P’lovers the Environmental Store (Port Perry)

I eat a lot.

Okay, for those of you who know me, this is hardly news. For those who don’t, this is hardly interesting — so let me get succinctly to the point.

When I first saw the stainless steel, two-tier food container that we have at P’lovers, I thought “What a great design. Too bad it’s so freakin’ small.”

And then I tried it.

Yesterday, I prepared a picnic lunch for my two little adventurers, and I packed mine in the food carrier. Bottom compartment (15cm diameter, 6.5cm deep): two sandwiches; top compartment (13cm diameter, 5.5cm deep): 1 apple, a bunch of carrot sticks, strawberries, peas, and cheese (with lots of room left over).

Also consider the bonus stainless steel plate separating the two compartments was lovely to have since I forgot to pack plates. AND, believe it or not, the 1/2 sandwich I didn’t eat at lunch was still fresh 5 hours later!

Now, I’m really impressed!

-Steve

My family and I are moving to a new home very soon! And with every new home, comes decorating and all that jazz. New hopes, new excitements, newly renewed goals and what have you.

As I go room by room, preparing for a larger home, there is a lot of items I NEED to get. And as we are hitting that stage in our lives, I am trying to make healthier investments in our home.

I have a few rooms that need work and thus have a long shopping list.

Of course, I sit on my stool here at the store, crunching the numbers associated with many of our products here at P’lovers.

Would you like a gander at my shopping list for inspiration for your own home?

The amount of research I have done is borderline ridiculous.

So lets take a look at the bathroom and baby’s bedroom and after months of research the choices I have made.

Bathroom

Hemp Shower Curtain:

I have been shocked to discover that along with matresses, our shower curtains are one of the WORST offenders of emitting toxins into our home. And not those ‘theoritical’ toxins. BIG TIME. The Canadian government is ACTUALLY exploring a ban on PVC vinyl shower curtains. Ikea phased them out 11 years ago and Japan well on the way in their process to ban ready use of PVC.

This has frugal me shaking in my boots. I can’t rationalize myself to keep within my extremely meager budget on this one. Its honestly frightening. I have spent many a minute now recalling all the times I opened a new vinyl shower curtain with its funky pattern and the ensuing dizziness, headache and annoying smell. HELLLOOOOOOOO…earth to self: THAT WAS IT POISONING ME!!! SERIOUSLY! Again, the price tag on the BEAUTIFUL hemp curtain  we have on inventory is certainly looking sweeter and sweeter the more I plug along looking for a different options. To me, its looking like the only option I am willing to select, considering the accessible market choices.

Bath Mat

One of the first things I purchased once we committed to the new home! Mmmm….an OhsoSoft Bamboo bathmat in Straw. LOVELY. Easy to wash and maintain and insanely soft.

Noting beyond my small bathroom shopping list, P’lovers carries a WHOLE selection of bathroom textiles, soaps etc.

Childs Bedroom

Yikes. Don’t get me started. This is a terrible terribly difficult shopping list for me. I have spent countless hours on this one alone, prior to the baby being born all the way to him now approaching two years old.

Mattress Options

Sigh. Besides our shower curtains, our mattresses are the most toxic offenders to our health. Honestly,  we spend SO much time in our beds, and here they are quite literally poisoning us..this upsets me tremendously. Especially now that we are transitioning our son from being a baby to being a kid and moving him into his own room.

Looking at the healthy mattress choices on the market…unfortunately, as much as I want to give myself over, I can’t feasibly find a mattress within our budget within the current market selection available to us in the Region.

So I am left improvising and creating the healthiest bed for my son.

We decided a barrier is what we needed. A good quality barrier between his skin, airways and the toxic chemicals added to standard mattress fibres. (notably the fire retardant material)

I have put on special order, a twin sized wool pile Snugsleep mattress overlay.

It is carded wool that has been shorn from the sheep and rewoven into a mesh. Its machine washable and provides wicking, a soft surface and a natural fibre barrier. Wool is also a natural flame retardant and acceptable within Canadian product laws as an alternative to the terrible chemicals proven to poison us.

I do believe the child will have to wrestle ME out of HIS bed. I can hardly wait till it arrives.

Bedding

Next I have eyed the Snugsleep Wool Duvet. Available in all sizes including a twin, I believe this will be our ethical and safe choice for a blanket for him. Not too hot for warmer months and just warm enough for cold days. Although….we have just begun carrying bamboo filled duvets which has me wrestling with my choices.

Paired with a Bamboo Duvet cover, he’ll have a nice cozy healthy within budget that will allow me to sleep without nightmares.

