A Healthy and Green Outlook is a Look Beyond the Physical

Don’t you notice that it is almost hopeless to encourage smokers to quit for good by telling them the health hazards of tobacco? And even diverting their attention on the health benefits of physical activity may get some of them started but are unlikely to keep them at it.

For many people, future health benefits may just be too intangible and speculative to overcome disinterest and take up walking, running, swimming, cycling or working out in the gym. What really keeps dedicated exercisers going, even in the face of myriad obstacles, is much more real.

There are some supplementary benefits, in addition to the obvious health benefits, to regular exercise. At 89, John visits the gym almost daily, where he has a big group of gym buddies, with whom he shares books, magazines and conversation. His wife still works full time but makes it to the gym about five times a week; usually it is a gym ‘date’ with him. They stride along on treadmills next to each other and talk about the day’s events while they watch National Geographic. These benefits are actually the core reasons that keep these people going.

We have misbranded health behaviors such as exercise. The ‘health’ and ‘weight-loss’ brand of exercise doesn’t create desire in people to exercise on a daily basis. It makes the behaviors feel like a chore and a ‘should,’ which undercuts our desire to do them. It’s like telling young children, “Eat your vegetables; they’re good for you,” which almost never accomplishes the desired goal. We’ve based our promotion of exercise on a medical and logical model, and people don’t necessarily behave in a logical manner.

We’ve made exercise feel like a chore to most people, not like a gift we give ourselves. Let’s borrow the motivational approach used by commercial marketers, “an emotional hook that creates positive, meaningful expectations of how exercise can enhance people’s lives, a way to feel better.” Exercise is such a wonder drug — there’s got to be something exercise can do to improve the lives of virtually everyone. So many non-health benefits keep people exercising every day that for sure life would be greatly diminished without them. When two to five people walk for an hour every morning and chat about their days, share their thoughts and problems, seek and offer advice, bolster sagging spirits, provide logistical support, alert one another to coming cultural events, discuss the news, books, articles and what-have-you. No matter how awful each one may feel when getting up in the morning, there’s always that good feeling after that walk. And so they would always do it, come rain, shine or blizzard.

Forming or joining an exercise group creates a sounding board for any and all problems, providing both emotional and practical support when needed. The group could introduce you to wonderful activities — museum and gallery shows, concerts and operas, movies and books — you might have otherwise missed. They could all be there when a family crisis struck, offering to make meals, house visitors, run errands, go grocery shopping, pick up grandsons from school, do whatever they can farm out to others to ease the burden.

You could lunch together almost every month, celebrate birthdays together, check on one another if someone fails to attend a session or two, even raise money for a beloved staff member who lost her job in the recession. They could give you the opportunity to talk about events, politics, sports and other topics of mutual interest that you would otherwise have no chance to squeeze into your very busy life.

Exercise can help people sleep better and reduce stress, as well as have a good time with a friend. Almost anything can get people to start exercising. The challenge is to get them hooked on it so that they keep going. We need to rebrand exercise as something we can enjoy, something that really feels good to do.

A Clean Environment through N-VIRO

A city stroll or a downtown walk often leads to an unexpected grasp of mundane implications and glamorous accomplishments. When I see the splendour of human activity and technology pace, I get dissuaded by the amount of resultant waste that flow beneath the imposing façade of progress. When I look around to enjoy the beauty that the world offers, the weight of my eyelids pulls down my stare to some slush in the canal and my rhinitis draws the stench of garbage towards my nostrils. It’s the price of progress.

And it could really be a price indeed. What with the new technology developed by N-Viro International Corporation. Bio-organic wastes such as wastewater sludge and unwanted solids could be upcycled into alternative energy. N-Viro’s patented technologies, which has been very successfully licensed throughout US and internationally, processes wastewater biosolids using certain alkaline waste from coal combustion electric generation, cement and lime production and turn these into opportunity fuels such as biomineral agricultural and soil enrichment products with real market value, generating sales exceeding $40 million since the last quarter of 1993. By stabilizing waste thru pasteurization and complete disinfection, such leftover residuals are transformed from unsightly environmental threat to renewable energy source.

View N-Viro Video
Now, the good news is that N-Viro International Corporation is going full scale by licensing its innovative technology to municipalities and even private companies. Their safe and efficient suite of green technologies harmonize each other through a unique concept of transforming waste products into a beneficial fertilizer or ultimately creating N-Viro Fuel, the so called ‘clean coal’, a renewable alternative fuel perfectly synergistic with the coal combustion industry.

