Category Archives: Health

Silent People, Silent Spring

By Beatrice DeCleyre , Published: 01/13/12

Photo taken in Papua New Guinea by eGuideTravel via flickr

Americans are learning that their rights are deeply connected to the Rights of Nature. For quite a while, we had the luxury (stupidity) of trashing foreign lands for profit and our own energy needs. But now that we are increasing domestic extraction of resources – right from under our own feet – we are witnessing firsthand the consequences of our addiction to fossil fuels. We do not like what we see or smell or taste or drink.

Also posted in Climate, Community, Conservation, Ecology, Energy, Nature, Politics, Social Justice | Tagged corporate greed, ExxonMobil, fossil fuels, fracking, free trade, natural gas, social justice | 0

30 Days of Kombucha: Nature’s Femented Elixir

By Tuesday Phillips , Published: 01/02/12

Kombucha Kamp is leading a 30 Day Challenge, challenging people far-and-wide to ditch their soda and opt for the ‘booch instead. Now, I haven’t been a soda drinker in ages and have never really been the type to make New Year’s resolutions – especially ones I knew I would never stick to. But the growing popularity of that symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, known as kombucha, and the mystery surrounding its health benefits has intrigued me over the years. That, and I happen to be one of those peculiar people who love the sour vinegary-taste. So I figured, what do I have to lose – other than the possibility of achieving greater health!

Also posted in DIY, Featurettes, Food, Lifestyle, Wellness | Tagged 30 Day Kombucha Challenge, DIY Kombucha, kombucha, Kombucha Kamp, kombucha' health benefits, SCOBY | 6

Big Coal Shaping Public School Education–Really!

By Joe Mohr , Published: 12/22/11

This cartoon was inspired by the Washington Post article, “Energy industry shapes lessons in public schools“

Big Coal may be molding our youth with pro-coal propaganda, but worry not, Big Coal also offers a “green” video to teachers called “The Greening of Planet Earth,” which says that “our world is deficient in carbon dioxide, and a doubling of atmospheric CO2 is very beneficial.”

Also posted in Climate, Conservation, Energy, Green Cartoons | Tagged big coal, coal, corporate influence, education, Holidays, Mean Joe Green | 0

Controversial Bill Reveals Attack on EPA

By Beatrice DeCleyre , Published: 12/12/11

Photo by Zieak via flickr

A battle is raging on Capitol Hill over a bill that – among other things – would extend payroll tax cuts to 160 million American workers and extend unemployment benefits. Met with Republican opposition, provisions were added to the bill, supposedly intended to inspire compromise between parties. In reality, these new provisions effectively hold our economy and environment hostage for the sake of industry.

Also posted in Climate, Community, Conservation, Energy, Politics | Tagged big coal, dirty coal, EPA, JP Morgan Chase, Keystone XL pipeline, XL Pipeline | 0

Healthy Delectables’ Tamar Kagan Dishes on Sustainable Eating

By Nicole Schlosser , Published: 10/28/11

Tamar Kagan, a lifelong vegetarian, proponent of natural foods, founder and owner of baked goods and healthy diet coaching business Healthy Delectables, teaches her clients to prepare quick, easy, nutritious meals and offers tips to the public with videos on her blog, Tamar’s Healthy Delectables. Kagan will appear on the Good Food stage at the Los Angeles Green Festival on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 11:00 a.m. She will demonstrate how to make nut milk, raw oatmeal, and a healthy egg dish. We sat down with Kagan and got her thoughts on eating sustainably, inspiration to eat healthily and her budding entertainment career.

Also posted in Community, Food, Lifestyle | Tagged green eating, Tamar Kagan, Tamar's Healthy Delectables, vegan, vegetarian cooking, vegetarianism | 0

Interview with Non-GMO Pioneer, Jeffrey Smith

By Tuesday Phillips , Published: 10/26/11

This Saturday and Sunday the Green Festival is coming to Los Angeles for the first time ever. As the largest sustainability event in the world, there will be no shortage of informative booths, how-to-workshops, cutting-edge film screenings, green shopping opportunities, and exciting speakers. Speakers in the past have included major change makers in the eco-world and this event will be no different, with guests such as Amy Goodman from Democracy Now!, John Perkins (author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman), Mark Hertsgaard (author of Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth), and a full lineup of other inspirational speakers making an appearance.

Also posted in Community, Culture, Ecology, Food, Lifestyle, Politics, Science, Social Justice | Tagged GMOs, Green Festival, Institute for Responsible Technology, Jeffrey Smith, Los Angeles Green Festival, Non GMO Shopping Guide, Non-GMO Revolution, Seeds of Deception | 0

An Eco-Franken Creation: The Toothbrush-Razor

By Jo Corrall , Published: 10/25/11

Photo by Jo Corrall

I often worry that I’m forcing our new “lighter carbon footprint” lifestyle upon my boyfriend, W. But then every now and then he’ll do or say something that makes me think “no, we are on the same page.” He’s trying to persuade his boss to buy a tap water filter instead of buying big bottles of water all the time, he’s making us an upcycled bookcase from an old crate (albeit at my nagging insistence) and he recently made this, a toothbrush-razor.

Also posted in Conservation, Lifestyle | Tagged eco-craft, eco-creation, green crafting, toothbrush-razor | 0

The Wooden Toothbrush: How My Teeth Became Eco-Friendly

By Jo Corrall , Published: 10/06/11

A while ago I discovered just how difficult toothbrushes are to get rid of. The plastic is too mixed and varied for them to be recycled easily and most have some sort of rubber molded into them — plus, the germ factor made it all an unpleasant process. With recycling out the question, the internet only offered up a few solutions. A popular one being: make them into bracelets. Which, although a lovely upcycling idea, isn’t really a solution. A lot of people use them for cleaning small, hard to reach areas, but this can only require so many brushes and with a recommended replacement time of every 3 months you’re likely to have piles of old toothbrushes and very clean taps. Some people use them as planters and some toothbrushes have changeable heads, reducing the amount of plastic being chucked out every 3 months.