Healthy Living
Annually more than 100,000 deaths occur just in the US due to alcohol.
Green Living
Refrigerators consume the most electricity in the household, so we should maximize efficiency by keeping the fridge at 37º F and the freezer at 0º F.
Healthy Living
January 31, 2011
Spiritual Living
It takes courage to do what you want. Other people have a lot of plans for you. Joseph Campbell
Healthy Living
February 1, 2011
Spiritual Living
The first and best victory is to conquer self. Plato
Healthy Living
Have a small snack before the cravings hit and you're less likely to pull into that drive-through fast food outlet.
Green Living
Most American households spend 50 to 70 percent of their energy budgets on temperature control, so reducing energy use for heating may be the single most effective way to reduce your home’s contribution to global environmental problems, as well as keep more money in your pocket.
February 2, 2011
Spiritual Living
He who has conquered fear and doubt has conquered failure.
Healthy Living
Consider a supermarket for your fast food break. You can pick up precut and washed fresh fruit or vegetables, yogurt, and even sushi.
Green Living
Believe it or not, it's been estimated that nearly 17% of cars on the road have broken or missing gas caps. What's the big deal? Escaping fumes not only hurt fuel economy but release smog-causing compounds into the air. Avoid air pollution and improving fuel mileage is as easy as replacing a bad gas cap.
February 3, 2011
Spiritual Living
No man's success or health will ever reach beyond his own confidence; as a rule, we erect our own barriers.
Healthy Living
Trying to lose weight...then hold the mayo. A tablespoon of mayonnaise has almost 100 calories...all you are getting is empty calories. Substitute yogurt instead.
Green Living
Riding with your foot on the brake pedal will not only wear out brake pads (which will cost you at the maintenance shop) but can also increase gas consumption by as much as 35%.
February 4, 2011
Spiritual Living
What other people think of me isn't my business, and what I think of other people isn't their business.
Healthy Living
Nutmeg is actually a hallucinogenic. Yes, you can trip on it, but it's said that eating just 0.2 oz of nutmeg could lead to convulsions, and 0.3 oz could lead to seizures.
Green Living
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
February 7, 2011
Spiritual Living
There is no "better" or "worse"; everyone has the necessary gifts and talents for their particular path.
Healthy Living
A new study by the universities of Navarra and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain have found that diets rich in trans-fats - like the kind found in most fast food meals - increase the risk of depression by 50 percent.
Green Living
Keep plants around the house. Plants are amazing at cleaning their environment. Having them in your house can reduce indoor air pollutants by more than half.
February 8, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Carry in your memory, for the rest of your life, the good things that came out those difficulities. They will serve as a proof of your abilities and will give you confidence when you are faced by other obstacles." Paulo Coelho
Healthy Living
Strength training has been shown to prevent bone loss.
Green Living
Move your thermostat down just two degrees in the winter and up two degrees in the summer and you can save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
February 9, 2011
Spiritual Living
Don't push the river....it flows by itself.
Healthy Living
Did you know that vitamin B can help regulate the use of tryptophan?
B3: has been shown to increase REM sleep, help with depression in some cases and a decrease in nighttime awakenings.
B6: is essential in the production of serotonin, the "calming" hormone that helps calm the body before falling asleep.
Folic Acid: Deficiency in folic acid deficient can be found in those with insomnia.
Green Living
You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10 percent.
February 10, 2011
Spiritual Living
Lose your temper and you lose a friend; lie and you lose yourself. Hopi
Healthy Living
Watch your alcohol intake. Excess amounts of alcohol at any time can disrupt sleep patterns and lead to insomnia.
Green Living
For every 100 extra pound carried around, your vehicle loses 1 to 2% in fuel efficiency. So, don't drive around with too much junk in your trunk.
February 11, 2011
Spiritual Living
Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts. Hopi
Healthy Living
Another overlooked fact about cigarette smoking is that the nicotine can keep you awake at night.
Green Living
Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
February 14, 2011
Spiritual Living
Love is the most powerful and still the most unknown energy in the world. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Healthy Living
People who eat an excessive amount of chocolate for comfort run the risk of making their mood worse, says Gordon Parker of the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, Australia.
Green Living
More than a third of all raw materials and fossil fuels consumed in the US are used in animal production.
February 15, 2011
Spiritual Living
We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are. Anais Nin
Healthy Living
A history of anorexia is a major red flag for osteoporosis.
Green Living
It takes 4.8 pounds of grain (fed to cattle) to produce one pound of beef.
February 16, 2011
Spiritual Living
The road to satisfying experiences must necessarily pass through the terrain of discomfort. Gregory Berns.
Healthy Living
Alcohol is a bone-weakener; it leaches calcium, magnesium, and other minerals from your bones.
Green Living
A pound of wheat can be grown with sixty pounds of water whereas a pound of meat requires 2,500 to 6,000 pounds.
February 17, 2011
Spiritual Living
My life has been filled with terrible misfortune, most of which never happened. Michel de Montaigne
Healthy Living
The quickest, most efficient way to cut salt intake is to avoid processed foods. Research shows that most Americans get 75 percent of their sodium not from table salt but from processed food. Key foods to avoid include processed and deli meats, frozen meals, canned soup, pizza, fast food such as burgers and fries, and canned vegetables.
Green Living
Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer estimates that reducing meat production by just 10 percent in the US would free enough grain to feed 60 million people.
February 18, 2011
Spiritual Living
You must first be the change you wish to see in others. Gandhi
Healthy Living
Relax deeply every day to get your nervous system in a state of calm, rest and relaxation.
Green Living
Lousy driving on the highway like jack-rabbit starts and stops and weaving in and out of traffic can add as much as one-third to your overall gas bill.
February 21, 2011
Spiritual Living
The world seems threatening and dangerous to cowards. They seek the false security of a life with no major challenges and arm themselves to the teeth in order to defend what they think they possess. Cowards end up making the bars of their own prison. Paulo Coelho
Healthy Living
Most soybean and cotton grown in the US is genetically engineered (81 percent and 71 percent, respectively). So is about 40 percent of all corn.
Green Living
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.
February 22, 2011
Spiritual Living
When you have managed to overcome grave problems in a relationship, do not spend time remembering the difficult times, concentrate on the joy of having passed yet another of life’s tests. When you emerge from a long period of medical treatment, do not brood on the suffering you endured, think instead of God’s blessing that allowed you to be cured. Paulo Coelho
Healthy Living
Don’t add a sugary, calorie-rich drink to an already unhealthy meal. Water is available everywhere and is good for you. Drinking a large glass of water with your meal will help you feel fuller earlier.
Green Living
Today, all renewables provide just 13 percent of world energy supply, and that share slips to 3 percent if biomass is left out, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) 2010 World Energy Outlook.
February 23, 2011
Spiritual Living
There is such a thing as emotional rubbish; it is produced in the factories of the mind. It consists of pain that has long since passed and is no longer useful. It consists of precautions that were important in the past, but that serve no purpose in the present.
Healthy Living
Vinegar is a natural — and inexpensive — cleaning solution. Simply spray or douse dirty surfaces and wipe off for an easy alternative to harsh cleansers. And it's versatile — vinegar can be used on everything from bathroom tiles to kitchen surfaces and wood floors.
Green Living
It has been projected that if things remain the same, wild horses in America could become extinct in 11 years.
February 24, 2011
Spiritual Living
Someone who never says “no,” thinks of himself as generous, understanding, polite, because “no” is thought of as being nasty, selfish, unspiritual. The Warrior does not fall into this trap. There are times when, in saying “yes” to others, he is actually saying “no” to himself.
That is why he never says “yes” with his lips if, in his heart, he is saying “no”. Paulo Coelho
Healthy Living
Mental illness and memory loss is suffered silently, hidden from view. Yet it touches nearly every one either directly or indirectly; personally or through family members and friends.
• Psychiatric disorders affect 26 percent of our adult population
• Forty percent or 12 million children have some type of psychiatric disorder
• Forty million people have anxiety
• Twenty million people have depression.
• One in ten Americans takes an anti-depressant
• One in ten children or (8 million) take stimulant medications like Ritalin
• Autism rates have increase to 1 in 166 children
Green Living
FISH FARMING, the fastest-growing sector of our global food production system, now accounts for more than 50 percent of the world's seafood supply. But without thoughtful planning and careful regulation, fish farming has the potential to severely harm our ocean ecosystems.
February 25, 2011
Spiritual Living
The greatest discovery of this generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind. Albert Schweitzer
Healthy Living
Detoxification is key to health. In fact, problems with detoxification is one of the roots of illness. The gut is one of the core systems in the body that must be working well for you to be healthy. If you feel lousy, it’s likely you’re toxic.
Green Living
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now predict that the Arctic—a region that includes the North Pole—could be ice-free during the summer months within three decades.
February 28, 2011
Spiritual Living
Only when people realize that they have the power to use their thoughts to lift themselves from misery; only then will their freedom begin. Dr. Thurman Fleet
Healthy Living
You should eat eight to ten servings of colorful fruits and vegetables and specifically include, every day, the family of the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, collards, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, as well as the garlic family, garlic and onions, which help increase sulfur in the body and help detoxification.
Green Living
The world's ocean is overfished, overpolluted, and underprotected. From coral reefs to submarine canyons, in temperate and tropical waters, our ocean needs protection from the increasing impacts of human activities.
March 1, 2011
Spiritual Living
Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon...Live in fragments no longer. Only connect. E.M. Forster
Healthy Living
Fit in some exercise during the day, but don’t exercise strenuously right before bedtime.
Green Living
Summer ice loss in the Arctic has ramifications throughout the year and around the world. While ice reflects the sun's rays back into the atmosphere, open water absorbs this heat, which must then be released in the fall and winter before the ocean can refreeze. The resulting dome of warm air over the pole changes atmospheric wind patterns in the Arctic, allowing outbreaks of cold Arctic air to the south. This "Warm Arctic-Cold Continents" pattern is likely responsible for the recent heavy snow events in the mid-latitudes.
March 2, 2011
Spiritual Living
I arise in the morning torn between the desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. That makes it hard to plan the day. E.B. White
Healthy Living
Establish a “winding down” period in the evenings just prior to bedtime. Try to free your mind of distracting or troublesome thoughts and engage in a relaxing, enjoyable activity like reading or listening to music, or you can try meditation.
Green Living
Scientists predict that the Arctic Ocean will be one of the first regions to feel the effects of ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is a consequence of increased carbon dioxide dissolving from the atmosphere into seawater and forming carbonic acid. Acidification will make it more difficult for shellfish and other marine organisms to create shells and other hard body parts. Acidification could have profound impacts on the tiny animals at the foundation of the Arctic food web. Increases in acidity could result in mass extinctions that fundamentally transform Arctic ecosystems.
March 3, 2011
Spiritual Living
He knows that the Universe functions in the same way as alchemy. Solve et coagula said the masters - “Concentrate and disperse your energies according to the situation.” There are moments when one should act and moments when one should accept. Paulo Coehlo
Healthy Living
Exercise five days a week with a focus on conditioning of your cardiovascular system, strengthening exercises and stretching exercises.
Green Living
One bright spot in environmental conservation in the Artic region came in 2009, when the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council implemented a plan that prohibits commercial fishing in nearly 200,000 square miles of US Arctic waters (twice size of Oregon) unless and until science can demonstrate that fishing would not be harmful. It is one of the largest preventative and precautionary measures in fisheries management history.
March 4, 2011
Spiritual Living
Your task is not to seek for love, but to seek and find all the barriers that you have built against it. Rumi
Healthy Living
Get rid of the white menace, which is white flour and white sugar.
Green Living
President Obama’s Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force recently recognized the Arctic as one of nine priorities, and recommended developing a strategic action plan for the Arctic. The new National Ocean Council (NOC) will develop such a plan to address the Arctic’s changing conditions. This plan is an important opportunity to address more holistically oil, gas, shipping, and fishing issues in this region. Creation of the NOC was a big step, but more work remains.
March 7, 2011
Spiritual Living
A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Healthy Living
There is plenty of research about green tea's health benefits -- particularly its potential to fight cancer and heart disease, lower cholesterol, burn fat, prevent diabetes and stroke, and stave off dementia.
Green Living
No matter where we live, the ocean is our life support system, providing much of the food, water, and oxygen we need to survive. When we compromise the ocean’s health, we compromise our own.
March 8, 2011
Spiritual Living
Technology is not going to save us. Our computers, our tools, our machines are not enough. We have to rely on our intuition, our true being. Joseph Campbell
Healthy Living
A new University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study suggests that blueberries may help reduce belly fat and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
Green Living
In the US, more than ten percent of our land has been set aside as parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas, yet less than one percent of the ocean has such protection.
March 9, 2011
Spiritual Living
When you follow intuition, “the solutions come to you, and you don’t know how or why”. Albert Einstein
Healthy Living
Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.
Green Living
In general, environmentally-friendly products include:
• Items made from recycled materials
• Products sold in bulk with less packaging
• Things that are packaged in reusable or recyclable materials
• Used products
• Energy-efficient items, like “Energy Star” designated electronics and appliances
March 10, 2011
Spiritual Living
The man who believes only what he sees or understands has a mighty small concept of life.
Healthy Living
Constant training takes a toll on your immune system, leaving athletes susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections, but new research suggests that probiotics -- the live active cultures in yogurt -- may help keep you healthy.
Green Living
To reduce the energy consumption of your computer when you’re not using it, download an energy-saving application like the one from Local Cooling or CO2 Saver. Or you can just turn it off.
March 11, 2011
Spiritual Living
Spanish saying: Tell me who you walk with, and I will tell you who you are. Tell me where you walk, and what you do along the way, and I will know your spirit.”
Healthy Living
Of all fresh fruits, Blue Berries (the bluer, the better) have the highest antioxidant capacity. They are very rich in antioxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper (a very effective immune builder and anti-bacterial), selenium, zinc, and iron. Iron promotes immunity by raising hemoglobin and oxygen concentration in blood. By boosting up your immune system, you help to prevent infections, catch colds, and other nasty viral and bacterial communicable diseases.
Green Living
House plants such as the English ivy and peace lilies absorb toxic gases like benzene and formaldehyde in your home.
March 14, 2011
Spiritual Living
It is with the heart that one see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Healthy Living
Fast food diets have been linked to more than obesity; too many burgers and fries may cause asthma in children.
Green Living
Every day, more than 3,000 tons of paper towel waste are produced in the United States alone—and this represents a huge environmental impact. For every ton of paper towels produced, 17 trees are cut down and 20,000 gallons of water are consumed.
March 15, 2011
Spiritual Living
In our unconscious mind we cannot distinguish between a wish and a deed. Sigmund Freud
Healthy Living
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and could play a role in preventing a range of diseases. It's also considered important for maintaining healthy, youthful skin.
Green Living
The most widely quoted statistic about air quality is this: The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air can be two- to five-times more polluted than the air outdoors
March 16, 2011
Spiritual Living
Life is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel. Horace Walpole
Healthy Living
Be aware, though, that celery is one of the foods with the most pesticide residue, so buy organic whenever possible.
Green Living
Never mix a chlorine-based cleanser with an acid-based cleanser, like vinegar or ammonia. Don't even clean the same surface with one and then the other. The result of mixing these two cleansers is potent -- often deadly -- chlorine gas. That's the same chlorine gas that ties counter-terrorism experts up in knots. You don't want it in your house.
March 17, 2011
Spiritual Living
What you are shouts so loudly that I can’t hear what you are saying. Emerson
Healthy Living
Celery for Better Sleep: If all the usual non-medicinal remedies have failed you, try munching some celery for the sedative powers of the phthalides it contains.
Green Living
Right now, humanity overuses and pollutes what little fresh water we have, degrading critical ecosystems worth trillions of dollars. This destruction has real and serious consequences for all of us:
• 1.4 billion people lack reliable access to clean drinking water.
• About 2.6 billion lack access to sanitation.
• And on average, a child dies every 15 seconds from waterborne disease.
March 18, 2011
Spiritual Living
We make our destinies by our choice of gods. Virgil
Healthy Living
Pineapples for Better Digestion: Make a half cup of pineapple part of your routine to reduce intestinal inflammation, speed the breakdown of protein and, most important, reduce gas.
Green Living
Ecotourism is about going lighter on the Earth, by protecting local and global resources, reducing pollution and cultural impact, and supporting local economies and people, especially indigenous populations. It's about enriching your own life through learning and fun, while raising support and awareness for protecting the planet's glorious places
March 21, 2011
Spiritual Living
An old Arabic proverb says: “God judges a tree by its fruits and not by its roots.”
Healthy Living
Natural foods do not contain additives or preservatives, but they may contain ingredients that have been grown with pesticides or are genetically modified. In other words, the ingredients in the ingredient panel will look familiar, but they have not been produced organically. Natural foods are not regulated and do not meet the same criteria that organic foods do.
Green Living
Why does organic cost more?
The truth of the matter is that organic food doesn’t always cost more. Some items, such as coffee, cereal, bread, and even hamburger, may cost the same or even less than their conventional counterparts. And, as the demand for organics continues to grow, the cost will continue to come down. When the cost is higher, consider these facts:
Organic farmers don’t receive federal subsidies like conventional farmers do. Therefore, the price of organic food reflects the true cost of growing.
The price of conventional food does not reflect the cost of environmental cleanups that we pay for through our tax dollars.
Organic farming is more labor and management intensive.
Organic farms are usually smaller than conventional farms and so do not benefit from the economies of scale that larger growers get.
March 22, 2011
Spiritual Living
Consciousness must be a part of nature or, more generally, of reality, which means that, quite apart from the laws of physics and chemistry as laid down in quantum theory, we must also consider laws of quite a different kind. Neils Bohr
Healthy Living
Buying organic food promotes a less toxic environment for all living things. With only 0.5 percent of crop and pasture land in organic, according to USDA that leaves 99.5 percent of farm acres in the U.S. at risk of exposure to noxious agricultural chemicals.
Green Living
Visit an organic farm and you’ll notice something: a buzz of animal, bird and insect activity. These organic oases are thriving, diverse habitats. Native plants, birds and hawks return usually after the first season of organic practices; beneficial insects allow for a greater balance, and indigenous animals find these farms a safe haven. As best said by Aldo Leopold, “A good farm must be one where the native flora and fauna have lost acreage without losing their existence.” An organic farm is the equivalent of reforestation. Industrial farms are the equivalent of clear cutting of native habitat with a focus on high farm yields.
March 23, 2011
Spiritual Living
Through various forms of meditation, the power of the mind or psyche can be enlisted for the purpose of speeding up the healing process.
Healthy Living
Our bodies are the environment so supporting organic agriculture doesn’t just benefit your family, it helps all families live less toxically.
Green Living
No matter the zip code, organic has proven to use less energy (on average, about 30 percent less), is beneficial to soil, water and local habitat, and is safer for the people who harvest our food.
March 24, 2011
Spiritual Living
Everything depends on one’s opinion. We suffer according to our opinion. One is as miserable or as happy as one believes oneself to be. Seneca
Healthy Living
Before a mother first nurses her newborn, the toxic risk from pesticides has already begun. Studies show that infants are exposed to hundreds of harmful chemicals in utero.
Green Living
Mono-cropping and chemical fertilizer dependency has taken a toll with a loss of top soil estimated at a cost of $40 billion per year in the U.S., according to David Pimental of Cornell University.
March 25, 2011
Spiritual Living
I want you young men to always bear in mind that it is the nature of a fire to go out; you must keep it stirred and fed and the ashes removed. General William Booth
Healthy Living
Pepperoni, packaged ham, bologna, and other processed meats contain high amounts of tyramine, a migraine trigger for many people.
Green Living
Industrial agriculture doesn’t singularly pollute farmland and farm workers; it also wreaks havoc on the environment downstream. Pesticide drift affects non-farm communities with odorless and invisible poisons. Synthetic fertilizer drifting downstream is the main culprit for dead zones in delicate ocean environments, such as the Gulf of Mexico, where its dead zone is now larger than 22,000 square kilometers, an area larger than New Jersey, according to Science magazine, August, 2002.
