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!
Come on! Don’t tell me you haven’t been struck by the Mamma Mia bug?! Of course you have, you’re a closet fan, I know you are. For everyone with a hopeless sense of romance, wanting some kind of summer loving feeling in the midst of this dull grey winter, Mamma Mia gets your heart skipping like a school girl. Well it did mine anyway, I have to admit it. I’m smitten!
Of course I’m a married woman who loves her husband very much, but I do have a soft spot and a smidgen of a crush on Pierce Brosnan. Colin Firth is oh so cute too!
Ok so what have my aimless fantasies have to do with anything Green or Eco-Conscious? Well I thought I’d see what these guys and gals get up to in their spare time and share with you. I wasn’t disappointed!
Pierce Brosnan (thump, thump, thump) for one, is well into the Green Scene and spends time campaigning for environmental education, clean water and marine-mammal and wetland protection. He has been an environmental activist for quite some time and regularly recycles, buys eco products and supports environmental causes.
Read more at http://www.piercebrosnan.com/pdf/BonAppetitFeb2008.pdf
Check out Pierce’s guide – 10 things you can do to be green
1) Eat organic and buy fruits, vegetables, herbs, cheese, eggs, honey and other food products at farmer’s markets which support local farmers and growers.
2) Use eco-friendly products and services. Purchase all-natural, organic household cleaners, recycled paper products, organic cotton, and non-GMO food products. Locate an organic dry cleaner. Hire an eco-friendly gardening or car service.
3) Recycle everything possible, including printer cartridges, paper products, newspaper, plastic, glass, cans, etc... and cut paper consumption by using e-mail.
4) Give back – support individuals and organizations who are doing extraordinary work for our planet. Over the years The Brosnan Trust has distributed more than one million dollars to environmental organizations, schools, activists, and charities.
5) Plant an organic garden or a victory garden– for yourself or a friend and promote green living.
6) Compost kitchen scraps-- from banana peels to coffee grounds, and green waste. Purchase a rotating or stackable composter and start a green waste pile that can be used to fortify your garden naturally.
7) Promote environmental education. We currently fund environmental programs for kindergarten thru grade 12 (Roots and Shoots) in California and helped pass legislation which requires the state of California to design environmental curriculum for all its students.
8) Donate to off set your emissions (plant trees with Tree people; pay a carbon tax when traveling in environmentally sensitive areas, etc…).
9) Design an eco friendly home that features energy efficient appliances, low flow and/or composting toilets, state of the art solar technology, recycled grey water, reclaimed hardwoods, and non-toxic paint and building materials.
10) Speak up -- use your voice and speak out about important environmental issues (examples over the past 13 years: stopping BHP’s LNG Terminal off the coast of Oxnard and Malibu, Mitsubishi from building a massive salt factory in Lagoon San Ignacio, protesting the US Navy harming whales with sonar and the French Government nuclear testing in the South Pacific, promoting Dolphin Safe Tuna and supporting the Heritage Tree Bill.) One person can and does make a difference. What kind of difference do you want to make?
Colin Firth is also involved in Green issues. Without the luxury of being able to interview him at the drop of a hat, I have to rely on articles written about him and on the internet. Most of the history on his website points to involvement in Fair Trade campaigning, either to the EU, or on global and coffee issues dating back to the early 2000’s. He also has an Eco store in Chiswick surprisingly called ‘Eco’ which he owns with his wife the beautiful Italian documentary producer Livia Giuggioli, her 26-year-old brother Nicola, and friend and investor Ivo Coulson. The shop is cleverly lit by the sun, covered in plants and solar heated. In an interview on Times Online, Colin admirably said “if you have this many perks, surely you can help out. Rather than being a luvvie with a lofty opinion preaching to people, I prefer to do things, to get involved, put my money where my mouth is and learn along the way.”
Meryl Streep, last but not least is an amazing icon, involved in many health campaigns, especially in the fight against Cancer, Aids, America Forest tree replanting scheme- Global Re-leaf and in creating a healthy world for our children. In talking about creating a healthy world for our children, one of the main concerns she raises is regarding the toxins in our environment and foods. For more info see www.healthchild.org for an amazing read.
Looking behind the scenes of the romance and the glitz and the glamour of Mamma Mia are real people who although busy in their lives, take conscious time and effort to make a difference in the world in their small or big way, as we can all do from the comforts of our own home. With every negative element it is important to remember there is a positive element; one cannot be without the other, its just Yin and Yang!!
Christmas comes at a time when it’s just nice to get a break, a solid good few days away from work. It’s a time as well as we approach the new year that we look back on the last year and decide whether its been a good year, a bad year or a down right ugly year!
