Giving Up My Car Was Best Decision Ever

By Chris Hrubesh, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Chris Hrubesh says trading his car for a bike was one of the best decisions he's ever made
• Hrubesh gets around Atlanta by cycling and taking public transport
• He estimates he saves between $300 and $500 per month by not owning a car

Read the full CNN article here

Going Green: Deaf Kids Share Ideas on How to Reduce Our Carbon Footprint

Going Green! was the theme of an annual contest hosted by Gallaudet's Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. Over 645 entries were submitted from all over the USA and Canada from deaf and hard of hearing children and this online magazine shows their essay, art and photos of their ASL video submissions.

Hosting a Green contest means they need to walk their talk. And they did! They used soy ink and paper from sustainably managed forests that conserve biodiversity... they plant over 650 million new trees per year to keep forests thriving.... You go, Gallaudet!

Some snapshots of the winners below. Go see the full magazine yourself at this link. Enjoy- these Green deaf kids are our future!

Book Review: Skinny Bitch

The book Skinny Bitch covers the convincing reasons in starting and maintaining the vegan lifestyle with tons of animal rights information included. Skinny Bitch has the radical tone in its prose so it may not be for the people with language sensitivity.

Read Skinny Bitch Review

Join Skinny Bitch group on Facebook

Thank you Katherine for sharing this book with EcoDeaf.

Climategate??

Remember the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of Richard Nixon from the White House seat during the 1970s? Now, due to the leak of e-mails from the University of East Anglia, some people are saying similar things about lies, frauds, and selfish motivations behind Global Warming. Is Global Warming real? Are certain scientists pushing the Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) myth?

Read the articles:

1) Science, facts, fraud, and "Climategate" written by Edmond Jenks

and

2) Climategate? What Climategate? written by John Fund.

Edmond Jenks believes that certain affluent scientists, politicians, and people of interests are involved in the scandal by saying Global Warming is real while it is not at all. John Fund investigated there might be a worldwide conspiracy going on under our nose to exaggerate the effects of Global Warming. Countless of news articles on Climategate are emerging and the Climategate debate is not going away anytime soon.

The question is Global Warming real? Perhaps instead of debating about whether Global Warming is real or a stack of myths, shouldn't we all share responsibilities in reducing our environmental impacts as much as we can?

Share comments and discuss!

Less Waste to Zero Waste

New York Times, October 20, 2009

At Yellowstone National Park, the clear soda cups and white utensils are not your typical cafe-counter garbage. Made of plant-based plastics, they dissolve magically when heated for more than a few minutes.

Multimedia

Slide Show

Zero Waste

Graphic

Brimming Landfills

At Ecco, a popular restaurant in Atlanta, waiters no longer scrape food scraps into the trash bin. Uneaten morsels are dumped into five-gallon pails and taken to a compost heap out back.

And at eight of its North American plants, Honda is recycling so diligently that the factories have gotten rid of their trash Dumpsters altogether.

Across the nation, an antigarbage strategy known as “zero waste” is moving from the fringes to the mainstream, taking hold in school cafeterias, national parks, restaurants, stadiums and corporations.

The movement is simple in concept if not always in execution: Produce less waste. Shun polystyrene foam containers or any other packaging that is not biodegradable. Recycle or compost whatever you can.

Though born of idealism, the zero-waste philosophy is now propelled by sobering realities, like the growing difficulty of securing permits for new landfills and an awareness that organic decay in landfills releases methane that helps warm the earth’s atmosphere.

“Nobody wants a landfill sited anywhere near them, including in rural areas,” said Jon D. Johnston, a materials management branch chief for the Environmental Protection Agencywho is helping to lead the zero-waste movement in the Southeast. “We’ve come to this realization that landfill is valuable and we can’t bury things that don’t need to be buried.”

For the full article, click here.

