Welcome to the Campaign for Integrated Sustainability

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKmt7PwYPCY
Go to the site: http://www.sheinnovates.com/

Don't know how many of you are aware of this, but you may want to take this into consideration as you're planning your charitable giving.

The basic principle is raising money in order to supply low-electricity-use equipment to women in small communities in third-world countries. These women start a business (which employs other women) making sanitary pads using banana stems. Then super-cheap pads are available to women and girls of the community, and they no longer lose days of work and school every month due to menstruation.

The video is really good; I highly recommend taking at least taking a look.

Thanks! :)

I am making this sugar scrub for Christmas presents. Do you think if I leave out the Vitamin E oil it will be bad? How long will it last without it? Thanks!!

He was admitted to the hospital last Friday for low platelet count (~3000, normal is 150,000+). The hospital *thinks* that it is ITP (where your immune system mistakes platelets as invasive cells and attacks them) and they are giving him steroids to temper the hyperactive immune system.

Please see link for more/better info:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thrombocytopenia/DS00691/DSECTION=causes

They released him from the hospital earlier this week, even though he had not improved (and below 10,000 is considered potentially life threatening) and he was not responding to steroid therapy (*yet*..they say it could take a full 7 days to help, but that is rare).

Does anybody know anything about this phenomenon, either by experiencing it yourself or through somebody else?

Do you have any ideas for how he can take care of himself and promote getting better? Not as a substitute for treatment but as a supplement? I might be grasping at straws, but any suggestions or insight would be welcome.

Thanks.

My mother and i would like to start a little kitchen garden in the back yard in a small section of the yard where lilies used to grow, because it's the only place that has never been sprayed. I was just wondering about how to go about making the other soil where grass is growing safer if she decides to eventually expand the garden? I'm pretty sure we're going to have a raised bed, so maybe it doesn't matter that much?
They stopped spraying the yard in march or april i believe.
Sorry if this is too vague of a question, i'm totally clueless when it comes to gardening!

So, I was able to see a post in the memories about dry eyes but it wasn't close enough to my situation to be any help.

This is a BIG long shot, but maybe someone has advice!

I had PRK in both eyes the end of July (it's kind of like LASIK, but slightly grosser, so if you want details I suggest you google) The surgery went fine, healing as normal.

I do have typical post surgery dry-eye, and I've been using the artificial tears recommended by my opthamologist (Refresh Plus). Now that it's getting cold & dry here, my eyes are really starting to bother me. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I had chunks of sand under my eyelids, it hurt so much. I'm especially vigilant about the eye drops before bed, too. Anyway. I DO plan on going to the opthamologist (I'm calling tomorrow to make an appointment), but we are talking about Army healthcare here (don't get me wrong-I'm grateful to have any healthcare!) and it might be 3-4 weeks before they can see me.

Are there any supplements that could possibly help increase tear production, or am I totally crazy for asking here?? I've learned so much just by reading everyone's posts; this seems like a pretty knowledgable community :) Thanks in advance!!

So, I was planning on making some felted soap (for the first time) for Christmas gifts this year. I got some raw wool (natural grey... wanted to stay away from super dyed, fake looking hot pinks/lime greens etc..) and a big hunk of shea butter soap base which I grated down and added some essential oils to.
Long story short, the soaps look like owl pellets. Or hairballs. They're quite unattractive, which doesn't matter in the least to me but since I'm giving them as gifts I'd like them to look somewhat more presentable and appealing. Also, not everyone who is recieving them is on the 100% natural bandwagon and I can only imagine their faces when I tell them they are supposed to rub this fuzzy mess on their naked bodies...hahaha.

I was planning on wrapping them in some cute fabric or ribbons but I don't know. Does anyone have any tips or ideas on how to make these soaps look less...well you get the picture.

I've seen felted soaps with different colored felt shapes attached to them..how is this done?

