Summertime!

It’s vacation time, relaxation time, living-is-easy time, and just the

occasion for a fun eco-potpourri post. I’m writing on the balcony, surrounded by flowers, some of which you see in the picture to the right. One of the blessings of the IT age is the ability to be outside and working at the same time. Another blessing is online enjoyment when the weather turns against one and one is driven inside, so let’s take a look at a few websites for rainy day fun and/or enlightenment – the two are not mutually exclusive!

On a gloomy day with antsy kids in the house, visit the kids activities pages of the EPA website, www.epa.gov/epawaste/education/kids_activities.htm. There’s other stuff for students and other games as well.

We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words, and nowhere is this more true than on the website of artist Christ Jordan, www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn2/‎, who shows us several thousand words worth of eco-truths in a creative and effective way.

Readers in Switzerland, are you looking for an unusual present? Visit a site that gives entirely new meaning to the concept of recycling, www.ryterdesign.ch/recycline, for amusing and useful items made from green PET bottles. There is a vase, a candleholder, a very clever bank etc. There are other recycled items elsewhere on the site, made, for instance, from Douglas fir left over from covering a couple of the tracks and platforms in the Zurich main station. And while we’re on the subject of recycling art, you’ll find novel, clever and useful items at www.recyclingart.ch, magnets made from computer keys, for example.

Looking for unusual hanging planters? Look no further than this idea from the Umweltarena in Spreitenbach, Switzerland. Lay a plastic bottle, small or large size, on its side and cut away most of the top half, leaving the bottom and “shoulder” area intact. Add stones for drainage, soil and hanging plants. Suspend in the same sideways position. The Umweltarena is a worthwhile attraction to visit, particularly if you are planning to do any remodeling. On weekends and some other times you can try out electro-bikes and electric cars as well.

Want to surprise a hostess with an unusually wrapped present? Check out the following website for a video on furoshiki wrapping – a Japanese gift-wrapping technique: www.care2.com/greenliving/eco-friendly-wrapping.html.

When the weather clears and you get outside, celebrate summer by opening your eyes to the fabulous abundance of nature, available for the looking, hearing, smelling and tasting! Even more appreciated after a stay-in-the-house spell.