March 28, 2011
Spiritual Living
He knows what he is capable of; he does not have to go about the world boasting of his qualities and virtues. Nevertheless, there is always someone who wants to prove himself better than he is.
For the Warrior, there is no “better” or “worse”: everyone has the necessary gifts for his particular path. But certain people insist. They provoke and offend and do everything they can to irritate him. At that point, his heart says: “Do not respond to these insults, they will not increase your abilities. You will tire yourself needlessly.”
A Warrior of the Light does not waste his time listening to provocations; he has a destiny to fulfill. Paulo Coelho
Healthy Living
In a Yale University study of older adults, people with a positive outlook on the aging process lived more than 7 years longer than those who felt doomed to deteriorating mental and physical health.
Green Living
Envirosearch.org, a new search engine that gives back to the planet. Hurray!
Every time you use Envirosearch to look for something on the internet, revenue from Yahoo! is generated and then used to support environmental programs including a Hatian reforestation project and an Indian mangrove replanting program, about which Envirosearch says, “In just two years alone, our partners in India were able to expand their tree planting to an additional ten communities along the coast of Andhra Pradesh and planted nearly 50,000 trees.
March 29, 2011
Spiritual Living
The Warrior of the Light knows that everyone is afraid of everyone else. This fear generally manifests itself in two ways: through aggression or through submission. They are two facets of the same problem.
That is why, whenever he finds himself before someone who fills him with fear, the Warrior reminds himself that the other person has the same insecurities as he has. He has surmounted similar obstacles and experienced the same problems.
But he knows how to deal with the situation better. Why? Because he uses fear as an engine, not as a brake. Paulo Coelho
Healthy Living
Italian researchers found that eating as little as 1 cup of raw vegetables daily can add 2 years to your life. Why raw? Cooking can deplete up to 30 percent of the antioxidants in vegetables.
Green Living
Mulching with organic mulches such as wood chips, leaves, or grass clippings, does several things. It reduces evaporation, keeping moisture in your soil where you need it. It discourages weeds, and helps keep the root zone of your plants cooler, which makes your plants less stressed. And, as it breaks down, it adds more organic matter to the soil. Mulch everything – vegetables, herbs, perennials, trees, and shrubs, with at least a three-inch layer of mulch.
March 30, 2011
Spiritual Living
Today there is a wide measure of agreement, which, on the physical side of science approaches almost to unanimity, that the stream of knowledge is heading towards a non-mechanical reality. The universe is beginning to look more like a great thought than like a great machine. Werner Heisenburg
Healthy Living
University of Alabama researchers discovered that maintaining a body-mass index of 25 to 35 can shorten your life by up to 3 years. (Excess body fat raises your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer.)
Green Living
Feeding the soil with organic matter instead of ammonia and other synthetic fertilizers has proven to increase nutrients in produce, with higher levels of vitamins and minerals found in organic food, according to the 2005 study, “Elevating Antioxidant levels in food through organic farming and food processing,” Organic Center State of Science Review (1.05)
March 31, 2011
Spiritual Living
Thoughts and mental images are capable of initiating physiologic changes in your body. You can control your own thoughts; you can heal yourself just as you learned to make your body walk. Dr. Irving Oyle
Healthy Living
Already envisioning decades of decrepitude? Volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about: Selfless actions can put a positive spin on life and distract from unhealthy obsessing, reports a study in Psychosomatic Medicine.
Green Living
According to Organic Farming Research Foundation, as of 2006 there are approximately 10,000 certified organic producers in the U.S. compared to 2500 to 3,000 tracked in 1994.
April 1, 2011
Spiritual Living
No experience is bad unless you learn nothing from it.
Healthy Living
In a new study, contamination from food packaging was identified as the main source of exposure to two suspect chemicals — bisphenol-A and phthalates. Cutting canned foods from their diets cut exposures by more than 50%.
Green Living
Measured against the two million farms estimated in the U.S. today, organic is still tiny. Family farms that are certified organic farms have a double economic benefit: they are profitable and they farm in harmony with their surrounding environment. Whether the farm is a 4-acre orchard or a 4,000-acre wheat farm, organic is a beneficial practice that is genuinely family-friendly.
April 4, 2011
Spiritual Living
A Wise teacher once told me: You are not here to be as good as possible. You are here to be as real as possible
Healthy Living
Ice Cream—Sorry, I know just about everyone loves ice cream, but today’s ice cream is not only full of sugar, most of it is also loaded with trans fats, artificial colors and flavors, many of which are known neurotoxins (brain- and nervous-system damaging chemicals). Of course, there are healthier varieties.
Green Living
Freshwater ice melt helps regulate ocean circulation, and the region acts as the air conditioner for the world, reflecting sunlight and helping cool the planet. The gradient of cold air near the pole and warm tropical air near the equator is a primary driver of atmospheric circulation and ocean currents. These currents move energy away from the equator toward the North Pole, where it eventually escapes to space, helping to regulate the Earth's climate.
April 5, 2011
Spiritual Living
Navaho Proverb: It is hard to wake a man who is pretending to be asleep.
Healthy Living
Since the advent of genetically-modified foods, most corn we eat is a health-damaging frankenfood. Corn causes rapid blood sugar fluctuations, which you may notice as mood-swings, weight gain, or irritability, among other symptoms. Most are fried in oils that have turned rancid and are linked to inflammation.
Green Living
As ice cover in the Arctic melts faster than scientists had predicted, the potential for disaster becomes a near-certainty. The effects of climate change in the Arctic—melting sea ice, warming temperatures, rising sea level, and increasing ocean acidity—will very likely cause major physical, ecological, sociological, and economic impacts.
April 6, 2011
Spiritual Living
That’s what happens when you’re angry at people. You make them part of your life. Garrison Keillor
Healthy Living
While not all pizza is bad, most of the commercially available and frozen pizza on the market is full of artificial dough conditioners and preservatives. It is made from white flour that has been bleached and reacts in your body just like sugar, causing weight gain and blood sugar imbalances.
Green Living
Already, families in small coastal villages have been forced to abandon their homes, the sea ice and permafrost literally melting out from under them. Their ocean- and ice-based cultures, once thought timeless, are running out of time.
April 7, 2011
Spiritual Living
The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers. Deepak Chopra
Healthy Living
Not only do French fries typically contain trans fats that have been linked to a long list of diseases, they contain one of the most potent carcinogenic substances in food—acrylamide. Acrylamide is formed when white potatoes are heated at high temperatures. Additionally, most of the oils used for frying turn rancid in the presence of oxygen or at high temperatures, resulting in foods that cause inflammation in the body. And, researchers are discovering that inflammation is a factor in many serious health conditions, including: heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.
Green Living
The clock ticks, as well, for ice-dependent marine mammals like polar bears. Projections show that by the middle of the century, two-thirds of the world's polar bears will likely be gone, and the US population will be lost.
April 8, 2011
Spiritual Living
Laughter is not only good medicine, it's freedom.
Healthy Living
Potato chips offer all the health benefits (none) of French fries, but according to Health Canada, potato chips typically contain the highest levels of acrylamide, which is a carcinogen.
Green Living
Cleanup data tell us that an estimated 60-80 percent of marine litter starts out on land. Lakes, rivers, streams, and storm drains, helped by the wind and rain, transport litter hundreds of miles to the ocean. And ocean currents and winds carry that marine debris all around the globe. Trash travels through time as well; estimates vary, but some items may last hundreds or even thousands of years in the water.
April 11, 2011
Spiritual Living
What other people think of me isn’t my business, and what I think of other people isn’t their business.
Healthy Living
Sorry bacon lovers. According to research in the journal, Circulation, daily consumption of processed meats like bacon can increase the risk of heart disease by 42 percent and diabetes by 19 percent. A study at the University of Columbia found that eating bacon 14 times a month was linked to damaged lung function and an increased risk of lung disease.
Green Living
About 75 percent of the water used in the average home is used in the bathroom, according to the California Energy Commission.Leaving the water running while we brush our teeth or wash our faces only increases that number. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at night can save a whopping 8 gallons of water per day, according to the EPA. That’s 240 gallons of water every month!
April 12, 2011
Spiritual Living
The reason you are here is that you may develop spiritually; and the way to do that is to meet the challenge of practical life. You do not develop spiritually by running away from life.
Healthy Living
A study at the University of Hawaii found that consumption of hot dogs and other processed meats increased the risk of pancreatic cancer by 67 percent. One of the ingredients found in both bacon and hot dogs is sodium nitrite. This carcinogen has been linked to leukemia in children and brain tumors in infants. Other studies show that sodium nitrate also promotes colorectal cancer.
Green Living
Junk mail is seriously annoying, but how much paper is really being wasted by the endless flow of circulars, promotional fliers and copies of the same bill? The answer is – a whole lot. You can cut back on the junk mail on your doorstep by switching to paperless billing.
The numbers: The amount of junk mail Americans receive every day could heat 250,000 homes, according to the National Park Service. And the EPA says we each use approximately one 100-foot-tall Douglas fir tree in paper each year – that’s bigger than the Rockefeller Christmas Tree.
April 13, 2011
Spiritual Living
Awareness of what we are doing to ourselves - awareness of how we sabotage ourselves - starts the process of change.
Healthy Living
Most doughnuts are 35 to 40 percent trans fats—the worst kind of fat you can eat. Trans fats are linked to heart and brain diseases as well as cancer. That’s before you consider the sugar and artificial dough conditioners and food additives many doughnuts contain. The average doughnut also contains about 300 calories.
Green Living
Not to knock Thomas Edison, but those incandescent light bulbs just have to go. Making the switch to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs is a super-simple way to green up your home, but how much energy do they really save?
The numbers: CFLs use only 32 watts of electricity – that’s one-third the wattage of their incandescent counterparts. Making the simple switch in your home will cut out 300 pounds of carbon emissions every year, according to CutCO2.org.
April 14, 2011
Spiritual Living
No matter what problems you may have to face today, there is a solution because you have nothing to deal with but your own thoughts.
Healthy Living
According to research reported by Dr. Joseph Mercola, “one can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites.” That alone should make you rethink your soda habit. But, soda is also extremely acidic. It takes over 30 cups of pH-balanced water to neutralize the acidity of one cola. This acid residue can be extremely hard on the kidneys since they have to filter it. Additionally, the bones act as mineral reservoirs. Alkaline minerals like calcium are dumped into the blood to help neutralize acidity, which can weaken the bones over time. In studies, soda is also linked to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay, and heart disease.
Green Living
A leaky faucet or a running toilet may not seem like a big deal, but repairing your leaks right away actually saves loads of water. If you can’t figure out how to fix a leaky faucet without a plumber, put a bowl under the leak to catch the dripping water, and use it in the kitchen or to water your house plants. For a running toilet, simply turn the water valve off until you can get it repaired.
The numbers: A leaky faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water every year, and a running toilet wastes about 200 gallons a day, according to the EPA.
April 15, 2011
Spiritual Living
The laws of thoughts are the laws of destiny.
Healthy Living
Not only does diet soda contain most of the problems of regular soda, it contains aspartame, now called AminoSweet. According to research by Lynne Melcombe, author of Health Hazards of White Sugar, aspartame is linked to the following health conditions: anxiety attacks; binge-eating and sugar cravings; birth defects; blindness; brain tumors; chest pain; depression; dizziness; epilepsy; fatigue; headaches and migraines; hearing loss; heart palpitations; hyperactivity; insomnia; joint pain; learning disabilities; PMS; muscle cramps; reproductive problems; and even death. Aspartame’s effects can be mistaken for Alzheimer’s disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, epilepsy, Epstein-Barr virus, Huntington’s chorea, hypothyroidism, Lou Gehrig’s disease; Lyme disease, Ménière’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and postpolio syndrome.
Green Living
Polystyrene cups and plates are commonplace at many family gatherings and neighborhood barbeques, and foam to-go boxes at restaurants are almost impossible to avoid. But these products are difficult to recycle, especially once they’ve been contaminated with food residue.
The numbers: Each year, Americans throw away 25 million polystyrene foam cups. That’s enough to circle the earth 436 times, according to the Oberlin College Resource Conservation Team.
April 18, 2011
Spiritual Living
He who has not looked on sorrow will never see joy. K. Gibran
Healthy Living
The '100% Organic' label means that products can contain only organically produced ingredients. 'Organic' means that 95% of the ingredients listed must be organically grown.
Organic certification is government regulated and does not permit the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering and other excluded practices.
Green Living
It’s easy to zone out for a few extra minutes during a morning shower, but you can save way more water than you think by cutting a few minutes off your tub time.
The numbers: Depending on your showerhead, you use 10-25 gallons of water every five minutes you spend in the shower, according to the EPA. So, you could be saving up to 5 gallons for every minute you shave off your shower time!
April 19, 2011
Spiritual Living
The mind is everything; what you think, you become. Buddha
Healthy Living
Fair Trade Certified: This label helps to ensure that farmers are paid fair, above-market prices for their products. It also guarantees that farm workers are paid fairly for their labor.
Green Living
When it comes to reheating or defrosting small amounts of food, it can be tricky to tell if opting for the microwave actually saves energy over using a stove or oven.
The numbers: According to EPA estimates, if you’re reheating or thawing a small amount of food, you’ll use 50 percent less energy by putting it in the microwave over a conventional stove or oven.
April 20, 2011
Spiritual Living
Make yourself nests of pleasant thoughts. Ruskin
Healthy Living
Certified Naturally Grown: This label is used on items produced on smaller farms that use USDA Certified Organic methods and sell locally; it's like USDA Certified Organic Lite. Small-scale farmers who use this eco-friendly label do so to emphasize the natural farming methods used to grow your food.
Green Living
It’s easy to throw some plastic wrap on some leftovers and stick them in the fridge. Storing them in a reusable container you’ll have to wash later may seem like more trouble than it’s worth, especially when that piece of plastic wrap looks so small and insignificant, but the numbers add up.
The numbers: According to the National Park Service, America produces more than 250,000 square miles of plastic wrap every year – enough to shrink wrap the state of Texas.
April 21, 2011
Spiritual Living
An old saying: “Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make angry”.
Healthy Living
Our nation is now reaping the results of four generations of exposure to agricultural and industrial chemicals, whose safety was based on adult tolerance levels, not on children’s. According to the National Academy of Science, “neurologic and behavioral effects may result from low-level exposure to pesticides.” Numerous studies show that pesticides can adversely affect the nervous system, increase the risk of cancer, and decrease fertility.
Green Living
Plastic water bottles are super convenient, and it can be tough to completely eliminate them from your daily routine. But cutting back on how many you use and remembering to recycle your plastics every time can make a sizeable dent in U.S. plastic consumption.
Use a stainless steel water bottle to cut back on your need for plastics, and keep a designated place in your car or desk for plastic bottles you’re finished with but have no place to recycle. Take them home at the end of the day, and throw them in your curbside bin.
The numbers: Americans use 25 billion plastic bottles every year, according to the Oberlin College Resource Conservation Team. If every American household eliminated or recycled just one out of every 10 plastic bottles they used, it would keep 200 million pounds of plastic out of landfills each year.
April 22, 2011
Spiritual Living
Really there are only two feelings that a human can have, namely love and fear. Joy, interest, the feeling of success and accomplishment, the appreciation of art, are allotropic forms of love. In the same way, anger, hatred, jealously criticism, egotisim, are all allotropic forms of fear.
The great difference between the two feelings is that love is always creative, and fear is always destructive.
Healthy Living
Scientists now know what we eaters have known all along: organic food often tastes better. It makes sense that strawberries taste yummier when raised in harmony with nature, but researchers at Washington State University just proved this as fact in lab taste trials where the organic berries were consistently judged as sweeter. Plus, new research verifies that some organic produce is often lower in nitrates and higher in antioxidants than conventional food.
Green Living
Most of us don’t think too much about using the dryer. It’s quick and easy, and depending on where you call home, you can’t very well use a clothesline in the winter without getting your garments in a pretty stiff situation. Even if you use an energy efficient dryer, giving it a rest from time to time will seriously cut back on your energy use.
The numbers: If you air dry your clothes for only six months out of the year, you can cut down 700 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, according to CutCO2.org.
April 25, 2011
Spiritual Living
Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain!
Healthy Living
Cloned food. GMOs and rBGH. Oh my! Interesting how swiftly these food technologies were rushed to market, when organic fought for 13 years to become federal law. Eleven years ago, genetically modified food was not part of our food supply; today an astounding 30 percent of our cropland is planted in GMOs. Organic is the only de facto seal of reassurance against these and other modern, lab-produced additions to our food supply, and the only food term with built in inspections and federal regulatory teeth.
Green Living
To reduce the amount of waste you produce, buy products in returnable and recyclable containers and recycle as much as you can. The energy saved from recycling a single aluminum can operate a television for three hours!
April 26, 2011
Spiritual Living
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. Dalai Lama
Healthy Living
Make your own beauty products to keep harmful chemicals off of your skin. Homemade creams, soaps and other products can be just as luxurious and fragrant as their commercial counterparts but you can avoid artificial chemicals – and the headache of dealing with all that packaging waste.
Green Living
Do you opt for paper or plastic when at the grocery store? Neither is a good choice. Twelve million barrels of oil were used to make the 88.5 billion plastic bags consumed in the United States last year. And it takes four times more energy to make paper bags.
The best choice is reusable shopping bags made of cotton, nylon or durable, mesh-like plastic. Put a few reusable shopping bags in your car so you have them handy on your next shopping trip. And if you happen to forget your reusable bag (as we all do!), choose paper if you will recycle it or plastic if you will reuse or recycle it.
April 27, 2011
Spiritual Living
If not now....when? If not you...who?
Healthy Living
Although beauty products don't have to list their ingredients, they often contain pthalates, formaldehyde, parabens and other chemicals that have been shown to harm animals in lab tests, and which are being phased out in Europe in favor of less toxic alternatives. Prenatal exposure to pthalates, for example, has been linked to liver and kidney damage and effects on baby boys' reproductive organs, and the chemical has been implicated in male obesity. The CDC found the potentially harmful sunscreen ingredient oxybenzone in 97% of Americans tested.
Green Living
You don't want any nasty stuff getting into our fragile waterways, do you? That's what happens when cosmetics and personal care products are washed down the drain. Frogs and aquatic life are highly susceptible to damage from even minute contamination.
April 28, 2011
Spiritual Living
God sleeps in the minerals, awakens in plants, walks in animals, and thinks in man. Arthur Young
Healthy Living
Thyme for a cough: Add three tablespoons of dried thyme to one pint of boiling water. Let cool, then add one cup of honey. Take one teaspoon every hour as needed. You can store the mix in the fridge for up to three months.
Green Living
Did you know that it takes 26 bottles of water to produce the plastic container for a one-liter bottle of water, and that doing so pollutes 25 liters of groundwater? Don’t leave a trail of plastic water bottles in your wake! Stop buying bottled water. Use reusable water bottles instead made from materials like stainless steel or aluminum that are not likely to degrade over time. If you choose a plastic water bottle, check the number on the bottom first: Plastics numbered 3, 6 and 7 could pose a health threat to you, so look for plastics numbered 1, 2, 4 or 5.
April 29, 2011
Spiritual Living
The ways in which people treat animals will be reflected in how people treat one another. William Greider
Healthy Living
If you're thirsty, drink water. Not soda or juice.
Green Living
Each year, 19 billion catalogs are mailed to American consumers. All those catalogs require more than 53 million trees and 56 billion gallons of wastewater to produce -- and many of us don't even know how we got on so many mailing lists! So grab that stack of catalogs piling up on your coffee table and clear out the clutter. Visit CatalogChoice.org to put a stop to unwanted catalogs. Within 10 weeks, your mailbox will be empty of unwanted catalogs. A less cluttered mailbox means less pollution, less waste and less of the pollution that causes global warming.
