Monthly Archives: September 2009

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Will Holman really uses artistic vision when he can discover this cool starry night light from a beat up traffic cone. It looks like it’s pretty simple to make too and could make a great DIY if you happen to have a traffic cone laying around (or can find one somewhere!). Not to say that I’m condoning stealing traffic cones but this light is kinda cool and our road crews just leave them laying around… lol Be careful about the wattage of the light bulb used if you decide to DIY this as the cones are made out of plastic and could melt quite easily. Don’t trust yourself?? Buy his version on his Etsy shop for $105 which is probably less than the fine for stealing traffic cones anyways!

He’s a designer and architecture student who also runs his own Etsy shop where you can get this traffic cone as well as a range of other upcycled products. I’ll definitely be featuring more of his eye catching designs here. He’s definitely got a creative eye and can see the beauty in items that have been tossed away. His designs are thought provoking if not overly practical. I like it! After all, life’s not all about practicality right?? If a chair makes a really strong statement, who really needs it to be super comfy. Sometimes saving the planet isn’t a comfy proposition. Check out his website and shop for a variety of designs that are sure to catch your eye in the style department. It’s this kind of out of the box thinking that can reduce the enormous amount of usable materials that are sent to the world’s landfills each and every day.

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Solar energy is becoming more and more common for consumers of all kinds.  The technology is becoming less expensive and the knowledge of solar as an option is definitely increasing.  The demand for alternative energy sources, such as solar energy, is also increasing as people become more aware what more traditional sources of energy are doing to our planet.  Going green is also becoming a more fashionable lifestyle as celebrities and trend setters have picked up the cause.

Almost anything that you can think of is now available in Solar Specials.  Many kids will be heading back to school this season with solar devices in their backpacks.  There are many kinds of gadgets that kids need (and just plain want) that are available in special solar energy models.

The calculator is one gadget that has used light as a back-up energy source for a couple of decades now.  A small solar cell is mounted on the face of the calculator to catch the light and use it to power the calculator.  In this way, you can make sure that the batteries do not run out on your calculator right in the middle of the big math exam!  Most calculators made now contain a dual power system with solar energy being the main power source and batteries as a back up.  I guess this is so you can calculate how dark it is!

Backpacks have also gone solar with cells being mounted on the outside of the bag to power up a variety of gadgets that kids may want to charge up.  Anything from cell phones, I-Pods, MP3 players and even laptops can be charged when you’re using a solar powered backpack.  This kind of bag is also popular with hikers and bikers who may spend hours in the sun.

Some of the gadgets that can be charged with a solar backpack are also available in special solar models as well.  Cell phones and MP3 players can be purchased with a solar capture device on them to help to power them.  These aren’t exactly what I’d call back to school “essentials” but even the younger kids these days seem to have these devices in their school bags.

Remember to look for solar energy alternatives the next time you’re in the market for a gadget of any kind.  Solar isn’t just a great choice for the environment, it’s a great choice for your wallet as well!  It can help you to save loads on batteries and that’s just for starters.  Consider buying your kids solar powered back to school supplies to show them that the environment should come in top of the class everytime!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinons.

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There are so many kids out there that spend their lives glued to a screen of one kind (computer) or another (television).  It’s so important to teach kids a love of nature so that they cherish the planet that they will inherit.  Living in a city only seems to make this problem worse because there is less of the green stuff and a lot less freedom for kids.  Kids are no longer free to roam and play outside free of supervision because of safety concerns.

It’s great to teach kids about recycling, nature, the environment, and animals but what they really need is hands on experience to develop a true appreciation of it.  On my quest to “green up” my family, I’ve tried to discover some experiences for my kids to truly get it.

Our trip to the Calgary Corn Maze really seemed to make it click.  My kids have a huge difference in age — one is 15 and the other is 3.  The thing is, this place really kept both of them interested and busy all day!  My teenage son loved the corn cannon which was actually shooting garlic cloves that day.  They had high pressure air “cannons” that staff loaded and let the kids shoot off into the corn fields.  If the clove landed in the bucket, they won a free t-shirt!  These suckers really did shoot too much farther than even I expected.

