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Everyone creates the future It's a saying that most people know, and not many would deny. Whenever there is a big task or challenge at hand, if lots of people get involved, the impossible becomes possible. Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

Nothin' like a Good Ol' Fashioned Blackout to Get You in Touch with Your Powerless Self! So there you are cozying up to a warm fire in the woodstove and about to settle into your fave TV show while admiring how energy-conscious you are because you aren't using the heat and only have three CFL lights on right now... when it hits! COMPLETE BLACKOUT!? Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

Playing in Our Own Backyard Over the past 10 years, my husband Matt and I have done a lot of travelling. We've been to Africa, SouthEast Asia, Argentina, Nicaragua, Europe, and across North America. We love travelling. There is no better way to learn - but most of all, there is no better way to appreciate what you have at home. Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

Greenstep Blog Welcome to GreenStep Blog: Taking Action on Sustainability Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

What's in a Name? "Organic," and "fair-trade" are words that have worked their way into our food vocabulary in recent years - but what do they really mean, and how can we tell if these foods are really better for our health, our environment, and our society? Almost always, if something is labeled with one of these words, as a consumer you are paying more for it. Is it worth it? Is it just a gimmick? Are these products REALLY healthier and more ethical, or is it just a way for some big company to make more money? Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

Starting with Food It's hard to believe that it's already the first week of August. The summer always seems to run away with me. When I finally start to get into summer mode, it always seems like it's already half over. Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

The Flight of the Baby Swallows Just before we finished building our house I decided that I wanted to use up some of the scraps of cedar from the siding and what better use than to build another house - a birdhouse! That was about the size & scope of project that I could handle by myself. So I did it, I built a birdhouse hoping to attract some swallows. As the film saying goes "Build it and they will come." And they did. A family of swallows moved in the first summer and had a little family and all was well. This summer was a different story. For some reason a couple of swallows opted to not use the house that was available to good tenants and instead built their own mud & hay nest up in the un-soffited area in between the joists of the deck overhang balancing precariously on a single electrical wire. Why they did this I will never know (maybe I had been expected to have the house cleaned!) At any rate this offered me a much better view of the activities carrying on in the nest above our heads. Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

Getting "Cultured" in Your Outdoor Space! We had a great turnout for our Kids in the Garden event on Sunday, July 19 - thanks to all those who brought their young green thumbs out! The gang at Springtime Garden Centre put on a fantastic show - first a briefing on vermi-composting, and the kids got to get acquainted with some worms. Next, we learned all about tomatoes and how they grow from seed to fruit. Then came a little talk about the importance of Mason Bees and how to attract them to the garden. And finally, all the kids got to pick several flowers and plant a planter. A good time was had by all. A big thank you to Springtime Garden Centre for such a great event! Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

Flowery Weeds, Good Coffee-Talk & Nice Smelly Compost! Emma and I held our first "GreenStep CoffeeHouse" last week at Breakwater Books which was a rousing success! We had 20 people in attendance brimming over with good ideas for more sustainable yards and positive ways of achieving this and getting our neighbors on-board with our ideas of "weedy corners." Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

What is a sustainable outdoor space? For the past several weeks CaroleAnn and I have been eating, sleeping, breathing everything we can find to do with outdoor landscape. It is, after all, the topic of the month! With an upcoming CoffeeHouse at Breakwater Books (this Thursday, July 9th - don't miss it!) and a kids event on July 19th at Springtime Garden Centre (call 604.487.1945 to book a spot!), and all the other things we have been doing to prepare for the launch of this book project and the month (podcasts, blogs, newspaper pieces, etc.) we have been thinking A LOT about outdoor landscape. Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

Sustainability: more than a catchphrase? What is sustainability anyway? It's definitely a trendy new catchphrase, but is it more than that? When faced with the word, many people shrug shoulders or raise eyebrows and ask, "What does that mean?" or "What has it got to do with me?" Newspaper: The Powell River Peak Region: BC Region Feed: Green Step Date: 2010-07-30 18:16:05

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