May 2, 2011
Spiritual Living
Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom. Tagore
Healthy Living
Sunscreen – not only does it protect you from skin damage and sunburn, but it’s also a valuable weapon in the fight against skin cancer. Unfortunately, too often, people use too little, or the wrong kind, and end up doing more damage. And while the FDA is finally putting into place federal sunscreen regulations, you won't be seeing products approved to more-strict FDA standards until 2012. That’s why it’s critical that you think about and research the creams you put on your skin, just as you would the food you put in your body.
Green Living
Many natural detergents today are made to clean clothes just as effectively in cooler water temperatures. Choose detergents and other laundry products that are plant-based, concentrated and biodegradable.
May 3, 2011
Spiritual Living
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. Tagore
Healthy Living
This year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) looked at more than 1,400 skincare products including 500 sunscreens specifically designed for sport and beach use. What the EWG found was shocking: around 60 percent of those 500 sunscreens contain oxybenzone – a potentially harmful hormone-disrupting compound that penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream. The EWG also warns against sunscreens containing retinyl palmitate, a type of vitamin A found in 41 percent of sunscreens. The FDA is investigating whether retinyl palmitate accelerates skin damage and increases skin cancer risk when applied to skin exposed to sunlight.
Green Living
Did you know that only 10 percent of the energy used by a typical washing machine powers the motor? About 90 percent of the energy is used to heat the water, and most clothes will come clean in cold water. So switch your washing machine's temperature setting. For heavily soiled clothing, change it from hot to warm, but otherwise try to wash and rinse most of your clothing in cold water.
May 4, 2011
Spiritual Living
I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present. Tagore
Healthy Living
According to the Environmental Working Group's 2010 study only 8 percent - or 39 - of the 500 sunscreens tested are recommended. Zinc oxide provides protection from UVA/UVB rays, while extra virgin olive oil, jojoba oil, cocoa butter and shea butter keep the skin moisturized.
Green Living
The second biggest household energy user, after the refrigerator, is the clothes dryer. Overdrying your clothes can end up costing you money as well. (As much as $70,000 over your lifetime, according to the Green Cheapskate.) An electric dryer operating an extra 15 minutes a load can cost you up to $34 a year in wasted energy; a gas dryer, $21 a year. When using the dryer, clear the lint filter after each load and dry only full loads of clothes. Dry heavy fabrics separately from lighter ones, and don't add wet clothing in the middle of the drying cycle. And remember that hanging clothing outside in the sun and air to dry is the most energy-efficient method -- or use a folding indoor rack all year long.
May 5, 2011
Spiritual Living
It is better to be alone but sane than to remain in a relationship that gnaws on your sanity.
Healthy Living
For sunscreen, a sky-high SPF doesn’t necessarily guarantee better protection. The FDA says that claims of SPF of more than 50 cannot be substantiated.
Green Living
Most of us would be surprised to find out that one in every five toilets leak, and since the leaks are usually silent, you probably have no idea if your toilet is leaking. A leaking toilet can waste anywhere between 30 and 500 gallons of water every day, so any leak should be repaired. To see if your toilet is leaking, put a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. If the dye shows up in the toilet bowl after 15 minutes or so, the toilet has a leak. Leaking is usually caused by an old or poorly fitting flapper valve, which can be replaced by any amateur.
May 6, 2011
Spiritual Living
It is not spiritual to “put up” with inharmonious conditions.
Healthy Living
One sunscreen product for children is the Tru Kid stick's glide-on formula ($8.99). This product is quick and easy to apply, waterproof, and gives their tender skin the protection it needs. Mineral ingredients micronized titanium dioxide and micronized zinc oxide offer broad spectrum protection, along with mostly organic ingredients including soybean oil, sweet almond oil, Vitamin E and other natural plant ingredients to moisturize and soothe.
Green Living
Believe it or not, switching to recycled toilet paper can change the world. If every household in the United States bought just one four-pack of 260-sheet recycled bath tissue, instead of the typical tissue made from virgin fiber, it would eliminate 60,600 pounds of chlorine pollution, preserve 356 million gallons (1.35 billion liters) of fresh water and save nearly 1 million trees. And the best news is that a four-pack of recycled toilet paper costs about the same as a four-pack of conventional toilet paper.
May 9, 2011
Spiritual Living
I have had a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. Mark Twain
Healthy Living
Some great foods for on-the-go are walnuts, apples, strawberries, bran flakes, sunflower seeds, bananas, dried tart cherries, natural peanut butter, blackberries, grapes, blueberries, and oranges.
Green Living
No matter how you look at it, paper towels create waste. During your next trip to the grocery store, buy some reusable microfiber towels, which grip dirt and dust like a magnet, even when they get wet. When you are finished with them, toss the towels in the wash and reuse them again and again.
May 10, 2011
Spiritual Living
Beauty is that which attracts your soul, and that which loves to give and not to receive. Kahlil Gibran
Healthy Living
Spend 30 minutes a day doing cardiovascular exercise (walking, jogging, biking, etc.) for health benefits, and an hour five times a week for weight loss. Try going for a 10-minute walk in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening to accumulate your 30 minutes.
Green Living
If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100 percent recycled ones, we could save 544,000 trees.
May 11, 2011
Spiritual Living
The most worthwhile life is spent discovering your spiritual core and building your existence upon it. Deepak Chopra
Healthy Living
Chlorpyrifos is still used widely on farms that grow food, and it is routinely detected as "pesticide residue" on a range of crops sold widely in the U.S. Whether or not exposure from food residues poses a significant health threat is an open question, but many pregnant women and parents of young children are turning to organic foods grown without the use of pesticides to minimize any risk. Here are the foods most likely (greater than 10% chance, based on the latest testing data) to be contaminated with chlorpyrifos (though sometimes at very low levels): apples, imported sweet bell peppers, peaches, domestic almonds, plums, imported catfish, imported nectarines, cranberries, imported grapes, imported spinach, domestic corn grain, domestic soybean grain, and imported pears.
Green Living
If you have dishwasher, use it. Running a fully loaded dishwasher -- without prerinsing the dishes -- can use a third less water than washing the dishes by hand, saving up to 10 to 20 gallons of water a day. Simply scrape large pieces of food off your dishes and let the dishwasher handle the rest. And by using the air-dry setting (instead of heat-dry), you will consume half the amount of electricity without spending a dime.
May 12, 2011
Spiritual Living
Naturalness and simplicity are the touchstones of wisdom. Deepak Chopra
Healthy Living
Leafy Greens for a Nosebleed: Dry indoor air, coupled with a sneeze, can be a recipe for nosebleeds. A daily cup of leafy greens can provide enough vitamin K to fortify sensitive capillaries and help your blood clot quickly.
Green Living
As one of the biggest appliances in your kitchen, the refrigerator is also one of the most power hungry, accounting for 10 to 15 percent of the average home energy bill each month. Get your fridge running in tip-top shape. First, set the refrigerator thermostat to maintain a temperature between 38 and 42 degrees (F). This temperature will protect your food from spoiling while saving electricity. Twice a year, clean the condenser coil at the back of your fridge. Condenser coils tend to get dusty, making them less efficient.
May 13, 2011
Spiritual Living
You drown not by falling into a river but by staying submerged in it. Paulo Coehlo
Healthy Living
How to avoid headaches: If the foot traffic at the mall gives you a headache, fortify yourself ahead of time with this natural remedy: a simple salad. Phytonutrients in fresh produce, like the beta-carotene in carrots, can reduce inflammation in the blood vessels of the brain. Eating two cups a day can help some people reduce headache incidence by 70 percent!
Green Living
Did you drop your cell phone in water? One remedy to save it is to take the battery out, dry it with a towel, and then put the battery in a bag of rice. Make sure the battery is completely covered with the rice, seal the bag and let it sit overnight. The rice will absorb the mositure. Try it..it works!
May 16, 2011
Spiritual Living
When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
Cree Prophecy
Healthy Living
Natural Anxiety Remedies: Lavender can help. Apply lavender oil or a sachet to your pulse points — the arteries at your wrists, neck and feet are a good start — for a subtle soothing experience. Other natural anxiety remedies include sipping chamomile or black tea, or bathing in hot water sprinkled with dry valerian root.
Green Living
Until recently, almost all dry cleaners used a cancer-causing chemical called perchloroethylene, also known as Perc or TCE. Traces of this toxic chemical remain on your clothes after dry cleaning and will evaporate into the air in your car or home. If you have to use a traditional dry cleaner, take your dry cleaning out of the plastic and air it outside or near a window before hanging it in your closet. To avoid the need for dry cleaning at all, make customer care a part of your clothing purchase decisions and choose fabrics that don't require dry cleaning at all.
May 17, 2011
Spiritual Living
I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, but rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man.
Sun Bear of the Chippewa Tribe
Healthy Living
Tomatoes for Burns: For minor burns, slice a tomato and apply it to the burn, allowing the juice to fully dry. Tomatoes have nature's biggest dose of lycopene, an antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory properties.
Green Living
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, is warning salon workers that they could be exposed to unhealthy levels of formaldehyde when performing "Brazilian Blowouts," and similar popular keratin hair treatments.
May 18, 2011
Spiritual Living
Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture your heart.
Old Indian Saying
Healthy Living
Recent research suggests that carb blends (foods containing fructose and glucose) may be superior to straight glucose for boosting energy during endurance activities. Consider honey: like sugar, it naturally has equal parts fructose and glucose, but it also contains a handful of antioxidants and vitamins.
Green Living
If you want to be successful as a natural, organic gardener, you may need to think differently about your garden.
Organisms in the soil have the same needs we do: to drink, breathe, eat, digest and excrete. When the soil is healthy, fed with natural materials and not compacted, those natural processes allow fertilization and growth to happen the way Mother Nature intended. Organic fertilizer is actually soil food that nourishes the organisms, whereas chemical fertilizer feeds plants directly — but much of the chemical fertilizer runs off into lakes, oceans, rivers and groundwater. Growing grasses and other plants in healthy, living soil will make the plants more drought-tolerant, disease-resistant and maintenance-free.
May 19, 2011
Spiritual Living
The world is a looking glass and gives back to every man the reflection of his own thoughts. Thackeray
Healthy Living
Blueberries neutralize free radicals which can affect disease and aging in the body. Blueberries are laden with anti oxidants and rank number 1 in the world of anti oxidants. This is mainly due to the presence of Anthocyanin, a pigment responsible for the blue color of the blueberries. The abundance of vitamin-C is also a big factor for this as well.
Green Living
Never spend money on any fertilizer or soil amendment for your lawn or garden without first consulting the results of a soil test.
These diagnostic results — available from virtually all Cooperative Extension offices across the U.S. — will tell you exactly how much N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus) or K (potassium), lime, sulphur or other nutrients to add. Too much nitrogen and phosphorus can harm oceans, lakes, rivers and drinking water. Other excess nutrients can weaken and even kill grass and other plants.
May 20, 2011
Spiritual Living
All substance is one and connected, whether in the visible or invisible.
Healthy Living
Blueberries have also been proved to preserve vision: Blueberry extract, high in compounds called anthocyanosides, has been found in clinical studies to slow down visual loss. They can prevent or delay all age related ocular problems like macular degeneration, cataract, myopia and hypermetropia, dryness and infections, particularly those pertaining to retina, due to their anti-oxidant properties.
Green Living
Compost naturally provides the nutrients your lawn and garden need to grow and stay healthy — and you can easily make your own from kitchen and yard waste.
If you're not sure your compost is up to snuff, you can test it. And if you aren't up for making your own, you can often find it from your town transfer station (just be sure it isn't made with herbicide-laced grass or sewage sludge).
May 23, 2011
Spiritual Living
"There is no remedy for love but to love more." Thoreau
Healthy Living
One benefit of getting outdoors is that your vitamin D levels rise. Sunlight hitting the skin begins a process that leads to the creation and activation of vitamin D. Studies suggest that this vitamin helps fight certain conditions, from osteoporosis and cancer to depression and heart attacks.
Green Living
Oil palm cultivation is a significant driver of tropical forest destruction across Southeast Asia. Palm oil plantations currently cover around 13 million hectares worldwide, producing 40 million tons a year. Malaysia and Indonesia account for around 56% of this cultivated area and 80% of production. Between 1960 and 2000, global palm oil production increased 10-fold (from 2 million tons in 1960 to 24 million tons in 2000). As well as biofuel, palm oil is used in food additives, cosmetics and industrial lubricants.
May 24, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." Lao Tzu
Healthy Living
Set a goal to spend more time outdoors and you'll get more exercise. If you make getting outside a goal, that should mean less time in front of the television and computer and more time walking and doing other things that put the body in motion.
Green Living
Expansion of oil palm cultivation could also have an impact on the climate. According to research by scientists at the Woods Hole Research Center, the 2.3 million square kilometers of land in the Brazilian Amazon suitable for oil palm cultivation store 42 billion tons of carbon.
Conversion of primary forest to plantations releases at least 60 percent of above-ground biomass.
May 25, 2011
Spiritual Living
"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but my seeing an imperfect person perfectly." Sam Keen
Healthy Living
Did you know that you'll be happier if you spend more time outdoors? Light tends to elevate people's mood, and there's usually more light available outside than in. Physical activity has been shown to help people relax and cheer up, so if being outside replaces inactive pursuits with active ones, it might also mean more smiles.
Green Living
A new study of the potential ecological impact of various management strategies found that very little can be done to make palm oil plantations more hospitable for local birds and butterflies. The findings have major implications for the booming market in biofuels and its impact on biodiversity.
Dr Lian Pin Koh of ETH Zürich looked at the number of birds and butterflies in 15 palm oil plantations in East Sabah, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. He found that palm oil plantations supported between one and 13 butterfly species, and between seven and 14 species of bird. Previous research by other ecologists found at least 85 butterfly and 103 bird species in neighbouring undisturbed rain forest.
May 26, 2011
Spiritual Living
"True love begins when nothing is looked for in return." Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Healthy Living
Getting outdoors also improves your concentration. Children with ADHD seem to focus better after being outdoors. It might be a stretch to say that applies to adults, but if you have trouble concentrating, outdoor activity may help.
Green Living
Palm oil, used in food, cosmetics, biofuels and other products, is now the world's leading vegetable oil. It is derived from the fruit of the oil palm, grown on more than 50,000-square miles of moist, tropical lowland areas, mostly in Malaysia and Indonesia. These areas, once covered in tropical rainforest, the globe's richest wildlife habitat on land, are also home to some of the most threatened species.
May 27, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." Aristotle
Healthy Living
Spending time outdoors may help you heal faster. In one study, people recovering from spinal surgery experienced less pain and stress and took fewer pain medications when they were exposed to natural light. An older study showed that the view out the window (trees vs. a brick wall) helped recovery in the hospital.
Green Living
In Indonesia, local organizations are using satellite technology and the internet to investigate illegal forest clearance by oil palm companies and to put public pressure on them to improve.
These initiatives will help, but unless they are scaled up and better supported by stronger government action against deforestation, damage to rainforests and their unique wildlife will continue.
May 31, 2011
Spiritual Living
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller
Healthy Living
We can begin to change the food culture of this country by changing how we feed and educate our children.
Green Living
The National Park System of the United States is run by the National Park Service, a bureau of the Department of the Interior. Yellowstone, which was opened in 1872, was the first national park in the world. The system includes not only the most extraordinary and spectacular scenic exhibits in the United States, but also a large number of sites distinguished either for their historic importance, prehistoric importance, or scientific interest, or for their superior recreational assets. The National Park System is made up of 376 areas covering more than 83 million acres in every state except Delaware. It also includes areas in the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
June 1, 2011
Spiritual Living
Where trust is, love can flourish. Barbara Smith
Healthy Living
If the government is going to subsidize any foods, it should be healthy foods: fruits, nuts, and vegetables – not high-fructose corn syrup and corn-based cattle feeds.
Green Living
Our national parks provide some of the best, and sadly some of the last, remaining habitats for countless species. In fact, one-third of endangered and threatened species in our nation can be found within park boundaries.
But many of our national parks are being impacted by nearby development, pollution, recreational uses, and other human activities. Our parks and our wildlife are in jeopardy.
June 2, 2011
Spiritual Living
Let your heart guide you, it whispers, so listen closely. From "The Land Before Time"
Healthy Living
Obesity may soon surpass tobacco as the number-one cause of preventable death in the United States.
Green Living
Everglades National Park is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live side-by-side. In fact, it was the first national park that was preserved because of its diverse wildlife.
June 3, 2011
Spiritual Living
Life without love is like a tree without blossom and fruit. Kahlil Gibran
Healthy Living
Animal Feed – you are what you eat … and what they eat. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, seventy percent of all antimicrobials used in the United States are fed to livestock. This accounts for twenty-five million pounds of antibiotics annually, more than eight times the amount used to treat disease in humans.
Green Living
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It was created 7,700 years ago when the 12,000-foot high Mount Mazama collapsed after a huge eruption.
June 6, 2011
Spiritual Living
Love is when you see the world in their eyes and their eyes everywhere in the world. Christina Schriver
Healthy Living
While super-convenient and easy to clean, most nonstick cookware is made with chemicals that can degrade at high temperatures; after entering the air in the kitchen, they've been known to build up to levels high enough to kill pet birds. Scratched-up pans are also more likely to leach chemicals into your food. Aluminum, too, can leach into foods if you cook acidic foods like lemon- or tomato-based sauces. Better options include:
• Stainless steel and "clad"
• cast iron (unseasoned)
• anodized aluminum
• glass and porcelain
Green Living
Delaware is the only state without a national park, monument, or historic site. California, on the other hand, is home to the most national parks within the contiguous U.S.
June 7, 2011
Spiritual Living
A society is defined not just by what it creates but by what it refuses to destroy. John Sawhill
Healthy Living
For fish, choosing wisely is difficult: Many popular species, like tuna and swordfish tend to be contaminated with mercury, PCBs and other toxic chemicals; some farm-raised species (tilapia and barramundi) tend to be raised sustainably, while others (salmon) tend not to be. Meanwhile, some wild-caught fish are harvested sustainably (wild Alaskan salmon, Arctic char), but a great many (Atlantic cod, bluefin tuna) are not.
Green Living
Gerald Ford worked as a seasonal park ranger at Yellowstone in the summer of 1936. He is the only U.S. president who ever served as a park ranger.
June 8, 2011
Spiritual Living
Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise. George Washington Carter
Healthy Living
A rule of thumb for green eating is to eat low on the food chain: more fruits, vegetables, grains and beans than chickens, cows and hogs.
Green Living
Surprisingly, raising livestock, both in practice and because around the world it involves clear-cutting forests for pasture, is one of the world's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond that, generally the smaller the animal, the less environmentally intensive it is to raise for food; a chicken requires less feed and water than a cow to produce a pound of meat.
June 9, 2011
Spiritual Living
Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls. Joseph Campbell
Healthy Living
When shopping, look for third-party certifications you can trust, like USDA Organic, Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance. Don't be fooled by marketing masquerades. For instance, fact-check phrases like "made with whole grains" and "made with real fruit" against the ingredient lists, and you'll often find whole grains behind refined white flour on the list, and that "fruit" really means "fruit juice concentrate" – a euphemism for plain-old sugar. And you may be surprised to learn that the boast of "cage-free eggs" can mean that chickens were given as little five minutes a day of access to a concrete pen outdoors.
Green Living
Composting is a natural process that transforms organic wastes like vegetable scraps, coffee grinds, eggshells and yard waste like grass clippings and leaves into rich, nutrient-dense earth – perfect for potting plants, gardening or fertilizing the lawn.
