ECO-FRIENDLY & SUSTAINABLE BAMBOO

     BAMBOO HAS GAINED IN POPULARITY AS A TEXTILE THAT IS NOW USED IN CLOTHING, DINNERWARE, UTENSILS, BEDDING, TOWELS & FLOORING.  IT IS AN ECO-FRIENDLY AND SUSTAINABLE PLANT.  IT IS THE FASTEST GROWING PLANT IN THE WORLD.  IT THRIVES NATURALLY WITHOUT PESTICIDES OR FERTILIZERS. IT'S FIBERS ARE 100% BIODEGRADABLE.  BECAUSE IT'S CUT AND NOT UPROOTED, IT MAINTAINS SOIL STABILITY.  IT REQUIRES VERY LITTLE WATER & CAN BE GROWN WHERE NOTHING ELSE IS VIABLE.  


     FABRICS MADE FROM BAMBOO ARE SOFT & LUXURIOUS.  AS CLOTHING, IT'S ABSORBENT & MOISTURE WICKING.  IT HAS DUAL PROPERTIES - BECAUSE IT IS A BREATHABLE FIBER, IT KEEPS YOU COOLER IN HOT WEATHER.  IT ALSO KEEPS YOU WARMER IN THE COLD THAN MORE TRADITIONAL FABRICS DO.    IT IS ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTI-STATIC & ANTI-FUNGAL, THEREFORE MAKING IT THE PERFECT CHOICE FOR SENSITIVE OR ALLERGY PRONE SKIN.


     DINNERWARE & UTENSILS MADE FROM BAMBOO ARE ALSO ECO-FRIENDLY & SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS.  THEY ARE BIODEGRADABLE & COMPOSTABLE & WON'T BUCKLE UNDER THE WEIGHT OF FOOD.  THEY BIODEGRADE IN 4-6 MONTHS WHEN DISPOSED OF & CAN ALSO BE REUSED.



     ABE'S MARKET, KNOWN FOR THEIR ECO-FRIENDLY & SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS, HAS SEVERAL BAMBOO ITEMS FROM CLOTHING & DINNERWARE TO TOWELS, CRIB SHEETS & EVEN TOILET TISSUE. 



     

ORGANIC & CRUELTY-FREE WOOL

     I RECENTLY READ SOME INFORMATION ABOUT WOOL AND HOW A LARGE PORTION OF WHAT IS USED IN THE PRODUCTS WE BUY COMES FROM SHEEP FARMS IN AUSTRALIA.  UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF SHEEP ON THESE FARMS & THE PROCESS ISN'T CRUELTY-FREE OR ORGANIC.  MALE SHEEP ARE CASTRATED WITHOUT THE USE OF ANESTHESIA & THE SAME HOLDS TRUE WHEN THEIR TAILS ARE DOCKED.  THIS LEAVES OPEN WOUNDS THAT ATTRACT FLIES & THE END RESULT OF THAT IS MAGGOTS.    THERE ISN'T ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED ALL OF THEM SO MANY DIE OF STARVATION.  THEIR WOOL IS SHEARED BY MACHINES AND, IN THE PROCESS, SOME OF THEIR BODY PARTS TOO.  THEY ALSO USE ANOTHER PRACTICE CALLED MULESING WHICH INVOLVES CUTTING OFF THE SKIN AROUND THE BUTTOCKS OF MERINO SHEEP TO PREVENT FLYSTRIKE http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/aug/09/fashion-chains-wool-australia-mulesing.







THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE SAD SCENES FROM THESE FARMS.  
     IF WOOL IS JUST SOMETHING YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT, THEN LOOK FOR PRODUCTS THAT COME FROM ORGANIC & CRUELTY-FREE FARMS.  THEY DO EXIST.  ALL IT TAKES IS AN INTERNET SEARCH & YOU WILL FIND A FEW SITES DEDICATED TO BEING ORGANIC & CRUELTY-FREE.  THE SHEEP AT THESE FARMS ARE WELL-FED, WELL CARED FOR, PROTECTED AGAINST PREDATORS.  THEIR WOOL IS CLEANED WITH ECO-DETERGENT & DRIED IN THE FRESH AIR.  IT IS THEN CARDED BY HAND, DYED WITH ECO-FRIENDLY DYES AND SPUN BY HAND.  




     OF COURSE, THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES TO PRODUCTS MADE WITH WOOL, I.E. BAMBOO, COTTON, LINEN & HEMP.  THESE ARE WORTH LOOKING INTO.

