Green Calgary

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

For those of us who celebrate Easter, we know there can be a hefty environmental impact associated with this spring holiday. The average American spends $116 on Easter candy, gifts, food and decorations - Eggs making up the bulk of these cost. Eggs signify rebirth, and since the 1700's when the Germans brought over the Easter Bunny to North American culture, they have played a starring role in Easter tradition.  I remember when I was growing up, my Grandmother would dye white eggs by boiling them with the skins of yellow onions. The eggs take on a beautiful rich golden brown shade and would then be delivered (still warm from the pot) with a sweet story of how the Easter bunny hopped through her living room and laid fresh warm eggs for my siblings and I. As I have grown older, I look back fondly on these memories and have made them a tradition I too would love to pass along to my children. 

Last year while off on maternity leave (with my then almost one year old) we spent a lovely spring day naturally dying eggs. We, of course, used my grandmothers technique of yellow skinned onions, but expanded our colour pallet to include shades of blues and purples, deep pinks and light reds, and varying hues of soft greens. The eggs are so much more beautiful and complex than their chemically dyed counterparts - each one completely different than the next.

Note: There are various ways to dye eggs without wasting the super-food contained inside the shell. Hard boiling them before hand or during the dying process gives you a lineup of easy (and beautiful) snacks for the coming weeks. I also found this really great tutorial on how to blow the fresh egg out of the shell before dying it (and then check out this great quiche recipe for ideas on what to do with all those egg yolks once they are out! This quiche freezes well and makes a wonderful any time meal in months to come!)

Below are a few natural colour ideas that worked for me, as well as some from (our favourite magazine) Mother Earth News:

RED
2 cups beets, grated
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 cups water

Substitute: 
Strong Red Zinger tea
Chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
Red onion skins, use a lot (boil with eggs)
Pomegranate juice

YELLOW
3 large handfuls of yellow/brown onionskins
1 tbsp white vinegar
3 cups water

Substitute: 
Strong Chamomile Tea
Lemon or orange peel (boil with eggs)
Carrot tops (boil with eggs)
Celery seed (boil with eggs)
Ground cumin (boil with eggs)
Ground turmeric (boil with eggs)

BROWN
Strong coffee
Black walnut shells (boil with eggs)
Dill seeds (boil with eggs)

BLUE
1 pound frozen blueberries, crushed
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 cups water

Substitute: 
Red cabbage leaves (boiled with eggs)

GREEN
Spinach leaves (boil with eggs)
Bright green apple peels (boil with eggs)

OTHER COLORS
Mix combinations of the primary dyes (in separate cups) to make secondary colors: red and yellow for orange, yellow and blue for green, and blue and red for violet. The proportion of one color to the other determines the shade.

And lastly, a good youtube video with some neat ideas on how to get some different and unique looks to your eggs! 

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Is there $175 a month in your compost bin?

The current state of our food system and the disconnect between food and consumers is a major component of the Healthy Homes program's educational mandate. Understandably, many people struggle with the cost of organic and local food compared to the largely subsidized, government supported (both financially and through policies that favor large-scale agribusiness) industrialized system. There are many reasons that sustainable food costs more- the most logical being that it is worth more; to our health, to the environment, to our local economy and to our resilience as a city. However, sometimes the bottom line outsmarts logic and even the things that we value most highly.

So, here’s a great consideration for those that have a hard time justifying the higher cost of organic and local food… how much food do you throw out on a monthly basis? A recent article from Grist found that Americans toss $175 on average per month into their compost or garbage bins. But it’s not just our neighbors to the south with the large tab on food waste. Alive Magazine ‘s article “Waste Not , Want Not” breaks down Canada’s $27 billion in food that goes to landfills or composting systems. Canadian households are responsible for the majority of this large sum, with 51% of food purchased going to the curb.

Cracking down on food waste may just be the catalyst that many of us need to make some room in our food budget for high quality, whole foods that are grown locally without chemicals. But how do you put it into practice?

#1- Rethink.  Ask yourself when admiring a 5 for 1 sale on heads of lettuce how many of those heads you can reasonably consume before they start to spoil?

#2- Be proactive. If you see foods in your fridge losing freshness and appeal, find ways to preserve them before they go past the point of no return. Herbs can be dried and useful in meals to come, vegetables and meat can go into soups and stews and frozen, berries boiled with some sugar for a yummy sauce that can also be frozen.

