thoughts on upcycling used clothing. . .

I am all for recycling. I recycle paper, plastics and other things but when it comes to recycling used clothing, or rather UPCYCLING used clothing, I sometimes have doubts. Yes, it helps the environment if you aren't using the chemicals and resources but the fact that those chemicals were used in the FIRST place is what bothers me. Aren't those same chemicals still in the fabric that is against your body? Why is it that people consider it a healthy alternative when the first time around it was on the not so good list.?
"Gee Honey, look at this! I made an adorable baby dress for our daughter and I made it completely out of old t-shirts. Isn't it wonderful?"
"Yeh, looks great " says honey bunch aloud but in his mind he is thinking. . .'maybe those were Ted Johnson's old t-shirts that he wore to the gym and sweat on everyday. Sweat rolled off of him as he strained to lift the 250 lb. weights and he simply dripped with sweat as he ran the marathon last month.' hmmmm. . . . ." It's real cute dear."
I guess what I am saying is that the harmful dyes are still there and it is still the cotton that was grown using hazardous chemicals and fertilizers that leached into the water supply. I don't know that I would consider the little advantage of reusing it to be such a great advantage in the whole scheme of things. What do you think?

Thoughts on BP oil leak

You know? I have been rather speechless lately, as you can tell by my lack of any new blog posts. This whole BP oil leak and the absolutely huge mess it has caused and all because they had no shut off valve. Doesn't anyone in any kind of business have to have planned for every angle and contingency? How about small store owners having to pay large sums for insurance just in case on the rare moment, someone trips and falls in their store and blames it on them? I mean, everyone hopes the best scenario will be the one to play out but don't we all have to consider the other alternatives? Why is it that huge companies such as BP can bypass all of this and the US just slaps them on the back and says "It's O-K, we'll try again someplace else."

Now they are working on the next big try to stop the leak. Actually it is taking them a little time because they have asked people to start chewing gum for them and it takes a lot of chewing gum to plug that hole. . .

Will The Sky Still Be Blue ?

There are no words to describe the terrible loss to the planet when the oceans die. This beautiful blue planet that we call home is a gift to us. We have done nothing but abuse it in every way possible and even as it begs for us to change our ways, we turn a blind eye and continue on as before as if nothing matters. What an extremely egotistic and self centered group humankind has turned out to be. In a way, we deserve everything that is coming to us and more. I only feel bad that the earth has to suffer as well.
This whole thing with the BP oil leak is just the icing on the cake as far as I am concerned. I don't know what is worse, the fact that we are continually fed a lot of lies and total bull--- or the fact that people continue to believe it.

When the oceans are totally lifeless, will the sky still reflect blue?

Get Used to This Scene

Get Used to This Scene

Posted using ShareThis

Codex Conference - Institute for Responsible Technology

Codex Conference - Institute for Responsible Technology

I have just been notified of this terrible news. The US wants to put into action a new rule that would make it illegal for anyone in the ENTIRE WORLD to label foods as GMO or GMO free. This is a severe mistake and an infringement on everyone's right to know. I urge everyone to ban together and stop this from happening. Please click on the link and sign the pettition TODAY.

Acceptance

I think in one way or another, we all live our lives trying to prove we exist. When we speak to someone, we expect an answer or comment in return, proof that we were heard and our thoughts acknowledged. When we create something beautiful, we like to show it around, not that we need praise exactly,but what we have done or what we have accomplished to be noticed. Even if we have love and, in a sense, acknowledgement from one other individual, this is enough for us to feel that we have existed here on this plane.
How sad it is for those who speak and are unheard, those who beg to be noticed and are ignored. It is such a simple thing to acknowledge someone's presence with a word or two and even a smile, yet it is so often the one thing that is the most difficult to do.

Earth day or let's ease the guilt day?

