♥ Go Green & Get Growing ♥ We are announcing and sprouting off our Start your own Herb Garden Campaign with a CONTEST! Everyone can do this – either virtually or in “real-time.” Tomorrow I (and Milly) will give you a great idea on how to get going with a physical Herb Garden indoors – no big space requirements here! Kitchen cooks take note, a great way to start organic is with your own herbs easy peasy!
For the contest… how much more exciting can it get than to watch the seed grow (ha ha ha) – but wait, there really is more….
WATCH the herb grown in its pot as a sign of springtime. Milly is the official watcher for us. First important event is for the seed to pop out of the soil. Next important time and event is when it is big enough and warm enough to go into the ground. That will call for a celebration, a party with home-grown organics! Now, here is the party part for you the viewer. Watch for Blog postings about Milly and her Herb growing/watching/waiting …For every 5th viewer comment on one of those new post, or the 5th DM from Twitter (@BotanicalB_B) with #MillyHerb, you will get a package of your own Herb Seeds from the Botanical Beauties and Beasties. For the viewer who guesses WHAT KIND of Herb it is, and when it will be ready to go into the great outdoors – 2 free greeting cards from the Botanical Beauty and Beasties Collection. Contest starts today and ends – well, now that would be too big a clue! Stay tuned!
What are those fuzzy lines between imagination, memory, and dreams? Is that the core of imagination? Hard to say… any ideas? Comment to The Botanicals and let us know your thoughts. We think imagination is all that plus freedom of your “inner self” to let “it” out . What’s”It” ? “It” is whatever form suits you – drawing, music, words, dance, acting, cooking, singing, etc. it’s all good.
The first order of business this week is that Twinkle, Goddess of the Shimmering Snow, wants to say Goodbye until next year. It is getting way to warm for her and she is heading North to stay cool and not melt away. As you may remember, she comes in with the winter winds but that means she must leave when the spring temps arrive. She left many charts and reports on the “dirty snow” from pollutions. She is worried. Her message as she heads out-of-town: 1) Please, conserve your “ things needs” – you may just want instead of need it . It all ups to used fuel/energy to make the items, deliver to items, and then to possibly trash the items. 2) Please, conserve on your gas and get some exercise. Don’t drive if you can walk or bike ride! 3) Please pay attention and – Recycle your stuff… Reuse what you can…. Reduce your carbon footprint.
This turned into a little bigger of a subject matter than Yum bargained for: Here are some interesting excerpts for an array of sites…. She went from the small site to the broad stroke of HGTV. First she asked herself and of others – “What does living green mean to you?”
One of her favorite inserts came from Pure Green, and it’s photographer and friend, Erin Monett. puregreendesign.blogspot. “Living green boils down to respect. Respect for one’s health and quality of life, and respect for all the earth and creation. I believe we’ve only been given one planet. As far as I’m concerned we have (and continue to) mess it up. It’s our moral obligation to take ownership and make that wrong, right again. Everyone can learn to live a little greener! Make educated decisions about what you are feeding your children, pouring down your drain, and financially supporting in your purchases BTW- thanks to Céline MacKay, Editor in Chief and founder of Pure Green Magazine!
Then Yum asks herself a bigger questions of what is ” Sustainable architecture” – since your home is indeed architecture of some kind or another. In it’s most simple form Yum says- it simply means that your architecture (home) strives to be as small a negative impact of the environment as possible. That is done first with design and the materials of your home to enhance it’s efficiency, then what energy that you will consume as the resident of that home, and again, how can you maximize the efficiency. How can your home and your own footprint be as small as possible on the world?
Further poking around Yum found and liked this: (HGTV) The 8 categories and the total possible points for each are as follows:
Innovation and Design Process. 9 possible points are given for using special design methods, unique regional credits, measures not currently addressed in the Rating System, and exemplary performance levels. 2. Location and Linkages. 10 possible points are given for placing homes in socially and environmentally responsible ways in relation to the larger community. 3. Sustainable Sites. 21 possible points are given for using the entire property so as to minimize the project’s impact on the site. 4. Water Efficiency. 15 possible points are given for indoor and outdoor water conservation practices built in to the home. 5. Energy and Atmosphere. 38 possible points are given for improving energy efficiency, particularly in the building envelope and heating and cooling design. 6. Materials and Resources. 14 possible points are given for selecting environmentally preferable materials, efficiently using materials, and minimizing waste during construction. 7. Indoor Environmental Quality. 20 possible points are given for improving indoor air quality by reducing possible air pollution. 8. Awareness and Education. 3 possible points are given for educating the homeowner, tenant, and building manager (for larger multifamily buildings) about the operations and maintenance of their home’s green features.
