1001 Little Ways to Save Our Planet

Oh my goodness.

If you buy just one book this year, let it be 1001 Little Ways to Save Our Planet. It is such a good beginners resource for everything environmentally responsible.

Here is what it says on the back

"With ideas for recycling, conservation and energy efficiency, 1001 Little Ways to Save Our Planet offers quick, simple ways to reduce your impact on the environment and start living in harmony with the planet. Green-living tips include how to limit the damage done by global warming, pollution and toxins, as well as decrease reliance on fossil fuels and make eco-friendly choices such as buying from sustainable sources. Even if your an energy-guzzling, 4x4-driving, plane-loving consumer, you'll be amazed at how just a few small changes in your work and home life can reap big benefits for the global community."

Hurry. Go. Buy it. Or borrow it.

Here are some of my favorite tips:

298: Remembering to turn off the tap (faucet) while you're brush your teeth, applying make-up or cleanser, or shaving helps save an incredible amount of water. Turning off the tap (faucet) while brushing your teeth can save 7 litres (2 Gal) of water. Try to get into the habit of turning the tap (faucet) off whenever the water is nt actually needed.

217: Instead of buying fabric softners which can leave chemical residues on clothes and pollute the environment in their manufacturing process, try adding 60 mls (1/4 cup) white vinegar to the rinse water.

729: Ten tread mills in the average gym use the same amount of electricity in a day that it would take to run your hairdryer non-stop for an entire year. Stick to weights and non-electric machines like spinning bikes.

The Love behind My Cooking

- AN INTRODUCTION

Now that Jeremiah and I are down in California, we have no full-time chef to prepare our meals. This led us to the inevitable conclusion that I would have to cook.

Despite the possible poisonings coursing through both our imaginations (nothing like a positive attitude), I chose to meet the new challenge with love, rather than anxiety. As a result, our stomachs are full with the yummy goodness of a homecooked meal.

So far, although I don't particularly enjoy cooking it has been a rewarding experience for both of us. It is somewhat of an artistic outlet for me. It keeps me busy. I am learning and every day is different. Jeremiah comes home from a hard day of work to an apartment full of delicious smells, and gets to eat a hot, tasty meal - cooked by the woman he loves, for the man she loves.

So, the most gratifying thing about cooking for Jeremiah is that it has brought the two of us closer together.

THE ALCOHOLISM AND ADDICTION CURE - A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO TOTAL RECOVERY by Chris Prentiss

During the past few weeks I read a book that was given to me. The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure - A Holistic Approach to Total Recovery by Chris Prentiss is one of the most enlightening books that I have ever read. Not because of his views of alcohol and drug dependency and their causes, but because the book informed me that these views are relatively new to the world of addiction therapy.

Chris believes that drug and alcohol dependent people don't have an incurable disease. Dependency is 100% curable. Alcoholics and drug addicts are simply trying to cope with the world in which they live. Their coping mechanisms just happen to be alcohol and drugs. And alcohol and drugs work very well. Regardless of whether or not they will eventually kill you. I always thought it was obvious. Apparently not. So I will help Chris spread the word, and promote his book as well.

The book itself is great. It is easy to read and full of warmth, very chatty. It is a wealth of information both for dependent people and for their therapists. This book makes a great reference source. The third chapter is written by Chris's son, Pax. Pax was addicted to heroine, cocaine and alcohol for ten years. Chris got him clean forty times. This chapter is Pax's story and it is as heartening and illuminating as it is appalling.

Once Pax discovered the reason for his dependency and he and Chris were able to cure it, they opened a rehabilitation centre for dependency treatment in Malibu called Passages. It has the highest success rate of any dependency treatment center in the world.

GETTING STARTED

It turns out that making life choices are hard. Especially when they involve a whole other human being (my husband) and their money. But, either I do it or I don’t right? So here is what I have come up with so far.

A few summers ago, I worked through a book called The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron. One of the tasks set for me was to write “Morning Pages” every morning for the duration of the eight weeks that I was working through the book. The basic idea of these pages was brain drain. Not to be a diary, but written in longhand, three full pages of whatever happens to pop into my head. Read the book to get the full explanation.

I decided that however I was going to make changes in my life it would be easier if I didn’t have a load of stuff on my mind, sapping my concentration while I needed to get it off my chest. So now, I have begun a new habit. Every morning, the very first thing that I do when I get up is I write my Morning Pages. For the rest of the day, I am free of thought.

The second habit that I have developed is Yoga. I am fairly new to Yoga and throughout the last summer have practiced intermittently whenever I felt the need. It got me through the horse wrangle: a very fast, very steep ride, which jarred my back the first time. After that, I did Yoga on Sundays and felt nothing in my back. But I have felt the need for a new habit to form, in order for me to continue on my practice of Yoga. Now, after my morning pages, I practice Yoga.

I have run into some snags. It turns out that there are sacrifices I have to make. Accomplishing both these tasks is difficult if I don’t allow myself time. I need to get up at least an hour earlier than I would normally. Otherwise, my mind is not on Yoga, it is on everything that I need to do for the day. So I sacrifice sleep. However, I can go to bed earlier, since my husband and I watch T.V. usually before we go to bed. T.V. is not important to me, so it is an easy sacrifice and I get to sleep earlier.

The third habit that I have formed is reading before I go to sleep. I used to believe that I could only read a book if I had time to get through it all in a few days. Otherwise, I would lose interest. This boiled down to me never reading. Now, instead of watching T.V. I lay on my husband’s lap while he watches it. I read. That way I get some reading time in before I go to bed, I can get a little more in when I get into bed, and then I am fully relaxed and ready to fall asleep when I turn the light out. Perfect.

I have it all thought out. Now I just have to keep it in practice. Develop the habit. I’ll let you know if it is still going………

THE COLOUR OF LIFE

My world is grey. My world is black and white. Life is full of contradictions, and mine isn’t short of any. It seems to be progressively more involved in the grey areas of existence: emotion, relationships, time. Though I find such situations increasingly vague, I am beginning to see them with a better clarity than ever before. I didn’t get around to doing the laundry today, in my grey world, translates to I didn’t do it, in plain black and white. I didn’t give my husband a back massage because I was so tired, translates to I didn’t do it. Even though we can’t afford it, I really felt that I needed a pair of boots to wear in town this winter; I bought them anyway.

Yes. Life is grey. But it is my life, according to me, that is. Not my life according to others. Not my life according to the dog, or my sister or my husband. Not life outside of me. My emotions, my feelings, my desires are all grey. Should I act on them? Maybe. But I should be aware that my actions are black and white. My actions decide the person that I am. Maybe I feel that I love my husband. Maybe I say that I adore him. If I don’t act loving or adoring towards him, if my love is only in my words then I am two things: not loving or adoring, and a liar. Plain and simple. Black and white.

So, out of my (newfound and possibly short-lived) wisdom, I have concluded, like many others before me: life is what I make it. It is what I choose through my actions. For the most part I have waited around for things to fall into my lap, and they have. I think my run of good luck is at an end and it is time for me to start taking action and taking control. I do not want to get to those pearly gates and have God ask me, “What did you do with your life” and for me to say, “Well, I was going to do such and such, but there was this really good movie on T.V. so I didn’t.” From now on, I am going to do it! Hah! While I am aware that this is going to be a habit that I must acquire: it is not going to happen overnight, I must also be aware that saying that I will try and do something, and actually doing it are two different things. So, this is the beginning of my diary charting my action-taking progress. I am not sure how it will go. Perhaps I need a plan of action. Long-term goals and short-term goals. I will let you know how it goes. Wish me luck……You can hold me accountable.