Carnivorous Cravings

We've all had them at some point in our life, yes, even the vegetarians and vegans in this world, at some point you also have craved the deliciousness that comes with a juicy steak.  We've all had those carnivorous cravings.

This past weekend was my birthday weekend.  A fabulous weekend shared with friends and family.  I wrote my Physiology exam on Friday, and then it was time to enjoy the weekend.  Friday night, I celebrated with a few friends from the city.  I had to be up early Saturday so I could make it from Edmonton to Calgary for my Lacrosse game.  Unfortunately, because of my bad burn, I was still unable to play!

Saturday after the game my team went out in Calgary to celebrate my birthday.  It was then that I had one of those carnivorous cravings!
Before we had even sat down, I knew what I wanted.  Steak sandwich, medium rare.
The chef delivered me a steak that was delightful, grilled to perfection.  But just not as good as a home raised steak!

Sunday brought more lacrosse. The team traveled to Sherwood park for a game.  It was an early game being Father's Day, and after the game my family headed to my Opa and Oma's house for a quick visit with my dad's side of the family.  After this, my mom's side of the family came over to have supper and some birthday cake.
Once again there were some carnivorous cravings and the family enjoyed some homegrown beef.

This weekend I got a pretty awesome birthday surprise! If you have been keeping up with my blog you will know that all I wanted for my birthday was a kitten!
Well...

I got my wish.  Good friends of mine, Eryca and Justin and their family got me two little babies!
Super sweet, super crazy, ad super wild.  Oliver sleeps with his mouth open, and Otis suckles on his own fur to comfort himself when he goes to sleep.  Not your ordinary carnivore kittens!

But back to the main point!

Alberta Beef on your plate is probably one of the best ways to solve any carnivorous cravings that you might have.

McDonalds, Quiznos, and Jack Astors restaurants would also agree.
All three of these restaurants support the Canadian Beef Brand.
From November 2009 to January 2010, Quiznos ran a feature sandwich called the Triple Cheese and Roast beef.  If you had ever tried it, it was awesome.  What made it even better was that the Beef Information Center (BIC) made sure that the meat was 100% Canadian Beef.  This sandwich was sold in 456 places across Canada, what better a way to ensure that Canadian's are getting the best beef possible.

McDonalds is one of the largest supporters of Canadian Beef.  Throughout Canada, McDonald's serves approximately 2.5 million customers every day.  This means that they are using more than 64 ,million pounds of locally raised, Canadian Beef, every year.  McDonald's Canada uses 100% Canadian beef for all of the burger offerings (BIC).
For more information on McDonald's supporting Canadian Beef check out these facts:
http://www.canadianbeef.info/ca/en/fs/mcdonalds/
McDonald's

And it doesn't stop there.  The Canadian Beef brand has 110 industry partners, and 56 brand license agreements with retail, foodservice and processing operations.  Some of these partners include: XL Fine Foods; Costco Canada; Canada Safeway; McDonald's; Boston Pizza; Panago Pizza; Sobeys in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes; abc Family Restaurants and T&T Supermarkets.  These are all big supporters of Canadian Beef.  I know for sure which stores I will be supporting!
Canadian beef is packed with 14 essential nutrients.  It is yummy and good for you!

1. Protein - used to fight infection, build muscles, growth
2. Phosphorous - builds and maintains strong bones and teeth
3. Zinc - helps build the immune system
4. Iron- brain devbelopment in babies and children.  Iron in beef is absorbed more readily than from plant sources
5. Pantothenate - helps energize the body 
6. Thiamin - helps with appetite and normal growth! Energy!
7. Vitamin B6 - assists protein building and immune system
8. Vitamin B12 - helps all the cells in muscle, brain and nervous system.  Found naturally only in animal foods!
9. Niacin - essential for nervous system and energy
10. Magnesium - contributes to health of bones and teeth
11. Vitamin D - maximizes calcium and phospohrus absorption.  Found in Canadian beef is more potent than in plant sources
12. Potassium - maintain healthy blood pressure, prevents bones from losing calcium
13. Riboflavin - helps energize body
14. Selenium- anti-oxidant

Many of you have probably heard of the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Health Check Program.  What you likely didn't know is that there are eight cuts of Canadian Beef that qualify for this program!  That's right! Eight different ways that you can surrender to your carnivorous cravings, while still staying in the Health Check Program!

