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It’s Time for More Eco-Friendly Spring Activities for Families!

May 8, 2024 0

Last spring, we provided some eco-friendly activities to help your teens get out, get active, and get green. Now with spring almost here again, we want to help provide a few more simply, environmentally-friendly activities you can share with your kids once the warm weather arrives.

With today’s technology, kids and teens don’t get outside as much as they should. In fact, researchers have found that today’s kids play for about four hours a week. This is much less compared to the 8.2 hours their parents played outside when there were kids. And after being cooped up all winter long, it’s time to get outside and get active!

One of the best places to get active is at your local park or nature trails. Whether you have little ones or teenagers, there’s plenty you can do at a nearby park. Whether it’s playing on the playground, having a scavenger hunt throughout the nature trails, or even picking up trash along the way, there’s no excuse to not get outside. And if you’re one of the owners of the 770,000 drones that have currently been registered with the FAA, spring is a great time to put it to use. Flying it around the park can be a great way to get some fresh air and cool pictures or videos.

Another great activity to do with your family is visit your local farmer’s market. This will not only allow you to purchase some fresh fruits and veggies for home but will help you teach your family about healthy, locally-grown food. Knowing where food comes from, and the benefit of eating fresh foods, can start your child off on an eco-friendly path early on.

Or instead of visiting a farmer’s market, why not try growing your own goodies at home? Having a garden at home can be an ongoing project and can teach your family about responsibility. Whether you’re planting fruits and vegetables, flowers, or some small herbs, the entire family can get involved in learning how to plant, care for, and harvest your new crops and plants. With some supervision, your kids can learn the responsibility of taking care of their very own garden.

Along with gardening, you and your family can get started on some sustainable gardening practices. Setting up something like a rainwater harvesting system can teach the whole family more about sustainable practices. Furthermore, your kids can see the direct impact when they get to use the rainwater to help their garden grow.

Whether you’re getting your hands dirty with some dirt, picking up trash at your local park, or simply getting out and enjoying nature, there are plenty of ways to get your family outside and doing eco-friendly activities everyone can enjoy.

The 4 Best Plants For A Sustainable Garden

February 20, 2024 0

All plants are natural, but not all are ideal for a sustainable garden. For environmentally-conscious gardeners, one of the best things you can do for your garden space is to grow sustainable or eco-friendly plants. These plants are mostly well-adapted to local environmental conditions, reducing your need for artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and excessive watering. Using less water and chemicals in your garden creates a healthier soil and ecosystem balance, starting with picking and growing the right plants. Here are some sustainable plants worth adding to your garden.

  1. Carrots and leeks planted together.

Consider planting carrots alongside leaks. Why this unlikely duo? Because leaks help ward off carrot flies, carrots can prevent leek moths – creating a mutually beneficial partnership. But that’s not all; carrots have a relatively low carbon footprint compared to other vegetables. They also produce fewer carbon emissions than other types of garden foods or plants and are more sustainable. Cucumber, for example, produces 5 times the carbon emissions of carrots, and salad vegetables need more resources to grow, creating a higher carbon footprint. 

  1. Marigolds

Marigolds do great in any planting display. Aside from their beautifully vibrant appearance, these plants can ward off blackflies, greenflies, and other aphids. They do this by secreting limonene, releasing it to ward off uninvited pests. That means you’ll reduce your reliance on artificial pesticides if you have more marigold plants grown in strategic parts of your garden. These plants are also super effective against the fast-working (ironically) snails and slugs. When left unchecked, snails can quickly multiply in your garden, and before you know it, they’ve punched holes and chips in your plant leaves, harming or even killing them. If you’ve noticed these little pests in your garden and don’t know how to get rid of them, start planting some marigolds. 

  1. Fireweed

Planting fireweed is not only sustainable but also considered excellent for wildlife in general. In areas where it grows, this plant helps a wide range of pollinators while acting as a host plant for different pollinating species like butterflies. So, if you want to improve pollination in your garden, plant a few fireweeds. But their benefits don’t end in the garden. Fireweed is acclaimed for its immense health benefits. Research has shown, for example, that it has potent anti-inflammatory properties with many therapeutic qualities. That means not only will the plant benefit your garden, but you can harvest it for its health benefits for the body. You can learn more about the fireweed health benefits, including how to use it outside the garden.

  1. Herbs

Thyme, rosemary, mint, and basil are versatile herbs that need little garden space to thrive. But one of their greatest benefits to your landscape or garden is their sustainability. Herbs are also natural pest repellants and need little water to grow, making them an ideal choice for water conservation. Outside of the garden, you can use these plants for their flavor and many health benefits.

Smart plant selection is a great way to make your garden more eco-friendly. These sustainable plants will be great additions to any garden space. 

5 Last Minute Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Surprises for Your Family

February 9, 2024 5

Twig-and-Thistle-Apple-Stickers

Valentine’s Day is almost here! When Eben was younger, I always surprised him with a Valentine’s book scavenger hunt! He’s a full-grown adult now, folks! Even though he just graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree and is applying to Grad School, I still have to surprise him on Valentine’s Day (he’s my only kid!)

If you are like me and need a handful of last-minute, simple Valentine’s Day surprise ideas that are eco-friendly too – read on and relax we still have a few days. Ha!

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#1: Add a Little Organic Love to Lunch
I am a little obsessed with heart shapes in food – especially for Valentine’s Day. For starters, these heart and heart apples are perfect for Valentine’s Day lunchbox – even teenagers will enjoy them!

