Jennifer Betit Yen - Ethical Is Beautiful. Be Beautiful. A Blog.

Just Noise

3/21/2019

I ran into a few people who usually see me sans makeup when I was very dressed up and made up after a film shoot.  All 4 of them exclaimed over how different I looked.  One said, “Normally, you just look like a normal girl but, with makeup, wow! You should wear makeup all the time!” Another said, “You look so great right now; like a totally different person.  I almost didn’t recognize you!”  The other two comments were similar.

I know these people meant well, however, the comments made me sad.    They seemed to suggest if I didn’t have a professional hair and makeup artist style me up, I was, well, ick, blah, vanilla, basic.

Why are so many of us women expected to spend hours coloring our faces and burning our hair into submission, lacing ourselves into literal corsets sometimes, and balancing on spindly little rods (aka high heeled shoes) in order to be considered “wow”?

Obviously, pretty much everyone likes to be told they look nice, however, I would rather all of us be considered pretty because our faces are full of joy than because we’re shellacked with make up and hair styled into the stratosphere.

If people say you’d be so pretty only IF (you wore makeup, etc.), then f*** ‘em.

To me, beauty is defined by two things: joy and kindness.  If you have one, you’re lovely.  If you have both, you’re truly beautiful.

Everything else is just noise.

Holistic Health

3/14/2019

I am a huge fan of preventative medicine – using food and a clean environment and mindfulness to keep ourselves healthy and happy.  Western medicine can be great in times of emergency but it’s not always the greatest at prevention or holistic health.  Oh, could we combine them?!  Some practitioners are trying!  I had the opportunity to interview one such physician and holistic care provider, Dr. Anna Folckomer.

Dr. Folckomer is the owner of the wellness facility, I.D. Lab New York, in midtown Manhattan. She is also the co-founder of the international seminar series, Immaculate Dissection, and an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University School of Medicine and Pacific College of Medicine. She focuses on a unique combination of functional anatomy, acupuncture, rehabilitative exercise, and manual therapies that she creates via assessment, treatment plan, and most importantly, an educational experience for the patient, to better understand and respond to any given condition.

In particular, I asked her about nickel allergies, since I’ve blogged about that before (here and here) and received so many responses from people suffering but who can’t find adequate assistance:

EIBBB:            Tell us a little about you, your background and what you do.

Dr. AF:             I’m a licensed acupuncturist, board certified herbalist, and anatomy teacher. I have a clinical doctorate and I get to teach a lot of anatomy! I teach gross dissection at Seton Hall School of Medicine, Anatomy and Physiology at Pacific College, and I co-founded a continuing education seminar called Immaculate Dissection with two of the greatest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. My background was actually in dance, but then I sort of became obsessed with the choreography that gets everyday people through life, and shifted my focus to learning more about how to understand the human body. Also, to be fully transparent, I wanted to be a dancing doctor when I was little, which as far as I knew wasn’t a real thing, so I’ve had a wonderful fulfillment in attempting to achieve that! I own a clinic in midtown where I have the pleasure and honor in seeing my patients and sharing it with brilliant practitioners.

EIBBB:            What is the difference between a holistic physician, such as yourself, and a conventional physician?

Dr. AF:             I’m not confined to a compartment or set of conditions the way that other physicians are. It’s unfortunately not uncommon for people to see 5+ different doctors for different areas of their body and none of them are communicating with each other. I’m typically the 8th or 9th specialist a person will see for a condition, so the challenge is on to think outside of the box and get to work. My job is to put all of the puzzle pieces together, but then also to communicate with and refer to the rest of a patient’s healthcare team. I’m lucky enough to get to view the body from multiple lenses- western medicine, functional anatomy and biomechanics, lifestyle influences, and eastern medicine, and somewhere along the way it paints a really nice picture of the patient. My approach becomes more about using problem solving strategies within the art of healthCARE for the individual.

EIBBB:            How do you recommend finding a good holistic practitioner?

Dr. AF: It’s about a team effort! If you’ve got someone on your health team that you like, ask them who they work with and refer to. There are some really great types of practitioners out there. Of course you can look at their background, education, and inquire about their experience with a certain collection of symptoms and that’s a great start. I’ve worked with so many different types of healthcare practitioners that continuously impress me in terms of what they’ve done with their professional experience and continuing education. People expect to be great practitioners right out of the gate from school and that’s just not true. It’s called clinical PRACTICE for a reason, so I like working with folks that have embraced that! I’m much more interested in what they’ve done in their professional career to keep up, form networks and working relationships with other healthcare practitioners, and continue to learn about how the human body works. We’ve all heard the phrase “the more you know, the more you realize how much you have to learn” and I like to work with professionals who really get that because it limits dogma and ideology. No one knows all there is to know, but a good practitioner knows that and is willing to problem solve, advocate, and learn more for you. Being confident and wrong is a scary thing in medicine and unfortunately it happens sometimes. I love co-managing with professionals that stay very present, ask questions, and avoid just relying on protocols. Protocols have their time and place, but need be kept in check by the fact that all patients are individuals. Regardless of the type of physician, the word “doctor" means teacher, (to indoctrinate) and so proper, good quality, healthcare absolutely must include time for education, explanation, and communication.

EIBBB:            What are the top 3 areas of concern patients come to you with and how do your treatment plans differ from what one might expect from a conventional Western physician's office?

Dr. AF: I see a lot of pain management, digestive issues, and hormonal issues. But to be honest, people rarely come in with just one area of concern. Typically, people come in with a handful of symptoms that are all related, whether they realize it or not. My number one area is helping people put all of their puzzle pieces together, which sets me apart from some conventional medicine approaches. So many people are told their symptoms aren’t related, but of course they are! How could they not be? I love a good assessment and intake process. It breaks my heart how many people get less than 10 minutes with their doctors. That’s not enough time to feel heard or to problem solve. My initial appointment is 90 minutes, because I want that time that to assess and get acquainted with the patient’s symptomatic expression.

EIBBB:            As you know, I blogged awhile back about nickel allergies that could cause systemic dermatitis. There is an emerging body of research suggesting nickel from foods - e.g., nickel ingested internally - can cause dermatitis, however, a nickel-restricted diet is pretty difficult and seems unhealthy since it eliminates huge swathes of "good-for-you" foods like veggies and legumes. Have you treated patients with dermatitis caused by nickel (from ingestion) allergies? Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on this topic?

Dr. AF: Yes, you are correct. Allergic contact dermatitis commonly occurs as a localized reaction to topical nickel and systemic reactions can occur from dietary nickel ingestion and there is fantastic peer-reviewed research on this. Ingestion of nickel triggers an immune response that often correlations with an exacerbation of contact dermatitis. Nickel, like so many other natural occurring minerals, is necessary in the body in small amounts. We have to assess this from a wide angle though and be mindful to not just place the blame on the wrong culprits here. Before we just blame the veggies and legumes, lets consider other factors. First of all, region, water supply, and soil conditions are going to play a role in a lot of mineral issues. Equipment used in food processing, faucets, and cookware can all contribute, as can the presence of other vitamins and minerals that effect the absorption of nickel like Vitamin C and Iron. Also, nickel is excreted through sweat and stool, so we have to ask what is the patients ability to sweat, digest, and have a normal bowel movement like? If it’s not coming out, of course it’s building up! Also, what is the person’s general immune response like? What is their inflammation like? Acidity also plays a role in nickel allergies. I don’t think step one should necessarily be cut all nickel containing foods, especially since so many of them are high in fiber and are going to cause you to excrete more nickel through your stool anyways. Let’s start by getting to know the role of nickel in each individual and the factors that go into their response of it’s presence. Those are bound to be unique to each case.

EIBBB:            As a former professional dancer yourself, you probably are familiar with and see a lot of patients with back, hip and foot pain. What are some of the typical modes of diagnosis and treatment you use for these types of patients?

Dr. AF: I watch them move because I don’t know why they have that pain until I see the way they move through life with those structures. I’m not going to give them an ideologic label just because it’s one I “know a lot about”. There is not and should not be a “hip pain protocol”. Pain can be such a gift into our understanding of how we get through life. I have to do a gait assessment, I want to know what their choreography is like when they go up and down stairs, go from sit to stand, walk across the room, bend over, etc. Our bodies are BRILLIANT and extremely impressive at compensating. If I watch someone move, they’ll show me why and where they are likely to have pain. It’s suggestive of a strategy that has served us well, but may not have been anatomically correct, which will create some discomfort. So much pain comes from just using that area too much and pain is like an alert that says “hey you’re using me too much, and this wasn’t necessarily my job in the first place!” Once I get to know the way their body moves and compensates, I use acupuncture and other manual therapies to help calm the area of awareness, and prescribe corrective exercises to help recreate new strategies that don’t generate discomfort. Holistically, I have to also consider other factors in their life that might be encouraging inflammation through diet, etc.

EIBBB:            What are some of your favorite general tips for maintaining good health?

Dr. AF: Moderation. Emphasis on basic physiological processes. Sleep well, eat well, breathe well, move more, get sunlight, and stay present with your thoughts. This seems like such a simple thing, but I think we often overcomplicate things and try to hack our way around just keeping it simple. We should observe our own mental awareness and our relationships with all of these physiological processes as well. This is so important for people who are in pain or have a symptomatic expression of some sort. It consumes their thoughts and we get so caught up in just making it go away because it’s wired to our limbic system and considered a perceived threat. But if we change our relationship to symptoms, especially pain, we can start to ask why. Why does my knee hurt? No, it’s not because you’re broken, it’s because you’re so amazing you’re probably using your knee to pick up slack from your hip or ankle that’s moving slightly less than optimal, etc. Meditation and awareness does wonderful things to our ability to check in with ourselves. Symptoms and pain are expressions of the body, and we need a clear state of mind, (and a good assessment!) to start to understand those expressions. When you look at it like that, the goal shifts from “make it stop” to “let’s understand this, listen, and respond.”

EIBBB:            In recent health news, 3 supplements have been touted for "everyone" - Vitamin D3, probiotics and Omega-3's. What are your thoughts on that and, for those who enjoy a plant-based diet, what are the best ways to get Omega-3's without consuming animal parts?

Dr. AF: They’re touted for everyone, because they’re necessary in our bodies, but we should remember not everyone is operating at a deficiency and we’re all individuals. What I need and what you need are going to be different, and may not require the same problem solving strategy. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, said “Let thy food be thy medicine”, so it makes sense to at least start there. Vitamin D is created in your skin when sunlight hits it, so it doesn’t make sense to me to cover myself in clothes and a skin barrier and sit inside under flourescent lights all day, and then take a manufactured high dose of a fat soluble vitamin that I’ve got to make sure I can even digest in the first place. There’s a wide range of normal for Vitamin D and recent research has also shown that theres no therapeutic difference in lower ends and higher ends of that wide range. I want to be clear that I’m not encouraging people to stop their supplements, nor am I suggesting these things are bad, I’m encouraging people to ask questions and keep it simple. Vitamin D is necessary for many physiological processes and Vit D deficiencies are a real thing that creates problems. But we do not all need to be on a supplement of it, when you can get it free outside and through food. Probiotics are great and also necessary, but you also may be supplementing the wrong one. If you’ve been on Lactobacillus acidophilus for years, but you actually have a deficiency of Bifidobacterium bifidum, then that Acidophilus supplement isn’t helping. There are great stool sample tests that can help you determine your individual needs. Omegas are also necessary for good functioning, Alpha linolenic acid is an Omega 3 found in many nuts, seeds, and plants. Our bodies will convert a small amount of that ALA into DHA and EPA, so it’s a great idea to boost ALA rich foods in general. Algae derivatives are a vegan source of EPA and DHA, that actually hold up in research in comparison to fish versions.

