Category: Eco-friendly ideas


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Holiday greetings to all. I just wanted to do a quick follow up on an earlier blog post about cleaning up my neighborhood.

I have been diligently picking up trash along the path in my neighborhood that my dog and I take. Sometimes it’s large bags of trash, cans, bottles and whatever is man made and in my reach. That included under the high tension wires where we walk often.

My daughter in law was throwing out some potted Chrysanthemums that were still appearing viable. So  I literally took them from my trash cans put them in my minivan and drove them around the corner to the front part of the high tension wires. I planted them in the woodsy area to the side of the property, near the road.

Feeling that I did a good deed, I even brought them a little water said a little rain prayer for them and went on my usual routine. Yes it rained, God is so awesome! But shortly thereafter, walking my dog again I came upon one of the  neighbors that live next to this area, pulling rake fulls of fallen leaves over from his yard to the front side of this area.

He jokingly said to me “want some free leaves?”. I responded, “no thanks, but aren’t you dumping?” “No, it’s biodegradable it’s not considered dumping”. I responded, “sure in about five years”, then I added, “everything is biodegradable given enough time”. He was not happy with my response. If it’s true  that the leaves are biodegradable then he should have kept them as mulch in his own yard.

Two weeks later, I’m walking my dog under the high tension wires and I hear a lawn tractor. I was searching for pine cones for a craft. The lawn tractor was of the type that it had a big square collection container on the back of it. It seems this is the next door neighbor of the first man I spoke with. He knew the place well and went to his favorite dumping spot.

I don’t get it, he went all that way, had state of the art equipment and chose not to bag it up while he had it contained and mulched. What’s with these people?

As if that’s not bad enough, when I left that area walking towards my home with my dog, I saw a neighbor outside raking and bagging his leaves. I went up to thank him and tell him it was so good of him to do that. I told him about the other neighbors up the street. He responded what’s wrong with that?”. I said ” but it’s private property”. “So, I don’t see anything wrong with it, I’m thinking of cutting down this tree because I’m sick of raking”.

It’s the only tree on his property and it gives him some shade in the summer and because of its size and placement near the corner it stops people from cutting across his property ( he has a corner house). He said, “I’ll put a big rock there”.

Let me repeat myself, I don’t get it. I reminded him that he lived on Long Island, not New York City where it’s all concrete and that’s why he chose to live in the suburbs. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. “Have a nice I said”, as I walked in the opposite direction.

This is God’s green Earth. His beautiful wonderful Earth. In six days God created with all His power this especially wonderful planet.

Most of Mankind is stripping away the beauty and wonder and leaving behind its filth, coldness, death and decay. I thought I could make a difference picking up the trash and trying to beautify the area a little bit. How does a single person do that? Make a huge difference? Only God can help with that.

I’m still going to plant seeds in the spring, who know’s maybe the neighbors got convicted in the Spirit.

Blessings to all.

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It’s not my job, I didn’t do it! So what!  When speaking with some people regarding litter/trash along the roads that’s some of the words I have heard, among others. Attitudes regarding polluting God’s Earth, the beautiful home he gave us to live on, planet Earth. How dare we desecrate it.

The beauty of the land, waters and sky is just too much to all take in and describe with the reverence it deserves. We are so fortunate and so often it’s taken for granted.

I walk my dog every day along the road and then I go under the high tension wires near my house. Walking under the wires there’s an open grassy area that keeps my dog and I safe from the road traffic. There are also scrub trees and overgrown bushes and weeds along the sides of the utility property. It is fenced and does have plenty of poison ivy growing under the overgrown bushes. It’s not a bad place. I’ve seen stray cats, squirrels, field mice and rabbits. It’s sort of a little sanctuary for the animals. Occasionally the utility company comes and mows the tall grass and clears the weeds and vines from the mini power station. My dog and I love it, except when the local neighbors dump their yard trash there.

It’s bad enough that the roads are littered. People throwing garbage out the car windows because they don’t want to mess up their car, overturned garbage cans not completely cleaned up,  and pedestrians throwing their trash on the ground because they don’t want to carry it to a garbage can. So I have decided to be bold, to take the initiative to show that one person can make a difference.

