Evergreen

Soooo.... I was at this INCREDIBLY PHENOMENAL leader in protecting our environment while providing us with ways that we can continue our lifestyles.... starting with this coffee shop. Called Evergreen. A little coffee shop in Waskesiu Saskatchewan, doing A LOT for the world... one coffee at a time. A few friends and I were talking about how it's difficult to find coffee that's fair trade AND organic... this place has got it, and man is it gooood!! This isn't the only thing they are doing to help our world... there are several other things they are doing as well...let's look into it and SUPPORT!

This little diamond in the rough has everything from baby Evergreen's to spaghetti stir sticks to completely biodegradable paper cups used form recycled materials to local art to home-made baking. Incredible places such as these need to be supported by our communities in order to create a sustainable lifestyle for ourselves and the generations to come. Simply put: well done Evergreen.... hopefully the trend will spread and we will become more conscious consumers. Thank you, way to go.

Fighting Footprints.

Thanksgiving 100 Mile Challenge

Some of you may have heard about the 100 Mile Diet and perhaps others of you have NOT….

What is the 100 Mile Challenge?

Exactly what it sounds like: you challenge yourself to eat only foods grown, produced and sold within 100 miles of your home. Anywhere from a week to a year... the length of the challenge is up to you.

Who thought of this brilliant challenge?

Back in 2005 Alisa Smith & James MacKinnon (the authors of The 100 Mile Diet) learned that the average ingredient in a North American meal travels 1500 miles from the farm to our plate and it shocked them. They came up with the idea to eat locally for a year – to eat products grown only within 100 miles of their home. No sugar, no olive oil, no beer…

For the authors, this diet turned into a new lifestyle for them. This experiment also spoke to many, many people across the world. Popularity and the knowledge contained in this book spread quickly through the media, blogs and through word of mouth.

Soooo, if you haven’t already heard from another blog, media, or heard about it from a friend… NOW YOU HAVE! And what a great idea it is!

Yes it can definitely be a daunting task, and not for the faint or heart… hey it takes time to find local food sources… But that raises an interesting questions in itself, about how we’re spending our time. What if we spent more time on self-sufficiency and less time at the office or watching TV?

OK, so this is a big challenge if you choose to accept it, and the fact is I am not fully there myself yet, however upon checking out the http://100milediet.org/ website… I saw the idea of doing a 100 Mile Thanksgiving Dinner Challenge… GREAT IDEA!

100milediet.org: Thanksgiving

Every year, more and more people are celebrating a 100 Mile Thanksgiving because it just makes sense. Together we’re taking the harvest celebration back to its roots: fresh, local, seasonal food. Since we started our campaign in 2006, tens of thousands of people across the continent have celebrated—the old-fashioned way.

So check out the website (http://100milediet.org/) read the book (The 100 Mile Diet), become inspired and think about starting with something like the 100 Mile Thanksgiving Dinner?!

For those of you in Saskatoon great sources can be found right at your finger tips, The Farmers Market, ask around to friends, local health food stores etc. to find a local poultry farmers, Eat from YOUR garden and Saskatoon based “Wild Serendipity” (http://www.wildserendipity.com/) even offers a cooking class on the 100 Mile Diet to get ya going, I’ve done it and it’s GREAT!

100 Mile Missioners

Heather and Chanel

CHANGE the World!

So I have this WONDERFULLLL book called “Change the World for Ten Buck” - 50 ways to make a difference! And can I just say, wow they are GREAT little EXTRA things we can all learn from and put into our daily lives to make a difference!

So I would like to share a few of my favorites with you:

Pick up Litter

-A man walked by a candy wrapper on the sidewalk yesterday. He frowned and said “tsk, tsk”. Today he walked by another wrapper, picked it up and put it in the garbage. He felt better! Lend a hand, help clean up Canada! Next time you pass a piece of litter on the street, why not pick it up? You WON’T get the cooties, we promise!

Make Change

- There’s always loose change – and there are always charity tins. It’s a match made in heaven – like bacon and eggs. Gretzky and 99, Bob and Doug. If every time we ended up with a bit of change… we looked for the nearest charity tin, the world would be a whole lot better off. After all, 25 cents per person, per week, adds up to $390 million per year!

Spend time with someone from a different generation!

- Talk to old people, they know cool stuff you don’t!

- Talk to young people, they know cool stuff you don’t!

Smile and Smile Back

- It takes half as many muscles to smile as it does to frown. And it make you and others feel twice as good!

Turn you Thermostat down by 1 degree

- If you turn your thermostat down by one degree, you can save on average $50 a year. That’s $4 a month you can put into a charity tin :)

Hang your Wash out to dry

- Hungry? One load of laundry in the dryer uses enough energy to make 250 pieces of toast.

