Think Natural Living

It is time to plan ahead.  The leaders of the world are aware, that unless drastic reductions in fossil fuel emissions are made, the environment of world will inevitably change for the worse.  Since the climate conference in Bali in 2007, there has continued to be unanimous concern about the amount of fossil fuel emissions and rate of deforestation.  As a result, over 200 leaders from countries across all socio-economic and political spectrums will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark between December 7-18 to potentially, and hopefully, create a common plan to globally reduce overall fossil fuel emissions, stop deforestation, and hence reduce global warming.

Scientists have known for centuries that the Earth’s climate has powerfully shaped the history of the human species – culturally, biologically, and geographically.  However, until recently it was not known that humans have a powerful influence of the environment as well.  Scientific evidence proves that since the 1950s, the overall world climate has become warmer.  This temperature change is primarily due to the unrestricted burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of tropical rain forests.  These harmful activities have caused a blanket of carbon dioxide and other heat trapping “greenhouse gases” to suffocate our atmosphere.  Fluctuations in the Earth’s atmospheric temperatures are normal; however, a constant warming of the atmosphere is not. 

There are two central contributors to the growing climate damage – fossil fuel emissions and deforestation.  Fossil fuels are primarily oil and coal.  Oil is converted to gasoline which fuels most types of transportation – cars, trains, trucks, ships, planes, etc.  Coal (and oil) power many electrical power plants and large manufacturing plants.  The richer and more developed countries have the complex transportation infrastructures, power grids, and manufacturing facilities thus creating the most fossil fuel emissions. Per person fossil fuel emissions range from less then two tons per person per year in India – where over 400 million residents lack electricity – to over 20 tons per person a year in the United States (Data Link).  These richer countries not only have more fossil fuels emissions, but they also have the wealth and technology to protect themselves from the climate changes.

On the contrary, most of the world’s deforestation is taking place in underdeveloped countries in both Africa and South America.  Forests cover over 30% of the Earth’s surface with thirteen million hectares of forest – the size of Greece – lost every year due to human intervention. Not only are forests important because they house many diverse animal and plant species, but they are also the foundation of many natural systems as well.  For example, forests conserve soil and water, control avalanches, and protect and stabilize coastal areas.  Moreover, trees absorb carbon dioxide – the greenhouse gas produced by fossil fuel burning – so the more that forests are destroyed, the less we can “safely” emit.  Essentially, the candle is being burnt at both ends.  The loss of natural forests each year contributes more to global warming then the transport sector emissions. 

In many ways, the debate over climate policy is a result of this “global climate divide” between the richer nations and the poorer ones.   However, the problem must be addressed because the current world population of 6.5 billion is expected to increase to over 9 billion by the year 2042.  In order, to maintain this growing population and in order to meet the inevitable and insatiable demand for more– more land, more food, more manufactured products, and more energy – more fossil fuels will be burned and more rain forests will be lost.   As a result, world negotiators aim to outline basic global agreements in Copenhagen 2009.  These negotiations are expected to be one of the most complex diplomatic challenges ever, due to competing interests and the reality that emission reduction will have a substantial economic impact in an already struggling global economy.  The struggle between rich and poor countries over who will step up first and who will pay most for the energy changes should not prohibit development at Copenhagen. 

The executive secretary of the United Nations framework on climate change is Mr. Yvo de Boer.  Boer stated in his pre-conference press meeting, “Governments must give their adequate response to the urgent challenge of climate change.  Negotiators now have the clearest signal ever from world leaders to craft solid proposals to implement rapid action.”   Furthermore, he expressed confidence that the Copenhagen meeting will result in a comprehensive, competent, and concise international climate change deal. 

Boer proclaimed there are “three layers of action” that world governments must agree to in Copenhagen in order to be remotely successful.  First and foremost, they must implement fast, effective, and immediate action on climate change.  Second, they need to form ambitious commitments to cut and limit emissions – including start-up support and long-term funding assurance for poorer countries.  Lastly, they must develop a long-term shared vision of low emissions for all. 