It’s been an odd year for me, I’ve had low’s, especially when one of my closest friends was diagnosed with cancer. It made me really see how fragile life is and how dear our loved ones are to us. It’s also been a time when I had new experiences in my personal life….I went on a holiday with my husband and kids for the first time in about 5 years. It was fantastic and awful all at the same time! Lost hotel bookings, lost tickets, upgrades, family arguments…argh!!! My husband lost his job with Lehman Brothers which was so stressful! But out of all these things that have happened there has been a silver lining to all of them. My friends cancer is nearly cured and the Chemo has been working, if it hadn’t have been caught in time she wouldn’t have been here now, my husband found another job, a better one! And as a family, the holiday made us closer and able to see our faults better.
This last year has been a closing for an old way of life, globally too. The false economy we’ve been living on has crashed! One of the biggest obstacles to doing something about climate change…George Bush, has been shifted. Barack Obama provides a new hope that has not been presented by any other for a long time. More and more people are buying eco friendly household products, green, organic and natural personal products, organic bedding and latex mattresses, despite the economic down turn, which shows an increasing commitment to what really matters. Hi fuel usage cars are not selling, but instead are being outsold by their green counterparts! This will force manufacturers to come up with viable alternatives or bite the dust.
So, this Christmas season seems different to me than most. I feel more contemplative, more hopeful and as if I’m on the verge of a whole new beginning.
Think of current painful situations as an opportunity for growth.
So if you have lost your job, like countless members of my family and friends, or business is tight, it will no doubt be a seriously worrying time. It may even be a sign that your old way of being was not right for you any more, and that however painfully its happening, its time to embrace something new. Whether it’s a new course, a new interest, a new career doing something that’s going to bring more into your life, than what you were stuck in previously, or re-evaluating how you do things currently.
Change is always painful, I know that, because I’ve been there, not once or twice, but many times, we are going through global changes, and personal changes all at the same time. I’m sure many of you have too. Even if you’ve not had a bad year, and have had a brilliant year, there it’s always good to re-evaluate your strategies and lifestyle. Is there another area of your life that could do with improvement, your friendships, love life, or health? James Ray Philosopher and Life Coach, likens this economic climate to winter, everything that is old and unwanted is dying. This is a time for contemplation so that when the new spring comes we are prepared to create a new spring in our own lives. Astrologically it is the end of the celestial Piscean age and the dawning of the Aquarian age, which is an age of greater spiritual awareness and growth. Whatever is created now will be deeper, more rewarding, richer and more fulfilling than ever before because it will come from a deeper level.
I wish you all the greatest happiness for the New Year
Sonia
This is the question that rests on so many organic and natural shoppers minds, and takes hours to research; what are the ingredients, what preservatives are used, what’s the texture of the product, what certifications has it got? Am I going to like it, it’s a big investment and suppose I hate it? If it takes me that long to choose products for my site I can well understand the confusion, frustration and time it must take the day to day shopper to decide on the products that are best for them.
Endless hours analysing the small print, comparing the prices and product details - You’ve done the hit and miss orders, and been landed with products you hate! You’ve had the products that are good, but are looking for a change, or you simply want superior performance. Or you simply want to know if the products are genuine in their claims of being natural and pure. Where do you start?
If you’ve already launched yourself into organic shopping you’ll know that the shampoos, and creams all perform differently to regular high street products. You may have got the hang of a lot of the basics just through trial and error and you’ll already know that starting off with a real understanding of some fundamentals can make life a lot easier. We just thought we’d put together a quick checklist of things to consider. So sit back, grab a cup of herbal tea, and take stock of the variety with as little strain as possible, then take the decision about what might suit you best.
Herbal potions compared with scientific concoctions
What grabs your fancy? A witch’s brew or laboratory test tube?
Two distinguishing features separate most natural and organic products. The traditional ones tend to be created on herbal lore, Earthbound Organics, Raw Gaia, Eselle Organics and Spiezia for instance, use time old recipes and blends based on ingredients that are known to have natural healing or beneficial properties for the skin and body, without the toxins but with all the benefits and time tested proof that they work. The newer breed of natural and organic skincare products such as Organic Apoteke for instance combine herbal lore with scientific research and cosmeceutical knowledge, this makes them similar in their placement on the market to top beauty houses, taking the preparation out of the kitchen and into the laboratory! Both lines are equally good.
Balms, Creams, Lotions and Oils
The consistency of a product can make a huge difference to whether you are going to like a product or not. We all have our preferences. What’s yours, rich and buttery, runny like hunny or creamy and dreamy?
Another key difference between many completely pure certified organic skincare products and others that have additives lies in the formulation. 100% pure products tend to be balms or oils such as Eselle Organics, Spiezia organics etc. These don’t appeal to everyone as they are quite rich products, but if they do appeal to you, then you’ll find them packed full of rich nutrients and skin goodies that can really make a difference to your skin. They tend to be heavier and oilier and therefore aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Other people who prefer creams can go for the purest available which will still be slightly heavier such as Earthbound (beeswax based) and Raw Gaia (shea butter based). These formulations are all heavier because they do not contain any water hence bypassing the need for preservatives. The Shea butter and Coconut butter based products are mostly solid at room temperature and therefore need to be melted in your hand before being applied. The essential oils used in these products preserve them over time. Don’t be put off by their richness, as a little goes along way and after applying, any excess can be soaked off with a tissue.
