There are many steps we can each take to reduce our impact on the environment, saving money & our health at the same time. Here are 60 tips: most are free and easy, and they’ll all make you feel good about doing your bit!
MOTHER NATURE: Grass? But, it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It’s sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
FRANK: Apparently so. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
MOTHER NATURE: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
FRANK: Apparently not. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.
When invited to my first pot luck after moving from the city, I asked, “What should I bring?” “Whatever,” was the answer. “No,” I said, “I mean appetizer, main course, salad, dessert?” I really didn’t understand. And there’s another pot luck in the Gore’s Landing Hall tonight — everybody’s invited — really! Just show up with your contribution, dig in and enjoy!
I’ve had an ongoing challenge with myself to see how low my electric bill can go and how long I can make a tank of heating oil last and how long I can go without filling the car’s gas tank.
We don’t all need to own every tool for a small job, we aren’t all experts or experienced at everything, and a barter/borrow group would be another great way to bring community together. It should be simple, money-saving and time-saving. I tried a few years ago. With great excitement, I got as far as listing all the tools/equipment/talents I could offer. I showed my list and explained the idea to one neighbour, who said “Great idea, but I doubt if anybody would sign on.”
See the gorgeous colours of these basket willows. There are 10 different varieties, each a different colour.
I get excited about old-time crafts very easily, especially if they require no cash outlay and my own two hands are the tools. I’ve been known to bite off more than I can chew, but sometimes the excitement leads to marvellous new adventures in sufficiency! A sally garden is a willow (salix) garden. Next to growing food, I think growing basket willows is about the smartest thing you can do with a bit of soil. Chair caning led me to basketry, and weaving baskets led to wanting to grow my own basket willows.
One thing we can all do to ensure health is to avoid products with added artificial fragrances or flavours. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. They’re found in the most unexpected products (vitamins, prescription drugs, lip balm, perfume, toothpaste, laundry detergent — the list goes on and on).
There are many types of candles to choose from these days. And there are many that are marketed by good people under the mistaken impression that their candles are “natural” and “sustainable.” Unfortunately, most aren’t. Here’s the lowdown.
I don’t know about you, but I get very tired of seeing all the commercials on television pushing us to artificially “perfume” our indoor air. Indoor air is actually full of pollutants. We don’t need plug-ins (using elecricity), sprays or stick-ons and we certainly don’t need the toxins they all contain. Phthalates are found in a wide array of consumer products, including cosmetics and fragrances, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, vinyl children’s toys, automobiles, paints, and interior finishes.
