Sustainable Gift Giving

What are you giving your friends and family for gifts this holiday season? With any luck it will involve something homemade, made by a local artisan, or grown in your backyard. Not only will you be supporting a more sustainable and decentralized economic system, you will be reducing the amount of energy spent on packaging and transport. As I am thinking about different items I can make that my friends and family would like, here are a few of my ideas:

• jam, jelly, or other preserves
• assorted dried fruit
• infused olive oil and vinegar
• relaxing eye pillow filled with flax seeds, buckwheat, or rice and lavender
• dried and crushed rose hips--it is a good time to collect them any time after the first frost
• locally grown seeds for planting in spring--Harmonic Herbs is my new favourite local company
• organic sugar and olive oil body scrub--super easy to make
• cookie jars
• local herbs for tea and honey
• make and freeze muffins for an quick morning meal for busy families
• make and freeze your favourite soup, lasagna, pie, etc.
• coupon for a free night of babysitting for a couple who could use a night out
• make a donation in a friends' name to their favourite charity
• Here are some ideas of charities that need food and monetary donations:
• Mustard Seed, Inn From the Cold, Women In Need Society, United Way, Inter-faith Food Bank
• shop for needed items for the above charities with a friend and donate at the end of your day together

If you are not inclined to make something yourself, consider shopping at the next Calgary Dollars Market on December 12th at Bow Cliff Senior Center. If you are not yet a member of Calgary Dollars, sign up at the market and receive $20 to spend!

I will be at the next Calgary Dollars market selling toothpaste, tooth powder, deodorant, face cream with sea buckthorn infused oil, ache out creamy oil, and some other surprises. As a strong supporter of the program, I accept 50% Calgary Dollars for my healthy hygiene products. Email me ahead of time to pick up your order at the market.

Leave a comment of your favourite homemade gift to make, local vendor, or charity to donate to!

Time to think about gardens!

It was not too long ago that our garden wrapped up for the year (just yesterday!), but already there are a lot of people talking about next year's garden projects. Living in a very cold climate challenges our gardening techniques and allows us time to learn and rejuvenate during a long winter.

While standing outside in a new dusting of snow, getting colder by the minute, a keen group of parents and interested community members stood in a potential new garden space. Due to the foresight of these members, permaculture was at the centre of our discussions. As a friend reminded me yesterday, there are 100 hours of planning for every hour of implementation in permaculture. Since "work is a failure in design" we want to make sure that our systems, be they water, paths, beds, or structures, will provide maximum output for minimal work input.

Through my experiences helping out getting a community garden established at Mount Royal University, gaging interest in my community in implementing a garden, and in attending various gardening workshops, I learned have learned of many sources of grants and additional information. Here are some sites to get you started on funding your new community garden or other sustainable project in Calgary:

Take Action Grant through Calgary Dollars

Fiskars Project Orange Thumb

Evergreen Grants

Calgary Horticultural Society

Home Depot

To find out more information about starting a community garden, check out these sites to give you ideas and support:

Tuscany Community Garden

Southwood Community Garden

The AREA in Inglewood

TONS of great support on the Calgary Horticultural Society's website

Start a free website or blog on Wordpress or Blogger like Tuscany did for their garden to document their efforts and raise awareness and support for the project you are embarking on. Print off pieces of paper to distribute to your friends and neighbours in the community and advertise in your community newsletter to drum up support.

If you come across more information for grants or other support, please leave a comment below to help other future community garden supporters!