Ozville in Action

Jody's Journey

2010-02-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I got an email from a woman named Linda Caputi, through Ozville.org. She told me that her daughter had had success eliminating her seizures by following some remedies set forth by a man named Edgar Cayce. I'd never heard of him, but I'm all for learning new natural healing methods for epilepsy! She told me she'd written a book about her daughter's story, and also included a lot of information on the Edgar Cayce remedies. She sent me a copy and I just now finished it. I admit, I skipped through a lot of the details of the remedies towards the back of the book since I knew I'd never remember them. lol. He recommended such things as caster oil packs, chiropractic care, salt, ice packs, etc... Edgar apparently would go into a trance to find the cause of the epilepsy, and make personalized recommendations to his patients. I'm not a very good book reviewer, but I wanted to mention it for those who are open to alternative possibilities. You won't find a plan laid out for you here, but you might find just what you need. Of course, only do this under supervision, especially if you are already on medication for your seizures.

The book is on Amazon, if you're interested in checking it out: Epilepsy - Jody's Journey: An Inspiring True Story of Healing with the Edgar Cayce Remedies

Everybody Poops

2010-01-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

You've heard of that book, right? Yeah, it exists...

So today I just wanted to share that I found some recycled toilet paper at my neighbourhood Ralph's! It's called Small Steps, by Marcal. Made of 100% premium recycled paper, whitened without chlorine bleaching, hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, and no dye or fragrance added. It came in a 12 pack, and I'm on my first roll. Have to say, I'm satisfied. It's not soft and fluffy, but it's not like tissue paper either, so that's good. It's nice to see more environmentally friendly products on the shelves! AND the wrapper is recyclable as well.

Curing Epilepsy

2009-12-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

I was searching the internet the other day for more news stories on epilepsy, and looking to see if there was anything new about using a raw food diet to cure it, and stumbled across a few blogs and forum posts.

This blog chronicles the life of a little boy named Elijah. The blog is called Overcoming Epilepsy.

My son Elijah has a mild form of cerebral palsy. He was recently diagnosed with epilepsy in the spring of 2007. We've been treating his condition using natural methods. This blog is a documentation of our experiences. Our goal is to help others who may be going through similar health challenges. Together we can overcome whatever challenges come our way so that we may live full, happy, vibrant, and healthy lives.

I'm trying to figure out how to subscribe to it but it seems to involve some kind of Google contraption that I don't feel like dealing with. :-)

We also have this person updating af orum on her raw food diet, at www.coping-with-epilepsy.com. She says:

Hi. I wanted to share that I was having daily complex partial seizures until I went on a raw foods diet. I started the diet after being partially a raw vegan - but once I went all the way raw I haven't had one seizure now for close to seven weeks.

I just ordered the book by Dr. Graham, the 80-10-10 diet because this is close to what I have been doing on my own already.

I feel close to normal, and my energy level is great, and my brain is healing more all the time. I am able to do things and tolerate a lot more stimulation, and starting to feel like I am supposed to. HEALTHY!

So exciting! We also have a nice long thread started by a parent who put her son on the raw food diet, also at www.coping-with-epilepsy.com.

We're currently controlling my son's complex partial seizures with a high-raw diet. He eats mostly fresh, raw fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. Occasionally he will have a homemade salad dressing that may contain one or two non-raw ingredients. He may also have a baked sweet potato or steamed veggies (without spices or condiments) once a week or so. He doesn't complain about eating this way. He's not singled out. Our entire family is eating this way as well and we've seen loads of benefits. I just wanted to start this thread to give a place where those of you with questions can feel free to ask them. I also wanted to share this video that I found this morning. Another girl cured her epilepsy and came off medication by changing over to a raw foods diet.

These are so exciting. I wish I'd have started learning about the raw food diet years and years ago. But I'm so glad it's catching on, and people are becoming aware that what they eat affects their health in major ways. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite though, since I'm not on a totally raw diet yet. I'd guess I'm at about 20%. Working my way up. I just thank God that I don't have any major illnesses that demand a sudden, drastic change in diet. But I do know that if I want it to stay that way, then I better ease my way into it while it's still voluntary!

Green Things

Since I haven't promoted anything cool and green in a long time I thought I'd do that now. About a year and a half ago I bought some cozy slippers in my neighbourhood Pharmaca. I've worn them practically every day and they've recently just started to look like evidence of a large dog. And I don't have a large dog. So I thought it was time to get a new pair. They aren't the cheapest slippers, but they are made from all-natural, renewable materials that are sustainably grown, and are biodegradeable and organic. The pair I purchased is made of hemp and is called D'Orsay (see the picture below, and click on it to see where you can buy them).

