Brummet's Conscious Blog

-- Note: -- I am taking the day off from hosting the radio show, I need some time to just relax today. -- Positive News --  I'm a big fan of bringing beverages with me whenever I leave the house - typically water in a stainless steel reusable bottle, but I've a half a cupboard filled with other types of bottles that I reuse regularly including a few old juice bottles. We also have a couple old water bottles in the back of the Jeep that I keep filled with purified water for either the dogs or a vehicle emergency. I've taken water, juice, ice tea and warm drinks in the winter on trips, hike, walking the dogs or even to the garden. I take them when we go shopping or when I have an appointment in town. This way I am less likely to purchase refreshments, saving money and reducing the amount of waste I produce.  Still, despite these efforts, occasionally we'll have a pop bottle or someone visits and leaves a bottle, or we'll pick litter up and in...

-- Quote of the Day --  “…Writing is writing; it is not outlining,  it is not just talking about writing,  it is not discussing character development –  it is like driving at night in the fall with the lights on  you can only see a few feet in front of you  but you can make the whole trip that way.  And that is how I write, and how I think everybody writes.  People who feel that they don’t have the time to devote to it can write that way. Just don’t give up. ” ~ Judy Nichols Click link below to access the full discussion with Judy:  http://tobtr.com/s/4826293 -- Positive News --  I find it fascinating how people are coming up with new ways to make technological advancements  greener: A Japanese beverage company will soon be releasing a lighter 2L plastic bottle (formally 36.2 grams will become 29.8 grams) which means they will consume less pla...

-- Quote of the Day --  --> “…It can be difficult to fathom the millions of bags that are out there and bringing it down to the personal level – but for me when I go grocery shopping it is 10-12 bags each time. So if I went shopping twice a week that is more than 20 bags - if you multiply it exponentially you can see how big the issue is. And it is not just the plastic making garbage, it is the process of making the bags that is so harmful to the environment, the plastic in our oceans, the oil required to make plastic. …The great thing about recycled products (bags) is that they are really durable. For instance the seat belt bag – these are seat belts that, because of strict safety laws, would have ended up in the landfill – but there were creative people out there who decided to make bags out of them. We have a bag made of recycled plastic bottles that can be thrown in the washing machine. The mosquito-netting bag can be wiped down. Even the magaz...

-- Quote of the Day --  “ If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody. ”     ~ Chinese Proverb  -- Positive News -- *Source: http://rpn.baumpub.com   Recycling Product News magazine reports that due to Canada’s increased recycling availability for plastics, they have seen a 15% increase in plastic packaging between 2009-2010.  A total of 217 million kilograms of plastics were collected for recycling, or about 70% of the plastic packaging consumed in Canada. (bottles, tubs, containers, lids, buckets, etc). Between 2009 and 2010, we saw an increase of 13% bottles, 36% increase in plastic bags and outer wrap – from households. While there was over 50% increase in plastic film and bags from the business sector. Find Dave and Lill...

-- Quote of the Day --    “… There are about 200 Silesians species, 800 newts and salamanders, and 6000 frogs and toads, (currently known about). …Frogs are really neat because they have a lot of different parental strategies, some may lay 3000 eggs and they are left on their own, but a lot of the species only lay 100 eggs, so in order to have a greater survival rate they will have different parental strategies. …Males will hold them in their mouth, in their vocal sacs, or the female will swallow the eggs and shut down production of her gastric juices until they hatch and then she will spit them out. …There has been about 200 frog extinctions in the last decade.   …Atrizine is one pesticide that we are working on getting banned, one of the most commonly used pesticide on the planet – but it is illegal in the entire European Union. …it doesn’t decay very well at all, and it causes immune-suppression, hermaphitism, and even complete sex reversal...

-- Conscious Living Events --  Date : March 17th, Saturday All Green Recycling Event    Time : 10 AM - 4 PM Location : St Mark's City Heights at 4227 Fairmount Ave (across the street from El Cajon Blvd) - San Diego, CA (USA) Info : Drop by and join in a free electronics recycling event where All Green Recycling will make a donation to St. Mark's based upon the weight of the items collected. * St. Mark's promotes social justice ministry, and runs programs to help the community.  -- & -- Date : March 17 Seedy Saturday Location :  Heron Park Community Centre 292 Manse Rd.  Scarborough, ON (Canada) -- Positive News -- Kudos to Japanese residents!  The Council for PET Bottle Recycling released the 2011 PET bottle recycling report.  According to the report, Japan collected PET bottles at the rate of 72.1 percent in 2010, proving to have a higher ...

 -- Plastic Bottles - Another Useful Construction Material -- Have you seen plastic bottle houses before?  Building with bottles as a construction and wall decoration material is not such a new idea - we’ve seen reports and articles over the last 2 dozen years in magazines and online where people have used glass and plastic bottles in their adobe and cob design houses in the US, and here in the Kootenays we have a small highway tourist stop – a house made entirely of glass bottles. I've also seen color bottles used in hallway walls and bathroom walls that allow light in the room without compromising privacy issues.  . ..However, when I read of a new project in Nigeria where they are utilizing plastic bottles to build economic homes I was really intrigued. Apparently the bottles are first filled with sand, capped, and melded together with mud and concrete to build 2 bedroom homes for people – costing less than $13,000 – I felt like celebrating when re...

