Healthy Family Tips from Green Calgary
Life can be overwhelmingly busy with work, school, household chores, extracurricular activities and social engagements. We’d like to offer some back to basic tips on how to keep your family happy while building healthy family habits:
- 1. Eating Together: Sit down and enjoy meals as a family to talk about the daily happenings. Share what you’re grateful for to keep the mood lively and light.
- 2. Enjoy Nature Together: Make time to get outside and appreciate nature as a family. Incorporate new fun activities to keep the usual scenery interesting.
- 3. Set Goals Together: Determine your “Go Green Goals” and set realistic timelines for when you can complete them as a team. It will feel good to know you’ve accomplished your goals together and are doing something positive to improve the environment.
For more details on the benefits of family meals:
http://www.naturalhealthstrategies.com/benefits-of-family-meals.html
For more details on the benefits of enjoying nature together:
http://childspace.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/spending-time-outdoors/
For more details on goal setting:
http://www.goal-setting-guide.com/personal-goal-setting
De-Ice Your Sidewalks Naturally!
Using rock salt as a side walk de-icer has long been a successful, easy and inexpensive way of clearing snow and ice from our sidewalks.
The environmental impacts of using rock salt, which is usually sodium chloride- NaCl, are numerous. NaCl is a highly toxic alternative to the good ‘ol shovel and is known to destroy surrounding soil which grows valuable vegetation in the summer months.
The vegetation acts as a buffer, slowing run off from entering the water ways. Run off typically carries other contaminates and left over salt. Also, if the salt enters our freshwater, which is typical in Calgary from our freeze/thaw cycles, it can build up to concentration levels that further affect aquatic plants and other organisms.
Some de-icers claim to be a “green” alternative. It’s very difficult to read between the lines to determine whether many products truly are green, and de-icers are no different. Some eco-friendly de-icers claim they use natural ingredients but sodium chloride is still an active ingredient in many of these products.
As an alternative, we suggest clearing all snow with a shovel before it builds up to ice. If you happen to forget or need to be extra cautious, coarse sand, rocks or even sawdust are great substitutes.
Meet the Locals- Rocky Mountain Soap Co.
By Lauren Mangion
According to the Environmental Working Group, people apply an average of 126 unique chemicals to their skin everyday. Only about 11% of the 10,500 chemicals used in personal care products have had any long-term testing for their effects on human health or the environment. For those that are trying to mitigate chemicals of concern from their personal care regime, using simple, plant-based products from companies that are transparent about their practices and ingredients is an easier strategy than trying to memorize or stay current with constantly changing lists of red-flagged chemicals. One such company, the Rocky Mountain Soap Company, has been committed to making products with ingredients from nature for the last 12 years.
The Rocky Mountain Soap Company call themselves an eclectic and passionate group of people that may, at any given moment, smell like 23 different flavors of soap. The company was started in Canmore, Alberta by Cam Baty and Karina Birch with a small 300 square foot and has now grown to 10 retail locations in Western Canada and a 7000 square foot workshop. From the beginning, the products were made by hand and stemmed from the couple’s passion to seek out natural ingredients with proven healing and nurturing qualities, and turn them into a chemical-free bath and body care collection.
The vision of the company, where all decisions stem from, is to remove toxins from the world. Therefore, you will find no petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances or preservatives in their products. Just as your body can process and break down plant-based ingredients, so can the ecosystems that are going to come into contact with the products once they are washed down the drain. The Rocky Mountain Soap Company is working to source 100% organic ingredients over the next several years in order to continue to be leaders, stay true to their vision, and ensure their products are as gentle as possible for people and planet.
The Rocky Mountain Soap Company is a complete package, with a culture rooted in wellness and sustainability. The organization walks their talk by extending their sustainability commitment beyond the formulation of the products. The stores and workshop are 100% wind-powered, products come with minimal packaging, cardboard is reused, packing materials are biodegradable and all lighting is high-efficiency. The staff does yoga together every Thursday and are committed to internal values like being kind, team-oriented, and positive.
Look for popular products like foot butter, natural deodorant (it actually works!) and essential-oil based perfumes in the Health and Body Care section of your local Community Natural Foods. For more information about Rocky Mountain Soap Company’s environmental commitment, or how they define natural, visit their website at http://www.rockymountainsoap.com/.
Dandelions: If you can’t beat them – eat them!
Healthy Homes smart tip
Submitted By: Green Calgary
No matter how many tons of chemicals are dumped onto suburban lawns to kill them, dandelions reign. Before you bring out that bottle of herbicide – consider what Dandelions can do for you:
- The greens are one of the best sources of beta-carotene
- They supply high amounts of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and fibre
- They contain many trace minerals and nutrients. In fact, 1 cup of raw Dandelion Greens has more vitamin A, vitamin K, Calcium, and Iron than 1 cup of Broccoli
- Dandelion Greens have both a tonic and cleansing action in the body, especially in the kidney and liver.
