Winter Celebration Bouquet

As I’ve been whining about lately I’m home bound; totally snowed in. I’m whiny about it, because we don’t ever get snow here like this. It’s been nuts, and I know lots of folks who haven’t been able to get out to get their last minute gifts. I’m still minus stocking stuffers myself. If you’re in a fix, you can always look to Organic Bouquet.

Look now though, because you’ve got until Midnight PT Dec 22nd to order for a Christmas Eve delivery. Yeah that’s tonight. On the other hand, a nice eco gift from Organic Bouquet will likely be appreciated even the day after Christmas.

Here are some things I adore:

Holiday Beauty Bouquet

Peace Organic Cookie Tin

Life is Sweet Organic Holiday Chocolates – most adorable organic chocolates ever (look at the little leaves!) – lots to choose from.

The obsessively gorgeous Holiday Splendor Bouquet

Since I’m in the Pacific Northwest, I happen to know that you’ve got about six hours left to order for Christmas – I’d hop to it!

For those of you can actually get out of the house, I’ll be back at some point tomorrow with some last minute green gift ideas that you can organize at the local co-op or natural grocers.

[Images via Organic Bouquet]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

We’ll be wrapping up the poll during the first week of May, and based on your poll answers, there’s a good chance we’ll incorporate more green and natural gardening advice here. However, what I wanted to point out is that we already have one very good blogging friend who just happens to have a blog about nothing but natural gardening. In fact, I believe I’ve pointed this put before, but in case some of you missed it…

In case you think I’m kidding, here’s just some of what blogger Linette offers.

• We’ll start with my new favorite post – Anything Can Be A Container Garden
• Caring For Shamrock Plants
• Cowpots: Biodegradable Pots for Seedlings
• Making Minted Sugar
• What Is Bee Colony Collapse Disorder? How Could it Affect You?
• A Passion For Passion Flowers
• My Top 10 Favorite Herbs, Their Uses, and a Recipe
• Create a Haven For Toads In Your Garden
• Controlling Ants Naturally

And so much more – all the natural gardening tips and tricks you need! 

While we will try to work in more gardening info here, we’ll never be as complete a resource as Mother Earth’s Garden, so I suggest that if you want a beautiful natural garden that you check it out, bookmark it, and visit often.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

VeriFlora’s certification program isn’t one of those easy classes you take just to get an A. Tough standards must be met before growers and handlers of cut flowers and potted plants may use the VeriFlora logo. Supporting VeriFlora growers means you’re supporting farmers who are taking care of the environment. Certified growers must develop a plan for converting to organic production.

The Elements of Sustainability of the VeriFlora program include: sustainable crop production, resource conservation and energy efficiency, ecosystem protection, integrated waste management, fair labor practices, community benefits and product quality and safety.

That list translates into people taking care of the environment and the workers who are producing the flowers and plants. The inspections for VeriFlora certification are conducted by SCS, an independent third party.

Is your florist VeriFlora certified? Find VeriFlora flowers.

If you missed the Green-e Eco Symbol post, check it out now.
Logo via VeriFlora.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

But do you know what it means if you see a leaping bunny symbol on a product? How about FSC with a tree drawing? VeriFlora — you may have heard of it, but do you know what it’s all about?

This week we’ll look at a few of the lesser-known eco symbols you might encounter. A really good thing about these symbols is that not just anyone can stick them on a product.

Manufacturers must have third-party verification before being allowed to promote themselves as VeriFlora or Leaping Bunny certified. Think of these symbols as girl scout patches. Manufacturers can’t buy them. They have to be earned through serious effort.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Many of us are welcoming spring today, so I thought it would be nice to go over some nature loving, tree hugging, eco-friendly ideas that will carry the entire family through the better part of spring and into summer.

1. Quit looking at nature through your frosty windows. It’s warming up, so get out there and enjoy nature in real time, in real life, in full blown color.

2. Throw open your windows wide and let in the fresh air. Natural ventilation is actually a really effective green home goal to aim for. Proper cross ventilation naturally helps to remove any indoor pollution caused by molds, mites, varnishes, paints, cleaners, and more.

3. Have a spring reusable bag sewing party.

4. Use the spring lilacs to create something sweet.

5. Celebrate spring like other cultures do:

• In Egypt, you throw open your windows and breathe deep on the first day of spring. Later have a picnic.
• In Poland a large straw doll is dressed up in old clothes, and then thrown in the river – ok, maybe don’t do that one (not great for fish).
• The festival of colors, or Holi, is a Hindu spring festival, observed in North India and Nepal where children squirt colored water on each other to celebrate.
• What other spring traditions do cultures celebrate? Tell me what you know.

