National Vegetarian Week is all about how surprisingly simple it is to go vegetarian.
So this week we are celebrating everything veggie. I will be reviewing vegetarian books, recipes, websites, blogs etc..
The Vegetarian Society has an online calendar of events so what you can find out what is happening in your area from events to discounts and promotions.
Are you a long time vegetarian, newly converted of thinking of going veggie? Share with us your reasons and/or motivation.
Every year on April 22, more than one billion people take part in Earth Day. Across the globe, individuals, communities, organizations, and governments acknowledge the amazing planet we call home and take action to protect it.
Climate change has many faces.
A man in the Maldives worried about relocating his family as sea levels rise, a farmer in Kansas struggling to make ends meet as prolonged drought ravages the crops, a fisherman on the Niger River whose nets often come up empty, a child in New Jersey who lost her home to a super-storm, a woman in Bangladesh who can’t get fresh water due to more frequent flooding and cyclones…
And they’re not only human faces.
They’re the polar bear in the melting arctic, the tiger in India’s threatened mangrove forests, the right whale in plankton-poor parts of the warming North Atlantic, the orangutan in Indonesian forests segmented by more frequent bushfires and droughts…
These faces of climate change are multiplying every day.
For many, climate change can often seem remote and hazy – a vague and complex problem far off in the distance that our grandchildren may have to solve. But that’s only because they’re still fortunate enough to be insulated from its mounting consequences. Climate change has very real effects on people, animals, and the ecosystems and natural resources on which we all depend. Left unchecked, they’ll spread like wildfire.
Luckily, other faces of climate change are also multiplying every day.
Every person who does his or her part to fix the problem is also a Face of Climate Change: the entrepreneurs who see opportunity in creating the new green economy, the activists who organize community action and awareness campaigns, the engineers who design the clean technology of the future, the public servants who fight for climate change laws and for mitigation efforts, the ordinary people who commit to living sustainably…
On April 22, 2013, more than one billion people around the world will take part in the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day. From Beijing to Cairo, Melbourne to London, Rio to Johannesburg, New Delhi to New York, communities everywhere will voice their concerns for the planet, and take action to protect it. We’ll harness that power to show the world The Face of Climate Change. And we’ll call on our leaders to act boldly together, as we have, in this pivotal year.
Between now and Earth Day, we’ll collect and display images of people, animals, and places directly affected or threatened by climate change – as well as images of people stepping up to do something about it. We’ll tell the world their stories. But we need your help. We need you to be climate reporters. So, send us your pictures and stories that show The Face of Climate Change.
On and around Earth Day, an interactive digital display of all the images will be shown at thousands of events around the world, including next to federal government buildings in countries that produce the most carbon pollution. The display will also be made available online to anyone who wants to view or show it.
Together, we’ll highlight the solutions and showcase the collective power of individuals taking action across the world. In doing so, we hope to inspire our leaders to act and inspire ourselves to redouble our efforts in the fight against climate change.
Find out more at www.earthday.org
Spanakopita is a traditional Greek pie made with spinach, cheese and filo pastry.
I have made several versions of it. This is one of my favourite from Allrecipes.com.
It makes a great lunch, a light dinner or even a delicious buffet food.
Another version is to wrap the filling into filo pasty triangles to make individual pies (which is a great option if serving as a buffet).
Serves 6-8
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Working with organic clothing and organic underwear everyday I come across people impacted by Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).
Lately I have realised that I was myself affected. It started by food intolerance, followed by wheezing and rashes due to chemical sensitivities to VOCs and perfumes. At first I thought I was allergic but a visit to an allergy specialist put me in my place as unless my life was in danger I was just being “too sensitive” and should avoid substances that did not agree with me. Of course this sounds like common sense, yet it affects my daily life so I decided to investigate MCS and its causes and effects.
The following has been provided by MCS Aware a British support group for people suffering from chemical, food and electro-sensitivities worldwide.
What is MCS?
MCS is a chronic, physical illness affecting people of all ages and backgrounds. It causes sufferers to have allergic-type reactions to very low levels of chemicals in everyday products. Put simply the immune and detoxification systems stop working properly and the body cannot process toxins efficiently.
Besides reacting to things like cleaning products, shampoo, perfumes and pesticides, many sufferers are also sensitive to food, medicines, moulds and electromagnetic fields.
MCS can be broken down into 3 categories: Chemical Sensitivity, Food Intolerance, Electro-Sensitivity.
The Symptoms
Most people are familiar with mild forms of chemical sensitivity. Symptoms might include a rash from washing powder or shampoo, headaches from traffic fumes, asthma from perfume, or hyperactivity induced by chemicals in foods. These symptoms can usually be managed by avoiding the problem products.
Individuals with MCS react to far more than one or two items. Severe sufferers cannot tolerate any synthetic or petrochemical substances, and some even react to natural products. Because of modern manufacture, many people with MCS find themselves allergic to practically everything in their homes.
