Aloha Friday # 15 August 14, 2009

It’s Friday again, so that means it’s time for . . .

My “Aloha Friday” question this week is: 

 WHAT DOES ALL THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL

HOOPLA MEAN TO YOU???

As a kid, it meant summer was over for me.  Later, as a mother, it meant saying good-bye to summer fun and getting my kids equipped for a new, exciting, school year.  Now, as a teacher, my summer has pretty much been over for a couple of weeks as I’ve been in school, planning for the new school year.  As much as I love summer, I also love the deliciousness of a new school year, with new beginnings for all . . .

If you’d like to participate in more Aloha Friday questions, click on over to  An Island Life for Kailani’s  “Aloha Friday.” 

 

Launching a New Blog! March 23, 2009

Abbie over at Farmer’s Daughter (and my daughter in real life, as many of you know) and I are so excited to be collaborating on a new blog for our family’s 12th generation family farm, Rose Orchards.  To view it, please click here or cruise on over to:   http://roseorchards.wordpress.com/

Tractor-drawn hayrides around the farm are a favorite fall activity!

Frozen custard lovers line up at the ice cream window, next to the bags of freshly-picked Macoun apples.

The water wheel barn, complete with fish pond, is another favorite place to visit, also home to our newest member of the family, Annabelle!

Do stop by our new Rose Orchards blog and let us know what you think!

We hope you enjoy reading about our latest “green”  experiments with straw hay bale gardening for fruits and vegetables!

“One Green Thing” # 6-10 March 15, 2009

OK, I must admit it’s bit a “helluva” week at school/work with long days and late nights with meetings, presentations, and courses;  plus submitting our students to the second week of standardized testing; etc., etc., which has left me very little time left for blogging!

During that time, I did update my school/educational blog, so if you’re interested in what students I’ve coached in ExploraVision have accomplished;  Roxy the “reading dog;” or what’s new in mathematical theory go there by clicking here.

Which is why my aim to post “One Green Thing” each day has fallen by the wayside.  So, I’ve got some catching up to do.  Here goes . . .

ONE GREEN THING # 6:  RECYCLE SOMETHING!

I’m now a pretty faithful “curb-side” recycler (as my town has weekly trash & recycling pick-up) with items likes cans, bottles, and newspapers, but I know there’s so much more I can do (like NOT buying these items in the first place!)  Although I regularly enjoy good, old-fashioned tap water from my stainless steel/reusable bottle, my DH has a favorite, cranberry drink that he just loves!  He’s also a bit old-fashioned in that he likes perusing the newspaper in the am or pm or whenever he has a chance, which brings me to green thing # 7.

ONE GREEN THING # 7:  GET THE NEWS ONLINE!

I’m okay with doing a quick review of anything news-worthy online, so I’ve cut down on newspapers somewhat.  I recently learned that our home-town newspaper is joining the effort to “Save the Planet by GOING GREEN” by encouraging academic subscriptions to have students use the E-paper daily instead of the printed version.

Here are the facts:

• Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees
• To produce any Sunday newspaper, each week 500,000 trees must be cut down
• If all newspapers were recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year
• Get more facts by clicking here.

ONE GREEN THING # 8:  PAY BILLS  ONLINE!

I’ve been doing this for a while now, paying as many bills as I can online, and setting up others in the format.  I find it’s much easier and quicker to get the job done (with a click of the mouse); to stay current (as some accounts can be set up to pay automatically); and there’s no need to search for envelopes, stamps, etc! 

Lots of paper saved and probably better for your credit score, too!

ONE GREEN THING #9:  PLANT SOMETHING GREEN!

St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally when people in our parts think about getting peas in the ground.  If you can’t plant outside yet, why not bring something green inside?  My all-time favorite way to welcome in spring is with pansies!  They add a splash of color–outside or in–and can even withstand a frost, if there’s still that possibility, as there is here in New England!

Plus, plants give off oxygen!

ONE GREEN THING #10: GROW SOMETHING ORGANICALLY!

I attended an Organic Gardening Workshop yesterday with my daughter at our local Garden Center and I’m going to try to employ more organic gardening principals this year in my favorite flower gardens!

Although these organic practices were mostly “old hat” to Abbie, here are some good ideas I came away with:

• Everything starts with the soil and gardening success come from building the soil biology, so I may try some soil testing this year.
• Choose native plants for best results.
• Make sure you choose the right plant for the right place or it just takes more work on the gardener’s part.
• 90% percent of insects are actually beneficial (like bees, flies, ants, etc. for pollination and ladybugs, which attack aphids), so be sure to positively identify “pests” before trying to irradicate them.
• Organic mulch not only mimics natural soil cover (like holding moisture), it also adds organic material to the soil.
• Try physical and biological control of pests before using chemicals, i.e., row covers for physical barriers and the afore-mentioned ladybugs, etc.

Here are some great resources for more organic gardening info:

1. Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) @ www.ctnofa.org
2. Organic Gardening Magazine @ www.organicgardening.com
3. People, Places & Plants Magazine (with a New England Focus) @ www.ppplants.com

I’ll keep you posted on  how these  organic gardening endeavors work out!

And the Winner is . . . March 13, 2009

Congrats to Jena of Married to the Farm, who won my February give-away of a pink, reusable tote that helps support Breast Cancer Research!