6. See the zoo babies.

7. Try left-over heat cooking for your spring recipes. This means turn the stove top or oven off when food is almost done. Pasta, veggies, rolls, and even meats in the oven will be ok (and fully cooked) if you turn off the heat a few minutes early. Just leave the oven door shut, the pot top on, etc. Imagine how many minutes of energy you will have saved by next spring.

8. Enjoy new blossoms and leaves sprouting to life on the trees.

9. Build a rain barrel to collect spring showers.

10. Rent lawn equipment that you know you will only use occasionally.

11. Alternatively, start a neighborhood co-op of lawn equipment. Purchase together and share major item.

12. Visit a waterfall – this is the best time of year for waterfalls, snow is melting, and the water comes crashing down.

13. Spring clean – just don’t spring clean with chemicals and other icky stuff. Make this year’s spring cleaning actually clean and healthy.

14. Learn which fruits and veggies are in season and eat bunches of them. Buying in season and locally grown is better for the earth, your wallet, and your health.

15. Choose a recycled plastic picnic table.

16. Fold a “springing” froggy out of recycled paper.

17. If your coffee shop of choice serves single serve sugars and creamers, choose a new favorite coffee shop or ask them to get large, bulk containers of cream and sugar.

18. Visit a wetland area – there are still enough wetland areas so that it’s safe to assume that there’s one near you, but there may not be for long. Without conservation we could lose some major wetland areas. I’d visit soon because it’s not clear yet that enough people care to save them. Ask your local visitors center where you can find a wetland area near you.

19. Get some cool spring worthy eco-toys. These new toys from Green Toys are created from curbside recycled milk containers. The actual shop should be open in the spring sometime, but until then you can contact the company directly with purchase inquiries. They have a great Sand Play Set or Organic Gardening Set.

20. Is it still too cold for flowers where you live? Make some colorful recycled tissue paper garlands to add spring to your house. (Use that used holiday tissue that I know you saved). Better yet, make a garland and give it to a neighbor, friend, elderly home, or children’s ward at a hospital.

21. Rejoice in spring flowers.

22. Help your kids to join Journey North.

23. Buy a reclaimed wood garden bench so you can sit outside and read.

24. This season, and each season have your car engine tuned up and serviced. Following a decent tune up schedule will reduce the amount of pollution your car emits by 20%. Better yet you’ll save on fuel – good for the earth and wallet.

25. Hunt for birds nests – don’t touch though, just look.

26. Build your own compost bin for recycling spring garden and kitchen scraps.

27. Visit a rural farm. Notice how a farm in spring differs from where you live. Unless of course you do live on a farm – then visit a city park and observe the same differences.

28. Go ahead, green your entire Easter celebration.

29. Or at least make your own recycled magazine Easter baskets.

30. If you go on a green picnic this spring make sure six packs with plastic rings aren’t on the menu. One, the plastic rings when not cut can kill birds, fish, and other wildlife. Two, plastic won’t degrade until well after your great grandchildren are celebrating their springs. And three, there’s no need to have them. Many canned drink products now come in boxes instead of with rings. If you’re buying canned drinks, get those instead.

31. Get some eco-friendly rain gear for the whole family so you can go splash in spring puddles.

32. Get your spring garden seeds organized using recycled milk cartons.

33. Rent a greener car on your spring break vacation.

34. Don’t defrost the Easter Ham in the microwave. Microwave defrosting wastes more energy than planning ahead and defrosting in the fridge.

35. Go searching for the end of a rainbow.

36. You still have time for a spring garden clean up.

37. This year combine your spring cleaning with some green audits: Try green auditing your trash, bathroom, or your pantry.

38. Get in the habit of nighttime watering now. Watering your lawn and garden is much more efficient at night than in the daytime. In the cool of evening plants lose almost 50% less water than in the heat. That adds up to a ton of water saved each year. Of course you can double your water saving efforts by using your saved rainwater.

39. On each of your spring outings pick up one piece of trash. If everyone did this that would be over 300 million fewer pieces of litter on our streets, in our parks, and so on, daily.

40. Relax… think about simplifying your life and time.

41. As summer gets closer consider organizing a summer toy lending program with other families – this cuts down on consumption, teaches kids about sharing, and uses fewer resources and energy. Get ideas for your lending program here.

