Brummet's Conscious Blog

Finding The Perfect Vendor * Today's article was contributed by Michael Vayner ...with some minor edits by blog owner, Lillian Brummet Are you planning an event, maybe a wedding, or corporate party? Looking for vendors is so much more than just going to Google and looking up things like caterer, photographer, DJ, photo booth, etc. The vendor must fit your style to have a cohesive understanding. I have always tried to educate our clients or perspective clients on what to ask and look for in a vendor. One of the first things I tell them is, ask the vendor if they are bonded and insured. Why is this important you ask? Its simple, the last thing you want to worry about is if a vendor damages something at the venue, you do not want to be the one that has to pay to cover the damages. A vendor should always carry liability insurance to protect the client, as well as themselves. If a vendor tells you they do have insurance ask them for their limits of coverage and if you book with them wil...

Eco- Events: Audubon Spring Plant Sale When : April 21 - 22; 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Where :  Audubon Society of Portland, 5151 NW Cornell Road, Portland, OR (USA) Would you like to see more wildlife in your garden? Are you looking for a low-maintenance landscape options? Are you concerned about local ecological health and habitat loss? If so, consider adding native plants to your garden.  All proceeds go to maintaining the beautiful 150+ acre Nature Sanctuary. -- Overmountain Conservation  BioBlitz When : April 22; 9 am - 12 pm Cost : free; volunteer ...a sneak peek of the lastest conservation project during a guided hike in the Overmountain Conservation Area. Participants can help identify wildlife, insects and more during the events - aiding the organization to identify and know more about the biodiversity of this area. Info :  https://clctrust.org/event/earth-day-bioblitz/ -- ...

-- Positive News --  Interesting – I read recently that the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games are going to focus on sustainability – right down to the gold, silver and bronze medals that they plan on making from recycled metals that are “minded” from electronic, xray, digital and electric items. In doing so, they are preventing toxic material from being released when electronics break down in landfills. They are also preventing more mercury from being used – since it often takes mercury to make metal from raw ore. Now, one might imagine in their minds the size of a medal and think, what possible change could this make?  Well, when one considers that on average these events (combined) give out something like 4000 medals… the concept of changing this one thing becomes quite the endeavor. While other events have included some percentage of recycled materials and sustainability policies, this one promises to set the bar like no o...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ When we worked in Japan (& Indonesia) we encountered that being green is already incorporated into the culture – that people recognize the negative impact of their behavior. …When we green an event it is not just our responsibility to ensure that vendors are using recyclables, and bio-degradables, and diverting as much away from the landfill as possible – but it is also a part of our legacy to work with the event to create a program and to train the volunteers who sign up to educate the consumer and sort trash. …It is a personal legacy that we are trying to leave behind by inspiring and educating. …We have an incredible team that deals with sponsors and exhibitors… we ensure a festival attracts the greenest, most ethical companies… Where we need to go as an industry is to plan, in advance – so we would work with the municipalities to consider their water issues, evaluate things like stage construction projects... We also look at product replacement, food an...

