April 2009 Archives

My husband and I are preparing for a kitchen renovation, and we are eagerly in search of materials that won't hurt the planet or our health in order to give us a beautiful cooking and eating space.  For countertops, cabinets, and floors, that means minimizing our exposure to VOCs, often referred to as "offgassing."

Eco-friendly design literature talks about VOCs much like how eco-cosmetics experts talk about parabens--it's a ubiquitous concern.  For kitchens, the best materials (like IceStone countertops - recycled glass suspended in a concrete matrix....in yummy colors!) don't emit any at all.

But what are VOCs, anyway, and why should we be worried about them?  First, VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound, so let's break that down:

Volatile: meaning a substance that vaporaizes or evaporates into the atmosphere under normal conditions.

Organic: meaning any chemical that contains carbon.

Compound: meaning a substance formed by the combination of two or more distinct chemicals.

So why are VOCs bad for indoor air quality and general health?  Click here for the EPA's literature on VOCs.  But if you'd rather have me translate:

The most common VOC is methane, which we know is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.  For the kitchen, though, the chief area of VOC concern is in the wood preservatives (chiefly formaldehyde) that are found in many wood floors and cabinets (not to mention cleaning solvents, but that's a post-design conversation....). When the VOCs vaporize into the atmosphere, they get into our bodies through our nose and mouth. And that can lead to asthmatic or allergic symptoms, as well as headaches and general immune system supression.

Other things that can emit VOCs in your home:

--some office equipment, including laser printers
--cigarette smoke (emits benzene, a known carcinogen. But you knew that, right?)
--carpets
--paints
--insulation 

So what's to be done?  Two things, really: ventilate your home to give those gasses somewhere to go other than your lungs, and choose low- or no-VOC materials whenever possible.  Here are some to get you started:

FreshAire Paint

Flor Carpet

IceStone Counters

GreenHome Guide's Cabinet Page

What do you know about VOCs?  What choices have you made to minimize them in your home?

(image via: http://www.idigitalemotion.com/tutorials/guest/stellar/sky.jpg)

Elizabeth Edwards' resilience has been tested many times, which is why her new book "Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Life's Adversities" is so smartly titled.  The loss of her son in 1996. The defeat in the 2000 presidential election. The diagnosis with breast cancer shortly after that.  The recurrence of the cancer during the 2004 presidential campaign.  The public revelation of her husband's affair. The lies. The pain. The anger.  This woman has been tested.

As have we all, in our own lives.  In honor of the conversation Edwards' book is starting (continuing), I thought I'd ask for your thoughts on resilience.  What role has it played in your life?  Who do you most admire for displaying it?  When have you surprised yourself with it?  Looking forward to your stories.

(image via: http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2008/04/)

Our Holly whipped up these great swine flu prevention tips. They echo what the CDC, WHO, and President Obama have been saying: Stick to the basics like these solid, calming reminders for keeping swine--and every--flu at bay. Things like being mindful of what you touch (without being freaky), avoiding alcohol, and staying active. They seem simple, but can make all the difference.

Click here for swine flu prevention tips.

 

[Image via: http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/help-name-the-d.html]

As regular FL-ers know, I've been sick most of the looong winter and cooold spring. About a week ago it looked like I was getting ill again and the healer I just started seeing suggested downing some of Dr. Schulze's Supertonic. I just got some last night, so I can't fully attest to its powers, but, wow. This stuff has some kick! And is a perfect preventative in the midst of swine flu panic.

The liquid concoction's ingredients: fresh Habanero pepper, garlic bulb, white onion, Hawaiian yellow ginger and horseradish root. You can take it straight or in a little water and it's suprisingly delicious--and not nearly as spicy as the pepper might suggest (and I am a spice-wimp). Each ingredient is well-known for kicking some viral butt and rallying immunity. And many of the ingredients are either organic or wild-crafted, yay! 