Furthermore, once a deal is reached, immediate action to reduce emissions will begin.  Funding of at least 10 billion USD a year until 2012 is necessary to enable developing countries to launch low emission projects.  However, funding reduced emissions projects in developing countries is not enough.  According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, industrialized countries will have to reduce their emissions by 25%-40% before 2020 to prevent the worst effects of climate change.  Global emission would have to be reduced by as much as 50% by 2050.  However, even this scenario only guarantees a 50% chance of avoiding catastrophic consequences due to environmental changes.

Clearly, there is a lot to discuss at the conference in Copenhagen.  Despite the hope of success, in reality, President Obama and other respected leaders announced on November 15^th that a formal treaty could not be produced anytime soon – specifically in Copenhagen.  Instead, world leaders pledge to “reach a placeholder accord that would call for reductions in emissions and increased aid to help developing nations adapt to a changing climate and get access to non-polluting energy options”.  In theory, it is hoped this will allow negotiators more time to iron out the details – such as firm emission targets, enforcement techniques, and specific dollar amounts to aid poor nations – and eventually reach a binding global agreement in 2010. 

Currently, America is very concerned with health care reform – Americans want less expensive quality care provided to a larger variety of people particularly those who cannot afford it or those who have an existing medical condition which can cause insurance companies to deny them coverage.  The average lifespan of an American continues to gradually rise in large part due to improving medical knowledge – operations, medicines, artificial replacement parts, etc.

However, one point that is commonly overlooked is that our society has also grown increasingly obese.  Obesity, itself, causes people to be less healthy and requires more medical attention.   Obesity is the leading factor of health problems in children.  One in three kids age 2-19 is overweight, with approximately 17% of those kids being dangerously obese.   Most surprisingly, the children most affected by obesity are those in the 2-5 year age bracket.  In the 1970s, only 5% of children this age were obese.  Now that number has more then doubled depending on ethnicity.

What does it mean to be obese as a child?  There are two growing problems with overweight children.  First, they are unable to keep up with their peers in physical activities.  Their weight often excludes them from participating in the very physical activity that they need to reduce their weight.  Secondly, their peers ridicule them and often treat them differently because of their weight.

The effects on an obese child get worse as they get older – not only does their likelihood of remaining obese through their adulthood increase, but their likelihood of having severe health problems also increases.  For example, obesity is extremely hard on the cardiovascular system – which puts these children at a high risk of heart attacks or strokes.   Orthopedic problems also result from being overweight.

So the question is: How do we curb childhood obesity?  We educate the children (early in life) about the importance of not only eating healthy and exercising, but also, educate them about the nutritional needs of their bodies.  Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders, so if any drastic change is to successfully occur it has to originate with the children.  If children learn the skills to live a healthy life, they have a tendency to lead their parents to integrate healthy habits into their lives as well.

You might question how educating young children can lead to overall change, but over the past century many of the great health and environmental movements originated with the young members of society.  For example, it was children who caught the “anti-litter bug” in the ‘50s and ‘60s; they lectured their parents about the harmful effects of carelessly tossing a soda can out the car window.  Moreover, in the ‘60s and ‘70s it was the young who recognized the harmful effects of smoking and encouraged their parents to quit the habit.  Lastly, today, it is again the young members of society who are leading the recycling campaign.

Although it is clear that children have the power to encourage change, how do we energize and motivate them to lead the way to healthier living habits?  In 1946 the National School Lunch Program was created to do just this.  The program was created “to safeguard the health and well being of the Nation’s children.”  This program was initiated as a way to make sure that no child would go without a healthy meal at least once a day.  The idea behind the program was that since children might not be getting their nutritional needs met at home, this program would ensure that they would get a healthy meal at school.  Without healthy food, children don’t do well in school and therefore don’t grow up to be healthy, productive adults in society. However, over 60 years later this federal program no longer provides healthy meals at schools.