SALT THERAPY AND ITS BENEFITS

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, THE PEOPLE WHO INHABITED THE HIMALAYANS DISCOVERED THE THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF SALT.  PATIENTS WERE TREATED FOR THEIR RESPIRATORY AILMENTS IN THE NUMEROUS SALT CAVERNS THAT WERE IN THIS AREA.  THE SALT TRADE WAS VERY PROSPEROUS DURING THIS TIME, AND WAS TRADED BETWEEN LOCAL REGIONS.  




THE BENEFITS OF SALT THERAPY HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AND PRESCRIBED THROUGHOUT HISTORY BY PHYSICIANS & THERAPISTS.  ITS HEALING PROPERTIES HELP TREAT A VARIETY OF AILMENTS SUCH AS COLDS, ALLERGIES & ASTHMA.  WHEN USED IN THE BATH, IT HELPS SOOTH DERMATITIS & PSORIASIS.   SALT PILLOWS FILTER THE AIR AROUND OUR MOUTH AND NOSE WHILE SLEEPING.  SALT CANDLES & SALT LAMPS NEUTRALIZE IRRITATING PARTICLES IN THE AIR.  




SOLAY WELLNESS HAS A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF SALT LAMPS, INHALERS, SALT CANDLES & SALT PILLOWS ALONG WITH THEIR PURE HIMALAYAN SALT.  THESE PRODUCTS CAN BE FOUND AT  Solay Wellness.   BE SURE TO KEEP A SUPPLY ON HAND FOR THE UPCOMING COLD & FLU SEASON. 

REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

     GLOBAL WARMING IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE FOR OUR PLANET.  DUE TO OCEAN TEMPERATURES RISING, WE WILL EXPERIENCE MORE FREQUENT & MUCH STRONGER HURRICANES, ALONG WITH TORNADOES IN AREAS WHERE THESE STORMS ARE NOT A COMMON EVENT. 

•      OTHER AREAS WILL SUFFER DROUGHTS AND HEAT WAVES.  SEA LEVELS WILL RISE DUE TO MELTING ICE CAPS.  MANY SPECIES OF ANIMALS WILL BECOME EXTINCT.  DRY LAND WILL BE RAVAGED BY MORE WILDFIRES.  SMOG IS ANOTHER CONCERN AS IT WILL EXACERBATE RESPIRATORY CONDITIONS.  VOLCANIC ACTIVITY CAN INCREASE, ALONG WITH TSUNAMIS.  MORE DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ALONG WITH OUTBREAKS OF DEADLY DISEASES.

 
     GLOBAL WARMING REDUCES PHYTOPLANKTON.  THESE PLANTS ARE AN INTEGRAL SOURCE OF FOOD FOR OCEAN LIFE.  DIMINISHED FOOD AND WATER SUPPLIES FOR HUMANS WILL ALSO OCCUR.
     TO REDUCE OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT IT IS IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW THE THREE Rs:
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE.  ALSO, UNPLUG APPLIANCES NOT USED ON A FREQUENT BASIS.  ENERGY PROOF YOUR HOME.  BUY WATER FILTRATION SYSTEMS & DO AWAY WITH BOTTLED WATER.  BUY ORGANIC, NATURAL, CRUELTY-FREE AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS.
     

   
 
     

    

ORGANIC & NATURAL

     THERE ARE SEVERAL SKINCARE & BATH/BEAUTY PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET TODAY THAT ARE LABELED ORGANIC & NATURAL, ALTHOUGH SOME OF THEM FALL SHORT OF THIS CATEGORY.  IN MY SEARCH HOWEVER, I CAME ACROSS SOME BRANDS THAT ARE DEFINITELY TRUE TO THEIR WORD.  
     FIRST OF ALL, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF ORGANIC & NATURAL.  SKINCARE & BATH/BEAUTY PRODUCTS IN THIS CATEGORY ARE MADE FROM PLANTS AND/OR MINERALS GROWN IN SOIL THAT HAS NOT BEEN TREATED WITH PESTICIDES OR CHEMICALS, AND HAVE NOT BEEN GROWN UNDER ARTIFICIAL CONDITIONS.  


     ONE BRAND OF THESE PRODUCTS I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IS ALCHEMILLA.  THEIR LINE INCLUDES SKINCARE, BATH & BEAUTY, AROMATHERAPY, REMEDIES & ARE HAND-MADE FROM PLANTS GROWN IN THEIR GARDEN IN OREGON.  TO VIEW THEIR LINE, GO TO ALCHEMILLA ULTRA-PURE SKIN CARE.  THEIR PRODUCTS ARE VERY REASONABLY PRICED.  YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.