Brummet's Conscious Blog

How Tilling A Garden Causes More Problems Than Benefits   * Today's submitted article was written b y: Phil Nauta is a SOUL Certified Organic Land Care Professional and holds a Certificate In Organic Landscape Management from Gaia College.    Garden tilling, also called cultivating, is often done with a gas-powered rototiller that goes down perhaps 6 or so inches, but soil can be "tilled" with a tool such as a pitch fork, too. As you know, tilling a garden is when you turn the soil over so that some of the lower soil comes up and some of the upper soil goes down. It's kind of like a food processor for your soil, just not as fast. You may think it is more necessary in organic gardening because we don't use pesticides like the no-till farmers, but that isn't the case. Reasons For Garden Tilling The main reasons organic gardeners may till the soil are to: * Reduce weeds * Relieve compaction * Make the soil look f...

-- Quote of the Day --  "I smile when I look back at the troubles that have strengthened me. What seemed to be insurmountable struggles then, are now beautiful ornaments illuminating my soul." ~ Dodinsky  Quotes like these remind me to reconsider my reactions to challenges in my every day life - seeing them as jewels or ornaments, as opportunities for growth, instead of the end of my world.  I am this person today BECAUSE of the experiences of trauma and joy in my lives, not despite them. I am stronger, know more and (hopefully) am a better person.  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 --  "Nature is sanative (conducive to spiritual healing), refining, elevating. How cunningly she hides every wrinkle of her inconceivable antiquity under roses, and violets, and morning dew! Every inch of the mountains is scarred by unimaginable convulsions, yet the new day is purple with the bloom of youth and love. " ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson - Progress of Culture  Lustrous Moon How many millions of Pairs of eys Glancing up Become mesmerized And could not tear Their eys away  From you? For just that moment While private thoughts Flit in their minds And like mine,  Flashing imagery  Of days long past And out of view. All in that moment When millions of eyes  Just happen to glance up And in that one moment Become mesperized by Your glowing face that cries "Tomorrow is brand new". *excerpted from our Rhythm & Rhyme book: Find this in print and ...

CROWD FUNDING CAMPAIGN THE OCEAN CLEANUP SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED   Funding raised in 100 days exceeds expectations *submitted article     September 15, 2014, Amsterdam - The Ocean Cleanup, founded by Dutchman Boyan Slat (20), has successfully completed its crowd funding campaign. With the support of over 38,000 funders from 160 countries, in 100 days over $ 2 million ( US) has been raised.  This success brings The Ocean Cleanup another step closer in its quest of cleaning the oceans of plastics. The next step, which comprises the construction and testing of large-scale operational pilots, can now be initiated.     The funding raised will be utilized to deploy a series of up-scaling tests, ultimately resulting in a fully operational offshore cleanup array in 3 years’ time; the final preparation before full-scale execution. The team projects the first pilot to be operational within a year. Within this year a sequence of expediti...

-- Quote of the Day --  At times, challenges hit with the force of a roaring, rushing waterfall. The true test, however, is whether you can put your arms up and enjoy the feel of the water.  ~ Aviva Kaufman Whew! I'm back in the office. Apologies for that - but our garden cleanup and a few other house projects just needed more attention than I could give it while working the office as well. Some times we, as self-employed and self-marketing business owners have to make the call to take time for other life projects and people as well. lol I've often wished I had a couple more hands and at least one employee... a personal assistant of sorts. (ha, ha).  Book sales have really taken a dive since the changing economy a few years ago and while the economic recovery is happening it is very slow. There is also a record number of some 3,000 or more books published every single day. Yep - every day. Trying to get your books to receive big sales in...

OK - I'm taking a couple days off from the office, but will be back again after the weekend. Thank you for understanding :) Please do scroll through the archive posts though and feel free to share any information or resources with anyone in your contact list. L.

-- Quote of the Day --    " Nature is man’s teacher. She unfolds her treasures to his search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence."  ~ Alfred Billings Street -- Positive Living --  Nature is such a powerful entity, one that rejuvenates us and makes us whole. We can give back to nature and help protect sensitive living beings with some very simple steps. Fall is here and it is time to plant trees... That is always a good place to start. Planting a few trees on your property, donating some to the city park or local schools is always helpful to the community - or join some of the non-profits out there that plant trees for your with your donation. Starting a garden and landscaping your property, encouraging your apartment or condo building to start balcony and roof top gardens, creating more diversity in the gardens and land...