- They support digestion, reduce swelling and inflammation, treat viruses, jaundice, edema, gout, eczema and acne.
A recipes to get you started:
Honey-Preserved Blossom Spread http://www.rwood.com/Recipes/Honey_Preserved_Blossom_Spread.htm
Healthy Homes Tip – May 2012
Start Grass Cycling
Grasscycling is the process of recycling grass clippings by leaving them on your lawn. You don’t need a special mower, just take the bag off your current mower.
Grass clippings are free fertilizer and they are very high in nitrogen. When clippings decompose, they release their nutrients back into your lawn.
Grasscycling has many benefits including saving time, reducing waste and leading to a deeper, healthier root system which will increase your lawn’s resistance to disease, drought and insects.
If you are interested in signing up for a Healthy Homes visit please follow this link for more details and to sign up: Your Healthy Homes and Community
Green Calgary Rain Barrel & Composter Sale! Pre-Pay Website Now Live!
For more than 30 years, Green Calgary has pursued the vision of greener yards, healthier homes and communities, and a sustainable City. Help make this vision a reality by buying a rain barrel and composter at Green Calgary’s Rain Barrel and Composter sales events in 2012!
Water collected in rain barrels has a natural temperature that doesn’t shock plants, it’s chlorine-free and your garden and yard will love it! You can conserve water at home while diverting water from storm drains that carry pollutants back to our rivers. Rain barrels are low maintenance and easy to use. These are just a few of the benefits associated with rainwater harvesting.
Food and yard waste make up to 40% of the garbage from our homes.In the landfill they create large amounts of a very powerful “greenhouse gas” – methane. With a composter from Green Calgary, you can easily do your part to reduce the amount of organic waste that goes to our landfills. Compost helps soil hold water better, discourages weeds, and adds essential microorganisms. The result is a healthier, green garden and yard with a reduced need for toxic chemicals.
Rain barrel packages start at $65, or we can tailor-make a combination for your needs. Composters are $40. Green Calgary will also provide support and advice on using rain barrels and composting. For more information please call Lynn at 403-230-1443 ext 232.
Your Green Yard savings are possible through the generous sponsorship of the City of Calgary Water Services and First Calgary Financial. All proceeds from the Sales go to supporting Green Calgary’s award-winning programs that empower Calgarians to create healthy homes and communities.
Visit our rain barrel sale website and pre-order your barrels and composters today!
If you are interested in signing up for a Healthy Homes visit please follow this link for more details and to sign up: Your Healthy Homes and Community
Healthy Homes Tips – March 2012
Reduce Water Use in Your Bathroom
Repair toilet leaks: To test your toilet, put a few drops of food colouring in the toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl you have a leak.
Fix leaky faucets: A tap that drips one drop per second wastes about 10,000 litres per year.
Install water saving aerators, 1.0 gallon per minute, on your water faucets and low flow shower heads, 1.5 gallon per minute or less, in the shower. These can be ordered online at ecofitt.ca
Avoid running the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving, washing up and cleaning.
Consider replacing high-flow, 13 liter per flush, toilets with low-flow, 4.8 liters per flush, or dual-flush, 6L/3L, toilets. The City of Calgary will provide a $50 rebate per toilet. See www.calgary.ca/toilet for more information and to apply.
Healthy Homes Tip – February 2012
Green Fido’s Diet
There are sustainable options for almost everything these days, and dog and cat food is not exception. Many companies are making pet food with higher quality, organic and even local ingredients. These food options will surely keep your family pet healthier and happier than most of the commercially available brands that are largely unregulated and contain many unsavory ingredients.
Read more about why it’s important to purchase good quality food for your pet. Below is an “ingredient directory” for pet food that allows you to search specific ingredients in the pet food you use. The ingredients coded in red are those that you should always avoid. Tailblazers Pet Ingredient Dictionary.
Look for healthier alternatives in Community Natural Food’s growing pet supply section
Healthy Homes Tip – January 2012
Clean or Change Your Furnace Filter
* A clean furnace filter will help to minimize your energy costs in the winter and maximize the efficiency of the furnace.
* A clean furnace filter is also critical for maintaining indoor air quality.
* For the best results, a furnace filter should be replaced or cleaned once every two months, especially during the winter months.
* Reusable furnace filters are the best way to reduce waste and save money. If you have a replaceable filter, find out if a reusable option exists.
Healthy Homes Tip – December 2011
Simplify The Holidays
The holidays are an opportunity to slow down, reflect and spend time with loved ones, but, for many, the holidays have become increasingly hectic, stressful, and exhausting. If you are looking to get back to the basics, focusing on the things that really matter – friends, family, good food, and winter fun – then check out the Simplify the Holidays brochure from the Center for a New American Dream. It is full of ideas on how to reduce stress, while increasing personal fulfillment during the holiday season.
