Weekend Wrap Up

Well this weekend wrapped up No Impact Week here in Greensboro.

To commemorate the week I finished by reading No Impact Man by Colin Beavan.

A good book indeed and it gave more in-depth information than could obviously be included in the movie.

I do have to say, and I in no way receive any sort of compensation for doing so, that the book is well done and the real jewel of the book is the list of resources in the back.  You can get website information about how to volunteer with a local environmental group or how to find a clothing swap in your area.  There are also numerous book suggestions (many of which have gone on my list to pick up at my local library).

To further apply our no impact philosophy, and to do something useful with a plastic item, my son Andrew and I made a watering can from a large white vinegar bottle.

To make it was super simple.  He drilled (yes he got a little power tool exposure) one hole in the cap and then several holes in the bottom of the bottle.

To make it work

• Fill a bucket with water (preferably with water from your rain barrel).
• Push the bottle down in the water so that it can fill up (keep your thumb off the top hole)
• Put your thumb over the hole on the cap and lift from bucket

The water is trapped and you can just remove your thumb from the hole once you are at the flower bed.

I was really impressed with how easy this was and that it worked.

Once the recycling project was finished we were on to another project...chocolate making.

I am so very lucky to have a friend like Sharon, Bit of the Good Stuff.  She sent me this fantastic raw chocolate making kit.

I put my fear aside and got out the kitchen scale.

I put WAY to much thought into how hard this was going to be...because in the end it was SO easy.

It took all of about 10 minutes (and then another 90 while I waited for it to set up in the fridge).

My result...well take a look for yourself:

They are in a four leaf clover pattern for St. Patrick's Day

I put a goji berry on each one and waited.  I didn't want to get too fancy or stray from the original recipe as I wanted to make sure I got it just right.

My kids will tell you they love them, but are mad that I didn't let them eat more than one a piece.

They are indeed delicious and I highly recommend raw chocolate making to anyone who can do a little measuring.

Other than that that was about it for my weekend...OH well there was a little matter of Georges St Pierre retaining his welterweight title (in a fantastic fight against Nick Diaz).  

Yeah for GSP!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and are ready to kick off a fantastic Monday.

Remember today is the last day to enter my Plastic Free by Beth Terry giveaway (check it out here).

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No Impact Greensboro

I find it ironic that a little over a month ago I watched, and reviewed here, the movie No Impact Man by Colin Beavan.

And then what ho?  My fair city, Greensboro, decides to participate in a No Impact Week.

I am incredibly psyched!

Starting this past Friday there are daily activities you can participate in.

On Friday my whole family went to one of our local colleges, Guilford College (who has tons of green initiatives going on there), for an art exhibit by Bonnie Monteleone titled "What Goes Around Comes Around."

This is a giant wave made out of plastic waste from the Pacific Ocean.

What struck me about this exhibit was just what sort of things end up BACK in the ocean.  Things like empty bottles from motor oil and household cleaners, parts of surfboards, and tons upon tons of bottle tops.

Bonnie also had up some photographs that give a graphic example of what all of this plastic can end up doing to our animal life.

 (this is a bird's carcass filled with plastics which were fed to it by its unknowing mother)

I don't show these things to make you depressed, or guilty, merely just to make you aware.

Hopefully the movement will take hold and people will start to think before they buy and put a little more thought into what they do with their plastics.

To support those who chose to participate this week the City put out an action plan so that each day you can focus reducing your footprint in a specific area.

The week is laid out like this:

Sunday: Reduce/Reuse/Repurpose/Refuse
Monday: Energy
Tuesday: Transportation
Wednesday: Food
Thursday: Water
Friday: Green Home/Green Work
Saturday: Give Back
Sunday: Eco-Sabbath

So on Sunday we made use of tofu containers, drink cups from Panera, and large yogurt containers to plant some seedlings.

Today I plan to eat by candlelight, or natural light if there is enough of it, and have a family game night instead of TV watching (hopefully my children won't revolt).

What sort of things might you do today to reduce your energy consumption?  Do you have any good ideas for repurposing items?

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Odds and Ends

I have a few things I wanted to share, but none of which I would dedicate an entire post to on their own.

Some happy news was waiting in my inbox for me:

I was selected as one of the top 25 Family Blogs on Circle of Moms.  YEAH!

Thanks to all of you who voted for me.

A great way to recycle and to start seeds is with a cardboard egg carton

Cut the carton in half.

Lay a piece of saran wrap on the half that was the top.

Place the bottom on top of the top (sound confusing?), it should look like this:

Add some potting soil (compost, etc) to each egg divot and place your seeds in.

(this is a shot of 2 egg cartons filled)

Once your seeds start sprouting you can cut apart each egg divot (I don't actually know if those things are called divots...I just thought it sounded nice) and plant them directly into the ground.

In an effort to declutter my life, and house, I have decided I will get rid of one thing every day for the next 365 days.

Today I am getting rid of

My aunt called me and wanted some advise on ways to get healthier and include more protein in her diet.  I told her before she bought any expensive powders she should try some samples and see which one she likes.

I happened to have this sample on hand...Cathy it is coming your way in the mail today!!

This is now one less thing in my house. 

Have any of you attempted to declutter in this fashion? 

Or do you remove large quantities of items at one time?

I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

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