P’lovers the Environmental Store (Port Perry)

“A value is an ambiguous concept that governs human behaviour.”

“Personal values are implicitly related to choice; they guide decisions by allowing for an individual’s choices to be compared to each choice’s associated values.” -Wiki

Why bother discovering what your values are?

When we bring our values and beliefs to our conscious attention (focus) we are apt to live them within our life. Clearly defined values system will also enable us to make clear definitions, providing choices.

Steps to Living your Values

1. Make a master list of world values: Rhyme off as many values you think people might have. This is the time to look Outward. What do you see other people believing in? (i.e. integrity, work ethic, spirituality, health, focus, love, independence, etc…) Here is a master list of values if you’re struggling with this step. I encourage you to read them each over and think of what this means to someone with this value and how it manifests within our world.

2. Select 10 value words that are intrinsic to YOUR life. What off this list are things that you value in life?

3. From your Personal List, select your Top 5 of your 10.

4. Create value statements: Values statements are your personal mission statement, including the value that you honour.  (i.e. I live a path of spirituality and connectivity to others.) What does this value you have selected look like in your life? How would you like it to look? Why is this important to you? Why did you select this off the list?

5. Walk the talk: Now that we have clearly defined our personal values, we may use them when navigating our daily lives. With each small decision or large decision, we can use our values to help guide us. (i.e. whether to work late this evening, or head straight home to the family, bringing a travel mug to the coffee shop or taking a paper to-go cup. Composting or combining our kitchen waste. Shopping at the Dollar Store vs. a small downtown business.)

Approaching life with conscious intention and mindfulness of my personal beliefs/values. 

A personal reflection:
Before having my baby, I created my parenting manifesto. No word of a lie. I wrote down our values that we wished to raise our unborn child with. I wrote out the steps I wished to take and how I would like to raise him.

After he was born, as we were challenged with the reality of raising a child and the ensuing emotional rollercoaster, I am/was able to step back occasionally and ask myself: does this fit my parenting values? And yes: I am like the bamboo and flex and bend when I need to, but I have a compass in which to select my direction. And approach my parenting with mindfulness and intention.

For light exploration into your own values systems, I recommend the following books available from the P’lovers Eco-Bookshelf as a starter:

List Your Self: Listmaking as the
Way to Self-Discovery (Segalove)

 
Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work
of Mindful Parenting (Kabat-Zinn)

-Colleen

We have a TON of books that will facilitate a path of choice.

The message is a strong one, probably something that you have heard before.*  You can take it very literally or in a metaphorical sense, but either way, being the change is something we should all do.  In the world, we are seeing a lot of negative changes taking place, from global warming to the violence in our cities.  The only thing that will help the current state of the earth is for people to take charge and change it in a positive way. 

Be the Change is a message that shows up on one of P’lovers new products, organic cotton/bamboo T-shirts from me to we.  Me to we [responsible style] is a new social enterprise that is committed to provide ethically manufactured goods made with organic materials.  The company is sweatshop free and domestically produces all its products. All their shirts are made with 100% certified organic cotton and bamboo.  In addition to all those positve aspects, they also give 50% of their profits to their charity partner, Free the Children.  This organization supports development projects in rural and impoverish areas across the world. And on top of all of that, the shirts are very, very comfortable!

I had been eyeing them for a while until the other day I finally bought one.  I wear it around the store as well as when I am out and about.  Whenever I have it on, someone always comments on it.  It seems it’s a great conversation starter.  Just the other day I was wearing it in the store and two customers came up to me and we started to talk about how the generation of today is going to change the world. They shared their views on lots of issues and I found it to be very interesting.  They said that the youth today is going to change the world and clean up the mess it’s in.  The shirt makes people think, which is bringing world issues into the public’s consciousness.

Be the Change T-shirts are as influencial as they are comfortable.  They send the message that everyone can change the world and make it a better place.

-Lisa

*Editor’s note: an abbreviation of Gandhi’s famous quote  ”We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”   

A Personal Reflection

My family moved to Port from Toronto  in June ‘07.  We had visited enough that we knew much of the community, but until we moved here, we did not truly understand what Downtown Port Perry is all about.

I am really pleased with our decision to build our family here. I feel safe here. We know pretty much everyone: and in a good way.

In raising children, I firmly believe in the concept ‘it takes a village’.  I love that when we walk the main street, I can give a nod to the old boys, the ladies say “oh, he’s getting so big”! The younger folk, squeal at the baby and make him laugh. And if I’m really needing help and insight into motherhood, theres always someone who I can chat with and get some input.

In my darkest (or lightest) hours of being a mother, when I encourage myself to take our daily walk, I lurch to Queen Beans Coffee House in Queen Street Commons and poofffff, all my troubles melt away. We joke that its turning into baby central here. Looking around though, I see persons of all ages, dynamic and what have you. We are all welcome and unite here at the Queen Street Commons. 

