3 Ways We Are Donating All Wrong

What do you mean nobody wants my 30 year old toaster??




If you are de cluttering after Christmas chances are you are taking a trip to your favourite local thrift shop to donate some pre loved goodies, but are you helping them? 

Here is two pet peeves from staff at my favourite thrift shop, the Salvation Army in Fenelon Falls.


Thrift Store Rejects

If you wouldn't buy it, they cant sell it. If your like me you hate to send anything to the dump, but if your sending trash to the donation box, they have to pay for it to be sent to the dump, so please only send resealable items to the donation bin. Textiles are the exception here, tired old clothes and linens can be bailed and sold in bulk to be recycled. Put all unworthy textiles in a separate bag and mark it as rags.

Hoarding Stuff From The Seventies

Another complaint from Rachel, the manager, is that people hold onto things for too long. Sure outdated thing sometimes come back into popularity but her wish is that people would share so things have a better chance of having a second life with a new owner. A good rule of thumb is that if you have not used or worn it in the past year, time to get rid of it.

Sneaky Midnight Drop Off's

This one is my pet peeve. The last time I visited the Salvation Army it was pouring rain and their was an employee picking up a bag of soaking wet clothing someone had left behind during off hours, otherwise known as hours they do not accept donations. Do you think they took the time to dry this stuff out to save it for resale- probably not, it probably went to dumpster along with that 30 year old toaster. If your in a jam and have to get rid of stuff off hours search out a donation box- conveniently located in at least one parking lot somewhere in your town. To find a location click here.

Now go get your donate on- properly:)

Thanks for reading my blog!
Julia Taylor
@soGREENithurts
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Toxic People Are Bad For Your Environment

Community, connectedness, and compassion
are all important parts of a 'green' lifestyle.

I had an enlightening moment last year- I discovered that people can be toxic.

Someone who has nothing nice to say about anything, including their best friends and people they love. They attract all sorts of bad interactions, bad friendships, and dramatic feuds. They make you feel drained, think bad things about yourself, and can even spread their toxicity to you.

When I realized there was this type of person it was a huge weight off of my shoulders because I realized that I could have this happy life where I didn't feel criticised, where I was surrounded by people who loved and supported me and didn't say or even think bad things about me- once I cut out the toxic people in my life, or at least limited my time with them, and understood they were that way.

This was also a sad process for me. Not only did I realize I have some of these toxic traits, and I have failed interactions and friendships in the past (I can think of a time when I stood in front of a whole group of people talking shit about someone, yup a real dick move) but also how much of it is out there, and being a quasi compassionate person naturally; trying to let go of these people makes me feel sad- I don't want to hurt them. Also now that I'm aware I'm really sensitive to it- I notice it right away in people and I can see how unattractive it is to be a negative Nelly. 

Since I realized this I have been able to curb my own negative thought patterns- check out my blog

 'How To Not Be Judged'

Find out if you are toxic and how to improve HERE

I'm not saying it is easy to let go of negative thought patterns or that all of a sudden I'm a perfect person- I have still failed friendships and interactions with people since I realized this, but the more I become aware of mine and other people's thought process the more I can work on being a better person and having better relationships with people. I also want to say that you should not give up on toxic people all together, after all they are hurt too and maybe you can spread some positivity into their lives.

I'm sharing this personal story because I want the people in my life (including the readers of this blog) to feel supported and loved, free from judgements- and if I'm toxic, or spending time with toxic people I cannot offer that to people, nor will I get it back. 

Compassion and respect for different values is something we have lost touch with- we instead focus on success, having more money, having more stuff- but does having all of that really enhance our lives? Nope- having meaningful relationships with people does.

There is always time to work on being a better person.

Thanks for reading my blog-
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Julia Taylor
@soGREENithurts
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#PresenceNOTpresents

Do you remember the presents you got for Christmas when you were a kid?




It’s Easy Being Green

My column for The Promoter

Back in Grade 6 at Langton PS in Mr Somer's class I won an essay writing contest with The Fenelon Falls Gazette about the meaning of Christmas.

I wrote about giving instead of receiving- probably trying to score brownie points to get more presents. If only I had of known all of the things I know now back then...

“Dear 11 year old Julia,

It is me, Julia- the smarter, older you from the future. I'm writing to tell you that I do not remember one single gift that I received at Christmas, or any gift I gave, nor do the people that received these gifts remember what I gave them. 

What I do remember is how my mom let me decorate the house and the tree, and even her restaurant. I remember fondue on Christmas Eve and family meals around my grandparent’s tables. I remember having the whole week to hang out with my brothers and staying in our pyjamas for the whole Christmas day.

I’m telling you this because Christmas is not about giving or receiving, it is about time. Time spent with people that you love, and if I could trade in every Barbie and Ninja Turtle doll that I got, I would trade it for more time with my family to make more memories. So when you write your meaning of Christmas essay and your letter to Santa ask for presence not presents.

Ask for experiences."


This Christmas show your love to your family and this beautiful earth by giving presence not presents.

Thanks for reading my blog!
Julia Taylor
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World's Greenest Gingerbread House

This is my entry for the Gingerbread House Competition at Fenelon Falls Santa Day. Not a winner but received an honourable mention and a 'Participant' ribbon.

The judges said allot of people were talking about it and asking about it! There was really awesome entries and I will step it up for next year now that I know how real it is.

Thanks to my friend Wendy for helping me put it together!

Please follow me to read my weekly blog posts about going green in Kawartha Lakes!

Merry Christmas!