I’m taking back my neighborhood. I’m making sure the entrances to the power line areas stay closed to the public (as much as I can), and I’m bending down and picking up the trash. I carry an extra plastic bag with me so I can do that. I do it in front of drivers, pedestrians and neighbors. I don’t care how I look doing that or who I do it in front of.

Hopefully the neighbors will get on board and be bold and not let anyone dirty their community. After all we live here, we need to protect our neighborhood, we need to look out for each other and our environment. Just because a lot of people here recycle, it’s not enough.

Be bold people! Bend down pick it up, speak up, take notice,take action, make your space and your neighborhood a pleasant place to be in.You too can make a difference.

By Merrian Webster definition;

gar·bage

noun \ˈgär-bij\

: things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown out

: a container where people put things that are being thrown out

: something that is worthless, unimportant, or of poor quality

According to Wikipedia:

Litter: consists of waste products that have been disposed improperly, without consent, at an inappropriate location:Trash may refer to: In garbage: Municipal solid waste, unwanted or undesired waste material; Litter

Trash may refer to: In garbage: Municipal solid waste, unwanted or undesired waste material; Litter

I think if I’m able to  I’ll use my old flower and vegetable seeds and sow them into the bush area and along side of the roads next spring so the animals, and maybe some people too, can appreciate the flowers and vegetables that just might happen to “show up” there.

 

 

I recently visited another blog, Soulsby Farm – A Very Small Farm. I read a very interesting article regarding GMO, genetically modified organisms. I have reblogged the article to spread the word. So after reading please continue to inform others. Unless that is you have no objection to your food being re-engineered. If Agent Orange and pesticides can alter our DNA and also harm fetuses than just imagine what ingesting DNA modified foods can do. All in the corporate name of the mighty dollar. We are all supposed to take care of the body that God gave us. We need to stand up for ourselves and our future generations and teach our children whats acceptable and not acceptable to eat. Reduce TV time, make a garden even if it’s in a flower pot. Get back to basics. Realize the amount of brainwashing on TV, radio, media ads etc. Eventually I will set up another blog about being aware of what’s around us but in the meantime read the article, it is enlightening. Thank you Soulsby Farm for  sharing.

