P’lovers the Environmental Store (Port Perry)

We, here at P’lovers, have started a new venture. We all feel it is important to buy locally, to keep our money close to home. There is a bakery (Hank’s Pastries) and a butcher (Herrington’s) on the main street that we frequent and now we can happily tell you we are purchasing our produce from local farmers. And guess what? They deliver!

There are a total of 7 families here at Queen Street Commons taking part in this exciting community supported agriculture (CSA) project.  For 20 weeks throughout the summer and fall, Coopers Farm in Uxbridge delivers us our farm fresh produce every Thursday morning.

We are in week number 2 and so far we have been enjoying an abundance of lettuces, spinach, strawberries, rhubarb, green onions and garlic and are looking forward to much more. The bushel baskets arrive smelling and tasting like the great outdoors and all we have to do is cart it to our homes and refrigerate.

To arrive home after a full day and throw a salad together that we know has come from our community farmers just makes it taste better.

The baskets are filled with whatever produce is plentiful at that time of the season. We are happy to know we are getting the season’s best, freshest goodies.

-Jude

• Find an Ontario CSA near you.

Recently at a staff meeting we were discussing greenwashing. It got me thinking…and that can be a dangerous thing; Jude thinking.

It brought me to this point on a dull Monday morning, what exactly is greenwashing and who is guilty of practising it?

Greenwashing, the act of painting a ‘green facade’ on something to prevent us from seeing what is underneath. It allows companies and corporations to portray themselves as environmentally conscious and responsible. It is put in place to fool us, to pull the wool (or organic cotton) over our eyes.

And I hate to admit; but it works, it works because we get tired of thinking all the time and trying so hard to sort out what is good and what is not, what we can consume and what we can’t, what we can wear, what we can’t, what we can clean with and what will cause us irreversible damage. I am here to help…

How are we able to tell if a green company’s promises are true?

• -the claims are vague and are not backed up with facts. “natural” “environmentally friendly” “good for the planet”
• -the product is billed as having ‘NO environmental impact’, this is pretty much impossible.
• -the company might just state that by purchasing their product you are ’saving the earth’.
• -the claims are not verified by a third party.
• -the green products represent a very miniscule portion of the comany’s business.
• -the company does not respond to enquiries regarding their green-ness.

So, basically we come back to Buyer Beware! We have to be aware of what we are buying, we must pay due diligence before we put our money down on the counter.

Last week a young man entered the store and approached the counter to purchase an Efforts Hemp T Shirt. Before he completed the transaction he asked some important questions about the product: where it was made and how it was transported to P’Lovers and he then asked to see the company’s website. I was pleased to answer his questions and told him it was great to have customers who care, who have that need to know what they are buying and from whom. He left the store with T Shirt in hand (he refused a bag!) and I was left with a good feeling, he went the extra mile as I did as well.

I can assure the consumer at P’Lovers that we pay close attention so that you don’t have to, but if you have any questions or curiousity about the origin or ingredients in our products, please ask, we love to chat and share our knowledge.

-Jude

Editors Note: Check out the Six Sins of Green Washing by TerraChoice for further exploration of this topic!

We also encourage customers to help educate us by referring us to resources and sharing thoughts on our products!

I love it when a grandparent enters the store looking for the perfect gift for the perfect grandchild. Oftentimes, I will see that grandparent again and again as they fill their grandchildren’s toy chests. I enjoy hearing how much the previous purchases were enjoyed and I love to help them choose the next gifts.

 Last week I spent time with a grandmother looking for a gift to surpass the ‘Build Your Own Kaleidoscope’ she gave her grandson. Digging through the children’s section was great fun. She left with a ‘Bug Tumble Floor Puzzle‘ along with many ideas for her next visit.

Often customers will begin telling me about the child they are buying for, their individuality, their likes and dislikes, their personalities and the desire to match the right toy, gift, activity or book or music to that special child. I than look forward to the feedback that invariably comes when the customer returns. If the puzzle was a hit, why not try giving a ‘Solar Science Kit‘ or one of our many co-operative games or an ‘Origami Kit’ or a rechargable Pig Flashlight? The choices are endless. I can not forget our children’s book section filled with many options for newborns through school age and right up to teen activists.

Being a parent, grandparent, Aunt or Uncle brings with it so many joys and unending excitement that I do so like to be a part of so please come on in and tell me about the wonderful children in your life.

-Jude

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

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

P’lovers Review 
A journey of self discovery! For anyone who keeps a journal or wishes they did, this is the book for you. You will be guided through 40 inspirational, thought provoking meditations and activities. A great reason to carve out a little piece of quiet out of each day just for you.

Since I read this book and filled it’s pages I have been moved to give it as a gift on more than one occasion; always to rave reviews. It invites peace and introspection in our busy lives, a little corner of personal magic.

You might be pleasantly surprised at what you discover on this journey.

-Jude

From the Publisher…
Doing something for 40 days can make or break a habit.There is something sacred and profound about the number 40. Throughout history, in ancient texts and the Bible, it is revered as the length of time required for enacting lasting change. This interactive journal helps readers dedicate a manageable but inspired time and space for conscious growth. It begins with identifying and clarifying your intention for the excursion. What do you want to accomplish or discover? No matter what your intention, from ending a stagnant relationship to changing careers or finding your true life’s calling, the 40 days will act as a vital container as you go about your normal life with more awareness and commitment.

I love walking; I walk to work, to the post office, to the drug store, and sometimes I walk just to walk. It is not a new activity for me, I have always been known to use shank’s mare more than most, alone or with company.

But lately I find there is a little more to it, I choose not to use the car every time I have to run an errand because I care about the environment and I don’t want to be dependent on a vehicle. I also want to set a good example, and I sincerely enjoy the exercise along with the solitude that benefits my soul. It just makes sense to me.

-Jude

Like all of you I have my pet peeves, topping the list would be the practise of idling vehicles. Why, I ask, why? I am out enjoying  an early morning walk that takes me past a Tim Horton’s, the sun is shining, the path to the entrance hazard free, yet the line up winds these idling cars out into the intersection and I am tempted, oh so tempted, to approach the drivers and knock on their windows to inform them to get their pollution laden lungs into the store. I hold myself back so as not to behave like one of those crazy ladies my children fear I have the potential to become……and I implore you……don’t even get me started on automatic starters.

-Jude

Great Anti-Idling Resources!

• Anti-Idling Primer (Hinkle Charitiable Foundation)
• Idle-Free Zone (Natural Resources Canada)
• Idling Control By-law (City of Toronto)