With N-Viro technology fully implemented, my next stroll will be promising… Just visit their website at http://www.nviro.com

Small Green Steps

I just realized that all through the months that I’ve tried posting articles about greeny fashion, I have actually begun convincing myself to go green – whatever that means. Yet as I try frequenting some “green” sites I feel pretty insignificant in terms of the changes I make in my life in order to be more environmentally friendly. Do you also feel that your efforts towards greening your life were so "underwhelming" when compared to others' environmental endeavors?

Yes, it can be a little intimidating; but they offer a lot of really valuable advice for green living - you may not be able to yet apply these but making inroads is better than no progress at all. Even though how minute your contribution is, it is still so important. While you may aspire to join their ranks, bear in mind it takes time. You've been living your life a certain way for so long that these changes can't be expected to occur overnight; as much as we'd all like them to - and really, the planet is crying out for us to as well.

Green living is really about saving the magnificent biodiversity in plants and animals that remain. It’s about ensuring our planet is conducive to our species continuing to live on it in some degree of comfort. As you start learning about green living, it's quite possible you'll feel totally overwhelmed as you discover how much damage our lifestyles are inflicting upon the environment.

If your life is so hectic that big changes are extremely difficult; start with the little stuff. For example, you could be changing your brand of toilet paper another week to one that is made from recycled paper and is packaged with the same. You can resist buying something you don't need, no matter how alluring it may be. One small change to your lifestyle each week adds up to 52 changes over a year!

There's so much we can all do to help accustom ourselves to a more eco-savvy lifestyle. The important thing is to keep on achieving, but by greening your life in small steps, the bigger goal won't seem so overwhelming and you may even reach it faster than you originally thought. Remember, the goal is to keep achieving minor victories in living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle until you're at a point when you can tackle the really big issues. We all have much to do and not as much time as we once thought we had to preserve the planet in a state we know as home - so continued forward movement, however small, is critical.

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25 good reasons to care about climate change

Climate change is a tough cause to rally ‘round—even those who understand that it’s happening and that it’s human-caused get distracted by things like eating, working, having sex, watching TV, or watching people on TV have sex.

Here is a Grist list of good reasons to care about this global crisis. Got reasons of your own? Let me know in the comments section below.

1. Because supermodels are stripping for the cause.
2. Because you don’t want your insurance premiums to go up.
3. Because you like to ski.
4. Because you’re a raging hypochondriac.
5. Because it’s a good excuse to learn weird things.
6. Because you hate oil.
7. Because you love oil.
8. Because you eat rice.
9. Because Stephen Colbert does.
10. Because the Christian Coalition does.
11. Because it will create jobs.
12. Because you live near water.
13. Because Kardashians interest you more than Katrinas.
14. Because you like breathing.
15. Because colorful coral jewelry completes most of your outfits.
16. Because you won’t be able to hold up your end of a conversation with Obama, Lucy Lawless, Glenn Beck, Evander Holyfield, or the Pope if you don’t.
17. Because colorful fall leaves are so pretty.
18. Because you don’t want to serve embarrassing champagne.
19. Because you like lights to come on when you flip a switch.
20. Because: “insect feeding frenzy.”
21. Because you support the recycled-soda-bottle fleece industry.
22. Because you think it’s depressing when old people die alone in hot apartments.
23. Because you think it’s depressing when little kids die.
24. Because everyone at Grist cares.
25. Because if we stop climate change, we can stop earnest lists like this.

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Sexy Green Lingeries for a Sustainable Lifestyle

The textile industry is one of the world's most polluting, and contributing to toxic runoff and poisoned ecosystems is decidedly unsexy. The right lingerie can spice up the bedroom, or make you feel more sexy and confident all day long. Luckily, there are hot new options to make sure the clothes closest to your skin are as natural, pure and toxin-free as possible.These silky and gorgeous lingeries, the newest intimate green fashions, are made from organic cotton, hemp, bamboo and recycled fabrics.

Making Greeny Fashion Choices

Green living includes not only the food you take and the place you stay in. Even the clothes and jewelry you wear have great impact on your decision to to go green. Make your fashion choices sustainably green by asking yourself the ff. questions.

