Child Labour in North America

When we think of Child Labour we often think of sweatshops overseas. However a shocking report by ABC News has revealed that one of North America's largest blueberry producers - Adkin Blue Ribbon Packaging Company located in Michigan, found young children, including one child as young as five working in its fields. The five-year-old girl, named Suli, was seen lugging two heavy buckets of blueberries picked by her parents and brothers who were aged seven and eight. US laws state children must be at least 12 years old to work. Since the announcement, Walmart and Kroger have severed ties with Adkin.

In this age of huge industrialized food processing, it only makes the argument stronger to really think about where your food comes from. If the price seems to good to be true, it probably is. The lowest price is not always the best option. Lowest price often means Made in China or child labour. The next time you pick something up off the shelf, try to consider where it came from.

Support small, local business!

Lights Out

As Daylight Savings Time comes to an end this weekend, it may be tempting to keep the lights on. But did you know that dimming the light by just 10% doubles the bulb's life. Check out these simple lighting tips to help conserve energy and keep money in your pocket.

* Use one stronger bulb rather than 4 weaker bulbs. Ie. one 100-watt bulb gives off more light then four 25-watt bulbs.
* For outdoor lights, get motion sensors. Instead of keeping a steady stream on all night, a motion sensor only lights things up when needed.
* Create mood lighting with a beeswax or soy candle instead of switching on the lights.
* If you leave the room for more then 5 minutes, turn out the lights. Regular bulbs are very energy inefficient and should be turned off as soon as you leave the room.
* Use a lighter lampshade - darker colours soak up the bulb's rays and waste energy.

How to Green your Halloween

Let's face it. Halloween isn't exactly the easiest holiday to be environmentally friendly. But you'd be surprised at how much you can do, with little effort. Try these eco-friendly tips to tread a little lighter this Halloween.

1) Try walking with your kids during trick-or-treating as opposed to driving. Not only will it save money and CO2 emissions, but you'll have more fun with your family.

2) Support local farmers by buying locally grown pumpkins and other fall decorations like gourds & squash.

3) Use up that pumpkin! From roasting the seeds, to delicious pumpkin muffins, pie or soup. Finally compost the jack-o-lantern shell when finished.

4) Choose beeswax or soy candles to set that spooky mood. Paraffin candles are made from petroleum and can release harmful toxins when lit.

5) Why waste that cute little lion costume? Hand down costumes to friends & family.

6) And finally....recycle! Don't forget to recycle throughout this halloween season. From candy wrappers, to costumes and decorations. Every little bit counts.

Fall Cleaning

I definitely thought Spring was for Cleaning, but after the weather turned cold this weekend, well let's just say we got our clean on! My husband and I have been on a bit of a de-cluttering kick. And after many years of putting off cleaning out the basement, we finally decided to tackle it this weekend. I must say, we did a great job, and the basement has never looked so clean.

We had been putting off a number of little things, because we did not know what to do with them. Well a lot of it turned out to be incredibly easy and were good for the planet. Here is a little list of some easy ways to help out our planet when getting rid of junk!

1) Recycle your paint. Not sure what to do with your leftover paint? As long as your paint/stain is in its original container, they are all recyclable.

2) Recycle your electronics. We had a stack of old printers & computers that we didn't know what to do with. They were too old to be donated, and luckily it turns out they too can be recycled.

3) Donate old/read books to the Salvation Army. We had a pile of books left behind by an old roommate. Not our style of books, so we donated them for others to enjoy.

4) Give it to a neighbour. Have some of that fine China that you will never use? Well, ask your neighbour if they would like to have it. Ours did, and we felt good about giving it to someone who will appreciate it, as opposed to having it collect dust in our basement.

5) Let friends and family know when you are getting rid of something. Your trash might be someone else's treasure. It turns out my old computer chair was very loved by one of my friends. And after this weekend, well, now it is hers!

And, as we discovered while cleaning out the basement. Really think about your future purchases. In this day and age, it seems like there is a lot of junk out there. Go for quality purchases over quantity. After all, if its going to end up in the landfill in just a few months, why even bother? Save your money and save the earth!