I did quite a bit of shopping around to find the best prices and I settled on www.OnlineShoes.com because of their low prices and free shipping. They have a lot of different styles and sizes. I'll definitely be trying out more of their footwear in the future, based on this slipper.... I love them. In fact, I'm wearing them right now. :-)

Epilepsy Freedom Walk 2009

2009-11-28T19:13:00.000-08:00

The Epilepsy Freedom Walk was held on October 18 this year, and I was there with my bracelets! 100 bracelets found new homes, and everyone who checked out the info table read about Ozville and Marieke. It was actually an interesting day... my life with Marieke was filled with laughter and songs. Some specific songs stay connected to her in my memory. These would be Thriller, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Feliz Navidad. As I sat at a picnic table engrossed in my book (Autobiography of a Yogi, if you must know), I heard the familiar notes of Michael Jackson's Thriller. I almost wanted to get up and dance, since this year for the first time ever, I participated in Thrill The World (in honor of Marieke! I know she would have loved to join me). I didn't though. :-) Later that day at an audition at CAZT, as I sat waiting, I heard on the radio Bohemian Rhapsody. I commented to Marieke's dad via text message that if I heard Feliz Navidad I'd be thoroughly freaked out (in a good way). That night, I curled up on the couch to continue working my way through the Drew Carey DVD set with my brother. It just so happened... we had come to the Christmas episode. I did not however, hear the song Feliz Navidad... although Drew's neighbour said "Feliz Navidad." And I count it. Thanks, Marieke, for being with me that day. :-)

November 11 was Marieke's 18th birthday, which was celebrated with family and friends. November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, and I have been especially aware of it. I'm hoping to find some new opportunities to share the message of water safety, and also the possibility of a cure through a raw food diet. Please contact me with any suggestions!

Sorry if my blog today is a little more mellow than usual - I'm watching Rachel Getting Married and I think it's affecting my mood. :-P

You can tell I'm not a blogger...

2009-08-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

...because I never write! I'm sorry to all who actually read this blog. I do enjoy finding new environmentally friendly products and awesome places to eat, but writing about it... can sometimes be a chore! I do like to share what I find, and I will continue to do so... just not as often. ;-)

What can I report today... Back in April I did another Epilepsy Awareness walk, in San Diego, and gave out over 100 Epilepsy Isn't Waterproof bracelets. I picked up an issue of Time (right? It was Time?) that had a special feature on epilepsy. I wish they would have gone into the natural cures, the raw food diet, etc... but they didn't. Our world is completely focused on "finding the cure!" through funding of organizations, so that they can just pour money into the drug industry. I am doubting that they actually want a cure. I was supposed to talk to somebody at the Epilepsy Foundation, in San Diego, but I keep forgetting. I'm hoping she does a bit of her own research on it - everything I know I found online, and have listed in the resources on Ozville. I should try to contact her again though.

Anyway! For those of you into the organic stuff.... I recently purchased a new nightgown from a seller on etsy, and I'd like to share her shop. econica makes "Stylish organic and eco-friendly clothing handmade with love just for you." I'm actually wearing my new nighty right now! I love that her clothing is unique, and stylish, and ORGANIC! So many organic clothing lines are plain old boring, but this is not the case with her.

And for food, I've discovered an awesome place in Silverlake, CA... it's called Cru. It's a raw vegetarian restaraunt and it's SO GOOD! I can't stop dreaming about their raw brownie with ice cream. I highly highly recommend it. I happened to eat there while they were having a weekend "cooking" class going on (not actually DURING my visit...) and went to the last two of the classes and learned some recipes that I've been making ever since. So if you live in the L.A. area, GO!

The bracelets are in!

2009-04-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

More epilepsy news! I just got the new shipment of "Epilepsy isn't waterproof" bracelets, so now I have them in small, medium, and large. I'm going to give a little over half away at the next epilepsy walk on April 19th, but I'm setting some aside for website orders. So.... put your order in now before I run out again! lol.

Correction - and it's a good thing!

2009-03-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

So someone corrected me! It's a Team Captain meeting on March 28, not the actual event. Sharon's Ride.Run.Walk is actually on April 19, which is great for two reasons! One, I think I will be able to make it. Two, it's close to the day Marieke left us, April 30. I like to plan special Marieke-centered events around this time of year, especially if they can raise awareness to epilepsy-related deaths. So this is good news.

I've had a couple orders for bracelets recently, and a donation towards a new batch, so I went ahead and ordered 100 small, 100 medium, and 100 large, and I'll give away 50 of each at the walk. I'm looking forward to it!

It's that time again...