Do I really need it?
Separating your "wants" from your "needs" is a good first step toward reducing the environmental impact of your purchases (not to mention the financial impact on your wallet). The environmental impact from buying comes primarily in the use of natural resources to manufacture the products in the first place. If you don't buy it, you eliminate its impact.
In the case of jewelry, the mining of precious metals and gems has one of the biggest environmental and human impacts. Gold mines represent the largest U.S. sources of mercury pollution, a potent toxic metal that attacks the brain. Diamond mining is notoriously tied with slave labor and the funding of systemic violence in Africa. Beyond that, mining anything involves not only tearing up a landscape, but also processing that typically uses toxic chemicals and metals. Avoiding unnecessary purchases avoids those impacts.
Clothing, meanwhile, relies largely on cotton crops, which account for 10% of the world's pesticide usage. In the United States cotton is commonly grown with more than 10 pounds of pesticide per acre annually (that's more than three-times as much chemical as is used to grow conventional corn). Conventionally grown cotton also uses a whopping 142 pounds per acre of chemical fertilizer (much of it derived from natural gas, a fossil fuel).

Can I get it used?
Many products have a useful life that extends far beyond the needs of one owner. Many products can ably serve more than one master at a time. Ask your friends and neighbors if they can share. Before buying new, check local garage sales, thrift and antique stores, classifieds, auctions, clothing swaps -- and their global online equivalents, freecycling, Craigslist and, of course, eBay -- to look for items that can be given a second (or third, or fourth) life. Bottom line: Buying used is the most environmentally sound way to buy, because it not only requires the use of no new natural resources in manufacturing, but also because it keeps a useful product out of a landfill or trash incinerator.

How was it made?
Particularly if you're buying new, consider how a product was made: what materials were used, who made it and how were those workers treated? It's often not the end-user or the end-user's community that suffers from the manufacture of products that aren't made according to high environmental standards, but workers and local communities and ecosystems near the factories. eBay has made this step easier by bringing together ethical buyers and sellers via World of Good, which uses independent certifiers to ensure that only products that adhere to high environmental and human rights standards are offered for sale.
In the case of clothing, look for sustainable fibers like wool, bamboo and hemp, USDA organic-certified cottons fibers, and fabrics made from recycled materials, such as fleece made from recycled plastics. How clothing is made, and who makes it, is another concern. Green America has a useful list of companies that allow unions so you can avoid clothing made in sweatshops. Also check out the lists of companies that meet the standards of the Fair Labor Association and Social Accountability International.
For jewelry, 80% of newly mined gold ends up in retail jewelry, so the No Dirty Gold lists retailers that support better human rights and environmental protections at the world's gold mines. Diamonds, as Leonardo DiCaprio brilliantly reminded us in Blood Diamond, have often reached the consumer market only after a violent march across Africa, and the money spent on diamonds has ultimately fueled wider bloodshed. Unfortunately, the problem didn't end with the movie, so Amnesty International and Global Witness have published four questions consumers can ask jewelers to get some assurance that the diamonds being bought are "conflict-free":
1. How can I be sure that none of your jewelry contains conflict diamonds?
2. Do you know where the diamonds you sell come from?
3. Can I see a copy of your company's policy on conflict diamonds?
4. Can you show me a written guarantee from your diamond suppliers stating that your diamonds are conflict-free?
World of Good and etsy.com can be excellent sources for independent and ethical clothing and jewelry.

How is it packaged and shipped?
The making of a product is only part of what contributes to its environmental footprint. The materials used to package it, and the fuel used to transport it, are two other biggies. Studies have generally endorsed the proposition that online purchasing has a smaller environmental footprint than buying from a brick-and-mortar store, in large part because of the reduced energy costs associated with lighting and heating. Look for goods packaged minimally, and packaged with post-consumer recycled materials. If packing something of your own for sale on eBay or elsewhere, get creative: Crumple the paper that you'd otherwise have recycled to protect fragile items. Set aside a few boxes as you come across them, so you can reuse them when you need them. A minimum of thought can save significant resources over the long term. If you are buying from a brick-and-mortar store, ask questions of the store manage, or consult the company's Website for information about how they manage the efficiency and wastefulness of their supply chain.

How much energy or resources will it require to maintain?
The environmental impact of newly purchased items doesn't necessarily end when you get them home. Clothing needs to be washed, and jewelry shined. Buying a new dress that you can run through the washer has less impact than one that must be dry-cleaned, for instance, since many dry cleaners clean with toxic solvents.