The Time for Lunch Campaign is campaigning to change this growing problem.  It is currently working on not only providing healthier lunches to children, but also increasing their education on the importance of eating healthy.  The Child Nutrition Act is a federal law that governs the school meal programs which feed over 31 millions school kids everyday.  This law comes up for reauthorization every 5 years.  Congress will address the issue of school lunches in early 2010.  Currently, Congress gives only $1 per meal to pay for school lunch food, and schools do their best to stretch that dollar.  But more often then not, that means providing hamburgers and greasy pizza for lunch.  Therefore, as the reauthorization date draws near it is important that we educate children, parents and teachers about the importance of not only increasing the amount of money per day spent on food but improving the quality of that food – in particular decreasing the fat and increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables.

While the Time for Lunch Campaign is targeted to help the youngest members of our society gain a healthy lifestyle, what programs are there for the slightly older, college students?  Several schools have adopted policies that prevent obese students from graduating unless they lose weight or successfully complete a special course on health.  This might not seem legal, but it definitely is.  Some so-called experts are criticizing the new programs, but Professor Banzhaf from George Washington University suggests that these criticisms lack validity.  Banzhaf is a public-interest law professor who has been dubbed “The Man who is taking fat to court” for his use of legal action to combat the obesity epidemic.

Lincoln University in Pennsylvania has adopted this type of program.  University policy requires that obese students (determined by a BMI of greater then 30) either lose weight or take a special exercise course.  Physical fitness requirements have been part of college curricula for many years; military schools often still have these requirements.  Therefore, clearly requiring physical fitness to graduate is not a new concept.

Clearly, it is time to more aggressively address the issue of child obesity.  These children have the potential to lead the way to a healthier society, we just have to provide the aids for them to do so.

There is less then one day left!

At exactly 1pm EST on Tuesday November 10^th bloggers will take a stand to support books being printed in an eco-friendly manner.  The “event” has been organized by Eco-Libris.  Their  goal is to encourage both readers and publishers in the book industry to be more eco-friendly.  Eco-Libris’s overall mission is:

“We provide people with easy and affordable ways to take responsibility for their actions and go green. We don’t believe in preaching doom and gloom. It’s not our style. We do believe in taking action and in the power of small changes to make a big impact.”

Essentially, this is what they are doing for this event – they are taking small steps in the hopes that the future will bring change.  The campaign is only 1 day.  But on this day 100 bloggers will read 100 green books (printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper) and provide 100 online reviews of the books.

Over 39 publishers from the U.S, Canada, and the United Kingdom are participating in the event by providing the bloggers with their latest books (made of recycled paper) ranging in subjects from cooking to travel to adventure.

Hopefully tomorrow will be successful and increased awareness will be brought to this issue

With the holidays just around the corner – that means there is a lot of drinking (and eating) in our near future.  Fortunately, alcohol has finally caught up with the “go green” trend.  There are many USDA approved 100% organic alcoholic beverages. 

So whether your toasting to family and friends or ringing in the New Year, there are a few new beverages you should keep your eye open for. 

TRU Organic Vodka is the star of the show.  As a self-proclaimed, “better vodka for a better planet,” this liquor isn’t lying.  Not only does USDA certify the vodka organic, but the bottles are made from recyclable materials as well.  Not to mention, that the corks are synthetic, the labels are made from corn fibers and the ink is soy based.  They thought of everything – this product really is organic. 

However, TRU does not stand alone in the new, organic liquor department.  Another green liquor is Benromach Whiskey.  They use certified organic barley and fresh spring water to create a blend of flavors that not only tastes good but also is good for you (sort of). 

However, you might not be a vodka or whiskey person.  So what’s left for you?  I hope you like tequila.  Casa Noble Tequila just recently got USDA certified and is now only one of two organic tequilas.  Casa Noble Tequila is rich in Mexican history.  It took the family over 200 years to perfect the recipe in their distillery in Jaslisco, Mexico.  Now the organic tequila includes 100% blue agave tequila that is naturally fermented and distilled before bottling. 

Watch this!!