The Truth About Genetically Modified Organisms – GMO’s

I’m very proud to introduce a Guest Blogger writing an important/must-read piece concerning GMO’s. It’s a fantastic article that could also be titled; Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about GMO’s. Please share with others and leave your comments and questions below, Chris will answer them…..Take it away Mr. Vogliano:
My name is Chris Vogliano and I am currently studying nutrition and dietetics atKent State University in their Master’s Program.  I am conducting my thesis study on the topic of Genetically Modified Organisms related to Dietitian’s knowledge and perception of them.  According to previous research, the public trusts dietitian’s to relay current and scientific information on this controversial topic.  However, as I hope to prove in my research, there is a significant knowledge gap in the perception of what dietitian’s know versus the knowledge they actually hold.
I chose this topic because genetically modified foods is personal and strikes an emotional cord.  Ever since discovering the topic, I have unveiled more and more unsettling information about this complicated and controversial process.
Most of American’s have no idea what genetically modified foods are, even though over 80% of our supermarket foods contain them.  Many American’s believe that simple crossbreeding is the same or at least a similar process to that of genetic modification.  Some American’s place trust in the “assumed” strict regulatory processes of the FDAUSDA, andEPA.
Politics plays a much more pertinent role in our lives than anyone wants or cares to believe, and I adamantly feel this with GMO’s…
The patenting of a transgenic soybean in the early 1990’s has had more of an impact than we would have ever imagined. We have seen a revolutionary agricultural shift in the way we grow our produce form even twenty years ago.  Many see this synergy of biotechnology and agriculture as a positive step towards our goal of creating a more economically sound production method for our food.  Big agriculture business has consolidated hands over the years to just a few large corporations, leading with the illusion of solving world hunger and bridging the world’s nutritional deficits.  As a soon to be dietitian who heavily values nutritional philanthropy, I could not have been more eager to learn more about this technology that could potentially curb our world hunger problems.
Let’s take a step back and look at the role of corporations in our society.
While we all vary on our opinions of specific corporations, deeming some as good and some evil, we have to remember one simple fact.  Through all the humanitarian efforts some might drape over their figurative bodies to display a positive PR image, corporations have one goal and one goal only.
The primary goal of a corporation is to increase profits for its shareholders. Plain and simple.
While some corporations may choose donations and community building tactics to seem selfless, at the end of the day it is simply to make you feel better about being a customer of their product.  This is not to demean the great things some corporations have done, but to call it an altruistic act is not so valid (arguably, is anything actually selfless? a question better saved for your philosophy 101 class).
Back to the grit of GMO’s – The basics of genetically modifying organisms is as follows:
A desired gene from a species not related to the host organisms is transferred into the cultivar or desired product (while sounding simple, this is actually quite a complex process).  The interesting part is that we don’t know how this transgenic, or crossing DNA from one foreign species to another affects humans or the environment.  This technology was developed and implemented into our food supply less than 15 years ago.
Monsanto is the largest corporate sponsor of GMO’s, fighting for their governmental acceptance worldwide ever since their creation.  A quick lesson on Monsanto’s history:
One of the first products Monsanto created was the artificial sweetener saccharin, which we now know can cause cancer
The next major products were DDT, Lasso, and Agent Orange, which we now know are highly carcinogenic.
Now they are trying to sell the idea of “genetically modified seeds” to us as being healthy and safe, when in all reality they are a self regulating organization whose primary interest is not the health of the consumers, but the money in their pocket.
European countries have strict regulatory standards and most countries have stopped the production of GMO’s until further testing has taken place.  Those countries who do have GMO corn must blatantly label their products with the phrase “this product contains genetically modified ingredients”, which protects the integrity of the food supply and the safety of the consumers.
GMO seeds have NEVER been tested in human trials to determine the impact they have on our bodies.
60% of our DNA is identical to that of corn and soy, and we have no idea how this transgenic process of altering genes in our food will affect us in the short term or the long term.
The only test currently being done to determine the safety of these products is happening right now, in our grocery stores.
As American’s, we deserve the right to know what is in our food. There is a serious need for us to take action on this issue that will help define the future of the agricultural food chain. We need the health of our food to lean in our favor, and not that of large corporate interest.
While there has been unethical practices that have been slipped passed the American consumers unbeknownst to them in the past decade, there has never been a more opportune moment to express out opinion than now.  More than ever, people are forming organizations and events to express their desire to have genetically modified foods labeled.  It is out food supply and we deserve the right to know what we are consuming.
think. be educated.
For more information or to get involved (highly encouraged!) visit:
WordPress account

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 This is actually the second Tarpon Springs Craft we were set up at.The previous one in February I had forgotten my camera. These pictures are similar to what the others would look like. This time there were less visitors. But there were many other events going in Tarpon Springs at the time. It’s a happening little city.  

We had several people stop by and ask about Diana’s bags. They saw the article in the St. Petersburg times and were so complimentary. Unfortunately Diana was not there that day, she was not feeling well, Pastor Estell and I were there helping here out. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

As you can see by one of the photos I was also selling my tee shirts there for SOS. Both Diana and I help sow in the SOS ministry. If you want to know  more about SOS , Bags by Diana , my tee shirts , or The City of Tarpon Springs, see side links.

A friend of mine in SOS makes awesome pocketbooks, book bags and bible covers from recycled plastic bags. What a gift to be able to do that. She was  even interviewed by a newspaper reporter for the local section of   The St. Petersburg Times. We also shared a booth at a Tarpon Springs event. What interesting bags, you would not even think it was made from  recycled plastic bags. She said it’s God inspired. I believe it. Below is a link to her website. Please feel free to check it out. She also sows into SOS ministry. If you are interested or just plain curious about the SOS ministry check out the sidebar information for the email address to contact the Pastor .

Do you have any giftings? Write a comment and share with us.