Can it be reused, mended or recycled?
What happens to that product once you're done with it? Is it durable enough to be of use to your grandchildren? Can it have a second (or third or fourth) life once you're done with it? If it breaks, do you have the means to repair it?
Not only does it save resources to buy durable clothing and jewelry, but it can also provide a good return on investment. When you've tired of that necklace or dress, you can sell it to recoup some of your costs -- or even turn a profit. But often that's only possible if you've purchased a good quality item with lasting value.

Does it help me go green in other ways?
The crown jewel of ethical buying comes if the purchase you make helps you maintain a green lifestyle. That may mean supporting local artisans with a purchase of a painting or piece of jewelry. It may mean buying a piece of clothing that lets you wear your passions on your sleeve -- and educate friends and passers-by in the process. Or it may be as simple as buying a good raincoat ... so you can walk instead of taking the cab on rainy days.
Finally, maybe the purchase itself contributes to a cause, because the seller donates a portion of proceeds. Check with the organizations you support to see which companies they work with, and get in the habit of reading the environmental and sustainability sections of companies' Web sites. One great way to connect with sellers that share your passions -- and who will back up that passion with a donation based on your purchase -- is via eBay Giving Works.

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Fashion Designers and Aveda Go Green

By Lisa Marsh

It's hard to believe there are any designers in the fashion industry who are truly "green." After all these are the same designers who advocate buying all-new wardrobes each season—not exactly poster children for recycling and living a low-impact life.

However, every little action makes a difference. Beauty company Aveda has taken this idea to heart and created the "Green Backstage" program. It's meant to raise the profile of eco-friendly practices by partnering with several influential designers to transform their backstage areas into less impactful areas. The designers participating during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York are Kate and Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte, Alexander Wang, Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi for Preen and Phillip Lim.

All of these designers have committed to the following: Print all programs and show invitations on paper containing post-consumer recycled content; replace bottled water backstage with New York tap water in non-toxic aluminum SIGG bottles, eliminating 400 plastic water bottles; serve organic, locally sourced foods to models, stylists, makeup artists and production staff backstage; and eliminate the use of fur in the show and at retail.

"People have always looked past backstage and not really thought of it as an area of visibility," said Alexander Wang. "Seeing what goes on backstage is more exciting to me than seeing the actual show. I love the [Green Backstage] idea and it's opened my eyes to the many things I can do."

Designer Philip Lim has incorporated green practices into more than just his backstage area. "I try to be green. In my own collection, we do a … capsule collection, Go Green Go by Philip Lim," he said.

"I make my whole office recycle—we recycle poly bags and everyone in my office has Aveda's aluminum] water bottle. I take the subway and walk more. Slowly, I'm trying to adapt to my everyday life where it's something that I don't even think about. I feel good about doing it.

"We do what we can within our means," he added. "I do what I can do." Looking to cut pollution during fashion week, Aveda is offering emission-free pedi-cabs free of charge to ferry people from show to show around New York.

Aveda is also launching the first-ever Caps Recycling Program to collect the hard plastic caps used on beverage and shampoo bottles that cities and municipalities don't recycle.

"Most cities do not recycle caps because there's not a very [big] market for them," said Elle Maguire, vice-president of global communications for Aveda. "They're made from a harder plastic that ends up as waste. We believe that the beauty industry uses so many caps collectively that we could inspire change."

Through partnerships with schools and Girl Scout troops, the company has collected more than 80,000 pounds of plastic caps to date.

"We've produced an entire product using the plastic from the caps, which is our 30th anniversary Vintage Clove Shampoo," said Evan Miller, director of environmental media for Aveda. The next product to get this recycled packaging is the brand's Color Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner.

For more information on the Aveda Caps Recycling Program, visit www.aveda.com/caps.

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Making a Green Change in Your Life

Modern living has some pitfalls in terms of environmental friendliness. User-friendly modern gadgets have at times pushed farther our propinquity to attaining the green splendor of living. Here are some suggestions to making a green change in your life and for our environment:

