WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!

WINNER!!!!!!!!!!

I have chosen a winner & one of my children helped me decide! Everyone submited some great ideas! Drum roll please........

The winner is.......Mangocheeks!

Here is what she submitted!

Hi Jenn,

I was going to share this idea with yourself and your readers a little while ago, but did not get round to submitting it, but the temptation of getting a book - well how can I resist, it would be a bonus.

RECYCLING WELLIES/WELLINGTON BOOTS

This is a picture of the recycled item! (I borrowed the pic from her blog)

Sadly this idea is not mine. One of my fellow veg growers at the allotment made this dog out of recycled wellies inspired by one he saw exhibited at a Glasgow Musuem. Check out the link to my blog.

http://allotment2kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/welly-woof-woof.html

I think you and your readers will adore Welly woof woof. If you or anyone you know has access to a number of wellies (those that children have outgrown) this recycled piece would be loved by all who see it.

I will write about your contest on my blog before this week is out.

 

She has a wonderful blog all about her gardening plot and makes some delicious food. She also pots pictures of her country. Its like a vacation to visit her blog and I never have to leave home! She was even nice enough to post my contest on her blog!

 

My goal now is to recrate this adorable little pup for my own garden. My take me some time to come up with some good ol' rubber boots!

Congratulations Mangocheeks!

Email me at 4bratz2luv@gmail.com so I know where to mail your Recycled Book!

~Eco Monday~

Buckets (5-Gallon)

Use as an upside down Tomato planter (like topsy turvey)

Fill partially with soap and water and use when washing your car.

Use as a garbage can for the basement or garage.

Use when picking apples, pears, etc.

Use for storage of items when camping (it is semi animal-proof). Be sure to secure the lid.

Put a chair pad on to and use it as a seat.

Use as a muck bucket for horses.

Use for collection when weeding the garden. When the bucket is full, transfer the weeds to a compost pile.

Use as flower outdoor flower pots.

Fill clean buckets with water for your dogs when they are outside in the summer. When the water gets dirty, use it to water the plants.

 

Use as a chicken feeder. Drill holes in bottom of bucket so food can fall out. Place bucket on large old shallow bowl. Fill  bucket as needed, secure lid when food is in bucket.

"The Brighter Planet Blog"

Today as I was on Twitter I came across a contest that someone posted! I read all the terms and thought why not! So many of us are trying to be sustainable and change our ways! The more we can change, the better off our planet will be. I try very hard in my daily life to buy fresh organic produce (if im not already growing it) and meat from local farmers that are grass fed and organic. I try to find places within 100 miles of me. I shop many differnt Farmers Markets and am always searching for Farms (meat,produce & orchards). I feel this helps my local econmy,lowers my carbon footprint drasticly and creates better food for my family.

Heres the contest link /http://blog.brighterplanet.com/sustainable-cooking/tips-to-choose-from/

I think I will be entering the part of the contest On Food Sources! Heres the following options in that catagory!

Get in touch with your hunter/gatherer roots

 Grow your own food

 Support grocers with sustainable practices

 Shop at the farmers’ market and join a CSA

Support restaurants with sustainable practices

 

I cant decide between Growing your own food or Shop at Farmers Markets. What do you think? I would be intrested in your feedback! I thought if I did Growing your own food I could Incorporate my Recycling Garden Ideas and how I create my food and how it lowers my Carbon footprint.

 

I hope that some of you enter the contest!

If you win you could get this...

 

•The top 5 entries – 1 in each category – will be awarded an Amazon Kindle DX e-reader and a $100 gift certificate to load it with cookbooks.

•The top sustainable cooking experiences will be featured online by Brighter Planet and partners.

•The top entries in each category will receive cooking prizes such as sustainable kitchenware and cookbooks and get credit for their experience on Brighter Plant website.

•Random prizes will be awarded to a striking entries of our choice.

Im excitied to enter this contest! Wish me luck! I will keep you updated as to what I might do! Dont forget to give me your input! If you are a reader of both of my blogs, give me your thoughts about what catagory I should enter under. I think you as the readers would know what you like best about what I write! Thanks and dont forget to enter my Recycled book contest!

~Eco Monday Tip~

Egg Cartons!