Julia Taylor
sogreenithurts.blogspot.ca
@soGREENithurts
Facebook

Merry Waste-Less

"Let us be protectors of creation, protectors of one another, and the environment" 

-Pope Francis





Since Christmas is originally about Jesus Christ I thought it appropriate to share this quote. As we prepare for the busiest holiday of them all we can prepare also to reduce our waste- a big part of protecting our environment.


Here is a list of wasteful items found at the holiday feast and they're zero waste alternatives.


Paper plates and plastic utensils

Use regular dishes and utensils, if you do not have enough, grab a set really cheap at the Salvation Army, and if you don't have room in the cupboard for sets of extra plates throw them in a box and stash them away until the next family dinner, even if you are not hosting next time you could offer to bring them, reducing waste over and over again!


Paper napkins and paper towels

Use washable napkins and tea towels, you know the fancy napkins are sitting in the drawer for special events, well this is their time to shine!


Saran wrap, Tinfoil, and ziplock baggies

Use tupperwear and cooking dishes with lids, you could also invest in reusable cake/pie trays or bigger tupperwear pieces for these types of occasions. I grabbed a corning wear dish with a glass lid for roasting vegetables at the Salvation Army for $4!

Plastic trays from pre cooked foods

Use reusable containers and take them to shop at a local bakery/butcher. If you do end up buying some save them for next time or fill them with your own home cooked goods. The same goes for chocolate too, find a local chocolate maker- your gonna thank me for this one, you will never eat factory chocolate again!

Grocery and produce bags

Don't forget your cloth bags and try to not use produce bags- I know that allot of people are uncomfortable with this idea, so just try it for produce that you cut the skin off to eat (squash, melons, bananas, ect..)




You might have allot of this stuff kicking around or you might have to invest a few bucks, but for every pound of plastic refused or reused we save a pound of climate pollution from entering our air!


Don't forget to have a plan to deal with all that extra recycling!


Thanks for reading my blog!
Julia Taylor

How To Green Your Christmas Décor- No DIY

Save green by going green this Christmas.











I 'Martha Stewart-ed ' this Christmas tree at the Salvation Army in Fenelon Falls.

Real talk- It is definitely missing something. I could tell you that the picture doesn't do it justice, or that I was leaving that last final touch to your imagination, but the truth is I made the super smart decision to attempt this with my 1.5, and 3 year old- big thanks to the staff who put up with us for this endeavour to show the world how much quality, nice, clean, Christmas décor second hand stores have.

The amount of Christmas stuff at this location is insane, I could have decorated 10 trees with just the stuff available for purchase, (tree's included) not including the 6 plus skids yet to be sorted in the back.

The point I'm trying to make is 

The resources and pollution that go into making and shipping all of this plastic décor is terrible for our environment, and by environment- I mean our health. Equally as harmful is this stuff sitting in a landfill breaking down for 500 years after we are through with it, and you know that is where it ends up eventually.

We need this earth more than we need Christmas décor for one month a year, and reducing our consumption of new goods is one of the most powerful things we can personally do to reduce our footprint on this place we call home.

Consider shopping second hand next time you need anything- you are going to be so surprised how much quality used merch is at these places. My favourite for selection and price in Kawartha Lakes is the giant Salvation Army Thrift Store in Fenelon Falls. (check out all of the amazing stuff this organization does here)



As always thanks for reading my blog- to see my weekly post's follow me by clicking below
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Julia Taylor

We Own The Lakes

Most of us enjoy the lake from time to time for recreational activities- all of us enjoy the lake for clean water, and the choices we are making everyday have an impact of the health of the lake. 

Here are some easy things you can do to ensure we get to kayak, swim, fish, ect, and drink clean water for years to come.

The David Suzuki Foundation has identified a list called the Dirty Dozen. Ingredients found in household cleaners and personal care products that are not filtered out by treatment plants or septic systems and go directly back into our water table, adversely effecting the whole natural system of our lakes. Switching to 'eco' labelled soaps, detergents, cleaners, and personal care products is one of the best ways to keep chemicals out of our water. These products have gone way down in price and way up in effectiveness in the last few years. 

Learn how to clean your home with vinegar here.

Hate weeds in the lake? Don't they just seem to keep getting worse? That is because fertilizers used on lawns take their natural course into our water table and make their way into the lake, feeding the weeds, not just your grass. Also weed killers kill off beneficial organisms and pollute natural systems. Check out these natural lawn care ideas. Consider a natural shoreline if you have a lake front property- everybody is doing it!

Nothing goes better with fishing (or most lakeside activities) than beer and smokes, but just as smoking is bad for us, butt's are bad for the water- makes sense right, you wouldn't drink a beer after it had a butt in it, so why would we want our fish swimming around in it. It isn't just butt's being thrown directly into the lakes either, it is littering butt's anywhere. In the city streets they make their way into the storm water that in most cases is untreated and heads right back to the lake. Same idea in the country only they travel with the water in the ditch. Use an ashtray in your car, your fish hut, your dock, and your pocket if needed- and don't blame anybody else when there is not an ashtray, it is still your garbage. 1 cigarette butt contaminates 1 litre of water!

Most of us live here because of the lakes, people cottage here because of the lakes, people plan trips here because of the lakes, and they eat at our local restaurants and use our local services because of the lakes. Our quality of life here in Kawartha Lakes depends on healthy, swimable, drinkable water bodies. 

Let us give back to the lakes-

they give so much to us!

All of the stunning local images in this post were taken by Jerry Holder- @coolhandjer follow him on twitter to check out his other breathtaking photos!



Thanks for reading my blog!
Julia Taylor
@sogreenithurts
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