2009-03-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

So I just realized that another epilepsy walk is coming up at the end of the month. Unfortunately, on the same day as my piano recital, but I'm sure I will figure it all out. You know my goal... hand out "epilepsy isn't waterproof" bracelets at the walks, twice a year. I just thought this one was in May, not March! The last one was... I think. Anyway, here's the problem. I have about 50 bracelets left (I just sold 22 to someone in Thailand!). Not enough to give out, at least if I want to have any left for online orders, to off-set the cost. Besides, I want to give out at LEAST 100. So I contacted my supplier. Unfortunately, because I have much less spare change this year than I did last year, the cost seems out of my reach. $430 to get 100 small, 100 medium, and 100 large. I'm starting to ask family members if they can pitch in, but no one seems to have anything to spare, so far. So, because this cause is important to me, and I'd really like to have some bracelets to give out, I thought I'd just put it out there - if you think this cause is important, and you would like to lend a hand in educating parents and children about the dangers of water to those with epilepsy, please consider donating to the "bracelet fund." You can email me first, or just donate through the link below. The good thing about helping out Ozville is that you know it's going straight to benefit the people with epilepsy. Nothing has to go to "administration" or other costs associated with a big foundation. It's just me, trying to spread the word. Let's get bracelets on those little wrists!

Staple-less stapler, oh my!

2009-01-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

First, I have to say, I've been trying to post this for the past couple days, but have been having trouble with Blogger. I think the internet is broken. But finally, it's working! So.... here goes.

This is the most awesome stapler EVER. At least from my point of view, as an actor. I always want to make it easy for the receiver to recycle my headshot and resume (if they don't need it), but staples are a hassle to pull out, so I'm sure they end up in the trash bin instead. Plus, I know that staples can catch on things, or make a pile of headshots a little lob-sided. Little things, I know. But anyway, this stapler is awesome. I will never have to worry about running out of staples in the middle of attaching headshots to resumes. Anything I staple can be put through a shredder, or recycled... I'm having so much fun with this thing! Granted, it can only do a fewsheets at a time, so you'll still need a regular stapler for your 10-page report, but this thing... is definitely one of the coolest little inventions I've seen. There seem to be a few versions. This is the one I got:

From www.uncommongoods.com. It comes in a set of two, a blue one and a green one, for $12, plus shipping . Looks like you can get the same ones in different colours at www.thinkgeek.com as well, for $5.99 each.

Now that I decided to make a post about these things, I'm seeing all these other staple-less staplers that I like, too! Check these out. Little doggie and kitty staplers:

You can find them at www.thinkgeek.com, for $7.99 each. I think these are great for kids! You don't have to worry about them stapling themselves, or eating staples or stepping on staples... Brilliant, I say.

I like the look of this one. It looks a lot like a normal little stapler. I'm kind of wishing this is the one I got.

You can find this one at www.naturalcollection.com for £5.82 . Yes, it's in pounds, and therefore a bit more expensive than the other ones for us Americans. But it's so cute!!

If you want something that looks sleeker, and maybe looks a little better on an office desk, check out this one:

That photo doesn't look right, for some reason, but that's the way it downloaded. Oh well. You can see it here: www.jbox.com. This is a more expensive one, at $36, but it is pretty cool looking... Seems to be a Japanese model, and can stitch together 7 pieces of paper. The others only claim to do about 4 sheets.

You can also find a couple different styles and colours at Amazon.com (which I normally check first for things I want to buy, but for some reason didn't, and now I'm afraid I might end up buying more staplers, cause they're all so coooool!).

I'm just crazy about mine. I'm "stapling" everything I can get my hands on. I do have to say, there are two downsides that might make you keep your regular stapler on hand. One, it doesn't do many sheets, and two, if you goof up, and say, staple things together upside-down, it's a little more obvious than if you had stapled them and redone it. But I still recommend them!

Eco-sleep

2008-11-23T11:39:00.001-08:00

I love to sleep. But with all the crap they use to make bedsheets and pillows and mattresses... ugg. Sometimes it's hard to have a good night's sleep when you know you're inhaling these things and letting them touch your skin. Now, I know there are organic mattresses out there, but if you're like me, you can't afford them! But you can sleep a little healthier even without a new, non-toxic mattress.

Pillows:
You can actually find some organic cotton pillows at Bed Bath & Beyond! Yep, the place that sends you 20% coupons every day. And they're filled with recycled fiber made from water bottles. How cool is that? I'm staring at the plastic bag they come in, and even the bag is biodegradable. The pillows are about $20 each, and pretty comfy. Check it out...

Mattress Topper:
If you can't afford a new mattress, how about an organic mattress topper? Personally, I love my Natura topper. They're sold on many websites, including TheCleanBedroom.com and the official site, Naturaworld.com. So now you've got a nice, soft, organic layer between you and your toxic mattress! Of course, you'll probably want-

Sheets:
Under the Canopy offers a nice selection of organic cotton sheets (and other bedding, towels, etc). West Elm also offers organic sheets (and it looks like there's a sale right now!).

Sleep tight!

Awww, I really WAS missed!