Egg cartons and their many uses! I always keep the cartons my eggs come in. The uses for them are endless.

You can start seedlings in them. Use them to hold fresh eggs from your chickens. They can be used for crafts, holders when dying easter eggs, fire starters or sorting nuts and bolts in large tool boxes.

~Seedling Pots~

Poke small hole in bottom of each egg cup (for drainage).

Fill each egg cup ¾ full with potting soil.

Plant a seed in each egg cup.

Water, put in sunny window ; continue to water when dry. Watch plants grow! (They will need to be transplanted to the garden or bigger pots when they outgrow their pots.)

~Fire starters~

Fill the paper egg cartons with dryer lint.

 Pore melted wax over the lint.

You can tear apart the sections and use for fire starters when you are camping, or in your fire place.

 I use left over candle pieces for the melted wax. You could also use old crayons.

~Egg Carton Ladybugs~

Heres something I saw on the internet that I thought would be cute to make with your lil ones! It looks like a fun craft for when spring arrives!

From what I can see from the picture, All you would need is paint,Fuzzy craft balls, pipe cleaners & googly eyes! I love all the differnt colors. You can even make these and put them in your lil ones Easter Baskets. How cute would they look in the baskets of grass.

~Halloween~

Heres a cute idea for Halloween to do with the kiddos also!

If you are feeling really strongly about the Triple R's, you can build your own furniture! I found this picture while doing research on the internet. I thought it was pretty cool.

Happy Recycling!

~Recycled Book Contest~

If you are like me, you have a ton of Gardening Books and maybe even Cookbooks. Everyone I know is always giving me these types of  book's, which I love and will always except.

Here's a Recycling tip for those who dont want their old books anymore. Dont leave them on the shelf and PLEASE do not throw them away. Recycle those bad boys. Many High Schools will take gardening and cooking books for their Agriculture classes and Home economics classes. You can give your books to a retierment community or have a book sale. You can also donate to your library or give away an old book on your blog in a contest.

Which brings me to my first RECYCLED BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!! The book I am giving away is this one!

I have 2 copies of this book and I am letting one go! Its called "Welcome Home For The Holidays" Its a Gooseberry Patch Book. This particular book has alot of Fall and Winter Ideas!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The contest!

1.You must submit a reply to this blog!

2.Your reply must share a recycled tip not already posted on my blog!

3. Share my Blog and Contest with a friend! Have your friend post a comment and say that you told them about the contest.

I will announce the winner on October 1, 2009. Just in time for you to have this great book for Fall/Winter

 I will pick the winner on the best submitted Recycling Tip! Be creative! I will also write a blog about your idea and try your idea myself!

Good Luck!

Happy Recycling!

~Eco Monday~

Ever wonder what to do with faucet handles from your outdoor faucets! I have a wonderful idea for those of you who love garden art and windchimes. At the Auburn County Fair today, they had on display a faucet handle wind chime! They used old faucet handles, some small springs & a chain to withstand the weight. What an intresting way to liven up a garden space! Absolutly adorable and so very creative! You can use many differnt colored ones and it makes a beautiful piece of art for any gardener! I cant wait to start collecting faucet handles to make my own windchimes! What a great way to Re-use this item. Another fantastic way of Recycling and keeping these little items out of the landfill!

Happy Recycling!

~ Eco Monday ~

Why Recycle?

Batteries power many parts of our lives from our mobile phones all the way to our hybrid automobiles. Responsibly recycling these batteries saves natural resources and protects human health through reuse of reclaimed materials and by keeping heavy metals out of landfills and water supplies.

Most Radiology departments in hospitals now a days have little bins to recycle them in.

There are many great web sites that have kits. These kits give you great information and help you get started.

Heres a great place to check out! http://www.batteryrecycling.com/

Its very easy to do! Check your local listings for places near you. If you have school aged children get them involved too. Have them start a Battery drive at school. Its great for the enviroment!

Also, invest in rechargable batteries, its not as expensive as you may think. Honestly you are saving money in the long run!

Heres a link for Residental homes! http://www.batteryrecycling.com/residential  They will send you a kit to get started and the shipping is free! So sign up now!

Happy Recycling!