Healthy Diet, Healthy Environment

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The most environmentally friendly foods are often the healthiest ones for human consumption, and many foods that are damaging to our bodies are also damaging to the environment.


This should make tons of sense since our bodies have a strong likeness to the environment as we share the same organic compounds and chemical makeup. It is starting to become common knowledge that the livestock industry contributes most of the environmental pollution we see today. The livestock industry generates more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation! And you thought the car was the only enemy. Well, they have nothing on the meat you are probably chowing down on right now.


© Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition

The inverted environmental pyramid shows ecologically-damaging foods at the very top, such as meat and cheese. As you look down the pyramid, you’ll find fish, olive oil, other dairy products, and legumes. At the bottom are the least ecologically-damaging foods such as fruits and vegetables.

The food pyramid, which sits like a regular pyramid, features fruits and vegetables across the bottom, as the healthiest things for us to be eating, followed by grains, dairy, fish, eggs, and meat.

And before you argue that "meat is needed because it is the main source of protein", let me tell you that you are WRONG. More protein can be found in a piece of broccoli than you can ever find in a fork full of meat. You are only consuming the protein the animal ate. So don't be lazy, go straight to the source and eat your own vitamins!


If you have a minute and you just LOVE me, check out this video in its entirety and I will love you forever!

Before You Flush That Toilet ..

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"If its yellow, let it mellow. If its brown, flush it down."

Now of course don't do this if you are at a friends home or using a public restroom. But at home, why not? Personally, I do it in the comfort of my own home. Why? Water conservation. Brazil is experiencing their worst drought in 80 years while California is experiencing their worst drought in 1,200 years!

The toilet consumes the greatest amount of water (30%) of any device in the average home. The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this water.

And this is why we have amazing green companies such as Why Flush? With Why Flush, you save 1,200 gallons of clean water with every 16 oz bottle. If you just cannot stand the sight of urine in your toilet bowl, just spray a bottle of Why Flush into your toilet and it is supposed to "capture and neutralize the odor of urine, replacing it with a pleasant smell of citrus. Why Flush counteracts the staining chemicals in urine to help keep your toilet bowl clean. Finally, it leaves the water in the bowl an appealing blue-green color."

"If 1% (1M) of US Households used Why Flush, we so would save roughly 7.2 billion gallons of water annually."


I just purchased my first bottle and will be using it soon! Stand by for product review



While you are waiting, enjoy a few water facts ! :)

• Water covers 70.9% of the Earth’s surface.
• Only 3% of Earth’s water is fresh water. 97% of the water on Earth is salt water(undrinkable)!! So we only have a fraction to work with!!
• 1.7% of the world’s water is frozen and therefore unusable.
• 68.7% of the fresh water on Earth is trapped in glaciers.
• The water found at the Earth’s surface in lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and swamps makes up only 0.3% of the world’s fresh water
• 30% of fresh water is in the ground.

How to Cut Heat Costs this Winter!

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• TURN THE HEAT DOWN Turn your heat off or lower your thermostat while you're asleep, at work or just simply leaving the house for awhile. Wear extra warm pajamas and grab and extra blanket!


• LET THE SUN SHINE IN ! Open curtains on south-facing windows to let sunlight in during the day. Then close them at night to help retain heat.


• BODY HEAT Groups of people generate a significant amount of heat so, if you are having guests over, turn down your thermostat a notch or two. They wont even notice!


• CHANGE THOSE FILTERS Do not be lazy and ignore those "change filter" messages on your thermostat. Dirty filters make your heating inefficient which makes them work harder and uses more energy. Also, they can make you sick with allergens!


• RUN FANS IN REVERSE Did you know that by changing the direction of the fan to counterclockwise will push warm arm into circulation as opposed to cold air?


• TURN DOWN THE WATER HEATER You can lower energy costs 6 to 10 percent by lowering the temperature to 120 degrees, instead of the standard of 140 which is too high anyway.

Hope this helps!

Top Air Filter Plants

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According to this study by NASA, these air filtering plants remove 90% of formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene within 24 hours. Studies show that just one 6ft houseplant per 100 square feet of living area will be enough to filter out pollutants. The plants filter the air by breaking down indoor pollutants and absorbing the chemicals through their leaves. The bacteria in the roots of the plants help break down contaminants which are then turned into nutrients. Magic! See? Plants are our friends. See how much we need them to survive?

Check out an extended list of air filtering plants and what they filter out.

