Today’s project with my kids was to make a terrarium. I remembered back to my childhood and my mom made one out of an old aquarium. It had a couple of plants and a little pond made out of a bowl. We would put any critters we caught like frogs and snakes in it. Now I live where some of the snakes are poisonous so my kids know not to touch any snake.
My original plan was to lay a 2 litre bottle on its side and cut a door im to it. While this would work for starting seed it wasn’t going to work for the Ivy that I had bought. I just wasn’t going to fit. Searching the web for ‘pop bottle terrarium’ brought up a number of sites that had the bottle standing up. That was going to work much better for the size of plant I had bought.
Need
2 litre pop bottle
1 plant or a couple of seed (warm humid environment)
scissors or knife
planting soil
Instruction
Take the label off
Cut the bottle in half
Either replant the plant in the bottom filling as needed with soil or fill to about 1 inch of the top with soil and plant the seeds as instructed on the package.
Water
Take the top of the bottle and cut 4 slits about ½ inch long
Fit the top onto the bottom. Fitting the bottom into the slits.
Place in a window with good light.
The system is enclosed and thus will require less watering. For me this is very good as I forget to water. Between that and the cat we have no living plants in the house. Hopefully the pop bottle will keep the cat from eating it.
This project allows the kids to learn about plants and what they need to live and gives them something to care about. We talked a bit about photosynthesis, carbon dioxide to oxygen, cleaning the air we breath and water we drink.
Photo of Frank Lee & Rob Kelly, R41P Teammates, upon the tour's triumphant return to mainland BC in Powell River, May 2009. Photo credit: Berenice Freedome.
Is it winter already?! It seems like just yesterday we were arriving in the Carolina’s (but really it was about a year ago) and away from the cold, blustery darkness that was NYC (on election night), the big D.C freeze (we were sicker than dogs) and all points between. Then, seventy degree weather with humidity like we were back in Ontario, but all the license plates read S.C., Florida and Louisiana. Yes folks, we were spoiled for the next 6 months on the R41P highway with hot, sunny running. And then, arriving home in time for summer ’09, gave us the false sense that “this will last forever, right”?
Wrong. November in Vancouver isn’t like we’d fantasized. In fact, the reality is that it is wet and dark by 4:00pm and getting shorter. This told us it’s the Perfect timing to get a long awaited issue of Planet Action out to YOU, our faithful and forever in our hearts community. So put some soup on the stove, make yourself a hot chocolate (or stronger as the season approaches rapidly) and hope you enjoy some updates from our world!
Here’s some general ‘what’s been up with us” news.
WE’VE BEEN TALKIN’
Keynotes have been steadily gaining momentum as the Fall set in motion many opportunities for us to share the tour story with groups striving for excellence. Talk about feeling privileged to spend an hour with a room full of Olympians, past, present and future. This was the case early in the month as our talk opened a day-long symposium at Olympic Oval. Absolutely incredible experience and world class building to host speed skating in February!
In October we blasted up to Kelowna to do 3 hour long back to back talks at the BC Student Leadership Conference (felt like the tour again)! Only this time, it took four hours (by car) instead of the tour-like 7 days (by foot).
As of this typing we are thrilled to be the closing keynote at the Sun Run Leaders Weekend with SportsMed BC!
Steph and I are pumped with our upcoming speaking opportunities and are thrilled to be represented by a couple of speakers bureau’s across Canada!
NEW PARTNERSHIPS
It’s official. All the yoga/run events we did with lululemon’s around North America have fulfilled a secret wish. We’d like to announce that “lululemon on West 4th Avenue” the company’s original store has asked us to be their newest “Run Ambassadors”! Thanks to Katie, Mel and all the folks at the store for this great honor! We’ll be representing our neighborhood Lulu by leading monthly run groups and giving talks on building the business of your athletic career and other really cool things with our newest partner!
Speaking of run groups, we had an amazing night with Rob Kelly (our awesome team member ala tour video producer) and his Capilano Eagles Run Club! In case you haven’t seen our tour video, check it out, turn it up and grab a Kleenex):
We got to experience (again) being left in the dust by eager runners blasting up the hills of North Vancouver, as we did our usual “no speed required” small steps add up the hill”, finishing…dead last. Afterwards, we gave a passionate presentation, including a defense of the benefits of running slow…
OUR DREAM TEAM IS RE-BUILDING
As the summer sun set into Fall, we added a few more R41P team specialists!
Our Board of Directors, who stretch from Toronto to LA, and Hong Kong back to Vancouver, is meeting monthly to add valuable brain power as we create the next steps for the Legacy. In the next Planet Action issue, we’ll unravel what the heck we’ve been talking about
We had a super star answer the call for our Executive Director role. Hailing from Toronto Ontario, allow us to introduce the genius of Matt Wiesenfeld…applause please!
And just in time for the holidays, we’d like to say a huge welcome to the team, our newest Administration Superstar, Anran Luo…woohoo!
FINALLY…
Our Planet Action newsletter would not be complete without mentioning that Steph has won yet ANOTHER award. Yes folks, she just received the Alumni Special Achiever Award by the best day school for girls in Canada, York House School. Way to go Steph! Also at the time of this typing, she has just been informed that she’s up for two other awards! (Seriously.)
Matt, on the other hand, is still eagerly awaiting his 2nd award, to add to the first one he won in the 7th grade, for his passionate speech on…running. (Seriously!)
Stay tuned for more news on the Legacy… running to a neighborhood near you!
5. Turn Off the Lights
It’s easy to see when we leave a light on – so just switch it off. And while you’re at it, switch all your light bulbs to Compact Fluorescents (CFLs). These new bulbs last up to seven times longer, and use much less energy than all others. While plugged in, all your other electronics are silently stealing energy. Power transformers we have for battery chargers can use a lot of energy even when they’re doing nothing. Rather than unplug them, why not put them all on a power strip you can easily switch off?
