This month the Lifestyles Channel theme day is, “Where I blog.” We had many bloggers participate and each of the blogging spaces featured today are unique, and many spaces really reminded me of the blogger the space belongs to. It was cool to see, and in case you missed it, here’s a nice round-up.

Of course I shared my space; well one of my spaces. I tend to blog outside on the porch, but since it was 3am, I didn’t show that side of where I blog. Peggy shared two views of her space; one here at Tree Hugging Family and another view at Junk Creation.

Other bloggers spaces:

Sandy Mitchell – All Holidays Cafe

Gayla McCord – MomGadget also blogging at Dating Dames – Supernanny Rules and CelebAmour

Marye Audet – Baking Delights – also blogging at Kettle and Cup

Christina Zola – Solomother

Chloe Findlay-Harder – Tangled Thread

Tracy Thompson – Foodie Obsessed

Noreen Crone-Findlay – Hankering for Yarn

Linette Gerlach – Mother Earth’s Garden

Kadi Prescott – Guerrilla Parenting

Mary Emma Allen – Quilting and Patchwork

Karen Weideman – Thrifty Mommy

Susan Gunelius – Play Library and One Book Two Book

Marcie Pickelsimer – A Child Chosen

Deborah Ng – Simply Thrifty

Eliza Ferree – Babylune

Heather Goldsmith – A Creative Journal

Julie Fletcher – Robust Cooking

Kelly Saunders – Thrifty Mommy

Farley Walker – Behind the Vines

Maricar – Keeping the Castle

Hopefully, this cool tour will inspire you to share your space. Either with us or at your own blog.

Please be sure to subscribe to our channel feed so you can stay one step ahead of all the fun things coming up on the b5media Lifestyles Channel.

Ok, you’ll have to excuse this video. Turns out, I’m about as handy with a video camera as I am with the camera. Maybe I should just stick to blogs and books.

In any case the entire Lifestyles Channel got together and did a “Where I Blog From” theme day today. And after some failed attempts (Cedar kept interrupting) I managed to make a video of my office. It’s 3am during the shoot, so really excuse my rambling. Maybe my next video will be better. If there is a next time.

Now see where my co-blogger Peggy blogs.

Can you remember sitting at your desk at school and longing to get outside? I recall it well, especially during the spring months. Sitting near a window was sometimes even worse since it reminded you of what you were missing.

No Child Left Inside Coalition is a group devoted to alerting Congress and the public to the need for public schools in the US to devote more resources and attention to environmental education.

We’re growing kids who are taught to pass tests. Those important tests include very little about the environment, so many public schools don’t focus on this issue.

No Child Left Inside is trying to change that by providing funding for environmental education and encouraging teachers to get students outside to help them learn from real-world examples in nature.

To help reach the goals of offering environmental eduction, the group wants an amendment added to No Child Left Behind.

You can help in several ways outlined on the No Child Left Inside website.

To learn more, watch their new video, “Get ‘em Outside.”

365 Days of Trash is an exciting and rather noble green blog revolving around an experiment.

Although the blog’s author Dave still gathers his garbage, but he doesn’t throw it away exactly. He keeps it in his basement.

Here’s why in Dave’s words from his FAQs:

Actually believe it or not, this was an idea that a friend and I came up with (although it is hardly a unique one) that I really wanted to try. We were talking about the idea of throwing things “away” and how “away” is just that, somewhere other than here. It occurred to us that it is easy to waste because we are not confronted with that waste since it goes “away” and then began to wonder how our choices would differ if we had to keep everything in a pile in the backyard. So the idea is to keep everything for a year and in doing so, be able to see how much waste I create and how much I can avoid.

365 Days of Trash features daily posts about “Today’s Haul.” Dave lists what he’s taking to the basement and what will ultimately happen to it: recycling, trash or worm composter (leftover food goes to the worms immediately). And he washes some things before taking them to the basement. Also, there are a few things he will actually take “away” for health reasons. So, this is a sensible experiment.

Right now, Dave’s at around day 120. So, stop by and visit him.

Would listing and keeping your trash help you examine what you consume?

Image via flickr.

As part of the Lifestyles Channel promo day, I’m posting about where I blog from today. Don’t forget to check out some other blogs around the channel.

This is the chair I sit in after waking up Choco. Sometimes I’ll just perch on the edge and wait for him to move. Then I roll the chair up to my Mac. To the right is a patio door, victim of the cat’s wild attempts to catch birds fluttering around outside on the balcony. He jumps up about 6 feet and slams into the glass, then falls back down to try again later.

I think he understands glass, but just doesn’t care. You may think it’s odd I’m talking about my cat instead of my ceramic pen holder or whatever else is around me, but Choco is always nearby. When he wants attention, he sits beside the keyboard and stares at me. He can do this for a long time or until he gets interested in trying to jump through the glass again.

