I am flying!!!!

My inbox is FULL!!!!!  And that’s a FABULOUS thing as it says to me that more and more people are interacting with green smoothies and good fun!  And thank you to everyone who is writing in to me and joining to support me for the next 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox.

Every few minutes I feel more excitement building and see good things happening.  When I returned to Diva-land on Monday, I was thrilled when Tera announced that we met our BiG objective of raising $10 000 for the Lower East Side Girls Club!  Today will be the final day that we’ll be collecting last minute donations, but Tera has generously decided to make all the BiG calls available until next year’s International Green Smoothie Day.

Wait until you see ALL the incredible stories, challenges, recipes, and green smoothie events people shared for the BiG contests!!! We are going to have a doooooozy of a time picking winners.  It will definitely take a few days to go through everything.  There are videos, stories, photos, recipes… and all of it FULL of green glowing energy from wonderful people you just wanna hug and squeeze!  We’ll be sharing many of the stories, entries, etc. here on the blog.  And we’ll definitely announce the winners!  SOMEBODY’s got a Blendtec coming!

I too am still feeling the effects of the BiG event and getting excited about my own personal challenge coming up.  AND… I got busy this weekend with starting a green smoothie song!  And knowing that I would need support, I contacted many of our past GSQ participants.  I’m asking as many people as I can muster to join me for this round of the 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox. I want to stay connected, inspired, and firey for the month of September, so I think there are enough of us to share the energy, the encouragement, and the enthusiasm, we’ll all benefit from greater success.

hehe… I know I replied to someone today that I wanna go “Martian green” for this detox.  It’s true… I want to alkalize, cleanse, free my muddled brain and body from bagels, and feel the JOY.  You know that runner’s high that people talk about?  I’ve felt that!  (when I was running… before my knee incident last October that is…)  The first time I discovered how it felt to live on raw food I felt like I’d suddenly been let in on the world’s most blissful secret! I’m hoping I can rediscover that same bubble feeling this time!  But part of that feeling came from discovering amazing people in the forums… people like our very own Doll in customer service.  She and I are original blender buddies!  ;-)  I’m going to see if we can find a way to pair up people for the 21-day detox in the forums too!

I haven’t yet mentioned that this will be a particularly interesting 28 days as I have a knee surgery scheduled for September 20th… right smack dab in the middle of things.  Due to an unfortunate over-zealous dancing incident last Halloween, I managed to put a tear in my left knee.  And finally, my surgery date is rolling around.

Yesterday I completed my surgery intake form and when I got to the box that asked about “special diet requirements” while in hospital I wrote down, “if I will be required to eat, I will only be consuming raw food… preferably green smoothies.  I LOVE green smoothies!!“  Then I wrote out the basic green smoothie recipe for bananas and spinach.  Then I put a big heart around the whole thing.  

hehe… Wish I could be the intake nurse who reads that…

But… I’m going to zoom on outta here!  The deadline for the 21-day Green Smoothie Detox is coming up on Sunday, September 5, 2010 so if you intend to join me and the rest of the chlorophyll club, you’ll want to sign up ASAP. Of course, as with all Raw Diva programs, you can always make arrangements to take our programs for free through our volunteer/work exchange program.  I’m in full gear getting that program ready at the same time making sure we have all our entries in from Believe in Green.

Things are busy, bustling, and beautiful!  Here’s hoping that when I actually become Martian green from eating copious amounts of kale, spinach, chard, and lettuce that I grow a few extra hands…

… and some more arms for green leafy hugs! 

xox

Stacey

The stories and comments we’ve had coming in for our BiG Believe in Green challenge are enough to make you jump for choy.  Bobbi sent in a story that we’ll be entering into our BiG story contest, and we thought we’d share it with you now.  We’re still working towards and getting ever closer to our $10 000 goal for The Girls’ Club, but we haven’t quite got there yet.  If you sign up today  you can still get in on all the calls, downloads, recipes, and the chance to win a $400 Blendtec blender!

One of the rewarding results is that many are realizing how possible, how doable it is to make changes and a difference.  Not even location is an excuse as you’ll find out from Bobbi who lives almost 800 km and 10 hours north of the city of Winnipeg where I live in the province of Manitoba (hehe… and even with all that distance, we STILL figured out we know at least one person in common… like Tera says, “we really are all connected!”).  But I’ll let Bobbi tell you about how *she* is finding ways to go green up north and what amazing changes green smoothies have made!

Dear Tera,

My name is Bobbi and I live in Northern Manitoba on a beautiful lake, one hour from Thompson.  I have a husband and three children - Ian (7), Aaron (4), and Rya (2).  I am a school teacher and I will be teaching music this coming year.  I’ve been off since the end of June with them and I have about 2 and 1/2 weeks left, till school starts.  I’ve really enjoyed this BiG Green Smoothie challenge.  

In May of 2009, I discovered raw food and then in the summer of 2009 I read Twelve Steps to Raw Foods (among many other raw food books)  and discovered Green Smoothies.  They totally changed my life.

In the following year, I probably lost 15 to 20 pounds (and I did not consider myself overweight at all).  My energy skyrocketed.  And I freed up a lot of time that I’d previously spent cooking.  I drive an hour to town, so I’m there all day ( 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.  I’m away from home), so I make two 1 liter pickle jars full of smoothie in the morning and it does me - I’m not hungry for anything else all day.  (I put lots of flax and spirulina that fills me up and gives me plenty of protein that I need because I’m still nursing my daughter.)