EIBBB:            What does "Ethical is Beautiful. Be Beautiful" mean to you?

Dr. AF: I really love this! The word “ethical” means a lot to me as a person in healthcare and as a person who has followed a plant based diet for over 20 years. Like my other colleagues in medicine, I took a Hippocratic oath when I graduated, where I promised to first and foremost, “Do no harm”. That phrase to me is beautiful because it suggests transparency, authenticity, care, and good intention. God knows I am so far from perfect, but I get to learn a lot every day, and so I make every attempt to prioritize this statement in all professional and personal decision making, because that’s the promise that I made. As long as I hold that sacred, I can be proud of each day when I go to bed each night, and that feels like a beautiful thing to me.

EIBBB:            For those interested in learning more about your holistic medical practice in NYC, how can they contact you?

Dr. AF: You can contact me through my website at www.drannafolckomer.com. I would love the opportunity to help, learn, and grow with anyone who is interested! For more interest in the continuing education seminar series, please visit www.immaculatedissection.com.

Is Forward the Health Care of the Future? Maybe...Maybe Not.

2/9/2019

Futuristic Health Care?
I read about forward when I was Los Angeles based and it seemed amazing – the medical care of the future!  Body scans, blood work, genetic screening, all your data in one place, AND, best of all, 24/7 access to a care team who would have all your data at their fingertips to answer all your questions and help streamline your medical care.  The website promises a mere 1-2 minute wait to see your doctor and an average of a full HOUR spent with a fully focused, caring doctor at every visit.  All this costs about $149 a month.  I decided to give it a go.

Quick and Dirty Summary
If you want to skip the lengthy details, my overall grade is a B.  The doctors I met were really nice and seemed medically knowledgeable and quite competent.  The 24/7 online “Care Team” is flat out terrible.  It is also difficult to find anyone to talk to if you are having trouble with the “Care Team.”  The body scan was cool but nothing spectacular.  The genetic profile was fascinating and more helpful than, say, a 23andme health screening, since forward provided preventative steps and other resources to help address anything negative you might be genetically predisposed to.  Having data in one place on your phone is nice, but you could do the same thing with a good primary care doc with a little extra effort on your own part.  The 1-2 minute wait time to see your doctor promised on the website was more like 10-15 minutes in my experience.  The 60 minutes with your doctor promised by the website was an exaggeration in my experience.  I spent about 30 minutes at each visit and did feel like it could get harried and rushed there, the same as at a “normal” doctor’s office. The unlimited visits sounds nice but I generally found when you text for an appointment, it takes quite a few texts back'n forth before you actually get one and, when scheduling via the app, you're looking at least a week or two out, which may be fine, but it's not as immediate as the website makes it seem.

"Emergency Test": Since forward promises all manner of blood tests and blood work, I thought when and what from this would I need so urgently that I couldn't just get it from a "normal" primary care doctor? Well, what if you were in an accident and you needed blood? The first thing you would need to know is your blood type, if you didn't already know it. So, after forward did all manner of blood work on me, I texted the "Care Team" and asked them my blood type. They said they didn't know, don't test for it and that was that. Epic fail.

There are, however, other services that might make it worth your while like unlimited visits to the doc, certain blood testing and a plethora of vaccines that might be especially useful for frequent travelers to exotic locations.  The website promises an on-site pharmacy and free generic prescriptions, however, the one prescription I received from forward, I had to go to a Duane Reade to fill and pay my regular co-pay for.

In More Detail
My main issue with forward, and why I wouldn’t give them an A grade, is the 24/7 “Care Team.” Forward promises 24/7 access to a highly qualified team of nurse practitioners, doctors and “care coordinators” who have access to all your data in one place, can answer your questions all the time and can coordinate your appointments, visits, referrals, prescriptions, etc.  That sounds awesome but my experience was a lot different.

The way you contact the “Care Team” is by texting them through an app on your phone.  If you’re lucky enough to have a doctor reply to you, her name and photo will appear by her text.  The vast, vast majority of the time, I had a “care coordinator” respond. These are “anonymous,” bot-like responders who seem to make up the majority of the “Care Team.”  They are perfunctory, don’t often appear to have taken any time to familiarize themselves with your (the patient’s) profile or medical needs, and they had an astoundingly high error rate.

What do I mean by that? One example: both myself and another forward member I know were told by our forward doctors to see outside specialists regarding some (fairly simple) questions.  For me, it was a foot X-Ray.  The “Care Team” is supposed to set up your referral with the outside specialist and they are then supposed to call you to make an appointment.  In both of our cases, the “Care Team” texted us that they’d sent our referrals but days passed and we never got calls to set up the appointments.  We both contacted the “Care Team” again and, after much confused back and forth, were given the numbers of the offices at which to schedule our appointments and told to call ourselves instead of them doing it for us.  We both did so and both of us – we were each calling a different specialist for totally different things – were told by the specialist offices that they had no idea who we were, that forward never made a referral and that they had no idea what we were talking about.  Ummm…oh.

My friend, much more determined than me, kept at it, messaging the forward team repeatedly and calling the specialist, until he finally managed to get his appointment, long after he probably should have.  I became frustrated with forward’s lack of response and inability to handle communications with a 3rd party provider and independently went on zocdoc.com and just made myself an appointment with an unrelated office to get the help I needed.

Example 2:  When my genetics report was ready, I tried to schedule an appointment and the app told me it would be over a month before a doctor could see me.  What happened to prompt and unlimited visits?!  I had to exchange several texts with the “Care Team” before I finally got a sooner appointment.  The “Care Team” got confused and made mistakes with regard to who the appointment was supposed to be with.  Not a big deal in the grand scheme of thing, however, for $149 a month, you expect a wee little bit more.

Example 3:  The one prescription I received from forward (that wasn’t dispensed by the promised on-site pharmacy and did charge me a co-pay) was ineffective.  When I messaged the “Care Team,” to let them know it didn’t work, I got a curt reply to go find myself a specialist then.  No offer, as the website promises, to make a referral or set up another visit or even consult with my doctor at forward.  Ummmm…oh.

Example 4:   My forward doctor promised me a list of vegan foods that were high in Omega-3’s (because, really, who doesn’t want to up their intake of plant-based Omega-3’s?) and when I followed up via the app to ask about the list, the “Care Team” literally responded that they do not endorse “a specific kind” – what the heck does that mean?  They don’t endorse specific kinds of food? – and that I should “read through all the choices on Amazon” or “find them at [your] local stores.”  WTF?  I mean, seriously, WTF?  First of all, the doc puts a note that she’ll send me some foods containing Omega-3’s. No endorsements requested. Second, I should read through all the choices on Amazon??? AMAZON?  Not even Google (haha)?  I am being told by the “Care Team” to address my health care needs by searching “Omega-3 foods” on Amazon?  Third, I can find them at my local stores?  Find what, exactly?  That’s what my question was – what exact foods did she recommend I look for?  An Omega-3 from fish oil doesn’t necessarily equate to an Omega-3 in flax oil.  What the physician and I had discussed was how to get a certain Omega-3 benefits typically obtained from fish oil through, instead, plant sources, knowing that flax wasn’t going to be a sufficient substitute and something else would be needed.

I texted back to the “Care Team” and told them that it was pretty much ridiculous that the team who was supposed to centralize, streamline and consolidate all of my medical data and make everything easy never seemed to have a clue what was going on.  When I later got my list of vegan Omega-3 food recs, it contained flax oil (which we’d already discussed WASN’T a sufficient substitute) and scallops (which, sorry, are not vegan – scallops have eyes and they can see and move and feel and all that good stuff (more at https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-scallops-2291857)) and I felt like I couldn’t even respond with the follow up questions about the flax oil (or scallops) because I’d just get another harried and confused bot-like “care coordinator” with no information, off-topic information or wrong information. Ay yi yi. **Side note: if you need vegan Omega-3's, I went outside forward to an unrelated nutritionist and she told me algal oil and hemp seed oil.**

I could actually rant about the “Care Team” for a long time but I figure that’s enough for now.  Bottom line:  if you have a bunch of extra cash and you’ve already donated lots to charity to save the earth and still have spare cash, it’s worth a try.  If you have mild, chronic, easily-treatable maladies and/or travel to exotic locations a lot, might be cost effective for you because you could go the doctor’s office all the time and/or get most of your travel vaccines there.  For specialized maladies, they’re just going to refer you out anyway, so…not helpful. Having the blood work and genetic data at your fingertips is cool, but I could probably get it similarly situated with one good primary care physician, too.

Forward could fix this and they should. A first step would be including the name of whoever you're chatting with on their app so there is at least some accountability. So far, I haven’t gotten much response or satisfaction from the “Care Team.”  I like the doctors, though.

That’s my take. Looking forward to hearing thoughts from anyone else who has tried forward.

Super Easy, No Bake, Lick-The-Bowl-Good Energy Bars

1/5/2019

I was buying crazy expensive "detox" and "energy" bars for long days when healthy eating was going to be tough (think generic craft services on set that were reaaally unhealthy (loads of animal products, fats, processed garbage, pesticides, etc.)). I started thinking about the waste caused by all the plastic-y wrappers on each bar I ate and feeling bad about it. So, I started experimenting with creating my very own and I finally have a perfect recipe to share. You can make these in 10 minutes and you can store them for basically forever in the freezer, pop 'em in a glass jar or re-useable glass Tupperware to take to school, work, on the plane/train/car, wherever. They're quick, yummy, easy, and give a nice clean boost of energy. Basically, just throw all the ingredients listed below into a bowl, rub your hands with some coconut oil and knead all the ingredients together like they're a bread or a pizza crust. Shape the well-combined mixture into a rectangle on a baking sheet lightly greased with coconut oil and pop it in the freezer. When you're ready to eat them, just cut them into squares or rectangles like typical granola bars or go all creative and make circles or stars or go totally uncreative and just lop off however much you want to eat at that given time!

It's best to freeze them at least a half hour before eating them but I've eaten them right away and, as long as the nut or seed butter base I used was thick and gooey, instead of watery, they're still deliciously perfect.

You will need:

1. 1 cup quick organic oats

2. 4 T maple syrup OR stevia to taste (you can sample the batter as you make this; I recommend tasting as you go so you can adjust these measurements to suit your own tastes)

3. 1/8 cup organic cacao powder (I recommend Bright Earth's 100% organic cacao powder)

4. 1 T powdered organic vanilla

5. 1 T ceylon cinnamon

6. 1/8 t cardamom

7. 1/4 t pink Himalayan sea salt

8. 1 cup creamy (or crunchy!) almond butter, peanut butter (withOUT palm oil - make sure the sole ingredient is peanuts), cashew butter, or other nut or seed butter of your choice.