2008-11-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

Time has just slipped away from me! Been busy with a lot of things lately. I haven't forgotten about ozville though! I represented at the Epilepsy Freedom Walk this past weekend, and 180 bracelets found arms. Yay! So the goal is to bring at least 300 to the next even in the spring. So.... I have to sell the remaining bracelets to earn some money to buy more! Come on, spread the word!

Anyway, I received an email from someone who has been reading my blog and wondered when I'd be back to update. They shared a cool website with me called Embodies. I like the way she described it:

This store is committed to promoting an eco lifestyle, inside and out. The owner does one-on-one sessions with people who have been injured, have muscular disorders, or just want to keep healthy. She does pilates, acutonics (sound healing), and gyrotonics. Then, she provides people with healthy options for the outsides of their bodies, with eco clothing and accessories.

I'm checking out the website now. Looks like they have a nice selection of cute clothes, and shoes! The shoes are a bit expensive for me, but they are tempting.

I've been bookmarking a lot of good stuff in my green magazines lately, so I'll try to come back and share with you again soon. Thanks for reading! ;-)

Long Time No See!

2008-08-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, time flies. Did you miss me?
Yeah, I thought so.
OK, today, two things. One, Kiva has updated their system, and now instead of waiting for the entire loan to be repaid, you'll receive money as soon as the person you loaned it to makes a payment, so you can re-loan it right away! I just got about $60 of my loans credited to me, so instead of waiting, I'm going to go find another person to loan to!
Next up, razors, by Preserve.
How many of us use those disposable razors all the time? I know I do. For some reason I just don't like the electric ones. Anyway, I always feel bad about throwing them away, but now there’s an alternative – recycle!
Preserve’s triple blade razor handle is made from 100% recycled plastic, including 65% of recycled Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. and is completely recyclable (in communities in with #5 plastics recycling or with Recycline's postage-paid mailer, available at stores of from Recycline). Even the package is made from renewable wood sources and is reusable as a travel case. And there’s no animal testing, either. Each razor comes with a spare blade, and when you need more, you can buy a pack of 4 triple blade cartridges. The razor handle comes in 6 different colours.
While we’re talking about Preserve, I might as well say that I’ve been using their toothbrush, and I’m pretty happy with it. It’s really no-frills – no crazy gum massagers or anything, but hey, it’s completely recyclable and comes in 6 different colours! Again made from mainly Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups, you can send the toothbrush back in the postage-paid envelope to be turned into plastic lumber. Don’t worry- they’ve got a testing program to make sure that “our cleansed and reprocessed plastics have the same infinitesimal readings of foreign elements as virgin plastics.”
I can’t remember how much they cost, but I believe the razor is about $7.99, and the replacement blades are of equal or lesser value. The toothbrush wasn’t expensive at all, in fact I believe it was only around $3. I purchased mine at Whole Foods, but you can find them again, online at places like Amazon.com.
Razors on Amazon
Toothbrushes on Amazon
I’ll be on the look-out for a good toothpaste to recommend to go with your new toothbrush. :-D

Bucky!

2008-07-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's been a while, huh? Well, I've been busy. Hope you didn't miss me TOO much. I have a couple new things to start writing about again. The first one I'm going to mention is my new Bucky pillow. :-D You know those things you see at the airport (and then always wish you had gotten...) that you put around your neck as you try to sleep on the plane? Well, they always felt really synthetic to me, so I never got one. UNTIL I was shopping at Pharmaca and saw the Bucky version. Oh so soft... so natural... So I bought it. A nice, soothing blue one, filled with buckwheat hulls. It comes with a pouch that you can keep it safe and clean in, and clip onto your luggage. You can check out what else Bucky makes at Bucky.com.

Epilepsy Outreach

2008-05-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't seen the new link to this site on the epilepsy page, I wanted to alert you to another epilepsy support site. Hunter Tylo is the spokesperson for EpilepsyOutreach.org, which was of special interest to me. Her son, Mike, drowned of an epileptic seizure in their pool last year. I'm hoping to do something in connection with them. But anyway, just wanted to point it out!

Also, I've started one more blog, focusing on internet marketing and income, and if you're interested, you can find it at theGirlwithaPearl.com.

No new eco-friendly advice for today. I'm currently in Pennsylvania, far from a Whole Foods. hehe. Actually, wait, that's not true, I do have something that was in my mind and in some conversation today. You may have heard about all the toxins and bleach and whatnot in conventional mattresses, but if you have ever searched for an organic mattress, you'll know how pricey those are...but I've found a VERY comfortable solution! I am sleeping in heaven with this mattress pad from Gaiam. Much more affordable than a new mattress, and I swear, you'll be so glad you got it.

"Our Natural Cotton Mattress Pad is untreated with toxic chemicals and is free of dyes, chlorine and synthetic finishes. "

Woo-hoo! Be sure to check out the other stuff on their site, I ordered a ton of awesome household stuff, like an organic cotton and silk comforter... well, you'll see. Just go! Shop! Now!

