Ten and WOW

by Mindful Merchant on October 16, 2011

Have you heard of Ta‘Kaiya Blaney? I had not until reading about her inspiring work on We Canada’s blog. Ta‘Kaiya is a Sliammon First Nations singer, songwriter and actor. She is also concerned about the environment, marine and coastal wildlife. She is also TEN years old and amazing. Have a listen…

A young person doing such impressive and unexpected things is so inspiring. It makes me more hopeful for the future.

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A Green Hallowe’en Challenge

by Mindful Merchant on October 14, 2011

 

This post is part of the 2011 Greening your Halloween Blog Tour brought to us by Green Planet Parties, Green Halloween, Green Gift Guide, Surf Sweets and A Little Bit of Momsense.  

 

September inspired changes regarding healthier lunches, avoiding packaging and rethinking purchases in our house.  I had another idea too, perhaps it is time to get a little eco-crazy and raise the bar a little.  How about a monthly mindful, green healthy challenge?  Something easily adapted to suit lifestyle and comfort level.  Even small actions make a difference.  

With two weeks left, there is still time to green Hallowe’en. Our family decided not to spend any money on a Hallowe’en costumes. Instead, we will repurpose, recycle, borrow or create something spooktacular. 

According to the National Costume Swap website, “swapping half the costumes kids wear on Halloween would reduce the annual landfill waste by 6,250 tons, equal to the weight of 2500 mid-sized cars”.  

Recycling and repurposing costumes reduces packaging, transportation, and manufacturing resources too.  This is an easier task thanks to costume swaps like this one here in Ottawa tomorrow, 2pm at Dovercourt Recreation Centre. 

Eye-rolling conversations are happening in our house with stories of Hallowe’en in the olden days.  “When I was a kid…” kind of talk about saving ice cream containers, tinfoil and boxes to make a robot. (That was my husband’s masterpiece!)  I remember a creative classmate that stuck little cars on two long pieces of cardboard attached with string at the shoulders. Her costume,  a road complete with median lines and a homemade stop sign in hand.  Ah, retro Hallowe’en…

So what do you think?  Will you join me in this challenge?  If you email me photos of your green inspired costumes, I will post them.  We can have a little fun and feel good that we kept waste from the landfill and a bit of money in our wallets. 

Waaahahaaaa! 

Please note:  Post updated October 16th to include picture and Blog Carnival information.

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Ottawa Observations, Thanksgiving and Saunders Farm

October 9, 2011

My family is fast approaching a five-year anniversary of our move from Toronto to Ottawa. It took a while to call Ottawa home but we have come to love this city, its friendly people, beautiful landscape and attractions. Over the years, as a cheeky newcomer, I have noted a few characteristics many Ottawan’s seem to share [...]

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Beginning The School Year With Greener Goals

September 10, 2011

I feel the new year starts in September once the kids are back to school.  It is an exciting, busy time in our house with anticipation of a new grade, new teachers, new classrooms, classmates and activities too.  I find it a wistful time  as it is hard for me to let go of the [...]

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Calling All Frugal, Earth-Loving Romantics

August 12, 2011

  What are you doing tonight?  If you have nothing exciting planned here is a suggestion for a FREE activity, weather permitting.  It is the 2011 Perseid Meteor Shower and for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, August is the best time to watch the night skies for meteors.  It is predicted to [...]

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Napkins: Paper or Cloth?

August 11, 2011

A few posts dedicated to answering email questions from readers… A friend inquired about switching to cloth napkins.  She was not convinced the effort, expense and care were better for the environment.  There are certainly arguments for both sides of the debate. Personally, I like using cloth napkins.  It was an easy switch in our [...]

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Outsmarting Critters – Container Gardening

July 31, 2011

For the past three summers, we tried unsuccessfully to plant a vegetable garden.  Our resident rabbits and full figured groundhog thoroughly enjoyed the buffet of young sprouts we planted.  Multiple times. Nibbled right down to the soil.  I believe they appreciated the work we went to solely for their dining enjoyment.   We tried various natural [...]

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Must Read

July 30, 2011

I have a book suggestion. It is the kind of book after finished; you might feel inspired to share with your friends and family too. It is not a fluffy, romantic summer novel or gripping mystery, but an eye-opening book. In fact, it is downright frightening. The book is “There is Lead in your Lipstick. [...]

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