Lean Beef Choices (100 grams raw meat)	Fat (grams)
Eye of Round	5
Inside Round	5
Sirloin Tip	5
Top Sirloin	6
Strip Loin	8
Flank	8
Cross Rib	9
Outside Round	9
Extra Lean Ground Sirloin or Round	10
Extra Lean Ground Beef	10
Lean Ground Sirloin, Round or Chuck	15
Lean Ground Beef	15

www.beefinfo.org

The Canadian Beef Information Center offers a really cool way to see just what the nutritional value of
Virtual Beef Counter

This website is awesome! It is so easy to see just what you are getting from your beef! As you can see above, when I scrolled over the "Roasts" tab, a drop down list pops up with a list of different types of roasts.  This allows you to choose which kind of roast you will be cooking.  In the example above, I had clicked on the "Steaks" tab, and then chose the "Blade Steak".  This made a small nutritional report come up, as shown.  This allows you to compare different cuts of beef, cooked and raw, to see just how the nutritional values compare.  Pretty great.  Just shows you how much the Canadian Beef Industry really care about our consumers!
Of course, these values will vary depending on how well the meat is cooked, and how much of the fat is trimmed, as well, it will vary from animal to animal, but this gives you a pretty accurate average!

Canadian Beef Merchandising Guide  - This has everything you need to know on cuts of beef!


How does lean beef compare??

To chicken

To Fish 

Fact: When you see something say "lean only" it means that the beef has been trimmed of any visible fat and only includes marbling and muscle tissue.

Fact:  The nutritional value of Canadian Beef and American Beef differ due to the differences in production!

Fact:  Ground Beef that is drained and rinsed after it is cooked with hot water, will have reduced fat content!

Fact: One of the main saturated fats in lean Canadian beef is Stearic acid.  An issue with saturated fats is that they often have an affect on cholesterol levels.  Not Stearic acid, it has little effect!

Fact: Grass fed beef and grain fed beef both contain 14 essential nutrients.  Studies have shown that grass fed beef has elevated levels of Omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, but it is undetermined whether these increased levels are high enough for health benefits! Therefore, all beef is good beef!

Fact:  Beef is made mainly of water and protein.  Of course there are smaller amounts of fat, vitamins and minerals.  The proteins are the main nutrient in beef! Proteins help us fight infections, grow, and build muscles. Proteins = muscles, muscles = strength.  Muscles and strength attract the babes! Who doesn't want to eat Canadian Beef!

Fact:  Beef is graded Prime (best), AAA, AA and A.  The higher the grade, the more marbling in the meat.  It is the marbling that gives the flavor to the beef, makes it the most tender and juicy! The majority of Canada's beef is AAA.

Fact: Beef is aged by processors for 3 to 21 days at a controlled temp and humidity.  This allows the fibres to relax, making our meat more tender with stronger flavor!

Fact:  The color of the meat is not a good way to indicate freshness.  A change in color could be due to anything from a stressed calf to a difference in packaging

So.  Now that you know just how fantastic Canadian beef is, I'm sure you're having some carnivorous cravings.  So what will you cook for diner??

Check out these recipes!
Beef It's What's For Dinner
Beef Info Recipes

http://www.beefinfo.org/

No Surrender

So as I was studying for my exam tomorrow (sad face), I came across this youtube video, and I thought it was adorable.  The kitten refuses to give up his box!
Just one of the many cute things that animals do!

Had to make it quick today!

Back to learning about human physiology, the kidneys, the respiratory system, the urinary system, CNS, PNS, and so, so much more.

Anyone want to write it for me? :)

One more thing!  I was invited to attend the Alberta Emerald Awards last night.  Many different corporations and individuals were awarded for their hard work in protecting our environment, cleaning it up and being "green".  It was amazing to see all the work that many different people and companies are doing!  I was very lucky to be able to join a few members of the MacEwan University staff and take it all in.  I heard a lot of great stories, and got to see environmental sustainability plans in action! Needless to say, I was inspired.  And now I am tired, and must study my life away.
Welcome to University!
If you would like some more information on the Emerald awards, please click the link and go to their home page - Emerald Foundation - Emerald Awards, this will allow you to read about all of the things that the recipients are doing for our environment! It is great!
Have an awesome weekend all!