Be sure to bookmark this post for reference and take it to your local plant store to grab some seeds or a whole plant!


photo cred; www.goinghometoroost.com

Benefits of having plants in your home;

• Fight colds: indoor plants have been shown to reduce cold-related illnesses by more than 30% due to them increasing the humidity levels and decreasing dust. Eucalyptus (found in plants) can help clear phlegm and congestion from your system.
• Decreased blood pressure: people with plants in their homes have less stress, which directly contributes to a lower blood pressure. Studies have shown that patients who face a garden view in their hospital rooms often recover more quickly than those facing a wall.
• Healing properties: some indoor plants, like aloe, can be applied to skin and offer pain relief.
• Allergy prevention: exposing children to plants early in life can help them build a tolerance and immunity to that allergen.

What's In Your Seafood?

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photo credit: scienceblogs.com


While on my journey to becoming a complete vegetarian, I am sort of wading at pescetarian (seafood only diet when it comes to eating meat). I have no problems with that due to the fact that I absolutely love seafood. However, I did become aware of the unfortunate mercury levels in the sea animals due to pollution of in the oceans. Therefore, I took to NRDC to help figure out which animals have the most mercury and which I should probably stay away from. Also, I was also concerned about the endangered species in the ocean from overfishing. Luckily, this list indicates which spieces are endangered as well which is good to know as well. I was completely heartbroken to find that my treasured salmon is endangered!


Seafood Mercury Levels
* Fish in Trouble! These fish are perilously low in numbers or are caught using environmentally destructive methods.
** Farmed Salmon may contain PCB's, chemicals with serious long-term health effects.

LEAST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish:
• Anchovies
• Butterfish
• Catfish
• Clam
• Crab (Domestic)
• Crawfish/Crayfish
• Croaker (Atlantic)
• Flounder*
• Haddock (Atlantic)*
• Hake
• Herring
• Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
• Mullet
• Oyster
• Perch (Ocean)
• Plaice
• Pollock
• Salmon (Canned)**
• Salmon (Fresh)**
• Sardine
• Scallop*
• Shad (American)
• Shrimp*
• Sole (Pacific)
• Squid (Calamari)
• Tilapia
• Trout (Freshwater)
• Whitefish
• Whiting

MODERATE MERCURY
Eat six servings or less per month:
• Bass (Striped, Black)
• Carp
• Cod (Alaskan)*
• Croaker (White Pacific)
• Halibut (Atlantic)*
• Halibut (Pacific)
• Jacksmelt
• (Silverside)
• Lobster
• Mahi Mahi
• Monkfish*
• Perch (Freshwater)
• Sablefish
• Skate*
• Snapper*
• Tuna (Canned
• chunk light)
• Tuna (Skipjack)*
• Weakfish (Sea Trout)

HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
• Bluefish
• Grouper*
• Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)
• Sea Bass (Chilean)*
• Tuna (Canned Albacore)
• Tuna (Yellowfin)*

HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
• Mackerel (King)
• Marlin*
• Orange Roughy*
• Shark*
• Swordfish*
• Tilefish*
• Tuna (Bigeye, Ahi)*

I hope this helps! Please be conscious of what you're ingesting. When in doubt, you could always bookmark this page and use it as a reference when food shopping or when you are out to eat at your favorite restaurant!



photo credit: www.ariaprene.com

Say No to Plastics

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Plastic seems to consume our lives. Especially in the kitchen from storage to dishes to containers. However, plastics are not only bad for the environment but also bad for us. The toxins inside of plastic materials can seep into our food and liquids when heat is applied. Some toxins are even cancer causing agents such as BPA. Plastic waste account for a considerable number of pollution in our environment and are also the culprits in the Dead Zones in our oceans. It is time to phase out plastics once and for all.

Glass can be recycled into more glass and never use its value meaning, glass can be recycled into more glass forever and ever until the end of time. However, plastic containers cannot be recycled into more plastic bottles/containers. The plastic can only be downcycled into something different such as plastic lumber or carpet padding. Every time plastic is recycled, it loses its value. So, whenever you see plastic bottles, jars, or other containers, it’s new plastic. All new resources went into making it.


Here's the Facts

• One million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed annually from plastic in our oceans.
• Marine Life is consuming small pieces of plastic and all the toxics on it, which then is consumed by us.
• Two patches of plastic are being accumulated year after year in the ocean. They’re not going anywhere, at least in the next 1,000 years.
• Over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century.
• 50 percent of the plastic we use, we use just once and throw away.
• Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times.
• We currently recycle only five percent of the plastics we produce.
• The average American throws away approximately 185 pounds of plastic per year.
• Americans throw away 35 billion plastic water bottles every year (source: Brita)
• Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.
• It takes 500-1,000 years for plastic to degrade.
• Some of these compounds found in plastic have been found to alter hormones or have other potential human health effects.
• Plastic chemicals can be absorbed by the body—93 percent of Americans age six or older test positive for BPA (a plastic chemical).
• Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated).
• 44 percent of all seabird species, 22 percent of cetaceans, all sea turtle species and a growing list of fish species have been documented with plastic in or around their bodies.