Making Life Better

2008-05-09T18:39:00.001-07:00

Since ozville began, I've been trying to figure out exactly what to put on it, how to tie things together. I mean, I've got the petition page, the epilepsy page, the main search page, and this eco-blog. Or, it started out as an eco-blog. But really, the main purpose was to introduce you to things that will make your life better. Things that help the environment you live in, things that will keep you healthier. But I'm expanding now. I'm going to include information and suggestions for things that will help you out spiritually, financially, emotionally... I want to hit it all! This blog will be a well-rounded blog! As I move forward and learn new things, I will share them with you here. Here are a few tips for today...
In health and environment!
I had a craving for some SourPatch kids today, but I'm trying to stick to my goal of eating organic. So I picked up some candy at Pharmaca. I picked up some gummy worms, fruity bears, and gummy swirls. None of them (no, I didn't expect the gummy worms to be sour) ended up quenching my SourPatch Kid craving, but they're darn good candy! They're made by Surf Sweets. I also picked up some organic M&M's. So good. They're called SunDrops, by Sunspire. Mmmmm. I actually really like the almond ones, but the peanut was on sale. You have to get these. They make M&M's taste stale.

In financial news...
Right now, I'm looking into a new way of making an income online. I don't really want to say much about it at the moment, I want to see if it works first, but I will give you a progress report later.

In epilepsy news...
I've ordered more bracelets, and should have them by the end of the month. I would appreciate purchases! The more I buy, the better the bulk price is, and the more of your $5 I can put towards more bracelets to hand out at Epilepsy Foundation walks. So I have 300 on the way. But the goal is to have 1000 bought and paid for and ready for the October/November walk (I'm too lazy to look it up right now). I love giving out these bracelets, and if I had a ton of extra cash lying around I would gladly just buy them without having to sell any, but for now... that's how it goes. Thank you everyone who HAS purchased bracelets! You're awesome.

You know you want one....

2008-04-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend, I participated in Sharon's Ride.Run.Walk. and distributed about 70 'epilepsy isn't waterproof' bracelets. They were quite a hit! I left most of them at the info table, on top of a photo of Marieke with the dates of her birth and death, and they went SOFAST! I still have 15 to sell through the website, since that is to help me cover the costs of buying more. Which I will have to do very soon! But if you would like one of your own, to support our mission, please click here.

In other news, I've moved into my new place, and am preparing to green it. I will document this process, but first I have to unpack stuff so it's not such a mess!

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

So, how green were you?? I admit, I didn't do anything especially green today. I threw a couple things into the recycle bin, checked out some green goods at Crate & Barrel. I've actually been trying to get a BIG green project going. I'm buying a mobile home! And GREENING it. :-D Everything I'm buying, everything I'm doing to it, will be green. If it's possible, and in my budget, of course. Which means recycled, second-hand, sustainable, handmade or eco-friendly products. I've already got a few, and when I get settled, I'll be photographing and reporting on it. I'm thinking about a video blog, how would you like that?

In other news, there is a new article online about ozville! It's at two different sites, check them out:

Remembering Marieke & educating about epilepsy

Remembering Marieke: Actress Kendal Brenneman Welcomes You to Ozville to Educate about Epilepsy & Water Safety

I've also sold 9 epilepsy bracelets this month, yay! And this sunday will be the big give-out at Sharon's Ride.Run.Walk.

Stay green.

Green Chic

2008-04-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my notebook, where I've been keeping track of various websites and ideas, and realized how many of them came from this book I just finished. It's definitely a keeper, and I'm sure will be a very useful resource to me in the following months and years. I thought I'd just go ahead and recommend it, because it's a good book, and I'm being lazy today. :-D Honestly, I've just been focusing so much on preparing for my new place and how I'm going to 'green' it that I haven't had time to think of a good blog post! When some of my items arrive, and I see how fabulous they are, I'll be posting about them, of course. I'm actually considering doing some video blogs, but I'm not sure how I want to go about it. I'll keep pondering that. In the meantime, check out this book: Green Chic, Saving the Earth in Style, by Christie Matheson. Christie shares all sorts of easy things anyone can do to make their life more green, without sacrificing their sense of style. It's filled with some great ideas and even more great websites to help you find the perfect bedroom, kitchen or bath supplies. Plus tips on traveling, and food, and what materials you should avoid contact with. Let me know what you think!