• EAT VEGETABLES. All you have to do is stop eating beef. Worldwide, beef production contributes more to climate change than the ­entire transportation sector. The carbon footprint of the average meat eater is about 1.5 tons of CO2 larger than that of a vegetarian. Cutting beef out of your diet will reduce your CO2 emissions by 2,400 pounds annually.
• TAP DRINK . You can save money and your environment by giving up bottled water. The production of plastic water bottles together with the privatization of our drinking water is an environmental and social catastrophe. Bottled water costs more per gallon than gasoline. The average American consumes 30 gallons of bottled water annually. Giving up one bottle of imported water means using up one less liter of fossil fuel and emitting 1.2 pounds less of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
• ECO-SABBATH. For one day or afternoon or even one hour a week, don’t buy anything, don’t use any machines, don’t switch on anything electric, don’t cook, don’t answer your phone, and, in general, don’t use any resources. In other words, for this regular period, give yourself and the planet a break. Every hour per week that you live no impact cuts your carbon emissions by 0.6 percent annually. Commit to four hours per week, that’s 2.4 percent; do it for a whole day each week to cut your impact by 14.4 percent a year.
• TITHE YOUR INCOME. Tithe a fixed percentage of your income to non-profits of your choice. If an average U.S. family contributes 1 percent ($502.33) of its annual income ($50,233) to an environmental non-profit, they could offset 40.7 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Many of our public health and welfare services are tied to consumer spending which, in turn, depends upon planetary resources. If you want to help, don’t go shopping. Just help.
• BUILD A COMMUNITY. Have dinners with friends. Play charades. Sing together. Enjoying each other costs the planet much less than enjoying its resources.
• GET THERE UNDER YOUR OWN STEAM. Get around by bike or by foot a certain number of days a month. Not only does this mean using less fossil fuel and creating less greenhouse gases, it means you’ll get exercise and we’ll all breathe fewer fumes. If you can stay off the road just two days a week, you’ll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year.
• COMMIT TO NOT WASTING. Wasting resources costs the planet and your wallet. Let your clothes hang-dry instead of using the dryer. Take half the trips but stay twice as long. Repair instead of rebuy. The list goes on. In the summer, for every degree above 72°F you set your thermostat, you save 120 pounds of CO2 emissions per year, and if you wash your clothes with cold water you can cut your laundry energy use by up to 90 percent.
• TAKE YOUR PRINCIPLES TO WORK. We must act as though we care about the world at work as much as we do at home. Company CEOs or product designers have the power to make a gigantic difference through their business, and so do the rest of us. In commercial buildings, lighting accounts for more than 40 percent of electrical energy use, a huge cause of greenhouse gas production. Using motion and occupancy sensors can cut this use by 10 percent.
• DONATE A DAY'S TV TIME TO ECO-SERVICE. Take one day off from TV—the average American watches four and a half hours of TV a day—and try voluntary eco-service instead. Those four and a half hours a day watching TV add up to 825 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
• BELIEVE WITH ALL YOUR HEART THAT HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE MAKES A DIFFERENCE. We are all interconnected. Every step toward living a conscious life provides support to everyone else who is trying to do the same thing—whether you’re aware of it or not. We are the masters of our destinies.

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10 Simple Ways to Go Green Without Losing Green (Money)

Today’s emergent responsiveness for “going green” or more environmentally aware often brings the cynics out. It’s not easy to recycle. The organic products cost too much. Any lifestyle change towards green living seems impractical.

Just as you don’t stick to your diet perfectly each day, it’s OK to slip a little and make small changes as you go. Finding the steps that fit your lifestyle can make a significant difference over time, and it certainly is better than not doing a thing at all. You can go greener without spending significantly more money out of pocket. By making undemanding lifestyle changes, you can spell a difference.

Here are 10 simple things you can do to go greener without losing your green (bucks):

1. Invest in local producers. You’ll find many deals at your local farmer’s market, and the quality will be better than what you’ll find at your grocer. Buy in season and freeze (or can, if you’re adventurous) the rest for the winter.
2. Shop smart. As with any “regular” thing you buy, watch coupons and sales to get the best deal. You can get great deals on organic products.
3. Consider natural cleaning. And I don’t mean buying Clorox Naturals or any other branded product. Many household items, including baking soda, vinegar, even toothpaste, can do double-duty as a cleaning product.
4. Watch your energy output. Unplug the cell phone charger when you’re done. Unplug appliances you don’t use often. By just being plugged into your outlet, they are utilizing energy. If you don’t believe me, feel how warm your charger or other plugged-in item is.
5. Be mindful of your CFLs. You pay more upfront for these energy-efficient bulbs, but to maximize their lives you need to leave them on for at least 15 minutes at a time.
6. Turn the car off. Idling is a complete waste of gasoline. Avoid the drive-through; turn off the car and go inside on your errands.
7. Find a good home for things you no longer use. Many non-profit organizations will gladly accept clothing and furniture in good condition, craft materials, leftover homebuilding supplies and more. Even electronics such as your abandoned cell phone and computer can be recycled or repurposed for a person in need. mygreenelectronics.org
8. Watch your water usage. Shorten your shower; fix the drip in your faucet. The savings will quickly add up.
9. Let your grass grow. Grass ideally should be cut no shorter than 3 inches tall. Shorter, and the root system is not as developed and you end up using more water. And, you may have the benefit of mowing less.
10. BYOB. Bring your own bag when shopping. You can buy inexpensive reusable bags at many area stores, or simply tote your own tote bag.