#3- Invest in better food storage techniques. Certain foods- mushrooms, for instance, do not tolerate plastic for long- find out what type of environment your favorite fruits and veggies prefer to help prolong their freshness.

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Community Natural Foods Highlights Local Growers!

Community Natural Foods is currently working on a series of documentary style videos highlighting some of their amazing local growers and suppliers. The first of this series shines the spotlight on Highwood Crossing - a farm beautifully located between Okotoks and High River with the Highwood River running alongside the land. Today, Highwood Crossing grows 100% certified organic crops on 320 acres of land. The crops include; wheat, rye, flax, canola, oats, barley, peas, hay and sweet clover. From there, they take the crops they’ve grown and produce and package certified organic food products. The food products include stone ground flours as well as whole grains and cereals, cold pressed flax and canola oil, granola, flaxseed muffin and pancake mix. All 12 of these wonderful products are available at Community Natural Foods locations in Calgary. 

This video is a beautiful incite into what makes Highwood Crossing a wonderful and unique local business (AND it was made by former Healthy Homes team member, the talented Catriona Laird!)

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Tips for Simplifying the Holidays!

The Centre for a New American Dream has published an article filled with GREAT ideas and tips for simplifying the holidays as submitted by their readers!

A few of our favourites...

“At home, we made a gratitude tree out of recycled cardboard and are decorating it day by day with colorful paper ornaments listing things we are thankful for."
—Molly MacGregor

"Last year we had an entirely home-made Christmas..... We made a puppet theater, a train table, and a fairy tree house all out of leftover wood from our basement. We repurposed pretty bags and boxes and put together kits for sewing and knitting from tools we had around the house. And we collected used trains for the train table from cousins who had outgrown them. It was so much fun that we’re doing it again this year!"
—Jen Higgins

"Money has always been a huge stressor on me for the holidays; we are not very affluent. However that has never dampened the holidays for us. One good present is all the kids expect and is easy enough. The emphasis for us has always been family. Simple traditions, making danish butter cookies, Christmas eve dinner of a smorgasbord, playing with cousins, Christmas caroling (horribly) through the neighborhood, and just being together, that is where the memories come from and what will be remembered."
—Annetta Olsen Bunce

"Our Christmas tradition when my kids were young was for them to go shopping with me and pick out something they would like then donate it to charity. They took this very seriously since that gift could have been the only thing that child might receive. It really is better to give than to receive.”
—Kathy S. Collins

"I'm giving the gift of Nature this year by sending self made cards with two small packets of native flower seeds inside."
—Therese Davis

"I'm making a family cookbook that showcases our favorite meals along with great pix. Plus doing a book swap for the kids gifting each other."
—Lauren LaVail

"One of the best gifts our family ever received: My brother, who lives 1,000 miles away from us and whom we only see once a year (if we're lucky) committed to send regular postcards to my (then) five year-old daughter for one year. She loves getting mail and he travels quite a bit throughout the Southwest, and postcards are quick and cheap to send. He has kept it up now for two years at the rate of about one postcard a month. My daughter loves it so much that she keeps a scrapbook of just her uncle's postcards."
—Wesley Satterwhite

You can view the complete list HERE

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Christmas Gift Idea #12

Need a last minute gift that will make anyone happy? Give the gift of pampering!

There is nothing better than a relaxing afternoon at the spa.  Wait, no there is something better; not having to pay for it.  That's right!  Whether guys are buying for their girls, girls for their guys, or anyone buying for their friends, everyone can use a bit of pampering.  A gift certificate for a Swizzlesticks' massages or organic facial.  Prema Sai has a range of holistic services that include, massages, energy work, detox services and consultations.  You can also search for natural healers or yoga studios.

 
Now it isn't necessary to buy gift certificates to go someplace to be pampered.   There are options like Rocky Mountain Soap Company that carry 100% natural bath and body products.  Think about relaxing bath salts, creamy body butters and scented candles for the perfect bathing atmosphere. Or, check out our DIY post on how to make your own body care products or put together a gift basket of some of your favourite items and pass them along. Hint: also a great opportunity to make thisis a romantic evening with massage oils too.

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Christmas Gift Idea #11

We all have those favourite places - the little shops, restaurants or boutiques that we frequent and absolutely LOVE, so why not share these little treasure with the ones we love the most?

