Tag Archives: green moms carnival

Resolutions To Fight Climate Change

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This post is contributing to the January Green Moms Carnival conversation about resolutions to fight Climate Change.   Our Amber at Strocel.com is our gracious host.

go here to read the entire collective on this important topic.

Climate Change is a complex topic.  It’s bigger than all of us and in the end it’s hard to know if our efforts are actually making a difference.   The strong opposing commentary on Climate Change is confusing.  What is your opinion on the matter?  I personally can’t begin to claim expertise.  My resolutions are to be an advocate and to continue to example choice.

I know that’s not very specific.

If and when I have a chance to point in the direction of those who are making strides in climate change issues I want to be sure to be a resource.   As I continue to learn and develop my own ideas on the topic I want to example a shifting behavior that I hope helps someone see that they too have the option to make choices that can contribute to being more proactive.

Its my strong belief that small shifts do make a difference.  When changes are made collectively they have a stronger voice.

It’s also my belief that making any effort is better than doing nothing.

My biggest wish is for pause, reflection, and conscientiously slowing it down. I’d love to see less purchasing, more making it from scratch and shopping local.

Where I example this best is cooking from scratch and shouting it out about the local farmers and business I I support through my purchases.  A lifestyle of less is more.   In the end this produces less waste and we are healthier!

Pause and choice are what I am championing.

Isn’t this the common sensical approach to it all.

 

 

Book Review :: The Non -Toxic Avenger by Deanna Duke

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Today’s book review is part of a whirl of a blog post book tour for Crunchy Chicken Blogger Deanna Duke and the release of her new book The Non-Toxic Avenger.

I discovered Deanna and her wacky green ideas in my early blogging days, my first impression of her was that she was nuts. At that time she was campaigning about something called a Diva Cup,  peeing in her garden and writing about a friendship she had with an offgrid dude named Greenpa at that time I had no idea what off grid even was.

Something about her enthusiasm, her sincerity and yes her wacky way of looking at things kept me coming back to her writings.  Along the way her husband was diagnosed with cancer and holy smokes I was stunned.  I had never experienced something so personal on a blog before. Since, we have become wonderfully acquainted via our work together in Green Moms Carnival.

I find Deanna to be smart, very detail oriented, insanely curious, tremendously thoughtful and seriously gosh darn funny.  She continuously cracks me up!

I loved this book.  I’d especially recommend it to a family or individual who REALLY wants to know about the toxins around them and how to make shifts towards a less toxic personal environment.

What separates her book from others is how she took us into on this very ambitious project and tucked all of us into her everyday life. This was not a go to spa, get it all together detox ahhhhhhhhh experience. This was an in the trenches everything exploration in the middle of life. Work, mom, wife, cancer, asbergers, family, holidays , red velvet birthday cake.   The journey was real.   It was like spending a few months as a fly on the wall inside the Duke household and better yet being included in all the details, concerns, and speculation in Deanna’s mind as she took this thing on.

I can thank Deanna for my shift to the use of a Diva Cup, applaud her reinforcing my decision to never ever use teflon pans, marvel at the toxins I didn’t know about, like oh my gosh, the coating on dental floss??  who knew! , and be totally inspired to buy of all things more house plants!

( you’ll just have to read the book to find out why) 

This book is an easy read despite some of the alarming and complex details and it’s loaded with references and resources.

Nice work Deanna!!

Many of the suggestions for alternative products she mentions can also be found through me.   Ask me about green cleaning and anti-aging plant based skin care.

 

Is Less Holiday Bling Greener?

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This post is for this months Green Mom’s Carnival.  The theme is gifting green, hosted by Linda Anderson of Citizen Green

I use to live in a wonderful old Victorian train town. My old town was loaded with the distinct charm of old that I absolutely treasure. The old is one of the many reasons I lived there! I love the old of it all.

For the holidays our town traditionally become bedazzled with little white lights Blocks and blocks of lights. Every tree, every lamp post and many of the store fronts were all a twinkly. The bling of it all inspires holiday spirit, and I admit was delightfully festive!

One fall, right before Halloween our town hung streamers of lights all about the business district. Two long blocks of hung across the street, intermittent swags of lights. I didn’t get it. What’s with the lights? It wasn’t Christmas yet, and they had never hung light streamers like this before. What was this town up to? I read in the paper that there was an initiative to draw folks to shop. As cute and darling as our town was, stores were empty, shops were struggling in competition with the big box stores. Not to mention the darn economy. This additional sparkle was supposed to create warmth. I was bothered at first. Why the expense? Why the labor to hang them? More lights? Why the swags? I did warm to them. When I’d walk into town at night I admit I liked the glow.

However, in the spirit of greenness, you know that global effort to actually do less NOT more? I can’t help but wonder. Could reducing the light wrappings to let’s say every other tree, and every other lamp post still portray the same cheer? Would using less lights – let’s say half – still be enough to make a difference for the environment?

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE the lights. The traditional blink-blink of it all is ever so magical. I love it especially most, if it snows a big gentle white fluffy snow – A first snow to me is still nature’s winter gift. Bling and winter fluff certainly puts one in the mood for everything holiday. Would you agree?

Let’s lessen the gleam. Let’s example a bit of green about the whole thing. Give the gift of less.

Do you think less holiday bling is greener?