9. 1 T spirulina powder

10. 1 t L-ascorbic Vitamin C powder *optional (immunity and binds to heavy metals to help eliminate them)

11. 1 t carao syrup (to boost iron levels and athletic endurance) *optional

12. A little coconut oil to grease the pan and to put on your hands to prevent the mixture from sticking to them while you knead it.

13. 3-4 dates

14. A handful of raisins and/or shredded, unsweetened coconut

Other Optional Add-In's:
Apricots, figs or other dried fruits you like (each has its own health benefits - apricot for iron, cranberries for urinary and digestive health, dried tart cherries for their anti-inflammatory properties, etc.), crushed chlorella tablets for extra detox, walnuts for additional Omega-3's, MSM organic sulfur (to boost skin and joint health), the contents of a probiotic capsule for additional gut health benefits, etc. For even more protein, add a scoop of Garden of Earth unflavored, unsweetened, vegan protein powder. You can really create the perfect clean on-the-go meal to suit exactly what you need.

For ease, I've put links to some of the harder-to-find ingredients below, however, you should be able to get most of these easily from any good health food store.

Enjoy!

How One Person - YOU! - Saves the World

12/7/2018

The headlines are screaming at us that the world is ending.  We have about 12 years to fix the planet or we’re all going to die!  By the time our grandkids are born the earth will be uninhabitable for humans!  Our fruits, veggies and grains aren’t safe because the earth is so polluted! Our meat isn’t safe because industrialized farming is packing it full of scary hormones and antibiotics!  Nothing from the ocean is safe because it’s all full of microplastics that cause cancer and infertility!  Even our air is so polluted, it’s going to kill us if we breathe it!  Don’t drink! Don’t eat!  Don’t breathe!

At this point, most of us are tempted to just go to bed and pull the covers over our heads and eat some (probably-also-going-to-kill-us) chocolate.  Our planet’s problems seem so enormous and dire; they’re practically beyond our scope of comprehension and certainly out of our control, right? Well, hold up.  Not exactly.  It’s easy to do nothing because you can’t solve the whole thing, but if we each do a few small things, it can all add up to one big save.  With that in mind, I have some individualized one-person-saves-the-planet tips and tricks for you to incorporate into your daily life that are low-key, not dramatic and totally doable.

This isn’t about the politicized phrase “climate change” or about politics.  Because whatever you believe about rising sea levels (or not), I think (hope!) all of us can agree on two things:  (1) we would like to have clean water, clean air and clean soil so we can live happily and healthily – or, to put it another way, we don’t want anyone sticking us with filthy water, air or soil; and (2) if we wait for our politicians (of whatever party) to save us, well, we’re all gonna die.

Are we with each other on this one?  Clean planet for us and our progeny and screw the politicians?

I have 8 simple suggestions. I originally wrote them all into one blog post, however, it was so long I thought it might be easier if I broke it down. If you want to read the whole thing in one go, the long, detailed blog post is here.

If you prefer it broken into segments, just click on them in any order you choose for more details:

1. Ditch the Plastic
This one is the hardest because we are surrounded by plastic! It's in everything from our water bottles to our grocery bags. Never fear, though, I have some easy tips to incorporate into your daily living that will not only help you reduce your plastic impact on the planet, but will improve your health and even add some green to your wallet! Read on here!

2. Recycle and Re-Use and (of course) Reduce
You hear this ALL the time, but, specifically, what does it really mean for each of us as an individual and, again, how we can we do these nice things to help clean up our earth, air and water while, at the same time, creating immediate benefits to ourselves. What about furniture and fixtures and electronics and clothing and old sheets and towels? I am so glad you asked. Read on here!

3. Eat Organic
Cutting back on your intake of chemical pesticides and herbicides can drastically improve your health and that of your earth, air and water. Curious how and why? Click here.

4. Eat Plant-Based
A plant based diet will make you leaner, healthier and happier. It also just happens to be awesome for the earth. Want the 411 behind how and why? Of course you do. Check out how you can easily "health" up your eating without dieting and while still enjoying all your fav comfort foods here. For those of you commercially producing animal meat and dairy, there are amazing organizations like my own beloved A2Px out there that will help you transition to often more lucrative plant-based farming to supply the burgeoning plant-based protein/meat/dairy industry instead. Don't knock it til you try it.

5. If You Drive, Drive Electric.  Regardless, Make Your Commute Eco Friendly
For some of us, driving is a necessity, however, we don't want to breath in all the nasty chemicals that the exhaust of the typical conventional car produces. Car exhaust is super bad to breath in and diesel engine exhaust is a "Group 1" carcinogen (that means it most definitely causes cancer in humans - more on that here). Let's try not to get cancer, shall we? For more on making your commute clean, click here.

6. Use Your Energy Thoughtfully
Most of us (me included) don't really think much about the planet when we pay our electric bill or run a load of laundry, however, a ton of tiny things we do in the way we use energy can improve our health, make the planet cleaner and even provide us with some financial benefits. Read on here.

7. Consume Thoughtfully
Even small choices in your shopping, like what brand of shoes you buy, can have significant impact on the planet. I have some cheat sheets for you here (don't worry; they're not long or complicated).

8. Garden (even in a city apartment)
My personal favorite: easy ways to green your space to make your air cleaner, your mind more relaxed and possibly even give you some free fresh herbs, fruits, veggies, and/or flowers. Even if, like me, you are the opposite of a green thumb and live in a small urban apartment, you can still enjoy some green! Check it here.
*****************************************************************************************************
Some people will argue that some of these changes are worth more or less than others.  Cool.  Put the emphasis wherever is easiest or makes most sense to you.  Customize this to you and don’t get overwhelmed because if we each do some small things, it all adds up to one gigantic thing.  Get out of bed, put down the chocolate and go save the world … because you actually can!

Footnotes & References
[1]See, e.g., https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/microplastics#health-effects,https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/22/health/microplastics-land-and-air-pollution-intl/index.html,http://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/feature/microplastics/,https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/microplastics-have-been-found-in-peoples-poop-mdash-what-does-it-mean/,https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-health-pollution-waste-microplastics/.
[2]See, e.g., https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/19/are-we-poisoning-our-children-with-plastic
[3]See, e.g., https://food.ndtv.com/facts/storing-your-vegetables-in-plastic-bags-heres-why-you-need-to-stop-1729511
[4]See, e.g., https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-organic-food-cancer-20181022-story.html
[5]https://www.consumerreports.org/pesticides-herbicides/easy-way-to-remove-pesticides/
[6]See, e.g., https://www.parents.com/baby/diapers/cloth/eco-friendly-diapering/?slideId=slide_b68e1d04-72ec-455b-9acc-19a4600a3d3a#slide_b68e1d04-72ec-455b-9acc-19a4600a3d3a
[7]See, e.g., https://www.ewg.org/release/massive-study-finds-eating-organic-slashes-cancer-risks
[8]See, e.g., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3569688/,  https://www.ewg.org/release/massive-study-finds-eating-organic-slashes-cancer-risks,https://www.newsweek.com/eating-organic-foods-linked-lower-cancer-risk-1182713,https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/29/usda-diet-nutrition-environment-sustainability-omega-3-beef,
[9]https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150311-cow-agriculture-cattle-dairy-beef-health-food-ngbooktalk/
[10]Id.
[11]See also https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-plantbased-diets-weight-20150122-story.html
[12]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6132564/
[13]https://www.healwithfood.org/articles/buckwheat-complete-protein.php
[14]See, e.g., https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/list-amino-acids-grain-quinoa-1405.html
[15]https://www.cleancult.com/blog/substitutes-for-dryer-sheets/
[16]https://www.thespruce.com/vinegar-in-the-washing-machine-1900128

Green Your Space!

12/7/2018

Garden (even in a city apartment)

This has so many benefits beyond just making our air cleaner and enriching our soil.  It’s also extremely calming and studies show we are happier when surrounded by greenery and plants.  “I hate being happy,” said nobody ever.

For those, like me, who live in big cities and can’t run around planting trees or creating big gardens outside (we’d probably get arrested), there are awesome home kits.

If you’re lucky enough to have a balcony, put out some tomato plants.  Not only are they neat-looking and fast-growing, you can eat the resulting tomatoes, which are rich in lycopene which improves your cardiovascular health and helps prevent cancer.  BOO YAH!  Here is a link to some tomato growing kits.

You can also do window herb gardens or, and check THIS out (it’s on my Christmas list – please, Santa?  Please? Please?  Please?): a tabletop AEROGARDEN to grow your very own deliciously scented herbs, flowers, fruits, and/or veggies year-round:  https://www.aerogarden.com.

For those in rural areas and/or lucky enough to have their own yards and access to land, plant away!  My favorite source for all things gardening is the Gardener’s Supply Company.  Regardless, always go organic however and wherever you plant.  Skip the pesticides, chemicals and say no to GMO seeds.  After all, you want to help yourself and the planet, not hurt both.  You don’t want to be exposed to toxic chemicals, even if you are growing non-edible flowers instead of veggies, fruits or herbs.    Gardeners.com has a lot of tips and tricks for how to avoid pests and problems without the use of nasty pesticides and, if you’re growing inside, it’s even easier.  You absolutely don’t need them.

I decided to grow lavender inside (yes, it can be done!) and now everything smells serene and beautiful and I am happier for it.  And, I have the opposite of a green thumb.  I am wanted for plant murder in some states so, if I can do it, you can definitely do it.  And you will be happier, calmer and more zen if you do.  It’s like a gift for yourself that’s a gift to the world.

So go on! Green your space!  You’re going to be glad you did it.

Thoughtful Consumption

12/7/2018

One Way to Help Save the Planet? Consume Thoughtfully

Do a little research before you buy. Whether it’s shoes, clothes, jewelry, or cars, a little research to make sure what you’re buying is responsibly sourced goes a long way. C’mon. You can do it for the planet (and yourself).

For anything made of fabric, I recommend making sure it is Oeko-Tex certified. For more on that and to search all products, click here.

To save you time, here are some links to helpful outside sites:

Furniture - https://ecocult.com/ultimate-guide-eco-friendly-ethical-furniture/

Clothing and Shoes - https://www.peta.org/living/personal-care-fashion/vegan-eco-clothing-belongs-in-your-closet/

Jewelry - https://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/sustainable-fashion/looking-ethical-eco-friendly-jewelry/

In general, it’s sort of the same rules as for foods – the items that are the best for your health and that of our planet’s tend to be free of animal products, chemicals and toxins. Kind of a no-brainer.

Energy for You. Energy for the Planet.

12/7/2018

Use Your Energy Thoughtfully

Home
Use an energy provider that uses clean energy, like Green Mountain. It’s super easy to enroll and you will be on the exact same energy grid you were on before.  I use it and my bills are actually quite a bit less now with no decrease in service.  They have no idea my blog exists and they definitely aren’t paying me to say that. Check it out here.

If you’re lucky enough to have a house, you can install Tesla’s Powerwall and charge your home for free, courtesy of our friend the sun.

Laundry

Use a biodegradable, chemical-free, dye-free, fragrance-free detergent (I love Go by Greenshield Organic) and wash in cold water as much as you can. Try not to wash until you have a full load’s worth of clothes to save energy.  Simple stuff but it matters. I use pureWash which uses oxygen to clean laundry so I can skip hot water and detergent.

