Thinking green in Syracuse, New York.

Since we were in the area, Dreg & I skipped off with the kids to the Carousel Center which is a very big GREEN mall that yes, actually does have a full size carousel inside for you to ride. With all the comforts of commercialism abound, this shopping center has stepped up to be a leader in eco-friendly ways. They are 100% powered by green energy. It’s almost like responsible shopping… except you’re still probably buying lots of stuff you don’t really need.c

How fun for us to see green slogans posted everywhere along with recycling bins, no smoking signs, lots of green foliage and windows to utilize natural light. The green mall even rewards treehuggers with special parking spaces for energy efficient cars.

Anyone up for a Rated “G” movie? Kudos to Destiny USA for their green work in Syracuse!

Popularity: 23% [?]

Hello Friend!

Summer fun is officially happening for us. I’m happy to report that I’ve done a great job with my Mama duty of keeping our little family sunburn free. There’s way more fun things for you to do than sliming on the Aloe Vera such as, nailing yourself an awesome prize pack as the Top Commentator at the All Natural Me Blog.

Amazing how I worked that in!

Sam continues to take no prisoners as she land herself a second winning for June’s Top Commentator on the All Natural Me Blog.

I’m off to ship out her prize pack with fabulous goodies like:

* An Earthy All Natural Me Tee Shirt
* A Handmade Business Card Holder from allnaturalme.etsy.com
* Support Braclet from CD Recycling Center.org “Every Disc Counts”
* “Soul Stream” Music for Healing Meditations by Joy Katzen-Guthrie

And of course some Free Karma Kards, Info cards from Environmental Working Group & other All Natural Me Lit to share with her circle of friends. Enjoy!

10 Natural Remedies to Soothe a Sunburn

Sunburns can happen even if you *try* to follow all the rules:

Minimizing your sun exposure between the times of 10am and 3pm;
Applying sunscreen of 15 SPF or higher (and reapplying); and
Wearing protective clothing and sunglasses.

Perhaps you missed a spot with the sunscreen or just forgot all the rules for the afternoon and now YOUR SKIN IS ON FIRE!!

Try these soothing remedies:

1. To help cool down your skin; try using a compress saturated with cold water or soak in a cool bath.

2. Add a cup of white vinegar to your cool bath.

3. Take a baking soda bath.
Then air dry so the baking soda can dry on your skin.

4. Apply fresh Aloe Vera. Break open a leaf and squeeze the gel out or slice open and rub on skin. Be sure to remove any sharp edges.

5. Make a paste with corn starch and water and apply to sunburn.

6. Apply veggie slices. Raw cucumber or potato will bring relief.

7. Cover your sunburn with plain yogurt. Then take a cool shower.

8. Boil lettuce leaves in water. Strain, then let the liquid cool several hours in the refrigerator. Dip cotton balls into the liquid and gently press or stroke onto irritated skin.

9. Supplement with Vitamins C, E and Selenium.

10. Drink water and lots of it!

Have fun in the sun but remember skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers. (So protect yourself!) The damage starts young as most people experience 80% of their lifetime sun exposure by the age of 18!

A Note on Vitamin D

Is sunlight good for us? Yes, it helps us create Vitamin D!

How? Expose your hands, face & arms to direct sunlight for
10-20 minutes, 3 times a week.

Why do we need vitamin D?

* Essential for bone health
* May prevent & inhibit the growth of cancer cells
* Prevents osteoporosis & bone fractures
* Prevents tuberculosis
* Aids in autoimmune disorders (like Rheumatoid arthritis)
* Prevents central nervous system lesions (in Multiple Sclerosis)
* Helps heal psoriasis
* Enhances immune cell function
* Prevents seasonal depression

What foods contain Vitamin D?
Animal products: cod liver oil, cold water fatty fish, fortified milk & fortified soy milk, butter, egg yolks and lard. (yuck!)

Want to know more about safe sunscreens?

Find out which ones actually provide protection at cosmeticdatabase.com

Popularity: 42% [?]