News: Mexico City bans stores from distributing plastic bags

Story Highlights

• Mexico City is Western Hemisphere's second large metro area to ban the bags
  
• Move comes as leading environmentalists call for global ban
  
• U.N. agency: Plastic bags are second-most common form of litter
  
• Bags a major threat to ocean wildlife, U.N. agency says

Read the article here

Anthony's comment:

I remember reading an article about the city of San Fransisco banning the distribution of plastic bags few years ago. I was delighted to hear that news. I was hoping that more American cities would follow San Fransisco's anti-plastic bag model but apparently not as far as I know. Reading the article about Mexico City made me happy that more foreign cities are adopting the similar policy and encouraging their stores to distribute only bio-degradable bags. Encourage your American stores to ban regular plastic bags and start distributing bio-degradable bags. We can do it!

Thank you, CNN, for sharing the news.

Willia May Wille on Bananas

Willia May Wille refers to Tonya Zavasta's book "BEAUTIFUL ON RAW, unCOOKED CREATIONS" and discusses the benefits of bananas. She also shares a smoothie recipe at the end.

FRUIT FOR THIS MONTH: BANANAS

Tonya Zavasta wrote in her book: BEAUTIFUL ON RAW, unCOOKED CREATIONS about bananas.

Bananas probably originated in Malaysia some 4,000 years ago. The army of Alexander the Great found them in India as early as 327 B.C. Arabian traders took them to Africa, where the Portuguese discovered them in the 15th century. Bananas appeared in seacoast towns of the United States in the 19th century. Until refrigeration was available, they could not be transported inland.

Dr. Douglas N. Graham, author of Nutrition and Athletic Performance and a consultant to professional athletes, considers bananas to be one of the world's finest foods for providing energy. The carbohydrates in bananas are of both simple and complex forms. The complex carbohydrate yields its fuel slowly, thus providing a lasting energy source. He believes that "there is no fruit which will encourage the muscles to refuel themselves more rapidly than bananas." For athletes, his recommendation is ten to fifteen bananas per day. Dr. Graham is so enthusiastic about bananas that each time I re-read his book I start including more bananas in my diet; however, I never was able to eat more than two per day.

Bananas are rich in potassium, which aids in cardiovascular health and helps to promote bone health. Potassium may counteract the increased urinary calcium loss caused by the usually high salt content in the American diet. Slowing calcium loss can slow the rate that bones thin and weaken.

Bananas can replenish the body's stores of potassium, one of the most important electrolytes, which helps regulate heart function as well as fluid balance after a bout of diarrhea.

Bananas contains vitamin C, one of the strongest defenses against many forms of cancer, including lung, pancreatic, cervical, breast, bladder and stomach. They provide about two grams of cholesterol-reducing fiber. Bananas are nearly perfect. Try to buy organic in the health food stores and eat them only when there are covered with dark spots, an indication that they are fully ripe.

RECIPE with BANANAS:

SMOOTHIE: SCARY CHERRY from the book: HOW WE ALL WENT RAW by THE TOP RAW MEN, CHARLES NUNGESSER and STEPHEN MALACHI

In a blender, add:
2 bananas
1 cup apple juice
1 cup cherries, pitted
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 vanilla bean
Blend until smooth

Book Review: The Four Agreements

A book recommendation by Diana, a regular EcoDeaf contributor.

I came across this website Miguelruiz.com page and thought of sharing this. While you might have read this book, "The Four Agreements," I find this a great reminder that we're THE Director of our own life. Aren't we? See below.

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don't Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

Everything we do is based on agreements we have made - agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, with life. But the most important agreements are the ones we make with ourselves. In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible. One single agreement is not such a problem, but we have many agreements that come from fear, deplete our energy, and diminish our self-worth."
"In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible."

In this powerful book that has remained on The New York Times Bestseller List for over eight years, don Miguel reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. When we are ready to change these agreements, there are four deceptively simple, yet powerful agreements that we can adopt as guiding principles. The Four Agreements® offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

Go to the nearest library or a used book store to pick up a copy of Four Agreement written by don Miquel.

EcoNews: The Carbon Footprint Of Spam

"It appears that even e-mail spammers have a carbon footprint.

According to a new study, spammers are not only pests to e-mail inboxes, they are also massive energy hogs.