Also, ditch the fabric softener and dryer sheets.[15]  You can substitute vinegar for fabric softener[16] and, for freshly scented clothes, just put a few drops of your favorite essential oil on a bit of fabric and throw it in the dryer with your clothes.  Gorgeous!

Eco Friendly Commuting

12/7/2018

If You Drive, Drive Electric.  Regardless, Make Your Commute Eco Friendly

Electric cars are awesome.  I know. I drive a Tesla.  https://www.tesla.com  My costs in NYC come to roughly $8-10 per 300+ miles for charging my vehicle and they even have a converter with which, were I ever in a pinch, I could just plug MY CAR into a regular old outlet.  Heck, yeah!  If you’re lucky enough to have a house, you can install Tesla’s solar panel (see  “Solar and Powerwall” on their website link above) and charge both your home and car for free, courtesy of our friend the sun.

There are a gajillion electric and hybrid car choices.  Many states offer you tax incentives and other $$ help if you go green, so ask the car dealership for information on this when you go car shopping. There’s also an awesome free app called Plug Share that will locate chargers nearby for you.  Why be a dinosaur?  Join me in the future with fast, gas-free cars that are safe, environmentally friendly and, best of all, so freakin’ fun to drive.  If you live near a Tesla dealership, go and test drive a car even if you’re not in the market to buy.  If you like to drive and you like fast cars, you are going to have fun.

Regardless of awesome cars, consider walking or biking whenever you can because it’s good exercise as well as good for the planet.  Use ride shares and/or public transit to cut down on air pollution.  In other words, just be sensible.

Plant Based Eating for a Healthy Planet

12/7/2018

Save the Planet by Cutting Back On Or Eliminating Meat, Dairy & Seafood (don’t freak out; I’ll explain why and give you lots of good substitutes)

Industrialized slaughter of cows and pigs and other animals, as well as the dairy industry, causes all kinds of pollution; more, in fact, than every single car’s emissions in the country.[9] If you're the owner of or worker in one of those slaughterhouses or dairy farms, don't get mad at me. Join me in producing supply to meet the demand of the biggest up-and-comer around: plant protein. You can stay in the "meat" and "dairy" industry; but switch to plant-based farming which will allow you to actually enrich the soil through the organic farming of crops desperately needed to fill a gigantically growing demand from the plant-based milk and "meat" markets (sunflower seeds, peas, quinoa, buckwheat, the list goes on and on). Indeed, the vegan (plant-based) snack market is set to be worth $73 billion by 2028 (read more here) and more and more consumers are becoming educated on the significant health benefits of plant-based eating. Companies like my beloved A2Px exist specifically to help animal farmers transition to more lucrative plant-based farmers to create vibrant and much-needed new plant supply chains; breaking antiquated old chains that harm our farmers, planet and overall health. Message them to learn more at https://www.facebook.com/A2Px1/.

Further, the meat product of industrialized slaughter is not good for us despite what too many of our politicians and lobbyists might say (as they line their pockets with cash from special interest groups – ahem).  As National Geographic put it: "industrial feedlots where castle stand knee-deep in their own feces, pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones for them; clogged arteries, obesity and heart attacks for us." See National Geographic (emphasis added). In other words, being carnivorous in our crazy world is polluting the planet and making us fat and sick.

Only 1 in 10 Americans eats the recommended amount of produce and, if we increase our fruit and veggie consumption and go to a primarily plant-based diet, we could prevent 20,000+ cases of cancer EVERY YEAR!  While we’re at it, we will also lower our risk of high blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

On the fat thing, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found that people on plant-based diets lost around 10 lbs/month when they first began going plant-based, regardless of calorie counting or exercise.[11]  Obviously, your weight will stabilize at some point.  This is a study of overweight people trying to lose weight.

Seafood doesn’t save you because remember the microplastics issue we discussed above?  Fish, lobster, shrimp, etc., are full of them! According to a terrifying NIH study that I read so you don’t have to, we are looking at some serious microplastic contamination with all the associated health risks.[12]

Around this point, a lot of people start screaming, BUT PROTEIN!!  First of all, ALL plant-based foods contain some protein.  Animal flesh is not the exclusive protein holder of the world.  The difference is some plants do not have “complete proteins” – in other words, all 9 amino acids.  Note: buckwheat[13] and quinoa[14] have all 9 amino acids and are thus complete proteins on their own.  Take that, hamburger!  But even for the rest of our plant protein friends, you just have to “stack” them (in other words, eat two different types together – like rice and beans, for example) to get your complete protein.  There. That wasn’t so hard.

Now, I know.  So-called comfort food is full o’ animal flesh and dairy. But what if you could have your cake and eat it too?  You can! There are amazing veggie burgers, vegan milks, plant-based seafood, ice-cream, basically anything your heart desires.  It just takes a little gumption and a commitment to your and your family’s health and well-being (oh, yeah, and the planet).

I blogged extensively on this here:

General Overview of Excellent Brands Supplying Plant-Based Comfort Foods - http://jenniferbetityen.weebly.com/ethical-is-beautiful-be-beautiful-a-blog/the-best-nom-noms-for-health-home-heart

Plant-Based Dairy - http://jenniferbetityen.weebly.com/ethical-is-beautiful-be-beautiful-a-blog/for-the-love-of-cheese

Plant-Based Meats - http://jenniferbetityen.weebly.com/ethical-is-beautiful-be-beautiful-a-blog/ethical-meat-lovers-meat-guide

Plant-Based Seafood – some good options here are Sophie’s Kitchen (I love their seafood jambalaya) and Good Catch.  Just check in with your local health food store or order from the companies’ websites.

If this seems overwhelming, check out my recipes on this blog and, if you need someone else to jump start you, try a food delivery service temporarily just to get ideas and the hang of it, such as Sakara (https://www.sakara.com) or Purple Carrot (https://www.purplecarrot.com).

A well-reviewed (but not free) app that helps you find healthy plant-based restaurant options near you, virtually anywhere in the world is "Happy Cow": www.happycow.net/mobile

Basically, eating plant-based is good for you and it’s good for the planet.  According to the Guardian:

Appealing to the various drivers of people’s diet choices could help address not only the nation’s obesity problem, but also the environmental impacts of food production, even the stability of the food supply chain. For example, decreased consumption of meat could have a major impact on water usage. According to Arlin Wasserman, founder of food consultancy Changing Tastes, Americans currently get about 15% of their protein from plant-based sources. Shifting that to 25% could result in enough water savings to provide two-thirds of California’s water supply.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/29/usda-diet-nutrition-environment-sustainability-omega-3-beef

So go eat your plants, vegetables and grains and be happy, healthy and free!

Eating Organic

12/7/2018

Filling your body with weird chemicals is just generally unhealthy. You don’t have to be a doctor or rocket scientist to figure that out.  Unfortunately, toxic pesticides linked to cancer, such as weed killer glyphosate and organophosphate pesticides malathion and diazinon, among others, are used on conventionally grown food crops.[7]  Not only do these chemicals badly contaminate the soil and water, they can get into the plant’s root structure and, once that happens, there’s no washing them away. They’re going in your body if you eat the food.

If I gave you a bottle of weed killer or bottle of insecticide and told you to drink it, you’d tell me to go to someplace not very nice, wouldn’t you?  So, why are you eating food awash in that gunk?  Stop. I want you to live a healthy life. You want to live a healthy life. Go organic.

Also, for those looking to whittle their waistlines: guess what?  Toxins like those mentioned above are stored in your fat tissues and, if you consume too much, guess what your body does?  Makes MORE FAT to store those toxins.  Yup.  Makes more fat just as a little gift to you along with that increased risk o’ cancer! That’s according to an NIH study, among other sources.  Not “Fake News”!  Unless you feel like getting sick and fat, the best thing to do is go organic. According to the British Journal of Nutrition, organic produce has 70% more antioxidants (yay!  Anti-aging!) than conventionally grown produce and study after study after study shows eating organic can slash your risk of a whole host of health problems, such as cancer.[8]

The downside is organic can be more expensive. Many of us joke “Whole Foods Whole Paycheck.”  That being said, a great way to get less expensive organic produce is by using local farmer’s markets.  It’s also a great way to support local, organic fruit, vegetable and grain farmers who are improving our planet through responsible organic farming.  Just google “organic farmer’s markets in [insert name of your city]” and you should get a whole host of results.

Recycle, Re-Use and (of course) Reduce

12/7/2018

Old Clothes and Textiles (fancy term for fabrics like sheets and towels)

If your things are gently worn, donate them to Goodwill or another charity so someone else can benefit from them. If they’re ripped or stained, there are plenty of textile (fabric) donation spots.  The clothing retailer, H&M, accepts donations of used clothes and textiles at any of their stores AND they’ll even give you a discount coupon to say thanks!

Click here for a terrific list of places that take old clothes and fabrics, even old undies.

Old Furniture, Appliances and Fixtures

Gently used?  Donate or sell! I use Craig’s List to sell my old furniture all the time and it works like a charm.

You can also donate!  Salvation Army, Goodwill and a host of others may be able to put your old furniture, electronics and fixtures to good use!  Here are two terrific resource guides (in some cases, you can get tax deductions for donations and free pick up’s of heavy items):

Houzz
and
Moving.com

For mattresses, click here for info on how to recycle those.

For bigger ticket items, like bathtubs – say, if you’re doing a home renovation - just google places like Big Reuse (https://bigreuse.org, located in New York City), which can recycle and re-use this bigger items.

A lot of companies, such as Apple and Staples, will recycle your electronics, even giving you money for them if they’re recent enough and, even if they’re old, providing you with a free prepaid shipping label (for more on Apple's program, click here). Most Staples and Bed, Bath & beyond stores have areas you can drop off old batteriesto be recycled, as well.

Many cities, such as New York, offer electronics recycling and you can just do a quick google search for electronics recycling in your city for the 411 there.

If You Have Extra Disposable Income, You Can Literally Recycle EVERYTHING
This one I am putting last because, financially, it’s just not a real option for a lot of people.  If you makes heaps o’ money though and have some disposable income you’d be happy to allocate to saving our planet, you can pay to conveniently recycle pretty much anything at terracycle.com.  They send you shipping labels and boxes and you fill ‘em up with, again, just about anything and they swear they’ll recycle all of it. They do have some free recycling programs, but there are wait lists for most of them (I know; I’ve been on one of their waitlists for over a year).  The pay programs are fast and easy … however they do cost money.

Terracycle has free recycling programs for bigger entities like schools and companies, so, if you’re feeling ballsy, loudly advocate for your work and/or your kid’s (or your) school to get their recycling services.

