Brummet's Conscious Blog

  -- 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...

-- Brummet's In the Media --  Drop by this site to find my article on converting urban properties into biodiverse parks, along with before-and-after pics of two properties we have owned over the years :  http://thegreengrandma.blogspot.ca/2014/07/a-canadian-backyard-habitat.html I had so much fun putting this project together this article for Hana's blog and share my passion for gardening consciously. :) If people would like to find out more here are a few resources:  http://www.cwf-fcf.org   http://seeds.ca   http://pollinationcanada.ca Also check out the archives of my radio show (on hiatus since December) via this page below and look for " Sunday Gardening " episodes: http://brummet.ca/radioarchives.html   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 visitin...

 Brummet's in the Media  Join me for an interview I had with Lisa Faulkner on the Game Changers Podcast Wonderfully skilled journalist, Eric Stirgus of the Atlanta Journal Constitution joined Lisa for the hour as co-host. His journalism experience and curiosity were informative and peeked by following guests, Lillian Brummet. Lillian is an author with an unmatched story of recovery and triumph from a childhood that left her on her own at the age of 13. Lastly, but certainly not least was the well renowned novelist, Jack Engelhard. His best known work, Indecent Proposal , went on to become a blockbuster movie grossing over $20 million dollars! Enjoy the Show!   Go to this site: http://penstar.org/media/game-changers-with-lisa-faulkner/  Look for the first in her list of archives to find the show.  The direct link should be: http://tinyurl.com/n3m3xk3   Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, their radio pr...

-- World of Writing, Interview --  *A note of appreciation to Monique Muhlenkamp of New World Library for connecting us with Tina Welling. Our guest today is Tina Welling - author of three novels published by NAL Accent/Penguin, including Cowboys Never Cry . Her nonfiction has appeared in The Sun, Body & Soul , and a variety of anthologies. I had the honor of reading her most recent non-fiction book titled Writing Wild , where she details her experiences with using nature as a muse or stimuli for her writing. www.TinaWelling.com. In Writing Wild you discuss how writing changed your life, even caused disruption, can you tell us about that? Writing Wild is about awareness, about waking up through our senses and discovering our interconnection to all things.   This realization changes a person.   In my case, it affected my relationship with myself and that created a domino series of changes in my marriage, in my moth...

-- Quote of the Day --  " Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. " ~ Lao Tzu -- Positive News -- Green Consumer Takamatsu (of Japan) began a recycling program for disposable chopsticks – turning this valuable resource in to paper and particleboard. I can just imagine the potential of this proven endeavor… Our city has 2 Chinese genre food restaurants where they could potentially toss out a hundred or more disposable wood chopsticks every single day. That is really an organic resource, and if ground and composted they would create a valuable soil amendment. But if we can take that “waste” resource and turn it into new products that can be sold, it would stimulate the economy, reduce waste and increase job creation. I would imagine that at the end-of-life, that paper and paperboard would be recyclable or compostable...

-- Quote of the Day --  "Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. " ~ Charles W. Eliot -- World of Writing --   Why is a business plan important for your career as a writer?  - this is a question I'm asked quite often in interviews and I have found it is common for writers to think that because they are the only person involved they don't need a business plan. But actually a basic plan can be essential to their career.  As a writer, you are running a business - you will be employed at least part time at this career and will have expenses and operation tactics and succession to consider. As such a business plan will help you and anyone who takes over the reins (i.e. royalties for inheritance, estate plan handlers, etc.).  The business plan really acts like an outline; it is meant to be flexible enough to ride through the inevi...