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World Oceans Day: Why Your Sunscreen Choices Matter
Today is World Oceans Day! It has been celebrated each year by many countries on June 8th since inception in 1992. It is a day to consider what we might change in our lives to positively impact the oceans that are so essential to our wellbeing. And with summer coming it’s important to consider our sunscreen choices! In this post I’m sharing about the impact that standard, chemical-based sunscreen has on the natural world, and how to make your own ocean-friendly sunscreen! The Importance of Our Oceans The National Ocean Service describes healthy coral reefs as “one of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. They provide billions of dollars in…
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How Your Garden Helps the Planet: Trees, Plants, and Garden Design
We’re continuing our series on how your garden helps the planet this week by looking at the elements of trees, plants, and garden design. If you missed our first post in this series, check it out here to find out about lawns and their environmental impact: How Your Garden Helps the Planet: Lawns. Ways Your Garden Helps the Planet What comes to mind when you think about a garden: carefully cultivated, visually appealing flowers? Shade trees and benches along paths? Perhaps a pond? Do you think about how you, your family and friends will use the space? In reality, there are many impacts that your space has on the natural…
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How Your Garden Helps the Planet: Lawns
It surrounds our homes and buildings, lines our roads and sidewalks, and covers our parks. But have you ever wondered why or how we ended up with a flat green mat covering the dirt in our outdoor spaces? I hadn’t really thought much about it until watching the movie Biggest Little Farm. In the film, the plot that is eventually transformed into lush, productive land teeming with life begins as a former monoculture farm operation that has sapped the life and energy from the soil. It was inspiring to see what could be done, made me wonder what could be achieved on my little bit of land, and also made…
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12 Fun, Frugal, and Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Mom this Mother’s Day
The countdown to Mother’s Day is on! Whether you’ve had your gifts wrapped for months, have some idea of what you’re doing, or haven’t even thought about it yet, we have you covered. Read on below for simple and thoughtful ideas to celebrate mom this coming weekend! 12 Ideas for Mother’s Day 1. Make Seed Paper Cards I’ve received seed paper in the past and think it’s a fantastic idea as it is easy to plant with kids and so fun to watch for the results! I hadn’t ever considered that one could make their own and was excited when I stumbled across DIY instructions here. My kids and I…
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Winter Garden 2020: Last Update
As always, things didn’t go entirely as planned with our winter garden plants. However, we were able to harvest a few things through the winter. Read along below to find out what worked, what didn’t, and what we’ll grow again! Biggest Success The best result was probably our brussels sprouts. In fact, we gave some away as we had too many! I used five or six stalks for soup through the winter and could tell that their flavour improved after the weather turned cold. I actually thought they made a beautiful feature in my garden through the cold months and hadn’t wanted to cut them all, so there are still…
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10 Ways to Cook With Chickpeas and Lower Your Food Budget
On December 8, 2020 Global News reported that “the average Canadian family will pay up to an extra $695 for food [in 2021], as the pandemic, wildfires and changing consumer habits drive up grocery bills to the highest increase ever predicted by an annual food price report. Rising bread, meat and vegetable prices are expected to lead the overall food price increase of three to five per cent, according to Canada’s Food Price Report 2021”.* I’ve been noticing my grocery bill trending higher and so have been looking at a few options to make my dollar stretch further! Chickpeas, also known as Garbanzo beans, are an inexpensive, filling, and nutritious…