June 10, 2011
Spiritual Living
Once you choose hope, anything is possible. Christopher Reeve
Healthy Living
Not all vegetables are created equal. More specifically: not all are grown to the same safe standards. Modern agriculture uses lots of toxic pesticides, and the residue from those chemicals remains on many foods even after you've washed them at home. Buy organic foods as often as possible to avoid residue of pesticides – which some studies have linked to a range of health problems, from the reproductive to the neurological to the developmental. If you're on a budget and can't afford the premium price for organic food, focus your food dollar on buying organic celery, tree fruits (like peaches and apples), berries, sweet peppers, and leafy greens.
Green Living
The Great Smoky Mountains was the most visited national park in 2008, with more than 9 million visitors. It's not surprising when you take into account that 50% of the U.S. population lives within a days' driving distance of the park. Grand Canyon was number two (4.4 million visitors), and Yosemite was the third (3.4 million visitors) most visited national park.
June 13, 2011
Spiritual Living
For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul. Judy Garland
Healthy Living
Why does chopping onions make you cry? It's because lachrymatory-factor synthase, an enzyme that was discovered by Japanese researchers in 2002, is released when you cut into an onion. This enzyme converts the onion's sulfoxides into sulfenic acid. The sulfenic acid rearranges itself into an unstable compound known as syn-propanethial-S-oxide. Once this compound reaches our eyes, it irritates them, causing the crying reflex to kick in to flush out the irritants.
Green Living
The average shower takes about 8 minutes and uses 15 gallons of water.
June 14, 2011
Spiritual Living
The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. Joseph Campbell
Healthy Living
There are three types of tears — basal, reflex, and emotional. Basal tears keep your eyes from drying out, like on a windy day. Reflex tears clear your eyes of irritants, such as when you get dirt in your eye. And finally, emotional tears can be a result of happiness, sadness or any other emotion that gets your cry on.
Green Living
If you fill the average bathtub to the brim, it will take about 140 2-liter gallons of water or about 70 gallons of water.
June 15, 2011
Spiritual Living
After the verb 'to love', the verb 'to help' is the most beautiful verb in the world. Bertha Von Suttner
Healthy Living
A scientist at New Zealand’s Crop and Food Research Institute by the name of Colin Eady is working on creating a tear-free onion. That’s right, folks — no more crying. Using gene-silencing technology, Eady was able to shut down the lachrymatory-factor synthase gene and create an onion that did not induce tears. The onion is a long way from grocery store shelves, but we could be on our way in the next few years.
Green Living
The average teeth brushing session uses 3 gallons of water which is about 6 soda bottles full.
June 16, 2011
Spiritual Living
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. Rumi
Healthy Living
Some suggestions on tear-free onion chopping: try sticking your onions in the refrigerator for a few hours before you cut them. Or the National Onion Association (yes, there is one) suggests cutting the top end of the onion off and peeling downward, but cutting off the root end (the one with all the hair on it) last. This is because the cells that release the onion's bountiful sulfur are concentrated at the base.
Green Living
Each time you flush the toilet, about 2.5 gallons (5 soda bottles) of water goes down the drain.
June 17, 2011
Spiritual Living
Patience expands your capacity to love and feel peace. Rumi
Healthy Living
Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Green Living
Your dishwasher uses about 10 gallons of water to clean your dishes.
June 20, 2011
Spiritual Living
What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives? E. M. Forster
Healthy Living
Teens don't always have the easiest time taking care of themselves. After all, they have other concerns - like dating and schoolwork. But adopting a few good habits will help keep them healthy and happy not just now but as they grow into adulthood.
Green Living
The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, founded in 1995, is a non-profit organization licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). As a member accredited by The Association of Sanctuaries (TAOS), the sanctuary follows guidelines stipulated by TAOS, one of which is that none of the elephants be bred. At over 2,700 acres, the sanctuary consists of three separate and protected, natural habitat environments for Asian and African elephants; a 2,200-acre Asian facility, a 200-acre quarantine area and a 300-acre African habitat. The goal is to retire 100 elephants from zoos and circuses to the sanctuary.
June 21, 2011
Spiritual Living
God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools. John Muir
Healthy Living
Realize that you control what goes into your body. It's easy to blame others (hello, fast-food restaurants) for why we have an obesity problem. But the fact is that, even with lots of outside influences, you still have the choice about what you do or do not eat, drink, or smoke.
Green Living
The Shambala Preserve is located approximately 40 miles north of Los Angeles, CA and is an accredited member of The Association of Sanctuaries. A true sanctuary does not buy, breed, sell, trade, or subject their animals to commercial use. Their only purpose is to allow these magnificent animals to live out their lives with love and dignity. Each "Wild One" has the best human, nutritional, medical, emotional, and mental care possible. Shambala is home to approximately 65-70 big cats: lions, tigers, cougars, black and spotted leopards, servals, bobcats, Asian leopard cats, a jungle cat, a lynx, and one very magnificent liger, who live out their lives at Shambala. All have come to the Preserve after confiscation by authorities such as California Fish and Game, the United States Department of Agriculture, the ASCPA, and various Humane Societies. They are from roadside zoos and private citizens who realize that they have purchased an animal that they can no longer handle. The exotic cat trade is a huge business, just under illegal drugs, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
June 22, 2011
Spiritual Living
To deprive a man of his natural liberty and to deny to him the ordinary amenities of life is worse than starving the body; it is starvation of the soul, the dweller in the body. Mohandas Gandhi
Healthy Living
Walk 10,000 steps a day (about five miles). They don't have to be all at once. Make it a point to be active and get your body moving. Setting a tangible goal (like 10,000 steps a day) is a great way to start if you're not already active.
Green Living
Dreamchaser Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and an accredited member of The Association of Sanctuaries. They are dedicated to rescuing horses at risk of slaughter from feedlots, abuse, and abandonment, as well as other animals and placing them with qualified families. Located in Arizona, Dreamchaser's vision is to rescue neglected horses and provide the care and training needed to allow for a successful adoption to their forever homes, to provide a hands on program for at-risk and special needs children using rehabilitated horses, and to create hands on public educational programs on the proper care and handling of horses.
June 23, 2011
Spiritual Living
If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees. Hal Borland
Healthy Living
Avoid the major categories of unhealthy foods. Stay away from saturated fats, trans fats, added sugar, added syrup, non-100 percent whole grains. Start looking at food labels and trying to ID these unhealthy foods and ingredients.
Green Living
Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary Inc. is a non-profit (501c3) organization and an accredited member of The Association of Sanctuaries that rescues, rehabilitates, and provides an adoption program for abused, abandoned, and neglected farm animals such as horses, ponies, pot belly pigs, farm pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, sheep, goats, and cattle. Happy Trails serves the entire state of Ohio, and works in cooperation with county humane societies, animal protective leagues, and local and state law enforcement officers. Their adoption program allows for the rescued farm animals to be adopted as a family pet only. Once a farm animal is accepted by Happy Trails, they are no longer allowed to be placed back into food production, nor are they allowed to be bred or used for exploitation in any way.
June 24, 2011
Spiritual Living
You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf. Jon Kabat-Zinn
Healthy Living
Floss and brush your teeth for at least two minutes twice a day. Not only do they play a major role in your appearance, but they also help cut down the risk of diseases you're going to be worrying about later in life.
Green Living
Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, located on 12 acres in Gainesville, Florida. Jungle Friends is accredited by the American Sanctuary Association and The Association of Sanctuaries. They rescue and offer a permanent, safe haven for monkeys from around the United States who have been abused, confiscated by authorities, retired from research, or who are ex-pets.
At this time, Jungle Friends is the sanctuary home for 120 monkeys and they have an ever-growing waiting list. Jungle Friends discourages the keeping of primates as 'pets' and they hope the practice of stealing baby monkeys from their natural mothers will end. Baby monkeys are literally pulled from their protective mothers, sometimes when they are only three days old, to be sold as 'pets'. It is not hard to imagine the horror both baby and mother monkey must feel during this traumatic and forced separation. Sadly, it can take a lifetime for the grief-stricken mother to come out of a depression brought on by this thievery and there are always scars left on mother and baby from such cruelty.
June 27, 2011
Spiritual Living
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson
Healthy Living
Choosing humanely raised, organic meats ensures that artificial hormones, antibiotics, toxic pesticides or inhumane conditions aren't a part of your diet.
Green Living
The term "MPGe" may be unfamiliar to some. It stands for "miles per gallon equivalent" and is a new measure established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to represent the efficiency of a car running on electricity. It's a conversion based on how much energy is stored in a gallon of gas compared to how much energy is stored in a kilowatt of electricity.
June 28, 2011
Spiritual Living
Beauty is not in the face, beauty is a light in the heart. Kahlil Gibran
Healthy Living
One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
Green Living
Increase your gas mileage by checking your tire pressure. More than a quarter of all cars and nearly one-third of all SUVs, vans and pickups have underinflated tires, according to a survey by the Department of Transportation. If every American kept his or her tires properly inflated, we could save 2.8 billion gallons (10.6 billion liters) of gasoline a year -- and help curb global warming pollution -- so inflate the tires on your car or truck and continue to do so once a month or as necessary.
June 29, 2011
Spiritual Living
The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives. Native American proverb
Healthy Living
One ounce of dry-roasted sunflower seeds delivers 7.4 mg of vitamin E and 165 calories. Sunflower oil is a good source too, providing 5.6 mg of the vitamin and 120 calories.
Green Living
Particularly if it's the height of summer, run appliances at night when demand for electricity is lower and power plants have excess capacity.
June 30, 2011
Spiritual Living
You must trust and believe in people, or life becomes impossible. Anton Chekhov
Healthy Living
Blueberries keep you fresh, active, fit, sharp, close to nature and in a good mood, as they are very good anti depressants. And with blueberries, you won’t experience any side effects which might occur with taking depression medicine. Remember, the deeper the color of the blueberries, the more they are rich in anti oxidants and other medicinal values.
Green Living
Don't run your dishwasher unless it's full, and choose the economy setting to reduce its water and energy use.
July 1, 2011
Spiritual Living
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. Henry David Thoreau
Healthy Living
Apple cider vinegar is beneficial for a variety of uses. For example, it can aid in weight loss, daily maintenance and balance pH levels in the body. Just put two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into 16 ounces of water and sip throughout the day. You may add honey to taste if you like but it is suggested that you take this daily concoction without any sweeteners.
Green Living
On this July 4th weekend, get out and enjoy our National Parks. Here are some interesting facts about some of these parks:
• Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America.
• Mammoth Cave is the world's longest known cave system - more than 367 miles have been explored.
• Yellowstone is the world's first and nation's oldest national park.
• Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest park in the United States and Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial is the smallest.
July 5, 2011
Spiritual Living
To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to. Khalil Gibran
Healthy Living
You should eat refrigerated leftovers within four days to reduce the risk of food poisoning. If you don't anticipate being able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them immediately.
Fortunately, most cases of food poisoning can be prevented with proper food handling. To practice food safety, quickly refrigerate perishable foods such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy and eggs — don't let them sit more than two hours at typical room temperature or more than one hour at temperatures above 90 F (32 C). Uncooked foods, such as cold salads or sandwiches, also should be eaten or refrigerated promptly. Your goal is to minimize the time a food is in the "danger zone" — between 40 F (4 C) and 140 F (60 C) — when bacteria can quickly multiply.
Green Living
Austrailia, Bangladesh, Ireland, Italy, South Africa, Taiwan, and even San Fransisco and Los Angeles have all enacted legislation to ban or curb the use of plastic shopping bags.
July 6, 2011
Spiritual Living
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. Plato
Healthy Living
Eating broccoli could reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels, research suggests. A University of Warwick team believe the key is a compound found in the vegetable, called sulforaphane. It encourages production of enzymes which protect the blood vessels, and a reduction in high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage. Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have previously been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
People with diabetes are up to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes; both are linked to damaged blood vessels.
Green Living
Americans alone use an estimated 100 million plastic shopping bags per year, consuming about 12 million barrels of oil. Less than 1% of these bags are ever recycled, and the rest of the bags never biodegrade at all.
July 7, 2011
Spiritual Living
"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." Cynthia Ozick
Healthy Living
Do you want to adopt a healthy diet but aren't sure where to start? As you consider the parade of healthy diets in magazines and cookbooks, make sure to look for one that:
- Includes a variety of foods from the major food groups: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean protein, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats
- Provides guidelines for how much food to choose from each group
- Includes foods you can find in your local grocery store
- Fits your tastes, lifestyle and budget
- Also consider your health risks. Do you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure? If so, be sure to follow a diet that's low in salt, saturated fat and cholesterol, and high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats. For personalized advice, talk with your doctor or a dietitian.
Green Living
"Plastics have built our modern world. Where would we be without pacemakers, polysester, computers, cell phones, sneakers, or chewing gum? (plastic in gum? Yes!)."
"But after a century into our love affair with plastics, the romance is starting to fray. Plastics draw on dwindling fossil fuels, leach harmful chemicals, litter landscapes, and destroy marine life. And yet each year we use and consume more; we've produced as much plastic in the past decade as we did in the entire twentieth century." Susan Freinkel, Plastic - A Toxic Love Story
July 8, 2011
Spiritual Living
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. Khalil Gibran
Healthy Living
Experts don't know exactly how smoking sabotages bones, but it's clear from numerous studies that it does. Smoking has a high statistical correlation with osteoporosis, so if you've been a smoker throughout your adult life, chances are high that you've compromised your bones.
Green Living
How much do plastic bags contribute to that vast offshore swirl of debris? No one can say for sure. They're a hazard to sea life, but plastic bags are colonizing the beaches like a new invasive species. Volunteers in the 2008 international beach cleanup picked up nearly 1.4 million bags! Surveys have suggested that most of these bags make their way onto the beaches and into the oceans through storm drains and waterways.
July 11, 2011
Spiritual Living
Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Albert Einstein
Healthy Living
You can use the following tips to get the best out of your vegetables and retain vegetable goodness by not soaking your vegetables for too long. If you do, you will lose their water-soluable vitamins. And make sure you always wash vegetables before chopping them to their retain nutrients.
Green Living
One of the most striking things about grizzly bears is their diversity. Differences in basic physical characteristics such as size and coat color are reflected in the variety of local names given the animals: silvertip, yellow bear, Toklat grizzly (golden coat with chocolate paws), and brownie, to name a few. Groups and individuals also vary strongly in their feeding habits, home range sizes, social interactions, personalities, and traditions passed along from mothers to young.
Though it can be immense as an adult, the mighty grizzly comes into the world naked, helpless and weighing a mere one to one-and-a-half pounds. These animals are quick learners with good memories, and they continue to add information throughout their lives, which may last 30 years or more in the wild. They are slow to mature, requiring four or five years to reach breeding age. Mating takes place in May or June.
July 12, 2011
Spiritual Living
The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others. Albert Schweitzer
Healthy Living
Another way to retain vegetable goodness is to make sure you don’t prepare salads way ahead of their serving time because the vitamin C in your fresh greens will dissipate if it is exposed to the air for too long.
Green Living
The grizzly bear is a symbol of the American wilderness. It remains one of the most dramatic, imposing life forms anywhere on Earth. Not all that long ago, the Great Bear shared dominion over the western half of the continent with Native Americans. But as U.S. settlement expanded, grizzly numbers plummeted, first due to unchecked hunting, trapping and poisoning, then as a result of habitat loss.
By 1975, with just one percent of its original population left on barely two percent of its original range, the species was officially listed as threatened with extinction in the lower 48 states.
July 13, 2011
Spiritual Living
Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I loved, I did not say so. David Grayson
Healthy Living
Cook potatoes and other root vegetables with their skins to retain all the vitamins and goodness and if you must peel your vegetables, make sure you don’t peel too deeply or else you will lose the best nutrients that are right under the skin.
Green Living
Scientists believe that polar bears evolved from grizzly bears between 70,000 and 150,000 years ago. The bears became supremely adapted to life on sea ice: their fur is white with water repellent guard hairs and dense under-fur. The white fur helps to camouflage polar bears as they stalk seals resting on the edges of ice shelves.
July 14, 2011
Spiritual Living
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Lao Tzu
Healthy Living
It is better to consume cucumber, potatoes, radishes, carrots and similar vegetables along with their skin to leverage the fiber content in the skin.
Green Living
As predators, polar bears are specialists; that is to say, most of their diet comes from their primary prey, ringed seals and other "ice seals." Polar bears don't just specialize in a particular kind of prey, they also specialize in the way they hunt their prey. Because they specialize in hunting ice seals and other marine mammals, polar bears are completely dependent upon the yearly formation of new sea-ice for survival. Female polar bears have been known to travel over a 230,000 square mile area in one year to search for prey!
July 15, 2011
Spiritual Living
You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. Khalil Gibran
Healthy Living
Make sure you keep a lid over your pot while cooking fresh greens to retain their color and freshness.
Green Living
While polar bears are great swimmers, they cannot survive very long journeys, especially if storms bring high wind and waves. Following one major storm in the Alaska Beaufort Sea, scientists in a small plane observed four dead polar bears floating in open water. Currently, all evidence points to the probability of continued Arctic warming and decreasing Arctic sea ice cover in the 21st century.
July 18, 2011
Spiritual Living
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams
Healthy Living
Most kids like getting dirty and poking around in the soil, and who doesn't like to eat? The combination can be a winning one to introduce children to the benefits of gardening, which is often said to be one of the world's most popular hobbies.
Green Living
Craft time can also be used as an opportunity to teach your kids about recycling and reuse. Show them how to make collages and mobiles out of old magazines and odds and ends. Have them draw on the backs of used paper or decorate old containers.
July 19, 2011
Spiritual Living
If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you made me smile, I would have the whole night sky in the palm of my hand. Author Unknown
Healthy Living
Gardening is a great way to learn patience, as well as explore science, where our food comes from and how interconnected life is.
Green Living
Remember when you were a kid, and summer evenings meant catching fireflies, watching tadpoles or maybe going on night walks to listen for owls? You don't have to travel to the ends of the Earth to find opportunities to get more in touch with the millions of other living things on the planet.
July 20, 2011
Spiritual Living
To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world. Author Unknown
Healthy Living
Cooking is a set of skills and knowledge that will serve your children for life, so it's a good idea to start them young. Plus, if you get them to help out a little with preparing family meals, they will feel like they are contributing to the household -- and you can spend some quality time with them (or at least keep an eye on 'em).
Green Living
Children are naturally curious and drawn to nature. But unless they grew up on a farm or truly rural area, they may not have had a lot of exposure to it. They key is to educate and keep them safe, while also letting them discover the wonders of the world for themselves. Hikes, canoe trips, camping and birding and just a few of the many ways to get out there.
July 21, 2011
Spiritual Living
It is not that love is blind. It is that love sees with a painter's eye, finding the essence that renders all else background. Robert Brault
Healthy Living
Cooking is educational for children. Not only does it help them apply what they are learning in math, but by seeing how meals are prepared, your little ones will be encouraged on a path of healthier eating, hopefully for life.
Green Living
On Christmas Day in 1900, Chapman, an officer in the then-young Audubon Society, decided to organize his fellows for a bird count instead of the traditional hunt.
He didn't know it then, but citizen science was born.
Citizen science asks countless individuals to contribute their observations of a particular thing — birds, frogs, flowers and, as you'll see, much more — to a central database, which trained scientists analyze. It infinitely extends the observational powers of trained scientists, allowing them to ask — and answer — questions about long-term and widespread changes in the environment that otherwise would be impossible to contemplate.
For individuals, it's a chance to connect with the outside world in a real, meaningful — and often fun — way.
July 22, 2011
Spiritual Living
You take away all the other luxuries in life, and if you can make someone smile and laugh, you have given the most special gift: happiness. Brad Garrett
Healthy Living
Making exercise fun will help you stick with it. Encourage your children to get involved by setting up a scavenger or treasure hunt for your kids based on local nature, such as identifying trees and other plants in your backyard, following animal tracks, etc. If you have a GPS system, take them on a geocaching adventure, which is essentially a worldwide treasure hunt.