-- Quote of the Day -- “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without spring s- jolted by every pebble in the road.”  ~ Henry Beech -- Positive Eco-News -- Source : Recycling Product Newsletter … Ice River Springs have been successfully operating a new PET recycling plant where they produce their own resin and can make bottles now with 100 % recycled plastic, and this bottle has a lower weight, and a smaller label. On top of this, the company also creates all kinds of things using this recycled PET resin including trays and shrink film. This one company which has some 6 locations across Canada, can reportedly process 80% of the bottles collected in Ontario’s blue box program.  Now that is definitely a fantastic example of what businesses can do to save money, increase employment, and have a powerful positive impact on the world!   Find the company at: www.amut.it Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpt...

-- Quote of the Day -- “… I like to water in the morning, because the water has a chance to soak in the soil, and if the leaves or stems get wet – they will have a chance to dry off before the cool of evening sets in. …Succession crops involves planting the same crop a week or two apart to allow for succession harvest – it allows you to extend the garden, grow more. …and you have more ability to go with the seasons. …It is just a great way for gardeners to harvest what they can eat that week, without being overwhelmed. ..and it is really good if you are doing open-pollinated plants and  you want to save the seed because you can stagger the crops so that they flower at different times – keeping the seed pure .”  ~ Sheri Ann Richerson Today's quote originates from the May 8th Sunday Gardening episode featuring Sheri Ann Richerson as our special guest. -- Reusing Plastics -- An assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at ...

-- Quote of the Day -- " Character isn't inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action. If one lets fear or hate or anger take possession of the mind, they become self-forged chains ." ~ Helen Douglas -- Positive Eco-News -- According to the Association of Post-consumer Plastic Recyclers record high bale prices clearly indicate that recycled plastic materials remains a hot commodity.  This national trade association represents companies who acquire, reprocess and sell the output of more than 90% of the post-consumer plastic processing capacity in North America.  Founded in 1992, its membership includes independent recycling companies of all sizes, processing numerous resins. Their site -   www.plasticsrecycling.org   - tells us that there are more than 1800 North American businesses involved in recycling plastics and they rely heavily on household curbside plastic container recycling... onc...

 -- Quote of the Day -- " Strive not to be a success, But rather to be of value ." ~ Albert Einstein -- Defining "Zero waste" -- The Zero Waste International Alliance has developed a peer-reviewed, internationally accepted definition of “ Zero Waste ” www.zwia.org: "Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health. " This includes phasing out organics from the landfill and sending them to the com...

 -- Quote of the Day -- "If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties... must transcend our race, our tribe, our class and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective. "  ~ Martin Luther King Jr. -- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -- Topic : Plastic Shopping Bag Issues & Alternatives    Airing @ 10-11 AM, Pacific - a chat room will be open for live listeners. ...Find the best of the 2007 discussions on conscious living in this new series airing periodically in 2011.Today's episode is the first installment of this series - Join in to learn about plastic bag issues, going without plastic bags and plastic bag alternatives with two experts - Tracey Saxby of GreenerFootprints.com & Teri Thomas formally of Sage Green (no longer in business, from what I can tell). Learn about the first city in the world to ban plastic bags and how this sparked the movement we see today toward a shopping bag free society.   Click the hyp...

-- Quote of the Day -- re: You have the choice: " Refuse to engage in, accept, or allow into your personal life, Attitudes and behaviors that do not promote  Overall health, wellness and growth.  You have a choice. " ~ Danielle Pierre -- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -- Today is another Positive Eco-News segment on the Conscious Discussions Talk Radio show, and our focus will be plastics. Ever wonder what those numbers mean in those little recycling triangles... you'll find out today. How about what happens to the plastics once it hits the recycling system... Find that out too :)  Airs live today at 10-11 AM (pacific), and as always a chat room will be open for our live listeners. Of course you can always check out the archive at your convenience if you miss the live episode. Check out today's Positive Eco-News segment via the hyper-linked title here or look to the side-bars on this blog for recently aired radio show episodes. *Interested in becoming an...

 -- Quote of the Day --   "In life decide whether or not you  are going to be honorable or not  - never follow always lead." ~ Phil Kammer -- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -- In honor of Youth Month (May), Ina Hillebrandt and Lillian will be discussing the various issues and positive programs for childhood literacy. Ina is the author of Pawprints - an an uplifting collection of short "tails" about close encounters of the furry kind. This book project grew into a literacy program that began as a workshop for the Jane Goodall Institute . Ina is also the president of Pawpress and founder of the Pawprints Literacy Plus Organization . Join us today by clicking on the show title link: Pawprints Literacy Plus ...And check out the comment section for today's episode to find related interviews that have aired in the past on the Conscious Discussions Talk Radio show.   -- Bottled Water -- May is also Water Month and there a...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ Mankind has a genius for survival, often only manifested at the eleventh hour. Now is the time when we must act together to avoid the catastrophe of climate change. Saving the rain forests will be an essential first step. Deforestation is one of the largest contributors to climate change. Rain forests provide countless services to humanity, often unnoticed .” ~ The Prince of Wales -- Bottled Water -- There are numerous environmental concerns with bottled water: the production and consumption of bottled water consumes energy, pollutes the environment, and contributes to global warming. Producing the plastic bottles uses energy and emits toxic chemicals, environmental implications of bottled water. Transporting the bottled water across hundreds or thousands of miles spews carbon dioxide into the air, complicating our efforts to combat global climate change. And in the end, empty bottles are piling up in landfills. * Source for statistics below: TakeBackTheTap.org...