This summer I’m sure I’ve gone up a level with raw food, because the raw food entrees that they say in the cook books taste like “spaghetti” or “bread” have actually started tasting reeeeally good to me and they do NOW seem to taste similar to the cooked food they’re supposed to mimic.

I’ve been about 95% raw this summer with the occasional meal of quinoa, or some popcorn or roasted cashews.  But it was once I started the BiG challenge that I really started feeling great.  About day 3 of the challenge I started running (around my property) and for the past three days I’ve been running 1 km each day.  And I am NOT a runner.  Needless to say I am shining and full of energy, although I’m physically a little tired but in a good way, you know?

I don’t know how I found your challenge because I don’t regularly visit your website, but I’m sure glad I did.  The BiG calls have been very interesting but there were three that I personally found really inspiring:  Angela Stokes-Monarch, Anthony Anderson, and Ani Phyo.   I was excited to see Victoria Boutenko and Ani Phyo on the line-up because they have both been so influential on my raw journey.  Victoria with green smoothies and Ani with her recipes that actually turn out and taste good.  I’m also looking forward to the interview with Steve Meyerowitz, because he’s also influenced me to sprout seriously.   When my kids were watching the website while one of the calls was “downloading” (we have extremely slow internet out here - dial up) they said “There’s Ani!”  We know her that well.  ;)

Though I’ve been a “green smoother” for over a year now,  I’ve changed the way I make my green smoothies since listening to the interview with Victoria Boutenko.  I’ve been trying to make them simpler, like she said.  I’ve decided to make a small swampy banana and spirulina smoothie (2 cups) because I really need the shot of protein.  And then I make a fruit, greens, and flax smoothie later.  I’ve also experimented with some different greens such as italian parsley and arugula.  And cacao beans, woo hoo!

I’d like to do your detox but I’m holding off on ‘officially’ detoxing because my daughter is still nursing.  You know what else I totally want, now?  A bicycle powered blender!!

It’s been a lot of fun doing BiG because of the calls and e-mails and everything.  I get up in the morning and (after my run, my rebound, my water, my smoothie, and getting my kids some smoothie or breakfast) get online.  I’ve been so excited to see what’s up for  the day.  I’ve got so many notes of things I want to look up and books I want to read.  I’m seriously going to get some things growing inside as soon as I can (fall comes quickly).

Some of the speakers have got me all fired up about growing my own food (which I’ve always been interested in but not quite able to get going).  I’ve had an outdoor garden for the past 6 years, but without much yield.  I’m going to be trying to grow a lot more of my own food since it doesn’t make much sense to be eating lettuce and sprouts from California or wherever, when I can grow my own here.  I AM sprouting lots but I am about to embark on some serious microgreen growing and growing some actual vegetables inside.  My husband and I have plans for a large Solviva-type year round greenhouse once we can afford it.  I would love to be raw and almost completely self-sufficient in food, here in the North.  That is our goal.

Thanks so much - it’s been great!
Sincerely,

Bobbi Roque Hornik

Where do I start today?

I suppose by putting down the soggy tissue I’m holding and adding it to the pile of other soggy tissues that seem to have accumulated since listening to Tera’s BiG call with Julia Butterfly Hill, our BiG speaker who dedicated two years of her life to protecting the Redwoods she loves.

Does it happen to you?

Do you ever get inspired so much that you commit to doing something you’re not sure you can do?  Something so BiG, you may need help?

A thought gets in… a feeling comes over you… and it wiggles its way into the place where your heart is *really* beating… not that place where a muscle moves bloods and circulates the oxygen, but the place where your inner self beats its loving and quiet, often too quiet, rhythm.  And you feel and hear that soulful beat, you experience the rush of inspiration, of beauty, of love…

That’s how I feel after listening to THAT call.

http://www.believeingreen.com

I want to babble excitedly about every word that resonated, every truth that shouted in a joyous YES, every reason that I feel SO alive in this moment that I just had to sit down at the computer and write.

If people could feel the real joy that was in that call, we’d be donating $100 000 to the Lower East Side Girls Club instead of $10 000.  People spend a lot of money looking for happiness…  Julia sure knows how to tell you where to find it.

I want you to know what a difference this call can make.  That after listening to this call, I’m more inspired than ever to be me, and I trust that being me is all I have to do to make a BiG difference.

Being me includes knowing it’s okay to be honest… that it’s okay to admit I don’t always stick to a healthy path… that I still struggle with self-medicating with food, that my jeans have gotten tighter and tighter and put away and then the new jeans got tighter and tighter, and I can’t believe I’m where I am again. Being me includes admitting that my personal mountain to climb is figuring out how to love myself unconditionally, no matter what my jeans tell me.  (You just *have* to hear what Julia says about this!!)

But thankfully, being me ALSO includes being among the most supportive community with Tera and The Raw Divas and knowing that no one here judges me for being human, that I’m always offered gentle and loving encouragement to put my attention on the good, the green, and the glorious, that this community always  holds  me together, inspires me (like TODAY!), and gets me to the peaceful and positive place I  deserve to be in.   Even when I do binge on junk, I still return to green smoothies and the sunshine feeling that green smoothies and The Green Smoothie Queen bring, that I need, to cut through the clouds.  And one of the reasons I can connect so well to people is because I KNOW personally from experience what they’re going through.

But in honour of that BiG call and Julia’s words,  I’m going to do something FIERCE right now.