Tomorrow marks my last day as a teenager, the rainy days are only adding to my depression! :)

No Place For a Cat

With my birthday at the end of the week, I had to think long and hard about what I wanted! This is the question that I always dread.  I get nervous and try to ignore the question altogether.
Or else I throw out random, unrealistic things, such as a hotel (Paris Hilton style), a new car, five cows, or a trip around the world.  Of course, these things rarely happened.  I guess the car really wasn`t that ridiculous as my parents got me my sporty Honda Civic for my 16 birthday.  Have fun topping that one up mom and dad.
This year I really don`t know what to say to people when they ask.  I want everything and nothing.  I am so happy with all the lovely things that my parents give me that I don`t really need anything else.  My life is pretty much perfect.  I have two jobs which help me pay for school, and my parents and grandparents always have my back when it comes to life.  I have an awesome family, fantastic friends, and I live on a great farm.  What more could I really ask for?
And then it clicked.  For the past two years our cat population seems to be dwindling.  Growing up I had a slight obsession with cats.
And by slight, I mean huge.
First of all, "kitty" was my first word.  In our old house, our hallway window was at a low enough level that I could stand and look out into the yard.  My mom said that I would stand there for hours and watch the kittens play.  As I got older I was always surrounded by cats.  I spent every waking moment that I wasn't at school or sports outside with my animals.

In grade 3 one of our barn cats had a small orange kitten.  I made it my habit to name all of the cats on our farm, even the year that we had a total of 40 at one point (I guess that's what happens when you have 7 mama cats).  Thankfully, that year no one else in our community had kittens and everyone wanted some.
But back to the orange cat.  She pretty much had the most original name, Baby Orangie.  I know.  It's like calling the black cat Blackie.  Anyways, this cat was my baby.  I could do anything with her.  I would go to my grandparents every day after school and play with her.  My grandma would let me sneak the cat into her house.  I had a small shoe box with blankets in it for her.  She would lie in her bed and let me brush her, dress her up, pretty much do anything.
Grandpa didn't like animals in the house, so whenever he would come in one door, Orangie would go out the other.

Orangie even accompanied me to our small, country schools on a few occasions.  All you city folk, beat that show and tell surprise!  When you go to a small school with 14 kids in your grade you get anything from dogs to frogs in your class for show and tell.

I would spend countless hours in our hay loft with the kittens.  I did everything from giving kittens eye drops, to teaching the little babies how to drink from a dish.  Note - when I say "teach them how to drink from a dish" I didn't literally lean over the dish and start lapping up milk! I would dip their little noses in the warm milk.  They would then lick their little faces and realize how yummy the milk was! This would start them on their way to weaning from their mamas!

My handsome little man

All my kittens would have names.  And I would remember them.  Yes, I was obsessed, I admitted it already.
One morning before school I was in the barn feeding the cats and I could hear meowing, kittens.  I climbed into the hay loft, couldn't see them.  Back down into the main part, couldn't find them.  The noise was coming from the wall.  The kittens had climbed into the lean-to part of the hayloft and fallen into the wall!
Our barn is quite old, and the walls were hollow.  The kittens were stranded! I didn't even know what to do.  I tried thinking of ways to save them, and I realized there was no way I was getting them out.  I didn't want them to have to die.  I love my animals, and the minute they get a name they become that much more special.
I started crying. What else was there to do? My babies were going to die.  Once again, Grandpa came to the rescue and diligently got to work taking the boards off of the wall, saving the babies.

I have so many more kitten stories that I could share, but I am afraid my blog would be chapters.

So I decided I wanted a couple of kittens for my birthday.  But they couldn't be just any kittens, I wanted to pick them out.  So I started looking around Kijiji and I found exactly what I was looking for.
"Sweet Rescue Kittens For Adoption, Apply Now"
Why not adopt from a shelter! Help them out since they help out all the homeless and neglected kittens.  What better a life for a cat than to live on a farm where they get milk and cat food each day, a warm barn and heated shop to sleep in, a huge place to run outside, a family that loves them and mice!
So I clicked the link and my heart melted when I saw Bella.

Bella, only a month old, needing a family. 

