Brummet's Conscious Blog

Eco-friendly Gift Ideas As promised in my article offering some basic tips on greening holiday events ( Dec 3rd ), I'll now offer some really great gift ideas that really do have a positive impact on local economy, on the environment, socially and for the recipient as well.  I do encourage you to read the first article (above) for other eco-friendly gift ideas. Ok - while some of these gift items might seem strange, consider that the recipient will save money on their energy and water bills, they'll save time which means they'll be able to do other things or they'll be healthier.  It is easy to combine a package of eco-themed items together as one gift as well.  * Some of what you read below here was excerpted from Trash Talk Book 2 Get the ebook:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/146754 Get the print book:  https://www.createspace.com/3852051 - A large sized low-flow shower-head, sink and tub aerators, hand held sho...

-- Poetry --   Today I'd like to share a poem from the most recently published poetry book: Rhythm and Rhyme (1st edition).  This powerfully emotional piece was written within moments of a strange dream I had back in March 2011; only wisps of dream memory remained as I wrote this down in an attempt to capture the remaining strands on paper. Mom often used the phrase "building your castle in the sky", beaning to always dream of something better, to have hope. This poem can be found on pages 56-57 in the book. -- Wings on a Breeze --  I dream of feathers; Ruffled and rippling By the force of the wind, ...Sounds like laundry on a line Swept back by a brisk breeze. I'm "Alive" And I lament a life of bitter resentment, The terrible need for approval... Now faded with her death, Leaves this mind weighted down By thoughts of sacrifice  And loss. A regret that childhood Dared me the strength to support While circum...

Green Celebrations - Part 1 Tis the season... so they say.  Late November - January brings a myriad of church and school events, fundraisers, theater and choir productions, meetings, gatherings, parties, live music events, meals, gifts... This all adds up to creating more than 25% waste than any other time of the year. 25%.  To put this 25% number in your mind visually - imagine your own residential garbage output for pick-up day. When garbage pick up day comes around for us, we put out an average of 1/3 of a black garbage bag. Sometimes more, sometimes less - depending on the projects we are doing around the home or property, but that is our average... 1/3 of a bag. 25% more would equate to about 3/4 of a bag. Some of our neighbors put out 2 bags on average... so their increase would look like 2.5 bags. Add that up, household by household; apartment by apartment, down one side of your block and you can start to mentally picture just how much more residential garbage...

-- Quote of the Day --  © BrummetMedia.ca "Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold.  But other times it's essential to take time off  and to make sure that your most important decision in the day  simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow."  ~Douglas Pagels;  These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You http://www.facebook.com/lillian.brummet   http://www.linkedin.com/in/ldbrummet http://www.consciousdiscussions.blogspot.com

-- Positive News --  Interesting – I read recently that the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games are going to focus on sustainability – right down to the gold, silver and bronze medals that they plan on making from recycled metals that are “minded” from electronic, xray, digital and electric items. In doing so, they are preventing toxic material from being released when electronics break down in landfills. They are also preventing more mercury from being used – since it often takes mercury to make metal from raw ore. Now, one might imagine in their minds the size of a medal and think, what possible change could this make?  Well, when one considers that on average these events (combined) give out something like 4000 medals… the concept of changing this one thing becomes quite the endeavor. While other events have included some percentage of recycled materials and sustainability policies, this one promises to set the bar like no o...

-- Recommended Resources --  I really enjoy sharing resources, links, networking opportunities here in this section for anyone interested in having a positive impact with their time on this earth. Lately, I've been studiously going through the thousands of lectures put out by the TED institute's participants. It's a popular site. I look at it as free education, but more on the enlightening, inspiring, awe-striking knowledge and possibilities for our future. There are a surprising number of online educational and inspiring sites like this. It is exciting to see how much work is being done to create a better world. We can do our part by sharing the info we enjoy. So - why don't you help me by spreading the word about this blog, or sharing links to specific posts you enjoy? Or leave a comment, question or invitation for networking on the wide array of topics our blog offers. Perhaps you have an article, resources you'd like to share, or quotes that have inspired ...