Bayer

2008-03-09T03:11:00.001-07:00

Ohhhh this will make you mad. Bayer Gives Kids AIDS

CURE Epilepsy

2008-03-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

As you probably know, one of this site's main focuses is epilepsy awareness and safety. Today, while I was searching the net for some epilepsy-related news articles, I came across a website that I had somehow missed before. CureEpilepsy.org was started in 1998 by Susan Axelrod, whose daughter Lauren suffers from epilepsy. Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for epilepsy by raising funds for research and by increasing awareness of the prevalence and devastation of this disease. On their website they state that "Since 1998, the budget for epilepsy-related research has increased 25% at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)." Isn't that great?! They accept donations, which you can give by clicking HERE. I recommend watching a few of the videos they have on their video page. The 2006 video features Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. I have to say, I like the video I made better, but these are informative, and not terribly long (about 7 minutes each).

Just thought I'd put it out there. I'd like to do a fundraiser for them, but I have to come up with a brilliant idea first... suggestions?

Green Skin

2008-02-27T17:07:00.002-08:00

Girls, this one is for you.

Cosmetics.

Now, I must admit, I don’t own many natural cosmetics, mainly because of that darn price tag. But I’m easing my way into it, one piece at a time. But I’ve found a very useful website called cosmeticdatabase.org. You can type in the brand name of your cosmetic and see where their products rate on a hazard scale of 1 to 10. Genius! Make use of it! I was hoping they might have something like a ‘Top 10’ list, but I don’t see anything like that. But as long as you know what brand or product you are researching, you should find some answers. I’m seeing Estée Lauder and L’Oréal products with some pretty high hazard ratings here… Revlon, Avon, CoverGirl. Yeah, all the big ones are getting pretty red scores. What are some safer ones? Jane Iredale has low scores, as does Burt’s Bees. I’m not seeing many 0’s or 1’s in these scores though. A company called Miessence has scores all in the green! (Green good, yellow OK, red bad) as does Organic Essance, although these products seem to be mostly moisturizers and exfoliants. Avalon has good scores (green or yellow) on all but about 20 of their products (out of 388) and Jason cosmetics have decent ratings on all but a few products. I could be here all day. Go type in your make-up and see how you’re doing!

Plastic Bags and Poems

2008-02-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

Recently I told you something about a trash vortex (if you didn’t read it, I’ll repeat it for you). Which reminded me of another item found floating around in the sea. Plastic bags.

Every time I go shopping for groceries, I come home with several plastic bags. Some of them are even doubled up, and sometimes they have only two or three items in them. When I buy clothing or pet supplies, I get more bags. I shove them all into a little corner, for those random times I might need a plastic bag. There are way more there than I'll ever need. So sometimes I throw some away. I just trust that my trash is taken care of, and things that should get recycled, are recycled.

Recently, I was made aware of this thing called 'the trash vortex'. This really made me start rethinking the plastic bag collection, and just how many I accumulate and discard. According to Greenpeace:

The North Pacific sub-tropical gyre covers a large area of the Pacific in which the water circulates clockwise in a slow spiral. Winds are light. The currents tend to force any floating material into the low energy central area of the gyre. There are few islands on which the floating material can beach. So it stays there in the gyre, in astounding quantities estimated at six kilos of plastic for every kilo of naturally occurring plankton. The equivalent of an area the size of Texas swirling slowly around like a clock. This gyre has also been dubbed "the Asian Trash Trail" the "Trash Vortex" or the "Eastern Garbage Patch".

This perhaps wouldn't be too much of a problem if the plastic had no ill effects. The larger items, however, are consumed by seabirds and other animals which mistake them for prey. Many seabirds and their chicks have been found dead, their stomachs filled with medium sized plastic items such as bottle tops, lighters and balloons. A turtle found dead in Hawaii had over a thousand pieces of plastic in its stomach and intestines. It has been estimated that over a million sea-birds and one hundred thousand marine mammals and sea turtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement.

If you didn’t see this yesterday when you clicked on the link to Chris' work, check it out now. Every 5 seconds, 60,000 plastic bags are used in the US, and he’s illustrated it for us.

Americans throw away about 100 billion plastic bags each year, according to the Worldwatch Institute, and only 0.6 percent to 1 percent of them are ever recycled.

From www.sixwise.com, here are 6 reasons to give up plastic bags, if you're not already convinced.

1. They Use up Natural Resources: The most common plastic bags you see today are made from polyethylene. This material is made from crude oil and natural gas -- both non-renewable resources.

"Every time we use a new plastic bag they go and get more petroleum from the Middle East and bring it over in tankers," said Stephanie Barger, executive director of Earth Resource Foundation in Costa Mesa, California. "We are extracting and destroying the Earth to use a plastic bag for 10 minutes."

2. They Harm Wildlife and Marine Life: Plastic bags are now ubiquitous in our environment, and animals both on land and in water are being strangled, choked and killed by them. Plastic bags are now the fifth most common debris item found on beaches, according to the Ocean Conservancy, and international coastal cleanups have turned up more than 354,000 stray bags each year.

