Archive for the ‘Natural Healing’ Category
Recipe serves two simple meals or four lip-smacking kale salad appetizers. Prep time approximately 15 minutes. No cooking involved.
Start with one hearty bunch of kale — Tuscan, dino, curly, any variety will do. Carefully remove the leaves and tear into more-or-less bite sized squares, discarding the fibrous stalks into your nearest compost receptacle.
Mix the following in a measuring cup: 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup Braggs® aminos
Then add roughly 1/4 cup of minced red onion, to taste. Let the onions soak in the juices for about 10 minutes if you want to take the edge off of the raw onion flavor.
Pour the dressing over the bite-sized strips of kale and massage gently and evenly until the kale feels tender. NOTE: it is important to actually massage the kale, rubbing and squeezing with your hands to really get the oil and lemon juice in there and soften up the leaves.
Finally, sprinkle with roasted pepitas and call it done. You can add a pinch of salt and pepper, but it’s really unnecessary. You can also add other salad toppings, depending on what’s in season. Our summertime kale salad often has fresh tomatoes and avocado. Serve it up with some homemade sourdough bread, and you’re good to go!
Mothers have reported that “the teenagers just devour it!” But rest assured, ordinary children and adults clearly crave it as well.
Scent is a sense that is intimately connected with human memory. The olfactory nerve is situated close to the amygdala, the area of the brain associated with emotion and emotional memory. Some biologists believe that olfactory memory evolved as an early form of communication. Surrounding yourself with comforting smells is not just a way to bring back pleasant experiences, but to also calm the nervous system and aid in meditation. At Bambu Batu, we carry a host of Indian, Nepali, and Tibetan incense. We are now proud to being offering Shoyedio Japanese incense in six individual blends and in variety packs of eight assorted scents.
As the legend goes, a piece of fragrant wood washed up on the shores of the Japanese island of Awaji 1,400 years ago. Recognizing its special fragrance, the locals preserved the treasure and offered it as a gift to Empress Suiko. In the early 18th century, Rokubei Moritsune Hata began to refine incense production techniques and introducing his creations to royalty and the general public. Twelve generations later, the Hata family is still crafting scents using the best natural ingredients. They are certified by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry, and the US Fish & Wildlife Department, ensuring that their recipes use materials that are sustainably harvested and use no animal products.
Each box of Shoyeido Incense contains a bundle of 35 sticks, each with a burn time of 45 minutes. Most of the recipes are sandalwood based and include premium woods, herbs and spices, and all products are made in their factory in Kyoto, Japan. No accelerants are use, ensuring a long burn time and a pure, headache-free smoke. Bambu Batu’s Shoyeido collection ranges in price from $2.95 to $5.95 depending on variety. Come take a whiff and find your favorite!
For many of us in the Western world, potable water flowing from a tap is such a common occurrence that we barely think twice about turning a handle for one of the most vital resources on the planet. Rarely do we consider that millions of people around the world lack basic access to clean water due to poverty, lack of infrastructure, and environmental pollution.
Imagine being able to take concrete steps toward ending the spiral of poverty for vulnerable communities in Africa. Seeds of Hope International Partnerships is a non-profit organization that seeks to transform neighborhoods with the use of community development and holistic practices. They work towards bringing knowledge of water-borne diseases through education and increase quality of life. The organization was founded back in 2003 when Seeds of Hope Director, Kirk Schauer, visited Zambia with a group of pastors from California.
After witnessing the appalling state of the water infrastructure in the country, he became determined to make a difference. Seeds of Hope began a collaboration with Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology to implement methods of sanitation and to conduct trainings. Through BioSand Filters, community wells, AIDS/HIV lectures, Seeds of Hope is transforming local infrastructure from the grassroots.
On August 3, the Mountainbrook Community Church will host a Walk For Hope as an extension of the mission presented by Seeds of Hope. Adult tickets are available for $20 or $25 with t-shirt. Children under 12 are free. Participants will meet in the Mountainbrook parking lot at 8am.
Modern man has been awful rough on the oceans. With climate change acidifying the seas, and through overfishing, pollution, dead zones and resource extraction, humans have done an amazing amount of damage to the world’s aquatic ecosystems. Brendan Smith encountered many of these challenges as a commercial fisherman. After realizing that most current fishing practices were unsustainable, he decided to settle in Long Island Sound and raise oysters. As of last year, he integrated kelp into his practices, creating a 3D farm that could take advantage of the entire water column. Once he added the green-blue algae, he found that the seaweed and shellfish had great economic and environmental benefits.
Now the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, Smith is looking to expand his 3D farm and educate others as to the applications of kelp and shellfish. Known as the “rainforest of the sea”, kelp is able to capture an incredible amount of carbon at almost five times that of land based plants. His 2o acre farm alone can sequester up to 134 tons a year. Seaweed and oysters can also filter out nitrogen which is the main cause of dead zones created by agricultural runoff. His Thimble Island Oyster Co. farm sucks up 164kg of nitrogen annually, purifying the water and converting the nutrients into a healthy source of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Kelp also possesses the added bonus of being a terrific feedstock for biofuel. According to the US Department of Energy, a kelp farm the size of Maine could potentially produce enough algae to replace petroleum for the entire country. Farming kelp has the ability to jump-start what Smith describes as a “Blue-Green Economy” that could not only help to repair damaged ecosystems, but create valuable jobs and revamp a crumbling infrastructure. Instead of drilling and contaminating the water supply, why not take advantage of natural processes that allow life to flourish?
