Local?

Alright so today I want to take a bit of time to list some more shopping choices that some may have never considered. In our communities across the board, there are localized shops and then there are retail companies. We have all become accustomed to using the more mainstream outlets for our groceries, toiletries, gifts and etc. What a lot of us fail to consider is that there are alternatives out there.  For example, you can start with simply buying more local brands at the grocery store, using local produce stands as much of the year as possible, shop for gifts at your local Gift Shops, or cultural outlets that are made here in your community.
 Following practices like this will do the following:
It allows your communities or Provincial small businesses to thrive.
It allows for you to feel a better sense of economic worth, you know that there was not a lot of fuel used to ship the product as it is local, fewer preservatives, you will have the luxury now of asking how and with what was it made, and on average less packaging is used and therefore lest waste.
It will lead to more communial relationships, and frienship.  You will gain personalized sellers, not fancy logos and men in pricey suits.
It will also support the independance of your Province as a whole.


There are many more positive effects this will have on you as a member of your community. You are doing good is many ways, and at the same time you allowing your community to prosper with your contributions. We are not involved in our communitues anymore, we have lost that over the years. Some of us do not know even our neighbours anymore. We seemed to have lost our sense of balance. Corporations and cyber retailers have come in to replace that sense of community. We need to bring it back, better yet, we need to give it back to ourselves. We need to be the change we want to see in this world as quoted from Ghandi.


Now with Christmas around the corner, you can even do a major chunk of that shopping at a local retailer!  I will include a list for my fellow Islanders as insight to what your options can include. Here a list of the more commonly used craft/gift shops displayed by area for convenience for our newcomers:  http://www.gov.pe.ca/index.php3?number=66553&lang=E


Out of experience from this is list I suggest The Two sisters in Charlottetown, Villiage Weavery (Stratford), and ofcourse our Anne of Green Gables outlets. These are more of the mainstrea, I will add. Another great option is Basket weaving for a gift option, call in advance and see if you cannot make an appointment for you and your child(S) to go in a they can learn a bit of culture and do a basket for their Grandparents or family that live off island. This is an experience for your family to participate with a culture in which we connect with daily as well as handmade which I think adds extra to any gift.  I would even suggest going to the craft fairs held throughout the year in various locations on PEI. PEI is having there 47th Annual Craft Fair tomorrow November 11th-November 13th:  Link for details is http://www.peicraftscouncil.com/
Why not get out there and support them and also get a head start on your Christmas shopping :)


Through out this month and into December I will also be including some of my DIY projects to give some ideas. Hope you found todays post inspirational or at least got to thinking.  Thank you for tuning in again. Hope you Have a Passionate Day


Chelsea

As suggested :) Thank You Kay

Hey you guys, how goes the challenge?  I will be doing a blog today touching on some great tools to help anyone new to this idea get a modest start :)  I have received some emails from serveral eager bodies who would like to do their part in leiu of Occupy starting. I think you all rock, we may not all be savy in speech and literature to show support in the movement but do not feel as though you cannot contribute. Actions can speak louder than words and I myself am a big kudos giver on action. We need to back up our cries and pleas with action. Words look good, hell anything can look good on paper, but its in the action that these words come to life. Now a big part of this movement is finally setting a wide spread need of a more sustainable lifestyle, we need to rely more on ourselves to do things as opposed to paying to have things done for us, this is making us to reliant on the 1% this needs to end. No realistically, it would be too extreme for most to stop this habbit over night, but I can help and support you in starting more modestly.  Here is a great read for some philosphy on reaching a more economical lifestyle: 
 http://www.sustainableguide.com/books/details.php?bid=B-1559633891&rid=2 This is an amazing read and I highly reccommend it to those who wish to better understand why this is important to each of our cause. Even those against the Occupy movement this is a much better lifestyle economically.