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Greening Your Home

Click on a room of the house to link to information on greening that room. You can also click on the attic and on the outdoor areas.

Whether you are a homeowner or a renter, in the market for a new home, or making home improvements, this site identifies the key environmental and energy issues at hand, and suggests solutions that will add value to your home, reduce energy use and energy costs, fight climate change, and help protect your health. Use the house graphic above or green home solutions links below to navigate to topics of interest.

Green Home Solutions

• Overview
• Reducing Energy Use
• Conserving Water
• Choosing Green Materials & Products
• Reducing Waste
• Protecting Your Health
• Home Selection/Site Selection

Rooms of the House

• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Living Room & Office
• Bedroom
• Laundry Room & Basement
• Garage
• Attic & Roof
• Outdoor Area
• Whole House

Tools

• Top Green Home Terms
• Renters Checklist
• Water Use Checklist

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Greener Pasture - a false promise or a fading comfort?

We get demystified by the daily grind in our lives. We experience new things, get a little bit excited by what we haven’t got yet, roll over a bit on some routines, and then sink to exhaustion on some corner. Life’s got to be a cycle and when that cyclic redundancy begins to sedate that tired spirit, the horizon gets gray – almost everything becomes featureless. Do you get the same futility sometimes?

What on earth are you doing? Go, get up, let loose, explore and be different! There’s too much in life that you forego by staying within your dull comfort zone. And when that going gets tougher and alienating, you come back because you didn’t recognize the green out there. You reached the blue part and thought it’s the same boring end. Or maybe, others were holding on to your sleeves, saying you can’t be too different and the risk is getting quite deep.

Others! Why do you have to mull over their expressions and worries? Why should you care that much? Ah, you love them – just worthy of your sacrifice. Now, when your life and even your finances get stuck in oblivion, don’t they suffer also? You drag each other down and your relationship becomes stale – it doesn’t grow I suppose.

So you have to set your vision and energy beyond the blue horizon. You can’t see it clearly first but others have gone ahead. There’s that greener pasture. It’s for you and for them. You can’t stay hesitant all your life. That comfort zone could become scratchy soon. So go ahead, make the sudden turn and God knows what’s in store for you. Or maybe sing like the group No Doubt with their piece “Greener Pasture”. The lyrics are shown below:

Greener Pastures (by No Doubt)

Go ahead, get out and see the world
But then I think, why should I
I'd rather stay home and cry
I never thought that I could be the other
The other way like the other ones
Let me open wide, let you see inside
And then you might agree

Would you say they find me unstable
'Cause they see me act a little bit different
But I know my way to greener pastures and
Think about it, won't you think it over
Please

Without you I can move
I can stretch my arms out, I can feel it
And when I'm in my room alone I feel good
Because I don't have to deal with you or the outside world

Would you say they find me unstable
'Cause they see me act a little bit different
But I know my way to greener pastures and
Think about it, won't you think it over
Please

I guess I'll get over it
Ooh - I guess I'll get over it
I guess I'll get over it
I guess I'll get over it

Would you say they find me unstable
'Cause they see me act a little bit different
But I know my way through greener pastures
Would you say they find me unstable
'Cause they see me act a little bit different
But I know my way through greener pastures
Would you say they find me unstable
'Cause they see me act a little bit different
But I know my way through greener pastures
Greener pastures
See me act a little bit different
But I know my way through greener pastures

Green Wishes

With many different kinds of illnesses besetting the world today, people could only wish for non-toxic items in their lives. We now yearn for that day when we could have organic bed and sheets, organic pieces of furniture, organic apparels, and even organic gadgets.

Annie Bond, the author of a number of books on green living, most recently Home Enlightenment, has her top 10 greeny wishlist for a health and green living. Try to see if they’re similar with yours. She wrote:

Interestingly, my wish list hasn’t changed much, and some of my desires have been achieved, such as an organic bed, and I have one hand-dyed, organic wool Tibetan carpet. The designs are of the medicinal plants of Tibet. What perfect imagery/energy to have in my living room. Here are my top 10 wishes for greenness; I am very curious to hear about yours.