The modern media landscape is crammed with images of Photoshopped bodies and faces that look more like oil paintings than depictions of real life. What most people hardly ever see is the variations and idiosyncrasies of the female form throughout motherhood, particularly during and after pregnancy. Unless they are studying the captivating imagery of Jade Beall.
Arizona photographer Jade Beall became fascinated with the maternal figure after the birth of her son in 2012. Although the birth was uncomplicated and joyous, she fell into a postpartum depression because she felt ugly, ashamed, and unattractive. After taking nude self-portraits of herself with her child and posting them on her website, she received hundreds of positive comments. Realizing that her work could be used as an agent of healing and reclamation of one’s physical self, she began the “A Beautiful Body” project. Through the series, she photographs her sitters for free, allowing them to heal from years of self-loathing, abuse, and disease.
Her first volume “A Beautiful Body” is primarily focused on mothers and their families. The book, which will be available in January, is the first of several which will deal with birth, aging, death, and beyond. Her edition is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, which has already exceeded its target goal. Offering her talents to act as medicine for both subjects and viewers, the black and white photographs are powerful reminders that beauty lies in the ability to give and sustain life, love, and the embodiment of compassion.
No one wants pollution spewing into the air, waterways, or land near where they live. Yet with chemicals and substances that are naked to the human eye, how can you know with any certainty what is who or what is polluting your backyard? Thank heavens for the Internet and crowdsourcing. With the help of modern technology, scientists, and advocates across the world, you have access to the information you need to monitor your home habitat.
Poisoned Places- NPR and their Poisoned Places series has created an interactive map that allows the user to see how polluted their neck of the woods has become. They take their aggregate data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: the Clean Air Act watch list, the Air Facility System (AFS), the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and the Risk Screening Environmental Indicators model (RSEI).
Superfund Sites Where you Live- The EPA allows you to find out if you are living next to a Superfund Site, or an area where pollutants or hazardous waste is located. The site also allows you see how the cleanups are progressing and access community resources that help educate and involve residents in the restoration of their neighborhoods.
Landsat Satellite Images- Pictures have the power to express what data sheets, charts, and tables are unable to infer. Google Landsat takes satellite images from space and through timelapse photography creates videos that chronicle urban development, climate change, and environmental destruction. Time magazine has compiled several of the most stunning pieces on their website.
Ventus: Developed by researchers at Arizona State University, Ventus is a computer game that uses crowdsourcing to track CO2 pollution from power plants across the world. Users are able to enter information as to the size, capacity, and output of each facility in a competition to win top honors from the website’s founders. In addition to identifying the new plants springing up around the globe, Ventus can be used as a tool by policy makers and scientists looking to reform energy infrastructure.
U.S. NRC – Chances are if you live near a nuclear power facility, you are already aware of your radioactive neighbor. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission offers several interactive maps that show the locations of nuclear power plants, waste storage and materials facilities.
Oh, honeybees! Forgive me for a moment while I extoll the virtues of the this humble insect. These hard-working ladies accomplish so much to contribute to human well-being. Aside from pollinating our crops and producing the miracle elixir that is honey, scientists have also found that bee venom can contribute to destroying HIV. Yes, that is correct, nanoparticles found in their naturally occurring compound can help to cure one of mankind’s most pressing medical catastrophes. So, in case it wasn’t enough to honor these brilliant bugs for their contributions to health, you may be surprised to learn how honeybees are working towards ensuring our collective safety.
Some very out-of-the-box scientists in Croatia are training honeybees to detect landmines. It may sound ridiculous at first, but upon further reflection, a tiny flying creature with a fantastic sense of smell might just be the perfect tool to identify the location of such destructive and sensitive weapons. Researchers from Zagreb University have developed a method of using a sugar solution laced with TNT to condition the bees to recognize the chemical signatures of the landmines. Nikola Kezic, the lead scientist of the project dubbed “Tiramisu” has high hopes for his hives. Weighing less than rats or dogs who have also been taught to search out the underground explosives. the bees have the potential to find the mines without setting them off.
During the Balkan wars, 750 square kilometers were laced with 90,000 ballistics without a set pattern or legend. Since the beginning of the conflicts in 1991, over 2,500 have perished from landmine explosions. For a country that is set to enter the EU this summer and one that hopes to maintain the safety of its population, any tool in its efforts to rid the country of the scourge of its turbulent past can be seen as nothing if not a step in the right direction. Croatia would like to become a tourist destination, and using the bees to make certain an area is safe for recreation could be an added reassurance. Now, if only we can return the favor to our winged warriors by reversing the colony collapse disorder brought about by climate change, pesticides, mites, and a host of other man made actions.
