From Aquarium to Terrarium

As I've mentioned before, I am fairly new to the world of apartments.  I'm honestly not a huge fan of living in such close quarters to people however I have found a hidden gem in my apartment complex - THE DUMPSTER! 

The other day my man friend and I were heading out for a walk - dropping of the garbage on the way.  Little did I know I would find a handful of goodies waiting for me.  All for FREE - Amazing! We came back to our apartment with a basic stool, a large mirror, a really ugly chandelier, a hutch and a fish tank. Each piece is ready and waiting for me to transform it into something amazing. 

I've started working on a few of the pieces but my first finished product is my fish tank.  We started out with just a regular rectangular fish tank... nothing special, a little dirty even.  As soon as I saw it I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I'd seen so many fancy terrariums on Pinterest and I knew it wouldn't be a problem for us to make our own. So after a couple of good spray downs, a rinse or two and a trip to Home Depot I left the tank in my man friends hands.

He was able to hide all of the seams using thin pieces of wood, creating a wooden frame and making it look amazing. Then we had to pick the plants for our terrarium - and I really wanted to use only succulents. I've been madly in love with succulents since my second year of university when one of my friends told me that if I took a piece of her Jade Tree and put it in water that it would grow.  I do not have a green thumb so I didn't fully believe her - I had to see it for myself.  In true university fashion, I grew my Jade clipping in a shot glass for quite some time.  Over the years it grew to be giant - with my mother bringing it back to life several times after I left it on the brink of death. Sadly, it grew to be a little too heavy for its own good, tipped over and snapped off its main branch and it never recovered. So I thought I might try again.

We ended up going to a nearby greenhouse which specializes in succulents called 'Jade Gardens' and pulled together a lovely group of plants. To the bottom of the tank we added a layer small river rocks which we purchased from a garden centre and then a layer of activated charcoal from the pet store in the fish tank section. This allows the plants to drain properly and helps improve air quality.  From what I have read the charcoal is especially important if your terrarium is going to have a lid - allowing the terrarium to act as its own ecosystem.  On top of that we added cactus soil rather than top soil - it is more conducive to growing succulents and cacti - and then of course the plants. Our original plan was to make this an enclosed terrarium but some of the plants that we picked were rather tall so instead we chose to leave the top open.

Here is the finished product - What do you think?

Tis the Season

As the holiday season approaches, it is easy to throw all of your good habits away. Whether it’s going to the gym, eating right or staying green, we tend to lose track of them as Christmas gets closer. 

In my next few posts, I will provide some tips to that will allow you to have a great Christmas, as well as a Green Christmas! Today’s post is all about shopping!

We have all had it drilled into our heads that we should be bringing reusable shopping bags to the grocery store with us. I have a plethora of reusable bags stashed in my closet - from every chain of grocery store in town, from some clothing stores and from every environmental event I have attended in the past few years – and yet I still forget them almost every time. I’m that girl you see in the parking lot loading groceries into her car item by item because I refuse to take a plastic bag.  

Most grocery stores have stopped charging for their plastic bags, but a lot of us still use reusable bags for groceries. If you haven’t gotten into that habit, try keeping bags in your car. Just make sure you bring them into the store with you to pack up your Christmas feast and put them back into your car after you unpack (that one is usually my downfall). 

 A less common occurrence is the sight of reusable shopping bags at the shopping mall. Now as much fun as it would be to carry around a couple of those thick canvas totes as you do your Christmas shopping... That’s not what I am talking about. Believe it or not, they do make reusable shopping bags that are compact and actually practical when it comes to shopping. Plus they come in all different styles colors and sizes for the fashionista in you! 

Pack one or two in your purse or pocket before you hit the mall and pull it out when you make your first purchase. If you forget to bring them, try to put all of your purchases in one bag – just ignore the strange look you get when you tell the cashier “I don’t need a bag for that.”

Also, consider giving a compact shopping bag as a gift for Christmas - they would make a great stocking stuffer. That way your family and friends can make an impact too!

My Environmental Journey

I grew up in the country, which I believe has given me a different perspective on certain things that most people take for granted.

Water, for instance, was a very precious commodity to us growing up. We had a very small well which made doing laundry, washing dishes, showering and using the toilets very challenging for a family of five. On many occasions we would get part way through a shower only to have the water run out. We would then have to sit and wait in the cold, covered in shampoo for 15 minutes until we had enough water to rinse off. I remember having birthday parties where we would have to put a sign in the bathroom asking our guests to 'flush every other time please.' Try explaining that at the age of nine.

We also didn't have - and still don't have - garbage pickup. Instead we take our garbage directly to the dump... Paying for each visit. Because of this my family and I became experts at composting at recycling... Driving our plastics and paper across town to the sorting facility and braving the cold to the compost bin in our backyard. We have since been given recycling and green bin pick up but this need to divert as much as we can to minimize our trips to the dump has stuck with me.

It wasn't until I hit university that I started making conscious decisions to make my life more sustainable - which for me was a big deal. I'm going to be honest with you... I am a creature of habit and as such I HATE CHANGE! I have altered my life for the better in many ways but I admit that I am not perfect and I still have a long way to go.

Here I will share some of the simple changes I have made to my life and that you can easily make too. SIMPLE ACTIONS MATTER and the more small steps you take - the more you 'lean into green' - the bigger the impact you will have on the planet, the future and even your wallet!