Since the 1950's 8.3 billion tons of plastic has been generated around the world and only 23 per cent of those plastics have been recovered or recycled. It is estimated that an additional 12 billion tonnes of plastic will be lost to disposal by 2050. If you want to be part of the solution there are numerous small changes you can incorporate into your everyday living that over time will have a large impact on the imprint you have on the health of our planet.
Here are our top picks for products that can help to reduce your carbon footprint and replace single use products.
#1. Corkcicle water bottles and tumblers. Did you know that each year over 100 billion single use cups are disposed of? Or that we consume 2.5 billion liters of bottled water every year?
Made from stainless steel they are highly durable and keep your beverage hot or cold for an insanely long time. You can say 'sayonara' to single use plastic water bottles and hello to a canteen that is durable and plastic free!
#6 Swedish Dishcloths Made from cotton and plant-based cellulose fibres, these 100% compostable dishcloths are an established must-have for replacing paper towel. The sponge like abilities to absorb liquids make them the perfect replacement for paper alternatives. The production of paper towel in the U.S. leads to the deforestation of 110 million trees per year, and the use of 130 billion gallons of water. Comparably huge amounts of energy are required to manufacture and deliver it from the factory to the store, causing plenty of carbon dioxide to be emitted into the atmosphere. After a single use, some 3,000 tons ends up in the landfill annually where it generates methane gas that’s strongly implicated as a cause of climate change.
There are many more sustainable products like wooden handled toothbrushes, natural laundry detergents that keep chemicals out of the waterways or reusable coffee filter in place of the menace k-cups filling landfills. If it all seems to overwhelming I just encourage you to implement just one thing to help reduce your footprint. Even just reading this post and being aware of the impact the products you choose to use have on the environment and the earths creatures will greatly help to reduce the amount of waste ending up in our landfills and encourage a more sustainable way of living.
Ever since I can remember I have had a love for plants and the color green. There is something very comforting and relaxing about caring for plants and potting them up in unique arrangements has become a form of meditation for me. I have always dreamed of having my own little greenhouse heaven or 'jungalow' in the backyard. Last spring I decided it was time to make it happen.
I began researching kits and had actually purchased a Palram greenhouse which turned out to be really flimsy and poorly made. We returned the Palram and decided to undertake a major DIY project. It just so happened that we came across an ad for 6 glass patio sliding doors on a facebook garage sale page while looking for old windows. Priced at $300 I figured this would be a good start on the walls and we would keep looking for more second hand windows to complete it. To our surprise when we went to pick up these glass doors there were 24 individual glass panes and more than enough to build a tiny glass house for me and my plant friends!
We really had no idea what the heck we were doing or how this glass house was going to go together so, we decided to fly by the seat of our pants and just see where it took us. We started by building a base with 4" x 8" skids and fastened them together with lag bolts and corner brackets that my hubby welded up.
Our next move was to build the walls so that each window panel would fit within the studs. This worked out for the most part but the width of our structure wouldn't allow us to fit the patio doors in the center back or front openings. Luckily my father in law had an old PVC window kicking around that fit perfectly in the opening in the back wall. After much discussion as to how we were going to hold the windows in place we decided that we would use 1 x 6 pine boards for the outside trim and a 2" x 2" board on the inside to 'sandwich' the windows in place.
In the photo above you can see how we trimmed out the exterior with stained 1" x 6" pine. This not only acts as a means to hold the patio door panels in place it also ended up looking pretty sharp. We applied silicone to the aluminum frames of the windows and then fit them in between the studs and snug to the 1" x 6" trim boards. We then fastened 2" x 2" pine on the inside of each frame to hold the windows in place and tight to the 1" x 6" boards
We followed the same steps for the roof as we did for the walls. Once we had decided on the proper pitch and fabricated the rafters it was a fairly simple process. We worked from the inside out, starting with the 2" boards fastened to the proper depth on the rafters so that the windows could be saddled in between each rafter and we wouldn't have to contend with the weight of panels while we worked to secure them in place.
Since our gable ends still remained open we found a product called lexan which is much more durable than plexiglass and resists yellowing. Although expensive I believe it was worth the investment and it helped maintain the overall aesthetic I had envisioned. We chose to make the ridge cap movable so that it could be raised or lowered to act as a means of exhausting extra heat during the summer. We used a peg and hole method and the ridge cap can be easily dropped or lifted by one person. I happened to have an old door from an office building kicking around that I had been holding onto for the perfect project. With the addition of some barn door style sliding hardware it sealed the greenhouse off perfectly. Our final steps were to build benches, shelving and to hard wire electrical plugs into the greenhouse so that I can run fans and have lighting when I decide to stay in the greenhouse way past dark.
