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| Goodies for Gardeners! |
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Our website is home to Nature's Store - four departments with bumper crops in Gardening; Landscape Design; Education & Variety - drop by and get inspired!
Make your plants Happy & Healthy with Helping Nature Heal's Kelp Grow!
As an added convenience, we now accept Paypal!
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Guest photographer: Lunenburg's Amy Wentzell |
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Applause for HNH e-news! |
"An incredible newsletter as usual!"
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1. Lighten our climate footprint
2. Protect wilderness, waters & oceans
3. Helping Canadians grow healthy 4. Getting the toxins out
The Nova Scotia government wants to hear your views on a water resources strategy by June 1, 2008.
Read their strategy, then comment (pdf - can be slow to load)
Post your green event, course or conference online here
April 7 - World Health Day Protecting health from climate change
April 22 - World Earth
Great tips, an invite to send your tips
The Great Turning is a transition time - the time we are in as people around the world are waking up to the downside of the Industrial Growth Economy - an economy that is literally destroying life on this planet.
Attend a supportive, energizing, day long event Saturday April 5, 2008 9:45 am- 4:30 pm.
Led by Joanna Macy.
Register at the Tatamagouche Centre, or call 1-800-218-2220
"Water is for people, not profit!
Earth Hour was March 29th, but their website still has good info, tips. |
| Call for Nature photos! |
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Send your seasonal shots for posting on our Germination Gallery!
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Contribute to your favourite charity on line
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"We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in.
For it can be
a means of re-assuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope."
- Wallace Stegner
Winds from the Wilderness, the Canadian Outward Bound Wilderness School 2ed ISBN 0969046308 - 1983 |
| Earth Day
9 - 12noon Saturday April 26
Rosmarie is excited to have been asked back to this year's Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens Native Plant Sale
Celebrate Earth Day - Buy native trees & perennials for your garden. Learn about ecological gardening. Take a guided tour of the Gardens.
32 University Avenue, Wolfville
Free admission & parking
Proceeds to the volunteer group, Friends of the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens. |
| Jobs & Internships |
| Windhorse Farm is offering full time employment for two gardeners and a host. Visit their website for more details!
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| Seedy Saturday |
Despite the snow, we had a super Seedy Saturday!
Many thanks to Donna Smith from Parkdale Maplewood, Ann Bromley, Bill Traill,
the gardeners and volunteers from Second Story!
Every spring Seedy Saturdays occur in communities across Canada. This year, once again, HNH & Second Story jointly sponsored the event in Lunenburg.
The purpose was to exchange seeds saved from last year's crop, encourage the use of local organic seeds and food, promote self-sufficiency, and increase interest in gardening as a hobby.
We're already looking forward to the next Seedy Saturday in 2009!
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| Be a forest friend! |
Choose to reduce paper waste and clutter by saying NO to Junk Mail through Canada Post's eco-friendly Consumer Choice option. Canada Post will honour your request to say no to unaddressed advertising materials.
Quoting a Canada Post Jan. 2007 press release,
"Canada Post respects the wishes of consumers who indicate through a self-produced note on their mailbox or mail receptacle, that they do not wish to receive unaddressed material."
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Thanks for reading our e-news Natural Notes!
If you'd like to help us grow and have ideas for coming programs, classes, seminars, or a group wanting to learn about a certain facet of gardening and landscaping, please e-mail rosmarie@helpingnatureheal.com and let us know . . . we do appreciate your interest in us!
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April '08 - the Year of Possibilities!
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Welcome to April everyone!
Spring is finally here, we are busy clearing winter protection and deer fencing, and will be opening up the beds, removing brush and hay as the weather permits. We've been busy dormant pruning, working on the Gaff Trail Project and workshops at the SSWC, and getting ready for all that spring offers. Seedlings are growing on many horizontal surfaces in our home, at the centre and along kitchen windows. How the germination of a seed gives us a sense of life renewed, spring is in the soul too!
We are rooting willow whips for sale, we have begun the potting up of seedlings in preparation for the Native Plant Sale at Acadia, and the Annual Chester Garden Club Sale. We also have a booth at the Spring into Business to get ready for, we hope to see everyone out at all these community events.
I had the pleasure of meeting John Bullard, guest speaker for the Global Warming Presentation, put on by Claussen Walters in March. John was a dynamic speaker and offered us 7 steps to making a difference:
#1 Act Politically, demand our government join others to find solutions within the next 2 years
#2 Act Individually to reduce your CO2 emissions
#3 Reduce your carbon footprint, calculate yours, then reduce it, purchase carbon offsets
#4 Stop Coal Fired energy plants
#5 Everywhere we go the carbon footprint should be in our minds - at work at play.
#6 Fight for renewable energy policies
#7 Plant a tree
Remember CROP: Calculate Reduce Offset Produce your own power. Buy from good businesses and support your leaders - it should be our honor to be part of the revolution.
I've also become acquainted with Leon de Vreede, Sustainability Planner for the town of Bridgewater. As this new program is established, I will become active in this community objective.
We welcome Spring and your input!
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Garden Landscape Calendar of events
Thursday, April 3, 5 to 8 pm. Workshop Series: Garden Planning and Design with Rosmarie Bradley (session 1).
This bi-weekly 4 session program is limited to 10 participants so register early.
There is homework involved so sessions will be every other week to give participants time to complete the work. Discussion and illustration of planning techniques, soil type and structure, soil amendments, sun/wind exposure, accessibility, bed types, water and land preparations. Each participant will learn the fundamentals of good planning.