Spammers produced 62 trillion junk e-mails in 2008, which translated into enough energy to power 2.4 million US homes for a year or the same GHG emissions as 3.1 million passenger cars using 2 billion gallons of gasoline, according to researchers from computer security firm McAfee Inc and climate-change researchers ICF..." Read the full article here

Thank you, Red Orbit.com, for sharing the article.
Much Eco-preciated!

Bringing Back the Garden

Fall 2008
Panna.org

During World War II, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at the urging of Eleanor Roosevelt, encouraged citizens to plant “Victory Gardens” around their homes and neighbors cooperated to turn vacant lots into community cropland. In 1943, 20 million U.S. gardeners produced eight million tons of food. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park became the home to 250 gardens producing fresh, local food for city residents.
Read more here

The White House Garden

WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of the South Lawn on Friday to plant a vegetable garden, the first at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets — the president does not like them — but arugula will make the cut. Read more here

Thank you New York Times for sharing the wonderful article and picture.
Much Eco-preciated!

EcoNews: Reusing Plastic Bottles to Build a Sailboat

Brandon Griggs and Jeff King from CNN explain how a sailboat will be made from recycled plastic bottles and that the boat will sail for the journey of 11,000 miles.

"Boat, the Plastiki, will be
a symbol of how consumer waste can be repurposed."

For further reading, click for the article here
(Thank you CNN for sharing the EcoNews)

Willia May Wille, with excerpts from Tonya Zavasta's book

Willia May Wille responds to Tonya Zavasta's book, "Quantum Eating: The Exilir of Youth," specifically the chapter on Oxygen. She uses this book to make connections between oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.

OXYGEN and HYDROGEN PEROXIDE:

In the book called QUANTUM EATING: THE ULTIMATE EXILIR OF YOUTH written by Tonya Zavasta, there is an excellent chapter about OXYGEN explaining the importance of deep breathing that boosts the immune system. We need oxygen to live. Many microorganisms are killed instantly if exposed to oxygen. Almost all bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite, mycoplasmas and microbes are either anaerobic or at some point anaerobic. Oxygen can selectively attack diseased cells because these cells have damaged or non-existing antioxidant protection. By regulating your metabolism, breathing exercises will improve your health and help you achieve your ideal weight. You can actually lose weight simply by doing breathing exercises. Dr. Sheldon Hendler, MD, Medical Researcher Cell Oxygenation, Author of the Oxygen Breakthrough stated: "Oxygenation through deep breathing boosts the immune system and can rid the body of chronic illnesses. "

Another way to get more oxygen into your body is with HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. Hydrogen peroxide is found everywhere in nature because it falls to earth in the form of rainwater. After a good thunderstorm, you get out and it looks as though everything has grown an inch. Everything is alive, green and clean. What's happened? All the vegetation just received a high dose of nature's oxygen and peroxide that aids growth almost visibly. Rain is formed high up in the atmosphere, within an ozone-oxygen-rich atmosphere. The low concentration proxide formed up there then goes into our ground water. The roots of plants and trees reach down into our ground water and take up the peroxide. Nature continues this cycle by delivering the cleansing, oxygenating and peroxide to us.

Hydrogen peroxide is simply a water molecule with an active singlet oxygen. That makes it an oxidizer of microbes and toxins when the active singlet oxygen breaks off and turns back into water. Peroxide is a clear, colorless liquid. Its smell is not that detectable, but it does give off a faint bleach-like odor. Almost velvety to the touch, it quickly becomes an irritant when used undiluted. Every cell in your body is manufacturing its own peroxide constantly. Peroxide is necessary for our immune systems. Our body uses hydrogen peroxide to fight infection, parasites, bacteria, viruses and yeast.

One of my readers sent me a list of the many advantages of hydrogen peroxide, from an article by a doctor's wife:
"I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little old bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1 at any drug store. My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide, or they would lose thousands of dollars." The article continues:

1. Fill the little white cap from the bottle and use it as a mouthwash. No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. (Tonya's note: If you have amalgam fillings you should not do this!)
2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of "Peroxide" to keep them free of germs.
3. I had fungus on my feet for years - until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes every night and let dry.)
4. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to 10 minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine, but was healed by soaking in peroxide.
5. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.
6. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, or plugged sinuses. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes then blow your nose into a tissue.
7. For natural-looking hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages, but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually so it is not a drastic change.

