As the Christmas holiday is coming up, it can be a hard time for some, and a really great time for others. Whether it is the last Christmas you'll have with someone, or the first one without, or maybe the first one with someone special, make the best of the time you have with loved ones. And then apply it to every day life. I know not everyone celebrates Christmas in the world, but I do, so I just wanted to send out a very merry Christmas wish to you all.

Peace, love and joy to you all. That's my grown up Christmas list...

Instead of using toxic, expensive, non-renewable resources, try looking into other options for heating and electricity. If you had the option to be paid for energy instead of buying it, would you? There are many options for "green" power these days, whether it be wind, water, solar, geothermal, etc. The basic elements of life- fire, water, earth, air. Funny how in a time of technological advancement, reverting back to the basics somehow makes way more sense.

Until March 31, 2012, you can apply for federal grants of up to $5000.00 to make your home more energy efficient. Sometimes, you have to spend a little, but with grants and the energy savings, the return on your green investment can be much quicker than you think! Check out ecoACTION for federal grants, and don't forget to look into provincial and even local grants for renovations.
Find the information at
http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/ecoenergy-ecoenergie/retrofithomes-renovationmaisons-eng.cfm.
 
And think of Aesthetica Design if you need any help with product selection or renovation drawings. (Yes, that is my shameless self promoting!)

Fire- When thinking of fire and energy sources, you might think of a wood
fireplace giving off heat, but for the purposes of my blog and focussing on
energy sources, I thought of fire in a looser fashion, and tied fire to solar
energy. The sun is a big ball of fire anyways, right? Find some information
about solar power at http://www.solarbc.ca/

Water- Hydro electricity, in it's essence is quite green. Think of back in the
day, the water turbines were the way to go!  In addition to wind power, Bullfrog
Power offers green hydro power, regionally sourced, with the promise of 100%
green energy provision. Check them out at
http://www.bullfrogpower.com/about/about.cfm

Earth- Geothermal energy is a great option that is great for the
environment. The earth gives us exactly what we need, so why not responsibly use
what we have? A good link for geothermal energy is Earth Energy at
http://www.earthenergy.ca/tech.html

Wind- A completely renewable, green source of electricity, where often,
you are producing more power than you need, and can actually sell electricity
back to the electrical companies. Talk about quick return. Check out these very
cool, personal wind turbines at Urban Green Energy at
http://www.urbangreenenergy.com/