Brummet's Conscious Blog

-- Authors Read Radio -- Today we featured co-authors, Marilyn Suttle & Lori Vest who read sections from their book: Who's Your Gladys? - which shares real-life stories for how to deal with, or prevent, difficult customers - on Authors Read Radio : http://tobtr.com/s/922516 -- Free Webinar on Pay-As-You-Throw -- The Econservation Institute is providing free assistance through international webinars, workshops and "hands-on" consulting to communities in their region (USA). If your community is interested in finding out about new options for recycling and diversion including PAYT (Pay-As-You-Throw) and how they can help you reduce costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase jobs, and help citizens recycle, then this program is for you! PAYT (Pay-As-You-Throw) is not just practical in the landfill-costly East coast or in the "green" West, but in all kinds of areas, even the desert / mountain west. There are PAYT lessons for urban, suburban, rural, and ...

-- iTunes & Conscious Discussions Radio -- Sign up via iTunes for the Conscious Discussions Radio show: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id262138144 -- Recommended Resources -- IMEC: - http://imecamerica.org - serving doctors and nurses in developing countries by providing them with donated medical equipment and supplies to advance the standard of health care for their nation's poor. Three great world causes, three great reasons to help them: Independence, Education, Healthcare. Climate Manual: http://climatemanual.org - 2 manuals available here (downloadable) for free regarding climate management for businesses and cities. Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca

-- Quote of the Day -- "The spirit, the will to win and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur." ~ Vince Lombardi -- Positive Eco-News -- *Source: www.japanfs.org A major Japanese gas supplier (Osaka Gas Co.) in Kobe City has recently embarked on a test project to purify bio-gas generated in a sewage treatment plant for city use. The project is the first attempt of its kind in Japan. The group plans to produce approximately 800,000 cubic meters of bio-gas per year, which will cover about 2,000 households' annual usage of gas and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 1,200 tons. -- Conscious Discussions Radio -- Today's Conscious Discussions show features another Positive Eco-News segment filled with inspiring quotes, topics ranging from determining what conscious living means to plastics and recycling industry news. I also touch on the book industry, celebrate sustainable busines...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ I think when you find your passion, and my passion is the environment and protecting it, you really sing along. While I was in the corporate world as a secretary …and needed a lot of variety, but it wasn’t until I discovered being an entrepreneur and having my own business, one that I could be so proud of, that I am able to enjoy life fully. I was sort of attached to the negative energy, and it was a hard struggle. …For applications on the farm there is also the added bonus of manure management worms can reduce the volume of manure piles by 80% and eliminate ground negative bacteria (e-coli, salmonella) …so worm composting of manure actually makes the product safer for handling and processes it more so it makes the nutrients more accessible to the plant. …Cows produce 66 pounds of manure per cow and this can be a big problem where cities are encroaching on the farming areas and there is a lot less tolerance for farm odors – and raw manure is becoming a big iss...

-- Quote of the Day -- " You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club ." ~ Jack London -- E-Waste -- What to do with the electronic waste? This is a common question - and I've decided to share an article today on the subject that I received from Associated Press: A first-in-the-nation law went into effect recently in Maine, requiring makers of televisions and computer monitors to pick up the tab to recycle and safely dispose of their products once they are discarded. Under the law, which mirrors the approach taken in Europe and Japan, manufacturers must shoulder the cost of sending electronics to recycling centers where toxic materials such as lead and mercury are removed. " It's time to bring them out of the attics, out of the garages, out of the closets, out of the basements ," said Jon Hinck of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, which lobbied for the new law. The Maine recycling law is the first to bill manufacturers ...

-- Quote of the Day -- “… The way I define sorrow is that it is pain that you carry around with you, that you feel alone in. …It is understandable that you’d want to stuff the pain away and never feel it again – but folks can trade that sorrow, they don’t have to carry it around with them. …People need to take an honest look at themselves and their patterns of thinking… look at those times when they react to something that is out of proportion - those are usually clues to what is deep inside of you. …You also need the deep desire to rid yourself of the pain that you carry. If you don’t have that deep desire, you are going to run from the pain as fast as you can. I used to refer to it as the core that I was afraid to touch because I felt that if I opened it up everything would pour out and I would never be able to stop. …Keep moving through the pain – it will lessen and you will get through to the other side. …And celebrate; celebrate that you are on the journey, that you have made the ...