-Colleen

How to Build Community
By the Syracuse Cultural Workers

Turn off your TV*Leave your house
Know your neighbours
Look up when you are walking
Greet people*Sit on your stoop
Plant Flowers
Use your library*Play together
Buy from local merchants
Share what you have
Help a lost dog
Take children to the park
Garden Together
Support Neighborhood Schools
Fix it even if you didn’t break it
Have Pot Lucks*Honour Elders
Pick Up Litter* Read Stories Aloud
Dance in the Street
Talk to the Mail Carrier
Listen to the Birds* Put up a Swing
Help Carry Something Heavy
Barter For Your Goods
Start A Tradition*Ask A Question
Hire Young People for Odd Jobs
Organize a Block Party
Bake Extra and Share
Ask For Help When You Need It
Open Your Shades*Sing Together
Share Your Skills
Take Back the Night
Turn Up The Music
Turn Down The Music
Listen Before You react with Anger
Mediate A Conflict
Seek To Understand
Learn From New And
Uncomfortable Angles
Know That No One is Silent
Though Many Are Not Heard
Work To Change This

What a great idea for the person who has everything. Right? Well, not always, the card is meant for much more than that: still when a customer asks to purchase a gift card I tell them they are brilliant and off we go from there.

Often I find I am truly entertained as I learn about the person the gift card is for.

“She has everything; she thinks she knows everything; I don’t even really like him but…; he is impossible to buy for and I give up; I think I should buy something for the new baby; my wife, husband, mother, father told me to pick up a gift for this person I don’t even know; she is so particular that I know I will be unable to pick out the right thing; honestly, I just can’t be bothered shopping; I hate shopping; he is bringing a new girlfriend and I have a little something for everyone else; I always get it wrong…”

Believe me, I have heard all of these reasons for a gift card and more. With spring arriving there will be an influx of new babies being born and the wedding season is coming. What a great idea, a gift card from P’lovers. You can mention to the bride and groom/new parents that we also have a gift registry in order to make it even easier for the shoppers who come in without a clue.

We are here to make shopping a stress-free, positive experience, whether you are shopping for a friend, aquaintance, someone you don’t even know, or as a customer confided to me during a phone order once, someone you don’t even particularly like.

As my mother often says, “It takes all kinds” The gift card just happens to fit all kinds!

-Jude

What is Earth Hour?? 

Tonight from 8-9 p.m, cities around the world will turn off their lights and non-essential appliances for 1 hour to raise global awareness of climate change.

24 of the worlds largest cities and approximately 11,900 businesses are taking part in this awareness effort.  The event is being panned by some critics for being a ‘token effort’ with questions of effectiveness in minimizing actual carbon missions.  What these critics are sadly missing, is that this is a vital step in generating publicity and affecting change in the behaviour of our population.  This simple action so effectively demonstrates that every single action can make a real and tangible difference.

I tried to access the Earth Hour webpage to pull off the ‘official’ details of Earth Hour, but there is so much traffic today from the Google homepage, that it was frightfully slow to load - a clear demonstration of the (perhaps unanticipated) increase in environmental awareness.

Google, the #1 search engine and first access to the Internet for most, has dedicated their homepage to Earth Hour today. Similar to other world events, causes etc, Google has modified their homepage to publicize Earth Hour.  Today, they took it a much more visible step, changing the colour of their usual stark white page to pitch black.

Here in Port Perry, many locals are participating.  For you theatre buffs, tonight, at the Town Hall 1873 Performing Arts Centre, all non-essential lighting will be extinguished as the the Scugog Choral Society takes to the stage to perform My Fair Lady!  (Note: Steve from P’lovers is making his musical debut in this play!)

At P’lovers, extinguishing our lights at night is a daily occurance as we try to do our part — tonight will be no different.  Those of us not on-stage will be spending Earth Hour with our family and friends basking in the wonderful glow of our favourite Pheylonian beeswax candles.  

Alright P’lovers Nation: SOUND OUT! What do you think of Earth Hour? Will you be participating and how will you spend YOUR hour?

One of my favourite things about P’lovers is our book area.  As a lifetime reader, I love books in general, and I take great pleasure in choosing (what I hope are) the perfect books for our P’lovers Eco-Bookshelf.  Rest assured, I do gets lots of help, with Jude, Colleen, and Liz (P’lovers - Halifax) all giving great input.

People ask me if I have read all our books and I try to stifle a sigh as I reply that I wish I had the time to do so.

With a mother and grandmother both voracious readers, it definitely runs in the family and it is something my wife and I have successfully instilled in our two children from a young age.  I have memories of my day-old son, Derian, swadled in a receiving blanket, perched on my knee as I read book after book to him.  In fact, 9 years later, I still have the words to “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” inscribed in my memory (which is really strange when I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast this morning).

Just for fun, I thought I would put together a short-list of my favourite books from over the years.  I have excluded my early fascination with Tintin, the Hardy Boys, and later in life, everything written by Ludlum and Grisham.  (In fact, I won’t even mention that Derian and I are on our third Harry Potter book since Christmas.  Oh wait, I just did!)

