Barack Obama - The Power of Good Will

Sounds hooky, but doesn’t it seem like the whole world is changing?

It feels like Barack Obama has entered the world stage just at a point when people wanted to hear his message. The false economy, the focus on all the wrong things, is life changing immeasurably for you? It may be good, or it may be bad, but one thing is for sure, if you have ever wished for change then consider it on its way for sure. I feel like we have to go through this enforced world detox, to make things better!

Many people, me included, have spent endless hours working and doing our bit to make a difference in this world, and for the most part it has always gone unnoticed. My last blog on Mamma Mia highlighted how the most prosperous individuals make massive change by putting power and money behind their cause, not everyone notices. This power and wealth is not something we can all lay claim to, but as a collective we make a massive difference, when we’re all moving in one direction the impetus is powerful, forceful and inclusive.

I’m inspired that Barack Obama is more willing to make choices and decisions to help protect our ecology and environment. His powerful words on the environment give me solace that for once, maybe this time, America has elected an intelligent man.



The video above is a great eye opener on his stance on the need for action to help the enviroment.

Instead of concentrating on all the problems, if we focus on the good will and good works being done by others, take time to celebrate them and take new inspired energy for them, get behind the causes and support them, pat ourselves on the back once in a while also for doing our best in the way we shop, live, recycle or do business, then I think the whole world will look Greener and brighter!

The Time Has Come to Take the Human Rights Movement beyond Humanity

Yesterday 10^th December, was officially the 60^th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although much has changed to move human rights forward over the last 60 years, issues still remain and atrocities still occur, but the fact that we acknowledge that we have rights as human beings gives everyone the right to dignity and respect.

Today we see the need to take this movement to the next level. As a Race, yes we have rights, but it’s also time to acknowledge our duty of care that lies beyond us - The Planet. The Planet that gives relentlessly, and is the one and only reason we are alive and able to live the life we currently enjoy. Global climate change, melting polar ice caps, dwindling resources, deforestation, desertification, water shortages, increased natural disasters, and animals on the brink of extinction, are all symptoms of a Planet in pain, a Planet whose rights have been abused and that could lead to our own ultimate demise. By giving the planet a bill of rights we are not being overly politically correct, it doesn’t need to get pedantic! But we are acknowledging that use of the land needs to be sustainable, we have no right to Rape the Planet anymore than we do other human beings.

Polly Higgins a qualified Barrister has set up a fantastic movement to fight for Planetary rights. The “Trees Have Rights Too” Campaign was introduced to the United Nations on 6^th November at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in a bid to encourage this uniquely placed organisation put into place the steps necessary to achieve this Universal Declaration. If approved this Bill of Rights could protect the Planet for our future generations whilst still allowing us to prosper as a race.

Says Polly Higgins, “What is required is a seismic shift in our consciousness, rather than a mere reduction of emissions. This shift should give full recognition of the duty of care that we owe to this beautiful planet. Just as the humanitarian crisis of the Second World War gave birth to the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60 years ago on 10^th December 1948, so we now have a planetary crisis that needs to be addressed with equal urgency. Let this be the date when we take those first steps to seriously address this problem.”

Official advice from NASA’s James Hansen urges us as a civilisation to reduce our green house gas emissions to 350 parts per million from the current 385ppm.

Polly Higgins extends this, saying “It’s not merely a matter of reducing emissions, but also formally committing at a meaningful global level to a duty of care to the planet. We have to provide an inspirational legal foundation to create the legal tools to remedy the damage, pollution and loss as well as to protect that which is precious and still exists. Just as The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has provided us with the tools to fight for human rights so now we need to do the same to provide the necessary tools to fight for the planets rights” "We must speak for the Earth - We are the Earth"
Polly Higgins

For further information go to http://www.wisewomen.me.uk

Eco-Friendly Cleaning

A clean home may not mean a clean body – eco-friendly cleaning and laundry products are safer for both health and environment!

