Children make natural bug spray
This video shows children how make natural bug spray. It’s a good recipe;
- Lavender
- Chives
- Wormwood
- Onion Garlic
- Water
Place in the sun for about 20 minutes or more and use
There are two, take a moment to watch and learn hoe to use plants instead of pesticides
Green Harbour in Oshawa
Much is being said about the deal from the Federal Government regarding the Oshawa Harbour, with the secrecy of the deal provides a forum for speculation. We are in a unique position to strategize and respond to the changing needs of our planet. Some thoughts on the go forward plan:
- preserve the harbour as a sanctuary for the people of Oshawa
- create a place where community members can visit, enjoy and relax;
- plant species that enhance the surroundings, non-invasive;
- creating a bustling place of green business that are fair trade. organic and ethical, such as food and clothing; and
- NO ethanol production on site
Please view this video.
Easy as 123 Rs
Our society is moving toward embracing a sustainable lifesyle, including protecting farmland and preserving our environment.
And Durham Region is discussing building a costly incinerator. Costly in money and health.
The concept of an incinerator is the reverse of a sustainable community. To learn more about the proposed incinerator, please visit: www.durhamenvironmentwatch.org
Some ways of preventing an incinerator, include:
Precycling: Think about the purchase in the first place;
Buycott: Refuse to buy overpackeaged foods; buy bulk foods instead;
Repurposing: creative crafting
Try the 3Rs
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
If everyone particpates, you save money, the environment and send a strong message to the Region and the Province about preservation, responsibility and accountability. We want a sustainable and healthy community.
The Star has written an article, please read it and provide comments. Do you think that Durham is moving in right direction of increasing recycling.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/790598
Durham region’s planned garbage incinerator has three things going for it: the region’s medical officer of health has given it a green light; it meets provincial environmental regulations; and modern incinerators of this type, which turn waste into energy, are safely used across Europe and, closer to home, in Peel region.
But none of that has placated opponents of Durham’s plan to burn its garbage in a waste-to-energy facility in Clarington instead of trucking it to a landfill in another country.
As reported by the Star’s Catherine Porter, there are still concerns in Durham about incineration even though final provincial approval is expected shortly.
The critics of incineration argue that the better option is to produce less waste and reuse and recycle more. They are right. Realistically, however, for the foreseeable future, if not forever, we will still need some place to put what we don’t reuse or recycle.
If not an incinerator then what? A landfill? No one wants one of those in their backyard, either. Indeed, there is even significant opposition to recycling and composting facilities.
A right-sized incinerator – as the one proposed for Clarington appears to be – will not compete with recycling. Indeed, Germany has long incinerated and does a far better job of reducing waste and recycling than we do. And Durham is continuing with its ambitious plans to drive up its diversion rate through increased recycling.
A well-run, modern incinerator also meets all of our health, environmental and safety standards. To appease critics, the region went a step further and promised the facility would meet even more stringent European emission standards.
Whether a municipality decides to dig a landfill (or buy one in someone else’s backyard, as Toronto did) or build an incinerator, there will always be critics. But by pledging to boost recycling and dispose of what remains within its own borders, Durham Region is taking the responsible route.
Support for Oshawa Earth Hour 2010
The lights went out in Oshawa, in Ontario and the globe, and community came to view HOME. It is incredible that after a 2 hour movie that so many people stayed and said thank you.
Special thanks to the City of Oshawa, UOIT, OPUC, and goodplanet. This is real community building: working together to make a difference, because we all win!
The community video is really successful, over 600 views in one week. Yeah. Thanks to all the volunteers who so willingly participated, doing something positive for your community is a real green thing.
Last year, 2009, the focus was on awareness to turn your light off. This year, 2010 we added the Community.
More to come.
Earth Hour is one week away
Since the Earth Hour video has been published, more than 130 people has viewed it. Just one simple act. View the video
Oshawa Earth Hour 2010 Video
The making of the Oshawa Earth Hour 2010 video is an really good example of community engagement. It’s really amazing how all the participants in the video readily agreed to ‘doing it’.
The Oshawa Earth Hour Community Event. Climate Change is a critical issue. Let’s do something to preserve our Earth. Do it. Turn your lights off.
Climate change is one of the critical issues we have to deal with right now. Changes that affects our food security, air we breathe, and the list can go on. What is important is -we have the power to change, preserving our planet and respecting the ecosystem, and leaving our children the natural resources and an ability to live on the planet .
Earth Hour is one way to start and do one simple act which when we all do it, it’s BIG
Water: 3rd World Forum: Overview
We have the ability to save our Earth and its resources and we can make it happen. For the next week, you will read a series of excerpts from the original report. If you like you can read the final Report below.
This is the Final World Water Report
Historic document: 3rd World Water Forum.
For the first time, 23 United Nations agencies and convention secretariats have combined their efforts and expertise to produce the most comprehensive and up-to-date report on the state of the world’s freshwater resources. The World Water development Report was officially launched at the occasion of World Water Day, March the 22nd, during the 3d World Water Forum.
First UN system-wide evaluation of global water resources
Paris – Faced with “inertia at the leadership level”, the global water crisis will reach unprecedented levels in the years ahead with “growing per capita scarcity of water in many parts of the developing world”, according to a United Nations report made public today. Water resources will steadily decline because of population growth, pollution and expected climate change.