Be Resourceful

- Glue it, Screw it, Tie it up, Tape it down, Darn it, Oil it, Sand it off, Sew it back on… Every time you repair something, you help the world’s resources last a little bit longer.

These are just a FEW of all this book has to offer and if you put your mind to it, you will see that there are MANY things you and your family can do to make just a little DIFFERENCE, because if we are all making a little change, it will make a HUGE one! Remember the 25 cents per person idea… SAME philosophy!

Change Chiefs!

Heather and Chanel

Shifting homes...

(http://www.theshifthome.ca/)

Saskatoon Home (http://www.saskatoon-home.ca/): A mag focused on educating and informing the general public about building and home development trends in Saskatoon.

The past few issues have focused on many things green: is this a sign of a shift in our community toward sustainable and responsible construction-quality green within practical budgets? Or is this magazine choosing to promote these initiatives with hopes that this shift will occur (the chicken or the egg...)? It's up to us, the general consumers, to decide and make this change... will we take the bait?

One of the new companies featured in the Fall Issue of Saskatoon Home is "The Shift Home," moto being "Modern, Green & Affordable." Targeted Certifications include LEED for Homes and Energy Star. A group of environmentally conscious businesses have come together with a variety of skills and trades to create sustainable and environmentally responsible homes that are LEED certified.

Upon seeing this, our minds immediately thought of the Swedish model of development and living: simple, responsible, practical homes that exist to serve the purpose of living: dare we say minimalist theories applied beautifully using a variety of responsibly extracted building materials and features. Check out their website (http://www.theshifthome.com/) for more info!

We have made it a priority this year to live responsibly and consciously for ourselves and our future... are we, in Saskatchewan, ready for this model of life that companies such as Saskatoon Home and The Shift Home is presenting us?

LEED the way!
Heather and Chanel

Fall Frenzy

Well I don’t know about the rest of you but at about this time of year when the kids head back to school and we begin to see leaves on the ground, I always have the inkling to PURGE and clean the house and prepare what I can before settling down for a long winter of hibernation with some good books and Hot Cocoa! Lol! And if you leave it to long the snow comes and the shortened days make it difficult to become motivated!

Outside:
For me it all starts when I realize I will soon need to PARK in the Garage, so have to clean through the summer’s worth of unfinished projects, gardening tools etc. to make way for the car. While doing this I try to go through the other boxes etc. to take inventory, Christmas decorations, camping gear etc. Have I really UDED any of it? Or is it just taking up space in my garage? Think about some of the unused clutter you might have a begin a donation pile.

Secondly I try to attack the backyard, UGggg, yes the garden is still growing SOMEthing’s but what about getting your shed tidied and thinking about your perennials and what they will need to be winterized… I know I know it seams a little early, but the fact is it’s fair game for snow in Saskatchewan any time come September and October. So put away any unused pots, gather the sprinklers, clear the water lines once the frost begins and put the lawn furniture away.
Also check the caulking and seals on your windows and doors and repair as needed. This will help keep the precious heat in and the cold out!
Once I’ve tackled the outside… I move in! Where to begin?

Inside:
-Time to bring out those Fall jackets and sweaters and put the shorts and bathing suits to bed. Another great opportunity to take inventory of you clothing and see what you are really using! Was there and summer clothes you didn’t even get around to wearing? And don’t forget footwear, what do you wear and what DON’T you wear? Add them to the pile. While you’re way back there in the closet or basement, pull out your duvets and space heaters.
-If you have a fireplace you plan on using over the winter think about having it cleaned and inspected before using it! Also clean your furnace before turning it on and put in a new filter! Also Think about inverting in a CO2 detector and check to make sure all your smoke detectors are working!
-Time to clean out those kitchen cupboards and pantries. What do you NEVER use that cold be donated to the food bank or good will, and throw out what has expired over the summer, baking products etc. And now that you have all your canning done (lol, or NOT, but Chanel is brilliant at canning!) Fill your pantry with your favorite fall and winter soups, rice, etc.
Check your deep freezes as well for anything you need to EAT soon, and think about defrosting it before you stuff it full again.

What else is there? Send us some tips and trick you use for cleaning and getting ready for the fall and winter!

Fall, Fall.... FALL!

Heather and Chanel

BE Present!

Hello there! Fall fury has arrived! We are now setting a schedule for the fall and we will be providing you with more info, tips, trick to help you live responsibly and beautifully in this world!

Tip for the day: LIVE IN THE MOMENT, LIVE FOR THE MOMENT. So much of our lives are spent planning for the future (and in order to live responsibly we must plan for the future) but we need to take time out of EVERY DAY to live in the moment and be grateful for it, without the caveat's that may exist for happiness in the future. Whether it's a designated time everyday... or whether it's actually ingrained in your train of thought as you move through the day.... make an effort to stop and BE PRESENT IN THE MOMENT.
Love for all... hatred for no one.

Lotsa Love,
Chanel and Heather