I have seen quite a lot of video clippings with Jeffrey Miron discussing the legalization of marijuana. He is very well spoken and extremely persuasive, as he has all the right facts.

Take a look..

This past Tuesday, October 13^th, according to the Huffington Post, several hemp farmers, as well as, small business leaders were arrested for trespassing on the lawn of the DEA’s (Drug Enforcement Administration) headquarters.  They were protesting the illegality of industrial hemp farming by uprooting the DEA’s front lawn to plant hemp seeds.  According to Federal law, hemp farming is illegal, although nine states (Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Oregon) do allow the harvesting of hemp for industrial reasons.  Because the Federal law complicates state farming permits, it is nearly impossible to successfully grow hemp in this country.   

According to Norml.com, some of those arrested claimed “The DEA would have arrested George Washington”, as he was a hemp farmer.  Others declared that future generations would see this “generation as crazy” for not allowing the production and manufacture of hemp products. 

These farmers and business owners value hemp and are willing to protest for its legality, because their livelihood depends on the resources gained from the plant.  There are three conventional uses for hemp: fibers to make clothing or paper, oil from the seeds, and the seeds themselves for food.  For example, hemp oil is used as a diesel engine fuel without engine mortifications.  Additionally, car companies such as Mercedes and BMW, are investigating the use of hemp products in car production to increase a car’s recyclability. 

Isaac Nichelson, head of a hemp clothing company, was one of those arrested Tuesday morning for planting seeds. Nichelson uses hemp for his clothing production because hemp has several qualities that make it superior to other clothing materials.  For example, the fibers from the hemp stalk are extremely long which create strong durable fabrics with excellent absorbency and anti-mildew properties. 

Dr. David Bronner, another arrested protestor, is the president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.  His company is more the 60 years old with an annual revenue stream of tens of thousands of dollars.  Bronnor uses hemp oils in his soaps as a natural alternative to animal oils and bi-products.  As a result of hemp growing being illegal in the U.S., Bronnor must resort to purchasing the hemp he needs for his business from Canada.  He stated that his reason for protesting was to raise awareness of the absurdity of the Federal law in hopes that one day he can legally use U.S. grown hemp for his products.

Clearly, hemp farming is restricted in this country because of Federal law. Hemp could become an important crop both agriculturally and economically.  Hemp is, in many ways, a superior agricultural product.  The fibers extracted from the hemp plant are of excellent quality.  The plant requires very little maintenance, can easily grow in a variety of different types of soils, and grows so quickly that is does not attract pests.  It is most recognized for its limited reliance on unhealthy pesticides and herbicides.  If hemp were legalized, it would be an industry leader.  Clearly, our country is prohibiting this industry from developing.  In a time of extreme economic downturn, it is important that all industries are utilized to their fullest money making potential.

Despite these underlying economic benefits, the fundamental reason hemp farming is not accepted is due to hemp’s close biological relation to marijuana. The impression exists that hemp can be used as a drug.  Both hemp and marijuana come from a species of plant called Cannabis Hemp.  However, there is a clear difference between the two plants.  Hemp contains less the one percent THC (the active ingredient in marijuana that induces a high.)  On the contrary, the average marijuana plant contains 5-10 percent of the active ingredient THC.  Because the one percent of THC in hemp is such a small amount, it is estimated one would need to smoke ten or more hemp cigarettes to get the same effect as one marijuana cigarette. 

Vote Hemp was also present at Tuesday’s protest.  They are just one of the advocacy groups that came to support the cause.  This group is a national, single-issue, non- profit advocacy group.  They strive to remove the current barriers on industrial hemp farming by educating voters.  Their goal is to inform others that industrial hemp has no psychoactive properties because of its extremely low THC content.

