As a famous frog once said "It's not easy being green" and while that may have been true when those words first left his mouth these days it's becoming easier to live green in almost every aspect our lives right down to the clothes we wear.
Consignment boutiques and thrift stores are hardly something new to the world however the concept of shopping green is relatively new to us consumers. Some of you may stop reading this here after you think in disgust that I'm telling you to purchase used clothing but hear me out.
Consignment boutiques are in abundance these days and this type of store only accepts clothing that has been gently worn with which they then take the time and care to inspect and clean each garment before hanging them on the racks for you to buy, an added bonus of consignment is if you choose to take your items to these places and they are sold, you in turn receive a percent of the profit.
On the other hand thrift stores accept only donated items, you don't receive any profit for what you take, and there are little to no guidelines to what they accept and reject to hang on their racks, and they don't take the time to clean each item before it is put on storefront.
The bonus of thrift stores is they are much cheaper than consignment and if you have the time to spend scouring the racks you may come up with a gem for less than $10 dollars.
If you have children both of these are great options to consider when they are growing so rapidly that it's hardly worth shelling out $20 per item that will only fit them for 3-6 months and you can find great clothes starting as low as $1 per item.
I recently did a closet overhaul of my own and found 9 items suitable to bring in for consignment, I chose to take them to Rewind which is a trendy consignment boutique on the corner of Macleod Trail Southeast and 10th Avenue.
The store also showcases items from local designers that are available for purchase and you can check them out online too by following this link Rewind Consignment.
After 1 month I touched base with the store and found out some of my items had sold and I had $63.00 in profit that I was able to either collect a cheque for or use as credit to purchase items at the store.
I decided on the latter and found 3 very cute tops for myself; I owed $1.50 over and above my credit for items that are practically new in turn for pieces that I hadn't worn at all or that didn't fit me any longer. It's a Win - Win!
On top of it all I know I'm contributing, if even in the smallest way, to being more eco-friendly and that's good enough for me.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Getting to the Green
As I've mentioned this year I'm attempting to garden in our backyard... after doing some research I'm feeling the task seems more daunting than do-able but I'm trying to remain optimistic about my green-thumb abilities.
So far my favourite go to site for helpful advice has been from Green Gate, a local Calgary garden centre that not only supplies everything you need for your garden but has a wide variety of online tools to help you get started. At this point I've decided to focus on our lawn, landscaping and prepping the soil beds for next year when I will plant a vegetable garden and more flowers.
Lawn Care 101
Springtime is maintenance time for your lawn, the best thing you can do right now is thoroughly rake your lawn to remove all of the thatching (the dead grass and leaves which will steal the nutrients and moisture from the grass beneath trying to grow through) and another option to consider is getting your lawn aerated, there are many companies out there that offer this service for a fairly decent price.
Aeration pulls small plugs of soil out from your lawn to enable moisture and nutrients to seep deeper into the ground which not only means better grass but if your lawn is lumpy it's possibly due to lack of moisture; if there isn't enough moisture in your soil dew worms will tunnel their way to the surface which creates lumps all over your lawn.
The second step ... or third if you decide to aerate... is to fertilize. Choose a slow release fertilizer high in nitrogen (there are 3 numbers on fertilizers, the first is nitrogen, second is phosphorus and the third is potassium.
Each nutrient is vital to the healthy growth of your lawn and with a healthy lawn you are more likely to avoid pests and other unwanted issues.
Lastly is of course watering, like any other plant grass needs to be watered and the more frequently you water your lawn the deeper the roots will grow which in turn will make your lawn more apt to standing up to harsh conditions as well as retain water better. All the watering your lawn needs each week is 1cm, lay a frisbee or small container out on your lawn during watering to measure this.
Landscaping
Figuring out the layout of your yard is just as important as planning a layout inside your home, if you intend on growing anything such as vegetables or flowers you need to ensure you are plotting the appropriate areas for proper growth. Decide what it is you want to grow and find out what type of conditions the plants need, you can find this on the Green Gate website or ask your local garden centre.
Once you know this you're ready to plan those plots.
Composting
To better prepare your soil for planting (or to give it a boost each spring) compost is key!
It's not only easy but free, eco friendly and a good way to get everyone in the house involved. You can buy compost containers at any home hardware store or garden centre but you can also just set aside a small area of your yard, close it off, cover it up and voila - you're ready to compost!
It's best to reserve a sunny and warm area as this will speed up the cycle of decay in your compost but a shady and cool area will do fine also.
Composting is all about layering... think of it like a lasagna for worms.
Start with brush such as branches from pruning, add fresh grass clippings or other fresh greens and top it with dry brown materials such as dried leaves, tea bags and coffee grounds.
Your compost pile should be damp but not wet and it will require you to turn the pile periodically for oxygen to flow.
Do not compost meat, bones, weeds or grass clippings that have been sprayed with chemicals.
If you start composting in spring you will have a glorious compost pile come fall which you can use to condition your soil for the following spring which is what I intend to do with mine!
Container Gardening
Because I absolutely LOVE flowers and I don't believe a yard is complete without them I plan on purchasing some containers to grow my flowers in for this year as well as some small indoor containers to grow a few herbs in!
