Will you be switching off your lights?

Did you know that North Americans consume more energy than any other country? Even countries that have a vastly higher population like China and India, use significantly less electricity than the United States and Canada.

Did you know that light pollution can effect the environment?

Did you know that lighting can also affect human health? "Research has been being done on the subject for years and it is well known that indoor fluorescent lighting can cause many health problems such as migraine headaches, fatigue, irritability and many other health conditions."(www.earthaffairs.com)

Did you know that continuous lighting may destroy crops, trees and even wildlife?
"Light pollution is defined as the lightening of the night sky due to artificial light being scattered about, it is also known as sky glow. Unnecessary light not only wastes massive amounts of electricity, but it adversely affects wildlife as well." (www.earthaffairs.com)

Do you want to know what you can do to make a positive change? Read this.

For further information, here is the link to the World Wildlife Federation Fund (WWF).

Lights out!!


A lot will be happening in Canada on March 29th!

Canada has one of the highest participation rates around the globe with over 150 cities participating! Check below for a list of some events and some of the iconic buildings and landmarks that will be turning off their lights Saturday. Check your local news for more events near you or host your own Earth Hour Celebration for your friends and neighbours.

HALIFAX:
The MacDonald Bridge, City Hall, Parade Square, Halifax Water Commission's main building and Nova Scotia Community College

OTTAWA:
The Parliament Buildings

NIAGARA:
Niagara Falls

TORONTO:
CN Tower, Toronto Eaton Centre, Fairmont Royal York Hotel and Honest Ed's

Nathan Phillips Square - 6:45pm free concert featuring Nelly Furtado!

Toula Restaurant, Westin Harbour Castle - special "$60 Earth Hour" Dinner Menu

Library Bar, Fairmont Royal York - special "cocktail hour", including specially mixed drinks in honour of Earth Hour

David Dunlop Observatory, Richmond Hill - at dusk, star gazing

Murphy's Law Pub, The Beach - special candle light dinner with menu prepared by chef Shayne Legassie, featuring unique cold foods! 1702 Queen Street East

Public Pot Luck Dinner - 5:30 to 7:30pm, with candle light parade around the park and along the Danforth @ 7:30pm. Bring food reusable dishes and cutlery. All welcome.

Candle Light Yoga - with proceeds going to WWF-Canada.

• The Big Stretch, 1560 Bayview Avenue Suite 303, 416-486-4448
• Fireflow Yoga, 172 Eglinton Avenue East 2nd floor (3 blocks east of Yonge & Eglinton), 416-839-6621
• Moksha Yoga Downtown, 860 Richmond Street, 416-737-8936

VANCOUVER:
Science World of British Columbia, Olympic Flag, City Hall Clock, VanCity, BC Hydro, City of Vancouver, Lions Gate Bridge, Cambie Street Bridge, Burrard Street Bridge and Harbour Tower

HARTLEY BAY, BC:
Whole community!

I'm an Ecoholic.

I've been reading this book for a couple of days and I highly recommend it. I borrowed the book from the library but I am actually considering getting my own copy. It's a great reference book. If you haven't yet become aware of the many environmental issues surrounding our daily lives as well as the impact it has to our health - I suggest you have a peek into this book by Canadian writer Adria Vasil.

This book is chock full of tips and suggestions on alternative products that replace the harsh chemical based and environmentally destructive ones, found on the shelves of our local drug stores and supermarkets.

From cosmetics (my weakness) to household cleaners (I use vinegar to mop my floors) to food and clothing and everything in-between. This book addresses ways to make the switch from using for instance, an antiperspirant that is full of cancer-causing chemicals to an alternative and safer deodorant from 'Green Beaver Company' (a Canadian company, naturally).

Case in point, for the past 6 months I had been using a roll-on deodorant that clearly stated "No Aluminum Chlorohydrate" right on the cap. This week I made the switch to a deodorant from 'Green Beaver Company' when I discovered (by reading 'Ecoholic') that my regular deodorant's ingredients (listed right on the package in uber tiny font), actually contained formaldehyde. Yup, that's right - a cancer causing agent, that I was strategically applying to my armpits day after day, right next to my lymph nodes. Disgusting and scary!