Green Living
Fireflies are one of the harbingers of summer — and an early inspiration for many people venturing outside. But they may be in trouble.
Scientists don't have much data about fireflies — where they live, how abundant they are, what environmental factors help or harm them. Firefly Watch aims to change that by enlisting legions of volunteers across the country, but especially in New England, to observe fireflies and report data about their activities in various habitats to a central database that scientists at Tufts University, Fitchburg State College and the Boston Museum of Science can analyze.
For more information, visit Firefly Watch.
July 25, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Love is when she gives you a piece of your soul, that you never knew was missing."
Healthy Living
Quite literally, sustained meditation leads to something called neuroplasticity, which is defined as the brain's ability to change, structurally and functionally, on the basis of environmental input.
For much of the last century, scientists believed that the brain essentially stopped changing after adulthood.
But research by University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Richard Davidson has shown that experienced meditators exhibit high levels of gamma ray activity and display an ability -- continuing after the meditation session has attended -- to not get stuck on a particular stimulus. That is, they're automatically able to control their thoughts and reactiveness.
Green Living
One of the main reasons for recycling is to reduce the amount of garbage sent to landfills. Landfill usage peaked in the 1980s, when Americans sent almost 150 million tons (136.08 million metric tons) of garbage to landfills each year. Today, we still dump more than 100 million tons (90.719 million metric tons) of trash into landfills annually.
July 26, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Soul mates are locked at the heart and written in the heavens, promised to find one another when the time is right."
Healthy Living
A 2005 study on American men and women who meditated a mere 40 minutes a day showed that they had thicker cortical walls than non-meditators. What this meant is that their brains were aging at a slower rate. Cortical thickness is also associated with decision making, attention and memory.
Green Living
Even though modern sanitary landfills are safer and less of a nuisance than the open dumps of the past, no one likes having a landfill around. In heavily populated areas, landfill space is scarce. Where space is plentiful, filling it with garbage isn't a very good solution to the problem. Today, recycling efforts in the United States divert 32 percent of waste away from landfills. That prevents more than 60 million tons (54.432 million metric tons) of garbage from ending up in landfills every year.
July 27, 2011
Spiritual Living
"There are four questions of value in life... What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love." Johnny Depp
Healthy Living
In a 2006 study, college students were asked to either sleep, meditate or watch TV. They were then tested on their alertness by being asked to hit a button every time a light flashed on a screen. The meditators did better than the nappers and TV watchers -- by a whole 10 percent.
Green Living
Landfills cause another problem in addition to taking up lots of space. The assortment of chemicals thrown into landfills, plus the chemicals that result when garbage breaks down and blends into a toxic soup known as leachate, creates huge amounts of pollution. Leachate can drain out of the landfill and contaminate groundwater supplies.
July 28, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Once you see into someone's soul, you're attached forever."
Healthy Living
In 2008, Dr. Randy Zusman, a doctor at the Massachusetts General Hospital, asked patients suffering from high blood pressure to try a meditation-based relaxation program for three months. These were patients whose blood pressure had not been controlled with medication.
After meditating regularly for three months, 40 of the 60 patients showed significant drops in blood pressure levels and were able to reduce some of their medication. The reason? Relaxation results in the formation of nitric oxide which opens up your blood vessels.
Green Living
Recycling has a variety of economic impacts. For the companies that buy used goods, recycle them and resell new products, recycling is the source of all their income. For cities in densely populated areas that have to pay by the ton for their landfill usage, recycling can shave millions of dollars off municipal budgets. The recycling industry can have an even broader impact. Economic analysis shows that recycling can generate three times as much revenue per ton as landfill disposal and almost six times as many jobs.
July 29, 2011
Spiritual Living
"To love only for the looks is to only see with your eyes, but to love with your soul is to see with your heart."
Healthy Living
Earlier this year, a study conducted by Wake Forest Baptist University found that meditation could reduce pain intensity by 40 percent and pain unpleasantness by 57 percent. Morphine and other pain-relieving drugs typically show a pain reduction of 25 percent.
Meditation works by reducing activity in the somatosensory cortex and increasing activity in other areas of the brain.
This study also had a small sample size, making it harder to draw definite conclusions.
Green Living
Recycling is an important strategy in conserving the world's scarce natural resources. Recycling reduces the need for landfills and other disposal facilities, thereby allowing local lands to be used in more environmentally preferable ways. And, by substituting scrap materials for the use of trees, metal ores, minerals, oil and other virgin materials, recycling reduces the pressure to expand forestry and mining production.
August 1, 2011
Spiritual Living
"The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Healthy Living
Eat less meat: Americans eat the equivalent of three quarter-pounders a day. (We are obsessed with meat.) If we each cut the equivalent of one hamburger from our daily diet, it would be like taking half million cars off the road. We might all live a little longer, too.
Green Living
Every major circus that uses animals has been cited for violating the minimal standards of care set forth in the United States Animal Welfare Act (AWA).
August 2, 2011
Spiritual Living
"The perception of beauty is a moral test." Henry David Thoreau
Healthy Living
Cooking for yourself is a habit like anything else. It's a habit that can help you lose weight, stay healthy, save money -- and do your part to save the planet. Oh -- and don't forget to eat your leftovers.
Green Living
Animals in circuses spend about 11 months of the year traveling. During travel, animals may be caged or chained for long distances and hours, forced to stand in their own waste, in extreme temperatures.
August 3, 2011
Spiritual Living
"The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives and the passion that she shows." Audrey Hepburn
Healthy Living
Learn to Preserve: If you garden or buy seasonal produce in bulk, you can make your harvest last for months by learning age-old preservation methods. Whether it's canning veggies, drying sunflower seeds, pickling cucumbers or making jams and jellies, there are simple techniques that can -- with a little investment of time -- make your dollar investment in food purchases or gardening really pay off
Green Living
Standard circus industry training tools used on animals include bullhooks, whips, clubs, and electric prods. From 1994 to 2005, at least 31 elephants have died premature deaths in the circus. Other circus animals who have died in an untimely manner include horses and lions.
August 4, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Confidence is at the root of so many attractive qualities, a sense of humor, a sense of style, a willingness to be who you are no matter what anyone else might think or say." Wentworth Miller
Healthy Living
Eat real foods: If your grandmother wouldn't have immediately recognized it as "food" there's a good chance it's less food and more manufactured good. Who wants to eat a manufactured good? There's a reason a Twinkie has a shelf life to rival a Nerf basketball. Remember, real foods haven't had all the nutrition processed out of them.
Green Living
Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (which enforces the AWA) have repeatedly ignored obvious physical trauma to animals, eyewitness accounts of mistreatment, and sworn testimony from former circus employees who report abuse of elephants.
August 5, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." Confucius
Healthy Living
Shop locally: Eating locally, and eating what's in season is easier when you shop at farmers' markets, farm stands or from a community supported farm. Spending your money locally at local farms also means you're helping to keep working farms viable, and that means keeping the scenery of your town or region intact.
Beyond that, when you shop direct from a farmer, you can ask questions about how produce was raised: "Were pesticides used? Fertilizers? What is she doing to control water pollution and soil erosion?"
Green Living
Circuses that feature only human performers are gaining in popularity and provide dazzling, humane, and truly family-friendly entertainment. For instance, shows such as Ulalena (http://www.ulalena.com/video.html) provide a breathtaking array of grace, wonder and entertainment.
August 8, 2011
Spiritual Living
We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts. William Hazlitt
Healthy Living
Dog lovers are more active and more likely to get exercise than non-dog owners. Statistics from a study reveal that dog owners are 34 percent more likely to walk 150 minutes a week than non-dog owners, and 69 percent more likely to get at least some leisure-time physical activity.
Green Living
According to WildlifeDirect.org, China is probably the greatest threat to Africa’s natural resources right now. They are taking timber; they are taking oil... The rate at which they can harvest those resources is terrifying.
WildlifeDirect is the largest wildlife blogging site in Africa. The organization’s mission is to bring the activities of grassroots wildlife conservationists to the attention of the global public, in hopes of raising funds for conservation programs. WildlifeDirect is the virtual home to roughly 75 bloggers, who write about their personal efforts to protect animals across the African continent and beyond. Among the blogs are ones focused on protecting elephants in Botswana, chimpanzees in Sierra Leone, and wild dogs in Zimbabwe. Individuals who are inspired by the blogs can donate directly to the conservationists, without any administrative fees. Donations have been used for everything from purchasing equipment to paying for the training of park rangers.
August 9, 2011
Spiritual Living
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly. Richard Bach
Healthy Living
“Taking your dog on a hike is a great way to increase your physical activity, lose weight, control diabetes, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol,” says Sevan Karadolian, MD, a hospitalist and internist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
Green Living
Elephants faced extinction back in 1867. Their ivory was sought for things such as combs, buttons, boxes and even billiard balls. Things got so bad that one billiard ball company offered 10 million in gold to the person who could invent a billiard ball that was not made of ivory. The result - a form of plastic was created and used to form these little game balls. Plastic became the panacea for most of our needs, wants and desires. It was touted as eliminating the need to use "natural resources".
August 10, 2011
Spiritual Living
There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart. Jane Austen
Living Healthy
At first, it may seem that your dog is doing most of the work when you play fetch with a stick, ball, or Frisbee, but Dr. Karadolian says this kind of play can provide heart-healthy exercise for dog lovers , too. “Playing fetch with your dog will have you running around, which results in a release of endorphins to decrease stress and give you a euphoric feeling,” he says. “Lowering your stress level is a key to heart-healthy living.”
Green Living
In 1960, the average American consumed about thirty pounds of plastic products. Today, we're each consuming more than three hundred pounds of plastics annually.
August 11, 2011
Spiritual Living
When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become. Louis Pasteur
Healthy Living
If you want to get the whole family involved by doing heart-healthy exercise together, playing hide and seek with your dog is a good game. Have most of the family hide as usual, and then let your dog help out with the seeking. This adds an extra element of fun to the game for everyone and a different way to play with your dog.
Green Living
Many of the plastic-related issues that dominate the headlines today appeared many years prior. Studies show that traces of plastic in human tissue go back to the 1950's. The first report of plastic trash in the ocean was made in the 1960's.
August 12, 2011
Spiritual Living
The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago... had they happened to be within the reach of predatory human hands. Henry Ellis
Healthy Living
If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary that will challenge both you and your dog, look into the heart-healthy exercise offered by agility courses. “Many breeds like agility courses,” notes Dr. Wexler. “The benefit to owners is that they, too, have to be active as they run around the course with their dog.” An increasing number of cities and local parks offer agility courses for dogs and dog lovers, or you can explore setting up your own if you have a large enough backyard.
Green Living
We have produced nearly as much plastic in the first decade of this millennium as we did in the entire 20th century.
August 15, 2011
Spiritual Living
The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. ~Author Unknown
Healthy Living
The bright scent of peppermint does more than freshen your breath: It is also used to soothe nausea and other stomach issues, help stop itching, and cool overworked muscles (thanks to the menthol).
Add drops of peppermint oil to a bowl of hot water and breathe in the steam to fight congestion, or rub diluted oil into sore muscles. And that's not all: Peppermint is a key ingredient in oil mixtures that fight PMS, act as an all-natural alternative to VapoRub, cool sore throats, and quiet headaches -- and it's often credited with increasing concentration, so ideal for a mid-afternoon alternative to coffee pick-me-up.
Green Living
The Canadian pipeline company TransCanada has proposed a tar sands pipeline that could bring as much as 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) of costly and polluting fuel to the U.S. Gulf Coast. This pipeline, called Keystone XL, will lock the United States into a dependence on hard-to-extract oil and generate a massive expansion of the destructive tar sands oil operations in Canada. In addition to the damage that would be caused by the increased tar sands extraction, the pipeline threatens to pollute freshwater supplies in America’s agricultural heartland and increase emissions in already-polluted communities of the Gulf Coast.
August 16, 2011
Spiritual Living
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. - Carl Jung
Healthy Living
Lavender is a go-to oil for almost any situation. Not only is it one of the few oils that is gentle enough to use undiluted, it's a "virtual first aid kit in a bottle."
The antibacterial properties allow it to fight germs (which is why it's also such an important ingredient in many all-natural cleaning products for home and body), and, like peppermint, it's often credited with aiding digestion and helping fight headaches.
Lavender oil's soft scent is said to help calm the nervous system, improve sleep quality, combat joint pain, and fight everything from urinary disorders and respiratory problems to high blood pressure and acne.
Green Living
Instead of carrying common crude oil, the Keystone XL pipeline would carry thick, toxic bitumen for refining in the Gulf states, effectively transporting pollution from Canada to the United States. Despite arguments that the pipeline would increase energy security, it would in fact create the first international market for tar sands oil. To date, Canada has not approved dedicated tar sands pipelines to its East or West Coast.
August 17, 2011
Spiritual Living
I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it. - Harry Emerson Fosdick
Healthy Living
Sesame oil may be best known for its moisturizing qualities, which make it a favorite ingredient for hair and skin treatments.
But the health benefits go beyond beauty: Sesame oil has a slight SPF factor, contains fatty acids believed to lower stress and blood pressure, and has been shown to help slow the growth of cancer in cells.
Green Living
In addition to the extraction impacts, the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would stretch 2000 miles from Alberta, Canada to Texas, threatening to contaminate freshwater supplies in America's agricultural heartland and increase refinery emissions in already-polluted communities of the U.S. Gulf Coast.
August 18, 2011
Spiritual Living
What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Healthy Living
This rose by any name will smell as sweet: Look for it labeled as Rose Otto, rose oil, or rose essential oil, and choose oils produced in Bulgaria and Turkey for the highest quality. These slightly-distilled oils won't have the strong scents of oils used for perfumes, but they are more popular with aromatherapists.
Nature's Gift calls rose oil "the ultimate woman's oil," because it has a reputation for improving hormone balance, treating PMS and menopause, counteracting problems in the bedroom, and improving the look and health of your skin.
Green Living
Pollution from tar sands oil greatly eclipses that of conventional oil. During tar sands oil production alone, levels of carbon dioxide emissions are three times higher than those of conventional oil, due to more energy-intensive extraction and refining processes. The Keystone XL pipeline would carry 900,000 barrels of dirty tar sands oil into the United States daily, doubling our country's reliance on it and resulting in climate-damaging emissions equal to adding more than six million new cars to U.S. roads.
August 19, 2011
Spiritual Living
A man's dreams are an index to his greatness. - Zadok Rabinowitz
Healthy Living
The sharp tang of pine oil may call up Christmas trees and rugged aftershaves, but this tree's needles also offer antiseptic, antibacterial, and analgesic properties that make it a favorite of holistic health experts.
Pine oil is said to help treat skin issues -- including psoriasis, eczema, and pimples; speed up metabolism; act as an antidote to food poisoning; ease joint pain and arthritis; kill germs; and battle respiratory problems that go along with cough and cold season.
Green Living
During the tar sands oil extraction process, vast amounts of water are needed to separate the extracted product, bitumen, from sand, silt, and clay. It takes three barrels of water to extract each single barrel of oil. At this rate, tar sands operations use roughly 400 million gallons of water a day. Ninety percent of this polluted water is dumped into large human-made pools, known as tailing ponds, after it’s used. These ponds are home to toxic sludge, full of harmful substances like cyanide and ammonia, which has worked its way into neighboring clean water supplies.
August 22, 2011
Spiritual Living
Love is more than a noun -- it is a verb; it is more than a feeling -- it is caring, sharing, helping, sacrificing. - William Arthur Ward
Healthy Living
Spicy clove oil is one of the main ingredients in Tiger Balm, an all-natural remedy said to temper hangover headaches -- but holistic health practitioners find other uses for it, too.
It's a popular choice for dental issues, including tooth and gum pain, and some sites recommend using it for bad breath (although whether you'd rather have your breath smell like cloves is up to you).
Clove oil is also antiseptic, so diluted versions can treat bug bites, cuts, and scrapes; other suggested treatments help clear up earaches, digestion problems, nasal congestion, stomachaches, and headaches. As an added bonus, it's an aphrodisiac -- and therefore a popular form of stress relief.
Green Living
Northern Alberta, the region where tar sands oil is extracted, is home to many indigenous populations. Important parts of their cultural traditions and livelihood are coming under attack because of tar sands operations. Communities living downstream from tailing ponds have seen spikes in rates of rare cancers, renal failure, lupus, and hyperthyroidism. In the lakeside village of Fort Chipewyan, for example, 100 of the town’s 1,200 residents have died from cancer.
August 23, 2011
Spiritual Living
A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children. Audobon
Healthy Living
Geranium oil can be used as an ingredient in a PMS-fighting solution, but it's also well-known for its astringent properties -- which allow it to refresh skin -- and its styptic aspects, which calm inflammations and stop hemorrhaging.
You can also use geranium oil to treat acne, and oily skin, boost circulation, and decrease bloating. The oil can reduce the appearance of scars and blemishes, get rid of body odor, and contract blood vessels to diminish the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
Green Living
TransCanada already attempted to cut corners by seeking a safety waiver to build the pipeline with thinner-than-normal steel and to pump oil at higher-than-normal pressures. Thanks to the pressure exerted by Friends of the Earth and allies, the company withdrew its safety waiver application in August 2010.
The threat of spills remains. In summer 2010, a million gallons of tar sands oil poured into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan from a pipeline run by another Canadian company, Enbridge. The spill exposed residents to toxic chemicals, coated wildlife and has caused long-term damage to the local economy and ecosystem.
August 24, 2011
Spiritual Living
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. Greek Proverb
Healthy Living
It might not be as sweet-smelling as the more floral entries on this list, but black pepper oil still has its place in your natural health arsenal.
Pepper had its day as one of the world's most valuable spices, in part because of its healing properties, which include aiding digestion, undoing cramps and convulsions, warming muscles to ease joint pain and arthritis, and curing bacterial infections.
Green Living
After traveling through the Keystone XL pipeline, tar sands oil would be brought to facilities in Texas to be further refined. Refining tar sands oil is dirtier than refining conventional oil, and results in higher emissions of toxic sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide. These emissions cause smog and acid rain and contribute to respiratory diseases like asthma. Communities near the refineries where the Keystone XL pipeline would terminate, many of them low-income and communities of color, already live with dangerously high levels of air pollution. The Keystone XL pipeline would further exacerbate the heavy burden of pollution and environmental injustices these communities confront.
August 25, 2011
Spiritual Living
“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair but manifestations of strength and resolution”. Kahlil Gibran
Healthy Living
Lemon balm essential oil, also known as Melissa essential oil after the plant's Latin name, Melissa officinalis, doesn't look like much, but it has plenty of benefits.
It's an antidepressant, it keeps your nervous system working smoothly, it calms anxiety and inflammation, it counteracts insomnia, it heals ulcers, it fights bacterial infections, and has been credited with treating herpes, headaches, and high blood pressure.
Green Living
Heightening concerns, TransCanada's Keystone I pipeline has spilled a dozen times in less than a year of operation, prompting a corrective action order from the Department of Transportation. Experts warn that the more acidic and corrosive consistency of the type of tar sands oil being piped into the U.S. makes spills more likely, and have joined the EPA in calling on the State Department to conduct a thorough study of these risks.
The Keystone XL pipeline would traverse six U.S. states and cross major rivers, including the Missouri River, Yellowstone, and Red Rivers, as well as key sources of drinking and agricultural water, such as the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies two million Americans.
August 26, 2011
Spiritual Living
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Healthy Living
As you can see from the last two week's healthy tips entries, essential oils have their place secured in a natural beauty routine: They're natural, chemical-free alternatives to everything from traditional cosmetics to potentially toxic fragrances.
Green Living
Tar sands oil is one of the dirtiest fuels on the Earth. Investing in tar sands oil now will delay investments in clean and safe alternatives to oil, such as better fuel economy requirements, plug-in electric cars fueled by solar power, and smart growth and public transportation infrastructure that give Americans choices other than cars.
