No Kill Revolution

I'm a huge animal lover. I have a small menagerie of rescues I take care of on my own. I help do transports for local rescues, I try to donate time, money whatever I can to help critters whenever I can. The BEST thing that I and YOU can do to help in this though, is EDUCATE people. I worked for a time in a pet store. Yes, a lot that goes along with a pet store goes against the very grain of what and how I feel about pets in general. We were responsible in that we didn't support puppy or kitten mills. We only offered puppies and kittens from the local shelter for adoption. I can't say that I feel much better about the companies we DID support by purchasing rodents, birds, exotics, etc from. But I tried to view it as a way to work on the problem from the inside out.

I took EVERY opportunity to educate customers on the plight of animals they might be unwittingly supporting. Some people were surprised and took the info to heart, others were kindred spirits who joined in the conversation whole-heartedly already having educated themselves, to my dismay many just did NOT care. They wanted a puppy for $300 to their specifications and within weeks they'd have a poster up wanting to sell it. People who wanted to buy a pet for their kid because he was screaming he wanted something and they didn't know how to say "NO" to the child but somehow wanted me to magically come up with a pet that required very lil care or cleaning and a small , cheap habitat. I pointed them to the aisle with plastic plants used for decor. :)

I digress. Some people don't want to care or know but MOST people DO! It may not be something they are readily made aware of but that's where people like me ( and some of you) come in. We have to share our knowledge. We have to actively make a difference where the animals can't and other people won't. If its nothing more than posting info on your blog, your fb page, your instagram, your twitter, on your bumper sticker, wear a t-shrt, just get people talking. Explain the large quantities of pets dying each year in shelters can be stopped. Spay and neuter your pets. Don't support breeders. Don't support pet stores that sell puppies/dogs and cats/kittens.

Theres so much anyone can do even if only occasionally it makes a difference. Make an effort to help local shelters by either volunteering to clean, or help the animals socialize so they are more likely to get adopted. Help transport rescue animals that are shipping out of state. Some of the transports I have done were just one leg of a long trip and I only drove them 1 hour to another pickup. It doesn't take much. Foster pets in your own home til they can be moved to a rescue or transported.

Clip out coupons for pet supplies and drop those off at the local shelter THEY USE THEM TRUST ME. Some items you dont realize they might need as well:

•  bleach
•  towels ( paper or bath towels) 
• garbage bags 
• mops 
• giftcards
• pet toys 
• fresh veggies 
• tongue depressors
• distilled water
• newspapers
• Any kind of cleaning solutions or disinfectant
• Ziplock bags (all sizes, especially gallon) 
• Spray bottles with triggers 
• Sponges and scrub pads
• Batteries 
• Large wall fans 

 Links that may help

•  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/spayneuter 
• http://www.animalhumanesociety.org/volunteer 
• http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/ 
• http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?tag=no-kill-advocacy-center 

 ( note PETA is not in my list, they kill as many adoptable animals each year as do shelters. I hold no support for PETA. NO KILL is the answer and it is possible)

Pets don't have to die in shelters or on roadsides on in alley ways. Its up to us. Join the No Kill Revolution. Make a difference.

Treasure Boxes from Trash

I LOVE when I can find a way to recycle something. So when I got a chance to snag a bag FULL of cat treats I was all over it. Cat treats you say?

 Well I'm not recycling the cat treats, but the nifty little tins the treats came in are lovely. I had to wash them out extremely well. You can imagine they smelled a bit...fishy.

But the tins are great! I love little boxes and tins. I don't know why, but I do. I also love working with polymer clay so these two were bound to come together. I thought these would make great treasure boxes or stash boxes, a cool place to keep a small sewing kit or small medicine kit for purse. I started laying out designs to cover the tins with and realized there was so much more I could do.

This is where they are at this point. I still need to sand them and put a layer of gloss on them. I still have a bag full of these though. I'm thinking on the next round I will add in some beads to the design or possibly make some small sculptures to go on the tops of the boxes. A tiny dragon perhaps or butterflies would look nice as a decoration to lids?

Hope you enjoyed this peak at my recycling adventure :) When I get some more made I will be sure to post those as well !! 

Til next time.... GO MAKE SOMETHING  and HAVE FUN!!

Cleaning around here is a full time job with my small zoo. I don't like to use weird chemicals if I can keep from it because I: 1.) don't want to use chemicals and 2.) have a lot of animals to keep safe. SO getting "green" cleaning techniques has been a collectors hobby of mine recently. Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

  Baking Soda as Tub Scrubber Rub tub stains away. 
Create a paste mad up of equal parts baking soda and cream of tartar and a little lemon juice. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse.

