27 April 2008

Veronica Kozlowski (a.k.a. Vee)




Tempe, AZ
EcoDeaf-child & Protector of Mother Earth & founder of Deaf Vegetarian Society


ecoskills Following the #1 creed of Wicca-“Do no harm unto others”; acts of compassion; doing my 3 R’s; public transportation & walking; educating others about living Green; a vegetarian of 16 years & now converted into a vegan/raw of 9 months; practicing LNT (Leave No Trace) very religiously since a toddler; always buying 100% organic & local produces; energy & water conversion; faithful canvas-cloth grocery bag user; giving donations of old/unused everything since a toddler; using natural products for skin care; avoiding animals-tested products; no TV at all at home (except VP); self-sustaining living.

ecointerests
Founder of Deaf Vegetarian Society; currently studying Buddhism; mama to 2 cats; the Eco-Deaf blog community; advocating any activities of pro-environmentalism; Raw potlucks; Burners community; camping/hiking; working out; natural home-remedies; veg-sushi; a huge variety of a collection of herbal teas; loved “The Secret” & “An Inconvenient Truth” & “The 11th Hour”; currently working on going paperless; photography; animals rights & human rights; against any white-man meds; fostered a Deaf cat; recycled art and art in general; hummingbirds feeding; ASL community; Deafhood self-exploration, stopping Audism; member of Deaf Bilingual Coalition of AZ; member of AZ Deaf Theatre; hopefully future natural parenting & supporting adoptions.

contact DeafVeggieVee at gmail dot com

blog/website
(To be announced--currently developing Deaf Vegetarian Society's website)

25 April 2008

Anacostia River Cleanup: Tomorrow! Saturday 4/26




"Pickup Mother Earth!"


14th Annual Anacostia Watershed Earth Day Cleanup & Rally Celebration
Organized by the Anacostia Watershed Society


When
Saturday, April 26, 2008 Rain or Shine
What
* Trash Cleanups 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM at sites throughout t
he watershed
throughout DC, Prince George's county (MD), and Montgomery County
(MD) ~ Sign up to volunteer!

* Earth Day Rally Celebration 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM at Seafarers Yacht Club,
1950 M St. SE, Washington DC 20003 ~ Open to the Public
Featuring the Green Dance, a site-specific dance performance, and other
activities
Directions to Rally
Shuttle Bus from Navy Yard Metro also provided

Who You!

Scroll your mouse over blue words and click to go to various parts of the website!!

24 April 2008

Waxing your Eyebrows? Check This Alternative Out!

Sarah Gordon bravely goes under the knif- I mean, goes under the 'thread' - to remove unwanted hair from her eyebrows and upper lip.  

"Threading" is an ancient art of removing unwanted hair, practiced in the Middle and Far East on both men and women. This threading technique can be used anywhere on the body, including arms, legs and bikini area.

How is Threading green'?  Unlike threading, waxing disposes of a lot of wax paper and wax in the trash.  Threading just uses a cotton string - nothing more! If you must remove hair, switch from waxing to threading!


Click here to go to Washington DC area threading places - HaT TiP to Jennifer!

Click here to go to Wikipedia's Threading page


Special thanks to Lizzie for filming!

23 April 2008

Gallaudet Cafeteria Goes Green!

Gallaudet Alumni, you're probably looking at the title and going - whaaaat?!

Allow us to explain.  We first read this advertisement on Gallaudet's Daily Digest for faculty, staff and students:

"In celebration of Earth Day, Bon Appétit is declaring April 22, Low Carbon Diet Day. The café menu will be completely low carbon and each station will feature foods illustrating a key principle of reducing climate change. Diners will continue to have extensive choices but will be encouraged to taste new items that are more climate-friendly than some regular features." 

Of course I was intrigued.  Armed with my digital camera, Lizzie and I went over to the Gallaudet Cafeteria to see for ourselves.  Boy, were we impressed.  See for yourself in this vlog!


More from the advertisement:
 
"Bon Appétit will be implementing a series of initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% over the next three years. Visit www.CircleofResponsibility.com for more information. It is also undertaking an educational campaign aimed at informing guests about how they can make eco-friendly decisions about their food choices.

The campus community is encouraged to stop by the cafeteria and Marketplace today to sample the low carbon selections and learn more about reducing our impact on the environment."