Ditch the Plastic

12/7/2018

Ditching plastic sounds easy but anyone who has tried it knows it’s not. If you think about it, we’re surrounded by plastic – plastic bags, straws, water bottles, plastic plates, cups, plastic wrap.  You get the gist.  This is because it’s cheap and easy.  Cheap and easy does not equal good when it is so super horrible for our environment.  Plastic breaks down into tiny pieces, not visible to the eye, commonly called “microplastics,” that pollute our water and soil.  What’s the problem?  Well, they may just be causing a whole host of ill effects from breast cancer to erectile dysfunction.[1] Gross.  Again, who wants air, water and land contaminated with stuff that won’t degrade and can mutate and kills our cells?  Ummm.  I think nobody.  With that in mind, tips for individually saving the planet by reducing your individual plastic (and getting yourself a bit healthier and safer while you’re at it!):

Use Re-Useable Bags and Straws
We all have too many of those tote bags that seem to get given away for free at every event I have been at recently. Use them for all your shopping instead of getting plastic bags!  If you truly don’t have extra tote bags just lying around, ok, I guess, buy a cheap fabric one. I love when store clerks start beaming when I tell them I brought my own bag.  One guy told me he was in love with me for bringing my own bag for my groceries (wow).  Who knew being eco-friendly would make perfect strangers fall in love with you?! Bonus.

We all saw the videos of sea turtles dying and bleeding with plastic straws caught in their noses and throats and, if you didn’t see them, don’t … unless you want to be really sad.  “I want to be really sad!” said pretty much no one, ever. In addition to being problematic for sea life, plastic straws are problematic for us because, again, they contribute to plastic pollution that is killing us off, or at least making it hard for the guys to procreate and giving the gals increased breast cancer risk.[2]  You don’t want to shoot blanks or die of breast cancer, right?  Just say no to straws or, if you must have them, get your own! Corkcicle has really cool stainless steel straws (only $5 for 2 at www.corkcicle.com). No, they do not pay me to say that and I won't get anything if you buy a straw from them.

Grocery Shopping Tips
Again, bring your own cloth (not plastic) bags.  It does require some pre-thought but you’re smart and you can do it.  It just takes making it a routine to get into doing it consistently.  Some stores, like Ralph’s, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Target, and more will actually PAY YOU when you bring your own bag in the form of discounts or other benefits.  See more details on that here. YES! Money in your pocket for saving the planet! You're such a (well compensated) super hero!

Bring cloth napkins or dishtowels, as well, to wrap veggies in, instead of using those plastic bags in the produce section. This is actually healthier for you and better for your produce since plastic bags increase bad humidity, lower aeration and speed up spoilage.[3]

A tip: keep those re-useable bags and cloths clean.  Just remember to throw them in the washing machine when you do your regular laundry.  Easy breezy.

Food Storage
Once your veggies are at home, keep them wrapped gently in the cloth napkins or dish towels and don’t wash them until you’re ready to use them (to make them stay fresher longer).  Always buy organic (better for you because it won’t give you cancer from the toxic pesticides and herbicides used for conventionally grown produce. [4]. Growing organic helps increase our soil, air and water quality and it's obviously way healthier for you. However, because I know sometimes organic is impossible, price-wise, a way you can at least reduce pesticides on the exterior of fruits and veggies when you just don’t have enough $$ to buy organic is to soak them in a mixture of salt, hot water and baking powder.[5]  For mushrooms, just dunk them in the mixture and rinse them quickly because mushrooms absorb everything really fast and it won’t be yummy to eat salty, baking powder-y mushrooms.

I also really like re-useable glass “Tupperware” instead of plastic and glass bottles for carrying around my beverages instead of plastic bottles (better for my own health; better for the planet).  Links to some examples of good glassware you can order are below the text of this post.

Diapers & Bottles
Hey Moms and Dads!  According to the Clean Air Council, Americans throw away 49 million diapers per day, accounting for two + percent of all garbage generated in the U.S., making diapers are one of the largest contributors to landfills.[6]  Don’t fret! It’s possible to reduce this landfill conundrum.

You actually have a number of options.  My personal favorite are these brightly colored re-useable cloth diapers from Target for the baby with the heightened sartorial sense (click here). There are multiple other options though, from the re-useable cloth diapers to the admittedly not-as-good-but-still-something disposable diapers that are at least biodegradable (see a list of them here) to, if you have that oh-so-nice extra disposable income, services that will do it all for you, like this one I just randomly googled but have never used (just google eco friendly diaper services in your geographic region and then read the BBB, etc., reviews of the business to make sure it is legit before using).

On bottles, again, this is more about the health of your baby than just ditching plastic, but every time you heat that plastic bottle up, the plastic is degrading and your kiddo is swallowing some and it’s not a good thing. Go glass.  LifeFactory has terrific glass baby bottles in thick, cushiony sleeves (a little plastic for the cushion; well, nobody’s perfect) to prevent breakage if excited baby tosses them or tired parent drops them.  You can google them, buy them in baby supply stores or, if all else fails, use my easy link to order them online, below the text of this blog post.

Doggie Doo Bags & Wee Pads
Don’t pick up after your dog – JUST KIDDING!!!! Ok, for dogs, we have two issues:  (1) wee pads and (2) poo bags.

Wee Pads
Ideally, your dog will only relieve herself or himself outside but, if you have a puppy you’re training, an older dog who has incontinence issues or just a dog you want to have an emergency option just-in-case for, re-useable, washable pads are there for you!

I use PoochPads for my dog and they are AWESOME.  Really. I highly recommend.  They’re not bad looking and they’re super absorbent and easy to spot clean (or just throw them in the washing machine – please, if your dog does a doo instead of a pee, scoop it up with toilet paper and flush it. Do not put THAT in your washing machine).  You can find lots of other brands of re-useable wee pads, too.  Just ask for recommendations at your local pet supply store.

Doggie Doo Bags
There ARE eco-friendly biodegradable bags but be CAREFUL because a lot of the advertising on poo bags are very misleading and the bag you think is all earth friendly, well, isn’t.  Rover has a great article on this here that every dog parent should read. This also lists the “good” bags (like Biobag, Flush Puppies and BioDOGradable, which I have links to below the text of this blog post if you can’t find them at your local pet supply store).

For those of you who are just superstars, this is a quote from the above-referenced Rover article:

Use a dog-waste-only composting bin. There are several commercial options like the Doggie Doolie on the market, but you can also make your own with supplies available at your local home and garden store. While pet waste compost should never be used on edible plants, it can be great fertilizer for decorative gardens!
Flush it. Yes, depending on where you live, you can flush dog poop in water-soluble waste bags. Just be sure to check with your municipal sewage guidelines, and never flush pet waste into a septic tank.
Bury it. This option works best if you live in a rural area with space away from the house. Waste should be buried at least five inches underground, away from vegetable gardens and water sources.
Transport it to an industrial composting facility that accepts pet waste, or hire a waste removal company that does the dirty work for you (for example: Portland’s Green Pet Compost Company).

-Source: https://www.rover.com/blog/truth-about-biodegradable-poop-bags-in/

No Bottled Water
At least not plastic bottles.  For a whole blog post on why plastic bottled water is truly awful for you and what water is awesome for you, click here:  http://jenniferbetityen.weebly.com/ethical-is-beautiful-be-beautiful-a-blog/whats-in-the-water

Trash Bags
Try not to use them.  Chances are, you have a stash of plastic bags somewhere in your home from past shopping trips (before you read this blog, of course, right?).  Re-use those as trash bags when you simply must.  Or use biodegradable, earth-friendly bags (links to some examples below the text of this blog post).

COMPOST and RECYCLE!  Even in large cities, there are compost stations. Likewise, even in rural areas, there are recycling stations.  Just ask your city government offices or google it by city.  A quick and dirty guide (no pun intended) was created by another blogger on this topic here.

How YOU - One Person - Can Save the World!

12/6/2018

The headlines are screaming at us that the world is ending.  We have about 12 years to fix the planet or we’re all going to die!  By the time our grandkids are born the earth will be uninhabitable for humans!  Our fruits, veggies and grains aren’t safe because the earth is so polluted! Our meat isn’t safe because industrialized farming is packing it full of scary hormones and antibiotics!  Nothing from the ocean is safe because it’s all full of microplastics that cause cancer and infertility!  Even our air is so polluted, it’s going to kill us if we breathe it!  Don’t drink! Don’t eat!  Don’t breathe!

At this point, most of us are tempted to just go to bed and pull the covers over our heads and eat some (probably-also-going-to-kill-us) chocolate.  Our planet’s problems seem so enormous and dire; they’re practically beyond our scope of comprehension and certainly out of our control, right? Well, hold up.  Not exactly.  It’s easy to do nothing because you can’t solve the whole thing, but if we each do a few small things, it can all add up to one big save.  With that in mind, I have some individualized one-person-saves-the-planet tips and tricks for you to incorporate into your daily life that are low-key, not dramatic and totally doable.

This isn’t about the politicized phrase “climate change” or about politics.  Because whatever you believe about rising sea levels (or not), I think (hope!) all of us can agree on two things:  (1) we would like to have clean water, clean air and clean soil so we can live happily and healthily – or, to put it another way, we don’t want anyone sticking us with filthy water, air or soil; and (2) if we wait for our politicians (of whatever party) to save us, well, we’re all gonna die.

Are we with each other on this one?  Clean planet for us and our progeny and screw the politicians?  If so, please read on for 8 simple tips.

1. Ditch the Plastic
I’m probably starting with the toughest to do and ending with the easiest so feel free to read in reverse order if you prefer.  Ditching plastic sounds easy but anyone who has tried it knows it’s not. If you think about it, we’re surrounded by plastic – plastic bags, straws, water bottles, plastic plates, cups, plastic wrap.  You get the gist.  This is because it’s cheap and easy.  Cheap and easy does not equal good when it is so super horrible for our environment.  Plastic breaks down into tiny pieces, not visible to the eye, commonly called “microplastics,” that pollute our water and soil.  What’s the problem?  Well, they may just be causing a whole host of ill effects from breast cancer to erectile dysfunction.[1] Gross.  Again, who wants air, water and land contaminated with stuff that won’t degrade and can mutate and kills our cells?  Ummm.  I think nobody.  With that in mind, tips for individually saving the planet by reducing your individual plastic (and getting yourself a bit healthier and safer while you’re at it!):

Use Re-Useable Cloth Bags and Straws
We all have too many of those tote bags that seem to get given away for free at every event I have been at recently. Use them for all your shopping instead of getting plastic bags!  If you truly don’t have extra tote bags just lying around, ok, I guess, buy a cheap fabric one. I love when store clerks start beaming when I tell them I brought my own bag.  One guy told me he was in love with me for bringing my own bag for my groceries (wow).  Who knew being eco-friendly would make perfect strangers fall in love with you?! Bonus.

We all saw the videos of sea turtles dying and bleeding with plastic straws caught in their noses and throats and, if you didn’t see them, don’t … unless you want to be really sad.  “I want to be really sad!” said pretty much no one, ever. In addition to being problematic for sea life, plastic straws are problematic for us because, again, they contribute to plastic pollution that is killing us off, or at least making it hard for the guys to procreate and giving the gals increased breast cancer risk.[2]  You don’t want to shoot blanks or die of breast cancer, right?  Just say no to straws or, if you must have them, get your own! Corkcicle has really cool stainless steel straws (only $5 for 2 at www.corkcicle.com). No, they do not pay me to say that and I won't get anything if you buy a straw from them.

Grocery Shopping Tips
Again, bring your own cloth (not plastic) bags.  It does require some pre-thought but you’re smart and you can do it.  It just takes making it a routine to get into doing it consistently.  Some stores, like Ralph’s, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Target, and more will actually PAY YOU when you bring your own bag in the form of discounts or other benefits.  See more details on that here. YES! Money in your pocket for saving the planet! You're such a (well compensated) super hero!