This is just a small sample in no particular order of importance.  There are many, many that I’ve forgotten - see earlier poor memory reference.  (Note: Anything with an asterisk (*) is from the P’lovers Eco-Bookshelf.)

• The Poisonwood Bible (Kingsolver): My introduction to Kingsolver.
• Prodigal Summer (Kingsolver)*: A smashingly good eco-novel.
• The Fall of Freddie the Leaf (Buscaglia)*: Read our P’lovers Review.
• Tuesdays with Morrie (Albom)*: A fantastic, well-written story with a great message. I’ll review this one soon!
• The Five People You Meet in Heaven (Albom) *: Same author as Tuesdays, written in a completely different style.
• Pillars of the Earth (Follet): An incredible left-turn in the literary career of this author.
• World without End (Follet): The long-awaited companion book to Pillars, I devoured this 1,010 page book in 11 short days after Christmas. 
• Animalia (Base)*: One of my personal favs when choosing a gift for an expecting couple.
• I, Mona Lisa (Kalogridis): A captivating blend of historical fact and fiction. Loved it!

Happy reading!

-Steve

It’s that season.

Being a tight knit community, quickly everyone about town gets taken down for the count with a terrible head cold.

I am one of Port Perry’s lastest victims of Cold season. And I am going down without much of a fight and plenty of whining.

I do ’suck it up’ a bit, but do revel in the opportunity to pamper myself AND let everyone know just how uncomfortable I am.

My recipe for wellness  includes:

• My beloved Padraig Slippers…so cozy on my toes
• Rocky Mountain Soap Company Bath Gem for Cold and Flu
• The Algonquin Tea Co. Homestead Blend for Cold and Flu
• Rosemary oil for the bath (by Aura Cacia Organics)
• Seventh Generation Tissues (of course)
• and some hot lemon with honey

 Pop on a good movie, grab a good book, and try to ride it out as comfortable as I can be.

Good luck. And don’t worry about avoiding me, I am 1,000x times better today. Its a short lived virus: I promise.

-Colleen

Today is the first day of spring? I place a question mark at the end of that line for the simple reason that I don’t believe it! On my walk to work this morning I fell on my tush, not once, but twice. The snow was falling and leaving a shiny, light dusting atop the ice that had formed through the night, the night that hailed the spring at 1:48 a.m.. SPRING, my tush!

I am in the midst of reading one of the books available here at P’lovers entitled `A Complaint Free World‘ and the premise of the book is that we tend, as a society to complain too much, so let’s put a halt to the negativity. While reading I began to pay close attention to my own habit of complaining and was pleasantly surprised to realize that I truly am an optimist with a sunny outlook on life, I am not a complainer.

Following along the directions in the book I placed an elastic band on my wrist and every time a complaint passed my lips I switched the elastic to my other wrist. The elastic did not see too much movement…

Until SPRING, I am now viewing myself in a different light, I am a complainer, about the weather. I am tired of snow, scarves, boots, turtlenecks and falling on the ice. So, I have packed away the boots and the turtlenecks, I have put away the snow shovel, I have traded in my boots for yellow sneakers; but I am keeping the elastic on my wrist.

-Jude

Have it really been 22 years since my favourite high school teacher introduced me to Leo Buscaglia?  Author of many wonderful books, including ‘Love’, ‘Living, Loving, Learning’, and ‘Bus 9 to Paradise’, it is his amazing little book, the Fall of Freddie the Leaf that continues to resonate with me to this day.

Elegantly written and accompanied by simple, yet beautiful photography, this book will take 10 minutes read and be impossible to forget — particularly if you’re facing the loss of a loved one.

This book is “dedicated to all children who have ever suffered a permanent loss, and to the grown ups who could not find a way to explain it.”  How incredibly appropriate!

-Steve

From Buscaglia.com…
The Fall of Freddie the Leaf is a classic fable for anyone who has suffered a permanent loss. The tale is an inspiring allegory illustrating the delicate balance between life and death - as Freddie the Leaf and his companion leaves change with the passing seasons, finally falling to the ground with a winter’s snow. The book offers solace to adults and children alike. The Fall of Freddie the Leaf’s message that death is part of the natural cycle of life has comforted countless men, women, and children worldwide.

 

The story of Dick Proenneke has always resonated for me. I remain riveted to the simplicity of his films.

‘Dick Proenneke retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes. The first summer he scouted for the best cabin site, and cut and peeled the logs he would need for his cabin. Dick Proenneke returned the next summer to finish the cabin where he lived for over 30 years.’

‘For more than 30 years a man by the name of Dick Proenneke lived alone in the Alaskan Bush. His only neighbors were the wolves and grizzly bears and his only transportation was his canoe and a good set of legs. Through the years, Dick kept written journals of daily life at Twin Lakes but would also document much of his adventure on film with his 16 mms Bolex camera.’ -the Official Website for Dick Proenneke