Lillidom’s goal is to create fashionable clothes for kids and to ensure that these are made in safe and sustainable conditions whereby encouraging families in here to adopt a more conscientious consumption habits. For more information click Here

Editor’s Note: This article was reposted here in hopes that today’s CNN video (see bottom of article) will spark more interest in this issue. The video states that “sweet tooth Britain” will have no honey of its own to sell after Christmas. Can we change that this Halloween?

The honey bees are dying off around the world, and yet still many people have never heard of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). [Last month] the Italian government banned several pesticides that are thought to be linked to the honey bee decline. More research (funding) is required to find out exactly what is causing the disappearance.

 During Honey Week, Meridith Melnick wrote:

“One-third of the food we consume comes from pollinators. Bees are responsible for pollinating almonds, apples, soft fruit, and berries among other crops. Without them, we will lose more than honey (a tragedy in its own right!), we will lose a large portion of the biodiversity we now enjoy on our plates.”

I shared my own honey bee concerns with my preschooler a few months back, and I was amazed how quickly and easily she accepted the need to protect this species. Sunflowers have taken off all over our yard, and while I’m no bee expert there are definitely some pollinators in our presence. My children do their own waggle dance whenever they see a flower visitor. (Planting bee friendly flowers is one of the easiest things you can do as a family to support honey bees.)

Since our governments aren’t acting fast enough, perhaps we need to send our children off buzzing with this CCD news. Have you thought of a Halloween costume idea for your youngest tot? If not consider turning your little honey into a bee. You know your friends and family are going to ask what your precious bundle is going to be on his first Halloween. With your baby on board, spreading the word about CCD will be easy. (And people will be less likely to judge you as a greenie in front of little buzz.)

You don’t need to run out and buy your baby a new costume.  You don’t even need to be  all that creative. Yellow pajamas (or snow suit) and some black tape may be all you need to get your neighbours going goo goo for your little stinger. Parents who like to join in on the dress up fun might consider pairing a yellow shirt with black pants to form a bee colony.

Here’s another idea for young families who rarely make it down a whole street on Halloween night before little ones tire and are ready to buzz home. Instead of accepting candy that your baby won’t eat, offer pouches of sunflower seeds to your neighbours, with a link to the Hagen Daaz website (www.helpthehoneybee.com).

Eco Challenge: Please use the comment section to send your ideas for crafting homemade (earth friendly) bee antennae that don’t fall off. (My own kids are old enough to decide what they want to bee for Halloween. The Hungry Caterpillar and Monarch Butterfly are going to need antennae too!)

Related Posts on Bees

• Honey Bee Rescue. What you can do to help.
• What’s the Buzz with Honey Bees?
• None of Your Beeswax

Image: flickr user Tommie and Georgie under a Creative Commons License

Millions of ESL learners rely on online resources. One of the most popular FREE e-learning sites for ESL learners and teachers is English Club.com. This month English Club launched a section for learners who are interested in environmental issues.

Each English Club environment lesson includes a pre-reading vocabulary list, an English article on a current environmental issue, comprehension questions, and discussion topics. Readings range in difficulty from low-intermediate to advanced. English Club members may also enjoy the Our Planet forum. These resources can also be used by teachers in the ESL or young learners classroom (print them or use them in a computer lab setting). If you have an ESL learner or teacher in your circle of friends, please share the good news.

MORE GREEN RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS
eslflow.com
breakingnewsenglish.com
ITESLJ.org
esltower.com

The owner of LITTLE BODHI makes the above statement on her new e-boutique website, which features an assortment of eco-friendly basics for babies including toys, clothing, and music. At LITTLE BODHI, online shoppers can choose between shopping green, organic, or non-toxic. Brands include Kate Quinn Organics, Speesees, Sckoon, Rockabye Baby, and Anamalz.