Click here to go to Bon Appetit's Sustainable page


Special thanks to Lizzie for being in front of the camera (not behind, where she usually is!)  :)

22 April 2008

Celebrate Earth Day

12 Things You Should Always Buy Green

1) Paint. Look for low or ideally, no-VOC paint.


2)
Paper. Look for paper products with a high post-consumer recycled content.




3)
Transportation. Try carpooling and using public transportation (or bike!).



4)
Light bulbs. Buy Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFL's)




5)
Showerheads. Buy low-flow showerheads or faucet aerators.



6)
Appliances. Buy appliances with the Energy Star label.




7)
Energy. Ask your electric company to switch you to green energy!  (It took Raychelle a few minutes to switch to green energy -- online -- with her electric company!)




8)
Batteries. Buy rechargeable batteries.





9) Clothes. Buy clothes that aren't sewn together by grossly underpaid workers and children in sweatshops, buy clothes made by a Fair Trade or Green business or where workers are protected by Unions.




10)
Diapers. Try cloth diapers.




11)
Fruits and vegetables. Buy organic, local, in-season produce. Especially apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries because they absorb most of the pesticide residue.



12)
Coffee. Buy fair-trade certified coffee!


Want more details? Tips? Check out Co-op America's 12 Things You Should Always Buy Green website.

21 April 2008

Nalgene Stops Manufacturing Bottles with BPA



The famed Nalgene company is responding to consumer concerns about unsafe plastics and phasing out production of bottles containing the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA). This is occurring the next several months and Nalgene is now offering a new line of bottles without BPA. They say they believe their bottles are safe, but are listening to consumer demands. They provide a page in their website with information on BPA: BPA Info


The new "Everyday" line is available in stores and will soon be available online. The Everyday line is made with Eastman's Tritan copolyester that upholds Nalgene's trademarked shatter-proof reputation. Some other bottles are also BPA-free.


If you want to know which bottle and material is right for you, go to Nalgene Choice to learn about various products and materials.

16 April 2008

Safer Health Care Sector

With all the discussion about Health Care in the presidential campaign, have you thought about what is being done to make the health care sector....safer for people and the environment?   
                                                                  

Inspired by the medical ethic of "first do no harm," Health Care Without Harm works to transform the health care sector to remove its role as a source of harm to public health and the environment. 

Did you know that health care facilities often have materials and chemicals harmful to public health and the environment.  Examples of harmful substances in facilities include mercury and PVC.  Medical wastes also contribute to the dispersion of pollutants in the environment and food policies are often not ecologically sound or socially responsible.  Health Care Without Harm reviews various issues and provides information and resources for change.

link shared by an EcoDeaf reader




13 April 2008

The Deaf Inconvenient Truth

Al Gore’s Earth’s Report Card – Did you ever wonder what will happen to our Earth 5 to 10 years from now? How will global warming affect our environment?

Bradley Porche of Porche Foundation will be able to answer your questions. He works for Al Gore’s team and speaks all over the country about the Earth’s plight.

Date: Friday, April 18, 2008
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Maryland School for the Deaf Ely Auditorium,
101 Clarke Place, Frederick, MD 21705
Pay at door: Sliding scale of $5-10. Additional contributions are welcome.
Proceeds will go to the Nature Conservancy, a non-profit organization working with wildlife.



Video clips and animations will be shown that will keep you seated and beckoning for more!

Voice interpreters will be provided.

For more information, feel free to contact me at dina dot raevsky at msd dot edu. Spread the word about this exciting event to your colleagues, students, family, and friends.

---------------
Many thanks to Dina Raevsky for making this happen!

11 April 2008

Top Ten Reasons Not to Eat Salmon

(Click here to go to the full article)

1. Salmon Are Smart
Fish are smart. Oxford University scientist Dr. Theresa Burt de Perera recently discovered that fish learn even faster than dogs. Fish learn from each other, have long-term memories, and can recognize one another. They gather information by eavesdropping, and some species even use tools, which, until recently, was thought to be a uniquely human trait. Like the dogs and cats with whom we share our homes, they also like to play, investigate new things, and hang out with friends.