Our next 21-Day Detox is coming up on September 6th, 2010.   And though I’m probably going to get a shaky feeling in my tummy when I hit the “Publish” button, I’m going to commit to a dark cloud-busting challenge and do Before and After photos for this detox.  And while I know weight loss will be an effect, it’s more about the joy, about reconnecting with a more natural state… it’s more about reaching for the positive and beautiful within… the real toxins I need to release are the self-directed negativity and self-criticism that weigh me down.

I KNOW already what a difference raw food can make.  My first introduction to The BES system in November 2008 was the most amazing raw food experience I’ve ever had, physically and emotionally.  And working behind the scenes of The Green Smoothie Queen, I’m reminded daily of the difference that getting more greens can make.

And I know that if I can be vulnerable, if I can be open, if I can share what I learn and inspire others to bust through their dark clouds too, then I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing.

I feel ready.

I feel inspired.

I feel LOVE in a BiG BiG BiG Believe in Green way!

So I hope you’ll join me for the next 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox.  I’m going to make this special.  And with a nod to another of my heroes, Steve Pavlina, I’m going to follow my inspiration and make my progress public here on the blog.  I’m going to be open and reach out to everyone else in the 21-Day detox group and we’ll get to our goals together.  Maybe some of you will do some before and after pictures with me??

It’s not going to be about being perfect.  It’s going to be about persistence and positive energy.

That’s the spirit of Julia Butterfly Hill.  Tera is honouring that spirit too and she’s committed to continuing Believe in Green until we reach our $10 000 charity goal.  Tera is going to make a new interview available each day until we reach our goal. We only need 200 more people to sign up. Remember that 100% of registrations go to support The Lower East Side Girls Club.

Julia’s call, her courage and love, is worth every penny of the $10.00 donation.

But be careful, because her words just might jump into your heart and then you’ll find yourself doing something beautiful and scary…

… like hitting the “Publish” button.

Sounds like a threat, eh?

No… we haven’t suffered a serious math injury around here.  Our arithmetic is still ticking.  Nor have I gone mad… (not counting the loose screw in my knee, of course).  I’m just a green-smoothie luvin’ gal on a mission.

I started asking myself what more *I* could do to help raise $10 000 for The Lower East Side Girls Club and our International Green Smoothie Day BiG Event.

How could I use my skills to create more value, more incentive, and add more enjoyment to this experience?  I needed to do the right twang. 

If  you’re new in our neck of the green woods, you may have missed my musical moment of Diva stardom in 2008 when I was but an avid and zealous Raw Diva admirer!  My experience with Tera’s Body Enlightenment System was sooo powerful for me that I wanted to give back and become a volunteer.

So… I volunteered my voice, my guitar, and a bit of creativity.  And THIS was the result!

(Boy oh boy… I can’t WAIT for that program to return…  look at how little I was after that… hurry Tera!  Get that gorgeous BES gal OUT of the spa pronto!  I’d love to wear that cute little Raw Diva hoodie again… heheh)

So, hoping now that there’s still some catchy music and lyrics riding around inside somewhere,  I made The Queen an offer and we told folks about it in Something to Chew on yesterday.  I decided that if we could encourage at least 100 new Green Smoothie Queen followers to join BiG and raise another $1000 towards our $10 000 goal, I’d give myself the task of writing and recording an original green smoothie song.

If my incentive is successful, I’ll make the song an audio mp3 so that I can offer it to all the BiG participants… but before I pick up my guitar, I wanna see that green smoothie go up, up, up the glass!!

AND… the lovely Vanessa Stewart, our Clutter-Free Diva, has added ANOTHER good ideas by suggesting that people who are already BiG members can also add to this incentive by making an additional donation on top of their $10. That’s a fantastic idea!  Works for me!  So…, starting with yesterday’s date of August 17, 2010, I’ll count 1 for every extra $10 anyone wants to donate as extra funds for The Girls.  You can find a “Do More” donate extra button on the BiG Homepage beside the green smoothie glass that will take you to Paypal.

I just need to know WHO is participating in this incentive, so if you’ve recently joined or recently made an extra donation, please forward your registration welcome e-mail to The Queen at thequeen@greensmoothiequeen.com and mention that you joined and/or donated extra to get a green smoothie song! The Queen’s going to give me the go ahead for when we reach that additional $1000 from Green Smoothie Queen followers.

But wait… there’s MORE!! ;-)  (always wanted to say that…hehe)

The Queen herself got into the incentive action too.  She just put out an offer on the next 21-Day detox program (starting September 6th, 2010)  that if you are a BiG donator, then you’ll be eligible to receive a special 2 for 1 coupon for the program.  In essence… you DONATE $10.00 and you or someone you love could save $97.00 on a program!  Now THAT’S pretty amazing.

I wanna sing a tribute song for the Queen just for THAT!  But I’ll wait…  I’d love to trade my computer keyboard for my six-string and ponder lyrical odes to lawnmower pulp.  TOTALLY.

But not until you jump in and help make the lives of some really deserving girls a little brighter and a little greener! 

Visit BiG and JOIN: http://www.believeingreen.com

There are fantastic interviews, over 30 green smoothie recipes, and great prizes (the deadlines for all the contests are now extended so you have even more time and opportunity to win… including a shiny new Blendtec).  And when you join the challenge, you’re not only doing something great for the girls, and your own health; you’re also making a positive impact on the health of the planet!  It’s WIN-WIN-WIN!