While the prices for organic baby wear may be slightly steep for some new parents, we all know there are plenty of aunties out there who see nothing wrong with paying 25 bucks for a unique onesie (especially if it means plugging sustainable options at the baby shower and having a gift that won’t likely be a duplicate). If the parents-to-be are responsible consumers determined to bring baby up green, the thoughtful gift will mean that much more.

Though I choose to clothe my own busy children in mainly hand-me downs or thrift shop bargains, I must admit that my newborns were clad in 99% brand new gift wear like most of their peach fuzzed peers. But one thing I never got around to doing as a new mom was sending out cute birth announcements. LITTLE BODHI offers a free, eco-friendly solution for expecting parents who may never get around to circulating that first photo in a formal way. New moms who choose LITTLE BODHI as their gift registry can sign up for the adorable electronic baby announcement that can be effortlessly e-mailed to friends and family after the baby arrives. Visit LITTLE BODHI for more details.

Of course there are skeptics who note that cities like Sydney really only cut their power consumption for the hour by 15%, and that there was a corresponding spike in electricity demand in the hours before Earth Hour — as if everyone just decided to run their dishwasher early in order to avoid the designated hour. Even given these cranky naysayers, I do believe that the experiment is a good one, even if it’s just to make everyone a little more aware of how they use electricity in their own house.

So, since I missed Earth Hour, I decided to try my own. I even thought I might make it a monthly event, as suggested by talkgreen’s Tara Benwell.

We tried it this past Thursday night. I made sure to schedule it on a night when my 14-year-old stepson was with us, and also made sure it was after dark for full effect. I thought the stepson would hate the idea, but when we decided we would turn off everything and then play a board game, he was surprisingly into it. Even better, he chose the game “Clue,” a murder mystery game, perfect for playing by candlelight. It just so happened that my mother-in-law was also with us, so it was a big family affair.

As the appointed time approached, everyone actually seemed to be looking forward to it. “Is it time yet?” I was asked more than once. When the hour arrived, we all rushed madly around the house turning off lights and unplugging televisions. I thought I had explained that only things that can’t be shut off (like TVs that constantly draw power) need to be unplugged, but I guess I wasn’t very clear since my wife and her son went around happily unplugging everything.

Here’s the “lazy man” part: we wimped out a little, I’m ashamed to say, when it came to things that were a little more difficult. If I unplugged the yard’s sprinkler system, I explained to my wife, I will just have to reprogram it — a pain in the neck. So we left it on. And, we could not figure out to shut off the little digital clock in the oven — wired in the wall somewhere. But still: when we started the hour, the little wheel in our electrical usage meter was spinning madly, and when we were done it had slowed to a crawl. We felt pretty good.

The rest of the hour was spent playing “Clue” as Lincoln would have, by the light of several candles. This was probably the first activity that the four of us — me, my wife, her Mom, and my stepson — had participated in together for months. So, dear readers, you don’t even have to care about the environment: Earth Hour is good for family togetherness!

Now one other thing I must admit: we didn’t even make it to the full hour. I had promised to take everyone out for ice cream when the hour was done, as a reward, and the second game of “Clue” ended with five minutes left to go in the hour. We all looked at each other, then jumped up and headed for Baskin-Robbins. Yay!

Tune in next month, in which I commit to turning off the electric sprinkler system, even if it means I then have to reprogram it. I really want to see if we can get that spinning electric meter wheel to stop entirely.