Mixed-CD-Valentine

#2: DIY Mixed Valentine CD
Whether you are looking for a quick gift for your spouse or your teen –  I adore this DIY mixed Valentine CD from Dandee Designs – so old school. I remember receiving a mixed tape from a boyfriend in junior high – it was full of love songs from Boyz II Men and Tony! Toni! Tone! – how funny is that?

Heart-Attack

#3: Give a Recycled Heart Attack
When Eben was little, I surprised him by plastering his bedroom with recycled cut-out hearts. On each heart, I wrote something about him that I love. You could do something like this on a smaller scale too, such as in a lunch box or school locker. Don’t make it too mushy if you do it at school. You could even mail a box of hearts to someone far away!

Twig-and-Thistle

#4: Keep It Simple
I can put a lot of pressure on myself to think of a fun and creative way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Eben and the mister. However, I have learned over the years that it doesn’t matter what I plan, the simple act of spending the entire day celebrating my love for them is all they want. Whether it is sweet notes in their lunchboxes, a heart-shaped breakfast, or a “fancy” dinner – it’s the quality time together that really counts.

Winter-Camping

#5: Plan a Getaway
Several years ago, I wanted to celebrate with an experience, so the mister and I surprised Eben with a long weekend of winter camping. We picked him up early from school on a Friday and headed to the beach for a few days of camping. If you want to surprise your family with a getaway, think easy – mini-day trips or even visiting somewhere new close to home.

What surprises do you have planned for your family this Valentine’s Day?

How To Have A Sustainable Valentine’s Day

February 7, 2024 0

Valentine’s Day is the second most popular event for sending greeting cards after Christmas, with approximately one billion cards being sent on the occasion. Plastic materials, glitter finishes, and other embellishments are frequently used on these cards, rendering them unusable for recycling. Giving chocolate as a holiday gift has become commonplace, yet the majority of that chocolate is sourced in an unethical manner. When you factor in all of the other disposable gifts, like balloons, stuffed animals, and decorations, Valentine’s Day may be extremely harmful to the environment. However, this does not have to be the case!

February 14th is a day dedicated to celebrating love, and whether it is love for a romantic partner, a close friend, or a family member, Valentine’s Day is an excellent opportunity to let others know you care about them. There are numerous ways to accomplish this in a sustainable, ethical, and Earth-friendly manner. Here are some suggestions for Valentine’s Day gifts that are environmentally friendly:

Purchase A Long-Lasting Gift

By using your listening and observing abilities to pick something that the recipient genuinely needs, you can purchase a long-lasting gift that they will cherish for years to come. It could be a piece of art, a mug, or a super cute Valentine’s Day sweatshirt.

Fair Trade Chocolate

Chocolate typically comes at a high social and environmental cost that is considerably beyond its actual cost. It is the chocolate industry that is primarily responsible for widespread economic inequality, child labor, forced labor, and deforestation in the developing world. In order to purchase chocolate that has been ethically sourced, look for the Fair Trade label. 

Buy Ethical Jewelry

It is vital to purchase jewelry from a company that can trace its mining procedures for precious stones and metals in order to verify that the materials are sourced ethically and responsibly.   Consider purchasing from a company that assures that the stones used in their products were cut by personnel who were properly outfitted for the job with protective equipment. In addition, jewelry making frequently employs harmful ingredients and generates toxic waste.  it is critical to ensure that you are purchasing from jewelry companies that make every effort to have ethical and transparent sourcing and manufacturing practices.

Make an Upcycled Valentine’s Day Card

If you are going to give your loved one a card, either make it yourself using recyclable materials or get one from a small business that is recyclable and Fair Trade certified.

Give the Gift of Experience

Spend quality time with your partner by preparing their favorite meal, watching their favorite movie with them, enrolling in a class together, such as cooking or photography, setting aside time to paint, and so on. Another option is to write a poem or perform a song for your Valentine, create a film about all of your finest times together, get their friends to contribute to a list of their favorite memories with them or write down all of their best attributes and all of the things you admire about them.

As a final step, consider honoring love rather than consumerism this Valentine’s Day. If you do plan to shop, look for items from local businesses and companies that adhere to ethical business methods as opposed to mass-produced items.

5 Simple, Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Home

February 5, 2024 0
This year the mister and I will be celebrating Valentine’s Day at home! So I thought I’d share some fun eco-friendly Valentine’s Day surprising you can do at home! 

#1: Organic Sweet Tooth:
I have a sweet tooth so there will definitely need to be a little chocolate on Valentine’s Day. I will be picking chocolate that is fair trade and organic too because nothing is sweeter than socially and environmentally conscious chocolates.

#2: Think Outside of the Dining Room Table:
We recently revamped our back patio, so we’re having dinner al fresco with a movie! It’s my new favorite space at our home. Nothing is more fun than dinner and a movie outside by the pool! 

#3: Bubbles Make Everything Better:
Who doesn’t love a bubble bath? What Valentine’s Day would be complete without a yummy bath full of organic bath bubbles, candlelight, and your special someone?

#4: Love is in Bloom:
I am not a huge fan of fresh-cut flowers, I would rather receive a beautiful potted plant that I can enjoy for years to come. 

#5: Cook Together:
Whether you are celebrating with your spouse, significant other, or kids, give cooking together a shot. Now that Eben is an adult the mister and I tend to cook together more often, which is a sweet treat in itself. 

What eco-friendly Valentine’s Day surprises do you have up your sleeve this year? 

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