earth day – happy?

It’s been a crazy while and a winter that never was which may suddenly be making a comeback while tulips pop and cherry blossoms and forsythia bloom. The earth is a miracle. And there is only one. Remember to always respect and love your mother.

zero footprint + cutting emissions + environment

Dear Mother Earth…. I’m going to apologize in advance and promise to do my bestest to be and do better. Just used this zero footprint calculator and discovered I’m a resource hog! Even though my carbon footprint [2.3 earths as they call em'] is less than the average of 3.4 there is still a long [...]

free stuff + charity garage sales + japan fundraising

Spring has sprung. The robins are out. The snowdrops and crocuses (croci?) are popping up. And it’s time to for that annoying and liberating ritual – SPRING CLEANING! Lately I’ve been thinking about the massive amounts of stuff that I have – especially after seeing the incredible devastation in Japan and how it has erased [...]

pesticides + asbestos + mycotoxins + wellness

Today, I’m excited to have a special guest on the blog. Krista P is 23, lives in Florida and is into yoga, reading, writing, wellness and the environment. She got in touch and passed along this crucial, and yes, slightly scary info about toxins in our worlds. But since knowledge is power, I share her [...]

the story of stuff + over consumption

My new mantra in 2011. The more you know, the less you need. And facilitating this sometimes scary knowledge is the amazing Annie Leonard and The Story of Stuff, which I linked to eons ago. That said, it’s time to give a shout out to these incredibly informative videos. To make us more aware of [...]

ethical gifts + sustainable giving + holiday ideas

It’s that time of year again – consumerama-mania. Now I’m not about to say getting gifties isn’t awesome, but getting things you won’t really want or need is so not on. So in an effort to ensure your thoughtfulness is a big hug for the planet, I’ve got some great ideas. Gifts of Hope Plan [...]

freecycling + recycling + purging + give your stuff away day

The artist William Morris said, don’t have anything in your house you can’t use or isn’t beautiful. And we all know we’re a bit guilty of both, so I share some awesome ideas for the new season. Forget spring cleaning and think fall exchanging!!! September 25 is GIVE YOUR STUFF AWAY DAY – which is [...]

air conditioning + fans + heat wave + global warming

Okay maybe it’s time to get un-conditioned to air-conditioning. Yes this may not be the most popular sentiment during a crazy heat wave, but paradox, our A/C consumption / demands / expectations are in part fuelling our crazy heat waves and our desire / wants / insistence. So round and round we go. A few [...]

bikes + bicycles + cycle commuting + freedom

Today I speak of the love of bikes. In Toronto it’s bike month, even though every day should be bike day. Everywhere. What an absolutely amazing invention in terms of fun, use, and exercise. Bikes make us better people and the world a better place. A little history of bikes. Originally it was believed they [...]

oil spill + environment + birds

I apologize for this horrific image which I’m sure breaks your heart the way it does mine. I think it’s because these poor innocent creatures are so helpless to our industrial folly and idiocy. Before we came along and mucked up their world, they managed just fine, but then we made a mess and well…. [...]