Habenero pepper: reduces inflammation, clears mucus membranes, detoxifying

Garlic bulb: anti-fungal and anti-viral

White onion: anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, good for digestion

Hawaiian yellow ginger: anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, improves digestion

Horseradish root: antibiotic, expectorant, heats up the body to detox

One person out there has a recipe for DIY Supertonic and even suggests putting some on a salad. Which sounds delicious. I figure, medicine that's potent and tastes good enough to snack on (that isn't Flintstones vitamins), is something I can wildly recommend--and I'm very finicky and skeptical about most potions.

(But obvi check with your doc before taking my word for it.)

Click here to order Dr. Schulze's Supertonic.

Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." So as you start your day, ask yourself, am I giving self-defeating thoughts safe passage into my psyche?  Or, am I only giving affirming energy permission to dictate how I feel today?

Click here for more inspiring quotes by famous women.

This hilarious primer on how to behave in romantic relationships on Facebook made by a friend's husband hit quite a few raw nerves. So many newfangled pitfalls! Like high school but in front of the whole auditorium--filled with everyone you've...

Swine flu is spreading, and fears and concerns about its devastating potential is spreading even faster. Whenever I find myself living in "what if" instead of "what is," I find it helpful to measure my fears against facts to put...

In tough economic times those who already had it tough have it much tougher. That's why Susan Skog wrote her book "How to Give Back" and is starting National Dine To Make a Difference Day, "a potluck with purpose" and "a...

I have this taped to my computer monitor. Such a great reminder.   "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon...

Nothing like a good swine flu epidemic to trigger our natural tendencies as humans to panic, worry, and fret. "Swine flu" is one of the most googled terms right now. From what I can tell, people definitely have their...

On a warm day--particularly a warm workday--the squirmy, tap-y, shift-y, knee-bounces start in.  In other words, it's hard to sit still.  When this happens, part of me thinks, "great!"  Who wants to sit still when there are walks to take,...

Helping others doesn't have to zap you. On the contrary--Susan Skog, author most recently of The Give-Back Solution, has found a zillion ways that contributing to others fills your own cup with joy, well-being, health, and connection. In addition to making...

"APRIL is the cruellest month,breeding Lilacs out of the dead land,mixing Memory and desire,stirring Dull roots with spring rain.Winter kept us warm, coveringEarth in forgetful snow, feedingA little life with dried tubers." -- T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland Though I...

In some ways, a good morning is like a spring bud--it holds all the promise in the world, and you really don't know what it will look like until it unfurls into the leaf or flower you hope it will...

The news of the Swine Flu outbreak is scary stuff. Especially since it's not yet contained or fully known or tracked down yet. Yikes. Add it to the list of worries. Sigh. On a much lighter and somewhat related note, we...

In memory of the inimitable Bea Arthur, who died this weekend at age 86, a video montage from The Golden Girls of her character, Dorothy Zbornak, uttering her signature "Whoa!" in all her beautifully sarcastic, dry, hilarious glory.  Are you...

The Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization are both urging basic flu-prevention practices as they try to stop the spread of swine flu. But given that cold and flu season is feeling so two months ago, I thought...

A new study presented last week at the American Association of Cancer Research found that people who eat grilled meat that is cooked to the point of being charred or burned on the outside are 60 percent more likely to...

It's actually time for refreshing drinks here in the Northeast. Who knew? Well, I stumbled across this recipe whihc might be just the thing--it sounds delightful and uplifting. From Prevention.com. It's part of their unfortunately named "Flat Belly Diet"...

I just came across this lovely quote from Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron about meditation and accepting ourselves, craziness and all."When people start to meditate or to work with any kind of spiritual discipline, they often think that somehow they're going...

I'm so excited that this week's Fresh Living Survey is from my yoga teacher, Liz Owen.  You might recognize her from the 4 fabulous yoga galleries she's published on Beliefnet:Restorative Yoga for Body & MindYoga Poses to Relieve Chronic PainYoga...

ca Welcome to Foodie Friday. Mmm, chocolate. Mmm, raw chocolate? As many vegans and raw foodists know, the latest trend in chocolate is going raw. The idea is that raw chocolate has more antioxidants, more enzymes and more mineral than...