Bring cloth napkins or dishtowels, as well, to wrap veggies in, instead of using those plastic bags in the produce section. This is actually healthier for you and better for your produce since plastic bags increase bad humidity, lower aeration and speed up spoilage.[3]

A tip: keep those re-useable bags and cloths clean.  Just remember to throw them in the washing machine when you do your regular laundry.  Easy breezy.

Food Storage
Once your veggies are at home, keep them wrapped gently in the cloth napkins or dish towels and don’t wash them until you’re ready to use them (to make them stay fresher longer).  Always buy organic (better for you because it won’t give you cancer from the toxic pesticides and herbicides used for conventionally grown produce. [4]. Growing organic helps increase our soil, air and water quality and it's obviously way healthier for you. However, because I know sometimes organic is impossible, price-wise, a way you can at least reduce pesticides on the exterior of fruits and veggies when you just don’t have enough $$ to buy organic is to soak them in a mixture of salt, hot water and baking powder.[5]  For mushrooms, just dunk them in the mixture and rinse them quickly because mushrooms absorb everything really fast and it won’t be yummy to eat salty, baking powder-y mushrooms.

I also really like re-useable glass “Tupperware” instead of plastic and glass bottles for carrying around my beverages instead of plastic bottles (better for my own health; better for the planet).  Links to some examples of good glassware you can order are below the text of this post.

Diapers & Bottles
Hey Moms and Dads!  According to the Clean Air Council, Americans throw away 49 million diapers per day, accounting for two + percent of all garbage generated in the U.S., making diapers are one of the largest contributors to landfills.[6]  Don’t fret! It’s possible to reduce this landfill conundrum.

You actually have a number of options.  My personal favorite are these brightly colored re-useable cloth diapers from Target for the baby with the heightened sartorial sense (click here). There are multiple other options though, from the re-useable cloth diapers to the admittedly not-as-good-but-still-something disposable diapers that are at least biodegradable (see a list of them here) to, if you have that oh-so-nice extra disposable income, services that will do it all for you, like this one I just randomly googled but have never used (just google eco friendly diaper services in your geographic region and then read the BBB, etc., reviews of the business to make sure it is legit before using).

On bottles, again, this is more about the health of your baby than just ditching plastic, but every time you heat that plastic bottle up, the plastic is degrading and your kiddo is swallowing some and it’s not a good thing. Go glass.  LifeFactory has terrific glass baby bottles in thick, cushiony sleeves (a little plastic for the cushion; well, nobody’s perfect) to prevent breakage if excited baby tosses them or tired parent drops them.  You can google them, buy them in baby supply stores or, if all else fails, use my easy link to order them online, below the text of this blog post.

Doggie Doo Bags & Wee Pads
Don’t pick up after your dog – JUST KIDDING!!!! Ok, for dogs, we have two issues:  (1) wee pads and (2) poo bags.

Wee Pads
Ideally, your dog will only relieve herself or himself outside but, if you have a puppy you’re training, an older dog who has incontinence issues or just a dog you want to have an emergency option just-in-case for, re-useable, washable pads are there for you!

I use PoochPads for my dog and they are AWESOME.  Really. I highly recommend.  They’re not bad looking and they’re super absorbent and easy to spot clean (or just throw them in the washing machine – please, if your dog does a doo instead of a pee, scoop it up with toilet paper and flush it. Do not put THAT in your washing machine).  You can find lots of other brands of re-useable wee pads, too.  Just ask for recommendations at your local pet supply store.

Doggie Doo Bags
There ARE eco-friendly biodegradable bags but be CAREFUL because a lot of the advertising on poo bags are very misleading and the bag you think is all earth friendly, well, isn’t.  Rover has a great article on this here that every dog parent should read. This also lists the “good” bags (like Biobag, Flush Puppies and BioDOGradable, which I have links to below the text of this blog post if you can’t find them at your local pet supply store).

For those of you who are just superstars, this is a quote from the above-referenced Rover article:

Use a dog-waste-only composting bin. There are several commercial options like the Doggie Doolie on the market, but you can also make your own with supplies available at your local home and garden store. While pet waste compost should never be used on edible plants, it can be great fertilizer for decorative gardens!
Flush it. Yes, depending on where you live, you can flush dog poop in water-soluble waste bags. Just be sure to check with your municipal sewage guidelines, and never flush pet waste into a septic tank.
Bury it. This option works best if you live in a rural area with space away from the house. Waste should be buried at least five inches underground, away from vegetable gardens and water sources.
Transport it to an industrial composting facility that accepts pet waste, or hire a waste removal company that does the dirty work for you (for example: Portland’s Green Pet Compost Company).

-Source: https://www.rover.com/blog/truth-about-biodegradable-poop-bags-in/

No Bottled Water
At least not plastic bottles.  For a whole blog post on why plastic bottled water is truly awful for you and what water is awesome for you, click here:  http://jenniferbetityen.weebly.com/ethical-is-beautiful-be-beautiful-a-blog/whats-in-the-water

Trash Bags
Try not to use them.  Chances are, you have a stash of plastic bags somewhere in your home from past shopping trips (before you read this blog, of course, right?).  Re-use those as trash bags when you simply must.  Or use biodegradable, earth-friendly bags (links to some examples below the text of this blog post).

COMPOST and RECYCLE!  Even in large cities, there are compost stations. Likewise, even in rural areas, there are recycling stations.  Just ask your city government offices or google it by city.  A quick and dirty guide (no pun intended) was created by another blogger on this topic here.

2. Recycle and Re-Use and (of course) Reduce

Old Clothes and Textiles (fancy term for fabrics like sheets and towels)
If your things are gently worn, donate them to Goodwill or another charity so someone else can benefit from them. If they’re ripped or stained, there are plenty of textile (fabric) donation spots.  The clothing retailer, H&M, accepts donations of used clothes and textiles at any of their stores AND they’ll even give you a discount coupon to say thanks!

Click here for a terrific list of places that take old clothes and fabrics, even old undies.

Old Furniture, Appliances and Fixtures
Gently used?  Donate or sell! I use Craig’s List to sell my old furniture all the time and it works like a charm.

You can also donate!  Salvation Army, Goodwill and a host of others may be able to put your old furniture, electronics and fixtures to good use!  Here are two terrific resource guides (in some cases, you can get tax deductions for donations and free pick up’s of heavy items):

Houzz
and
Moving.com

For mattresses, click here for info on how to recycle those.

For bigger ticket items, like bathtubs – say, if you’re doing a home renovation - just google places like Big Reuse (https://bigreuse.org, located in New York City), which can recycle and re-use this bigger items.
A lot of companies, such as Apple and Staples, will recycle your electronics, even giving you money for them if they’re recent enough and, even if they’re old, providing you with a free prepaid shipping label (for more on Apple's program, click here). Most Staples and Bed, Bath & beyond stores have areas you can drop off old batteriesto be recycled, as well.

Many cities, such as New York, offer electronics recycling and you can just do a quick google search for electronics recycling in your city for the 411 there.

If You Have Extra Disposable Income, You Can Literally Recycle EVERYTHING
This one I am putting last because, financially, it’s just not a real option for a lot of people.  If you makes heaps o’ money though and have some disposable income you’d be happy to allocate to saving our planet, you can pay to conveniently recycle pretty much anything at terracycle.com.  They send you shipping labels and boxes and you fill ‘em up with, again, just about anything and they swear they’ll recycle all of it. They do have some free recycling programs, but there are wait lists for most of them (I know; I’ve been on one of their waitlists for over a year).  The pay programs are fast and easy … however they do cost money.

Terracycle has free recycling programs for bigger entities like schools and companies, so, if you’re feeling ballsy, loudly advocate for your work and/or your kid’s (or your) school to get their recycling services.

3. Eat Organic
Filling your body with weird chemicals is just generally unhealthy. You don’t have to be a doctor or rocket scientist to figure that out.  Unfortunately, toxic pesticides linked to cancer, such as weed killer glyphosate and organophosphate pesticides malathion and diazinon, among others, are used on conventionally grown food crops.[7]  Not only do these chemicals badly contaminate the soil and water, they can get into the plant’s root structure and, once that happens, there’s no washing them away. They’re going in your body if you eat the food.

If I gave you a bottle of weed killer or bottle of insecticide and told you to drink it, you’d tell me to go to someplace not very nice, wouldn’t you?  So, why are you eating food awash in that gunk?  Stop. I want you to live a healthy life. You want to live a healthy life. Go organic.

Also, for those looking to whittle their waistlines: guess what?  Toxins like those mentioned above are stored in your fat tissues and, if you consume too much, guess what your body does?  Makes MORE FAT to store those toxins.  Yup.  Makes more fat just as a little gift to you along with that increased risk o’ cancer! That’s according to an NIH study, among other sources.  Not “Fake News”!  Unless you feel like getting sick and fat, the best thing to do is go organic. According to the British Journal of Nutrition, organic produce has 70% more antioxidants (yay!  Anti-aging!) than conventionally grown produce and study after study after study shows eating organic can slash your risk of a whole host of health problems, such as cancer.[8]

The downside is organic can be more expensive. Many of us joke “Whole Foods Whole Paycheck.”  That being said, a great way to get less expensive organic produce is by using local farmer’s markets.  It’s also a great way to support local, organic fruit, vegetable and grain farmers who are improving our planet through responsible organic farming.  Just good “organic farmer’s markets in [insert name of your city]” and you should get a whole host of results.

Cut Back On Or Eliminate Meat, Dairy & Seafood (don’t freak out; I’ll explain why and give you lots of good substitutes)
Industrialized slaughter of cows and pigs and other animals, as well as the dairy industry, causes all kinds of pollution; more, in fact, than every single car’s emissions in the country.[9] If you're the owner of or worker in one of those slaughterhouses or dairy farms, don't get mad at me. Join me in producing supply to meet the demand of the biggest up-and-comer around: plant protein. You can stay in the "meat" and "dairy" industry; but switch to plant-based farming which will allow you to actually enrich the soil through the organic farming of crops desperately needed to fill a gigantically growing demand from the plant-based milk and "meat" markets (sunflower seeds, peas, quinoa, buckwheat, the list goes on and on). Indeed, the vegan (plant-based) snack market is set to be worth $73 billion by 2028 (read more here) and more and more consumers are becoming educated on the significant health benefits of plant-based eating. Companies like my beloved A2Px exist specifically to help animal farmers transition to more lucrative plant-based farmers to create vibrant and much-needed new plant supply chains; breaking antiquated old chains that harm our farmers, planet and overall health. Message them to learn more at https://www.facebook.com/A2Px1/.

Further, the meat product of industrialized slaughter is not good for us despite what too many of our politicians and lobbyists might say (as they line their pockets with cash from special interest groups – ahem).  As National Geographic put it: "industrial feedlots where castle stand knee-deep in their own feces, pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones for them; clogged arteries, obesity and heart attacks for us." See National Geographic (emphasis added). In other words, being carnivorous in our crazy world is polluting the planet and making us fat and sick.

