Brummet's Conscious Blog

-- Quote of the Day --  "One day at a time – this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering." ~ Ida Taylor -- Volunteering --    Volunteering, according to a university study done in the UK, has all kinds of positive results from lower depression and 22% reduction of early death.  There are estimated to be 1.3 million volunteers in Canada (1.5 million of those are here in BC) bringing an economic value of more than $50 billion dollars every ear. For more information about the benefits of volunteering and to network with others check out the resources below: http://volunteerbc.bc.ca http://volunteer.ca     Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, their radio program, blog, and ...

-- Quote of the Day --    Fifth Group’s Steve Simon was speaking at a conference  about how implementing sustainability programs into businesses requires patience and determination, but the reward is great: “When you implement sustainability projects at your restaurant, understand from the outset that persistence is key... Start slowly and then build up your efforts to meet the goals you have set. At Fifth Group we started with waste diversion and instructed our staff on how to recycle, then source separate organics. Of course there were challenges, but we eventually were able to divert hundreds of thousands of pounds of former ‘waste’ from the landfill…in every location. It has cost us virtually nothing to implement and it’s the right thing to do.” -- Green Building --  I read recently about an interesting zero-energy house was created by The Shibaura Institute of Technology , winning them awards for ...

-- Quote of the Day --  "As we may miss the joy of life by dwelling on the past, so we miss the possibilities of the present if we expect life’s best days to be in the future. The good days are now." ~ Lionel Whiston  -- Living Life Today --  Today's quote has some importance in my life... After the suicide of my mom and step-dad, the loss of other family members and friends, witnessing illness and age-related emotional and physical woes... I realized that today is my golden moment, and to stop working and staking my hopes on some day in the future that may never come.  Taking time to live : to enjoy nature, to spend time with our fur-kids and playing in the garden, to leave a positive legacy every single day, to embrace the moment. One has to find a balance here of course because our lives, or our capacity to really live our lives, may not end tomorrow... we might reach retirement in good health, we might live a long time...

-- Quote of the Day --  " Our affluent society contains those of talent and insight who are driven to prefer poverty, to choose it, rather than submit to the desolation of an empty abundance. " ~ Michael Harrington -- Plastic -- According to a recent study I read the wide variety of plastics in the ocean are responsible for the loss of one million seabirds and one-hundred thousand marine animals, causing billions of dollars of economic impact. And, according to Seas At Risk ( http://seas-at-risk.org ) 85% of marine litter is plastic.  Sadly much of this comes from runoff, streams, creeks, wind-blown garbage drifting to larger bodies of water where rivers shoot all the waste to the oceans. Some of you may have read my posts or heard me talking on my radio show or as a guest on other radio shows or perhaps read my chapter on clean walking and on plastics in our Trash Talk book series... But this study underlines the importance o...

-- Joys of Early Summer --  Ah.... the joys of early summer! Birds are cleaning out our bird feeder every few days, and the suet block we keep stocked under the pine tree's boughs is a special favorite of the birds. They are getting braver now that they are used to us and hang out even when we are working in the area of the feeders. I'm hoping that, like our last place, they do a lot of beneficial work for us keeping the pest insect population in check. :) The last couple weeks we've been harvesting mountains of strawberries - starting with only a few cups of whole berries, I'm now filling a large bowl (12 cups approx.) with medium to large berries every other day! Because of the cooler rainy/cloudy weather we've had a couple times the last few weeks - I've been doing more baking - freezing most of it for snacks during the summer. I did 3 batches of cookies, 3 batches of 2 different kinds of muffins (strawberry bran and rhubarb)... a strawberry/rhubarb cr...

World of Writing, Interview Today's guest is Beverley Golden -  Canadian writer, raconteur, peacenik and self-professed guinea pig, who loves testing unconventional ways to shift paradigms in the playing fields of health care, storytelling and world peace. She courageously uncovers the humour in life’s crazy situations, offering hope, while promoting inner wisdom through the written word. “ Trust your intuition even when no one else sees your point of view ” is her signature mantra. Confessions of a Middle-Aged Hippie , her first book, bursts with anecdotes from her years in the entertainment industry, coupled with her stories of survival from a life lived with health issues. Her passion is turning the “impossible” into the possible and her often thought-provoking observations can be found on the Huffington Post, among others. Visit her on: www.beverleygolden.com   Q: As a child, what did you want to be whe...

 -- Quote of the Day --  "Birds sing after a storm;  why shouldn't people feel as free to delight  in whatever remains to them?"  ~ Rose F. Kennedy -- Gardening --  Seeds of Diversity (Seeds.ca) announced the number of gardening events were listed on their site has quadrupled in just 13 years, proving the growing interest by Canadian gardeners.  Check out the organizations new Seed Explorer tool – where you can learn the details of more than 3000 seed varieties:   http://www.seeds.ca/int/doc/docpub.php?k=3e9a558e4711c27a057f6ad05a0f13da00001071

-- Quote of the Day --  "We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone… and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something." ~ Sandra Day O’connor -- Positive News --  Kudos to Chiba (a city in Japan) who has achieved the highest rate of recycling in the country of Japan.  At 31.4% they are more than 5% ahead of the next 2 top recycling cities.  Congratulations to this city for their success!   http://brummet.ca/store.html   Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, their radio program, blog, and more at: http://brummet.ca * Support the Brummets by telling your friends, clicking those social networking buttons, or visiting the Brummet's Store - and help raise funds for charity as well!  

-- Quote of the Day --  "The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt."    ~ Frederick Buechner -- The Power of One Person --  I am so inspired by the quote of the day that I wanted to expound on it just a little. You've heard me chat here on this blog about how one person can make a difference... even small every day actions can have an impact.  For instance when I am online using social media networking sites, I make a conscious effort to avoid posting anything negative. I refuse to comment on negative posts, or posts that point out the harsh realities of life on this planet. Instead - I choose to post as much positive information as I can, along with helpful resources, links to articles or organizations, quotes, and anything that will help push humanity to a more conscious, proactive path. ...

 -- Quote of the Day --    "To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life."  ~ John Burroughs -- Positive News --   Check out this link below to learn how water canals can provide useful space for solar panels. I think it is a phenomenal idea that will also shade the water, reducing algae issues and evaporation as well.  http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/government-and-policy/now-gujarat-to-cover-narmada-canals-with-solar-panels/article3346191.ece   Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, their radio program, blog, and more at: http://brummet.ca * Support the Brummets by telling your friends, clicking those...

-- Quote of the Day --  ... actually an excerpt from a poem...   He clasps the crag with crooked hands; Close to the sun in lonely lands, Ringed with the azure world, he stands. The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; He watches from his mountain walls, And like a thunderbolt he falls. ~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Eagle  -- Poetry --  Since I started today's post with poetry, I thought I'd continue the theme. This poem is excerpted from my 1st book of poetry: Towards Understanding and speaks about the human impact on the environment.  I use the term "men" - as in mankind. This poem was written as lyrics, but works as a poem as well. How Can They Be So Cruel? Yeah, I heard from a friend Mother Earth's life will end  In explosions of death, sorrow and pain; And they tell me the cause is men. How can they be so cruel? Yeah they hurt her, and purge her, They burn her, and posion her rain... They chop he...