Here's how to help;

1. First and foremost, NO MORE PLASTICWATER BOTTLES!! Not only are they extremely wasteful AND expensive AND contribute to the privatization of water AND are mostly tap water anyway, they are one of the main culprits of litter pollution. Chemicals from the water bottle seep into your water and into your system. Just grab a water filter and a portable water bottle.
   
   
2. Replace plastics with glass or metal; Instead of using your everyday plastic tupperware, opt for the glass tupperware and/or mason jars. Glass is better than plastic because;
   
   • BPA is not present in glass.
   • There is a better taste in glass bottles opposed to plastic.
   • Glass is completely reusable therefore there is less waste.
   • Glass does not leak any chemicals into our food/liquids.
   
   
   
3. Paper or plastic? NEITHER. Opt for the reusable grocery bags. They don't even have to be the store bought reusable bags. Any cloth bagging will work. Some states are even charging 10 cents per bag while others are banning plastic bags in grocery stores completely. So save money AND the environment. Also, the cloth bags hold more food and you don't have to worry about the bag bursting open.
   
   
4. NEVER EVER EVER BUY NON REUSABLE DISHES. And I mean EVER. Not even for a pic-nic or your house parties. Not those red plastic cups people love so much and especially not those Styrofoam cups that do not biodegrade at all! Meaning, they will be present in the earth for hundred of years! The thing is, they are a waste of money and a waste of waste. They all end up in the trash within one use which ends up in our ever expanding landfill. Instead, opt for reusable dishes. Chances are, if you needed them once, you'll probably need them again. Grab the cheap dishes for pic-nics and parties if you're afraid of getting them messed up.
   
   
5. Opt for the glass packaging. Glass packaging yields a better taste for food, is not only recyclable but also reusable. I always reuse my food packages for food storage like left overs. I love the glass mason jars :) Glass packaging for organic foods got high marks for: maintaining true flavor/taste, purity, healthiest, maintaining quality, preserving shelf life.
   
   

photo credits; www.doitwiser.com , http://plastic-pollution.org

No Shave November

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Listen up fellas.. this one's for you


Its about that time! Summer is just about over. So, what are you going to do to keep that beautiful face warm? A scarf? Maybe. Turtle neck? Eh! Well, if you are a man, you know, a REAL man, the obvious choice is for you to BEARD UP!

Not only will women find you extremely attractive and besides the fact that beards are totally "in" right now, but you will also be doing your part in preserving the environment! That's right! Who would have thought?!

The average home uses nearly 11 gallons of water a day from running faucets alone and the average shave can use more than 3 gallons of water. Cutting out a morning shave significantly reduces this amount. By choosing to ditch the razor, you are of course saving water. Every little bit counts. And with the water crisis going on, we could sure use it.


Even Budweiser asked men to help save one million gallons of water by not shaving with their Grow One, Save a Million campaign. That was actually about 3 years ago but none the less, I respect the effort to bring about awareness to preserving water.

Each shave saves about 5 gallons of water, according to the beer company.

If beards really aren't your thing and you MUST shave, fill the sink instead of letting the water run, guys!

BEARD UP

WORLD FEST 2013

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Flashback Friday!
(For those of us who missed "Throwback Thursday") But flash back to WORLD FEST, "LA's Largest Earth Day Festival!". I had such an amazing time learning more about environmental preservation, veganism, animal protection and more. I will for sure be at the next one!

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLING - The How To and How NOT To

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I have received a lot of questions about what can and cannot be recycled. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 80 percent of what Americans throw away is recyclable. Recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators thus providing us more land. Also, landfills are disgusting places that are horrible on the environment being that toxic waste from the landfills seep into the land and water supply poisoning our food and drinking water. It happens everyday. Recycling limits the amount of trash being sent to the landfill. •Prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials; •Saves energy; •Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change; •Helps sustain the environment for future generations; •Helps create new well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States. Listed below is a general list of recyclables. Check with your local recycling company to see what they do and do not accept. Every city/state is different in what they are willing to take in for recycling.

