Earlier this week, I was delighted when a WordPress notification informed me Boomer Eco Crusader had reached 100,000 blog views. Welcome to week 15 of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a sustainable living tip for the week.
In addition to celebrating my blog view milestone, this week I have updates on motionless wind generation, a free sustainable living microlecture series, sustainable wine production, and shampoo bars.
The Sunday Spark – Week 15
On my mind this week: 100,000 blog views!
When I started Boomer Eco Crusader almost 4 years ago, I had no idea how it would go. From the beginning, I decided to focus on content and not worry about stats. Even so, I couldn’t help but be a little excited to see a notification from WordPress this week that Boomer Eco Crusader had reached a milestone of 100,000 all-time blog views.
To some bloggers, that number may seem small. For others, it might seem like an impossible dream. I started this blog as a hobby, with no illusions of getting famous or making money. In four years, I have learned so much. Some of the learning was by trial and error. Most of the learning came from the wonderful and supportive blogging community.
To everyone who has read, liked, shared or commented on one of my posts: Thank You!
Since starting this blog, I’ve discovered a love for writing—and I’m just getting started. Here’s to the next 100,000!
Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.
Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- My mum came over for Easter dinner. Everything was delicious except for my usually no-fail slow cooker stuffing. When I halved the recipe, I miscalculated and added too much broth. It turned into a bit of a soggy mess. Oh well…things can’t be perfect every time.
- We’ve had an unseasonably warm spell this week with temperatures hitting 30C on a couple of days. It’s hard to go from heavy frost to 20+ degrees but it felt good to get the windows open, hang laundry outdoors to dry, and go for walks with no coat.
- The warmer weather brought out the crocuses and daffodils. I love spring flowers.
Three things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
Motionless wind power generation
Wind power is a great source of renewable energy and wind farms are popping up all over the planet. One of the complaints about wind turbines is the noise they make. This week, I was delighted to read about motionless wind power generation. These quiet wind turbines developed by startup Aeromine Technologies are small enough to sit on a rooftop. (Source: Happy Eco News)
York University has a sustainable living microlecture series
York University in Toronto has introduced a new sustainable living microlecture series. It’s a series of short videos on topics ranging from microplastics to renewable energy. Anyone completing the program receives a Sustainable Living Ambassador digital badge.
Of course I signed up and I earned my badge last weekend. Find out more on York University’s website.
The difference between organic and sustainable wine
You’ve probably seen or heard of organic wines, but what about sustainable wine? Sustainable winemaking goes beyond organic farming practices to implement sustainable practices throughout the production, bottling and distribution processes. It minimizes the impact of commercial wine production on the environment. (Source: Biofriendlyplanet.com)
How do you know if your wine is sustainable? Look for a sustainable wine-growing certification like Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario or British Columbia’s SWBC on your next trip to the liquor or wine store.
Sustainable living tip: shampoo bars
Have you tried shampoo bars yet? For me, this is a sustainable swap that took a bit of getting used to but now that I’ve made the switch, I’ll never go back to plastic bottles.
Shampoo bars have come a long way. You’ll find excellent options on the market for all hair types. They’re economical, plastic-free, and many of them don’t contain harmful ingredients.
What are you waiting for? To learn more, check out 5 reasons to swap your bottles for bars.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
Woop woop, congrats on your 100,000th view! That is a major milestone indeed. It really goes to show just what consistency can get you. And you’ve definitely been putting out good work in that regard. Am here to cheer you on. Keep on keeping on!
Thanks Stuart! It is an exciting milestone and one I didn’t think I’d see when I started out. I appreciate you dropping by!
Congratulations on reaching this milestone, Michelle! I love your reflections on what this means to you and how you plan on moving forward.
Thank you so much Layla! I appreciate you being a faithful reader.
Congratulations on that milestone, Michelle!
And I loved your link about motionless wind generators which I had a hard time getting my mind around until I read that. Such an innovative idea!
Thank you Wynne! Yes, the motionless wind generation is fascinating. It has a lot of potential. I love hearing about these kinds of innovations.
Wow blimey! Congratulations! Xx
Thank you. I was pretty amazed when I saw the notification. I appreciate you being a regular reader. 💚
Congratulations on this brilliant milestone! Quiet wind turbines sound ideal.
