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4 Reasons Not to Use Plastic Cobwebs for your Halloween Decorations this year
Halloween can be such a fun holiday with it’s spooky and sometimes over the top decorations. I have family members that set up everything from skeletons to werewolves. The trouble with Halloween decorations is that some of them, like the plastic cobwebs that people put up in their yards, can be detrimental to our planet. Reasons not to use plastic cobwebs in your yard I understand how these plastic cobwebs can feel like a great addition or backdrop to a Halloween decorations display, but the environmental impact of a temporary decoration is worth considering before putting them up. Here are a few reasons not to use plastic cobwebs in your…
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Fun & frugal Halloween activities for kids
Halloween can be such a fun time of year for kids, but it can also become surprisingly expensive and generate a surprising amount of waste (more about reducing Halloween-related waste in a past post here!). Between costumes, decorations, treats, school activities, and Halloween-themed outings, it’s easy to create more of an impact on budget and planet than you would think. But it’s equally true that kids really don’t need a much to have a lot of fun – some of my favourite Halloween activities are the simple ones that use things we already have around the house. A little creativity can turn an ordinary afternoon into a fun Halloween activity…
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Discovering Vancouver’s Zero Waste Ambassador Program
On my walks around Vancouver I had been seeing advertisements for becoming a Zero Waste Ambassador. It took a few weeks of walking by the same sign for me to be curious enough, but eventually I went to the website to see what it was all about. I think my initial thought when I saw the signage that it was going to be a meaningless promotion where you commit to doing a weekly zero waste task with no accountability or something like that. Instead, it is quite an intensive program designed as a way to divert waste to reusable and recyclable streams. What is Vancouver’s Zero Waste Ambassador Program? Vancouver’s…
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Fall kitchen reset: Save money and reduce food waste
Fall is a time when we start spending less time outside and I start looking around the house and making plans to declutter and reset. Settling into routines often involves spending more time cooking at home as we get ready for the colder months ahead. While a kitchen clear-out sounds more like something to be procrastinated than planned for, it’s one of those jobs that can have surprisingly useful results such as getting organized, rediscovering forgotten food, and saving money on groceries. It’s not necessary to spend the weekend on clearing out the kitchen – a few simple steps can make a big difference! Start with the pantry Begin with…
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Discovering Vancouver’s Tool Library and Where you can Find Your Own Local Tool Library
I was recently out for lunch in a new-to-me neighbourhood and stumbled across the Vancouver Tool Library. As I’d just been talking about some DIY renovations and tasks that would involve tools I don’t own, this was quite a welcome find! I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how my life has become more sustainable by moving to the city and a find like the Vancouver Tool Library is definitely another thing to add to that list. What is a Tool Library? A tool library is a similar concept to the book libraries we are familiar with. It is a place where you can borrow tools with a membership.…
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2026 Backyard Garden Update
It has been quite awhile since Alison and I shared updates on our garden projects. Alison has stepped away from her balcony garden for now, but my backyard garden has continued to evolve and grow – pun intended! This year brought a mix of weather challenges, practical lessons, and a few successes that I’m excited to share as this growing season comes to a close. 2026 garden weather challenges The season started off in an interesting way as spring stayed stubbornly cold, delaying seed starting far longer than usual. Then, almost overnight, temperatures jumped, making it difficult for cool‑season crops like peas to get established. It was also quite a…