I wanted her.  Who wouldn't! I wanted to be her mommy, and cuddle her and care for her!
So I clicked on her link and it took me to a website called SAFE - Saving Animals From Euthanasia.  Perfect, I would love to help these people out.
I can't find a number so I click the link that says "fill out an application".  Seriously?  I never made people fill out applications when they had our kittens.  Now I am worried, did my kittens go to unloving families.
On the application there are questions that say things such as what type of home do you have, will the cat be inside or outside, have you had a pet before, why do you not have you previous pet, have you ever been charged for an animal crime, will the animal be spayed, and the one that surprised me will you allow our team a minimum of three follow up visits to see your pet.
Wow.  I feel like I didn't give my kittens a chance for survival! I didn't do follow up visits.
So I filled out the form.  I said that I loved animals and that I wanted a kitten to live in our shop, who could have free range of the shop, barn and farm.  What a better life for a cat! Grow up with a family that loves you and cares for you, with two other kittens your own age, and a huge farm to play on, as well as a great opportunity for health care and warm meals every day! Is there a better life for a cat?  Some people in this province aren't even guaranteed all those things.
So I sent in the form.  By this time I was super excited.  I couldn't wait to get my new kittens!
My email flashed. A response!
I was so excited.  Best birthday ever!

I opened...

I read quickly...

The smile faded from my face.

"Thank you for taking the time to fill out an adoption application which we have reviewed and declined."


Declined!!!

How was the best life for a cat ever declined!

Apparently, they only want the adopted cats going to places where they will only be indoors and have a lifelong companion! I wanted to be a lifelong companion!

I had put on the sheet that I didn't want my kitten spayed, I wanted it to have a set of babies so that we would be able to have enough cats once again to control our farm mice.

Wrong answer.

Apparently they only give their cats to people who are going to spay them.  They said that there are too many homeless cats in the city that need homes so they are trying to control that by spaying all the cats.  I do understand why they make that a rule, especially in the city, and it is a good idea, but the farm is a different situation!

Well, on our farm, and in our farming community, we need cats.  It isn't us with the problem! I completely understand where they are going with the whole spaying thing, and I would have got them spayed if that was a requirement!

But apparently the farm is no place for a cat.

They said that Bella has never been outside and would likely end up being owl or coyote bait being out on a farm.

Seriously.  Before cats were domesticated they only lived outside.  And our German Shepard barks all night long, it's not like the coyotes sleep in the hayloft with the cats.  I wasn't just going to take her down to our bush and put her in an episode of "Cattracker" featuring a coyote.

I honestly felt somewhat offended.  I responded to the e-mail.  They say that they are having a problem with the cat population in the city.  I suggested to them that if they gave rural families a chance at adoption, they might be able to more easily find their cats good homes.  I told them that the animals on our farm are cared for like they're are part of the family, given a proper diet, love and affection, and medical attention.

A farm is no place for cats.  It seems somewhat hypocritical.

These cats look pretty happy to me. (this was a couple years ago when my cats were everywhere)

Fact:  Cats love mice.
Fact:  Cats are predators, they love hunting, and pouncing on things.
Newsflash: Cats like being outside too!

I'm heartbroken.

Tell me a kitten wouldn't be my companion!

Time to find a new kitty.  Any ideas anyone??

Sam

Moose on the Loose!

Yes! The title says it all!  There is a moose on the loose in Crestomere County!

Earlier this morning my grandfather was getting ready to go and inspect our crops.  Because of the large amount of rain after we seeded some of our barley, combined with the cold weather, the seeds rotted.  When the seeds rot, it means no crop for us, so my dad is hard at work this afternoon trying to re-seed the crops that were ruined by the weather.  This is just one of those everyday challenges that farmers face.  Re-seeding a patch of land means we have to pay for more seed, more fuel in the tractors, and we have to wait for an even later harvest.  Lucky for my dad and grandpa, our little Border Collie, Lady, loves the opportunity to ride in the tractor, so they always have company.

It is a little hard to see, but if you look close you can see the little black and white baby riding in the tractor with one of her two favorite men.  She's pretty much the cutest dog on earth.  For all those wondering, the piece of machinery hooked up to the tractor is called a drill, and we use it to seed our crops

Anyways, back to the moose.  My grandpa jumped in his truck and as he was driving towards the pasture he spotted what he thought was a large horse in the small pasture separating our houses.  Wrong.  That was no horse.

Fact: moose are the largest members of the deer family and they often stand taller than a large saddle horse (they don't compare to the heavy horses).
So.. When most people think of a moose they compare them to a horse.  BUT did you know that moose have cloven feet (a split down the front) just like a COW!! Horses on the other hand have hooves that do not have splits but are one piece.