So there it is!  My fingers are itchy to start strumming.  Spread the word if you’d like a song!  In the meantime, I’ll start badgering my friend Glen to get his studio plugged back together… because I believe I’m going to need it,  and I Believe in Green!

- Your pickin’ and grinnin’ green smoothie gal,

Stacey

We’re going to need help to make that difference in those lives.  All it takes is $10. And we know we can.  We already KNOW what a difference just adding green smoothies for 10 days can make.  It’s not about being perfect… it’s about doing things differently and with more goodness.  We’d love to share a letter that came to us recently from a 10-Day green smoothie challenger.  Find out the difference that greens made for Marie-Eve!

Dear Green Smoothie Queen!

First of all, let me tell you how much I’ve enjoyed learning about and drinking green smoothies! I’ve taken an interest in raw foods and I love trying new things. My boyfriend and 1-year old daughter are quite excited too about all this novelty in our house!

Yesterday was Day-9 for me ,and I was going downtown with my daughter. So the day started with our usual breakfast green smoothie (I blended some nectarines, frozen mangoes, kale and homemade raw almond milk - yum!). Then I left home with clean diapers and snacks for my daughter.

As for myself, I had a plan: when I started feeling hungry, I stopped by my favorite raw restaurant and drank a very green juice and a sweet and delicious smoothie! I love going there, and I was very happy to have an opportunity to try their daily blends.

For dinner though, I gave up. I was exhausted from being away all day and a little emotional… BUT, I’ve been drinking 2 green smoothies a day many times throughout this challenge (which is more than I have first challenged myself for), so I reckon I’ve been putting in a lot of efforts and I feel like I’ve succeeded big time!

With a small child in the house, if a change has to happen, it has to become part of the routine, and we’re taking GIANT steps around here about sprouting, green smoothies, raw nut milks and raw food recipes of all kinds (our raw falafels for our daughter’s first birthday were delicious!!). Our next step will be a successful kombucha recipe and some lactofermentation. 

As you can see, I’m having lots of fun becoming more and more raw and we love our new lifestyle. I like taking the time to soak things and grow things and make recipes from scratch - it allows for more love in our food and it tastes so much better. 

So this is how my adventure has been up to now, it’s even been great to reflect on it. Thank you for all the energy and motivation you gave me through your e-mails and articles! You are a great source of inspiration.

With love and thankfulness,

Marie-Eve, Francis and Mia

xox
If you would like to support BiG and donate $10 to The Lower East Side Girls Club to join our LIVE 10-Day Green Smoothie Challenge, click HERE.

As we lead up to our BiG, Believe in Green event on International Green Smoothie Day, August 15th, we’re going to bring you some great articles from the net on how you can find simple ways to change your everyday eco-relationship with the planet.  If you haven’t joined the 10-Day Charity Challenge, now’s your chance to think BiG!

Many of us want to be responsible citizens of the Earth. We think about the effects our lifestyles have on the environment. We are concerned about global warming. We want to ensure our children’s future on this planet is one that still has clean air  to breathe, an abundance of trees and wildlife, and clean water to drink. However, many of us also think that the sacrifices might be too great to “go green” in our own office. Good news. It’s not as difficult as you think.

There are 3 areas where you can make a significant impact without significant expense or inconvenience: paper, lights, and electronics.

Paper

The average American office worker throws out about 150 pounds of paper per year. Paper manufacturing contributes to the deforestation of the planet and in America is responsible for 35 million tons of CO2 a year.

So what can you do?

• Buy recycled paper.
• Make full use of that paper by printing on both sides and/or using paper that is only printed on one side for scratch paper.
• Do your proofreading and edits on your computer before printing to reduce the number of prints you make.
• Re-use file folders by placing new labels over the old ones.

All of these changes are easy to make but have a big impact. Pretty painless, right?

Lights

Another way you can go green in your office is as easy as changing a light bulb. In fact, it is changing a light bulb. Incandescent bulbs use 4 times more energy than is necessary to produce light. Halogen lights can get as hot as 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hot enough to cook an egg!

Alternately, Energy Star certified compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) use 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light, last 10 times longer and produce less heat. If you feel like you need even more reason to switch to CFLs, consider that you will also save money over the lifetime of the bulb. Once you have made the switch to energy efficient bulbs, make sure lights are turned off when they are not needed. A great way to ensure that this happens is with motion sensors that will turn the lights off when everyone has left the room.

Electronics

38% of all of the carbon dioxide emissions come from the electricity we generate. That electricity is used to power all sorts of things. A major drain on our electricity is all of our office equipment such as computers, copiers, printers, and fax machines. When going green with your electronics, you need to look at 3 factors.You need to consider:

• the waste that is created in the manufacturing of the products,
• the effects on the environment when you use the products,
• and the waste that is created when you are done with the products.

That may seem like a lot to think about but if you follow these simple guidelines, you will be able to minimize the negative impact your office equipment has on the environment.

The manufacturing of electronics uses a lot of resources including electricity, raw materials, and water. Electronics also account for billions of pounds of municipal waste each year. Just a few of the contaminants that electronics create are toxic heavy metals, lead, PCBs, mercury, and various acids. To lessen your office’s affect on the number of new pieces of equipment that are manufactured, as well as end up in land fills, buy all-in-one machines that combine multiple functions into one. Whenever possible, get rid of machines completely by using services such as Internet fax. With an Internet fax service you get rid of the fax machine completely, as well as reduce the amount of paper and ink that gets consumed. Another way to decrease waste is to recycle machines that are no longer working and donate those that do to charities where they will stay in use.