SPCA Wish List

Animal Needs:

• Dry kitten food
• Dry Cat food
• Dry puppy food
• Canned cat and kitten food (urgent)
• Temptation Cat treats
• Dog treats
• Cat structures
• “Kong” Dog toys
• Cat toys
• Blankets
• Cleaning Supplies:
• Paper towels
• Bleach
• Glass Cleaner
• Laundry Detergent
• Fabric Softener
• Dish Detergent
• Hand Sanitizer
• Anti-bacterial Hand Soap
• Towels

Office Supplies:

• Paper (letter, legal)
• Cartridges
• Scotch Tape
• Whiteout
• All Occasions Greetings Cards
• Stamps
• Legal size file folders
• Gift Cards from local retail stores

Seasonal:

• Small children paddling pools
• Planters

Have you and your family started a monthly Earth Hour yet? July 26th is the last Saturday of the month. Why not call your local shelter and find out what they are in need of? As you go around the house turning lights and power bars off for the evening, why not collect a few donations for your local animal shelter. You may find that your children are less attached to those unnamed teddies if they know they’re going to be the new best friend for an orphaned puppy or kitten.

WARNING: You may be asked by the shelter to poke out the eyes and noses of those stuffies to prevent choking hazards for the real animals. This may be an activity you want to save until after bedtime!

We were the only family I knew that didn’t have central air. Our common rooms had noisy ceiling fans, but if my brothers and I wanted a cooling system for our own rooms we’d have to buy a fan with our own money. I remember how Dad used to come down from his evening  shower wrapped in his summer robe and smelling like Irish Spring. He’d tell us how refreshing a cold shower was, and we’d all groan and feel sorry for ourselves for not being invited to an air conditioned sleepover.

Bedtime was the hardest part about not having air conditioning. My mom used to give us wet washcloths to take to bed, but some nights I’d steal the squirt bottle that she used to spray the houseplants. I’d mist myself by my screened window, falling asleep to the sound of the bug zapper next door. During unbearable heat waves we’d drag our pillows down to the basement floor and wake up later than all of our friends.

Though I remember feeling jealous of our cooler neighbours, I’ll never forget how my father defended his decision, each time a visitor complained. It’s summer. It’s supposed to be hot. Give it three months and you’ll be complaining about how much snow there is to shovel.  This leads me to think that perhaps, if we start early enough, we can condition our own kids to enjoy the breeze of the oscillating fan.

Today I found some good tips on beating the heat on the blog at the Eco Box website. This post inspired me to share some of my own ideas.

Tips for keeping your kids cool at bedtime without AC:

• Give kids a spray bottle (or water gun) to take to bed. (Bring one with you when you’re out of the house as well.  Spritz your kids down in the car or when you’re out for a walk with your stroller.)
• On really hot nights throw damp sheets in the freezer for a short time before bed.
• Give young kids a quick sponge bath in cold water right before bedtime.
• Get one of those tacky old-fashioned outdoor shades for the front of your house. We rolled ours out for the first time this year and can’t believe the difference.
• Teach young kids to flip their pillow over to the cold side when they get hot.

Here are some other stinging statistics:

• Approximately 1/3 of the food we eat relies on bees for pollination
• Some researchers believe that without research and protection honey bees could go extinct within ten years
• Many North American beekeepers are reporting a loss of up to 70% of their bee populations in the last two years
• According to the World Bank, food prices have risen over 80% in the last three years. Some farmers say that if beekeepers go out of business the cost of nuts, fruit, and vegetables could increase tenfold.

Here are some things you can do with your kids to promote awareness about the honey bee crisis:

• Rent Bee Movie and talk with your kids about the role the bees play as pollinators.
• Buy Hagaan Dazs Ice cream –a portion of bee dependent flavours goes to honeybee research.
• Buy honey products (to support local beekeepers)
• Visit educational websites for free lessons on honey bees
• Plant a bee friendly garden with flowers like sunflowers, lilacs, and cosmos
• Donate money to honey bee research

Einstein has been falsely quoted as saying that humans would begin disappearing four years after the honey bee. Even if it wasn’t Einstein who made this prediction more than fifty years ago, it is obvious that a disappearance of these pollinators would have a major impact on the world’s food supply. How many years would you give us?