-- Conscious Living Events -- Event : COG Conference - Your Food, Your Choice: Grounds for Change Date : Feb. 20, 2010 Location : University of Toronto Conference Centre - 89 Chestnut St. Toronto (ON, Canada) Event : Vermicomposting Presentation @ Richters Herbs Date : Feb. 21, 2010 Location : 357 Highway 47, Goodwood, ON (Canada) Event : Zero In On Zero Waste - Don't Let Your Bottom Line Go To Waste (business conference) Date : Wednesday, February 24, 2010 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Location : Marina Village, San Diego (CA, USA) Info@: www.earthresource.org -- Did You Know ?? -- By volume, polystyrene foam (a.k.a Packaging Peanuts or Styrofoam) is the largest contributor to landfills. Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca

-- STROKE IDENTIFICATION -- * This message below was sent to me via email: During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics). She said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - at 6:00 pm Jane passed away. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. RECOGNIZING A STROKE Effects from a stroke can usually be reversed within 3 hours, but this depends on people knowing how to recognize, diagnose and get medical care for the victim in time. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficul...

-- Quote of the Day -- " Now in the 21st century, separating food scraps and soiled paper, along with grass clippings and leaves, for centralized composting has emerged as a key activity households can do to stave off global warming . " ~ Peter Anderson, Executive Director for the CENTER for a COMPETITIVE WASTE INDUSTRY -- Recommended Resources -- Easily recycle and properly dispose of toxic materials by using our convenient database. Almost anything can be recycled. This extensive database includes items ranging from cans and bottles to appliances and construction materials. www.wastefreesd.org Clothes2U distributes clothes, diapers, linens, books, footwear, as well as personal and household items FREE to those in need, at organized events held regularly from Surrey to Abbotsford. Examples of personal items would be shampoo, soaps, etc. and household items would include small kitchen appliances. Check out the website at www.clothes2U.ca -- Positive Eco-News -- Peter Anderso...

-- Quote of the Day -- “When you are doing what you are meant to do there is this feeling of flow – that you are doing something that is so second nature to you that hours can go by and you don’t even realize it. …The thing that small business owners will always be able to do a thousand times better than larger ones is relationships with customers. …One of the things that happen for everybody is that we try something and feel it failed, but we need to see it as feedback. …We can learn from and adjust our business based on the feedback. …The thing that makes people fail in business is psychological, not knowledge. Knowledge can be found, support can be found. …It is also challenging psychologically to bounce back from something that you really wanted to work and didn’t. …To run a business you really have to understand what part is your part - we can do the footwork, but we can’t control the results. So let me do my footwork and then let go of what happens.” ~ Dec 15, ’09 – Christy Stra...

-- Quote of the Day -- “Small business owners, professionals and really everyone – need to remember is that 67% of people are searched online. …What happens is that the person viewing the comments online are not going to decipher whether the comment is fact or fiction, they will just move on to someone else. …The importance of your virtual presence is so critical today. …People can be stalked online and it can be truly scary and is becoming more prevalent online.” ~ Dec 10, ’09 – Sue Scheff Today's quote originates from a Conscious Discussions talk radio show interview with Sue Scheff that aired in December 2009 - titled: Internet - A Dangerous Asset -- Bio-Plastic ?? -- While the term "bio-plastic" might seem new to many of us, they have been in use for many years but have not been able to supply a "highly advanced flame retardant" product for electronics, vehicle and other high-energy applications - until now. A new flame-retardant bioplastic (polylactic aci...

