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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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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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Climate Change Collective: Teaching Kids About Climate Change
Teaching kids about climate change is an essential part of raising a generation that understands the importance of environmental conservation. As Jamie points out in his post, climate change education in schools is not consistent, but there is still lots of opportunity to have these important conversations at home. Though my kids have both come home from school as recycling experts! Children are naturally curious and open to learning, and when we make climate change lessons fun and interactive, my kids become very engaged in the topic. As such, I thought I’d share some creative and engaging activities to introduce kids to the concept of climate change and environmental responsibility.…
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6 Plastic-Free Cold Remedies for Natural Relief
Well it’s happened – cold and flu season has arrived at my house. And while there are many cold remedies out there to help us get through these times, many are packaged in single-use plastics that can harm the environment. Fortunately there are many treatment options that are plastic-free, easy, inexpensive, and natural! See below for six ideas to help ease symptoms if you, like me, are in the midst of cold symptoms. If you’re home with sick kids as I am, check out some of our “Fun and Frugal” activities posts here for ideas to keep everyone occupied! 6 Plastic-Free Cold Remedies Keep in mind that it’s always best…
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Your How-to Guide for Successfully Consigning Clothing (Plus a list of consignment stores in the Lower Mainland BC)
In the summer I had my first experience with consigning clothing and that got me thinking about how there is so much talk about where to buy our secondhand clothing, but not as much about how those shops get filled up! This is why I wanted to share about how to consign your clothing, what is consignment, and a list of options for consignment stores in the Lower Mainland, BC. What is Consignment? Before we get into how to consign your clothing, you might be wondering what it means to consign clothing. Consignment refers to an arrangement where you (the consignor) delivers items to a store (the consignee) for the…
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Summer fun with kids: How to build a solar oven
I was recently putting together treat bags for my daughter’s birthday and trying to minimize the cost to create the 25 or so bags. One of my ideas to stay within budget was to melt old crayons in a mold to make new marbled crayons to share. To make the process fun (and keep the house cooler on a hot day), we decided to experiment with using a homemade solar oven to melt the old crayons in our mold! A solar oven uses the sun’s energy to heat food or other items, reducing the need for conventional energy sources. Building a solar oven out of a cardboard box turned out…