1. Organic wool bedding, including mattress, pillow, and comforter. Organic bamboo sheets.
2. Hand-dyed, organic wool Tibetan carpets.
3. Organic fruits, veggies, and dairy delivered every week, 12 months a year.
4. Geothermal heating system.
5. A water filter that alkalinizes the water.
6. Organic wool cushions for all of my couches and stuffed chairs.
7. Zero-VOC paint colored with natural minerals for beautiful, mellow hues.
8. A local manicurist who does 100 percent natural manicures.
9. A vacation in an eco-hut on St. John, in the Caribbean
10. A hip franchise with non-toxic/green cosmetics and hair care products for teenagers.

You see, she didn’t even get to the clothes and shoes. What about you? What is on your green wish list?

DIY Design - Recycling and Restyling Resources

While sewing a garment from scratch can be extremely rewarding, there are faster ways to be creative with needle and thread, especially by using vintage garments. Playing with a hemline, adding some trim or embellishments, like beading or embroidery, can easily give new life to an old has-been. You can easily restyle an item, giving it an of-the-moment look, and still get the thrill of saying, "I made it myself." Plus, recycling well-loved pieces is good for the planet, too!

For an all-around great resource on restyling, check out the vintage "Mary Johnson's Guide to Altering and Restyling Ready-Made Clothes." CraftStylish Restyle is a great resource too; it's an entire magazine full of ideas on what you can do to transform your wardrobe. The online second-hand clothing market has exploded, especially at Etsy.com, the online destination for all things handmade, which makes the site a great resource for vintage garments which you can alter to your liking!

Here are a few of my favorite vintage boutiques in the Etsy marketplace:

For old-fashioned good taste combined with a clear sensibility of the trends, Catwalk Creative Vintage is one of the best stops you can make.

Try changing up the buttons on one of their retro '70s blouses for a simple restyle. The carefully culled selection has a quick turnaround so if you see something you like, buy it!

The pickings are more eclectic at Joules but just as delectable. Choose from the likes of vintage cherry napkins, which can make for perfect new throw pillow covers to '60s day dresses just begging for ribbon trim.

For screen siren elegance head to Catbooks1940s to scoop up swing coats and evening gowns. A little bit of beading goes a long way.

Mock Turtle Vintage has an eye for sweet details like 1940s prints and pleasingly placed pleats, while FauxBrit13 has an adorable selection of kitschy handkerchiefs you can applique on garments and pillows alike, as well as scarves that you can repurpose as clever belts.

For volume and choice, without sacrificing quality, check out Beulaveda and Viva Vintage Clothing.

That's just a taste of what the Web has to offer for vintage shopping. It's delightful to wander around and discover your own favorite places; it's a lot easier on your wallet than new clothing. And by spending an hour or so you can give the piece your own unique twist.

Next week, find out about all the cool indie sewing patterns that are available online or if you can't wait that long, learn how to sew your own way with the Web's fastest and coolest sewing projects.

Amber Eden is the former editor-in-chief of Threads magazine and founding editor of SewStylish magazine and CraftStylish.com. She has studied draping and haute couture techniques at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and according to her, will probably be a student there for life.

Natural homemade beauty recipes

Nature is the newest trend in skin and hair care. For years, we’ve been putting toxic chemicals into our bodies that build up and make us feel tired and sick, regardless of whether we eat them or if they seep though our pores. And people are finally catching on that natural is better. Most stores now have a line of “natural” beauty products. Unfortunately, they often come with a big price tag attached too. Often times many of these products are not actually “natural” so it does pay to do your homework to ensure you are getting what you pay for.

Fortunately, actually making beauty products yourself isn’t too difficult. So if you want beauty products that you know are natural and are also inexpensive, just make them yourself. Here are 5 quick and easy recipes you can make at yourself.

Face Mask
Eating good food helps give you the right nutrients you need to look good. You can get more of these vitamins and minerals by putting the good stuff right on the skin. Combining a mashed carrot, mashed avocado, and a beaten egg with a half cup a few tablespoons of honey creates a great face mask that provides vitamins, and improves the tone and texture of your skin. Just stir well, apply, let sit for about 15 minutes, and then wash off with cool water. After you’re washed and nourished your skin, you can use grated cucumber or diluted lemon juice as a toner to help tighten your skin and close up your pores to close your pores and keep your skin looking great.

