Dear Santa: Save some of those cookies for me!

Have you started thinking about Christmas yet? It seems as soon as Halloween is over, the upcoming festive season is on everyone's mind. I have no doubt pretty little lights will soon be hanging from neighbourhood trees and shortly after, Christmas trees will be popping up in people's front windows (not that I look in other people's windows, I swear!).

No matter how early the rest of the world jumps on the holiday bandwagon, I can never seem to get organized early enough. Sure, I make plans in my head, but I usually don't put them into action until December 23. However, one thing I do get excited about is planning how to greenify my Christmas.

This year I'm going to buy a small coniferous tree, plant it in a pot and keep it inside for a couple of weeks over the holidays. When Christmas is over, I'll move it back outside and care for it. I'm hoping this way I'll be able to use it as a Christmas tree for a few years to come.

If you're more into buying a fresh Christmas tree every year, try to find a locally grown one and, before purchase, inquire if it's been grown in a sustainable manner.

Have a greener Christmas!

If you're stumped for ways to go green this holiday season, you should check out A Greener Christmas. It's a great book that will give you ideas on how you can make your Christmas more eco-friendly: From recycled decorations to making your own cards and hand-crafted gift ideas. Now for the good news? I have on copy of A Greener Christmas to give away to one luck reader. Just subscribe to my blog and leave a reply here sharing your tips and tricks for a greener holiday season! I'll announce the winner on Monday, November 23.

I hope you all had a nice weekend!

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Are you almost green?

James Glave, author of Almost Green, would build a green writing shed. In fact, he did build one in the front yard of his home in B.C. In his book, Glave writes about the trials and tribulations (and constant scorn from his father-in-law) he faces while on his mission. Along the way, Glave makes many other environmental changes.

If you could green one part of your home, what would it be and why?

Just subscribe to my blog and post a reply here for your chance to win one of four copies of Almost Green. I'll randomly select a winner on Monday, October 19.

Good luck!

Sure, sometimes we all find bees to be pesky little insects that buzz around our sweet peach pie, but truth be told, we'd be nowhere with the curious, little bee. Apparently Albert Einstein said that if bees disappeared, "man would only have four years of life left". After all, these little pollinators are pretty much the reason our food grows.

In recent years, I've been watching the media closely, following stories about Colony Collapse Disorder and learning all I can about bees. I must say, I'm surprised and enthralled by these tiny workhorses.

Did you know that the lifespan of a bee is barely five weeks?

When I came across Candace Savage's book: Bees: Nature's Little Wonders, I was pleasantly surprised. Her book offers wonderful insight into the world of these industrious creatures. The book itself is beautiful, with pretty images and odds and ends of poetry and myths.

For a chance to win one of two copies of Bees, leave a comment here telling me how you feel about bees. Do you love them? Hate them? Has all the press on Colony Collapse Disorder made you think twice about them?

I'll pick a winner randomly on Friday, September 25. Don't forget, you must be a subscriber to win.

What are you reading this summer?

The one things I love about the summer is my chance and desire to get caught up on all my reading. I have piles of magazines that I'll lug up to a cottage, read them from cover to cover, and then pass them on to my friends. The same goes for novels. I'll get lost in a book and pass it on for others to love when I'm done. Relaxing with a good book is one of my greatest joys.

I'm currently reading The Believers, by Zoe Heller, and though it's a library book, I know I'll be spreading the word about the novel when I'm done. Also, the Penguin Book of Canadian Short Stories is another, rather large, book I'm working my way through. It's perfect for cottage and camping season for read-out-loud sessions. Some of my friends love being read to, and I love reading out loud. It's a perfect match.

What are you going to sink your teeth into this summer? Are you looking for some great reads? Check out our slideshow 10 great reads to ride out the summer to pick out some great summer reads.

Have a great weekend!

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...)

With Earth Day approaching quickly I have lots going on here at the Green Living Blog. For starters, I want to announce the winners of the Origins Organics prize pack and the Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs? books. Congratulations to (more...)

Great green beauty products!

Looking great comes at a price these days, and we know this the more we hear about how many harmful chemicals it takes to look good - harmful to us, and the environment. When searching the shelves, look for products with natural ingredients (I always consider whether I wouldn't mind putting the product in my mouth - don't actually try that). Also, it might be worth considering making your own beauty products. Have any of you ever tried doing that? I remember that my sister once made me beautiful grapefruit lip balm. Also, Adria Vasil of Ecoholic fame recommends visiting Make Your Cosmetics for recipes.

Way back in August I wrote about Origins Organics, a great line of green products I had come across. I had fallen in love with their lovely Body Pampering Massage Oil. All of Origins Organics products are free of many of the leading environmental and health offenders, such as parabens (an estrogenic chemical found in most cosmetics), phthalates (a hormone disrupter now slowly being phased out of certain products), petroleum (derived from crude oil), mineral oil (which is a petroleum byproduct) and DEA (which is suspected to increase the risk of cancer and is commonly found in beauty products).

I have great news for those of you who love looking great with a conscience. I have a Origins Organics beauty basket to give away to one lucky Green Living Blog Subscriber. One lucky winner will get:

• Origins Organics Foaming Face Wash

• Origins Organics Nourishing Face Lotion

• Origins Organics Cleansing Body Bar

Just leave a comment here telling me your best recipe for a homemade beauty product. Don't forget, you also have to be a subscriber to win! I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, April 21.

Also, two lucky winners will be walking away with a copy of the book Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs?, by Robyn Harding (I blogged about it here!). It's a great, funny read that most of you can relate to. I'll pick the two winners at random and will announce it here next Tuesday as well.

Congrats to (more...)