Brummet's Conscious Blog

The  Recommended Resources  series has been published on this blog since we transferred it from the  Brummet's Muse  biweekly newsletter that ran for 6 years or so. When we closed it down, we decided that sharing resources was just too awesome not to continue. With this series, Dave and I have the pleasure of sharing some great resources which can include - positive impact organizations and events, citizen science projects and links to helpful articles.  Feel free to check out their websites, and perhaps send them a note of appreciation for what they do. It would, of course, be fantastic if you see a way to network with them or get involved some how, or possibly share their information with your networks.  Peace Area Riding For The Disabled Society uses equine therapy to help people feel physically healthy and mentally calm. www.pards.ca   People's Animal Welfare Society is a volunteer run organization that assists animals in need, providing a free-r...

Kudos !!  We learned of Friends of Tryon Creek via Backyard Habitat Certification Program 's e-newsletter ...and had to share them with you here today. This conservation group works in the Tryon Creek State Natural Area, offering environmental internship, camps, talks, trips, working on restoration projects and more. The interesting thing here is they have been quietly doing this work for 50 years... it is time to celebrate their work and to publicly thank them :) https://tryonfriends.org/ ~~   Visit the Brummet's   Main Website Find them elsewhere online  HERE   ~~  

Biotechnology Biotechnology holds the very real promise to feed more people on less land using less water - producing foods that are genetically enriched with vaccines, antibiotics, nutrients, flavours and chemicals. Some of these alterations are for the purpose of harvesting fruits while they are green and hard but will ripen during shipping or storage. They also aim for a uniform size, colour and appearance. Producers also prefer foods with tougher skins that will prevent damage during shipping, reduce moisture loss and prolong shelf life. While potentially reducing food waste, there is the possibility of altered nutritional values and flavours. These foods could give the illusion that they are fresher than they are, but because foods continually lose nutrients upon harvest, the consumer could be fooled into buying a nutritionally compromised product. Genetically modified (GM) plants can also contain foreign genes from animals, like fish and pigs, (bad news for the vegetari...

  Reversing Arid Zones  With increasing scientific knowledge we now have an understanding of how we can reverse desertification. Let’s examine just a few of these scientific fields before we show you some ways that deserts are being reversed back into green, lush regions. Some of these scientific fields involved are: Permaculture Design , which considers the whole system through intricate investigation and planning, using what is on site and disposing of next-to-nothing. Maritime Effect in nature - where the moisture released by plants increases the amount of rainfall and dew production within the microsystem. Orographic Lift shows us how and where dew forms in specific areas on mountains due to air currents. The Dendrinic Pattern , which involves the natural pattern that water takes as it flows downhill on the surface of land. Soil building techniques, interplanting and agroforestry methods are also used. Using these, and a few other techniques disc...

Understanding Garden Terms Do you find yourself confused by terms like: hybrid, genetically modified, heirloom, open-pollinated, heritage and microsystem? In this article we will go over some basics that will help clear up some of the confusion. First, let’s look at the difference between a microsystem and an ecosystem. To gardeners an ecosystem would be used to describe the region’s average high and low temperatures, sea level, rainfall and moisture and the zone. A micro-system  (also spelled: microsystem) could be your entire property or sections of the property. For instance, if you have one corner that tends to remain moist, and another that gets mostly shade, while a different area has full sun… those are all examples of different micro-systems. Each microsystem will have plants and wildlife that will thrive in those particular conditions. Open-pollinated  means the plants produced naturally with nature doing all the work. Heritage  has come to mean open-pollinat...

Making More out of Lazy Leisure Days When the sun is out the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time cooking a meal and when vacationing, the lure to purchase instant and snack foods is strong. Unfortunately, these convenience foods come with excess packaging. As we can see when we come across trash in the wilderness, snack wrappers and beverage containers are the most common litter we find. It is quite interesting that numerous studies prove tourists return to an area primarily for its cleanliness and greenery. In this era where the economy has come to rely more on tourism, cleaning up is truly a benefit for any community. When leisurely paddling the canoe and watching the water, one can often see the muddy bottom, where it is easy to spot larger debris. Put on a mask and snorkel to discover some amazing finds. One of the first times we did this, we found an expensive diving mask in about 30 feet of water - enough incentive to continue this practice! We have also found ant...

4 Easy Steps That Save Water Too often the media is full of negative information. Studies show that by being fed negative information people tend to get into a state of apathy and become depressed with a sense of powerlessness in the face of the problems of the world. Sadly, this frame of mind has us ignoring how much impact very small actions can have. Let us look at some positive information. Let’s examine 4 simple actions that can conserve water and save you money: - Save 5 gallons of water per washing by doing dishes in a few inches of hot soapy water. Start with the least soiled items first, keeping the water as clean as possible for the upcoming items. It may seem funny to do this - but by turning the hot water tap on to rinse the dishes over the soapy sink the level will slowly increase and will maintain a hot temperature. This means you won’t need another sink full of water solely for rinsing. We use excess rinse water to pre-soak stuck on dishes as well. If the water i...