-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Why I Love my CSA Box: Fresh, Local, and Sustainable
It’s finally here: CSA box season! The first communications about the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program began to go out in late winter and I could hardly wait until June when the program started – and now it’s here! There are so many reasons I love being part of these programs and so wanted to share a few reasons why they are such a great experience for ourselves, our communities, and our planet. 1. Freshness: CSA boxes provide subscribers with some of the best fruit and vegetables – mine harvests the same day as pick up! Unlike supermarket vegetables and fruits, which may have traveled hundreds or even thousands of…
-
Eat local in every season: 3 ways to use rhubarb
It can be challenging to eat local outside of the summer season in southwestern BC. The crops that grow are somewhat limited compared to the abundance of summer, and sometimes you have to be a bit creative to use what’s in season. Rhubarb is a cold weather plant that begins to produce early in the year and so is a great way to add variety to local fare in the spring season. Rhubarb was always in our garden growing up, and we used it mostly to make each other cringe by eating it raw, and in coffee cake. However, there are many more ways to use rhubarb than just these!…
-
6 Easy ways to reduce our climate impact
Have you ever wondered if you’re doing enough when it comes to reducing your climate impact? There are definitely days that I see a news headline or the latest report on the impacts of climate change and feel overwhelmed by the current state of our planet and my ability to make meaningful change. However, looking back across many of the posts Alison and I have shared, I realize that there are many good, small things that I’ve changed for the better. However, they’ve become so routine that I don’t think about or give myself credit for them! This post is part of the Climate Change Collective, a group of environmentally-minded bloggers…
