Pledge Not to Pledge

Americans have used Pledge® for over 50 years. A product that we have deeply trusted but a cleaning product, like all others, that isn't required by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to list its ingredients on the product label.

But, manufacturer's are required to disclose their ingredients on a document issued to the government called a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS); the main ingredients listed in Pledge® are:

• Propane: causes depression; long-term intermittent exposure can cause nose bleeds, rhinitis, oral and nasal ulcerations, conjunctivitis, fatigue and damage to the Central Nervous System
• Butane: vapors cause drowsiness, narcosis, asphyxia, cardiac arrhythmia and temporary memory loss.
• Silicones

Really?! Gases and synthetic compounds to clean, dust and shine wood?If you pledge not to use Pledge®, I will pledge to clean, dust and shine wood with a cotton cloth and a just few drops of olive oil. Actually, I already have, and it works just fine.

Save Money, Save our Trees: Take the Paper Towel Challenge

50,000+ trees PER DAY are needed to supply us with paper towels so that we can wipe up messes!

Don't you think this statistic is heartbreaking, crazy and unnecessary?

Click HERE to learn more about the impact of buying paper towels.

Join me in the Paper Towel Challenge: simply purchase a supply of bar / kitchen towels to wipe up messes from now on.

photo source: flickr.com

38 Ways to Help Our Earth & Our Health

1. Plant a tree
2. Recycle glass
3. Recycle plastic
4. Bring your own coffee cup
5. Avoid Plastic
6. Reduce consumption of meat
7. Bring your own bag
8. Start an herb harden
9. avoid Styrofoam
10. Boycott Bleach
11. Start a compost
12. Request to STOP junk mail
13. Grow some vegetables
14. Wash clothes in cold water
15. Don’t shower every day
16. Shop local farmers markets
17. Recycle aluminum cans
18. Shop local farm stands
19. Use water filters instead of buying plastic, bottled water
20. Use glass whenever possible
21. Support local bar soap makers
22. Buy food that grows in your state from your state
23. Switch off lights when leaving a room
24. Turn off the faucet when brushing teeth
25. Recycle corrugated box
26. Shop for clothes at local consignment shops
27. Limit your time in the shower; set a timer
28. Burn beeswax candles to clean air
29. Buy in Bulk (grains, beans, nuts, dried fruits)
30. Give gifts that go away, e.g., local honey, maple syrup, etc.
31. Say “No Thank You” to the lawn-spraying companies
32. Use bar towels instead of paper towels
33. Unplug appliances and electronics when not in use
34. Make natural household cleaners using white distilled vinegar and H20
35. Lower the thermostat and wear wool and socks to bed
36. If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down
37. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
38. Borrow books, music and movies from your local library

Go Local: Join a CSA Today!

WHAT IS A CSA?
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. CSA is where families and individuals purchase seasonal membership shares (or half shares) for one flat price and in return receive un-sprayed, organic or certified organic fruits and vegetables from local farms and gardens.

Some memberships even include real milk and butter, eggs, local honey and fresh-cut flowers - how cool is that?!

HOW IS THE FOOD DELIVERED? Goods are typically distributed from one location whether it's from the farm, a local church or health food store.

AM I REQUIRED TO WORK?
Some CSA's require members to contribute a few hours per month to help with composting, planting, weeding, harvesting and distribution.

THE BENEFITS OF JOINING A CSA:

• Reduce the number of miles that food travels to your kitchen table
• Save $$$
• Learn what it takes to make things grow
• Make new friends
• Be out in nature, touching dirt
• Taste new things
• Meet people who think the same way you do about food, nutrition, health and gardening
• Improve your health
• Cook more meals at home with fresh ingredients
• Reduce your exposure to toxic pesticides and herbicides
• Be inspired to grow your own food at home
• Children discover that cherry tomatoes are as sweet as pop tarts and carrots really come from the ground!

Here are some of the CSA's in my area.

Mud Creek Farm in Victor, NY
Peacework Farm, Genesee Valley Organic CSA in Newark, NY
Fellenz Family Farm in Phelps, NY

Sign up today!

