What I'm Listening To —
The Environmental Playlist
Someone on Spotify created an environmental playlist and I'm pretty excited about it. Each song on the list is somehow related to the environment. The songs range from Michael Jackson's Earth Song to Pass It On Down by Alabama and of course my personal favourite, Apeman by the Kinks! You probably won't like every song on the list but hopefully you'll like a few.
My Favourite Podcast Episodes —
Here are my top 3 favourite episodes I've listened to this past month:
"Good Together," episode Jan. 20th: Diamonds (And Love) Are in the Air
"The Farm Report," episode #412: Are Alt Meats Better for the Planet?
"Wild Ideas Worth Living," episode #125: Jeremy Jones: Protect Our Winters
I've been more into podcasts than audio books lately. Let me know what you think of these episodes.
What I'm Making —
Learn How to Make Your Own Plantable Hearts
Feeling crafty? Looking for a simple but awesome valentines gift for someone special? Well you can catch me in the #replay of this week's Facebook Live in Budfunding's Sustainability Group where I demo step by step how to make a valentines plantable heart, an up-cycled heart garland, & an up-cycled envelope. I would love to see your fun creations, post them in the comments of the video so I can have a sneak peak.
What I'm Celebrating —
The Priorities of the New Administration
Well this is all very exciting! Here is the update taken straight from The White House website: "President Biden will take swift action to tackle the climate emergency. The Biden Administration will ensure we meet the demands of science, while empowering American workers and businesses to lead a clean energy revolution." Also, the US has now rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement. We don't know what this will all look like yet, but it might just be the start of something good! #optimistic
What I Took Part In This Month —
Sustainable Energy Development Master's 3 Minute Competition
At the end of January, I got the honour of being one of the judges to critically review, the University of Calgary's Sustainable Energy Development Master's program 3-minute presentation competition. This is the program I graduated from in 2017 and I was delighted when I was asked to come back and be a judge for this competition. As part of program requirements, in addition to course work, each student is to complete a research project that is related to energy and sustainability. They then have to pitch this research project in 3 minutes to other students and the judges panel in an easily understandable, clear, and concise format. I am now excited to share that from this competition I will be inviting my top 6 favourite presenters to share their project at one of Budfunding's Facebook Sustainability Lives (every Wednesday at 12pm MST). If you don't have Facebook I've started a YouTube account which you can subscribe to HERE and plan to post the videos there as well.
February's Hot Tip —
When you're grocery shopping choose food that has traveled the shortest distance to get to you. For example, if there are oranges from Spain, and apples from British Columbia, opt for the apples. Or better yet, opt for items which have been grown or made in your very own city, province, or state. The closer to home the better as they say!
P.S. In December's newsletter the bow glacier was mentioned, how it's slowly melting away and how it largely supplies the bow river. To clarify most of the Bow River’s annual water comes from rainfall and snowmelt in the foothills; however, melting glaciers contribute crucial flows in late summer. More HERE
That's about it for me. If you have any feedback, a favourite part or suggestion to share about the above please let me know. Also, if you have any suggestions for future "What I'm Budding About" newsletters I'd love to hear them. Have a wonderful week and let's keep creating a green future together!
The future is bright,
~Kristin