25% of the total electricity used by all commercial buildings in the US is consumed by office buildings. When buying any new office equipment, look for Energy Star certified machines. This will make a huge difference in the amount of electricity that is used to run your office. For example, an Energy Star certified computer is going to be 52% more efficient than a standard one. Laptops also use a lot less energy than desktops, so consider whether this is a viable option for your office. Energy efficient machines are also going to have stand by options that will power down or go into sleep mode to conserve energy when not in use. Once the office is closing for the day, make sure that all equipment is powered off.

Taking these steps will get you on your way to going green in your office. And as I promised, they will help you make a significant impact without significant cost or inconvenience to you and your employees.

And you thought going green was going to be hard.

Brandi Cummings - About the Author:

***

If you’d like to join the Believe in Green 10-Day Challenge, Click HERE!

As we lead up to our BiG, Believe in Green event on International Green Smoothie Day, August 15th, we’re going to bring you some great articles from the net on how you can find simple ways to change your everyday eco-relationship with the planet.  If you haven’t joined the 10-Day Charity Challenge, now’s your chance to think BiG!

Ahh… The air is filled with the smells of the season…and dryer sheets

Our rich Aunt Regina’s clothes were always the latest things from the top fashion designers. She explained her philosophy as follows: “If it’s expensive and ugly, it’s for me.”

Most of us poorer folk wear more normal clothes, and whether they’re a sight to make eyes sore or not, when we’re done wearing them, they get washed and dried. We put the clothes in the washer, then we put the clothes in the dryer, then we throw a dryer sheet in after them. It’s the way it’s done. Some people also use liquid fabric softener in the wash cycle. All this softening and sweetening is part of Better Living Through Chemistry. Or is it?

PROBLEMS WITH DRYER SHEETS AND FABRIC SOFTENER

Your supposedly non-toxic fabric softener or dryer sheets likely include some of the following not-so-snuggly ingredients: alpha-terpineol, benzyl acetate, camphor, benzyl alcohol, limonene, ethyl acetate, pentane, and chloroform. According to the manufacturers’ Material Safety Data Sheets, these chemicals have the potential to do things to you such as:

• cause central nervous system disorders, headaches, and loss of muscle coordination;
• irritate mucous membranes and impair respiratory function;
  cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or drowsiness;
• cause liver or kidney damage;
• cause skin disorders and allergic reactions;
• cause cancer.

One of these chemicals even contains the warning “Do not flush into sewer system” (which, unfortunately, happens every time fabric softener with this particular chemical gets used). Another of the fabric softener chemicals appears on the Environmental Protection Agency’s hazardous waste list.

People are exposed to the chemicals by breathing the aromatic molecules in the air near the clothes or by absorbing them through the skin via direct contact with the clothes (which, by design, retain some of the fabric softener/dryer sheet molecules).

You may now be thinking of several “buts” to our suggestion that dryer sheets and fabric softeners are not safe. Let’s explore them:

BUT #1: “If the product is allowed to be sold, it must be safe.”

RESPONSE: You’d think so, but it’s just not so. Most chemicals used in household products have not undergone in-depth testing to determine their effects on people, particularly long-term effects.

BUT #2: “I don’t feel ill when I use these products; in fact, I LIKE the smell.”

RESPONSE: Chronic chemical exposure usually takes years to catch up with you, and the negative effects are often subtle and emerge slowly. The connection between chronic chemical exposure and an emerging health situation may not be obvious. Further, the chemicals used in fragrant products can induce a narcotic effect in humans, enticing you to crave more exposure at the same time you’re suffering the overall negative effects of the exposure.

BUT #3: “The static cling! Aeeieieee!”

RESPONSE: Yes, while people may be willing to give up the cozy smell that dryer sheets impart to their clothes, static electricity in clothes that come out of the dryer is a problem. Some solutions are listed below.

ALTERNATIVES TO USING DRYER SHEETS AND
FABRIC SOFTENER

TIP #1 - The easiest trick is to not dry clothes quite completely. The small amount of remaining moisture keeps static cling from getting a foothold. You can use drying racks to spread clothes out to do their last 10% of drying. If you’re a bit more industrious, you can hang a couple of pieces of pipe from the ceiling in your laundry area. You can then put the drying clothes on hangers and hang the hangers on the pipes. It also helps to check the dryness level of the clothes in the dryer several times-clothes of different fabric composition and thicknesses get dry at different paces.

TIP #2 - Wash and dry cottons and synthetic fabrics separately. It’s the synthetics that cause most of the static problems. Consider using the dryer minimally or not at all for nylon, rayon, and other synthetic fabrics. They usually dry quickly using the air-dry techniques in suggested in Tip 1.

TIP #3 - Tips 1 and 2 may not work so well for people without in-home washer/dryers, but there are more solutions to be had:

• Vinegar is a natural fabric softener. Use 1/2 cup in the wash cycle. (But don’t use bleach at the same time-mixing vinegar and bleach may create toxic fumes.)
• Try a natural laundry soap that has a built-in soy-based fabric softener. Check with your local natural foods store, or shop online. There are also several natural liquid fabric softeners on the market, some of them without fragrances. (We absolutely love the Ecos/Earth Friendly brand of natural laundry detergents. Most have the soy-based fabric softener-check the label.)
• Rumor has it that putting a piece of aluminum foil in with the clothes will dissipate static. Even so, you would not want to over-dry the clothes; doing so would still encourage static buildup. (And if your dryer starts picking up broadcasts from Jupiter, don’t blame us.)