Choosing eco-friendly products to clean your home and laundry isn’t just better for the environment, but it could even save your life! Regular cleaning products may be great at killing germs and cutting grease but this comes at the expense of health and environment – the array of harsh, toxic chemicals and additives we are now exposed to via the sprays, polishes, wipes, bleaches and cleaning fluids have been linked to a host of problems ranging from mild allergies to cancer. Many of the ingredients used in regular products are known carcinogens and irritants, and such chemicals can build up in the system and take years to develop into a serious illness – so is our clean-conscious lifestyle heading us into future disaster?

Many people say they would choose eco-friendly products but they don’t believe they clean as well as their usual brands. The answer is now at hand with a great new range of truly safe and ethical cleaning products which shatter this myth to smithereens. The Bio-D range of cleaning and laundry products is now available at online organic lifestyle store buyOrganics. With this biodegradeable, SLS free, natural range of house cleaning products, not only will you get the job done in no time, but you can be safe in the knowledge you haven’t harmed your own health or that of the planet in the process! They are all allergy tested and contain no animal products – and it goes without saying that they haven’t been tested on animals too (which most regular products have been). Raw products are mainly from renewable sources and all packaging is recyclable.

The chemical industry launches around 1000 new chemicals a year – which seems crazy in this day and age when we’re trying to cut down the risks of pollution in our air, water and bodies. Young children whose systems are not as developed as adults’ are particularly at risk – cancer is now the leading cause (alongside accidents) of death in children aged 5 to 9, and the asthma rate in Canada, for example, has increased in recent years around 400%. Ingredients allowed in our cleaning products include denatured ethanol (in antibacterial sprays for example) which can cause respiratory irritation; spray polishes contain silicones, butane gas and propane; and glass cleaners usually contain glycol ethers – chemicals which have been linked to reproductive problems.

Bio D products are the best all-round solution for safe, ethical cleaning – and results are as effective as regular products and are a particularly good choice for homes where there are babies, young children, expectant mothers, pets, allergy sufferers (such as eczema and asthma), and people undergoing chemotherapy who need to limit their toxin intake. The laundry powder and liquid are especially useful for these vulnerable groups. All products are safe and perfect for use in homes with cess pits and septic tanks.

These eco-conscious products are also friendly on the pocket – good news with the current economic climate – with products ranging from just £1.89 to £4.00.

BuyOrganics is an online organic lifestyle store dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and the future of the planet, with attention to customer service, fast delivery and product quality and integrity.
Full range of Bio-D Products at buyOrganics:

Bio D Washing Up Liquid (£1.89)
Kind to hands, the waterways and won’t kill the fishes!!

Bio D Toilet Cleaner (£2.49)
The smallest room will never be the same again - gets rid of smells, stains and even limescale.

Bio D Glass & Mirror Cleaner (£3.04)
Streak and smear free and not a cough or splutter to boot!

Bio D Laundry Washing Liquid (£3.84)
Safe for you and your washing machine – not to mention the dolphins!

Bio D Washing Powder (£3.05 for 1kg)
A little goes a long way with this concentrated powder

Cleaning has never been more fun or more healthy!

Baby and Child Organic and Natural Skin Care

"When it comes to chemicals we know may do harm," says Greenpeace's Mark Strutt, "then, as a parent, why would you chance it?

Although it can seem like a very small decision, one of the most important choices you’ll make is what kind of skin care and hair care products you are going to use on your newborn babies and growing children. Being the start of their life, and having newly arrived from the warmth and security of the womb, an onslaught of harsh skin cleansing agents disguised cleverly with pretty baby perfume is ‘not’ surprisingly the best choice for your little one.

Your decision of picking something branded but full of artificial and synthetic chemicals and perfumes because of enticing Buy One Get One Free Offers or fancy packaging and advertising can greatly affect your child’s health and wellbeing. It may seem like a good idea at the time ‘ what everyone else uses’ or ‘they sell it so it must be fine’, but clinical research shows us that the impact has deeper implications.

The average one-month-old baby is bathed four times and shampooed three times every week, according to University researchers. Yet newborn skin is slow to mature, and the outer layer is highly permeable and sensitive to chemicals. In fact it’s 5 times more permeable than our skin.