Exposure to very low levels of toxins and fragrances can lead to a wide range of symptoms including headaches, nausea, disorientation, confusion, breathing problems, exhaustion, muscle pains or collapse. Reactions vary in severity and can occur immediately or several hours later depending on which body systems are involved.
Treatment
Although symptoms can be managed and sometimes improved, there is currently no known cure.
Recovery involves avoidance of as many toxins and problem substances as practicably possible, to allow the body time to heal and prevent irreversible damage. This has a huge impact on everyday life but nutritional therapy and gentle detoxification can help repair the body’s systems. Some people also find specialist desensitisation and complementary therapies beneficial.
Recognition
MCS is classified as a physical illness by the World Health Organisation (WHO) under the International Classification of Diseases ICD-10-SGB-V, T78.4. MCS is recognised as a serious medical illness in Germany, Denmark, Austria, Japan, Australia, Canada and the USA, where sufferers have access to appropriate medical treatment, housing and social support.
In the UK multiple sensitivities are listed as a symptom of ME, but MCS is not yet recognised as an illness in its own right. Medical support varies widely and there are no specialist NHS treatment facilities. Sufferers and their families are often left to cope as best they can without help.
If you feel you are affected by MCS please contact MCS Aware They can help you by providing valuable methods to help identify food, chemical and electrical sensitivities, coping strategies, and ways to improve your health. They have genuine experience of dealing with multiple intolerances and have researched many alternative products which may help to alleviate symptoms. They regularly produce magazines (chlorine-free paper of course), newsletters, helpsheets, product reviews and articles.
Do you suffer from MCS? How does it affect you?
Save 20% on Men’s Organic Underwear.
This Week Only. Ends April 21st @midnight.
Use coupon “men20″ at checkout
Choose from Bam Bamboo, Peau Ethique, Living Crafts, Do You Green.
Ava & Luc have bright and colourful organic clothes children love. Their latest designs “Sheep” and “Duck” are no exceptions.
Made from the softest organic cotton, “Pip the Duck” print is available in blazing orange while “Sheep” is available in aquamarine blue. Both are unisex designs and available as organic pyjamas (size 1 to 8 years) and organic playsuits (size 0 to 18 months).
Every last detail has been carefully considered in terms of design and comfort, and each item has been tried and tested by owners Janice and Vicki’s friends and family to ensure that it is absolutely perfect.
Ethically made in India, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified, low-impact dyes used Oeko-Tex 100 certified.
With the Winter lingering on, here is a hearty warming dish courtesy of Epicurious. Similar to an Italian beans soup. Good calcium with the dark green vegetables and beans.
Serve it with chunky bread.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Method
Is your lingerie drawer needing a make over? Here are 5 ways to recycle your bra so you can make space for some new organic underwear without guilt!
1) Against Breast Cancer: Against Breast Cancer gets money for your unwanted or unloved bras that is used for research to improve detection and survival from breast cancer. They work in partnership with BCR Global Textile who help small businesses in Africa, through their textile project they are preventing valuable textiles going to landfill giving them a new lease of life in developing countries across Africa where bra’s remain too expensive to produce.
2) Oxfam Big Bra Hunt: Oxfam recycled your unwanted bra sending them to Senegal where they are sold by Oxfam’s local social enterprise Frip Ethique making a real difference in the fight against poverty.
3) Breast Cancer Campaign: with a similar partnership with BCR Global Textiles, this charity supports research projects across the UK and Ireland in the fight against breast cancer.
4) Braid: Braid main current project is to help the women in Tanzania from the HIV projects to use the capital from the bra sales to set up their own businesses.
5) Uplift Bras: based in Australia collects new and second hand bras and sends them wherever they are needed. In disadvantaged communities a bra is often unobtainable or unaffordable. Often the bra received through Uplift will be the only bra that woman owns.
The brand new Taxi organic children clothes range by Red Urchin is not only gorgeous but also give 50p of its every sale (made before September 2013) to the Magical Taxi Tour 2013 charity.
The Magical Taxi Tour is one of London’s most unique charity events takes place each year when a convoy of licensed London taxis take over 200 children, suffering from a range of chronic debilitating illnesses and life limiting conditions, on a three-day trip of a lifetime to Disneyland Resort Paris. The Magical Taxi Tour has bought moments of great joy and happiness to sick children. This event is only possible with the help of our sponsors who generously give toward the £1,250 per taxi necessary to meet the expenses of hotel, fuel, food, admission charges etc. The taxi drivers naturally give freely of their time and use of their vehicles.
The Taxi range from Red Urchin includes a baby playsuit with matching hat, a baby tee shirt, a child long sleeve tee shirt and a child short sleeve tee shirt. The range is made from 100% supersoft organic cotton with no itchy labels.
