Spring and rain boots, summer and popsicles, fall and comfy sweaters. There are certain things we naturally associate with each season. For winter, one of those things is hot chocolate.
I think you'll agree that there's "good" hot chocolate and "not-so-good" hot chocolate. For me, it's a fine balance. It can't be too sweet (but it has to be sweet enough), it can't be made with water, and it has to have good chocolate flavour.
When you think of ways to make your home greener, things such as using energy-efficient bulbs, composting/recycling, and conserving water are probably what immediately come to mind. These are all excellent actions to take but there are some things you may not have heard of or even thought about doing around your home—things that will reduce your carbon footprint in a significant way—like the following:
Not long ago, I was chatting with another mom while we were waiting for our kids to finish school. She was talking about her frustration with the new "Boomerang Lunch Program" at the school.
Have you ever stopped to think of what happens to some everyday items, only meant for one use, after you use them? Things that could be used again but really aren't because of what they are. Such as the bar of hand soap in the hotel you last stayed at. (Would you use a bar of soap a stranger used? Probably not). Or the bottles your spaghetti sauce comes in. (Sure, they are glass and can be recycled, but there are so many uses for them!). Or the crayons your kids coloured with at the restaurant you went to over the weekend.
It's a powerful message that makes you stop and think, right? Other than turning off the tap when brushing your teeth, there are many other ways you can conserve water (and in turn, save money!) in and outside your home.
Things most of us love about summer: warmer weather, longer days, vacations, evening walks, BBQs.
Thing most of us don't love about summer: frizzy hair, out-of-control humidity, mosquitoes, pulling weeds, fruit flies.
Truthfully, there is very little I don't love about summer. I had to think for a little while to come up with some negatives about it. The fruit fly dislike though? That one was easy.
In the past few years, car manufacturers have really been stepping up their game when it comes to making their vehicles more eco-friendly. From cars that are more fuel efficient to the materials being used to build components all the way to the rising popularity of electronic vehicles, it's getting easier for consumers to buy a more eco-conscious car. Ford is one of those manufacturers 100% committed to helping us do so.
Many of us tend to want the latest and greatest when it comes to gadgets. Because of the work I do, for certain electronics, I'm definitely one of those people. I'm going to take a wild guess and say you like to keep up to date with the latest too! Am I right? The latest smartphone with all the new must-have features, the hottest e-reader that can hold more books than your old one, or the latest PVR so you can record two shows at a time while you watch another.
In my spare time, I read A LOT. Everything from non-fiction to fiction books to food blogs to technical articles about coding, and of course, websites that focus on sharing eco-friendly information. Keeping up with what's happening in the world of green is part of my job here, after all.
Depending on what type of information you are looking for, there is a website out there for you — you just need to do a little searching. If you need a little help heading in the right direction, keep reading because that is exactly what this post is all about!
By now you've likely have heard that the inventor of the K-Cup, the pods used in Keurig coffee makers, regrets his invention. In a recent interview, John Sylvan spoke bluntly about his regrets.
“I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it,” he said.
Depending on the type of dishes you have, marks like those in the image above are, over time, inevitable.
But thankfully, there is a way to restore your dishes, mugs, plates, and bowls back to their good-as-new state, and all it takes is two ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
Before I tell you how to do it, let me tell you why these marks happen and how you can help to avoid them.
Each day when I pick my kids up from school, there is a car I walk by in the parking lot. At the beginning of the school year, it took me a few days to stop gawking and finally check to see what the make and model of that car was.
Coconut oil - one of my favourite things - is such an amazing and versatile product. It has so many uses—from cooking and baking to cleaning to skin care.
One thing to note, you will come across different types of coconut oil in the store. I prefer to use coconut oil that is unrefined and non-deodorized so the coconut flavour and smell remains. If coconut flavour and smell is not your preference, then look for a deodorized version.
I remember when microwaves were the hot new thing (was that the mid 80s?). Most of my friends' families already had or were getting microwaves, so of course I wanted my parents to buy one too. The reason? I wanted the tasty after-school microwave popcorn snack I'd have when visiting my friends.
Nowadays, I never make popcorn in the microwave.
Yes, microwave popcorn tastes good, smells great, is quick and convenient, but do you know what's in the popcorn you are eating and the bag it's popped in?
As a child, any chance I had to go tobogganing, skating, or do any outdoor winter activity had me all over it. If there was something going on outside, I was there— no matter what the temperature was. Then I grew up and any temperature below zero became my nemesis. Cozy, heated indoor activities replaced those once-loved, outdoor winter activities.
Over time, after baking things that splash, bubble, and spill, your oven door and window will need some special cleaning attention. If you're like me, cleaning the stove and oven ranks pretty low on the priority list when it comes to things to do during coveted spare time. One reason that holds many of us back is the fact that the products available in stores for these jobs aren't good for us because they have strong, bad-smelling fumes. The other reason is the fact that they are bad for the environment. Nobody wants any of that.
With another New Year upon us, it's that time again— the time we set goals with the best intentions for the year to come. Some of those goals may be tough (but keep at it, you can do it!) and some can be simple— like making the decision to be more green. But when you decide to be more green, where do you start?
My last post from 2013 was all about highlighting some of my favourite posts. It's never an easy thing to pick just a few to showcase (I love them all!), but I've managed to narrow them down again for 2014. Here are a few of my faves from this past year...just in case you missed them!