August 29, 2011
Spiritual Living
“Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong. Sometime in your life you will have been all of these.” Dr. Robert H. Goddard
Healthy Living
We were not created to be on the go 24/7. Yet how often do you find yourself buying into modern day expectations to do it all and to have it all? You may find that trying to meet these unrealistic expectations is keeping you much busier than you could have ever imagined. What a trap! Keeping yourself occupied is great, but there has to be some limits. There should be some balance between times when you are being productive and times when you are resting. Your health really does depend on your ability to get enough rest and sleep.
Green Living
In 1960, the average American consumed about thirty pounds of plastic products. Today, we're each consuming more than three hundred pounds of plastics a year, generating more than three hundred billion dollars in sales.
August 30, 2011
Spiritual Living
When I have a terrible need of - shall I say the word - religion. Then I go out and paint the stars. Vincent Van Gogh
Healthy Living
Rest can take different shapes and forms. It can be a relaxing sleep at night or it can be taking a much needed (and well deserved) vacation. Even making a change in your routine or pace of life can be a form of rest. Taking a break allows your body the time it needs to restore your energy levels. If you work in a sedentary job, you can try to get in some physical activities such as hiking, biking, or in-line skating in order to have a change of pace. Doing something physical will help you to relax and it is a great way to give your mind a break from thinking so much.
Green Living
We have no coherent or comprehensive body of law for managing the chemicals we experience in daily life. Instead, there's a weak and uncoordinated patchwork of national and state laws. And there is even a much bigger problem in the US - the laws tends to treat chemicals as safe until proven otherwise. For example, in 1976, the law gave the EPA the power to require testing of and restrict chemical substances. Yet the EPA has had little opportunity to exercise that power. The 62,000 chemicals in use when this law was passed were exempted from the testing requirements! And the hurdles to ban chemicals are so high in the US that the EPA could not even successfully ban asbestos, an undisputed carcinogen. Why? Because under the standard of safe until proven otherwise, you need evidence of harm or exposure before the EPA can require a manufacturer to provide more evidence about a chemical, but without the information, how do you establish evidence of harm? It's a Catch-22. Thusfar, the EPA has been able to require intensive reviews for only 200 chemicals and out of that group, it has used its authority to restrict chemicals only five times.
August 31, 2011
Spiritual Living
"To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream; not only plan but also believe." - Anatole France
Healthy Living
If you are bombarded with emails and phone calls at work, you can give your senses a break by turning off the television, computer, and other electronic devices while you are at home for some quiet time. If your profession involves lots of physical labor, then a rest for you could be something non-physical. You could take a relaxing break by finding a nice comfortable spot where you can sit or lie down. You could use your rest time to catch up on your reading or to do other intellectually demanding activities.
Green Living
Europeans are treating chemicals the way US regulators treat drugs; they're presumed to be dangerous unless shown to be otherwise. And the European regulators have estimated that an astounding 70% of new chemicals have some hazardous property, ranging from carcinogenicity to flammability.
September 1, 2011
Spiritual Living
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson
Healthy Living
While you rest and sleep your body cleanses, repairs, heals, replenishes and rejuvenates itself. Your body gets revived, the tissues of your brain get restored, new information and memories are stored, and your nerves get recharged.
Green Living
American manufacturers are already selling products in European markets that have been reformulated to comply with the higher standards European regulators have set for chemicals. Shoulnd't American citizens demand the same on this side of the Altantic?
September 2, 2011
Spiritual Living
Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. John Muir
Healthy Living
Over a hundred years ago, people got an average of 9 - 10 hours of sleep. Now the average adult gets a lot less sleep. Adults get an average of only 4 - 6 hours of sleep each night. That means that a large number of us are actually sleep deprived! How much sleep you need depends on your age and health status. Infants, children, and yes, even teenagers need more sleep than full grown adults because growth happens at night while they are sleeping.
Getting enough sleep is important for adults as well. That is the time when your brain grows intellectually. If you don't get enough sleep, it will be so much harder for you to grow as a person.
Green Living
John Wargo, a professor at Yale University, has argued that what we need is a national "plastics control law". Congress, he has pointed out, has passed laws to regulate other health or environmental risks, such as pesticides, pharmaceauticals, and tobacco. Why not the same for plastic - materials that touch the life of every single American? He proposes a comprehensive policy that, amony other things, would include tough premarket testing of chemicals used in plastics, mandatory labeling of ingredients, and strict prohibition of chemicals and compounds that pose a threat to human health or that don't quickly degrade into harmless substances.
September 6, 2011
Spiritual Living
"You are your deepest desire; as is your desire so is your will; as is your will so is your deed; as is your deed so is your destiny." Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Healthy Living
I have read a great deal on the benefits of green tea and the studies and science behind it are compelling. Based on everything I’ve read, I agree with the scientists, nutritions and healthcare professionals that it really is beneficial to your health.
The majority of green tea benefits seem to stem from the powerful antioxidants, called catechins, which scavenge your cells for free radicals that could otherwise damage DNA, and contribute to cancer, blocked arteries and blood clots.
Because of the minimal processing – leaves are steamed instead of fermented – green tea catechins are unique and contain a more concentrated form of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is the active ingredient that many studies have highlighted as the driving force behind green tea benefits.
Green tea’s impact on cancer and heart disease seems very promising, and many people have experienced life changing benefits as a result of taking it daily.
Green Living
In the 19th century, there were 150 glaciers in Glacier National Park, and now there are just 25. By 2020, even those will be gone, says Daniel Fagre, coordinator of climate change and glacial geology studies in the park.
September 7, 2011
Spiritual Living
Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. Ella Fitzgerald
Healthy Living
One of the benefits of green tea: It lowers your risk of cancer. Although the studies of how green tea affects cancerous cells are still in their infancy, there have been human trials which indicate that it does inhibit cells from developing cancer. EGCG in green tea regulates and inhibits cancer growth by killing cells that are growing inappropriately. In Japan, a study of 500 women with Stage I and Stage II breast cancer found that increasing their green tea consumption before and after surgery significantly lowered the risk of recurrence. Another analysis of 22 studies of the correlation between green tea and lung cancer concluded that by increasing your intake of green tea by two cups a day may reduce the risk of developing lung cancer by 18%.
Green Living
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4) are the main greenhouse gases (GHG) contributing to global warming. One effect of the increase in these gases is that over the past 25 years, the average annual Arctic sea ice area has decreased by about five percent and summer sea ice area has decreased by roughly 15 percent. The collapse of the Larsen Ice Shelf off the Antarctic Peninsula appears to have no precedent in the last 11,000 years.
September 8, 2011
Spiritual Living
There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate. Robert Frost
Healthy Living
Did you know that green tea stabilizes your cholesterol levels. Researchers believe that green tea lowers your cholesterol levels by reducing its absorption in your digestive tract and increasing the rate of which it is excreted. However, your body does need cholesterol to build cell membranes, insulate nerve fibres and create hormones. For this, green tea benefits you by preventing the conversion of LDL cholesterol into it’s more dangerous, oxidized form. Oxidized LDL is one of the main factors in the development of atherosclerosis (the build of plaque that blocks your arteries as LDL gets sticky and clings to your artery walls) and increases your risk of heart attack or stroke. The amazing antioxidant effects of green tea protect this, helping to keep your arteries clean.
Green Living
In 2007, a United Nationals panel of 2500 scientists from 130 countries concluded that ice caps will probably be completely melted by the year 2100. Some scientists believe the total melting will occur even sooner.
September 9, 2011
Spiritual Living
Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. Marcus Aurelius
Healthy Living
Another benefit of green tea is it prevents cardiovascular disease. A Japanese study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed significant reductions in deaths from cardiovascular disease among green tea drinkers. The study found that over an 11 year test period, individuals who drank more than 5 cups per day had a 16% less chance of mortality and mortality related to cardiovascular disease when compared to individuals who drank less than one cup per day. They also found that green tea was especially beneficially in preventing strokes, due in large part to the antioxidants and how they prevent clogged arteries.
Green Living
In 2007, a United Nations panel of 2500 scientists from 130 countries concluded that as the ice caps melt over the next century, sea levels can be expected to rise 11-17 inches by the year 2100. As sea levels rise, even smaller, category 2 and 3 hurricanes will probably become much more dangerous and severe when coming ashore in low-lying high-populated areas.
September 12, 2011
Spiritual Living
It is not part of a true culture to tame tigers, any more than it is to make sheep ferocious. Henry David Thoreau
Healthy Living
As Fall approaches, with the nights are getting longer, the temperature dropping, and children going back to school, this can be the time of year when flu/cold viruses start to appear. However, there are quite a few things that we can do in order to stave off these nasty bugs.
Sleep!! Make sure you get at least eight hours of sleep. Getting the proper amount of rest not only boosts your immune system, it can also help you lose weight.
Green Living
One place that a castaway lighter might end up is on Midway - a tiny island among many in the Hawaiian archipelago. Although Midway is the historic site of a historic WWII battle, today it is facing another kind of assault: piles of trash that wash up there on a daily basis. Volunteers collect tons of debris from these sandy beaches annually and they have gathered hundreds of disposable lighters.
September 13, 2011
Spiritual Living
People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Healthy Living
Another way to boost your immune system is to take an herb. Echinacea has been found to an excellent choice in bolstering your body's immune system.
Green Living
The disposable lighter is a throwaway product because once the fuel cartridge is depleted, the lighter's useful life is over. How big is this problem? Well, Bic now markets in 160 countries and sells five million disposable lighters per day. And that's just Bic - that's not counting sales of unbranded disposable lighters, many of which are manufactured in China.
September 14, 2011
Spiritual Living
A miracle worker is not geared toward fighting the world that is, but toward creating the world that could be. Marianne Williamson
Healthy Living
Even when it starts getting colder, it helps your immune system to get outside. During the winter 90 percent of the time we tend to be indoors, and this is where bugs and viruses tend to thrive the most and where we are far more likely to become infected.
Green Living
One of the famed junk beaches is Kamilo Beach, on the southern tip of Hawaii's Big Island. There, converging currents throw up so much debris that cleanup crews have hauled out fifty to sixty tons at a time - much of it derelict fishing nets and lines. Such gear is a serious threat to marine animals who get caught, injured, mained and killed by this floating debris.
September 15, 2011
Spiritual Living
If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. Emily Dickinson
Healthy Living
Exercise!! Even though you may not want to do it in the winter this is a real good way to keep your body and immune system in good shape.
However, caution does need to be exercised if you are already feeling unwell, your body will need as much rest as it possibly can get. So please wait until you are feeling better.
Green Living
Plastic debris has been identified as the cause of injury or death in 267 species, including 86 percent of all species of sea turtles, 44 percent of all sea birds, and 43 percent of all marine animalc.
September 16, 2011
Spiritual Living
The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust
Healthy Living
Here is a list of foods that have been shown to boost your immune system:
■Broccolli
■Garlic
■Onions
■Citrus fruits such as oranges, satsuma’s, lemons
■Sweet potatoes
■Normal potatoes
■Carrots
■Green and red bell peppers
■Cabbage
■Cauliflower
■Spinach
■Ginger
■Almonds
■Green tea
■Turmeric in case you’re wondering what this is it is found within curries and is yellow in color, but no need to worry if you’re not somebody who eats curries as there are plenty of other things that you can eat.
Green Living
British biologist David Barnes fears that plastic debris may wreak even broader havoc by contributing to the spread of invasive species.
Organisms can easily hitch a ride on a drifting net or disposable lighter - and such objects may be even more effective vehcicles for transporting species around the planet than ship hulls or ballast water. Plastic is not just an aesthetic problem, it can actually change entire ecosystems.
September 19, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Remember when people show you who they are, you must believe them" - Anonymous
Healthy Living
Stress seems to have become a constant factor in today's fast-paced society. If left unchecked, it can wreak havoc upon our health. Learning how to effectively manage stress can mean the difference between being robust and full of life, or becoming susceptible to illness and disease.
Stress can weaken the immune system and accelerate the aging process. The ability to relax and rejuvenate promotes wellness, vitality and longevity.
A healthy immune system regulates our body's healing process and protects it against infections and diseases. When stress compromises our immune function, it can result in colds, flu, fatigue, cardiovascular disorders and premature aging. Stress increases heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels, adrenaline, cortisol, free radicals and oxidative damage. This initiates the "fight or flight" response, places undue strain upon the heart, and can also increase the feelings of anxiety and depression.
Green Living
Today, the average American throws out at least 300 pounds of packaging per year; Americans' combined mountain of stripped wrappings and emptied containers accounts for a third of the total municipal waste stream.
September 20, 2011
Spiritual Living
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. -Chinese Proverb
Healthy Living
Regular exercise and physical activity strengthens your immune system, cardiovascular system, heart, muscles and bones. It also stimulates the release of endorphins, improves mental functioning, concentration/attention and cognitive performance, and lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, cortisol and other stress hormones. Three 10-minute workout sessions during the day are just as effective as one 30-minute workout, and a lot easier to fit into a busy schedule.
Green Living
The plastic bag is made up of resources that were a hundred million years in the making, and yet its useful lifespan is measured in minutes. The bag can't be repaired and it's not easily recycled. There are much better ways to get your groceries from the store into your car don't you think?
September 21, 2011
Spiritual Living
Tell me and I will forget, show me and I might remember, involve me and I will understand. — Confucius
Healthy Living
The slow movements and controlled postures of yoga improves muscle strength, flexibility, range of motion, balance, breathing, blood circulation and promotes mental focus, clarity and calmness. Stretching also reduces mental and physical stress, tension and anxiety, promotes good sleep, lowers blood pressure and slows down your heart rate.
Green Living
In 2002, Ireland levied a fifteen-cent fee on plastic bags, a so-called plastax. Within weeks, use of the bags dropped by 94 percent and the amount of plastic bag litter decreased significantly. Carrying a plastic bag in Ireland quickly became about as socially acceptable as "wearing fur coats or not cleaning up after one's dog", noted one reporter.
September 22, 2011
Spiritual Living
"If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail." - Heraclitus
Healthy Living
The most effective measure in preventing the spread of microorganisms that cause infections is good hand hygiene. Washing your hands with soap and water as soon as you come home, and always before you eat, greatly reduces your exposure to bacterial and viral infections. In case you cannot wash with soap and water when you are away from home, carry some alcohol-based hand wipes with you to control microbial exposure and transmission.
Green Living
To take oil or natural gas that took millions of years to produce and then to make a disposable product that lasts minutes or seconds, and then to just discard it is not a good way of using this resource.
September 23, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here." Marianne Williamson
Healthy Living
There is truth to the saying that laughter is the best medicine. Laughing reduces stress hormones like adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol. It also benefits your immune system by increasing the number and activity of Natural Killer T-cells. These cells act as the first line of defense against viral attacks and damaged cells. Find the humor in things and engage in activities that make you laugh to increase your immune function and disease resistance.
Green Living
We recycle less plastic than any other commodity material - scarcely 7 percent overall, compared to 23 percent of glass, 34 percent of metals, and 55 percent of paper.
September 26, 2011
Spiritual Living
We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. --Aldo Leopald
Heathy Living
Listening to your favorite music is a great method of reducing stress and relieving anxiety. Your individual preference in music determines which types of soothing sounds will best reduce your tension, blood pressure, and promote feelings of tranquility. Pay attention to how you feel when you hear a particular song or genre of music, and keep listening to the ones that produce a relaxing effect.
Green Living
In 1970, the average American generated 3.25 pounds of trash each day and sent 3 pounds to the landfill. In 2008, the average citizen created 4.5 pounds of trash a day and sent 2.4 pounds to the landfill.
September 27, 2011
Spiritual Living
Even after all this time, The sun never says to the earth, "You owe Me." Look what happens with a love like that, It lights the Whole Sky. --Hafiz
Healthy Living
Getting enough sound sleep has a profound impact on your stress levels, immune function and disease resistance A chronic lack of sleep can leave you feeling sluggish, irritable, forgetful, accident-prone, and have difficulty concentrating or coping with life's daily aggravations. Long-term sleep loss can also result in heart disease, stroke, hypertension, depression, and anxiety. Sleep time is when your body and immune system do most of its repairs and rejuvenation. Strive to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Remember rest and relaxation go hand in hand.
Green Living
From 1990 to 2007, South Africa lost an average of 13 rhinos to poaching each year, but in 2008, the number shot up to 72 animals killed for their horns. The figure rose to 122 in 2009, and again in 2010 to an unprecedented 333 dead.
This year more than 302 animals have already been illegally killed, a rate that may push the total number to over 400 rhinos in 2011 if the poaching onslaught is not halted.
September 28, 2011
Spiritual Living
Love is always open arms. If you close your arms about love you will find that you are left holding only yourself. -- Leo F. Buscaglia
Healthy Living
All fruit is not created equal, so the type you're eating makes a difference.
Eating organic is clearly the best way to avoid icky pesticides and chemicals, but some fruits are pretty clean anyway, so a non-organic version is probably okay. Wondering which fruits you should pick?
To make things easier, The Environmental Working Group puts out a "Dirty Dozen" list each year -- a list of the fruits and veggies with the highest pesticide residue that year -- so you can take a cheat-sheet to the grocery store.
The big offenders as of late: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes. So if you're eating any of those, go organic or at least give them a good scrub-down with a vegetable brush first.
Green Living
A remarkable woman passed away on Sunday, but her legacy will continue onward and her influence is worldwide. The eco-warrior, Felix - the 13 year old German lad, has planted over a million trees because he read about the work of this magnificent woman. The passing away of Professor Wangari Maathai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace. Professor Maathai was tireless in her work on behalf of the environment and humanity, focusing attention on the ways in which the future of both are inter-related: “You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them.”
September 29, 2011
Spiritual Living
The way is long ~ let us go together. The way is difficult ~ let us help each other. The way is joyful ~ let us share it. The way is ours alone ~ let us go in love. The way grows before us ~ let us begin. --Zen Proverb
Healthy Living
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day (and sadly, Starbucks isn't a food group).
Even when you're snuggled up asleep at night, your body is constantly working to keep things ticking, so you need to refuel as soon as you wake up. Think of your system like a car: Food is fuel, so when you run on an empty stomach, it's like trying to drive at 60 MPH with no gas. No bueno.
Your body's automatic response is to lower your metabolism to conserve energy, which inevitably causes your waistline to suffer. So no, you shouldn't swing by iHop en route to work every day.
But something small and nutritious -- say, an organic apple or a bowl of whole grain oatmeal -- will work wonders to keep you looking and feeling your best.
Green Living
Up to 320,000 seabirds are being killed each year after being caught up in fishing lines, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Endangered Species Research and being presented today at the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, reports that some seabird species are being pushed towards extinction as many fishing fleets fail to implement simple measures to prevent bycatch. The most frequently caught species are albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, with the total number of seabird deaths estimated at 160,000 to 320,000 a year. Of particular concern are the Spanish longline fleet in the Gran Sol fishing grounds off southwest Ireland, which may kill over 50,000 birds a year, as well as the Japanese tuna fleet, which may kill 20,000 birds a year.
The study only looked at longline fisheries and did not take into account seabird deaths associated with trawl and gillnet fisheries. These may also be making a significant contribution to seabird mortality.
September 30, 2011
Spiritual Living
Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to. --Alfred A. Montapert
Healthy Living
Like any health-conscious person, you know that it's all about reading the ingredient label.
What may surprise you, however, is that many of the claims and numbers -- "low-fat," "no fat," "sugar-free" -- can woo you towards products that aren't necessarily as healthy as they sound.
Case in point: "Low-fat" usually means less than 30 percent of your daily calories from fat, however, the same product might be jam-packed with sugar and additives to make up for, you know, the cardboard taste. Same goes for most sugar-free foods: additive city.