So basically, the villain deodorant is from a company that makes OMBRA bath and hygiene products. They were touting their products as being "alternative" by removing the agent that is known for causing Alzheimer's - yet they added a slew of other harmful agents thus creating a misleading product for people concerned about what they put on their skin.

If you are ready to stop supporting companies that only care about making millions by selling their toxic chemical laden products, get your hands on a copy of this book.

Even if you only make one change in your daily regime, it's a positive change that will help you and the environment around you.

Disclaimer: I do not work for the 'Green Beaver Company' nor am I related to Adria Vasil. I am not pitching these products for any other reason other than to talk about my health and yours.

Comedic Relief

Since I'm making good progress on my biological succession research report, I thought that I would take a break and post this YouTube clip:



A very serious issue yet spoken about in funny way (read: tongue in cheek). This is a clip of Ellen DeGeneres on a recent episode of her daytime talk show addressing a homophobic politician's comments about homosexuality.

I also think that Ellen's response ties in nicely with my "keep it simple" approach on this blog.

You're awesome Ellen!!!

Enjoy folks!

Life

It has been a month since I last posted. I have been extremely busy and don't have much time for blogging these days. Between working all day, going to night school, doing the required weekly readings, studying for quizzes and tests and writing essay reports, plus trying to make it to the gym once or twice a week and spending my weekends house hunting...as you can see - I'm pooped!!

I will be back to my weekly postings soon but right now I do need to return to the essay on ecological succession, which I am currently writing.

I love Mary Janes.

CYDWOQ

Women love shoes and I am no exception. My dream job is to one day work at a shoe company designing shoes. In my world, shoes have to have the following qualities: snazzy/aesthetic/stylish/funky design, comfort, durability and all at reasonable price. Tall order - I know. Mind you, I know that a good pair of shoes can set you back a few hundred. I have been known on occasion to dish out up to $200 for a pair of shoes without batting an eye...no regrets. If you're going to invest in a stylish and comfortable pair of shoes - I say, you get what you pay for.

I love mary janes. That's right, timeless, classic mary janes. I have several pairs and variations of the classic mary jane in a slew of colours. There's a bronze pair (purchased 5 years ago and stlll ticking) with a slight kitten heel (Kenneth Cole) and a red pair of Chinese flats (China town) and several black pair - one of which is a partial shiny patent leather (Bandolino). I even have a two-toned spectator mary jane shoe with a kitten heel...a style right out of the 1940's (Franco Sarto).

Mary Janes are so cute! They can be worn with both pants and skirts. They make my feet look good and feel even better. No pinched toes or bony outgrowths as a result of wearing pointy stiletto shoes. Don't get me wrong, high heels make ones legs appear longer, more streamlined, they emphasize the muscles on a woman's legs, men find them sexy and they complete the look of a sophisticated business suit or a dress for a formal black tie event. They are also very uncomfortable and throw your posture out of alignment and over the years can create irreversible damage to your feet. I really am amazed when I see women wear them everyday to work. Ouch!





















Every season there is a new take on the classic mary jane and I'm right there in the shoe stores, mulling over the new seasons selection...which pair do I buy this year?

John Fluevog

Giddyup: horsepower processor

Since my wedding in 2006, I have made some (long overdue) household purchases to equip my kitchen with the necessary basic kitchen tools and apparatuses. We did not have a wedding gift registry. We told our 15 guests, "no gifts please" as we did not plan to host a dinner reception afterwards. We went to a restaurant. Everyone paid for their own meal. As a result, no wedding gifts meant that we had to start from scratch. Well, almost. My husband and I had a couple of things from our own bachelor and bachelorette kitchens...nothing matched...a lot of it was getting old. We had to start anew.

One of the first things I longed for was a food processor. (And, just to digress - the second kitchen item I have been longing for is one of these.) Although not really a kitchen "must-have" I had been eyeing the Cuisinart and KitchenAid line of kitchen processors and admired them for their aesthetic appeal and selection of funky colours. It's their design that won me over. Of course, I expected the device to also kick ass in the kitchen! I trusted that Cuisinart or KitchenAid would make me a happy homemaker. It also had a good reputation to back it up.