For some mid-day inspiration, check out this sneak peak video from an upcoming ABC primetime special ("Adventures of an Incurable Optimist" airs Tuesday, May 7) from actor Michael J. Fox, who has battled Parkinson's Disease since he was 29 years...

This week, I found myself having several conversations about a decidedly heavy, negative, upsetting topic.  I was talking to spiritually-oriented friend about it, and she advised me to take care to protect myself before and cleanse myself after these conversations.Say...

This morning Good Morning America featured Beliefnet's newest contributor, SQuire Rushnell, the author most recently of "When God Winks on New Beginnings," and a former ABC exec. He talks about how coincidences are gifts in our lives we need to soak in. Those...

We all have dreams, big-picture life goals that we imagine will, someday, come true.  Sometimes, though, those dreams actually hold us back, keep us from moving ahead with our lives because all we're doing is dwelling on how they...

That's what a couple of people have asked me lately. It's a bad sign that my mind goes blank and I just blink, right? Um, fun? Ohhh, fuuun. And a friend just posted to Facebook: "X is tired of being...

I don't know if it's the change of season, but I'm having some amazing technicolor dreams these days.  Last night, I dreamed I was in yoga class, and I was really struggling in bridge pose (something that I do struggle...

This fantastic TV ad shows how we really are reaching for youth with those downdogs... [via: http://www.socialworkout.com/2009/04/21/greatest-ad-ever]...

Even though it's allegedly spring, many of us are still being pushed around by gales and chills and storms. So this Mark Strand poem, posted yesterday on my new friend Laura's blog in honor of National Poetry Month, seems very apropos:  ...

Our awesome content partners over at Intent.com are running a program on their site and Beliefent for Earth Month--"30 Days to a Greener You." Full of rich offerings all month on everything from green dating to green pet care,...

Louis L'Amour once said, "No school, no matter how excellent, can give you education. What you receive is like the outlines in a child's coloring book. You must fill in the colors yourself."  What an apt Earth Day thought: the...

Happy Earth Day/Week/Month/Lifetime! We have a new feature on the site that we're psyched about: 10 Steps to Making Your Diet Greener--from our partner Intent.com. And nope, kale, collards, and food coloring are not involved. But rather how to...

Hearing about anyone's suicide is always incredibly disturbing and sad. And usually the first place we go is: Why? And when it's someone in the public eye, like the acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac who was found...

Last night on "The Biggest Loser," the phrase "Are you kidding me?!" was uttered no fewer than 5 times--3 of those by Kristin, who after breaking the record for most weight lost by a woman on campus, was ultimately voted...

I just came across a lovely book called "Silver Linings: Meditations on Finding Joy and Beauty in Unexpected Places," in which author Mina Parker shares a lovely way to bring mindfulness back into your day.  She writes:"I was at...

Anyone who has a best friend knows that we just feel better, in ways both tangible and intangible, when we're around people who we love and who love us.  Well, it turns out that  researchers are starting to think that...

A friend sent me these adorable images from zoos around the world from Boston.com. A couple of them are sad--not all zoos are happy zoos--but mostly this is a bath of brain-boosting cuteness. My fave is at left. Can...

I really got some Earth Day inspiration from this video on "eco-equity," a call to transform the "pollution-based economy" of the last century into a "sustainable, green, and clean" economy that creates jobs--particularly in urban areas where low-income people want...

As a meditation, when the Dalai Lama first meets someone, he thinks this: "This person like me, wants to be free of suffering; this person like me, wants to be happy."...

In honor of the "high holiday" of April 20th--National Pot Smoking Day--here's a clip from Saturday Night Live a few months ago when Michael Phelps was snapped with a bong. Regardless of your stance on the issue, Seth Myers is...