Any ideas/tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

I don't mean the high fructose kind, I mean regular corn syrup. Like Karo. In comparison to other sugars, how bad is it?

Also, is it true that the darker the corn syrup is, the better? My husband buys the dark Karo because he insists it's healthier.

Thanks!

My tired body craves warmth (and I just posted about being cold in New England, so this a pretty logical follow up), so I'm looking at investing in a hot water bottle. (Also useful if I move and don't have a microwave because God knows that I cannot live without a kettle, ever in my life, even when I move into the upper canopy of the Everglades during the zombie apocalypse and live off of canned jam.)

I'm looking at Amazon, but if they're attractive/well rated, they're expensive. If they're not expensive, they're ugly and have serious flaws. I want something with a cover that won't leak hot water all over me and my mattress in the middle of the night. Since this is an alternative to an electric blanket (obviously not natural) I was hoping for something a bit cheaper, but maybe that's not an option?

Suggestions?

I tend to get anemic due to low iron levels, and as a vegetarian I'm always looking for things to eat that will boost my iron intake. I know vitamins are an option, but I really prefer to consume it from natural food sources rather than a supplement or a fortified product.
I bought some blackstrap molasses today, which will provide 70% of the daily value of iron in one tablespoon a day, so I was wondering how you guys use it. Any simple recipes? I know you can cook it into baked beans, but I'm not a huge fan of them. I suppose I could just suck it up and eat a straight tablespoon of it, but it's strong stuff!
Any other good sources of iron that you know of?

Hiya, I have just been attempting to make my first ever soap, I stirred it for an hour and its now been an hour and a half but its not even reached trace! has anyone had this problem before? what could be wrong and what could I do to fix it?! thankyou in advance!

edit: after 2 hours I added some more caustic soda... was this a bad plan or is this ok?!
it doesnt seem to be dissolving...

Howdy All!

I'm having some shampoo bar issues and was wondering if any of you could offer some advice.

So, since about May I've been shampooing with Chagrin Valley shampoo bars. I love the simplicity of the shampoo bar concept, the fact that they don't contain unpronouncables, and the fact that I'm supporting a small business. During the warmer months I'm a wash and go kind of girl - wash, condition with diluted ACV, scrunch with some natural mousse and go! The shampoo bars have worked wonderfully for that. But, it's kind of hard to pull on a hat over my lion's mane of hair without it totally looking like crap so in the colder months I have to resort to blow drying the mass of it straight. It seems that therein lies the problem. When I try to blow dry my hair in the morning after shampooing at night with the shampoo bar I just cannot seem to get it dry. Actually, it does get dry, it's just that there's so much grease in it that looks wet.

What the heck could possibly be going on? I've tried switching bars thinking that one formula could be more conditioning than another, but same results. I've tried washing with baking soda thinking that perhaps the soaps have left some sort of funky residue that just needed to be stripped, but again same results. I'm totally ready to throw in the towel here and pick up some nasty chemical laden shampoo just to get things back to normal. The weird thing is that my hair has NEVER been greasy. My scalp is pretty oily, but my hair has always been on the drier side - probably because of it's coarse nature and all - which was cool because I could last at least 3 days between shampooings. Call me lazy, but this shampooing and blow drying every day is getting to me (and probably kicking my hair's butt since I used to just blow dry once a week and wrap for the rest of it).

Any suggestions?

~Ania~

Could I make a floral infusion using Jasmine buds to use in a body wash/ shampoo or as a body spray?

I was thinking of steeping the buds in hot water, then cooling it down and storing it in a spray bottle in the fridge. Is that a good method, or would some other method work better, and preserve the scent for longer?

I want to do this because I saw the Jurlique Jasmine shower gel, and I don't want to buy it, but I miss having something Jasmine- scented to use.