A good container with adequate drainage is all you need to satisfy your plants and it's a great way to add some colour to your yard. I'm thinking a few barrel planters with tulips will suffice for this year.
So far my favourite go to site for helpful advice has been from Green Gate, a local Calgary garden centre that not only supplies everything you need for your garden but has a wide variety of online tools to help you get started. At this point I've decided to focus on our lawn, landscaping and prepping the soil beds for next year when I will plant a vegetable garden and more flowers.
Lawn Care 101
Springtime is maintenance time for your lawn, the best thing you can do right now is thoroughly rake your lawn to remove all of the thatching (the dead grass and leaves which will steal the nutrients and moisture from the grass beneath trying to grow through) and another option to consider is getting your lawn aerated, there are many companies out there that offer this service for a fairly decent price.
Aeration pulls small plugs of soil out from your lawn to enable moisture and nutrients to seep deeper into the ground which not only means better grass but if your lawn is lumpy it's possibly due to lack of moisture; if there isn't enough moisture in your soil dew worms will tunnel their way to the surface which creates lumps all over your lawn.
The second step ... or third if you decide to aerate... is to fertilize. Choose a slow release fertilizer high in nitrogen (there are 3 numbers on fertilizers, the first is nitrogen, second is phosphorus and the third is potassium.
Each nutrient is vital to the healthy growth of your lawn and with a healthy lawn you are more likely to avoid pests and other unwanted issues.
Lastly is of course watering, like any other plant grass needs to be watered and the more frequently you water your lawn the deeper the roots will grow which in turn will make your lawn more apt to standing up to harsh conditions as well as retain water better. All the watering your lawn needs each week is 1cm, lay a frisbee or small container out on your lawn during watering to measure this.
Landscaping
Figuring out the layout of your yard is just as important as planning a layout inside your home, if you intend on growing anything such as vegetables or flowers you need to ensure you are plotting the appropriate areas for proper growth. Decide what it is you want to grow and find out what type of conditions the plants need, you can find this on the Green Gate website or ask your local garden centre.
Once you know this you're ready to plan those plots.
Composting
To better prepare your soil for planting (or to give it a boost each spring) compost is key!
It's not only easy but free, eco friendly and a good way to get everyone in the house involved. You can buy compost containers at any home hardware store or garden centre but you can also just set aside a small area of your yard, close it off, cover it up and voila - you're ready to compost!
It's best to reserve a sunny and warm area as this will speed up the cycle of decay in your compost but a shady and cool area will do fine also.
Composting is all about layering... think of it like a lasagna for worms.
Start with brush such as branches from pruning, add fresh grass clippings or other fresh greens and top it with dry brown materials such as dried leaves, tea bags and coffee grounds.
Your compost pile should be damp but not wet and it will require you to turn the pile periodically for oxygen to flow.
Do not compost meat, bones, weeds or grass clippings that have been sprayed with chemicals.
If you start composting in spring you will have a glorious compost pile come fall which you can use to condition your soil for the following spring which is what I intend to do with mine!
Container Gardening
Because I absolutely LOVE flowers and I don't believe a yard is complete without them I plan on purchasing some containers to grow my flowers in for this year as well as some small indoor containers to grow a few herbs in!
A good container with adequate drainage is all you need to satisfy your plants and it's a great way to add some colour to your yard. I'm thinking a few barrel planters with tulips will suffice for this year.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Oh Mr. Sun
What is it about Spring that brings us a jolt of energy to clean and organize our lives?? (Or is it just me?)
Maybe it's the fact that everything around us is shedding it's old, musty and dull weight of Winter for a bright rejuvenation and overhaul... after all Spring is about change and growth in nature so why not for us too?! For myself, I have the incessant need to scrub every square inch of my house until I can see my reflection everywhere I look...not because I like to look at myself THAT much but because then I will be able to sit back and think about how wonderfully clean everything is (until somebody makes a mess which will most likely happen as soon as I sit down to have that thought... ce la vie!)
As I already mentioned I am anticipating gardening season this year and I'm using all of my self control at the moment to stop myself from buying out all of the tulips at the grocery store floral department so I can get revved up for planting some! My compromise is no flowers until the house is clean...which unfortunately also means tackling the spare "bedroom" which would be more accurately described as junk room at the moment. So with a full list of 'To Do's' to go through I'm buzzing with excitement for all things Spring!
What's your Spring ritual/routine?
Maybe it's the fact that everything around us is shedding it's old, musty and dull weight of Winter for a bright rejuvenation and overhaul... after all Spring is about change and growth in nature so why not for us too?! For myself, I have the incessant need to scrub every square inch of my house until I can see my reflection everywhere I look...not because I like to look at myself THAT much but because then I will be able to sit back and think about how wonderfully clean everything is (until somebody makes a mess which will most likely happen as soon as I sit down to have that thought... ce la vie!)
As I already mentioned I am anticipating gardening season this year and I'm using all of my self control at the moment to stop myself from buying out all of the tulips at the grocery store floral department so I can get revved up for planting some! My compromise is no flowers until the house is clean...which unfortunately also means tackling the spare "bedroom" which would be more accurately described as junk room at the moment. So with a full list of 'To Do's' to go through I'm buzzing with excitement for all things Spring!
What's your Spring ritual/routine?
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