42. Now that it’s warming up, turn your heating down by 5 more degrees. Each 5 degree decrease saves up to 11% energy consumption a year.

43. If you go camping, leave nothing behind in nature. Pack up all your belongings and carry them out of the forest with you.

44. Get up close and personal with some fresh grass – ponder a single blade. Think about all the good reasons why you shouldn’t add chemical poisonous fertilizer to your grass this year

45. Get that recycling under control.

46. Learn to love slow mail – the quicker you send your mail or ask for packages to be delivered to you, the worse it is for the planet. Transportation is hugely connected to pollution and global warming. The more transport we require the worse it is. Quit with the two day mail services. You don’t need stuff right away, and if you know you will, plan accordingly.

47. Try out one of 10 great organic gardening projects for kids this spring.

48. See how many toads you can count at the local river or lake. Can you find tadpoles too?

49. If you take out an off-road vehicle this spring, stick to where you should be. Running over habitats is not cool – you could destroy an animal’s home, kill rare plants, and harm tree roots. Stick to wide trails that are deemed ok for off-road travel.

50. Get away from it all. Imagine what life would be like away from all the hustle and bustle most of the time.

51. Blow bubbles! Make some homemade bubble mix out of a tablespoon of glycerin, a cup of natural liquid soap, and a gallon of water (give or take). Make your own bubble wands out of recycled items like…

• Butter or yogurt tub tops with holes punched in them.
• Green plastic strawberry containers.
• Bent wire hangers.
• That fly swatter you never use.
• Pipe cleaners bent into fun shapes.

52. Hang out with a family of ducks.

53. Dare your family to take at least 5 small steps for the environment by summer.

54. Go on a wildflower hike.

55. Clean out your closets – give good clothing away to the thrift store, make cleaning rags out of the worst, and save the cherished pieces for a memory quilt.

56. Make sure your family participates in eco-friendly boating (if you boat).

57. Slap a fresh coat of paint on the house – non-toxic, VOC-free paint of course.

58. When spring cleaning, don’t forget the car. However, use a bucket of water and an old rag to scrub away dirt, not the power spray on the hose. Every minute you run the hose you’re wasting 10 (or more) gallons of water. There are people in other countries who can’t even find one decent glass of water to drink, and animals and fish who have lost whole water habitats due to water waste. There’s no excuse for excessive water waste.

59. Go bicycling as a family – double your efforts by actually having an errand destination; the grocery store, library, the park for lunch. Every time you don’t take your car, you’re doing the earth some good.

60. Plant a tree – it’s almost always a good time to plant a tree, but spring is really nice because a new tree’s roots won’t be shocked by the cold anytime soon.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Seriously, I thought that was so darn smart. I was only eight or so when I first read it, and I used to steal cloths from the cupboard and try to dye them in tea – usually with poor results. But from then on I was sort of fascinated that someone could do this, just dye items with stuff from the cupboard.

Of course later I found out that you can use lots of stuff as dye material. Lucky for you I did, because now, you and your little can take a weekend and have some fun making natural juice dyes.

The best part is that you can’t really mess up. You may get some funky colors, but mistakes aren’t terrible with this project. Once you make your juice dyes you can use them to color homemade clay dough, homemade paints, or use them to dye pieces of fabric, or white rope for crafts. Really you can even use this system to create your own colored yarn – but the process takes a little longer (we’ll discuss that some other day).

How to make the dye:

To make juice (or plant dyes) you need to take about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of a nature item, put it in a pot with about four cups of water, simmer on low for 1-2 hours, strain, and cool. When you add the coloring to something like homemade paint or clay, add a little at a time until you get the shade you want, much like you would food coloring. If you want to dye fabric, soak it overnight in the coloring. The vibrancy of the color depends both on the nature item used, and the amount you simmered.

Back when I was eight, I didn’t know to simmer the water – that was my big mistake.

Nature items to use:

For blue dye use: Red cabbage, blueberries, logwood chips, elderberries. or red onion skins

For yellow dye use: apple tree bark, marigold, turmeric, white onion skin, or goldenrod

For violet to purple dye use: Camellia or purple grapes

For pink dye use: Umbilicara

For brown and tan dye use: Coffee, walnut hulls, paprika, tea, greenbriar, or sassafras

For red dye use: cranberries or beets

For orange dye use: Yellow onion skin or oats

For green dye use: oak bark, peach leaves, or crab apple leaves and bark

I’m sure you can think of plenty of other cool items from outside to try. The most fun is for kids to randomly find items and just see what happens when you try to make dye.