Fact: A male moose is called a Bull Moose, and a female moose is called a Cow Moose.  It seems as though they are getting more and more like the cattle we farm, and less like horses as I once suspected.

Bull

Cow and calf

My grandpa was shocked to see the moose that close to buildings, just strolling around.  My grandma was so excited as she told me this story.  She had asked Grandpa if the moose had any antlers.  None that he had seen.  Grandma stated that it must be a girl then, if it didn't have antlers.  That isn't always true!

Fact: A moose begins growing antlers in spring or midsummer, and it isn't until the late summer and autumn that a mature bull carries its rack of antlers.  So, being that it is only mid June, the moose may not have started growing them yet.  Bull moose shed their antlers each winter, just to grow a new set in the spring.  Antlers and horns are two very different things.  Horns stay on an animal their entire life, like on a cow.  Antlers regrow each year, like on the moose, elk and deer!

Fact: Since the antlers are shed each year, the size of the antlers has nothing to do wiht the age of the animal, it does however have something to do with the health of the animal.  In order have to have great antlers the animal needs to have a large source of calcium to grow these antlers.  Where does this calcium come from when they have a strict diet of veggies?? Their own BONES, primarily their rib cage! So, these animals need to be pretty healthy to be able to afford to give so much calcium from their own bones!

Fact: When it is time for baby making, the bulls with the largest antlers usually get the hottest cows.  Of course they have to compete with other bulls.  All the competing eventually uses up energy and strength that the bulls have saved for the long winter which can sometimes cause them to be very rundown before winter and possibly mean death during the cold.  It is a sad ending for many of the handsome, big racked male moose, but at the time of mating, those bulls are getting the most tail!  The moose population is one population where saying "nice rack" is highly accepted!

Fact: Moose are ruminants just like our cattle! They spend much of their life chewing their cud.  For all those who don't know, ruminant means that their stomach is divided into four discrete sections, in other words, four different stomachs.  For a moose, their diet can often contain fibrous plants, as well as branches and leaves from trees.  Just like cows, moose regurgitate and rechew their food after it has spent sometime fermenting in one of their four stomachs.  So if you ever see a cow chewing while lying down with their eyes closed, that is a good sign that they are relaxed and enjoying the meal that they literally "saved for later".  With our show cows, we can always tell when they are calm when they start chewing their cud in the show ring, or while their tied up getting brushed.

The four parts of the ruminant stomach, a moose has this too!

 Fact: Moose can pretty well dwell in any terrain.  With their long, stilt-like legs, they are powerful swimmers and can easily walk across fallen trees.  They have large hoobes which help them to wade through snow, and the spongy muskeg on which they love grabbing a bite.  You would think that with their large size and big antlers (spanning anywhere from 120-150 cm) that they would make a great deal of noise walking through trees, crashing into things and such.  However, they are well adapted to pretty well any surrounding and are silent as they move through the trees.  I have enough problems sneaking up on people with size 3 feet, and a small mass of 120 pounds, I can't imagine weighing over 1000 pounds, with a huge set of antlers, and large feet, and still being able to silently move somewhere.

This caption shows where four different types of moose live  in North America.  These four breeds have a pretty good span of the continent! 

Fact: Moose are great swimmers.  Just another one of those qualities that I didn't see coming.  And to make it even more crazy, they can hold their breath for up to a minute under water.  Imagine canon balling into a river or lake that you assumed was empty, and then ten seconds later when you surface to see a big set of antlers paddling beside you.  I think I may have a heart attack.  The video below show two baby moose swimming while their mother enjoys a snack from the bottom of the lake! Super cute!  

This isn't the first time that we have had interesting wildlife on our farm!  Since I have been alive we have had badgers, a cougar by the barn and a black bear in the pasture, as well as countless deer, coyotes, foxes, and the friendly old beavers and porcupines!

To finish off this moose extravaganza, I found probably the cutest video of all time! Twin baby moose running through a sprinkler! I wish this is what had happened on our farm today!

References:
http://www.northcountrynewsnh.com/web_pages_000017.htm
http://www.mountainnature.com/articles/antlers.htm
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/animal-facts/moose.asp
http://www.google.ca/images

Let's Talk Environment - Environmental Sustainability

As a cow/calf and grain farm operation, our land and our environment are very important to us.  We rely heavily on our soil and the weather to produce healthy, lush crops as well as grasslands to feed our cattle and trees to shade them.  We make our living off our environment and the animals that thrive off of it.  

