Brummet's Conscious Blog

 -- Quote of the Day --  "You may have tangible wealth untold; Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be - I had a mother who read to me."   ~Strickland Gillilan  -- Gardening -- Definition of Back Yard Habitat ( www.cwf-fcf.org ) and Bee Friendly Garden/Farming ( www.pollinationcanada.ca ) certification: Recognition of farmers and gardeners who plant native and pollinator-friendly plants, minimize tilling, use no chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides), and provide both water and habitat for a wide array of living beings. Definition of Natural Insect Pest Control ( http://natural-insect-control.com ): Use of organic and environmentally friendly beneficial insects, biological pest controls while creating a biodiverse and healthy ecosystem.       Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, their radio program, blog, and more at: http://brummet.ca ...

-- Quote of the Day --  "Animals give me more pleasure through the viewfinder of a camera than they ever did in the crosshairs of a gun sight. And after I've finished "shooting," my unharmed victims are still around for others to enjoy. I have developed a deep respect for animals. I consider them fellow living creatures with certain rights that should not be violated any more than those of humans."  ~ Jimmy Stewart -- What is Agro-Tourism ? --  * Note : In the article below I'm going to refer to "farmers" as anything from grain and seed suppliers, to gardeners and meat producers.  There are several different ways of looking at Agro-Tourism .  Basically it involves communities making information and tours and markets available to the general public. Manufactures from wine to cheese, jam to pickles might offer seasonal tours as well. Parks and wildlife centers might get involved. Businesses might offer special sales,...

 -- Quote of the Day --  "What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow, which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset." A Crowfoot Saying -- What Is The Impact Of The Food On Your Plate? -- Our choice of food really does have a major impact on the environment, on policies, politics, social, economic and cultural aspects of our society. You can look at 2 systems of your food - global and local . Global implies whether you choose to purchase food that comes from countries with policies (such as racism, war, child slavery, women's rights) that may or may not agree with your own ideals. When we refuse products from one country we are telling them we will not support them. When we purchase from others, we are telling them that the world supports their efforts and policies and are rewarding them with economic benefits.  Local...

  The ABC's Of Writing Into Truth * Today's article was submitted by Tina Welling, is the author of Writing Wild: Forming a Creative Partnership with Nature and three novels including Cowboys Never Cry . Her nonfiction has appeared in The Sun, Body & Soul , and a variety of anthologies. She lives in Jackson Hole, WY. Her website is www.TinaWelling.com   The ABCs of writing into our own truth are attention, belief, and courage.   Attention means offering awareness to our body sensations and our emotions; belief means trusting our responses; courage means taking action based upon our responses.   Each time we follow these ABCs, we strengthen the access to our inner authority.   When we write down the discoveries our attention brings us – our emotions and body awareness – and read it back to ourselves or someone else, we are taking a step toward trusting our findings and taking action upon them. We don’t have to know some...

 -- Quote of the Day --  "Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life. " ~ Jesse Lee Bennett   -- Poetry -- Today I'd like to share an excerpt from my first book of poetry: Towards Understanding ... which includes poems written between the time period of 1987 and 2002. These poems were selected to reflect my unending, immense love and appreciation for my husband - Dave. We're celebrating our 24'th anniversary tomorrow (July 19th).  I Love You That Much Can you hear the fan blowing Trying in vain to cool On this hot summer day? Holding you close, so strong Feels as though nothing  Will ever go wrong.  I part the hairs on your chest,  just to feel them curl around my finger Like a chick cuddled in her nest. Your eyes bathe me in their embrace. And it feels so good for it to be this way;...

  -- Quote of the Day --   "I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts." ~ John Lock -- Positive News --  Here is an interesting unique way of approaching greening a business through a joint venture between Chiyoda Manufacturing Co ., the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology , and the Food Research Branch of the Kagawa Prefectural Industrial Technology Research Center.     This joint venture resulted in a new technology that recycles udon noodle waste (which is big business, particularly in Japan) into bioethanol using a three part system – a fermentation system with a distillation column, methane fermentation tank and a methane gas power generation system. This new technology, according to Japan For Sustainability ( http://JapanFS.org ) can produce 200 liters of bio-ethanol from 1,500 kilograms of udon noodle manufacturing waste....

-- Quote of the Day --  "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." ~ John Muir  -- Reuse Idea --  Today I want to share an one of the thousands of Zero Waste ideas in our book series: Trash Talk - It's Easy To Be Green This is a brief excerpt from the chapter on Cereal that deals with cereal crumbs, boxes and paper.  "We rarely purchase rolls of waxed paper because the liner bags from cereal boxes are reusable. Remove the bag, wash in a hot soapy solution and hang to dry. Whole, the bags could be used for wrapping sandwiches, like our grandparents did before we had so many plastics available. Or - open completely by cutting out the seams.  Use these large sheets in place of other wax paper needs in the kitchen like lining...