Reclycling
Day 208: Give to the Planet & Give to Charity
Apr 25th
My son Nicolas Hamming it Up!
Happy Earth Day month! My son and I are on a role and Earth Day inspires so much giving and it’s easy to participate. What did you doing this weekend to celebrate and support Earth Day?
My son and I found the perfect way to help the planet and donate to a great cause all at our local park. It didn’t cost us a dime!
Day 206: Give 206
Earth Day is a great day of celebration and awareness. I did a number of different gives the last few days on the site about Earth Day. If I can teach my son at the age of 3 to understand how to be “green” in many different ways we too, can all learn something new from Earth Day. Being “green” isn’t something any of us can do for just a day. It’s a way of life. It’s easy to incorporate eco-friendly ideas everyday just like giving everyday. I could do a whole blog just on giving back to the planet every day for 365 days. I found an earth friendly give today that my son understood instantly. Not only is he an avid garbage picker but he knows how to recycle. We were given the opportunity to recycle (note the green bin) and at the same time donate to a great cause.
I have only seen this type of recycling bin in one place and it happens to be a ocean front park we go to on a regular basis. It is where the sea wall walk starts in West Vancouver in a little neighbourhood called Dundarave. It is a recycling bin that accepts items that will get a cash refund when you recycle them. For example, wine bottles, juice boxes and pop cans. Any bottle or box that you could return for a refund is requested. All we had to do is put one recyclable item in the box (a juice box) and this item will be cashed in by the Developmental Disabilities Association for a cash donation. Here is how our donation will help today:
“The Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA) provides over 50 community-based programs and services for children, youths, and adults. The Developmental Disabilities Association not only strives to enable people with developmental disabilities to reach their full potential.”
If you have seen any of these recycling bins around the city please let us know where so we can share the news. If you have a special event coming up and you would like a bin you can also request them directly from The Developmental Disabilities site. Recycle and donate! I love this give!
Time Commitment: 0 (saved me time doing it myself!)
Cost: 0
Day 206:Earth Day Sucks: Let’s Make it Matter!
Apr 23rd
Take the "Good" Earth Day Pledge
The title of this post was the title of an email I got in my inbox today. Obviously it caught my eye as I hope it has caught yours. It made me instantly want to make a pledge to our planet. A promise that I will not only keep for one day but every day of the year.
Day 206: Give 206
Here is the letter that came into my inbox today from Good. If you haven’t heard of Good or don’t follow them take a closer look. Here is what they do taken directly from their site:
“GOOD is the integrated media platform for people who want to live well and do good.”
I have “The Daily Good” sent to me directly and it’s always interesting, worthwhile information to read everyday. Their tagline is simple “For people that give a damn.” That would be me. What about you? Do you give a damn?
Read the letter that was sent to me and you decide if you will make a pledge to the planet. You decide if your actions will matter.
“Last week, we not only opined on how ineffectual Earth Day is, but also vowed to do something about it.
Today, we’re asking you to make Earth Day pledges, in which you promise to take some action (any action) that demonstrates your commitment to improving your relationship with the environment. Here’s one from our managing editor, Patrick James:
“Starting today, I pledge to reduce the time I spend driving alone in the car. At least once a week for the rest of the year, I’ll walk, bike, carpool, or take the bus to work.”
Look what he just did. He transformed Earth Day into a springboard for improving his relationship with the environment for the entire year. Is it a big deal? No. Is it grounds for acting smug? Hell, no. (On that note, a truly great Earth Day pledge might be to avoid environmental sanctimony at all costs.) But if he makes good on his commitment, his year will be better for it. And he’ll probably enjoy those commutes more, too.
Now it’s your turn: What’s your Earth Day pledge?”
My pledge is as follows: I will recycle everything I can even if I have to bring it home. I will plant an edible garden. I will use energy efficient light bulbs, rechargeable batteries, eat organic produce and buy organic meat. I will turn off the water while brushing my teeth and reuse the rainwater to water my garden. I pledge to compost. I pledge to reuse my plastic bags, bring my own cloth bags for shopping and use biodegradable bags for my dog poop. I pledge to walk more and use my car less and I pledge to pick up garbage at least once a day. I pledge to teach my children to be kind, to be grateful and do everything they can to support the planet.These are things I know I can do and things I can pass onto to my son.
Send in your pledge to Good , tweet it, Facebook your commitment or send it me. Just make the pledge and save the planet. Spread the word and commit to what you can do not what you can’t.
Time Commitment: A life time
Cost: ?? How can you put a value on giving back to our planet everyday
Day 195: A Recipe for Giving Back to the Planet this Spring
Apr 12th
When I started 365give my motivation was simple. He stands about 3 feet tall, is potty trained, can count to 20 and is the love of my life. My motivation is my son. He is my miracle. My husband and I were blessed in adopting him at the age of 11 weeks old. He changed my life forever. He has made me a better person. Since the day he came home I have done everything I could to give him the best of everything life has to offer. I’m not talking about the newest toys or the finest cloths. I am talking about feeding him great healthy food that he understands and loves, travelling with him to see different parts of the world, teaching him to pick up garbage instead of walking past it, composting and treating every animal and plant with respect and care. I was once asked how I would know if I had done a good job as a parent raising my son. The answer was easy. If my son grows up being kind, giving, loving and full of life I have done my job well. If I can teach him he has the ability to impact other people and our planet by his actions in a positive manner I will be jumping for joy in the heavens at the end of my life.
Our next lesson began today and it’s all about giving back to the planet, and ourselves. It’s a recipe I hope we will recreate year after year together.
Day 195: Give 195
This is a simple yet effective and yummy spring recipe. You don’t need anything fancy, a pot, some soil, a seed, water and a little love. This recipe takes the term Slow Food to a whole new level. With any luck we will have a feast on the grill by July. 
Here’s our recipe – try it with your kids and see how much fun supporting the planet is and watching your seeds grow.
Ingredients
- 6 pots (Home Depot is selling eco-friendly ones this spring made from recycled plastic!)
- 6 packages of organic seeds (tomatoes, beans, peppers, zucchini, cucumber, snap peas)
- 2 bags of organic potting soil
- Water
This can be done directly in your garden but I needed a moveable garden this summer so we went with pots on our deck. We got our hands dirty, dug some holes, planted the seeds added some water and now we wait. Oh the lesson of patience for a 3 year old. Planting your own garden is inexpensive, environmentally friendly and will help to give your children an understanding of where our vegetables / fruit come from. They may just eat a few extra at the same time.
I am also going to throw one more GIVE into this post today. I have my special BoomBoom cards with me to encourage our family to give and to pass along the give to friends and family. BoomBoom cards are Random Acts of Kindness cards do and then pass along to your family or friends so they can do it to. It’s all traceable on their site online so you can see your act of kindness travel around the world. This card reads “Plant a Seed” which we did complete today. I will be sending this BoomBoom Card to my sister and her kids in Toronto as planting season has not yet begun. I hope this will inspired everyone that receives the card to start their own sustainable garden.
Time Commitment: 1 hour 
Cost: $15.00
What Are you Saying?