With the success of the Environmental School in Maple Ridge, it's exciting to know the idea of outdoor education is growing. Danielle Elder has been in the preschool business for more than 20 years and after seeing first hand the changes in her daughter who attended the "Eco School" she began planning a local outdoor preschool for children. Windy Willows Environmental Centre will open this September in Pitt Meadows with an already large support system of Eco School parents. The concept is beautiful in its simplicity....get outside, get dirty, get muddy, play in the rain and learn through all your senses in our exquisite natural world. We at the CEED Centre are excited to watch the next generation of ecological learners get to start at such a young age with such 

I recently read a great article here telling me about the virtues of the humble plantain, a weed you commonly find on lawns and driveways in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. According to the article on the Life Advancer website-- which also advertises broadleaf pesticides, something we advise against using and which is illegal in Maple Ridge according to our Pesticide Control Bylaw--plantain can draw toxins from wasp stings, mosquito bites and slivers on your outside. On your inside, the leaves and seeds can be made into infusions (teas) or chips (like kale chips) that assist your digestive system, especially after courses of antibiotics.  The article makes quite a few