Posts Tagged ‘Green Living’

Hi, my name is Jen Melo (like "mellow" and not "mee-low"). What am I doing in The Life Blog?

I'm the new girl here so I could use some new friends. You can help me to feel welcome by simply posting a comment below.

But first, let's get to know one another better, shall we? To start, I'm revealing some things about me, in relation to The Life Blog's categories. Here we go!

1. Green living: My favourite green cleaning product of the moment is Method's multi-surface natural all-purpose cleaner in pink grapefruit. Bet'cha can't say that product name five times fast. It makes my countertops shine and my kitchen smell pretty.
2. Life: ...Is what you make it? Oh, and I tend to think it's better with great company, delicious food and soul-stirring, hip-shaking or foot-tapping music.
3. Money: I've been known to spend mine on cute shoes.
4. Pets: I had a grey tabby named Misha for about 20 years before illness took him from me. Isn't he adorable? I miss him dearly.

My dear Misha

These days, my parents' pooch Lola sets my animal-loving heart aflutter. Behold, the lovely Lola.

Lola, a shih-tzu/poodle (shih-poo) with the sweetest disposition ever

5. Relationships: Treating others the way you want to be treated is a rule I live by...most of the time.
6. Sleep: Some people can't sleep when they're stressed but I'm not one of them. I can't stay awake when I'm stressed. It's like my body goes into auto-shutdown mode and needs to replenish.
7. Travel: Nothing soothes my soul like a white-sand beach. Aaah! Soothing, isn't it?

Rum Point Beach, Grand Cayman island

8. Work: Creativity and crossing things off my to-do list gives me a natural high. Pretty nerdy, huh?

That's me and a bit of my life. Now it's your turn. Care to share some simple facts about you?

How about that nice welcome message I'm hoping to read?

We're so used to looking to the experts for advice on how to better ourselves, but what about turning to kids?

I attended an event today at the beautiful Toronto Botanical Gardens where the Sunlight Green Clean Kids were introduced. Ten Canadian kids between the ages of six and 13 chatted about their environmental commitments, projects and dreams. Most of these kids have started eco initiatives in their schools or neighbourhoods, or have just been so darned committed as to change the views of their entire families. The event was very inspiring. These kids may be small, but they are certainly mighty.

The Sunlight Green Clean Kids will have the opportunity to review Green Grant applications and help other environmentally conscious Canadian kids to put their green ideas into action, handing over between $250 and $1,500 to help fund their initiatives. They also each receive a $2,000 honorarium.

Let me tell you, after seeing these kids speak today, I know Mother Nature is very lucky to have them on her side. I'm confident knowing that the next generation is very capable, and will do great things for the environment.

What important environmental lesson has a child in your life taught you?

What are your acts of green?

I've seen many ads with the handsome George Stroumboulopoulos, always talking about this One Million Acts of Green. I've been dying to know how I can get in on the George action ... errrr ... I mean, GREEN action.

Here's what's worth knowing about this great campaing:

It was launched last year with the intention of mobilizing Canadians to perform at least one act of green, as each act can make a difference. Whether you walk to work once a week, change your regular lightbulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs or vow to only buy local fruits and vegetables - or decide to undertake all those acts – your actions will make a huge difference.

Once you undertake your One Million Acts of Green mission, you simply visit green.cbc.ca to register your act. A green calculator on the website will calculate the impact your act has on the environment. And, all your "acts" will be saved on the site, so you can keep track of the difference you've made.

For instance, if your green act is to do your laundry in cold water, you'll see that of the 154,000 participants that have made this change, and as a result, have saved a total of 1.8 million kg of green house gasses. All that from just doing your laundry in cold water. I hope you're tempted to make the change!

As of this morning, we've surpassed our goal of one million acts of green by over 67,000 – and the numbers continue to grow.

What are your acts of green? Why did you decide to make a green resolution? Share your answers with me and Green Living Blog readers and you could win a copy of the GAIAM DVD Simple Steps to a Greener Home. This DVD will help you turn your home into an eco-friendly haven. Environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo will help you go green - in style!

Need some great tips and ideas on how to go green? Check out our guide to greener living!

Recently, a reader e-mailed me and asked: When buying pop, is it more environmentally friendly to buy it in plastic bottles or aluminum cans?

In doing some research on the Internet, I found some (more...)