Later (maybe tomorrow) I’ll post some homemade clay and paint recipes for those who need them to go with their dye.

Have fun!

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

• Cake, pie, sorbet, ice cream, and cupcake toppers.
• Bag them up and give as gifts.
• Add to summer drinks.
• Decoration for dishes or around a holiday table.
• To teach kids about edible flowers.
• You can use super tiny bags and turn them into gift tags on presents. I’m not a fan of the plastic use here, but it looks fabulous.
• Add them to easter baskets.
• Wedding favors.

Plus they taste great. I made candied flowers for the first time when I was about 10 years old – candied lilacs actually and I’ve been in love with edible flowers ever since.

There are many recipes out there for candied, or crystallized flowers but the basic gist of most is simply that you’re going to be coating them with a sugar mixture.

Good flowers to sugar coat: Lilacs, violets, rose petals, cowslip, angelica, rosemary, sage, pinks, borage, primroses, and lavender. You can also coat leaves like lemon balm, lemon verbena, mint, and bergmot.

No matter what flowers you use, they always need to be home grown organic, or purchased from a reliable organic source. Flowers drink up and store pesticides easily, you don’t need that in your system.

To crystallize flowers and leaves:

1. Pick flowers on a sunny dry day.
2. Remove stalks and white bases from petals, also remove any petals that look funky from your pile, because the sugaring makes problems stand out.
3. Lightly beat an egg white until just foamy.
4. Dip each flower into the egg white to coat. You can use plastic tweezers (metal will bruise petals).
5. Dip into caster sugar.
6. Place on wax paper atop a wire cooling rack.
7. Place in your extremely low heated oven with the door slightly open – I tried open air solar flowers once, but forgot that little flowers will just blow away. Don’t do it. I suppose you could place your flowers in an enclosed solar oven, but you’d have to make sure you could maintain low heat, and solar cookers tend to get super hot.
8. Once they dry in the oven, store in an airtight container. I’m not sure how long you can keep them, they’re never around long enough for me to find out – people love them.

There are other same-minded, but slightly different recipes around:

Create delicious candied flowers

A Spring Trifle – with candied lilacs

Orange Blossom Cake with Candied Orchids

Take Time to Stop and Eat the Flowers

Edible Flowers: Cook, Grow, Buy – a truly excellent read.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Cleansing Milk:

You’ll need to choose one of the following – 2 or 3 tablespoons of fresh or dried organic elderflowers, chamomile, lime blossom, or sweet violets. (I’ve personally used fresh chamomile and sweet violets).

1/2 cup organic whole milk – I was told to use creamy milk – I was never quite sure what that meant but whole milk seems to work good. I use Straus Milk because it’s really creamy. I suppose you could try something thicker like cream. Stay away from whipped creams, you’re not making a sundae

Make: Heat the ingredients together in a double boiler for about 30 minutes. Try to avoid the milk boiling and you cannot let it form a skin. Remove from heat and allow it to infuse for 3 hours. Strain.

Use: Apply with fingers (or cotton – but that’s sort of wasteful). Remove excess with a washcloth. You do need to keep this in the refrigerator and use it within about a week. I like this cream, but it’s best for dry or sensitive skin. Also, it smells a wee bit milky to me so I tend to add a drop of tea tree oil.

Orange-Flower Cleansing Cream: good for normal or dry skin. I got this recipe from The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs – an excellent book, but I adapted it a little after trying it out.

You’ll need:

• 2 Tablespoons organic soy oil
• 2 Tablespoon almond oil (I used apricot before too)
• 1 oz cocoa butter
• 1 Tablespoon beeswax
• 2-3 tablespoons orange flower water
• 1/2 tsp borax (I’ve also used grated natural soap, powdered soap, and liquid soap – the texture is different, but it works )
• 6-7 drops neroli essential oil

Make: Mix and warm the almond and soy oils in a small pot on low heat. Melt cocoa butter into the oils – stir well. Melt beeswax and then beat into the oil mix. It works better to add a bit at a time. Warm the orange water and dissolve whatever soap you’re using into it. Add this to the main mix – beat well and let it sit to thicken. Before it’s totally cool and thick, stir in essential oil.

Once cool, you can spoon it into small pots. I’m not sure how long this mix lasts, but there’s nothing questionably perishable in it, so as long as you use it within months, I’d say it’s fine. Use like any basic cleansing milk.

Be sure to enter our amazing organic BabyBam Collections contest – win organic soap and a bamboo onesie!