In the effort to combat climate change, we carpool, scale back our utility use, purchase carbon credits, and do our best to source our power from clean technologies. Yet, if we pay tuition, donate to non-profits, or have a stock portfolio, we may still be contributing to dirty energy. Many universities, local governments, and religious institutions have endowments or investments that benefit financially from fossil fuels. Seeing the support of coal companies, oil giants, and mining projects as antithetical to their moral and political proclivities, organizations across the nation are divesting from these markets.
The Fossil Free campaign helps to organize and support those who wish to give non-renewable resources the boot. Over 300 colleges have already started their own campaigns, including Brown University who is slated to vote on axing 15 coal and mining companies from their endowment this month. Major cities, such as San Francisco have decided that exacerbating climate change was not in the best interest of the planet or the Bay. Those interested can visit the website and either begin a petition or join an already existing call to action. In addition to hosting a platform to collect signatures, Fossil Free also provides relevant articles, charts, and studies to help make a strong and well-informed case.
As a strategy, taking away a source of revenue may be one of the quickest and most effective ways to halt fossil fuel infrastructure. Seeing as much of the industry has bought influence in Congress and around the world, pulling money away from conglomerates is one of the most powerful means of stopping a number of pipelines and mountaintop removals at one time. While it is true that companies such as ExxonMobil and Peabody Coal make billions of dollars and that the dissent of only a few small institutions may not at first make a huge dent, it is important to back up beliefs with concrete action. Not only igniting discussion and creating a PR nightmare, large endowments are responsible for billions of dollars themselves, and can make their voices heard if they decided to gather together to send a message and hit polluters where it hurts. Money could then be apportioned to back renewable energy and bolster a healthier, greener economy that would not only ease the burden of climate change, but give birth to a vibrant new market that benefits more small businesses and communities.
The time has come to tell the fossil fuel giants that carbon is so very last century.
Happy April! It is time again to think globally and party locally with Earth Day 2013. Celebrated planet-wide on April 22, this year’s theme is “The Face of Climate Change”. With refugees fleeing environmental disasters in nations across the world, arctic and antarctic ice melting at an unprecedented rate, desertification, droughts, and massive storms, now is the moment for us all to focus on the issue of global warming. On the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day, San Luis Obispo will join communities everywhere in their care and praise of Gaia.
– El Chorro Regional Park will hold their annual free event on Sunday, April 21 beginning at 11am. RTA, SCAT and SLO Transit will be running free shuttles all day to the festivities. Climate conscious attendees are encouraged to carpool or ride their bicycles out to the park. This year, the Earth Day Fair will also include a Music Festival with Aaron Och, followed by Burning James & the Funky Flames, Al Millan & the Robots, Natural Incense and Funk in Public on the main stage, and Belly Yellers, SLO Ambassador Bentley Murdock and the Red Willows on the acoustic stage.
An opening ceremony by Pilulaw Khus, Chumash Ceremonial Elder, Medicine Carrier and Clan Mother of the Bear Clan of the Northern Chumash Nation will get the day started. The Fair will include a Clean Energy Zone, Kid’s Area, Eco Marketplace, Health & Well-being Center,Food Court and the Beer & Wine Tents. Special features include Garden Tours, Climate Change slide-show in the Oak Glen Pavilion by Stephen Hansen M.D from the Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project.
– The 7th annual Earth Day Food and Wine Festival will take place starting at 2pm on Saturday, April 20 at Pomar Junction Winery and Vineyard. Over 200 vintners, cheese makers, olive oil producers, growers, and chefs will come together to display the best vittles the Central Coast has to offer. A Winemaker dinner will begin at 6pm with Chef Charles D. Paladin Wayne cooking at the Merrill Family Estate Wine Cellar. The fixed menu is $105 per person ($90 for members). Tunes will be provided by Guy Budd and the Gypsy Souls. Tickets can be bought through their website.
The human population has an addiction to plastics, and it is a habit that sends tons of debris into the ocean each year. While governments and nonprofits have been struggling to find a solution to our marine mess, a 19-year-old aerospace engineering student at TU Delft has invented a device to help remove plastic pollution. Boyan Slat is the mind behind the Ocean Cleanup Array, a project that would combine large floating booms with anchored processing platforms that could gather debris for processing and recycling. Networks of these systems could be placed around floating garbage patches around the world, potentially being able to remove 7,250,000 tons of rubbish in five years. The array would be powered by the ocean’s currents, allowing marine life enough time to escape and avoid becoming trapped along with the plastics.
Slat’s design currently only exists on paper, but has already won such awards as Best Technical Design 2012 at the Delft University of Technology. He also presented his concept at TedXDelft last year, and has since founded a non-profit to take the idea from imagination to implementation. At the moment, the Foundation is seeking financial backing as well as support for its scientific research. While the Ocean Cleanup Array would not be able to remove the total amount of trash we dump into our waters each year, it is an encouraging step towards reversing our petroleum footprint. Along with a shift in how we produce and dispose of our materials, the global community can begin to turn the tide on how we treat our ocean ecosystems.