Earth Day 2010. i was just sitting here and reading all the updates on what is happening in the world, things such as the devastating decrease in the grey whale population, the huge loss of the Monarch butterflies and what that will mean for the pollination of our food, the huge plastic garbage dump we call the ocean. . . . it goes on and on. These are terrible huge things that are happening. Then I realized it was Earth Day and I googled that to see what was being done.I still can't believe the total sense of priorities, or rather total lack of priorities on the human population as a whole. All these huge global changes are taking place all around us and we are being told to cut back on our use of hot water, use energy efficient light bulbs, reuse and recycle and try to ride a bike or walk instead of drive once in awhile. IS THAT IT ??? Seriously, is that all humankind is willing to do? To think that so many people consider this little bit of effort to be difficult and even a sacrifice. The total lack of caring about the future of the world, the future of humankind itself, leaves me numb. You hear all the time about how humans are so much above animals because we have the ability to "reason". Maybe this was true once and is true for a few, but I rather think that somehow this has been bred out of us through the generations. Humans think only about themselves,not about the whole, but truly about themselves as an individual above anything else.If things won't bother them in this lifetime then what does it matter to them at all? Who cares about the CONSEQUENCES.?
I think I know now what happened to the flower children. I think that they had to conform to society in order to survive, in order to get jobs and money, in order to live a life that is expected by society. Everyone has become afraid to speak out, afraid to make a difference. What is there to be afraid of in words that makes them so all powerful? If they are so strong, why don't we use them instead of guns?

The Hazards of Beauty and is it Worthwhile?

The world seems obsessed with age and beauty these days more so than ever before. I personally think there can be beauty in the simple process of aging and wish more could feel the same. It is a shame that more of us just can't be comfortable and proud of who we are regardless of how we look. You might think you are taking years off your looks but in truth, you are TAKING YEARS OFF YOUR LIVES. Literally.
A study at the Silent Spring Institute, a non-profit organization in Boston, tested the air and dust in 120 homes in Cape Cod. They choose that area because of the elevated rates of breast cancer. colorectal, lung and prostate cancers. What they found was very high levels of eight different phthalates in the dust of all 120 homes. Phthalates are hormonal mimics that confuse the body and can harm the endocrine system and cause cancers and birth defects in animals and people.
One of these common phthalates (DEHP) is used in the manufacture of flexible polyvinyl chloride products (PVC) such as shower curtains, shoes, floor tiles. It is no longer used to manufacture children's toys because it was found too dangerous. Other very common phthalates (DBP), (DMP), and (DEP) are used as solvents for fragrances in perfumes, soaps, cream rinses, lotions and as plasticizers in nail polish, hair spray and cosmetics. They also found very high levels of chemicals known as nonylphenols which are found in some laundry detergents, disinfecting cleaners, all-purpose cleaners, hair dyes, and other hair care products.
Phthalates cause birth defects, low sperm counts and other reproductive damage. They are easily absorbed into the skin when they are applied as nail polish,cosmetics, perfumes, and perfumed products. They are also easily absorbed into the system when they are inhaled through fumes. THE LAW DOES NOT REQUIRE INGREDIENT LABELING OF FRAGRANCES AND PERFUMES so you will not know these things are present.
We need to be more aware of what we are doing to our bodies, our children's bodies and our world. What is the consequence of using these products and is it worth giving up your health and your life in exchange for looking beautiful?

What will the world BEE without BEES?

I have been hearing a lot about the decline in the bee population. Research in 23 US states and Canada and published in the Public Library of Science Journal found 121 different pesticides in 887 samples of bees, wax, pollen and other elements of hives. I also wonder what the genetically modified crops has to do with any of this, no one seems to be mentioning this aspect. Who knows how this could have affected the bees.
The reports say that there was a 29% drop in population in 2008 following a 36% decline in 2008 and a 32% drop in 2007. Under normal winter conditions it is to be expected to have a loss of about 10% in the bee population but this year the winter was exceptionally bad and there has been another 30-50% loss.
With 1/3 of the human diet requiring pollination, how will we manage to harvest food crops? Last February, there were insufficient bees to pollinate all the almonds in California. I know that last year in the area I live, we had a lot of trouble with our tomato crops. The plants grew big and beautiful but there were no tomatoes on them. I recently learned that this was because there were insufficient bees to pollinate them. It really is frightening when it shows up and makes an impact on you personally.
We need to appreciate the bees and allow them more places to exist, maybe ask local beekeepers to put some hives on your property. A world without BEES would be devastating to human existence. Everything connects to everything else even though we may not see it.

Roadside Encounters

Why are there so many shoes on the side of the roads? It never fails to get me thinking about how they got there especially since there is almost always only ONE shoe. Doesn't the owner notice he is missing a shoe? Say you were driving along with your feet stuck out of the window and a huge gust of wind from a passing truck whips one of your shoes completely off. I know I would stop the car and go back for it but then again if it is a kid, maybe they think they will get yelled at so they don't say anything and hope it won't get noticed, how you wouldn't notice I don't know but never the less, it is a possible scenario.Just picture a Mom behind the steering wheel yelling at the poor teenager in the backseat . . . "Jeremy, for the LAST time I am telling you to get those feet in the car! You think I can afford to buy you yet ANOTHER pair of shoes? At least this time, make it a right shoe so we can use the left shoe from the last time and make it a pair." "Awww, gee Mom, I can't do anything without you nagging at m. . ."
Whoosh!!!! There went another. . .