Consider a gift certificate to a place you really want someone else to try our. A few of our favourite ideas are:

Community Natural Foods and Sunnyside Natural Market - two amazing local grocery stores selling incredible organic and local food

Riva's Ecostore, Reworks Upcycle Shop and Edamame Kids - Great retail stores carrying a TON of wonderful environmentally focused products

The Coup, Boxwood Cafe, The District, or Dairy Lane (just to name a FEW) are AMAZING restaurants doing great things here in Calgary. Check them out and pass them along!

View a list of all of our Green Giving ideas HERE (updated daily)

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Christmas Gift Idea #10

Share the Christmas Spirit with those in Need

There are so many great charities and causes out there and if you're giving a donation in the name of a friend or family member for christmas its sometimes hard to decide which one they would choose.  Because we know this is a difficult decision, we'd like to highlight a few options - some that are just great local charities and other channels that will give the recipient a little more control over where the money goes.

Canada Helps provides charity gift cards where the recipient is able to choose a charity of their choice.  With over 83,000 charities to choose from they are bound to find a cause that they believe in. 

Kiva is a great organization that facilitates microfinancing of small businesses in developing countries.  Basically, you lend out $X to the business or person of your choice, and unlike a donation, the money over time is payed back.  After repayment you can either cash out or find another business to lend to.  This gift keeps on giving, both for the businesses you are helping, and for your friend who will be engaged in the process everytime the loan is returned.

CAWST, the Centre for Affordable Water & Sanitation Technology, is a Calgary based non-profit organization that provides training and consulting to organizations that work directly with populations in developing countries who lack access to water and sanitation.

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Christmas Gift Idea #9

If (like us!) you're way too aware of the effects that items such as chocolate, chocolate and manufactured goods can have on the countries where they're made, consider fair trade gifts.  In some cases, items may be a bit more expensive, but you'll be paying a truer cost of the product and ensuring that workers and producers recieve a fair wage.  Isn't that part of the Christmas spirit - being generous and caring?  Let's extend this spirit past our family, friends and borders.

Where to find fair trade items:

Ten Thousand Villages has a ton of beautiful items from pottery to christmas ornaments to furniture.  Their stores here in Calgary are literally chalked full of beautiful stuff!  Everything sold there is fair trade.

220 Crowchild Trail NW
8318 Fairmont Drive SE

Fair Planet is a Calgary business that unique, high quality toys, accessories and home decor items.  Shop online or show a Fair Trade Party.

Fair Trade Canada has a Fair Trade Finder on their website that can help you find places in Canada that sell fair trade items.

Bridgehead provides online shopping specializing in coffee, tea and gift baskets.

View a list of all of our Green Giving ideas HERE (updated daily)

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Christmas Gift Idea #8

Christmas Gift Idea #8 - Skill building for fun.

It is very easy to be focused on those skills that we perceive get us further ahead in our careers and networks. Whether it is courses, certificate or seminars, we will pay the money and take the time to keep us moving up the corporate ladder. But what about those skills that we would like to learn because it makes us happy or challenges our mind and bodies?  Give someone the gift of learning something new or continuing with a favourite hobby.

Here are a few ideas we came up with:

For those who love to cook (or maybe a special gift for those that don’t) consider a cooking class.  Some of the staff recently did a group baking night with M for Macaroon and walked away with some absolutely fabulous Parisian macaroons.  Also check out The Cookbook Co. Cooks.  They offer a wide variety of classes that cover everyone from the beginner to the advanced. 

There are TON of great resources for arts classes- everything from pottery, knitting, photography, dance classes - even soap making!

If you are looking for something to get your hands dirty, there are lots of courses for the do-it-yourselfer. SAIT offers a variety of classes for those interested in household projects - everything from woodworking, blacksmithing and home improvement.

Have a traveler in your life who would love a little brushing up on their French or Spanish? Mount Royal University offers a variety of language courses at various learner levels.

There really is no shortage of ways to get those synapses snapping in a fun and engaging way, and you will be completely surprised at the variety of classes out there once you start to look! There are even a ton of great programs for children, and courses parents and children can take together.

Other great websites to check out:

Chinook Learning Services

Alberta College of Art & Design

Souther Alberta Institute of Technology

View a list of all of our Green Giving ideas HERE (updated daily)

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Christmas Gift Idea #7

Why not enter the world of DIY (Do it yourself), flex those creative muscles, and make a few presents for family & friends.  This can be one of the most thoughtful forms of gift giving because it shows the recipient that they’re worth the time and effort - and feels pretty darn rewarding.