When Matt and Steph toured around North America the eleventh action was ‘Teach your parents weller!’ So lets take a look at light bulbs. First there are compact florescent bulbs. These typically are the twisted up bulbs as pictured above and are more efficient. That means that they use less electricity to create the same amount of light. The other common ones are incandescent. These look like light bulbs and are much hotter when on. There are other kinds like halogen and LED.
Replacing one incandescent bulb with and compact fluorescent will save about 100 lbs of carbon per year and save you between $7.40 and $8.04 per year.(source) These are based on the the bulbs being on an average of 4 hours per day.
So lets do a little inventory of the lights in our houses. To do this first write out a list of the rooms in the house leaving room for the lighting in the room. So for me I have
Next we go around and look at each light bulb (never look directly into a light that is on!). Is it an incandescent, compact fluorescent or something you don’t recognize? Write the lamp and incandescent, compact fluorescent or unknown under each room. You can ask your parents about the unknown ones, If they are up on the ceiling write down unknown and ask your parents.
Overhead: 1 incandescent (supposed to light up a none existent feature)
Hallway
Overhead: 2 Compact fluorescent
Ceiling Fan: Unknown number of incandescent. (to high for me to get at)
Laundry room
Overhead: 2 Incandescent
Garage
Overhead: 2 Compact fluorescent
Basement
Overhead: 2 Compact fluorescent, 1 Incandescent.
So go and find out from your parent what the unknown bulbs are. Next we want to discuss how they can save electricity. What bulbs are on the most often? Those should be replaced first. Make a rule that any bulbs that burn out should be replaced with a compact fluorescent. For me I am going to replace the ones in the closet and laundry room. The Bathroom 1 lights are being replaced as they burn out and the bathroom 3 is going to require a new fixture. The ceiling fan, if I ever go up there will get compact fluorescents. Points for discussing this with your parents.
They use less electricity and therefore save money.
They last longer that an incandescent bulb.
You can buy them in various color temperatures. (the light looks like a incandescent bulb)
Here’s a great, rather witty blog post by Michelle, one of the athletes we had the pleasure of presenting to last weekend. You can read the original post over at www.milomac.com. Thanks Michelle!
This past Saturday I went to a wicked sport conference, called the Athlete Advance, put on by CSC Pacific at the new (and, if I don’t say so myself, one of the world’s most freakin’ amazing buildings … EVA’ … ) Richmond Olympic Oval. The conference was designed for B.C. athletes who are treading somewhere in the waters between development and national elite. So … like … me.
I obviously attended the conference because I knew that I would be privy to quality information and resources, as well as be able to network with people who could lend their expertise toward my journey through … blah blah blah … oh, who am I kidding? I went because I got free lunch and a T-shirt …
And, I have to admit … it is a pretty FABULOUS T-shirt.
But turns out, the workshops (and the lunch for that matter) weren’t anything to sneeze at either.
The keynote speakers were these two runners who, prepare to have your mind blown, went for a little year-long run around THE ENTIRE FREAKING CONTINENT.
I can’t even run once around a lousy track without gasping and complaining. These two certifiable nutcases (because, really, is there any more accurate way to describe two rational, grown adults voluntarily running 17,700 km, the equivalent of more than a marathon a day for a year, around the ENTIRE CONTINENT for kicks and giggles?) win the prize for hardcore. Seriously, people … stop telling me that I am the crazy one. My sport consists of running for 30m and then lying down for a minute to recuperate. I just put on the spandex to make it look like I am an athlete …
They actually did the run under the banner of Run for 1 Planet, an organization they created to inspire environmental action, and they spent the year stopping at schools AROUND THE ENTIRE CONTINENT, giving presentations and raising money to help communities put their own green plans into action.
And what do I do again? Oh right, I put on spandex (a questionable endeavour to begin with) and then push a very expensive cafeteria tray a couple dozen yards before getting tired and lying down for a rest.
For all that is good and holy people, please … turn the heat down, bring reusable shopping bags and change your light bulbs. Trust me … I am presently wearing a sweater and mittens in my house where the thermostat is set to a balmy 14 degrees, sipping tea from my reusable coffee mug and sorting my recycling bins. Because I am afraid they are going to show up and make ME run 11,000 miles if I don’t …
Besides having my athletic endeavours put decidedly into perspective, I also went to a workshop on mental toughness (apparently I lack focus … wait … what?), a nutrition seminar (let’s just slap a big ‘F’ for fail on that one), and sat in on an, what can only be described as inspiring, athlete panel manned by Adam Kreek, Deirdra Dionne and Michelle Stillwell, who beyond having a pretty awesome name, along with a wry sense of humour that makes me completely envious, has officially set herself apart as one of my new Canadian sport heroes.
And last, but not least, I decided to hang up the brush spikes, and take up a new speedy, spandexed hobby:
We actually got to put on speed skates and try our hand at it on the 400 meter track in the oval.
Oh, what a feeling. The ice gliding beneath me … the wind in my hair … my inner, upper thigh muscles burning …
I went this fast:
Then Sven Winter, a ski-cross racer whose name makes me realize I need a new marketing agent (or maybe just any marketing agent … ), joined me, and we went even faster:
And then I tripped on those exceedingly long blades, and thought to myself I better take a break before I have to call my coach and tell him I can’t race this season because I broke my face speed skating.
OK … that’s a lie. I didn’t trip (geez … I’m Canadian … I could skate wearing cheese cutters on a frozen swimming pool without anything too consequential occurring … ). It was just that, after five laps around (following a morning of listening to people talk about running around THE ENTIRE CONTINENT), I had pretty much maxed out my cardiovascular energy for the season.