Sustainable Living
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Planning for next year’s garden: 5 ways to make it a great year
I know, I know, it seems too early…But I had my copy of the Westcoast Seeds Gardening Guide dog-eared and was ready to order my seeds last month! I can’t be the only one… Whether you’re a long-time gardener or a first-time grower, getting ahead of planning and organizing in the fall and winter months can lead to a fantastic garden in the coming year… Which means that now is the perfect time to start planning! So as I’m going through these steps myself, I thought I’d share what I consider each year to prepare for the coming season. 1. Reflecting on past years’ gardens Before diving into planning for…
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Why Food Waste is a Big Deal and How to Prevent it
If you want to get me fired up in a conversation, simply mention food waste. This is a large topic and a huge problem that is minimized in our society. At least, that’s what it feels like to me. On a small, personal scale, wasting food can seem harmless, but food waste is actually a big problem for our planet. This post is a part of our Climate Change Collective conversations. We’re excited to be starting off the group’s conversation this month with the topic of food waste. Learn more about the Climate Change Collective below. What is food waste? First, let’s define what we’re talking about. At its basic level, food…
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Why Bottle Deposit Systems are Good for the Planet
Incentivizing people to participate in climate positive actions such as recycling can be an effective way to tackle climate change. While adding financial stresses to already maxed out grocery budgets could be a controversial conversation, bottle deposit systems have a proven track record of environmental and economic benefits. This post is a part of our Climate Change Collective conversations. Michelle at Boomer Eco Crusader is starting off our conversation this month with her post “Carrot or stick? Which works better to reduce our environmental footprint.” Learn more about the Climate Change Collective below. History of Bottle Deposit System in BC I’m always surprised to hear that other places—even within Canada—do not have…
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How Turning Down your Household’s Heat Helps the Environment
As days get colder, the natural reaction will be to turn up the heat to get warm. We often hear advice to keep the heat low and to layer on sweaters and blankets instead. The main reasoning tends to be that this can save a bit of money, but it is also tied to helping the environment. I live in a rental where my heat and hot water are included in the rent, so I don’t benefit financially from less heat. This made me wonder what other benefits there are and how turning down my heat can help the environment. This post is a part of our Climate Change Collective conversations. Molly…
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Solar panel update & 6 things you might not know about solar panels
In 2019 my family took the plunge and installed solar panels. Over the years I’ve shared about our experience of getting started with solar panels as well as updates on our solar power generation. To read through past posts, check out this link here! Today I thought I’d share an update on our power generation this year, as well as the totals related to our output over the years. The application related to running our system and tracking output creates some useful graphics to monitor performance – which I love! Our generation by month for 2024 is shown “Monthly Energy in Current Year” table below, and it’s been a reasonably…
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6 Easy Ways to Reuse Prescription Pill Bottles
Since my injury a few months ago, I have accumulated quite a collection of empty prescription pill bottles. I’m someone who loves to reuse things before tossing them, so of course I’ve been thinking of how I can reuse pill bottles as they accumulate. Today I’m sharing some of those ideas for easy ways to reuse prescription pill bottles. Ideas for How to Reuse Pill Bottles While prescription pill bottles are what I’ve been thinking about reusing lately, a lot of these ideas could also be used for vitamin, or other small, bottles too. 1. Travel containers for toiletries Pill bottles can have great seals on their caps, so this…