Thanks :)

I'm going on a long trip (cross-continent, 18 hours, three plane changes) at the end of the month and am trying to plot food options (yes, I start planning REALLY early- I have the packing list nearly done.) Trail mix seems like a good carry-along snack, so I am mixing up one from peanuts, cashews, dried blueberries, starfruit and raisins. What other food items would people recommend? Airports are not known for easy healthy food choices, for the most part.

The following are caveats- I am allergic to walnuts and brazil nuts, citrus triggers migraines for m so I avoid it, dairy can only be eaten at meals because I have to take medication with it.

I used to bring a cooler with breakfast and lunch, but with luggage restrictions and the new liquids rule, it's not really workable. Also, I'm trying to do carryon only- we will see about that.

Hello everyone,

I am hoping there are some people on here that make their own jerky and have some good recipes to share. I made one batch, it was OK and I know now that I can make it in my dehydrator but I am searching for more recipes.

At the moment I am looking for beef recipes, but would try salmon. I'd love venison but don't have access to it at a local store(you can hunt deer in CT but not sell it and I don't know any hunters anymore).

My problem is that SO many recipes I look up on line are ALL salty. I don't mind a little soy sauce, but I don't like it too much(for salt or taste). I have a small bottle of liquid smoke and various other sauces(a spicy hot sauce I might try eventually)but my true goal is to find some healthy, more natural ingredient, lower salt marinades that enhance but don't cover the taste of good local raised beef. I enjoy spicy, but again don't want it to overpower the meat.

I am open to all flavors, from sweet to savory varieties. I am using a brisket cut at the moment, but also curious what other cuts people use for beef jerky.

Hello,

I have tried to figure this out on my own and am not succeeding. I am curious as to why some people spell "vegan" with an asterisk in place of the letter "a".

Namaste,

Mimi

I just saw a previous post about soap bars as christmas gifts, and I was wondering if anyone had any good advice for natural bar soaps that are unscented, for sensitive skin or hypoallergenic..

i use ivory soap... i like it because it has almost no scent, but it leave my skin really dry. any suggestions?

Why is it that most people assume "natural living" means "vegan/vegetarianism?" In all honestly, when humans were at their most natural, imo, they were prehistoric... and if prehistoric people had all been vegan or vegetarian, I really don't think the human race would have lasted very long.

So, do you feel it's possible to live naturally and be omnivorous, or live a natural lifestyle including hunting, fishing, and raising meat animals along with produce; also skinning animals and using their leather for clothing, shoes, etc? And if so, why not?

If you don't feel a person can live a natural lifestyle while eating venison and wearing deerskin boots made from the hide, for example, why isn't doing those things a natural part of human life on earth as it has been for thousands of years?

Every year I like to try to get things for my parents that are more natural or sustainable versions of things they use. I'm also still in college, so it can't be anything too pricey. This year, the list includes:

1) A Reusable Coffee Filter
- They use the disposable ones, so I thought this would be a neat gift. I have to wait until I'm home to check what brand it is, but I think it's a Mr. Coffee. Any recommendations?

2) Natural Bars of Soap
- My parents, or at least my mom, have switched over to almost all natural/vegan body and home products...except for their Dove bars of soap. It's been ages since I've used that stuff, but I want to try to get some natural bars of soap (at Whole Foods) that isn't too weird or different from it. Any ideas?

Also, any other gift ideas along this thinking of "Here's something that easily makes you live more naturally/sustainably! It's something you'll actually use!"

When all the trees have been cut down,
When all the animals have been hunted,
When all the waters are polluted,
When all the air is unsafe to breathe,
Only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
Cree Prophesy

If you look at native american philosophy or just read about native americans, even in fiction, you will see that they said things like this all the time... Not necessarily posting for commentary, but just think about it.

taste_buds
Holidays provide a built-in excuse for indulgent entertaining. This all-purpose foodie community covers everything from homemade hangover cures to dinner party menus. Need quick advice? Get five-minute snack suggestions, low-fat ingredient substitutes, and even measurement conversions. Delicious recipes garnished with humorous advice. Yum.