It's been awhile since you may have heard from us, but after Earth Week and with the number of members on the board being so small, we decided to take a small break.  

If you have any questions, ideas or want to join our team we are here!  

Plan It Green is proud to announce our sponsorship with MYFM Strathroy-Caradoc 105.7 for our Earth Day Simply Run event.  We have also been lucky to bring back Yoga Bliss Fitness for a yoga cool down after your run.  New this year is Equilibrium Balanced Health jumping on board to offer a limited number of massages for after your run.
Thank you all for your support.

We are also proud to announce Jay & the Sour Keys!! This is a cushion concert put on with Strathroy District Arts Council  and has a local musician right from Strathroy, talk about keeping it local! Part of the proceeds will go back into Plan It Green which allows us to try to make Strathroy-Caradoc greener one step at a time.

Jay Rutherford has called Strathroy home for his entire life and has played in various bands since he was a teenager. Jay has been writing children's music for several years and is excited to share it with Strathroy families like yours! His music is fun and energetic with an early rock and roll/blues feel that's easy to sing along to and is great for the whole family. Joining Jay will be his friends and local musicians Mark Chalmers and Steve Kent.

Tickets are available for sale at the Music Spot and are $10 each, or $25 per family.

Stay tuned on our blog for more updates!

Watch for it!  Plan It Green will join forces with Rogers TV this spring for a series of shows based on environment and ecological topics.  Ranging from tips, to profiling a group, individual or company that evoke green practices.  If you would like to be involved in the taping of the show, please email us on how to join the board and help us with this new series.  You can also contact us if you have ideas that you would like to see on the show.  If you are a company and are interested in sponsoring a show(s) drop us a line and we can hook you up.  This is an exciting time for the group and we are looking forward to all our spring activities!

RECYCLE and RE-USE all that you can, from compostable food scraps, to paper, cardboard, bottles, plastic and cans, not just this time of the year, but year round!

2) Decorate with recycled or re-purposed items
3) Buy real trees that can be replanted in spring
4) Buy gifts with less or no packaging
5) Wrap gifts with things from your recycle box (paper, comics)
6) Wear more clothes in your home instead of turning up the heat this holiday season.

If you are wondering what you can do over the holidays to make them "greener" look no further. From December 1st to the 24th we will be posting easy tips that we can all manage. So be sure to stop by and then let us know by emailing with any ones you have implemented.

Tip #1:  If you put outdoor lights up, be sure to use LED (they use a lot less hydro and last longer) and put them on a timer so you never forget to shut them off!

Rather than drive to other neighborhoods to take the kids trick-or-treating, stick close to home this Halloween and walk from house to house to reduce fuel consumption and air pollution.

If you are attending a Halloween party, use public transportation or ride your bicycle.

If traveling by car is really the only way to join in Halloween fun with your family or friends, try carpooling.

We are busy organizing a fashion show for the Live It Up! Health and Eco Expo for November 1st and could use your help!  We need models from age 5 and up! Let us know if you are interested by dropping us an email.  This is a fun evening and all proceeds go to Plan It Green and Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital Foundation!

Plan It Green would like to congratulate fellow board member, Katie Rutherford and Fresh Clothing for receiving the TD Friends of the Environment Award last night at the Chamber of Commerce Gala!

Katie has been with Plan It Green since it's inception and has been instrumental in our growth and commitment to the community and our environment.  Fresh Clothing has also supported the group by donating door prizes for our events.

Congratulations Fresh Clothing!!!

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

Join Plan It Green as we introduce our official Green Caches. Put together a team of adults & children (no more then 2 adults per team) for a cost of only $10 you can be the first to explore our geocaches. With... a race against time, you must use your navigational and quick thinking skills to be proclaimed the winner!!! $50 Sleger's Certificate for 1st place and $20 Coffee Cultures for 2nd Prize.

Each team should ideally have a GPS device or smartphone with GPS capability (make sure to check your data plan before you come out) but if you do not, we will have back-up options for you.

----We will be giving everyone 5-6 Geocaches to find and different levels of clues to get to the GeoCaches. Team back with the best times and points will be winner---Specific rules to come on Game day!

----Please meet us in the Conservation Parking Lot at 12:30 to register and get the rules of the game!

****PLEASE ADVISE US IF YOU HAVE DON'T ACCESS TO ANY DEVICE.

Amazing Geocaching Race doesn't just happen once, it can easily happen on every geocache adventure. Bring a trash bag along with you on your walks in the woods and pick up the occasional piece of trash you see on the trail. Even this small act can make a huge difference.

If you live near Strathroy, you know that the Strathroy Hometown Turkeyfest is a weekend that many people look forward to.  There are many events going on that weekend, check out www.turkeyfest.ca for full information.  Fresh Clothing, a past Plan It Green sponsor, is hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and some of the proceeds from this event is going to Plan It Green.  We will be supplying cold water in front of Fresh Clothing on Friday night for the car show for those who bring their own waterbottles or we will have some biodigradeable cups on hand.  We will be doing the same for the basketball tournament on Saturday.  Be sure to stop by and say hi to us and learn about our upcoming events.