Today is 4/20, a.k.a. National Pot Smoking Day. Its exact origins aren't known--some say it's the time (4:20pm) that a group of California teens in 1971 met to toke up. Here are some fun 420 facts and myths from...

Stephen Hawking, the mathematician and physicist famous for his work on black holes, is reportedly hospitalized with a chest infection and is very seriously ill, according to the Associated Press.  Though I admit to understanding very little of his work,...

What makes you choose one particular brand of cosmetics over another?  Price?  Scent?  Ability to soften hair and clear skin?  Similarity to what your mother used?  There are so many reasons--and a growing one is, "Will not kill me."It's a...

Giving props to the NYT Magazine's green issue from yesterday. It's full of good stuff about the human psychology/brain wiring barriers to becoming greener. A really good read, and not just because I love the Momix-sculpted (Spencer Tunick-inspired) cover....

I didn't get down to watch the Boston Marathon today, as I have in past years when friends have run or I was just hungry for a little vicarious "wow, that's amazing."  But there's something electric about the day, even...

"With the wind beneath your wings, do you need to flap?"  I love finding wisdom-tidbits in random places, and the makers of natural products from iced tea to hair care seem to especially love tucking such snippets into the...

Ok, this just made me smile. Here's a healthy recipe for Foodie Friday I came across on the Tillmook cheese company's Facebook profile. Lots of fun, and you could make your bunny look less concerned ("Am I food?"). Ingredients:Olives, slicedCarrot,...

We all have them. Plans for the future and fantasies for how we'd like them to work out. Some are practical, some outlandish, most a combo--I recently started calling these "plantasies." I've been plantasizing a lot this very cold and...

It's a beautiful sunshine-y day, so let's celebrate Foodie Friday with a closer look at the first spring vegetable to come up in the garden - lettuce!  Lettuce is an extremely healthful food. It is almost 90 percent water, so...

My friend Dave just posted this to Facebook--he's the boy in the striped shirt, all growed up now. I thought Big Bird might be a nice way to start the day. And I love love the album title--it actually makes...

This is a heads-up to read a really interesting article on Time.com about the growing field of yoga therapy--methods that use physical asanas and breathwork for deep healing. It's by one of Beliefnet's other editors, Alana B. Elias Kornfeld....

This morning on my way to work I listened to a wonderful 18-minute podcast about breasts, miracles, and kindness. Part of the Moth's story-telling series (an organization that gathers people to share spoken-word stories around the country), "A Flash of...

In the spirit of fun, "just because" holidays that I wrote about when I spread the word about Feel Better Day, today is National High Five Day!Not shockingly, this holiday was started by college students, at the University of Virginia...

In response to the "Your Day, in a Word" post, you shared simple, singular statements about the emotions, hopes, and intentions you carry into your day.  I made a Wordle out of them, so good morning!  How are you today?...

This just in: French Elle magazine's April cover features European actresses and models without makeup AND without Photoshopping!  It's a refreshing departure from the magazine world's typical embrace of all things perfected, brushed, tinted, and hidden.  And it's something that...

How do you live fresh? We've put out the call for people to fill out our survey about what they do to lead healthier, more balanced lives. This week's is from the funny, fabulous, and insightful Therese Borchard, whose Beliefnet blog Beyond...

Have you ever had Dancing Deer cookies?  What?  No?!  What are you waiting for?  Tangerine-chocolate cookies have a lovely soft spot in the center of a crunchy treat.  Molasses-clove cookies are chewy every day and twice on Sundays. And the...

Apart from its financial connotation, the dictionary defines "tax" as "a burdensome or excessive demand; a strain."  So I think it's perfectly appropriate, now that our W2s and 1099s are safely sent off to Uncle Sam, to think of today,...

It's still poetry month and so I thought I'd share this lovely, beloved, well-read poem to start the day. When I was sick I made my ex read it to me again and again because it helped me stay...

