Category: Sustainability

Earth Day: Community Gardens

Josephine ButlerBlog, In Our Community, Sustainability, ,

We can’t stop talking about our client, Briar Chapel! In addition to announcing the winners of the Best Buddy Contest, we’re looking forward to the community’s Earth Day celebration, which will be held this Saturday, April 21 from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Stay tuned as we reshare posts from the Briar Chapel Blog with more information about the upcoming festivities.

Did you catch our recent blog, Harvesting Community, where our Briar Chapel Best Buddy contestant Emmo Pike shared a video (see below) about the Green Thumb Committee? These individuals are dedicated to keeping things up and running in our community garden, the Briar Patch. Like so many others across the country, the residents at Briar Chapel are reaping the benefits of a community garden, and just in time: it’s almost Earth Day!

In honor of our favorite holiday, we’d like to share a few reasons why community gardens are so great for the environment, community and folks just like you! Here’s an excellent list from the American Community Gardening Association:

  • Improves the quality of life for people in the garden
  • Provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development
  • Stimulates social interaction
  • Encourages self-reliance
  • Beautifies neighborhoods
  • Produces nutritious food
  • Reduces family food budgets
  • Conserves resources
  • Creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy and education
  • Reduces crime
  • Preserves green space
  • Creates income opportunities and economic development
  • Reduces city heat from streets and parking lots
  • Provides opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections

Feeling inspired? Be sure to check out the Briar Patch this weekend during our Earth Day celebration. Members of the Green Thumb Committee will be at a booth in Briar Commons to answer any of your questions, including Emmo, who is one of the founding members of our garden. She recently professed her love for Briar Chapel on her blog, greenchathamliving.blogspot.com, and we’re sure she’d love to share even more reasons why she loves Briar Chapel with you.

We can’t wait to see you there!

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Green Thought Thursday: YouTube is Awesome!

Josephine ButlerBlog, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, Sustainability, , , ,

In lieu of our usual Green Thought Thursday, we’d like to continue sharing ways for you to get in the running to win the Best Buddy Contest. If you’ve been following our blog this week, then you’re already aware that our client Briar Chapel, the Triangle’s largest green community, is hosting the Best Buddy Contest with the idea to reward fans for their engagement across a variety of social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Foursquare and YouTube. So what’s in it for you? A Buddy Scooter!

We love YouTube for so many different reasons. First off, there are plenty of hilarious videos to go around. Secondly, it’s a great educational tool. And last but not least, it’s a great way to rack up tons of points during Briar Chapel’s Best Buddy Contest! The point break-down goes like this:

  • 5 pts: Subscribe to the Briar Chapel community on YouTube. Super quick and easy.
  • 25 pts: Upload an original video and use the words “Briar Chapel Best Buddy” in the title. Need some inspiration, see below. And encourage your friends to check it out! For every like or view, you’ll receive an additional point, and for each comment, you’ll get two!

We love what this fan did in her video about how to use the compost bins in the Briar Chapel community garden (also known as the Briar Patch). Check it out:

How will you get creative on YouTube?

 

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Green Thought Thursday: It’s Farm-to-Table, Y’all!

Josephine ButlerBlog, Sustainability, , , , , , , 2 Comments on Green Thought Thursday: It’s Farm-to-Table, Y’all!
The perfect play on farm-to-table: Husk's logo!

I recently visited Charleston for the first time, and it was a trip I will never forget. I can sum it up in two short words: culinary bliss.

Much like Raleigh, Charleston has turned into a culinary destination for chefs and foodies, alike. My favorite concept of the trip: farm to table.  If you’re not familiar with this term, it refers to the idea that food that’s grown locally should be consumed locally.

Husk Restaurant is a delicious example of a restaurant that has taken the whole farm to table thing to heart. Immediately inside the front door is a blackboard that lists each of the daily ingredients and from where they came, be it S.C. or a nearby state. I was super stoked to even see a few North Carolina farms on the list!

And the fun didn’t stop there. Brunch was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed my brioche French toast with Ambrose Farms Strawberry Jam, powdered sugar and maple syrup (Va.), but it was Josh’s dish that took the prize. He ordered wood-fired pork belly “Monte Cristo,” with buttermilk cheddar (Tenn.), fried farm egg, Surry sausage and confit potato hash.