How this for truly a GREEN DWELLING! Super efficient small dwelling http://www.minibpassivehouse.com/ Follow link to see a lovely drawing of the home.
Next: A home in Michigan that the front glass is put in to reflect the water it is on so it “blends” instead of sticking out from its surroundings. “Because modeling sustainable building practices was a key goal of the project, Baker was averse to demolishing the existing cottage on the property. Instead, builder Luke Gingerich and his crew at Golden Rule Construction removed the pitched roof from the cottage, stripped it to the studs, and used the framing and foundation in the new house.
The old cottage now makes up most of the private quarters, including a small o ffice, laundry room and master suite downstairs, plus a den, a bathroom and two small bedrooms upstairs. It connects to the new pavilion in a modular, very modern floor plan that doubles the size to 3,000 square feet.” Read the whole story and see a photo of the home.
Do you love to look at house/home photos. Yum does, I do and if you do too- a whole array of amazing Sustainable Homes around the world. Lush photos, a brief description of the homes. Brought to you by http://www.besthousedesign.com/category/houses-design/green-house/. FAB!!!!!!
Last but certainly not least. So – what makes a home a Sustainable Home? According to http://sustainablehouseandhome.com/what-makes-a-sustainable-home/ which is a site is dedicated to those principles that we believe will have the greatest impact to limit our footprints on this blue and green planet we co-inhabit.
“This is a simple answer in terms of coming from a knowledge of these things. However, when trying to come up with a concrete and succinct answer, it is sometimes a bit more difficult. The simplest answer is to say that what makes a house a sustainable home is that it is not only built from materials that are harvested or manufactured in a way that is supportive of the larger global environment, but that is in constant balance and harmony with the environment that it is a part of as well. In other words, it is constructed of materials that support a more ‘green friendly’ – we’ll get to that as well – approach and is also surrounded, supported and maintained in this fashion as well.”
Sounds good to Yum – she is ready to go and start designing her Sustainable Home!
Yum has had a great time this week – she learned a ton and hope you did too. Happy Beauty to one and all!
Save the Earth with Good style! You walk around – why not look good and so promote Sustainable Beauty!
Fashion and Green – it can be tricky but doesn’t need to be…With a little effort there are LOTS of choices in Green fashion today – Green (as in Eco) is the new black for fashion! Join in the trend – it’s actually pretty easy!
Yum researching resources for Eco Fashion Beauty
Yum has done some research – she found a very nice link from Eco Chick. Here’s the link Online Resources for Ecofashion, Beauty and Green Goodness… and then there are some easy finds- Levis Jeans has an organic line and waterless (!), Whole Foods has some great clothing and Premium Body Care… Many brands are adding “green fashion and beauty” to their collections. As M.S. would say – “It’s a good thing.” Wondering about waterless – check out http://airdye.com/ “Synthetic textile-dyeing consumes 2.4 trillion gallons of water a year, enough to fill 3,700,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. AirDye reduces water use up to 95 percent.** “
Sticking to our Boston base from yesterday – check this out! A “Boston-based IVEE is a fashion forward sportswear company dedicated to creating luxuriously comfortable sportswear embodying simple glamour and natural elegance.” Items look very nice on line…I am anxious to try some out! http://www.iveestyle.com/ Here is a way to carry all your cool green stuff around – check out Green Style On The Go® at www.sakysacks.com. Very Cute! Very Pretty!
Are You Up on Eco-Chic Green Fashion Lingo? Learn the green fashion terms.
100% Organic Cotton: To be considered 100 percent organic, cotton must be “certified by a third party (such as the USDA), following strict guidelines for growing the fiber, using no disallowed synthetic chemicals.
Bamboo: A textile made from the pulp of the fast growing bamboo plant that’s soft, highly water absorbent, and anti-bacterial.
Fair Trade: Fair trade companies look at more than just the bottom line. They look at development as a whole and create more of a partnership with suppliers, which makes for a fairer exchange system where workers get paid fair wages and work under good conditions.
Hemp: A strong fabric sewn from the fibers of the fast growing cannabis plant (a variety that contains virtually no THC, the active ingredient in marijuana).
Recycled/Upcycled: Material that’s been reprocessed at the end of its life into something new and useful.
Sustainable: Describes a product created by a process that can continue indefinitely without causing environmental destruction or usurping resources.