DRYER BALLS

Are dryer balls a miracle solution to the wrinkling/static problem? We at Grinning Planet have no direct experience with dryer balls, so we reviewed some opinions from people who do. We’ve summarized their comments below, adding a few comments.

We can see how the spiky little dryer balls would help keep clothes fluffed. It’s less obvious how dryer balls would combat static buildup, and indeed, one reviewer noted that the balls did not stop static during wintertime dryer use (when ambient humidity tends to be low, which promotes static). A number of people commented that the balls did not work, period.

One reviewer said the balls fluffed the clothes but damaged them, putting holes and tears in them. Alternatively, several people suggested using 3-6 tennis balls to cut down on wrinkles. This would also eliminate any possibility of your clothing getting stabbed by the spiky balls, but the tennis balls will add noise to the dryer cycle, the dye on the tennis balls could come off on light-colored clothes, and how this would reduce static cling is unclear.

One other negative of the spiky dryer balls is that PVC seems to be the material of choice for manufacturing them. So, even though the balls’ operation does not apply chemicals to your clothes (as dryer sheets and fabric softeners do), the balls themselves are made of a rather odious chemical that will off-gas, at least for a while after they’re new. A reader also told us that one of her dryer balls began deteriorating after only a couple of weeks, mixing crumbly bits of PVC-laced material in with the drying clothes.

Some people do seem to have success with dryer balls, but the number of complaints we’ve seen casts a pretty big shadow on dryer balls as a good alternative to dryer sheets and fabric softeners.

DRYER SHEETS AND FABRIC SOFTENERS - WRAP-UP

You may be satisfied that your adult body will be OK even if you continue to use dryer sheets and fabric softeners, but you still might consider making a change if there are kids in your household. Children’s developing bodies are especially susceptible to the negative effects of chemical exposure.

We can’t help you with your fashion sense, but ditching the chemical fabric softeners may help your brain emerge from its “fragrance fog”!

© Mark Jeantheau/Grinning Planet. More great articles at www.grinningplanet.com

About the Author
Mark is a writer, financial analyst, progressive thinker, web developer, and, as necessary, chef and janitor. Mark’s web site, Grinning Planet, is an expression of his enthusiasm for all things humorous, green, and truthy, as well as a psychotic desire to work himself to death. Hobbies include music, healthy eating, getting frustrated over politics, and occasionally lecturing the TV set on how uncreative it is. Mark lives in Kentucky in the USA.

***

If you’d like to join the Believe in Green 10-Day Challenge, Click HERE!

You know that feeling… the one you get when you’ve just done something good?  Where a choice had no down side?  Where something you do for yourself has positive, valuable ripple effects for other people?

It kinda starts in your chest and then creeps into your throat, all the while expanding, bubbling, blossoming… and that feeling bursts into a grin, and if you’re a big ol’ softy like me, you feel your eyes glass up with even more joy because you can’t help but see the good, and there’s some kinda self-satisfying humbling glee in being part of something bigger than yourself.

It just. feels. soooo. good!

That’s how I’m feeling these days leading up to BiG!

I love that feeling… and it’s one worth sharing!  And I challenge YOU to join me in the joy bubble!  So here are 10 reasons for you to consider… pick your joy, any joy, and become part of something BiG!

1.  For Personal Health

If you make a $10 donation to BiG, you’ll be taking part in a LIVE 10-Day green smoothie challenge that I’m putting together on behalf of The Green Smoothie Queen.  If you’re already a member of GSQ, you may already be aware of how good green smoothies can make you feel - the extra energy, the weight loss, the changes in skin, and the healthy benefits of all the fiber, vitamins, and nutrients loaded in each glass!

Everyone can use a green boost, and whether you want to drink just one green smoothie for the 10 days or 30 green smoothies for the 10 days, you’ll find the encouragement you need to feel good about your food choices!

2. For Setting an Example

We’ve noticed that it takes people who benefit from green smoothies to make an impact on other people.  For most, the idea of putting bananas and spinach together in a blender seems outrageous.  Heheh… I’ve seen the “yuck” in peoples’ eyes as they stare at me with my green jug of glory.  BUT, they also always ask because they’re curious!  So I keep going out in the world, and I take my green smoothies with me, knowing they’ll attract someone who needs them!

You can open the door for someone by taking part and introducing them to the idea.  Maybe they try a green smoothie, maybe they don’t.  But the more of us who start the process and share the concept, the more some people will try… It may be the answer someone needed to fight Diabetes, or obesity, or cancer, or emotional eating, or, or, or…  You just never know.   But the testimonials keep coming!

3. For the Girls

If you haven’t been to the BiG site and watched the video about The Girls Club , then take a few minutes to do so.  You’ll see that this is an organization making amazing changes in peoples’ lives.  These girls are learning about CSA’s, running their own farmers’ markets, running a “blender on a bike” program, and becoming leaders!  And 100% of your $10 registration and any extra donations will go to support the girls!

What inspires us most is how the girls take the positive messages they learn about nutrition and the environment and then spread those messages to other children in their local neighborhoods and schools.  It’s a positive message and experience that expands to touch others, and that’s what we believe in too!