There are tons out there, but here are a few DIY ideas to get you started:

A creative use for your old silverware:
http://chicantiquechicago.blogspot.com/2011/06/diy-organize.html

Family tree for your grandparents:
http://pinterest.com/pin/96897829452320002/ 

Super cute picture clothesline from our very own, very crafty Jessica Duchin:
http://www.paperbluejay.com/2011/03/finns-photographs.html 

An easy one for your gardening friends:
http://pinterest.com/pin/251990541619870282/

View a list of all of our Green Giving ideas HERE (updated daily)

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Christmas Gift Idea #6

Gizmos and gadgets can keep people entertained for a bit of time until the boredom sets in.  So if the novelty of things can wear out quickly, why not try giving a different kind of entertainment.  While we might be quick to spend money on "stuff", some might find it difficult to spend as frivolously on shows.

An alternate idea to giving things is gift certificates for various shows, plays or musicals.  Calgary has lots of great entertainment and has something for everyone.  Some ideas are:

Calgary Philiharmonic Orchestra

Theater Calgary

Vertigo Theater

Deane House Mysteries

Stage West

Jubilations

Calgary Opera

And if none of these will tickle the fancy of the person on your list, you could fall back on a gift certificate from Tickemaster or even for the movie theater.  After all, lets face it, a concert or a night at the movies is not an inexpensive affair.

View a list of all our Green Giving ideas HERE (updated daily).

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Christmas Gift Idea #5

Warning: Shameless self-promotion :)

Green Calgary's store is smaller than it used to be, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in quality! We have a lot of incredible items that would make wonderful and thoughtful gifts for everyone on your list!

Rain Barrels and composters are hot ticket items this year! In addition to having huge environmental benefits by helping us consume less water and diverting waste from the landfill, they are totally unique! We also sell two options for indoor composting- perfect for those condo dwellers are folks with limited yard space. Pop by and check them out today! We will happily tell you everything you need to know to get started and help you pick the perfect set up for that special someone. (we also have gift certificate for all of these items if fitting it under the tree is a concern for you).

We have a variety of beautiful gift baskets filled with amazing things- everything from natural cleaning products to recycled content office supplies- our baskets can be customized to incorporate any of the items we have in stock and come already packaged and wrapped ready to give.

Lastly, if you are in the market for a few stocking stuffers (or doorprizes for that upcoming work party), we have a few things that will be sure to impress everyone on your list- check out our Eco clamshells - a great alternative to Styrofoam takeout containers, or, have a peek at our brand new 'no junk mail stickers'! All affordable and uniquely green!

*If you are wanting a composter, it's best to give us a quick call before you come down- they have been selling like hotcakes, so we will confirm inventory before you get here. 403.230.1443 EX 221

View all of our Green Giving ideas HERE (updated daily)

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Christmas Gift Idea #4

A collective gift to charity.

Each year at Christmas, my extended family - aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins- get together to celebrate the holidays. As we all get older, our families grow bigger and the struggle of finding gifts and special things for our loved ones becomes more and more of a challenge. A few years back, we came up with the idea to stop exchanging gifts with each other and rather to donate money to a charity. The idea is quite simple- each person is given an envelope that they fill with a cash donation. Any amount is fine and contributions vary depending on what each person feels comfortable with. Everyone then also picks a charity that is important to them. We pool all the funds and put all the charity suggestions into a hat- we draw one charity name and all the money is donated to that selected organization. (We also then give the ever valuable tax receipt to the person who picked the winning charity). Its a really nice way to give back to and support the community  and everyone leaves feeling really good about contributing to help others- So much nicer than another set of oven mits.  

If you need help finding a charity or are looking for something local that aligns with your beliefs and values, Canadahelps.org has a lot of great organizations listed.
(Alternatively, Canadahelps also sells giftcards - you purchase a card in any denomination and the recipient gets to pick a charity to donate to.)

View all of our Green Giving ideas HERE (updated daily)

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Christmas Gift Idea #3

Buy something beautiful, handmade and truly unique from Etsy.com or one of the many art markets that pop up in Calgary over the holiday season. 

Local Art Markets

Market Collective – December 10, 11 & 17, 18 (♥ this is one of our favourites!)