Only 1 in 10 Americans eats the recommended amount of produce and, if we increase our fruit and veggie consumption and go to a primarily plant-based diet, we could prevent 20,000+ cases of cancer EVERY YEAR!  While we’re at it, we will also lower our risk of high blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

On the fat thing, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found that people on plant-based diets lost around 10 lbs/month when they first began going plant-based, regardless of calorie counting or exercise.[11]  Obviously, your weight will stabilize at some point.  This is a study of overweight people trying to lose weight.

Seafood doesn’t save you because remember the microplastics issue we discussed above?  Fish, lobster, shrimp, etc., are full of them! According to a terrifying NIH study that I read so you don’t have to, we are looking at some serious microplastic contamination with all the associated health risks.[12]

Around this point, a lot of people start screaming, BUT PROTEIN!!  First of all, ALL plant-based foods contain some protein.  Animal flesh is not the exclusive protein holder of the world.  The difference is some plants do not have “complete proteins” – in other words, all 9 amino acids.  Note: buckwheat[13] and quinoa[14] have all 9 amino acids and are thus complete proteins on their own.  Take that, hamburger!  But even for the rest of our plant protein friends, you just have to “stack” them (in other words, eat two different types together – like rice and beans, for example) to get your complete protein.  There. That wasn’t so hard.

Now, I know.  So-called comfort food is full o’ animal flesh and dairy. But what if you could have your cake and eat it too?  You can! There are amazing veggie burgers, vegan milks, plant-based seafood, ice-cream, basically anything your heart desires.  It just takes a little gumption and a commitment to your and your family’s health and well-being (oh, yeah, and the planet).

I blogged extensively on this here:

General Overview of Excellent Brands Supplying Plant-Based Comfort Foods - http://jenniferbetityen.weebly.com/ethical-is-beautiful-be-beautiful-a-blog/the-best-nom-noms-for-health-home-heart

Plant-Based Dairy - http://jenniferbetityen.weebly.com/ethical-is-beautiful-be-beautiful-a-blog/for-the-love-of-cheese

Plant-Based Meats - http://jenniferbetityen.weebly.com/ethical-is-beautiful-be-beautiful-a-blog/ethical-meat-lovers-meat-guide

Plant-Based Seafood – some good options here are Sophie’s Kitchen (I love their seafood jambalaya) and Good Catch.  Just check in with your local health food store or order from the companies’ websites.

If this seems overwhelming, check out my recipes on this blog and, if you need someone else to jump start you, try a food delivery service temporarily just to get ideas and the hang of it, such as Sakara (https://www.sakara.com) or Purple Carrot (https://www.purplecarrot.com).

A well-reviewed (but not free) app that helps you find healthy plant-based restaurant options near you, virtually anywhere in the world is "Happy Cow": www.happycow.net/mobile

Basically, eating plant-based is good for you and it’s good for the planet.  According to the Guardian:

Appealing to the various drivers of people’s diet choices could help address not only the nation’s obesity problem, but also the environmental impacts of food production, even the stability of the food supply chain. For example, decreased consumption of meat could have a major impact on water usage. According to Arlin Wasserman, founder of food consultancy Changing Tastes, Americans currently get about 15% of their protein from plant-based sources. Shifting that to 25% could result in enough water savings to provide two-thirds of California’s water supply.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/29/usda-diet-nutrition-environment-sustainability-omega-3-beef

So go eat your plants, vegetables and grains and be happy, healthy and free!

5. If You Drive, Drive Electric.  Regardless, Make Your Commute Eco Friendly
Electric cars are awesome.  I know. I drive a Tesla.  https://www.tesla.com  My costs in NYC come to roughly $8-10 per 300+ miles for charging my vehicle and they even have a converter with which, were I ever in a pinch, I could just plug MY CAR into a regular old outlet.  Heck, yeah!  If you’re lucky enough to have a house, you can install Tesla’s solar panel (see  “Solar and Powerwall” on their website link above) and charge both your home and car for free, courtesy of our friend the sun.

There are a gajillion electric and hybrid car choices.  Many states offer you tax incentives and other $$ help if you go green, so ask the car dealership for information on this when you go car shopping. There’s also an awesome free app called Plug Share that will locate chargers nearby for you.  Why be a dinosaur?  Join me in the future with fast, gas-free cars that are safe, environmentally friendly and, best of all, so freakin’ fun to drive.  If you live near a Tesla dealership, go and test drive a car even if you’re not in the market to buy.  If you like to drive and you like fast cars, you are going to have fun.

Regardless of awesome cars, consider walking or biking whenever you can because it’s good exercise as well as good for the planet.  Use ride shares and/or public transit to cut down on air pollution.  In other words, just be sensible.

6. Use Your Energy Thoughtfully

Home
Use an energy provider that uses clean energy, like Green Mountain. It’s super easy to enroll and you will be on the exact same energy grid you were on before.  I use it and my bills are actually quite a bit less now with no decrease in service.  They have no idea my blog exists and they definitely aren’t paying me to say that. Check it out here.

As I mentioned above, if you’re lucky enough to have a house, you can install Tesla’s Powerwall and charge your home for free, courtesy of our friend the sun.

Laundry

Use a biodegradable, chemical-free, dye-free, fragrance-free detergent (I love Go by Greenshield Organic – link to it below the text in this post) and wash in cold water as much as you can. Try not to wash until you have a full load’s worth of clothes to save energy.  Simple stuff but it matters. I use pureWash which uses oxygen to clean laundry so I can skip hot water and detergent.

Also, ditch the fabric softener and dryer sheets.[15]  You can substitute vinegar for fabric softener[16] and, for freshly scented clothes, just put a few drops of your favorite essential oil on a bit of fabric and throw it in the dryer with your clothes.  Gorgeous!

7. Consume Thoughtfully
Do a little research before you buy.  Whether it’s shoes, clothes, jewelry, or cars, a little research to make sure what you’re buying is responsibly sourced goes a long way.  C’mon.  You can do it for the planet (and yourself).

For anything made of fabric, I recommend making sure it is Oeko-Tex certified. For more on that and to search all products, click here.

To save you time, here are some links to helpful outside sites:

Furniture - https://ecocult.com/ultimate-guide-eco-friendly-ethical-furniture/

Clothing and Shoes - https://www.peta.org/living/personal-care-fashion/vegan-eco-clothing-belongs-in-your-closet/

Jewelry - https://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/sustainable-fashion/looking-ethical-eco-friendly-jewelry/

In general, it’s sort of the same rules as for foods – the items that are the best for your health and that of our planet’s tend to be free of animal products, chemicals and toxins.  Kind of a no-brainer.

8. Garden (even in a city apartment)
This is my favorite because it has so many benefits beyond just making our air cleaner and enriching our soil.  It’s also extremely calming and studies show we are happier when surrounded by greenery and plants.  “I hate being happy,” said nobody ever.

For those, like me, who live in big cities and can’t run around planting trees or creating big gardens outside (we’d probably get arrested), there are awesome home kits.

If you’re lucky enough to have a balcony, put out some tomato plants.  Not only are they neat-looking and fast-growing, you can eat the resulting tomatoes, which are rich in lycopene which improves your cardiovascular health and helps prevent cancer.  BOO YAH!  Here is a link to some tomato growing kits.

You can also do window herb gardens or, and check THIS out (it’s on my Christmas list – please, Santa?  Please? Please?  Please?): a tabletop AEROGARDEN to grow your very own deliciously scented herbs, flowers, fruits, and/or veggies year-round:  https://www.aerogarden.com.

For those in rural areas and/or lucky enough to have their own yards and access to land, plant away!  My favorite source for all things gardening is the Gardener’s Supply Company.  Regardless, always go organic however and wherever you plant.  Skip the pesticides, chemicals and say no to GMO seeds.  After all, you want to help yourself and the planet, not hurt both.  You don’t want to be exposed to toxic chemicals, even if you are growing non-edible flowers instead of veggies, fruits or herbs.    Gardeners.com has a lot of tips and tricks for how to avoid pests and problems without the use of nasty pesticides and, if you’re growing inside, it’s even easier.  You absolutely don’t need them.

I decided to grow lavender inside (yes, it can be done!) and now everything smells serene and beautiful and I am happier for it.  And, I have the opposite of a green thumb.  I am wanted for plant murder in some states so, if I can do it, you can definitely do it.  And you will be happier, calmer and more zen if you do.  It’s like a gift for yourself that’s a gift to the world.

So go on! Green your space!  You’re going to be glad you did.

*****************************************************************************************************

Some people will argue that some of these changes are worth more or less than others.  Cool.  Put the emphasis wherever is easiest or makes most sense to you.  Customize this to you and don’t get overwhelmed because if we each do some small things, it all adds up to one gigantic thing.  Get out of bed, put down the chocolate and go save the world … because you actually can!

Footnotes
[1]See, e.g., https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/microplastics#health-effects,https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/22/health/microplastics-land-and-air-pollution-intl/index.html,http://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/feature/microplastics/,https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/microplastics-have-been-found-in-peoples-poop-mdash-what-does-it-mean/,https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-health-pollution-waste-microplastics/.
[2]See, e.g., https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/19/are-we-poisoning-our-children-with-plastic
[3]See, e.g., https://food.ndtv.com/facts/storing-your-vegetables-in-plastic-bags-heres-why-you-need-to-stop-1729511
[4]See, e.g., https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-organic-food-cancer-20181022-story.html
[5]https://www.consumerreports.org/pesticides-herbicides/easy-way-to-remove-pesticides/
[6]See, e.g., https://www.parents.com/baby/diapers/cloth/eco-friendly-diapering/?slideId=slide_b68e1d04-72ec-455b-9acc-19a4600a3d3a#slide_b68e1d04-72ec-455b-9acc-19a4600a3d3a
[7]See, e.g., https://www.ewg.org/release/massive-study-finds-eating-organic-slashes-cancer-risks
[8]See, e.g., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3569688/,  https://www.ewg.org/release/massive-study-finds-eating-organic-slashes-cancer-risks,https://www.newsweek.com/eating-organic-foods-linked-lower-cancer-risk-1182713,https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/29/usda-diet-nutrition-environment-sustainability-omega-3-beef,
[9]https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150311-cow-agriculture-cattle-dairy-beef-health-food-ngbooktalk/
[10]Id.
[11]See also https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-plantbased-diets-weight-20150122-story.html
[12]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6132564/
[13]https://www.healwithfood.org/articles/buckwheat-complete-protein.php
[14]See, e.g., https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/list-amino-acids-grain-quinoa-1405.html
[15]https://www.cleancult.com/blog/substitutes-for-dryer-sheets/
[16]https://www.thespruce.com/vinegar-in-the-washing-machine-1900128

Don't Hurt The Baby - Psychiatric Experiments on Animals

10/30/2018

Many people have read about the controversial maternal deprivation research on baby monkeys at the University of Wisconsin, among others. One need only google psychiatric experiments on baby monkeys to see the stuff of nightmares. For me, the grave difficulty with psychiatric experimentation on non-human animals is that, for the experiments to have any real value for treatment, you must begin from the foundation that the non-human animals are psychiatrically identical or at least substantially similar in their emotions and cognitive functioning to humans. That is, that the non-human animals are sentient; that they have an identical or substantially similar emotional spectrum; that they feel the same emotions such as fear, pain, joy, loss, and so on, as humans do. If they do not, after all, of what utility is the psychiatric and behavioral research performed on them to humans? Little at best and, I argue, none. However, beginning, as one must if one is to argue in favor of these experiments’ utility, from the supposition that the non-human animals feel in the same or substantially similar way as humans do, the ethical and moral implications of treating them as one would not or should not ever treat a human in these types of emotionally and often physically violent experiments are insurmountable.