-- Events & Celebrations -- I hope that everyone had a relaxing long weekend ;) For those of you who are not already aware, here in Canada we just celebrated Labor Day - which is a time when we honor those who strove for a better workplace, better rights and health care for workers. In this time of economic strife, especially here in BC where we have the highest cost of living AND the lowest minimum wage in Canada - we can use this time to re-evaluate where our nation is right now and where we are heading in the future. September is National Prevention Month and National Ovarian Cancer Month - you will likely be seeing many articles in your favorite publications in the next few weeks dealing with these topics. -- Bringing Back Wildlife -- * Source: Japan For Sustainability Organization www.Japanfs.org Sapporo Maruyama Zoo (Hokkaido, Japan) launched the Steller's Sea Eagle Program in autumn 2008 under the Wildlife Restoration Project , with the aim of protecting the environment...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history .” ~ Mahatma Gandhi -- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -- Today’s featured guest, Joseph Malki, is the co-founder and partner of Seven-Star, Inc – www.sevenstarevents.com - located in Asheville, North Carolina (USA). Seven Star Events is a global leader in greening the entertainment industry and has recently been honored with the EPA Waste Wise Award – no small feat, to be sure. Joseph and I had a wonderful discussion about how to the organization is run, the work they do and so much more. We discussed: Greencitiesmedia.com, GlobalExchange.com, Green Festivals, Green America, Coop America, SustainableWaves.com, Mother Earth News, Better World Telecom,...World Wildlife Federation ... and others. Learn how willing volunteers are to participate in green events, how to market the green event and educate the patrons. Discover alternative produ...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ The patient has to realize that they are going through an emotional and physical challenge, they’ve got to be more patient with themselves and accept what’s happened. …With that they have to understand that some of the medications are affecting the way they think, they way they sleep, the way they feel. …To be aware of what is going on and be in good communications with the team of specialists. …Progress can be made in baby steps at a time. It is not always the big gains – it is the little things that we do every day to enhance our success and achievements. …Lower your stress, and lower your expectations of other people. What is patience? It is the true understanding of the way things are, for now. …Allow time. …we have an immediate and urgent need, when we are in pain we want it to go away .” ~ Rosemarie Rossetti - April 14, ’09 Today's quote was taken from an interview with Rosmarie Rossetti on the Conscious Discussions talk radio show focusing on the t...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ Freelance writing is really like being an independent contractor. …Just as if you were a general contractor, you are getting your own gig …and then doing all the work that it takes to get that assignment finished for someone. …It’s very time consuming. It is important to check your facts. …I would say that the one common thread with all the genres of writing is that they are all a craft; they all require attention to detail and continuous pursuit of excellence. If I am going to write I want to write well. …The different genres ARE different, each with their own demands – some require more fact checking than others. ” ~ Joan Scott - April 9, 2009 I chose this quote for today from the Conscious Discussions talk radio show, because writing is foremost on my mind at the moment. I have 2 projects currently in the hands of an e-book publisher, another book revision project coming up & 2 projects that have been waiting for me to get to them for far too long. Th...

-- Quote of the Day -- Re: When someone becomes ill or injured... “… Almost anything that you do will help. …Figure out what you can do and offer something specific – such as ‘Can I come by on Thursday afternoons and mow the lawn?’ …Appoint a Captain of Kindness so that when people come up to you and say ‘What can I do to help?’ you can say, well Joan Smith is my Captain of Kindness, so you can contact her if you’d like to help. …The Captain of Kindness can ask for things that the patient may not be comfortable asking for – like money. …(Patients) appreciate getting a card from someone, but they really appreciate the person who gives them many cards – it means that person is continually thinking about them. It is hard to support someone long term, and that is why it is more meaningful. I would say, just do what you can do. …My job is to… help cancer survivors function at their highest level. I’m working with hospitals to …provide the kinds of services that survivors really need and are...

-- Positive Eco- News -- You may recall an earlier post on May being Youth Month. In honor of this I'd like to celebrate a project through The Ecocap Movement , a Japanese nonprofit organization that focuses on donating polio vaccines to children in developing countries. The most intriguing aspect of this program for us, because of our passion for celebrating the concept of seeing "waste as a resource", is that they finance this operation through the collection and sale of plastic bottle caps to recycling companies. Who would have thought that plastic bottle caps could prove to be so valuable? According to the Japan for Sustainability newsletter (www.japanfs.org) "Every 800 caps pay for one vaccination, which costs 20 yen (about U.S.$0.20)." To date, this organization and their partners have collected over 396 million caps. Those of us who are avid recyclers will know that when we take our plastic bottles (milk, juice, pop, water, iced tea and other beverages) ...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ I think I was meant for this since the beginning of my time… Through the years I just had this burning desire to do something to make a difference because there are so many out there and so many that need a second chance. …I started a few years ago writing stories… reaching the next generation of people who would give these animals a second chance… There I nothing else like it out there like a relationship with a dog or a horse or a cat or any other animal that you give a second chance to – they will be loyal and loving, unconditionally, for the rest of their lives. …so incredibly grateful that somebody loves them and cares that they are there… if people would just give a shelter animal a second chance, they are making such a difference and it is just incredible what they would get in return. ” ~ Kristi Jones – March 24, 2009 Hi all! I realize I was unable to post on the blog yesterday - occasionally my schedule is just to tight. I've been busily putting t...