Hair Conditioner
Many people pay a lot of money for a conditioner that actually makes your hair look and feel good. Here’s a great natural recipe to save you money and help your hair. Just mix an egg yolk with a tablespoon of castor oil and apply to hair. Let sit for about ten minutes and rinse out. You can use this every so often as a conditioning treatment for healthy shiny hair. If you like being experimental, you can try mixing other kitchen items, herbs, and natural items with eggs for healthy, shiny hair.

Hand and Foot Cream
A quick face mask will help make you look great in not a lot of time, but hands and feet require extra care. Use ½ cup of olive oil mixed with natural sea salt and massage into your hands and feet. Leave a few minutes to soak and then rinse off with warm water. When it comes to natural beauty products, these recipes are just the start. You can find hundreds of different combinations in natural beauty books, magazines, and on the internet. Or you can go to your kitchen cabinet and make your own special creations.

Design for Adaptation: Living in a Climate-Changing World

Climate scientists have been speaking out for decades about the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid a significantly warmer and less livable future. Now that climate change is finally part of the public discussion, the future is already here—and it’s only getting warmer. Designing energy-efficient buildings is an important step toward preventing more drastic warming. We need to redouble these efforts—the 2030 Challenge goal of carbon-neutral buildings by 2030 will be a difficult yet critical standard to meet. But by stopping there, are we turning a blind eye to the changes that scientists say are coming even if greenhouse gas emissions were turned off tomorrow? More and more experts acknowledge that while we must continue to do all we can to slow greenhouse gas emissions, we must also begin designing buildings that will work in a changing climate. This article examines the science of global climate change and looks at how we can adapt the built environment to a world that will, by most accounts, be very different by the end of this century from the one we know today.

The living space in this new home built by Global Green in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans is elevated four feet (1.2 m) to keep it above expected flood level. Numerous other “passive survivability” features are included.

Debate may continue in some circles about whether humans are causing climate change, or even whether it is happening at all, but the scientific consensus is overwhelmingly clear. A report issued in June 2009 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGRP)—which coordinates climate change research of 13 federal agencies and operated as the U.S. Climate Change Science Program from 2002 through 2008 under the George W. Bush presidency—estimates that global average temperatures have risen approximately 1.5ºF (0.8ºC) since before the Industrial Revolution and could rise another 2ºF–11ºF (1.1ºC–6.1ºC) by the end of this century, based on modeling of a variety of greenhouse gas emissions levels, mitigation efforts, and economic scenarios. “The reality of climate change is unequivocal—we see it in many aspects of the Earth’s climate system,” said Jonathan Overpeck, Ph.D., co-director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona and a co-author of the USGCRP report.

When Technology Turns Green...

Technology refers to the application of knowledge for practical purposes. While technology's emerging color changed from black to gray to white to gray...oh the cycle is just obvious, technology becoming green has just surfaced into human consciousness. Technology turning green encompasses a continuously evolving group of methods and materials, from techniques for generating energy to non-toxic cleaning products.

Green Technology is the application of the environmental sciences to conserve the natural environment and resources, and by curbing the negative impacts of human involvement. Sustainable development is the core of environmental technologies. When applying sustainable development as a solution for environmental issues

, the solutions need to be socially equitable, economically viable, and environmentally sound.

Some environmental technologies that retain sustainable development are; recycling, water purification, sewage treatment, remediation, flue gas treatment, solid waste management, renewable energy, and others.

The present expectation is that this field will bring innovation and changes in daily life of similar magnitude to the "information technology" explosion over the last two decades. In these early stages, it is impossible to predict what "green technology" may eventually encompass.

The goals that inform developments in this rapidly growing field include:

• Sustainability - meeting the needs of society in ways that can continue indefinitely into the future without damaging or depleting natural resources. In short, meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs;

• "Cradle to cradle" design - ending the "cradle to grave" cycle of manufactured products, by creating products that can be fully reclaimed or re-used;
  
  
  • Source reduction - reducing waste and pollution by changing patterns of production and consumption;
  • Innovation - developing alternatives to technologies - whether fossil fuel or chemical intensive agriculture - that have been demonstrated to damage health and the environment; and
  • Viability - creating a center of economic activity around technologies and products that benefit the environment, speeding their implementation and creating new careers that truly protect the planet.