So your best plan of attack is sticking to foods that are naturally low in fat or sugar -- for example, leafy greens -- so you won't get stuck with mystery ingredients you didn't expect.
Green Living
New studies indicate that there may be as few as 3,200 tigers (Panthera tigris) left in the wild. Tigers occupy less than seven per cent of their original range, which has decreased by 40 percent over the past ten years. Continuing deforestation and rampant poaching could push some tiger populations to the same fate as its now-extinct Javan and Balinese relatives in other parts of Asia. Tigers are poached for their body parts, which are used in traditional Asian medicine, while skins are also highly prized. Additionally, sea level rise, due to climate change, threatens the mangrove habitat of a key tiger population in Bangladesh’s and India’s Sundarbans.
October 3, 2011
Spiritual Living
If you want to know where your heart is … Look where your mind goes when it wanders - Anonymous
Healthy Living
Optimism can counteract the negative impact stress, tension and anxiety has on your immune system and well-being. Often it is how you perceive things that determine if you get overwhelmed, both mentally and physically. Having a positive attitude, finding the good in what life throws your way and looking at the bright side of things enhances your ability to effectively manage stress.
Green Living
One of the world’s smallest marine dolphins, Hector’s dolphin, lives only in waters around New Zealand, where its population has fallen from 30,000 to around 7,000 individuals since nylon fishing nets came into use in the 1970s.
A subspecies from New Zealand’s North Island, known as Maui’s dolphin, is particularly threatened. Classified by the IUCN as Critically Endangered, its population now numbers fewer than 100 individuals.
October 4, 2011
Spiritual Living
When you truly love someone, you let go of your fear. And once you do, you wonder why you haven't reached out to them sooner. Anonymous
Healthy Living
Regularly drinking tea throughout the day can help strengthen your immune system and your body's ability to fight off germs and infections. Both green and black teas contain a beneficial amino acid called L-theanine, which can increase the infection fighting capacity of gamma delta T cells. L-theanine also promotes a sense of relaxation, calmness and well-being by influencing the release and concentration of neurotransmitters (like dopamine, serotonin and GABA) in the brain.
Green Living
Almost half of the world’s most threatened sea turtle populations are found in the northern Indian Ocean, according to a new study carried out by the world’s top sea turtle experts. Scientists have evaluated the state of individual populations of sea turtles, enabling them to determine the 11 most threatened, as well as the 12 healthiest.
October 5, 2011
Spiritual Living
Sometimes I think we waste our words and we waste our moments, if we don't take the time to say the things that are in our hearts when we have the chance. One Tree Hill
Healthy Living
Relaxing in a hot bath relieves sore muscles and joints, reduces stress and tension, and promotes a good night's sleep. Add some soothing music, soft lighting and naturally scented bath salts, bubble bath/bath foam to create an inexpensive and convenient spa experience in the privacy of your own home.
Green Living
The results of the study have revealed that five of the world’s eleven most threatened populations of sea turtles are found in the northern Indian Ocean, with populations of loggerhead turtles and olive ridley turtles appearing particularly at risk.
Several threatened populations of both species occur in waters and on nesting beaches around countries such as India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
“The report confirms that India is a home to many of the most threatened sea turtles in the world,” said Dr B.C. Choudhury, head of the Department of Endangered Species Management at the Wildlife Institute of India and a contributor to the study. “This paper is a wake-up call for the authorities to do more to protect India’s sea turtles and their habitats to ensure that they survive.”
October 6, 2011
Spiritual Living
The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials. Lin Yutang
Healthy Living
Here's a delicious and nutritious recipe by Monique N. Gilbert. It's high in antioxidants and Omega-3 fatty acids.
Banana Strawberry Power Smoothie
1 frozen ripe banana
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup soymilk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon honey or vegan honey substitute.
Blend in a food processor or blender for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Makes about 2-3/4 cups (2 servings)
Green Living
The study also highlighted large sea turtle populations that are currently facing relatively low threat levels, with 12 populations identified as the healthiest in the world. Among these healthy populations, which belong to five species including the hawksbill turtle and the green turtle, are populations with nesting and feeding areas in Australia, Mexico and Brazil. Other areas that harbour healthy turtle populations include the southwest Indian Ocean, Micronesia and French Polynesia.
October 7, 2011
Spiritual Living
Truth has no special time of it's own. It's hour is now always. Albert Schweitzer
Healthy Living
Looking for a healthy lunch? Why not try Garden Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette. This salad holds well, so it is a fine side to bring to a cookout or pack with a lunch.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 1/2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
1 1/2 cups (1 x 1/4-inch) julienne-cut zucchini
1 1/2 cups (1 x 1/4-inch) julienne-cut yellow squash
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil Preparation
To prepare vinaigrette, combine the first 7 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.
To prepare salad, combine zucchini and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss well. Cover and chill.
Green Living
As well as identifying the world’s most threatened sea turtle populations, the study looked at which threats had the most significant impact on these endangered turtles.
The study revealed that the most serious problems to sea turtles are being caused by fisheries bycatch (accidental catches of sea turtles by fishermen targeting other species) and the direct harvest of turtles or their eggs for food or turtle shell for commercial use.
October 11, 2011
Spiritual Living
A single question can be more influential than a thousand statements. Bo Bennett
Healthy Living
Apple cider vinegar also treats acne, age spots, cellulite and yeast infections. You can find apple cider vinegar recipes for all these ailments at Homeremediesweb.com.
Green Living
Overall, the Arctic at the height of its summer in September has had an average of 12% less ice every decade. Each year, on average, there are 32,7000 square miles less of ice in September. That's bigger than the state of South Carolina
October 12, 2011
Spiritual Living
What is uttered from the heart alone, will win the hearts of others to your own. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Healthy Living
With autumn approaching, soups are a great way to treat your body.
Check out this recipe:
Cream of Pumpkin Soup Topped with Curried Pecans
A delightful crunch of nuts tops this sweet and spicy vegetarian soup.
Recipe courtesy of Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less by Robin Robertson.
SERVINGS 4
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion. Cover and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the curry powder and the pumpkin puree, then whisk in the broth until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to develop, stirring occasionally.
2. While the soup is simmering, make the curried pecans. In a small bowl, combine the pecan pieces with the remaining maple syrup and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining curry powder, tossing to coat. Place the pecans in a small baking dish and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Otherwise, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir back into the pot. Return the soup to the stovetop, turning the heat to low. Whisk in the coconut milk, taste to adjust seasonings. Heat until hot, do not boil. Serve the soup garnished with the pecans.
Green Living
Give up 2 degrees Electric power plants are the country's largest industrial source of the pollutants that cause global warming. By snuggling under a blanket on the couch on a snowy winter night instead of turning up the heat, or enjoying the breeze from a fan in the height of summer instead of turning up the air conditioning, you can save pounds of pollution, as well as some money off your utility bills. Set your thermostat in winter to 68 degrees F (20° C) or less during the daytime and 55 degrees F (13° C) before going to sleep or when you are away for the day. And during the summer, set thermostats to 78 degrees F (26° C) or more
October 13, 2011
Spiritual Living
There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature. Henry David Thoreau
Healthy Living
The best part of making soup is the aroma that lingers in your kitchen.
Here is a great recipe for Black Bean Soup.
Caribbean Black Bean Soup
SERVINGS 6
COOK TIME 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
1 pound dry black beans
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium red onions, chopped
4 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8 cups water
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 12 ounces each), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 limes, cut into wedges (optional)
PREPARATION
1. Place beans in colander and pick through, discarding any stones or debris. Rinse beans with cold running water and drain. Transfer beans to large bowl. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. (Or, in 5-quart Dutch oven or saucepot, combine beans and enough water to cover by 2 inches; heat to boiling over high heat. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour.) Drain and rinse beans.
2. In 6-quart saucepot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat until hot. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add jalapenos, ginger, garlic, allspice, and thyme and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.
3. Add beans and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until beans and sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes longer.
4. Transfer 1 cup bean mixture to blender; cover, with center part of cover removed to let steam escape, and puree until smooth. Return to saucepot. Stir in green onions and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, if you like.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
(based on individual servings)
Calories: 390
Total Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 705 mg
Carbohydrates: 70 g
Protein: 17 g
Green Living
Refrigerators, dishwashers and ovens can be among the biggest energy hogs in the house, costing you every time they're in use. When the time comes to replace older appliances, choose Energy Star-labeled options so you know that you're buying a product that uses relatively little energy – and costs you relatively little to run.
October 14, 2011
Spiritual Living
Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas. Marie Curie
Healthy Living
Looking for a great seafood gumbo recipe - mmmm good -
Creole influences abound in this hearty gumbo courtesy of okra, file, peppers, onions, and celery. From Prevention Healthy Cooking.
Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:25 min
Makes:1 Serving
2 cups basmati rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Gold Medal® unbleached all-purpose flour
2 onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
3 cans (14 oz each) stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced okra
1/2 lb haddock or other medium-firm fish fillets (about 1 inch thick) cut into cubes
1/2 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
1/2 lb sea scallops
1/4 lb shucked oysters, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon red pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon filé powder
1. Prepare the rice according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the oil and flour. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns dark brown. Add the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
3. Add the tomatoes and okra and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the haddock, shrimp, scallops, and oysters. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, or until the fish, shrimp, scallops, and oysters are opaque. Remove from the heat and stir in the hot-pepper sauce and file powder. Serve over hot rice.
Green Living
Ralph Waldo Emerson might have said it best: "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered." In a lawn or garden environment, most of us have a hard time seeing any virtues in any plants that are trying to compete with our grass or peas and carrots. Oftentimes, however, those weeds can be very valuable in telling us something about the condition of the soil below.
October 17, 2011
Spiritual Living
All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. Henry Ellis
Healthy Living
Depression affects millions of people. Even though no one knows exactly what causes depression, it is clearly a state of internal imbalance. Balance is essential for the healthy functioning of both your body and your mind. Diet may play a part in protecting against depression. Mediterranean countries have low rates of depression. Researchers speculate that the foods in the Mediterranean diet may act synergistically together. Olive oil, nuts and fatty fish are rich in omega-3 and other unsaturated fatty acids, and fresh fruits and vegetables contain flavonoids and phytochemicals that are full of antioxidants and folates (B vitamins).
Green Living
Gemsbok, or Oryx gazella, is a species of antelope living in the arid regions of southern Africa.
Remarkably they are able to survive without drinking water for most of the year. This allows them to roam on sand dunes, which lion predators won't attempt to cross.
October 18, 2011
Spiritual Living
Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another. –Juvenal
Healthy Living
Aerobic exercise is a very effective for depression. It's been shown that moderate aerobic exercise done just 30 minutes a day, three times a week, can help reduce or even eliminate symptoms of depression.
Green Living
On the island of New Guinea there are 42 different species of birds of paradise.
October 19, 2011
Spiritual Living
You can move through life seeing nothing as a miracle, or seeing everything as a miracle. --Albert Einstein
Healthy Living
Yoga has been shown to lessen stress and anxiety and promote feelings of well-being. Communication between your body and your mind is a two-way street. Certain yogic practices can signal the brain that it's all right to relax and prompt the nervous system to initiate the relaxation response.
Green Living
At the southernmost extreme of the planet is Antarctica: A continent as large as the United States, 90 percent of all the world's ice is found here.
October 20, 2011
Spiritual Living
There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life -- happiness, freedom, and peace of mind -- are always attained by giving them to someone else. --Peyton Conway March
Healthy Living
Meditation can be a useful treatment for both stress and mild-to-moderate depression. Numerous studies have examined the effects of mindfulness meditation, designed to focus the meditator's attention on the present moment.
Green Living
At the other pole is the barren Arctic. A thousand miles south of the North Pole, trees finally begin to grow. When the conifers -- pines, spruces, and firs -- begin to become more dense, it signals the edge of the taiga forest. The taiga circles the globe and contains a third of all the trees on earth.
October 21, 2011
Spiritual Living
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. --Joseph Campbell
Healthy Living
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, works as well as medication for many people. It may be used alone or in combination with other forms of treatment. Studies have shown that psychotherapy can cause changes in brain function similar to those produced by medications. Focused, goal-oriented forms of therapy such as cognitive-behavior therapy appear to be the most effective in treating depression. Affirmations and setting your intention are effective measures in combatting depression.
Green Living
The annual melt is a challenging time for a mother polar bear and her cubs. The mother must traverse the sea ice to hunt seals for herself and her cubs, but each year, as the climate warms, the Arctic holds less ice.
It is estimated that one out of two polar bear cubs do not survive their first year out on the ice.
October 24, 2011
Spiritual Living
Connection with gardens, even small ones, even potted plants, can become windows to the inner life. The simple act of stopping and looking at the beauty around us can be prayer. --Patricia R. Barret
Healthy Living
A wise person can help you to undo your most negative beliefs by showing you that life has other, better possibilities. Spend time with people who give you a reason to feel alive and vibrant.
Green Living
In their search for food, chimpanzees move between the forest floor and the canopy—they are one of the few jungle animals able to do so.
Figs are an important part of the chimpanzee's diet, and the abundant figs in the forests of Uganda support one of the largest communities of chimps ever found in Africa, at 150 strong.
October 25, 2011
Spiritual Living
Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging. --Joseph Campbell
Healthy Living
Moving from wanting to change to actually doing so is challenging because the repetition of any pattern of behavior establishes neural circuits in the brain. Habits generate biochemical and physiological changes that perpetuate behavior. Be assured, however, that it is possible to break a habit when you address its emotional and physical aspects.
Green Living
Factory farming, a system in which animals are confined in tiny cages and fed hormones and antibiotics, rather being allowed to graze outdoors in natural settings, is an invention of the mid-twentieth Century. Intensive confinement, such as the crowding of too many egg-laying hens into a small cage, constitutes one of the worst abuses visited upon animals: it denies living beings even their most basic needs and condemns them to a life of misery and suffering. And, it impacts over nine billion animals each year in the U.S. alone. Surprisingly, most U.S. consumers of animal products have little or no idea of the conditions that farmed animals are raised in or the devastating impacts these conditions have on the animals, the environment and human health.
October 26, 2011
Spiritual Living
The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Healthy Living
Habits fill deep-seated needs, so when you drop an unwanted behavior, you need to replace it with a nourishing one. Instead of “winding down” in the evening with a beer or hours of television, practice meditation or yoga. Schedule a regular afternoon exercise time rather than releasing frustration by yelling at your kids or co-workers. The key is finding an activity that provides sustainable comfort that takes the place of the temporary relief your old habit provided.
Green Living
Europeans began questioning factory farming thirty years ago, both on a scientific and ethical basis. As a result, Europe has made steady progress in improving the quality of life for farmed animals. In 1981, Switzerland banned the use of battery cages to house egg laying hens by the end of 1991. The Swedes banned battery cages in 1988; the Dutch followed suit in 1994 and a West German appellate court declared battery cages to be cruel as early as 1979. The British banned the veal crate in 1987 and intensive confinement of sows in 1991, to go into effect by the end of 1999.
October 27, 2011
Spiritual Living
I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. --Rabindranath Tagore
Healthy Living
Although relatively few of us were told during our upbringing that the expansion of happiness is the purpose of life, most people sense somewhere in their soul that more joy ought to be part of the equation. How, then, do we move from a state of constriction to a state of ever greater freedom and happiness? The first step towards genuine awakening is setting the intention . . . deciding to live a life that reflects your right to happiness.
Green Living
The EU has adopted legislation that leads the world in protecting farmed animals. In 1998, the Council of the European Union adopted Council Directive 98/58/EC, which sets general rules for the protection of farmed animals. This Directive incorporates what are commonly referred to as the “Five Freedoms,” to wit, farmed animals must be given:
Freedom to express normal behavior - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animals’ own kind.
Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.
Freedom from discomfort - by providing a suitable environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
Freedom from pain, injury and disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
Freedom from fear and distress - by ensuring conditions that avoid mental suffering.
October 28, 2011
Spiritual Living
Action expresses priorities. Gandhi
Healthy Living
I have seen time and again that when individuals are willing to do the work of releasing the toxic emotions they’ve been carrying, and begin thinking and doing things differently, healing and transformation can occur.
Green Living
European animal advocates were able to negotiate a critically important addition to the Treaty of Lisbon, which took effect in 2009. For the first time in European law, animals were referred to as “sentient beings” and the welfare of the animals is to be a consideration in European Union lawmaking. These are just a few of the advances that have been made in Europe.
October 31, 2011
Spiritual Living
"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." Edward Everett Hale
Healthy Living
The fruit of the elderberry shrub (Sambucus nigra) has a long history of being used for colds and flu. It has been supported scientifically with studies from Israel showing that taking a liquid extract of elderberry reduced the duration of flu symptoms as compared to placebo over a period of a week's time. Its antiviral properties seem to come from the flavonoids that give elderberry its purple color.
Green Living
Salamanders help protect woodlands by eating the bugs and grubs that consume leaf litter, which provides a habitat as well as crucial nutrients and moisture for wildlife and young plants. Highly sensitive to changes in the environment, salamanders are also important indicators of overall forest condition.
November 1, 2011
Spiritual Living
One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts. Samuel Johnson
Healthy Living
I like medicinal mushrooms like shiitake, maitake, reishi and cordyceps. You can take extracts of these in liquid or capsule form. My other favorite is a Chinese root called Astragalus, used to prevent illness and strengthen immunity once you do get sick. You can buy the root and make it into a tea or soup; otherwise, buy extracts in liquid or capsule form and take as directed.
Green Living
The 16th-longest river in the U.S. at 444 miles, the Susquehanna River runs through New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, draining an acreage nearly as big as South Carolina before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay. Long recognized for its importance in determining the water quality for that great American estuary, now the Susquehanna faces a more direct threat: "Fracking."
"Fracking," short for hydraulic fracturing, is a technique used to coax natural gas from shale deposits, including the so-called Marcellus Shale formation under much of the Susquehanna watershed. The problem lies in the mix — often undisclosed — of chemicals, sand and water injected into the shale to force out the natural gas. While New York has so far kept the brakes on fracking, Pennsylvania has permitted the use of the technique, which has led to windfalls for landowners, gas companies and cash-strapped tax collectors, but also reports of polluted water — a serious concern since the Susquehanna serves up drinking water for millions of people, including, most recently, residents of Baltimore, Md.
The risks of fracking were illustrated most prominently in the Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland, but the gas industry stands by the safety of the technique; federal and state environmental agencies are coming to their own conclusions as they complete investigations of potential environmental and public health risks.
November 2, 2011
Spiritual Living
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. --Jimi Hendrix
Healthy Living
Low levels of vitamin D in the blood are linked with increased incidence of upper respiratory infection. Adults should keep optimum levels by taking at least 2000 IU daily. Get your levels checked if you think you are low.
Green Living
For years, controversy has reigned in jewelry stores in the lower 48 as environmentalists have waged a public relations battle over the fate of a gold mine in the far-reaches of Alaska, in territory so remote it hosts some of the nation's least-visited national parks. Why? The Pebble Mine is leading a modern-day gold rush in the salmon-rich headwaters of Bristol Bay.
Gold mining is highly destructive, producing not only a heavily scarred landscape, but often toxic mercury pollution downstream. Native American organizations, like the Nunamta Aulukestai and the Ekwok Tribal Council, have the most to lose, as generations of subsistence and commercial fishermen eye the world's largest salmon run and wonder if the fish can survive a gold mine for a neighbor. They've joined with environmentalists like the Alaska Conservation Foundation and the National Parks Conservation Association to pressure the Environmental Protection Agency to deny permits for the mine. American Rivers is urging people to support the opposition.
November 3, 2011
Spiritual Living
Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless. Mother Teresa
Healthy Living
Baking soda is a common ingredient in toothpaste, but you can give your teeth a little boost by scrubbing them with a paste of baking soda and water between brushings. Baking soda is just abrasive enough to scrape off coffee, wine and other yellowing substances before they penetrate your teeth.
