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It’s that time of year, to start thinking SPRING!

Gardening season is coming up fast! Time to take a look in the shed and make sure the tools are all cleaned up and ready. A quick inventory of needed supplies. Sharpen the lawn mower blades! A bit of thought about ‘what to plant’ this year … Where’s the new issue of the Farmer’s Almanac?

House plants would appreciate a quick wipe with a clean damp clothe.

I’m sure the house is feeling a bit dingy, with all the dust and clutter that has accumulated from being inside during the cold winter months. Not to mention the left over boxes and tissues from Christmas presents and wrappings…..

Flip that Vaccuum over and pull the plate over the belt… good time to change the filters. Speaking of filters, hows the one on the furnace, water system? air cleaners? ….

The curtains have been a great barrier! however ~ Windows and window sills could use a bit of attention about now… with all the moisture and warm winter fires, fighting against the glass. It’s a great time to pull the drapes and throw them through the washer. Makes for a brighter day when the sun does come around to shine in.

Have a ‘handyman’ pull out the refridgerator and stove…. Catch them ‘dustmice’ and ‘rats’, before spring breeding LOL. Clean out the fridge and oven….. under the sink? yuk! but how long has it been?

Feeling super ambitious? Rearrange a room…. Nothing like a complete cleaning… Always plan a trip to good will or other great 2nd hand store, when your done. It’s amazing what you’ll find.!!

And after it’s all said and done. You’ve earned yourself a nice HOT BUBBLE BATH!

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• Compost How to Make Hot & Cold Piles (growinganything.com)
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There are a lot of creative ways to get your young children involved in recycling and going green. I still think they should remake Captain Planet because it was an entertaining way to introduce kids to recycling and taking care of the environment. It is definitely an older show but I believe kids would still enjoy it today and you can probably find it on DVD someplace or on YouTube.

If you are more into reading here are some of the great books available for you to read with your kids to get them into “green mode.”

The Dumpster Diver

It’s a story about a man who lives by the code of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” He and his team of dumpster divers find useful items that people have discarded for whatever reason but can still be put to good use. It is an exciting and colorful story with the theme of reusing items instead of creating more waste.

Our Earth: How Kids are Saving the Planet

This is a great book full of real stories of kids from around the globe who have done awesome work using natural resources to improve life for their community and beyond. It’s inspiring for kids to see young people their age or younger who have already had a huge impact in the lives of many. Each story shows how the kid’s projects started off with humble beginnings but continued to grow over time. The hope is that children who read it will want to attempt to make a change in their own communities.

As your children grow and prepare for college they can forward to green career choices. As I mentioned earlier, schools are teaching green manufacturing and there are new “green jobs” opening up every day as companies are searching for ways to function more eco-friendly. Engineering is becoming green too, as efficiency has always been a central tenet of engineering.

Not only are you helping the planet by raising your children to think green but you could also be preparing them for a future job.

Instead of finding cardboard boxes for your items you should look into zippgo.com. Why, you ask?

Zippgo offers a service that is environmentally friendly and cuts down on waste in a big way. The folks at Zippgo quoted a waste management company when they said that 40 percent of the composition of landfills is made up of recycled cardboard. The 100 percent plastic bins that Zippgo provides are stronger and cheaper than plastic and they will be delivered to your house a week before you move. Another cool feature is that Zippgo will also come back two weeks after you move to pick up the bins to recycle them.

Using Zippgo’s plastic bins and services are one way to make your move more eco-friendly but there are others that you can do on your own.

Everything can’t go

Remember the items I wrote about earlier? The ones you have packed away in your basement and garage that you never use and probably forgot that you owned? Those things don’t need to make the move with you to your new home. View moving as your chance at a fresh start all across the board. Here are some way to get rid of these items without throwing them away and causing more trash to build up.

