You are currently browsing the daily archive for December 19, 2011.
from Kim Trott, chef extraordinaire for Carp Ridge Learning Centre & EcoWellness Centre
Here’s a holiday treat with organic ingredients and Sucanat (whole cane sugar, a bit healthier & less processed than white sugar):
- 3/4 cup organic butter or Earth Balance spread
- 3/4 cup Sucanat
- 3/4 cup organic molasses
- 1 organic egg
- 2 cups organic spelt flour
- 2 cups organic whole wheat flour or choice of flour
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch sea salt
Preheat oven 350.
Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.
Mix wet ingredients in medium bowl and slowly add to the dry mix.
Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Use whole wheat or choice flour to powder the surface and roll out dough to 1/4″ thickness (you can make a little thicker cookie if you wish).
Cut with cookie-cutters or knife and bake 10 to 15 minutes. . . or until firm to touch.
Frost with no-nut butter, or a nut butter of your choice (or a glaze of honey) and decorate with assorted healthy sprinkles such as: coconut, raisins, dried cranberries and other dried fruit, nuts, cereals, granola etc.
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‘For the Birds’ Cookie Treats (for our little feathered friends and their furry ‘buddies’)
- Use old bread cut with cookie cutters into shapes.
- Use old cookies or whatever is left over, stale crackers etc., and poke a small hole and tie ribbon, twine, string, etc. to make an ‘ornament’.
- Spread with nut butter, honey, or syrup so they’re sticky on both sides and dip into a pail of bird seed. Hang in trees for the birds and other forest animals. . . be sure to use eco-friendly string or something you’ll be able to pick up after as pets and other animals may eat it!
Have a Berry Merry Christmas from the Learning Centre!
by Jay Young, Principal of Carp Ridge Forest School Programs
A new year of the Learning Centre’s Homeschoolers Wilderness Program starts the week of January 9th, 2012.
We currently have spots open for Tuesdays and Thursdays. The same rates and duration of programming apply as our Fall session ($35/day, or $420/session for 12 weeks). Families can sign up through sending in the registration form below or contact us at 613-839-1179, or email info@carpridgelearningcentre.ca
Parents can also inquire about Forest Preschool and Kindergarten programming — we often have spots opening up regularly throughout the year. Our staff, Chad, Sara and Heather are pretty amazing with the children~ come and take a tour!
REGISTRATION FORM download (pdf format)
About the Forest School Programs: Carp Ridge Learning Centre offers outdoor-based nature education programs for children using a holistic approach to skill-based activities and learning.
While working in small groups, we connect participants to nature exploring the local wildlife, forest land and trails at Carp Ridge EcoWellness Centre. Focusing on outdoor awareness & safety, leadership development, and physical & emotional well being, our facilitators also engage the group in sustainable practices.
Forest preschool, and kindergarten are closed as of Fri, Dec. 23rd, resuming Mon, Jan. 9th, 2012.
Our Families & Friends in Nature Sunday Walks start on January 8th in the new year. They are hosted by Martha Webber, a well-known local naturalist and champion of the Carp Ridge Forest. Check our website for more.
AND ~ OMG, THE TENTS ARE FINALLY HERE!
It’s been a bit of an ordeal getting to this point, but we’re now in the middle of erecting two woodstove-heated, insulated tents to be used as rustic classrooms for Learning Centre and EcoWellness Centre programs! One went up last week, and we hope to have the stoves installed by the beginning of the January 2012 Forest School programming. Stay tuned for more!
And don’t forget, you can rent out the Learning Centre for group weekend retreats and meetings. The building has many amenities and offers a relaxing setting for people wanting to meet in a place surrounded by nature. Contact us at 613-839-1179, or email info@carpridgelearningcentre.ca for info.
from Lise Lillian
I just want to let everyone know that we had a wonderful closure Life in Transition Heart Circle on December 3rd, which was hosted by one of our participants at her home. We have come full circle, initiated our symbolic power sticks and passed through the final initiation gate in the Northwest.
This was a time of reflection, going inside to access the silence within, and emptying out on all levels to allow for rest and rejuvenation. Of course it is also a time of gratitude and sharing as we celebrate together with friends and family and bring the year to it’s end. As the days become shorter, we enter what I like to refer to as the ‘space between breaths’, traveling around the cusp of the circle of the year’s cycles, through Winter Solstice and into the New Year before we start to see the return of the sun and lengthening of the days.
When we sit in meditation and breathe a long slow breath out, we can notice the space between breaths that is subtle and seems like it can go on into infinity. It is like this as we move through this ending cycle of the year, before we begin the new cycle of next year. When we can embrace this empty moment as the creative void in the dark of the shortened days, we can give space for the new to enter. This emptiness is full of potential, but we must empty out and go through the rest phase before rebirth.