Thanks Jamie! Yes, hearing about innovations like quiet wind turbines gives me hope.
Congratulations for 100,000 views! About the sustainable wine making, our team of experts has approved a project on that. I think it is very interesting. Once I know more, I will share it with you.
Thanks Cristiana! I appreciate you reading and commenting. I will look forward to hearing more about the sustainable wine-making.
Congratulations, Michelle. We’ve got similar histories, though I have no idea how many views I have . Similar to you, I started my blog about four years ago. I don’t worry about stats either; for me it’s about engaging with people from around the world. This year I’ve backed off a lot (only posting once a month) because I’ve decided to focus my attention on story writing. I’ve loved the challenge of creating a fictional story from scratch. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m about ready to send it out to my beta readers and I’m proud of myself for respecting the process rather than putting it out there before it’s ready.
I’m going to give the shampoo bars a try.
Thanks Pete. I admire you for writing fiction. That’s something I’ve never done—I don’t think I would know where to start. Maybe I will give it a try one day.
Congratulations on 100,000 views 🙂! I’ve been meaning to look up shampoo bars as well. Do you have any favorites that you’d recommend to a newbie to them?
Thanks so much. I have tried several shampoo bars. The ones I like the most are from Lush. They have options for all hair types. I use the “Honey I Washed My Hair” one. My daughter uses “Jumping Juniper”.
Thank you for the recommendations 🙂..will take a look. I need to take the leap and try one of these!
👍awesome
Congratulations on your milestone. Here’s to another 100,000 views. Keep up the good work! 😀🎉
Thanks Rachel! I always appreciate you reading and commenting. I hope you’re having a terrific Sunday!
Thank you. You too. 😀
Oh dear…comment wouldn’t post…sorry if this pops as a duplicate, Michelle! Congratulations on the milestone and thanks for the reminder about shampoo bars! 😉🙂😉
Hi Vicki! I did have a similar anonymous comment pop up right before this one so that was probably it. The gremlins are at it again.
Thanks for your congratulations. Please let me know if you find a shampoo bar you like.
Gremlins….grr! Thank you, Michelle…and will do about the shampoo bar exploration. 😉
Congratulations, Michelle! What an accomplishment! And….thank you for the reminder about shampoo bars. On my list — a switch I want to make. 😉🙂😉
Michelle, congratulations! That’s a lot of people coming to your blog, wow! The lecture series is bookmarked on my computer and as I think we have rain all week it’s the perfect time for it, thanks. Shampoo bars- I’ve been using mine now for a few months and like them a lot. I’ve started with the Foamie brand, manufactured in the UK but distributed here in the US. It’s a mid-cost brand, various hair types (I’m trying fine hair right now) and comes without plastic packaging. I love that it’s designed with a thin cotton string for hanging to dry between uses. The conditioner bar does leave a slight waxy feel but I suspect all bar types do the same. My hair and scalp always feel clean. I did also purchase their normal hair offering to try when these bars disappear, which will be quite some time. The bars are large but they fit nicely in your hands and do lather well.
Hi Deb. I’m so glad you like the shampoo bars. I haven’t heard of that brand. I do think conditioner bars are more of a challenge than shampoo bars. And the bars definitely last forever…which is a challenge when you have one that isn’t really working for you. Have a wonderful Sunday!
Wow, Michelle, what a helpful post! I would like to sign up for the York University Microlecture Series in Sustainable Living: I quickly read the course description: will it provide hands-on suggestions regarding what we can do in our daily lives, or is it more informational? I’ve been toying with the idea of switching to bar shampoos for awhile now so I appreciated the link to your other post. And… motionless wind power generation that can fit on your ROOF??? What IS this sorcery??? 🙂🙂🙂 I can’t wait to hear more about THAT! And finally…100,000 blog views!!! My warmest and sincerest congratulations!!!
Thanks Patti! The microlecture series is more informational with a few suggestions on things to do. The videos are very short but I liked that they opened the door to further thought and learning. It’s also inspring to know that there are thought leaders out there studying these things and trying to make a better world.
I hope you’ll give the shampoo bars a try. If you find one you like, please let me know about it.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Thanks so much Michelle! Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday too. I will let you know if I find a shampoo bar I like 🙂
Congratulations!!! What a milestone 👍👍👍
Thanks Monty. And thanks for being a regular reader! 💚