Despite the many businesses that depend on the industrial farming of hemp, as well as, numerous advocacy groups, such as Vote Hemp, that are attempting to educate the public, still many people remain anti- hemp.  There are three main reasons the ban on hemp remains.  First, and foremost, the ban remains as a protection for competing businesses.  Anti-hemp advocates claim that because hemp has so many commercial possibilities, it would cause competing businesses to lose market share.  Hemp allows for products to be made faster, cheaper, of better quality, and cause less environmental damage then current products.  In essence, current business owners worry that hemp legalization would destabilize their current markets. 

The second anti-hemp argument is rooted in psychological factors.  Because hemp and marijuana are very similar biologically, there is a concern that hemp legalization would result in increased acceptance of marijuana.  Currently, because hemp is illegal, it reinforces the illegality of marijuana.  However, if hemp were legalized, people could begin to question whether marijuana is “as bad” anymore. 

The third and final argument against the legalization of hemp is that its legality would serve as a cover for the farming of marijuana as well.  It is believed that if hemp were legal, some farmers would intermix marijuana plants within their hemp fields as a disguise.  However, this argument has the least strength of the three because as any hemp/marijuana expert knows, the intermixing of the two plants in the same field would diminish the quality of both the hemp and the marijuana.  Hemp is grown for its strength while marijuana is breed to have high THC levels.  If both plants were grown together, their cross breeding would eventually result in decreased strength of the hemp plant and decreased levels of THC in the marijuana plant. 

In conclusion, were the farmers and business owners justly arrested Tuesday morning?  They were trespassing and damaging government property; however, they were simply trying to advocate the idea that hemp farming is unjustly illegal.  Because there is such a fine line between hemp and marijuana, authorities have deemed anything containing THC illegal.  Therefore, hemp is illegal.  However, what the protestors were trying to advocate is that the many economic benefits to the legalization of hemp production far outweigh hemp’s close biological relationship with marijuana.

So, October 6th? its about time Fall weather arrived.  

However, now that it’s fall, it’s important to make a few modifications to our everyday lives in order to be better prepared for the season change.  In Fall, not only does the weather change, but we go back to school and work; it can often be hard both on the body and mind.  Besides bringing out sweaters and boots, one way to make the change efficiently is to incorporate a few Feng Shui techniques. 

I don’t necessarily believe all Feng Shui “practices” or “techniques.  But I do think it is important to be aware of their potential capabilities.  

“As the days get darker as we move away from the Summer Solstice, an underlying feng shui theme for the fall is to organize in ways that will help you be warm and cozy.”

That pretty much sums it up.  As superficial as that statement might seem, we all know that when the leaves turn we opt for a warm and cozy environment.

Here are some techniques I came across on PlantGreen:

There are generally five keys areas in your life that should be addressed in Fall Feng Shui.  

1.  Nurture Yourself More

          Honestly, just clear the clutter.  We all have piles on our kitchen counters. This is the time to clear it out.  In Fall it is nice to eat around the table with family and friends in an organized environment.

2. Warm up the Environment

          One fun way to warm up the environment is to paint the rooms warm colors. 

3. Make Seasonal Alterations to the Main Entrance.  

          First and foremost, it is important that the main entrance is 100% clear.

4. Move out the Old, to Bring in the New (Classic!)

5. Prepare for More Time Indoors.  

         Spending more time indoors, you want to make the indoors very comfortable, cozy and most of all manageable.

Today a nutrition advocacy group released new findings stating that 10 foods we eat daily are not as healthy as we once thought.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest listed the following foods, in descending order, as the most risky in terms of outbreaks (of sickness): leafy greens, eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts and berries. What is strange about these findings is these are the foods we tend to put on the “healthy” list; that is why this study is so surprising.  However, once you understand the details, the findings might not seem so outlandish.  For example, over the past 20 years, leafy greens have caused a reported 13,568

E Coli Bacteria

illness, and berries (the least risky food on the list) had 3,397 illnesses reported.  Thousands are hospitalized every year from eating these foods.  The top cause of illness is food borne pathogens such as E. coli, Norovirus and Salmonella. However, most of these pathogens enter the body, merely because the food was not properly washed or cooked.  So whether it is leafy lettuce, contaminated tomatoes, or ice cream, bacteria is everywhere.  So today’s lesson, is always know where your food is from, wash it thoroughly, and lastly, have a general awareness about food

Norovirus

borne illnesses.