Calgary Dollars Market - Monday, December 12 at the Bow Cliff Seniors Centre

Elbow Drive Community Hall Christmas Market – December 10 & 11

The Not So Mini Print Exhibition & Exchange – November 30 – December 22 at Artist Proof Gallery

Check here for a further list of markets - http://www.calgarycraftsales.com

More about Etsy.com

Etsy is an artist community and website where anyone can sign up to sell their handmade or vintage goods. Look for the buy local function and you'll be able to support a local artist.  Not only will your purchase enable artists to continue to do what they love, you will be helping to support Etsy’s grand mission - to empower people to change the way the global economy works and to help create a world in which very-very small businesses have much-much more sway in shaping the economy, local living economies are thriving everywhere, and people value authorship and provenance as much as price and convenience. Etsy aspires to bring heart to commerce and make the world more fair, more sustainable, and more fun.

View a list of all of our Green Giving ideas HERE (updated daily)

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The High Price of Materialism

An interesting video from The Centre for the New American Dream on the real cost our societies infatuation with materialism has on our selves, our communities, and the world at large.

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Christmas Gift Idea #2

How wonderful would it be to open a gift filled with 16 weeks of the freshest fruit and veggies you have ever experienced? A share (or half share) in a CSA would make an incredible gift for anyone on your list!
Green Calgary is a huge advocate of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) - A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. You purchase a share in the farm, and receive food produced on the farm as return on your investment. A typical CSA will cost around $500.00 for a full share or $250.00 for a half share (a half share is easily enough food for two adults). In return, you will receive fresh produce, herbs and greens for the entire growing season- typically around 16 weeks. The food you get from these suppliers is incredible! Fresher, tastier, in season, direct, and you get a TON of food for your contribution plus you are directly helping to support small, local, organic producers in our community!

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Christmas Gift Idea #1

What is better than enjoying a musical event amongst fans and enthusiasts on a summer’s day?  Simple - getting to go for free.  Calgary Folk Music Festival and Sled Island both have Christmas sales for next year’s events.  If these are not your style, look up your other favourite local festivals or maybe even look at what concerts are coming to Calgary.  Now for those creative thinkers out there who have a particular show they want to see, buy that special someone a ticket and now you have your music buddy (although I recommend making it is a show they’ll enjoy as well).

Also for the record, this was actually written by Gina Staley...I guess I should get my own log in :-P

View a list of all of our Green Giving ideas HERE (updated daily)

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Green Calgary’s 12 Days of Green Gift Giving

Want to have a low impact Christmas but not ready to completely give up the gifts (many of us here aren’t!)?  We'd like to share twelve great gift ideas with you that may work to satisfy your Christmas gifting without the side of guilt.

Gifts are a great way to make someone feel special and show them you care, especially if they are chosen thoughtfully.  We’ve all received gifts that don’t make their way out of the packaging, which can be a huge waste of resources.  Let’s be thoughtful this Christmas, take the time and ensure that what we spend our hard earned money or valuable time on will find a grateful home.  Perhaps this year we can work towards creating a ‘Slow Christmas’, implementing the principles of the slow food movement by taking the time to create, bake, build, share or seek out that perfect gift.

12 Days of Green Gift Giving Ideas!
(Click the link for each day to take you to detailed posts filled with tons of information)

DAY 1: Festival Passes or Concert Tickets

Day 2: Gifts that keep on Giving - CSA's, Organic Food Delivery and 'Gift of the Month' Ideas

Day 3: Buy something beautiful, handmade and truly unique

Day 4: A Collective Gift to Charity

Day 5: Get your Green Gifts from Green Calgary

Day 6: Shows, Plays and Musicals Oh My!

Day 7: DIY gifts are a thoughtful alternative, and a lot more fun!

Day 8: Skill building for fun

Day 9: Spread the Wealth

Day 10: Share with those in need

Day 11: Our favourite places

Day 12: The gift of pampering

Happy Holidays from Green Calgary!

This post was written by Kate Zago, Gina Staley and Jessica Duchin

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Sustainable Gift Giving - Part 3: Homemade Cleaning Products

Here at Green Calgary we LOVE advocating for and sharing resources on making your own natural household cleaning products. Aside from the overwhelming health and environmental impacts, massive cost savings, and noticeable improved indoor air quality, there is something to be said about the gratifying feeling of accomplishment when you make something with your own two hands!