Meanwhile, Planet Ark, an international environmental group, estimates that, worldwide, 100,000 whales, seals, turtles and other marine animals are killed by plastic bags each year.

3. They Create Litter: Plastic bag use is now so prolific around the world that the bags have become a major source of litter. Aside from polluting beaches and waterways, plastic bags blowing around streets in China are so common they've earned the name "white pollution." And in South Africa, the bags littering the countryside are called "national flowers." In some African areas, people are even "harvesting" the plastic bags to make bags, hats and other crafts.

4. They Take a Long Time to Biodegrade: Most plastic bags used either end up as litter or in landfills (less than 1 percent are recycled). In a landfill, it's estimated that one plastic bag takes about 1,000 years to biodegrade. A plastic bag floating around as litter takes about 20 years.

5. They're Expensive: It isn't costly to produce plastic bags, per say, but the estimated costs to retailers who give away plastic bags for free amounts to about $4 billion a year.

6. They can be Hazardous to Humans: Plastic bags pose a suffocation hazard to people, particularly children, and pets. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) receives an average of 25 reports each year in which a child has suffocated from a plastic bag.

But don't just start using paper:

As it turns out, we're no better off (and may actually be worse off) using paper bags than plastic ones. Consider these facts from the EPA:

· Paper bags generate 70 percent more air pollution and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags.

· It takes 91 percent less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper.

· The trees from which paper bags are made are a renewable resource, whereas plastic bags are made from non-renewable resources.

· Paper bags take up more landfill space (2,000 plastic bags weight just 30 pounds, whereas 2,000 paper bags weight 280 pounds).

· Paper bags in landfills don't break down much faster than plastic bags (because they're not exposed to water, light, oxygen and other elements that they need to biodegrade).

· Paper bags are more likely to be recycled (about 20 percent of paper bags are recycled, compared to under 1 percent of plastic bags).

There are many places to buy reusable bags - in your grocery store, in craft stores, or online. There are also some very creative ways of using plastic bags to create more lasting totes, by crocheting or fusing bags together. Try keeping track of how many plastic bags you save, once you start using a tote bag! If you don’t have a tote, buy one from your local Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. Or, if you want to support Ozville, you can buy an Ozville tote! You can support other good causes, like TheHungerSite, by buying their totes, too. Tote bags also make good gifts – and wrapping. By putting presents (I know Christmas is over but there are birthdays!) inside a cute tote, you’ve just saved wrapping paper and plastic bags! Voila! You’re on your way to a greener planet.

And now for some poetry.

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
-Emily Dickinson

Always Coca-Cola

2008-01-28T18:49:00.001-08:00

Wow. OK, no product to push today, just an interesting article about everyone's favourite poison. Excerpt below, from

India Resource

Coca-Cola Crisis in India

Communities across India are under assault from Coca-Cola practices in the country. A pattern has emerged as a result of Coca-Cola's bottling operations in India.

Communities across India living around Coca-Cola's bottling plants are experiencing severe water shortages, directly as a result of Coca-Cola's massive extraction of water from the common groundwater resource. The wells have run dry and the hand water pumps do not work any more. Studies, including one by the Central Ground Water Board in India, have confirmed the significant depletion of the water table.
When the water is extracted from the common groundwater resource by digging deeper, the water smells and tastes strange. Coca-Cola has been indiscriminately discharging its waste water into the fields around its plant and sometimes into rivers, including the Ganges, in the area. The result has been that the groundwater has been polluted as well as the soil. Public health authorities have posted signs around wells and hand pumps advising the community that the water is unfit for human consumption.
In two communities, Plachimada and Mehdiganj, Coca-Cola was distributing its solid waste to farmers in the area as "fertilizer". Tests conducted by the BBC found cadmium and lead in the waste, effectively making the waste toxic waste. Coca-Cola stopped the practice of distributing its toxic waste only when ordered to do so by the state government.
Tests conducted by a variety of agencies, including the government of India, confirmed that Coca-Cola products contained high levels of pesticides, and as a result, the Parliament of India has banned the sale of Coca-Cola in its cafeteria. However, Coca-Cola not only continues to sell drinks laced with poisons in India (that could never be sold in the US and EU), it is also introducing new products in the Indian market. And as if selling drinks with DDT and other pesticides to Indians was not enough, one of Coca-Cola's latest bottling facilities to open in India, in Ballia, is located in an area with a severe contamination of arsenic in its groundwater.

Destiny Maker

2008-01-14T07:49:00.000-08:00

I received this in my email today, and just wanted to share it. A man by the name of Glen Fenster is raising awareness for epilepsy by biking across the US. I'd love to do something like that. Any suggestions for a skinny, unemployed girl? :-D

From Denver to Miami (The Long Way) - One Man’s 8100 Mile Bicycle Journey for Epilepsy

On April 28thth, 2008 Glenn Fenster will embark on a 8100 mile bicycle journey from Denver, Colorado to Miami, Florida (the Long Way).