Looking for a ride downtown?  Or want to save a little money on your commute every morning? 

Well soon there is going to be an app for that.  A German research team has been developing a program called Openride.  This new app allows iPhone users to search instantly for carpooling opportunities.  It is as simple as entering your starting and finishing points, as well as, the number of people going.  The app instantly matches you with a driver and the approximate pick up time.  Last week this new technology was presented at the Techwatch forum in Berlin, and is anticipated to be available to the public by 2010. 

Now in my opinion, there are both advantages and disadvantages to this new technology.  First, this new app does make me a little apprehensive.  Do these drivers get background checks? How do we know the person picking us up is safe?  Are there going to be enough people willing to participate in the program to allow it to be effective?  These are all legitimate questions that I hope the researchers will iron out before they put the product on the market. 

However, there are also a lot of advantages.  For example, it is estimated that a single commuter with a 60-mile drive to work would save approximately $4,387 every year by carpooling more.  Moreover, the environmental benefits would be enormous.  Even if we had a small percentage of the people on the road participate in carpools, not only would traffic be easier to handle, but car pollution would drastically decrease. 

iPhone users keep a look out for this new technology!

When you think of being environmentally friendly, you probably think about recycling or driving your car less, but you likely don’t consider the clothes on your back.  Surprisingly, 25% of the pesticides used in the entire world come from the production of cotton (to make our clothes).  

A new trend has emerged to combat this growing problem. It is called eco-fashion.  Eco-fashion designers aim to use environmentally sensitive fabrics and responsible production techniques.  Not only, do they want to preserve the environment but the consumer who will eventually buy and wear their designs.  This branch of fashion is still in the developing stages, but new designers are popping up every year. 

You might be wondering how exactly the clothes on your back are not environmentally friendly. I mean after all, it is just cotton right? And cotton grows from the ground.  So by nature you might assume that most clothes are organic.  However, it is quite the contrary.  Clothes are just as polluting as driving your car to work every morning.  Cotton, as I said, causes enormous amounts of pollution.  The pesticides used when growing the cotton not only pollute the environment but also can cause serious health problems for the people living near the production.  Even more surprising is the harmful effects of wool.  When I think of wool, I think of the itchy sweaters my grandma used to by me for Christmas.  They seemed harmless, but as soon as that old sweater makes its way to the landfill and starts to decay, is when the problems begin.  When wool is decaying it releasing methane into the ground.  I don’t even have to explain how that is harmful.  The World Health Organization estimates that 3 million people every year are poisoned by pesticides; ultimately resulting in about 220,000 deaths.   However, in my opinion the worst byproduct of clothes is the amount of water they need to be produced and maintained.  Even before the cotton is made into clothes it requires 257 gallons of water for one T-shirt.  Moreover, the clothing industry is the second largest consumer of water, next only to agriculture.  That is a lot of water, and we are in a water shortage at the moment.  It’s ironic, we are only allowed to have our sprinklers on specific days but yet one shirt is consuming enough water to water the lawns of my entire block. 

There is hope though for us shopaholics who need our clothes.  For example, hemp has excellent potential to be used for eco-fashions in the future.  This miracle plant grows very fast not allowing for weeds to take hold; therefore there is no need for herbicides and artificial fertilizers.  Moreover, hemp needs no irrigation.  This plant can survive merely on the occasional rainfall.  Furthermore, hemp works well for clothing because is has particularly long fibers that are good for weaving or spinning into fabric.

Many consider fashion to be a superficial subject, but once you consider what it is doing to our environment hopefully most will see clothes in a different light.  One such company that hopes to change the image of eco friendly clothing is Ecouterre.  Ecouterre is a new online magazine founded by Jill Farhrenbacher.  Farhrenbacher’s mission is to change “people’s minds about what fashion design entails, beyond fleeting fads and mindless consumerism”.