Green, Warm & Cozy

We woke up to the first frost this morning and it reminded me that soon we'll have raked all the leaves, dug our winter clothes out of boxes and be getting ready for hibernation time. This year we have moved to a new house and we no longer have a wood stove to keep us cozy. Sadly we must use fossil fuels and electricity so I have been surfing the web for tips on how to save energy . Some I knew, some I hadn't thought of before ( given that I had the luxury of heating up the house as much as I wanted with wood !) So here they are...

• Use your window coverings to help warm or cool your house.
• Wear a sweater !!!
  
• Make your home more energy efficient through improved insulation, caulking and weather-stripping. The less energy you use, the less impact you have on the environment.
• Install and use a programmable thermostat. For every 1° C you lower your thermostat you can save 2% on your heating bill. A reduction of 3° C at night and when you are away during the day provides optimal savings and can reduce your GHGs by half a tonne.
• have your furnace serviced and change the filters regularly, in order to keep it running efficiently. ( filters should be changed monthly)
• Use a ceiling fan in reverse ( clockwise) to push warm air back down into living area.
• Moist air feels warmer so use a humidifier if needed to keep humidity between 30-45 %
  
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Water...

While this photo shows the guys tasting the mineral water in Wells Gray Prov. Park, the fact that our new house has it's own well water makes one think about water carefully. Our well, we are told is 42 feet deep. We live near a creek, in the bottom of a valley, and yet we think constantly about conserving water. Less than 1 % of all the fresh water on this planet is actually fit to drink.
They say we did not inherit this earth from our parents, but are merely borrowing it from our children, so here are a few reminders on what we can all do to conserve this precious resource.

Ways that will save the most:

1. Water your lawn only when it needs it. Step on your grass. If it springs back, when you lift your foot, it doesn't need water. So set your sprinklers for more days in between watering. Saves 750-1,500 gallons per month. Better yet, especially in times of drought, water with a hose. And best of all, convert your lawn to native plants.

2. Fix leaky faucets and plumbing joints. Saves 20 gallons per day for every leak stopped.

3. Don't run the hose while washing your car. Use a bucket of water and a quick hose rinse at the end. Saves 150 gallons each time. For a two-car family that's up to 1,200 gallons a month.

4. Install water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors. Saves 500 to 800 gallons per month.

5. Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher. Saves 300 to 800 gallons per month.

6. Shorten your showers. Even a one or two minute reduction can save up to 700 gallons per month.

7. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. Saves 150 gallons or more each time. At once a week, that's more than 600 gallons a month.

8. Don't use your toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket. Saves 400 to 600 gallons per month.

9. Capture tap water. While you wait for hot water to come down the pipes, catch the flow in a watering can to use later on house plants or your garden. Saves 200 to 300 gallons per month.

10. Don't water the sidewalks, driveway or gutter. Adjust your sprinklers so that water lands on your lawn or garden where it belongs--and only there. Saves 500 gallons per month.

In the bathroom:

1. Put a plastic bottle or a plastic bag weighted with pebbles and filled with water in your toilet tank. Displacing water in this manner allows you to use less water with each flush. Saves 5 to 10 gallons a day. That's up to 300 gallons a month, even more for large families. Better yet, for even greater savings, replace your water-guzzling five to seven gallon a flush toilet with a one and a half gallon, ultra-low flush model.

2. If you're taking a shower, don't waste cold water while waiting for hot water to reach the shower head. Catch that water in a container to use on your outside plants or to flush your toilet. Saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.

3. Check toilet for leaks. Put dye tablets or food coloring into the tank. If color appears in the bowl without flushing, there's a leak that should be repaired. Saves 400 gallons a month.

4. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Saves three gallons each day.

5. Turn off the water while shaving. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water to rinse your razor. Saves three gallons each day.

Composting season is here

This beautiful little lamb was born not long ago on the farm where I work, and while sheep may produce some great manure, we don't all have room for a flock of sheep in our back yard, so I propose that if you haven't got a compost pile or bin, now's the perfect time to start.
Here are some tips to help you on your way ...

• Keep your compost about as moist as a damp sponge
• Turn it often
• Alternate green layers of fruit & veggie peelings & plant trimmings with brown layers such as dried leaves, dead plants & shredded twigs
• chop large chunks of veggies ( such as cabbage heads etc ) into smaller pieces to decompose faster
• Eggs shells and coffee grinds can be added
• NEVER add proteins such as meat or dairy items to your compost.
• Freezing & thawing helps break down materials so keep composting all winter .
  

Earth day - coming up ...

Climate change is certainly happening, and while our planet and the cool dude you see under the heat camera in this photo may be warming up, it sure didn't feel like it today.
Today was "hang your clothes out to dry day" but when I woke up ( at work) this morning there was a winter wonderland out the window. Who would think to see several inches of snow in our neck of the woods on April 19th !!!
Vancouver Island had it worse than we did though, with Nanimo recording 24 cms !
However, it's a good reminder that our planet is in crisis and Tuesday ( April 22nd) is another opportunity to learn about what you can do to help out. There are lots of good web sites with links for ideas, and events across Canada. www.ecokids.ca and www.earthday.ca are good places to start.
Happy Earth Day everyone. Go Green.