Denver
Phoenix
LA
SF
Seattle
Vancouver
Toronto
NY
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Orlando
Miami

His inspiration and reason for this ambitious undertaking is his 14 year-old son, Nyle, who has suffered from acute epilepsy since he was just two years old. Glenn is riding to show his son that no matter what the disability, everyone has the capacity to reach for their dreams. He does not ride just for his son, but for other kids and adults living with epilepsy.

In 2006 Glenn biked 4036 miles from Seattle Washington to Miami Florida, to promote epilepsy awareness, with the support of the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida. Last year’s ride from Alaska added another 2500 miles to his journey, along with the challenges of the ‘northern climate’, which can be unpredictable and definitely much colder then what he experienced previously. According to Mr. Fenster, “This trip pales in comparison to the courage my son and others exhibit each day”.

www.destinymakerevents.com

Bottle or Tap?

2008-01-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

Today I will give you two reasons why you should give up drinking out of plastic water bottles. Yep, I'm going to jump right into this! Plastic bottles are a big problem, did you know that? Well, just read....

1. Bottled water is no better than tap water. In fact, it can be worse.

From Whole Life Times:

“There is no assurance that just because water comes out of a bottle it is any cleaner or safer than water from the tap,” concluded a study of 1,000 samples of 103 brands of bottled water, conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in 1999. Nearly one fourth of the brands tested by the NRDC were found to have contamination on some level.

And then there’s the question of water quality monitoring, far more rigorous and regular for municipal tap water supplies than for bottled. While tap water is regulated by the EPA, bottled water is mandated by the FDA. The EPA tests tap water more often and for more contaminants than the FDA does for bottled water, including tests for coliform bacteria, E. coli and pathogens such as cryptosporidium and giardia.

And get this:

At least a quarter of all bottled water is taken directly from municipal sources. That’s right: the source of at least 25 percent (and some believe up to 40 percent) of bottled water is not the fairytale mountain streams depicted on the bottle, but rather your own municipal tap.
Whole Life Times

I have to admit, I am absolutely guilty of doing the following – I thought I was doing a good thing by re-using plastic bottles. But it turns out… not so much.

From The Green Guide:
Water aside, the plastic used in both single-use and reusable bottles can pose more of a contamination threat than the water. A safe plastic if used only once, #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) is the most common resin used in disposable bottles. However, as #1 bottles are reused, which they commonly are, they can leach chemicals such as DEHA, a known carcinogen, and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), a potential hormone disrupter. According to the January 2006 Journal of Environmental Monitoring, some PET bottled-water containers were found to leach antimony, an elemental metal that is an eye, skin, and lung irritant at high doses. Also, because the plastic is porous you'll likely get a swill of harmful bacteria with each gulp if you reuse #1 plastic bottles.

OK, that’s all I’m going to say (or, share) about the water you’re drinking, but now on to #2

2. Plastic bottles create tons of waste (literally)

According to the report (by the California Department of Conservation), more than 1 billion water bottles are winding up in the trash in California each year. That translates into nearly 3 million empty water bottles going to the trash EVERY day and an estimated $26 million in unclaimed California Refund Value (CRV) deposits annually. If recycled, the raw materials from those bottles could be used to make 74 million square feet of carpet, 74 million extra large T-shirts or 16 million sweaters, among other things.

By the way, there’s an interesting exhibit by a guy named Chris Jordan which includes a large (60 X 120 feet) piece depicting 2 million water bottles. Why 2 million? That’s how many water bottles are used in the US every 5 minutes.

According to Greenpeace (and Wikipedia), there are several large trash vortexes floating around in the sea…. The North Pacific sub-tropical gyre covers a large area of the Pacific in which the water circulates clockwise in a slow spiral. Winds are light. The currents tend to force any floating material into the low energy central area of the gyre. There are few islands on which the floating material can beach. So it stays there in the gyre, in astounding quantities estimated at six kilos of plastic for every kilo of naturally occurring plankton. The equivalent of an area the size of Texas swirling slowly around like a clock. This gyre has also been dubbed "the Asian Trash Trail" the "Trash Vortex" or the "Eastern Garbage Patch".

Check this out: Gyre Animation

How many plastic bottles do you think there are there? Have I turned you off to plastic bottles yet? Good! So now what will you drink out of? Here’s the solution – get something like Sigg’s aluminum re-usable water bottle (there are several other brands out there, but this one is available at Whole Foods, and that’s where I go) and fill it up with tap water! Siggs uses a taste-inert, water-based epoxy lining which leaches no detectable quantities of BPA (while other unlined aluminum and polycarbonate bottles do). So good for the earth, good for you! And not that you have to, but I encourage you to sign the Take Back The Tap Pledge! I did. :-D