Brilliant! I remember doing this when I was itty bitty!

This video will show you how to recycle used paper. It’s absolutely perfect for kids/students. You can add food colors or small flowers in order to make original paper for love letters, greetings, etc. Nothing says you care like homemade paper!

The remaining mixture can also be safely stored for future paper-making.

Do It Yourself Tuesday is here again — my favourite!

This fun project is kid friendly AND adult friendly! So if you’re like me and drink a lot of tea, try this out and be sure to send me pictures of your creations.

You’ll need:
to drink a lot of tea!
save the teabags
glue
scissors
boardpaper/construction paper/coloured paper
paintbrush

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1. Green Capsule – Mini Mobile Garden

The Green Capsule is a tiny plant inside a keychain or pendant. Essentially it’s a seed and a small quantity of soil. However, once the seed germinates, you’ll need to remove it and replace it with another seed. It serves no practical purpose, and at $84, it’ll make your eyes water too!

2. Solar Powered Light Up Squirrel

A Solar Powered Light Up Squirrel, do I really need to say anything at all? Costing $55 for a light up mammal? I would love to know what was going through the designer’s mind.

3. Cardboard Laptop Case

Right, I like the idea of recycling here, using an old box to create a Cardboard Laptop Case. However, that’s where the practicality ends. When it rains, you’ll end up with a soggy mess! However, I doubt you’ll have much money left after buying an expensive Apple Mac either, so I can understand that you’d need to improvise a case.

4. Lemon-Powered Clock

The lemon-powered clock is a gadget that’s actually touted as a product rather than an educational toy! Why you’d want lemons rotting on your kitchen surfaces to give you the time, I have no idea! Surely it’s greener to use rechargeable batteries than to use an endless supply of lemons (unless of course you have a lemon tree). However, if the clock re-sets every time you change the lemons, it’s hardly practical.

5. Toilet made from cardboard

Sure, it’s made form recyclable materials, but where’s the privacy? And how do you dispose of them hygienically? I have so many questions! How does one sit on a flimsy cardboard toilet? Where would you use this and when? I just… I just don’t get it.

My friend Mike just brought these interesting looking Fiat ads to my attention. The ads say: “Engineered for a lower impact on the environment. The Lowest CO2 emission car range in Europe.”

(click to enlarge)

While I get it (and no, I’m not one of those that thinks that actually thinks animals were hurt during the making of this ad. Get real, folks.), I’m not sure it’s the best way to advertise that you’re eco-friendly. I can just see the round table on this one:

“Hey! I have this awesome idea! What if we Photoshop some endangered species getting into car accidents — side-swiped by tractors! Head-on collisions! Then people will know we’re serious about the environment.”

I think that if I saw these ads in an art gallery I’d think they were cool, but seeing them as part of an eco-friendly ad just doesn’t sit right, though I’m not entirely convinced they’re wrong, just… not the perfect fit.

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If you don’t know what’s in your knickers…

Eco-Boudoir has launched a sustainable fashion film, written and directed by Verity White from the BBC, called Pants Exposed: Know What’s In Your Knickers.

The mission is to change the way we produce and consume textiles for good. For more information please visit: www.morethanprettyknickers.com.

I love Eco-Boudoir’s slogan: “Eco-Boudoir – Making sustainability sexy.”

I don’t know that I could eat an ice cream called Fossil Fuel, could you? Well, actually, truth be told, I’ll eat anything Ben & Jerry’s puts in front of me…

The next time you host a breakfast/brunch/lunch or dinner remember this recipe! It’s a true classic! You can even make it ahead of time and freeze it for future use… but don’t count on leftovers once it’s served. We guarantee that your guests will devour every last crumb.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 8-ounce package of organic cream cheese
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 cup softened organic butter or margarine
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 free range eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup organic strawberries
• Sifted powdered sugar

Instructions:

• Beat cream cheese, sugar and margarine with an electric mixer until fluffy
• Add half of the flour, the eggs, milk, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt
• Beat for 2 minutes or until will mixed.
• Beat in remaining flour
• Spread the batter evenly in a greased 13×9x2-inch pan
• Spoon 8-10 teaspoons of preserves onto the batter
• Run a knife through the batter to spread the preserves for a marbled effect

Bake at 350° F for 30-35 minutes. Check for readiness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean then your cake is ready!

Cool slightly on a wire rack.

To serve, sprinkle sifted powdered sugar over the top of the cake and cut into squares. Add a fresh strawberry and a mint sprig for garnish and you’re ready to go!

Makes 24 servings… but, again, don’t count on leftovers. This cream cheese coffee cake recipe is just that good!

Easy Strawberry Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds (1200g) fresh or frozen strawberries
• 1/4 cup (75 g) vanilla yogurt
• 1 pint (500 g) cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Blend strawberries in blender until smooth. Slowly add vanilla yogurt and keep blending.

Pour strawberry mixture into large bowl. Add cream and vanilla and stir until blended.

Chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Before serving garnish with a fresh strawberry or a mint leave. Serve in soup bowls.

Enjoy!

Serves: 3

“I remember writing Earth Song when I was in Austria, in a hotel. And I was feeling so much pain and so much suffering of the plight of the Planet Earth. And for me, this is Earth’s Song, because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man’s mismanagement of the Earth. And with the ecological unbalance going on, and a lot of the problems in the environment, I think earth feels the pain, and she has wounds, and it’s about some of the joys of the planet as well. But this is my chance to pretty much let people hear the voice of the planet. And this is “Earth Song.” And that’s what inspired it. And it just suddenly dropped into my lap when I was on tour in Austria.”

I’d like to take a moment to be very personal with you, my readers.