Advice and planning will be given to each participant who develops their landscape layout in this informative class. Learn garden styles and what makes them work in the big picture. Identify your gardening style. Discuss your favorite plants, colors, and trends. Realize your needs and wants from your landscape. Learn about accessibility, positioning, sun, water, and wind: all key factors to designing a bountiful bed.
Thursday, April 10, 5 to 8 pm. Workshop: Backyard Wildlife Habitat with Rosmarie Bradley. Imagine having a natural habitat in your backyard. It doesn't matter where you live: city, town or country, with our help you can turn your property into a sanctuary for birds and critters. Information about the four key elements to achieve this will be discussed during class.
Thursday, April 17, 5 to 8 pm. Workshop Series: Garden Planning and Design with Rosmarie Bradley (session 2).
April 24, 5-8pm. Workshop Series (with meal): Gardening & Living by the Moon." This Maria Kiesling presentation takes the Biodynamics workshop into everyday life.
Thursday, May 1, 5 to 8 pm. Workshop Series: Garden Planning and Design with Rosmarie Bradley (session 3).
Thursday, May 15, 5 to 8 pm. Workshop Series: Garden Planning and Design with Rosmarie Bradley (session 4).
Thursday, June 5, 5 to 8 pm. Workshop: Birds, Bees, and Butterflies with Rosmarie Bradley. Pollination from these creatures is the key to a successful garden. Most plants can't reproduce on their own - they need insects and birds to help. Without them, some plants would disappear forever. Learn which plants attract birds, bees and butterflies to your garden and keep them coming back year after year.
Please register for HNH Thursday Night Programs by calling Second Story Women's Centre at 543-1315 or 640-3044.
Second Story Women's Centre programs are free and open to all women. Coed programs are advertised as such or say, "Everyone is welcome." Minimal childcare and transportation subsidies are available
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Women in Business Expo April 5/08
I'm looking forward to participating in this first expo and hope to see you there!
Morning Workshops
Networking Sessions
Luncheon with Guest Speaker
Afternoon Trade Show
Presented by
&
at the Nova Scotia Community College, Bridgewater
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| National Wildlife Week April 6 - 12 |
Pollinators - from flowers to food to our future
National Wildlife Week is a program of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, sponsored in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, the Canadian Museum of Nature, Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Parks Canada and Scouts Canada.
NWW is celebrated each year during the week surrounding April 10th, the birthday of Jack Miner, one of the founders of Canada's conservation movement. Proclaimed an act of Parliament in 1947, NWW is a time to celebrate Canada's natural heritage and play an active role in conservation.
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Canada Nature Conservancy hires HNH!
Rosmarie & Greg didn't let Old Man Winter get in the way. They were hired by Nature Conservancy of Canada to remove a cabin from Gaff Point (an area protected by NCC and Kingsburg Coastal Conservancy) and to re-use as much of the cabin as possible for the second part of the job: enhancing the pathways as shown in these "corduroy" projects.
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 Simple life saver - great cause!
A hand assembled solar cooker made of cardboard and aluminum foil
can help save the lives of 200,000 women and children living in refugee
camps in Chad, Africa.
The task of collecting firewood turns life-threatening when gatherers leave the camp. Providing CooKit solar cookers to the refugees means women and children don't need to leave the safety of the camp where they are protected from violence. It also provides them with income opportunities through manufacturing the CooKit and teaching others to use it. Jewish World Watch is working in partnership with KoZon, a charitable organization based in the Netherlands.
Learn more about CooKit and/or make a donation to the cause. A $30 donation generates:
- 2 Solar Cookers per family
- 2 Pots
- 2 Pot Holders
- Year supply of plastic bags
- Skills Training for refugee women and girls
Please note, as of Monday morning, their online form didn't take Canadian postal codes, however, their phone number is 818-501-1836 |
| Workshop to boost energy & eco-efficiency
Dalhousie University's Eco-Efficiency Centre has helped many small and medium sized businesses increase their competitiveness by reducing waste, conserving energy and saving money.
April 15, 9am - 3pm
Wandlyn Inn, Bridgewater
Cost: $10
The aim of this 5-hour workshop is to make participants aware of:
- How to save money & lower environmental impacts through energy & eco-efficiency improvements
- Environmental challenges facing business today and in the future
- Government financial assistance program
- Opportunities to share information with fellow business owners
Business best practices and environmental innovations
The Eco-Efficiency Centre is an award-winning educational and environmental management outreach centre of Dalhousie University that promotes sustainable prosperity and efficient and effective resource use in business.
Support for these workshops is provided by ACOA which shares the objective of creating sustainable businesses in the Atlantic Provinces.
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Pollard pruning 101
A great landscaping technique!
1. Here's our willow hedge
before pruning: 
2. cut back the whips (also called sprouts) with hand pruners:
4. after pollarding - this picture illustrates how we cut to 12-inches to encourage multiple sprouts or whips:
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When the Willows recuperate from pollarding, they will produce many hundreds of whips per trunk. This technique also ensures a very thick hedge which we covet for visual and sound barriers.
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| Gardening for the Soul |
 Second Story Women's Centre is seeking provincial funding for the Horticulture Therapy Program led by Rosmarie Bradley.
As noted in their application, "Gardening for the Soul" is a dynamic hands on program facilitated by a Horticulture Therapist trainee. The program, provided to all women at no cost, delivers a consistent weekly activity as well as a healthy organic meal."
The centre is also hoping for funding from
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