Green Living
Roanoke River Like mining for gold, mining for uranium typically comes with serious downstream pollution that American Rivers warns "could last for centuries" if it proceeds as planned along a tributary of the Roanoke River — a claim that isn't pure hyperbole when one considers the longevity of radioactive elements. The Roanoke River flows out of Virginia's scenic Blue Ridge Mountains toward North Carolina's Outer Banks. The key to saving the river from this threat, according to American Rivers, is the legislature in business-friendly Virginia; advocates at the Southern Environmental Law Center and elsewhere fear lawmakers' request for a study on the safety of uranium mining is a precursor to lifting the state's ban on the practice.
November 4, 2011
Spiritual Living
Labels are for cans, not people. Anthony Rapp
Healthy Living
Baking soda makes those dreaded dishes covered in dried crud so much easier to tackle. Dunk the dishes into soapy water, then sprinkle the trouble spots with baking soda. Let them sit a little while to soften. You can also add a dash of baking soda to the dishwasher for a boost in cleaning power and a reduction in funky smells.
Green Living
One might think the U.S. stopped dumping raw sewage into its rivers after the passage of the Clean Water Act outlawed it in 1972. Yet in many cities old sewers that overflow with rainwater, crumbling century-old pipes and, in the case of Chicago, sewers that discharge directly into its namesake river, continue to this day. According to American Rivers, the Chicago is "one of the only rivers in the country where undisinfected sewage is dumped directly into the river every day" and the problem could be solved if the Illinois Pollution Control Board required disinfection of the city's wastewater. The thing is, wastewater treatment is not cheap, estimated to cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
November 7, 2011
Spiritual Living
When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. --Helen Keller
Healthy Living
Think of alcohol as a calcium-blocker; it prevents the bone-building minerals you eat from being absorbed. And heavy drinking disrupts the bone remodeling process by preventing osteoblasts, the bone-building cells, from doing their job. So not only do bones become weaker, but when you do suffer a fracture, alcohol can interfere with healing.
Green Living
Throughout the 20th century the causes of extinction are habitat degradation, overexploitation, agricultural monocultures, human-borne invasive species, and human-induced climate-change.
November 8, 2011
Spiritual Living
Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always try to be a little kinder than is necessary. --Sir James M. Barrie
Healthy Living
In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthristis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.
Green Living
When you think of extinction, the overall numbers are terrifying. Of the 40,168 species that the 10,000 scientists in the World Conservation Union have assessed, one in four mammals, one in eight birds, one in three amphibians, one in three conifers and other gymnosperms are at risk of extinction.
November 9, 2011
Spiritual Living
If you give your life as a wholehearted response to love, then love will wholeheartedly respond to you. Marianne Williamson
Healthy Living
We’re all familiar with medical first aid kits. But, have you ever considered putting together a mental health first aid kit? It might contain a reminder to breathe deeply, a small bottle of lavender essential oil and, perhaps, even an inspirational quotation or two. Herbal teas could also be included. A few that immediately come to mind are chamomile, kava and passion flower teas. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), a citrus scented member of the mint family, is rarely included in the top tier of calming natural remedies. This is a shame because modern science and traditional use indicate that it can be a valuable resource for a variety of mental woes.
Green Living
Today, 40 per cent of the examined species of planet earth are in danger, including perhaps 51 per cent of reptiles, 52 per cent of insects, and 73 per cent of flowering plants.
November 10, 2011
Spiritual Living
We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past, but by the love we're not extending in the present. Marianne Williamson
Healthy Living
There’s more to the promotion of mental health than just re-establishing a calm state of mind. Surely this is helpful, but not all inclusive. Sometimes we require longer term assistance during periods of prolonged stress. In other instances, it’s our memory that suffers due to preoccupations and other forms of psychological torment. Fortunately, lemon balm tea may be of assistance in all three of the states of mind I’ve mentioned above.
Green Living
No scientist believes that the tally of life ends at the 1.5 million species already discovered; estimates range as high as 100 million species on earth, with 10 million as the median guess. Bracketed between best- and worst-case scenarios, then, somewhere between 2.7 and 270 species are erased from existence every day. Including today.
November 11, 2011
Spiritual Living
Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do. Michel de Montaigne
Healthy Living
Albert Einstein once famously quipped, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” The topic of sugar aptly illustrates his point. Some would have you believe that all calorically equivalent, naturally sourced sweeteners are basically the same. Just eat them in moderation and there’s really little danger. However, a careful examination of the medical literature suggests otherwise. In particular, fructose stands out as a sweetener that ought to be limited in one’s diet.
In recent months, fructose has been implicated as: a) reducing the calorie and fat “burning” (net fat oxidation and resting energy expenditure) potential of overweight men and women; b) contributing to abdominal pain, digestive symptoms and sleep disturbance in children; c) elevating various risk markers for cardiovascular disease including LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides; d) a primary contributor to the development of abdominal obesity, hypertension and metabolic syndrome in a population study consisting of over 2,500 adults. Many of the pitfalls associated with fructose can be avoided by simply steering clear of products containing agave nectar or syrup, crystalline fructose and high fructose corn syrup. Excessive fruit and fruit juice consumption can likewise present issues for some individuals. Another strategy to consider is the regular inclusion of sulfur rich foods in your diet such as garlic, onions and shallots. Several experiments in animal models have determined that these aromatic bulbs can mitigate some of the blood sugar, cardiovascular and inflammatory activity initiated by fructose intake.
Green Living
A poll by the American Museum of Natural History finds that seven in 10 biologists believe that mass extinction poses a colossal threat to human existence, a more serious environmental problem than even its contributor, global warming; and that the dangers of mass extinction are woefully underestimated by almost everyone outside science.
November 14, 2011
Spiritual Living
All is connected... no one thing can change by itself. Paul Hawken
Healthy Living
Cinnamon: The sweet spice, which contains iron, calcium, manganese and even fiber, is loaded with health benefits. "Cinnamon contains substances that work as antioxidants to protect cells against damage caused by harmful free radicals -- substances found in the environment and inside the body that destroy cells. What's more, a dash of cinnamon may help curb your sweet tooth. "Sweet spices such as cinnamon can also satisfy cravings and when added to tea or fruit, may eliminate the need for supplemental sweeteners," says Cheryl Forberg, R.D., chef, nutritionist for NBC'S "The Biggest Loser" and author of "Positively Ageless: A 28 Day Plan for a Younger, Slimmer, Sexier You."
Green Living
All these disappearing species are part of a fragile membrane of organisms wrapped around the Earth so thinly, writes Wilson, that it "cannot be seen edgewise from a space shuttle, yet so internally complex that most species composing it remain undiscovered". We owe everything to this membrane of life. Literally everything. The air we breathe. The food we eat. The materials of our homes, clothes, books, computers, medicines. Goods and services that we can't even imagine we'll someday need will come from species we have yet to identify. The proverbial cure for cancer. The genetic fountain of youth. Immortality. Mortality. The living membrane we so recklessly destroy is existence itself.
November 15, 2011
Spiritual Living
Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land. Aldo Leopold
Healthy Living
The kick you get from hot chili peppers comes from capsaicin. Even though it may feel as though the spice is setting your mouth on fire, capsaicin actually helps ease pain. A recent British study found that when applied topically in the form of a patch, capsaicin is useful in reducing pain. That's because over time, capsaicin depletes the pain-causing neurotransmitter substance P.
What's more, the spice may help you slide into your skinny jeans. A Purdue University study found that eating red peppers can help suppress appetite and burn more calories after a meal, especially in those who don't eat the spice often.
Green Living
Biodiversity is defined as the sum of an area's genes (the building blocks of inheritance), species (organisms that can interbreed), and ecosystems (amalgamations of species in their geological and chemical landscapes). The richer an area's biodiversity, the tougher its immune system, since biodiversity includes not only the number of species but also the number of individuals within that species, and all the inherent genetic variations - life's only army against the diseases of oblivion.
November 16, 2011
Spiritual Living
Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left. Aldo Leopold
Healthy Living
Cumin: The Mediterranean spice is a good source of iron and like cinnamon, animal studies have shown it may help lower blood glucose levels. But that's not all. Cumin also has antibacterial properties. Several studies have found that the spice is effective at killing Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria linked with stomach ulcers. Lastly, Black cumin (nigella sativa) can help reduce inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis, according to several animal studies.
Green Living
The trend in scientific investigation in recent decades has been toward understanding the interconnectedness of the bodily components, i.e. the effect one species has on the others. The loss of even one species irrevocably changes the desert (or the tundra, rainforest, prairie, coastal estuary, coral reef, and so on) as we know it, just as the loss of each human being changes his or her family forever.
November 17, 2011
Spiritual Living
If people destroy something replaceable made by mankind, they are called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable made by God, they are called developers. Joseph Wood Krutch
Healthy Living
Tumeric: The bright yellow spice, which is part of the ginger family, does much more than make a mean curry. It may also help fight cancer. A new study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry found that curcumin -- the potent antioxidant in turmeric -- improves the effectiveness of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients and has potential to be developed into an adjuvant chemotherapy drug.
Green Living
So when you and I hear of this year's extinction of the Yangtze river dolphin, and think, "how sad", we're not calculating the deepest cost: that extinctions lead to co-extinctions because most living things on Earth support a few symbionts, while keystone species influence and support myriad plants and animals. Army ants, for example, are known to support 100 known species, from beetles to birds.
November 18, 2011
Spiritual Living
Journey with me to a true commitment to our environment. Journey with me to the serenity of leaving to our children a planet in equilibrium. Paul Tsongas
Healthy Living
The bright yellow spice, which is part of the ginger family, does much more than make a mean curry. It may also help fight cancer. A new study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry found that curcumin -- the potent antioxidant in turmeric -- improves the effectiveness of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients and has potential to be developed into an adjuvant chemotherapy drug.
Green Living
A European study finds steep declines in honeybee diversity in the past 25 years but also significant attendant declines in plants that depend on bees for pollination - a job estimated to be worth £50bn worldwide. Meanwhile, beekeepers in 24 American states report that perhaps 70 per cent of their colonies have recently died off, threatening £7bn in US agriculture. And bees are only a small part of the pollinator crisis.
November 21, 2011
Spiritual Living
They claim this mother of ours, the Earth, for their own use, and fence their neighbors away from her, and deface her with their buildings and their refuse. Sitting Bull
Healthy Living
Ginger: The spice is well known for its myriad health benefits, including anti-inflammatory benefits. Sore from the gym? Have some ginger. Research published in the Journal of Pain shows that consuming two grams of ginger supplements daily eased exercise-induced muscle pain by 25 percent over an 11 day period.
Green Living
A recent analysis in Nature estimated that, in the past 20 years, at least 70 species of South American frogs had gone extinct as a result of climate change.
November 21, 2011
Spiritual Living
You may be able to fool the voters, but not the atmosphere. Donella Meadows
Healthy Living
Rosemary may help cut your cancer risk. A 2010 study found that certain spices, especially rosemary, helped reduce carcinogenic compounds that are produced when ground beef patties are cooked. That may be because the herb is rich in antioxidants. What's more - semary has shown significant antifungal and antibacterial activity. It has been studied specifically for its ability to interfere with candidiasis [yeast infection] growth.
Green Living
"Rewilding" is bigger, broader, and bolder than humans have thought before. Many conservation biologists believe it's our best hope for arresting the sixth great extinction.
November 22, 2011
Spiritual Living
He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature. Socrates
Healthy Living
The benefits spices offer you in terms of your diet and health are endless," says Elisa Zied, R.D., author of "Nutrition at Your Fingertips." "They can help control blood sugar, protect against inflammation that can contribute to chronic diseases such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes and may play a role -- directly or indirectly -- in weight management. Spices literally add spice to your life and diet but can also be a simple way to enhance meals and optimize your overall health, inside and out."
Green Living
To save Earth's living membrane, we must put its shattered pieces back together. Only "megapreserves" modelled on a deep scientific understanding of continent-wide ecosystem needs hold that promise. "What I have been preparing to say is this," wrote Thoreau more than 150 years ago. "In wildness is the preservation of the world." This, science finally understands.
November 23, 2011
Spiritual Living
Best of all is to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song. Konrad von Gesner
Healthy Living
How to avoid that mid-afternoon siesta: have some protein... Researchers have discovered that brain cells called orexin cells secrete a stimulant that makes us energetic and tells the body to burn calories. If these cell's activity decreases, then sleepiness is the result. As it turns out, eating something containing amino acids stimulates these cells while ingesting glucose actually will block the function of these cells. This works is published in the journal Neuron. [Mahesh M. Karnani et al., "Activation of Central Orexin/Hypocretin Neurons by Dietary Amino Acids".
Green Living
From wildfires and drought to flooding and tornados, 2011 has been a record-setting year for extreme weather events. The economic pain to American communities unprepared for such radical shifts in natural weather systems has been tremendous. Already, drought in the south has cost the country $10 billion. And as the dry conditions spread to the southeast and midwest, we can anticipate that number to grow.
Our finances aren’t the only place we feel the effects of extreme weather. Natural disasters take a substantial toll on our national historic places, parks and refuges, and the wildlife that make up our country’s natural heritage. Drought reduces food supply, flooding damages river banks and sends pollution into waterways, and hurricanes and other large coastal storms can devastate coastlines, habitats and wildlife. Unfortunately, these threats only promise to get worse. These weather patterns have long been predicted as indicators of a changing climate, and as the world continues to warm, we can expect these events to occur more often, with greater intensity.
November 24, 2011
Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.Henry Van Dyke
Happy Thanksgiving....Here is an awe-inspiring video on gratitude: http://www.wimp.com/simplegratitude/
November 28, 2011
Spiritual Living
"Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us." ~ Earl Nightingale
Healthy Living
There's a reason prayer involves repeatedly saying a word or a phrase -- repetition is known to effectively reduce stress. But if praying or word meditation isn't your thing, just spend time doing a repetitive activity -- like knitting, washing the dishes or folding clothes.
Green Living
The truth is that wilderness is more dangerous to us caged than free - and has far more value to us wild than consumed. It has been suggested that the time has come to rename the "environmentalist view" the "real-world view", and to replace the gross national product with the more comprehensive "genuine progress indicator", which estimates the true environmental costs of farming, fishing, grazing, mining, smelting, driving, flying, building, paving, computing, medicating and so on. Until then, it's like keeping a ledger recording income but not expenses. Like us, the Earth has a finite budget.
December 5, 2011
Spiritual Living
Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant? Henry David Thoreau
Healthy Living
Garlic for a Runny Nose - There's no cure for a runny nose like getting the snot out, and garlic can do the trick. Just add garlic to your meals for both a short-term treatment and long-term fortification against the next cold or flu virus.
Green Living
Some inexpensive and green holiday gifts: Go staple free! These adorable staple-free staplers hold paper in place by cutting a small notch and folding a small flap within the document's corner. It's seamless, easy and a great way to cut back on otherwise wasted natural resources like steel, the metal most commonly used to make staples. $7.99 at thinkgeek.com, 1-888-433-7883.
December 6, 2011
Spiritual Living
There is a road from the eye to heart that does not go through the intellect. Gilbert K. Chesterton
Healthy Living
Tea for Sore Throats - A little illness can take a lot out of you — like your voice or your desire to speak at all. For a sore throat, the tea remedy is as old as time, it seems. Try jujube tea for an extra vitamin C boost.
Green Living
Another inexpensive and green holiday gift: Green and Black's Organic Chocolate Bag: Available in 70% Dark and Milk Chocolate, these delicious organic chocolates come wrapped in an elegant bag -- perfect stuffing for any stocking. $4.99 a bag at greenandblacks.com.
December 7, 2011
Spiritual Living
Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. Albert Schweitzer
Healthy Living
Leafy Greens for Nosebleeds - Dry indoor air, coupled with a sneeze, can be a recipe for nosebleeds. A daily cup of leafy greens can provide enough vitamin K to fortify sensitive capillaries and help your blood clot quickly.
Green Living
Not sure what to buy for a hostess present - why not try a Biodegradable Indoor Garden Kit? The Biodegradable Indoor Garden Kit comes complete with all the necessary tools to grow flavorful heirloom herbs on any windowsill. Artfully wrapped in a pot made entirely of renewable grain husks and organic pigments, it makes a great housewarming gift or "little something" for a friend. $15.50 at delight.com.
December 8, 2011
Spiritual Living
What the heart gives away is never gone ... It is kept in the hearts of others. Robin St. John
Healthy Living
Nuts for Energy - There's nothing like watching the sunset from your office window night after night to suck the energy out of you. No question: Winter can be tough. Find time to exercise and to laugh, get enough sleep — and look to unsalted nuts like almonds for a good energy booster. Raisins or dried apricots are also good options.
Green Living
Another wonderful green gift idea is to support organizations that support our planet. There are many gift ideas at the IS Foundation...check them out! http://www.cafepress.com/isfoundation
December 9, 2011
Spiritual Living
Of life's two chief prizes, beauty and truth, I found the first in a loving heart and the second in a laborer's hand. Khalil Gibran
Healthy Living
Carrots for Headaches - If the foot traffic at the mall gives you a headache, fortify yourself ahead of time with this natural remedy: a simple salad. Phytonutrients in fresh produce, like the beta-carotene in carrots, can reduce inflammation in the blood vessels of the brain. Eating two cups a day can help some people reduce headache incidence by 70 percent!
Green Living
What gift idea could be better for an animal lover but to adopt one in their name? Many endangered species need your help and support. Check out National Wildlife at http://www.shopnwf.org/Adoption-Center/index.cat to adopt an endangered species as a great holiday gift?
December 12, 2011
Spiritual Living
Life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight. --Rossiter Worthington Raymond
Healthy Living
Good food can be hard to turn down this time of year. Respond rather than react to thoughts that urge you to eat whenever you see something yummy. Before you take a helping, pop a piece of sugar-free hard candy in your mouth. Let it dissolve slowly. When it is completely dissolved, ask yourself, "Do I really want it?" This can help you cut down on mindless picking and acting on your first impulse. If you still want it, great, have a small portion.
Green Living
Each year billions of used batteries are thrown away in the United States. This constitutes 88% of the mercury and 54% of the cadmium deposited into our landfills
December 13, 2011
Spiritual Living
Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle. Marianne Williamson
Healthy Living
It sounds simple enough. However, how many of us take a plate of food and nibble on it until we've found a seat? It's hard to really enjoy food when you are standing up, balancing a plate. Don't take a bite unless you are on a chair and can truly enjoy what you are eating.
Green Living
Ivory comes from dead elephants, its best not to buy it.
December 14, 2011
Spiritual Living
It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare. Mark Twain
Healthy Living
When food is the only event at a holiday meal, it makes it too easy to mindlessly eat. Bring your favorite game or cards. Or, tote along photos from the year to ooh and ahh over. Get your mind off of food with fun activities.
Green Living
Each gallon of fuel releases 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.
December 15, 2011
Spiritual Living
I have a notion that if you are going to be spiritually curious, you better not get cluttered up with too many material things. Mary Oliver
Healthy Living
Holidays are exciting and stressful. Find ways to calm and soothe yourself so you don't turn to food for comfort. Take a five minute breather. Drink a hot cup of black tea (which can reduce your cortisol, or stress hormone, levels).
Green Living
The amount of wood and paper we throw away is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.
December 16, 2011
Spiritual Living
Dreams are the touchstones of our character. Henry David Thoreau
Healthy Living
In many ways, the holiday meal is just like any other. There is often an abundance of food. Seeing the holidays as "different" or "special" seems to imply that there is a different way we should eat. Yes, it is a holiday. However, mindful eating is not a diet. You don't have to avoid good food. It just means eating it slowly, with full awareness. This is something you can do all year long.
Green Living
One gallon of motor oil can contaminate up to 2 million gallons of water. so dispose of properly!