Us_me vs. Them_ME by Widelyne Laporte

10/11/2018

It is my privilege to be able to use this blog as a vehicle to share a series of stories from across the country about the American immigrant experience. More on this project here. The ninth story is:

Us_me vs. Them_ME by Widelyne Laporte

            I was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which is commonly known as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Which was wrongly stated by a powerful leader in America, as one of the “shit hole” countries. Before I was born, my father moved to America, leaving behind my mother and 5 older siblings, to build a better life for his family. He worked hard as a building super to live in a building for rent-free, in exchange for his services. My father knew little to no English, yet he somehow made it work, and I greatly acknowledge his hard work and perseverance. When I was 3 years old, my father was able to file for us to come to America. When we came, we lived in the basement of the building which my father worked at, for over 8 years. I remember this building being infested with rats, mice and flying roaches. We started off sleeping on the floor to my father saving enough to buy one bunk bed, which was shared amongst my sister and I. We made the best of our living lifestyle.

            Despite of our living conditions and being an immigrant, I was not embarrassed at a young age. However, as I got into elementary and junior high school, students often made cruel statements about immigrants. About me. At that time, there was a rumor spread that Haitians were bringing HIV/AIDS to America. Often times I would be told to go back home and called names because of what I wore and what my parents could not afford. I did not ever feel like I was an estranged person, an outsider, or loner until I started school. But, my lack of embarrassment of being an immigrant had a lot to do with my parents. My parents always spoke Hope and Faith in our God. Always said, “this was TEMPORARY. Everyday is a stepping stone.”

            My father is now the owner of a house, my older siblings married with kids, in their own homes with promising careers. And as for me, I am working as a nurse, giving back to my parents for their hard work and sacrifices. I am also giving back to the country that has given me the opportunity that I might not have had in my country, Haiti. I am a hard-working individual and also helping American citizens in a country which I was not born into. Being in the healthcare industry, caring for people of all ages, races, and ethnicities, I’ve learned a powerful thing; no matter what we are, we all are born into a world and will die into a world. Therefore, there shouldn’t be divisions, separation, inferiority, and human rights violations. The way immigrants are being treated with injustice is inhumane. Yet, it is the same immigrants as myself, who are able to give back and help PEOPLE as a whole.

Widelyne Laporte

Widelyne was born in Haiti and migrated to the United States at the age of 3 with her mother. Widelyne is now a citizen, a licensed practical nurse and an actor.
Facebook.com/widelyne.laporte

**Special thanks to Ricardo Arechiga for his graphic design of the project logo**

Immigrants: We Are Them. They Are Us. A Story by Valery Valtrain

10/11/2018

It is my privilege to be able to use this blog as a vehicle to share a series of stories from across the country about the American immigrant experience. More on this project here. The eighth story is by Valery Valtrain:

Like most children immigrants, I didn’t have any say in the big move to the United States of America. For some children, the move may seem like an adventure. But for others, the adventure involves leaving behind all that was once familiar in order to try to adapt to a world that even your parents are lost in. My mother, the only parent I’ve ever had, relied on me so much so; it sometimes felt as if we had somehow switched roles. Slowly, I began feeling the burden of being responsible for my mother. Feeling like it was my duty to ensure she was able to navigate around this new world, since I was the one adapting to it with greater ease.

I grew up sooner than most. After all, I was responsible for so much more. I was often praised for having more maturity than my peers. Such is the life of an immigrant child. There is a duality to our nature that most of our peers could never embody. Our minds have to think in twos, always translating from one dialect to another. Always having to remember whom it is we are speaking to in order for the correct language to be spoken. We have to see the world through the lenses of our audience in order to ensure that we can truly relay the messages we are telling them. It often makes us more empathetic and more selfless.

I bond better with people. I believe many immigrant children have an understanding of the world around us that most aren’t privy to. We are analytical by nature because we had to study the world around us more than once. We have to first make sense of the world for our own comprehension, and then have to continuously revisit it to explain it to our parents and anyone else in our families that aren't able to quite grasp it. We take in all of the information the world has to give and then we must scrutinize it in order to share it. Such a role, causes you to be attentive, to listen, to care, Perhaps that is why strangers tend to share intimate details about their lives with me, and friends often seek my advice.

Feeling compassion for others, seems to be a constant with immigrant children whose roles mirror my own. We are given the task to be responsible for our parents and in the process, we tend to feel responsible for the world.

Valery Valtrain
Val Valtrain is a writer, a mother, an American, an immigrant, and the daughter of immigrants. She is interning with the Film Lab.

**Special thanks to Ricardo Arechiga for his graphic design of the project logo**

Immigrants: We Are Them. They Are Us. A Story by Rosa Soy.

10/11/2018

It is my privilege to be able to use this blog as a vehicle to share a series of stories from across the country about the American immigrant experience. More on this project here. The seventh story is by Rosa Soy:

I arrived in the United States on February 9, 1962, a day forever etched in my memory.  I was sent here by my parents through the “Peter Pan” program, curiously named after a boy who would not grow up, which allowed children from Cuba to be welcomed to the U.S.  The political undertones of this project were, of course, unknown to us at the time.

Having been uprooted from the relative comfort of our middle class lives, we were called “refugees,” and placed in shelters, orphanages, and foster homes.  We came alone without our parents who, we were told, would later join us.  The program had the dual purpose of embarrassing the Castro regime, and protecting us, so that we would not be taken from our family and sent to the Soviet Union.  Our parents assured us this was only temporary and they would join us in a short time.

Temporary or not, the wounds of separation left lifelong scars. The interrupted childhoods the loss of homes, relatives, friends and pets, all that was familiar and dear to us, took its toll.  The promised protection came with a price -- separation from those we loved the most. And, as our parents encountered numerous obstacles to our reunification, the separation was often unbearably long and painful.  In spite of Peter Pan, we did grow up, apart from our families, making choices we did not always understand. We learned to relish our independence as immigrants to this nation.  We mastered a new language, became accustomed to new landscapes, tastes and smells.  Grateful for our good fortune, we pledged allegiance as new citizens, while longing for the people and places we had left behind, which had slowly begun to fade from our memories.

Today, as an immigration attorney, I am often taken back to the pain and struggles of the early years. But I am rewarded by assisting a new wave of young people who long to be accepted and welcomed as immigrants to their new land.

Rosa H. Soy
Rosa Soy received a “Meet the Composer” grant for the “Future Feminine”a mixed-media project, and is the co-writer of The Rose Slippers,a children’s musical, an award recipient of the 2004 Jackie White Children’s theater competition. Rosa’s plays Esperanzaand The Planhave received staged readings at New Jersey regional theaters. Her play Venial Sinswas selected for the 2004 Samuel French festival in New York.  And her short playPigeonswas presented at the 2005 Samuel French festival in New York.  Her play “Off Balance” was presented at Luna Stage Theater Company in Montclair NJ.  Rosa served as playwright in residence for Passaic County Community College during 2009 and 2010.  She is currently working on a book about her experiences as an immigration lawyer.

**Special thanks to Ricardo Arechiga for his graphic design of the project logo**

Lhasa Apso by Roman Sotelo, in script form

10/11/2018

It is my privilege to be able to use this blog as a vehicle to share a series of stories from across the country about the American immigrant experience. More on this project here. The sixth story was submitted in script format and is here:

Roman Sotelo
Roman Sotelo is a graduate of Digital Photography and Imaging in Pratt Institute and Digital Cinematography in New York University. He is currently studying Filmmaking in School of Visual Arts. www.romansotelofilm.com

George by Riti Sachdeva

10/11/2018

It is my privilege to be able to use this blog as a vehicle to share a series of stories from across the country about the American immigrant experience. More on this project here. The fifth story is:

George by Riti Sachdeva

In the mid-1980s, when I was in high school, my parents bought a house and moved us to a very white  suburb (vws) just outside of Boston.

In the svws, I went to a very white high school (vwhs), where I played the violin in the orchestra. Being a vwhs, every spring, the orchestra took a trip to play a concert in a diﬀerent community.  My sophomore year,the  orchestra was invited to play at a high school in Montreal.

From the vwhs, we were three busloads of students, chaperones, and instruments… and three bus drivers. The driver of the bus I rode was named George. He was dreamy with sparkling eyes, mischievous smile, and a super sexy goatee.  He was  probably in his mid to  late twenties, so in  my  teenage fantasies, he was the “perfect age.”

At fifteen, I was the perfect age for social and physical awkwardness. I had braces, an unruly head of coarse black curly hair, brown skin, big tits, big hips, and a big ass. No matter how hard I tried to have a cool American wardrobe, it just seemed bumbling on  my  body.

For the entire trip to the Canadian border, the girls on the bus flirted with George.  I wouldn’teven  make eye  contact  with  him, knowing that trying to be as charming  or beautiful  as the white  girls would  just  end in my  humiliation.

At the U.S.-Canada border, all  three buses stopped to go through Canadian immigration. We sat around for a bit before a Canadian immigratio noﬃcer stepped into the bus wanting to know:

Was there anyone who was not a US citizen?

I was  the only  brown  black  yellow or red student on all three buses. I don’t recall if the oﬃcer was looking directly at me…I raised my hand and volunteered my immigration  status.

He approached me.

Are you a permanent resident? Yes.

Do you have your green card with you? No.

Come with me.

As  I walked on  the  bus,  terrified, I  made  eye contact with George for the first time. He held my gaze, unwavering.

Three busloads of impatient vwhs students watched me and the Canadian immigration authorities enter a building where I was interrogated for an hour.

Why didn’t you bring your green card? I didn’t know. No one told me to.

Country of origin? India.

When  did you  come? 1975…?

Who did you come with? My parents.

Where have you lived? Parents names? Occupations? Mother's maiden name?

They checked through records on what was a computer back in the mid-1980s. My green card number, my mother's green card number, my father’s greenc ard number, my parents' employers, other relatives in the U.S.

When, finally, they were satisfied that I was not a Sikh terrorist nor would I try to defect, they approved my entry into Canada.

I walked back to the bus wearing the stunned humiliation of being an Other:

a registered alien, immigrant, brown teenager amongst three entire busloads of white people, except for the three Black men driving the three buses.

I stepped back into the bus and felt the hostile silence and impatient stares from the very white high school students.

I  looked at George, big tears thrusting their way to  the  surface  of my  eyeholes. He welcomed me with his shining eyes and uttered the one thing that could revolutionize the indignity of the moment. He spoke a spell I carry, still, in the lining of my super hero magic…George grinned wide,

"It takes a special lady to hold up three buses.”

Riti Sachdeva
www.ritisachdeva.com
IG: @midniteschild
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrBSU9I7zOWxERjC1fPnAwQ/featured?disable_polymer=1

**Special thanks to Ricardo Arechiga for his graphic design of the project logo**