Even though he’s jealous of the computer, Choco is still an interesting blogging buddy. I appreciate him for all the laughs he brings.

Do your pets try to join in during your computer time?

Image via Peggy Rowland.

Driving a Vespa instead of a larger vehicle saves gas and carbon emissions. It also helps with traffic congestion. I know it’s not for everyone, but I’ve known some people who really dig on this ride to work. The Vespa Vespa video by Rex Hermogino describes the Vespa experience with a fun song to make you smile. And laugh. Check it out. If you don’t like it, you can complain in comments, but I’m just that sure you’ll love it.

Video via Vespa’s Go Green Challenge.

What’s so bad about dog poop? It biodegrades by itself. When your dog goes at the park or on the sidewalk, why can’t you just put it in a plastic bag from the grocery store?

That’s one way to reuse a plastic bag, but doing so preserves the poop instead of letting it biodegrade. Can you picture that? Mummified dog poop. Plus, if you remember your reusable shopping bags, you won’t have plastic shopping bags on hand anyway. Not to mention, plastic bags are on their way out as many retailers are starting to encourage reusable shopping bags.

A friendlier option is to put your doggie’s poo into a BioBag, the first compostable and biodegradable (paper and plastic free) poop bags ever. They are made from GMO-free corn.

According to BioBag, your options for disposal widen to include burying or composting (can include with your yard waste in many communities). Composting those plastic grocery store bags just wouldn’t work.

Since cat waste is toxic, composting it isn’t recommended, but BioBag sells biodegradable litter pan liners for disposal.

BioBag dog waste bags are available from a variety of sources, including Urban Leash and Treat who sells them for $5.60 for 50 bags.

Would you try BioBags for your dog?

Image via BioBag.

Can you believe that some people still only use their towel once and then re-wash it! How crazy is that? Sadly, I’ve met quite a few people addicted to re-washing towels.

Assuming you’re clean after a bath or shower (let’s hope) then there’s no good reason not to hang that towel up, let it dry, and use it again. At my house we go about a week, sometimes more, with the same three towels – one for Cedar and two for me (my hair is long I gotta wrap it). This small step saves time, energy, detergent, and water.

If you have a good argument against this practice go ahead and let me know why. I’m interested.

[shoddy, fuzzy towel photo via Jennifer's personal "I'm practicing with the camera" collection]

Look what we saw on our walk the other day!

The lilacs are starting to bloom! FYI this is the perfect time to collect some and try that Candied Flower recipe – you know you want to.

Or maybe you’d rather make some air freshening mixes that aren’t toxic. I saw some great dried lavender at the farmers market the other day, so maybe some local shops around your town have some as well.

Gather:

• Cedar shavings – 1-2 ounces (I like mine Cedar heavy, but most people like the lavender to shine through more).
• About 1/4 – 1/2 ounce dried pennyroyal (air dried best, but most of us don’t grow it so…)
• Dried lavender; about 1 1/2 ounces.
• A few whole cinnamon sticks.

To make:

Break up pennyroyal and lavender. Place on a cutting board and slighting crush over with wooden rolling pin. Mix in bowl. Add Cedar shavings. Grate some cinnimon sticks into the mix – you don’t have to grate an entire stick, just grate enough to allow a sprinkle of cinnamon to fall into the mix. Then pop the whole sticks right into the mix.

You can put this in a clay or other earthen bowl in your closet, or remove the cinnamon sticks and sew it into a bag and hang it in your house. It’s best in a bowl I think, because this is a pinch-generated mix. Meaning, once the smell starts to wear of, you can pinch, or in this case, re-crush with a rolling pin, and re-grate the cinnamon to perk the mix up. I’ve perked up this mix maybe four times before it starts to not work.

This mix has a homey, earthy, woodsy, slightly spicy scent. Of course experiment if you like or even add a few drops of essential oils. Oh, with homemade potpourri, you should keep it up if you have small children or pets. This mix is pretty safe, as far as mixes go, but pennyroyal in large amounts can be dangerious, and cedar shavings for pets have not been proven totally safe.

[photo via Jennifer Chait's "daily walk to the park" collection]

I’m following up our very weak eco-clothing for kids post with an even sadder look at youth shoes. There aren’t that many earth-friendly shoes for kids – and some who do have them make them in styles that no child I know would agree to wear; more slipper than shoe.

There’s lots for babies; ironic since babies don’t need shoes (sigh). I listed some sites, but you have to read through each though, not all shoes offered are eco-friendly.

Planet Shoes

Simple

Patagonia

Timberland

Vegan ballet slipper – for those of you with tiny dancers in the house.