Glamping Makes Many Happy Campers

Blending the terms of glamour and camping, Glamping brings nature closer to tepid campers.

I've engaged in many years of highly enjoyable camping, backpacking and adventure trips. But, now I'm done with camping. Actually, I've been through with camping ever since I spent four soggy, cold days stranded on a tiny island with my family of four. Now when we venture far from the econest, I do my due diligence and research the eco-friendliness of the accommodations down to the mattresses. No camp grounds enter my search engine anymore. Even these snazzy solar tents couldn't get me to sleep on the ground. I know, it sounds kind of wimpy. But, like I said, "I'm done with camping." So, not much coaxing or conniving could get me to snuggle back into a sleeping bag, even if my kids traveled back in time and were the cutest four year olds again (which they were a long time ago). Until now…CLICK HERE FOR MORE

First Things First: “What Matters Most?”

Since this is the first post for my shiny new blog, I’ve been thinking a lot about “What matters most?” Of course, we can’t name just one thing. Our unique circumstances and priorities are what matters. I narrowed my answer down to three things: Family…Home…Planet. These lofty subjects are so intertwined. For me, they create the makings of a lifestyle. What matters most is how they ground and sustain us. Family, home and planet form the foundation from which we grow, connect and build healthy econests. Here are some images that say econesting to me. Family

Our families are timeless, and moments in time. This picture is of my dad and daughter at my uncle’s house. I can’t remember the summery occasion, but it was an eclectic moment of creativity, balance, beauty and patience (he had a way with crying babies). The perfect mix of old and new.

Home

It's summer, and these calm and breezy images say econesting to me. If I can't live right smack dab in a natural environment with beautiful things, maybe this house by a lake will do? A girl can dream, right?

Planet

I’ve had this photo pinned on my inspiration board since I developed the econesting name a few years ago. The elegant connectedness of changeable beauty, and the fragility of nature's resources says planet to me. The nest may be empty, but wouldn't you love to spend some time there?

There you go, these three things matter to me. It’s funny; sometimes I post three or four articles a day, as you’ll see as I continue to update the links to my Care2 and Planet Green articles into the archives. But, this first post for econesting came slower. I wrote it with a different intention. That was immensely satisfying. My hope is to continue to inspire and share musings about subjects that matter to us. What matters most to you?

Image credits: Beach: Day via The Style Files, Lake House: ChicTip, Northern Oriole Nest: Richard Barns via House and Garden

Say “I Do” Sustainably: A-Z Eco-Wedding Guide

My nephew just got married (shown here with his beautiful bride and sisters). My sister-in-law called when he got engaged and in a mother of the groom frenzy, viagra buy asked me to send her everything I knew about creating a more sustainable wedding. Green weddings are not the norm, price and the statistics show that our planet pays a mighty price for wedding extravagance: “There are 2.5 million weddings a year in the United States, with an average of more than 150 guests each.  When you add up all of the stuff that goes into weddings - single-use bleached white dresses, chemically-treated imported flowers, toxic makeup and skin care products, mined gem-based jewelry, individual packets of rice...CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Reading With Kids Makes Them Smarter

Books are like passports that open up new worlds for children. There is little debating the fact that, children who are read to at home have a higher success rate at school. Reading to young children promotes language acquisition, literacy development and achievement in reading comprehension, and overall success in school. For young children (ages 3-5), being read aloud to daily by a family member is one of the indicators of success. A recent GOOD article via this Salon article questioned whether just having lots of books in a house makes a difference in children's performance in school. CLICK HERE FOR MORE

DIY Solar Shower: Al Fresco Bathing

After some serious sea-dreaming about a home near the ocean, drug I realized one of the highlights of time spent at a beach house is basking in the afterglow in an outdoor shower. This important element of the beach experience gets a beachcomber in the mood to chill out and clean off.

Now, ampoule there are outdoor showers, link and then there are outdoor showers. The beach house we stay at has the most alluring outdoor shower — no cobwebs, no dried leaves in the corners, no mold, no flotsam and jetsam, no splinters and no Peeping Tom holes. By day, the vista from above the shower opens up to the sky with a vibrancy that only a home by the sea can reflect. With the windswept foliage and the smell of beach roses wafting in, showering outdoors is pure bliss.

Staying connected to the beach doesn’t have to end when you get home or when beach season ends. You can bring the outdoor shower to your landlocked home. Here’s an inspirational and refreshing array of alfresco showers from Sunset Magazine.

While those images are dreamy, I tend to look for building products that are not just aesthetically delicious (like the ones above). The products must also be thoughtfully designed with minimal damage to the environment. This eco-tip reminds us that taking showers can save double the amount of water than used for a bath. But, did you know that outdoor showers can be heated by the sun, making them one of the most eco-sensitive choices for bathing? Even if you don’t have access to a hot water line, solar showers are an available option.

If you’ve got the DIY ethos, here are green outdoor shower projects of varying degrees of time and difficulty. For ambitious DIYers, who want to design an outdoor shower room, here are some things to consider: ??

Determine Your Needs: Will your shower be used by kids, adults and guests for clean-up after the beach? Or, is this a private refuge? If all you require is a quick rinse after a day at the beach or gardening, your needs will be simple. Creating a blissful bathing retreat will involve some décor planning.

Water Drainage:?The type of ground below your flooring will determine the type of drain you’ll need. Sand drains quickly, but heavy soil requires a more complex drainage system that carries the water underground. For a shower that will need a drain, Zurn makes outdoor fixtures.

Design For The Environment:?If you live near the ocean, use fixtures that will stand up to wear from sand and salt. The floor and walls should be constructed from mildew, splinter-free and rot-resistant woods or eco-friendly materials. Low-flow shower heads save water.

Outdoor Shower Décor:?Determining what shower décor you’ll use is the fun part! You’ll need a place for towels, a bench and places to hold eco-friendly soaps and shampoos, and anything else that will connect your showering experience with its natural environs.

DIY Outdoor Solar Shower:?Check out these DIY plans for creating your own outdoor solar shower from Mother Earth News. This simple kit from Hammacher Schlemmer harnesses the sun’s energy to warm water from a garden hose.

Image NY-based Murdock Young via Remodelista