Cleansing Blog

One of the (many) reasons I like to roast an Organic Prairie chicken or pork loin is the freedom it gives me to concentrate on the rest of the meal. Once the meat is in the oven, I can turn my attention to the go-withs. Here’s one favorite fall/winter side dish for roasts that makes a meal feel like a special occasion. (It can also be served as a main course.)

Recipes

A new company called Sapphire Energy claims that it has developed a process for turning algae into crude oil, which can then be used to make fuel for automobiles or even jets.

According to Sapphire CEO Jason Pyle, the green-colored crude oil is chemically equivalent to the fossil fuel version and could be processed into fuel at any refinery. Production costs are equivalent to those of extracting the petroleum from oil sands or deep-water reserves. Pyle says that the company has already produced diesel, jet fuel and premium-grade gasoline from its crude.

In addition to algae and sunlight, the oil manufacturing process requires non-potable water and carbon dioxide. Because the process takes carbon dioxide out of the air, this could hypothetically balance out the carbon dioxide that would be emitted when the biofuel is burned. Pyle says that the new fuel could reduce U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum and enable consumption to continue at modern rates even as global oil supplies dwindle. Finally, in contrast with other biofuels, algae does not compete with food crops for land.

Don Anair, vehicles analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, called Sapphire’s project encouraging but refrained from giving it his endorsement until he could see how much greenhouse gas is emitted throughout the entire production-combustion process.

In addition, Anair said, “Changing to this green crude could certainly have very good benefits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, but it may not address some of the traditional tailpipe pollutants that are responsible for smog or ozone.”

According to Pyle, the algae fuel should pollute less than traditional gasoline because it does not contain either nitrogen or sulfur, which combine with oxygen to form common pollutants such as smog. But Anair noted that all fuels are exposed to nitrogen from the air during combustion.

Sapphire hopes to have its fuels commercially available in three years, with full-scale production in five.

going green

A Wyoming Company called KL Process Design Group has branched out from making corn ethanol and has built a small factory to making the fuel from pine waste instead.

“We’re still learning and tweaking, and hoping for a little bit of capital infusion,” said KL Vice President Tom Slunecka.

The company, which aims to begin commercial sales from the factory by the end of the year, is only one of many in the burgeoning biofuel-from-waste industry. Encouraged by high oil prices, government incentives and a flood of venture capital, at least 28 small factories are now in operation, under construction or in advanced planning.

Motor fuels can be made, in theory, from any material that contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Sources now being used vary widely, from plant-based sources such as trees or algae to outright garbage. One company in Nevada, for example, is starting construction this year on a factory that aims to make 10.5 million gallons of ethanol per year from 90,000 tons of municipal waste, while Los Angeles County has approved a plan for a similar factory next to a Lancaster, Calif. landfill. A company in Montreal plans to make fuel out of electric poles contaminated with arsenic.

The incentive is certainly there, with the U.S. government offering subsidies of up to $1 per gallon for non-corn biofuel, and large startup grants to meet a congressional mandate to make 18 billion gallons of biofuel from non-corn sources by 2022.

While some companies say that production is imminent, other observers are skeptical.

“I personally think it’s not there yet,” said Steven Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “You have to look at starts with a grain of salt, especially starts where they say, ‘It’s around the corner, and by the way, can you pay half the bill?’ “

going green

The western world has purposely been misled, intimidated and hypnotized by fear from nearly all established institutions of civilization. The best way to wire an individual’s brain for fear is to consistently state the exact same premise over and over again regardless of the veracity of such statements. As neuroscientists predict, individuals will unconsciously begin to believe such statements and the more often these ideas are reinforced, the stronger the hard wiring becomes.

We live in a semi-conscious state of terrorism where our minds have ostensibly been pre-programmed for fear. As history has consistently shown mankind, the best way to control a population is through the institutionalization of fear. Cancer, debt, disease, terrorism, sleeper cells, war, Al Qaeda, and death are just some of the key words promulgated throughout our daily lives, but how much of these are actually true threats deserving of our fear? Even better, how many of these fears are simply unfounded and misguided to keep us in an uncertain, apprehensive and controlled state of mind?

Transitioning from fear to truth marks an integral shift in the beginning of a revolution. Whether conscious or unconscious, this transformation marks the beginning of the inexorable zeitgeist where truth, knowledge and freedom become the founding principles of the new, emerging society. These changes will not occur overnight, but as western society begins to awaken to the inherent truth that fear is simply a technique to suppress the limitless potential of every human being, only then may we begin to become completely free. Releasing our fear as individuals allows us to take control of our destinies as well as facilitate in the transformation of the shifting revolution from the mindless greed of the majority to the love of the conscious minority. Overtime, this fearless and valiant minority will garner more and more support as the shift of knowledge swings from fear to truth until the minority precipitously becomes the majority. In order to supplant the rule of the incognizant majority, truthful knowledge must spread like wildfire across the earth.

We are free individuals by virtue of birth, yet much of our freedoms are lost through our inherent nature to conform to societal norms, from the unconscious, yet powerful and pervasive trends of socialization. We begin to look, act and model our lives around others. For it is fear of non-conforming that keeps the masses conforming. Presently, society is in the midst of an historical change, one where individuals will be defined by what they do for their fellow earthlings instead of what they physically possess. The facade of the material world is rightfully dissolving at an alarming rate only to make way for the emerging revolution of unending personal freedom, wellness, love, knowledge and truthfulness.

A revolution is an uprising of individuals who believe that enough of their rights have been suppressed, ignored and completely hijacked at the expense of those wanting to keep the status quo. When we break free of our fears, we are truly open to experience our true purpose: to live a passionate, happy and loving life. It is time we begin to take back our freedoms through knowledge and awareness because simply put, we are the ones we have been waiting for. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day”.

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While green has definitely hit the mainstream, the carefully screened vendors at the Green Festival still generally skew to the hemp-and-earth-tones set. But I’m a hip, urban kind of girl. I like sass with my sustainability. So I was excited to discover some companies this year who both produce my kind of goods and meet Co-op America’s strict standards for social and environmental responsibility. Here were some of my favorites:

Knoend’s Lite2go

Packaging. If there was one thing I could get rid of, it’s all that plastic and styrofoam and even excess cardboard that envelops the things I buy. Knoend’s Lite2go solves that problem: The polypropylene package that the lamp comes in is actually the shade itself, which you unroll and snap together to create your brand-new light source. The only thing to toss is the wraparound paper label — and that can go into the recycling bin. The idea is so brilliant it won a Bronze International Design Excellence Award this year (co-sponsored by BusinessWeek and the Industrial Designers Society of America). Watch this cute video demonstrating the difference in unpacking a traditional lamp and the Lite2go.

Earthlust

First there were the Nalgene water bottles everyone lugged around, as if we were all at one giant campground. Then came the stainless steel bottles with that admittedly cool industrial look. Now, thanks to Allison Tryk at Earthlust, we can get a little style with our agua. Tryk’s stainless steel bottles say goodbye to metallic and hello to a variety of fun colors, from robin’s egg blue, to a rich brick red, to moss green. Plus, they’re decorated with sweet images of birds, feathers, flowers, and (my favorite) artfully rendered trees.

Bionade

Nothing says “Europe” like those giant Cinzano umbrellas clustered along wide Parisian boulevards. Which is how the bold primary-color graphics on Bionade’s bottles caught my attention. Bionade is a Bavarian company which makes organic soft drinks, using a secret fermentation process to produce its elderberry, lychee, herbal, and ginger and orange flavors. The ten-year-old beverages are already a hit in Europe, where they’re served at trendy bars and restaurants as well as at coffee shops and fast-food joints. Bionade is only now starting to make its way into the U.S. Plans to build a first-of-its-kind green production facility in Iowa mean they intend to stay.

Lulu’s Raw Chocolate Alchemy

Stroll among the Green Festival halls, and it won’t take long before someone offers you a tasty chocolate sample. Theo, Green & Black’s, Alter Eco Fair Trade — I love them all (especially Alter Eco’s “Dark Velvet” — thank goodness I had the presence of mind to pick up a couple bars). But what I really loved this year was Lulu’s Raw Chocolate Alchemy. This is no ordinary bar. In fact, it’s not a bar at all. Lulu’s chocolate, which is made with coconut oil, maca root, and agave nectar, comes in a four-ounce jar. Lulu features six flavors: Vanilla Rose, Lavender Blueberry, Velvet, Maca Nib Crunch, Cayenne Kiss, and Western Red Cedar, a surprising flavor that tastes like a bit of the forest right in your chocolate. Move over Ben & Jerry’s. I’ve just met my new scooping pleasure.

Pangea Organics

The seven-year-old southern California maker of personal care products first gained notice for their all-natural ingredients. Then they wowed the green world with their earth-friendly packaging. The boxes the bottles and jars come in are embedded with seeds you can plant in your backyard to grow sweet basil or flowering amaranth. And now their holiday gift boxes will grow you a spruce tree, if you’ve got the room. Pangea scored another green coup when they eliminated an entire layer of waste by skipping the paper and printing product labels directly onto their bottles.

LuLii’s Handwoven Designs

Bags, bags, bags. Some women collect shoes. I collect bags. Bags at the Green Festival are usually of the batik or Guatemalan-weave variety. But I need something sleeker for business meetings and swank dinners. Enter LuLii’s stylish bags. Napa-based Vivian Lyman, who is half Thai, works with a family-owned business in Southeast Asia to produce the shoulder bags from woven rattan in a variety of colors, from cherry red, to mustard yellow, to kaboch-squash orange.

going green

Tired of the old artificial tree vs. real tree debate? Or the reuse the old lights vs. send them to the landfill to make room for LEDs debate? Then…

>> Recycle your old, energy-hogging holiday lights — and get a coupon for 15% off new lights! HolidayLEDs.com’s Christmas Light Recycling program gives you an eco-nomical incentive to recycle. Just remember to ship your old lights as greenly as possible — and to include your email address in your package so HolidayLEDs.com can email you that 15% off coupon without killing trees.

>> Get a Cardboard Christmas Tree. Made of recycled corrugated cardboard, this tree stands 3 feet tall when assembled — and can be painted and decorated either with the assortment of cardboard ornaments that arrive with the tree, or with your own decorations. Cost: $19.95.

>>> Take action by signing up for the No Plastic Holiday Challenge. Organized by Amy Gates, a.k.a. the Crunchy Domestic Goddess, The No Plastic Holiday Challenge is simple: Try to de-plastic your holidays. Start now, and we’ll let slide the little bit of plastic used in the LED string lights.

Image via thecardboardtree.com

going green

Remember that old medical line about taking two aspirins and calling the doc in the morning?

Well, it seems that taking two aspirins could lead to far more trips to the doctor’s office than previously thought.

Aspirin — along with other over-the-counter drugs, including Tylenol, ibuprofin, and others — may not be the (nearly) harmless talismans that many of us believe.

Nowadays, before reaching for an aspirin or Tylenol to take care of a raging headache or an injured muscle, I ask myself if I really need them.

But I wasn’t always so hesitant.

If I stayed up too late, I’d pop an aspirin to avoid the next day’s potential headache. If I suspected that I’d caught a bug, I’d take a few tablets as a kind of preemptive strike.

I’d had too much to drink, my remedy was two Tylenols with two big glasses of water before going to sleep. I was convinced that a couple caplets could chase away even the worst hangover.

Then I learned that that many medical experts believe that the Food and Drug Administration would probably not approve trials of aspirin or acetaminophen today.

Apparently, while most of the 80 or so over-the-counter drugs are safe for general use, there is a risk of severe side effects — including gastrointestinal bleeding and liver and kidney failure. In fact, some believe that the FDA most likely wouldn’t approve these drugs today, even with a prescription.

In the past, the FDA issued a warning on the dangers of over-the-counter painkillers. They wanted the public to understand that OTC drugs can be far more hazardous than most of us realize.

Used appropriately, these drugs are essentially safe enough. The problem is that a lot of people exceed the maximum dosages, and overdoses kill a few hundred people each year.

The FDA has posted a helpful buying guide that includes information on deciphering labels, understanding drug interactions, information on childrens’ medications and taking over-the-counter drugs while pregnant or breastfeeding.

The bottom line: Hangovers and sore muscles are tolerable. Permanent damage to one’s liver or other organs is not.

Health News

A device that delivers two short magnetic pulses may help decrease the severity of migraines, according to a study conducted by researchers from Ohio State University-Columbus and presented at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society in Boston. The study was funded by NeuraLieve, manufacturer of the device.

Researchers studied 164 patients who suffer from migraine with aura, a specific type of migraine that is foreshadowed by certain sensory effects including tingling, numbness, or visual disturbances such as flashes of light or zigzags. The participants were instructed to hold a device, approximately the same size and weight as a hair dryer, to their heads and pull the trigger when they experienced an aura coming on. For half the participants, this was a sham device that did nothing. For the other half, it was a device that delivered a magnetic pulse known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Patients recorded the symptoms and intensity of their migraines, with follow-up entries at 30 minutes and one, two, 24 and 48 hours after that.

Two hours after aura onset, 39 percent of participants who used the TMS device reported being pain free, compared with only 22 percent of those in the placebo group.

“This is very significant,” said researcher Yousef Mohammad, who sits on the board of NeuraLieve. “This is a much better response than is achieved with any other method or medication that we have.”

Previous studies have found TMS to be effective when applied by health professionals, but the current study is the first to show that a TMS device can be effectively used by the patients themselves, such as in their own homes.

“I believe that TMS will become an important treatment option, particularly for migraine with aura sufferers who want to avoid medications,” said researcher Richard Lipton.

Researchers believe that TMS functions by suppressing the abnormal electrical brain activity that causes migraines.

Health News

’Tis the season for living rooms around the country to be covered in a sea of crumpled paper and tossed-aside bows. Yup, wrapping paper from holiday gifts is largely to blame for a 25 percent spike in waste generation between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, according to the EPA. (And if Grandpa’s just tossing everything into the fireplace, that’s even more harmful. Many inks and foils contain chemicals that are toxic when burned.)

What is the eco-minded gift-giver to do? Here are our favorite ways to give a thoughtfully wrapped present without taking more than your fair share of earth’s many gifts.

» Reusable shopping bags make an ingenious alternative to gift wrap, and these days they come in all manner of styles, from basic to uber-green to glam. The funky recycled Cambodian rice bags from Ecobags.com might be an even bigger hit than the gift inside. Check out the luminous drawstring gift sleeves by at Lyziwraps.com. Or if you’re a whiz with your Singer, whip up your own cloth tote bags or gift bags.

» Let surplus maps lead the way to sustainable wrapping. Reclaimed city maps, subway maps or topographical maps give your package a hip design. Not to mention, they’re educational.

» Add an LED lightbulb instead of a bow. This bright idea will help reduce your gift recipient’s carbon footprint (and electric bill).

» Say “silver bells” without leaving a metallic taste in your mouth. A different twist on recycled paper, recycled aluminum foil adds shiny happiness and closes the loop on recycling. Tie on some colorful raffia or hemp twine or the beguiling recycled silk sari yarn from Nearseanaturals.com to up the festive factor.

» Make the wrapping part of the gift. Containers make great no-frills packaging: A bucket or watering can is easy to fill with gardening supplies, and a mixing bowl or stockpot makes the perfect package for your favorite cook. And don’t forget soft wrapping paper alternatives that are also great gifts, like fair trade scarves, organic cotton baby blankets and beach towels or organic cotton bath towels. It’ll give the giftee a little hint as to what’s inside, but your creative wrapping will get years of use.

» Avoid sticky situations at your recycling facility by wrapping your gifts without conventional — often petroleum-based — tape. Not all curbside programs accept wrapping paper. But if yours does, it should be tape-free. Try opting out of tape by making tightly creased folds as you wrap, securing it by tying up the package tightly (in two directions) with natural twine or wool yarn that can be reused.

» Some of the best decorations for your gifts can be found in backyards, beaches and fields. Sprigs of berries, branches, shells and pinecones are naturally beautiful and don’t require any manufacturing at all… just a short hike. (Check with authorities before taking pinecones or other specimens from state or national forests or parks.)

» Banana fiber paper turns wasted bark from banana production into a decorative eco-wrapping option. Or opt for tree-less sources of paper, such as hemp wrap and 100 percent recycled paper printed with soy-based inks.

»Why spend a dime on wrapping when you already have what you need? Newspaper might have a reputation for saying “cheapskate,” so get a little creative. Use anything from paper bags to leftover wallpaper, and cut out images from magazines, comics, children’s drawings or old greeting cards to give your package artsy oomph.

going green

Last year around this time I wrote about making handmade gifts for the holidays (and even shared my recipe for Herbed Sea Salt), with the idea of saving money and getting back into the spirit of gift-giving. Little did I know that a year later, the idea of simplifying Christmas (both financially and spiritually) would be resonate even more strongly.

So once again, my husband and I will head for the kitchen to make many of our holiday gifts. The family certainly liked the sea salt-topped caramels that we gifted them with last year, packed into inexpensive white boxes from Michael’s, and tied with stretchy gold cord and a handwritten label. So this year, we’ll have to up the ante a little.

Making a food-related gift is wonderfully satisfying. It’s a chance to show your loved ones a little bit about your passions, whether it’s for wonderful local apples that you make into jars of applesauce, or your favorite herb-rubbed chicken, the recipe for which you include with a packet of your secret herb blend. I also found it so much more relaxing to spend an afternoon in the kitchen with my husband, rather than braving the traffic and crowds at my local mall. And from an environmental standpoint, I like the idea that instead of forcing all of the recipients to find room in their homes for more stuff, which they’re likely to throw away during their spring-cleaning purge, my gifts will be eaten and enjoyed, without adding to the world’s clutter and landfills.

To get you started on your own holiday gift-making, here are some ideas that might inspire you to channel your own Martha Stewart… or, better yet, the eco-minded Danny Seo:

1. Dessert toppings. Cook up a few batches of rich, chocolate dessert sauces and ladle them into pretty jars. Better Homes & Gardens has a luscious recipe for Hazelnut-Mocha Sauce. Your giftee can spoon it over her favorite ice cream, or a slice of angel food cake.
2. Mulling spices. Hit the bulk aisles of your local natural foods store and assemble the ingredients needed to make mulling spices. Layered into a cellophane cone, these make a pretty presentation.
3. Holiday Bagel Doggie Treats. Made with whole wheat flour, rye flour, chicken broth and honey, any pooch will love these chewy treats.
4. Coupon for a homemade meal. A new mom or an overextended family will appreciate the thoughtfulness behind an offer of a homemade meal delivered to them just when they need it most. You can do a cute presentation of a set of silverware (look for random pieces at thrift stores) wrapped in a napkin, with the coupon tied on with a pretty ribbon. Ask them to give you a few days’ notice, and be sure to check to see if they have any food allergies or other dietary restrictions.
5. Sea Salt Caramels. Sea salt caramels are one of the hottest food trends to hit the candy world. Take a page from my book and make up a big batch of these irresistible, salt-dusted caramels.

Recipes