Salt as Homemade Drain Cleaner

 Get a slow-moving drain flowing again and pour a solution of ½ cup of salt for every quart of hot water down the pipe.

Clean silver without a store bought solution 

 1) 1 cup of boiling water

 2) 1 tablespoon baking soda

 3) 1 tablespoon white salt 

4) 1/2 cup white vinegar

 5) 1 sheet of tinfoil, shiny side up 

6) bowl 

 7) Polishing cloth

 Boil the water. While it’s simmering up, line the bottom of the bowl with the tinfoil, shiny side up. Then, add the salt and baking soda to the bottom of the bowl. Add the vinegar slowly (it will fizz) and mix everything together to dissolve the salt and baking soda. You want all the granules to dissolve. Add the boiling water to your bowl and then gently drop each piece of silver in the bowl. Just let it sit, the chemical reaction does all the work for you. If you wish, you can flip them over , just to ensure that both sides get exposure to the tinfoil. Take each piece out carefully and buff it gently with your polishing cloth. You should start to see all the tarnish come off.

Baby Oil as Paint Remover

 Dab some baby oil on splatters to remove latex paint from skin.

 Baby Oil as Chrome Polish

 Baby oil also polishes chrome. Apply a dab to a cotton cloth and use it to shine everything from faucets to hubcaps.

Safe weed killer

 2 c vinegar, 1T liquid soap, 1Tsalt....will kill any plant.

 Keep neighboring plants safe using a cut off two liter or milk jug around the plant.

Tub Cleaner Vinegar And Dish Soap, No Scrubbing.

 Heat 1/2 Cups White Vinegar In Microwave For 90 Seconds, Pour Into Spray Bottle. Add 1/2 Cups Blue Dawn Dish Soap. Shake Gently To Mix. Spray On Surface, Let It Sit 1-2 Hours. Just Wipe It Away, Then Rinse With Water. Should Also Take Soap Scum Off Shower Doors.

Island of Trash

There is an island of trash being built by us every day.
No lie.

1,600 kilometres west of the coast of California is polluted area being called "the garbage patch".
Ocean currents are pushing plastic bottles, plastic bags, and other "disposable" trash of all sorts into this area forming a sort of floating islandS of trash.

Thats islandS. Plural.

Bad enough to think this is happening to the ocean in just the scenic sense but also the animals are suffering in so many ways. Many of the shiny pieces are just so tempting to the birds and fish. Seagulls have been found with lighters in their stomachs. The plastics break down into toxic sand like parts eaten by filter feeders and going up the food chain from there. Building up toxins in the food chain. Many animals like turtles and such may starve to death while having a stomach full of waste they've filled up on but cant digest.

Do you part to clean up this mess. Don't leave trash on the beach. Don't dump things overboard. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

One more "r" Research.
Find ways to help save the environment each day in your life.

Green Phone Sense

You know you grew to hate your old phone and now you have a new one with all the bells and whistles...

WAIT!! Don't just throw your old phone out!

Cell phones contain enough lead to qualify as hazardous waste and even lead-free phones are hazardous because of the high amounts of copper, nickel, antimony and zinc that can leach into landfills.Besides there are so many people who need a cell phone. Many battered womens shelters would be so happy to have your old phone.

Check these out for recycling your phone:

http://www.epa.gov/waste

www.haveurebooted.com

www.cellphonerecycling

www.charitablerecycling.com

cellphonesforsoldiers.com

Recycle My Cell Phone

For more green tips check out my fave place www.thedailygreen.com

Grey water for a green earth

Ever heard of "greywater"?
I had not until about a year ago. Greywater is non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as dish washing, laundry and bathing. Greywater comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater. NOTE this is NOT water from toilet waste. Toilet waste water is called blackwater.




I like the idea of it I simply don't have the means at hand to build a system myself.
But its a good green topic to have a look at. Reusing greywater serves two purposes: it reduces the amount of freshwater needed to supply a household, and reduces the amount of waste water entering sewer or septic systems. In some states it is necessary to obtain permits before installing a greywater system.

Grey water can be used to water lawns and gardens. There are even some ways to reuse greywater to flush the toilet rather than using perfectly good fresh drinking water to do so but that takes some serious setup to be sure the greywater doesnt backsiphon into the freshwater lines.
Below are some links to more info on greywater and the ways to setup treatment and irrigation systems using it.

http://www.greywateralliance.org/
http://www.greywater.com/
http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/
http://greywaterfacts.com/index.html