Sharing "Green" ideas

"Here are some ideas for recycling items that you may already have

in your home that can be used as seed starting containers:

1. Egg cartons/ these can be actually cut in half..cut the lid off of the

bottom part and you then have a flat tray area to plant seeds into, as

well as 12 compartments to plant seeds into.

2. Don’t toss those yogurt containers! They can be recycled as well.

3. Pint ice cream containers work well also.Enjoy your Haagen Daaz

just a little bit more now..knowing that you can use the container to

also start a new tiny plant in.

4. Baby food jars.

5. Don’t toss out that slightly chipped coffee mug or tea cup..if it

can still hold water..it can still hold soil , and will make a good seed

starting container.

6. Milk jugs. Cut off the top portion , and you now have a great

container in which to start a tomato plant.

7. Children have a neighborhood birthday party? Ask the hostess

mom to save the paper cups for you. She may look at you a wee bit

oddly, but in a week or so you can take her a gift of a small seedling

started in one of those recycled cups.

8. Did you stop at the deli and get a sandwich to go? Use the

container as a mini “greenhouse/seed starter”..many deli containers

have a small plastic lid on them..these act as a nice “terrarium” type

atmosphere..great for starting seeds.

9. Since you are saving those egg cartons, don’t forget to also save the

egg shells from your morning breakfast. Simply try to crack the eggs

in half, rinse the shells out and gently fill with soil.

10. Bought a batch of berries at the grocer’s? Save the little plastic

containers to start seeds. The containers usually already have drainage

holes in the bottom of them, so a great container to use to start seeds

in.

(Photo: egg carton and seedlings by flickr user spin spin/ egg shell and parsley seedling by flickr user Gardener 24) Post:Tina Wilson, The Victory Gardener.

Junk Food? No, and no thanks!

Lyrics to "Abnormality" by D-Nick The Microphone Misfit:

Freedom from disease and abnormality/
Cause you don't wanna have that stuff affecting your reality/
C'mon.....

I was Chillin' with my brother Super InLight/
We were shooting the breeze getting our Mind right/
Laughing, talking, politics, and current events/
Buggin'out about a lot of things that don't make sense/

And then Super all of a sudden got an urge from his tummy/
He looked up and said, "Yo D! I'm kind of hungry"/
"Help ya self in the kitchen there is food in the cabinet/
He opened up the cabinet and said "I ain't having it/

There ain't nothing in here except for junk food/
If I eat this It will put me in a junk mood/
No disrespect D don't mean to be rude/
But Lays chips, French dip c'mon man duuude/

I had no idea you were eating like this/
Why would you ever put that on your grocery list/
This so called food ain't meant for a human/
If I eat this then my bowels won't be movin'/

C'mon Super don't you think you're jumping the gun/
I just eat this when I'm kicking back and havin' some fun/
I don't really need to eat nothing organically grown/
Unless you wanna make your body cancer's permanent home/

Eating healthy is the first step in disease prevention/
It also cuts down on hypertension/
There's a few more things I'd like to mention
If you'll sit back and pay attention

(Chorus)

Freedom from disease and abnormality/
Cause you don't wanna have that stuff affecting your reality/
Freedom from disease and abnormality/
Cause you don't wanna have that stuff affecting your reality/

You wouldn't pay your bills with counterfeit money/
So why would you put something counterfeit in your tummy/
You won't give ya mama artificial love/
So why would you feast on artificial grub/...

Now that's something to think about/...

While information is leaking out /
From the lies the scandal from the food pyramid/
The sucka's who invented that need to do a bid*/

You want...

Freedom from disease and abnormality/
Cause you don't wanna have that stuff affecting your reality/
Freedom from disease and abnormality/
Cause you don't wanna have that stuff affecting your reality/

Drugs in our drinking water

No, not just fluoride, which is bad enough - much of our drinking water, in the U.S., Canada and U.K. at least, is contaminated with Prozac and a "vast array" of other drugs.

And you wonder why everyone around is sleepwalking and/or sick?

Study Finds Traces of Drugs in Drinking Water in 24 Major U.S. Regions. 

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows. To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe. But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health....

Prozac in Tap Water

Nine different drugs were found in water samples near 20 different water treatment plants across Ontario, Canada. The drugs were "acidic pharmaceuticals", which include ibuprofin and neproxin (painkillers), gemfibrozil (cholesterol-lowering medicine), and prozac (anti-depressant). The area with the highest levels of contamination were from locations near sewage treatment plants, suggesting that the chemicals are getting into our water supply from our own bodily wastes! Areas that tested the lowest were plants whose sourcing water was from groundwater or lakes...

Prozac 'found in drinking water'

Traces of the antidepressant Prozac can be found in the nation's drinking water, it has been revealed. An Environment Agency report suggests so many people are taking the drug nowadays it is building up in rivers and groundwater. A report in Sunday's Observer says the government's environment watchdog has discussed the impact for human health. A spokesman for the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) said the Prozac found was most likely highly diluted....

The following film is not about drugs but about water, per se. A very frightening situation!