Hungry yet? I’d love to hear about your favorite farm-to-table restaurants. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Happy eating!

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Green Thought Thursday: Spring Cleaning

Dana PhelpsBlog, Sustainability, , , ,

While Josie Butler is Clairemont’s resident Queen of Green, Margot Horgan has definitely been our blog post princess this week, educating our readers on a variety of topics. Today, Margot shares her own Green Thought Thursday with some Mother Earth-approved spring cleaning tips. Enjoy! –Dana

Image from lifeologia.

With only one week left in February, all of us southerners are almost through with our winter, which means 2 things: pollen and spring cleaning are right around the corner.

But before, we all grab our conventional cleaning products, which are riddled with chemicals, check out some of these green recipes for homemade cleaning solutions for common surfaces in the home:

  • Glass: Mix 1/4 cup vinegar with 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray on glass and wipe clean with old newspaper or a lint-free cloth.
  • Countertops and bathroom tile: Mix 2 parts vinegar and 1 part baking soda with 4 parts water. Apply with a sponge, scour, and wipe away.
  • Floors: Mix 4 cups of white distilled vinegar with about a gallon of hot water. If desired, add a few drops of pure peppermint or lemon oil for a pleasant scent. After damp mopping the floors, the smell of vinegar will dissipate quickly, leaving behind only the scent of the oil.
  • Wood furniture: Mix equal parts of lemon juice and olive oil. Apply a small amount to a cloth, and rub onto the furniture in long, even strokes.
  • Toilet bowl cleaner: Sprinkle a toilet brush with baking soda and scrub away! Occasionally disinfect your toilet by scrubbing with borax instead. Wipe the outside of the toilet clean with straight vinegar.
  • Disinfectant: Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar, 3 cups hot water and 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use a spray bottle. Wipe clean.
  • Mold and mildew: Wipe with straight vinegar.
  • Air freshener: Sprinkle essential oil on a cotton ball, and stash it in a corner of the room. If you have kids, make sure it is out of their reach as essential oils are very strong and could irritate their skin. Lavender is a relaxing scent that is great for bedrooms, and cinnamon, clove and citrus oils are great for the rest of the house. You can stash a few in the car, too—try peppermint, which may help you to stay alert.

To read some more green spring-cleaning tips check out sparkpeople.com. Will you try any of these eco-friendly cleaning solutions? How will you stay green when you do your spring cleaning this year?

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Green Thought Thursday: Reuse, Redecorate, Revive!

Josephine ButlerBlog, Sustainability, , , , , 1 Comment on Green Thought Thursday: Reuse, Redecorate, Revive!
We love this idea from Country Living!

Our intern Ashely Hurteau was inspired to write this week’s Green Thought Thursday after finding this article from Country Living.

As I flipped through Country Living last weekend, something extra special caught my attention, 5 Ways to Transform Ordinary Objects. If you have read some of my previous Green Thought Thurdays, you know that I have shared New Uses for Old Vices and More Uses for Old Vices. I cannot stress enough how important reuse is for a sustainable environment so why not have fun during the process?

Ever crossed paths with a wooden cable spool in an old parking lot? While you may see junk, I see great potential for a “bookmobile.” A coat of paint and a few dowels is all you need to take a wooden cable spool and turn it into a lazy Susan for books!

These picture holders from Country Living rock!

Have an old pillow or two that you think would look better on the curb than on your sofa? Think again! Take a dinner plate and use chalk to trace the outline onto an old pillow. Go over the chalk with a fabric pen. Once you have your circle drawn, draw a few smaller circles inside. Run a needle through the middle of each smaller circle and knot it tightly. By doing so, you have taken a boring pillow and turned it into a “button cute cushion.”

Don’t throw those dull cloth headbands out! They are the perfect easel for standout headpieces! With some hot glue and a few embellishments (we suggest flowers, feathers or jewels), you’ll wow the crowd with your brand new accessories.

Have a backyard filled with stones? Use them! By tying floral wire around the rocks you can coil them upright and then attach pictures. This earthy chic way to decorate will spruce up any room!

For more ideas, check out  5 Ways to Transform Ordinary Objects, and in the meantime, share some of your own ideas. We would love to hear!

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