Brummet's Conscious Blog

Recommended Resources Today's recommended resources fall in the genre of youth.  - The first resource today will lead you to a fantastic youth-writing non-profit organization. 826 National Org . helps young people become creative and confident writers, helps teachers become better inspirational agents for positive change, and helps communities work together as a team in support of local youth. Visit:  https://826national.org/ - This next resource will lead you to an inspirational story, told by  two sisters inspired at 10 and 12 years old to change their country’s policy on plastic bags. Great story that should inspire other youth to realize their power, their potential. http://www.ted.com/talks/melati_and_isabel_wijsen_our_campaign_to_ban_plastic_bags_in_bali And to close out today's post - here's a great example of how one person can have such a huge impact,   inspiring others to get involved in her cause and sever...

-- Quote of the Day --  "He has spent all his life in letting down empty buckets into empty wells; and he is frittering away his age in trying to draw them up again."  ~ Sydney Smith  -- Positive News --  Some interesting numbers for you… 90% of large Japanese cities have instigated plastic bag and packaging recycling and reduction programs. Methods for achieving this vary from region to region but tend to include the discontinuation of offering plastic bags, creating cooperation between shop owners and increasing benefits to consumers such as coupons, local currencies, gifts, discounts, etc. The country has been able to reach a 91% collection rate for plastic bags and packaging as well. According to a 2013 survey, 41% of the respondents bring their own bags and don’t accept retailer bags. However that means that 59% still consume single use bags and the reasons offered were convenience,...

-- Quote of the Day --  “To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In other words, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.” ~ Bruce Lee - Oct. 20, 1963 -- Positive News --  Did you know that California, US has made a new law banning the use of single use plastic bags? Fantastic stuff. Hopefully other states and Canadian provinces will follow their example!   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 --  "Each of us is given a bit of the raw material of life with which to work. We can shape it anyway we wish. The time in which we live, our inheritance of traits, etc., all have something to do with what we become, but after that it is in our hands to do much with what we have. Physically and mentally we can shape it any way we desire." ~ Louis L’Amour  -- Plastic Bags --  * Today's article was provided by Bizymoms.com - helping provide  women with information on everyday matters and important issues. Check out thier BizyMoms Cares - Conservation section, which offers information and tips on plastic bags and how we can conserve our environment. It’s hard to say when we began to turn into obsessive consumers but nobody can doubt that we are just that. At least most of us! A direct result of this is heavy dependence on plastic bags. From USA to Africa, from Asia to Australia, ...

-- Quote of the Day -- “There are lots of things we can do at home helps reduce pollution in the ocean – paints, auto oil, polishes, cleaning products – start to use the non-toxic stuff.     Dispose of your trash in the proper manner, do the recycling, don’t flush sanitary products and diapers down the toilet where they end up in the water and on the beaches.   Don’t throw litter; pick up litter even in the city because the litter will end up in the sewer which ends up in the ocean. … Every moment we have a chance to make choices what kind of products we use, how we use them and how we dispose of the trash. …When in nature be really respectful, don’t touch them – it is really about behaving in a way of interacting with creatures in the ocean that is super respectful. …I think it is that once you start giving energy to things that you are passionate about other people are watching and… are inspired by what we do and I am really inspired by that ...

More Ways to Recycle * Today's article was written by: Sam Jones writes on environmental and green energy issues. He keeps an eye on energy suppliers and the cheapest electricity prices and to give his readers the latest information and offer There are plenty of signs and advertisements that urge us to recycle, but the truth is that recycling goes far beyond simply dropping unwanted paper into a bin. That type of recycling is of course important, but when you start investigating it, it is really just the tip of the iceberg. What can be recycled and where can you go from here? Recycling Clothes Remember that recycling means putting things back into use so that resources can be conserved. If you have clothes that don't fit anymore or if you have clothing that you simply no longer wear, consider taking them to a donation site instead of throwing them away. Clothing production requires a great deal of energy and natural resources, so putting some back in...

-- Product Review --  Back on March 31st, Douglas Lober of www.ReuseThisBag.com decided to send a selection of bags our way for review, which we received around mid-April. The company focuses on bags made from 100% recycled materials and offer a good selection of interesting high-quality bags that can be custom printed to represent your event or business. With 4-5 trillion bags being consumed annually on this planet, and more than 1 hundred thousand marine animals, and one million feathered and land based wildlife perishing each year due exposure to plastic bags - options like these are essential in helping the world become sustainable. Douglas sent us two samples of his latest products is called a Rip Stop Polyester Shopping Bag that comes in both “tee-shirt” and “wave” handle styles, and two Reusable Wine Totes in 4 (green) and 6 (black) bottle sizes. The day we received the four bags happened to be a shopping day, so while at the grocery till I ...

-- Product Review --  When Sean Harris connected with me about reviewing his Handi Hanger product (http://www.handihanger.com), I was immediately intrigued by it. As our readers are already aware, I am passionate about steps to zero waste and reuse is a huge part of this.   The Handi Hanger arrived only 19 days after communicating with Sean about this project in a small, protected envelope. I loved that there was hardly any packaging associated with the shipping, and what little there was, could be recycled. Similarly the product itself utilizes minimum packaging - a thin cardboard backing with a small amount of shrink plastic holding it in place. Thankfully both these are recyclable as well. The Original HandiHanger is an earth friendly, money saving device that allows us to recycle plastic shopping bags.  Depending on how the product is used this can also mean we can save on wasting money spent on new garbage bags.  ...