More thoughts on Hazardous chemicals

I realize that I neglected to make known the simple, inexpensive alternative to fabric softeners. Plain distilled white vinegar! Just add a cup into the wash cycle and voila! Just think all the money you will save and how much healthier you and everyone around you will be. Talk about giving gifts. . . that is a priceless one.
How about air fresheners? By now you might not be surprised to learn that they do not freshen the air at all. They are harmful chemicals that simply desensitize our olfactory cells. Another words, they deaden your sense of smell. You could just as easily spray a mixture of vinegar and water into the room and it will clear the air and not harm your senses. I always say, what is wrong with just simply cleaning the room instead of trying to cover up the obvious with smell. I mean, come on! When you walk into a room and smell the air freshener don't you immediately know that it is just a cover up? it is like a huge neon sign pointing and saying "dirty house, lazy homeowner".
Maybe perfume does much the same. The people who walk into a room with perfume so strong it would scare even our worst enemies into hiding, maybe we should use this technique instead of conventional warfare, anyway, they use this much perfume because their senses have been deadened from the chemicals so they can't smell it and therefore keep adding more and more so they can. It is a never ending circle. . . spray perfume, deaden your smell, add more so you can smell it then lose that sense and again need to apply more and so on.
How about the perfumed pages in magazines? We left one opened outside to hopefully air out enough that we could look at it. When we came back to it, we found many dead bugs all around and on it. Apparently, the perfume was enough to kill them. Just imagine what it does to us.

My thoughts for the day.Have a good one, hopefully perfume free.

fabric softeners are extremely hazardous

I am continually amazed at how so many people are so completely unaware of things around them. They don't take the time to really look at what they are doing, what they are using on a daily basis. Again, CONSEQUENCES. Everything has consequences.

One of my favorite books, Green Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck, if you haven't read it, you should, mentions the hazards of chemicals we use around the house. I am very disturbed with fabric softeners. Everyone uses them, everyone goes blindly along, but do they know what chemicals they are breathing and putting next to their skin?

A partial list of the chemical emissions from just one brand includes some of the following, (from Ms. Sandbecks' book)

ISOPROPYLBENZENE . . . do you know that this is a narcotic and a central nervous system depressant? Chronic exposure can cause damage to the lungs, liver and kidneys.
STYRENE. . . . a toxic carcinogen that causes genetic damage and also affects the nervous system.
TRIMETHYLBENZENE. . . . just inhaling this can cause circulatory collapse, severe respiratory damage, coughing, wheezing, choking, nausea, and vomiting. It may cause fainting, convulsions and coma.
PHENOL. . . inhalation may cause severe irritation to the respiratory tract, breathing difficulty, burns and possible coma. Inhalation of higher concentrations could be fatal. Chronic inhalation may cause liver and kidney damage and birth defects and it may also affect the nervous system.
THYMOL. . . . again, this one affects the central nervous system and is a respiratory irritant that can cause kidney and liver damage.

These are just A FEW chemicals that we breathe in on a daily basis. Sure, some of us may have strong bodies that don't get affected but how many of us are sensitive to these things? Just living in a suburban area can be hazardous to sensitive individuals. Every home has the dryer vents pushing all these chemicals out into the air for us to breathe. We put this on our children to breathe all day, every day.

CONSEQUENCES. . . . . is it worth the risk?

Where are the flower people ?

I grew up in the days of the hippies and flower power. My parents weren't hard core hippies who were into drugs but they believed in the concept of being more natural and loving one another with peace and goodwill. "Make love, not war" was the big thing and even bigger was the thought of "FREEDOM".
The thought came to me today that there couldn't be a better time for the flower children to once again come together and make a difference for the better. We need a renewal of the feelings for the earth, life without war, freedom to live our lives. . . we need to stand up and once again show strength in what we believe. The earth is dying and we are gradually losing all our freedoms, one by one, they are disappearing along with all the animal species that each day become extinct. When will the flower people again stand and make their voices heard?