Bumblebees Are at Risk Around the World

Bumblebees are in trouble all around the world. This article comes from the UK. Here is a great site to get up to speed on what you can do to help, if we all do our part one person at a time it will make a difference.  http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/
Bumblebees are beautiful, hard working and incredibly important pollinators. In the last 70 years two species have become nationally extinct, and others are have declined dramatically. In short, bumblebees are in trouble...
Now imagine a different future, in which our towns and countryside are rich in colourful wildflowers and teeming with bees, other beneficial insects and a diversity of wildlife for everyone to enjoy...

Join today and help us create a colourful future

"Bumblebees are lovely little creatures - their bright stripes and gentle buzz bring colour and sound to our summer gardens. They are also very important because they pollinate our wildflowers and crops. Sadly things aren't going well and some species are threatened with extinction.  I'm really concerned by these declines and I'm pleased to support the work of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust."  Kate Humble, March 2009

To halt the recent dramatic declines, we urgently need to improve habitats. Everyone can play their part - gardeners, farmers, land managers, councils and governments can all help.
This website is packed with useful information, and includes pages to help you identify bumblebees, advice on how to garden or farm in a sensitive way, and surveys which you may like to take part in. We hope you enjoy the site.

The Six Principles of Green Living

Living by “green” principles can be extremely satisfying, but how do you do it? Surely, it’s not by purchasing more “green” products, because buying and using more “things” is all part of the problem. This Lifehack article has got a great point, though, that a better guide to Green Living might well be David Allen’s Getting Things Done, since the principles of Green Living are not all that different from the principles used to be more productive.
1. Strive for Simplicity: More stuff means more complexity; more upkeep, more keeping track, more things to do. In global terms, it means more wasted resources.2. Fairness: Much of our consumption-driven market is based on unfairness. If everyone along the chain, from a Bolivian granny making hand-woven grocery bags to the Wal-Mart worker, actually were paid what you’d expect, that hand-woven grocery bag would be out of most people’s price range.3. Community: If you’ve ever had the pleasure of attending a local farmer’s market, you’ve experienced something few of us do these days: an encounter with a part of your community, an actual living and breathing person, who made that which you’re about to buy.4. Sustainability: A system is sustainable when the negative outputs of that system are accommodated and turned into positive outputs. However, most of our global production is not sustainable. 5. Planning: Planning means looking ahead toward a desired outcome. It also means thinking a little bit about the community that isn’t here yet and dealing fairly with them. The decisions we make now will create the conditions our grandchildren and their grandchildren will have to deal with.6. Transparency: Planning, community, fairness, and ultimately sustainability require transparency, but most decisions these days are made behind closed doors. To take Green Living a bit closer to home, I also encourage you to look into the principles of Bau-Biologie. Bau-Biologie is the holistic study of the man-made environment, human health and ecology, and you can use many of their principles to create a healthier indoor environment for yourself and your family.
Sources:
Lifehack.org

Food For Thought

I ran across this photo a few days ago and it stuck in my mind. This is the caption that accompanied the picture.

"Nothing beats the power of a good photograph. Reading about rainforest deforestation doesn't have the same impact as a picture of native indians walking through recently burnt rainforest. "

Taken from "World Enviornment News"

Natural Insect Repellents

I am always looking for natural products to incorporate into my life style. I don't want to buy anything that is not good for the environment including all wildlife. So I look here and there for environmentally safe products. My favorite thing is to find something for a particular problem that is a household item, something you have around the house anyway. A study from Iowa State University conculded that cattnip is a great mosquito repellent. Well I have cats and I know how much they are attracted to catnip and I tried to visualize myself covered in catnip. That immediately brought the vision of me running through the grass and past my native wildflowers I just planted from my cats who no longer think of me as a friend but a huge plaything. I guess I will pass on the catnip idea. I thought I would share a few natural remedies for the flower garden or the vegetable garden that I have run across in my searches. Here is one that works pretty good on soft-bodied insects (mites, aphids, mealybugs): Mix one tablespoon canola oil and a few drops of Ivory soap into a quart of water. Shake well and pour into a spray bottle. Spray your plant from above down, and from below up to get the underside of the leaves. The oil smothers the insects. Another one that is good for Fungal diseases: Mix two tablespoons of baking soda into a quart of water. Pour into a spray container and spray affected areas. Repeat this process every few days until problem ceases.
We at the Ion Exchange would love to hear your natural remedies.
Have a great day! Kay at Ion Exchange