Snow snow snow...

Hurray, it is snowing, the snow dance worked! And we are prayin' for it to continue.  

We ended up heading out on the hill near the end of the day and it was just what we needed.  There is nothing like cruising down the slopes on a beautifully sunny and inspiration-filled day (added bonus:  working off some of the food we have been downing continuously (seriously 24/7).  Today the plan is to go on the trek we promised yesterday.  We had a chance to meet up with Dirty Hairy and he is in the process of getting us some info.  

Our top 10 vacation tips for trying to be a bit more "eco":  

1.  Take big trips into town to get food, and then use the deck outside to refrigerate beer, wine, beverages, food, left-overs, etc.  That's a great bonus of going on a chilly  vacation.

2.  Using reused materials (ie. pizza pans from 2007 to cook and store pizza... great job Pat) to transport, cook, and store food.

3.  Because there are so many of us in the cabin using valuable non-renewable resources, we have an unwritten standard for the bathroom:  when it's yellow let it mellow, and when it's brown... well... you know what to do.

4.  Showers are brief because of a lack of hot water and we're trying really hard to leave more water for the dolphins :P :P :P :P

5.  Even though there is A LOT of us together, we have not used one disposable plate, piece of cutlery, or beverage container.  

6.  Going a step further... we have put masking tape on our own glasses (with our names on it) in order to wash less and drink more... :P  To say the least... our cup is ALWAYS half full!

7.  We have been reusing our towels so as to reduce our number laundry loads.

8.  Stink is the new black...  the smell of teen spirit tells us that we have been working hard!  We haven't been washing our gear everyday, and so far we're all in the same boat, so we haven't noticed a change!

9.  Instead of driving to places that can easily be walked to, we have been taking our sweet time (we are on vacation after all) and leisurely gabbing as we use more renewable and less non-renewable resources.

10.  And last but not least...  we haven't been relying on technology to entertain us.  We have been playing pictionary, charades, and other games with one another!  

We have taken some pics of this oasis and they will be posted later tonight.  We also want to thank you for coming to our site and reading our entries... we LOVE to see our counter movin' up, footprint movin' down!

Stay clean, go green (note: showers optional)!

Chanel and Heather

For the love of Fernie...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!! We are here together with coffee in hand and using the mountains as a source of abundant inspiration!! It seems as though when we are here, all of the trials and tribulations that everyday life brings are dissipated into thin air and we are able to breathe again! We are truly Blessed to have such an incredible outlet to look forward to from year to year.

The relaxed mountain air and the efforts made to preserve this beautiful space is important to the culture here in Fernie. People hitch hike to and from the mountain, there is an abundant source of organic foods and clothing stores in the town, and people choose to walk and bask in the glory of the mountains (we know it's a little more difficult to do that in Saskatchewan where the centres are larger and the air is MUCH colder).

We packed food in our vehicles when making the trek out here, used stainless steel water bottles, and filled our reusable mugs with coffee (more than a few times :P). Now that we are here, we will be making minimal trips into town using the great concept of carpooling. It seems as though the atmosphere makes us want to live better lives for ourselves and for the environment, and although many (including us) do not feel that degree of motivation when we return home, we will be trying to observe the little details that creates this incredible atmosphere in Fernie, B.C. and apply them to our lives in Saskatoon, SK.

Fernie has a variety of accomodations and entertainment venues from hostels to 5-star resorts. We have an "in" with one of the managers at Island Lake Lodge (a cat-skiing resort) who has also been involved in the community for over 15 years. We have asked him to give us some insight into the initiatives that Island Lake Lodge has been doing to fight the footprint.

Today... we are packing our lunches and heading out on our snowshoes into the woods... the deep dark woods (shout out to you guys...). We will be making BIG footprints, but not permanent ones :P Stay tuned for stories and adventures... for we are sure there will be many!

P.S. giving a little love to my husband who proposed to me on this very hill 2 years ago today... love love love, all you need is love!! :P

