Wednesday, June 24, 2015

5 Ways to Green a kids Birthday Party

http://sogreenithurts.blogspot.ca/2015/06/5-ways-to-green-kids-birthday-party.html
It is hard enough to convince your partner and children to make 'green' changes in your home, and it can be harder to even consider asking in- laws or your kids friends parents to get on board with your zainy planet saving ideas.


Stick to your values though and know that what you are doing is greatly appreciated by our future earth inhibitors. One thing I have learned over the last few years about having specific requests for different family rituals is to give people a few trys and keep politely reinforcing- eventually they will get it. Also respect others peoples rituals or do not interfere with theirs, like skip the part you don't want to be involved instead of asking them to change everything for you, if you want people to respect your rituals you have to respect theirs.

Here are my wacky ideas to green your kids birthday party.



Presence not presents

Request no presents
or request second hand presents
or request donations in loo of presents to give your child's favorite charity
or ask for 'experience' gifts (lessons, tickets, days out, ect. )

Think Im crazy? Here is why having tons of stuff is not good for children and here is why 'stuff' is not good for the environment. Present giving has become so impersonal and unthoughtful and it puts undue financial pressures on people- let's change the world and forget about present giving...please.


Martha Stewart up some crafts


Disposable products use resources, chemicals, and cheap labour to be made- not to mention the emissions from traveling across the world. Any décor and wrapping paper can be made at home out of recycled paper or my favorite- newspaper- already destined for the recycle bin and free! You could always just skip the decorations all together.
Bust out the good dishes

Instead of buying disposable dishes, cups, napkins, and cutlery use your own- if you don't have enough grab another set at the salvation army real cheap and stash them in a box when not in use. As mentioned above disposable stuff might be cheap and easy but has big environmental and social implications.



Make them into mini stewards


The main activity could be planting trees or seeds, a nature walk, or head over to your local environmental organization and participate in, or hire a private educational guide. The kids program at Gamiing Nature Centre is super interactive, fun, and educational- an experience the kids will remember more than a bouncy castle!




Send home memories not stuff

If you planted seeds than that is a great send home, but other than that we are again talking about stuff that uses resources and lets face it- ends up in the landfill faster than it takes to get made, skip the loot bags I promise the kids wont miss them.



Be bold, be creative, be different! In- laws, kids parents, and kids wont know the difference-but you know who will- the planet :)


Our family celebrated our son's first birthday last weekend. We attended Bird's of Prey at Gamiing on the Saturday and than had a zero waste picnic at Green Up's Ecology Park and Food Forest on the Sunday. I got to skip the decoration making, support and show off a green space provided by an environmental organization, and I had a no present rule so actually it was an easy thing to do.



Thanks for reading my blog!
Julia Taylor
@sogreenithurts
on Facebook



Wednesday, June 17, 2015

How to Help Environmental Organizations in Kawartha Lakes- with list of all active organizations

sogreenithurts.blogspot.caSometimes a click of the mouse is all it takes to put money in the pocket of your favorite environmental organization.

If your thinking that you love this planet we call home and want to get more involved here is how you can do it right here in Kawartha Lakes with local organizations that are doing
so much to protect
the environment and our health.


Participate Online

The easiest thing you can do to help an environmental organization doesn't even require you to leave your living room- all you have to do is like, share, comment, retweet, favorite, or click on a post. The more you do these things the further the organizations message goes, so even if you cannot make it to an event; liking or sharing it spreads the message, and you could say counts as volunteering.

There is allot of online voting contests these days and all you have to do is vote for an organizations ideas and they could receive large amounts of money. Sometimes voting requires you to register with another website, and possibly receive some more mail to your junk box, but is that really a big inconvenience when every vote is potentially hard cash? -Not really.

Some contests just ask you to comment on their post or share a picture, guess a location ect... such an easy way to support organizations that take care of our environment (and potentially win prizes). Speaking of- be sure to 'Like' CKL's Waste Management Facebook page- they run some pretty cool contests.

Attend events or check out their grounds

Often events offered by these organizations are free or cost very little money so go and check them out- believe me you will get addicted to the amazing spaces they have to offer, not to mention the benefits of being in nature for your mental and physical health. There is a ton of educational information too so you will be smarter for attending.

Donate time or money

If you don't have money to donate consider your time. The great thing about volunteering is you can try it and if it doesn't work out for you- than you stop, also you can pick when, where, for how long, which tasks you want to perform ect..although you will need to be reliable and come with an enthusiastic 'up for anything' kind of attitude. Volunteering has many mental health benefits- meeting people that have the same interests as you, joy in giving back to a worthy cause, being apart of a community, and even life and work experience fit for a resume.

Got money not time? An easy affordable way to support organizations financially is to purchase a membership, often these cost very little but support in a big way, of course if you have a bunch of money- than go all out! Sometimes organizations will have wish lists of items they need that you may have lying around the house, saving them money, so kind of like donating money!