RESIST

(source)

Guest Post:: Green Living: Improving Health Today and Tomorrow

Much attention has been paid in recent years to what seems to be a growing environmental conscience in the United States. Going green used to be considered expensive and a luxury for those who could afford the trend. Now it appears that we are learning that not only is adopting more environmentally conscious attitudes good for our economic situation, but also our….health? Yes, if we dig a bit deeper we can see that dirty industries and backwards policy is actually harming the health of the earth for our children and the health of her inhabitants today.

How Does Environmental Policy Affect Public Health?

There are two levels of health consequences associated with dirty industry, both direct and indirect. The direct consequences are examples like increased asthma rates in areas with high smog indices. Chlorofluorocarbon release into the atmosphere has shown to decrease the filter of direct sunlight on the planet, resulting in more concentrated ultraviolet light reaching the surface of the earth. Perhaps it is no surprise then that in countries with depleted atmospheric gas, skin cancer rates are among the highest in the world.

The indirect health consequences are harder to see immediately, but closer examination reveals that these are, in fact, perhaps the most hazardous. Bi-products of dirty and backwards industries, such as coal and oil processing, include cancer causing substances like asbestos and benzene. A U.K. study conducted in 2002 indicated that coal and oil industry workers are at a much higher risk of developing mesothelioma (associated with asbestos exposure) and leukemia (traced to benzene and heavy-metal exposure). Dr. David Sugarbaker among many other doctors who specialize in this area understand that these are substances that can be directly traced to antiquated pre-regulation equipment in industries whose environmental hazards are even more inherent.

Can we really afford to continue on the path we were on before? Investment in clean industry means not a healthier planet for our children and grandchildren, but also a healthier place for us to live today.

Written by Bill Hawthorne with the maacenter

Gardening in Greece...via Munich

Hello, dear friends,

It is the first day of May, today, a day of fun and celebration of nature.
In times past, people used to ride on horse-drawn carriages and head to the fields to celebrate spring. Then, they'd come home and make wreaths and hung them in the front door.



We used to do that every year. I mean not exactly, but close. You may want to take a look here and here.



This year, it was quite different. J is home bound and he will be for another week to ward off fears of pneumonia. C took that into consideration and he bought a flower wreath from the florist's. I like it, but I'll take a picture tomorrow, as it gets dark now. So, we stayed at home and it so happened that we did some gardening, which is a nature related activity, which is so much related to the month of May, which is great!



We did some weeding and mixing in some new soil (but we soon run out and have to go back and get some more). We planted some flowers and we planted some seeds that we had bought in Germany. I also have some British salad seeds that I can not find here.



What surprises me in Greece (one of the long list of what surprises me in Greece) is that people do not plant in their gardens as the Americans or the British or the Germans do. You'd think that with all the mild weather the gardens would be blooming everywhere as in the garden of Eden. But, no. There is lots of expensive to upkeep grass, and not much more. I know about the upkeep because we have a back patch that needs watering in the summer. Why am I not turning it into a vegetable garden, you ask.



Because the front patch is a strip of grass, really, and there is not space to place a chair and table in the shadow, unless you want to do some extensive people watching. Which leaves us with our own little piece of heaven in the back garden. But I am planting in containers in the living room veranda: tomatoes, cherry tomatoes for the first time, and some salad leaves, which will hopefully carry us through the summer.



I can't tell you how much I wanted a garden! We could have bought an apartment in a more upbeat neighborhood with fancy decor etc. but this was one of the few times in my life that I stumped my feet and asked for a garden. Small? Ok with me. But I can take my shoes off and walk on the just rained upon green carpet: bliss.


Are you blessed with a garden of your own? If you do, you know how great it is to take your shoes off and walk on the land itself. It is so, well, grounding.

If you don't have a patch of land to call garden, do not wait for another minute.
Go to a nice public park (another species that is nearing extinction in this blessed land of Greece), wear flip-flops, and discretely take them off and walk like a light headed film star.



The air d' insouciance is needed, in case a warden wants to ask why you took your shoes off. Which reminds me...oh, I'll leave that for the next post.



Happy 1st of May!

(All pictures Munich, and the Munich vegetable and flower marker, April 2009)

Show and Tell Friday-Herbal teas

Hello dear friends, and lovers of the extra-ordinary,
Today I am going to continue on the tin love theme, and show you two tin boxes containing excellent herbal tea leaves.

One is blue, the other is red. The blue one contains alexandrian, or senna, the dried leaves of Cassia acutifolia. It is an efficient purgative either for occasional use or in habitual constipation most appropriate for the use of children and delicate persons, and is especially valuable in hemorrhoids. The infusion of senna can be prepared as follows: Bring to the boil a handful of senna leaves. Cover with lid and leave overnight. Use within two days.



The red one contains leaves and flowers of dittany. Hippocrates recommended dittany for ailments of the digestive track, as well as rheumatism and arthritis. It also used to regulate menstruation. Remember NOT to use milk or sugar with your tea. DO add a few drops of lemon or a teaspoon of honey. Both teas and their tins will soon be available from my new shop.


I hope you enjoyed my Show and Tell. I wish you a very pleasant weekend. With thanks to Kelli for being our gracious host.