Creams and Lotions that have a lighter feel to them inevitably have water as an additional ingredient. This makes it necessary to add a preservative. The majority of preservatives have an irritational element to them, so the Soil association for instance strictly limits their use. The popular ones that are accepted are Phenoxyethanol and Limonene the absence of a preservative could result in a more dangerous form of contamination from Nitrosamines which makes their presence necessary. Many of the newer organic products tend to be made in the form of these lighter applications such as essential care, Organic Apoteke and Miessence, although some lines have cleverly avoided even the accepted preservatives and used totally natural preservatives. Balms, oils, and heavy creams are better for normal/dry/maturing skin types, whereas oilier skin types may do better with a lighter cream or lotion.
Biodynamics and Wildcrafted
Do you feel assured by knowing the ingredients are charged by Mother Nature or simply growing free range?
Products that contain Biodynamic ingredients contain ingredeints that have been grown in accordance with the lunar cycles and seasonal cycles that create the greatest benefit and achieve optimum results from the plants. May sound a little woo woo! But all of Weleda products are for instance bio dynamically based and therefore provide the benefit of optimum ingredients for health wellbeing and healing. Wildcrafted ingredients are taken from plants that have grown wild without the use of pesticides or herbicides such as Eyre Biobotanics.
Certifications and Ingredients to avoid!
Do you need the security of a certificate or are you happy to check the ingredients and see there’s nothing really nasty in it, so its ok! Let's compare the standards?
Certifications can often make a product more expensive. That’s a fact. The common certifying bodies for products you will see being sold in the UK are Soil Association Standard (UK) , USDA (American), EcoCert (European), Organic Food Federation (UK), Australian organic, Demeter (Eurpoean), BDIH (German), Organic food Chain (Australian).
If you’re happy with going with a certificate then look out for the logos and verification that the product is certified. If you’re not too fussed about the certification but want to make sure it’s natural enough then check the products don’t contain any of the following:
AHAs – Alpha-hydroxy acids
(or ‘fruit acids’; incl. Glycolic acid and lactic acid)
Why?
- Because it can penetrate the skin causing many reported adverse skin reactions in the US
- May increase sensitivity to sunlight therefore increase photo-aging and risk of sun-related skin cancers
BHT
(butylated hydroxytoluene) - Preservative antioxidants
Why?
- Possible allergen
- Has been linked to possible behavioural effects, reproductive failures, not allowed in baby food
Fragrance
(Parfum, or Aroma.) Can exacerbate asthmatic symptoms.
Why?
- May contain chemicals linked to cancer, damaging to the liver and kidneys and toxic to the nervous system.
Parabens
(Alkyl parahydroxy benzoates, or butyl/methyl/ ethyl/propyl/isobutyl paraben)
Why?
- Oestrogen mimics
- Can penetrate the skin
Phthalates
(Dibutyl (DBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP), di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP))
Why?
- Risk to pregnant women and unborn children;
- DBP and DEHP on EU list of banned substances to be phased out by early 2005
- May disrupt hormones and cause birth defects
- Linked to asthma and allergic disease
P-Phenylenediamine
(PPD, or Para-phenylene-diamine)
Why?
- Linked to cancer in workers
- Linked to asthma and allergic disease.
- Can penetrate skin.
- Skin irritant
Triclosan
(5-chloro-2 (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-phenol) or Trade name – Microban
Why?
- Bioaccumulative - builds up in fatty tissue and can’t be broken down properly.
- Has been found in human breast milk and fish
- Dioxins (linked to cancer) are formed when it is manufactured, incinerated or exposed to sunlight.
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
(Sodium Lauryl Sulfate)
Why?
- Skin, eye and respiratory tract irritant.
- May damage liver, lungs and immune system.
- Some evidence to suggest reproductive effects.
Toluene
(Toloul, methylbenzene)
Why?
- Risk to women workers of spontaneous abortions
- Skin irritant
- Toxic to central nervous system, eyes, blood, liver, kidneys and skin.
Propylene glycol
(propan-1,2-diol)
Why?
- Humectant - used to maintain moisture.
- Can cause contact dermatitis
- Linked to depression of the CNS (Central Nervous System)
Source: WEN Toxin Tour Factsheet
Also check out what WEN – Women’s Environmental Network has to say on the subject of toxins
Go onto their resources page for a good non bias heads up on what’s what in the cosmetics industry.
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!
Sounds hooky, but doesn’t it seem like the whole world is changing?
