Pathway to Prosperity
February 8, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
When Jessica Rodriguez stepped up to address the audience in Washington, D.C. along side of Hillary Clinton at the first Pathways to Prosperity Women Entrepreneurs Conference in October, it was a step that few would have imagined her taking just one decade ago–least of all, perhaps Jessica herself.
According to the Environmental Working Group’s 2009 report Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, strawberries are among the 12 foods most affected by pesticide residues. Simply put, they’re toxic. The best way to avoid the deadly effects of sprayed produce? Buy certified organic or grow your own. Artwork by David Brown.
January 3, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Artwork by David Brown (www.art.com)
Designing with Nature in Mind
Several decades ago, a few creative thinkers started redefining the traditional idea of home. From coast to coast, people started looking at their environment and began building with eco-inspired homes.
Defining Natural Foods
December 30, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
If you could bite down on a crispy, crunchy potato chip that was “natural”, tasted great and totally good for you, you’d probably buy it, right?
An Orchard Garden in the City
December 9, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
If you’re planning a trip to San Francisco, be sure to check out (or into) the Orchard Garden Hotel, one of California’s greenest.
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.
World’s First Non-Profit Luxury Eco-Resort
August 4, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
The world’s first non-profit and luxury eco-resort community, which will commit 100 per cent of operating profits to environmental protection and social improvements, is set to be built on a 124 acre private island in the Calamianes archipelago, at the northernmost tip of the Palawan Biosphere Reserve in the Philippines. Read more
Creativity Calls: The Art of Green
July 8, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
The art of going green is as simple as rethinking the every day things we do (often without thinking). While many have the recycling basics down to a fine art, now it’s all about taking it to the next level for the sake of the environment and your wallet.
Fertilizers, Pesticides & Herbicides a Death Sentence
July 5, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
What effects do fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides used on residential lawns or on farms have on nearby water bodies like rivers, streams—or even the ocean for those of us who live near the shore? — Linda Reddington, Manahawkin, NJ
With the advent of the so-called Green Revolution in the second half of the 20th century—when farmers began to use technological advances to boost yields—synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides became commonplace around the world not only on farms, but in backyard gardens and on front lawns as well.
These chemicals, many of which were developed in the lab and are petroleum-based, have allowed farmers and gardeners of every stripe to exercise greater control over the plants they want to grow by enriching the immediate environment and warding off pests. But such benefits haven’t come without environmental costs—namely the wholesale pollution of most of our streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and even coastal areas, as these synthetic chemicals run-off into the nearby waterways.
When the excess nutrients from all the fertilizer we use runs off into our waterways, they cause algae blooms sometimes big enough to make waterways impassable. When the algae die, they sink to the bottom and decompose in a process that removes oxygen from the water. Fish and other aquatic species can’t survive in these so-called “dead zones” and so they die or move on to greener underwater pastures.
A related issue is the poisoning of aquatic life. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Americans alone churn through 75 million pounds of pesticides each year to keep the bugs off their peapods and petunias. When those chemicals get into waterways, fish ingest them and become diseased. Humans who eat diseased fish can themselves become ill, completing the circle wrought by pollution.
A 2007 study of pollution in rivers around Portland, Oregon found that wild salmon there are swimming around with dozens of synthetic chemicals in their systems. Another recent study from Indiana found that a variety of corn genetically engineered to produce the insecticide Bt is having toxic effects on non-target aquatic insects, including caddis flies, a major food source for fish and frogs.
The solution, of course, is to go organic, both at home and on the farm. According to the Organic Trade Association, organic farmers and gardeners use composted manure and other natural materials, as well as crop rotation, to help improve soil fertility, rather than synthetic fertilizers that can result in an overabundance of nutrients. As a result, these practices protect ground water supplies and avoid runoff of chemicals that can cause dead zones and poisoned aquatic life.
There is now a large variety of organic fertilizer available commercially, as well as many ways to keep pests at bay without resorting to harsh synthetic chemicals. A wealth of information on growing greener can be found online: Check out OrganicGardeningGuru.com and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Alternative Farming System Information Center, for starters. Those interested in face-to-face advice should consult with a master gardener at a local nursery that specializes in organic gardening.
CONTACTS: CDC, www.cdc.gov; Organic Gardening Guru, www.organicgardeningguru.com; USDA’s Alternative Farming System Information Center, www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml.
Health+Happiness=Beauty: Be Genki
June 20, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Beauty buff and holistic entrepreneur Sam Sample follows a simple philosophy when it comes to beauty and believes you can ‘be’ it, rather than ‘achieve’ it.
“Beauty comes from within,” she says. “Being happy and healthy on the physical, emotional and spiritual level is what I believe makes a woman truly beautiful.”
With her natural approach and holistic know-how, Sydney-based Sam developed her beauty range, Be Genki. The collection brings together her deep interest in aromatherapy, well-being, meditation, and beauty care into a holistic synthesis to “promote optimum inner health and harmony amidst the fast pace of contemporary life”.
Each element of Be Genki, she says, has been carefully and thoughtfully selected for its excellence in design, quality, healing benefits, and ability to capture the senses.
“Be Genki is the only bath and body care brand to offer a complete 360 degree approach to holistic well-being, identifying four key areas that contribute to an individual’s well-being and providing products that help create balance with a lifestyle approach,” Sam says.
