July 2011
98 posts
5 Innovative Indoor Garden Designs
Perhaps you have a garden, and you’ve already thought about how to get your organic garden started. Or, if you live in an apartment, you might have considered setting up a windowsill garden or a container garden, or you may even be lucky enough to live near some fantastic vertical urban gardens!
However, if you don’t have a community garden nearby and don’t fancy making one...
June 2011
99 posts
Monsanto Under Investigation By The SEC
Monsanto, the world’s largest biotech manufacturer of widely controversial genetically modified seeds and companion pesticide, the glyphosate-based Roundup, announced that it is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for offering customers of its pesticide financial incentives. http://dlvr.it/YRnbw
Earthworms: Anti-Aging Skin Care Miracle or Super...
Charles Darwin was the first scientist to identify the necessity of earthworms—citing that every living thing on Earth once passed through the digestive system of an earthworm. Whether they give you _the willies_ or not, they’re some of the cleanest creatures on the planet, and a new skincare product says worm castings (a.k.a. worm poo!) are actually beneficial in an entirely bizarre...
I Can Naturally Whiten My Teeth With WHAT?
Glossy fashion ads, movie billboards and magazine covers feature our cultural icons at their very best – with seemingly flawless skin, enviably toned bodies and most importantly, superstar, high-wattage smiles – because it’s easy on the eyes and the entire powerhouse package helps sell whatever product is being hawked. Even if we pride ourselves on resisting superficiality, in all honesty, none...
Eat This Cooked for Optimal Nutrition (But Eat...
Raw or cooked? Health advocates on either side could argue until the grass-fed cows come home. But while no dogma may either be proven as the best, scientists have identified certain foods that are more nutritionally-available to our bodies if they are cooked—versus those that should be eaten raw. Read on to find out what foods to cook for optimal nutrition absorption, and which to consume raw....
5 Reasons To Befriend the Chili Pepper
Many of us tremble in the presence of red hot chili peppers, Anthony Kiedis included, but Scoville-unit intimidation really shouldn’t prevent us from throwing caution to the wind and chomping down. Whether you’re triple-dog-dared by an apparently iron-stomached arch enemy or you finally decide to confront your chili pepper demons as part of your personal plan of empowerment, the initial pain is...
Jamie Oliver Tricks Top Chefs Into Eating Los...
In what looks to be the final episode of _Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution_ (at least as far as ABC is concerned), the clever chef pulls one last stunt in the name of healthy kids: He duped several of L.A.’s top chefs into a meal made entirely of Los Angeles Unified School District cafeteria food, a.ka. _majorly, seriously gnarly stuff…_
READ THE REST… http://dlvr.it/YG5BJ
The Sun & Vitamin D: What To Do
We are here to say: Don’t underestimate the importance of vitamin D, my friends. From a strong, sturdy skeleton of hardy bones to the prevention of cancer and heart disease, this little vitamin is critical in a big way. In fact, vitamin D deficiency has now been linked to breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, depression, weight gain, MS and beyond! And where do we get it? The sun...
An Ayurveda Facial Mask at Home
What the ancient science of life - Ayurveda - teaches us is that we can heal ourselves by first understanding ourselves. Seems simple enough, yet it can remain foreign to our western minds. In a culture addicted to the quick fix, we rarely take the time to understand our bodies and the root of what ails us. We want to look younger and feel better, and sell me the pill or cream that will do it. ...
Major U.S. Bank to Invest in Bringing Healthy...
A portion of investments from the U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation will begin to go towards projects focused on healthy and affordable foods, the organization announced earlier this month. http://dlvr.it/Y7dzK
It’s Biodegradable… But Does That Mean It’s Really...
If you look at photos of the ocean-bound, conventionally manufactured plastic circulating our global gyres (otherwise known as the ‘great garbage patch’ and – _gulp_ – there are quite a lot of them out there), we’ve already done a crazy amount of damage to our natural environment. Think about it. Our world’s marine-based creatures are living amid our trash and slurping up a steady...
White Whole Wheat Flour... Say What?
Yes, we’re all trying to eat a bit better these days; cutting out the sugars, refined foods and processed grains. But let’s face it; a cake made with whole wheat flour is just not the same as a traditional cake. In fact, it can be downright, um, shall we say—grungy? Whole wheat flour can make your breads and cakes thicker, coarser, heavier and far less yummy. Lo and behold, there is a wheat...