PAPER
Here is the good news; paper accounts for more than a half of all recyclables collected in the US. Bad news is paper and paperboard products represent the largest portion of our municipal solid waste stream
• Shredded paper(place shredded paper ONLY in bag before putting in cart)
• White and Colored Writing Paper, Computer Paper, Magazines, Newspapers with Inserts
• Junk Mail
• Corrugated Cardboard
• Cereal / Cracker Boxes
• Phone Books
• Books (Hard / Soft Covers)
• Paper Egg Cartons
• Soda Boxes
• Milk Cartons / Juice Boxes
• Brown Paper Bags

Tin or Aluminum Cans (lightly rinsed)
• Food / Pet Food Cans
• Soda / Beer Cans
• Pots and Pans
• Small Metal Appliances

Plastic (lightly rinsed)
• Plastic Bottles
• Two Liter Bottles
• Milk Jugs
• Bleach Bottles
• Rigid Plastics (Crates, Hampers, Toys, Furniture)

Small Electronic Waste
• Cell Phones
• Cameras
• Peripherals
• Rechargeable batteries

Do NOT put the following items in your blue cart

• Hazardous Waste
• Medical Waste/Needles
• Light Bulbs
• Batteries
• Garbage
• Food
• Pizza Boxes
• Snack Food Bags (Chips / Popcorn Bags)
• Fast Food Containers, Cups, Wrappers
• Scrap Metal (Metal Pipe / Hangers / Wires / Auto Parts)
• Motor Oil Bottles
• Concrete / Rocks / Gravel / Wood
• Yard Waste (Grass / Leaves / Plant Trimmings / Tree Branches / Prunings)
• Styrofoam / Styrofoam Peanuts
• Plastic Film
• Plastic Wrap / Dry Cleaning Bags
• Computer Monitors
• TVs

Recycling 1 aluminum can = 3 hrs of energy to power a TV. -Can Manufacturers Institute
On average, recycling creates five times as many jobs as sending trash to the landfill. -EPA
For every 3' high stack of newspapers recycled, 1 tree is saved. -American Forestry & Paper Products


If you are not sure about what your city/state accepts as recycling or where to take your recyclables if your home does not have curbside pick up, check out these following sites for assistance; Earth911 1-800-RECYCLING.com

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"I'm gonna pop some tags!! "

"Thrift Shop" is not just a popular song topping the charts but also a really sustainable practice as well. By shopping at thrift stores, you are lessening your carbon footprint by choosing to reuse gently worn clothing/shoes, read gently used books etc. This helps to keep "supply and demand down". Buying used items lessens the impact of the demands for new products. And no worries. There are name brand clothing in the thrift store but for DIRT CHEAP! Basically, not only are you saving the environment but also saving money! Free two birds with one key.

Check out the finds I came across at my local thrift store. I grabbed clothes, books and that painting behind me. This thrift store I stumbled upon specifically gives its profits to animals in need.

DOUBLE WHAMMY!

BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Back to M.A.C.

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To all my fellow lipstick lovers and make-up addicts alike, this may not come of news to you. However, for those of you are are unaware, our favorite cosmetic brand recycles! M.A.C cosmetics has a recycling program that keeps me coming back for more .. litterally.

By returning six [6] M·A·C primary packaging containers to a M·A·C counter or M·A·C Cosmetics online, you’ll receive a free M·A·C lipstick of your choice as our thanks to you.
How awesome is that? So if you didn't have a reason to recycle before, now you do!

My trip to San Francisco

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I absolutely LOVE how eco-friendly San Francisco's airport is. They even have a station for you to refill your water bottles! Also, waste stations where you not only separate your recyclables from trash but composting too. How amazing is that? I love you San Fran :)

Food Forests

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Seattle is planning to plant the worlds first "food forest". How amazing would that be? Not only would the earth benefit from the abundance of new trees, but civilization too. Think of all the homeless who will benefit from free food. Healthy organic food! This should be done everywhere on earth. I am thinking a whole global initiative.

Meet the blogger!

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Hello there! 

I recently took a trip to San Francisco which was amazing to say the least! I stopped over in Berkely where I found these babies. I had to go say hello to my friends..

:)

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While out in Downtown LA, I stop into a MAC store on Spring and 5th. I came across these lovely babies called PRiNK. Basically, they are iPhone cases made out of wood. The message they have behind the company is completely commendable! Proceeds go to environmental organizations and they also plant trees in efforts to sustain the environment. However, it wasn't clear whether the material used for the cases come from recycled or scrap wood. The intention is good though.

Peace & love,

Nés