A work colleague asked me the other day if our site had any articles about delivery of fresh local produce to homes or businesses from local farms, my answer was;

I don’t know how to get fresh produce delivered yet, but I will make it my green mission to find out more about locally delivered fresh fruit and vegetables!

Completely by chance, after a conversation with Carter, I learned that such programs are collectively known as Community Supported Agriculture or CSA’s for short.

Community Supported Agriculture - Fresh Produce Delivered Weekly

Community Supported Agriculture is becoming a more and more popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from farmers.
The idea is that a local farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included such as fresh eggs, goats cheese etc. Local residents purchase a “share” and in return receive a healthy crate of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season which varies depending on your location.

CSA’s have lots of benefits for all involved…
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Organic in the City

I am beginning a new painting called “Zebra Longwings” which I will be donating to the Texas Discovery Gardens for their Charity event Organic in the City Fashion Show and Auction. This event is one of the major fund raisers for the Texas Discovery Gardens. Texas Discovery Gardens is an educational organic garden facility in North Central Texas, that advances the knowledge and skill set of the community to restore, conserve and preserve nature in the urban environment. They accomplish this using their conservatory, greenhouse and 7.5 acre outdoor gardens in urban Dallas along with a full array of teaching programs developed for children and adults.  Their reach begins with small children and adults new to gardening and continues up to and through the Master Gardener level.  Texas Discovery Gardens serves thousands of inner-city students each year.  With the opening of the new Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium and the new indoor children’s classroom, Texas Discovery Gardens is now able to offer its EarthKeeper’s® Children’s Education Programs year round.  These programs are educational and fun and they promote excitement and interest in learning math and science via the natural world, they expand student knowledge and understanding of living sustainably, and help youth appreciate and embrace nature. The Organic in the City Fashion Show and Auction is an exciting, fun event eagerly anticipated by fashion, gardening and green living advocates.  Through this event Texas Discovery Gardens will raise thousands of dollars for the expansion of the children’s EarthKeeper’s programs and to bring Butterfly Gardens to schools across Dallas. For more information on Texas Discovery Gardens and this event, click on the link below.

http://www.texasdiscoverygardens.org

"Zebra Longwings" the beginning

To see more of my work, click on the links below.

www.sharenchatterton.com

www.lunaazulstudio.com

Since it is oh so cold but it is almost February and warmer weather will be just around the corner in March (hopefully), I thought I would do some sprucing up around our house. Touching up the paint on walls and trim or better yet, painting a wall an entirely different color, can gives your home a whole new feel.

I ran across some ways to be planet friendly and preserve the paints I use. Here are some of those ideas:

1. Keep paints stored in moderate temperatures in the home, a closet or pantry. Temperature lows and highs can cause the ingredients in paint to separate. Extended exposure to extremes can make the separation so severe that no amount of shaking and stirring will restore the paint’s texture.

2. Don’t paint from the can. Pour paint into an open bucket or a roller pan and dip your brush or roller in that. The fewer items you stick into the paint can, the less likely the paint is to become contaminated.

3. Keep paint cans closed as much as possible while you’re working. at the end of the day, put a piece of plastic wrap over the top before securing the lid to help create an airtight seal.

4.When saving leftover paint, make sure the can lid is on tight, then turn the can upside down to create an airtight seal and to avoid the formation of a “skin” of thickened paint on top.

5. Keep some paint in a baby food jar or canning jar for touch ups. It saves opening a gallon of paint each time you need to use just a little.

Zebra Longwings Butterfly photo by Sharen Chatterton

According to an American Indian Legend – If anyone desires a wish to come true they must first capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it. Since a butterfly can make no sound, the butterfly cannot reveal the wish to anyone but the Great Spirit who hears and sees all. In gratitude for giving the beautiful butterfly its freedom, the Great Spirit always grants the wish. So, according to legend, by making a wish and giving the butterfly its freedom, the wish will be taken to the heavens and be granted.

Most People just like butterflies, whats not to like, they are graceful, beautiful, colorful creations. I don’t think any other insect has been the inspiration for so many, artists, writers as well as naturalists.

However butterfly populations all over the world are being threatened by loss of habitat. Butterfly gardening, is a great way to provide additional habitat for butterfly species in your area. The species of butterfly vary by region, but by doing a little investigating and planting both nectar plants to attract the adult butterflies and also planting larvae foodplants for the caterpillars, you can increase the local population of butterflies in your area. Not to mention increase your gardens beauty with these colorful winged flowers. Throughout the country, the general requirements for butterfly gardening are the same: full sun, nectar source plants, larval host plants, a pesticide-free environment, and knowledge of the local butterflies. Many butterfly-attracting plants are natives and require little attention, as they are naturally adapted to the region in which they live. Butterfly gardens are best planted in the spring with younger plants or in the fall with mature plants that will become dormant quickly and re-emerge in the spring.

Butterfly Attracting Plants

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Our Christmas celebrations were very much green themed this year and I received numerous green gifts! One of my favorites is the Solio Classic-i solar charger battery which my wife bought me.

My Solio Classic-i Solar Charger Battery

The Solio Classic-i has an internal Lithium Ion 1650 mAh battery which can hold a charge for up to 1 year. It has three solar panels which fold out into a three blade design.
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This will be the first article I have published using my solar powered iPhone (which is an article in itself!) and I am hoping it works well.

Today we decided to give our three big dogs baths but in the cold and wet outside conditions I wanted an easier alternative to the hosepipe and soap method!

A quick visit to our local pet store and I found some great grooming wipes made by a company called EarthBath. They won’t get a dog as clean as a full bath but I was just aiming to freshen them up a bit!

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Precycling is becoming a buzz word amongst greenies like us and the Our Everyday Earth family wanted to share the following top 5 ways to boost your eco-friendliness with some waste stopping precycling….

Precycling is the practice of reducing waste by attempting to avoid bringing into the home or business items which will generate waste.

The practice of precycling includes buying essentials and groceries in bulk to reduce packaging, buying products that use recyclable packaging over non-recyclable packages, reducing or eliminating junk mail, and using the internet for reading instead of buying books, newspapers and magazines etc.

Method Number 1: Eliminate Junk Mail!

As a household we receive a lot of junk mail, advertising leaflets, promotional newspapers, credit card applications etc. and it all has to be recycled or shredded. Our favorite site for reducing or eliminating junk mail is DMA Choice;

Eliminate Junk Mail Being Sent to Your Address

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