Vegan Mojito Cupcakes
This decidely festive recipe for Vegan Mojito Cupcakes incorporates seasonal ingredients from this beloved cocktail into the realm of the also very beloved - cupcake. Think refreshingly sweet for summertime soirees and an awesome way to introduce your friends to vegan. You can’t deny this goodness!
READ THE REST… http://dlvr.it/Y4w2H
3 Natural Ways to Relieve Sunburn
You didn’t mean to, but you did it. You fried your delicate skin after a day spent basking in the sun. Now you resemble a tomato more than you’re comfortable with. Moving even an inch hurts your tender skin and all you can think is “skin cancer!”
Don’t panic. Frying your skin like an egg is not good, but just remember to not make it a regular practice. For now, try one (or all three!) of...
Scientists Paid to Promote Junk Food
A story appearing on the ABC news website on June 21 reveals that major U.S. snack companies are paying experts to “debunk” scientific research studies linking their products to negative health effects like the rising number of cases of childhood obesity and diabetes. http://dlvr.it/XzkQ3
The Coolest Non Profit Recycling Programs You’ve...
Despite what you may be imagining, this isn’t another cookie-cutter article about the importance of dropping glass bottles, metal cans, plastic containers and old newspapers into your curbside collection bins – good ol’ recycling. It’s awesome that you do that week after week – and mother nature is definitely smiling ear to ear – but considering the bloated state of our landfills, we’ve...
Choosing the Right Water Bottle: A Guide
Quenching your thirst without reaching for a $1.00 bottle of filtered (ahem… _municipal_) water at your neighborhood convenience store isn’t exactly rocket science. In order to entirely avoid one-time use plastic containers, all you really have to do is saddle up to the sink and stick your favorite cup underneath the faucet. Unfortunately, it seems that our modern day need for hydration...
8 Tips to Navigating EWG's 2011 "Dirty Dozen" List
On June 13th, The Environmental Working Group released its 2011 “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” lists of the most and least pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables. While an apple a day was once the epitome of health, it was actually the number one most heavily sprayed crop to top this year’s list.
READ THE REST… http://dlvr.it/Xsltq
4 Weeks, 4 Body Parts: Yoga Roundup
We’ll be the first to acknowledge: There ain’t nothing shallow about yoga… in its truest form that is. But, it is also completely undeniable: The physical practice of yoga sure does know how to completely transform the body, unbelievably so. Whatever your aim or interest, we’ve got a four-week series of yoga poses that are specifically grouped to engage specific body...
Will the USDA’s New Livestock Tagging Really...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to announce a proposed new rule—the Animal Disease Traceability system—that would mandate livestock animal tracking through ID tagging. The agency has proposed similar rules in the past—beginning in the early 1990s and again in 2003 after 3 cases of “mad cow disease,” bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) were discovered in the U.S....
GMO Planting To Begin in More Than 50 Wildlife...
The Obama administration has approved the strategic planting of genetically engineered seeds on more than 50 National Wildlife Refuges in the Midwest as part of region-wide habitat restoration efforts. http://dlvr.it/XhbKN
4 Natural Ways to Relieve Poison Ivy & Poison Oak
Got an itchy, red, swollen rash on your leg? Yep, you most likely rubbed up against one of those kings of making you itch-until-it-hurts-so-bad, poison ivy or poison oak. That pimple-like rash, caused by the oils in poison ivy or oak leaves, is probably not the look you were going for this summer on your tanned beach-ready legs. Besides looking like you developed some kind of plague, that rash...
Broccoli Bacon Salad
Like many people, you probably vacillate between eating mostly a healthy diet and sneaking in a few treats here and there. This salad combines the best of both worlds and will please the angel and the demon on each of your shoulders.
READ THE REST… http://dlvr.it/Xf5Bv
20 Nifty Things To Do With Beets
It’s hard to fathom just how beneficial and versatile beets really are given their admittedly crummy taste when commercially manufactured and plunked into supermarket-friendly steel cans. If your well-intentioned parents paired Sunday night meatloaves and random roasted chickens with that particular tastebud-offending incarnation, insisting that you had to be a member of the clean plate club or...
