by Vince Pedre M.D.

Smart-Phone-Sick

Twenty years ago, cellular phones were only for the Wall Street bunch, but these days everyone, from teenagers to grandparents has one.

Technology has brought us closer and put the world at our fingertips. But technology is not without inherent risk.

Cell phones are essentially hand held microwave devices that send short bursts of pulsed microwave energy when establishing a call and when transmitting and receiving voice communications.

Would you put your head right next to a microwave oven? The wattage is much smaller with a cell phone, but recent research is calling into question the long-term safety of these radio frequency devices.

Recycle Your Old Cell Phone

Catch Energy Vampires In Your Home

The world of convenience has evolved much faster than our understanding of how these devices can affect our health.

What do cell phones, cordless phones and Wifi have in common? They all emit EMFs (electro-magnetic fields).

It is

by Toni Salter

Certified organic fruit, vegetables and legumes may not be suitable for a vegan diet. This is a bold statement. Many may be shocked to hear this since a vegan diet consists of plant based foods, exclusively.

Certainly, organic certification will guarantee the best quality produce without the use of harmful pesticides and is much better for the environment, but is it "animal product free"?

It is the way these crops are cultivated that puts into question how well they fit into the vegan ethos.

by Green Diva Meg

I know there are a lot of stories floating around out there about the health benefits of dark chocolate, but for some reason it really got my attention this year. Perhaps it was GD Lisa's Take Two (and call her in the morning) report last week, which included some surprising health benefits of chocolate, particularly for the heart. Wow. Really?!? Did Hallmark or the chocolate makers who designed all those heart-shaped boxes filled w/ chocolate goodies know this way back when?

Of course, the truth is that "healthy" chocolate should be dark, low-sugar, probably sans milk (and all the other goodies often found in the middle of those boxed candies) and eaten in moderate amounts.

My husband, who is healthier than almost anyone I know, has a genetic bummer when it comes to cholesterol and we had a very frightening couple of weeks that ended with a triple bypass this past year. So, we're both paying a lot of attention to anything that is heart-healthy, especially if it is fun and yummy! Ironically (or sadly), he is allergic to chocolate, but I'm not! hee hee hee . . .

I'll find other ways to adore, love and share my appreciation of my honey on Valentine's Day, but I'm hoping he'll indulge me in a little healthy chocolate. I'm going to share the following with him . . .

by Lisa McWilliams

Valentine's Day is not my favorite holiday. But its not going away, so why not embrace it? When asked about Valentine's Day, a good Quaker would say, "Every day should be like Valentine's Day." I actually believe that and wish we all lived in the spirit of letting everyone know just how much we love them as part of our daily practice. Oh and don't forget to add to love ourselves. Having said that, we all get caught up in our everyday lives and I guess I am thankful that we have this reminder. After all I do have fond memories from when I was a little girl of my Dad buying me flowers like he did for my Mom, which made me feel very special. And I'll always fondly remember getting those Victorian looking 3D cards from my Grandmother that always smelled like her.

So what do you do when you don't have an adoring Valentine? You get to be your own Valentine! When doing things for yourself, pick things that are healthy and develop a positive mantra to overshadow any of that inner dialogue of feeling sorry for yourself. The good feeling of choosing healthy "treats" will last longer and help you extend those good feelings throughout the year. Here are a few low cost, low impact, nurturing suggestions to help you make that heartfelt shift.

1. Go see that movie that you've always wanted to see and embrace that you get a good seat because you are on your own. Don't "treat" yourself with a bunch of garbage to eat, "treat" yourself with some un-buttered popcorn and a juice instead of a soda and pat yourself on the back for taking good care of yourself. I often sneak in some edamame to munch on instead of popcorn. It gives me my salt fix in a healthier way.
   
   
2. Refresh your environment and bring new energy to your home and outlook. Pick a room that you like to spend time in and de-clutter and freshen it up. Look around and take everything out that doesn't bring you joy. Donate, recycle or give away what you don't need. Turn on some great music and clean every corner of the room. Wipe out the cobwebs of the room and your mind at the same time. Freshen up the space with a newly covered pillow or some fresh flowers. Heck, you might even be inspired to buy some VOC paint and brighten it up with a little color. Thank yourself for taking such good care of yourself.
   
   
3. Get together with a friend you haven't seen in a long time. There's nothing like catching up with a really close friend that loves you in spite of any flaws.
   
   

by Toni Salter
Organic-Food-Just-Tastes-Better

For a variety of reasons, people are cooking meals at home more often and there are now television networks devoted entirely to cooking shows.

Celebrity chefs are turning out wonderful meals in 30 minutes, while basic home cooks are serving up 3 course gastronomic delights under the sometimes grueling and stressful conditions of TV challenges.

While we at home may follow every step and the dishes may look great, oftentimes the challenges are won or lost on the taste test.

Our dish may look the same, however when it comes to taste,

by Green Diva Meg

We hear a lot about "renewable energy." We know it's good for the environment, but do we really know what it is and how to get it? And if you are like me, you instantly envision solar panels on your roof and then get overwhelmed thinking about how to make it happen. Fortunately, there are a few ways for anyone who is hooked up to the current electrical grid to buy greener energy, and to my surprise, sometimes it is cheaper (but it really depends on what state you live in and what renewable options are available). Choosing green power could make significant impact on the environment, because electricity generation is the largest industrial polluter in the country. So what is renewable energy anyway?

Renewable energy is energy that is generated from naturally replenished resources like sunlight, wind, geothermal heat, tides, even rain.

About 16% of global energy consumption comes from renewables. This is exciting and encouraging, right? But what

by Kirsten Dirksen
Urban-Beekeeping

Bryon Waibel runs what he believes is the world's only urban beekeeping store. It's called Her Majesty's Secret Beekeeper and Waibel, who uses the handle 006, does seem to believe that he/ the store/ urban beekeepers are serving a cause.

"It would not surprise me at all if the future of the honeybee itself is in urban beekeeping," he says, "It would not surprise me at all."

For those not familiar with the problem with bees, the threat is Colony Collapse Disorder: a phenomenon where honeybees worldwide are disappearing. No one knows the cause though some point to

By Kirsten Dirksen

Ewok-World

In 1974, fresh out of the army (as a Green Beret medic), Michael Garnier went to rural Oregon to try to make a living off the woods. He tried making furniture, fences, pole barns and selling organic, psychedelic picture propellers (to see Fantasy Flakes), but finally it was a treehouse that got him all the attention.

Modeled after the treehouse he had once built for his kids, his first treehouse B&B was completed in 1990 and people began paying to stay. But the county building instructors wouldn't permit it and told Garnier to tear it down.

Instead, he set out to prove it was structurally sound by performing his own stress test. He invited 66 people, 2 dogs and a cat inside (for a total of 10,847 pounds) . The structure held, but the inspectors weren't swayed.

Garnier continued to build 8 more treehouses, but without proper permission to use them as lodging, instead of renting them he asked guests to buy a $75 t-shirt first. Finally,