We humans have a tendency to want to continuously fill ourselves up and be in distraction with the busy-ness of the ‘Holiday Season’ — television, computers, shopping, eating, drinking, you name it. We are afraid of the dark and the quiet, so we must fill it in somehow. Try practicing quieting down and sensing the subtle energies of this time. Take time to be still and rest. Let go of anything that is not serving you right now. Empty your clutter, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Learn to love this beautiful time of year by simplifying and not doing anything that is not enjoyable or necessary. There certainly is enough to do with the celebrations. Open to gratitude.
I am very grateful for the journey that I have shared with all of those who participated in the Heart Circles. It has been very magical and enjoyable as we adventured through each season together and passed through each directional gate. We all loved the opportunity to co-create our experience together at the beautiful setting at Carp Ridge. I want to thank everyone there, especially Katherine for offering the Learning Centre for our process together. I wish everyone in our community a wonderful transition through to the new year. Happy dreams!
Love, Light and Laughter
Lise
As you probably know, YouTube is a treasure trove of information, music, tutorials, documentaries, etc about humanity and all the crazy and amazing things we get up to. YouTube is also helping to transform human culture globally.
Here are a few picks, one about a cool urban sustainability project and another mind-blowing film about what’s really going on in our world:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d39biIxeuss This is the epic story of about 20 families that uprooted from suburbia and made their homes for good in one of the most blighted neighborhoods in the US, Lykins, an inner city section of Kansas City, Missouri, to invest their lives into the youth and poor who live alongside them.
We’ve seen it all, yet together as Lykins Neighborhood we believe there is hope. And the game is changing, crime is dropping! 21% over the last 2 years and the adventure continues to unfold. Follow the story at TheUrbanFarmingGuys.com, featuring Aquaponics, Neighborhood Transformation, Permaculture, Urban Farming and lots of fun taking back the neighborhood. Come join the conversation on Facebook : http://tiny.ly/tlwN and the blog at http://TheUrbanFarmingGuys.com
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When the new movie ‘Thrive’ was first posted up on YouTube, in just four days over 36,000 people had watched it. (See it yourself at the movie’s trailer, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HWQz_CEyWI). While the entire film is no longer on YouTube, it is available as a download at the link, http://thrivemovement.com/.
Thrive is an unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on what’s going on in our world by ‘following the money upstream’ — uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives. Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, Thrive offers real solutions, empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future.
This movie explores our current global predicament, the role of a few families in the control of people and resources, the role of money as a key to control the economy and all people, plus possibilities for a more healthy future, which includes local currency and a form of Tesla energy (long invented but hushed up) that could liberate us from oil and coal dependence. The movie draws together many threads you may have come across, compacted into two hours of a nicely made film.
PS: If you like the Thrive movie and website, consider buying Thrive as a Christmas present, creating a home showing with a ‘tea & discussion’ after, or at least sending these links around friends family and co-workers. For those who are new to how money is created, consider also sending the link to Money as Debt, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC720Cl3N-0 and other related movies. It’s time everyone understood how money is created and how it controls so much.
from Lise Lillian
Lillian Sparkes, my granddaughter, had her hair cut at a fundraiser on December 8th to donate toward making a wig for a child with cancer. Her goal was to raise $1200, the cost of making one wig.
She had also set up a donation box at a salon in her home town of Napanee. Recently the salon, Divine Hair Studios, was broken into and the cash register money as well as money collected in Lillian’s donation box was stolen.
Lillian is such an amazing girl. Did I mention that she is only 5 years old? She is always so considerate of others, wanting to be helpful however she can, and doing wonderful things of all kinds.
This story made me sad. . . no actually it made me mad. I can’t believe that someone would steal money from a box with a little girl’s picture on it.
She has put an awful lot of effort into her personal fundraising event and I wanted to find a way to support her efforts and help her to see that they are not in vain. Her mother and I have therefore created a web page of her very own to collect donations in her name.
If you are able to contribute any amount to help Lillian with her fundraising efforts for the Canadian Cancer Society, please feel free to make your donation on her personal web page at the following link:
http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR?px=4234698&fr_id=9750&pg=personal
Thank you for your support!
An Introduction to Lynn Fraser by Katherine Willow ND
Lynn is one of the most gentle and humble people I have met. She helps children with schoolwork and sells Nikken health products on the side. Lucky are the students who are tutored by her!