What exactly is environmental sustainability?

Simply put: protecting and sustaining our environment so that it lasts for generations to come.  

Environment Canada defines sustainability as 

The process of developing land, cities, businesses and communities so that our current needs are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs 

You may think that environmental activists and environmental rights groups are worried about nothing; maybe you're sick of hearing about environmental problem; or maybe you just try to put it out of your mind.  It doesn't affect you right... Wrong.  
When talking about environmental sustainability, you will often hear people say "we need to protect this world for the future generations".  Of course this is true, we want to keep earth functioning and sustainable for the future.  But here is the catch.  If we don't get our act in gear and as a whole start cleaning up our environment, it isn't only the future generations that we need to worry about.  There are issues affecting us, here and now; issues that put our health and well being in jeopardy.  
The environmental issues that Canadian's face affect not only the environment, but also us as humans. 

Think about it for a minute.  If we continue producing smog and unhealthy air in the cities, how high are the health costs of the people living in these cities? (lucky for me, the nearest city is an hour away, and the nearest town 20 minutes).  The bad air quality isn't good for respiration by any means.  
How about the amount of water people waste watering their lawns and washing their vehicles, ever think that maybe that water isn't a renewable resource? 
And what about the garbage.  SO MUCH GARBAGE! If you have ever been in 4-H and done highway clean-up you will understand how disgusted I feel when I see someone throw garbage out their window.  Animals don't litter in your home, so why litter in theirs?  Garbage is probably one of the easiest environmental problems for humans to fix, how simple is it to recycle empty bottles, paper, glass and various other products, or even to clean your truck out into a garbage can at a gas station? Why do you feel that you need to dump it onto the ecosystems of so many other creatures?  All you people who litter, didn't your parents ever teach you to respect others, and to appreciate what you have? To litter your garbage wherever, whenever, is so disrespectful, not only to wildlife, but also to everyone else in this world.  We have dumps all over the world, ruining our environment, but at least they are designated areas where the waste can be managed, why make the entire world a dump?  
And what about global warming.  As farmers, my family has had an interesting past few years.  First came droughts, and then last year with the amount of moisture during haying season, we struggled to get any hay bailed.  Obviously this affects our income and our lifestyle.  But it affects yours too, yes, our problems affect you as consumers.  
When drought happened, many farmers sold cattle and some even farms. My family was pasturing off everything we could, including the ditches of roads.  People everywhere were in a panic to find feed for their animals.  No one wanted to buy cattle, because no one could afford to feed them.  People struggled to get crops off, and with a shortage of crops, less people were selling them, meaning less to the plants and factories producing consumer food products.  This was an issue, not only for the farmers, but also for the consumers.  
This year with the extra long, and cold winter, farmers everywhere had to start their seeding later than normal which could throw off harvest this coming fall.  Last year when we had an overabundance of rain we had problems getting our crops dry enough to bale and harvest.  Crops went to waste.  
On our farm, we feed our cattle using our own produce as much as possible.  We bale our own hay, harvest our own grain, and use our own pastures to feed our cattle, and all of the extra we sell to the markets, such as our canola and extra barely and oats.  So when we don't have good crops, we don't have much extra to sell.  And this means the market prices for the cereal crops goes up, and the cost of producing beef goes up, and that means that for all you consumers out there who like eating meat or bread, or butter, or milk, or vegetables, or any of the other millions of things that you consume from farmers in a day, all of your prices for food goes up.  And then you complain.  You don't want to pay for the expensive food, you don't want price hikes.  And I get that.  But if you don't want to continue paying extra for your products, don't you think it's time we start paying in a different regard, and look into paying attention to our environment and how we abuse it!  

Reduce.  Reuse. Recycle. How hard is it? Especially when there are recycling centers and bins everywhere now a days! 


I got to thinking a great deal about what my family does to save our environment. 