Neglecting of course to mention all of the adult bedroom options including kapok and buckwheat pillows.

So thankfully, two rooms in which a lot of time is spent; two rooms which could be the most toxic in our home are safely under control and within my budget.

Note: for more in depth exploration of a Healthy Home, please be sure to take a look at the P’lovers extensive collection of books that cover all aspects of this topic.

-Colleen

With access to several hundred artists, crafts-people, and small eco-suppliers at my fingertips, I really don’t need to look far to source unique and interesting products for P’lovers. Yet it is always nice when new people approach me about a product that they feel would be a perfect fit for our planet-friendly mission. Even better, is when it just happens to be something just a little bit different.

Such is the case recently when a woman called me about a project she discovered working with families in Cambodia.

In this program, fabulous bags and jewelry are made by poor families in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Parents of former street children receive a sewing machine, learn sewing skills and work from their homes while they take care of their youngest family members. This employment provides families with 4 to 5 times more income than they earned before. These funds enable their children to go to school instead of the streets, and they also receive health insurance and other social benefits.

The families in this program use local, recycled and easily sourced low-cost materials such as recycled newspapers and magazines. The designs of the totes, bracelets and bags are creative and original. Each item is uniquely hand-crafted or made using simple equipment and much of the individual ingenuity of the producer is reflected in the final product.

This is definitely a win-win scenario and the products they make are guaranteed to make you smile.

-Steve

My daughter has been making overtures for quite some time that a “big girl needs her own room”. And who can blame her? She and her brother have been sharing – in relative harmony for almost 7 years. Enough is enough … for both of them.

This change, when it soon takes effect, essentially means that I lose my second story home office with a nice view of our tree-lined street. While our basement is lovely and all, I wanted to investigate a laptop to save me from the necessity of spending endless hours there.

Thanks to Mark Kett and my friends at The Source in Port Perry, my search started and ended with the ASUS eeepc – a super light-weight, sub-compact, ultra energy efficient, internet mobile device. Wireless internet enabled, pre-loaded with all the productivity software I need, a super fast Linux OS (saving me from all the Windows overhead and security issues), this is the perfect device for getting me out of the basement!

In fact, I’m putting it to it’s first big test. Here I sit at WestJet’s Gate C40 waiting for my flight to P’lovers in Halifax, blogging happily away. They just called my flight… talk to you soon!

-Steve

The title of this post, Unoriginally Speaking, is in reference to a smashingly brilliant, late teacher of mine (Rev. Roger McComb) who, amongst many incredible accomplishments, wrote a weekly newspaper column by this name. Which brings me to this post…

Betty Zyvatkauskas of Metroland Publishing and author of the Explore Durham Blog, stopped into P’lovers a couple of months ago for a browse. Here is her lovely account of this visit.

-Steve

I just had a massive epiphany. I discovered the most innovative product EVER…!

SERIOUSLY.

Rain Barrels.

Ho Hum right?

NO. I came into P’lovers early one morning a week or so ago and ran into a dirty, dusty Steve as well as Sean from Arbour, unloading a massive trailer of rain barrels. The poor guy had been caught in a HUGE storm on the way to Port Perry that morning. Rather ironic that he was carting a truck full of rain barrels.

I knew I had to get to know the barrel on its most intimate level as I know that I would be asked every question under the sun.

So I have spent the last 1/2 hour or so, reading Arbour’s instructions and googling the skinny on rain barrels.

And Heeeellllooooooo, who the heck came up with THIS idea because it INGENIOUS. And here I thought rain barrels were boring, run of the mill and one of ‘those’ things.

Why is this not a staple in EVERY house???? Water your plants with rain water. Collecting what you don’t need so its available for when you need it. No more small sink holes from downspouts during rain storms. No more flooded foundations. And rain water, unlike water from the garden hose, is free!

As well, you can connect one of those hoses with the holes all around it (a soaker hose) to get a rain like sprinkling.

This is by far the coolest most practical thing in the store. (And honestly…I am glad to see that we’re selling the good ones. teehee. Equally perfect, Arbour its a SMALL family business founded simply because of their strong eco conscious values)

To learn more about the P’lovers Arbour Rain Barrel specs, check out the blog Steve did aways back on them.

Also a little tip, you can buy a thing called a Rain Drain from most hardware stores or dryer tubing to help direct the rain from an ackward placed drain spout (i.e a tight corner) to your barrel, more effectively.

-Colleen

-Image Care of the Mirriam Webster Visual Dictionary

Travel with me today.

I am making a change in life.

I am picking out a new shampoo and conditioner.

