Most cities have mandatory recycling and every bit helps. You can put things out to be picked up or you can reuse many things in new and unique ways. You can also recycle by giving things away to those that may have a purpose for it, especially artists who create in mixed media. Less landfill and sorting! I love it when any friends or relatives contact me before they dispose of certain things. Let people know if you have a need for something for your arts such as bottle caps, bottles, cans, etc.
Contact your city to see if you can start a community garden if none exists in your area. Keep in mind that you will need to be able to water during any dry spells.
If you do not have a yard to garden, try pots or any containers, preferably outside, though I have been known to grow indoors with proper sun or grow lights. I have recycled many containers such as gallon paint cans, washed and holes in the bottom for drainage. You can use old tea kettles, garbage cans of any size or tubs I find at yard sales for a good price. Just be sure you are able to make drainage holes or your plants could drown with too much rain.
Don’t allow smoking near your garden due to possible disease that is spread to tomatoes and other plants. Smoking sucks anyway you look at it. Very irritating and aging to the body and a waste of money.
Standing in front of my first garden in the burbs.
How Green is Your Garden?
I am chemically sensitive and I have been for many years. I know a lot of people that have the same problem and the numbers are growing. Chemicals are big business and the only way this will change is if we stop using those products. Less demand means less production, less money for advertisement to convince you that you need them, hence less pollution. We use chemicals for cleaning, lawn care, health and beauty aids, even in our foods. Now when did granny say, I’ll just add a little more MSG or cottonseed oil when she was cooking dinner? There is simply no legitimate excuse for our dependence on these toxic additives to our foods especially.
I understand that there can be a concern at times about a product’s ingredients becoming stale or unstable without their use, but if foods were received fresh and used as intended, the need for many of the additional additives would subside. Insisting on fresher products may force our governments to allow us to consume products grown or produced in America, which in turn puts more Americans back to work. Most of our products come from other countries and there is a longer time span from production or harvest to market due to all the import, export procedures and regulations. Personally I fear any product that should only last a week, tops, lasting for months on a store shelf
Living green means living fresh and organic, as we were created to live. We were certainly not created to constantly ingest man-made garbage. There is so much talk about finding a cure for cancers, but I have yet to see the people responsible for this quest do anything remotely that will bring this about. We certainly don’t need all the marching for donations, which is big business for some. We need our world leaders and governmental agencies to do the right thing for a change and reduce the world’s pollution that is almost out of control now. I don’t know about global warming, but I do know that toxic chemicals pollute and poison our air, water and earth daily. Soon this may not be reversible. This smog destroys people’s lungs and many inner city children show signs of asthma right away due to their tender membranes and tiny bodies. Some don’t stand a chance. Instead of trying to stop this madness, Doctors give these children more chemicals and toxins in their bodies to try to counteract the symptoms.
Most cancers are caused by irritations and the body’s homeostasis being altered allowing the cancers to grow. I live near numerous factories and since moving here my lungs have become so much worse. I don’t smoke and never go by smokers anymore due to the chronic bronchitis this causes me. Gone are the days of drying laundry outdoors unless you live out in the boonies, and that air is still not really fresh anymore. Our air circulates globally and China is a big polluter next to the U S.
I encourage you to write to your state and federal governments to see what ideas they are coming up with to improve our environment. Please feel free to offer any suggestions to them that you think may help, just keep it “clean.”
There are just too many things to do and too many experts vying for your attention telling you to do things the right way, their way! Especially if they have some snake oil to sell you. The best way to live is to find a way that is comfortable for you. Ways that you believe in and to put your attention on what is important to you, not some celebrity or self-proclaimed expert. This is the key to living the best life you can.
Life will never be perfect or easy, so you had better get some kind of fulfillment by making your living in something you believe in. Most of us work or have worked for the money, not for purpose or fulfillment. Most of the world’s poor is stuck doing this. Just because you are not rich does not mean that you cannot live richly. You will see that there are so many blessings in life that are free if you have a grateful heart.
Make the most of everyday and don’t expect perfection from yourself or others. Don’t dance to the tune of the world, but walk slow and sure and do the best job you can wherever you are placed. I have experience and talents in many areas and consider myself a Renaissance Woman. I used to feel bad that I never seemed to excel in any one thing, but that is not important to me now. Everyone is different and I have always been easily distracted. I sometimes think I have always been ADD, but never diagnosed, thank God!
I’m sure the world would label me with some kind of brain dysfunction, but that is the very thing that makes everyone who they were born to be! My Dr only recently told me that I could be mildly manic-depressive because I am very creative and sometimes have issues. I believe that it is important to just live and not try to be a “winner.” That is the way of the world, which is wrong. Man has made life a contest with a culture that determines winners and losers and those that just fade away (the invisible people).
Every life is precious, no two are the same and no one can ever be replaced.
I will sometimes create patterns with my Microsoft Photodraw under Distort and kaleidoscope. I will lock in the effect to add the next one as well as placing any other designer effect to enhance as desired. The above are some examples with the caption of what they were originally. The bottom galleries show how these effects were placed and the results.
Original picture of zinnias.
Monochrome color effect.
Kaleidoscope effect applied once.
Kaleidoscope 2X.
Kaleidoscope 3X.
Sunrise
Kaleidoscope 1X.
Kaleidoscope 2X.
Kaleidoscope 3X.
Kaleidoscope 4X.
Added noise effect. After pattern is created you can cut out shapes or use for borders.
You must be logged in to post a comment.