Tonya further wrote: "Bathing in a tub full of water and hydrogen peroxide is highly effective. The general rule for bathing in peroxide is one pint of 35-percent food-grade hydrogen peroxide into your bath. The heat in the bathtub water opens the pores in the skin and enables blood vessels below the skin to absorb the peroxide, cleansing them in the process. I love my hyrogen peroxide baths!"

Excerpts from "The Essene Gospel of Peace"

Willia May Wille responds to excerpts from "The Essene Gospel of Peace" by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely (Editor & Translator), making connections to the raw food lifestyle.

From a book called: THE ESSENE GOSPEL OF PEACE let us read:

"For no man can serve two masters. For either he serves Beelzebub (= Satan) and his devils or else he serves our Earthly Mother and her angels. Either he serves death or he serves life. I tell you truly, happy are those that do the laws of life and wander not upon the paths of death. For in them the forces of life wax strong and they escape the plaques of death."

Another paragraph from this same books states:

"But I say to you: Kill neither men, nor beasts, nor yet the food which goes into your mouth. For if you eat living food, the same will quicken you, but if you kill your food, the dead food will kill you also. For life comes only from life, and from death comes always death. For everything which kills your bodies kills your souls also. And your bodies become what your foods are, even as your spirits, likewise, become what your thoughts are. Therefore, eat not anything which fire, or frost, or water has destroyed.  For burned, frozen and rotted foods will burn, freeze and rot your body also. Be not like the foolish husbandman who sowed in his ground cooked and frozen, and rotten seeds."

May's Message:

I realize that it does not pay to serve two masters - either you serve God by feeding your body, mind and spirit with pure, living and raw food or you serve Satan by eating cooked food, meat or fish (killed animals or killed fish.)

The choice is yours to serve God or Satan and I will not stop you. However, if you really want peace in our life and on our Earth, the obvious way is to serve God and to stop killing yourself with meat, fish, dairy products and cooked food.

Because we come from ten thousands of generations living on meat, fish and cooked food, each of us were born with an addiction to these foods. It is hard to give up cooked food and meat. It needs a lot of courage to opt for raw foods. Therefore I would be happy to give you support on your transition to raw foods.

From my personal experience, I learned that you cannot serve both God or Satan. Many of you think it is OK to sit between the two by eating raw and cooked food. This way you would still be confused in life and delaying the process of complete healing of your spirit, mind and body.

Please remember that there is more and more information out there in the world on raw foods.

Hand-Build an Earth Sheltered House For $5,000

Written by Susan Kraemer

"Total expenditure? $5,000. Tools? A chisel, a chainsaw and a hammer. Building expertise?"

Simon Dale says:

“My experience is only having a go at one similar house 2yrs before and a bit of mucking around in-between. This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverance and a mate or two to give a lift now and again.”

Want to see more pictures and read the article
on how Simon Dale built the low impact homemade house?
Click here

EcoDeaf in NADmag!

(click on photos to enlarge/to read)

p.s. Although this issue came out July/August, as a green NAD member, I specifically requested that I receive no paper mailings from NAD.  This morning, I found this magazine in my roomate's stash and finally read it for myself!  This article put a big smile on my face! Kudos to Elizabeth Sorkin and her wonderful writing, and Jessica Thurber for the awesome green design!

p.s.s. The first photo of Summer, myself and Shira was taken at an organic fast food restaurant called O'Naturals in Portland, Maine. We loved their organic wraps and soup!  Fast food and organics need not be oxymorons :)  That very same day, after filling ourselves with wonderful organic foods and hiking around Mackworth Island, the home of Governor Baxter School for the Deaf and one of the nation's best bird watching sites, EcoDeaf was born!

p.s.s. The second photo is of Summer Crider holding up the EcoDeaf mast at the Polar Bear plunge last year - click here to go to the photos and vlogs from last year, and to learn about the upcoming Polar Bear plunge on January 10th!