Click HERE to find a CSA near you

Click HERE to find a Farmers Market near you

Every Day is Earth Day

The National Calendar says it’s Earth Day. Considering the current condition of our planet, the health of Americans, the quality of our indoor and outdoor air, shouldn't every day should be lived as Earth Day?


Here are some tips I like to consider every day...

• Buy in bulk, using glass ball jars or containers
• Limit your time in the shower, set a timer
• Wash clothes in cold water
• Bring bags when you do your grocery shopping
• Eat more vegetables than meat
• Reduce your consumption of meat; support local sources for meat rather than factory-farmed meat.
• Unplug counter top appliances and electronics when you’re not using them
• Buy as much of our produce from a farm stand or farmers market
• Borrow books, music and movies from the library. Imagine the energy and packaging behind home-delivery services and amazon.
• Limit your time in the shower or don't shower every day
• Wash hair every other day or once a week
• Recycle.  Recycle plastic bags rather than placing them in the landfill
• Switch off lights when you’re not using them
• Replace commercial household cleaners that are contaminating the in our homes and air, bodies and waterways with White Vinegar, Borax, Baking Soda, Seventh Generation, Thieves Household Cleaner
• Avoid popular air freshening sprays. Yikes, especially you restaurant owners - when someone poops, the chemicals you have pumping through the bathroom don’t clear the air, they just blend with the poop. ugh.
• Grow your own produce, herbs, fruits
• Start a compost, refrain from placing food scraps in landfills
• Shop for clothes at Vintage and Consignment stores, Salvation Army and Volunteers of America
• Bring back the dandelion. Make it cool to have yellow dandelions in your lawn rather than yellow pesticide flags.
• Choose glass whenever possible, plastic is evil
• Say "No, Thank You" to styrofoam; it takes about a million years for it to break down
• Turn off or donate your TV
• Lower the thermostat and wear wool and socks to bed
• Wash linens and cashmere in cold water gentle machine cycle rather than synthetic chemical dry cleaners
• Contact companies who send you junk mail and ask them to remove you from their lists
• Give gifts that go away, rather than buying stuff for birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
• Plant a tree

photo source: Per Ola Wiberg ~ Powi at flickr

What Goes Around Comes Back Around

Facts

• Water treatment plants are not designed to remove every chemical that we pour down the drain or flush down the toilet

• High Miscarriage rates are reported in women who drink tap water with elevated levels of chlorine
• Studies reveal Lower Sperm Counts in rural areas where exposure to farming chemicals through tap water is more likely

Most tap water is contaminated with Sodium Fluoride, Chlorine, a variety of pharmaceuticals, i.e., antidepressants, antibiotics; invest in a pitcher, faucet or water home filtration system to improve the quality of drinking water.

Water Filters recommended by EWG:  http://www.ewg.org/report/ewgs-water-filter-buying-guide

photo source: flickr.com

Happy Flip Flop Feet!

If you were lucky enough to venture to warmer climates for the Easter break, I bet you're having trouble tucking your flip flops away and returning to regular shoes.

To keep up all the good that the sun, sand and salt water did for your feet while you were on vacation, here's an amazing, easy treatment to keep your feet happy, especially for the official, upcoming flip flop season: summer.
HOW TO:
In a glass bowl or jar, blend 1 cup of any of the salts or sugars (see below) with 1/2 cup of a carrier oil of your choice.

Add 5 drops of essential oil and mix well.

Massage well on bottoms of feet, ankles and toes (avoid direct eye contact).

Rinse feet well with warm water and dry.
SALTS & SUGARS

• Sea Salts
• Mineral Salts
• Epsom Salts
• Raw Sugar (fair trade preferred)
• White Sugar (I hope you're slowly phasing this out of your pantry :)

CARRIER OILS

• Grapeseed oil
• Jojoba
• Olive oil
• Sweet Almond oil

ESSENTIAL OILS

• Balsam Fir
• Cypress
• Frankincense
• Ginger
• Lavender
• Marjoram
• Lemongrass
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Spearmint
• Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

Essential oils can be ordered through my website at www.youngliving.org/amy.

This could be a great year-end gift for your child's favorite teacher! Also, what a great treat this would be for a friend or family member whose feet have been neglected.

Enjoy!