Also, for the first year, with the help of the BRA, we will be bringing recycling to the fest.  Please be sure to use these if you have recycled items.

Turkeyfest is going GREEN, do your part! Don't forget to wear sunscreen and have fun. Gobble Gobble.

Summer tends to be the time of year where we hold many of Eco-kids Events.  This summer will be no different. We have many things planned with a few more surprises up our sleeves. I can’t wait to get out and teach kids to love their environment. Our events are always fun with a slant on how this helps the environment.  Be sure to check back at our website often for new ideas and plans. If you have any suggestions for kids/adults or family events, please contact us.  We are always looking for ways to grow within our community.

We had a very busy and successful April! Thank you to everyone who made it to a event or many events; we could not grow and bring awareness to the community without your support. 
Here is a quick list of the events and stories over the last month. 

• A small group of us went to the Toronto Green Show and what we learned is that no matter how big or how small of a community, we as Strathroy-Caradoc can adopt many of the bigger cities green thinking initiatives; remembering that every small thing helps.  We also saw here many ideas for the next Live It Up Health and Eco Expo, it was a fantastick show. 
• Our Clean It Up Street clean up saw us pick up about 20 bags of garbage from the streets of Strathroy in a two hour stretch.  Just imagine what we could do if this event just gets bigger and bigger.. Our town streets would sparkle!  Watch for a potentional joining of forces next year with Bethel Baptist church as they do a fantastic street clean up as well.
• Our annual library event for the Eco-kids on Tuesday was a huge success with about 23 children coming out to have some fun and learn at the same time.
• On Wednesday of Earth Week we had a representative from the Blue Water Recycling out to do a  seminar and although the tournout was not as we hoped it was a very informative evening and we learned many things that we can pass on.
• Friday was Earth Day and we had our very first 5km Earth Run/Walk and had about 30 people in the run and about 15 more volunteers.  This was a great success for our first year and we hope to have it grow even bigger next year and the years to come. A special thanks to all of our sponsors, we could not have done it without you!
• We ended Earth Week with a Yard Sale which raised over $350 for us.

We, as a group, are very happy with the Earth Week events and successes, and know that we can only go up from here!  We ended that last day of the month helping at the Day for the Arts/Home & Leisure show; making sure that there were extra recycling containers out on the floors. We also had a booth that gave us more exposure to the community.

Our community rocks and we thank you for sharing your enthusiasm for your Planet!!!

April showers are bringing us Earth Month.  While spring is a time for flowers to get ready for bloom and warmer temperatures, it’s obvious that the Earth is also renewing itself. So why not reflect on our own renewal and commitment to our Planet?  We, at Plan It Green, care about the Earth, and you should too. Go Green during the month of April! We will be using Twitter and Facebook to give you 30 simple things you can do to show your love for the Earth.  Also you can share any stories of the things you are doing to show your love for the Earth.   There are many events happening worldwide that bring attention to the Earth. Celebrate World Heritage Day on April 18^th, join in an event in your hometown on Earth Day, April 22^nd, and plant a tree in your backyard on Abour Day, April 29^th.  Plan It Green is very excited for Earth Month and our own activities planned during the month of April. Please join in our excitement and show your love for our Earth.

Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and 2.2 million people took this stand against climate control. Since then, over 50 million people participate in this event and the numbers keep growing!  People from around the world come together for this 1 hr 8:30-9:30 Eastern Standard time shut off their lights together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we have in common - our Planet.

This Earth Hour go, behond the hour and think of other things you can do to make a difference. One by one our actions WILL add up!

Today is World Water Day, take a moment and check out this video and think! Think about what you can do to conserve more everyday.



Water tip:  If you aren’t sure if your showerhead needs an upgrade, try this: Turn on your shower and put a one-gallon bucket below. If it fills in one minute or less, it’s time for a more water-efficient model.

With St. Patrick's Day being a day of "green", we can use this day to do something great for the environment. Every St. Patrick's Day make a pact and Go GREEN! Make this day not only about celebrating the Irish but about celebrating our wonderful planet.  Go Green on St. Patrick's Day and you can help make a Global impact!!!

It was a year ago today, when a group of nine individuals meeting at the Strathroy Legion interested in starting a new environmental group for Strathroy. Our official launch was Earth Day,  but this meeting starting many ideas. Things that Plan It Green has done in 2010:
        - Our official launch party (donating a tree to the town) April 22, 2010
        - Pledge It Green - (ride, walk or carpool) April 23, 2010
        - Eco-Kids Celebration @ library April 24, 2010
        - Clean It Green (garbage pickup) April 25, 2010
        - Eco-Kids Scavenger Hunt June 27, 2010
        - Eco-Kids Play Day July 25, 2010
        - Live it Up Health and Eco Expo October 16, 2010.

We have a lot of events coming up within the next month, be sure to stay tuned!

Hello, and welcome to the new Plan It Green website!  We've got a lot of great things happening with Plan It Green Strathroy-Caradoc in the coming months..  Please check back often!