Here is a list of all of the amazing
environmental organizations in our community
Please consider getting involved with one or more of them!
(click on the name to go to their website)


Gamiing Nature Centre

Gamiing is a not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to sharing the enjoyment and importance of living in harmony with nature by balancing human needs with the needs of nature, working together towards sustainable ecosystems and stewardship of our natural resources and heritage for our and future generations. We do this with effective outdoor environmental programs for children and adults. At Gamiing beyond the programs are: a Native Nursery, a beautiful Forest with about 7km of trails,30 acres of Wetland, and Geocaches.

Peterborough Green Up

For more than 20 years, GreenUP has been central and eastern Ontario’s leading organization focused on issues of environmental education, sustainability, and stewardship. A registered charity, we partner with individuals, businesses, other non-profit organizations and governments. Together we work to ensure that our region maintains its long standing track record of environmental leadership in Ontario and across Canada. Green UP is an active community organization offering dozens of programs and services to those living both full time and seasonally in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. Our programs focus on facilitating positive action and provide the tools to make small changes in their home or cottage that can create a large and lasting impact on our environment.

Kawartha Land Trust

KLT is a non-governmental organization and a registered charity dedicated to acquiring land and interests in land and maintaining it in a natural state.

Kawartha Field Naturalists

The Kawartha Field Naturalists is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of our heritage. Meetings, guest speakers and field trips are the means of providing our members with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the natural environment.

Kawartha Conservation Foundation

Kawartha Conservation is a watershed-based, non-profit organization. Balancing environmental capacity and human need, we manage natural resource features that are essential for sustaining water quality and quantity, through watershed planning, stewardship, environmental monitoring and research, and management of conservation and natural areas.


Environmental Action Bobcaygeon

Environmental Action Bobcaygeon, a not-for-profit organization. Our mandate is to encourage, promote, and complete projects that will benefit the environment and the community. They are responsible for Wilderness park.

Kawartha Lake Steward Association

The Kawartha Lake Stewards Association is a non profit, completely volunteer organization of cottagers and year-round residents formed to monitor the water quality of the Kawartha Lakes.

Lindsay Community Gardens

Lindsay Community Garden where people and plants become friends. Not only does the garden support a plethora of fruit and vegetables, but the growers also donate some of the harvested produce to food banks and A Place Called Home

Kawartha Woodlott Association

The OWA promotes the sustainable management of Ontario's privately owned forest by providing our members with guidance and advice, and by representing their interests through a united provincial voice. We are working to ensure that Ontario’s privately owned forest will always contribute to the health of our society, our environment and the economy.

Eco Stewards of Fenelon Falls

The Eco Stewards built, monitor, and maintain replica chimneys for roost and nest sites for 'Chimney Swifts' a bird that is becoming scarce. They Raise, tag, and release monarch butterflies, and are currently planting wild flowers with 'Friends of Lock 32' after making seed bombs with students from Fenelon High. They are currently looking for help with planting the wildflowers and are also looking to connect with landowners around Cameron and Sturgeon Lakes that have nesting Purple Martins on their property. To get involved please email Judy

Environmental Advisory Committee

The Mission of the City of Kawartha Lakes Environmental Advisory Committee is to support council in the achievement of environmental goals and policies of the City of Kawartha Lakes. This includes the maintenance and where necessary the improvement of  water and air quality and quantity. Reducing the amount of waste and the impact of waste on the environment. The protection and conservation of natural systems, and other items identified by council. The mission will be achieved through implementation of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan; including public education initiatives, environmental projects, monitoring outcomes, and input onto other environmental issues or initiatives identified.

Fenelon/Ops Landfill Public Review Committee

The PRC shall serve as a focal point for dissemination, consultation, review and exchange of information regarding the operation of the landfill sites, including environmental monitoring, maintenance, complaint resolution and new approvals or amendments to existing approvals related to the operation of the landfill sites. It is a group of citizens made up of individuals who commonly represent the broader public on issues dealing with landfills and waste management.

Frost Sustainable Campus Initiative

In our 2005-2010 Strategic Plan, Fleming College set the goal to lead Ontario’s post secondary institutions with respect to environmental programs and practices. The Frost Campus is playing a leadership role in achieving this goal, through the programs offered at the School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences and by the intensity of its sustainable institutional practices. In January 2006, we launched the Frost Sustainable Campus Initiative to encompass the full range of green steps, events, and activities designed to support the achievement of our goal. Check out their Facebook page


STORM Coalition

Save The Oak Ridges Moraine Coalition is focused on protecting the ecological integrity of the Oak Ridges Moraine. Since 1989, STORM has been working at the local and regional levels to ensure that municipalities make good planning decisions that respect the environmental significance of the moraine and that take into account its ecological and hydrological functions.

A Greener Future

A Greener Future works hand-in-hand with local communities to promote environmental preservation through organized litter clean ups, educational programs, and events. Our expanding family of volunteers are committed to creating a clean, healthy environment that can be sustained for generations.


National Environmental Organizations
that often overlap into our community



Thanks for reading my blog! I post weekly on Wednesdays, and if you don't want to miss it please like my Facebook page or follow me on twitter @sogreenithurts
Julia Taylor

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Green Events Calendar

sogreenithurts.blogspot.ca

June 2015
 
 
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