The maze itself kept my teenage son and his best friend busy trying to win the race through the maze against the grown ups and toddler.  We were defeated but the war has not been won yet!  I plan to avenge my defeat on our next trip through the maze.  They had different levels of mazes too with big ones for big kids and little ones for little kids.  That’s probably the version that I should take!  They even had stone and string mazes for those of you with Children of the Corn issues.

There’s a huge play center with swings and play houses and slides.  They’ve even got a pyramid built of hay bales with slides leaning down the outside for the little ones to enjoy.  There’s teeter totters, picnic tables and a concession stand for those afternoon snacks that are a must when travelling with kids.

My preschool daughter especially loved the train rides though.  The train itself was made of repurposed barrels painted like cows for the kids to ride in.  The barrels are all hitched together and pulled around the area with a tractor.  Super bumpy with lots of giggles!  The whole center is exceptionally well set up and designed with the entire family in mind.  My son even gave the tricycle track a try!  They have special events where you can bring your dog or go through the maze with flashlights afterdark.  They even have a pumpkin patch and Halloween events at the maze.

The highlight of the day for both of my kids was the animals.  My daughter loved the petting zoo.  There was sheep, goats, donkeys, a pony, rabbits, chickens, a rooster, pigs, piglets, a turkey, ducks and most importantly — baby kittens.  I actually checked her pockets on the way out to make sure that we didn’t end up with a new pet when we got home!  My son and his friend loved that there were frogs everywhere and spent a ton of time trying to catch them.

It’s great to feed your kids organic foods and get them involved in home recycling but what is most important is teaching them why these things are truly important.  Going green is for the planet.  It’s not a fad or a trend.  It’s a genuine love of nature and everything in it.  This is something that I think we’re born with but society kind of beats out of you with technology and boredom.  The Calgary Corn Maze is only 8 km out of the city but you can truly experience a return to nature by spending the day out in it.  If you’re not living in Calgary or the surrounding area, try to locate a corn maze near you or a farm that lets kids go and play and truly be kids.  It will be a great day for all and maybe change your kids minds about the way they view nature.

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It’s truly amazing how many options there are when you are trying to go a little greener.  Even promotional items, such as logo apparel, can be bought with the planet in mind.  These polo shirts are made from a bamboo blend and can have your company logo embroidered on them.  Bamboo makes extraordinary fabric because it is naturally moisture wicking which is great for those long meetings in the board room.  It’s also anti-microbrial and odor resistant which is even better if you happen to sit close to anyone in those long meetings in the board room!

Making earth conscious choices for promotional items also shows your customers that you are trying to make your work place a greener place.  This can definitely be a selling point for your company if people know about some of the green choices you are trying to make in your business.  I’d recommend having a section of the company’s website dedicated to the eco-friendly modifications your company from making.  Everything from buying environmentally friendly polo shirts to paper recycling can be important for the planet and for the company’s future success.

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

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This creatively designed bookcase was done by Isabel Quiroga.  It showcases how outdated pieces can be modernized with creativity and a desire to make do with what you have.  She’s taken a number of outdated tables and drawer units of completely different designs and tied them all together with a common and startlilingly modern colour palate of purple.  The pieces were then cut in half to suit the space that was begging for a dramatic treatment and oodles of storage space.  This treatment not only saves all of these pieces from the landfill, it also fills a unique purpose all of it’s own as an extremely functional bookcase with lots of areas to display and arrange whatever you’d like.  I think this project would be a pretty simple DIY that you could easily customize to your own space and style with family and friend’s castoffs.  It would surely make them envious and think twice about getting rid of that other outdated furniture they have!

