Category Archives: Earth Week

Earth Week 2017!

How will you celebrate Earth Week Next week?  Wanna join our challenge to collect garbage?  Want to get out for a walk (and take a garbage bag with you!)?  We are doing that AND planting a tree at St Jacobs Public School on Thursday April 20th!  They also invited us to go for a nature walk with them!  We are soooo excited!  Earth Day is Saturday April 22nd!  Here are some fun shots from Earth week past years….

Obviously we encourage all our friends so think Green EVERY DAY!  But once a year we rally up the troops to get more involved and educate the community about increasing our collective efforts!

Please join us 16-22 in participating in more Eco friendly awareness, feel free to come in an enjoy our safer services and products while enjoying a week long 10% off any retail purchase to support you hair styles at home!

Tips Tuesday – The Engine Light!

BROKECAR

So my car was hesitating in higher rev at second gear.  I wasn’t sure what was going on not being terribly ‘Car Saavy’, so I asked my husband to check it out.  After filling the tank with premium gas and some fuel conditioner it seemed to be running more smoothly. (Hoping to purchase a Hybrid VERY SOON!).  This didn’t last long, after a longer road trip the problem had become worst.  This time the hubby got serious about the investigation!  Under the hood uncovered the real problem!  A gaping hole in an air vent was the culprit to our car’s hiccup predicament.  after repairing the hole, cleaning the interior and exterior the car is running as smooth as ever!

Now most of you used to these bloggs are probably trying to connect the dots to this theme, and the theme my typical bloggs take.  So many people run their bodies like a machine, no oils changes, no filling the gas tanks, no car washes or repairs.  Just running till ‘something’, usually illness, forces them to look at their health and what efforts their self care has had on their health if they have shown any self care towards themselves at all.  When we pay more attention you our bodies, the whispers can be enough to remind us we need to do more to preserve our health and not wait till the shout to attempt to put out fires.  Any high performance vehicle needs maintenance, to stay in peak performance and avoid break downs.  What makes us think we can go at top speed and not break down, not crash and burn?  Want to reach peak performance?  Want to run on most efficient gas mileage?  You need to get your tires rotated, get an oil change now and again, maybe take the scenic route once and a while.  Ok so this might be an article to share with your hubby to motivate him to introduce more self care too, but I have yet another connection to make.

engine 1engine 2

Everything is connected.  If one thing is dysfunctional in the engine of life whether it be mentally physically or emotionally, you WILL feel it in other areas.  It is essential to recognize that you can not overly any issue you are experiencing, it is the ‘Engine Light’ that your life uses to draw attention to something only you can fix.  On a grander scale all this week HHDS is participating in Earth Week celebrations.  We are doing this because whether it’s convenient or not, easy or not, comfortable or not, our planet is flashing the engine light, and it has been for a while.  When will you take note, and do what YOU can to heal the problem.  Feel free to join us in cleaning up our communities this week, everyday we are going out collecting garbage, making an effort to prevent the items tossed around on garbage day over the winter from entering our water systems and killing our wild life, in an effort to ease the glow of the Engine light.  As we are all connected, the responsibility lies in each of our hands to do our part, nothing else matters no other issues as large or prominent if we don’t have fresh air to breath clean water to drink and majestic creatures to share our planet with.

Enjoy this link with your family to be an example to create Eco Minded Kids! http://www.grameen-info.org/how-to-teach-environmental-awareness-to-young-children/

Hope to see you in to celebrate, and share your Earth week pics with us!  A HUGE Thank you to Goodness Me Waterloo for donating some amazingly yummy Holistic Treats this week! https://goodnessme.ca/

hhds-logogoodness me

Tips Tuesday – Next Week is EARTH WEEK!! Are you ready??

earth

More and more every year we feel the pressure of doing more to preserve our planet and the future of our next generation of Eco Minded kids!  We honor this effort with a whole week of fun for you to participate in with your entire family!  Make sure when you are gathering garbage with your friends and family to be safe and prepared!  Check out our past posts for lists to get organized!  Please share your stories and pictures with us so we can post and celebrate your successful collections with you!  No better time then spring to get outside and dust off the cobwebs while grooming our neighborhoods to prepare for springs lovely blooms!

spring

We are so excited for next week!  Come pick up your kids coloring contest on Tuesday and get it handed in by Friday so they have a chance to win a Free Kids Mani Pedi and Hair cut!  Don’t worry we have the parents covered too!  You get your own contest that we will draw for a full manicure pedicure and haircut!  Refreshments and daily promos will celebrate how much we love Mother Earth!  Each day we will share how we are dedicated to being responsible stewards for our planet and future generations!  We love being GREEN and we know there are only a handful of like minded businesses out there, so we wanted to share some local options so you too can support other Green Businesses too!  We hope in coming years Eco Minded companies will out number traditional ones!  Check out their links here!

