What is the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge? In a nutshell, the goal is to get your family outside as much as possible in order to reap the benefits of unstructured nature play. The advantages include stress reduction, physical exercise, fresh air and fun! Less screen time and more outside time! The aim is to reach 1000 hours within one year but I’m not holding myself to that number. For me, it’s more about working outside play into our lives, whether an hour or five a day, and

It can be tough to align holiday gift giving with eco-goals. While I often strive to buy used, or give perishables, sometimes you don’t know what a person likes/allergies etc, or you just want to buy new for social reasons. For example, while I’d definitely hand Hannah a high-quality used sweater or homemade gluten-free cookies, I want to get my girls’ teachers something new. Enter Concord Handmade. It’s been one of my go-to shops for a few years, because I can find nice pres

There are many reasons why I love writing for GreenLifeNH, but one is that it pushes me to further improve my eco-habits. You can’t talk the talk if you don’t at least try to walk the walk. There are therefore a few lifestyle changes that have been propelled by this site, such as switching to a reusable steel razor, eating less meat, attempting to spend 1000 hours outside and the following attempt: Secondhand October, based on the more popular “Second Hand September.” Friends

I first met Stacey a few years ago in a typical Concord fashion – our daughters were playing with a group of kids at the neighborhood playground. Fast forward to this year, and we ran into her again, this time picking walnuts from a tree in order to make a liqueur. I was so intrigued by her creativity and ability to connect with nature right in downtown Concord! When I heard Stacey was running for City Council, I was excited that we’ll be possibly be getting a new voice that

This fall, I am participating in the UNH Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Program and I am absolutely loving it. This week one of the sessions was on invasive species in New Hampshire and I was astonished to learn that many of the plants and trees I see on a daily basis are not only invasive, but they are incredibly destructive to our native species. Right now, looking out my window, I can see Oriental Bittersweet, which chokes trees and pulls down their branches. I ca

Well, school is back in session and my schedule has gone from zero to a million very quickly. Convenience and time saving hacks come into play, especially when I’m tired and don’t have a lot of energy to get it all done. Yet somehow the weeks are moving forward and I continue with my zero waste habits. Not everyday is perfect, and I have some larger goals I want to attain, but I’m showing that environmentalism and modern-day multitasking can work in tandem. You can juggle it

Today’s “Five Questions With…” interview is with Marie Davis, the founder of Hazel Moon Botanicals. I first met Marie a couple of years ago and have been using her products ever since. My favorite is the bug spray; it’s our yearly tick-repellent and has been keeping my family safe for the past few summers. My kids love the way it smells and I like that it’s DEET free and works! – Rachel 1) Please tell us a little about Hazel Moon Botanicals. What made you want to start it? Do