Creating Connections…

Hi Folks:

Today is our blog’s third birthday, so happy birthday to us!!  We originally opened our doorway on this little corner of the ‘net as a place to share ideas, thoughts and feelings and to create connections with others, so ‘Creating Connections’ seemed like an apt title for today’s post.
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Being Green – ‘Green’ Fuel?

Hi Folks:

I came across both of the articles below on the same day, and both outline similar ideas.  If you’re interested in environmental topics you’re likely aware of the process for converting used fry oil into biodiesel, and the process of creating fuel oil using bacteria.  But this is something different.  Since fuel is basically hydrocarbons, the basic idea is to combine carbon from CO2 from the air with hydrogen from water to create fuel.  Technically it’s not ‘carbon neutral‘ because burning the fuel releases the CO2 back into the atmosphere (in addition to whatever energy was required to produce it) but it’s a really intriguing line of research and one that I trust will go forward.

Air Fuel Synthesis
Converting sea water to Navy jet fuel

Mike.

P.S. Speaking of fuel, I was at the office supply store yesterday to pick up a batch of paper for our printer and I noticed they were stocking a paper made from 80% wheat straw and 20% wood fibre.  It sounded good to me, and I almost bought a package of it to try until I turned it over and discovered that while the company is based in Canada, the actual paper is made in India.  How does the energy and trees saved in using a waste product to make paper balance out against the fuel used to ship it halfway around the world?  It reminded me of another article I’d read recently that spoke to the balance between building an energy-efficient house and having a long commute to work every day.  This isn’t intented to be critical of any particular company, but it does speak to the challenges we face as individuals, as communities and as inhabitants of a global biosphere in the choices we make to ‘live green’.

For me, I bought the Canadian-sourced, FSC and Rainforest Alliance-certified paper instead.

Celebrate World Kindness Week!

Hi Folks:

According to the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, this is World Kindness Week! How are you celebrating kindness today? Kindness can be a part of anything or everything you do; it’s not something you must go out of your way to achieve. And the more you practice kindness, the more relaxed and open you become. The winner of the RAK’s ‘Extreme Kindness Challenge’ is a woman named Madison Steiner, who runs a small non-profit called ‘Peach’s Neet Feet‘. Basically what they do is to purchase kid’s size canvas tennis shoes and hand paint them, then donate the shoes to children who have cancer or other medical challenges. Each pair of shoes is designed for one specific child, and celebrates things that are important to that child. You can see more by clicking on the link below.

Peach's Neet Feet

Peach’s Neet Feet

If you’re not sure where to start with sharing kindness, try checking out some of the RAK’s Kindness Ideas! You can also read some of the stories shared with the Ripple Kindness Project. Need something really simple? Smile at a stranger. Do it again. And again Now tell someone you love that you love them. Share a hug. Allow yourself to open, expand and breathe. Practice kindness every day!

Hugs,
M&M

A Plethora of Pumpkins…

Hi Folks:

Since Canadian Thanksgiving and Hallowe’en have come and gone and American Thanksgiving is just around the corner, this time of year there are a plethora of pumpkins about.  Most often used to make Jack-O’-Lanterns and then either left to rot or offered up in tribute in some form or another to the musical group ‘Smashing Pumpkins‘, pumpkins can be cooked and made into many wonderful treats.  It is a bit time-consuming, but much better (in our opinion) than purchasing canned pumpkin from the store when there are so many real ones laying about. Continue Reading →