Recycle, eh

Did you know that you can re-grow celery using the bottom part that you normally cut off? Yup, you can. I discovered Mary Andrews' and Tim Vidra's wonderful blog, 17Apart yesterday and share their step-by-step tips. They also show you how to re-grown bok choy, sweet potatoes, and green onions (scallions). 

As for me, I plug garlic buds that are starting to turn green into a pot of soil to grow garlic chives. They're great in salads, soup, and sandwiches.

Okay, so I missed blogging on the day designated as the official Earth Day; but shouldn't every day be earth day? Come on, folks, we're not doing that great evironmentally and things seem to be getting worse instead of better. For me, everyday is earth day. There isn't a day that goes by when I am not attempting to cut back on my carbon footprint, recycle, reuse, and reinvent stuff so that my trash bins are as empty as possible.

And believe it or not, it takes very little effort to do so. I watch what I buy so that I don't bring home excess packaging. I buy locally whenever possible and I read labels to ensure that what I do buy was grown or made at home rather than imported from thousands of miles away. If I can't use something, I find someone or somplace that can take it (e.g., clothing, books, magazines, cardboard, etc.). My food scraps go into the compost. - since I don't eat meat, it's easy.

Living like this is a habit and once you've gotten into the groove, it's a piece of cake (chocolate, of course!!).

St. Paddy's day is this Saturday and everone knows you don't have to be Irish to celebrate the occasion. You can get green beer at the local pub and even green bagels! And, of course, everyone wears a little green on the day. But this year, why not go -- well -- a little greener. Jena Ellis over at Online Certificate Program has a list of 10 green Initiatives to celebrate this iconic holiday and being more eco-friendly at the same time.

Thanks Jena!

Keeping the kids entertained and yourself sane during school breaks and professional days can sometimes be a challenge. Gardening is one way. Why not check out my Ottawa Citizen article for a few ideas you can easily do without breaking the bank.

Tim Handorf over at Bestcollegesonline.com recently sent me an article entitled, “The 10 Greenest Dorms in the World” published on their blog. Since enlightened young people are our great hope for the future of this planet, this list may interest those of you who are contemplating going to uni or college.and looking for housing that is earth-friendly.

Please note this I am posting this for informational purposes and do not endorse any of the dorms listed.

Ciao!

As you probably have gathered if you've ever spent time on this blog that my criteria for recycling falls somewhere between the crafty and the practical. The projects that I really love to see are created by people like Rodney Allen Trice in New York. Trice's T.O.M.T.™ website shows how elegant and professional looking discards like turning an abandoned walker into a retro bar table. 

Today I came across a Swiss website, Atelier V, that shows the same professionalism and elegance but with a zany touch that gets you laughing out loud. This group of creatives seem to enjoy making stuff we normally toss into fun and useful objects. Take a look at what they've done with an umbrella covering - now it's a barber's cape.

Or how about bunting??

What about the rest of the umbrella? How about a chandelier?? Check out the rest of their projects repurposing a salad spinner and rubber boots. Oh, and take a look at their very silly tongue-in-checck videos and also selected projects from their book. Buy the book! I certainly intend to.

Enjoy