The top emailed story on the New York Times website today is about a high-powered corporate law firm that's offering employees a year off in exchange for one-third of their base-pay. For employee Heather Eisenlord this means $80,000. She'll be travelling...

I don't know about where you are, but it's graaaay here in NYC today. Again. Which is why this gorgeous animated video by Jeff Scher for NYT.com, "Welcome Back" made me so happy. Enjoy the petally, springy soft goodness:...

Who among us doesn't love to tuck into a plate of spaghetti slick with olive oil and fragrant with garlic, or studded with tomatoes and redolent with basil?  Ooh, those Mediterranean foods.  It may not be news to you that...

Holly's great post on "Feel Better Day" reminded me how it's so easy when we're ill--either from a passing cold or a long-term disease--to slip into the emotional dumps. But it's not necessary to feel blue while your body is healing....

Our friend Dr. Norris, author of the Dr. Norris Chumley Satisfied Life blog, offers a visualization to do in your morning shower to start your day with both a clean body and a pure spirit:"Imagine that the stress from your...

I love the internets. I'm still at work and realizing I have no idea what to cook for my single gal's dinner. So I googled "What should I eat for dinner?" And found this list of recipe suggestions. Handy!...

Don't you love random "holidays?" Things like "Happy Hump Day" or "It's my half-birthday" are really just excuses to declare to the world, "I want to feel good today!"  But they do the trick, and I think we need more...

Nope, this isn't an ad for Reynold's Wrap, just a heads up that on Earth Day (April 22nd) you'll be able to go onto the Reynold's Wrap website and get a mail-in rebate for a free roll of recycled...

With Portuguese Water dog Bo instated in his new White House home, no doubt we can all brace for a fresh doggy-breath scented gust of puppy fever. This happily coincides with the resurgence of "doga," or dog yoga, a phenom covered...

There are some fascinating health developments to report on this week.  Here are 3 to think about:Are electronic health records going too far, too fast? There are a proliferation of new tools designed to empower patients and give them--and their...

This is a lovely quote about having compassion for people most in need of it: "What we do from joy expresses love; what we do from fear calls for love." -- Alan CohenIt's so easy to forget that most...

We've all heard the phrase, attributed to peace activist Anne Herbert, "Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty."  So here's a question: Have you done any lately?  Seen any?  I suspect that among you are many perpetrators...

A friend just sent me this amazingly simple, fun tone matrix, and I can't stop playing with it!  You start with a blank slate, and boxes light up as you click.  A "sound wave" travels across the box, and your...

Early spring is a great time to think about light.  Light is back after the long winter, it is finally warming to our bodies and the earth.  I caught this moment in my garden in the afternoon when the...

Wow, just wow.  Have you seen the news about the "Kyoto Box," a solar-powered oven made from nothing more than two cardboard boxes, black paint, aluminum foil, and the rays of the sun?  The box was just awarded first prize...

Who says the kids at MIT were only about quarks, electrons, and semiconductors?  Turns out that for the past 6 years, a popular club at the prestigious school has celebrated the science of chocolate!The Boston Globe has an article about...

My amazingly talented friend Jennifer  just returned from a trip to India. An art teacher and artist, she just posted this gorgeous Ganesh plus many other stunning drawings from India on her website.Check them out and enjoy. And if...

How do you live fresh? We've put out the call for people to fill out our survey about what they do to lead more balanced, juicier lives. Check out this one (our first!) from author, life coach and Beliefnet blogger Victoria...

Sometimes holistic spirituality and traditional religion cross paths, and today's "Blessing of the Sun" ritual that Jews will observe just before Passover begins is one of those moments.  In honor of this rare Jewish astrological phenomenon, we offer a guest...

Thanks to Fresh Living reader Mary Beth for sharing her inspiring morning routine: she wakes up around 4 a.m., starts the coffee, drinks a large bottle of room temperature water, feeds her cats, and enjoys a cup of hot coffee...