http://www.yourbeautifulhome.ca/Welcome.html

sandy

sandy@yourbeautifulhome.ca

http://infinitumenergy.ca/about-us/

infinitum

http://infinitumenergy.ca/contact-us/

http://www.mysimplygreen.com/

simply green

website@mysimplygreen.com

http://www.enviropainting.net/

enviro painting

enviropainting01@gmail.com

Check out what our local inspired

Sustainable Waterloo Region
329B-121 Charles St. W.
Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1H6

519-603-2223

Home

Sustainable Waterloo Region is  part of an active, inspirational, and ever-growing environmental community that is working on sustainability initiatives across Waterloo Region. The work being done is making sustainable solutions more accessible, building sustainability values in the community, and furthering the research into environmental issues. Several of the groups that inspire us in this community of action are listed below:

Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro Inc.
Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro Inc. is a municipal electric utility owned by the City of Cambridge and the Township of North Dumfries. As part of the community since 1906, this utility company continues to deliver safe reliable energy to homes and businesses.
www.camhydro.com

Community Renewable Energy Waterloo (CREW)
CREW is a local non-profit organization dedicated to making renewable energy accessible to the citizens of Waterloo Region. Their vision is to be a network of knowledgeable advocates, early adopters and interested citizens who initiate, resource, and support all local projects that encourage energy conservation and sustainable use of energy or materials from naturally regenerating sources, such as wind, solar and earth energy.
www.crewzone.ca

EcoHawks
This Wilfrid Laurier University student committee works to raise awareness of the community regarding environmental issues. Its ultimate goal is to encourage the development of environmentally friendly living habits of students, and work towards limiting the campus’ ecological foot print.
http://waterloo.wlusu.com/services/ecoHawks/

Grand River Car Share
Grand River CarShare and Hamilton CarShare are incorporated as a single not-for-profit carsharing co-operative. The Co-op’s mission is to deliver a carsharing service and to promote carsharing as an important component of a transportation system that supports an alternative to the privately-owned automobile within the Region of Waterloo and the City of Hamilton. Through this the Co-op seeks to reduce overall transportation costs, traffic congestion and air pollution, thus improving our communities.
www.grandrivercarshare.ca

Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA)
The Grand River Conservation Authority manages water and other natural resources on behalf of 38 municipalities and close to one million residents. The GRCA’s mission is to develop and implement programs, directly or with their partners, to improve water quality, reduce flood damages, maintain a reliable water supply, facilitate watershed planning, protect natural areas and biodiversity, and provide environmental education.
www.grandriver.ca

Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Inc.
Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Inc. is a local distribution company that is responsible for distributing electricity to 80,000 homes and businesses within the City of Kitchener and the Township of Wilmot. A wholly owned subsidiary of Kitchener Power Corporation, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Inc. is focused on providing a safe and reliable supply of electricity to its customers.
www.kwhydro.ca

My Sustainable Canada
My Sustainable Canada is a national not-for-profit organization that was created to help bridge gaps in knowledge, encourage collaboration and provide a national vision on sustainable consumption. In all its activities, My Sustainable Canada seeks to build greater understanding and support among the wider public, media and decision-makers.
www.mysustainablecanada.org

Reduce the Juice
The Reduce the Juice Foundation facilitates the creation of youth led projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
www.reducethejuice.ca

REEP Green Solutions
REEP provides the citizens of Waterloo Region with tools for sustainable resource use, energy conservation and efficiency, and renewable energy applications. REEP has assessed the energy efficiency of over 14,000 homes in Waterloo Region. Customers who have followed their energy-saving recommendations are collectively reducing over 21,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year through home energy retrofits.
http://www.reepgreen.ca

The Sustainable Technology Education Project (STEP)
Founded in 2002, STEP is a subgroup of the larger University of Waterloo Sustainability Project (UWSP). Its mission is to educate students and the general public about sustainable design and technologies through the demonstration of projects managed, designed, and built by students, and through various events held each semester.
www.step.uwaterloo.ca

The University of Waterloo Sustainability Project (UWSP)
UWSP is a student-governed and student-funded service for the university community and the community abroad. UWSP plays a vital role in assisting other student functions on campus in sustainability-related issues and in networking various student groups.
www.uwsp.feds.ca

Waterloo North Hydro Inc.
Waterloo North Hydro Inc. is regulated and licensed by the Ontario Energy Board to provide all regulated electricity distribution services to over 50,000 business and residential customers in the City of Waterloo, Township of Woolwich and the Township of Wellesley.
www.wnhydro.com

Watch for on going Earth Week  events here and on our social media links like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter!

Looking forward to cerebrating with you!

Tips Tuesday – Go Green! There is No Planet ‘B’

easy-green-new-years-resolutions-537x402

As mentioned last week for our Tips Tuesday, April is a big month for us!  We are pumped for our week of Green Awareness, clearly we have this mindset all year round, but we honor this week every year to inspire, have fun and rally our community to make an effort to clean up our beautiful city and recognize areas in our lives that we could be doing more, while celebrating what we have done up till now!

