going green | Cherie Roe Dirksen

A small way to help with any community or town’s recycling challenges is a fantastic new thing (I’ve recently discovered via my facebook feed) called ECO BRICKS.

“I’ve tried it and it works. I only put out one household trash bag every 2-3 weeks now! Isn’t that amazing?”

It’s So Easy!

You just twist and stuff all your rubbish and put it into a plastic bottle. This includes all that foil (crisp packets, chocolate wrappers, sweet wrappers — generally annoying bits of debris that you just hate binning), plastic bags (from cling film and pizza packaging to your pets kibble packets), general bits and bob’s like bottle rims, plastic string and tags (that animals often swallow).

Pack it tightly and you can fit about 1-2 weeks worth of waste in one bottle!

I’ve tried it and it works. I only put out household trash every 2-3 weeks now! Isn’t that amazing?

How To Get it Compact

Take a rod or stick and squish the trash to compact it so you can fit more in and get a solid ‘brick’. When your bottle is full you can use them as bricks to make raised planters, etc. Check out this article: Eco Bricking – Creating Sustainable Communities.

Or you can use them for craft projects with your children — they make great pigs, rockets and whatever else your imagination can conjure (I made this cute little critter to your left using these bottles and a lick of acrylic paint. Be sure to seal them with a strong outdoor varnish if you’re going to use them in your garden).

Try it out on the next school break — I’m positive that you and your kids will enjoy the process and you get to make some cool garden/bedroom ornaments!

Below are my craft students (check out the Net Vir Pret Organisation I work with — they are doing some wonderful things) with their ECO BRICK pig creations — aren’t they fabulous?

It’s just small things like these eco-bricks that we can do individually to make a real difference in the world.

I hope you will become an eco-warrior!

Other articles you may enjoy:

The Art of Pastel Poppies — Come See the Photo Process

Make Money Creating Beautiful Recycled Goodies Today!

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

To date, she has published 3 self-help and motivational books and brings out weekly inspirational blogs at her site www.cherieroedirksen.com. Get stuck into finding your passion, purpose and joy by downloading some of those books gratis when you click HERE.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

Green is the New Black

When I say ‘let’s talk about the green stuff?’ what does your mind spring to?

money? Show me the bunce?
marijuana? Totally far out dude…
sustainable living — doing your reduced carbon footprint kind-of-thang, all cool and hippy like? Or
jealousy? The green-eyed, envy monster awaiting in each of us like Mr Hyde or our own personal Hulk.

Well, cast aside all the above notions because I want to talk about pure green.

Going for Gold

I remember an old British TV comedy series called Blackadder. One character, Lord Percy, decides to try his hand at alchemy (you know, making gold out of base metal). He manages to fashion something he called ‘pure green’. Lord Blackadder — who was broke and rather counting on Percy’s success — was utterly disappointed when, after being told by Percy that he was triumphant in his pursuit, his eyes fell on the green stone and not a nugget of gold.

My written reenactment has not done the actual comedy moment any good, I fear, but the point I’m trying to make is we do have something in our world that is better than gold. And, as Lord Percy discovered inadvertently, it is green.

The colour of nature.

Why is Green So Important?

Why do you feel more relaxed in a park? Or on top of a mountain? Or lying under a tree on a bed of green grass? Why does the sight of green rolling hills peek every poet and artists interest? Why are we drawn to green? Would it be as effective if it was red? Doubt it. Nature knows what she’s doing and here’s why:

The colour green is associated with:

Balance

It is the center colour of the spectrum (look up a rainbow and see for yourself!) — being in perfect balance even there! It is associated with abundance (lack of famine), water and everything plentiful on a primitive level.

The colour psychologically effects us all.

It is also a hue that is connected to:

positivity,
harmony,
refreshment,
universal love (it is the colour of our heart chakra),
rest and restoration,
reassurance and
peace.

Say NO to the Brain Fog!

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Most of us are subject to sitting behind a computer screen or desk getting very little to no time in nature. Electronic devices and the addiction to social media is clogging our airwaves (both physically and mentally).

This leads to brain fog, stress, anxiety and a host of other things.

We are being disconnecting from our very source — nature and the balance, peace and harmony it brings.

Related article: 8 Natural Stress Relievers For More Peace & Calm

There is light at the end of the tunnel though because just spending 15 minutes out in nature will make a difference to your mind, body and soul. Obviously, the more time you spend in nature the better it is.

Try it and see for yourself. If you’re feeling stressed out, go sit under a tree or take a walk in a park — or even just stare out at some treetops (best done outdoors though for the fresh air effect). Focus your gaze upon the green you see, try to put your attention on how you feel when you take it all in. Can you feel a drop in tension within your body?

The green we find in nature is meant to be our own personal therapy — go out and use it wisely whenever you see a gap!

Original article written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for CLN (Conscious Life News) – click here and see why over 800k readers tune in daily!