life as i know it...: June 2008

Winnie the Pooh around the world

This is fantastic! A Russian interpretation of Winnie The Pooh and the Honey Tree (Link):

Contrast with the Disney version (Link):

Posted in: on June 24, 2008 0 comments

The 350 Challenge

I read about The 350 Challenge on IzzyMom's blog, and noticed that Treehugger has also posted about it. It's a neat program, and really simple.

All you need to do is post the 350 Challenge badge on your website or blog, then send them a message, and Brighter Planet will offset 350 pounds of carbon in your name. That's the equivalent of turning off 100 lightbulbs for a day, or going two full weeks without using your car!

They're aiming to get at least 350 bloggers to post the badge, so spread the word. It's a small way to show your support for action to prevent climate change. It may be just a "drop in the bucket", but every bit makes a difference!

Other easy things you can do:

Carry your own water bottle instead of buying single-use bottles
Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins, and rags to clean up spills instead of paper towels
Bring reusable bags to the grocery store. We use a miscellaneous collection acquired over years of going to conferences, but I really like the Compliments (Sobeys) and President's Choice (Superstore/Loblaws) grocery bags - you can fit a lot in them!
Replace your lightbulbs with CFL bulbs, which last longer and use less energy. Remember to bring burnt-out bulbs to your hazardous waste depot, or to a Home Depot CFL recycling bin
Buy local food as much as possible. You'll be supporting your local economy, and getting fresh food that doesn't have to travel thousands of miles to get to your table! Our latest Atlantic Canadian discovery is the Speerville Flour Mill in New Brunswick, which makes and sells flour, cereal, oils, pasta and a bunch of household products, and a lot of it is also organic! We didn't realize until recently, but their products are sold in most of the large grocery stores here.

There you go! And for some interesting reading, check out Treehugger, Nature Moms blog, Z Recommends and Green Mom Finds.

Posted in: climate change, environment, household on June 04, 2008 0 comments

My life in points:

I've been out of the loop lately, so here's an update on life in my little corner of the world! I'll have something more profound to share at another time!

Spring is here, and I can feel summer in the air. Claire and I spend a lot of time outdoors, running in the grass and picking dandelions. And her nose is healing after a tumble on the sidewalk!
Nan's funeral was sad, but really beautiful at the same time. There were a lot of songs, tributes and messages, and even a video of her singing last summer. She would have liked it. I'm going to miss her!
More job reassignment at work! I'm sticking with "consultant" on my business card - I've had so many changes in job title already!
I love love love my DVD recorder!
I bought myself a sewing machine, and made a bunch of cloth napkins (we try not to use paper napkins anymore), and a pair of legwarmers for Claire. So easy! (or sew easy, if you want to be really corny!)