Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Mission: Sustainable starts filming

I'm so excited!

Not only is production starting up for the green makeover reality show, Mission: Sustainable, produced by ReGeneration Productions, but I'm going to be one of the three consultants doing the makeover in the pilot episode that starts filming this Saturday. As you may remember, I'm the Personal Care Consultant cast member on the show, which means that I cover pretty much everything from laundry detergent to body products, cleaning supplies, pet care and beyond.

I'm also excited about working with the other cast members, particularly Becky Selengut, our local food guru. She is a trained chef who spent three years studying under Jerry Traunfeld at the Herbfarm Restaurant and is the co-author of the Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook. She's currently working on a new cookbook on sustainable seafood when she's not writing for her blog, Chef Reinvented, or Twittering.

Over the last few months, I've gotten to know her pretty well and I can't wait to work with her since she has the same totally warped and crude sense of humor as I do. Which means that, most likely, we'll be attempting to top one another in the insanity department during the "discovery" phase of the show. This also means that there's high probability that it will be very entertaining. I don't know the other cast members as well yet, so I'm looking forward to finding out more about them, too.

What's even more exciting is that the family that we are doing the makeover on has small children, so I'll be able to focus on the kids as part of the makeover as well. Along those lines, although I already have a large arsenal of activities in mind, what are your favorite suggestions for how to teach kids to live green?

Project Green Search Nag Alert!
And, because I'm going to be bugging you all week, if you haven't voted for me in Project Green Search, what are you waiting for? Get over there now and give me some stars - the more the merrier!

And, while you're at it, Tweet about it! Don't make me beg!

5 comments:

dixiebelle said...

OK, you asked for it!! LOL

Eco-fun for kids!

* Start a 'craft' box where you can store clean boxes and packets from everyday items you use in your house, leftover paper and cardboard, envelopes, ribbon and other crafty things, as well as things you've found in nature and anything you can reuse to make games and craft. Have a smaller box in it, which has the sticky tape, glue (make your own), glitter, bits and bobs, scissors etc., so you have all the things you need on hand (though remember to be safe too!)

* Start collecting envelopes from bills, cards etc. and using scrap paper, play 'postman', maybe making a mailbox from cereal box.

* Play 'shop' using things from your craft box/ cupboards. Use clean boxes and packages, and make 'items' to buy, setting them up on a table. Make some money, get out a shopping basket or bag, and decide what you need to buy. Take turns being the shopkeeper, and the customer. No need to limit it to the grocery store, they may want to go shopping for 'jewellery' or 'clothes' (use the dress up bag) and have a mirror for them try things on.

* Card making, using scrap paper, and cardboard, recycled ribbon and sequins... check out your local markets, op shops or sewing box for remnants... keep Christmas cards, cut off the front/ any designs to make collages/ decorations or your own cards the following year.

* Make wrapping paper, using recycled paper or scrap paper, paint, recycled foil, potato stamps etc.

* Collect gum nuts, leaves, shells, bits of Australian nature (without disturbing the flora and fauna!) and make collages

* Make softies/ dolls/ teddies using recycled materials, from op shops, markets etc.

* Make diarama's using show boxes, and choose a theme, such as ocean, bush, space etc. and use recycled items from around the house or nature

* Make your own playdoh, and find old containers, cooking utensils, and toys to use as cutters and to make wonderful, ongoing fun... keep it all in a special box to keep it together.

* Dress up bag/ box! Fill it up with your old clothes, hats and glasses, find groovy fancy dress items at second hand places, ask Grandma and Grandpa what fun things they may have in the back of the cupboard to wash and add to the bag... have some kids beads and 'jewellery' in there, some scarves and magical fairy things... all they need is their imagination!

* Plays and 'disco's'... put on a play, or just dress up for a 'party', using the dress up bag and craft box. Have music to go along with it, and get them involved based on whatever is suitable, from colouring in the 'set' or painting the scenery, to making the characters or deciding on the 'plot'!

* Knitting, try looking for recycled wool (pull apart old/ unused items) or try op shop, they also have knitting needles. You can also source more eco-friendly wool too. Perhaps try Googling, or find a book about 'finger knitting'...

* Maybe make their own toiletries and beauty packs for gifts. Just as they can do Kids Cooking, they can help decide on fragrances to add, stir things together, help spoon ingredients into glass jars, make labels and tie on ribbons etc.
* Cooking with Kids can be a learning and fun event.
* Gardening - a great way to get kids outdoors, learn about nature and produce edible results.

* What about candle making? The older kids may be able to do this with supervision, and you can buy candle making kits to make it easier.

* Take babies for a walk in the pram for entertainment, try buying toys from op shops or on eBay or join a toy library (they often only have the baby toys for a short time)

*Get kids outdoors for a 'nature treasure hunt', or into gardening or the local library or sport, rather than TV/ video or computer games

* Also, try Googling for Steiner craft stores in your area...

From here:
http://eatatdixiebelles.blogspot.com/2008/06/eco-fun-for-kids.html

Ash Sud said...

This is a great concept for a TV show. I think your viewers would love to see our company, ZippGo, on your show. We take 100% post consumer recycled plastic and turn them into reusable boxes. Each of our boxes can be used for 500 moves and we deliver them right to our customer's door and then pick them up when they are done. Our trucks are fueled by biodiesel made from 100% recycled waste vegetable oils. Lets talk. I am available by phone or email.

Thanks,

Ash Sud
Founder of ZippGo
http://www.ZippGo.com
(800) 723-7017

Robj98168 said...

How to make kids behave in a mor eco friendly way?
Beat their little butts every time the forget to put a bottle in the recycling bin. Too Harsh? Okay. Why not try coming up with some fun and interesting things for them to learn and do
SOME SUGGESTIONS:
Make flowers out of Plastic Bottles- all the time ecplaining to them the importance of reducing, reusing or just not using at all.
Show them how to make planters out of 2 litre pop bottles and give them a seed of something easy to grow, that will do good on a windo sill.
Go to the About.com family craft pages to find a craft made from recycled material

Heather said...

Dixiebelle had some good ideas of pasttimes that are more ecofriendly. But in terms of actually switching kids onto ecofriendly living, what about involving them in your own reduce/reuse/recycle efforts? I know that Isabella (NIM's daughter) really liked the worms in their worm farm. I gave a friend's kid some vegie seeds once, and he really enjoyed planting and growing them. Some people we know are keeping chooks, and the kids love being involved with them. Also, our main local conservation organisation has a junior division, and the kids go on heaps of field trips to see wildlife, clear streams etc. Oh, and I made a solar oven and kids are fascinated by it. Muffins cook in under an hour (actual meals take too long and the kids get bored). You can even cook eggs (like hard-boiled, but without water) just by wrapping them in something black - someone on the internet suggested wrapping them in old underpants, and I bet heaps of kids would *love* eating underpants eggs!

--Heather from NZ.

Anne said...

I did a strategic "how to wash the dishes/save water" lesson last week with my kids while my in-laws were in town. That way the conservation message was directed at the kids, but overheard by the adults...who wouldn't necessarily take kindly to me telling them directly to turn down the water. I think it worked.