In this story a young boy learns about a fluffy tree called the Truffula that once grew wild in a forest and provided a home for numerous Suessy creatures. A man named the “Once-ler” explains to the child how he discovered that the fluffy Truffula tree could be used for knitting “Thneeds” (objects that all people need). Despite protests from “the Lorax” the Once-ler watches his business grow and grow until the sky turns grey and there is only one seed left.

As with all Seuss books, The Lorax can be enjoyed at different levels by children and adults of all ages. This book may be the key to convincing your children (or spouse) that they don’t thneed anything new to play with this summer. Maybe they will be inspired to help you plants some seeds beneath the blue sky instead of going shopping.

Other Recommended Reading for Kids

Here are a few other kids’ stories that deal with ecological concerns. Look for these in your local libary or bookstore, and make sure to have one on hand at the end of each month for Earth Hour.

Recycle Every Day By Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
A bunny named Minna has a school assignment to make a poster about recycling.

The Great Trash Bash By Loreen Leedy.
Mayor Hippo and his animal citizens investigate the trash problems in Beaston.

The Tower to the Sun By Colin Thompson
A rich grandfather decides to build a tower so that his grandson can see how the sun once looked before air pollution took over the world.

Uno’s Garden By Graeme Base
Adorable creatures, including lumpybums and frinklepods welcome Uno into their garden. Life is beautiful until the tourists settle in and take over. What becomes of the Snortlepig?

Though it can boast of 300 days or more of sunshine each year, Marrakech only receives 4 inches of annual rainwater. As the family describes in their website, this should be a major cause of concern for olive growers. However, most native farmers take part in a wasteful practice of flooding their land. While Maryam and her husband Chris adore Marrakech and its culture, they were not comfortable with this practice: “Soon after buying our olive grove, we installed a drip system to irrigate our trees and plants. With this technique each dripper puts out about 1 gallon of water on the ground per hour. The water slowly seeps in the ground with almost no evaporation. We also use grey water for irrigation.”

Maryam admits that it is next to impossible to go fully “green” in Marrakech. She cautions guests that there won’t be environmentally friendly linens to sleep in or hybrid cars to rent. You may not even be able to recycle your cans or bottles there. However, this family is doing its best to incorporate green initiatives, and we can only hope that their local neighbors and international guests will notice their efforts and be inspired to take their own step in the green direction.

Not only does Peacock Pavilions give everyone permission to chase big dreams, this family serves as a good reminder that it aint easy being green. Yet, if we all do our part, (including our youngest tadpoles) we’ll have a cleaner pond to swim in.

Peacock Pavilions opens in November 2008 and is currently taking reservations. Why not go and hug an olive tree?

List of Green Initiatives (www.peacockpavilons.com):
To reduce electric energy consumption and carbon output, Peacock Pavilions also incorporates the following elements:

• Insulation in the walls and on the roofs more vulnerable to heat gain or loss. This step is almost always skipped in Marrakech, because of the extra costs entailed.
• Aluminum windows with air tight seals.
• Rumsford fireplaces which radiate more heat into a room and less up the chimney. We may just be the only people in Marrakech with these.
• Radiant floor heating. Hot air passes through pipes buried in the concrete floor slabs. The heat is then radiated into the room over a period of hours. This is more efficient than heating air, and nicer for the feet, too. So rare is radiant heating in Marrakech that people have been trooping though Peacock Pavilions to ask Architect Chris how to install it.
• Air conditioning through evaporative cooling. This system draws 70% less energy than conventional air conditioners and is well adapted for arid climate. Used frequently in the southwest of the US, evaporative coolers blow a mist of water over a filter and then air is passed through the filter. Air temperature can be reduced as much as 30 degrees F.
• Solar water heater panels. Hot water for our own house and our 3 bedroom Pavilion is provided by the Moroccan sun, with back-up provide by instant gas heaters (no need to keep kettle warm when no one is drinking).
• Primarily fluorescent lights. Why use 75 watts when 20 watts will do the same job? (California plans to ban sale of incandescent light bulbs by 2012. What a concept…!)