This project consumed our evenings and much of our weekends for about 6 weeks. Having used up-cycled materials and found items for the bulk of the project I was able to keep the expenses down to about $2200. Although I spent more than I had originally planned to, I believe it was worth every penny. Last summer we had some of the worst wind storms I have ever experienced in Saskatchewan and I never worried for a second that my greenhouse was going to blow away in the wind. Had I stuck with my original plan I am sure the Palram greenhouse would have been destroyed.
Unfortunately the cost to heat the greenhouse through the winter months of 40 below would be astronomical here in Canada. Currently I only plan on using the greenhouse from the end of March thru October but hope to devise a cost effective plan to heat it for year round use in the future. If you happen to have any suggestions on cost effective heating I would greatly appreciate the input! It seems like this winter has been dragging on and on and I cannot wait for warm spring days to get back out in my little jungalow and play in the dirt. I hope my DIY greenhouse has inspired you to take on a project of your own and discover how wonderful and relaxing a green space can be!
Happy gardening!
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FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT
Once you announce that you are planning to marry you're likely to get a lot of feedback and suggestions from outside sources as to what you should do, shouldn't do, who you have to invite, what DJ you should hire, food you should serve etc. It is important that as a couple you sit down and decide what the most important things to you both are. I mean aside from the ceremony and becoming husband and wife, what are the things that you most want in your memories of the big day.
HIRE A GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER
Hiring a photographer was one of the first things I did. Chances are if you are hiring a quality photographer they will likely be booked nearly every weekend through the summer months so you have to make sure you contact them in advance to book your wedding. Beautiful photos to look back on were an absolute must. When talking to other post wedding brides that was the piece of advice most of them provided. A good photographer will not only preserve moments in time they will make moments in time. Having someone with a fun personality and the confidence to make suggestions will help take the edge off everyone and foster an environment that feels more natural. Age old saying of you get what you pay for held true and photography is where I chose to spend a good chunk of our budget. If you are in southern Saskatchewan check out Dane Roy Photography out of Moosejaw, he is amazing! http://www.daneroy.ca/
CHOOSE THE RIGHT VENUE
Ever hear the phrase "you can't put lipstick on a pig!" well it is true! LOL The location you choose for your ceremony and reception is the biggest factor in setting the mood and providing good 'vibes'...Ambiance is everything! The venue you choose is going to set the tone for the entire event. Considering everything from an outdoor location or a large hall, the type of lighting, seating and tables available to the floor plan and overall structure of buildings is so important. We wanted a place where our guests could relax, stay the weekend and enjoy the outdoors. We were fortunate enough to be able to have my entire wedding outdoors at a beautiful little camp in the valley and the location itself with all of the old buildings provided so much of the charm and whimsy that our guests felt that day. People were able to camp, sit around the fire and thankfully the weather cooperated and we were able to have the ceremony and reception both take place outdoors. Rental of the camp cost more than renting one of our local halls but it was worth every penny to be surrounded by our guests all weekend.
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS!!!
This is an ongoing life lesson for me but I am learning! The highly creative and ambitious side of me had all of these amazing ideas and wanted everything to be perfect (after all this is how I make a living) and for the most part it was but, I had completely stressed myself out over things that really didn't matter in the end. There were additional decor installations that I had prepped for and planned to do, guest welcome gifts for those spending the weekend with us that never got made and games tables that never got setup and when the day had come and gone did anyone know the difference and did it really matter in the end? NOPE! I completely drove myself mad for a few months leading up to the wedding trying to fit every wild idea that came into my highly imaginative brain into just a few days... don't get carried away!
HAVE A GOOD TEAM AND DELEGATE DELEGATE DELEGATE!
Having a solid wedding party and family to help makes the preparation leading up to the big day go so much smoother. LOL We were so fortunate to have a great group of friends and family to help us pull off what seemed to be the impossible and keep us calm when we started to panic. It poured cats and dogs and the wind howled the day of setup but everyone pulled together and we got it all done. If you don't feel confident to go it alone hire help. Most wedding planners and stylists can help with the entire event or simply to help you gather inspiration, provide vendor lists, help with set up
Above all have fun and enjoy the day. It goes by quick
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