Health · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with health

The Meatrix II: Revolting

Continuing the fight against factory farming and unsustainable practices is something Sustainable Table has been doing through their entertaining and informative Meatrix short film and website. Now, their sequel, The Meatrix II: Revolting is circulating on the net continuing the revolution against big agri-business. GRACE, which stands for Global Resource Action Center for the Environment, founded the Sustainable Table as a consumer campaign to inform and incite action against the horrendous conditions of factory farms, and the importance of supporting humane and ecologically sound practices. In this current online clip, the dairy industry is largely under fire for its use of rBGH. On the ‘get involved’ page readers are encouraged to solicit Starbucks to stop their use of non-organic dairy products that contain the artificial hormone. While there are many vegans who have eluded the Meatrix in their complete avoidance of animal-based products, there are still many who search for more responsible ways to satisfy their carnivorous hankerings. For those who eat dairy or meat there is the eatwell guide which is a useful resource for finding healthy food.

business, car, Dairy Products, Eco-Chick, farm, farming, farms, Food, health, Home, meat, Organic, Starbucks, sustainable, vegan

Buns of Steel Don't Come Without Pain

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by Summer Rayne Oakes · 04/12/06

So this is my third day with my Guayanese tank of a trainer named Inka.

I can’t move.

Not sure if my ass is tighter because my muscles are just one big knot or if it actually is tighter. The goal? I really want to see if someone can smack a quarter against my ass and see if they get their change back. (Oh, plus all the health benefits)….but won’t be able to do that if I can’t lift my dead weight out of this chair – My Rx = deep tissue massage (I like it hard…but doesn’t every girl??).

I was looking into organic massage theraphy places and came across an interesting one: Fort Meyers Massage. Though I’m nowhere near Fort Meyers, something else caught my attention: Young Living Essential Oils. They provide essential oils, dietary supplements, and personal care products by developing one of the world’s largest organic herb farms for the production of therapeutic grade essential oils. Rock on.

car, Eco-Chick, essential oils, farm, farms, Hair, health, oil, oils, Organic, personal care products, rape

Ask Chicky: Clear Skies or Dirty Air?

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by Starre Vartan · 03/06/06

Dear Chicky,

My boyfriend and I (we’re both in our early 30′s) have a bet: I say air quality is better than when we were kids, he says it’s worse. Who’s right?

–Itching to Be Right
Dear Itching,

Though it’s always fun to watch one half of a couple do the “I’m right and you’re wrong” dance, I’m sorry to report that nobody’s winning the bet on this one. You’re both right, depending on what kind of standard you’re using to judge air quality, and where you live.
Overall, air quality has improved in most parts of the United States, due to several decades of pollution rules and enforcement under the Clean Air Act. In the Southeastern parts of the country where population growth has exploded, there are higher levels of pollution than before (since housing wasn’t exactly planned around people riding their air-friendly bikes to work), but they’re still within the normal range on most days. Some cities, like Los Angeles, have made dramatic improvements in air quality, something that Angelenos notice when they step outside their doors and enjoy visible views. That’s the good news.

Ask Chicky, bikes, car, carbon, cars, children, cities, Easter, Eco-Chick, emissions, Energy, epa, fur, health, kids, Los Angeles, News, Plants, Pollution, reduce, Technology

State of the Union Address States Something Incredible

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by Jennifer Veilleux · 02/27/06

Although our President has tried to hold back the tide of change toward cleaner healthier energy, some things he said in his last State of the Union Address suggests that he may be changing his tune, at least for now. The oil money man said that “America is addicted to oil”, and implied that this is a bad thing.

Bush acknowledged that energy sources from solar, wind, and hydrogen not only exist, but that further support into research and development for “alternative energies” will be funded by the federal government! In his speech he declared that we have to push forward in two vital areas: how we power our homes and offices and how we power our vehicles. Following his speech, Bush even went so far as to visit a plant that produces solar panels in Michigan and make public statements about the importance of the technology.

Regarding vehicles, ethanol was mentioned specifically in the State of the Union Address. Ethanol is a fuel that can be produced from various plants and plant matter. It can be manufactured in our own backyard or rather our own rural communities, and in fact, it already is. There is a fuel available, called E85; a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, and it is used to power cars and trucks.

Brazil, Bush, business, car, carbon, cars, coal, dress, driving, Eco-Chick, emissions, Energy, Europe, fur, gas, Germany, health, Home, News, nuclear, oil, Plants, plates, produce, reduce, sugar, Technology

UnCommon Scents

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 01/10/06

There is nothing more odious (pardon the impending pun) than that heavy, pungent perfume you can smell from a mile away. And many of us have spent time perusing the shelves of that ubiquitous modern shrine to plasticity called Sephora only to leave with a pounding headache that has that “fake vanilla” scent stamped all over it.

Ugh.

I have been a true scent-junky for at least fifteen years and recently, upon applying a commercial fragrance, noticed I started sneezing almost instantly. I started to wonder just what exactly is in these products we apply on a daily basis. Being one who tries to always buy organic, it dawned on me that my personal doctrine to “stay natural” had not penetrated my hankering for smells.

Many companies, even those claiming to be “natural”, use synthetic fragrance and chemical additives such as preservatives and artificial coloring, and contain dangerous chemicals such as phtalates that are proven endocrine disruptors whose activity has been found to mimic hormonal signals in the body.

There are what I have always considered to be more natural alternatives to smelling like “Calvin Clone,” but often you end up smelling like a head shop or your grandma’s lavender garden when using organically derived essential oils. Some of us like smelling like a head shop, but for those who want something more unique, there are some interesting alternatives.

Rich Hippie is a line of completely organic, wild-crafted perfume, founded in LA. Through the use of carefully selected plant extracts and the implementation of traditional perfumery practices, Rich Hippie has created an environmentally conscious fragrance line that is original and hip.

The line boasts scents such as “Psychedelic – a sensual, lush, mysterious and romantic scent with extracts of organic Madagascan vanilla bean, organic ginger root and organic sweet orange peel,” “Nirvana” – a “unisex scent with extracts of organic sandalwood, West Indian bay leaf and organic Italian bergamot peel,” and “Wild Thing – an intoxicating, romantic, and sensual floral with rare Indian jasmine, Albanian Orris root and Egyptian rose.” There is also the signature scent, “Rich Hippie” – a “hip, bohemian, seductive floral with extracts of exotic African flowers, Madagascan Vanilla bean and Guatemalan Cardamom.”

These perfumes ain’t cheap, at an average of $85.00 per 1/2oz, but to support a small company that is investing in organic farming practices is worthwhile compared to the minimum $35 to $40 that is typically spent on factory-made fragrances that are known health hazards. According to the FDA, perfume companies don’t have to publish their ingredients anywhere, because they are considered “trade secrets”. Through growing consumer pressure to monitor cosmetics companies and clearly substantiate the safety of perfumes and other products, the FDA has clearly delineated its authority over this domain on its website This means there is no way for us to know what is in common colognes until independent labs do their own analysis and there aren’t a lot of scientists lining up to joust with big name cosmetics.

California is actually the first state in the union to implement the “Safe Cosmetics Act,” signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005, which states that manufacturers must disclose (to the state) any ingredient that is on state or federal lists of chemicals linked to cancer or birth defects.

For more information on what is actually in your beauty products see NOT TOO PRETTY, SAFE COSMETICS and how they are affecting the environment see MARINE LIFE