You all have such great ways you plan on spending the remainder of the summer. Congrats to

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Be green AND clean!

I recently blogged about Attitude's cleaning products. I currently use their dish soap and love it!

I have great news for my subscribers: I have one Attitude prize pack to give away. In it is:

A large Attitude reusable shopping bag
Natural air purifier
All purpose disinfectant
Laundry detergent
Bathroom mold and mildew cleaner
Fabric softener
Dish soap
All purpose cleaner

All you have to do to win is be a subscriber to my blog, and leave an answer here to the following question: With back-to-school fliers and ads abound, I'm sure we're all dreading the end of summer. What are you going to do over the next few weeks to make this summer last as long as possible?

I will announce the winner here on Monday, August 31.

Don't forget to subscribe!

Being at the office isn't an excuse to forget your green-thinking ways!

Oh, the office. I could swear that I spend more time here than I do at home. Well, if you factor in sleeping time, I guess I don't spend more time here (sure feels like it sometimes). But if you took one look at my desk, you'd think I've at least moved all my belongings here!

Most of us spend a great deal of time at our work places, and our commitment to living green doesn't have to end when we walk into our office.

Keep up your commitment to the environment, and hope that your co-workers catch on.

Here are some ways that I like to stay green at the office:

• Have a travel mug on hand at all times. That way when you go for an impromptu coffee break, you don't have to use a paper cup.

• Make your lunch. It produces less food waste, it's healthier and it's cheaper. Store Tupperware and cutlery in your desk so when you do have to buy your lunch, you can avoid environmental offenders like Styrofoam, cling wrap and plastic cutlery.

• Turn off your computer for the evening. There no sense in having your computer waste energy overnight and on the weekends.

• Pretty up your desk with a plant. Indoor plants are natural air filters, improving indoor air quality as they absorb pollutants and replenish oxygen levels. They also protect you from germs, so you don't have to worry as much when your cubicle mate has a coughing fit.

Do you practice any of these measures at work? Do you have any more helpful tips and tricks for fellow readers?

Don't forget to enter my current giveaway!

Is a child in your life making an effort to go green? If so, encourage them to enter the Sunlight Green Clean Kid contest. Starting June 15, 2009, kids can apply for the opportunity to be a Sunlight Green Clean Kid – one of a group of 10 kids dedicated to help develop ongoing eco-programs that encourage and inspire other kids to go green.

Kids between the ages of six and 13 can submit a 150-word essay about how they're helping preserve the environment or inspiring others to go green. Eco-experts will review the submissions and pick 10 kids from across the country to be a part of the Sunlight Green Clean Kids. Each kid will receive a $2,000 honourarium and an opportunity to develop national environmental programs for other children.

Submission deadline is July 24, 2009. To download the application and learn about submissions rules, visit www.sunlightgreencleankids.ca.

What's the most valuable green lesson you've taught someone in your life? Leave a reply here by Friday, July 10 and you could win a:

I love PC Green - affordable AND eco-friendly.

President’s Choice Green Stow Away Shopping Bag overflowing with PC GREEN products. That's right! I have another one to give away. Your stylish new shopping bag (with wheels!) contains:

• 8 jumbo rolls of PC Green paper towels
• 1 kg box of PC Green Baking Soda
• PC Green All Purpose Cleaner
• PC Green Coldwater Laundry Detergent
• PC Green Phosphate-free Dishwasher Detergent
• PC Green Floor Cleaner
• PC Green Multi-Purpose Cleaning Putty

Don’t forget, you have to be a subscriber to my blog to be eligible to win. Subscribe today!

I'm sure your all starting to enjoy the first vegetables from your garden. On Sunday for Father's Day I picked a some mixed greens, rocket lettuce and radishes to make a delicious post-dinner salad for my dad and other company. I've been dying to taste fresh, tender Ontario lettuce all winter, and there I was savouring lettuce from my own back porch. It's led me to one conclusion: Summer is grand!

Delicious back porch goodness! I can't wait for my green onions, carrots and tomatoes ...

What have you been enjoying from your vegetable patch?

Don't forget to enter my PC Green giveaway! I'll be announcing a winner this Friday.

Hiking - A common summer pastime.

With summer arriving in mere days, we all find ourselves willing to pick up hobbies we let fall to the wayside in the winter. One of my most beloved hobbies, running, always gets put on the back burner as soon as there's a chill in the air. There's something about motivating myself to run on ice-covered sidewalks that doesn't really get me up from the couch. This bad attitude lasts from about December to late February. But now that the weather's warmer (and I have no fear of slipping on the ice and breaking an ankle), I can hardly wait to put on my running gear and pound the pavement a few times a week.

There's also a lot more opportunity to get out hiking in my surrounding areas. And with the days getting longer it's just so easy to find an excuse to wile away the time in the woods.

I also intend to keep up with my gardening, catch up on some reading and do some more cooking.

What hobbies will you pick up this summer? Are you going to revive and old craft project? Learn a new talent? Or simply pass the time relaxing on your back deck?

Don't know what to occupy the time with? Try out one of our favourite eco-friendly craft or hobby ideas.