Currently I am using a generic brand shampoo, picked from the grocery store as the only one touting biodegrable-ness. I bought a massive bottle of it. The ingredients list was long and it was highly scented. Mass produced in some far off land..I knew it wasn’t the most ethical choice, but it certainly was the least offensive with what I was faced with at the grocery store.

So today is the day. I washed my hair with it one last time, and noticed that the only conditioner I have left is a groddy kind that smells like nasty.

Before purchasing my shampoo and conditioner today, I’ll reflect on my values and ethics (see my last blog) And I ask myself, how can I ensure my personal values/ethics are upheld in the simplicity of my shampoo purchase.

I know I seek a solution that has the following values:

• biodegradable to leave the smallest footprint in our local water: I figure Lake Scugog can take all the chemical breaks it CAN..especially our fishie friends
• recycled/recycle-able packing, minimal packaging
• small business, Canadian business, family business. That there was sincere Intention behind launching the product
• something reasonably healthy, not filled with synthetic fragrances/artificial colors, Sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates, Formaldehyde donors (e.g., diazolidinyl urea), Known carcinogens, mutagens and teratogens, parabens (all the things generic shampoos have)  So that I feel safe to use it on my Baby: therefore eliminating my feeling of need of mutiple products within the shower. A product that won’t throw my skin and bodies balance off i.e. my pH, etc etc.

Now vanity does play a role here, I like a scented shampoo. Not from Port Perry originally and only here of recent, I am notorious for complaining that I smell Port water on EVERYTHING. I need something that smells pretty to help mask the alleged stink that is Port Water.

So I am left examining my choices from the P’lovers Inventory.

My contenders are: Green Beaver, Earth Safe, Burts Bees, Avalon Organics, Desert Essense

Conclusions:
Reflecting on my above criteria, CLEARLY my first choices are Earth Safe and Green Beaver. They both pass all of my preferences with FLYING colors. Now to select my scent….

I DO have strong suspicion I will be going home with the Earth Safe hair products today…

-Colleen

 After such a long, snowy, and blustery winter, it is a real delight to enjoy a rainy spring day, as cool and blustery as this one is.  On our walk to school this morning, I couldn’t help but notice our long dormant garden beginning to awaken - hyacinths and crocus adding early colour; tulips and tiger lilies tentatively raising themselves out of the cool, brown soil.

I will never be mistaken for an award winning gardener, however, it is a pastime I have thoroughly enjoyed since we moved from our concrete highrise almost eight years ago.  Every spring is full of surprises as I struggle to remember which of my incredibly forgiving perenials were divided last fall and where I put them. (A garden plan is such a good idea!  One of these days…)  

With the melting snow and abundant April showers, it is so easy to forget the drought of last summer - weeks without rain and the rock hard clay that dominates my yard. 

One of my goals this spring is to install a second rain barrel for exactly this purpose.  My parents introduced me to the wonders of a rain barrel when we first bought our house (I didn’t find I had much use for one when we lived on the 29th floor at Yonge & Steeles!) and I have been a rabid fan of it every since.  Our no-frills variety (purchased in our pre-P’lovers days) captures rain water from our downspout, allowing me to ignore the garden hose when it’s time to give my thirsty gardens a drink. 

Not only is it a water conservation tool, it also saves money.  Why pay to use hard, treated, municipal water when soft rainwater falls from the sky for free! 

A true sign of spring at P’lovers is the return of the rain barrels and we continue to offer what are arguably the finest rain barrel you will find anywhere.  Why is it better than the one I have in my backyard (and those you can buy at some mass merchandise stores)?  I can think of several really good reasons. 

The P’lovers rain barrel:

• is made from a recycled, food grade olive barrel (good for the environment; think creative recycling!)
• has a child-proof screwtop lid that cannot be accidentally removed or blown-off (good for safety)
• has a double-mesh screen on the lid (good for public health; bad for mosquitos)
• has a high-quality brass hose fitting (which makes it far easier to use)
• is considerably larger (190 - 230L) and in the heat of the summer, bigger is most definitely better!

My bias is obvious, however, regardless of the rain barrel you choose, the planet, your garden, and your wallet will thank you!

-Steve 

++
P’lovers Rain Barrel Spring Special
Pre-order a P’lovers Rain Barrel before Wednesday, April 30, 2008, and receive a $20 instant rebate.  Special Price $79.95 (reg. $99.95)  Rain Barrels purchased before the deadline will be delivered to the store for customer pick-up by Wednesday, May 14th - just in time for the first gardening long weekend of the season! If you have been considering a rain barrel, now is definitely the time!

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

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.”