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

As you may have guessed from the title, Canada is having their first Eco Wedding & Lifestyle Show (EWLS) Very cool. The show opens March 1st and 2nd at the Design Exchange.

At the show, eco-conscious couples, and families searching for green options for their special day will be able to learn about companies that will help them create a beautiful wedding, and keep the environmental footprint small. The show is sponsored by Absolute Tent & Event Rentals and Weddingbells, and will be featuring a large and diverse collection of amazing wedding and lifestyles vendors, all of them committed to green living.

From EWLS:

“Show producer, Jaye Marsh Graham, believes that the market is underserved, as couples have to search high and low to find the companies that align with their values. “They are hungry for the convenience of a one-stop shop,” states Graham, “and at the same time they want their wedding to cater to their environmentally conscious lifestyle. This show will give them access to all of their planning requirements in a green and intimate fashion”.

With the motto “It’s not just your wedding; it’s the rest of your life!” the show will feature mini seminars ranging in topics that include real estate, green renovations, food and wine pairings, DIY invitations and more. “We aim to help couples make informed and sustainable decisions in all of these areas”, states Graham. “This is a chance for couples to meet both non-traditional vendors who offer these alternatives, and established, traditional vendors who are excited about the changes they are making to create a sustainable model.”

What’s going to be super slick and fun about this show are the unique and interactive eco friendly fashion shows, sponsored by David Scott Cosmetics. Some fashionable perks at the show include Project Runway winner Evan Biddell, Passenger Pigeon, Margaret Macleod and As You Like It, with footwear by Mink Shoes. Fashion shown will feature traditional and non-traditional ensembles, and all garments will be local, recycled, or sustainable.

If you attend you can even win amazing prizes, just by filling out a green survey. Prizes include:

• Two comfort-fit, 3mm 18K white or yellow gold wedding bands valued at $600 courtesy of Brilliant Earth, who specialize in quality jewelry from ethical sources.
• A round-trip for 2 from Toronto to Quebec City, courtesy of VIA Rail, with one night’s stay at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac in the heart of Old Quebec (valued at $1000)
• Six wilderness adventure getaways courtesy of Wilderness Tours (valued at $100 each)
• Green Clean Home Starter Basket of Melaleuca products from Enhancing Health ($100 value)
• Producer’s Pick ‘Be Gorgeous’ Basket ($200 value)

Vendors at EWLS include:

• Whole Foods
• Plantatree Wine
• Eco Flora
• LPK’s Culinary Groove
• CarbonZero
• Toronto Botanical Gardens
• The Richmond
• Merchants of Green Coffee
• Bullfrog Power.
• And more!

Ticket Information:

“Tickets are available online or at the door.

A discounted price for two hot GREEN events is available! For $20, attendees can go to the Eco Wedding and Lifestyle Show, AND enjoy free admission for 2 to the GREEN Spring Market put on by Green Mom. In addition, they will receive a GREEN VIP card valued at $15, with exclusive offers and discounts worth over $200 at Green Vendors around the city!

Single tickets to the Eco Wedding & Lifestyle Show are available online for $12.95, or at the door for $15.”

That’s seriously a great deal – most wedding shows cost a lot more to attend.

Would you like FREE tickets?:

EWLS has been nice enough to offer Tree Hugging Family a pair of tickets for this great show, which we will be giving to one reader. Take a look at the following info before you decide that you’d like the tickets.

Location: Design Exchange – 234 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario M5K 1B2

Date: March 1-2, 2008

Time: 10am – 7pm

Now, anyone (except for Peggy and I) can enter to win the tickets. BUT the show is coming up super soon and it is in Canada, so please don’t say you’d like the tickets, if you really, honestly, cannot attend.

Because the show is so soon we need a winner for the pair of tickets by Friday, February 29th. If you would love to go, and know you can go, simply leave a comment asap on this post that says: “I want the EWLS tickets” – not very eloquent, but then we’ll know you’d like to attend. We’ll choose and announce a winner Friday morning. I’ve been informed that EWLS won’t be printing our winners tickets (saving trees!) but your name will be added to the special guest list.

Good luck! If you end up going, I know that Peggy and I would love to hear more about the show.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

I was thinking of not using dowels at all but fallen tree twigs and some left-over hemp twine I have. Don’t you think that would look great? I do. Of course, you’ll fill this with organic flowers. Kids would have fun with this project too I bet.

If you’d like to make this project you can find the video how-to at Lowes Creative Ideas.

Is there a craft project you’ve turned green? One that did not start out that way.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family