Other ways that we save our environment:

• We recycle everything. 
• When we were younger, our parents used to make our lunches for us for school.  All of our food was sent in reusable containers, glass dishes and in reusable bags.  My parents believed in buying things in large quantities so that we weren't using as much plastic with individually wrapped items.  It was also healthier for us as kids to be heating our food up in glass containers rather than plastic.  
• My family keeps water in the fridge, and we have a drawer full of water bottles that we fill and take with us places
• We hang all of our clothes to dry in the spring and summer outside, and when it snows or rains my mother has long racks in our laundry room to hang things.
• We use rain water from barrels to water all of our plants, and we let mother nature take care of our lawn.  
• We give our dogs our table scraps, and any fresh produce waste goes to the field for compost. 
• We have dugouts and creeks with natural springs by which we water are cattle
• We try to minimize the sprays we use on our crops, and pay close attention to our soil needs and the fertilizers that we use
• We reuse as much as we can, and find uses for old things
• Old filters, batteries and old tires from our tractors all get recycled and we make sure all old oil is contained and dealt with properly
• We never, ever litter
• We all take quick showers, and there are never lights, televisions or computers left on in our house
• We use reusable grocery bags and make sure that we try and minimize our garbage production as much as possible
• We have a wood burning stove in our house which helps heat the house in the winter
• My first two years of university I lived in residence so that I never had to drive to school, and this year I am hoping for a condo within walking distance
• This year I won the Grant MacEwan University Environmental Sustainability Scholarship, and will be attending the Alberta Emerald Awards on June 15, in Edmonton!  The Emerald Awards showcase and recognizes environmental leaders in Alberta.  Check out their website for more information - Alberta Emerald Foundation

My family does our part as much as possible to save our land. This country. This world.  While at the same time helping to keep ourselves and our animals healthy.

In our national anthem we say "the true North strong and free".  Our true North is beginning to melt due to the climate change, and green house gas emissions, and Canada as the "true North strong and free" needs to do our part in being STRONG and start a trend to move away from our bad environmental habits.  

So what is everyone else doing about it?

Where does Canada fit?

What action needs to be taken?

"We can avoid danger, and exploit opportunity"

Now what will you do to take your part in saving this world? 

What you can do! 

• Go outside, instead of watching so much television and playing video games, enjoy nature.  Go to the lake, go for a walk, go skiing, go biking, go to a park, take your dog for a walk, do anything to avoid all the electricity we use! Not only does this make our earth healthier, but it also makes you healthier!
• Use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs
• conserve the amount of paper that you use.  When you print, use both sides of sheets, reuse scrap paper, watch the amount of toilet paper, paper towel and napkins that you consume.  Wipe spills up with reusable cloths instead of napkins.  Not only does this save the world, but it also saves you money.
• Put rain barrels outside under eaves troughs and use the rain water to water plants and even your lawn
• Be realistic on the amount you wash your car.  If it came down to it, you would need that water a lot more than your car
•   Conserve water.  Fix dripping taps, put water in the fridge so you don't have to let the taps run to get cold water, always fill the dishwasher full, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.  Less baths, more showers, and shorter!
• Carpool, or better yet, use the bus, the LRT, or walk.  It is harder for people out of town to do the whole walking thing, but my family carpools a whole lot.  My mom works in the same town that my sister goes to school in so they always ride together.  Whenever my grandparents are going to the city, they always see if there is something that they can get for us, to save us from making an extra trip.  They schedule appointments and meetings on the same days, days when they know they will need groceries. All in an attempt to manage the amount that we use our vehicles. 
• Plant a tree, or two, or ten! 
• Plant a garden and get fresh vegetables out of it! My family has a very large garden and we love the fresh vegetables and fruits that we grow! Small greenhouses in the back yard are great too!
• DON'T LITTER

All of these ideas seem so easy and so obvious, but the problem is that the now generation is so lazy! It isn't that we can't do these simple things, it's just that no one can be bothered to do them.  We all need to realize, we aren't only hurting the environment, we're also hurting ourselves, we're making our living conditions unhealthy and unsafe. 

Environment Canada does a great job of summing up just what the environmental issues are, how they affect the world, how they affect humans and what we can do to help stop it! I encourage you to click on the link! 

It is beautiful, isn't it.  So why are we trying to throw it all away?

I challenge you to do something, even if it is only turning your lights off when you leave a room, conserving water, and refraining from littering.  Every little bit counts! Together we can save our world, our animals, and ourselves.

For more information, check out Environment Canada's Channel on Youtube - environmentcan! They have fantastic videos and ideas on how to save the environment!  Or go to the Environment Canada website!   

Let's talk environment.  Let's talk sustainability. 


Sam