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Human Rights, Environmental Consciousness & Water Conservation


-- Quote of the Day --


“…I am a mom, and I’m a normal person that just decided that I was getting really tired of the doom and gloom about the environment. ….I just decided that I wanted to make a difference; having my own children that are young, I wanted to hopefully leave the world a better place for them by making my small difference. …As a mom, sometimes you feel like you are not making a difference. But you really are, as hard as those days are, you know, when you are changing diapers and changing laundry. …a lot of people out there are cynical… a lot of people don’t want to change because they are so used to their lifestyle. …The children have power, they have choices, and they can make a difference. They are the ones who are going to be running the country for the next generation. …Animals are so in tune with the universe, whereas humans make everything just so complicated. …They teach us what true love is. …Ghandi used to say that if you want to see a change, you need to be the change in the world. …You can’t really make someone do something, but if you lead by example they will want to make the change.”

~ Jeanne McNaney ~ June 16, ’09

Today's quote of the day originated from the Environmentally Conscious Children discussion on the Conscious Discussions talk radio show. Click on either of these hyperlinks to find your way to the radio program or look to the right for links.

When you have time, tune in to today's episode of the Conscious Discussions talk radio show, which airs at 10-11 AM (pacific) this morning, & will be archived for anyone who can't make the live show. As always I will have the chat room, so join me there if you are able to drop in to the live show. Our featured guest of the day is Shelley Seal and our discussion involves: Writing & Human Rights


-- Don't forget to enter the Draw --

Email me at: ldbrummet @ yahoo . com **remove spaces before sending!!** & place the word "prize" in the subject line for a chance to win one (or more) of these prizes:

Susan Hoekstra's book: The Service Journey - & - Dean Balderston's children's book: The Real Life Adventures of Anna and Saddie - & - a copy of Grooveyard's rock genre CD, Place in Time

-- Water Conservation at the Kitchen Sink --

It can sometimes be difficult to visualize the importance and direct effect that simple conservation efforts can have when we are bombarded with negative information regularly. Lets take a look at what a few changes in the activities around the kitchen sink can do.

Rather than running the tap when cleaning vegetables, use a bowl of water. Later, reuse it to water outdoor plants. Reusing water from rinsing out the coffeepot for outdoor plants, the compost or lawn is something we do all the time. Rich in nitrogen as well as some trace minerals, coffeepots should be diluted with water before using. Choose a different group of plants every day and you may find you no longer have to water or fertilize them very often at all. Cooking water (pasta, steamed vegetables, boiled potatoes etc.) can be used in the same way – just let it cool first. All of these water sources contain extra nutrients that will aid your gardens immensely. Very hot cooking water can be used to kill weeds – simply pour it directly on the weed and around its roots.

After meals, scrape your dishes into the compost bucket before rinsing. While rinsing, place other soiled dishes, jars and utensils underneath while you work; it will begin the presoaking process – reducing labor and water use. Anything caught in the sink basket can be contributed to the compost, too.

Save about 5 gallons of water per washing by doing dishes in a few inches of hot soapy water. It may seem funny to do this - but by turning the hot water tap on to rinse the dishes into the sink the level will slowly increase and will maintain a hot temperature. This way, another sink full of water solely for rinsing is no longer necessary. We sometimes use rinse water to pre-soak stuck on dishes as well.

In the winter, the water from washing or soaking dishes should be left to cool. This way it releases its valuable heat into the home, rather than the sewer. Dishwashers, that are not built-in, allow reuse of the water for pre-rinsing heavily soiled dishes because they drain into the sink. The water can be trapped in the sink, or a soiled pot, where the heat is slowly released into the home, saving energy costs in the winter. Of course, the opposite applies in the summer, when extra heat is not desirable.

Very hot water is not always necessary for all washing and rinsing needs. Usually, by the time we are finished washing our hands, the water is just beginning to warm up – so really, all we have done is heat up our pipes. We can conserve water easily by turning off the tap while lathering hands. The running water is really only necessary for initial wetting, then rinsing – so running water in between is really a waste.

Now, if you measured the amount of water saved each day by those simple methods we just described - there would be dozens of gallons of pure, drinkable water left untouched in the reservoir. By reducing hot water consumption, our energy bills are a little bit smaller. All this, just from the kitchen sink!


Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca

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