…searching for relevant coupons to the story (just a guilty pleasure of mine )

My friend, TorontoArtsGirl, just published a blog post about rooftop gardens in Toronto.

I started contemplating a rooftop garden of my own when I read Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Year of the Flood’ last December. A darkly funny story about a not so far away future in a society monopolized by corporations, genetic mutations and nearly destroyed by a manufactured virus, one cult called “God’s Gardeners” grew their food on rooftops. Although the novel’s world is somewhat more terrifying than the current Stephen Harper government, this idea appealed not only to the paranoid part of my brain (the part that wants to build a bomb shelter equipped with a library and Ping-pong table) but also to the practical Mennonite side as well. Just think how much sunlight a rooftop garden receives! TorontoArtsGirl’s blog post renewed my interest in this idea–I had no idea that rooftop gardens were so prevalent amongst Toronto’s finest hotels and restaurants. There are rooftop gardens on top of City Hall, the University of Toronto, ROM and Royal York Hotel, you see.

What Do You Need for a Rootop Garden?

This is the part that makes me cringe because you need a flat, water-tight rooftop…and mine is most definitely slanted. Brian and I haven’t had the roof examined for a few years, and who knows, it might be time for a replacement (I can’t believe I’m almost hoping this is the case.) I had heard that flat roof leaks are more common, but an article I read in one of Brian’s handy-manly magazines on commercial roofing informed me that, these days, you can purchase a flat roof that comes with a lifetime warranty. Flat roof repair? Forget about it! Another undeniable benefit of a flat roof is the extra space you will enjoy in the rooms at the top of your house.

Rooftops Should be Green, Or White

I also read that Switzerland has just passed a bylaw ordering all buildings to cover at least 20% of their rooftops–even existing ones. Those Swiss are an interesting, interested, culture, aren’t they? Luckily for us North Americans, we can copy the brilliant innovations in rooftop gardening the Swiss are likely to come up with as a result of their progressive bylaw.

Dr. Steven Chu, from the U.S. Department of Energy announced in November that if our rooftops and roads were white instead of heat-trapping black, it would be the equivalent of removing 11 years’ worth of car exhaust from the atmosphere.

Why Make a Rooftop Garden?

The benefits are pretty obvious. Since I cannot move to Switzerland (unless I do one of those get-rich-quick discount media buyer schemes) all I can do is educate myself and hope my roof needs replacing soon, because there’s no way Brian’s going to go for the flat roof if not. He’s been really interested in these insulated concrete forms lately…I guess it’s a new green construction/insulation technique that reduces the energy spent and chemicals released by heating and air conditioning. Should we just build a new house? Oh boy. I’m digressing, quite uselessly now, so, thank you, TorontoArtsGirl for the inspiration, coupons are below; the benefits of a rooftop gardens are as follows:

-improves air quality
-more time spent outdoors
-boosts the local food economy/movement
-delays rainwater runoff
-increases bird habitats
-increases building value, for owners and tenants
-should create more jobs in the green sector

Printable Coupons Alert: Scroll down to the bottom of my sidebar for a delectable deal!

I have been so busy lately that I’m late (though not too late!) in sharing the latest photo contests on Lenzr. Lenzr is a cross-Canada amateur photo contest that awards amazing prizes. In their last contest, which I entered but unfortunately did not win, there were prizes like iPads, laptops and portable solar kits!  Sometimes I struggle with promoting Lenzr challenges because I want to win so badly that the idea of someone beating me out because I tipped them about the contest is a little…hard to swallow. But I welcome the challenge; at the end of the day, more Lenzr members means more contests and of course, more prizes!

This session’s photo challenges are:

BEST COTTAGE MOMENTS

Participants in the Best Cottage Moments contest are asked to submit photos illustrating easy livin’ at the cottage.

The great thing about Lenzr is that if you have an existing photograph you took in the past that fits with the current theme of a contest, you can use it, provided you can prove it’s yours. Through the years, Brian and I have had some of the best moment of our married and family life at his parent’s Muskoka cottage. Me being the shutterbug that I am (“Mom, hurry UP,” Sam complains when I’m setting up a shot, and April is starting to follow suit, naturally…) I have documented many wonderful cottage memories. I have a great shot of Sam standing on the dock gaping at the snapping turtle (that’s just as big as he was at the time) floating beside the dock in the water. Now I just need to find it.

The prize is a Sony CyberShot H70 Digital Camera.

WEATHER THE STORM

Participants in the Weather the Storm photo contest are asked to submit storm imagery.

I thought this might be fun for April and I to do together as she’s frightened of thunder and lighting. I suggested the challenge and she started to cry, so I told her we’d wait until she felt more comfortable with storms. I also told her that some people spend their lives studying storms: photographing, chasing and reporting them. She seemed a little intrigued, and I realized I was a bit premature in asking her to face her fear. Remember ‘Bloody Mary’? When I was a little girl I used to scare myself silly going into the washroom, turning out the light, and calling her name just twice (three times brought her out of the mirror to haunt you.) I had sufficiently terrified myself and my sister with tales of Mary when my dad grabbed me by the arm, dragged me into the washroom and said it was time for me to see that Mary wasn’t real… He was right, and I was silly to be afraid, but that didn’t make the experience any less traumatizing. Needless to say, April can face the fears that accompany her namesake’s showers at another date.

The prize is a Sony CyberShot H70 courtesy of a commercial roofing company.

WHAT’S IN THE FRIDGE?

Participants in the What’s in the Fridge? photo contest are asked to submit photos of the contents of their fridge!

I am going to put this out there: I REALLY want to win this one because the prize is $500 in groceries! (You know you’re a mom when…) I also think it’s a really funny, quirky concept for a photo contest and can’t wait to see all the finalists in this category. Maybe I’ll try this one today when Sam gets home from school. I’ll clean the fridge in the meantime and let April do the stage blocking

The prize is $500 worth of the groceries of your choice, thanks to my favourite new printable coupons website.

SHINY METAL SURFACES

Participants in the Shiny Metal Surfaces photo contest are asked to submit images of metallic materials reflecting the sun, moon, or artificial light sources.

I think I’m going to photograph my blow-dryer! Hopefully that gets me points for originality.

The prize is a Sony CyberShot H70 Digital Camera made possible by a Canadian metal panels manufacturer.

Lenzr Members begin voting on submitted photos on May 15, 2011. Then the top ten photos advance to Judging on May 25 and the winning photo will be announced June 1, 2011.

Good luck, everyone. And I do mean that.