First off, the second winner of A Good Catch never claimed his prize, so that copy is up for grabs. All you have to do is sign up to receive my Green Living blog to your e-mail inbox and you are eligible to win Jill Lambert's A Good Catch. Click on the word e-mail under the icon at the top left side of this page (it looks like this ). Good luck!

I must officially be in the festive spirit, as I just can't get Christmas off my mind. Maybe it's because I went to see Stuart McLean's Christmas show on the weekend, or maybe it's because I haven't even thought about going Christmas shopping yet (probably the latter). Regardless, in my quest to green-ify my Christmas I thought I'd share some of my findings with you.

- Use LED, energy-efficient lights to decorate for the holidays. LED lights use 80 per cent less energy than old school tree lights - they also last longer.

- Make your own tree decorations. This year I'm going to dry out some clementines and stick cloves in them. Not only will they feel traditional, they'll smell amazing. You can also make pretty decorations with cinnamon sticks. Tie them in bundles and attach a wire (under the tie) and make a loop - hang from tree! If you are more of a crafter, there are plenty of ideas for other homemade tree decorations here.

- Get creative and make your own Christmas cards. Use recycled paper, old wallpaper or wrapping paper scraps, cardboard from cereal or cracker boxes, bows and ribbons and your imagination. Everyone is impressed with homemade cards. You'll also save a bundle of money!

- With the recession and attempts to greenify, I'm opting to give some homemade gifts this season. It's easy to make bark, squares, cookies and flavourful nuts in the comfort of my own home. I'll then package them in pretty boxes or jars.

I'd also love some more ideas, so if anyone has some great ones to share, please do so here!

Congratulations to this week's winner of Jill Lambert's A Good Catch. This week's prize goes to (more...)

This is going to be a big post - complete with a contest!!! Read on for details.

With the holidays around the corner, I've decided that on a weekly basis I'll give you some green gift ideas. So, starting today I will pass on some ideas, and continue to do so every Friday until Christmas. Can you believe we're just a month away? Today's theme is (more...)

Last weekend, my boyfriend, Kipp, and I went out and adopted ourselves the cutest dog in the whole world (see photo below)! Things have been running quite smoothly with our four-month-old labrador/collie mix. She's housebroken, she can stay alone in the house for up to two hours at a time (without causing too much trouble - the odd chewed plant and a chewed up favourite slipper aside) and she's already our new best friend, madly wagging her tail whenever she sees one of us.

But, I do have one little complaint. Dear little Scout is getting in the way of our attempts (more...)

It's probably pretty easy to forget about being green on Halloween. I mean, the day comes upon us so quickly and then ends just as fast. All we have left to show for it is mounds of itty bitty chocolate bar wrappers in the garbage bin under our desks (I'm extra guilty of that one) and a long-lasting sugar high. But just because Halloween is a one-day event, it doesn't mean you have to let go of your eco-conscious ways. There are many ways to practice being green, and I recommend you start with you kids.

National Geographic's Green Guide explains that the Halloween makeup kits your kids use contain (more...)

I had put the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver, on hold at the library when I first read about it, and it finally arrived the other week. I must say, I'm enjoying the book thoroughly.

I've never read a book by Kingsolver, but have always heard such great things about her novels. This book differs from her others, as it's a nonfiction narrative, but the language and stories are written beautifully.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is about the Kingsolver family's move from city life to rural life ... and their vow to only buy food that is raised or grown by their neighbours or themselves. If someone in the family craves something that is out of season, it's tough luck, they have to learn to live without.

In her book, Kingsolver puts great emphasis on the importance of the kitchen table as a place where the family can come together. Whether because of cooking or preserving an in-season ingredient, lamenting over the food they can no longer enjoy (due to their vow) or to sit down and enjoy the fruits of their labour – the kitchen table truly is the centre of the family.

The book also includes passages written by Kingsolver's daughter, Camille. They offer insightful tidbits and tips about a certain ingredient, among other things. There are also ample recipes to add to your cooking regimen.

My favourite part of the book is when Kingsolver talks about making her own cheese. I can't believe how simple she makes it sound. I'm honestly intending to give it a go, with her guidance, of course. I can't imagine have homemade cheese!! I'll keep you posted.

I highly recommend this read to anyone who cares about where we get our food and anyone who loves food ... or simply someone who is looking for a great, insightful read.

Has anyone read this book? Has anyone made homemade cheese? Fill me in!

Speaking of books, we have a contest running on our forums right now. Visit our forums to find out how you can win a new novel.