Spring is slowly springing, at least in our part of the country. Today the rain is pounding down - oops, now the hail is pounding down. Soon however it will be time once again to give the dryer a break and start hanging our clothes out on the line for that fresh clean linen smell !
Clothes dryers emit an average of 1,440 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, drying your clothes on a clothesline in the spring and summer can prevent an estimated 700 pounds of carbon dioxide per average household from being released. Not to mention the considerable savings on your electric bill !
April 19th is national hang your laundry out to dry day, so I say, let's let it all hang out !

Think water

Water is life. March 20th 2008 has been declared world water day.
A day to bring awareness to just how critical clean water and the conservation of it is to life on this planet.
Last year the United Nations water day focus was on water scarcity. This year, it's about sanitation. Although natural disasters have a huge impact, as does climate change, many of the problems are cause by humans. Waste, improper use, pollution ...all our doing and ours to un-do ! Every one of us needs to pitch in and help ( if you aren't part of the solution , you're part of the problem...) and really, there are many little things we can do that really do add up if everyone does it. here's a short list of the most obvious ones and some web sites for more info. Cheers !
United nations water web sites www.unwater.org
www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/

1. install a low-flow faucet aerator, which can cut water use in half.
2. Keep a jug of water in the refrigerator rather than running tap water until it is cool enough to drink.
3. Wash only full loads in the dishwasher.
4. Do NOT use the toilet to dispose of paper, facial tissues, or cigarettes.
5. Replace your old toilet with a new low water toilet.
6. Take a five-minute shower.
7. Use the minimum amount of water needed for a bath by closing the drain and the filling the tub only 1/3 full.
8. Turn the tap water off while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face.
9. Wash only full loads in the clothes washer.
10. In the summer, lawn watering and other outdoor uses can account for up to 50 percent of home water use. Studies show that as much as half of this outdoor use is wasteful. As a general rule, 2 to 3 cm of water per week is adequate.
11. Using a running hose to wash your car can waste about 400 litres of water. Using a bucket with a sponge plus a trigger nozzle on the hose will save you about 300 of those litres.
12. Rain water is actually better for your plants as it does not contain any chlorine and is at ambient temperature. Keep your rain barrel covered to prevent mosquitos breeding and for safety reasons.

Winter, it's for the birds...

Thanks to the snow fairies dumping more than our fair share upon us, it's a winter wonderland out there. Lots of fun things to do, like sledding and skating on a winter day but I was looking at our cherry trees the other day and thinking of our fine feathered friends. We have a bird feeder but I thought I'd share with you a simple kids project that never gets old. Tie a ribbon around the top of a pine cone, so you can fasten it to a tree branch after. completely coat the whole pine cone in either peanut butter or pure lard. roll it to coat it in sunflower seeds, bird seed , millet or some other yummy bird treat and tie it on a tree branch, your bird friends will love this winter snack.

Low Tech winter activities

Ah winter... it's beautiful, and cold. And cold. And cold..... there's such a temptation to forget about those New Years resolutions and just hibernate by the woodstove until the short, cold, dark days are over. Wake me in spring... However, there really is a lot to do in winter... if we dare venture out, there's sledding and building snow men ( you're never too old for this one !) and skating ( never too old for this one either.... my great grandpa went skating on his 90th Birthday - it's true ! ) and for you adventurous sorts, don't forget all those sports where you strap things onto your feet and go flying down hills.
No motivation to go out in the cold ? Remember over 60% of people in the great white north are not venturing out in the cold enough to get their recommended amount of Vitamin D in the winter so if you really refuse to go outside, or just simply can't, look into some fish oils until spring and try some low tech indoor activities on those freezing cold days at home... you're never to old or too young for these either.... I recently found out that a 4 year old I know can knit and sew already ! Hey, why not, our great grandmothers did at that age ! We have become so dependant on technology to entertain us and our children that we are forgetting how to do these things.
Instead we buy our toys and have our sweaters made in China or ?? and then complain about it ! Seems silly to me... in fact I refuse to give in to my sons constant requests for video games. We don't allow him to watch TV or use the computer on school days either.
He is 8 and will be learning to sew in school ( what a great school ! ) next month. Each child in his class will be sewing their own small quilt ! We have also recently resurrected a bunch of "old" games such as cats cradle, using string. For paper fun remember lines & dots, cootie catchers ( fortune tellers ) and hang man ? We have also started making some really low tech toys such as apple head people , thaumascopes etc. These old games are non polluting, fun and best of all educational ! They teach kids practical skills that are being lost in our modern age where the cheap plastic toys we buy our kids seem to do everything for you. They promote good dexterity, teach skills like sewing, cutting, measuring etc in a practical way instead of just from a textbook and most importantly they teach HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
Other good things to teach in winter are cooking and baking ( measuring, counting, observational skills... even a 2 year old can help ! ) Our son can now fry an egg or make an omlete completely by himself.
If you'd like instructions on any of these games or toys for your kids, drop me a line and I'll be happy to share. If you remember how... pass that knowledge on & have fun doing it !