No Impact Challenge

We're trying this on.

http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/

This project is really well designed and user friendly. They ask you to register and participate in surveys and record your progress, but that's it. There's no guilt or 'should's', just suggestions and information to engage, empower, and encourage you to consider your lifestyle and habits and your impact on the planet.

I like the positive spin on change. I think that many people are turned away from more environmentally friendly options because of the pervasive belief that they must do without. The project's How-To Manual contains copious links, advice, and accessible information sources for finding local food, eco-products, low-impact means of travel, etc..

It started today, and so far I'm feeling good about it. Today's tasks were to keep a (cloth) bag with me all day and fill it with all my trash, recyclables, and food waste, and to write a list of items I need to purchase this week. These tasks are meant to make you aware of your consumption habits and get you thinking about waste, packaging, and necessity. I was surprised today to realize how automatic throwing packaging away is for me. I consider myself to be a fairy conscious consumer but I often don't think about an item's packaging at point of purchase. I think I did well, compared to most. Towards the end of the day I was critically examining what I wanted to use to minimize the waste. I'm not worried about our food waste - it goes straight into the compost bin for garden use. As for the list, I only had two items on it: groceries and car parts/repairs (our car's water pump pulley propeller sheared in half. Luckily it happened about 100m from the house so when Ian lost power he was able to push it back into our parking spot). I would like to buy a child's bike seat and helmet soon but that is not a necessity this week.

Anyways, I will TRY to update every day this week. I'm really excited. I think this is just the push I need.

This poor blog...

...is so neglected.

Life has been rather wild for us lately.  

I've been involved in the North Saanich Farmer's Market.  Every Saturday until Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving, that is) I get out of bed at three a.m. (!!!) and bake wholesome grain breads and pastries.  I start prepping items and doughs as early as Tuesday and then bake all day Friday and go to bed around midnight.  

Fearghus has gone from rocking on his hands and knees to crawling to cruising in two weeks!  It's madness.  I can't keep up with this guy.  He has two teeth, now, also.

Our garden has been hugely productive, but with many let downs.  It was a learning year for us.  I am intending to post about it at some point, I swear.  Today I picked ten pounds of tomatoes!!

Anyways, children calling.....

Snapshot Sunday

Our snapshot Sunday...all pictures from the garden, and mostly squashes.

Cucumber
Container acorn squash
Delicata squash nestled amongst the corn
The top of that lovely corn
Beautiful zucchini blossoms

Go here to join in!

Two things...

Thing one:  Look at the potatoes I dug up today!  These are from two prematurely withered plants and one I dug up for fun; none of the rest of my potatoes are ready to pull.  I got about 25 potatoes from my two Russet plants, and only five from my Russian Blue plant.  I still have two Russets, seven Yukon Gold, and seven Russian Blue plants left.  I'm thrilled that they are doing so well.  I will post more about my garden tomorrow.

Thing two:  How cute is this face?!

Garden visitor

Pretty little thing.  I hope we see more!

Snapshot Sunday

Tomatoes and zucchini
Papa's bonsai planters
What we did last night

These cars are awesome....Automoblox.  My kid loves them, I love them, Ian loves them.  You can put them together in so many creative ways.

See Sarah for how it began.

Garden!!

I am so excited to start my garden this year.  This will be the first year (since I lived in my childhood home) that I will actually have a sizable garden that I don't have to share with strangers. (That is not a slight to community gardens, which I think are wonderful opportunities to build a sustainable community and teach life skills.  All the other homes I have lived in have not had a yard or have had plots belonging to others.)

This is my garden plan.  You can't really see it at all (sadly.  I spent a lot of time drawing this to scale....lol).

I'm hoping to produce a significant quantity of our own food.  Next year we'll dig in a few more beds and another project on the horizon is to build a greenhouse out of reclaimed windows and doors.  

This year I dug in three new beds.  The little map is sideways; the three large beds are on the right side of our yard.  The beds on the top middle and bottom right were already here.  We've got lots more space.  When we're all done, there won't be any lawn left!

This week I'll be planting out:

- Carrots: 'Dragon' and a mixed variety of purple, white, and yellow carrots.

- Beets: 'Chioggia' (a red and white bullseye), and 'Detroit Red'.

- Lettuces:  An asian mesclun mix and a mild mesclun mix.

- Onions:  'Walla Walla' for storage, and 'Evergreen Bunching'.

- Chard:  'Bright Lights', which have five color stems.

- Spinach:  'Space' for summer and fall harvest.

- Peas: 'Karina Snap'

- Grains:  'Multi-hue Quinoa' and a red variety of Amaranth.  Both are gluten free.

- Strawberries: 'Mignionette', starting from seed for next year.

- Herbs