"Until they are six months old, infants lack a blood-brain barrier to prevent blood-borne toxins entering the brain: low-level exposures that would have little or no effect on an adult brain can sabotage a foetal one." EWG (WEN)

Most of us assume that the chemicals we put on our babies and children daily, in the form of powders, wipes, lotions or shampoos, have been thoroughly tested and regulated, and are safe for even the smallest bodies. This is technically correct: all the ingredients within any toiletry and cosmetic product are subject to EU regulations and testing. But some toxicologists, and many environmental groups, believe such tests are inadequate.

Your average baby "hygiene" product contains a complex mix of chemicals to make it froth, slide or bubble, as well as various fragrances, preservatives and colours. A current U.S report in clinical paediatrics has revealed that 75% of newborns suffer rashes during the first few months of their birth. Suspected factors contributing to this include the very products that cosmetic and toiletry pharmaceutical companies assure us will soften, clean and moisturise our baby and child’s skin. They say that “Newborn skin is relatively more permeable to topically applied agents than adult skin. Therefore, the risk of systemic toxicity is much greater in newborns.”

Bubble bath, shampoos, baby talc, petroleum jelly, massaging oils and lotions are the most commonly sold baby skincare products

As a Parent we urge you to stop and read the labels of supermarket and chemist baby skin care products. Amongst them you may find a barrage of ingredients such as synthetic fragrances, artificial colours, highly allergenic and irritating preservatives including quaternium 15, imidazolidinyl urea, and Propyl parabens, PEG, Tea, Mea, Phthalates, and Petrochemicals which are also irritants and used in many baby toiletry products. All of these chemicals are absorbed through your babies delicate skin into their pure uncontaminated bodies. Also, most of these chemicals may have been tested on un-suspecting animals and deemed safe, however many may be contaminated with formaldehyde, 1,4 dioxane and nitrosamines ( known carcinogens!) and have multiple uses as plasticisers, or heavy duty cleaning detergent, engine degreasers, car wash detergents and floor cleaners.

Dr Michael Cork, consultant in dermatology at Sheffield Children's Hospital says "some detergents can break down the skin's natural barrier, so that it allows other irritants and allergens - such as house dust mites - to penetrate, and if you took away such factors as harsh shampoos and bubble baths for babies and children, you could prevent vast numbers of children being affected by eczema ".

Dr Vyvyan Howard, a toxicopathologist specialising in foetal and infant growth at the University of Liverpool, says that: "From the day they are conceived, our children are exposed to a soup of chemicals, most of which would not have existed when our grandmothers were in the womb. "There are, he says, around 70,000 chemicals currently in commercial use, with about 1,000 new ones added each year. To test just the commonest 1,000 toxic chemicals in unique combinations of three would require at least 166m experiments, ignoring the need to study varying doses. In other words, we really don't know what all these chemicals may be doing in our children's bodies."

Scientists are concerned that some of these chemicals can "bioaccumulate" (be stored in your child’s body),"Most children have measurable levels of at least 300 groups of chemicals in their bodies, taken in through food, household or garden chemicals, cosmetics and even the air they breathe," Dr Howard says. This process may even start in the womb: "Most of these chemicals cross the placenta or may be passed to the newborn via breast milk." But no one knows for sure if they’re dangerous, but some so- called "gender-bending " chemicals can, it seems, disrupt the human endocrine system (our hormones).As the rates of hormone-dependent cancers (such as breast or prostate) are rising, some toxicologists believe there is a link.

Another recent report has found that Phthalates, that have been linked to adult reproductive problems, especially boys, have been turning up in baby wee! Researchers think that they’re coming from the baby and skin care toiletries used everyday although more research still needs to be done Sheela Sathyanarayana M.D on the study suggests that all mums need to do to avoid this happening is by using a little less toiletry products or switch to artificial fragrance free products, because phthalates are used to stabilize fragrances. No scent often means there is no need for them. Alternatively a natural organic baby skin care product scented with pure therapeutic essential oils will also not require any phthalates. The study also found that higher level of phthalates were more prevalent in younger babies, most likely due to their more delicate skin and overall vulnerability.