-- Quote of the Day --    " Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. " ~ Steven Kloves -- Positive News --  It is encouraging to see the business community taking notice of the impact they have on the environment and being willing to show concern and take steps to reduce their impact. Of course it is win-win, since today's educated consumer is looking to spend their budget in the most conscious way possible. A new study done on Japanese businesses found that 70% are continually working towards and improving existing efforts on conservation, maternal health, human rights, advancement of women, prevention of environmental contamination and adaption to climate change. The country is now looking at ways to encourage business sector to also take actions against diseases, poverty and other social issues – and to expand their efforts to reaching beyond Japa...

-- World of Writing --  Today’s interview comes to us via publicists Laura Watkins and Theresa Sneed (Book Manager and Blog Tour Assistant) on behalf of their client - Deirdra Eden, and her latest release: The Watchers - Knight of Light. Deirdra has spent the last decade captivating audiences of all ages with her novels and fairy tales. Her specialty is paranormal theology that delves into documented historical phenomenon and natural disasters of biblical proportions that entices indulgence of a fine line between fact and fantasy. Find out more via: www.knightess.com Deirdra enjoys jousting in arenas, sword fighting and archery, planning invasions, horseback riding through open meadows, swimming in the ocean, hiking up mountains, camping in cool shady woods, climbing trees barefoot, and going on adventures with her family. Q: Deidre – tell us a little about yourself. I love adventures, all different kinds of people, kitties and unicorns. ...

Environmental And Social Standards In The Fashion Industry * Today's article was written by: Dylan Tanner - an eco-entrepreneur and writer who founded the newsletters Asia and China Environmental Reviews and has been writing about environmental and social trends within a business context for fifteen years. His latest venture is a www.ekobai.com " B2B directory of SA 8000 certified companies and other certified suppliers. Environmental, social and ethical pressures on the global textiles and fashion sector emerged in Europe in the early 1980s. The main driver was consumer concern over the safety of the materials. However in parallel with this trend, a minority group of ethical consumers demanded “chemical-free” and low environmental impact clothing and fashion goods. This resulted in the European and later the US organic labeling system being extended to include criteria for clothing and textiles, such as organic cotton. As of 2007, the sector w...

-- Quote of the Day --    "The tulip and the butterfly Appear in gayer coats than I: Let me be dressed fine as I will, Flies, worms, and flowers exceed me still." ~ Isaac Watts  Ah the joy of viewing nature. One of the things about gardening that keeps me going is simply watching things grow. Plants constantly amaze me with starting out as one little brown hard lumpy seed, to producing an amazing array of colors, leaves, heights, textures, flowers - each providing the earth with a service: each feeding and nurturing other life, each giving back even at the end of their lives to help improve the quality of the soil.  I love watching the different colored insects that come along throughout different times of the day - and birds too. Butterflies of different sizes, amazing color displays... iridescent bees and so on. I often discover a life form I haven't heard of or seen before and that sends me running to the book shelf ...

 This is the 2nd installment of a 2-part article offering resources for people looking for new careers or help for their intended career in the realm of green jobs. Part 1 was published on September 1st .  So here is Part 2 of: 50 Awesome Scholarships For Eco-minded Students * Written by Raj Prince   26. Blade Your Ride Scholarship - Offered to full-time undergrad and grad students at an accredited university or college in the US. One student will get $15,000, and two will get $5,000. 27. American Fisheries Society 28. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation - Called the Wildlife Leadership Awards, it covers a $2,000 scholarship, plus a one-year membership to the Elk Foundation . 29. American Ground Water Trust - Offers opportunities to college eco-students who wish to get into ground water studies 30. The Explorers Club - Awards $500 to $1500 to high school students and college undergrads. 31. National Wild Turkey Federation - Awards $250...

-- Quote of the Day --  "Sometimes in tragedy we find our life's purpose ; the eye sheds a tear to find its focus."  ~Robert Brault  Today's quote sends me to gratitude... I'm grateful for the tragedy, the grief, the hardships I've encountered so far in my 44 years on this earth in this life. Without them I wouldn't be where I am, with the people I love or the location that feeds my soul each day. I wouldn't have the skills I do, the passion I have to make a difference and live consciously with every moment I am given. I know what poverty is and how to deal with it without going crazy. When things go horribly wrong, when we loose someone, when life takes a bad turn we often realize just how resourceful we are, that we are stronger than we realized.  Each challenge is an opportunity - so when something pops up that you have to face, try changing your perception of it to being a chance to learn, to grow, to change. ...