Prizes, Mulches & Quote of the day

-- Quote of the Day --

“We house the homeless, but …Seventh Haven is mainly an organization that puts people back to work; …a for-profit social entrepreneur business to put people back to work. ...The dome is put together with wooden pegs, once those pegs have locked into the holes …they will stay there for ever – you’d have to drill them out. We put plywood over the super-structure, …and hydro-stop which is a covering that gives it a rubberized covering or a stucco look – and that is the shell of the dome. …A team of two could do it, but four people would make it go up easier. …We can do a 24, 32 and 42 sq. foot dome structure. …The heaviest piece of our structure is 7lbs. …Hurricane force winds go around or over top of it, because of the shape. …50,000 lbs of pressure can be put on that structure and it won’t move an inch. …You know, I was one of the original Earth Day people (in Florida), we didn’t do anything earth-shattering or anything… we decided to do a bike ride all the way from the capital of Florida to the Florida coast to encourage bicycles as an alternative transportation, 39 years ago! …Gaia is living, its breathing, we have blood – the rivers are our capillaries…”
~ Hugh Simpson - May 5, ’09

Today's quote comes from an interview with Hugh Simpson on the Conscious Discussions radio back on May 5, 2009. We discussed the Seventh Haven organization's efforts to house the poor, working poor and desolate across the globe in eco-friendly homes, in such a way that it creates jobs. Check it out by clicking on the hyper-links above, or visit the Conscious Discussions homepage and scroll through the list of archives from there.

==Don't forget to enter this week's draw !! ==

Email me at: ldbrummet@yahoo.com with the word "prize" in the subject line for a chance to win one (or more) of these prizes:

- Lloyd Lofthouse's book: My splendid Concubine (romance)* For a North American winner only*

- A copy of Sheryl Kayne's nonfiction book: Volunteer Vacations Across America

-& -

- Two runner-up prize packages of science-fiction posters signed by author, Richard Risch ...View posters at: http://www.beyondmars.org

Deadline: the morning of June 14th

-- Conscious Living Tip --

As many of my blog readers are already aware I like to share tips for the average individual to consider for their own lifestyle, things that reuse "waste" or look at how we manage resources like water and energy. Today's tip, like the one I last posted, is water related. We heading towards the official first day of summer (June 21) and it is a really good time to consider saving water now, for the future. Also, we just celebrated Canadian Rivers Day, World Oceans Day, World Environment Day , Canadian Environment Week and we are in the middle of Rivers to Oceans Week... a perfect time for this tip:

The number one thing that you can do right now to reduce evaporation and to moderate the soil temperature in your landscaping beds is to mulch. When you use mulch the soil stays cool during the heat of the season, and warm during the cooler seasons - so the plants are healthier and can endure environmental extremes with vigor.

Mulching also reduces weeding chores by 95% - another great reason to think ‘green’. Forward thinking business managers and building owners will quickly realize the labor and plant purchase savings derived from mulching alone.

On top of all these great things that this little thing called mulch provides us is protection for the soil against wind, sun, heat and traffic breezes. This protection means that evaporation will be greatly reduced and the soil will stay moist much longer, reducing watering needs. Additionally because of the protection against erosion and breezes, there will be fewer issues in retaining the soil.

Mulches can be organic in nature, such as dry grass clippings, leaves or straw - or rocks, gravel, etc. They can also be inorganic, such as black and red plastic row covers (most often employed by gardeners) - or recycled mulch products from paper pulp to recycled tires. The benefits of an organic mulch is that it can often be obtained for free, or at a very low cost, and it increases soil health as it breaks down and provides nutrients. However it must be replaced annually. If you are using an organic mulch, place about 3-4 inches of mulch around all of your perennials and shrubs, keeping organic mulches from touching the trunk of each plant will prevent damage and disease.

Mulching is also light work and is a fun, healthy family activity.

Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca