The weather is certainly changing and I plan on changing with it for 2014.
For proof of global warming, one only has to look out their window this holiday season. As I write this I'm watching a slushy mixture of rain and snow come down and sit on the melting roads. In January. In Vanderhoof.
After a little time spent in the Okanagan this holiday season, where there were several coat-less and balmy afternoons, I have a few New Year resolutions and trying to be more environmentally conscious is one of them.
I’ve found that once you start looking for ways to keep stuff out of the landfill it becomes so easy to produce very little waste, especially in a small household.
Another resolution I have is to take more vitamins, an orange might contain about 60 milligrams of vitamin C. A vitamin pill contains 500 milligrams, you would have to eat eight oranges to get the amount contained in one pill.
I went down to the big, chain grocery store here in town and checked out the prices for oranges and pills and found the following: for $1 you can get from 210 to 217 mg worth of vitamin C from oranges or you can get about 10,000 mg worth of vitamin C from the generic brand of pills. That's a difference of about 50 times the value.
Oranges might be healthier for their fibre and other nutrients but on a budget, pills can be a source of cheap, longer lasting nutrients.
Vitamin D is another important nutrient to be taking, especially in winter and especially if you're a Canadian.
In 2011, Statistics Canada released a report stating that 32 per cent of Canadians do not have high enough concentrations of Vitamin D in their blood. Vitamin D is normally absorbed through the skin from sun exposure but living in higher latitudes with infrequent sunny days causes many to not receive the amount needed for healthy bones.
So I shall be drinking lots of milk as well.
I look forward to continuing to serve the community of Vanderhoof in the months to come and wish everyone a happy New Year.