1 in 13 Kids Has Food Allergies, Study Finds
New research published in the journal Pediatrics indicates that far more children in the U.S. suffer from food allergies than suspected, with 8 percent of children under age 18 (nearly 6 million) having at least one food allergy. These numbers are more than double what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in 2007. http://dlvr.it/XSwYb
Nonstick Cookware: A Sticky Situation
Do you smell that enticing aroma coming from the organic meal you have simmering in a skillet on the stove? _Mmm good_. While you’re anxiously waiting for your scrumptious dinner to cook, you might also be getting a big whiff of toxic fumes. The coating on oh-so convenient nonstick cookware can leach a nasty recipe of chemicals into your food and the air.
You can always take preventative...
5 Flowers to Plant for Natural Pest Control
There’s a very beautiful thing about Mother Nature that happens when we don’t stuff her with too much gunk: Plants grow and animals live in harmony. Yes, it sounds like a children’s book written in the 1970s, but it’s also a notion that many an organic gardener are getting wise to these days.
Companion planting, a practice used by organic and biodynamic gardeners, is the term given when one...
Are Diet Foods Fueling America's Obesity Epidemic?
How’s this for irony: Foods that contain artificial fats intended to help people prevent weight gain may actually _make you fat_, says a recent study conducted by Purdue University.
The study researchers looked at Olestra—the faux fat used in processed junk foods like potato chips and cookies (bad for you on a whole lot of levels regardless of fat content!). “When we get cues that...
More Than 30 Personal Care Brands Sued Over False...
On June 16th, The Center for Environmental Health filed a lawsuit against more than 30 personal care companies citing their labels are improperly using the word “organic” to promote their products. http://dlvr.it/XL4LL
6 Summer Slim Down Herbs to Choose (& 3 to Lose)
If you can still see the outline of that Christmas fruit cake when you try and squeeze into your bathing suit—you’re not alone. As we get older, our metabolic rate slows, making it easier to put on weight over the winter and more difficult to lose it in the summer. Herbs can help to slim down, but not all are safe. Here are six to choose, and three to lose.
READ THE REST…...
How To Start A Garden The Eco-Frugal Way
Fresh produce that is entirely free of pesticides and other funky business is hard to come by these days, and even if you plunk down the big bucks for organic versions, it’s still possible that your cucumber could be hiding a deep, dark, creepy-crawly secret. Perhaps that’s one major reason why gardening has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, especially among the younger set. Taking control of...
5 Creative Ways to Store Recycling
Saving the planet doesn’t have to look ugly. In fact, it shouldn’t. You should celebrate helping the environment with confetti and glitter and all manner of pretty things. Okay, maybe that’s going too far, but eco-trendy girls (and guys!) like you don’t need to store your recycling in unattractive containers. What the heck is your recycling doing in blah man-this-is-boring dull green or blue...
Food Combining: More Important than You Think?
_You are what you eat._ It’s cliche, it’s trite and it’s true… or is it? Actually, it’s not what we eat, but what we digest and assimilate, that determines the nourishment our bodies receive. So, in actuality, you are what you absorb from what you eat… right?
READ THE REST… http://dlvr.it/XL4JX
Lima, Peru: ‘We’re A GMO-Free Zone!’
Lima, the capital of Peru has declared itself a “GMO-free zone” through a municipal ordinance issued on June 16th. The announcement comes in response to a controversial government declaration that has the potential to blanket the country with deregulated genetically modified organisms. http://dlvr.it/XBh7K
10 Mood-Boosting & Organic Chocolate Candy Bars
Savoring a delicious morsel of chocolatey goodness can bestow the bod with a rush of endorphins capable of reviving a less-than-perky attention span – plus let’s not forget that modern science has officially praised the cacao bean’s nutritional profile, meaning that we all deserve to throw caution to the wind and finally get down with it! (Okay, maybe a steady diet of chocolate isn’t exactly...
Botox Confession
I’m a self-professed hippie: I buy organic foods for myself and my family. My kids rarely eat junk food. I get acupuncture. Go to yoga. But since I’ve turned 40, and since that deep crease between my eyebrows is no longer a _cute _crinkle, like the kind of crinkle I used to make when looking at someone like they’re nuts, I must say… I’ve thought about getting Botox.
READ...
Los Angeles Ups Curbside Recycling Efforts
On June 14th, Los Angeles expanded its recycling capability to include milk, juice, soup and wine cartons in efforts to reduce more than 400 tons of trash from landfills. http://dlvr.it/X4B4q
40+ Easy Breezy Ways To Recycle Anything and...