2. Arsenic and Old Waste
Mmmm, want a plate full of poison? Fish have extremely high levels of chemicals such as arsenic, mercury, PCBs, DDT, dioxins, and lead in their flesh and fat. You may even get industrial-strength fire retardant with that catch of the day. The chemical residue found in salmon flesh can be as much as 9 million times that of the water in which they live.

3. Harm at the Farm
Four-fifths of the United States' most popular fish flesh, salmon, consumed in the U.S. is farm-raised. These fish, who are raised by the millions in cages made of nets in coastal waters, are killing off wild fish populations as well, since it takes 5 pounds of commercially caught fish (species not eaten by humans) to produce 1 pound of farmed fish.

4. Sea Lice Aren't So Nice
No one wants to wear a "death crown," but thanks to chronic sea lice, a parasite that eats down to the bones on a fish's face, salmon commonly suffer this condition. Salmon also routinely go insane and sustain sores and other injuries from intense crowding, as they are made to live their entire lives with as many as 27 fish in a space the size of a bathtub.

5. Slammin' Salmon
No, we're not talking about a baseball player-but fish farmers do often use bats to beat large salmon to death. All methods used to slaughter fish are grotesque and cruel. Fish have their gills slit while they are still alive, and smaller salmon are often packed in ice and left to slowly suffocate or freeze to death.

6. Open Waters Are Open Sewers
Everybody loves the Big Apple, but would you eat something fished out of the city's sewer system? According to the Norwegian government, the salmon and trout farms in Norway alone produce roughly the same amount of sewage as New York City. The massive amount of raw sewage, dead fish corpses, and antibiotic-laden fish food sludge settling below farmed salmon cages can actually cause the ocean floor to rot, destroying vital habitat for the already strained marine ecosystem and turning coastal waters into open sewers.

7. Breeding Brain Damage
Usually when Moms pass things on to their children, it's a good thing-but when pregnant or nursing moms eat fish, they pass the toxins they consume on to their babies. Studies have also shown that children born to mothers who eat fish are slower to talk, walk, and develop fine motor skills and have weaker memories and shorter attention spans. Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that fish consumption can cause irreversible impairment to brain function in children, both in the womb and as they grow.

8. Don't Forget About the PCBs
Feeling forgetful? There could be something fishy going on. Scientists have proved that people who eat only two servings of fish a month have difficulty recalling information that they learned just 30 minutes earlier. The culprit is high levels of mercury, lead, and PCBs in their blood. PCBs, synthetic chemicals polluting water and concentrated in fish flesh, act like hormones, wreaking havoc on the nervous system and contributing to a variety of illnesses beyond forgetfulness and vertigo, including cancer, infertility, and other sexual problems.

9. For Your Health
Would you like tartar sauce with those cancer-causing toxins? If you're feeling green around the gills, salmon could be making you seriously ill. The Environmental Working Group estimates that 800,000 people in the U.S. face an excess lifetime cancer risk from eating farmed salmon. Plus, salmon flesh contains high amounts of artery-clogging cholesterol and fat.

10. Faux Fish
Fake it for salmon's sake! Tempt your taste buds without tempting fate by trying faux fish. Your local Asian food mart or health-food store likely carries vegetarian mock seafood products that have all the flavor of the "real thing" without the contaminants or cholesterol.

Thanks to Katherine for this top ten list not to eat salmon website. This same site also has a Top Ten reason not to eat chicken, pigs, cows and turkeys... visit them!

10 April 2008

Farm Animals Party: April 27th

April 27: Host a Stand up for Farm Animals Party!
Click on the picture above to enter the site!

What is this?

Do you care about humane issues related to farm animals? This is the party for you.

This supports the Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) in their work to pass animal protection laws and educate people about animal protection issues.

On April 27 at 7:30 PM ET, a nationwide conference call and discussions about federal legislation will ensue. Each "Stand Up for Farm Animals" party will call into this conference call and participate.


Click the picture on the right to sign up to host your own party and learn about the Humane Society Legislative Fund!


Thanks, DeafAnimalRow for sharing!

09 April 2008

16 Ways To Heal Your Home



Co-op America outlines the problems with 16 conventional household products. Click here to go to Co-op America's Healthy Home Center to learn about SOLUTIONS for those 16 hazardous household products.

1) Conventional body care products – More than one-third of personal care products contain at least one ingredient linked to cancer, and very few products are tested for safety. Some products contain phthalates‚ which don't appear in the list of a product's ingredients -- instead they are covered by the general term "fragrance."

