Exciting news: after a year-long certification process, Fair Planet Advisors has been recognized as a certified B Corporation. They are the third B Corp in the Columbia River Gorge and new members of B Local PDX, with 135 B Corp members in Oregon and SW Washington. There are currently over 4,550 Certified B Corporations in 78 countries and over 150 industries that believe that business can and must be a force for good. B Corp explains it best, “While Systems are complex, the truth is they were built by people, so they can be changed by people. After all, humanity is interdependent with one another and with the planet.” They wish…
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Resolve to Use Herbal Alternatives
The world seems full of all sorts of chemicals these days. Big industry, agriculture, maintenance companies, and even the everyday family, use a variety of chemicals, many of which are irritating, bad-smelling, and even toxic. So what to do?!?! Let’s consider some herbal alternatives that are more natural, not too difficult to make or obtain, and certainly less toxic than many products on store shelves. In the garden: Many herbs are great companions to other plants, helping us use less or no pesticides. We have discovered that yarrow (Achillea millefolium) planted next to our roses can discourage aphids. Calendula (Calendula officinalis) – this sunny fragrant flower also known as pot…
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How To Make Fruit Kvass with Probiotic Benefits
Fruit kvass is a fermented drink that is quick and easy to make, loaded with digestive enzymes and probiotics, and inexpensive to create. For tens of thousands of years, our ancestors ate real meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, fats, oils, fish, and fermented foods. As fermentation was their only method of preserving fresh foods for future ingestion, these particular items were probably eaten daily. Our gut biome depended upon them. Fermented foods not only give us enzymes that will help us to digest our meals and probiotics to keep us well, but they make the vitamins and minerals in these foods easier for our bodies to assimilate. Even though we…
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Herbs For A Healthy Home
Strew the herbs; Stir the stew. Family to the hearth; Home is safe and sound. Keep your home safe and clean with these inexpensive and easy-to-make alternatives to store-bought cleaning solutions. The season for staying indoors is coming and that means stale air, insect pests coming inside, and germs flying about. Long ago, herbs were spread, strewn about the castle to sweeten the air, freshen living spaces, and ward off pests. An added bonus was that many herbs also protected family members and guests from bacteria and viruses. Herbs, such as sweet woodruff, catnip, spearmint, and conifer needles were strewn on the floors, hung as swags in rooms, or placed…
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Gratitude
What will you remember most about this last year in which all of us were faced with a pandemic that abruptly put a halt to “normal” everyday life? I have to admit that it was pretty unnerving at the beginning when it was all an altered reality. Simple activities such as going to the grocery store made us anxious, and we rushed to get our food and leave as quickly as possible, and then we washed the food when we got home. It was stressful, no doubt about it. My husband and I both felt such gratitude that we were retired and not having to figure out work, educating children,…
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HOW TO EAT HEALTHY
Especially During Holidays Let’s face it, once the Holiday eating season is upon us, who can resist the seasonal delights? All year long we yearn for mouthwatering holiday foods. My sister’s Figgie pudding (with hard sauce) is my real weakness. It actually hijacks my brain cells to indulge. Going into the Holiday Eating Season, I practice Conscious Eating by being aware of my blood sugar fluctuations, and not “starving-to-binge” by missing meals just to take on more calories later. Approaching a big feast with an empty stomach just makes me heap my first plate full and (fill my dessert stomach too early) before the second plate arrives. Finally, it’s how…
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City of Portland Fix it Fairs
For the last 4 years, Green Living Journal has participated in the Free Fix-It Fair City of Portland event where you can learn simple ways to save money and connect with resources. Attendees find a wealth of information! What you’ll find at a Fix-It Fair Ongoing exhibits and hourly workshops on such topics as: Water and energy savings Safe and healthy home Food and nutrition Neighborhood and community resources Recycling Weatherizing your home Gardening and growing your own food Yard care and composting Transportation Plus: Repair Café: Bring one item to be fixed by a Repair PDX volunteer, while learning how to do it yourself. (Volunteers will do their best, but…
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How to Set a Financial Plan for Your Homestead Business
Proper planning can help your homestead business endure the long haul, even when challenges come your way.
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Resilience
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene “SPROING!’ That sound came to mind when I was thinking about Resilience. Resilience means being able to bounce back in the face of a challenge, being able to adapt and make changes, and even to innovate. Whether the power goes out, or your job is eliminated, or there is a glitch in the kitchen, resilience means figuring out how to adjust and reorganize in order to cope with those new conditions. Developing resilience is essential to enjoying well-being. Figuring out a new or different way to solve a problem…
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A Healthy Home
Home is the sailor, home from sea, And the hunter home from the hill. — Robert Louis Stevenson Traditionally, “Home” referred to the roof over your head, be it a shack or a mansion. Regardless of what your home is, the belief that “A man’s home is his castle” is deeply rooted in our American way of life. Across the millennia, our homes have provided refuge from the outside world, a place of safety, warmth, and security. What is becoming more apparent as the years of the 21st century slide into history, is the reality that “home” can no longer provide refuge from the outside world. Centuries of progress, consumerism, population growth,…