Since the majority of us have access to curbside pickup, recycling has actually become pretty darn easy. Yet, we seem to be locked in a holding pattern, with 25 percent of the population chucking it all into landfill. Do we really need a carrot dangling from a stick in order to _really_ step up to the plate? I guess that already wildly convenient websites like Freecycle, Craigslist and Givmo...
New USDA Pesticide Data Supports Choosing Organic
As consumers got their first taste of the Environmental Working Group’s 2011 list of the most/least heavily sprayed fruits and vegetables, the Organic Trade Association has issued an advisory urging Americans to choose organic if they wish to avoid pesticide residues. http://dlvr.it/Wx6ML
How to Green Your Dry Cleaning Routine
After a long shopping excursion you pull out all of your fab finds and lay them across your bed to admire the results of your mad shopping skills. Still giddy from the shopping high, you look over that new top you scored on clearance. You check it for marks and holes, dreaming of what outfits you’ll pair it with when you spot the tag. It reads: “Dry Clean Only.” Noooooooo.
Don’t despair. You...
Seventh Generation “Greenest” American Brand,...
In a recent project of extensive brand research conducted by Cohn & Wolfe, Landor Associates, Penn Schoen Berland and Esty Environmental Partners, the most trusted credible “green” brand for American consumers was found to be the manufacturer of environmentally-friendly household cleaning products and recycled paper goods, Seventh Generation. http://dlvr.it/Wpc97
Official Gluten-Free Certification Program Now...
As the number of gluten and wheat sensitive individuals continues to rise, a science-based certification program is now available to safely promote certified gluten-free foods. http://dlvr.it/WhtMf
5 Spa Essentials You Can Take Home... To Live...
There’s nothing like an afternoon at the spa. A 60-minute body massage, hot stones along the spine, cups of warm, herbal tea and a chance to forget every responsibility in your life—breathe in, breathe out, that’s all you need to do. Spa days enliven us, recharge us and cleanse us through and through. But, when we can’t afford to take the time or money to indulge in spa treatments on a regular...
Bike Sharing 101: Exploring The World On Two...
Everything old is _new_ again, except in the case of riding a bicycle because it never really went out of style in the first place – many of us simply just forgot how cool it is to hit the road with the wind coaxing you along every step of the way. We can probably chalk up our _bike forgetfulness_ to poor urban planning and our consequent dependence on a hungry, petroleum-guzzling automobile,...
New Study Shows Dieters More Prone to Blind Faith...
A new study conducted by the University of South Carolina found that people on a diet are more likely to be deceived by food names and label claims. http://dlvr.it/WXzHM
6 Useful iPad Accessories For Kitchen Use
You’ve got Apple’s highly anticipated iPad; score! You know it’s sleek, lets you send emails on-the-go and allows you to catch up on your reading… but did you know the benefits it provides people like you who enjoy eating well and care about their organic lifestyle? Just like our favorite smart phones, the iPad allows users to download applications, and there are many dedicated...
Jamie Oliver's Efforts Lead LA to the Largest Ban...
Even though ABC recently announced it was cancelling _Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution_, the plucky Brit’s influence has finally made some headway in Los Angeles—the uncooperative city that was the backdrop for his second season: The Los Angeles Unified School District announced that it is now the largest school system in the country to ban flavored milk products.
READ THE...
Louisiana Bill to Reward Restaurants that Go Local
Louisiana’s legislature is considering a bill that would offer financial rewards to area restaurants that use locally grown fruits and vegetables in their menu items. http://dlvr.it/WPTlN
The Best DIY Mascara
Since the ancient Egyptians, we’ve been creating the illusion of dark, sultry eye lashes. There’s nothing quite like the pop mascara provides to make already mysterious, gorgeous eyes even more so. But what mascara can contain nowadays tends to put a damper on things: You’ll find paraffin, mineral oil, lanolin, linseed oil, castor oil, oil of turpentine, stearic acid, ceresin,...
Small Container Gardening Gone Wild
I think of my container gardens as an extension of my garden, not just an alternative for limited space (although containers are wonderful in tiny spaces too). I have a backyard and a designated vegetable garden, yet I still rely on my container gardens—mainly because my full-sun patio allows me to grow all sorts of veggies and flowers I can’t grow anywhere else in my yard. Since my vegetable...
