Eco-Snipits

Image Courtesy of Flickr User Loren Javier

I know that my preschooler is not the only one who is begging for her parent’s to plan a Disney themed getaway.  The funny part is that we took her two years ago — unfortunately, she doesn’t really remember it at all!  I know that Disney is in our vacation future within the next couple of years for sure.

Now, like so many other parents, I’ve begun looking at Disney vacation packages.  What most parent’s first question is Disneyland in California or Disneyworld in Florida?  My first train of thought, of course, goes to how I can make even a Disney trip a more eco-friendly experience.  There is always carbon offset credits that can be purchased to make up for flying.  And there are tons and tons of more environmentally friendly hotels that are available in both Orlando and Anaheim.  All you really have to do is look.

One of the most important considerations when looking for a green-er hotel is water consumption.  Hotels can easily reduce their water usage simply by not changing sheets and towels every single day in every single room.  These linens really only need to be changed at the guest’s request.  This simple act of putting out a card (all recycled content of course) that ways you want the sheets changed on the bed can make a huge difference when you are looking at dozens and dozens of rooms.

Hotels can also reduce their water consumption by having dual flush toilets installed in all guests rooms, low-flow shower heads and water efficient washing machines for laundry.  It’s amazing how these little things done over and over again each and every day can add up to a huge savings of water, energy and money!

I’m off to research hotel water consumption rates in Orlando now.  Don’t tell my kids!!  lol

Tags: Disney vacation, eco-friendly hotels, eco-friendly vacations, water consumption

One of my absolutely favorite handmade products has got to be handmade soap.  There is just absolutely nothing like it!  Luckily, one of my favorite giveaway blogs, Today’s Diva, is giving away some all natural handmade soap.  The company that is sponsoring the giveaway is called Mountain Farms Soap.  They are a small company that hand crafts all natural skincare products such as soap.

They’ve got a huge variety of different kinds of soaps available — everything from Emu soap, Goat’s milk soap, gourmet soap and soap cakes are available.  Best of all, they are all made in the traditional way — coldpressed!  They are made in small batches to ensure top notch quality which is something that I really respect.  If you haven’t tried any traditional natural soap, I totally recommend that you try it.  You could even check out Today’s Diva’s blog and enter to win some for free!  I know I’m off to do that as I write this.  Wish me luck!!

Tags: contest, handmade soap

Oh, June is finally here and that means that Canadian farmer’s markets are finally open!  I went on the weekend and got a ton of great stuff — baby potatoes, fresh dill and just about anything else I ran into.  That lead me to looking for a great recipe to make creamy dill potatoes.  Here’s what I made with my potatoes and dill — it’s easy, fresh and great for the environment to shop locally.

Ingredients:

2 lb bag of organic local baby potatoes

3 tbsp local organic dill

1/2 cup of cream

1 cup of milk (I used skim and it worked just fine)

1 tbsp of butter or margarine

1/4 cup of local organic white onion

1/4 cup of local organic chives (from my own garden)

Directions:

Rinse the potatoes to remove any loose dirt, luckily no need to worry about pesticides!  Do not peel the potatoes — there’s a ton of great vitamins in the skin.  Cut the potatoes into bite size chunks.  Put the potatoes into a pan and just cover the potatoes with water.  Set to boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft with a fork (don’t overcook them though).  Strain off the water.  This can be saved for soup stock as well.  Put the potatoes back into the same pot.

Add the cream, milk, margarine and onion to the potatoes.  Bring this to a boil and then let it simmer until the sauce just begins to thicken.  Add the chives and dill and mix well.  Remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes or so until the sauce is to the consistency you desire.  Voila!  Fresh from the farm to your family.

Tags: farmer's market, local produce, potato recipe, recipe

This beautiful wristlet is being given away by a great giveaway and review blog called Today’s Diva.  I’m a regular reader of this blog because it has tons of great eco-friendly products featured and given away — I’ve even won a couple of things myself!  It seems like they are always finding things that I’ve never quite seen before like this wristlet by Green Rainbow.  Green Rainbow is a super cool online store that has tons of sustainable products for him and her, pets and kids and everything else you could possibly think of.  I’ll definitely be shopping there this year!

It’s made of recycled paper and has a recycled plastic handle and details.  This would be a great accessory for any green diva on the go.  What I really like is that it would be super versatile because it would color co-ordinate with nearly anything and would hold just the essentials for quick trips and nights out on the town.  I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be the lucky winner of this prize!  Go check out Today’s Diva and see what prizes you’d love to win!

Tags: contest, eco-friendly accessories, Wristlet

Image Courtesy of Flickr User Cessna 206

Pregnancies that occur after miscarriages or stillbirths are often referred to as “rainbow” babies.  The hope and joy that these subsequent pregnancies is astounding and definitely even more beautiful than a rainbow.  I knew that I would be anxious when becoming pregnant again after two losses.  What I didn’t know was just how anxious I would be.  I’ve been walking around in a daze for 15 weeks and 5 days now knowing that I have a rainbow baby of my own growing inside and terrified at the same time that I will do something and lose this one too.

My blogs have definitely been suffering from my overwhelming depression and anxiety.  It is nearly impossible to overcome some days.  We have an ultrasound coming up in less than 3 weeks now.  This is the same ultrasound where we found out that our precious baby Kye had no heartbeat.  If I had any beliefs, I would definitely be praying.  If I wasn’t pregnant, I’d definitely be drinking!  Please bear with me as I make it through these difficult weeks lying ahead.  I am hoping for the best but definitely preparing for the worst.