AND… we’d love for you to hear from the girls themselves about their experience, their hopes, and the things that they believe in and are working towards.  Tera will be interviewing them on Tuesday, August 10.  Please click here to listen in during or after the call:

Getting to Know the Girls of the Lower East Side

4. For the Planet

Tera says it best: “The best foods for us are the best foods for the planet.”  It can be pretty overwhelming to listen to the news and hear about the environmental impact of human actions on the planet.  You may feel like curling up in a ball and pulling the shade on the windows down.

The trick is not to be paralyzed; but rather, turn fear into your own personal flame of hope.  Okay, so we’re not all born to be David Suzuki!  But we do all have impact with our individual choices each day.  And you can make change gradually.  You can start with just your food choices.  Including more vegetarian, vegan, and raw food meals has a HUGE impact in terms of water consumption, energy consumption, and green house gas emissions.  Click here to see the difference in eating a pound of lettuce versus a pound of beef!

Skipping your usual eggs and toast for breakfast and coming along with us for 10 Days of green smoothies would already be a hug for the planet, and that’s just one small change!

5. For a Blendtec Blender

Noble and philanthropic causes are great, but hey!  As a member of the human race, I too am motivated by things I’d LOVE to have… and a Blendtec blender is top  on my health wish list!  We’ll be offering a Green Smoothie Ripple Maker contest to those who donate, so you’ll have a chance to win a free Blendtec Blender!

We love the folks at Blendtec, and we see they even have Blendtec founder, Tom Dickson, sipping green smoothies now!  Yaaaaaay!  Now the folks at Blendtec know how to spread a lot of joy.  They know how to have fun, how to create THE MOST fantastic blender, and how to give back to their communities with projects like this one!

So BiG joyful hugs to them for being such great sponsors!

6. For Local and Organic Farmers

We love promoting the little guy!  It can be a tough row to hoe, so to speak, to compete with factory farms whose produce looks as perfect as plastic fruit bowl products (with similar nutritional value).

Maybe it’s not in your budget or particularly easy where you live to get your hands on organic or local produce, so maybe you seldom try or you stopped looking.  Maybe it’s not something you can do every day, but maybe it IS something you can do for 10 days!  Maybe you’ll make your first trip to a local farmers market and talk to somebody who actually grew the food you’ll eat.  If you’ve never had this experience, you’ll find that you may look at the carrots, apples, or greens you bring home in a new and positive way!

7. For 10 BiG Thinkers

We are so grateful to have the support of Victoria Boutenko and 10 BiG thinkers who are all willing to share their time for free to support the girls and the green causes that inspire each of them most.  Whether it’s Robyn Openshaw following her path to improve the lives of her children, or Majora Carter cleaning up the Bronx, or Angela Stokes-Monarch inspiring people to go raw, or Julia Butterfly Hill protecting the giant Redwood trees she loves, each person who is a part of this BiG idea has something powerful for us to learn.  Each individual’s message is one worth spreading!

You can hear their words and learn something new.  Maybe you don’t have your own particular environmental or health cause burning to get you out of bed every morning, but maybe you will connect with the passion these individuals feel.  This is an opportunity to support them and the causes they work to improve.

See who Believes in Green!

8. For Tera and all The Raw Divas

When Tera and I started talking about this idea months ago, I got that funny mix of feelings: excitement and overwhelm!  Would we be able to do this?  I wanted to set the bar high in terms of the charity money we raised and the circle of healthy influence we could extend, but that would mean reaching out and relying on the support of at least 1000 people!

But you know what?  It feels good to believe in something so BiG.  It feels good to just have faith that the right people will respond and find value in this program and in helping out themselves, the girls, and the planet.  It feels good to think BiG.  I just checked and we’re almost at 300 people who have made the donation!!  700 more people and 7 days to go!

We’ll be relying on YOU to participate and spread the word to help us reach the goal!

9. For Future Generations

This project came into being because Tera’s daughter, Mika, wanted to do more to save the planet.  I know how Mika feels.  I remember being about her age and sitting in a classroom and feeling nothing but love for the environment and all the life within it.

That same feeling drove me to start making changes in my life in university, starting programs, and making green changes that felt good.  This is home.  We all share it.

Was it ever your day to do house chores growing up?  I like to think of this 10-day event as a reminder of my responsibility for making sure that Home remains a place that all generations can enjoy and see the beauty in.

10. For Joy

It’s why I love being a part of GSQ and telling people about green smoothies!  I love knowing that the words I’m writing now, or for a green smoothie program, or to answer an e-mail, or just to share what I drank for breakfast may reach out and make a difference.

If you’re lucky enough to do ‘work’ that helps people, you’ll know what I’m talking about.  There’s real joy in it.

If you’ve been feeling stuck by things lately that are getting you down or running you in circles… change direction and focus.  Get happy by helping others and trusting that the good you send out in the world expands and grows and gives.

• 10 Days
• 10 Big Thinkers
• 10 Bucks
• 100% to charity

I hope you’ll donate and participate in this project.  We’re awful proud and pleased with the good we hope to spread!  And we thank you for your support and for sharing the joy with us!

The ripples of our lives can be
a gently touching wave…
That reaches others we don’t know,
and comes back to us someday…

- By Denise Landford

Believe in Green

August 15th - 24th

Click the BiG logo,
join the 10-Day Challenge,
and make your donation!

August can bring waves of sweltering temperatures and temperaments.  But rather than resist the rising mercury gauge, Catherine has some suggestions for you to let go and embrace the benefits of summer and uh…

womanly freedom. 