Kick the Comet

The ingredients in popular scouring agents are known to cause:

• Cancer
• Allergies
• Lymphoma
• Lung tumors
• Skin irritations
• Lung carcinoma
• Malignant tumors
• Respiratory Distress
• Perforation of the nasal septum

Scouring sinks, tubs and showers doesn't have to be a health hazard.  Kick the Comet - create your own all-natural scouring agent.

What You'll Need

• 1, 12-oz glass mason or ball jar
• baking soda (alum-free preferred)
• Essential Oils.  I personally like to use Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Tangerine, Spearmint, Peppermint or Pine.

Fill the glass jar with baking soda, then add 20 Total drops of your favorite essential oil.  

Make an extra one for a friend.

Shake well before using.  Label the glass jar.  Safe for use to clean sinks, countertops, showers, tubs, toilets.

Click HERE to see how Comet rates with the Environmental Working Group.

Click HERE to see how AJAX rates with the Environmental Working Group.

Click HERE to learn more about Ajax.

All My Bags are Packed...

Packing bags for a trip is stressful enough and then to decide what you can put in that tiny ziploc baggie is another trick. With each trip I take, I do get smarter about how much I pack, and what I bring on board with me.

Here are some things that I really appreciate when I'm away from home so I always make sure they're always in that ziploc baggie or carry-on when I travel.

A few bags of herbal tea: simply ask the flight attendant for a cup of hot water.
Thieves Hard Lozenges: these are really amazing at relieving a sore throat and calming a cough. They also offer natural protection from airport cooties and help reduce sinus congestion.

Thieves Spray: This is such a convenient travel necessity - just spritz on hands or in the air to help kill virus. Because it contains Lemon essential oil, it boosts the immune system, too!

Peppermint essential oil: inhale Peppermint and experience relief from sinus pressure and head congestion. It also helps to calm upset belly or nausea associated with travel.
Lavender essential oil: as a nervous system sedative, it is great at calming, facilitating sleep and relaxing muscles. Massage 1 drop on the back of the neck and inhale a few times before settling in.
Healthy Travel Snacks (all preferably Organic)

• Almonds
• Apple
• Banana
• Cashews
• Celery or carrots
• Dark chocolate covered almonds or ginger
• Figs
• Walnuts
• Whole grain bread or crackers with hummus or Almond Butter

I also pack an eye mask (this does wonders for tuning things out and getting some true sleep), a fleece blanket, which can be used as a pillow and relaxing music (Deva Premal, David Darling, Enya, Riley Lee).

I would love to hear what essential oils and healthy snacks you pack when you travel. Email me at organicaj@yahoo.com

Click HERE if you would like to order any of the products mentioned above.

Goodbye Glade, Febreze and Yankee

If you're ready to say good-bye to synthetic, unhealthy air fresheners, plug ins, reed diffusers, candles and hello to all-natural deodorizers that work, here's one simple way with pure, plant extracts, i.e., Essential Oils.

How to create an Essential Oil Room Spray
In a 1-ounce glass spray bottle, fill with water, leaving a bit of room at the top for Essential Oils.

For every one ounce of water, add 5 total drops of your favorite Essential Oil. Some of my favorite Essential Oils for natural room sprays are:

• Christmas Spirit (essential oil blend from Young Living)
• Believe (essential oil blend from Young Living)
• Lemon and Peppermint (blended together)

What are yours?
Blending Guidelines
2 ounces of water: add 10 Total drops of Essential Oils
3 ounces of water: add 15 Total drops of Essential Oils
4 ounces of water: add 20 Total drops of Essential Oils
Did You Know
When using truly pure Essential Oils in your room sprays, not only are you clearing odors naturally but improving air quality, inhibiting pathogens and boosting mood!
Fun
Add a label, giving your Essential Oil Room Spray a name and add a pretty ribbon!
Safety & Storage
Before using these natural room sprays, be sure to shake well, avoiding direct eye contact. Keep out of reach of children and pets and store in cool, dark place.

Resources

• Essential Oils are available at: https://www.youngliving.org/amy

• Glass Spray bottles are available at: http://www.sks-bottle.com/GlassBottles/GlassBottles1.html