Glass, stainless steel, aluminum, plastic… There are lots of containers to drink it out of, but what kind of water are you drinking? This is more like a survey, but it you want to have a strong opinion as to what’s right and wrong, feel free. The crew at Tappening.com certainly does. They feel you are better off drinking straight from the tap as opposed to purchasing bottled water.

Personally, my checkbook is one with them.  And of course, I also like the idea of not using so many plastic bottles for environmental reasons. Like everyone, I’ve guzzled my share of bottled water. Presently, I drink a lot of tap water, usually filtered but I’m not always so good about that. If I tend to get lax on the filtering, I just try to remember the last water report that my township sent out. Not exactly purified.

Here are a few other things that caught my attention on Tappening:

• Drinking tap water not only supports mental and physical health, but is easy on the planet. People who buy bottled water are doing harm to the environment and acting out of ignorance. (Way to be blunt fellas!)
• Bottled water costs as much as $10 per gallon compared to less than a penny per gallon for tap waters.
• Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil in 2006, enough fuel for more than 1 million United States cars for a year, and generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
• If you choose to get your recommended eight glasses a day from bottled water, you could spend up to $1,400 dollars annually! The same amount of tap water would cost around 49 cents.

Check out Tappening.com - this tap water movement is growing quite big. You can even catch them hanging out on Myspace.  Did you find any info that struck a cord with you? And now, just for fun….

All Natural Me wants to know -

What kind of water do you drink?

Popularity: 31% [?]

And Cancer!

But I’m not going to try to scare you away from plastic bottles with the Big C word, because hearing the word cancer doesn’t scare people anymore. Everyone’s like cancer? Psshhh. I’ve had that before.

Now man boobs… that’s scary. No one wants to have them OR see them.

Spread the word - we’ve got to start drinking out of plastic-free containers. You, me, the men, the kids and the babies who get the bottle all need to explore our healthier alternatives such as glass, lined aluminum or stainless steel.

If you must drink out of plastic, use BPA-free plastics. The safer number plastics are 1, 2 and 5.

So what is BPA?

Well, for us nerdy types, I’ve snagged the following info from our government friends.

BPA stands for Bisphenol A, a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.

Where is bisphenol A found?

Polycarbonate plastics are umm, everywhere: food and drink packaging, water and infant bottles, compact discs, impact-resistant safety equipment, and medical devices.

Epoxy resins are used as lacquers to coat metal products such as food cans, bottle tops, and water supply pipes. Some polymers used in dental sealants or composites contain bisphenol A-derived materials. In 2004, the estimated production of bisphenol A in the United States was approximately 2.3 billion pounds, (holy shit!) most of which was used in polycarbonate plastics and resins.

How does bisphenol A get in the body?

The primary source of exposure to bisphenol A for most people is through the diet. While air, dust, and water (including skin contact during bathing and swimming) are other possible sources of exposure, bisphenol A in food and beverages accounts for most daily human exposure. Bisphenol A can migrate into food from food and beverage containers with internal epoxy resin coatings and from consumer products such as polycarbonate tableware, food containers, water bottles, and baby bottles. The degree to which bisphenol A leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend more on the temperature of the liquid or bottle, than the age of the container. Bisphenol A can also be found in breast milk.

What can I do to prevent exposure to bisphenol A?

If you are concerned, you can make personal choices to reduce exposure:

* Don’t microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Polycarbonate is strong and durable, but over time it may break down from over use at high temperatures.
* Polycarbonate containers that contain BPA usually have a #7 on the bottom
* Reduce your use of canned foods.
* When possible, opt for glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.
* Use baby bottles that are BPA free.

Need links to find BPA-free drinking alternatives -

Click here for our Green Shopping Guru Friends

All Natural Me wants to know -

What kind of bottle and containers do you use?

Popularity: 45% [?]

Just when Sadie thought there was hope,
that a strong eco-connection was going to be made…

Dreg shows his true colors.

Well, I guess he’s still better off than the folks who don’t even believe that global warming is real. Wow, can you imagine Sadie putting up with one of those idiots?

Ha.

Popularity: 40% [?]