From April 19th -23 we will be having fun with in salon activities for adults and kids a like!  Pick up a colour sheet for your kids any time during the week and hand them in on Friday, they could win a hair cut and mini mani and pedi!  adults have prizes to win too, pick up your Earth Week Intelligence questionnaire and see how much you know about it, hand them in by Friday and you too could win a Hair cut , Mani and Reiki session!  Our amazing Green Friends will share tips all week on how to be greener and live simpler lifestyles to support mind body and spirit health!  Our amazing April promos will be all month but certainly will be enjoyed more specifically during our Earth Week!

30 min Reiki and 30 min Massage for 1 hour of bliss!  $50

Glow Facial and Hair cut for $99

A full Eco Manicure and Pedicure for $50

Great for a treat for you or an amazing Mothers Day gift!

**Also when you book in the week of our Earth Week celebrations we will be handing out special gifts of appreciation for your participation!

Here we have listed some suggested supplies to keep your clean up fun and safe!

  • Trash bags and Recycling bags, most of what you pick up will actually be recyclable!! Have more of the blue bags on hand rather then filling the landfill with things that could be recycled.
  • Safety signs
  • Refreshments
  • Gloves/heavy-duty
  • Buckets for sharp objects
  • Insect repellent
  • Tools (ropes, rakes, shovels, etc.)
  • Safety vests
  • First aid supplies
  • Communication equipment

Some more things to be aware of :

Make sure everyone is aware of safety requirements and areas to avoid.

Make sure children are assigned adult supervision

Know where to leave collected garbage bags for collection and removal.

Know how to handle and dispose of items that are hazardous waste, tires, batteries, waste oil, etc.

Make sure plenty of water, communications equipment and a first aid kit are on-site.

Know what to do in case of injury or emergency.

Keep a positive attitude and not let volunteers be overwhelmed; the last thing you want to do is overwork your volunteers; you can always schedule another day.  Make it fun!!

We always end at least one day with a trip to Dairy Queen to say thanks to our helpers!

thanks to everyone planning to participate including our local schools and businesses, we need all the help we can get!

green

Tips Tuesday – Earth Week is coming @ HHDS and Earth Day April 22!

earth and hands

April has always been a big month for us, spring is here and uncovers a multitude of garbage day chaos having left it’s unpleasant mark on our beautiful city.  HHDS will, for the 6th year in a row, go out with our families and clean up our neighborhoods.  We offer up a friendly challenge to other local organizations, friends and families, to collect as many bags as possible and share your tallies with us so we can post on our social media sites, creating greater awareness and inspire others to do the same.  For the week of April 19- 23 come in and enjoy lovely ‘Green’ promos, refreshments and events which we will be posting soon!  I wanted to share some insite to Earth Day and share how you can get involved!  Enjoy and we hope to see you out there with your friends and family too!

John McConnell[24] first introduced the idea of a global holiday called “Earth Day” at the 1969 UNESCO Conference on the Environment. The first Earth Dayproclamation was issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto on March 21, 1970. Celebrations were held in various cities, such as San Francisco and in Davis, California with a multi-day street party. UN Secretary-General U Thant supported McConnell’s global initiative to celebrate this annual event; and on February 26, 1971, he signed a proclamation to that effect, saying:

May there be only peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life.[25]

United Nations secretary-general Kurt Waldheim observed Earth Day with similar ceremonies on the March equinox in 1972, and the United Nations Earth Day ceremony has continued each year since on the day of the March equinox (the United Nations also works with organizers of the April 22 global event). Margaret Meadadded her support for the equinox Earth Day, and in 1978 declared:

“Earth Day is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of time, and instantaneous communication through space.
Earth Day draws on astronomical phenomena in a new way – which is also the most ancient way – by using the vernal Equinox, the time when the Sun crosses the equator making the length of night and day equal in all parts of the Earth. To this point in the annual calendar, EARTH DAY attaches no local or divisive set of symbols, no statement of the truth or superiority of one way of life over another. But the selection of the March Equinox makes planetary observance of a shared event possible, and a flag which shows the Earth, as seen from space, appropriate.”[26]

At the moment of the equinox, it is traditional to observe Earth Day by ringing the Japanese Peace Bell, which was donated by Japan to the United Nations.[27] Over the years, celebrations have occurred in various places worldwide at the same time as the UN celebration. On March 20, 2008, in addition to the ceremony at the United Nations, ceremonies were held in New Zealand, and bells were sounded in California, Vienna, Paris, Lithuania, Tokyo, and many other locations. The equinox Earth Day at the UN is organized by the Earth Society Foundation.[28]

Info gathered from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

Want to learn what you and your family can do this Earth Day see the following link and of course come visit us for awesome promos and daily events!  http://www.waterloo.ca/en/living/earthday.asp  https://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/EarthDay.asp

And for Larger company awareness see the following link!  http://www.sustainablewaterlooregion.ca/2012/04/earth-day-city/

Past Earth Week Collections with the Minnick/Kiers Family!

earth week1earth week 3