• Gifts are good: Growing up I had an aunt that had things she bought but never even opened in her basement. Products in perfect condition just sitting around. These types of things can be given away to a friend as a gift. Surprise somebody and make his or her day with an unexpected present.
• Garage sale: Having a garage sale is a great idea to earn a few extra dollars and to free yourself of some clutter. With the economy being the way it is people are always looking for a deal. Some people look for collectible items and memorabilia at garage sales so you will get a few people to stop by and check out what you are selling. Any profit you make is a bonus since you are clearing out items you don’t use.
• Give to the needy: Donating clothes to the Salvation Army or a local shelter is always a good idea too. We are approaching the holiday season and helping people giving to people who are less fortunate would be a great move.

Also, when you come across items that are broken or completely useless don’t be afraid to throw them away. Pack tightly to limit the amount of boxes you need and to also cut down the harmful emissions by taking less trips back and forth.

How many dead laptops are laying around the closet, under the desk, the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet…. You know you need some of those files….

What does it cost to repair a laptop in todays market? How many, styles, sizes, prices…. To replace – seems more economical. So what do you do with the old?  Having the hard drive ‘extracted’ is a job you could do yourself. Then it’s still up to you to dispose of the rest of it!  A simple trip to a ‘computer shop’ – a small charge for the ‘external harddrive’ and they will ‘reuse’ or ‘recycle’ the remaining parts of the old laptop, rather than have it ‘just get dumped’ in the local ‘landfill’..  A plan that is Space saving, and eco friendly!

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Are you a coffee drinker?

Don’t throw them grounds away!

If your a gardener ~ You may have a need for them after all.

1. Repel ants, snails and slugs by sprinkling coffee grounds near the point of entry, or around the planter base.
2. Deter cats from your garden, by sprinkling around garden and planter base.
3. of course you can use them in compost!
4. and as a fertilizer for acid loving plants like tomatoes.

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Assemble or Dis assemble?

Moving?

Make the most of the space in the truck or trailer and dis assemble items that come apart…..  Table legs, some book shelves, awkward stands? Many items take up about a third as much space being dis assembled. The more you get into each load, the less trips you make – saving more gas and the environment.

Boxes vs plastic bags…..

It really isn’t a safe method of packing most things… Plastic bags are only good for clothes, linens, and as a protective wrap for large pictures and wall hangings. Boxes are a much better choice for solid items. Too often people grab a bag for the odds and ends at the end…. and end up tossing the bag in the trash after the move, cause most of what’s in it – ended up broken or twisted together….. Grab a box for those last minute items!

News papers always leave your hands a mess both at packing and unpacking… Try tissue paper. It’s inexpensive and available at most dollar stores. If you take a minute while unpacking you can save most of the tissue, to be reused in gifts or to pack again – later…

Pack tight… Think ‘inside the box’ – the more you use the space, the more you accomplish for less…..

Don’t forget to fill up your reusable shopping bags! They work great at helping you move!

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- Recycling in our kiosks
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Absolutely love my Starbucks girls!!

Papa has me hooked on his ‘drink’ of the day, for hot days… Rasberry Passion tea lemonade…. I think I got that right! in any case, I had my first with ‘whip cream’ as I’m slowly detoxin’…..

The passion tea is ‘organic’ and made from real fruit juice and natural teas that boost your metabolism…..

while my ‘mocha’s’ …. {My daughters will HATE hearing this }

My girl tells me – COFFEE – SUGAR – DAIRY PRODUCTS are the worst things for your complextion!!! FORGET THE PRO ACTIVE ! She tells me that actually made her skin worse!

She’s given up the coffee {Imagine that working at Starbucks!} …..  The look of her ‘skin’ in just 2 weeks!  Seriously WOW

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In any case, recently my wonderful hubby came home from a friends with a little glass jar of ‘stuff’ and a business card….. our friends daughter has a company – previous experience in ‘chemical cleaners’ with her employ sparked her to create ‘green cleaning solutions’ without the chemicals…. I love First Nation peoples, they are Environmentalists bestest friends anyhow, back to the point – the little jar was ‘carpet powder’! ‘organic’ – of course I tried it right away!

No stiffles, no hives… I used it again….. the dogs were un affected! … It’s been over a week now and I have to say SUCCESS! We have found a ‘carpet powder’ ‘safe’ for pets!

ISLAND GREEN CLEAN…… Jill Paull, @ www.islandgreenclean.com