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My main focus in life right now is my kids.  Like most parents, everything that I do is for them in one way or another.  In the last few years, I’ve really tried to focus our home life on making eco-friendly choices to ensure that my kids (and grandkids and great grandkids) actually have a planet to inhabit.  Some of these choices are small ones, like choosing to use only recycled content toliet paper and some of them are big ones, like choosing to buy used products whenever we can.

I’ve really tried to make going green relevant and fun for the kids so that it just becomes a part of their day to day routines.  My preschooler has a litterless lunch box that came with fun stickers to customize it.  My high-schooler is a little trickier to make anything fun for but he is in charge of household recycling.

A big part of teaching kids to be eco-friendly is to give them the gift of loving nature.  How exactly do you do that??  Well, you  spend time outdoors enjoying it!  This means nature walks pointing out various things such as when the leaves and flowers are budding, trips to local farms and corn mazes, shopping at farmer’s markets, trips to zoos and bird sanctuaries, etc.  Teaching kids a love of animals is especially important.

Last year, our family made the trip to Anaheim.  We visited the San Diego Zoo, WildLife Park and Seaworld to check out some of their hands on, up close experiences with animals including feeding sting rays and giraffes.  Many of my friends are checking out orlando vacations as well to experience some of the same sorts of things.  Sea World, regardless of it’s location, is really a great way to spend an educational day with your kids teaching them facts about some of the less familiar sea creatures.

However you involve your kids in loving nature, ensure that you get out there and experience it.  It will change their perspective (and perhaps your own) on how animals and their eco-systems contribute to the well being of everyone.

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Check out the gorgeous watches that you can buy for a great price at www.bestoftime.com.  You don’t have to be living an eco-friendly lifestyle to appreciate the beauty of the white gold setting and pave diamond studded dial of this Rolex.  However, even green enthusiasts can appreciate the fact that this watch is second hand which helps to decrease the carbon footprint of the owner by ensuring that things are not produced unnecessarily.  When you choose to buy something that is pre-owned, you are making a choice to reduce the production of goods.  In a culture of over consumption, these sorts of choices are crucial to start making.  Our excesses abound in a variety of ways leading to overflowing landfills and mountains of consumer debt.

Buying pre-owned has another obvious (and huge) benefit when viewed from a financial angle.  The watch shown here, for example, can be bought for less than half of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price when purchased used.  It’s also a risk free benefit because the watches are overhauled at the factory.  All watches are tested, refurbished and come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee to ensure that you’ve bought a watch that can be enjoyed by you for years to come.  There is even a 3 year warranty and appraisal certificate of the watch for the full retail price!

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Looking for a way to divide up your room without using beaded curtains or stacked up beer cans??  I’ve seen both done and let me tell you, not good.  Check out the Circle Wall design by the Ben Blanc Studio.  The clever use of repetitive circles in recycled cardboard can create visual boundaries in an array of room configurations.  You can make the wall any size as each piece fits into the next.  Looking for a temporary solution??  That’s cool too because you can fold up the wall for easy storage.  Also, because it’s assembled without any glue, it’s easily recyclable when it’s reached the end of it’s life!  This is a great eco-friendly design that uses no chemicals or adhesives to provide a second life to cardboard before it heads to the great big blue bin!

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My two kids have just started back to school.  The oldest is attending his first year of high school and my youngest is attending her first year of preschool!  While there is a huge age difference between the two, there’s one question that people ask both of them quite often “What do you want to be when you grow up?”.

I ask myself the same sort of question all of the time.  The current economic environment has everyone questioning their careers, salary range, and skill sets as many people lose their jobs.  Even those who keep their jobs are anxious about losing them and may want to upgrade or change careers by taking classes.  How do you fit that in with a busy schedule and a full time job though?  Maybe Online Colleges will have the flexibility for you to get some classes in while still working or looking for a job during the day!

I finally know what I want to be when I grow up though…a writer!  For now, it’s a technical writing job by day and various blogging jobs (including this one!) by night.  Perhaps one day, my dreams of writing a book or two may be realized.  Who knows what can happen or what’s right around the corner in life?  That’s what keeps it interesting!

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