Since she’s such a faithful reader, commentor—and we share the same last name, but aren’t related, as far as we know—I’m also throwing in another of my all-time favorite type of reusable shopping bag, an Envir0sax, as a bonus!

Jena~when you get a chance, just drop me an e-mail at:  everydaywomanusa@aol.com and let me know where I should send your well-deserved prizes!

One Green Thing # 3, 4 & 5! March 7, 2009

OK, I’ve been shirking my responsibility again . . . instead of posting, I’ve been working!  So, let me catch up with my plan to post “One Green Thing” each day.

“One Green Thing #3”

Use cloth napkins instead of paper! 

Abbie over at the Farmer’s Daughter got me doing this and, besides saving on trees and keeping waste out of our landfills, it also feels quite elegant!  I now pack a cloth napkin for my lunch at school and it feels just a little bit “ritsy!”

“One Green Thing #4”

Ban store-bought bottled water and bottle your own! 

Click here for more on that!  Take the “Think Outside the Bottle Pledge!”

“One Green Thing # 5”

Plan one waste-free day!

It may take some planning, but plan one day where you accumulate NO waste at all.  I’m working on that; will post more later!

One Green Thing #2: Recycle Print Cartridges March 2, 2009

I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time and, in fact, I’ve been saving used-up print cartridges.   I noticed a while ago that return-addressed envelopes came packed with my new  HP cartridges.  All you do is stick the empty cartridge (or two)  into the envelope, which goes to “HP Planet Partners,” at no cost to the sender (you). The empty inkjet cartridges are then recycled into raw materials for new HP products.

For more info, go to: www.hp.com/recycle or call 1-800-340-2445.

This is one green thing that must become a habit for me!  How ’bout you?

Sunday Stroll: Wild & Wooly February 22, 2009

This past February vacation week from school has been a time of wild and wooly weather: one minute nice enough to walk on the beach with the next moment bringing a sudden snow squall.

One of my nicest strolls this week included a walk through a friend’s vibrant greenhouse:

For the rest of that stroll, click here on a “Breath of Spring.”

I’ve pretty much been a posting maniac this past week, so if you interested in “strolling” through any of these subjects, just click!

“If You Don’t Like the Weather, Wait a Minute!”

“Aloha Friday!”

“Think Outside the Bottle!”

“Recycling CFL’s”

“Cleavage–NOT OK for Work!”

“New Meme for My Valentine”

“Free Rice”

“February Give-Away”

Happy Strolling this Sunday and back to school tomorrow.  I’ll be busy today preparing a workshop for teachers, which I’m due to present at 8 am tomorrow!  Vacation over!

Now that school’s back in session, I know I won’t have much time to post, so enjoy the day —and enjoy the week—whatever the weather brings!  I hear there’s more rain and snow in store for us later today!

To enjoy other Sunday Strolls today, vist the Quiet Country House.

Think “Outside the Bottle!” February 19, 2009

OK, I’m blogging way too much since it’s school vacation and I really have to get to work on other things!

But . . . this is worth checking out . . .

Check out www.ThinkOutsidetheBottle.org  to take the following pledge about NOT buying bottled water:

 

I pledge to Think Outside the Bottle, which means: Opting for public tap water over bottled water; and Supporting the efforts of local officials who prioritize strong public water systems over bottled water profits. Signed by: [Your name]    Because water is a human right and not a commodity to be bought and sold for profit;  Because bottled water corporations are changing the very way people think about water and undermining people’s confidence in public water systems;  Because up to 40% of bottled water in the U.S. and Canada is sourced from municipal tap water;  Because some bottlers have run over communities’ concerns and the environment when they extract water and build bottling plants to get local spring and ground water;  Because bottled water travels many miles from the source, results in the burning of massive amounts of fossil fuels, and contributes to the billions of plastic bottles ending up in our landfills;  Because worldwide there is a need for investments in public water systems to ensure equal access to water, a key ingredient for prosperity and health for all people; and  Because solutions to ensuring water as a fundamental human right require people acting together and standing up for public water systems. As for me, I’ve stopped buying bottled water and am taking tap water (preferably half-frozen) to school in my SIGG or BPA-free Camelbak water bottles.    I haven’t noticed a taste difference and I know I’m saving $$$ in the long run!

Recycling CFLs

 

Lisa over at Retro Housewife. . . Goes Green is encouraging an e-mail campaign to Lowe’s to encourage them to take on recycling CFLs at their stores, as Home Depot currently does.   As she mentions on her blog, the company is already involved in a host of environmentally-friendly products and services and is interested in hearing more about customers’ wants and needs.  If you’d like to dash off an e-mail supporting the idea of them hosting a drop-off site for CFLs (so they don’t end up in landfills), you can e-mail Lowe’s at:  WeCare@Lowes.com.

Thanks for taking a minute and making a difference!

February Give-Away February 15, 2009

In the spirit of loving and giving (i.e. Valentines Day!),  I’m offering a February Give-Away.

This pink, reusable tote features the “Finding A Cure” logo and rose, which supports Breast Cancer Research.

It can be yours!  All you have to do to enter this  drawing is to drop a line in the comment box.  A random drawing will take place at the end of February.  Good luck!