Easy Compost Tips: Whip Up A Smoothie
It's easy to be green these days.
Composting kitchen scraps is hardly the newest way to lighten our loads on Mother Earth, especially with more communities offering curbside compost services. Our LUSH Kitchens and head offices all compost, and our shops do so whenever possible as well. There's always more we can do, though.
Composting isn't difficult provided there is a designated spot, and a system to it. It's a natural process, so however diligent or casual the system, compost will happen. (We suggest a more diligent system for communal spots like the office though!) A helpful resource for all kinds of compost questions is Barbara Pleasant's article "Compost Made Easy" on Mother Earth News; this is a must-read if you are looking for good dirt on the topic.
On the Internet one day, I stumbled upon another article about "compost smoothies" from a blog called Maoomba. Hang on a tick, I thought - what have my plants been missing all these years? And how easy would this be in an office lunch room? While there's still a compost heap in the yard, Maoomba's article about compost smoothies-or direct composting, or what some even call blender composting, has helped tighten the loop on my kitchen garden by using fresh scraps immediately. (I like to think of the activity of the fresh nutrients doing for my plants what a Fresh Face Mask does for my skin.)
LUSH Charity Pot: Pedalling for Papua
This week, Jeremy Bally is joining the LUSH blog just as he prepares for another incredible adventure with Pedalling for Papua. We're proud to have Jeremy and his incredible organization as part of our Charity Pot family and we wish him the best of luck on his journey and sharing the messages from West Papua.
I pored over my itinerary last night with a calculator, and realized that I’ll be cycling 12,633 kilometers before this year is over. I haven’t started training yet, and it’s about 3 weeks until I leave. But I really don’t feel concerned. At least about that.
On the 1st of May in West Papua, dozens of demonstrations were held around the region to protest the 50th anniversary of Indonesia seizing control over the area. Over those 50 years, it’s been estimated that as many as 500,000 West Papuans have been killed either by the Indonesian security forces that operate with impunity there, or by the inequitable lack of development in their resource rich homeland. These protests saw 2 more added to that number, as military and police fired indiscriminately on peaceful protestors. Incidents like this fuel the belief that a slow motion genocide is still being perpetrated against West Papuans, who in the past few years have become a minority in their homeland. This is what I feel concerned about. I figure it’s worth more worry than a p...
10 Things You Might Not Know About Strawberries
Strawberries are versatile, flavor-packed, and rich in all kinds of healthy nutrients.
No wonder they wear their seeds inside-out, they just have that much to offer! Ranging in size, shape, and even color, and averaging 200 seeds per fruit, strawberry facts overflow.
The pick of the crop:
1. According to Guinness records, the heaviest strawberry ever recorded weighed 231g (814 oz!) and was grown in 1983 by G. Andersen of Folkstone, Kent, in the south of England.
2. RETRO calling: Long ago, LUSH carried a range called Ultra Fresh, offering masks, scrubs and treatments customers could buy minimally packaged, and use quickly at home. One product was called Strawberry Boat. It was like a semi-solid smoothie of strawberry, ginger root and scrubby rice and salt, wrapped in a banana leaf. It still has some long-time LUSH fans recalling with bliss.
3. Gardening tip: remove the plants’ first flowers, which causes them to put more energy into developing their roots and leaves. This leads to overall strengthening, and the strawberries produced later are quite a bit larger.
4. Strawberries’ characteristic red color comes from flavonoids, which are also believed helpful in promoting healthy heart functions. Another way to set the heart aflutter is massage. Read More...
Employee Profile: Meet Chainsaw
Meet Chainsaw!
Another one of our cast of characters living the LUSH life, Chainsaw (otherwise known as Shannon), works in Manufacturing Management in Vancouver. While she won't reveal where her nickname comes from, you can find out about her various roles in the company, what her secret wish is, her favorite memories working at LUSH, and all about the return of Goat Snake!
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Vegetarian Travel Tips: Pack Your Bags and Fill Your Tummy!
For someone who loves food and travel as much as I do…let it be known that traveling to new places isn’t always easy when you are vegetarian.
While most restaurants these days have vegetable dishes or some carb-heavy option to indulge in, it’s more of a problem for me mid-travel: at rest stops, airports, train stations and so on. Finding a veg-friendly, healthy option can be difficult! It was when I started traveling (years ago!) with my super healthy grandma that I received some recommendations that I still use. Tips to ensure you exercise on the road and healthy snacks to bring along, if you, like me, tend to get hangry (hungry + angry) without a proper meal. Keep in mind I’m not a nutritionist or fitness expert, this advice simply works for me and I’m always sharing it with my trusty travel companions.
Portable meals:
Breakfast: Oatmeal packets (the less sugar, the better) are super easy to keep in your purse; simply add hot water on the plane or from any food court for a quick, filling start to your day! Yogurt and a baggie of granola or nuts is another easy one…yogurt will keep for a few hours in your carry-on so grab a spoon and enjoy! Another favorite is a small pack of peanut butter or almond butter, eaten with an apple, put in oatmeal, spread on low fat crackers or a piece of wheat bread. Boom, breakfast in a pinch!