I never did get my 'fancy-schmancy' Cuisinart or KitchenAid food processor because I could not afford the steep price. A few months ago, I purchased a Black & Decker 10-cup food processor in stainless steel and black - and I am enamoured by it's strength and power. Vrooom!! It has MEGA horsepower. It pulverizes food with its blade and creates the most amazing, smooth and creamy garlic hummus and black olive tapenade in the blink of an eye.

Granted - it's not as pretty as a Cuisinart or a KitchenAid and does not come in a choice of red, or pink or blue but aesthetics aside, I am very happy with this purchase. The good thing is that it only has 3 blades that you can use...not a lot of excess parts to fuss over which means, not a lot of washing afterwards. Hurray! The first blade slices and grates. The second blade minces and mixes and the third blade is a dough blade (!) That is all. I can certainly live with this simplicity. Like I always say: keep it simple and you can't go wrong.

Oh yeah, one more thing: the price was good to my bank account too!

My rating for this product: 4.5 out of 5

• Convenience (1)
• Durability (1)
• Functionality (1)
• Aesthetic (0.5)
• Safety (1)
  
  
  
  

Where is Bucky Fuller when you need him?

For the past month my husband and I have been attending open houses on the weekends with the intention of purchasing our first home.

To say that the quality of housing in our city is "pathetic" is an understatement.

We have seen houses for sale that are in very bad shape and in need major renovations. I do not like doing renovations. We also saw houses for sale that have been gutted and restored and are absolutely stunning, the price hovering around $499,000. Purchasing one of those latter homes would require us to fall into serious financial debt and probably eat Kraft dinner everyday for the next 20 years. I am not prepared to do that.

We have even toyed with the idea of purchasing a condo to keep the cost down ( I do not like condos) but with the added monthly condo maintenance fees hovering from between $300 to $800, you might as well buy a small starter home and have a small garden too!

It comes as no surprise that most young couples today have to move to the burbs (yech!) in order to get more bang for their buck but then spend 3 hours a day traveling to and from work.

We need to remain in the city because our jobs are here, as well as our friends, our fitness gym, our doctors and naturopaths, and as such it suits our lifestyle. We don't own a car nor do we want to. In the summer we bike or walk around the city. We enjoy having shops and markets within walking distance. We also like like to do our part for the environment. Living in the city enables us to do this.


Conceptually speaking, the Buckminister Fuller, energy-efficient and low-cost "Dymaxion House" is just what I need. Fuller designed several variations of the Dymaxion house, which was basically a home building kit which could be propped up on site. Made of aluminum sheeting and designed to resemble a 'flattened bell' - this pod-like structure would certainly be a welcome sight in today's quest for sustainable living. Equipped with a mist shower for water conservation and other energy saving amenities, Bucky's Dymaxion is a perfect match for my lifestyle. Unfortunately, it would never fly in my city.

Instead, my intelligence and my bank account have been insulted by the real estate market. $300, 000 gets you a starter home - what MLS likes to refer to as a "renovator's delight" (gag!). Many of these houses require a new roof, a new furnace and/or air conditioner, new electric wiring to replace the knob and tube, hardwood to replace the mite-infested broadloom, new tempered glass, double pane storm windows to keep the heat and the cold out, and what on earth does one do with a driveway if they don't plan on purchasing a car??

Cities around the world have already begun introducing a variety of alternative housing arrangements for the modern and environmentally aware home buyer, pod-like structures reminiscent of Buckminster Fuller's designs and futuristic, sci-fi movies.

The UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and many more countries around the world have woken up to the benefits of living small, and energy efficient. The UK has introduced an idea for new age housing called the ecological kit house. Even in Mexico, once considered an underdeveloped country ecological houses are sprouting up like jalapenos peppers.

I want a small, low cost ecological house. I would like my home to have energy efficient technology and a small garden so in the summer months I can grow my own tomatoes and peppers.

Instead, I get nonsense like this.