• Plant-based Recipes
  • Organic Home + Garden
  • Mindful Health
  • Take a Course

Mobile Menu

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Apple a Day Doc

Sustainable Plant-Based LifestyleRx w/Ann Collins,MD,RYT

  • Home
  • Apple a Day Doc Mission
  • Adventures + Recipes
    • Plant-based Recipes
    • Organic Home + Garden
    • Mindful Health
    • Resources
  • Get in Touch
  • Plant-based Recipes
  • Organic Home + Garden
  • Mindful Health
  • Take a Course

5 Sustainablity Ideas to Re-vitalize Your Home this Spring!

You are here: Home / Organic Home + Garden / Backyard Chickens / 5 Sustainablity Ideas to Re-vitalize Your Home this Spring!

April 1, 2019 //  by drcollins//  Leave a Comment

Spring Sustainability Challenge: Home Refresh

In the Midwest, winter can linger longer than one would consider civilized, so when the crocus peek their purple heads above the snow, I get really excited. The first signs that the hibernation months are winding down can bring even the healthiest of us a full blown case of cabin fever, a flush of energy which precedes the weather’s hospitality for outdoor activities to burn it off. If your spring fervor is making you feel stir crazy, here is a list of activities for the ides of March and April showers to help prepare your home and garden for a fabulous spring and summer to come!

  1. Declutter, Donate, and Simplify Belongings: “Marie Kondo” those closets and donate items you have not used in the last year (and those which don’t “bring you joy”). Among the core rules for living (yamas and niyamas), Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras teach the principles of asteya and aparigraha. Asteya, is non-stealing, abandoning the desire to take or keep things which belong to someone else. When we hold on to items we are not using, we are depriving a neighbor from making use of an item that could meet their needs. In this way of thinking, hoarding possessions which are not being used is a form of stealing from others in our communities. Similarly, we can embrace the teaching of aparigraha, the concept of freedom from the compulsion of acquiring. Being acquisitive is based in the belief that belongings can bring us happiness. Now if you are like me, you may indulge in the occasional temporary feel-good serotonin surge provided by retail therapy. Keeping life simpler though, and valuing a few beautiful items which are also useful, frees so much time otherwise wasted managing and organizing excess possessions. Summer is coming and I sure want to spend my free time out in nature playing rather than keeping clutter organized!
  2. Prepare the Garden: This is the perfect time to add compost to your soil, mulch the flowerbeds to minimize weed propagation, and plant cool hardy crops like kale, radishes, turnips, chard, and root vegetables. Curious about composting and not sure where to begin? Check out my article to get started. If you are lucky, you may have some overwintered carrots left in the garden like we did in the Nourish Wellness garden last week. Super sweet surprise! Click here to learn more. If gardening is new to you and feels like a big project, start small with a container garden on your patio or even window boxes if you are in the city! Find your peace in your own patch of green.
  3. Spring is nature’s time of growth and expansion. Keep your brain sharp by taking up new skills or hobbies this season! At Apple a Day Doc, we are learning about raising and keeping organic backyard chickens to deepen our permaculture and improve the sustainability of our gardens this year. This is a project I’ve considered for a few years, and now that the girls are home with us, I can’t believe I waited so long to try! Each of the chicks has a distinct personality, and I look forward to seeing how much they have grown each evening when I get home from Nourish Wellness Family Medicine.
  4. Clean away cobwebs and make the windows shine using natural products to keep your home and family safe and spiffy. Many common household cleaners contain chemicals which are toxic or carcinogenic. Check out my article on homemade versions of common cleaning aids which are safer (and less expensive) to keep your home shining.
  5. Renew your efforts at nixing single use plastic products this spring. Substitute mason jars for Saran-wrap or styrofoam. Bring your own bags to the grocery and buy plant based whole foods from your produce section, choosing items with no packaging or biodegradable packaging when needed. Why in the world would one shrink wrap an uncut cucumber? Ix-nay disposable plastic bottles and bring your own water container to work and the gym.

Written By: Ann C. Collins, MD, RYT

Photo Credit: Ann C. Collins, MD, RYT

Wondering how to get your protein in a plant strong diet?

Download your free copy of “11 Protein Strong Foods for Plant-Based Diets” to get started!

    We promote vibrant health with veggies. We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    Dr. C and the Apple a Day Doc Team

    Share this:

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    Tweet
    Share
    Pin
    Share
    0 Shares

    Category: Backyard Chickens, Healthy Home, Home Grown Resources, Organic Gardening, Organic Home + Garden, Respect Mama Earth: Healthy Environment, Yoga & MindfulnessTag: Backyard chickens, crocus, declutter, Healthy home, home grown resources, natural cleaning products, no single use plastic, organic garden, organic home and garden, Patanjali sutras, recycle, Respect Mama Earth, simplify, sustainability, Yamas and niyamas, Yoga & Mindfulness

    Related Posts

    You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

    Research Review: Plant based Diets Associated with 32% Lower Risk of Death from Cardiovascular Disease, and 25% Reduced Risk of All Cause Mortality. (JAHA 8.7.2019)

    What is Freekeh?

    Nature Rx: Yogic Lifestyle and Green Footprint, a Prescription for Vibrant Health

    Ready, set, compost!

    The Apple a Day Doc Chicks: The Pre-teen days

    Turnip Greens: Health Benefits Review

    Environmentally Safe Plant Based Household Cleaning Solutions

    Green up your Spring Clean with plant sourced products to keep your kitchen and home chemical-free and family-safe.

    Meet the Apple a Day Doc Chicks!

    overwintering-carrots

    Overwintering Carrots: Sweet Surprise in the Nourish Wellness Garden Today!

    gratitude-winter-blues

    Gratitude to Brighten the Winter Blues

    Kitchen safety gourds and squash

    Save your fingers! Safety tip for working with butternut and other dense squash

    Previous Post: «Savory Oatmeal with Roasted Hazelnuts Heart Healthy Oatmeal with Roasted Hazelnuts
    Next Post: Quinoa Primavera: A Quick + Nutritious Alternative to the Weeknight Spaghetti Grind quinoa-primavera»

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Our Favorite Recipes

    Savory Butternut-Tomato Soup

    Savory Butternut-Tomato Soup

    Sweet Potato Baked Bean Buddha Bowl

    Sweet Potato Baked Bean Buddha Bowl

    Harvest Apple Kale Salad

    Harvest Apple Kale Salad

    Jenny’s Peach Tomato Salad

    Jenny’s Peach Tomato Salad

    Recent Posts

    Savory Butternut-Tomato Soup

    February 17, 2020

    Sweet Potato Baked Bean Buddha Bowl

    February 10, 2020

    Update on the Novel Coronavirus, Jan 29, 2020

    January 29, 2020

    Harvest Apple Kale Salad

    September 23, 2019

    Footer

    Inspiration

    Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you.

    Be A Better You

     

    Recent Posts

    Savory Butternut-Tomato Soup
    Sweet Potato Baked Bean Buddha Bowl
    Update on the Novel Coronavirus, Jan 29, 2020
    Harvest Apple Kale Salad
    Jenny’s Peach Tomato Salad
    Research Review: Plant based Diets Associated with 32% Lower Risk of Death from Cardiovascular Disease, and 25% Reduced Risk of All Cause Mortality. (JAHA 8.7.2019)
    • Apple a Day Doc Mission
    • Get in Touch
    • Privacy Policy, Terms of Use & Disclaimers

    Site Footer

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Apple a Day Doc Mission
    • Get in Touch
    • Privacy Policy, Terms of Use & Disclaimers

    Copyright © 2023 Apple a Day Doc · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme