Healthy skin and the environment-Guest Writer Susie Brillault-Bergen

Post by Susie Brillault-Bergen, licensed esthetician and a Dr. Hauschka educator
Healthy Skin Equals a Healthy Environment
By Susie Brillault-Bergen

We are part of nature’s web of life and our health and beauty is deeply interconnected with the health and beauty of our environment. While modern technology has brought many achievements, it has also flooded the world with a wide array of man-made chemicals and other pollutants that not only challenge our environment but our health as well. The food we choose to eat, as well as the products we use, will affect our health and quality of life. When choosing skin care products, we have to consider that everything we apply to our skin will most likely enter our body.
Unfortunately, most mainstream cosmetic products are compromised with mineral oils, synthetic preservatives and other highly processed and contaminated ingredients that are not skin-friendly nurturing, rejuvenating or healing. Over time, as the skin tries to cope with these foreign substances, it becomes overburdened and weak. As a result the skin becomes more susceptible to damage by free radicals, dryness and sensitivities – as well as a host of other problems – all of which may affect our health and accelerate the aging process.
We have only one body – it makes sense to care for it wisely. With today’s numerous environmental challenges affecting the health and beauty of our environment as well as our personal health and beauty, it is very important to select the products we use carefully. By shopping for high quality skin care products made with organic ingredients, this will ensure that you receive wholesome care that is good for your body, your skin and the environment.
For skin care ingredients to be labeled organic, they have to follow the same rules that foods do. These rules require manufacturers to avoid using prohibited pesticides and fertilizers, and employ positive soil building, conservation, manure management, and crop rotation practices.
Organic products aim to exclude or minimize any ingredients that could be considered potentially harmful to people, animals, waterways, or the environment.
Also, organic products are often sold in recyclable containers – another reason to select your products carefully. If more people buy organic skin care products, then more companies will begin to supply them…and the better off our skin and the environment will be. Here’s to your healthy skin!

SD rated one of the most UNDER valued RE markets nationwide

Interesting article from the Union Tribune. the Tribune has routinely bashed the real estate market in SD and now they publish a study saying SD is one of the most UNDERVALUED markets in the country.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080905-9999-1b5housing.html

h2O thoughts..

If I said take 1 bite out of a pizza and throw the rest in the garbage you might look at me funny. However, that example is an all too real comparison to how we use and waste water. Our water is a finite resource-hybrid cars are great and I am all for alternative energy research,funding, attention, etc but water is our biggest issue.
The site www.h2ouse.org is great resource for understanding water use and water waste. Very cool, easy to understand, simple and effective. Thought I would pass it along since the wtaer issue is one we all face and one we have the most control over.
Thanks..jim

solar lily pads..

i thought this was an interesting take on solar power and not using land for the panels. not sure what I think of taking up water space to get it done, but nontheless an ingenious idea. those crazy europeans..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7390663.stm

ecoLife Consulting launches

I am please to announce the fromal launch of our new consulting business, ecoLife Consulting. Check it out at: www.ecolifeconsulting.com

Recycle bank

this might be the coolest thing i have seen in a while. this compnay, recycle bank, will pay you to recycle. they give you a recycle container, put a bar code on it and you earn $$ based on how much you recycle. They come and pick up your stuff too. it’s only available in penn, nj, and a few other places. you CAN petition them to come to your area, so please check this out and fill in SD. this would be awesome to have here. what a cool concept..
http://www.recyclebank.com/home.cfm

metal kanteens

metal kanteens
like a lot of people, i drink a ton of water everyday. recently i bought a klen kanteen (see below) and now bring it to work everyday instead of buying plastic bottles of water. for what it’s worth, here’s my perfect storm of why I switched:
1- bottled water takes on average 7 gallons of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water. what a waste.
2-bottled water is usually bottled tap water and no different than tap water. imagine that the Dasani you’re drinking right now was bottled from brooklyn tap water. delicious.
3-plastic leaches. you drink it and it get to have all of those chemicals go into your body.
*let’s not forget that filtered water from your fridge or sink is FREE and doesn’t create a market for waste (plastics industry). I am not a plastics nazi, but clearly in my humble opinion my metal canteen works for me. the bonus is that carrying the canteen around makes me feel like i’m going camping. always a good thing…jim

http://www.kleankanteen.com/

french fry run off in your gas tank?

my friend Matt runs an entire business based on converting old mercedes (think pre 1984) diesels into be able to run on biofuels. The idea being that by taking the old french fry oil from macdonalds, or any other veggie oil, you can run a car on it and forget about paying for gas forever. when he first got started in this I thoguth he was crazy, not for the idea-I just had a hard time believing anyone would pay for a converted old mercedes to run on veggie oil. Like my gut feeling on this years super Bowl- I was completely wrong. Not only was he getting customers, he actually had a backlog of people waiting for cars!
check out the link below, it gives some of the other things to consider about running your car on biofuels. As the song says, ‘it’s not always rainbows and butterflys, it’s compromise that moves us along..” I still think it’s a good idea, but it is worth knowing some of the negatives..
http://www.plentymag.com/features/2008/03/the_green_fiend_biofuel.php

CNN reports-best time to buy a house in 4 years

check this out, it’s true, best time to buy a house in a while:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/04/real_estate/markets_les_overvalued/index.htm?section=money_topstories

virgin airlines tests bio fuel jet

Virgin Airlines test flew a biofule jumbo jet yesterday. amazing..
http://www.wbcsd.org/plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?type=DocDet&ObjectId=Mjg2NDY