By Jackie Miller
Sonnenschein Green Initiative, sponsored the Green Evening Café, was Tuesday, June 24 at 6 p.m. at the Emporium Café. Doors opened at 5:30 for the Sonnenschein Marketplace, where local entrepreneurs and vendors sold a variety of baked goods, fresh berries and produce, farm fresh eggs, essential oils & oil blends, health & wellness products, hand-made clothing, and garden amendments.
Cassandra Warner led a discussion around summer gardening. To stay on track with planting, fertilizing, and harvesting your garden, be sure to read Cassandra’s monthly gardening tips in Validity Magazine.
Jennifer English of the Solar Springs Permaculture Farm led the discussion around the main topic of the evening – Keeping Your Cool: How to Beat the Heat This Summer. Jennifer shared concepts based on Permaculture and Ayurveda to naturally cool off your home and body. Did you know that avoiding certain foods – salty, sour, sharp, and pungent – can naturally cool your body?
Emotions and activities can have a cooling/heating effect on your body as well. Taking a cool shower, body spritzers, chilled lotion and towels can help keep your body cool. Choose activities that cool – gardening, swimming, crafts, etc. – during the summer when you can.
Home cooling is influenced by many things under our control. Simply unplugging unused appliances, turning off lights, reducing cooking, cooking outdoors, drying clothes outdoors, attic fans, strategic use of window shades and fans, and turning the temperature on your water heater down can have a tremendous effect on our energy usage and inside temperatures during the summer.
Use awnings, screens & shades, drapes & blinds, and insulation to keep your home cool on these hot summer days. When landscaping your property, planting deciduous trees on the south side of our home can provide shade and cooling in the summer. For more details, on Permaculture and Ayurveda principles, contact Jennifer at 931-796-4874.
The next Green Evening will be Tuesday, July 29th, at 6 p.m. at the Emporium Café. Everyone is invited to participate in our Early Summer Potluck Extravaganza! The focus for the evening will be Local Food. Bring your favorite dish, based on Local Food, either from your garden or local farms, along with your recipe. Bring examples of your Garden Harvest to show off or sell. Come early for the Sonnenschein Marketplace. Doors will open at 5:30pm for the Sonnenschein Marketplace. Come early to support our local entrepreneurs!
Mark your calendar and plan to attend and participate. Drinks will be available for purchase. For more information, contact Jackie at 931-729-3694.