Americans Oppose HR875

• Legally binds state agriculture depts to enforcing federal guidelines effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than being food police for the federal dept.
• Effectively criminalizes organic farming but doesn't actually use the word organic.

• Effects anyone growing food even if they are not selling it but consuming it.
• Effects anyone producing meat of any kind including wild game.
• Legislation is so broad based that every aspect of growing or producing food can be made illegal. There are no specifics which is bizarre considering how long the legislation is.
• Section 103 is almost entirely about the administrative aspect of the legislation. It will allow the appointing of officials from the factory farming corporations and lobbyists and classify them as experts and allow them to determine and interpret the legislation. Who do you think they are going to side with?
• Section 206 defines what will be considered a food production facility and what will be enforced up all food production facilities. The wording is so broad based that a backyard gardener could be fined and more.
• Section 207 requires that the state's agriculture dept act as the food police and enforce the federal requirements. This takes away the states power and is in violation of the 10th amendment.
• There are many more but by the time I got this far in the legislation I was so alarmed that I wanted to bring someone's attention to it. (to the one person who reads my blog)

Didn't Stalin nationalize farming methods that enabled his administration to gain control over the food supply? Didn't Stalin use the food to control the people?

Read more here.

Conversion charts et al

Have you ever tried to convert pounds and ounces into kilos and vice-versa? It happens to me all the time. And it is a waste of time, really. So when I have found this idea on Martha I had to share it with you. These are conversion charts with templates that can be turned into laminated cards or kitchen magnets, so very handy! It's all here.

On the homefront. Very, very rainy these days. There is practically a river in front of the shop.No school today, either. Low temperatures, but still not fever free. Lots of coughing during the night. F feels weak. Echinacea and vitamin C tablets, chicken soup (no Lent fasting!), and the great syrup (great as in both effective and nice tasting) I posted about here. No antibiotics.

There is a great mess at the shop (accounting stuff, e-mails, etc), so I had to come today and see what I can do, and at home lots of tidying up to do. I felt stressed all day yesterday and today because the in-laws announced they'll be visiting from the 20th on for a week! The nerve of some people.


Did you know there are many ways to reuse coffee grounds instead of just throwing them in the garbage? Organic fertilizer and pest repellent, that one I knew, but furniture scratch toucher upper? Closet deodorizer? Abrasive cleaner? A green post worth reading, here.

Now that I said 'green', I so much look forward to working on our garden!One of the reasons I wanted a house of our own, is the garden. I marvel at Spring. I love tending to pots and flowers, and for the first time I have the opportunity to plant a meme le sol, down to earth, as in real gardening! I am quite intimidated because pots are more manageable, but I do want to go ahead and do it anyway.

In the meantime, here is a picture of what I intend to add to our bathroom! A lovely 'goodmorning' (picture not mine, from design sponge-cheating here with The Happy Turtle.

Could you please do me a favor? Can you stop by at the Happy Turtle and let me know: would you be bored if I merged the two and posted occasionally about interiors and material stuff?

Keep yourselves safe and happy.

Share the Love

Love is for lovebirds...and plain good birds. Let us share the love today and every day with God's feathered creatures. What a treat this peanut butter and birdseed covered pine cone heart is! Find the complete idea at the lovely ...all the little things blog.

Mercury scare SOS

I haven't blogged about 'Green' issues in a while, but then I haven't been blogging that often anyway...There is so much irrationality happening around us. There are news though that make us shiver at what greedy people cook for us.

I found the following info via my three boybarians.

Last week two studies were released showing that mercury was found in some high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Mercury is a toxin to the brain. There is no “safe amount” to ingest. It is especially dangerous for children and unborn babies whose brains are developing.

Read the full article with links here.

You must see this

It is important that you see this and pass it on. Thanks to A Petits Pas for passing it on.



Nos enfants nous accuseront un film de Jean-Paul Jaud
Ανέβηκε από HANDBALLACC

Beauty issue solved!

After a lot of trial and error, I have found the cure for my dry scalp issues! This is not a paid post in any way, but because I have tried so many shampoos, I thought I ought to tell friends who might be interested in this very irritating issue!
Two weeks ago I stopped by this shop that up until then was fun to look at and fun to use, especially for their bath products, but I didn't know if it could be of any help on serious issues, and popped the question: Do you have a shampoo for dry scalp?
I had tried everything from pharmaceutical concoctions to Forever Living Products to salon cosmetic shampoos.
They did stock one. It was an unattractive, solid shampoo, with which one is supposed to wash damp hair. And it worked! From the first wash. Now I'm after the second, going to third wash and the results are great not only for the specific issues, but it also makes the hair glisten, and it is not greasy at all.
Here are some shots of the shop for you. This is orange and cinnamon soap.


Some lovely hearts and fizzy bath balls that smell of vanilla...
I am using the grape soap (the green one). It's lovely.

This soap and bath balls are pure bliss-by-the-sea.

And another view of the shop.

The company is called Fresh Line. You may visit their website by clicking here. If anyone is interested and as desperate as I was with dry scalp, e-mail me and I'll be glad to ship to you.