Just Use Less
237C - 3250 Rock City Road V9T 4R2 Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Intermittent fasting is one way to encourage mindful eating (because when you eat only during certain times of the day, you appreciate food a lot more and are more mindful about what you put in your mouth and throw away!). IF may not be right for everyone. It's worth doing some research about it though. There is A TON of information on the Internet. Here's some from a doctor I've been following for a long time. :) https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fasting/

With school around the corner, it's time to start thinking about what to put in our kids' lunches. Check out Canada's new food guide for ideas. https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

This tofu scramble dish was almost too pretty to eat. But I ate all of it, even the flowers! LOL You can find it at The Vault, an inclusive, eco-friendly downtown café with lots of vegan options.

Another Just Use Less meeting, this time at our Piper's Lagoon "office" after batting ideas back and forth on the tennis court:)

Check out our new office for holding Just Use Less meetings--Bowen Park! Gorgeous! (And, yes, I'm holding a take-out cup, which I rinse and reuse many times during the week.:)

I moved recently and used "green" DIY supplies to do most of my cleaning. Equal parts water and vinegar with a dozen drops of essential oil in a spray bottle = all purpose cleaner. Baking soda and a scrub pad and/or old tooth brush is a great abrasive. Here's a great website that lists 10 essential supplies for 'green and thrifty cleaning products.' https://www.livingwellspendingless.com/green-thrifty-clean/

Cool sky shots! I love how Rob sees the city.:) (Photos by Rob W. Barker, Adrenaline Shotz Photography)

Unique shot of Nanaimo at night.... (photo by Rob W. Barker, Adrenaline Shotz Photography)

In the park in downtown Nanaimo... (photo by Rob W, Barker, Adrenaline Shotz Photography)

A pretty place to think about things... (Photo by Rob W. Barker, Adrenaline Shot Photography)

This stuff is amazing! Raw shea butter from Ghana, distributed by a Canadian/Ghanaian family-owned company located on Vancouver Island. (I met one of the owners on the ferry a while back and was so impressed with their fair-trade practices and ideasl.) I buy a container like this for about $5.00 from Pomme and it lasts for months because you don't need a lot. I combine it with coconut oil and use it on my skin and hair. You can also get it directly from them: https://baraksheabutter.com

Yay! Our business cards arrived today. :) Thanks, Journey, for the great design work!

I probably shouldn't have watched Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things because now I want to get rid of even more stuff, much to the horror of my children lol. (The poem read aloud at around the halfway mark is really something to think about!) Minimalism is not about never buying anything but instead about hanging on only to those things that really matter to you.

Simple pleasures

Vegan soap and a pebble soap dish from Island Rain Natural Soap. A very 'mindful' mother's day gift! :)

Wow! This guy takes 'just use less' to the extreme! A fascinating way to live and look at the world...

Talah has been a great help out on the front lines. She's been helping with recycling, making signs and giving out vitamins. And she donated some of her art supplies to street folks.:)

April was the coolest month! We worked alongside (but 6 feet apart from) street folks, food providers, harm reduction workers, advocates and allies in what's been dubbed the Food for Thought project. And we recycled our buns off! May promises even more collaboration and eco-activity. Stay tuned!:)

It may not look like anyone lives here, but there are in fact a lot of very kind, eco-conscious people in Nanaimo.:)

Here's our haul from our last four shifts with the Wisteria food/clothing truck on Wesley Street and other locations. Thank you to all the homeless folks who pitched in to help us! (And thank you City of Nanaimo for the large bags.:)