Is it really the Planet we need to save? Organic Advice

Every time I read some media article or personal campaign geared towards saving the Planet, I cringe at the over generalisation! Sometimes I think people are so mislead or mis-communicated too. The real ‘thing’ that needs saving in my opinion is not really the Planet, it’s us the Human Race and life as we know it! Not only will we wipe ourselves out if we carry on as we are, but our wildlife will go before us, if we don’t reverse what we are doing. Time memorial shows us that the Planet has been through cataclysmic change and come through the other side just fine, Mother Earth may have had to wipe out the Dinosaurs or create an Ice Age to get through, but she’s still fine and dandy. The Planet will adjust itself to all the destruction we are causing, either through global warming, changing weather patterns or more natural disasters.

For every action we take there is a reaction, either negative or positive. This is where the issue of Social Responsibility comes in. It is everyone’s responsibility, not just the educated few to help preserve the environment we live in. What I mean by that is the water for drinking and bathing that we take for granted, the heating that keeps us warm in the winter, the energy that transports us by car, plane, train or bus to where we want to go, the weather that allows us to live safely without natural disasters and enjoy a pleasurable outdoor existence, rivers that don’t flood and destroy our homes, beautiful wild habitats and animals for us to marvel at: This is what people are trying to save! Can those of you who say you don’t care about green issues, really not care about these things? Would it bother you if hurricanes and flooding affected your home constantly? Would it bother you if food and water and fuel were too expensive for you to afford? Without your home comforts would you be happy? Until now, this has been a plight suffered by people far away, but it is threatening western suburbia now, so will you still not sit up and take note?

Now more than ever we need a sense of community that extends beyond just our family and friends, but to our KIND. Instead of fighting wars we should be uniting to work together to preserve our environment, not by overpowering nature, but by working with it.

Now it’s not possible for everyone to become completely Green. Unless you resort to living in a hut in the forest with no heating and running water and killing your own food, you really are not doing our environment any favours. We really cannot begin to wipe out the industrial revolution! So lets start by getting REAL! Everyone even me, is a hypocrite in some form or another. We can none of us be perfect, and it’s about time that the Green Perfectionists got off their high horse and actually admitted to the fact that they are not perfect either! I am not and I don’t expect you to be.

It is however important to do what you can as much as you can. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY means you too! Here’s the low down on how everyone can start doing their bit on being a little bit more responsible. It may be simplistic when the problem is in fact much larger, but hey…everyone has to start somewhere.

1. Turn off your computers and lights at work when you leave, if your companies policy is to leave them on, challenge them
2. Recycle everything you can at home and at work
3. Plant at least one tree in your lifetime – more if you can
4. Don’t keep the Tap on when you brush your teeth
5. Put the lights off when you leave a room
6. Switch off plugs when electrical items are not being used.
7. Get a low petrol consumption car, thick curtains, a fuel efficient boiler and home insulation – it’ll be better for your pocket too!
8. Car pool if you can
9. Think about the products you buy, don’t buy the cheapest or the best marketed, buy the ones that have caused as little pain and suffering to animals and the people making them, and as little environmental damage as possible
10. If you are in a business, look at how you can change your product or service to make things better for our future – eg, in your use of resources or materials.
11. Switch to green electricity.
12. Switch to environmentally friendly nappies
13. Don’t get the supermarkets bags for life that are made out of plastic – it’s the same garbage, just with you for longer, get the hemp ones or cloth ones that biodegrade.
14. Don’t buy degradable it’s a scam only buy BIO –Degradable!
15. Swap one or two meals a week to non-meat based – plant based diets are much less intensive and use far less energy, as well as the cruelty aspect. Apparently a vegan driving a 4x4 is still using less energy than a meat-eater who uses only a bicycle!
16. Do continue to have fun and live life to the full
17. If you have a dream fulfil it! Even if it’s something not socially responsible, make sure you make up for it in some other way.
18. If you think you’re doing good, it’s likely that you are.

Now even if you can only start with a few things on the list, it’s a start. Your list maybe totally different. Make your own. Not everything is possible for everyone all the time. But sometimes is better than never at all. We all have to accept the fact that some people will never care, but if you do that counts. You have the time to integrate these things into your life, make it before it’s too late!

Remember a good place to start is to think organic and for that why not try buyOrganics. We are an organic conscious website that sells products such as organic clothing, food, wines, skincare and health care products toiletries and much more.