One of my first suggested topics, the pros of using Cloth Diapers !!  Some advantages and disadvantages of each are presented at the following site: http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/cloth-diapers-versus-disposable-diapers-pros-and-cons
I know we live in a world that greatly promotes disposables, and I regret to inform I was not even brought to the attention of Cloth Diapers when my son was born :(  I have been told in the last while that Cloth Diapers are a great economical concious alternative. They are also a great way to help localized Diaper launders in your area.  Here is a list of pros and cons of the different varieties:
http://www.diaperpin.com/clothdiapers/article_differentsystems.asp
For the glossary for terminology please refer to http://www.diaperpin.com/dictionary.asp
Another point I would like to touch on this, if you are not interested in the cleaning part, before dismissing, see if there is a local business in your area that tends to this. I know of one in my area and I am very rural PEI. So in a city there must be this service somewhere.  Those who practice this swear only by cloth diapers. These have come a long way since the older Clothed Diaper in terms of material cleaning as well as convenience in doing them up.  Anyone who has personal experience with CDs please comment below so that others who are interested will know who they can reach out too for some more personable advice. I did disposable for my first son, and if I should have another child I am eagar to try to use the Cloth Diapers as I know now this could have been a choice I had this time around. Please realize that sometimes choosing a more economical approach on life we need to sacrafice a little more of our time and effort, but I find the aftermath to be rewarding and therefore I get to feel a little more of that accomplished feeling each day.  There are also some really great video tutorial on youtube.com.  If you are willing to give this alternative a try, I would suggest finding someone before hand and soaking up as much advise from them on the cleaning, and diaper type as possible as that will alert you on the types of situations you may run into.
Thank you so much Kay for your suggestion I feel as though I have done this post to its full potential as I haven’t experienced this first hand. Should the opportunity present itself my way again I am certainly going to take it up and then I will know more on it personally.
Thanks for tuning in ladies and gents, catch yas later I hope tomorrow I will provide a post on localized shopping and services that serve your community!
Chelsea

Fantasy or Reality?

Please take a few and check out this bloggers post: http://sustainablog.blogspot.com/2006/03/hardcore-diy-sustainability.html 

Amazing, as for the challenge I have prescribed to all of you, I realize that this is not as far as many will care to go, however, I really hope you do see the inspiration from this store. Sustainability is not just a change in your life; it requires a change in lifestyle. For some, it could start with merely focusing and executing more local purchases as opposed to using more corporate retailers; for others it could defiantly mean boycotting major banking institutions. For me it comes down to simply doing what I can for myself and those around me so that I know at the end of the day I am doing good for my community and economy. I am still by no means a pro at this lifestyle yet, gosh no, I do hope that you will stay with me on this journey however. Please defiantly share your with me as well. Tomorrow will be my first post of suggestion and tips on how we can achieve simple sustainable goals throughout our everyday. Please check it out I will be be appreciative to anyone who entertains the thoughts I share.

Chelsea

Welcome All

Well with Occupy circulating the globe right now, I thought it would be a great time to start a challenge for everyone and anyone interested :) My challenge to you all is to become more sustainable, I know we all say we would love to live a less hectic and more carefree life, well why don't we push ourselves to accomplish this more and more everyday. You can choose how far you would like to take it. I will share links that show some extreme to fairly moderate ways to accomplish a more independent way for us to limit our use for some of these corporations that take and take and give us less and less. This is the point of this blog, there will be things from DIY projects to complete lifestyle makeovers. I really hope that this will inspire some to rethink before handing those bills or plastic at Walmart, Home decore stores and those fancy food places :) Some for example. I would love feedback and comments on what you would like to see or better yet, how you find self sustainability in your life. This is my first post on here so the link I will share and hope you will check out is the upcoming Thrive Movie coming out via internet 11-11-11, I know I will be watching and absorbing really hope you will too!  Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OibqdwHyZxk

Please any suggestions on what you would like to see what type of projects you would be interested in anything at all

Anxiously
Chelsea