Tags: hope, miscarriage, pregnancy, stillbirth

Image Courtesy of Flickr User Thomas Beck Photo

Everyone is looking to stretch their budget further and further in these tough economic times.  Luckily, with some careful shopping, it can be a little easier to make your dollar go further.  Here’s some quick tips that are good to keep in mind when shopping:

1.  Buy the necessities first.  Worry about extras when you’ve already paid for everything that you absolutely need.

2.  Keep an eye on the cash register to make sure that the barcode scanner gets the correct price.  Sometimes sale items will come up as the regular price so always keep one eye on the till.

3.  Use coupons.  There are lots of great sources online for coupons of all kinds as well as newspapers and magazines.

4.  Stick to the list.  Make a list of what you need to get at the store before you go so that you’re not tempted to buy whatever looks good.

5.  Shop the sales.  Look up the fliers and sales online before heading out to the store.  You can really save a ton of money this way.  Stock up on things that you know you’ll need when they are the least expensive.

Tags: frugal shopping, shopping tips

I’ve been looking for an alternative for chemical laden dryer sheets for quite some time now.   I finally ran across this great re-useable product called Static Eliminator.  It’s basically a wide band of fabric that you throw in the dryer with your clothes instead of traditional dryer sheets.  You don’t have to worry about all of the chemicals and you still get great, static free results!  Definitely worth checking this product out.  Want to get a box for free??  Enter my giveaway here for a chance!  Good luck and thanks for entering.

Tags: contest, dryer sheet alternative, eco-friendly dryer sheet, free giveaway, static eliminator

eco lunch bag

Lunch time is one of those occasions that can result in tons of unnecessary waste.  Plastic packaging, disposable utensils, styrofoam containers and ziploc bags all take a toll on our planet.  Eating out all of the time also causes a ton of waste both in terms of garbage and wasted money.  It’s not exactly a picnic on your waistline either!

The most sensible thing to do of course, is to pack your own healthy lunch and take it with you in reusable containers.  With the right kinds of products, your brown bagging lunch will look better than your co-worker’s Prada handbag!  Plus, it will show much more sensible you really are and show your love of the planet.

Check out the huge range of patterns and colors of bags available at Ecolunchboxes.  Their sets include 3 fabric napkins that match the design and color of your chosen lunch bag, two stainless steel containers and a bamboo spork.  There is no lead, plastic, BPA, PVC, vinyl or waste of any kind!  Absolutely fabulous and gorgeously green.

Tags: bamboo spork, eco-chic, lunch bag, lunch box, lunch set, stainless steel

Still looking for a creative re-use project for all those floppy discs that are collecting dust?  Are you a huge Trekkie?  Well, have I got a DIY project for you!!  I found a great tutorial that turns a simple floppy disc (see image on the left) into an amazing star ship (see image on the right).   All you need is an old disc, a pair of scissors and some imagination.  You could make a whole fleet of these and hang them in your mom’s basement (aka your hangout pad!).  Okay, just kidding.  Lots of people love Star Trek and have their own places.  Would be awesome in an office, man cave or kids room hanging from the ceiling.  Kids might even be able to help out with this project a little bit.  Great way to spend a rainy day!

Tags: DIY, floppy disc re-purposing, floppy disc recycling, repurpose, reuse, Starship Enterprise, Trekkie craft

Image Courtesy of Flickr User j/f/photos

Yoga isn’t always about folding yourself into a pretzel and holding it for an hour.  Yoga is also stretching, bending, reaching and lengthening.  Yoga poses can help you to build strength, muscle, flexibility, balance and peacefulness.  All of these benefits can really make a huge benefit for sufferers of osteoarthritis.  Yoga can really help you to center within yourself and stretch yourself to new boundaries while you grow stronger with each session.  Yoga has been practiced for centuries and has been scientifically proven to have both mental and physical benefits from regular practice.

A study was done with one particular form of yoga called Iyengar yoga on subjects who were experiencing osteoarthritis of the knee.  There was one group who did not attend yoga sessions and another group who attended a 90 minute training session at beginner level once a week for 8 weeks.  The group who practiced yoga had a substantially more positive (and statistically significant) response to questions regarding their mood, physical function and pain than the comparison group who did not have the benefit of yoga exercise training.

There are many other treatments available for people who are suffering from osteoarthritis.  Some people take a msm nutritional supplement although the biochemical effects of supplemental methylsulfonylmethane are poorly understood and little has been done in the way of credible scientific studies to support the idea that it is beneficial.  Other people use massage therapy to help to reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis to varying degrees of success.  Massage can be used to prevent muscle spasms, increase circulation to joints and reduce inflammation.  Still others have used accupuncture as an alternative remedy for their pain.  The tiny needles are used to release endorphins and serotonins into the blood stream and have proven effective for hundreds of years as well.  Some scientific research has shown promise as to the validity of accupuncture as a treatment for osteoarthritis.

The point is to try a range of natural pain relieving methods under the guidance of a physician.  Ensure that any treatment plan that you have has been approved by your doctor so that you are not injured on top of the osteoarthritis.  I know that our natural reaction to pain is to head to the medicine cabinet.  However, that is not always necessary or even the most effective way to solve the underlying problem of the pain.

Tags: exercise, health, joints, natural treatments, osteoarthritis, stretching, yoga