2) Chemical Air Fresheners – Air fresheners contain dangerous ingredients like dichlorobenzene‚ naphthalene‚ and formaldehyde.

3) PVC Shower Curtains – Polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC‚ the vinyl in your shower curtain‚ is a plastic that’s dangerous to people and the environment at every stage of its lifecycle.

4) Conventional Cleaners – Many household cleaners contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as formaldehyde‚ harsh acids‚ and hormone disruptors.

5) Paints and Stains – Conventional paints contain three chemicals worth worrying about: VOCs‚ fungicides‚ and biocides. Other problematic ingredients can include mercury‚ arsenic disulfide‚ phenol‚ and formaldehyde.

6) Furniture – Some wood furniture can release VOCs from adhesives and finishes. Urea formaldehyde is used in particle board furniture. Most upholstered furniture is treated with flame-retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDBEs).

7) Flooring – Wall-to-wall carpets harbor allergens and trap toxins. Most synthetic carpets and their adhesives also emit VOCs. Carpeting may be treated with benzyl benzoate or other chemicals for mothproofing or to repel moisture.

8) Vinyl Siding – Home siding can be the single largest use of vinyl‚ made from PVC‚ in a home. Vinyl siding often contains DEHP‚ an additive‚ and a phthalate.

9) Wooden Decks and Playsets – Until a few years ago, pressure-treated wood for decks and play equipment was routinely covered in chromium copper arsenate (CCA) to kill insects and prevent rot. CCA leaches arsenic that sticks to the hands and is absorbed through skin.

10) Pesticides – Too many homeowners needlessly use hazardous chemicals on their lawns, and these chemicals can drift into their homes and pollute indoor air.

11) Cookware – Non-stick pans with Teflon or Teflon-like coatings contain polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which break down into the air at high temperatures.

12) Plastics – Hard-to-recycle plastics often contain toxins that can leach into food and water‚ especially when heated.

13) Conventional Produce – Many non-organic fruits and vegetables carry pesticide residue. Twenty-three of the world's 28 most commonly used pesticides are suspected carcinogens, and several are possible neurotoxins and endocrine disruptors.

14) Seafood – Some fish can contain mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Some experts say that FDA and EPA fish consumption limits, established to keep pregnant women and children safe‚ are too lax.

15) Bed linens – Toxic chemicals that resist flames, water, moths, stains, and wrinkles are sometimes added to textiles like bedclothes. Labels like "permanent-press‚" "no-iron‚" "water repellent‚" and "flame retardant‚" may indicate fabric treatments that off-gas chemicals like formaldehyde and perfluorochemicas (PFCs).

16) Mattresses – Federal laws require mattresses to be fire resistant, so many manufacturers treat the mattress foam with flame-retardant chemicals. The most dangerous are polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)‚ which some manufacturers are phasing out voluntarily.

Need solutions or more details? Click here to go to Co-op America's Healthy Home Center to learn about SOLUTIONS for those 16 hazardous household products.

07 April 2008

Seattle Green Festival

seattle08.jpg
WHEN:
The weekend of April 12 - 13
WHERE: Washington State Convention & Trade Center, 800 Convention Place, Seattle, WA
WHAT: A two-day celebration of all things green: organics, recycling, renewable energy, Fair Trade, sweatshop-free clothing, socially/environmentally
responsible investing, energy efficiency, nontoxic products, progressive
speakers, and much more.

Visit http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/view/767/390/ for more information or click on the icon above.

All main-stage speakers will be ASL-interpreted, including Frances Moore Lappe, Jim Hightower, Eric Liu, Summer Rayne Oakes, Amy Goodman, and more.

Thanks, Andrew, for sharing!
contact Andrew at andrew @ coopamerica.org for further information.

06 April 2008

Drive Thru Activism: Pre-Fab E-mails

Do we have time to type emails to countless owners and managers about the importance of conserving resources? 

Here's a quick way to do this! The 11th Hour - Leo DiCaprio's site has a list of pre-fab letters you can copy. (At the website, be sure to click on: "What Can I Do?") Then you'll see this:

Just like a Drive Thru for fast food, but instead a Drive Thru for fast activism!

Now, what about the amount of magazines, newsletters, brochures and letters you receive from your college/university?  