1.  Become a Gorgeous Lemon Goddess

Dye your hair-naturally! Lemon juice has been renown to lighten the hair—and without the muss and fuss of going to the hairdresser or having your head and lungs filled with chemicals (like hairspray).

Just spritz on the juice of 2 lemons (preferably organic) all over your head or brush it on the pieces of hair that are usually touched by the sun. Then sit out in the sun (not during peak times and don’t forget the sunscreen, for goodness sake!) for 1-2 hours. You may have to repeat the process and the results show best on blond, light brown and red hair.

2.  Sun Beam Your Bras!

Save energy and do the environment a favor: hang your clothes out on the line to dry. Not only will your electricity bill be less, (and your wallet thanking you) but the smell of clean, freshly air-dried clothes can’t be beat. AHHH!

3.  Connect with Our Grassy Gaia

Go for a walk –BAREFOOT. Yes, I mean outside, with NO shoes on.

David Wolfe (in his longevity conferences) has recently been tooting the power of Mother Earth to counteract the harmful effects of EMFs (electro-magnetic fields, as given off by cell phones, computers and TVs). Since rubber (that would be the soles of your shoes) interferes with us releasing this toxic energy build-up in our bodies, Mother Nature naturally provides a solution: her magnetic self. Now go find a grassy knoll or park—might I suggest a romantic twilight walk a deux?

4.  Call Me Ms. Commando

Go panty-less. That’s right, ladies, you read that correctly. The sweltering heat means skirts and dresses are “la mode.” And with all that humidity, the last thing you want is the not so fun, don’t-want-to-talk-about-it, not-tonight-dear yeast infection.

While you can typically avoid yeast infections by increasing the amount of probiotics you consume, you have to admit that doing things like eating raw sauerkraut is nowhere near as sexy as stepping out your door with a little less clothing and a secret commando smile.  Going panty-less can be a sexually liberating experience. Just be careful not to go too short and watch bending over and getting out of cars. You don’t want to attract too much attention!

5.  Rise and Be the Monarch of the Morning Sun

Soak up the Vitamin D. If you’ve listened to talks with Dr. Mercola, you know he’s mentioned Vitamin D deficiency reaching epidemic proportions. Precious beauty Vitamin D3 has a queen- sized amount of health benefits, including calcium absorption, maintaining a healthy body weight, and boosting the immune system. So get out there in your twinkling tiara, sunshine, and soak up the sun, already!

In health and well-being,

Cat

I don’t know about you but I love the Summer. It’s a time to relax & enjoy yourself, but it can also be a time of great stress especially when you find yourself in unexpected ‘food quandaries’. Sometimes when we are busy we can get so wrapped up in the minutia of each detail of what must be done that we forget the most obvious things - what to eat!

Over the last week I have had to deal with this same problem. I was unexpectedly away from home and didn’t have time to prepare my normal healthy meals. When this happens what’s a girl (or boy) to do? Here are three tips and some great food ideas to keep you from going to the drive through this summer.

• 1. Take time to think about and plan your meals.

I know sometimes, especially when unexpected things come up, it may seem hard to stick to intentions but trust me -  if it is genuinely important to us we always manage to make it work. Anticipate.  Take some time to think about when you will be on vacation, staying late at work, or those instances when you’ll be heading to your child’s baseball game right from work.

You can always keep bags of raw cashews, walnuts and dried fruit in your purse in an emergency. Other quick go to’s are banana or apple slices with nut butter. I keep avocados in my purse sometimes when I know I will be away from the comforts of the usual healthy foods I eat and it can be a quick add on in a pinch.

• 2. Save time preparing meals by using leftovers from last night’s dinner.

Perfect!

You made a beautiful vegetarian dish last night and you know you also have some sprouted grains you need to use up so why not whip these up into a completely new meal?

Add a beautiful cleansing salad as a side, do a quick no-fry stir fry with some organic veggies and you are good to go. A 10 minute meal awaits.

Much better than a frozen dinner in a box and cheaper than take-out!

• 3. Make at least 2 no-cook meals per week.

This is especially important if you are transitioning to a raw food diet. When I first began my journey I juiced during the day, had a cleansing salad for lunch and a cooked dinner. Doing this helps your body to release toxins and prevents your body from going into detox overload and overly stressing your body.

So, the less time the oven needs to be on the better in these hot summer months. I don’t know about you but when it’s hot, the last thing I want to do is put the blazing hot oven on to make dinner for my family (part of the beauty of eating raw, no?)

Instead, try making huge salads with left over grains such as quinoa, brown rice or millet paired with some cooling cucumbers and other favorite vegetables, spicy arugula, spinach or kale and sweet mango or even a green apple. Then top it off with some lovely avocado or nuts spreads and squirt lemon or lime juice over top for a quick dressing.

I always like to combine a sweet flavor, a fat, and an acid to all of my salads. This ensures all of the tastes we humans crave are satisfied. We will be much less likely to run to the fridge after dinner for raw ice cream or chocolate. Get the idea?

Hope these tips get you inspired to try healthy foods even on the run!

Love and Hugs,

Eliza Ceci is a holistic nutrition and wellness coach, motivational speaker and blogger. She is the owner of Peace on My Plate and enjoys providing support to her clients around detox, emotional eating and PMS and pre-pregnancy preparation.  Eliza’s passion is empowering women to understand their worth, creating passionate lives and taking control of their health one green juice at a time. http://peaceonmyplate.com

]]> http://www.greensmoothiequeen.com/en/blog/archives/2531/feed