There are only two ingredients in traditional Passover matzah: wheat flour and water. So why should you pay extra for "organic" matzah when wheat is not on the "dirty dozen" foods it's most important to eat organic, and water is,...

I just stumbled across this great t-shirt for sale at YogaDork, a fun-looking blog. The shirt itself is $24, which might not feel so bailouty, but the message is free.I am definitely keeping sane--if not flush @ NYC's class rates--with...

My general approach to home design is "no clutter allowed." But I can't go completely sterile. I love stuff too much. Especially stuff that reminds me to calm down, stay in my heart and trust that cosmic forces are watching...

The other night I wasn't feeling so well, so I made myself stay home. But knowing the potential dangers of a cold, damp, Saturday day and evening spent alone, I wrote this note on my kitchen whiteboard. The idea was...

The last couple of years my dear friend B. has sent me a divine birthday treat, courtesy of his friend's AMAZING company, Allison's Gourmet. I've now had the brownies and the fudge. And OMG, so good. The ingredients are organic...

As home remedies go, this might be the most widely known/practiced/recommended.  But why does gargling with warm, salty water help soothe a sore throat?  Since I'm doing this multiple times a day--and since I feel like it helps--I decided to...

I knew this day would come...the day I had to once again face the scritchy, gag-gy nightmare that is known to most people as a throat culture.  When I was a kid, throat cultures were screeching, Mom-bribing-with-candy-rewards, "We need more...

The sparkling Janice Taylor of the Our Lady of Weight Loss blog feels strongly that skipping breakfast is not a good idea. She further believes that dehydration can cause irritability and headaches. To solve both problems (feed two birds with...

I've long been a fan of the hilarious "Inappropriate Yoga Guy" web series. And now Yoga Journal.com has started their very own exclusive webisodes starring Ogden. He's the guy in yoga class who comes too close, "oms" too loud, and brags...

Yesterday, I tried really hard to focus on the positive aspect of losing my voice and being consigned to silence while I recover my health.  But today, as I re-read the post I thought, "Can I take that back?"  Clearly...

It's National Poetry Month!  I'm not actually that big on poems in my everyday reading life, but there is one that comes to mind when someone asks me, "what's your favorite poem?"My junior year of high school, we studied the...

Duh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh, you say it's your birthday? It's my birthday too, yeah!Yep, today is my birthday. And as much as I'm like, "uhg, I'm oooollld now," I'm also excited, because, well, I love my birthday. I think it's pretty profound to...

For the days when you feel like, "Is it me?" Alas, maybe not.  "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti    ...

So here's my story: I'm sick again.  A sinus infection in January.  A 2+ week cold in March. And now, starting on April Fool's Day, a new virus that comes with laryngitis, a cough, and a fever.  I went to...

Tomorrow is my birthday. On Facebook I mentioned that I was beginning to fret over it. A friend asked if this was good fretting. And I thought, What is it, exactly, that has me crying in the bathtub each...

April is Autism Awareness Month, and the Beliefent blogosphere is buzzing with conversation about it.  Be sure to visit our dedicated Autism Awareness Month page to read blogger thoughts on everything from the connection between autism and astrology to questions...

Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said, "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."Which comes first for you today - joy or the smile that projects your...

"You probably know that eating right, being physically active, and managing your weight are important ways to prevent and treat diabetes. But did you know that reducing stress can also help keep your blood sugar levels in check? When you're...

Last week when I came out as a procrastinator and asked for your help, I got quite a few responses from people who can relate all too well. First my friend Deb tossed this funny gem my way: "Tomorrow is often...

Last night, The Biggest Loser brought back contestant Nicole, who after being eliminated near the beginning of the season lost an amazing 87 pounds at home and earned a spot back on the ranch.But (spoiler alert if you DVR'd it!)...

Awaken to Spring And Spring arose on the garden fair, Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere; And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast rose from the dreams of its wintry rest. --Percy Bysshe Shelley Happy National...