Lots of love on this cupidous hallmark holiday.... Heather and Chanel

February Breakdancer

Ok, so let’s move on with the wallowing and have some serious fun!! Every year, we go to Fernie to bask in the beautiful, calming, and relaxing atmosphere that we think of as a little piece of heaven….. a little cabin in Fernie… .wait a minute…. It’s more like a dream mansion….. made of wood, which sounds horrible, but less “fake”, man-made materials went into making it, and I am sure every tree that was chopped was re-planted… right Mrs. H?? :P This is where I met my husband, and where he proposed to me (Chanel). Ooh lala, the air in Fernie is full of love, care-free skiing, hot tubs, and good times…. And a quality of green not to be found anywhere but here flows through our lungs….. the clean air. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Hamilton family (Uncle Dr. Keith and Mrs. H) this will be our 9th year basking in this bliss. Now, with a little different take on life and the repercussions that our actions have on this beautiful place we call home, we will be reflecting on what we will be doing differently on this trip than others, and what others can do to make simple changes to their Feb break trips (and other). First of all…. The challenge of getting there…. This is quite interesting, as we all come and go at different times, and require vehicles to get there and back. A total of 7 vehicles, 1 plane, and 17 people will be transported to and from the cabin throughout the week. Sounds like a waste of energy and mileage, however, we are not sure how we could have gotten around this with all of our schedules… any ideas? To be continued as we embark on this espionage…

Discouraged but Encouraged!

Ok, honestly? We are feeling a bit discouraged at the moment... we have not received as much feedback as we had hoped (perhaps it's our lack of computer knowledge or... people aren't ready to take the baby steps that we're taking). You guys could be thinking the same thing as us... "I'm only one person, what kind of visible effect will my tiny actions have on the "environment""? As we reflect upon the past few weeks when we entered on this "blogging journey", we realize that we have already helped FIGHT THE PRINT that we will leave on the planet through our existence! Chanel... I have totally changed my perceptions around the concept of "going green." It was so foreign to me a few months ago and now I am realizing what little tiny changes in my life can do for helping decrease the huge destructive path we are on in North America and beyond... This is such a MASSIVE idea that seemed way too overwhelming to even try before Heather and I started this blog, but now I have come to realize that it just takes a little knowledge and a pinch of motivation to help this cause. I have already recycled 634 plastic containers, cans, etc. That's an AWESOME amount of stuff that would have gone to the dump forever. foreva-eva. And I didn't even put much effort into doing this. Now that's encouraging to me. Heather... Hey Hey.... all I have to say is hey... ok... I have more lol... so I just did my calculation and I have realised that if I keep up with the re-usable mugs I will be saving approx 832 paper mugs from the landfills this year.... yaaaa and also uggg because that means I have contributed oooooh so many in the past... but I guess we can't change the past right, but we can change what we do in the future!!! A few other things I have really been trying to pay attention to is the plastic containers that I use to wash and re-use I have now recycled and brought glass alternatives in to our home. We have even taken it one step further and we got rid of our microwave... I know, I know we live in a MICROWAVE era but reallllly we don't need the added microwaves in our bodies oooor the stuff that seeps from the containers into the food when heating, P.S. food tastes wayyyyy better from the toaster oven and doesn't take that much longer! Think about it! ;P So even though we STILLLL want your feedback, we will keep going... the two of us trying to do our part and hoping the followers will come... "come out of your holes and join the green parade!" we know your in there... Love Chanel & Heather

"R" to the first power....

So we have all been around long enough to know the three R's... even if you live under a rock... it's in our schools, on the sides of buses, on most packaging etc... the list goes on...
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE... but upon further look, the reeaaaally big one is REDUCE!

To REDUCE, meaning:
purchasing only what you "need" and using it up
or consciously thinking about the packaging before you buy
(perhaps buy bulk?)
or for some things... perhaps going without them
(do I realllly need another appliance I will rarely use?)

Remain aware of our choices!!! Because there is still a lot of wasteful packaging and STUFF going into your home.

Yes, over the years packaging has been redesigned to make it more reusable and recyclable, however, if we can first limit what we are buying, so that we will NOT have to reuse plastics (which we know can be harmful) or NOT have to recycle the container (bc. we bought it bulk, and we all know that recycling takes energy and money to do as well) we will be doing ourselves and a world huge favour.

Some other benefits or REDUCING:

• keeps materials out of the waste stream
• preserves natural resources
• reduces water and air pollution caused by the production of materials
• saves you money
• saves you time because you don't shop as much
• enhances your creativity when you learn to make-do with what you have
• you feel good about using less
• you have less clutter in your life

So as we go about our daily lives let's think REDUCE REDUCE REDUCE...
Do I neeeeed that? Can I get that in bulk? Can I go without? Can I use this more that once?
WE CAN DO IT! Using less and consuming more efficiently!

Heather & Chanel

Mind the Waste....

Priorities???

Hey everyone, we are postponing determining a weekly goal this week because we would like to get your feedback. What are some of the concerns, struggles, or successes that you feel we are experiencing in Saskatchewan? We have brainstormed a variety of topics that seem to be a "trend" for research recently; however before we set goals and do further research, we would like to get your feedback as we launch this blog, in order to make it useful and successful!

Chanel and Heather