Happy Tofurkey Day for Vegans/Vegetarians!
(Picture retrieved from: http://www.tofurky.com )

Top Green Thanksgiving Day Tips

1. Know your guests
For most families, tradition sets the precedent for who shares the Thanksgiving meal and a clever Evite can set the tone for a truly special event.  Make sure you determine any special food needs your guests might have. Are they vegan? Vegetarian? Pescetarian? Do they have food allergies? Timeline: Two weeks out.

2. Plan your meal
Write down your selections, then make a shopping list, separating it into items that you can shop for in advance, and those you need to buy the day before. If you want a heritage and/or organic turkey, make sure you get your order in before they sell out. Timeline: Two weeks out.

3. Shop for your staples and non-perishable items
Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to hit up your local farmers' market for organic, locally-sourced produce. Since these traditional recipes typically rely on food that's in season, you can pretty much find everything you need in the way of root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams) as well as specialty items like honey or even beeswax candles to adorn your table. Timeline: One week out.

4. Clean house
Using non-toxic cleaners can make your house sparkle without chemicals. Run out of sink or tub scrub? Mix up some baking soda and water (here's a recipe we like). Wondering how to get your windows squeaky clean? Try vinegar and newspaper.  Timeline: The day before.

5. Decorate lightly
Eschew the traditional wreath in favor of one made from living, organically grown succulents and cacti. Recycle old wrapping paper or the funny pages and cut them into snowflakes to put in the window or hang from thread over your table. Make your table arrangements from organic flowers, or collect bouquets from your yard or neighborhood (adding herbs like rosemary and lavender make for gorgeous, fragrant bouquets).  Timeline: The day before.

Curiosity piqued?  For the remaining 5 tips, including the Big Day, click here!  

Source: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/thanksgiving-day/thanksgiving-day-tips.html

EcoDeaf's Suggestion:
Google to find more Go Green Tips
for Thanksgiving day.
Enjoy! Have fun! Be Safe!
Namaste!

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

A diet with meat is responsible for producing in a year the same amount of greenhouse gases as driving a mid-sized car 4,758 kilometres (2,956 miles).

But the food a vegetarian consumes in 12 months is responsible for generating the same emissions as driving 2,427 kilometres.

The calculations are based on emissions of greenhouse gases, including methane produced by the animals themselves, as well as emissions from food production including manufacturing feed and fertiliser and the use of farmland.

Going vegan -- giving up meat and dairy products -- would cut the emissions released in making what you eat more than seven-fold, to the equivalent of driving 629 kilometres.

And if it is all organic, your food footprint is almost a 17th of that of a meat-eater -- the equivalent of driving 281 kilometres.

Switching to organic farming can cut emissions dramatically, "but what counts is the way we feed ourselves ... production and consumption first and foremost of beef and milk must be cut drastically," the study said.

Click here to go to the full article

For the picture, go here

Hat tip to Berman!

Waste Not, Want Not

Jennifer Henry, a deaf blogger in West Virginia shares tips and advice on how to shed the current label of the "throw-away generation" and return to our grandma's generation of "waste not, want not generation".

Read her Waste Not, Want Not online article starting on page 14 on a new & awesomely cool magazine, Kiss-Fist, created and assembled together with Deaf and CODA contributors!

Also do visit Jennifer's blog which covers topics from surprise turtle visitors and hissy fits over tinkerbell sheets.... curiosity piqued yet?  :)

Hat tip to Raylene!

Earth-friendly Weddings

If you try to live the green life, why stop on your wedding day?

                                             

Or - if you want to start living the green life, but not sure when or how to start, start on your wedding day!

EcoDeaf reader Anthony, shares the link to an article that has some hints, insights, and weblinks on how to make weddings go greener, too.

The Buffalo News
Life
Monday, July 21, 2008

Planning an Earth-friendly wedding
By Jane Kwiatkowski

image credit: http://z.about.com/d/weddings/1/0/S/4/RohdiumfingerprintWeddingBands.jpg