-- Announcements -- Lisa Haselton's blog ( http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com ) features part- 2 of a 3-part interview with Lillian Brummet - on Jan 13, Feb 10 , and Mar 10. -- Recommended Resource -- http://interviewalley.wordpress.com - Discussing the in's & out's of interviewing/being interviewed. -- Conscious Celebrations -- There is a lot going on in the next 2 weeks! During the 3rd week of February we celebrate Multicultural Week (BC, Canada) On Feb 12 – Lincoln’s Birthday (USA) Feb 14 – ST. Valentines Day Feb 14 - Chinese New Year Feb 15 - Heritage Day (Canada) Feb 15 - National Flag of Canada Day Feb 17 - Ash Wednesday Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca

-- Quote of the Day -- " The drudgery of being a professional writer comes in trying to make good days out of bad days and in squeezing out the words when they won't just flow. " ~ Benjamin Cavell -- Conscious Discussions Radio -- Todays featured guest on Conscious Discussions Talk Radio show was Therese Tappouni who shared information on techniques to Teach Green to Children . Check out the archived interview by clicking in the hyper-links above... or look to the right side of this page for recently aired Conscious Discussions episodes. Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca

-- Quote of the Day -- Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain! - Vivian Greene -- Conscious Living Event -- Date: Feb. 10, 2010 Event: Guiding you through the marketing jungle Location: Glenway Golf Club, 470 Crossland Gate Newmarket -- Positive Eco-News -- Today's Conscious Discussions episode featured another Positive Eco-news segment which covered a variety of inspiring information and resources that will encourage listeners to participate in recycling programs and help them run efficiently, while stimulating the local economy. Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca

-- Quote of the Day -- “… I was able to apply my back ground in music and theater as a therapy …to help people where they are shut down to find out how they want to open up and connect with the community. …There are so many benefit that music has to our entire being. …We are educated through logic and reason – the left brain is dominant and we marginalize the importance of the right side of the brain, which is the side of the brain recognizes patterns, metaphors, connections between things. …When we hear (or play) music our brain is responding with both sides of the brain. …It makes their memories sharper, math scores go up… music helps us deal with change, helps us learn faster… respond quickly with an agile mind that can grasp many things on multiple levels. …All the arts are beneficial in this way, but music has this unique feature …of lighting up the brain in many, many ways. ” ~ Nov 5, ’09 – Judy Treder-Wolff This quote was excerpted from the Conscious Discussions interview with ...

-- This Week - Leaving a Legacy as a Final Act -- Tuesday - Feb 2nd: Did you know that over one million people in the world die by suicide every year leaving millions more bereft? The partners, children, parents, siblings, friends, colleagues and caregivers left behind are often plagued by a corrosive sense of guilt and shame. And the stigma associated with suicide commonly causes survivors to hide the truth and suppress their anguish. Harvard psychiatrist Nancy Rappaport, author of the memoir In Her Wake: A Child Psychiatrist Explores the Mystery of Her Mother’s Suicide helps us understand suicide and the way it affects others. We will learn how to identify depression, and how to talk as a family about the tragedy. Discover language you can use to help your children deal with tragedies like this. Our featured guest on Tuesday's Conscious Discussions episode was Nancy Rappaport who shared information on Surviving Suicide . Thursday - Feb 4th: A recent AARP poll asked: Which ty...

-- Quote of the Day -- " It's about where we are in this time of life... It's about looking back without remorse about the things that escaped your grasp. And out of that comes this great acceptance about being happy about where you're now at ." ~ Jim Cuddy (of Blue Rodeo) -- Announcements -- Our three books are now listed in the Coalition of Independent Authors website, check out the links (below) to find numerous interesting authors, besides us! http://www.coalition-independent-authors.com/poetry-books.html http://www.coalition-independent-authors.com/non-fiction-books.html -- Dave & I were awarded the Backyard Habitat Certificate from Canadian Wildlife Federation in recognition for " outstanding effort in helping wildlife through the creation of habitat ". This is an exciting and rewarding experience for us, being recognized for the work we have done over the years on this property. When we moved here, the property was pretty sparse - even the ...