The World Water Development Report – Water for People, Water for Life – is the most comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the state of the resource. Presented on the eve of the Third World Water Forum (Kyoto, Japan, March 16 – 23), it represents the single most important intellectual contribution to the Forum and the International Year of Freshwater, which is being led by UNESCO and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
To compile the report, every UN agency and commission dealing with water has for the first time worked jointly to monitor progress against water-related targets in such fields as health, food, ecosystems, cities, industry, energy, risk management, economic evaluation, resource sharing and governance. The 23 UN partners constitute the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), whose secretariat is hosted by UNESCO.
“Of all the social and natural crises we humans face, the water crisis is the one that lies at the heart of our survival and that of our planet Earth,” says UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura.
“No region will be spared from the impact of this crisis which touches every facet of life, from the health of children to the ability of nations to secure food for their citizens,” says Mr Matsuura. “Water supplies are falling while the demand is dramatically growing at an unsustainable rate. Over the next 20 years, the average supply of water world-wide per person is expected to drop by a third.”
Earth Hour
The filming of Earth Hour in our City is truly a community event. It was a lot of fun to film it and it’s being edited, music added and reviewing of the message, the tone, and inclusiveness.
The promotional components consisted of:
- posters and postcards and is distributing them in libraries, community centres, schools and institutions;
- Emailing;
- Television;
- Radio;
- Word of mouth;
- Video
Please turn your lights off on Earth Hour, March 27th, 2010 at 8:30 p.m.
Avocadoes from Mexico
I love to eat avocadoes and I read the article below and thought I would share some memories with you.
I used to eat avocadoes for snacks with hard dough bread (jamaican bread), by itself with a bit of salt and hot pepper. We used to have a slice with dinner too. Helps cool the tongue for hot and spicy foods.
Have a read below.
www.foodforethought.net Editor’s Note: Most all of our supermarkets carry avocados, imported from afar. This article looks into the North American market for avocados and how they are marketed. Nutritional demands are not the big driver for this crop in January; rather it’s the Super Bowl. The site where this article comes from, Fresh Plaza provides interesting global information on fresh fruit and banana marketing. Avocados from Mexico execute extensive marketing program to support volume and increase market demand
Avocado movement to be strong during one of the top promotional periods of the year
The Avocado Producers and Exporting Packers Association of Michoacán (APEAM) are projecting that more than 92 million pounds of Avocados from Mexico will reach the US market in the first 5 weeks of 2010. To support volume and build demand, Avocados from Mexico is promoting heavily and offering retailers merchandising support to keep movement strong throughout the first quarter of the new year.
“Promotable volume in desired sizes and the proximity of the growing region to the US market is what makes Mexico the preferred source for fresh avocados during the Super Bowl season,” said Emiliano Escobedo, APEAM’s Marketing Director. “Avocados and guacamole are now synonymous with the Super Bowl making this the ideal time for Avocados from Mexico to build market demand and support retailers through marketing and merchandising efforts.”
For three weeks leading up to the big game, Avocados from Mexico will be airing TV and radio spots targeting General Market consumers and Hispanics in Chicago, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio as well as on the Internet. Moreover, Avocados from Mexico will be advertised in the top national magazines targeting women shoppers who seek a healthy start to the new year. (The new TV and radio spots promoting avocados from Mexico can be viewed at www.avocadosfrommexico.com/trade)
In addition, starting the week before Super Bowl weekend through April, in store advertising utilizing floor talkers will be automatically installed in front of the avocado displays in 18 Chicago and East Coast retail chains.
Additionally, retailers can tie into major sales increases during football playoffs and Super Bowl by giving customers free recipes from Bravo’s Top Chef Master Rick Bayless. Avocados from Mexico is offering a variety of free POS materials on their website for retailers to order as needed, including a new avocado secondary display bin, which provides opportunities for cross merchandising avocados from Mexico with other complimentary items for big game parties such as chips, beer or salsa.
Historically avocado sales and volume index higher during the month of January. Last year 60% of avocado retail volume was sold on promotion during the 2 weeks preceding the Super Bowl.
In order to gain insights on best practices for promotions, APEAM contracted with the Perishables Group and found that increased promotions equal increased profits. To maximize sales in developed avocado markets, retailers should promote Avocados from Mexico as follows:
• Promote avocados consistently — 30 to 40 times per year in developed markets to provide optimal category dollars and volume
• Run promotion discounts from 11% to 30% to optimize dollars and volume
• Occasionally feature multiple avocado items in the same promotion, including bulk and packaged avocados. This can include small along with large sized avocados at different price points
• Whenever possible combine circular promotions with in-store price reductions
• Stock and promote key sizes to give customers options—Large (4225) and Small (4046) sizes represent 85% of sales.
A complete Avocados from Mexico Best Practices Report is available online at www.avocadosfrommexico.com/trade. Publication date: 1/12/2010
Salubrious
I really like this word.
Adj.1.salubrious – promoting health; healthful; “a healthy diet”; “clean healthy air”; “plenty of healthy sleep”; “healthy and normal outlets for youthful energy”; “the salubrious mountain air and water”- C.B.Davis; “carrots are good for you”
wholesome – conducive to or characteristic of physical or moral well-being; “wholesome attitude”; “wholesome appearance”; “wholesome food”
2.salubrious – favorable to health of mind or body; “not the most salubrious campsite”; “one of the less salubrious suburbs”
wholesome – conducive to or characteristic of physical or moral well-being; “wholesome attitude”; “wholesome appearance”; “wholesome food”
