Greenpa's Whole Planet Picnic

Greenpa over at Little Blog in the Big Woods has been getting a buzz going about the Whole Planet Picnic set for Thursday, June 21st, 2007 which is the summer solstice. I haven't done a lot of reading about the Picnic but essentially Greenpa is drawing attention to two very important things: 1) We're all on this planet together and 2) we have to start living within the planet's means, not our wants. So he's proposed that we celebrate the first thing on Thursday, and for the week afterwards, acknowledge the second thing by giving up something for "Earth Lent" as it were.

I'm not really sure what to do as a celebration, but probably we will just try and pay extra attention to all the cool things nature has to offer while we are outside in our yard or wherever we may be. I don't quite know what would be a good thing to give up either. It would have to be something that would benefit the environment, but that is also feasible for us to do.

Ah! I've just thought of it: I will give up refined sugar for a week. We have been buying some organic, local honey from a farm in Three Hills, AB that I can use instead, and that will dovetail nicely with our intention to become more locavore-y. There is an even closer honey farm in Bon Accord, AB, called Lola Canola (the "little apiary on the prairie" - how cute is that for a motto?) that I would also like to check out. I've just checked their website, and lo and behold, their aviary is only one Range Road over and two TWP roads north of our house - no wonder we have bees galore around here!