Also, don't forget to enter my President’s Choice Green Stow Away Shopping Bag contest!

You can find a new use for most things!

I saw a great article in the paper yesterday, titled "12 ways to reuse household items". Though the suggestions were fairly basic and obvious, it got me thinking about all the things I've reused for the sake of keeping them out of landfills for just a little longer. Here's what I've come up with off the top of my head. Hopefully it will give you some ideas on how to reuse items you're thinking of tossing.

• Add old cutlery to your camping gear.

• An old hair brush makes a great heavy-duty scrup brush. I've used it to give my green bin a good clean after it was pillaged by raccoons.

• I've covered my table with an old shower curtain before I start my seeds or any other sort of craft project. This is also great if you have kids and you need to protect your table from paint and glue.

• I keep and reuse travel-size bottles for shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

• I use newspaper as wrapping paper come Christmas time, or other festive events. It's also great to use when packing for a big move.

• Save the things you want to toss for a garage sale. You know the saying, "One man's junk is another man's treasure". Well, if you've ever held a garage sale you know this to be true. I'm always amazed at the stuff people buy. Put the money you make towards a nice dinner out. Or, better yet, donate the proceeds to your favourite environmental charity.

What's the most unusual item you've been able to repurpose? Have you made something totally useless into something you now just can't live without? Tell me how you've avoided sending something to the landfill, and you could win:

I'd go anywhere with this stylish buggy.

An oh-so-convenient President's Choice Green Stow Away Shopping Bag overflowing with PC GREEN products. Your stylish new shopping bag (with wheels!) contains:

• 8 jumbo rolls of PC Green paper towels
• 1 kg box of PC Green Baking Soda
• PC Green All Purpose Cleaner
• PC Green Coldwater Laundry Detergent
• PC Green Phosphate-free Dishwasher Detergent
• PC Green Floor Cleaner
• PC Green Multi-Purpose Cleaning Putty

Leave your answer here by Friday, June 26, and I'll announce a winner then. Don't forget, you have to be a subscriber to my blog to be eligible to win. Subscribe today!

The sun has been shining steadily for a few days now, and the forcast calls for sunhine for at least the next week. I think it's safe to say that the warm weather is here to stay.  All this sun has got me thinking about certain things that I really get to enjoy in the warm weather - activities that are undeniably synonymous with summer. One of my favourites is star gazing ... nothing serious, just literally gazing up at the stars. I love when night falls when I'm out of the city. I always make sure to take some time to myself, find a spot and lie down on my back, where I'll have nothing else to look at except a sky full of stars. I could stay there for hours!

I also love swimming. I'm not talking about doing the breast stroke in a pool full of chlorine and floating Band-Aids. I'm talking about floating slowly through rivers, lakes and streams - or oceans, whenever I'm lucky enough to get the chance.

You know what the ultimate summer activity is for me? Swimming under a sky full of stars. What better way is there to enjoy two of our world's best things? I hope we can undo some of the harm we've caused Mother Nature, so that we can enjoy these fabulous things indefinitely.

What's your favourite summer activity? Leave a message here telling us about it and you could win a copy of The Sea: A Literary Companion and Night: A Literary Companion.

Two great summer reads for two lucky winners!

Two lucky winners will win a copy of each book to put on your summer reading list.

In The Sea, twenty-five writers share a love, a fear and a deep respect for the powers of the oceans. Each of these passages takes the reader on an unforgettable voyage, fraught with peril and charged with the awesome power of the sea. Stories by Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Ann Saunders and Yann Martel are included in this collection.

Night: A Literary Companion explores the many faces of the night: its myths, its flora and fauna — and its human side, too.  It's the perfect late-night read!

Remember, you have to be a subscriber to win.

I'll annouce a winner here on Thursday, May 28.

I would like to congratulate (more...)

You all have been leaving amazing answers on my Green Heroes post. I'm so happy you all have such great influences in your lives, to encourage you to go green. Check out my post and leave a message telling us about your green hero for a chance to win some great books!

So, you know your trusted Air Miles card. The one you pull out when you're at the LCBO (my secret's out!) or when you're grocery shopping at Metro? Well, I just learned that they have launched a new program called Air Miles My Planet, a program that helps Air Miles' collectors live greener and save money by allowing you to use your Miles to purchase products that will help you live a greener lifestyle (like a transit pass, eco luggage, or a donation to WWF-Canada). What a great program!

In order to promote the new and wonderful Air Miles My Planet, they've generously given my five Air Miles Cards worth 1,000 points to use toward any of the My Planet rewards. I would spend 725 reward miles on the Organic Indulgence Set or pair up with 100 of my existing points and get the 100 per cent organic cotton sheet set.

In order for you to win, I want you to tell me about your dream vacation! Seeing as Air Miles always reminds me of travelling, I think it's a perfect fit. The best five answers will win an Air Miles My Planet Card worth 1,000 points. Remember, you have to be a subscriber to win, so don't forget to subscribe to my blog today. I'll announce the winners here next Friday, May 15.

Happy weekend!