I have invited Lynn to present some of the products she offers for sale without ever applying any pressure. This month I asked her to showcase full-spectrum lights as they are a significant help in my own life and a good support in this season. It is one of the first things I do in the morning: turn on my full-spectrum light and then do my exercises to music in front of it. It is a fun way to start the day, especially in the dark winter. So take a look at the accompanying inspirational information and consider a light for yourself or as a gift to others.
An important note: we don’t make money on these sales and are hosting this article because we believe in Nikken products — and the integrity of Lynn!
Q & A about indoor full-spectrum lighting and Nikken Kenko Light
by Lynn Fraser
What is full-spectrum light, and why is it important?
In nature, the sun produces energy across the entire spectrum of light wavelengths. Living organisms depend on full-spectrum light to survive and remain healthy. In contrast, artificial light from fluorescent or incandescent bulbs emits light waves only in an incomplete and unbalanced portion of this spectrum.
We spend up to 90% of our time indoors, and there is some scientific evidence suggesting that insufficient natural light can negatively affect mood, brain activity and ability, and the normal sleeping and waking cycle. A simple solution for this is to reproduce the benefits of sunlight in our environment.
What does the Kenko Light do?
The Nikken Kenko Light can offer the advantages of natural sunlight without the drawbacks. Its illumination — which is fully adjustable for brightness — features a broad range of wavelengths similar to sunlight. Using a Kenko Light is like bringing natural daylight into your indoor environment. It can help support natural sleep and waking cycles, better mood, daytime alertness and concentration.
But unlike the sun, Kenko Light does not emit UV radiation. Ultraviolet rays and too much sunlight lead to skin aging, premature wrinkling and are the leading cause of skin cancer. Because it is UV-free, Kenko Light does not present this risk.
Can I use the Kenko Light at any time? How much exposure is recommended?
Based on some scientific studies, full-spectrum illumination is helpful at almost any time. In the morning, full-spectrum light is believed to help in supporting regular day/night sleep patterns and learning ability in adolescents. Other studies indicate that exposure to this light in the evening helps support the natural sleep-wake cycle in older adults.
Some full-spectrum light fixtures on the market include ultraviolet wavelength emissions. As ultraviolet radiation is harmful in extended exposure, those lights can be used safely for only short periods — too short to receive the full benefits of full-spectrum light.
The Kenko Light can be used at any time, for as long as desired. It can take the place of conventional lighting as a room or desk lamp. There is no minimum or maximum time period.
Why does Kenko Light produce a high level of light in the blue area of the spectrum?
The studies that correlated full-spectrum light with support of the natural sleep cycle, suggested that wavelengths in the blue range of the visible spectrum contributed to this effect. Kenko Light technology slightly increases the amount of blue light, but the overall distribution of light waves remains balanced and generally matches the wavelength profile of natural sunlight.
What about Seasonal Affective Disorder — is the Kenko Light recommended for treating that?
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has been identified as a depressive condition caused by a deficiency of sunlight. The symptoms of SAD have been found to increase during winter but changes in mood or alertness related to lack of sunlight can occur at any time of year.
Some professionals recommend full-spectrum lighting as a means of dealing with SAD. However, in keeping with the company’s established guidelines Nikken does not represent Kenko Light as a treatment for SAD or any other disorder.
Why is the LED technology in the Kenko Light better than older systems — fluorescent and incandescent bulbs?
There are several features of LEDs that make them superior for lighting. One is that ordinary lighting operates at frequencies that create a flickering effect. It is not always noticed but this flicker can cause eyestrain and a feeling of fatigue. The LED array in Kenko Light produces a constant stream of steady, soothing illumination.
Another reason for the LED technology in the Kenko Light is its energy efficiency. The Kenko Light consumes less than 30% of the electrical power used to operate a single 40-watt incandescent bulb.
The Kenko Light is also more environmentally friendly in that its LED arrray does not contain hazardous contaminants such as the heavy metals that are present in fluorescent tubes, for example.
Who can benefit from full spectrum lighting?
In the workplace, full spectrum lighting can improve employee morale, increase productivity, reduce errors and help decrease absenteeism. In the school classrooms, full spectrum lighting can improve attention spans, improve retention, improve energy and improve mood.
Personal Observations
My students with ADHD like the light because it doesn’t “hum or flicker”. They don’t get as tired and they can accomplish more with greater accuracy. Students who have difficulty reading black print on white background and have notes copied on coloured paper, no longer need that accommodation. As their tutor, I do not get as tired and even have the energy to do other things after having taught four or five sessions. I don’t have to take an afternoon nap and I am not pinching myself to keep awake. I am able to thoroughly enjoy working with my students.
613-224-9450
KenkoLight Full Spectrum Desk Lamp $219
($187 for readers of Carp Ridge EcoWellness Centre newletter)
