Life is a Mirror
October 26, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
A girlfriend Skyped me this morning. She recently moved back from London, has already changed states, has been through a bunch of short-lived jobs, and on Thursday was frog-marched out of her latest boring admin position. She is lost, directionless, and has no idea what to do. “And to top it all off,” she said, “My knees are killing me. I think I have arthritis. I’m off to get some herbal drugs.” I raised my eyebrows and responded, “Um, hel-LO… do you know what legs and knees symbolize? Your direction in life!” She was stunned. But it makes sense, doesn’t it?
Sweat Lodge Deaths & Self-Help Gurus: A Question of Accountability
October 26, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
By Jonathan Ellerby, PhD
The recent and tragic events that involved three deaths and more than 19 injured and emotionally traumatized at a James Ray “Spiritual Warrior Retreat” deserves to be treated with some gentleness for this is more than a news item, but a horrific experience of loss and suffering that is impacting far more people than only those who were there. It is also a criminal investigation and a man’s career under scrutiny. This “event” brings up some critical issues in our society, and this is one of those important times where we can either learn something that will serve everyone, or fall into the kind of blame and stereotyping that helps no one.
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7 WAYS … TO DEAL WITH NEGATIVE PEOPLE
As children we’re raised on Utopian ideals of community based on cross religious and cultural variations of ‘love thy neighbor’. But where exactly do you draw the line when it comes to negative, energy-draining, drama-inducing people who seems to thrive on negativity? Negative people are black holes, the “Blue Meanies” of our world.
Cigarette Butts an Environmental Disaster
October 23, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Has anyone ever studied the environmental impact of discarded cigarettes? I’m constantly appalled at the number of drivers I see pitching their butts out their car windows. — Ned Jordan, via email
It’s true that littered cigarette butts are a public nuisance, and not just for aesthetic reasons. The filters on cigarettes—four fifths of all cigarettes have them—are made of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that is very slow to degrade in the environment. A typical cigarette butt can take anywhere from 18 months to 10 years to decompose, depending on environmental conditions.
A Green Guide to Surviving Thanksgiving
October 20, 2009 by The Dove · 3 Comments
By Shireen Qudosi
Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away and this year we have a few green additions to our family. With my newly turned eco leaf and with one of our family members going vegetarian, this year Thanksgiving presents a whole new set of challenges.
Boxed Wine Better for the Environment
October 16, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Apparently boxed wine (instead of bottled) is becoming all the rage for environmental reasons. What are the eco-benefits of boxed wine over bottled? — Justin J., Los Angeles, CA
With more and more wineries offering organic varieties to lower their eco-footprint, it’s no surprise that they’re looking at the environmental impacts of their packaging as well. The making of conventional glass bottles (and the corks that cap them) uses significant quantities of natural resources and generates considerable pollution. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the process of manufacturing glass not only contributes its share of greenhouse gas emissions but also generates nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and tiny particulates that can damage lung tissue when breathed in.
Top 5 Eating Habits to Keep the Planet (And Your Body) Healthy
October 16, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
By Adria Vasil
Maybe it’s the half-Greek in me, but there’s nothing that makes me giddier then the sight of a table full of food (well, other than actually eating the food). Trouble is most of what we stack onto our plates isn’t just weighing on our hips, hearts and cells, it’s also bloating the planet with packaging, pesticides and climate-changing gases. How can you get your fill without, er, tipping the ecological scales?
Hair Salons Taking the Green Route
As I understand it, hair salons are pretty toxic enterprises on many counts. Are there any efforts underway to green up that industry? — Paula Howe, San Francisco, CA
Hair salons have long been criticized for the pollution they generate. Traditional hair dyes and many shampoos contain harmful synthetic chemicals that are routinely used on customers’ scalps—and then washed down the drain where they can accumulate in waterways, soils and even our bloodstreams.
While there doesn’t appear to be an industry-wide, coordinated effort to green up these operations, green-friendly salons are popping up all across the country, leading the charge by taking matters into their own hands. A simple Google search for “green hair salons” followed by your two-letter state abbreviation may well turn up one or several within driving distance.
Not surprisingly, Southern California seems to be ground zero for the green hair salon movement. For example, Beverly Hills’ Shades Hair Studio prides itself on its chemical-free atmosphere. Spurred on by her own health problems related to working with conventional hair dyes, owner Susan Henry—so-called “colorist to the stars”—first created her own line of natural hair colors that contain no harmful ammonia, and then transformed her Shades salon into a model for environmentally friendly hair care.
Across town, Nori’s EcoSalon in Encino is making waves in the industry for its non-toxic permanent hair color treatments and 100 percent botanical henna using home-grown formulations. To boot, Nori’s interior features energy efficient lighting, recycled denim insulation, low-VOC paints on the walls and sustainably sourced bamboo on the floors, along with a number of other green touches to keep indoor air quality high. And up the coast, San Francisco’s Descend Salon goes to similar lengths, and then steps it up a notch by recycling its hair clippings for use in absorbent mats used in oil spill clean-up efforts.
Not just for California anymore, eco-friendly hair salons occupy just about every major North American city, many operating in the same spirit as Shades, Nori’s and Descend in making use of non-toxic and/or organic ingredients while greening indoor surroundings for an overall healthy experience. Then there’s the granddaddy of them all, Aveda, which in addition to operating some 200 of its own spas, supplies natural hair care and personal care products to 7,000 professional hair salons and spas in 29 countries.
Another way to get a greener hair treatment is to search on the websites of green hair care product makers such as EcoColors, Aveda, Modern Organic Products or Innersense for salons that use their products.
Of course, if none of the salons in your area have gone green, take it upon yourself to encourage them to make the transition. You can start by showing them this article and suggesting they begin to carry some all-natural products, perhaps by first contacting companies like EcoColors, Aveda, Modern Organic Products or Innersense to see what’s out there that they could easily transtion to.
CONTACTS: Shades, www.shadesnaturalcolor.com; Nori’s EcoSalon, www.norisecosalon.com; Descend salon, www.descendalon.com; EcoColors, www.ecocolors.net; Aveda, www.aveda.com; Modern Organic Products, Innersense, www.innersensebeauty.com.
SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com.
From Vending Machine to Closet
October 14, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
T-shirts made from soda bottles? Hoodies woven using leftover cotton scraps? New sustainable fashion brand Playback is leading the fashion pack with innovative ideas that are great for their customers and the planet.
Green Guide Network Expands
October 14, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
What began in 2006 as the OC Green Guide, an insiders guide to everything “green” in Orange County, CA, has now taken root as a full-scale, ultra-local Green Guide Network across the United States.