I copied, pasted and edited the pre-fab letter from above and sent an e-mail off to the editors/writers of Gallaudet Today newsletter, see below.  Send yours off today! :)

--------------
Dear Gallaudet University Public Relations Office,

I am a proud Gallaudet Alumni, and it pains me to receive your Gallaudet Today newsletter in my mailbox today. Not only that, I receive many other things from you such as the Gallaudet magazine, brochures, a variety of letters from the Registrar's office and so on.

In the US alone, 95% of the old forests are gone. The average American uses over 700 pounds of paper each year and more than 90% of printing/writing paper made in the US comes from virgin tree fiber. Not only is deforestation causing a loss of biological diversity on an unprecedented scale, it's causing us to lose between 50-100 species each day. In addition, we lose the essential benefits healthy forests provide--they filter polluted water, remove air pollution, sequester carbon and provide homes for wildlife.

Cutting down the number of letters and brochures you print will also save you in production, energy, and transportation costs. Online versions should be offered over printed versions, don't you think? I am still very interested in keeping up to date about Gallaudet, however I'd be happier browsing online. So, please remove my name from your mailing list and add me to your email list. It would be a great way to save money for Gallaudet!

With thanks,
Raychelle
[Exact name/address as printed on label]

05 April 2008

Leo DiCaprio's The 11th Hour DVD on Sale April 8th



From the 11th Hour website, a synopsis of the movie:

Drought. Famine. Severe flooding. Record rainfall. Hurricanes. Acid rain. The highest average temperatures in recorded history. Catastrophe is reported on the nightly news as isolated incidents. But are these incidents isolated, or pieces of a larger global puzzle that could unlock humanity's future?

In the history of the planet, humanity's time on earth has been short but powerful. The human drive to ensure its own survival and quality of life has revolutionized industry, science, nutrition and medicine. But it has also effected unprecedented changes in the delicate balance that makes life on earth possible.

Shaped by oceans and rainforests that generate oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, govern climate, weather and temperature, the planet earth is under siege. The alchemy of natural greenhouse gases that enables life has been augmented with chemicals from tail pipes and smoke stacks. For every truckload of product produced, many more truckloads of waste are created. The oceans have been flooded with mercury, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals. The forests are disappearing, deserts are widening, the arctic sea ice is melting, the permafrost has begun to crack. The earth has grown warmer. Not since a meteor hit the planet 55 million years ago have so many forms of life gone extinct.

But are these changes to the earth permanent? Or are they puzzle pieces that, if connected, reveal a larger story that needs to be told; a human story that takes into account who we are and the state of our relationship to this planet, our only home. We are in an environmental age whether we like it or not.

Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, written and directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners. The 11th Hour is produced by Chuck Castleberry, Brian Gerber, Conners Petersen and DiCaprio. The 11th Hour describes the last moment when change is possible. The film explores how humanity has arrived at this moment; how we live, how we impact the earth's ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course. The film features dialogues with experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who present the facts and discuss the most important issues that face our planet.

Want to do something about this?  Check 11thHourAction.com

Want letter templates to send your dry cleaner, your schools, your gym/fitness center, your workplace, your grocery store in becoming Greener?  All pre-fabricated letters can be found when you click here and click "What Can I Do?"

04 April 2008

Ten Things You Should Never Buy Again


1.  Styrofoam cups
2.  Paper towels
3.  Bleached coffee filters
4.  Teak and mahogany
5.  Chemical pesticides and herbicides
6.  Conventional household cleaners
7.  Toys made with PVC plastic
8.  Plastic forks and spoons
9.  Farm raised salmon
10.  Rayon
(and 11.  Cling Wrap!)

Why?  Click here to go to Coop America's Top Ten List of Things You Should Never Buy Again to find out why!

02 April 2008

Spring Cleaning? Spring Green!


Spring cleaning your house? Here's some tips on how to do it as 'greenly' as possible.  Check the flyer from DC Public Works:


Click Here:  Spring Green!

Hat tip to Suzanne!

01 April 2008

Bottled Water vs. Tap Water



Drink your tap water... Or filter your tap water if you're not too sure about your tap water. Either option is way better than buying old tap water in plastic leaching bottles - YUCK!

Thanks, Mez for sending this our way!