We wanted to share some of our favourite recipes with all of you, but also wanted to let you know, Green Calgary has a downloadable Green Cleaning Guide with simple ideas on how to clean just about everything under the sun. Also, our Green Products sections sells an amazing book called The Clean Home Handbook written and published by our very own Lauren Mangion (Lauren works on our Healthy Homes program and also has a small business called Conscious Home). Her book is a wealth of knowledge and is available for purchase for only $10.00. In the mean time, here are a few recipes to get you started. Each of these is made from very basic ingredients (most of which you likely have kicking around your house) - white vinegar, Castile soap, lemon juice, baking soda, and water (with the option to use pure essential oils for a natural added scent).

Ingredients and containers for storing your products in can be found at:
Community Natural Foods
Soap and More
And most other natural foods grocery stores.

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Happy Buy Nothing Day!

Today marks the 20th anniversary of “Buy Nothing Day”,. A movement founded to bring awareness to hyper consumerism and the environmental, social and political impact our comsumptive habits have. The first step in a lasting lifestyle commitment to consume less and produce less waste.

Consider the upcoming holiday season- Could you enjoy a “Buy Nothing Christmas”?  If that’s too extreme, what about a "Buy Less Christmas" with a focus on local, fair trade, or home-made gifts? Take this time to reflect and make the choices that will be most meaningful to you and the world around us. 

In support of Buy Nothing Day, Green Calgary is closed today. We will reopen tomorrow, Saturday November 26th, from 11am - 3pm. 

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Sustainable Gift Giving - Part 2: Homemade Deodorant, Lip Balm & Bath Salts

Part two of our Sustainable Gift Giving workshop focused on making your own gifts. We made a few different body care items, but also talked about ideas around gifts that aren't necessarily a physical thing. Think about gifts of time, effort or skill sharing. Sharing these very personal and thoughtful ideas with the ones you love the most is incredible for both the giver AND receiver, and really, isn't that what the holidays are all about? 

 Below are a few recipes we shared for natural deodorant, handmade lip balm, and naturally scented bath salts.

Marcie’s Homemade Deodorant

2 Tablespoons shea butter
3 Tablespoons baking soda (works as a deodorizer)
2 Tablespoons corn starch (works as a mild antiperspirant)
2 Tablespoons cocoa butter
2 Tablespoon coconut oil
2 vitamin E oil gel caps (puncture and squeeze out the oil)
Essential Oil

Directions:

Melt all the ingredients (except the essential oils) into a pot and give it a good stir. This should only take a minute or two, then add the oils you have chosen and stir again. Do not let the mixture reach boiling point. Pour mixture into a glass jar, and place in the fridge to set. This recipe will fill a 1/4 pint sized jar. Scoop a little bit out of the jar, roll it into a pea-sized ball, and rub it in. This jar will last you at least 3 or 4 months.

If you have really sensitive skin you can also add a few drops of calendula extract to your mixture, baking soda can be irritating for some individuals and the calendula will help the onset of any rashes or skin irritations.

*You can use any essential oil you like, and the amount will vary too on how strong you want it to smell. I like scents such as ylang ylang or orange, or lavender and vanilla. Because of the cocoa butter already provides a bit a scent, I had to add more essential oil then I thought to get the scent I was looking for.

Ingredients- ready to go!

Marcie’s Homemade Lip Balm

1 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp cocoa butter
1 tsp beeswax or soy wax
4 tsp shea butter
2 vitamin E capsules

*This recipe is unscented. So you can add anything you’d like to it. I suggest essential oils, extracts such as vanilla or mint or crushed berries like cranberries or raspberries.
If you are making them with crushed berries be sure to strain them first so no seeds get into your lip glass.

Directions
Melt all ingredients together in a pot. Once mixture is well blended, remove from heat and pour into a small jar. Allow to set in fridge until hardened.  

Pretty Little Packages

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Sustainable Gift Giving - Part 1: Alternative Gift Wrapping Ideas

With the holidays quickly sneaking up on us, we held our monthly Healthy Homes Sustainability Series on Sustianable Gift Giving. A workshop focused on gifts that are simple, cost effective and unique, it was an evening filled with and great ideas, lots of smilesand a ton of information presented  so we thought it would be great to share it with all of you on the blog. Todays entry is all about alternative gift wrapping ideas- we know that traditional gift wrap is offten non-recyclable, (and expensive) and all the gift tags, ribbon and decorations associated with wrapping presents can create a serious amount of waste going to the landfill, so we put together a few ideas that will mimize the impace on the environment while still looking beautiful. If you think about the packaging on your gift as part of the the gift itself, it will often dramatically change how and what you use to wrap your gifts.

