in a Hands Across the Sand event this weekend? Where?

This past Sunday Kipp and I experienced a great deal of excitement because we pulled our first harvest from our garden. We were so giddy walking home with about two dozen radishes and a bunch of baby lettuce and kale. And, as you'd expect, we had a tasty salad for dinner. How rewarding! Now I truly cannot wait until all our other veggies start coming up. So far, I'm truly digging this whole gardening thing.

Next time I might try this Yogurt Dill Dip with Carrots and Radishes.

Have you pulled anything from your garden yet?

Homegrown radishes sure make a salad extra tasty !

Avon helps plant trees in the Atlantic Rainforest in South America.

Back in March, Avon introduced a super-cool green initiative I meant to tell you about. They contributed $1 million to The Nature Conservancy to launch a program called Hello Green Tomorrow - a group made up of 6.2 million women, all Avon Sales Representatives from around the globe. These women will raise funds to help replant the Atlantic Rainforest in South America. At $1 a tree, their initial goal was to plant 1 million trees. Well, I just heard yesterday that the Avon Hello Green Tomorrow gals have raised enough funds to have 2 million trees planted! Congratulations Hello Green Tomorrow - that's splendid news.

If you'd like to donate just head to www.avon.ca and contact an independent sales representative in your area.

Have you heard of any cool green initiatives recently?

I am fortunate enough to be on a press trip in Grenada, hosted by the Grenada Board of Tourism. Though this is my first day here, it is already quite an experience. The people are so nice, the food delicious, and, needles to say, the beach is beautiful just beautiful. Also, it's incredibly hot (a nice change from Toronto), so it's a good thing I can take a swim when I need to cool down.

I enjoyed a glorious yoga session at La Luna Hotel Resort and Spa this morning. I've done a little bit of it in my lifetime, but not seriously. It was a great way to spend an hour. I was thinking about it, and it's an activity you really don't need to purchase anything for - and one you can do virtually anywhere. All you need is a yoga mat, and if you aren't willing to spring for one most studios would provide one for you to use. However, if you're going to purchase one, know that not all are made equally, so do your research so you can find an eco-friendly one. Most pats contain PVC, so looks for brands that are made without. Barefoot and Manduka are some great options.

Lindsay, yoga instructor extraordinaire. She's from the USA, but has been living in Grenada since 2008 - lucky girl!

Do you practice yoga?