Brummet's Conscious Blog

-- Eco-News -- Selkirk Eye-Care Optometrists – located in the communities of Nelson & Castlegar in BC (Canada) - is joining in the trend for eye-care specialists raising awareness & getting their customers to bring in their old glasses to be donated to 3rd world countries. Lens Crafters (located in Canada & the US) and the Lions Club International created a similar program in 1988 that continues today, called Give the Gift of Site . We'd like to take a moment today to celebrate these wonderful positive, proactive actions :) What happens in these programs is: Volunteer optometrists and technicians take hundreds of thousands of use the parts from donated glasses to create new ones that will suit a variety of needs, shapes & sizes. Then a group of specialists travel to developing countries to provide free eye examinations & distribute the glasses where they are needed the most. This is an incredible example of seeing "waste" as a resource that helps...

-- Quote of the Day -- “…The youngest dog I ever got was 15 months old when I got him, I know someone who received a 14 month old. The oldest dog I have received was 22 months old. They are weaned from their mom and then they go into a home to be socialized… we want to prepare them for what humans do; shopping carts moving around, people jostling each other. That is the first stage, they usually stay there about a year. They go back to the school for 6 months to a year of training. They then call the blind person and they have you come to the school to spend 3 1/2 weeks to learn how to deal with your dog. …It may not be your first dog, but you are the dog’s first blind person. …From there you encounter different situations; training on the subway stations, and all kinds of things like that. …It is very important for the general public to know that you must never engage a guide dog – do not touch them, do not distract them. People will start petting the dog without even saying hi or ask...

-- Plastics -- According to the Japan For Sustainability Org (www.japanfs.org): " In Japan, approximately 150 thousand tons of used plastics are discarded from the agricultural & fishery industries while 10 million tons are discarded in total ." ...Thus the importance & increased interest in the world-wide research & development of biodegradable, recyclable & reusable plastics. Wondering what the term biodegradable means? According to a Planet Green article, biodegradable items are " waste material composed of primarily naturally-occurring constituent parts, able to be broken down and absorbed into the ecosystem ." The benefits of biodegradable plastics is a reduction in the labor involved for collection & sorting in the recycling industry, as well as the additional bonus at the landfill where careless discarding of recyclable materials continues today. You may recall that I had mentioned the newly discovered mold on the underside of the leave...

-- Quote of the Day -- Re: Care-giving, hospice and volunteer work: “ You know, I never was attracted to the medical field - I was the president of a school in a low-income housing project in Detroit. Of course I had plenty to do… and at that time I had more homeless students than the state of Michigan… and I only say that because a lot of people will often say that they don’t have the time to volunteer – but I was running a school and had many things to do, yet there are many needs out there that have to be met. Hospice is a philosophy of quality, end of life care. …over 90% of people receive hospice care at home, but you can find hospice support in prisons, hospitals… Some volunteers actually do pet therapy, and certify their pets for hospice care. …If a person wants to be a volunteer but not have direct contact with patients there are lots of things they can do from office duties to fundraising. …One thing that is almost like a secret in America is children as caregivers – 1.5 mill...

-- Sunday Gardening -- Today’s Sunday Gardening segment offers info on seed saving, vertical gardens, balcony gardens and roof gardens. Check out the archive by clicking on the hyper-link here or look to the right for a link to the Conscious Discussions radio show. Garden resource: Everdale Environmental Learning Center: www.everdale.org -- Prize Winners -- Congratulations to this week's prize winners: CJ, who one a prize for a personalized business or personal coaching program: 90-day "Hit the Mark" program - a $748 value (US Funds) from Joe Palmer (www.bullseyetheory.com). Carla & Louise, who each won one bottle of: - Wolfgang's Oleo MenthaTM (www.wolfgang.ca) - a distilled etheric oil, which kills ARTHRITIS PAIN AND MIGRAINE PAIN in minutes. Estimated prize value $20 (US). And to Joanne, who won a set of 75 inspirational cards from Sheila Steplar (www.joystream.com) an estimated value of $35 (US) - AND - one bottle of: - Wolfgang's Oleo MenthaTM (w...

-- Lillian Is Interviewed Today -- I will be interviewed @ A Book and a Chat radio show today @ 11 AM (Eastern) / 8 AM (Pacific) - http://tobtr.com/s/512424 Host Barry Eva will be asking me questions about the world of writing as a career. When you get to the site, there is a number displayed for listeners to call in and ask questions. Alternatively join in the live chat room and interact that way. *This episode will be archived for those who cannot make the live broadcast. -- May is Water Awareness Month -- The city of Castlegar, BC – Canada – has sponsored yet another rain barrel initiative in their city. We are so jealous!!! For a limited time citizens of the Castlegar community can purchase rain barrels for less than $25… which is a huge savings since rain barrels in retail stores cost well over $100 and as much as $210! The cheapest one I could find online ran about $60 but it is located in California and would have to be shipped from there to here in Canada - increasing fossil ...

-- Quote of the Day -- “Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the worst of failures” ~ G.E. Woodberry -- Eco & Conscious Events -- Welcome to May everyone! May is officially Youth Month, Motorcycle Awareness Month & Water Awareness Month Coming up during the first week in May is Calgary ‘s Wild, Wild Waste Conference (BC, Canada) The first week is also known as – Naturopathic Medicine Week (Canada) -- Eco-Resources -- Green Hour - Sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation " ...by giving our children a Green Hour a day -- a bit of time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world -- we can set them on the path toward physical , mental , and emotional well-being . ...Each week we publish a fresh issue full of activities and information to help guide the exploration and focus on fun." Location: www.greenhour.org Green Raising - "At Greenraising, we believe that people want to make good choices for our planet's hea...