Alternative Gift Wrapping Ideas

• Gift bags – Make your own fabric giftbags or reuse old gift bags or good quality paper bags from retail stores. Baskets work well for this too.
• Clothe wrapping ‘paper’ made form natural fibres like burlap or cotton - easily reused for many presents to come
• Japanese furoshiki wraps - any scrap fabric, repurposed scarves (a gift in iteself!), clothe napkins or tea towels will all work wonderfully for this.
• Brown craft paper - made of recycled content, unbleached and easily reusable and recyclable materis. You could also use paper grocery bags cut and turned inside out
• Newspaper (think of how beautiful day-old Chineses newsprint from China town would look!),
• Old maps, phonebook pages or sheet music etc… all make for great alternatives to glittery non-recyclable and often expensive gift wrap.
• Mason jars are inexpensive and are great for gift giving- they make a beautiful container for baking or gift of food (my favourite is soup!) or toss in some fabric or paper scraps and ‘wrap’ small presents, gift cards or money
• Skip the wrapping all together and opt for a scavenger hunt with sentimental clues!

• Use stamps (why not try a simple potato stamp?) to imprint bags, plain fiber wraps or paper. Simple graphic patterns in a festive colour can go a long way for prettying up even the plainest of packages
• Save remnants of yarn, ribbons from gifts you have received (or crave cupcakes?), or use natural fiber jute or hemp twine (these can both be composted!) as ties for your pretty little packages.
  (Store and save remnants on clothespins for easy storage and tangle-free organization)
• Rethink produce packaging- use mesh bags from onions, avocados or garlic as a pretty decoration on a simple box.
• Use repurposed Christmas ornaments as a pretty addition to your package, or find a beautiful ornament to give as part of your gift and add it to the outside of the package. (Ten thousand villages always has an amazing collection of unique, fair-trade ornaments for sale)
• In gift bags, rather than using a whole bunch of tissue paper, try old newsprint and a sheet or two of coloured tissue- you will be surprised at the impact a small block of colour can have!

• Write or paint the recipients name directly on the package. Large block writing can become a great decoration to an otherwise simple package
• Use small scraps of fabric that would otherwise be useless as a gift tag.
• Use scrap paper to cut a block letter of the first initial of the recipient's name. Again, this adds a pretty decorative element as well as a personalized touch.
• Clothes pins look cute, but can also serve as a gift tag- write the recipients name directly on them, or use a small scrap of paper to attach to it
• Use old maps or sheet music and cut simple shapes to use as tags- think squares, hearts or circles.

• As an alternative to packing peanuts and bubble wrap, why not use air popped popcorn, shredded newspaper, cedar boughs, or raw peanuts with the shell still on
• Instead of wrapping each present inside a parcel, why not wrap the parcel it self? Imagine the excitement of picking up a beautifully wrapped package from Canada post with a note saying not to open until Christmas! (I like to think the postal workers get a smile from it too!)

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Kensington Street Art

The other day, James and I were wandering around Kensington, and came across some pretty cute street art. Simple but inspiring sayings with an underlying 'community building' tone- just little tid bits of information to make you stop, think and hopefully act!

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The Story of Broke

A really interesting video on the state of the economy from 'The Story of Stuff' creator, Annie Leonard.

Annie will be in Edmonton on Thursday November 17th at 7:00pm for a speaking engagement at the University of Alberta. Sure to be a wonderful evening! For more information, Click HERE.

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Benefits of Clay Paint & Plasters

Ashley Lubyk (of 'Ask Ashley' fame) and his wonderful partner, Heather, have a business called Dirt Craft. They offers hands-on natural building workshops, including earth ovens, rocket stoves, small structures and earth plasters.

I stumbled upon this video of Ashley talking about the overwhelming benefits of using clay based paints and plasters in your home and thought I would share it with all of you! Dirt Craft also has a workshop coming up on December 3rd and 4th, 2011 about making and applying your own clay plasters and paints. It's sure to be an amazing time packed with tons of information and many great conversations. Visit their website for more for more information or to register.

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Welcome to our Blog!!

Green Calgary is very excited to launch our new blog! Check here regularly for fun articles about cool things happening in our city and in other cities around the world! We will do our best to update this space regularly and fill it with content that everyone will enjoy. In the mean time, feel free to send us your idea's,  thoughts and feedback- email us, send us a facebook message or a tweet!

(While you're at it, check out this cool article on repurposing your old incandescent light bulbs into bud vases! found via Pinterest)

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